Daisy Journal: Hoke Speaks Out and Moves Us All

With Christmas behind us, we're back to rehearsing scenes for Daisy. Last Thursday and tonight we worked on what will be two of the most difficult scenes in the show. Last Thursday we blocked and worked the scene where Daisy tells Hoke he can't be excused to relieve himself and Hoke gives her a piece of his mind. Tonight, we worked the scene in which the bombing of the Jewish temple in Atlanta (a real historic event) affects Hoke deeply. The event leads him to tell Daisy a story from his childhood in which he saw his best friend's father after he'd been murdered and hung from a tree by racists.

Both Lynn (Baskin) and Eve (Connolly) did a wonderful job this evening. This is an especially difficult scene for Lynn to play as you can imagine. Deeply touching and emotionally draining. He reached down deep and found something tonight that I've not scene from many local actors lately. He had us all choked up. When it was over, I thanked Lynn for the great work he did tonight. Honestly, words can't express how much I appreciate what he's is doing for this role. It can't be easy for him. I just hope that enough people come to see it. Because if they do, I know they'll appreciate his contribution as much as I do.

Daisy Journal: Time for Publicity Photos

Things couldn't be going better with Driving Miss Daisy. We've had our read-through and a week of rehearsals and things are coming together very nicely. The cast is a collection of great people who just happend to be wonderfully talented actors: Eve Connolly as Daisy, Lynn Baskin as Hoke and Lonnie McCullough as Boolie. From day one I could see a chemistry beginning to form. Rehearsals are a lot of fun because all three actors share a common skill-- they listen to their fellow actors. It's amazing how great an impact that trait has on the quality of the acting.

Next week we've scheduled a publicity photo shoot. My brother John, one of Daisy's Producers, will take the pictures. He's already taken pictures of a classic Cadellac and pictures of the house at Sayen Gardens. The shoot was arranged with the help of Jeff Cantor, our Master Builder, who just happens to be a member of an antique car club. After shooting the actors in front of a green screen, John will marry the actors' images with the images of the car and it will look like he did the shoot on location with the car in the middle of the summer. Even as snow powders the landscape outside my window. Pretty neat, huh.

Contributing to the photo shoot will be Erin Penney, the production's make-up specialist, and Diana Gilman Maurer, the production's stage manager, costumer and one of its producers. Over the next week they'll pull together the period costumes, wigs and make-up for the shoot, which is set in 1958. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.