Man, I've been living in the city for 8 days and it feels like about a month..in a good way! This city is incredible. I love it. So much opportunity! So much to see and do in such a confined area. I'm learning what it means to be a New York actor...so much more than I learned from ISU or WSU. But I don't know if that was my educations fault...I don't think anything can prepare you for New York or a career in acting. Everyone's path is COMPLETELY different....what kind of day job you have, where you work, even whether or not to continue acting. YOU are your best teacher...you can ask people about their experiences, but NOTHING prepares you for the career YOU will lead. Don't let anyone tell you how is 100%...because it's different for each individual person.
Auditions:
I'm discovering where to look for auditions and how to navigate the casting calls.
1. Actor's Access
2. Actorsconnection.com
3. Playbill casting notices
4. Backstage (but requires a fee)
5. Audition Update - tells you how busy certain auditions are
Ideally I want to be able to check these every morning and submit myself for what's right. It is time consuming though, so I need to be focused on only submitting for work I would actually take.
I'm still finding that I'm most successful when I've submitted to a certain company with a hard copy of my head shot and resume. I got a call from Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey for their touring company of ShakespeareLive. The audition went well despite it being a cold reading of Shakespeare sides...lots of stumbling over the language but I didn't have the time to make it a warm reading. I actually got an offer to join the company about 3 hours later which was FANTASTIC and very flattering to hear. But I turned it down...the contract was to live in New Jersey for 6 months and travel to high schools daily to perform abbreviated versions of R & J and Comedy of Errors. And the pay was $275/wk with very few equity points...just not the time for that in my life. I want to live in New York for more than a few months before I take something out of town, then I want it to be for a little more pay and a little more professional. The choices we make..
Apartments:
Still figuring this out myself.
1. Gypsy housing - group on facebook
2. The Listings Project - weekly email of subleases and rooms for rent.
3. Craigslist - hit or miss I hear...
The tough part is that I want to be able to take a job out of town and sublease my room. There's a chance I could find a 3 bedroom with Dave and his current roommate, but they don't want me to sublease...possible deal breaker. I'm not worried.
Jobs:
I think the best way to find a job is to ask friends what they're doing. I went on an hour and a half interview to be a server at a new Tommy Bahama restaurant. I pretty much had the job, but I didn't want to start right away and I wanted to take a much needed 10 day trip home for Thanksgiving...which I haven't spent with my family for 5 years. I'm pretty sure I can get the job when I get back...they really seemed to like me.
Caitlin Morrison has a sweet serving job too that I might be able to interview for. Both of these serving jobs have BENEFITS! CRAZY! Health, dental, 401k...who knew?
Dave Toomey has a receptionist job that pays $42,000/year with crazy benefits. But that would mean I couldn't take an out of town job very easily...which I don't like.
My old boss at Greenfield Village might be hooking me up with a job playing a young Henry Ford at the Detroit Auto Show! Stupid pay...$350-400/day plus $55/per diem...this is a huge break for me. Could be the Chicago and New York auto show too, so I'm incredibly lucky if I land this. That's why you always be a good employee...you never know when someone from your past will think fondly of you and recommend you for a job.
All in all, it's been a very productive first 8 days....I'm on this high and I don't want to come down. I will once I get settled...it's inevitable. But I'm enjoying every minute of this new life so far!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Saturday, October 6, 2012
The Winter's Tale, A Show Performed in the Fall in Cleveland
My journey has a theatre artist (not just an actor anymore) has taken me back to Cleveland for another show with Great Lakes Theater. It's quite an honor and a blessing to be invited back to a theatre so soon. Hopefully this means that I'm "in the door" here and that they like my work.
The show itself is was rehearsed and open in about twenty minutes. At least that's what it felt like. There was very little time spent rehearsing and running my scenes, which was a bit disheartening. I understand why...all of the actors in the major roles were in the show in Idaho, so there's no sense in spending much time rehearsing them. However, it was hard being a new guy in this show, even if all of my characters don't actually have names. In a way that is infinitely harder because you can't mine the script for too many clues on your character's back story.
I'm part of the mortar of this play...I fill in the cracks between the "named" characters. This is a thankless job and a difficult one to figure out exactly how to fit in. But it's also an important job. These kinds of roles are necessary to move the action and, quite literally, move the furniture:)
I really don't mind playing these roles, I feel like I just struggle with them. The actress playing Hermione says, "It's much easier to be on stage than off stage during a play." I couldn't agree more. Your focus is always there when you're on stage. When you're off stage, it's hard to "stay in the show" until you have to come back on again. Kelly McAvenue, who visited from Stratford my first year, said that Laertes was the hardest role in Hamlet because you start off the show and then come back on about two hours later. That's a long time to be off stage and prepare to come back on.
The same is true for smaller roles like these. You come on and deliver some plot progressing news with about five lines then you exit and switch to another smaller role. It's hard not to psyche yourself out and worry about technicalities like, "How should this line sound? How should I carry myself Oh gosh, I'm not breathing at all!" Sadly, I thought I was past this way of thinking, but alas, I've found myself in this position.
So I might as well learn from it eh?
I think I get detracted in the process by forgetting to think about ACTION and not technicalities. And I think I second guess myself a lot too. "is this action strong enough? Do I perceive that my scene partner is being changed by what I'm doing?" These are things I need to work on still. Come up with an action, really focus on changing the other person with it, and see how it works. If its working, then strengthen it as much as possible an love in the moment. If it doesn't feel like its working, then find a better action.
How do I keep getting tripped up on these things?
The show itself is was rehearsed and open in about twenty minutes. At least that's what it felt like. There was very little time spent rehearsing and running my scenes, which was a bit disheartening. I understand why...all of the actors in the major roles were in the show in Idaho, so there's no sense in spending much time rehearsing them. However, it was hard being a new guy in this show, even if all of my characters don't actually have names. In a way that is infinitely harder because you can't mine the script for too many clues on your character's back story.
I'm part of the mortar of this play...I fill in the cracks between the "named" characters. This is a thankless job and a difficult one to figure out exactly how to fit in. But it's also an important job. These kinds of roles are necessary to move the action and, quite literally, move the furniture:)
I really don't mind playing these roles, I feel like I just struggle with them. The actress playing Hermione says, "It's much easier to be on stage than off stage during a play." I couldn't agree more. Your focus is always there when you're on stage. When you're off stage, it's hard to "stay in the show" until you have to come back on again. Kelly McAvenue, who visited from Stratford my first year, said that Laertes was the hardest role in Hamlet because you start off the show and then come back on about two hours later. That's a long time to be off stage and prepare to come back on.
The same is true for smaller roles like these. You come on and deliver some plot progressing news with about five lines then you exit and switch to another smaller role. It's hard not to psyche yourself out and worry about technicalities like, "How should this line sound? How should I carry myself Oh gosh, I'm not breathing at all!" Sadly, I thought I was past this way of thinking, but alas, I've found myself in this position.
So I might as well learn from it eh?
I think I get detracted in the process by forgetting to think about ACTION and not technicalities. And I think I second guess myself a lot too. "is this action strong enough? Do I perceive that my scene partner is being changed by what I'm doing?" These are things I need to work on still. Come up with an action, really focus on changing the other person with it, and see how it works. If its working, then strengthen it as much as possible an love in the moment. If it doesn't feel like its working, then find a better action.
How do I keep getting tripped up on these things?
Monday, August 6, 2012
Which Describes What We Learned
It's important that I document exactly what I learned from producing/directing/designing this show. So I'm just gonna let it fly...
First and foremost: Pick the right people to work with. Peter Prouty, Kelly Komlem-Amadei, Sara Hymes, Brian Scruggs and Devon Davey were WONDERFUL to work with. This project wouldn't be what it is without each and every one of their efforts. Brian was indispensable with how much he knew about actually making a show run from a practical standpoint...lights, sound, set, tech...he was very good at offering up advice: I don't think we'll have time to do that. Oh, what if we did this instead!...just a phenomenal team member.
Devon has learned a lot from this experience, I think. This was his first show he's done outside of an educational setting and he's grown quite a bit. He took some time to bring around to exactly how I wanted him to work as a stage manager for this production, but that's just as much my "fault" based on the fact that I was still learning what I needed him to be.
Sara was pretty much the glue that held it all together. She did the stuff that she knew I couldn't do...without me having to ask her. Probably helped that she lives with me and could see how stressed I would get. So she took over costumes, makeup, reservations and money. I needed that. Producer Jordan was taking too much time away from Director Jordan, which wasn't good. I didn't really want to produce this anyway...it's just how it had to happen. Without Sara, I don't think we'd be where we are today:)
Petey has made GIANT strides fro where he started...and he started out pretty much AS Doug. The biggest challenge with Pete is to kill off schmacty "i'll make the audience laugh" Pete. When he starts getting laughs, he starts to float away from the truth of the play in order to make the audience laugh more. Bullshit. And he's starting to realize it. Yesterday's run was the best I've seen him I think...particularly scene 8. He was the first guy I asked to do this and I'm glad he said yes, because he's really grown nicely into this roll.
Kelly IS Kayleen. Same deal as Pete being Doug. To BRAG, I cast this perfectly. Kelly is one of the hardest working actors I've seen...and also one of the hardest ON herself. It makes her strive for perfection though, which is wonderful to see as a director. She really pushed herself and has been rewarded with comments such as, "That's the best thing I've ever seen Kelly do." I like to think I was 5% of that because Kelly deserves the credit. She's great and she really helped out with the press release and everything.
Pick the right people to work with.
Doing the show at the Park Bar has been rewarding and unbelievably frustrating. The fact that we didn't have to pay for the space has been amazing. I really can't thank them enough for that. And they were great about allowing us time to rehearse in there...mostly. HOWEVER, I almost think you NEED to pay for a venue...or have total control over the space. I can't tell you how many times we've gone in there and the place is trashed and something is missing. The place isn't organized, clean or run very efficiently. Joe has been playing a bit of hard ball with me about the bar, which I INTENDED and got permission to run for our shows. I don't really know why Joe isn't letting me do that, other than that maybe he doesn't trust me...which sucks because I've been a great tenant..I've made sure of it. We haven't taken any beer (ok THREE glasses), I've tried to be good with communication and hell...we're the only ones that f-ing clean the place up! We always leave it nice and in order. I'll be glad when i don't have to deal with that space, as much as I love it. Again, you have to be careful to work with people that are as committed to the product as you are...and Park Bar just isn't:/ The great CAVEAT to all of this is though...they gave us the space for FREE. So ultimately, THANK YOU to the Park Bar:)
Press
Fuckin' Press. Jordan as a director is very satisfied with his work and thinks everything ran smoothly. Jordan as a producer is disappointed in himself for not getting the press involved and butts in the seats. I THOUGHT I did what I was supposed to do with the Press Release, but evidently not because our only review was PAID for. Still not happy with that. It's HARD to get people to come see your show. Even your friends...even the friends you COUNTED ON to come see the show. People don't want to see theatre. I know how they feel...but I also know's how if feels to pour your heart and soul into something and WANT people to come....almost NEEDING them to see it because of all the work you put in. But really it comes down to the guy on the street reading a paper or seeing a poster and wanting to come see a show. I think we were definitely hurt by the fact that I didn't want to start a theatre company...I didn't want to do this through a theatre or production company. Add to that the fact that half of us are moving to New York DIRECTLY after the show closes and NOBODY wanted to do a story on us except for Wayne State's South End. That's fine...that's fair...but it's disappointing.
So my big goal right now is to figure out what I can do in the future to get people to come see a show. And after that I wanna figure out how to get the money. Those two things are the key to success in theatre. Sadly, product is MAYBE third if it's lucky...nobody seems to care about product.
