Open Rehearsal: The Court Theatre Blog
February 18, 2010
A View from the Room
Our first week of rehearsals for The Illusion has come to an end and we’re already headlong into our second. It’s easy at this point to start worrying only about how far we have to go, but it’s worthwhile to see where we’ve been already.
The first rehearsal was fantastic. The rehearsal hall was packed with members of the cast, design team, Court Staff, board members, and students of a remarkably unique class being taught at the University this quarter. (More on that later.)
After introductions and design presentations, like the costume designs Drew posted below, we got right down into reading. Let me say, this cast is fantastic, and the show is complicated and rich. Tony Kushner’s adaptation is an adaptation in the strongest sense. He has taken the outline and some themes from Corneille’s original and has created an entirely new piece informed and inspired by another but possessing a complete life of its own.
Appropriately for any play named The Illusion, the show is full of all sorts of delightful visual tricks that Charlie and our amazing band of designers have cooked up, but what’s consistently exciting about the piece is the extent to which these delights are balanced with a play full of poetry and ideas, rooted in the past, but in dialogue with the present. It’s a real thrill to be a part of this show, keep checking back here for more updates throughout our process!
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