Erik and Pattie - Congratulations on this great site, and your positive review of I'm my own Wife. You're a success story that everyone should know about. Humble beginnings, pioneer spirit, overcoming all kinds of insanely human drama! I'm proud of you, and wanted you to know that. -Alison

Just finished our last readthru before we go into blocking rehearsals. The cast is great fun and it has quite the makings of a good show. People have been working very hard on memorizing their lines and now everyone is in that state of getting relationships down instead of just seeing and saying the line.

Acting is such a strange process. If you are disciplined and do the work that you need to do as you go into rehearsal then everything can be real fun and you understand why they call it a play. If you procrastinate then it becomes a bit painful and you have to play catch up.

This has such potential to be such a unique and wonderful experience. I just want to try and savor everyday and encourage every actor and participant to be the best that they can.

So many unknowns as we head into rehearsals. Trust and play. Laugh and love. Believe and soar. The Cherry Orchard sets sail tommorrow.

Up at 6:30 with coffee to begin working on the set and the place to make sure we get it all done by the 29th. Move gravel, bark, and sand, paint the front of the church and make sure the place is really pretty.

Some highlights from the potluck yesterday. Don's Spanish tortilla, Susans Russian peasant bread, Harriets meatballs, Lauries chicken that Ginger made(thank you Ginger) are just a few of the yummy items that people brought before we had our readthru. It is good just to sit and talk with the cast before you work real hard. Today is a big day I'll try and put on as many posts as I can.

So Day 1 is in the books with alot of great work accomplished. Scenes with yasha and Gayev and Lubov blocked and worked on. Rough blocking with ACTs 3 and 4 all the way through as well. It's great that we got through half the play in one day. Some really cool performances on tap for this show. Charles Duncan, Don White, Shirley Poon all had amazing days showing what they are going to do with their characters. I can't believe what a great fit this show is for some of the actors.

Now I need to get up in the morning and work some of these scenes so that I can begin to feel a little more comfortable with things. Wow eight hours of rehearsal is exhilerating and exhausting at the same time. Fun to be working so hard on something.

This evening as the sun set and the wind blew. The lights came on and a bat began to buzz the actors as they slogged through the blocking. Cheron script went flying as she performed her magic trick. Don White died with panache at the close of act four. Shirley Poon wailed and wailed and wailed some more as her cherry orchard was sold. We all bundled up and used flashlights as if it were camp. Tommorrow we'll do it all again. Got to love the theatre!

Up in the morning for Day 2. Last night after rehearsal we read an email from Brian and Melissa Mertes who are the source and inspiration for this experiment. I have to say it was one of the most generous and thoughtful emails from a stranger I have read. Full of nothing but good will and kinship about the endeavour. A joy to share thoughts with someone whom you've never even met but knows exactly what you are going through. We will have to take pictures and share with them our process.

Todays to do list includes moving gravel and moving bark. Going over the lines and blocking of last night. Painting the front of the house. Eating, resting, and then eight hours of rehearsal of one of the greatest playwrights ever. It is a great way to spend a Sunday.

Some other snapshots of yesterday include Steve and his guitar and squeaky boots. Patti and her exuberance for whatever she does. Lawrie and his business(what business it is) and Pattie working Yasha, Anya, and Petya while directing, no wonder she was so hungry and tired. Looking forward to day 2.

Did you know that if you skip 2 pages of dialogue with authority and self-confidence, you can cut off another actor's entrance and several others' exits? I found this out the hard way... LOL!

I am in awe at the transformation in the new outdoor playing space; and I love seeing what everyone brings to the Cherry Orchard. It's great to see it all come together!

On the dinner break on day 2. Blocked the large scene in act 1 this afternoon. It's amazing how hot it can be during the day and how chilly it can get in the evening. A life on the 48th parallel.

Some highlights of today. Lawrie loving the sideboard. Lawrie can make anything seem loved. How many slow crosses can Firs make. He makes alot of them. Yasha in his Mack Daddy size 13 shoes, and Carlotta and her happy exit. More fun. Chekov, Chekov, Chekov. So fun to work on.

Hope to see a good crowd on Saturday. It should be a real treat.

End of day 2. Whole show is rough blocked with only trofimov and Anya to plug in. It feels good to running the show. It's quite and epic monster but it does have it's little scenes of different things happening so it doesn't seem like and epic show. Oh who knows.

Highlights of Day 2. The campfire. The bat visited us tonight. Shirley had a cool headlamp on. Cons had on some french foriegn legion nanook of the north number. Kathy Meyer came and took pictures. Steve played the mandolin/guitar. Patty Q was wearing a communist dress and we all enjoyed the evening and the sunset.

