Okay, so this isn't at all a post about theatre. Instead, today I'm writing about something you're probably all sick of reading about by now - yes, Wikileaks. But the truth is that what's been happening over the last week is setting some really dangerous precedents for the future, things that I can't help but feel the need to address and talk about, even if it is only on a blog that maybe ten people read.
So by now you all know, unless you've been living under a rock, that the site Wikileaks has been publishing a host of American diplomatic cables ranging from nonclassified to secret/confidential. These cables have mostly depicted the the workings of US diplomats overseas, from simply frank assessments of other nations' leaders to discussions of defense tactics around the Balkans in the case of a Russian offensive. And Wikileaks is releasing these cables slowly, there's still a cache of hundreds of thousands of cables that have not yet been seen that are to be released over the coming days/weeks/months. There's a good timeline of this whole Wikileaks situation HERE.
First of all, I think it is very important for people to understand that there is absolutely nothing illegal about what Wikileaks is doing. The leaking of classified information is illegal, yes, but the receiving and publishing of it is not. See here for further clarification. If the publishing of classified information was itself illegal, the Washington Post would not have been able to publish the Pentagon Papers, or would have been prosecuted for doing so. The breaking of the Watergate scandal would have been far more difficult, and Nixon might never have been impeached.
The truth is this. Wikileaks is now providing us with something that we've as of late been lacking. Oversight. And we've been lacking it because in this 24/7 big business media world in which we live, any notion of true investigative reporting/journalism has been thrown out the window. If Watergate had happened last year instead of thirty-five years ago, we'd never learn about it. There just isn't the mind frame of keeping tabs on the government. In the rush towards patriotism since 9/11 we as a culture and media have abandoned very key notions of what exactly the fourth estate exists for. It isn't simply to inform us of the day to day goings on, although that's certainly one function. In a society where free speech is the expectation and freedoms are supposed to a given, there are startlingly few ways to fully guarantee that those freedoms are truly being protected, that the government we as a people have elected is truly working in the best interest of its constituents. The media as a whole is the entity responsible for ensuring that this is taking place. Why, in third world nations and dictatorships is media the first thing to be restricted? Because a free flow of information is an extreme danger to tyrants and to those abusing their power.
Which brings us back to Wikileaks and today. The media today has no spine, not really. There's no goal of oversight and there's precious little effort made at exposing corruption anywhere throughout either federal or state level government. But Wikileaks is willing to publish the information that other groups and newspapers aren't even willing to search out (disclaimer: Wikileaks also doesn't search out the information, they only act on submissions they get from sources all over the world). They are providing the government itself with a sense of being watched. Which is important. Because without that sense the government will continue to act as if it can do anything and everything. This is not at all a partisan issue, both sides of the aisle engage in these sorts of acts. And I'm also not an idealist or an idiot. I understand that some corruption is going to exist and could even be necessary for the government to run smoothly. But as long as there remains the possibility that this corruption will be uncovered, it will not spread to the point where it becomes dangerous to the American public.Or even smaller things - for instance - the US is pointing out that all these documents are doing is embarrassing the government and the diplomats and making them look bad. And that's certainly happening. But why is that happening? Because American governmental employees were mocking international leaders in DIPLOMATIC CABLES! Would you send an email to your boss describing in very frank terms the physical appearance of your coworkers? Probably not. And so if the US diplomats are being embarrassed by these leaks, maybe shouldn't they also be embarrassed for saying the damn things in the first place? Because that makes sense to me.
I'm not even going to go in to the smear campaign that's been going on with regards to Julian Assange. It's just important to understand that this whole issue is not about him. It is about our governments inability to handle freedom of speech when it is speech that they find undesirable.
Edit: To those of you who point out that the cables may cause damage, here's a link for ya. Wikileaks hasn't caused any deaths.
Long story short, the way Obama and the US/World leaders have responded to this is deplorable, and all it really shows is that they truly fear what Wikileaks might know and what they might reveal to the world.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
"You Guys are Masochists"
"You guys are masochists" - Sam Gold speaking to a room full of interns attempting to make a career in the theatre.
So, I found this funny. Sam Gold came and talked to the NYTW interns today - and it was fantastic. Really interesting guy, fascinating career, and it was really informative to hear how he works and how he got to where he is now. But it was this statement I found interesting. He meant it in the sense that to go into theatre is, as well all know, a bit insane. He literally stated that there is no such thing as a directing "Career". Meaning that there's no path, there's barely a way to even support yourself purely based on your work. Only a few people are ever really 'comfortable' when it comes to directing as a profession. But he sees directing/theatre also as something the artist is subsidizing - the artist is sacrificing something for the art, to create it, and it is just as valuable as a monetary subsidy/grant. Interesting stuff. Also talked about media branding and the effect it has on a piece and a director's career. That was realllly interesting stuff.
And just as a quick note, I just got an email asking me to direct a piece at Emerging Artist's Theater for their short play festival in March! Very exciting, this will be an equity showcase, meaning I get to use real equity actors! This should be very fun, and the spring semester is shaping up to be a really busy one. Also got accepted into a workshop program called XPass: Go! With the Exchange Theatre and three other off-broadway theatre companies. There were only five people accepted into the program, and I was one of them, so again, I'm excited.
Yeah - as far as this spring goes, busy might end up being an understatement.
So, I found this funny. Sam Gold came and talked to the NYTW interns today - and it was fantastic. Really interesting guy, fascinating career, and it was really informative to hear how he works and how he got to where he is now. But it was this statement I found interesting. He meant it in the sense that to go into theatre is, as well all know, a bit insane. He literally stated that there is no such thing as a directing "Career". Meaning that there's no path, there's barely a way to even support yourself purely based on your work. Only a few people are ever really 'comfortable' when it comes to directing as a profession. But he sees directing/theatre also as something the artist is subsidizing - the artist is sacrificing something for the art, to create it, and it is just as valuable as a monetary subsidy/grant. Interesting stuff. Also talked about media branding and the effect it has on a piece and a director's career. That was realllly interesting stuff.
