If I had to list the ten things in life that give me joy, I’m not sure what those ten things would be, or if I could even reach ten things. I know, however, that sitting around a circle with a group of actors listening to them speak my words for the first time would be on the list. Probably somewhere on the list below “sex” yet above “espresso gelato.”
I love table reads. They're relaxed, but also official. They're the first chance for everyone to look around the circle and say, "This is the team that's putting this together." It's printed scripts, highlighted roles, cold reading. It's the first time the script is "up on its feet." It's the first time the script comes to life, even if it's a casual way - with the cold reading being cold...
Next Tuesday will be the first two table reads of One Hour Outcall. In the morning, the read will be the actor cast to play the female lead and me. Given that the two of us go head-to-head for half of the script, it makes sense to have a separate read with just the two of us reading those scenes. So that’s not quite a circle, but still, something that I’m eager to experience. I’m nervous about matching up with the actor’s talent, excited to see how the story flows and intrigued as to whether or not I can write “straight” dialogue, as with One Hour Outcall I challenged myself to write without relying on witty banter.
Tuesday afternoon, the entire major cast (and most of the full cast) will arrive, and we’ll do the whole script. That’s the circle part. While I’m always nervous about how the words sound out loud for the first time, and confident I’ll hear a thousand things I want to rewrite, the circle part is always fun. Always fun.
Yeah. Definitely on the list. Maybe I'll celebrate with gelato.
