Uncle Vanya

Due to a turn of events I am now directing "Uncle Vanya" and I am still playing the role of Dr. Astrov in it. This is going to kick my trash. I'm very excited and I'm very nervous. I'm having such a wonderful time though working with these actors. They are very talented and full of excitement and wonder and a desire to great art. We are finding wonderful levels to their work and discovering ways to connect to humanity on and off of stage. Being in the play and directing in it is teaching me some very important lessons that I need to learn. It's easy when you are directing to tell your actors something they need to work on, realize you need to work on it too, and then put it away until the next time you work on a role (by which time you will have forgotten). It's very different when you tell them to do things, realize you need to do it too, and then realize that you need to be doing it in the very next scene that you will be working. I can't be a hypocrite and not practice what I'm preaching. I hope this experience will help me transition from needing a director so much, to being able to direct and coach myself on a role. It's also a great learning experience to be working on Chekhov, but that's going to have to be a post for another day.