And just as a quick note, I just got an email asking me to direct a piece at Emerging Artist's Theater for their short play festival in March! Very exciting, this will be an equity showcase, meaning I get to use real equity actors! This should be very fun, and the spring semester is shaping up to be a really busy one. Also got accepted into a workshop program called XPass: Go! With the Exchange Theatre and three other off-broadway theatre companies. There were only five people accepted into the program, and I was one of them, so again, I'm excited.
Yeah - as far as this spring goes, busy might end up being an understatement.
Too Many Actors in this Town
So that was nice - just returned this week from Iowa, where I was visiting the alma matter (who doesn't like saying that?) and some old friends, now I'm back in the city and it feels like there's more going on than ever.
First of all, that whole festival I got my play BROKEN in to? Yeah, well, now I'm actually having to put things together, and there's definitely a lot to do. Put up an audition on Playbill and have been deluged with actor submissions to the point where I can hardly go through them all myself, definitely don't have the time to thoroughly look at all of their headshots, much less give their resumes a detailed look. I can only imagine what it's like when a well known theatre puts up a call - oh wait, I guess I can do more than imagine, seeing as how I'm a casting intern at a well known theatre and have to go through god knows how many actor submissions... good preparation I suppose.
Actually, it has been great prep. I've been able to narrow down what I'm looking for and, having sat in on many an audition at NYTW, am much more prepared to deal with running one myself. I'm excited, I've gotten submissions from actors with some really good credits. And this is a non-paying gig. And most of them won't even get cast in it. That definitely hits home to me how difficult it is to succeed in this business in any capacity, because EVERY production has a massive pool of actors to draw from. Must be intimidating for those actor types.
And as I said, things are getting busier - I have a meeting to discuss a really interesting play with a playwright from Iowa, whom I know through several oddball connections. Before that, though, I am lucky enough to be going to an intern lunch (where all of the NYTW interns get together with a professional in the field to talk with them) where we'll be talking with Sam Gold! For those of you who don't know, he's a director who has worked at places like The Roundabout, Playwright's Horizons, etc... should be awesome.
Got to run to an artistic meeting so have to cut this short. More soon!
First of all, that whole festival I got my play BROKEN in to? Yeah, well, now I'm actually having to put things together, and there's definitely a lot to do. Put up an audition on Playbill and have been deluged with actor submissions to the point where I can hardly go through them all myself, definitely don't have the time to thoroughly look at all of their headshots, much less give their resumes a detailed look. I can only imagine what it's like when a well known theatre puts up a call - oh wait, I guess I can do more than imagine, seeing as how I'm a casting intern at a well known theatre and have to go through god knows how many actor submissions... good preparation I suppose.
Actually, it has been great prep. I've been able to narrow down what I'm looking for and, having sat in on many an audition at NYTW, am much more prepared to deal with running one myself. I'm excited, I've gotten submissions from actors with some really good credits. And this is a non-paying gig. And most of them won't even get cast in it. That definitely hits home to me how difficult it is to succeed in this business in any capacity, because EVERY production has a massive pool of actors to draw from. Must be intimidating for those actor types.
And as I said, things are getting busier - I have a meeting to discuss a really interesting play with a playwright from Iowa, whom I know through several oddball connections. Before that, though, I am lucky enough to be going to an intern lunch (where all of the NYTW interns get together with a professional in the field to talk with them) where we'll be talking with Sam Gold! For those of you who don't know, he's a director who has worked at places like The Roundabout, Playwright's Horizons, etc... should be awesome.
Got to run to an artistic meeting so have to cut this short. More soon!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
On Korea, America, and the Politics of Playwriting
So as by now you almost certainly know, this morning blows were exchanged on the Korean peninsula. In reading the coverage of this event, I happened upon a blog post by Jeff Davis (14 Hours and a World: Shells). He's a friend of mine currently teaching English in South Korea, and he had a particular insight that's really struck a chord with me.
There's something here. Why is it that Americans are so incapable of handling danger? Certainly throughout the world there are problems, there are struggles, but we in the United States are truly insulated from most of them. We've never faced threats in the way that they have and currently do in South Korea. In the past one hundred years we've been attacked on our own soil by an outside entity twice (disclaimer: that I can think of). The first was Pearl Harbor, which resulted in our entering into the bloodiest conflict in the history of the world. The second was 9-11. Both events were horrible. I still remember where I was when I learned of the twin towers falling. But the truth is that vast portions of the world feel that threat of violence on a daily basis.
In the aftermath of 9-11 there was a void. A moment of silence in which anything could happen. Our perceptions had been radically altered - they haven't been the same since. But that silence was quickly filled, not by unity, but by this remarkable (although understandable) desire for revenge. That notion has continued to spiral, our push for violence and our embracing of prejudice in the post 9-11 world has had some sobering ramifications for our nation at large.
It is the same fear, the same searching for someone to blame; xenophobic sentiment which leads us to find a threat in an Islamic center two blocks away from where the World Trade Center once stood, leads to the banning of Sharia Law in Oklahoma (which carries with it some unintended ramifications), and leads to the extreme partisanship that we're now experiencing in the political world.
In some ways I can't help but feel that our sheltered way of life has lead to us sweating the small stuff so much that it blows up in our faces - we as a nation have little to no concept of the bigger picture. There's danger there. When we're more concerned with the personal and political destruction of our leaders than we are with raising standards of living and providing for the populace at large, we've lost sight of what's important. And in many ways it comes from what Jeff is basically saying in his post. We in our world lack context.
So what is there to do?
Since I read Jeff's post (a whole whopping 5 1/2 hours ago) I've been contemplating ways in which this struggle could be theatricalized. And by that, I mean I want to find a way to address our American way of relating to violence on a national scale. Obviously I have no answers, and I've not yet even begun to write a play like this. But thinking about the subject reminds me that such plays already do exist. While it isn't addressing the US specifically, Blasted by Sarah Kane is one of them that sticks out to me. It is a play that, among other things, depicts in a stylized manner how destructive impulses can become when faced with violence from the outside.
I don't actually know how to write about this. I want to, but I don't know how. Because there's so much, there's so much going on and to try and sum up in two hours the truly epic struggle we're confronted with seems impossible, or at least disingenuous. But I still feel the need to try - that's the whole point of theatre, isn't it? Or at least one point. The arts can act as a reflective medium, show us the way we are and what we could eventually become as a society, both positively and negatively. Theatre can and should ask questions and challenge us as individuals to think about the ramifications of our actions, to question constantly and consider what we can do ourselves to enact change.
