"I feel that there's too much careerism and not enough just plain old American entrepeneurs on the level of what what we did in the early seventies, which is let's get some money and do our own production with our own group of actors and try and get people to see it. Let's do our own work."
Two years ago I had the unique experience of witnessing the rehearsal process of JoAnne Akalaitis and Philip Glass's rendition of The Bacchae for The Public Theater, when they were in residency at Stanford in 2007 developing an early workshop of the production (produced in Central Park in the 2009 Shakespeare in the Park season). At the time, one of my responsibilities was to keep a blog, and I found myself inspired day to day by JoAnne's little bits of wisdom as they played into rehearsal. She is a controversial person in the theatre world, and while I don't necessarily agree with her artistic choices (as regards the Bacchae, which was the only production of hers I've seen) I have a lot of respect for the woman's incredible knowledge and wisdom.
Today I was listening to an interview with JoAnne (which I will post a link to when it's available at American Theatre Wing in a few weeks) and I found myself writing "OH MY GOSH JOANNE AKALAITIS YOU SPEAK SO MUCH TRUTH" [sic]. This was in particular regard to what it means to enter the world of directing today. She states that there is too much "careerism", with directors vying for a coveted assistant director role or directing internship, when really they should get out and find some money and put on shows. She points out that even programs directed at emerging artists (such as TCG's new generations grants) are now taking people well into their careers. I felt like the last year of my life was being quoted back at me: from applying to these programs that seemed to apply to me as a young director and yet the other (successful) applicants were 5-10 years older than me to starting a theatre company to do the theatre I really want to do because that is my goal in this city. Rather than find someone else's network to be a part of, I want to create my own. And I am interested in the establishment of some sort of network for these young artists. The closest I've found is the New York Network (American Associates) of the Old Vic New Voices Network, which is aimed at artists aged 21-30, but I can't figure out how to be a part of that. I'm going to an event of theirs on Tuesday, so I am looking forward to learning more about them at that point. Even the existence of this network shows that Europeans are immensely more successful at supporting their young artists, and specifically their young directors. Last year I discovered INSTED (http://www.insted.eu/) - a European network specifically designed for young directors. I thought I was interested in establishing something like that, but honestly I am more interested in bringing a whole community of young artists together, because as again JoAnne Akalaitis points out, what good are directors just talking to each other? We have to do theatre and we have to see theatre, and then we can talk about it.
One of the things that I'm trying to change through my personal relationships with writers is the establishment that picks up young talented writers and hands them experienced directors. While that may be great for the writer, sometimes it is stifling to have the strong hand of a director who has been around the block in the development of one's play. Obviously one of the things it requires is a director who is good with new work. But who's to say that only proven directors are good with new work? Couldn't an even stronger collaboration come out of a new playwright paired with a new director, who can bring their own fresh perspectives to the theatre? I believe that that would enable theatre to move forward, rather than being recreated in its own image, as we so often see new plays turn into when helmed by the profession's masters. I am not out to change theatre into a multimedia circus extravaganza. I like theatre as it is, (to quote JoAnne): "live, communal art", which is about "the engagement between what is happening onstage and the audience". I want to sit with a playwright who I've shared the same 23 years of life with and talk about all of the wonderful things that excite me about the piece and what I imagine onstage, how it relates to my own world and to theirs, to politics and religion, to science and family. I believe in new play development from the bottom of my heart. I love what the Lark does, what the Kennedy Center does, what Playwrights Foundation and The Public and Arena Stage do. But it pains me to see the wonderful playwrights of my world be swept away from me by the machine, and the machine gives me no way to get involved.
It is my goal this year to meet those playwrights. I want to be part of the new play movement NOW. Not in 2020. And hopefully as that evolves I will establish an entire community of young artists (which I will grow out of and will hopefully continue without me), who, rather than applying for the elusive internship or settling for a less active pursuit of their directing goals, will have each other to draw on, to support, and to create theater with.
Thank you JoAnne for your inspiration, then and now.
1 2 3 Shakespeare. Oops. I mean Go.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
New Years Resolution: Write More.
“Don’t answer the question they’re asking. Answer the question beneath the question. The equivalent question.” - Father Garnet, Equivocation (Bill Cain)
If you are guarding the king's door and someone arrives to kill the king and asks if the king is within, do you say no and lie, or say yes and let the king die? Do you perform the truthful play and get executed for treason, or do you perform the false play and allow people to believe its lies? This is the dilemma at the heart of Bill Cain's Equivocation, now in previews at Manhattan Theatre Club, directed by Garry Hynes (who won the Joe A. Callaway Award for Excellence in Directing for The Cripple Of Inishmann in 2009).