And maybe I need to explore forming a theatre company and finding a venue. But with that comes this: $. I'll have to worry about 501(c)3 paperwork, donations, funding, subscribers, building maintenance, lights, speakers, curtains...shit I just don't want to care about. I know there's grants out there that can defray or sometimes even completely cover startup costs. But that's a LOT of work for something that might not ever make it. Someday I think I want to find an old theatre space and try to fix it up...Detroit, I might come back. But I gotta get experience first. Great Lakes is a good start They've restored the Hanna and found a good business model. If I could work at the Alley Theatre or Arena Stage or OSF, then I could truly learn from an institution that is what I want to be: An artistically fulfilling and financially stable theatre.
Side note: I was watching on old SNL last night...probably from around 1978. Man it was good. Madeline Kahn was the guest host and Carly Simon was the musical guest. That shit was ALIVE! It's not a dying artifact that SNL is now. All I needed to do was listen to the audience to figure out they loved it. THIS was new. THIS was something they'd never seen on this scale before. They captured lightning in a bottle and were original. I want to find a way to get MY audiences excited like that.
But how?
In order to do this, I think you need to do 2 things: 1) Get young people excited about what you're doing. 2) Ask why can't we do that? No more saying 'no.' Brian was cautious about a lot of things in this production, which was nice because we avoided mistakes. But I think he learned that a lot of the "risks" I wanted to take were right on. And having seen our show now, I can tell you we could've gone so much further. I see that now...but it's too late. But I think I know how to get to where we got much sooner and thus leave us with more time to go further. I can't wait to direct something else...or better yet, devise my own piece.
Transitions: I learned a lot about these now having seen them so many times. I think we needed more joyous music. When we had a sad song it tended to bring things doooowwwwwnnnn. I know why the Russians always seem to use upbeat music in their shows. Life is sad enough as it is, maybe, so why make it more sad. Make it happy...make it JOYful. Uptempo stuff helps too...keeps the energy up. That's a good thing to take away from it. Any way you can ADD energy to a show is key. Leonard Cohen's "Dance Me to the End of Love" was a great song. Had a good beat, good tempo, but it still was sad somehow. Maybe it's in a minor key or something. But that song I think was the most "correct"...I wish I would've had the actors incorporate dance into the transitions more. Not the entire time, but almost wisping into the center and twirling while embraced and then rushing back out of it. Or incorporating dance and costume/makeup changes into it...perhaps they could've helped each other change rather than making it so individual and isolated.
I loved the use of chalk. That's the thing i'm most proud of with this show...it was my "risk" and I am so glad it's succeeded...or maybe I should just say the audience has liked it. What I love about it most is it utilizes a material that is threaded throughout the show. Like the use of sawdust in "Don Quixote" in Russia...just amazing. I've always had paint and fans in my head. I can see using dry leaves or something kind of like Mary Anderson used once. I like materials that can completely manipulate and change a space with very little effort. Chalk was great cause it added color and texture as needed. Sawdust was great because it had a distinct smell. I love that stuff...and the audiences of Gruesome love it too! Basically I'm just drained and tired of doing "the. same. old. shit." I want to bring it to Iowa and have people be blown away. Not for notoriety's sake, but so people can see something NEW and DIFFERENT! Stop doing shit in a proscenium...it's dull and played out. Or better yet, show me something in a proscenium that I'VE NEVER SEEN! Not a NEW production...but something completely DIFFERENT.
I think that's all...I'm sure there will be more random thoughts to come.
First and foremost: Pick the right people to work with. Peter Prouty, Kelly Komlem-Amadei, Sara Hymes, Brian Scruggs and Devon Davey were WONDERFUL to work with. This project wouldn't be what it is without each and every one of their efforts. Brian was indispensable with how much he knew about actually making a show run from a practical standpoint...lights, sound, set, tech...he was very good at offering up advice: I don't think we'll have time to do that. Oh, what if we did this instead!...just a phenomenal team member.
Devon has learned a lot from this experience, I think. This was his first show he's done outside of an educational setting and he's grown quite a bit. He took some time to bring around to exactly how I wanted him to work as a stage manager for this production, but that's just as much my "fault" based on the fact that I was still learning what I needed him to be.
Sara was pretty much the glue that held it all together. She did the stuff that she knew I couldn't do...without me having to ask her. Probably helped that she lives with me and could see how stressed I would get. So she took over costumes, makeup, reservations and money. I needed that. Producer Jordan was taking too much time away from Director Jordan, which wasn't good. I didn't really want to produce this anyway...it's just how it had to happen. Without Sara, I don't think we'd be where we are today:)
Petey has made GIANT strides fro where he started...and he started out pretty much AS Doug. The biggest challenge with Pete is to kill off schmacty "i'll make the audience laugh" Pete. When he starts getting laughs, he starts to float away from the truth of the play in order to make the audience laugh more. Bullshit. And he's starting to realize it. Yesterday's run was the best I've seen him I think...particularly scene 8. He was the first guy I asked to do this and I'm glad he said yes, because he's really grown nicely into this roll.
Kelly IS Kayleen. Same deal as Pete being Doug. To BRAG, I cast this perfectly. Kelly is one of the hardest working actors I've seen...and also one of the hardest ON herself. It makes her strive for perfection though, which is wonderful to see as a director. She really pushed herself and has been rewarded with comments such as, "That's the best thing I've ever seen Kelly do." I like to think I was 5% of that because Kelly deserves the credit. She's great and she really helped out with the press release and everything.
Pick the right people to work with.
Doing the show at the Park Bar has been rewarding and unbelievably frustrating. The fact that we didn't have to pay for the space has been amazing. I really can't thank them enough for that. And they were great about allowing us time to rehearse in there...mostly. HOWEVER, I almost think you NEED to pay for a venue...or have total control over the space. I can't tell you how many times we've gone in there and the place is trashed and something is missing. The place isn't organized, clean or run very efficiently. Joe has been playing a bit of hard ball with me about the bar, which I INTENDED and got permission to run for our shows. I don't really know why Joe isn't letting me do that, other than that maybe he doesn't trust me...which sucks because I've been a great tenant..I've made sure of it. We haven't taken any beer (ok THREE glasses), I've tried to be good with communication and hell...we're the only ones that f-ing clean the place up! We always leave it nice and in order. I'll be glad when i don't have to deal with that space, as much as I love it. Again, you have to be careful to work with people that are as committed to the product as you are...and Park Bar just isn't:/ The great CAVEAT to all of this is though...they gave us the space for FREE. So ultimately, THANK YOU to the Park Bar:)
Press
Fuckin' Press. Jordan as a director is very satisfied with his work and thinks everything ran smoothly. Jordan as a producer is disappointed in himself for not getting the press involved and butts in the seats. I THOUGHT I did what I was supposed to do with the Press Release, but evidently not because our only review was PAID for. Still not happy with that. It's HARD to get people to come see your show. Even your friends...even the friends you COUNTED ON to come see the show. People don't want to see theatre. I know how they feel...but I also know's how if feels to pour your heart and soul into something and WANT people to come....almost NEEDING them to see it because of all the work you put in. But really it comes down to the guy on the street reading a paper or seeing a poster and wanting to come see a show. I think we were definitely hurt by the fact that I didn't want to start a theatre company...I didn't want to do this through a theatre or production company. Add to that the fact that half of us are moving to New York DIRECTLY after the show closes and NOBODY wanted to do a story on us except for Wayne State's South End. That's fine...that's fair...but it's disappointing.
So my big goal right now is to figure out what I can do in the future to get people to come see a show. And after that I wanna figure out how to get the money. Those two things are the key to success in theatre. Sadly, product is MAYBE third if it's lucky...nobody seems to care about product.
And maybe I need to explore forming a theatre company and finding a venue. But with that comes this: $. I'll have to worry about 501(c)3 paperwork, donations, funding, subscribers, building maintenance, lights, speakers, curtains...shit I just don't want to care about. I know there's grants out there that can defray or sometimes even completely cover startup costs. But that's a LOT of work for something that might not ever make it. Someday I think I want to find an old theatre space and try to fix it up...Detroit, I might come back. But I gotta get experience first. Great Lakes is a good start They've restored the Hanna and found a good business model. If I could work at the Alley Theatre or Arena Stage or OSF, then I could truly learn from an institution that is what I want to be: An artistically fulfilling and financially stable theatre.
Side note: I was watching on old SNL last night...probably from around 1978. Man it was good. Madeline Kahn was the guest host and Carly Simon was the musical guest. That shit was ALIVE! It's not a dying artifact that SNL is now. All I needed to do was listen to the audience to figure out they loved it. THIS was new. THIS was something they'd never seen on this scale before. They captured lightning in a bottle and were original. I want to find a way to get MY audiences excited like that.
But how?
In order to do this, I think you need to do 2 things: 1) Get young people excited about what you're doing. 2) Ask why can't we do that? No more saying 'no.' Brian was cautious about a lot of things in this production, which was nice because we avoided mistakes. But I think he learned that a lot of the "risks" I wanted to take were right on. And having seen our show now, I can tell you we could've gone so much further. I see that now...but it's too late. But I think I know how to get to where we got much sooner and thus leave us with more time to go further. I can't wait to direct something else...or better yet, devise my own piece.
Transitions: I learned a lot about these now having seen them so many times. I think we needed more joyous music. When we had a sad song it tended to bring things doooowwwwwnnnn. I know why the Russians always seem to use upbeat music in their shows. Life is sad enough as it is, maybe, so why make it more sad. Make it happy...make it JOYful. Uptempo stuff helps too...keeps the energy up. That's a good thing to take away from it. Any way you can ADD energy to a show is key. Leonard Cohen's "Dance Me to the End of Love" was a great song. Had a good beat, good tempo, but it still was sad somehow. Maybe it's in a minor key or something. But that song I think was the most "correct"...I wish I would've had the actors incorporate dance into the transitions more. Not the entire time, but almost wisping into the center and twirling while embraced and then rushing back out of it. Or incorporating dance and costume/makeup changes into it...perhaps they could've helped each other change rather than making it so individual and isolated.
I loved the use of chalk. That's the thing i'm most proud of with this show...it was my "risk" and I am so glad it's succeeded...or maybe I should just say the audience has liked it. What I love about it most is it utilizes a material that is threaded throughout the show. Like the use of sawdust in "Don Quixote" in Russia...just amazing. I've always had paint and fans in my head. I can see using dry leaves or something kind of like Mary Anderson used once. I like materials that can completely manipulate and change a space with very little effort. Chalk was great cause it added color and texture as needed. Sawdust was great because it had a distinct smell. I love that stuff...and the audiences of Gruesome love it too! Basically I'm just drained and tired of doing "the. same. old. shit." I want to bring it to Iowa and have people be blown away. Not for notoriety's sake, but so people can see something NEW and DIFFERENT! Stop doing shit in a proscenium...it's dull and played out. Or better yet, show me something in a proscenium that I'VE NEVER SEEN! Not a NEW production...but something completely DIFFERENT.
I think that's all...I'm sure there will be more random thoughts to come.
Continuing the Documentation of Kind Words
More positive feedback from people that have seen the show...this time some very (in my mind) IMPRESSIVE names:
Yolanda Fleischer: "Oh lord there's HOPE! I feel like the mantle is being passed down to you guys...you young people that we've taught. As we're stepping down, you're stepping up. I feel so good about where theatre is going...where the young people are taking it. This show was great...I cried, I laughed."
Henrietta Hermelin (From the ORIGINAL Hilberry class...she was in Julius Caesar and she was Juliet in R & J): "About 40 minutes into the show, I started crying. You guys touched on something....and I don't know why and I don't know where it was from...but I was crying."
JT: "Really REALLY excellent work. I thought you guys did a great job. The Russian sense of JOY was there. You've got my email, send me an email and let's find a time to get lunch to talk about it. Just really great great work."
Alan Ball: "The chalk...awh! The way you guys used it...and then to mo it up...and then to have it be the "ice" in the final scene. I LOVE that kind of stuff!"
