We’ve finished our first week of rehearsal and already it has been an amazing experience. Working with Ron O.J Parson and the cast, I am learning so much. Since the play centers around the relationship between two sisters, Ron has encouraged the cast to share their own familial experiences in the rehearsal hall, especially as they relate to the events of the play. It’s thrilling, the details that come to the surface.
Since the play takes place in 1943 in Harlem during the war, we’ve broached the topic of conservation. Cheryl Lynn has revealed that, because of her mother’s influence, she finds herself conserving paper towels at home, rinsing them and hanging them to dry in the kitchen—a detail that Ron has decided to include in the production. Don’t be surprised if you see used paper towels hanging in the kitchen on the set!
At moments in the play, Elizabeth sings a couple of snippets of gospel tunes. On a break, Cheryl Lynn started singing “Satan, we’re gonna tear your kingdom down” and accidentally started snapping her fingers. She stopped herself abruptly and informed me that this was not allowed. With all of the singing, clapping and swaying that happens in Southern Baptist churches, apparently it is not appropriate to snap your fingers to “church music!” “And no whistling either,” she added. Who knew… Wandachristine chimed in to include that “oh yeah, on Sundays we were very restricted about what we were allowed to do: no playing cards for example… that’s Jesus’ day.” The sense of religion is so important in the play and the actors already have a strong personal connection to it. It’s this “love for the king” and reliving of going to a country church that is part of the initial connection between Husband and Elizabeth.
The character of “Husband” has come to Harlem from Frogmore, South Carolina in search of his long lost love. So, we’ve been chatting about the “geechee” people and their culture. “Geechee,” a derivation of the Ogeechee River, is another name for the Gullah people of South Carolina who, because of cultural and geographical isolation, have maintained much of their African culture. This is an area that Cheryl Lynn knows well and she has brought in both literature and personal experience which she’s shared with us. At one point in the play, Quilly says that Husband must have Elizabeth “fixed,” meaning that he must have put some kind of spell on her. The “geechee” area is still known for its medicine men, often known as “Doctor Buzzard,” and their use of roots and concoctions to protect people from “hags” and evil spirits. Here’s a link to some information compiled by Joseph A Opala of Yale that covers some of the Gullah customs and traditions more thoroughly:
http://www.yale.edu/glc/gullah/05.htm
It’s really no wonder that the good people of Writers’ Theatre wanted Ron to direct for them. He is definitely an “actor’s director.” As he and the actors work, he reminds them that they are not “blocking” the play, because “blocking blocks creativity.” Ron prefers to think of the work as “crafting.” And as he shares ideas with the cast, he will often speak of “feeding two birds with one seed” instead of the more popular “killing two birds with one stone.” His openness, experience and gentle hand with the actors has inspired a tremendously personal process that is certain to grow into quite the amazing production!
That’s all for this week!
Jack
Assistant Director
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