Somewhere in the play there were a couple of lines that I wish I could rewind and listen to about finding the truth of the story in one's play. Telling the facts (or the facts one is given) but in such a way that it reveals the truth. At a Roundtable reading I attended at Lark on Thursday, there was a fascinating discussion of truth vs. history. The playwright needed to stay true to history in order to ensure her play was well-received by the Dominicans, whose history it regards. But the actors felt that the drama was in the (fictionalized) relationships of the man with the people around him, and the potential encounters he might have had, rather than the ones he did have. How does one stay true to history and still have an interesting play? History is only so dramatic... the facts of the way things happen isn't nearly as fascinating as the way things could have happened. The drama of a dictator whose power is taken away from him, stripped of history, is an incredible story... and yet Trujillo, to whom it actually happened, is interesting as well, particularly because his story is a part of history that the average theatregoer has never heard before. But if we've never heard it before, then what does it matter if the details are accurate? Because the Dominicans, who have the ability to effectively blackball the play and the playwright from their culture and history (which she spent years proving she was worthy of), care about the details. What an incredible dilemma.
In fact, it's the dilemma in Equivocation. The Dominican community effectively commissioned the play, as Robert Cecil commissioned Shakespeare (or Shagspeare, as he is known in the play) to write the king's version of the gunpowder plot. The playwright is faced with writing a truthful story, which may deviate from the facts at hand but tells a compelling, interesting story, or writing to the letter of the Dominican history. Ultimately, the playwright will have to equivocate in order to write the play that will feel truthful within the factual historical context.
And the fact that I have learned about an entire country's history about which I knew nothing, went on a wonderful fictional journey combining Shakespeare and my birthsake holiday, and can tie the last two plays I saw so intimately together... is why I chose this life.
Happy Valentine's Day!
If you are guarding the king's door and someone arrives to kill the king and asks if the king is within, do you say no and lie, or say yes and let the king die? Do you perform the truthful play and get executed for treason, or do you perform the false play and allow people to believe its lies? This is the dilemma at the heart of Bill Cain's Equivocation, now in previews at Manhattan Theatre Club, directed by Garry Hynes (who won the Joe A. Callaway Award for Excellence in Directing for The Cripple Of Inishmann in 2009).
Somewhere in the play there were a couple of lines that I wish I could rewind and listen to about finding the truth of the story in one's play. Telling the facts (or the facts one is given) but in such a way that it reveals the truth. At a Roundtable reading I attended at Lark on Thursday, there was a fascinating discussion of truth vs. history. The playwright needed to stay true to history in order to ensure her play was well-received by the Dominicans, whose history it regards. But the actors felt that the drama was in the (fictionalized) relationships of the man with the people around him, and the potential encounters he might have had, rather than the ones he did have. How does one stay true to history and still have an interesting play? History is only so dramatic... the facts of the way things happen isn't nearly as fascinating as the way things could have happened. The drama of a dictator whose power is taken away from him, stripped of history, is an incredible story... and yet Trujillo, to whom it actually happened, is interesting as well, particularly because his story is a part of history that the average theatregoer has never heard before. But if we've never heard it before, then what does it matter if the details are accurate? Because the Dominicans, who have the ability to effectively blackball the play and the playwright from their culture and history (which she spent years proving she was worthy of), care about the details. What an incredible dilemma.
In fact, it's the dilemma in Equivocation. The Dominican community effectively commissioned the play, as Robert Cecil commissioned Shakespeare (or Shagspeare, as he is known in the play) to write the king's version of the gunpowder plot. The playwright is faced with writing a truthful story, which may deviate from the facts at hand but tells a compelling, interesting story, or writing to the letter of the Dominican history. Ultimately, the playwright will have to equivocate in order to write the play that will feel truthful within the factual historical context.
And the fact that I have learned about an entire country's history about which I knew nothing, went on a wonderful fictional journey combining Shakespeare and my birthsake holiday, and can tie the last two plays I saw so intimately together... is why I chose this life.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
October was a good month for theatre
A short work update:
I am assisting John Henry Davis on Babes in Toyland with the Little Orchestra Society, performing in Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center on December 19th. I am also an Assistant Director/Stage Manager for the Looking Glass Writer/Director Forum, working on three short plays with lots of talented women.
Winter prospects are assisting May Adrales again on Lauren Yee's play Ching Chong Chinaman at Pan Asian Rep and assisting John Henry again on an opera of The Golden Gate, composed by Conrad Cummings, adapted from the novel by Vikram Seth.
One of these days I will direct something... I'm working on it. :-)
Onto the shows:
Here is a picture to describe my third trip to IN THE HEIGHTS on Broadway. Our sincerest thanks (and compliments!) to Paul Tazewell, the costume designer (and my best friend's cousin) who got us these tickets for free! Seeing it from so close was a completely new experience, and I could not take my eyes off of William B. Wingfield as Graffiti Pete. It almost makes me want to watch So You Think You Can Dance.