My mom: "I'm just so proud of you, Jo. It was just really really great. I didn't want to blink because I didn't want to miss a second. I was just engaged the entire time. It really left an impact...I'm still thinking about it this morning1"
My dad: "I'm so proud of you, son. It is really a testament to you guys for putting this up. The show is really sticking with me...even this morning. That's something that live theatre really does for you...it engages you and gives off this energy unlike tv or movies. I really really liked it. And kudos on the chalk. I remember you talking about it but not really understanding it until I saw it....great job. I think you have a real talent for directing."
We also had about five other comments about how people LOVED the chalk and the writing the titles of scenes on the columns and especially the mopping of the floor....THEN how it turned out to be ice. I hate to use the word VALIDATED, but it seems fitting. And that's not a big pat on the back for me...it's just nice to hear over and over how something that I was nervous "putting on" the show turned out to be so...right. People really liked it.
All of these comments mean so much to me....and I mean ALL. My parents mean a TON because they've always supported me and have been so encouraging. Alan's because we went to Russia together and saw the same shows and were in the same classes all three years at the Hilberry. JT's because, well, JT LOVED it...and he's not the type to really give out the praise, in my experience. He's not being mean, he's just a critical guy. And the fact that he's up for getting lunch to discuss it...wow! Henrietta and Yolanda's because they are former HILBERRIANS and because of the whole "passing the mantle on to us" comment. It was a general "us"...so I don't want it to seem like it was me....but WE were included in that. We talked also about how you have to learn from your elders and teachers and then move BEYOND that....make theatre YOURS and propel it forward...don't just try to recreate how your teachers taught. This was important to hear because it's something I've always believed. It's not an insubordination thing or not respecting how you were taught...it's about moving theatre FORWARD, not staying in neutral. This idea is a big part of my overall aesthetic.
Yolanda Fleischer: "Oh lord there's HOPE! I feel like the mantle is being passed down to you guys...you young people that we've taught. As we're stepping down, you're stepping up. I feel so good about where theatre is going...where the young people are taking it. This show was great...I cried, I laughed."
Henrietta Hermelin (From the ORIGINAL Hilberry class...she was in Julius Caesar and she was Juliet in R & J): "About 40 minutes into the show, I started crying. You guys touched on something....and I don't know why and I don't know where it was from...but I was crying."
JT: "Really REALLY excellent work. I thought you guys did a great job. The Russian sense of JOY was there. You've got my email, send me an email and let's find a time to get lunch to talk about it. Just really great great work."
Alan Ball: "The chalk...awh! The way you guys used it...and then to mo it up...and then to have it be the "ice" in the final scene. I LOVE that kind of stuff!"
My mom: "I'm just so proud of you, Jo. It was just really really great. I didn't want to blink because I didn't want to miss a second. I was just engaged the entire time. It really left an impact...I'm still thinking about it this morning1"
My dad: "I'm so proud of you, son. It is really a testament to you guys for putting this up. The show is really sticking with me...even this morning. That's something that live theatre really does for you...it engages you and gives off this energy unlike tv or movies. I really really liked it. And kudos on the chalk. I remember you talking about it but not really understanding it until I saw it....great job. I think you have a real talent for directing."
We also had about five other comments about how people LOVED the chalk and the writing the titles of scenes on the columns and especially the mopping of the floor....THEN how it turned out to be ice. I hate to use the word VALIDATED, but it seems fitting. And that's not a big pat on the back for me...it's just nice to hear over and over how something that I was nervous "putting on" the show turned out to be so...right. People really liked it.
All of these comments mean so much to me....and I mean ALL. My parents mean a TON because they've always supported me and have been so encouraging. Alan's because we went to Russia together and saw the same shows and were in the same classes all three years at the Hilberry. JT's because, well, JT LOVED it...and he's not the type to really give out the praise, in my experience. He's not being mean, he's just a critical guy. And the fact that he's up for getting lunch to discuss it...wow! Henrietta and Yolanda's because they are former HILBERRIANS and because of the whole "passing the mantle on to us" comment. It was a general "us"...so I don't want it to seem like it was me....but WE were included in that. We talked also about how you have to learn from your elders and teachers and then move BEYOND that....make theatre YOURS and propel it forward...don't just try to recreate how your teachers taught. This was important to hear because it's something I've always believed. It's not an insubordination thing or not respecting how you were taught...it's about moving theatre FORWARD, not staying in neutral. This idea is a big part of my overall aesthetic.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Regarding the Opening Night Success of Gruesome Playground Injuries and the Freedom to Move on to Other Adventures
Satisfaction.
Overwhelming satisfaction.
I could not be any happier with how Gruesome Playground Injuries has gone. Three months. Three MONTHS in the making! And now it's here...it's over. My job is over. It's past tense. I DIRECTED Gruesome Playground Injuries. I'm no longer DIRECTING Gruesome Playground Injuries.
The show last night was beautiful. It was a perfect game. It's everything that I wanted it to be. I was euphoric and giddy, emotional and teary-eyed...I was satisfied.
After the bow, I had to go back into the green room to be with the cast. I needed time to enjoy the moment and let it sit without hearing any responses from the audience. Because the truth is: I didn't care. I didn't care if people liked it.
I liked it. Peter and Kelly liked it. Brian, Devon, and Sara liked it. The team liked it and that's all that matters. Immediately after the show that was all that mattered to me. I hugged Peter and Kelly for too long...almost felt like I collapsed in their arms and just wanted to stay there. I was satisfied. And settled.
It's HARD WORK producing/directing/designing/managing a show, no matter how many people you have supporting you. But the key is: Work with people you want to work with. Nothing else matters after that, because it'll take care of itself. Everyone must be on the same level of COMMITMENT and DEDICATION. If they aren't, it doesn't work. Resentment sets in and it'll blow up in your face. That's probably the biggest thing I learned. The team needs to be on the same page.
Favorite responses from last night:
Yours (Tony's): In regards to how you liked the chalk: "It was ok." That's what I appreciate about you, Tony...your honesty. The chalk was completely put on by me and it's not really your thing, I don't think. Totally fine. I got the sense that you enjoyed the production and you were proud of us....and me. Your opinion is weighted the most and I'm so thankful that you gave it to me throughout this process. It was invaluable. You seemed pleased that they were alive and in the moment. Kelly wasn't just pissed off the whole time. Peter was grounded. I think superobjectives were there..though they always can be stronger.
Jen Goff: "This was full of that Russian artistry. Actors were full of lightness and ease. The chalk and mopping was inventive and creative." This mean the world to me as my big goal in this process was to attempt to implement and create something with those Russian ideals: Simpler. Higher. Lighter. Merrier. JOY. Ease. All of these I harped on and wanted to flow through this production. I was able to learn what worked in their implementation and what didn't. I want to KEEP WORKING AT IT. I think a lot of people feel that young directors try to put a concept on to a show as a means of creativity...but then they lose that as they direct other pieces...like they've learned the error of their ways. Not me. Well....maybe it will be, I don't know. But I don't want it to be me. I want to keep pushing the envelope. I want to work with like-minded individuals and challenge myself to make the type of theatre I want to see. That's what Gruesome was: The type of theatre I want to see. And it gave me great JOY and pleasure to watch it.
Seth Amadei: "Jordan, I'm really proud of you." A very candid and genuine response from Seth. Meant the world to me too. From knowing Seth, I know that he is a tough critic to please...in a good way. You should demand good theatre...not settle. And he doesn't. So I was very happy when I heard this. He liked it. I dare say that he LOVED it. His wonderful wife was half the cast, which I'm sure helped, but he really respected what we did. He had read it, so he was at least a little familiar with the text. But he really appreciated the chalk as well....the mopping of the floor before the final scene especially satisfied him. I was very honored by his response.
Rob Pantano: "That's the best thing I've ever see Peter do." This was very nice to say because he directed it largely TO me...which was very flattering. He has the tendency, as I'm sure you know, to ham it up and play for laughs. He'll even admit to this! So I had to try and rein him in and make sure he was staying true to the character/play/homework that we'd worked on. And I started to learn that all it took to keep him in line was ask him, "Are you playing for laughs now or schmacting or hamming it up?" And he would candidly say, "Yes" with a smile on his face and feeling of remorse. It's so enjoyable to watch him when he's grounded and not delivering a line for our, the audience's, benefit.
Rob also mentioned the chalk and how it made him "feel"...same thing with the mopping. It was nice to get that response from Month in Moscow alumni because we all have the same vantage point now. The work they do over there is beautiful, but why can't we do the same?
I'm sure this all sound like I'm giving myself a big pat on the back, but I'm allowing myself to do this for this post only. There's still MANY things that could've been better about this show...that's just the nature of art. But with the time we had, I'm happy with the product.
And very satisfied.
Overwhelming satisfaction.
I could not be any happier with how Gruesome Playground Injuries has gone. Three months. Three MONTHS in the making! And now it's here...it's over. My job is over. It's past tense. I DIRECTED Gruesome Playground Injuries. I'm no longer DIRECTING Gruesome Playground Injuries.
The show last night was beautiful. It was a perfect game. It's everything that I wanted it to be. I was euphoric and giddy, emotional and teary-eyed...I was satisfied.
After the bow, I had to go back into the green room to be with the cast. I needed time to enjoy the moment and let it sit without hearing any responses from the audience. Because the truth is: I didn't care. I didn't care if people liked it.
I liked it. Peter and Kelly liked it. Brian, Devon, and Sara liked it. The team liked it and that's all that matters. Immediately after the show that was all that mattered to me. I hugged Peter and Kelly for too long...almost felt like I collapsed in their arms and just wanted to stay there. I was satisfied. And settled.
It's HARD WORK producing/directing/designing/managing a show, no matter how many people you have supporting you. But the key is: Work with people you want to work with. Nothing else matters after that, because it'll take care of itself. Everyone must be on the same level of COMMITMENT and DEDICATION. If they aren't, it doesn't work. Resentment sets in and it'll blow up in your face. That's probably the biggest thing I learned. The team needs to be on the same page.
Favorite responses from last night:
Yours (Tony's): In regards to how you liked the chalk: "It was ok." That's what I appreciate about you, Tony...your honesty. The chalk was completely put on by me and it's not really your thing, I don't think. Totally fine. I got the sense that you enjoyed the production and you were proud of us....and me. Your opinion is weighted the most and I'm so thankful that you gave it to me throughout this process. It was invaluable. You seemed pleased that they were alive and in the moment. Kelly wasn't just pissed off the whole time. Peter was grounded. I think superobjectives were there..though they always can be stronger.
Jen Goff: "This was full of that Russian artistry. Actors were full of lightness and ease. The chalk and mopping was inventive and creative." This mean the world to me as my big goal in this process was to attempt to implement and create something with those Russian ideals: Simpler. Higher. Lighter. Merrier. JOY. Ease. All of these I harped on and wanted to flow through this production. I was able to learn what worked in their implementation and what didn't. I want to KEEP WORKING AT IT. I think a lot of people feel that young directors try to put a concept on to a show as a means of creativity...but then they lose that as they direct other pieces...like they've learned the error of their ways. Not me. Well....maybe it will be, I don't know. But I don't want it to be me. I want to keep pushing the envelope. I want to work with like-minded individuals and challenge myself to make the type of theatre I want to see. That's what Gruesome was: The type of theatre I want to see. And it gave me great JOY and pleasure to watch it.
Seth Amadei: "Jordan, I'm really proud of you." A very candid and genuine response from Seth. Meant the world to me too. From knowing Seth, I know that he is a tough critic to please...in a good way. You should demand good theatre...not settle. And he doesn't. So I was very happy when I heard this. He liked it. I dare say that he LOVED it. His wonderful wife was half the cast, which I'm sure helped, but he really respected what we did. He had read it, so he was at least a little familiar with the text. But he really appreciated the chalk as well....the mopping of the floor before the final scene especially satisfied him. I was very honored by his response.