Going into more detailed work tommorrow. Keep on rockin it people!

Here I sit, on my porch, everyday, and read. I've noticed the progress of our hostas & roses forming then opening into full bloom. It's the same being on-book (on my butt) and watching actors morph from bud to beauty. It's amazing (and in only one week!) and why I love doing this. However, you should have seen me in Paradise late, late Saturday night, all bundled in a blanket (thank God for props)... I'm the one not moving.

We've been staying up to date with you all through the great email updates - and getting nervous and excited to join you tonight after being gone all weekend. We have a really fun time at Scott's family reunion - and now we're looking forward to jumping back in to our Paradise family adventure! See you all this afternoon. We'll do our best to get up to speed - sounds like everyone has been making astounding progress in our absence. Yikes...and yeah :)

Day 3. Went to the construction job today to try and get some stuff accomplished. It's a good sign when all you can think about is your day with Chekov and your rocking cast. Came home made some lunch and now I'm going to take a power nap and then get up and make act 4 as sweet as possible.

So much to do on the to do list. But just take it one at a time and it all gets done somehow, someway.Wow, kinda feeling a bit manic. I feel a Sunday crash coming on. To much to do and live for between now and then. More later.

Day 3 in the books. Scott aand Heather jumped in like pros and totally had their stuff down in no time. Ran Act 4 six times and got a good sense of flow and it started to have a life which is what you want yeah! It's good to really feel familiar with it and keep working and working and you get to the point where it's not even performing anymore.

Highlights of Day 3. Freemans hiccups. Charles acting like a horse. Shirley saying "you're talking to me?" Steve tripping over hat boxes. The bat came and visited us again. Nice campfire and nice sunset. Good work everyone. Tommorrow it's more Screaming Chekov!

Day 4. Working Act 3 today. It's cooler with a hint of rain but just a hint. We we're visited by an unknown stranger with his dog at the afternoon rehearsal. When asked who he was our what we could help him with he said"Oh it just looked so beautiful I had to come see what was happening" I think he just had a few too many to drink because when Charles said "you've been drinking cognac" in the play, he burst out laughing. And that's not even a funny line. Ah our first drunk. And it's only Tuesday.

Highlights of the afternoon. Yasha singing his song"Do you want some hip hop?" Charles snoring and waking up. Calling Scott Nollette a virgin. Now there's a bit of irony. Madam in her dress she does look stunning. Don and his crosses that take years. Carlotta and her funny magic tricks. More fun tonight. Gonna keep sculpting the place and get the fire going.

Day 4 all done. Ran Act 3 a few times and it kept getting stronger and stronger as the evening continued. It's a stange and beautiful thing. Theatre. Here today, gone tomorrow. I try and appreciate every moment as it presents itself and passes. Had a strong Deja Vu at the end of Rehearsal as we were all saying our goodbyes. What a great and powerful tonic of life. Unlike any other form of expression.

Highlights of the evening were lots of Waltzing. Cons yelling at Steve. Shirley yelling at Scott, Don yelling at Freeman, Cons yelling at Patty Q, Erik yelling at everyone. Carlotta and her magic tricks, Aiden and his cape and shirley wailing as only she can.

A special mention to all our great volunteers. Susan and all the work she does on our shows, Michelle and her great painting, Harriet and her prop wrangling, and everyone else that has pitched in and made this happen. It's all shaping up to be a great evening of theatre.

Driving into work this morning all I could think about was seeing last night's rehearsal. OMG...it was amazing! EVERYONE pulled me into their character. Remind me never to get Cons upset and make Shirley cry; watching Erik's "Paul Bunyan" scene from the porch had me holding my breath. AND I love what the "exterior" decorators have done to the place, especially the slanting chair.

I kept thinking--"Until yesterday, everyone was sitting around the table just reading this Act. Now that's magical."

Pattie, I never doubted you for a minute--just a few seconds, but not a whole minute.

Day 5 all wrapped up. Act 2 run into the ground. We're all a little rummy from working and working and working. George Rezendes came and worked on music ques. Live music and theatre. It's a beautiful thing.

Highlights of the day. Scott up the ladder, Lawrie and his cane. Don in his top hat, Steve and his mandolin, Carlotta and her cucumber, Shirley and her purse, Freeman and his cigar, The blanket, the bench, the bark, the trees. Ah ain't Chekov grand.