Basically, we need to grow up. It's common in times of struggle to turn to what's known, to huddle within our groups and become distrustful of the rest. Natural instinct. But dangerous, too.
If this post is a bit long winded and meandering, I apologize. I'll finish it now with this thought:
It is the artist's job to, when confronted with a issue that is truly topical and of vital importance, address the issue in a way that might offer some new perspective, or at least ask the questions that need to be asked. So now, looking at this problem of escalating violence throughout the world and partisanship/fear within our own corner of it, what can we ask?
I really don't know. But it's something to think about.
...in America, it's easy to assume conflict is something that happens within a small village in MiddleEast-istan, or a tribal war in Africa. Either way, neither is much of a threat to the actual safety of Americans going about their lives.
Here, conflict is real. It doesn't creep around in whispered words in foreign neighborhoods, it knocks at the front door with coastal shells. Even as I write this, I wonder if I should feel foolish-
If everyone else is calm, am I worrying for nothing?
Is this only an American's inability to deal with the reality of conflict?
Or is this shell of Korean bravado just a way of dealing with the fact that their elephant in the room is crazy and armed?
Erich Maria Remarque said (of being on the recieving end of artillery) "...we are in a good humor, because otherwise we should all go to pieces."
The response of adopting a holiday mood is, thus, the only one that makes sense. If there is danger, or if there isn't, no one benefits from being panicked. Shells (or worse) may fall on South Korea, but this country understands a reality that Americans (myself included) have yet to fully grasp-
If children begin their martial training at 3 years old
If ALL men of the country must serve in the military
If clear and present danger is understood to be a ridiculous concept (since you always border such danger)
-Then maybe that country won't suffer from the violent inability to handle violence that plagues Americans. I would remind you here that many in the US on September 12, 2001 (the only time in my lifetime where I've seen an enemy attack MY home soil) were crying out to the government to make the middle east a sea of glass.
There's something here. Why is it that Americans are so incapable of handling danger? Certainly throughout the world there are problems, there are struggles, but we in the United States are truly insulated from most of them. We've never faced threats in the way that they have and currently do in South Korea. In the past one hundred years we've been attacked on our own soil by an outside entity twice (disclaimer: that I can think of). The first was Pearl Harbor, which resulted in our entering into the bloodiest conflict in the history of the world. The second was 9-11. Both events were horrible. I still remember where I was when I learned of the twin towers falling. But the truth is that vast portions of the world feel that threat of violence on a daily basis.
In the aftermath of 9-11 there was a void. A moment of silence in which anything could happen. Our perceptions had been radically altered - they haven't been the same since. But that silence was quickly filled, not by unity, but by this remarkable (although understandable) desire for revenge. That notion has continued to spiral, our push for violence and our embracing of prejudice in the post 9-11 world has had some sobering ramifications for our nation at large.
It is the same fear, the same searching for someone to blame; xenophobic sentiment which leads us to find a threat in an Islamic center two blocks away from where the World Trade Center once stood, leads to the banning of Sharia Law in Oklahoma (which carries with it some unintended ramifications), and leads to the extreme partisanship that we're now experiencing in the political world.
In some ways I can't help but feel that our sheltered way of life has lead to us sweating the small stuff so much that it blows up in our faces - we as a nation have little to no concept of the bigger picture. There's danger there. When we're more concerned with the personal and political destruction of our leaders than we are with raising standards of living and providing for the populace at large, we've lost sight of what's important. And in many ways it comes from what Jeff is basically saying in his post. We in our world lack context.
So what is there to do?
Since I read Jeff's post (a whole whopping 5 1/2 hours ago) I've been contemplating ways in which this struggle could be theatricalized. And by that, I mean I want to find a way to address our American way of relating to violence on a national scale. Obviously I have no answers, and I've not yet even begun to write a play like this. But thinking about the subject reminds me that such plays already do exist. While it isn't addressing the US specifically, Blasted by Sarah Kane is one of them that sticks out to me. It is a play that, among other things, depicts in a stylized manner how destructive impulses can become when faced with violence from the outside.
I don't actually know how to write about this. I want to, but I don't know how. Because there's so much, there's so much going on and to try and sum up in two hours the truly epic struggle we're confronted with seems impossible, or at least disingenuous. But I still feel the need to try - that's the whole point of theatre, isn't it? Or at least one point. The arts can act as a reflective medium, show us the way we are and what we could eventually become as a society, both positively and negatively. Theatre can and should ask questions and challenge us as individuals to think about the ramifications of our actions, to question constantly and consider what we can do ourselves to enact change.
Basically, we need to grow up. It's common in times of struggle to turn to what's known, to huddle within our groups and become distrustful of the rest. Natural instinct. But dangerous, too.
If this post is a bit long winded and meandering, I apologize. I'll finish it now with this thought:
It is the artist's job to, when confronted with a issue that is truly topical and of vital importance, address the issue in a way that might offer some new perspective, or at least ask the questions that need to be asked. So now, looking at this problem of escalating violence throughout the world and partisanship/fear within our own corner of it, what can we ask?
I really don't know. But it's something to think about.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Casting and a One Act Play Festival
There's something fascinating about sitting in a room with a bunch of people with names that you usually only read about on playbill. Fascinating and intimidating.
Last week I monitored and sat in on the casting sessions for NYTW's production of Peter and the Starcatcher (a prequel to Peter Pan), directed by Roger Rees and Alex Timbers and produced in association with Disney Theatrical. I was fortunate enough to meet both Roger and Alex, and the experience was a little overwhelming, not to mention the countless amazing actors we had come in to read for the production. In case you don't know, Alex Timbers is the director of the current Broadway hit Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Roger Rees has appeared in several Broadway productions and worked with RSC back in the day. Oh yeah, he was also the Sheriff of Rottingham in Robin Hood Men in Tights. Which I find to be hilarious, seeing as how he's actually a fantastic actor and artist.
The process was really quite interesting. I would usually switch off with Ashley (the other artistic/casting intern), one of us would be outside monitoring and the other would be in the room. We'd basically just get the name of the actor coming in, call it out when we bring them in, and then go sit and watch in the corner. And we saw a ton of good actors, many of whom have been on broadway and in mainstream films and several of whom I'd seen in shows before.
