Band of Brothers

About the author:
Dorian Missick is not only hard at work getting ready to make his off-Broadway debut, but he is also keeping a diary. The revival of Charles Fuller's Pulitzer Prize-winning A Soldier's Play puts Missick right into the center of a murder investigation in Louisiana during World War II. Missick, born in New Jersey, may be a familiar face from his feature film roles, including Two Weeks Notice, The Manchurian Candidate, Shaft, 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover and Undermind. He also has a string of small screen credits such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NYPD Blue, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and C.S.I.: New York. After a few bonding sessions with his castmates, Missick was ready to wow audiences at Second Stage Theatre, where the show opens on October 17. Take a peek at his diary to see how the beginning of the rehearsal process went for this solider.

8/21/05
Just finished reading A Soldier's Play, for the 100th time, on my flight back to New York. My only other exposure to the story was through seeing the movie version when I was seven. My mom saw the staged version in '81. This means I was spending a lovely evening with Deborah the babysitter, who had a propensity for walking around in her underwear when she thought I was asleep. So while mom was enjoying Denzel Washington and Samuel Jackson in the best show in town, I was in New Jersey enjoying the best show in my town! I have a good feeling in my gut about [director] Jo Bonney--underneath the butterflies that come along with starting any new job. Grand Pop would say, "They invited me to the dance, so I'm gonna two-step!" Let's just hope I know the song.

8/23/05
First day of rehearsal behind me! Not a bad start. Charles Fuller, the playwright, sat in on the table read and helped us with any questions. As I looked around, a funny thing occurred to me… these cats looked as nervous as me! Jo commented on how she liked the fact that I didn't chose a southern accent for my character That's funny, I thought I did! Note to self: don't change anything.. During the question and answer period with Charles, Anthony Mackie demonstrated his skill for listening while appearing to the untrained eye to be asleep. I can tell this is going to be a great group of guys.

8/26/05
I feel myself getting into a groove with my character. Admiral Bordy came in and gave us a brief on basic Army behavior and commands. A few of the cats have served some time in the armed forces, so they helped. James McDaniel is an acting beast! This gentleman has one of the hardest roles and came in off book on day one! Old school cats always find a way to put us young bucks to shame. Perhaps it was our late night at the opening of Two Gentleman of Verona. I convinced myself it was good for the show, you know, bonding. Steve Pasquale, Taye Diggs, Mackie and I needed the important time to build a rapport. Taye and Mackie seem to be handling it well. I just saw Steve; he looks like me right now, that's not saying much!. There's talk about doing it again tonight… I need a nap!

8/31/05
I can already see how this is going to shape up. I'm seeing everyone's character develop right before my eyes. I feel sorry for poor Jo. At times, she looks like a counselor at a boot camp for wayward city kids. Ten Hut! One week down, only a few more to go before we hit the stage. Until then… I think someone said something about Lotus tonight? I guess tomorrow's going to be a long one. As you were!