Still my favorite moment from notes this week=
Pattie: Scott, I'd like to tlk to you about the swing-
Scott: Swing? Heather and I like you guys, but I don't...
Heather (quietly): Hear her out, Honey. Hear her out.

Very close 2nd- My private notes!

Day 6. It's getting closer with so much to do. I've been thinking about Chekov and what a great writer he was. How he nailed it with this play on so many levals, money, human frailty, servants, love, idealism, capitalism, how life is never the way you want it. Wow such a great experience.

So on the list today is more painting in the front, water the gravel, finish up the loose ends of small projects, make sure that the traffic patterns are safe, and string the lights for the Chandelier,wow, I can keep coming up with things, I guess I'll just keep getting stuff done and Where we'll be on Saturday is where we'll be.

This play just keeeps vibrating within you. I think it'll be fun and exciting to witness. But wow, to be in it and feel it. It is such a monumental work. I feel honored and blessed.

Okay Day 6 is wrapped and I'm feeling a bit fatigued. So much still to do and yet the opening looms. Ahhhh theatre! Ran Act 1 five times today. It's amazing how different the weather is in an eight hour day. It's been quite a ride.

Highlights; Aiden running around and calling everyone by their first name. Cons and the luggage, Firs and his white gloves, Patti Q and the broken saucer, Steve and his multiple trips, Carlotta- "I'm going to bed." Pattie to Erik"You can act." Lawrie"I'm a man of the eighties." Everyone Nice work ! good job. Chekov in Chimacum. It's a beautiful show. Feel good about it, Let er rip tomorrow.

Okay, We are opening and closing the show tomorrow. Wow! What a ride it has been. I'm so tired and high at the same time. Ran the show twice today. (That's six hours of russian theatre to you wussies) Had the threat of a rain out and kept going no matter what. Wow! What a show. What an experience.

So I'm backstage during the evening runthru with Gayev, Madam, and firs. We're in costume, and the light through the trees is making us seem speckeled like the impressionist paintings with all the little dots. It was completely surreal. Like a moment that was seared into my conscious thought and wants to linger there for years to come. Incredilble. Firs in his top hat. Gayev and his coat of many flowers and madam in all her regalia. It was something else let me tell you. The show is great. But that moment was pure theatre magic. Just so pure and beautiful.

So tomorrow we give it away. The masses come and we allow them to witness our creation. Well let them come I say. Bring them on. If they dare, we shall share our madness with them and see if it makes them to be moved.

Showday! The list of things is checked off. People are setting up the frillyness on the tables for the potluck. I've run my lines and I'm ready to go. Wow! What an endeavor. I'm exhausted and exhilerated. Spent and Pumped. Wired and tired. I feel like I've been to theatre camp. It's going to be a memorable day. I can feel it.

Now I just need to get into the happy zone of being ready and bring energy to the production. So here we are and hopefully the people will be into experiencing a nice afternoon of Russian theatre. Give it away.

The back drop is a real cemetery, in the play a ghost is spotted. Spending one week rehearsing is like waiting in line to take that terrifying ride on a big dipper, and when the ride is over you want to do it again, YEAH lets. Thank you Pattie & Erik for providing the "big dipper" and thanks to fellow riders.

Sunday, the day after. Supposed to sleep in but I'm wired to get up early. Spend most of my time rewinding back to yesterday and reliving the great moments of theatre and people generally having a good time. It was so nice that Everything went well. The only complaint that I heard was that the bleacher didn't have a handrailing. Yes next year Erik will put on a handrailing for you.

What a fun show to do. But even better then that. What a fun show to rehearse and dig your teeth into. Nothing better then a brilliant script. It really makes the whole thing worth while.

The crowd yesterday was probably 100 or so. The whole day was probably 150. Not everyone brought dishes so food was a problem but there certainly was a lot of dessert. The crowd seemed realy warm to the ideas of Chekov and the humor. So good to play up the humor of Chekov. It really is funny stuff.Like a big episode of Seinfeld.

Next year we'll probably start at 4 and have the event go into the evening a little more. Thank you to the great cast and production team. It really is great to do a show and have wonderful chemistry. We are in a way like the new version of a repertory group. I miss you all already.

1st day of Auutumn Acting class-
great exercises in relaxation and spatial awareness. Love all the creative energy from the teacher AND my fellow classmates! I look forward to discussing Long Day's Journey...

Neil Labute said: ‘There is a common love of language that I share with English audiences. From experience I am now confident that there is no place too dark or too wordy for U.K. theatergoers to follow me to—the main and perhaps only criteria is that the work is good and singular, and above all, necessary."