Death of a Salesman: Biff's Blog - Days 11-20

posted by Jeremy Holm

March 9, 2008
On stage today for the first time. It feels great to be in our new home here in Crystal City. The set gives a real sense of period and of time wearing down on this family. There is more space here, or at least we feel freer to use the space we have, space which was taped out in the room, but which we did not use because of the closeness of the tables and chairs in the rehearsal space. The acoustics are completely unknown since no plays have been performed here as yet. So this is a great deal of new ground for all of us. The sound and lights were beginning to be added today, a very exciting time for us. Many of our entrances have different timing of course and most of our positions in the space needed to be adjusted. We ran out of time towards the end of the day and could not finish the play. In this rep situation it is very important to go through all of the adjustments in the imagination, or on paper in order that during the few days away from the work one remembers all of the changes. The first scene was much better today and is starting to get clear. I'm starting to think inside the character.

March 6, 2008
Today was a great chance to see what the whole piece feels like to do in real time. A great deal of the work we have been doing stuck and while some of it was lost, the overall benefit was great. There is far less work to be done in the opening scenes as an actor, and more reliance on Mr. Miller and his words. The opening scene for me is still vexing and the number one priority on my hit list. The connection between Hap and me needs to be palpable and loaded without being pushed. It's always difficult until it is not. The momentum felt great into the final scene and all of the detail work and line drilling paid off in the restaurant scene. There is far more detail to be garnered in the thought patterns throughout the play. We still have plenty of time to let the play deepen.

March 5, 2008
Today we worked through the whole play and continued to clarify beats that are presenting themselves as possibilities for better story telling. More work on the fights and slaps, they are getting clearer. Now I need to find a bit more cover of the core and much more subtlety in how I get what I get in the play. Every time I come at this piece it amazes me that we have the chance to tell this story.

March 1, 2008
Today was a great day for getting reps in. We ran a section, got notes, and then ran it again. This is great for Rick because the man never gets a break, and the journey he takes is cumulative. These larger sections give us a chance to take the energy and whatever emotional information from one scene and drag it into the next. It feels like an obstacle coarse where stamina, knowledge, and repetition are the key to completion. I love this time in rehearsal. This is the time when layers are added and specific details add exponentially to the impact of each moment. I am emotionally drained and am going to watch something funny on TV tonight.

February 29, 2008
Today we ran both plays! What a great feeling for everybody to put these two plays up and run them both in one day. The development department provided a great lunch for us in the green room between plays and everyone had a bit of time to chat and get to know the folks they had not yet met. For theater artists rehearsing a play in front of the support teams that work off stage is an honor and a challenge. If we feel that we are far enough along, then we are so glad to have people in the room, those folks are rooting for us to be our best. Today I was glad they were there. It gives them a chance to see what we are working toward and gives them a chance to think about the work they have been doing in context of the particular show. I feel that the runs went very well. There is still much work to be done and no sitting back. Now it is the time to really get lots of rest, drink lots of water and purify and distill how I understand each moment of the play. The next few weeks will determine, more than the first few weeks, what the public will see. This is the time to clarify and to be disciplined.

February 27, 2008
Fred and I worked with David Leong on Ben's lesson about the real world again today. We really detailed each moment of the "fight" and ran it many, many times. By the end of the session we had all of the elements set so that we can do it the exactly the same way each time. What I loved about this session was that there were four people really adding thoughts and feeling about what this beat of the play is and how to achieve that. There was real disagreement without anger, real compromise without judgement. In the end I think we have a great sequence which works for everybody and an example of how collaborative theater can be. Rick and I slapped each other for a half hour or so and put it into context of the restaurant scene. We are to practice slapping each other each and every day. While I never slap him in the play, there is something which gives permission in both me slapping Rick before he slaps me and in me slapping myself. Not only does it somehow give Rick the permission, but the sound of me slapping myself directs the force of the slap to an incredibly accurate measure.

February 24, 2008
Today we worked the last scene. A really intense scene, and one which takes a lot of concentration and relaxation to do well. We clarified the physical story and began to sculpt the finer points of the conflict between Willy and Biff. It was great to see Molly Smith in rehearsal today. She visited both rehearsals and said hello. Rick and I practiced our slap as we are meant to each day. I feel that we are almost over the hump and soon will be ready to run these acts, and then the whole piece. A great week... and now with "A View" beginning to run in larger sections we won't be with "Salesman" every day, so the need arises to run everything in the imagination. Brain-scans of athletes have shown that when they run a routine in their imagination the brain activity is the same as when they actually perform the routine. The same I believe is true with actors, so that is a huge resource and becomes very useful in a repertory situation.

February 23, 2008
I started the day at 10 a.m. getting slapped by Willy. David Leong worked with us for a few hours on fight sequences and violent action. He gave Rick and I a routine to do each day to get the slap safe and real. If I were writing a book it might be called the inner slap. We also spent a lot of time on the trip sequence with Ben. It was a great example of collaboration, each artist adding what they thought about the story here and all of us working to figure out exactly what our version of it will be. A lot of working through the first act today and then a run of the first act which went mostly very well. The bedroom scene is still tight and not specific enough for me. First scene is always difficult, but this one has surprised me. In reading the play many many times I never suspected that this scene would be the one that would offer so many challenges.

February 21, 2008
Worked through act one today from the top. Did not finish but got a lot of nice detailing and cleaning done. The run on Sunday told us a lot about what we needed to do and Tim really knows what he is getting at now, given what happened with our run. Lots of colors arriving within each beat.

February 17, 2008
We ran the whole show today... book in hand for some sections. No actor loves that first run in front of the design team, and while this was not that run, there were several people there, and of course we all put that expectation on ourselves. The director always says "this is not a performance, just a rehearsal" and until the first line is called for that vibe is hanging out there. I have heard of companies that agree on stopping at an early point to ask a question just to break the tension. That said it was a very good run and told us what we didn't know yet. We discovered where we were lost, we discovered where it felt on track and Rick got a shot at the entire journey. The man is on for nearly the entire show and lives in alternate realities, and drives most of the action, so that is quite a journey. Much work to be done.