Rob Pantano: "That's the best thing I've ever see Peter do." This was very nice to say because he directed it largely TO me...which was very flattering. He has the tendency, as I'm sure you know, to ham it up and play for laughs. He'll even admit to this! So I had to try and rein him in and make sure he was staying true to the character/play/homework that we'd worked on. And I started to learn that all it took to keep him in line was ask him, "Are you playing for laughs now or schmacting or hamming it up?" And he would candidly say, "Yes" with a smile on his face and feeling of remorse. It's so enjoyable to watch him when he's grounded and not delivering a line for our, the audience's, benefit.
Rob also mentioned the chalk and how it made him "feel"...same thing with the mopping. It was nice to get that response from Month in Moscow alumni because we all have the same vantage point now. The work they do over there is beautiful, but why can't we do the same?
I'm sure this all sound like I'm giving myself a big pat on the back, but I'm allowing myself to do this for this post only. There's still MANY things that could've been better about this show...that's just the nature of art. But with the time we had, I'm happy with the product.
And very satisfied.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Detailing the Progress of Gruesome Playground Injuries via an email to Tony Schmitt (July 7)
Tony,
Glad you read the play and hear what you have to think. Valid VALID concerns about the play....luckily, we've started addressing all of them!
RE: Relationships. Yes, most crucial part of the play. There's only two characters and it's definitely "man vs. man" conflict. Why these two can't get together....and perhaps the biggest conflict that the play hinges on, Kayleen's "powers." Does she have them or doesn't she? Does Doug think she does? Does Kayleen believe it? Lots to discuss. I've talked to them each individually and they both have their verdict...but I didn't let them tell the other person. I was reminded of Cherry Jones in Doubt...she said through 500 performances, she never knew if the male actor in the play "did it"...i.e. Inappropriately touched the boy. The director had talked with the actor and they made up their mind, but never told Cherry. Thought that was nice:)
But yes, relationship is key. We've done a lot of backstory work with the etudes and improvisations. We also played a game last night called "Remember When?" peter and kelly sit back to back and one of them starts "Remember when..." and they make a statement about the characters' past. The other actor says, "Yes, I do..." then elaborates on the invented memory. Nice way to create a backstory and voice things out loud. Blair had us do it in shows he directed.
RE: Scene changes. Big concern with that. I really think it'll work...even with the chalk. The set will be 6 boxes that they actors can move around. Within the boxes are all their makeup, chalk, clothes, everything. All their changes are done onstage. I'm thinking ballpark 3 minutes for each scene change. If that holds true, we're still looking at under 90 minutes, which I'm fine with. We're still experimenting with order of operations within scene changes. For each scene there's 1) Moving blocks 2) Changing Costumes 3) Applying Makeup 4) Draw with chalk. Adding the chalk might end up being too much (though I don't think it will)....so if it does, we cut it and we haven't lost much.
RE: Time passage between scenes. Good question that we're still answering. Before each scene, I always ask, "Why didn't you guys see each other?" "How could you not FIND the other person...you had 5 years!" We're just starting to answer those questions for ourselves. Mining the script, I don't know if he really gives answers to them. He gives clues, but not definitive answers. Honestly, that's what i LOVE about this script. There are several different interpretations to the characters/play/scenes that we could choose. There's clues to justify the choices. Example: Why does Kayleen have stomach problems that lead her to vomiting? Bulimic? Maybe, but we didn't find a lot of support for that...i.e. no mention of how she hates eating. I had posed a question to Kelly: Has Kayleen ever been molested by her father? Kelly did some research with "molestation" + "vomiting".....BOOM. TONS of information and links! So Kelly discovered that the vomiting/stomach issues were born from her father molesting her. Then we had to test that against the script and we found that it really REALLY worked. Kayleen's mom left when Kayleen was 11...we've decided that she left because she knew about the molesting but was jealous and left. Her dad then kept molesting her because he missed his wife, Kayleen's mom, and Kayleen looks an awful lot like her. So it survived the test and it's really explains a lot...the cutting, the inability to be intimate with a guy....inability to trust most anyone...how she builds walls to protect herself.
I think I could be better about leaving some moments alone. I'm trying to be diligent and go over everything, but there are moments that are already working and I need to be better about leaving those be. Still "fishing" myself when it comes to this whole directing thing...I'm sure I'll look back on this one day and see mistake after mistake...that's just what happens. But I feel good about where things are and where things are going.
The ONLY big thing I'm worried about is the chalk. Mainly because it's something i'm COMPLETELY putting on the show...it doesn't call for it in the script. But it's also the thing I'm most excited about. I think I can justify it via the fact that kids play with chalk....I don't know if you noticed, but in the stage directions at the start of each scene, Rajiv Joseph writes "The kids are now ___." KIDS. Not characters. So I'm kind of running with that. I will OF COURSE need to know you're opinion about it...if it just doesn't work. Warning though, we'll still have another couple of weeks to work on it....we're still learning about the chalk and what works and what doesn't work.
Let's go with Thursday for the run, ok? We rehearse at Park Bar, 2040 Park Ave in Detroit...right behind the FOX. We can find you a spot for your car right in front. And yes, I would definitely like to talk to you 1 on 1 after. Hopefully we can do it right after the run, but if nothing else, then maybe we can meet for dinner or something like we talked.
So glad you got a chance to read it. I've been excited to hear what you think...and I'll be excited to hear what you think about our run on Thursday:)
Sorry about the novel,
jordan
Glad you read the play and hear what you have to think. Valid VALID concerns about the play....luckily, we've started addressing all of them!
RE: Relationships. Yes, most crucial part of the play. There's only two characters and it's definitely "man vs. man" conflict. Why these two can't get together....and perhaps the biggest conflict that the play hinges on, Kayleen's "powers." Does she have them or doesn't she? Does Doug think she does? Does Kayleen believe it? Lots to discuss. I've talked to them each individually and they both have their verdict...but I didn't let them tell the other person. I was reminded of Cherry Jones in Doubt...she said through 500 performances, she never knew if the male actor in the play "did it"...i.e. Inappropriately touched the boy. The director had talked with the actor and they made up their mind, but never told Cherry. Thought that was nice:)
But yes, relationship is key. We've done a lot of backstory work with the etudes and improvisations. We also played a game last night called "Remember When?" peter and kelly sit back to back and one of them starts "Remember when..." and they make a statement about the characters' past. The other actor says, "Yes, I do..." then elaborates on the invented memory. Nice way to create a backstory and voice things out loud. Blair had us do it in shows he directed.
RE: Scene changes. Big concern with that. I really think it'll work...even with the chalk. The set will be 6 boxes that they actors can move around. Within the boxes are all their makeup, chalk, clothes, everything. All their changes are done onstage. I'm thinking ballpark 3 minutes for each scene change. If that holds true, we're still looking at under 90 minutes, which I'm fine with. We're still experimenting with order of operations within scene changes. For each scene there's 1) Moving blocks 2) Changing Costumes 3) Applying Makeup 4) Draw with chalk. Adding the chalk might end up being too much (though I don't think it will)....so if it does, we cut it and we haven't lost much.
RE: Time passage between scenes. Good question that we're still answering. Before each scene, I always ask, "Why didn't you guys see each other?" "How could you not FIND the other person...you had 5 years!" We're just starting to answer those questions for ourselves. Mining the script, I don't know if he really gives answers to them. He gives clues, but not definitive answers. Honestly, that's what i LOVE about this script. There are several different interpretations to the characters/play/scenes that we could choose. There's clues to justify the choices. Example: Why does Kayleen have stomach problems that lead her to vomiting? Bulimic? Maybe, but we didn't find a lot of support for that...i.e. no mention of how she hates eating. I had posed a question to Kelly: Has Kayleen ever been molested by her father? Kelly did some research with "molestation" + "vomiting".....BOOM. TONS of information and links! So Kelly discovered that the vomiting/stomach issues were born from her father molesting her. Then we had to test that against the script and we found that it really REALLY worked. Kayleen's mom left when Kayleen was 11...we've decided that she left because she knew about the molesting but was jealous and left. Her dad then kept molesting her because he missed his wife, Kayleen's mom, and Kayleen looks an awful lot like her. So it survived the test and it's really explains a lot...the cutting, the inability to be intimate with a guy....inability to trust most anyone...how she builds walls to protect herself.
I think I could be better about leaving some moments alone. I'm trying to be diligent and go over everything, but there are moments that are already working and I need to be better about leaving those be. Still "fishing" myself when it comes to this whole directing thing...I'm sure I'll look back on this one day and see mistake after mistake...that's just what happens. But I feel good about where things are and where things are going.
The ONLY big thing I'm worried about is the chalk. Mainly because it's something i'm COMPLETELY putting on the show...it doesn't call for it in the script. But it's also the thing I'm most excited about. I think I can justify it via the fact that kids play with chalk....I don't know if you noticed, but in the stage directions at the start of each scene, Rajiv Joseph writes "The kids are now ___." KIDS. Not characters. So I'm kind of running with that. I will OF COURSE need to know you're opinion about it...if it just doesn't work. Warning though, we'll still have another couple of weeks to work on it....we're still learning about the chalk and what works and what doesn't work.
Let's go with Thursday for the run, ok? We rehearse at Park Bar, 2040 Park Ave in Detroit...right behind the FOX. We can find you a spot for your car right in front. And yes, I would definitely like to talk to you 1 on 1 after. Hopefully we can do it right after the run, but if nothing else, then maybe we can meet for dinner or something like we talked.
So glad you got a chance to read it. I've been excited to hear what you think...and I'll be excited to hear what you think about our run on Thursday:)
Sorry about the novel,
jordan
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Entailing the Complications That Arise From Working With Friends (July 3rd)
I'm finding that there are many pros and cons to working with friends. The pros are that you know them more intimately so you can speak to them in a different manner, they cut you slack when you need it, and they are willing to go the extra mile for you. The cons, I'm finding, are that it's hard to feel like you have the right amount of authority, they can take advantage at times, and they don't conduct themselves as professionally. The cons might sound like horrible evil things, but they're not...it's simply what arises from working with FRIENDS.
Peter had a bad day on Sunday. He was caught doing double duty at his other job, he had had a fight with his girlfriend the night before, and he was basically just at his breaking point with STRESS. I had talked about calling rehearsal off so that we could build some boxes for the set, but decided it against it because James at Tipping Point thinks we can use some that he already has. Peter then got it in his head and thought we had cancelled rehearsal altogether because we weren't building.
Not good.
COMMUNICATION IS KEY!
I thought, because we were friends, he was going to bail on me because he just needed a night off. This almost set me off the deep end because I know he wouldn't try to get away with that with any other director. Luckily, we talked, he assured me that he never planned on bailing on the rehearsal, and all is well.
But it got me thinking about communication and how it's so important with directing...maybe even the most important part. I have a written rehearsal schedule which is set in stone unless i change it, but all the TALK about changing it can be confusing. It's also a good idea, if you're working with friends, to know the temperament of your actors...how they're doing...are they being overworked?...is having a rehearsal more harm than good? Talking openly about concerns is very critical among friends in a working environment, because if you bury it, the process can turn toxic almost overnight.
But overall, rehearsals continue to be very strong and productive. I'm really learning how to talk to Peter and Kelly to provoke the responses I want. I'm totally stealing from Tony when I ask, "Does that makes sense?" Peter spotted that just last night..."Taking a page from Tony's book, eh?" And I am, because I think it's a very good question to ask. We need to understand each other if we are going to get anywhere. I caught Peter generally saying, "Yeah...yeah" to a question I posed and I got the feeling he didn't understand me. As it turns out, he didn't, so I re-explained and he got it. I don't know why we as actors do this....we don't want to feel dumb, I suppose. But it's ok to need a difficult concept to be explained a few ways as long as you can understand it ultimately.
I think my greatest strength at this point is my ability to ask provocative questions. This comes from having read the script a TON, which has served me very well.