The new revival of RAGTIME on Broadway was stunning. The most beautiful piece of theatre I have ever seen. I remember now seeing it for the first time at Theatreworks in 2002 and falling in love, but this was 10x everything that was. Every moment was like it's own play, and the storytelling (directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge) was phenomenal. I think this production's strength lies in the simplicity of the design, but is strongly supported by having a true ensemble cast, rather than a few stars and the ensemble. Even the "star numbers" were not presented as such, and were rather presented as a part of the story. I can't really express my thoughts any further, I was that blown away. Go see this show. There is just so much to love.
MEMPHIS on Broadway was fun, but the book dragged a bit. The show is kind of a cross between Hairspray for the politics and Jersey Boys for the bittersweet musician storyline. The music and dancing were fantastic, however, and the lead woman, Montego Glover, is a phenomenal singer and performer. It was also great to see James Monroe Inglehart, a Bay Area native, originating his first Broadway role (after replacing as Mitch Mahoney in 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee). Crazy to think that the show started at Theatreworks 6.5 years ago. The design for this was also beautiful, using projection, two tracking columns (which turned) and a catwalk for 90% of the scenes (the only other major set piece being a flying radio box where we could see into the control room of a dozen radio stations). Plus more fabulous costumes by Paul Tazewell.
So I may have been quite spoiled seeing 3 Broadway shows for a total of $60 last month, and that wasn't the end of my theatrical adventures.
IN THE RED AND BROWN WATER (Part 1 of the Brother/Sister Plays) by Tarell McCraney, directed by Tina Landau at The Public is another simply stunning piece. The ensemble was constantly involved in the storytelling even when they were in the background, and the power of rhythm and movement they led was tangible in the room. The theatricality of this piece makes it so unique, which is a combination of the writing and the direction, as well as beautiful yet simple set, light and sound design. The show is so textually and visually rich that I could allow my eyes to drift to the chorus to take in their intensity without losing the story, which was key in the thrust of the Anspacher, where it is not always possible to watch all parts of the stage at once. I am in awe of Tina Landau and will no longer be able to pass up Superior Donuts. I believe this is a perfect piece for the Public, because it delves into a world unfamiliar to us and brings out the politics and the humanity, characterizing actions we can not imagine within the scope of our emotional understanding. That sounds pretentious, but it's not meant to be.
I am assisting John Henry Davis on Babes in Toyland with the Little Orchestra Society, performing in Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center on December 19th. I am also an Assistant Director/Stage Manager for the Looking Glass Writer/Director Forum, working on three short plays with lots of talented women.
Winter prospects are assisting May Adrales again on Lauren Yee's play Ching Chong Chinaman at Pan Asian Rep and assisting John Henry again on an opera of The Golden Gate, composed by Conrad Cummings, adapted from the novel by Vikram Seth.
One of these days I will direct something... I'm working on it. :-)
Onto the shows:
Here is a picture to describe my third trip to IN THE HEIGHTS on Broadway. Our sincerest thanks (and compliments!) to Paul Tazewell, the costume designer (and my best friend's cousin) who got us these tickets for free! Seeing it from so close was a completely new experience, and I could not take my eyes off of William B. Wingfield as Graffiti Pete. It almost makes me want to watch So You Think You Can Dance.The new revival of RAGTIME on Broadway was stunning. The most beautiful piece of theatre I have ever seen. I remember now seeing it for the first time at Theatreworks in 2002 and falling in love, but this was 10x everything that was. Every moment was like it's own play, and the storytelling (directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge) was phenomenal. I think this production's strength lies in the simplicity of the design, but is strongly supported by having a true ensemble cast, rather than a few stars and the ensemble. Even the "star numbers" were not presented as such, and were rather presented as a part of the story. I can't really express my thoughts any further, I was that blown away. Go see this show. There is just so much to love.
MEMPHIS on Broadway was fun, but the book dragged a bit. The show is kind of a cross between Hairspray for the politics and Jersey Boys for the bittersweet musician storyline. The music and dancing were fantastic, however, and the lead woman, Montego Glover, is a phenomenal singer and performer. It was also great to see James Monroe Inglehart, a Bay Area native, originating his first Broadway role (after replacing as Mitch Mahoney in 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee). Crazy to think that the show started at Theatreworks 6.5 years ago. The design for this was also beautiful, using projection, two tracking columns (which turned) and a catwalk for 90% of the scenes (the only other major set piece being a flying radio box where we could see into the control room of a dozen radio stations). Plus more fabulous costumes by Paul Tazewell.
So I may have been quite spoiled seeing 3 Broadway shows for a total of $60 last month, and that wasn't the end of my theatrical adventures.