On Friday we had our final session of callbacks, after which I was able to sit in the room while they made their final decisions about the casting. It is truly interesting to see what the directors and casting director and Disney folk are looking for and how they make their decisions. Tons of things come in to play, ranging from look to style to skill, and often times some great actors get left out or don't even get called back for reasons completely outside of their control. So you actors I know out there, take that to heart. We passed over tons of great actors, and there are only so many roles to cast. In the end, while I can't yet say who we cast as they haven't been signed to contracts etcetera, I can say that the people who they want for the show are really amazing actors. I can't wait to see this production when it goes up in February.
On another note, I was fortunate enough to have a play I wrote accepted in to the Strawberry One Act Festival at the Riant Theatre in NYC. Which is really exciting. And also daunting.This will be my first real project in NYC, so it has got to be a good one. I'll also be directing the piece, and now I need to put together a team to produce it! Let's see, need a Stage Manager, Sound Designer, Set Designer, Sound/Light Board Op, and naturally a cast of four actors who may or may not to be of vaguely Middle Eastern descent. Some of those jobs I'll just fill myself, but I do know that you can't produce a show by yourself, and so I'll be looking for people to help out on this production. Should be an exciting project.
The play itself is called BROKEN, and has had a single reading done at Cornell College's New Play Festival last year. The show takes place in front of a giant wall, presumably on the border between Palestine and Israel, and explores the issue of honor killings in Palestine and how the presence of an outside force, of being trapped and suppressed within one's own home can truly drive people to the very brink. I really like this play and am extremely excited to finally stage it fully. The show will go up at the beginning of February, so you if you're gonna be in NYC at the time, you definitely ought to check it out. And if you're interested, auditions will be happening sometime in early December. I'll definitely post the notice here, as well as on Facebook and Playbill.
And that's pretty much all for now. Today we have another reading (NYTW does a reading of a new play every Monday, and working on those is a big part of my job), and they sent us changes to the script (which is 160 pages) at 1:30am this morning, and when we got to the office this morning the main copier wasn't working, so we had to print each copy (2800 pages in total) from the dinky office printer. Oh the excitement of working in an office!
And yeah, that's really all for now. Until next time.
Last week I monitored and sat in on the casting sessions for NYTW's production of Peter and the Starcatcher (a prequel to Peter Pan), directed by Roger Rees and Alex Timbers and produced in association with Disney Theatrical. I was fortunate enough to meet both Roger and Alex, and the experience was a little overwhelming, not to mention the countless amazing actors we had come in to read for the production. In case you don't know, Alex Timbers is the director of the current Broadway hit Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Roger Rees has appeared in several Broadway productions and worked with RSC back in the day. Oh yeah, he was also the Sheriff of Rottingham in Robin Hood Men in Tights. Which I find to be hilarious, seeing as how he's actually a fantastic actor and artist.
The process was really quite interesting. I would usually switch off with Ashley (the other artistic/casting intern), one of us would be outside monitoring and the other would be in the room. We'd basically just get the name of the actor coming in, call it out when we bring them in, and then go sit and watch in the corner. And we saw a ton of good actors, many of whom have been on broadway and in mainstream films and several of whom I'd seen in shows before.
On Friday we had our final session of callbacks, after which I was able to sit in the room while they made their final decisions about the casting. It is truly interesting to see what the directors and casting director and Disney folk are looking for and how they make their decisions. Tons of things come in to play, ranging from look to style to skill, and often times some great actors get left out or don't even get called back for reasons completely outside of their control. So you actors I know out there, take that to heart. We passed over tons of great actors, and there are only so many roles to cast. In the end, while I can't yet say who we cast as they haven't been signed to contracts etcetera, I can say that the people who they want for the show are really amazing actors. I can't wait to see this production when it goes up in February.
On another note, I was fortunate enough to have a play I wrote accepted in to the Strawberry One Act Festival at the Riant Theatre in NYC. Which is really exciting. And also daunting.This will be my first real project in NYC, so it has got to be a good one. I'll also be directing the piece, and now I need to put together a team to produce it! Let's see, need a Stage Manager, Sound Designer, Set Designer, Sound/Light Board Op, and naturally a cast of four actors who may or may not to be of vaguely Middle Eastern descent. Some of those jobs I'll just fill myself, but I do know that you can't produce a show by yourself, and so I'll be looking for people to help out on this production. Should be an exciting project.
The play itself is called BROKEN, and has had a single reading done at Cornell College's New Play Festival last year. The show takes place in front of a giant wall, presumably on the border between Palestine and Israel, and explores the issue of honor killings in Palestine and how the presence of an outside force, of being trapped and suppressed within one's own home can truly drive people to the very brink. I really like this play and am extremely excited to finally stage it fully. The show will go up at the beginning of February, so you if you're gonna be in NYC at the time, you definitely ought to check it out. And if you're interested, auditions will be happening sometime in early December. I'll definitely post the notice here, as well as on Facebook and Playbill.
And that's pretty much all for now. Today we have another reading (NYTW does a reading of a new play every Monday, and working on those is a big part of my job), and they sent us changes to the script (which is 160 pages) at 1:30am this morning, and when we got to the office this morning the main copier wasn't working, so we had to print each copy (2800 pages in total) from the dinky office printer. Oh the excitement of working in an office!
And yeah, that's really all for now. Until next time.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Update: New York City and New York Theatre Workshop
So. It's been forever. I'll attribute that to long hours and just about no real free time before midnight.
But now I'm back. And plenty's been going on. This update's just gonna brief you on what's been going on and where I am now. I've a couple posts that will be coming up (likely tomorrow) where I'll start giving more of my impressions of NYC and the theatre world as I've encountered it so far.
To start with, I've been living in the city for about three months now, and was fortunate enough to find employment at a restaurant (Island Burgers and Shakes) as well as an internship with the off-broadway theatre company New York Theatre Workshop.
