First Preview

It's so nice to get to the first preview of a show. Sweetest Swing was no exception.

After 3 weeks of rehearsals, the days leading up to first preview usually involve multiple people saying "we need an audience" multiple times. That's generally a sign that things are on the right track but there's not much more to be done until that last crucial element, the audience, is added.

The audience is part of the show, afterall. Without them, things get rather flat. Up until an audience fills the seats, the only people who have watched the play are usually the director, the designers and the technicians. No matter how brilliant the play is, fresh eyes keep it alive.

I mean, by the time a play opens, anyone on the production crew can pretty much recite the whole thing. When a new audience sits down to watch it though, the energy and vibe in the room is buzzing again. Suddenly everything gets way more exciting.

Tonight we had our first preview of The Sweetest Swing In Baseball. I was more than pleased. I'm really proud of the show.

Now we have one more preview (Friday night), then the show is officially opens on Saturday night. After that, according to AEA rules, I am no longer allowed to tinker with it. Fine by me. It's ready to go. I'm excited to see how it grows from there. I'll miss the daily involvement with it though.

So goes the life of a director, right?