Clown MacBeth!

Saturday night, 12.23am (technically Sunday morning)

What a day! Eli and I met Yosup this morning at the big grocery store in town to buy food for tonight’s dinner. We had hoped to make a pesto, but the lack of fresh basil was prohibitive. Instead, we bought ingredients for spaghetti, fresh tomato sauce, and bruschetta.

After returning to the studio, we ran the show once, had lunch, and got set for the first show.

The 3pm show was technically good, but we had a bad audience. Asian audiences are traditionally quiet, and fact that our audience was on the older side meant that they were even quieter. Still, it was a good show, and at the talkback afterwards, I had a great conversation with a couple of theatre professors about clowning, music, and how I build this show.

Between the 3pm show and the 6pm show, there wasn’t much time to do anything besides get a cup of coffee and touch up makeup.

The 6pm show was weaker technically (lack of focus, precision), but had a much stronger energy. The cast, having learned from their first audience, gained confidence and were really growing into the show – they had made some discoveries at the first show, and they were trying new (and funny) things. The audience was younger too, which meant that we had real genuine laughter!

After the show, we had another talkback, and there were a number of questions about sound and the show. Eli and I both got to talk a bit about how we do what we do. Also, I met a Korean composer who routinely works with Tuida, and he and I had a nice conversation about music, design, and the theatre. We exchanged web addresses and I look forward to listening to his music.

Immediately after the talkback and the small reception, Eli and I started cooking the dinner. It took longer than we all expected (due in no small part to the two baguettes for bruschetta that mysteriously disappeared), but our Italian feast was a big hit! The number of diners grew much larger than Yosup had anticipated, so the pasta was supplemented with rice pizza and watermelon. At dinner, everyone was in great spirits, and we were all sorry to see the week end. The actors all talked about how much they learned about clowning and performance in general. The administration talked about the next step with us and Clown MacBeth, and Eli and I were honored and humbled to be part of such a great group. We wound the party down shortly before midnight, but not before being presented with a number of gifts.

Tomorrow, I go to Seoul. I thought I’d be going by myself, but as it turns out, J.J., one of the producers, and HyeRan will be joining me for my day out. I think they’ll also come to dinner with me and Sandy Harned (yes, Denise and Sarah, Sandy Harned is in Seoul!). J.J., HyeRan, Yosup, JuhYah, Eli, and I will all meet tomorrow morning at 11am to see Eli off. Yosup and JuhYah will drive him to the airport, and HyeRan, J.J., and I will head down to Seoul!

No photos today, alas. It was a busy day, and I didn’t think to grab my camera!