NYTW is a pretty cool place. I'm one of two artistic/casting interns, and I've been very fortunate to be around the high quality theatre artists that populate the workshop. When I arrived at the theatre two months ago they were in the midst of rehearsals for The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman directed by Ivo Van Howe. Now, the show itself is somewhat, well, boring. This production, however, was one of the most visceral and engaging performances I've ever seen. Before the show went up I was able to sit in on technical rehearsals as the person on book and got to watch Ivo, a celebrated director from overseas (he's Flemish), work with his actors, which was absolutely fantastic. The direction of the piece was so incredibly dynamic and well thought out, it was clear that no moment had gone unaccounted for. Everything worked seamlessly, there was a fluidity and movement to the piece that I could never have anticipated based on the stodgy pages of the seventy year old script.
I'll get more in to what I do on a day to day basis later, but as a casting intern I've been able to sit in on a bunch of auditions and EPA's, and yesterday I was fortunate enough to meet and sit with Roger Rees and Alex Timbers (the directors of Peter and the Starcatcher, which is coming up next at the workshop) and watch some auditions before going out to monitor the rest.
That's not to say there aren't frustrations. I'm incredibly busy being split between two workplaces and have had very little time to pursue my own artistic endeavors. Also, costs are extremely prohibitive and breaking into Directing is a completely wild thing, there's no prescribed method and no means of audition. It's all about contacts or self producing or festivals. I'm working on all three, and we'll see what comes of them.
New York's a bit of a crazy town. Sometimes I have a hard time remembering that I truly do live here. But when I walk home from the station at 181st and look out over the Hudson (I live right on the river, right next to the George Washington Bridge), I realize just how lucky I am to be here, with a job, an internship, and a lot of time ahead of me.
It's truly exciting, because I have no idea where I'm going from here. I suppose that should be frightening, and in a way it is. But at the same time, there's so much freedom to make my own path. That's one great thing about NYC. If you are willing to take the initiative, the opportunities are there. You just have to find them.
But now I'm back. And plenty's been going on. This update's just gonna brief you on what's been going on and where I am now. I've a couple posts that will be coming up (likely tomorrow) where I'll start giving more of my impressions of NYC and the theatre world as I've encountered it so far.
To start with, I've been living in the city for about three months now, and was fortunate enough to find employment at a restaurant (Island Burgers and Shakes) as well as an internship with the off-broadway theatre company New York Theatre Workshop.
NYTW is a pretty cool place. I'm one of two artistic/casting interns, and I've been very fortunate to be around the high quality theatre artists that populate the workshop. When I arrived at the theatre two months ago they were in the midst of rehearsals for The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman directed by Ivo Van Howe. Now, the show itself is somewhat, well, boring. This production, however, was one of the most visceral and engaging performances I've ever seen. Before the show went up I was able to sit in on technical rehearsals as the person on book and got to watch Ivo, a celebrated director from overseas (he's Flemish), work with his actors, which was absolutely fantastic. The direction of the piece was so incredibly dynamic and well thought out, it was clear that no moment had gone unaccounted for. Everything worked seamlessly, there was a fluidity and movement to the piece that I could never have anticipated based on the stodgy pages of the seventy year old script.
I'll get more in to what I do on a day to day basis later, but as a casting intern I've been able to sit in on a bunch of auditions and EPA's, and yesterday I was fortunate enough to meet and sit with Roger Rees and Alex Timbers (the directors of Peter and the Starcatcher, which is coming up next at the workshop) and watch some auditions before going out to monitor the rest.
That's not to say there aren't frustrations. I'm incredibly busy being split between two workplaces and have had very little time to pursue my own artistic endeavors. Also, costs are extremely prohibitive and breaking into Directing is a completely wild thing, there's no prescribed method and no means of audition. It's all about contacts or self producing or festivals. I'm working on all three, and we'll see what comes of them.
New York's a bit of a crazy town. Sometimes I have a hard time remembering that I truly do live here. But when I walk home from the station at 181st and look out over the Hudson (I live right on the river, right next to the George Washington Bridge), I realize just how lucky I am to be here, with a job, an internship, and a lot of time ahead of me.
It's truly exciting, because I have no idea where I'm going from here. I suppose that should be frightening, and in a way it is. But at the same time, there's so much freedom to make my own path. That's one great thing about NYC. If you are willing to take the initiative, the opportunities are there. You just have to find them.
Friday, July 16, 2010
A Bit of News and 24 Hour Theatre
So, here we go. I haven't posted on this in a while because, quite frankly, I've had no time and also haven't exactly been leading the most exciting life for these past few weeks/months. After wrapping up with The Baltimore Waltz at City Circle, I've mostly spent my time working and doing a bit of writing here and there. However, I'd say that now's a good time to get this blog up and running again because I'm finally getting out of Iowa. That's right. I've been in the state for over a decade, bar a few summers in Chicago, and while there are certainly things I love about the place, there's no future for me here in the theatre. There's just no career to make. There's plenty of good theatre work being done, I don't mean to suggest otherwise. But the niche for professional theatre in Iowa City has already been filled by Riverside Theatre, and there's no other place in the state I'd be willing to live for an extended period of time outside of college.
And so, as seems inevitable, I'm moving to New York City. My brother and I have basically found a place in Washington Heights and will be moving in at the beginning of August - so about two weeks from now. Andrew's been out there for a few months already, and has a day job to go along with having been cast in several shows. I'm not so fortunate - I've less money in the bank and as a director it seems a bit harder to get in on the ground floor - but I'll make it work. I've applied for a few internships in Casting/Artistic Direction, so one of those would be a good place to start. I've a few contacts in the city and a few ideas regarding some performances to be done on the cheap - I'll do my best to document the experience here.
But, before I go, I've got one last show happening here. Dreamwell and City Circle have teamed up to produce the All in a Day festival, which will be theatre festival of ten minute plays written, directed, memorized, and performed all within one twenty-four hour period. I'll be involved as one of six directors, and I'm definitely looking forward to the bizarre whirlwind that I expect this experience to be. I'll talk a little bit about the experience tomorrow night or the morning after. I'm definitely very curious, to say the least. I haven't really done much preparation other than fiddling with my sound editing software, also going through my music to find a wide array of possible soundtracks for whatever the show might end up being - I'm going to be prepared, and music is a great way to augment and help pull an audience in a certain direction. With the limited time frame, that sort of emotional trigger will be invaluable. Sort of cheating, in a way, but ah well. They're awarding prizes at the end (I don't know what for specifically), and I'm competitive.