IN THE RED AND BROWN WATER (Part 1 of the Brother/Sister Plays) by Tarell McCraney, directed by Tina Landau at The Public is another simply stunning piece. The ensemble was constantly involved in the storytelling even when they were in the background, and the power of rhythm and movement they led was tangible in the room. The theatricality of this piece makes it so unique, which is a combination of the writing and the direction, as well as beautiful yet simple set, light and sound design. The show is so textually and visually rich that I could allow my eyes to drift to the chorus to take in their intensity without losing the story, which was key in the thrust of the Anspacher, where it is not always possible to watch all parts of the stage at once. I am in awe of Tina Landau and will no longer be able to pass up Superior Donuts. I believe this is a perfect piece for the Public, because it delves into a world unfamiliar to us and brings out the politics and the humanity, characterizing actions we can not imagine within the scope of our emotional understanding. That sounds pretentious, but it's not meant to be.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
STAMP on NPR Monday Oct. 19th!
EDIT: Check out the story! Currently the cover story on www.npr.org! For the full story check out: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113835383.
Hello friends,
Please check out the Stanford Theatre Activist Mobilization Project (STAMP) on NPR this coming Monday morning at 8:40am PST! For anyone who doesn't know, Amanda Gelender and I started STAMP at the end of 2006, and since then it has become a staple of the campus community and is now being featured nationally!
From their official announcement:
In a program on mental health on college campuses, NPR is covering STAMP's project on mental health from our 2008-2009 season, Out of Sight, Out of Mind! featuring interviews with STAMP company members and performances by STAMP actors.
The program will air on Morning Edition twice between 3:00 and 9:00 am on Monday, October 19th. We are so proud to have reached this national level - please join us in celebrating our success!
IF YOU ARE AT STANFORD: Please join us for a bagel breakfast listening party at 8:40am at the LGBT Center.
CAN'T MAKE IT? Listen in all day at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3 and check the website for pictures and additional monologues.
Also, starting Monday check out STAMP's new website at theatre.stanford.edu! I am so proud of everything that STAMP has done, so listen in on Monday morning!
~Alex
Hello friends,
Please check out the Stanford Theatre Activist Mobilization Project (STAMP) on NPR this coming Monday morning at 8:40am PST! For anyone who doesn't know, Amanda Gelender and I started STAMP at the end of 2006, and since then it has become a staple of the campus community and is now being featured nationally!
From their official announcement:
In a program on mental health on college campuses, NPR is covering STAMP's project on mental health from our 2008-2009 season, Out of Sight, Out of Mind! featuring interviews with STAMP company members and performances by STAMP actors.
The program will air on Morning Edition twice between 3:00 and 9:00 am on Monday, October 19th. We are so proud to have reached this national level - please join us in celebrating our success!
IF YOU ARE AT STANFORD: Please join us for a bagel breakfast listening party at 8:40am at the LGBT Center.
CAN'T MAKE IT? Listen in all day at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3 and check the website for pictures and additional monologues.
Also, starting Monday check out STAMP's new website at theatre.stanford.edu! I am so proud of everything that STAMP has done, so listen in on Monday morning!
~Alex
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Theatre in July Part 2: Mom comes to town
As promised, here is Theatre in July Part 2. When my mom came into town, I took advantage of her love of theatre and larger wallet to go see Hair and Ruined, which I'd been dying to see, as well as Niegel Smith's show because he is a director who's work I've been wanting to see for over a year now, and In The Heights, because my mom wanted to see it (it was my second time- and I think I enjoyed it even more!)
We Declare You a Terrorist
by Tim J. Lord, directed by Niegel Smith, presented as part of the SPF Festival at The Public Theater (in the Martinson)
I was certainly not disappointed in my high expectations of Niegel Smith's work. It was apparent before the show started- the audience entered across the stage, witnessing two of the characters in their separate worlds and taking their seats as members of the audience in the show. We then got to watch as the other 300 audience members entered, one by one, two by two. By the time the show started, we'd already seen a show.
The play itself was a fascinating examination of the Moscow theatre hostage crisis, and the fictional playwright who wrote the play for that evening's performance. Beautiful writing and theatricality supported by strong action and direction.
The weirdest thing about seeing that show when I did was seeing this article the following day (it happened three days before I saw the show).
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/world/europe/27chechnya.html
It was just such a strange coincidence. 800 people in a theatre. Of course, the circumstances are much different, but it gave a very harsh reality to the conflict.
Ruined
by Lynn Nottage, presented by Manhattan Theatre Club at City Center
This is my recap of Ruined, as stated in an essay I wrote shortly thereafter.
