A nervous night

The rehearsal period for a play is sort of like going to school: You ask a lot of questions, try to remember important information and spend time getting to know the other people around you. The "tech" period and preview nights, however, are like finals week. Everyone is a little more nervous, things you were certain you knew vanish from your memory at inopportune times, problems pop up regularly, and preparation takes much longer than you anticipated.
At the same time, I have always felt relieved if my tech period is full of trouble; if you have a smooth, trouble-free tech period, believe me, the gremlins will show up in full force once you have an audience in the house.
Wednesday night marked the first public preview of "Memory House," and it was like many first previews, with missed lines, last-minute emergencies and technical tricks that didn't go quite as perfectly as we hoped. There were tears backstage and tensions in the air. And yet, the audience completely embraced the show. They didn't know or recognize what might have been missed or what might have gone wrong: They became utterly absorbed in the relationship between Kathy and Natalia, and they didn't focus on a set that still needs tweaking, or the fact that Natalia's costume was delivered literally seconds before she had to be onstage. All they cared about was the performance itself, and Kathy and Natalia completely captivated them. The applause went on for so long that I had to send them back out for an encore, which completely surprised both of them.
The show is in good shape, and I have no doubt tonight's audience will see something even better. Previews are like first drafts, a chance to see a work-in-progress, and last night's crowd obviously enjoyed what it saw.
As for me, I spent the entire 75 minutes backstage, listening to the play and silently praying that all the necessary props were in place and ready to go. Since the play is one long scene, there's no chance to run out and make changes during a blackout: Once you're running, you're running and you can only hope the pie pan is where it belongs and the lemon made it into the shopping bag and everything somehow comes together.
Coming off the stage last night, Kathy expressed concerns that a crucial prop had been left out along the way. "We're missing the bourbon that's supposed to be backstage after we get finished!" she joked.