In any case, things are finally starting to move again, and I'm definitely excited. A bit nervous, perhaps, but given that I'll have very little room for error with this move (I'll need to find a job ASAP), I suppose it might be warranted. But I am excited. And definitely ready to go.
And so, as seems inevitable, I'm moving to New York City. My brother and I have basically found a place in Washington Heights and will be moving in at the beginning of August - so about two weeks from now. Andrew's been out there for a few months already, and has a day job to go along with having been cast in several shows. I'm not so fortunate - I've less money in the bank and as a director it seems a bit harder to get in on the ground floor - but I'll make it work. I've applied for a few internships in Casting/Artistic Direction, so one of those would be a good place to start. I've a few contacts in the city and a few ideas regarding some performances to be done on the cheap - I'll do my best to document the experience here.
But, before I go, I've got one last show happening here. Dreamwell and City Circle have teamed up to produce the All in a Day festival, which will be theatre festival of ten minute plays written, directed, memorized, and performed all within one twenty-four hour period. I'll be involved as one of six directors, and I'm definitely looking forward to the bizarre whirlwind that I expect this experience to be. I'll talk a little bit about the experience tomorrow night or the morning after. I'm definitely very curious, to say the least. I haven't really done much preparation other than fiddling with my sound editing software, also going through my music to find a wide array of possible soundtracks for whatever the show might end up being - I'm going to be prepared, and music is a great way to augment and help pull an audience in a certain direction. With the limited time frame, that sort of emotional trigger will be invaluable. Sort of cheating, in a way, but ah well. They're awarding prizes at the end (I don't know what for specifically), and I'm competitive.
In any case, things are finally starting to move again, and I'm definitely excited. A bit nervous, perhaps, but given that I'll have very little room for error with this move (I'll need to find a job ASAP), I suppose it might be warranted. But I am excited. And definitely ready to go.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Interview on The Baltimore Waltz
From the Iowa Theatre Blog:
City Circle - Sometimes things don't always go as planned in the theatre world. City Circle had planned to open The Threepenny Opera a week or so ago, but an unexpected illness in the production team forced them to switch gears. Instead, tonight Paula Vogel's The Baltimore Waltz opens. We had a chance to talk to the director of the show, Greg Redlawsk, as well as one of the actors, Nicole Vespa.
Could you tell our readers a little bit of what the show is about?:
Greg: Well, The Baltimore Waltz is a play that revolves around a fantastical trip made by a brother and sister to Europe after the sister has been diagnosed with ATD (Acquired Toilette Disease) and their search for some sort of cure, some sort of hope.
Nicole: Right, when Anna gets diagnosed with her disease, she and her brother Carl decide to take the European vacation they have always planned. During the trip Anna decides to cut loose and live life to the fullest -- by eating out a lot and lusting after various European men. Anna is a fun character to play -- she is sweet and thoughtful, but she can also be incredibly selfish and short-sighted. She has a sense of humor about her predicament though, and I think that's what really carries her through all the things that happen to her during the play. She's a very feeling person - as she says to Carl at one point during the play, "I can remember the things I feel." Anna is really a stand-in for Paula Vogel herself, because the play is an homage to Vogel's real-life brother, Carl and the vacation they never got to take together.
Greg: It is also a thinly veiled but heartbreakingly poignant critique on how people responded to the AIDS crisis in the late 80's and early 90's.
This show was added to the season after Three Penny was canceled. Greg, can you talk a little bit about how this show came to be? Did you suggest it?
Greg: Yeah, I suggested it. I was on the City Circle Board at the time, and so I was aware of the situation as soon as it happened. The Board looked at a number of different options, but eventually decided on going with my proposal. It was at times a bit hectic, just due to the rushed nature of the whole process, typically of course seasons are laid out at least around six months in advance, giving the directors time to find their production teams and prepare for the show, but despite the limited time frame, this show's ended up coming together pretty effectively.
Greg, why did you want to direct this show?
Greg: Well, first of all, this is an extremely well written play. The text is strong and emotionally demanding but still malleable enough to stand up to a number of different conceptual ideas and directions. It is also a particularly challenging piece in that it has thirty scenes in ninety minutes, which presents a certain difficulty when it comes to matters of flow and pacing. While the subject matter of the play is highly personal to the playwright, themes of how one deals with grief and the notion of death can resonate with just about everyone. And that resonating is also a result of the specificity. Vogel didn't try to make it general to appeal to the broadest possible audience, instead she embraced the specificity of her circumstances which lead to a play that is intense and dramatic, gripping and impossible to ignore.
This show combines humor with pretty serious subject matter. How did you deal with the combination of these two elements?
Nicole:It can be hard at times! The play definitely has extremes between funny and serious, light and dark. The play is really a meditation on the loss of a loved one, so it could have gone to a really dark place. Instead, Vogel chose to make it darkly humorous throughout. I heard a quote at some point (and I'm paraphrazing here) that there is a thin line that separates pain from laughter. There are so many things in life that are like that...if you couldn't laugh about them, you'd cry. In that way I think it's a really truthful play...Vogel doesn't have the characters languishing with grief. Instead she has them celebrating life and trying to make the most out of the little time they have left together.
Greg: I think the major thing that the actors have to do in a show like this is simply embrace their given circumstances. Like in any comedy, it is only funny if the actors are truly invested and truly believe in their actions. The humor comes from the situation. So in a play like this that mixes in humor and serious subject matter in starkly vivid and surprising ways, the major thing that must be done is an adherence to this philosophy, the notion that the characters themselves are real people, respond in real ways, and it is the absurdity of the situation that causes both humor and drama to exist simultaneously. The playwright did that work, the work of making it alternately funny and serious. I also do have the habit of working with physicality, something we didn't have as much time for in this process, but an actor can never forget how much their physical body influences their emotional state. So when I say the actor needs to be committed to the given circumstances, that commitment is not only mental, not only about will, but also about the body being physically ready to respond to the demands of the script and work in harmony with intuitively internal responses as well.
And can you tell us a little bit about your actors?