I tend to categorize shows I see into work that I could possibly be a part of as a director and work that I could not. This idea of “work that I could not be a part of” was epitomized when I went to see Ruined at Manhattan Theatre Club, because Kate Whoriskey’s vision was so stunning that even when it is produced on a large scale elsewhere, the new energy of the play lives in her production and cannot be repeated. In order to direct Ruined, I would have to entirely re-envision it for a different space and a different audience, and even so I would be influenced by Kate Whoriskey’s decisions because she was the directorial voice behind the play.
This play was amazing. I wish so badly that I could have been a part of this production somehow. The costumes, designed by my best friend's cousin Paul Tazewell, were amazing and should have won a Tony- if only MTC hadn't stupidly cut off the show's potential to go to Broadway. It seems silly to point out the individual parts of this show that were good, because it was all so good. Just thinking about it brings up a lump in my throat- I want to direct! I want to make amazing theatre happen! Thank you, Lynn Nottage and Kate Whoriskey, for providing me with such inspiration.
Hair
on Broadway at the Al Hirschfield Theatre
It's everything you want it to be. Everything. Added pluses were seeing Will Swenson playing Berger (I saw him two summers ago in 110 in the Shade in which he was phenomenal) and obviously Gavin Creel, who still stuns me because I saw him seven years ago in Thoroughly Modern Millie and he doesn't look a day older. In fact he looks younger. ALSO the guy who plays Woof- Bryce Ryness- looked and acted awesomely similar to Daniel Steinbock, who played Woof in Hair at Stanford and was in my production of Jazzing this Spring. So basically every time I saw Woof it made me really happy. :-)
Got to sit next to the high school theatre kid who'd seen the show three times (and he's from Massachusetts) all dressed up who knew the fastest way down to the stage from our seats- so I was one of the first 20 people onstage at the end- and without thinking about it I was wearing my ridiculously colorful long skirt so I felt quite appropriately dressed. Being on a Broadway stage... is just one of those things you can't pass up. It's amazing. Love. And Hair. And Manchester England.
In the Heights
on Broadway at the Richard Rogers Theatre
I saw the show back in April, but since I didn't write about it then I'll write about it now. It was a Sunday performance, so unsurprisingly several of the understudies were onstage. And they were all excellent. Fortunately, Robin De Jesús was still performing, because he steals the show hands down. Both the Nina and the Abuela Claudia, both understudies, were wonderful, better than the actors I saw in April. I absolutely loved Nina LaFarga because is down to earth and thoughtful and therefore actually seems like she could be a Stanford student- instead of an actress playing a Stanford student. Her voice is also beautiful.
For whatever reason, the dancing seemed a lot cleaner in this performance, and therefore I was much more excited about it. And this time I actually got to watch the final quarter of the show because there were no squirming, talking, M&M eating children in front of me! That made my experience 100x better- because I actually got to go with the show where it goes emotionally, instead of being annoyed by the fact that the slow songs meant more squirming children. Also, more wonderful costumes by Paul Tazewell.
And that's it for theatre in July! Phew! I can't believe I saw quite as much good theatre as I did. Can't remember the last time I saw a bad show. Isn't that amazing?
We Declare You a Terrorist
by Tim J. Lord, directed by Niegel Smith, presented as part of the SPF Festival at The Public Theater (in the Martinson)
I was certainly not disappointed in my high expectations of Niegel Smith's work. It was apparent before the show started- the audience entered across the stage, witnessing two of the characters in their separate worlds and taking their seats as members of the audience in the show. We then got to watch as the other 300 audience members entered, one by one, two by two. By the time the show started, we'd already seen a show.
The play itself was a fascinating examination of the Moscow theatre hostage crisis, and the fictional playwright who wrote the play for that evening's performance. Beautiful writing and theatricality supported by strong action and direction.
The weirdest thing about seeing that show when I did was seeing this article the following day (it happened three days before I saw the show).
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/world/europe/27chechnya.html
It was just such a strange coincidence. 800 people in a theatre. Of course, the circumstances are much different, but it gave a very harsh reality to the conflict.
Ruined
by Lynn Nottage, presented by Manhattan Theatre Club at City Center
This is my recap of Ruined, as stated in an essay I wrote shortly thereafter.
I tend to categorize shows I see into work that I could possibly be a part of as a director and work that I could not. This idea of “work that I could not be a part of” was epitomized when I went to see Ruined at Manhattan Theatre Club, because Kate Whoriskey’s vision was so stunning that even when it is produced on a large scale elsewhere, the new energy of the play lives in her production and cannot be repeated. In order to direct Ruined, I would have to entirely re-envision it for a different space and a different audience, and even so I would be influenced by Kate Whoriskey’s decisions because she was the directorial voice behind the play.