My weakness at this point is that I'm having trouble directing the actors forward. I struggle with diagnosing exactly WHY a scene isn't working and HOW to fix it. I think a good deal of that has to deal with the fact that we're not clear on our ACTIONS at this point and we don't know where we're going in the scene. A lot of GENERALIZED acting going on, which we can't have. However, I think this is ok at this point. We're still in the "asking question" phase. Next week, we need to move to the "answering questions" phase.
We also had our first night with experimenting with chalk drawings on the floor. Absolutely FASCINATING to watch. I'm so excited because I think my idea is going to work here. The chalk goes on and comes off very easily. It's very entertaining to watch someone draw something...I don't know how many hours I've watched Bob Ross in my day but it's completely captivating to watch. We don't have his skill, but we have provocative ideas to explore and it will be something that the audience enjoys. I'm still in my "How do they do what they do in Russia and how can I incorporate that artistry into my work" phase. It's fun to explore and I'm can see the show start to take shape.
Peter had a bad day on Sunday. He was caught doing double duty at his other job, he had had a fight with his girlfriend the night before, and he was basically just at his breaking point with STRESS. I had talked about calling rehearsal off so that we could build some boxes for the set, but decided it against it because James at Tipping Point thinks we can use some that he already has. Peter then got it in his head and thought we had cancelled rehearsal altogether because we weren't building.
Not good.
COMMUNICATION IS KEY!
I thought, because we were friends, he was going to bail on me because he just needed a night off. This almost set me off the deep end because I know he wouldn't try to get away with that with any other director. Luckily, we talked, he assured me that he never planned on bailing on the rehearsal, and all is well.
But it got me thinking about communication and how it's so important with directing...maybe even the most important part. I have a written rehearsal schedule which is set in stone unless i change it, but all the TALK about changing it can be confusing. It's also a good idea, if you're working with friends, to know the temperament of your actors...how they're doing...are they being overworked?...is having a rehearsal more harm than good? Talking openly about concerns is very critical among friends in a working environment, because if you bury it, the process can turn toxic almost overnight.
But overall, rehearsals continue to be very strong and productive. I'm really learning how to talk to Peter and Kelly to provoke the responses I want. I'm totally stealing from Tony when I ask, "Does that makes sense?" Peter spotted that just last night..."Taking a page from Tony's book, eh?" And I am, because I think it's a very good question to ask. We need to understand each other if we are going to get anywhere. I caught Peter generally saying, "Yeah...yeah" to a question I posed and I got the feeling he didn't understand me. As it turns out, he didn't, so I re-explained and he got it. I don't know why we as actors do this....we don't want to feel dumb, I suppose. But it's ok to need a difficult concept to be explained a few ways as long as you can understand it ultimately.
I think my greatest strength at this point is my ability to ask provocative questions. This comes from having read the script a TON, which has served me very well.
My weakness at this point is that I'm having trouble directing the actors forward. I struggle with diagnosing exactly WHY a scene isn't working and HOW to fix it. I think a good deal of that has to deal with the fact that we're not clear on our ACTIONS at this point and we don't know where we're going in the scene. A lot of GENERALIZED acting going on, which we can't have. However, I think this is ok at this point. We're still in the "asking question" phase. Next week, we need to move to the "answering questions" phase.
We also had our first night with experimenting with chalk drawings on the floor. Absolutely FASCINATING to watch. I'm so excited because I think my idea is going to work here. The chalk goes on and comes off very easily. It's very entertaining to watch someone draw something...I don't know how many hours I've watched Bob Ross in my day but it's completely captivating to watch. We don't have his skill, but we have provocative ideas to explore and it will be something that the audience enjoys. I'm still in my "How do they do what they do in Russia and how can I incorporate that artistry into my work" phase. It's fun to explore and I'm can see the show start to take shape.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Which Describes the Fun Parts of Directing (June 29th)
Directing this show is fun. FUN! I'm liking this whole "controlling how the rehearsal process goes." I decide what we do. I decided what we don't do. I think that's one of the rewards of directing...same thing with owning your own business...I'm the boss. I don't want that to sound self-centered or megalomaniacal, but it's one of the perks. Now I can bring certain aspects of other rehearsals for different shows into this one. The result is that I'm enjoying what I'm doing.
Next week is a big week for us. We are completely blocked and I'm happy to be done with that...took some major discipline to not chime in with table talk last night because we had half of the play to block in about 2 1/2 hours.
But now it's time to get to the real work...the fun work.
Next week is about asking ourselves every question and really challenging ourselves to find good, clear actions for every scene. The week after will be about answering questions, but this week is about understanding the play and how each character fits into it.
It's also a crucial week for my chalk ideas. Watching rehearsals and reading the play is really starting to make me understand HOW to use the chalk for scene transitions. Words, images, etudes, improvisations are really bringing to light the best ways incorporate the chalk organically. Tracing footsteps or hands...building a mosaic during the entire show...a mosaic that will be different every night and thus make each performance that more special is our goal.
Transitions will be important to work on. We have to start playing with makeup for scars and injuries. Part of the technical, but it just can't wait until tech rehearsals. We have the advantage of rehearsing in the space so we can get a good sense of how the show will flow. Marking the blocks movement, what needs to be in which box, how they have to be oriented will taken care of much sooner than normal.
But above all else I gotta see good acting. I would rather see the transitions suffer than have the actors up there schmacting, giving bullshit performances. We're slipping into that a little bit still, but because Peter and Kelly are seasoned actors, all I have to do is call them on it and they work towards fixing it.
Case in point: Kelly has a bad habit of slapping her thighs when the character is frustrated. And when the character is worked up, she starts stuttering the start of her lines. "I...I...I..." "We...w...we...we...". It's an actor thing that's a natural thing to do, but it needs to be fixed. She doesn't have the lines down yet so she's fighting that a bit so I haven't grilled her on it yet. But it's something to begin identifying and fixing.
Next week is a big week for us. We are completely blocked and I'm happy to be done with that...took some major discipline to not chime in with table talk last night because we had half of the play to block in about 2 1/2 hours.
But now it's time to get to the real work...the fun work.
Next week is about asking ourselves every question and really challenging ourselves to find good, clear actions for every scene. The week after will be about answering questions, but this week is about understanding the play and how each character fits into it.
It's also a crucial week for my chalk ideas. Watching rehearsals and reading the play is really starting to make me understand HOW to use the chalk for scene transitions. Words, images, etudes, improvisations are really bringing to light the best ways incorporate the chalk organically. Tracing footsteps or hands...building a mosaic during the entire show...a mosaic that will be different every night and thus make each performance that more special is our goal.
Transitions will be important to work on. We have to start playing with makeup for scars and injuries. Part of the technical, but it just can't wait until tech rehearsals. We have the advantage of rehearsing in the space so we can get a good sense of how the show will flow. Marking the blocks movement, what needs to be in which box, how they have to be oriented will taken care of much sooner than normal.
But above all else I gotta see good acting. I would rather see the transitions suffer than have the actors up there schmacting, giving bullshit performances. We're slipping into that a little bit still, but because Peter and Kelly are seasoned actors, all I have to do is call them on it and they work towards fixing it.
Case in point: Kelly has a bad habit of slapping her thighs when the character is frustrated. And when the character is worked up, she starts stuttering the start of her lines. "I...I...I..." "We...w...we...we...". It's an actor thing that's a natural thing to do, but it needs to be fixed. She doesn't have the lines down yet so she's fighting that a bit so I haven't grilled her on it yet. But it's something to begin identifying and fixing.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Discovering That This Blog Should've Been All Inclusive About Theatre (July 25th)
Well "The Last Egg" has had it's run and I can now focus on "Gruesome" 100%. Reflecting on the brief, one week rehearsal/performance week for "Egg" it really was a great experience.
I learned that it's important to have a connection with the piece and with whom you are working with. Everything turned out great but it very easily could've been a huge disaster.
Communication is key. The hardest part about the 6 hours of rehearsal was that it's hard to learn how people communicate best in that short amount of time. What you voice out loud is just as important as what you don't say...it's very easy to say too much and not be able to take it back...it's already in the actor's head.
I also learned that you have to be ready for TECH. I didn't have more than three sound/light cues, but when they were shown to me, I had to be ready to say 'yes' or 'no' to them. I think it's better in a longer process when you can ask to see it a few times, but it was a good lesson to know the extreme end of decision making.
Overall, the show was a success. It was rewarded with being the 'Audience Choice' winner, which was a nice recognition, even if it was only out of four total participants:)
We had our third rehearsal for "Gruesome" last night. I feel bad because I had this bad idea to go and do a read through in a park. We walked there and found that it was swarmed with families, which just would've made it too uncomfortable and distracting to attempt to work there. Total time lost was about an hour, so lesson learned on that: control your working environment as much as possible.
When we got back to my apartment, we had yet another incredibly informative rehearsal. We're rehearsing in my apartment out of necessity right now, but hopefully we will get into the space starting tonight. It's hard to work with a dog and a cat demanding attention:)
I had Pete and Kelly do etudes, which was fascinating to watch. Little improvisation games at the start of rehearsals will be a part of our schedule each day. We worked on etudes of the characters at age 8, which is one of our biggest challenges. We want these kids to be real and not have a caricature performance. I'd rather get nitpicked for having the characters be too mature rather than slapstick goofy kids...just doesn't work for this show.
But Pete and Kelly really found some great stuff. The backstory that's organically found in these etudes provide a great foundation to the characters. And they're really doing a great job of putting themselves in the characters' shoes. It's great to see! They think/act/react in the way their characters do.
After the etudes, I always ask them what they learned and what was good/bad about the exercise. It's especially important in these early explorations to address what didn't work or what could've been better. Now is the time to make sure we don't get into bad habits or make incorrect assumptions about the characters. And I find all it takes is observations and questions to cure this. Actors, at least these actors, are very eager to get rid of their own bullshit and work to their ability. They don't want to "get away" with anything, they want to be challenged. And they're responding.
The major aspect of their characterizations that need work right now has to do with vocality and physicality. It's hard to play an 8 year old when you're 34, but that's also part of the fun. Their first etude was very general physically and I found myself watching Peter and Kelly up there. All it took was addressing/discussing it and their second etude was light years ahead. Really great to see.
We're in the thick of rehearsals now...on to blocking and table work!
I learned that it's important to have a connection with the piece and with whom you are working with. Everything turned out great but it very easily could've been a huge disaster.
Communication is key. The hardest part about the 6 hours of rehearsal was that it's hard to learn how people communicate best in that short amount of time. What you voice out loud is just as important as what you don't say...it's very easy to say too much and not be able to take it back...it's already in the actor's head.
I also learned that you have to be ready for TECH. I didn't have more than three sound/light cues, but when they were shown to me, I had to be ready to say 'yes' or 'no' to them. I think it's better in a longer process when you can ask to see it a few times, but it was a good lesson to know the extreme end of decision making.
Overall, the show was a success. It was rewarded with being the 'Audience Choice' winner, which was a nice recognition, even if it was only out of four total participants:)
We had our third rehearsal for "Gruesome" last night. I feel bad because I had this bad idea to go and do a read through in a park. We walked there and found that it was swarmed with families, which just would've made it too uncomfortable and distracting to attempt to work there. Total time lost was about an hour, so lesson learned on that: control your working environment as much as possible.
When we got back to my apartment, we had yet another incredibly informative rehearsal. We're rehearsing in my apartment out of necessity right now, but hopefully we will get into the space starting tonight. It's hard to work with a dog and a cat demanding attention:)
I had Pete and Kelly do etudes, which was fascinating to watch. Little improvisation games at the start of rehearsals will be a part of our schedule each day. We worked on etudes of the characters at age 8, which is one of our biggest challenges. We want these kids to be real and not have a caricature performance. I'd rather get nitpicked for having the characters be too mature rather than slapstick goofy kids...just doesn't work for this show.
But Pete and Kelly really found some great stuff. The backstory that's organically found in these etudes provide a great foundation to the characters. And they're really doing a great job of putting themselves in the characters' shoes. It's great to see! They think/act/react in the way their characters do.