Greg: We have an interesting amount of variety within this three person cast. All three have significant theatre experience, but manifested in some different ways. Kehry Lane is a regular around these parts, and is an absolute joy to work with. His experience makes him able to take on a demanding role like The Third Man (who actually plays twelve different parts) with fluidity and seeming ease. Bryant Duffy has been acting for years as well, with experience in summerstock and theatre around the region. He and Nicole Vespa have developed a great on stage sibling relationship that has gotten stronger throughout the production due to their abilities to work honestly and effectively in their characters. Nicole is currently a high school theatre teacher in Washington Iowa and brings a great freshness to the role of Anna.
Nicole, how has this show compared with others you've done in the area?
Nicole:It's been a lot of fun. I'm really excited to be acting again, and I hope to do more of it in the future. Frankly, all of my recent experiences in theatre have been very positive - I've been lucky enough to work with very talented actors and directors, on well-written plays that really has a heart. I have no complaints.
What challenges have you had to face in the rehearsal process?
Nicole: The language! During the course of the play, characters speak French, German, and Dutch. My character has relatively few lines in a foreign language, but that is a challenge! The play is a very language-rich, which is part of what makes it fun to play around with, but also a definite challenge at times. Overall this has been a really fun play to rehearse, though.
Greg: And there are always a variety of challenges when it comes to a rehearsal process. This play is particularly difficult because, as I mentioned before, it is constantly moving in and out of scenes and you have to find a way to make those changes fluid and smooth so as not to interrupt the sort of whirlwind atmosphere the show engenders. I'm a director who likes to keep tinkering until the end, I often restage scenes multiple times throughout a process, but as we had a little bit less rehearsal time for this show than has been the norm for me, I've had to adjust my style a little bit. I love physical warm ups but have abandoned them for this show, I staged the show more quickly than I may have liked, and not having a stage manager can at times be difficult. But through it all the actors have been a pleasure to work with, have helped keep the process moving forward in a smooth and efficient way, and I'm quite pleased with the end product.
What moments stand out for you in this show?
Nicole:So many! It's hard for me to narrow it down. There are so many scenes that Kehry is in that make me laugh. I am so lucky to be working with such a great cast and director...the whole process has really been a pleasure!
Greg: I mean, the major moment that sticks out for me is the final scene, which I won't talk about here so as not to spoil the surprise. I'll just say that there's a tenderness and vulnerability in those final moments that really elevates the entire production to something special. It's just an amazingly written and acted ending, and I can't wait for people other than me to see it.
City Circle - Sometimes things don't always go as planned in the theatre world. City Circle had planned to open The Threepenny Opera a week or so ago, but an unexpected illness in the production team forced them to switch gears. Instead, tonight Paula Vogel's The Baltimore Waltz opens. We had a chance to talk to the director of the show, Greg Redlawsk, as well as one of the actors, Nicole Vespa.
Could you tell our readers a little bit of what the show is about?:
Greg: Well, The Baltimore Waltz is a play that revolves around a fantastical trip made by a brother and sister to Europe after the sister has been diagnosed with ATD (Acquired Toilette Disease) and their search for some sort of cure, some sort of hope.
Nicole: Right, when Anna gets diagnosed with her disease, she and her brother Carl decide to take the European vacation they have always planned. During the trip Anna decides to cut loose and live life to the fullest -- by eating out a lot and lusting after various European men. Anna is a fun character to play -- she is sweet and thoughtful, but she can also be incredibly selfish and short-sighted. She has a sense of humor about her predicament though, and I think that's what really carries her through all the things that happen to her during the play. She's a very feeling person - as she says to Carl at one point during the play, "I can remember the things I feel." Anna is really a stand-in for Paula Vogel herself, because the play is an homage to Vogel's real-life brother, Carl and the vacation they never got to take together.
Greg: It is also a thinly veiled but heartbreakingly poignant critique on how people responded to the AIDS crisis in the late 80's and early 90's.
This show was added to the season after Three Penny was canceled. Greg, can you talk a little bit about how this show came to be? Did you suggest it?
Greg: Yeah, I suggested it. I was on the City Circle Board at the time, and so I was aware of the situation as soon as it happened. The Board looked at a number of different options, but eventually decided on going with my proposal. It was at times a bit hectic, just due to the rushed nature of the whole process, typically of course seasons are laid out at least around six months in advance, giving the directors time to find their production teams and prepare for the show, but despite the limited time frame, this show's ended up coming together pretty effectively.
Greg, why did you want to direct this show?
Greg: Well, first of all, this is an extremely well written play. The text is strong and emotionally demanding but still malleable enough to stand up to a number of different conceptual ideas and directions. It is also a particularly challenging piece in that it has thirty scenes in ninety minutes, which presents a certain difficulty when it comes to matters of flow and pacing. While the subject matter of the play is highly personal to the playwright, themes of how one deals with grief and the notion of death can resonate with just about everyone. And that resonating is also a result of the specificity. Vogel didn't try to make it general to appeal to the broadest possible audience, instead she embraced the specificity of her circumstances which lead to a play that is intense and dramatic, gripping and impossible to ignore.
This show combines humor with pretty serious subject matter. How did you deal with the combination of these two elements?
Nicole:It can be hard at times! The play definitely has extremes between funny and serious, light and dark. The play is really a meditation on the loss of a loved one, so it could have gone to a really dark place. Instead, Vogel chose to make it darkly humorous throughout. I heard a quote at some point (and I'm paraphrazing here) that there is a thin line that separates pain from laughter. There are so many things in life that are like that...if you couldn't laugh about them, you'd cry. In that way I think it's a really truthful play...Vogel doesn't have the characters languishing with grief. Instead she has them celebrating life and trying to make the most out of the little time they have left together.
Greg: I think the major thing that the actors have to do in a show like this is simply embrace their given circumstances. Like in any comedy, it is only funny if the actors are truly invested and truly believe in their actions. The humor comes from the situation. So in a play like this that mixes in humor and serious subject matter in starkly vivid and surprising ways, the major thing that must be done is an adherence to this philosophy, the notion that the characters themselves are real people, respond in real ways, and it is the absurdity of the situation that causes both humor and drama to exist simultaneously. The playwright did that work, the work of making it alternately funny and serious. I also do have the habit of working with physicality, something we didn't have as much time for in this process, but an actor can never forget how much their physical body influences their emotional state. So when I say the actor needs to be committed to the given circumstances, that commitment is not only mental, not only about will, but also about the body being physically ready to respond to the demands of the script and work in harmony with intuitively internal responses as well.
