Friday was the last day of training before the Japanese group's arrival. We started out with the Kyokotsu exercise and a few Suzuki exercises. Then we spent the rest of the rehearsal on working on the first few scenes, which require a good amount of synchronization and concentration from every character on the stage. After we did a few times, it became clear to me that we would need to practice the scenes together more to get the timing right. It would be quite a thing to wat

"How do I direct a group scene where every one is moving independently and I am also a part of it and make it look like an orchestrated scene?" The question was running through my head today during rehearsal as we tackled one of the complicated moments in the show. I've said this before, but in this kind of planned chaos, everyone must be aware of each other on the stage and the time signature created by the group. Everyone needs to be like a good musician in a jam session: K

Today's rehearsal went by really fast. When we are concentrated and focused, it's easy to forget the chronological time. After the Kyokotsu exercises, we spent good thirty minutes or so on Viewpoints. We began the session with a simple game of counting 1 to 20 while walking around in the space. The tricky part was that only one person at a time could count, and when we overlapped, we had to go back to 1 and start over. It was to built awareness of each other and group dynamic

One of the most challenging things in a rehearsal process is the transition from the exploration phase to the actual building of a show. In other words, at some point, we need to start making decisions as to what to do on the stage. There's almost always some kind of friction or confusion. It feels almost like a rite of passage. We need to acknowledge that it's a new level of creation. In a conventional setting, there is a script based on which a director start staging a play

Today the overarching theme of the rehearsal was "listening to others with the whole body." I think this is one of the most crucial elements for this production if not for all other other areas of life! And it's one of those things that are so "easier said than done." After the Kyokotsu exercises, we did a little bit of Viewpoints-inspired exercises, too. (For those who don't know about Viewpoints, it's a technique of composition first conceived and developed by choreographe

Today I wanted us to focus on "relationship," how to be present and connect with others. Started with the same old Kyokotsu exercises. Even in this seemingly solitary practice, when you have someone touching your Kyokotsu with his or her thumb for you to feel, there is a chance to practice relationship. How much can you feel the thumb of the other? How specifically and precisely can your Kyokotsu move towards it? There can be many levels of awareness in one simple exercise. W