This play was amazing. I wish so badly that I could have been a part of this production somehow. The costumes, designed by my best friend's cousin Paul Tazewell, were amazing and should have won a Tony- if only MTC hadn't stupidly cut off the show's potential to go to Broadway. It seems silly to point out the individual parts of this show that were good, because it was all so good. Just thinking about it brings up a lump in my throat- I want to direct! I want to make amazing theatre happen! Thank you, Lynn Nottage and Kate Whoriskey, for providing me with such inspiration.
Hair
on Broadway at the Al Hirschfield Theatre
It's everything you want it to be. Everything. Added pluses were seeing Will Swenson playing Berger (I saw him two summers ago in 110 in the Shade in which he was phenomenal) and obviously Gavin Creel, who still stuns me because I saw him seven years ago in Thoroughly Modern Millie and he doesn't look a day older. In fact he looks younger. ALSO the guy who plays Woof- Bryce Ryness- looked and acted awesomely similar to Daniel Steinbock, who played Woof in Hair at Stanford and was in my production of Jazzing this Spring. So basically every time I saw Woof it made me really happy. :-)
Got to sit next to the high school theatre kid who'd seen the show three times (and he's from Massachusetts) all dressed up who knew the fastest way down to the stage from our seats- so I was one of the first 20 people onstage at the end- and without thinking about it I was wearing my ridiculously colorful long skirt so I felt quite appropriately dressed. Being on a Broadway stage... is just one of those things you can't pass up. It's amazing. Love. And Hair. And Manchester England.
In the Heights
on Broadway at the Richard Rogers Theatre
I saw the show back in April, but since I didn't write about it then I'll write about it now. It was a Sunday performance, so unsurprisingly several of the understudies were onstage. And they were all excellent. Fortunately, Robin De Jesús was still performing, because he steals the show hands down. Both the Nina and the Abuela Claudia, both understudies, were wonderful, better than the actors I saw in April. I absolutely loved Nina LaFarga because is down to earth and thoughtful and therefore actually seems like she could be a Stanford student- instead of an actress playing a Stanford student. Her voice is also beautiful.
For whatever reason, the dancing seemed a lot cleaner in this performance, and therefore I was much more excited about it. And this time I actually got to watch the final quarter of the show because there were no squirming, talking, M&M eating children in front of me! That made my experience 100x better- because I actually got to go with the show where it goes emotionally, instead of being annoyed by the fact that the slow songs meant more squirming children. Also, more wonderful costumes by Paul Tazewell.
And that's it for theatre in July! Phew! I can't believe I saw quite as much good theatre as I did. Can't remember the last time I saw a bad show. Isn't that amazing?
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Theatre in July
So I've been consumed by actually working on a show, which takes away significant amounts of the time I've spent as an audience member. So here is where I recount all of the theatre I saw in July, and I only have one show to show for August. Oh well. There will be more! (Edit: I got to the end of describing Mary Stuart and I could not continue- it needed to be given it's own space and not be in the middle of other amazing theatre. Therefore there will be Theatre in July Part 2 on it's way.)
Reborning
by Zayd Dohrn, directed by Kip Fagan, presented as part of the SPF Festival at The Public Theater (in the Anspacher)
This showed featured incredible acting, beautiful use of space (despite Kip's proclaimed hatred of thrust spaces, which I remember very well from working on Dominic Orlando's Danny Casolaro Died for You last summer), crazy props (that is one faaaaaantastic props person! So fantastic that I have to pull out the program and look them up so I can give them appropriate credit- Emily Janis, who works with puppetry and masks as a designer, director and performer. Wow.), fun show of pushing the limits of the audience's comfort zone but not in an offensive way. What I love about Zayd's work (having read stage directions for Sick for a reading at Magic in December) is that there is absolutely no telling where it's going to go. He sets up very specific premises, characters and relationships, and then they explode in all different directions.
Monstrosity
by Lucy Thurber, presented by 13P at the Connelly Theatre
This show featured phenomenal structure and dialogue, a cool set, two acts of amazingness, and then a third act that, while it tied up the ends of the show, didn't quite live up to the set-up of the first two acts. For a three hour show, I didn't look at my watch once until the third act because I was so entirely wrapped up in the action and the characters, which in addition to being well written were also wonderfully directed and acted. And I will definitely be headed to see Lucy's next work in NYC!