After the etudes, I always ask them what they learned and what was good/bad about the exercise. It's especially important in these early explorations to address what didn't work or what could've been better. Now is the time to make sure we don't get into bad habits or make incorrect assumptions about the characters. And I find all it takes is observations and questions to cure this. Actors, at least these actors, are very eager to get rid of their own bullshit and work to their ability. They don't want to "get away" with anything, they want to be challenged. And they're responding.
The major aspect of their characterizations that need work right now has to do with vocality and physicality. It's hard to play an 8 year old when you're 34, but that's also part of the fun. Their first etude was very general physically and I found myself watching Peter and Kelly up there. All it took was addressing/discussing it and their second etude was light years ahead. Really great to see.
We're in the thick of rehearsals now...on to blocking and table work!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Describing Successes and Failures of Second Rehearsals (June 19th)
We had our second of three rehearsals for this ten minute play last night. Some of my problems I solved, only I find them replaced by new ones. I think it'll end up alright, but I wish there was more TIME.
James sat in on this rehearsal...which he'll sit in on each scenes rehearsals process at least once for quality control purposes. I've always had a real respect for his opinion so it was good to have him there.
I MEANT to spend the first bit simply going over blocking, which was to be really simple. What ended up ACTUALLY happening was a forty-five minute stop/start with blocking. Not what I intended and I the notes I gave throughout probably didn't land as well as they could've. James talked to me at break and mentioned that and suggested just letting them run so they get a a head of steam going. Take notes. Pick and choose which ones to give.
I was frustrated with myself because I hate being directed like that. When there's TOO MUCH stop/start where you can't even incorporate the notes because the director stops you. Infuriating for an actor! BUT it's good to catch something like that early on so it can be corrected.
The next rehearsal will be spent adding a little sound, making sure the story and the acting is drawing me in, and and freeing up the actors. They're doing a good job of playing and I don't want them to keep that. But there's a little way to go still with pace/actions/builds still that need to be hammered out.
James sat in on this rehearsal...which he'll sit in on each scenes rehearsals process at least once for quality control purposes. I've always had a real respect for his opinion so it was good to have him there.
I MEANT to spend the first bit simply going over blocking, which was to be really simple. What ended up ACTUALLY happening was a forty-five minute stop/start with blocking. Not what I intended and I the notes I gave throughout probably didn't land as well as they could've. James talked to me at break and mentioned that and suggested just letting them run so they get a a head of steam going. Take notes. Pick and choose which ones to give.
I was frustrated with myself because I hate being directed like that. When there's TOO MUCH stop/start where you can't even incorporate the notes because the director stops you. Infuriating for an actor! BUT it's good to catch something like that early on so it can be corrected.
The next rehearsal will be spent adding a little sound, making sure the story and the acting is drawing me in, and and freeing up the actors. They're doing a good job of playing and I don't want them to keep that. But there's a little way to go still with pace/actions/builds still that need to be hammered out.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Defining Communication in the Rehearsal Process (June 18th)
Had ANOTHER first rehearsal again last night...this time for a ten minute play I'm directing for James Kuhl at Tipping Point for the Sandbox Play Festival. It's a fun way to get to work on a play during a quick 6 hour process. I acted in one last year directed by James as it was a very informative process.
This year, I'm directing. I didn't feel as prepared as I wanted to due to working a lot on Gruesome, which is something I'm going to have to work double hard to be prepared for tonight's rehearsal.
The toughest thing about this process is that there are only three two-hour rehearsals. Which means there's not much margin for error or time to waste.
A big thing I learned last night is that, for this particular process, I needed to harp on energy and builds more. I missed that through all of the table work and attempting to uncover actions. I had them read through it over and over knowing I could get to the whole energy thing at the next rehearsal. But my fear is that i didn't give them enough of a push in that direction so they will have thought that what they were doing was fine. It wasn't bad, but not where it needs to be.
Today pre-rehearsal will be spent mining action from the play. The play is fizzling out and becoming stagnant midway through, so tonight's rehearsal will be crucial to block and get on the right page as far as actions go...we'll only have one more rehearsal after that.
This year, I'm directing. I didn't feel as prepared as I wanted to due to working a lot on Gruesome, which is something I'm going to have to work double hard to be prepared for tonight's rehearsal.
The toughest thing about this process is that there are only three two-hour rehearsals. Which means there's not much margin for error or time to waste.
A big thing I learned last night is that, for this particular process, I needed to harp on energy and builds more. I missed that through all of the table work and attempting to uncover actions. I had them read through it over and over knowing I could get to the whole energy thing at the next rehearsal. But my fear is that i didn't give them enough of a push in that direction so they will have thought that what they were doing was fine. It wasn't bad, but not where it needs to be.
Today pre-rehearsal will be spent mining action from the play. The play is fizzling out and becoming stagnant midway through, so tonight's rehearsal will be crucial to block and get on the right page as far as actions go...we'll only have one more rehearsal after that.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Regarding a Director's Encounter with the First Rehearsal (June 12th)
First rehearsal for Gruesome Playground Injuries is in the books. Cast and crew arrived. Beers and scripts were cracked. 56 minutes later we were done.
56 minutes.
Wow. It'll be nice to not have to worry about cutting the script down. I was surprised by how quickly the dialogue went by, but as always, it's a lot quicker to read a play than stage it. Pacing will slow, pauses will be held longer, and "stage business" will make this a nice and simple 80-90 minutes.
Learned lots of good things from the rehearsal:
Read the stage directions during the first read through. I tried to ignore them because I think we all know the action that's going on. Wrong. We needed to hear the stage directions describing the actions...it just didn't work without them. So after the first three scenes, I asked Devon, our stage manager to read them.
How and When you say something or give a note is crucial. I asked Devon to only read the important stage directions pertaining to the actor's actions. This wasn't clear enough and he ended up reading too many, then too few. Clear, concise directions are critical.
I got a bit ahead of myself trying to describe too much of what I wanted from the production. Based on what Peter Brook says in The Empty Space, this is a common mistake and a natural one to make. Tons of interesting things came up in his last chapter, the Immediate Theatre. This is his ideal theatre...the one we need.
He goes on to say many interesting things in the opening of that chapter about, specifically, the first rehearsal:
"No one is in a state to absorb what is said -the purpose of anything you do on the first day is to get you through to the second one."
"The first rehearsal is always to a degree the blind leading the blind."
Describing how during his first big production as a director, Love's Labour's Lost at Stratford in 1945, went on the first day. "I had already done enough work in smaller theatres to know that actors, and above all stage mangers, had the greatest contempt for anyone who, as they always put it, 'did not know what he wanted.'" So the night before he panicked and fumbled around with his forty folded pieces of paper representing the actors all night, organizing their entrance for the first scene of the show. "Hesitation would soon be fatal." After he blocked them and gave them all their instructions, they entered and it wasn't at all how he his forty pieces of paper entered. Should he stop and drill them until they did it right? "One inner voice prompted me to do so, but the other pointed out that my pattern was much less interesting than this new patter that was unfolding in front of me." Everyone was doing things according to their individual character.
"I think, looking back, that my whole future work hung in the balance. I stopped, and walked away from my book, in amongst the actors, and I have never looked at a written plan since. I recognized once and for all the presumption and the folly of thinking that an inanimate model can stand for a man."
I think it's still a good idea to pre-block. But you have to be aware of the individuals that you are working with. They WILL be more interesting than the two 9-volt batteries I used to pre-block with.
"However much homework (the director) does, he cannot fully understand a play by himself." I really like that point. Work MUST be done before the first rehearsal...read the play as much as you can...but then you must OPEN your senses to the other's around you. This isn't about being right or showing people you know more than them because you're the fucking direction. It's about everyone understanding the play as fully as possible and feeling like they had a hand in unlocking it's meaning. From my experience as an actor, I like to discover things for myself, not be told what something means or told what to do. THAT'S when I'm at my best.
I want everyone to feel like they are at their best.
This is going to be a fun process.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Regarding the Difficulties in Creating Your Own Work and How You Don't Have to Start a Theatre Company to do it (May 17th)
I read a terribly inspiring article last month that has really changed how I feel about theatre companies. Here's the link: http://www.giarts.org/article/please-dont-start-theater-company?&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=addtoany
I strongly considered starting a non-profit theatre company of my own because I wanted a platform to direct. I'm so glad I didn't now. I think it would've been ok, but it's an awful lot of work and then you have to worry about paperwork and whatnot. Plus, I would rather find other people that I can join up with and work with them. I just saw this article on NPR about a Shakespeare Troupe in New York that I MUST work for. Here's the link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2012/05/16/152838626/kickstart-shakespeare-of-sonnets-beer-and-online-fundraising
I'm getting very excited to start crafting Gruesome Playground Injuries. The play really draws me in every time I read it. Something about the writing and the sense of "I know exactly what that situation is like." The one problem with reading it from a directorial point of view is that my mind quickly wanders thinking of staging or artistic ideas. It's not the play's fault...and it's actually no ones fault. It's just nice to have the ideas flowing rather than struggling with how to stage it.
My next steps are going to be to focus on some dramaturgy, staging and blocking. I have about a month to get ahead of the game here and I want to be thoroughly prepared. I want to be able to use all of my rehearsal times working with the actors and being able to explore actions and meanings. The root of this play is the connection between Doug and Kayleen. If I don't have that, I haven't done my job. Now, I want to explore the use of chalk and other artistic ways to play with the text, but the action and relationship is paramount. Hopefully having capable, experienced actors like Petey and Kelly will be helpful. I know it will be helpful...a lot of my work is done if I have good actors, so that's a relief.
I'm done working at Great Lakes and am just waiting to hear back about a possible contract for Sara and I for Winter's Tale. This would be perfect and allow us to save a lot of money. I just want to keep cultivating these relationships so that I can send an email or two and hopefully find work. I know it isn't always as simple as that but I hope it can be.
My goal in life: To be able to support myself and my family through artistically fulfilling work in theatre and film.
That's not too much to ask is it?
I strongly considered starting a non-profit theatre company of my own because I wanted a platform to direct. I'm so glad I didn't now. I think it would've been ok, but it's an awful lot of work and then you have to worry about paperwork and whatnot. Plus, I would rather find other people that I can join up with and work with them. I just saw this article on NPR about a Shakespeare Troupe in New York that I MUST work for. Here's the link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2012/05/16/152838626/kickstart-shakespeare-of-sonnets-beer-and-online-fundraising
I'm getting very excited to start crafting Gruesome Playground Injuries. The play really draws me in every time I read it. Something about the writing and the sense of "I know exactly what that situation is like." The one problem with reading it from a directorial point of view is that my mind quickly wanders thinking of staging or artistic ideas. It's not the play's fault...and it's actually no ones fault. It's just nice to have the ideas flowing rather than struggling with how to stage it.
My next steps are going to be to focus on some dramaturgy, staging and blocking. I have about a month to get ahead of the game here and I want to be thoroughly prepared. I want to be able to use all of my rehearsal times working with the actors and being able to explore actions and meanings. The root of this play is the connection between Doug and Kayleen. If I don't have that, I haven't done my job. Now, I want to explore the use of chalk and other artistic ways to play with the text, but the action and relationship is paramount. Hopefully having capable, experienced actors like Petey and Kelly will be helpful. I know it will be helpful...a lot of my work is done if I have good actors, so that's a relief.
I'm done working at Great Lakes and am just waiting to hear back about a possible contract for Sara and I for Winter's Tale. This would be perfect and allow us to save a lot of money. I just want to keep cultivating these relationships so that I can send an email or two and hopefully find work. I know it isn't always as simple as that but I hope it can be.
My goal in life: To be able to support myself and my family through artistically fulfilling work in theatre and film.
That's not too much to ask is it?
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Describing the Great Adventure of Exploring a Role and Keeping it Exciting (April 21)
I've been emailing with Tony a lot recently, conversing about the role of Paris and how to approach a smaller role with not as much text to mine. I've also been talking to him about ACTIONS and how they are the key to unlocking emotions.
