The Rehearsal (1969)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The Rehearsal |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1969 |
| length | 17 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Stephen Verona |
| script |
Richard Clair Jenna McMahon |
| production | Stephen Verona |
| camera | Jay Pati |
| cut | Stephen Verona |
| occupation | |
| |
The Rehearsal is a 1969 American comedy short film directed by Stephen Verona .
action
Theater director George and actress Janice meet for rehearsals. Janice, a method acting representative , is late, so both of them are the only people on the stage. George explains to her that she has been booked to perform at a children's fundraiser. The actors will only be on stage for a short transitional piece in which several characters from nursery rhymes interact, including Humpty Dumpty and Little Bo Peep, who is looking for her sheep. Janice is supposed to play Little Miss Muffet. According to the rhyme, it sits on a buffet , a kind of reinforced seat cushion or stool that is covered with fabric. Janice discusses what a Tuffet is and how hard it is, otherwise she would not even know how she would react to the seating. Further discussions relax over the line of text "eating her curds and whey" (eats her cottage cheese ), since she does not know what cottage cheese is. Instead, she can imagine eating pudding, as her cottage cheese would not taste good.
Her game should also be limited to a few lines: Little Bo Peep comes to her and asks her if she has seen her sheep. Janice should deny and shortly afterwards flee from a spider, as the nursery rhyme suggests ("Along came a spider, / Who sat down beside her / And frightened Miss Muffet away."). The Method actress wants to know how many sheep Little Bo Peep has lost and how such a thing can even happen. During a trial run, she begins to help Little Bo Peep with the search without being asked, since both characters are friends after all. She also suggests adding an improvised conversation by Little Bo Peep and Little Miss Muffet to the piece. The exasperated director agrees, but the improvisation doesn't bring any deeper insight into either character. The escape from the spider also fails again and again because Janice cannot see the spider and doubts that the audience would perceive her escape from the spider as such. Janice breaks off the rehearsal several times because she believes she is not the right person for the role. George, on the other hand, becomes more and more impatient and uncontrolled. In the end, however, the piece, which only lasts a few seconds, is perfect. George and Janice hug each other euphorically and congratulate each other on the perfect and fruitful collaboration. Both leave the rehearsal stage, chatting happily.
production
Stephen F. Verona processed his time in The Rehearsal at Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio , where he worked as a director. Verona left the studio after two years due to differences with Strasberg. His film The Rehearsal ironically processes his approach to method acting. The film was made in 1969.
Awards
The Rehearsal was nominated for an Oscar in the category Best Short Film in 1972 .
Web links
- The Rehearsal in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The Rehearsal on Stephen F. Verona's Youtube channel