Mary Stuart
on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre, directed by Phyllida Lloyd
This show. was. incredible. So Nick and I got there at 8am and were the only people in line for two whole hours... and we were front row center for $26.50, and had a dagger thrown at us. SO WORTH IT. I love plays like this because I can engage intellectually in the material. What I know about the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots comes from a few Shakespearean monologues, Season One of The Tudors, a summer in Ireland and Irene Radford's fantasy series Merlin's Descendants. Needless to say, this show gave me a lot to chew on, in addition to watching phenomenal acting by Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter on the simplest, most wonderfully designed set, RAIN ONSTAGE (oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh- we definitely got splashed) and the added bonus of seeing Richard Stanton in a fantastic role (which came as a complete surprise after an act and a half of silence). Richard was in a show I worked on as a stage management intern at New York Stage and Film in 2004 with Dan Jenkins (the original Huck Finn in Big River who I saw perform as Mark Twain and Huck's voice in the Deaf West production of Big River in 2003- which is to this day one of my favorite productions of all time). The two of them were the kindest, funniest, most wonderful people to work with for a week and that show was my favorite part of the summer. The show whipped us along on an emotional rollercoaster, and at the end I was speechless, wrapped in layers and layers of thought, emotion from the play, and joy at seeing so many incredible theatrical achievements onstage at once, and I looked at the dagger lying at our feet and burst out laughing, but with tears in my eyes. I want to create that feeling in theatre. It was incredible.
Reborning
by Zayd Dohrn, directed by Kip Fagan, presented as part of the SPF Festival at The Public Theater (in the Anspacher)
This showed featured incredible acting, beautiful use of space (despite Kip's proclaimed hatred of thrust spaces, which I remember very well from working on Dominic Orlando's Danny Casolaro Died for You last summer), crazy props (that is one faaaaaantastic props person! So fantastic that I have to pull out the program and look them up so I can give them appropriate credit- Emily Janis, who works with puppetry and masks as a designer, director and performer. Wow.), fun show of pushing the limits of the audience's comfort zone but not in an offensive way. What I love about Zayd's work (having read stage directions for Sick for a reading at Magic in December) is that there is absolutely no telling where it's going to go. He sets up very specific premises, characters and relationships, and then they explode in all different directions.
Monstrosity
by Lucy Thurber, presented by 13P at the Connelly Theatre
This show featured phenomenal structure and dialogue, a cool set, two acts of amazingness, and then a third act that, while it tied up the ends of the show, didn't quite live up to the set-up of the first two acts. For a three hour show, I didn't look at my watch once until the third act because I was so entirely wrapped up in the action and the characters, which in addition to being well written were also wonderfully directed and acted. And I will definitely be headed to see Lucy's next work in NYC!
Mary Stuart
on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre, directed by Phyllida Lloyd
This show. was. incredible. So Nick and I got there at 8am and were the only people in line for two whole hours... and we were front row center for $26.50, and had a dagger thrown at us. SO WORTH IT. I love plays like this because I can engage intellectually in the material. What I know about the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots comes from a few Shakespearean monologues, Season One of The Tudors, a summer in Ireland and Irene Radford's fantasy series Merlin's Descendants. Needless to say, this show gave me a lot to chew on, in addition to watching phenomenal acting by Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter on the simplest, most wonderfully designed set, RAIN ONSTAGE (oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh- we definitely got splashed) and the added bonus of seeing Richard Stanton in a fantastic role (which came as a complete surprise after an act and a half of silence). Richard was in a show I worked on as a stage management intern at New York Stage and Film in 2004 with Dan Jenkins (the original Huck Finn in Big River who I saw perform as Mark Twain and Huck's voice in the Deaf West production of Big River in 2003- which is to this day one of my favorite productions of all time). The two of them were the kindest, funniest, most wonderful people to work with for a week and that show was my favorite part of the summer. The show whipped us along on an emotional rollercoaster, and at the end I was speechless, wrapped in layers and layers of thought, emotion from the play, and joy at seeing so many incredible theatrical achievements onstage at once, and I looked at the dagger lying at our feet and burst out laughing, but with tears in my eyes. I want to create that feeling in theatre. It was incredible.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Dontcha know that where I am ain't where I was
BIG theatre update.
Groundswell by Ian Bruce at the New Group
This was the best play I've seen in a long time. Groundswell is a beautiful South African play with three men and absolutely incredible acting, particularly by David Lansbury, who played Johan. What I loved the most about this play was that the unique personal stories it told in a fascinating political context revealed harsh accusations about fear, guilt, empathy and charity that resonate in the lives of its audience. The direction and design was also of an incredibly high quality, and I definitely hope to see more of The New Group's work!
Here's the synopsis from the website (http://www.thenewgroup.org/season3.htm):
On the barren, diamond-diving coast of South Africa, Johan and Thami, an ex-cop and a gardener from starkly contrasting backgrounds, maintain a beachfront guest lodge during the off-season while looking for a way out. When Smith, a retired businessman, shows up one foggy night, the two men think they've found an ideal investor for their scheme to buy into a government-run diamond concession. Soon, these rootless men find themselves in a power struggle fueled by greed, desperation and entitlement. GROUNDSWELL is a psychological thriller about hunger and hope, and the glittering promises of a transforming society.
