A Postcard from America

What to say about Dov and Ali and my month in this great city? The first things that come to mind are true but quite cheesy: it was an amazing journey; I feel lucky to have been thrown in with such an incredible and talented group of people; I came to love London more and more. I also came to appreciate that theater and making theater is not so different across the pond. There are the wonderful semantic differences – theater vs. theatre being the obvious one, but also our opening night is your press night; in London, actors say things like “I’m bricking it” (or one of them does) before a performance – and then there were the endless debates over how to pronounce words like “sure” or “err” – where no answer is right or sufficient.
I was introduced to the differences between molding an Irish versus a Nottingham accent into an American one, and how an “American” accent can of course mean many different things. Further, being in the room while the dialect coach explained how to speak “American” was an experience unlike any other. (“Americans speak directly,” she said, “no hemming or hawing. Just get straight to the point.” And I cowered in the corner, knowing that I am a champion at just what she was explaining never occurs in my country.) I loved working with Alex Sims, the director, whose kind and gentle approach in the rehearsal room with the actors was the same approach he used with me when suggesting text changes. It was a pleasure to watch him take the helm of his first show so professionally, so confidently and yet so modestly. And he directed the play beautifully. His first important job was to cast it and, though I was nervous about not been present for auditions, I immediately found, on day one of rehearsals, how great a job Alex had done. The actors – Orla, Kiran, Ben and James – could not be better. They are not only amazing actors but wonderful collaborators on a new play, pushing me (gently) to make the play clearer and stronger at all points. Their patience and generosity was a marvel.
And now I’m back in the United States, missing my Dov and Ali family – Matthew, Claire, Morgan, Susie, Tom and David too – and nervously googling the play’s title every morning to see if new reviews have come out. It is a strange and gratifying thing to have a play on on another continent! I only wish I could be there to see it as it continues to grow.