During this one, I got the idea to create a comedy show about a Beatles tribute band.
Today was the first rehearsal for what is being called Beatlemagica.
Beatlemagica is about four factory workers from a small town in Iowa, and they have problems.
They decide to form a Beatles tribute band to lift their spirits.
But no one in the band knows how to play a musical instrument.
Despite this, they achieve minor local success at a battle of Beatles tribute bands.
And then there's a twist!
You'll have to see to believe it!!
The show will have two performances: July 28 and August 4 at The Annoyance.
It will be twenty minutes long.
A little about the cast:
Ben Kobold was in the Annoyance class I taught last summer. He will play the guy that pretends to be John Lennon.
David Blum was in the class I taught last autumn. He will play the guy that pretends to be Paul McCartney.
Carly Mandel and Stephanie Jones are two kooks that were in my spring term. They will play women who pretend to be Ringo Starr and George Harrison respectively.
Erik Johnson was also in that class. Erik will play a factory worker.
Reid Coker and I just spent a month together in Europe with The Bitter Tears. He will play the factory boss, and a few other characters.
I am directing it.
We are creating it using improvisation, working with beats from a plot outline.
First rehearsals are like first days of a new class.
Everyone's a little shy and feels a little stupid acting ridiculous in front of each other (except Carly and Stephanie).
It's necessary to feel this and get it over with.
So we just improvised straight scenes, followed by scenes with the show characters.
We were in silos and at Casey's and around other famous Iowa locales.
I mixed and matched them in pairs.
The John guy with the Paul guy.
The Ringo lady with the boss.
A factory worker with the George chick.
Originally, Stephanie ("George") was cast as the factory kitty cat.
It looked good on paper: a Beatles tribute band with a cat disinterestedly pawing at a sitar.
But after a few scenes with Stephanie crawling around and not being able to say much, I thought her talents could probably be put to better use.
So now she's a dyke-tongued Boston transplanted "mutha".
This will be a smart-stupid, silly, dark show about the Fab Four.
Verdict: Win
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