Ugh. Worked the banquet scene tonight, and I have still not wound down. Man, it’s another one of those where the guy just turns on a dime. And how to work that out without just schmacting the f**k out of it, right? I mean: he sees a ghost. A GHOST. Put that in your Meisner and smoke it.
Add to that the fact that I am woefully behind on memorization for this scene. Don’t ask me why, somehow it keeps itself under my radar. Some form of denial, I’m sure. Add to that it’s a Monday, that started too hard and ended too late. Add to that that I picked up a long-awaited pair of eyeglasses that were supposed to change my life and did little more than make my good vision four hundred dollars worth of worse to the point I just wanted to cry.
So yes, I arrived at the Shoebox tonight to rehearse the banquet scene: fully prepared to kill people. (please note: no actors were harmed in the writing of this blog).
But the work does funny things to you sometimes. It both feeds into these moments and it saves you from them. With chaos all around you outside, the chaos onstage becomes clay on the wheel. Bloody, explosive, poisonous, beautiful clay.
And oh, the power and empowerment of our little company. To see Melissa Whitney across the table from me…and know, KNOW we are in the same moment, on the same page, at the same time; that I can say anything, do anything, and she will be there; that it’s all happening right now. She is a blessing. How blessed I am, and how I hope I can give back even half what I get from my castmates.
Talked to Todd, a former Macbeth himself, in the lobby. Commiserated as much as we could – “yeah, it’s a bitch. He’s a-a-a-a-all over the place, he turns on a dime.” Thy fate is the common fate of all…
I’ll attach an image to this blog. I occasionally do some work with art markers, mostly like what you see here. Inspired by the marketing materials created by Butch Flowers and Grant Byington for this show, I wanted to tinker some with oranges and blacks. Here’s a first go. If I come up with any more, I’ll pass them along.
-Jason Maniccia, Macbeth
Tagged: art, Banquet, Classical, Jason, Macbeth, Northwest Classical, NWCTC, on stage, Portland, Rehearsal, Shakespeare, theater
On the Boards with NWCTC 
Dear Jason, Ah! to living in the chaos. I think it is Nietzche that believes that out of chaos comes the Dancing Star. Maybe a helpful image, and that you honor your dear colleagues in their star-ness is such a great gift you give to them in your new Constellation: this work, this life, in this moment. I do hope your new glasses are corrected soon. A wonder that we can see thru new lenses isn’t it. Looking forward to seeing you soon,
-Diane the mom of a “former Lady M” hmmm now that’s something to reflect on….. see we’ll all in this together aren’t we?