The Forbidden Phoenix
Sometimes, great minds think alike. My director gave me a shout while he was auditioning actors in Toronto for the show. He left a message saying he found a way to solve the Phoenix problem. He always had a problem that the Phoenix's daughter was a bolt of silk. The daughter couldn't be human because we had to tie her to an arrow and send her across the waterfall. The arrow hits Monkey King's son in the chest. It's a major plot point, but the problem was that we had to be emotionally connected to a piece of silk. Ron said he had an idea that would make the whole thing work and add a bit of magic to the show. The message was cryptic, and the first thought that jumped into my mind was the fact that the silk should turn into a human at the end of the play when the arrow is pulled out of Laosan's chest. Then she could sing the Phoenix's final song. That's exactly what Ron was thinking.
I love the idea because it saves me a ton of work, but also it captures exactly what I want to say at the end of the play. Phoenix is not reborn, but she continues through her children. And we must care for her children or else we will end up in a barren world.
Anyway, this was a bright spot in a week of bad experiences. I've learned a hard lesson about trusting folks, and I don't plan on making the same mistakes twice.