If your action is to cry or to weep or wail, you're screwed...the ACTION has to be something you can do. Give yourself something to do and use your imagination to make the world of the pay real...THAT'S where you'll find success. The emotion will come out of that, not out of trying to emote.
I wasted a lot of time during the rehearsal process of this show. Rehearsals are not for trying to get all your lines out accurately or to perform the blocking. Rehearsals are for exploration and deepening one's understanding of the play, character and mise-en-scene. It should also be about developing clear actions and giving yourself something to do. The times I have the most fun onstage are when I can go out and DO something. "I have to do this so that I can achieve this or that." But it also needs to be something that I can't attain...or at the very least, I must shift my focus to some other action based on revelations during the scene.
I was amazed when I saw Lady With the Lapdog in Russia because the actress was able to still be moved to tears after doing this same production for 10 years! How do you keep that fresh? To still be affected? JT said it was because they have really good actions to play. Acting = action. And reaction.
I auditioned for Oregon Shakes yesterday. It went pretty well...much better than Chicago Shakes. The difference was the preparation. Chicago I pretty much just ran the lines in the car...maybe walked through it in Brandon's basement once or twice. But i didn't work them or REEXAMINE them. That was the key to Oregon. I questioned a lot my initial interpretations of my Sebastian monologue. I was walking Rocky and I still wanted a little time to rehearsal, so I stopped in this alley and started thinking through the piece. I can't believe I never tried to work the monologue outside before! It fucking takes place outside!
I felt the warm breeze on my face and I discovered that when Sebastian says, "This is the air" it's not whimsical as I had initially interpreted it...it's an affirmation...a confirmation that he can feel/breathe the air. "This is the air!" Same thing with the sun. Also, you can't reference the sun without being blinded by it and allowing your eyes to be effected.
This all lead me to the fact that, I can feel the air, see the sun, feel and see this pearl she gave me, BUT I'm still amazed...full of WONDER by my good fortune of just banging this beautiful woman!
Next came, "Where's Antonio then?" Again, by being outside, around buildings...I discovered distance and how one ACTUALLY looks for someone. Performing the monologue, I would just look left, then right and wonder where he was. When you really look for someone, you check one place and move your head to see if they're behind a tree or coming around the corner or whatever. You REALLY look. So fascinating how easy it is to gloss over things that are so REAL when you're ACTUALLY doing them.
Always keep working. Never settle.
If your action is to cry or to weep or wail, you're screwed...the ACTION has to be something you can do. Give yourself something to do and use your imagination to make the world of the pay real...THAT'S where you'll find success. The emotion will come out of that, not out of trying to emote.
I wasted a lot of time during the rehearsal process of this show. Rehearsals are not for trying to get all your lines out accurately or to perform the blocking. Rehearsals are for exploration and deepening one's understanding of the play, character and mise-en-scene. It should also be about developing clear actions and giving yourself something to do. The times I have the most fun onstage are when I can go out and DO something. "I have to do this so that I can achieve this or that." But it also needs to be something that I can't attain...or at the very least, I must shift my focus to some other action based on revelations during the scene.
I was amazed when I saw Lady With the Lapdog in Russia because the actress was able to still be moved to tears after doing this same production for 10 years! How do you keep that fresh? To still be affected? JT said it was because they have really good actions to play. Acting = action. And reaction.
I auditioned for Oregon Shakes yesterday. It went pretty well...much better than Chicago Shakes. The difference was the preparation. Chicago I pretty much just ran the lines in the car...maybe walked through it in Brandon's basement once or twice. But i didn't work them or REEXAMINE them. That was the key to Oregon. I questioned a lot my initial interpretations of my Sebastian monologue. I was walking Rocky and I still wanted a little time to rehearsal, so I stopped in this alley and started thinking through the piece. I can't believe I never tried to work the monologue outside before! It fucking takes place outside!
I felt the warm breeze on my face and I discovered that when Sebastian says, "This is the air" it's not whimsical as I had initially interpreted it...it's an affirmation...a confirmation that he can feel/breathe the air. "This is the air!" Same thing with the sun. Also, you can't reference the sun without being blinded by it and allowing your eyes to be effected.
This all lead me to the fact that, I can feel the air, see the sun, feel and see this pearl she gave me, BUT I'm still amazed...full of WONDER by my good fortune of just banging this beautiful woman!
Next came, "Where's Antonio then?" Again, by being outside, around buildings...I discovered distance and how one ACTUALLY looks for someone. Performing the monologue, I would just look left, then right and wonder where he was. When you really look for someone, you check one place and move your head to see if they're behind a tree or coming around the corner or whatever. You REALLY look. So fascinating how easy it is to gloss over things that are so REAL when you're ACTUALLY doing them.
Always keep working. Never settle.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Concerning How Actors and Directors Work (April 6th)
I find that actors and directors must collaborate with each other in order to be successful...at the very least, I feel this way. I don't want to be a puppet for a director to mold how he wants. I don't want actions, character qualities PRESCRIBED to me.
Charlie is a great director with a keen eye for detail. He's very gifted when it come to stage pictures. However, I haven't gotten to do much table work with him. This is frustrating because I feel like Paris is two dimensional right now...flat.
Backstory is something that's important to me. It might not directly translate to the final product, but knowing specifics like "what day is it," "how long have I known Capulet," "how many times have I asked him for his daughter's hand in marriage?" These are all questions that I can (and should) answer on my own, but when we haven't discussed it I don't feel terribly connected to Capulet.
Actors (me) also like to find the answers to questions. This is the prescriptive directing I don't care for. Asking questions then answering them right away doesn't help the actor and it makes them feel stupid. They aren't allowed to make that transition to knowing more about their own character than the director.
These might be problems specific to this production of R & J because Charlie has directed this before. But just some observations/future warnings for when I direct.
Charlie is a great director with a keen eye for detail. He's very gifted when it come to stage pictures. However, I haven't gotten to do much table work with him. This is frustrating because I feel like Paris is two dimensional right now...flat.
Backstory is something that's important to me. It might not directly translate to the final product, but knowing specifics like "what day is it," "how long have I known Capulet," "how many times have I asked him for his daughter's hand in marriage?" These are all questions that I can (and should) answer on my own, but when we haven't discussed it I don't feel terribly connected to Capulet.
Actors (me) also like to find the answers to questions. This is the prescriptive directing I don't care for. Asking questions then answering them right away doesn't help the actor and it makes them feel stupid. They aren't allowed to make that transition to knowing more about their own character than the director.
These might be problems specific to this production of R & J because Charlie has directed this before. But just some observations/future warnings for when I direct.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
On How to Best Prepare for the First Day of Rehearsal (March 29th)
I'm learning how to be ready for day one of rehearsal. It used to be to simply show up with my lines highlighted (preferably). But with so little time in the professional world and the fact that I'm now a, uh, professional, this has changed.
1. Come with lines memorized. Scratch that, come with lines LEARNED. Know what you're saying, but most importantly understand why your character thinks the way he does. Learn the thought, not the orientation of the words.
2. Know the mise-en-scene. Know the who, what, when, where, why and how. Know why you enter and exit for each scene. Know who each person is in the scene and how you're connected to them. Understand WHY you do the things you do.
3. Have a good/clear sense of who your character is and how you will play him. The director will be a great help to you, but don't put it all on him. Have your picture file homework done. How does he handle himself physically? Where's his center? What is the major aspiration of the character? What does he want?
Rehearsals are for smoothing and refining, not for building from the ground up. Directors are there to make a beautiful production, not to tell each actor how to play the character.
Come prepared and you'll be that much further ahead.
1. Come with lines memorized. Scratch that, come with lines LEARNED. Know what you're saying, but most importantly understand why your character thinks the way he does. Learn the thought, not the orientation of the words.
2. Know the mise-en-scene. Know the who, what, when, where, why and how. Know why you enter and exit for each scene. Know who each person is in the scene and how you're connected to them. Understand WHY you do the things you do.
3. Have a good/clear sense of who your character is and how you will play him. The director will be a great help to you, but don't put it all on him. Have your picture file homework done. How does he handle himself physically? Where's his center? What is the major aspiration of the character? What does he want?
Rehearsals are for smoothing and refining, not for building from the ground up. Directors are there to make a beautiful production, not to tell each actor how to play the character.
Come prepared and you'll be that much further ahead.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Describing the Difficulties in Being a Warm Body
Sometimes, as an actor, you feel like you're just there to fill out a costume and move to wherever the director tells you to move...basically just a warm body.
This is the case with Romeo & Juliet so far. There's a video of the last time they mounted this production of R & J and it seems to be getting the most face time. "Where did he stand the last time we did this?" seems to be a common saying around here. I understand that doing this same production is financially motivated, but it really feels like a kick to the pants as an "artist." I think Peter Brooke would call this Deadly Theatre. It's a good paycheck and it's a good move in terms of working my way up in the theatre world, but I'm bored. I suppose it's on me to insert myself and be more aggressive with my insights, so I'll work on that. But it's more fulfilling to be a part of a collaborative effort.
This might be a good observation of where I want my life in the theatre to go.
But I'm about to see The Lulu Plays, by Matthew Earnst. I feel European right now, which is pretty much my favorite feeling I can have. Reminds me of seeing The Day Before the Last Day at Schaubuene, which is the theater Matty suggested I go check out in Berlin, where, ironically enough, he is right now.
This is the case with Romeo & Juliet so far. There's a video of the last time they mounted this production of R & J and it seems to be getting the most face time. "Where did he stand the last time we did this?" seems to be a common saying around here. I understand that doing this same production is financially motivated, but it really feels like a kick to the pants as an "artist." I think Peter Brooke would call this Deadly Theatre. It's a good paycheck and it's a good move in terms of working my way up in the theatre world, but I'm bored. I suppose it's on me to insert myself and be more aggressive with my insights, so I'll work on that. But it's more fulfilling to be a part of a collaborative effort.
This might be a good observation of where I want my life in the theatre to go.
But I'm about to see The Lulu Plays, by Matthew Earnst. I feel European right now, which is pretty much my favorite feeling I can have. Reminds me of seeing The Day Before the Last Day at Schaubuene, which is the theater Matty suggested I go check out in Berlin, where, ironically enough, he is right now.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Concerning the difficulties of working so far from home (3/13/12)
Just got into Cleveland yesterday for a 7 week run of Romeo & Juliet at Great Lakes Theater. This is the start of what my life could be like: Whisking around from city to city, working 7 week contracts here, 16 week contracts there, not really living at my "home" (New York? Somewhere else?), feeling unsettled/like a guest.
I really lucked out with housing this time around. Sue Hastings, a board member at GLT and a lawyer, graciously put me up in her mansion and has been wonderfully hospitable. It's a twenty minute drive from Cleveland, which is a bummer, but really glad I didn't have to stay with Heidi and Seth because that would've been a 50 minute drive!
Despite living in luxury, I feel a bit like a second class citizen....NON-equity. I make $450/wk, which is great for me, but EQUITY performers make upwards of $700/wk. AND get apartment housing within two blocks of the theater. Seriously? I'm complaining about little stuff like this? Count your lucky starts, moron, you're making the best money you've ever made and you're being treated like a prince at this house (gasp) 20 minutes away!
But it's an interesting feeling living in a place for seven weeks and not really able to go home. I'm on a semi-permanent business trip...though i do inherit a nice "family" of actors while I'm here. It's a great opportunity, but I just wonder how long i can sustain living this way, even if great opportunities keep coming along (hopefully they will). My goal in acting life is to make work i believe in and that I WANT to be working on. I've worked with Meadow Brook and now Great Lakes Theater and I'm almost treating them as internships...how do big budget theaters conduct business? Artistic choices? Can't say I love being in a production where the director is looking at a previous recording of this very show, telling us all where Abraham and Sampson and the Prince and everyone WAS standing. Doesn't that seem like imitating art? Or is that how they do it in Russia? We saw a THIRTY YEAR OLD production of the Seagull. I'm sure new actors were plugged in there as old actors left...I'm I judging too harshly?
