Chi va piano va sano e va lontano.

"He who goes slowly and safely goes far."

A breath. That is what the show, actors, rehearsals and, yes, director, needed tonight. After such a high intensity, fast-paced week of a million items, we deserve to slow down and think for a moment.

Tonight, for the first hour, the Maggies sat on the floor and we spoke about the journey. We tried to find ways to articulate what Maggie is made of-- in adjectives, in verbs. We began by discussing the changing of the actors as the play progresses. Perhaps there os physical element carried through-- perhaps there is an emotional quality to the moments-- a shedding of skin... and so many more ideas came out.

We spoke about Maggie's relationship with the witch-- WHY a witch, when does she arrive? we began to discuss the Freudian implications of the journey.

In regard to the witch and dreams and fantasy:

A Dream is a Wish
In part description of his methods and results, in part autobiography, and in part speculation on the workings of the mind, The Interpretation of Dreams marks the beginning of psychoanalysis. The book also reveals Freud's powers as a writer, weaving intriguing stories together with ambitious theory. Its key idea on which so much else is built: the dream is the expression of a disguised wish.

And then we spoke about Tom and a moment later he joined the group. With "Tom", we were able to begin exploration of the sibling relationship. Perhaps a little too often I was reminded of my own brother. But we all agreed that a sibling bond is inexplicably desperate and permanent. Also, maggie's first memory is standing with Tom by the river, and so, it is fascinating to remember Freud's theory: Identification: an early, primitive kind of attachment to an object which results in incorporating some of its aspects into oneself.

(more on freud to come... but let's not get too heady all at once!)

We also got on our feet today. For me, this is what it's all about. Off to a slow and specific start, with fantastic actors who are dying to find the truth, we cannot go wrong. Honestly, this cast makes it easy for me to do my job. I have done this before, though, and I know it gets harder, but for ow, they are playing and listening and committing to the moments. The older Maggie's jumped in and played the first scene as well. This was fascinating on several levels: 1. Maggie 1 is literally getting the experience of someone else taking her part in the game (life), 2. Tom gets to play the scene with several actresses who have different tactics but the same objective, and 3. I get to see older Maggie's access a freedom ordinarily assigned to youth, but actually most interesting in adulthood.

Discoveries and Surprises: Stillness in a child, more meta-theatrical/fantasy moments, violence, oppposites, cause-and-effect, best intentions.

We ended rehearsal with a plea to the actors to RETAIN RETAIN RETAIN.

I love what I do.