August: Osage County by Tracy Letts
I have finally seen August: Osage County, and none too soon. On the Saturday eve before its Broadway closing I went to see it with a new theatre friend and I'm really glad I did, because it's a pretty phenomenal piece of work. The writing, acting and directing are all masterful, and the play had the powerful effect of evoking memories of my grandmother and staying in her house, although mine are all good memories. Mr. Letts knows how to set up a joke or a premise without being obvious about it and bring it back at exactly the right moment to evoke a heartfelt response from his audience. However, showing how theatre company can define a show, my company made me extremely aware of the misogynistic viewpoints hammered into the show, so I walked away impressed but not thrilled. I absolutely loved Phylicia Rashad though! And Amy Morton was excellent, as well.
Jamboree with Odyssey Productions
I went to see a fun night of one-acts at The Red Room put on by a group run by a whole lot of Dartmouth kids. They created five plays in five days on the theme "What if 2009 wasn't THIS 2009?" Particularly awesome acting from Teale Sperling and Matt Cohn. The night was long but it was a lot of fun, and I loved Beaver Builds A Dam by Daniel Diamond (directed by Marina McClure) and Year of the Love Curriculum (written by Victoria Moy, directed by Rachel Karpf) was a lot of fun and I thought did the best job with the limited resources of the space and time given. The reason I was there in the first place was because Beth McGregor, who was Stanford Drama '05, was in one of them (The Voice Crying in the Wilderness by Eugene Oh), so that was fun, and I happened to be sitting next to another friend of hers in the audience, Benjamin Scheuer, who turns out to be an incredibly talented composer and musician. Awesome times.
Production attendance has slowed as I have delved into the depths of the Ruffled Feathers workshop. But I got a job! Assistant directing "The Bereaved" by Thomas Bradshaw, directed by May Adrales. I'm excited! So I won't be attending many shows in August, either, unfortunately, but I will be rehearsing! Hurrah!
It's laundry time.
~Alex
Groundswell by Ian Bruce at the New Group
This was the best play I've seen in a long time. Groundswell is a beautiful South African play with three men and absolutely incredible acting, particularly by David Lansbury, who played Johan. What I loved the most about this play was that the unique personal stories it told in a fascinating political context revealed harsh accusations about fear, guilt, empathy and charity that resonate in the lives of its audience. The direction and design was also of an incredibly high quality, and I definitely hope to see more of The New Group's work!
Here's the synopsis from the website (http://www.thenewgroup.org/season3.htm):
On the barren, diamond-diving coast of South Africa, Johan and Thami, an ex-cop and a gardener from starkly contrasting backgrounds, maintain a beachfront guest lodge during the off-season while looking for a way out. When Smith, a retired businessman, shows up one foggy night, the two men think they've found an ideal investor for their scheme to buy into a government-run diamond concession. Soon, these rootless men find themselves in a power struggle fueled by greed, desperation and entitlement. GROUNDSWELL is a psychological thriller about hunger and hope, and the glittering promises of a transforming society.
August: Osage County by Tracy Letts
I have finally seen August: Osage County, and none too soon. On the Saturday eve before its Broadway closing I went to see it with a new theatre friend and I'm really glad I did, because it's a pretty phenomenal piece of work. The writing, acting and directing are all masterful, and the play had the powerful effect of evoking memories of my grandmother and staying in her house, although mine are all good memories. Mr. Letts knows how to set up a joke or a premise without being obvious about it and bring it back at exactly the right moment to evoke a heartfelt response from his audience. However, showing how theatre company can define a show, my company made me extremely aware of the misogynistic viewpoints hammered into the show, so I walked away impressed but not thrilled. I absolutely loved Phylicia Rashad though! And Amy Morton was excellent, as well.
Jamboree with Odyssey Productions
I went to see a fun night of one-acts at The Red Room put on by a group run by a whole lot of Dartmouth kids. They created five plays in five days on the theme "What if 2009 wasn't THIS 2009?" Particularly awesome acting from Teale Sperling and Matt Cohn. The night was long but it was a lot of fun, and I loved Beaver Builds A Dam by Daniel Diamond (directed by Marina McClure) and Year of the Love Curriculum (written by Victoria Moy, directed by Rachel Karpf) was a lot of fun and I thought did the best job with the limited resources of the space and time given. The reason I was there in the first place was because Beth McGregor, who was Stanford Drama '05, was in one of them (The Voice Crying in the Wilderness by Eugene Oh), so that was fun, and I happened to be sitting next to another friend of hers in the audience, Benjamin Scheuer, who turns out to be an incredibly talented composer and musician. Awesome times.
Production attendance has slowed as I have delved into the depths of the Ruffled Feathers workshop. But I got a job! Assistant directing "The Bereaved" by Thomas Bradshaw, directed by May Adrales. I'm excited! So I won't be attending many shows in August, either, unfortunately, but I will be rehearsing! Hurrah!
It's laundry time.
~Alex
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