Ethan Claymore has started. We had dress rehearsals last Sunday and Tuesday with our opening night on Thursday. Overall it went well. Some nerves, a few bobbled lines, a wardrobe panic and one glitched lighting cue, but we got through in one piece. The audience responded well and we got a lot of compliments.

Then on Friday we did it again. This time there were fewer nerves, the dialog went smoother, cues were tighter, overall the run went even better than the first night. Just a couple of things which, most importantly, were not my fault. At the end of act one, just after I left the stage, a bulb blew in one of the stage lights. Now when an old fashioned incandescent bulb blows at home it just goes out. Sometimes it might go ‘pop’ as it fails. Stage lights are big high power bulbs. When this one let go it sounded like a wet floppy car tire blowing up. I jumped, the audience gasped, everyone on stage and backstage froze. Everyone that is except for Scott who plays Martin. He’s been an actor for years and didn’t miss a beat, didn’t react, he just carried on as if nothing was amiss. That was impressive.

Then at the end of the play there is a beautiful end with the three of the actors toasting the First Gift of Christmas, Friends, and Family. The lights go out , we set our cups down and slip off stage. Then the lights come up and we go back on stage for our bows. But on Friday we toasted, the lights went down, we set the glasses down, took one step and the lights came back up. It kinda spoiled the effect, but it mirrored something that happened on opening night. At the end of act one, Young Martin is on stage. He’s just busted his knee up in a hockey accident (it’s a VERY Canadian play) and he is hobbling around on crutches. At the end of the act, the stage goes to black and he needs to get off as quickly as he can. Only this time when the stage went to black and he was headed toward the exit, the lights, stage and audience, came on full catching him in full trot. We teased him about his miraculous recovery.

But overall it’s going well. Each run we have fewer surprises. By the end of the weekend I think we’ll be perfect.

PIX: A few Shots of the Dress Rehearsal