I couldn't help but wonder how people's time could've been used better at today's first rehearsal. Obviously there is always going to be standing around time, but what if it was a process of group creation? Etudes and improves and critiquing performances done as a group? But does that creat a product that people want to pay $30 to go see? Would only 10's of people be interested in something like that?
Conundrum: I want to make things I believe in and I want to create and be the master of (sigh...hate saying this) my ART...but I also want to make money SOLELY from theatre. Is this possible? If so, where is it possible? Is it possible to support a wife and kids?
I sure hope so...and I sure hope I can find it.
I really lucked out with housing this time around. Sue Hastings, a board member at GLT and a lawyer, graciously put me up in her mansion and has been wonderfully hospitable. It's a twenty minute drive from Cleveland, which is a bummer, but really glad I didn't have to stay with Heidi and Seth because that would've been a 50 minute drive!
Despite living in luxury, I feel a bit like a second class citizen....NON-equity. I make $450/wk, which is great for me, but EQUITY performers make upwards of $700/wk. AND get apartment housing within two blocks of the theater. Seriously? I'm complaining about little stuff like this? Count your lucky starts, moron, you're making the best money you've ever made and you're being treated like a prince at this house (gasp) 20 minutes away!
But it's an interesting feeling living in a place for seven weeks and not really able to go home. I'm on a semi-permanent business trip...though i do inherit a nice "family" of actors while I'm here. It's a great opportunity, but I just wonder how long i can sustain living this way, even if great opportunities keep coming along (hopefully they will). My goal in acting life is to make work i believe in and that I WANT to be working on. I've worked with Meadow Brook and now Great Lakes Theater and I'm almost treating them as internships...how do big budget theaters conduct business? Artistic choices? Can't say I love being in a production where the director is looking at a previous recording of this very show, telling us all where Abraham and Sampson and the Prince and everyone WAS standing. Doesn't that seem like imitating art? Or is that how they do it in Russia? We saw a THIRTY YEAR OLD production of the Seagull. I'm sure new actors were plugged in there as old actors left...I'm I judging too harshly?
I couldn't help but wonder how people's time could've been used better at today's first rehearsal. Obviously there is always going to be standing around time, but what if it was a process of group creation? Etudes and improves and critiquing performances done as a group? But does that creat a product that people want to pay $30 to go see? Would only 10's of people be interested in something like that?
Conundrum: I want to make things I believe in and I want to create and be the master of (sigh...hate saying this) my ART...but I also want to make money SOLELY from theatre. Is this possible? If so, where is it possible? Is it possible to support a wife and kids?
I sure hope so...and I sure hope I can find it.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
How Dona Mary Stuart Survived Laryngitis and How the Show Went On (2/29/12)
We have entered the final week of Mary Stuart. Yesterday, Julia had to have to her understudy go on because her voice needed the day off. Meredith went on though, book in hand, and did an admirable job. Quite the feat for someone so young.
Last week I finally hit that lull in the run where I just felt like i had NOTHING. The two weeks before, I was working with a lot of lightness and ease and joy. Technique ensured that my performance didn't die, but I felt like it lost its spirit. It's tough to keep things fresh with 6-8 shows a week. How do the Russians do it? How do they still have tears in their eyes after doing the show for ten years? Action. But how do I strengthen my actions to such a point?
I'm excited for New York. I'm excited to have access to classes with seasoned teachers. A proper Meisner class is probably first on my agenda. I'd like to work with some Linklater and how I can use breathing to access a higher degree of vulnerability on stage.
But before NY, Iowa for a week, Cleveland for seven, then back to Detroit for Summer. Hope I can make enough money over three months that I can actually afford New York. Doesn't help that I'll have to pay for three flights within a few months of moving there.
Well...there will never be enough money. That's a fact of life. But there will be enough money to survive doing what I want to be doing. And that's what's important.
Last week I finally hit that lull in the run where I just felt like i had NOTHING. The two weeks before, I was working with a lot of lightness and ease and joy. Technique ensured that my performance didn't die, but I felt like it lost its spirit. It's tough to keep things fresh with 6-8 shows a week. How do the Russians do it? How do they still have tears in their eyes after doing the show for ten years? Action. But how do I strengthen my actions to such a point?
I'm excited for New York. I'm excited to have access to classes with seasoned teachers. A proper Meisner class is probably first on my agenda. I'd like to work with some Linklater and how I can use breathing to access a higher degree of vulnerability on stage.
But before NY, Iowa for a week, Cleveland for seven, then back to Detroit for Summer. Hope I can make enough money over three months that I can actually afford New York. Doesn't help that I'll have to pay for three flights within a few months of moving there.
Well...there will never be enough money. That's a fact of life. But there will be enough money to survive doing what I want to be doing. And that's what's important.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
How Don Shrewsbury described lacking the necessary flexibility (2/19/12)
Thought I would be keeping up with this blog more, but it turns out it's really hard to find time for leisurely activities when you're a professional actor...apparently we don't make a lot of money? Hadn't heard that.
Hustling like crazy! Wasabi, Berman, 7 shows a week of Mary Stuart, auditions, etc. It's great, but starting to get spread pretty thin. Hard to maintain a relationship, go to auditions, do shows and make enough money...feels like something's gotta give, but i don't wanna give up anything. So maybe I just gotta find a way to be more efficient.
The best news I've gotten recently is that my brother and Naomi had their new baby girl...Aria Lenore Whalen! So excited to meet her in a few weeks here...let's hope my little car can get me to Iowa and back:)
The second best news is that I will be playing Paris in Romeo and Juliet at Great Lakes Theatre Festival in Cleveland. Truly an honor to be joining them and a pretty big accomplishment for me...I'd been pursuing them for almost a year! Glad to have it pay off!
(I've decided that the word AMAZING will be BANNED from this blog...overused and losing its meaning.)
I really feel like I'm coming into my own as an actor. I've been working with a lot of lightness and ease in Mary Stuart and it's yielded excellent results (from my perspective). Learning my lines BEFORE we started rehearsals was key as well. This has allowed me to focus on just living in the moment on stage and really being able to pay attention to my scene partner. Nothing's better than being able to be alive onstage and have fun and be active...not simply redoing the same performance night after night. Take what you're given and play your actions!
I've learned so much from this cast that it's strange to think that it's almost over. Only two more weekends then we're done. I will miss this show for sure, but with this closing, I'll move on to R & J and learn from a whole new group of people. It'll be interesting to live away from home and Sara for 7 weeks, but luckily I'm close enough to drive back on a free Monday or something. Plus there's Skype. Don't know how long I'll want to try living away from my home base, but I'm young and unsettled enough still that I want to try it.
Hustling like crazy! Wasabi, Berman, 7 shows a week of Mary Stuart, auditions, etc. It's great, but starting to get spread pretty thin. Hard to maintain a relationship, go to auditions, do shows and make enough money...feels like something's gotta give, but i don't wanna give up anything. So maybe I just gotta find a way to be more efficient.
The best news I've gotten recently is that my brother and Naomi had their new baby girl...Aria Lenore Whalen! So excited to meet her in a few weeks here...let's hope my little car can get me to Iowa and back:)
The second best news is that I will be playing Paris in Romeo and Juliet at Great Lakes Theatre Festival in Cleveland. Truly an honor to be joining them and a pretty big accomplishment for me...I'd been pursuing them for almost a year! Glad to have it pay off!
(I've decided that the word AMAZING will be BANNED from this blog...overused and losing its meaning.)
I really feel like I'm coming into my own as an actor. I've been working with a lot of lightness and ease in Mary Stuart and it's yielded excellent results (from my perspective). Learning my lines BEFORE we started rehearsals was key as well. This has allowed me to focus on just living in the moment on stage and really being able to pay attention to my scene partner. Nothing's better than being able to be alive onstage and have fun and be active...not simply redoing the same performance night after night. Take what you're given and play your actions!
I've learned so much from this cast that it's strange to think that it's almost over. Only two more weekends then we're done. I will miss this show for sure, but with this closing, I'll move on to R & J and learn from a whole new group of people. It'll be interesting to live away from home and Sara for 7 weeks, but luckily I'm close enough to drive back on a free Monday or something. Plus there's Skype. Don't know how long I'll want to try living away from my home base, but I'm young and unsettled enough still that I want to try it.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Which describes the growing pains of being an actor (1/27/12)
I'm learning a lot about acting and about life as a "professional" actor, so I thought it would be a good way to keep track of all I'm learning by putting it down in a blog. I'm also in the process (long process) of reading Don Quixote, thus the titles.
Two jobs. Two shows. Junky car on it's 210 THOUSANDTH mile needing repairs. Eating dinner in the car whilst in transit between everything.
My first 8 months of acting have been quite the experience. Gone are the comfy (though stressful) days of the Hilberry and it's consistent paycheck, health and dental. Hello, multiple w2's, multiple jobs, and auditions. I gotta say though, I've never felt more confirmed in my choice of profession.
(Listening to "Promises, Promises" by Incubus...reminds me of drinking Staropramen in Prague with absolutely nothing to do and no agenda).
There have been quite the number of ups and downs since graduation. The UPS have been marked by remarkable generosity. Brandon "Most Generous Brother in the World" Whalen gifted me a much needed trip to Oktoberfest and Europe for two weeks as a graduation gift. Mom, Dad and Jenny all gave me money for graduation that helped fund the trip. And Jim, Brandon and Mah all pitched in to buy me a PS3 so I could be a part of an epic Madden franchise.
The DOWNS have mostly been marked by bad luck. Five days before leaving for Europe, I (most likely) permanently lost 85% of my hearing in my left ear. And due to the trip, I had to turn down a lot of work and a lot of opportunities to work....though it was all worth it. I was also thoroughly educated on the idiotic policy known as "No Fault Insurance" as I got zero money from the girl who rear ended me that MAY have caused my hearing loss.
On to what I'm doing. Peter Prouty hooked me up with a job in the technical side of theatre at the Berman Theatre. New theatre, new lights, new tools...new everything. So nice to work there and so nice to learn how to do theatre from a technical standpoint. Also very nice to be making money from the theatre, even if it's not acting.
The best part about this profession: Random phone calls. Between all the people you've worked with in the past and all the auditions you go on, most any random phone call is going to be with some sort of good news. Joe Kvoriak, whom I went to the Hilberry with, called and offered me a role in the Park Bar's production of The Tempest. Couldn't have been a better experience. Got to meet a TON of local Detroit actors (who are great by the way), make a little money acting, and drinking a ton of free beer during the process! I tell ya, if you don't want to annoy actors by calling them to rehearsal and then making them sitting around, provide free beer. No complaints here...at all.
And being an actor wouldn't be complete without being a waiter. The place: Wasabi. The food: sushi. The pay: not bad. Been working for about a month at this point and I'm liking it. There's a bit of a cultural (as well as language) barrier, that makes communication a constant battle. But I'm not a bad waiter...certainly worth 25%:)
And the best part is that I'm blessed! to be in such an amazing production as Mary Stuart at Meadow Brook Theatre. I think the mark of a successful career is always being able to call your latest production "The Best Show I've Been Apart of". That certainly is holding true for me now...no offense to any show I've done in the past or anyone I've ever worked with. This is just a fact. The actors are (mostly) all older than me and I'm learning a ton, which is exactly what I want. Actors that are better than you make you better...IF you're willing to learn. And believe me, I'm taking notes. No seriously, that's the point of this blog.
My next project will hopefully be directing. All I have to do is figure out what to direct, where to perform, who to cast, who to help me, and where to find the money. Shouldn't be too hard, right? Seriously hoping to put something up at The Park Bar's Elizabeth theatre in late April, early May.
According to madeupstats.com, 92% of all blogs never get past their first post. Hopefully I stick with this won. Na zdravi!
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