Road to Opening Week 12: Matt Armet on 3 Weeks to A CHORUS LINE at Stratford

3 weeks until Opening Night

We've now completed six previews. I love this time of year because no two shows are alike. After each matinee preview we rehearse on stage from 5:30-9:30p.m. Boy, do we have fun in those rehearsals, especially from 8:30-9:30p.m., or as we like to call it "the witching hour." By that point in the day, we tend to get a little bit cuckoo bananas and always have some really great laughs, but we are always working hard while having fun. We have spent a lot of time working on a lot of new lighting cues. The sound design team has been making us sound better and better. We've also changed and tweaked a lot of choreography lately. We have had a new set of bows every preview. It's been really fun and definitely keeps us on our toes.

This week we had a whole day back in the rehearsal hall to clean up choreography and work on scenes. We even went all method and brought in a basketball to throw around between Matt Nethersole (Richie) and the whole cast, to work on a new bit of choreography in "Gimme the Ball." Not only can we act, sing, and dance, but we are REALLY good at chest passes and jump shots! HA! (Just in case any of you had any doubts about our athleticism.)

Something really special happened to me this week that I've been waiting for since I was 12 years old. The production photos from the show were released and I finally got to see a photo of myself "on the line" - on that incredibly iconic white line! I was so excited to finally see it that my excitement quickly turned into joy, and later became tears, as the realization of this whole experience sank in. The rehearsal process here is long, but goes by so fast, so it's nice when moments like that make you stop for a second and remember how lucky we all are to be here doing what we love.

Quote of the Week: This week's quote goes to the incredibly talented and funny Juan Chioran (Zach). We were rehearsing the scene where one of the dancers hurts himself and has to be taken to the hospital. It's a very intense and high stakes part of the show, and as Zach's assistant, Larry, is leaving the room, Zach is supposed to stop him and say "Larry...call me from the hospital." Well, in rehearsal this week, at that exact moment, Juan said, "Larry...can you get me a double double?" Canadian comedy gold!

P.S. Here are a couple of links to sneak peek promo videos of our show! AHHHHH! THE MOST EXCITING!

Trailer for A Chorus Line: https://youtu.be/K39XX_sXjfM

Clip from "Montage, Part 4 (Gimme the ball)": /videoplay/Exclusive-Get-A-First-Look-at-Stratfords-Reimagined-A-CHORUS-LINE-20160506

Photo credit: Members of the company in A Chorus Line. Photo by David Hou.

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