And can you tell us a little bit about your actors?
Greg: We have an interesting amount of variety within this three person cast. All three have significant theatre experience, but manifested in some different ways. Kehry Lane is a regular around these parts, and is an absolute joy to work with. His experience makes him able to take on a demanding role like The Third Man (who actually plays twelve different parts) with fluidity and seeming ease. Bryant Duffy has been acting for years as well, with experience in summerstock and theatre around the region. He and Nicole Vespa have developed a great on stage sibling relationship that has gotten stronger throughout the production due to their abilities to work honestly and effectively in their characters. Nicole is currently a high school theatre teacher in Washington Iowa and brings a great freshness to the role of Anna.
Nicole, how has this show compared with others you've done in the area?
Nicole:It's been a lot of fun. I'm really excited to be acting again, and I hope to do more of it in the future. Frankly, all of my recent experiences in theatre have been very positive - I've been lucky enough to work with very talented actors and directors, on well-written plays that really has a heart. I have no complaints.
What challenges have you had to face in the rehearsal process?
Nicole: The language! During the course of the play, characters speak French, German, and Dutch. My character has relatively few lines in a foreign language, but that is a challenge! The play is a very language-rich, which is part of what makes it fun to play around with, but also a definite challenge at times. Overall this has been a really fun play to rehearse, though.
Greg: And there are always a variety of challenges when it comes to a rehearsal process. This play is particularly difficult because, as I mentioned before, it is constantly moving in and out of scenes and you have to find a way to make those changes fluid and smooth so as not to interrupt the sort of whirlwind atmosphere the show engenders. I'm a director who likes to keep tinkering until the end, I often restage scenes multiple times throughout a process, but as we had a little bit less rehearsal time for this show than has been the norm for me, I've had to adjust my style a little bit. I love physical warm ups but have abandoned them for this show, I staged the show more quickly than I may have liked, and not having a stage manager can at times be difficult. But through it all the actors have been a pleasure to work with, have helped keep the process moving forward in a smooth and efficient way, and I'm quite pleased with the end product.
What moments stand out for you in this show?
Nicole:So many! It's hard for me to narrow it down. There are so many scenes that Kehry is in that make me laugh. I am so lucky to be working with such a great cast and director...the whole process has really been a pleasure!
Greg: I mean, the major moment that sticks out for me is the final scene, which I won't talk about here so as not to spoil the surprise. I'll just say that there's a tenderness and vulnerability in those final moments that really elevates the entire production to something special. It's just an amazingly written and acted ending, and I can't wait for people other than me to see it.
Monday, April 12, 2010
On Unpaid Internships
So there keeps being more conversation about these unpaid internships offered by the several major and most of the minor regional theaters in the states, and I've read several points that I've found to be quite poignant. In my previous post I linked to Scott Walters talking more about the subject, but this comment on his post at his CRADLE blog was one that I found to be quite relevant.
"People who “just make a living” doing art have to work pretty hard it, no matter where they came from, because the market for non-popular art is small, the costs of making it (including living expenses) exceeds its salable price, and arts funding is limited.Should access to a quality secondary school education be expanded? Of course.Should arts education be expanded? Yes. Arts funding? Yes.Is this overall situation unfair? Yup.And do a lot of faux bohemian aspirants make a bunch of bad art. Yes again. Good art requires craft and knowledge. This has to be obtained somehow — aptitude and educational background both matter.Do people from modest backgrounds succeed? Yes, they do.Is the arts world disorganized, political and often inept? Yes. Is it a systemetized plutocracy? I think that’s a big stretch."
Walters replied to this as such:
"The plutocracy precedes the art. What I am saying is that the opportunities go to those who are privileged. In addition, those who have less financial pressures can more readily afford to focus on their work, popular or non-popular. Yes, they have to work at it — the point is that they have the opportunity to do so. It is easier to reach the magic 10,000 hours of practice plateau described by Malcolm Gladwell in “Outliers” if you’re not spending 40 hrs a week putting food on the table. Similarly, it is easier to say yes to an opportunity to get a foot in the door by accepting an unpaid or slightly paid internship if somebody else is taking care of the finances.Do people from modest backgrounds succeed? Sure. People who play a weak hand in bridge sometimes win — they just have to be better players. But those in the theatre present the playing field as flat, and success as based on “talent” (i.e., merit), and that is simply not true."
This is interesting to me. Am I privileged? Yes. Am I born from the upper classes? Yes. If I get either of the internships I am currently interviewing for (at the Actors Theatre and Milwaukee Rep) will I be able to afford to do it? Again, the answer is yes.
And so personally I can completely see what it is that Scott is saying. There is inherently a bias, there is inherently a disservice being done to those who don't have the resources as a result of their familial situation.
But to be frank, what are the other options? Without overhauling the entirety of the American theatrical system (which may be a laudable goal, but certainly isn't coming down the pipeline any time soon), how can you hope to rectify this situation perfectly? If you mandate that theatre companies must start paying interns who work for more than two months minimum wage, these internships will simply vanish. As I mentioned a while ago, these internships existing is better than them not existing, and that seems the only response that there could be to legislation demanding the end of unpaid internships. Theatre simply isn't profitable enough at the smaller end of the spectrum. This is a sad truth.
For instance, Riverside Theatre (Iowa City's resident professional theatre) offers a summer internship that coincides with their Shakespeare Festival, and they pay the interns a minimal stipend and house them for the summer. This theatre produces high quality work on a regular basis, and has a sterling reputation in the community. But the company is barely able to survive as is, relying heavily on donations from members of the community. If this company were forced to pay interns more heavily, this internship would no longer exist. I was a member of the Riverside intern company for the summer of 2008, and it was a fantastic learning experience in a number of ways. It would be a shame if these positions no longer existed.
Of course, if there was more governmental funding for theatre and the arts in general, maybe companies could afford to pay their interns a little bit more. Theatre simply shouldn't have to exist merely as a self-sustaining business. Just as libraries survive without generating overhead because they provide the community with a necessary resource, so should professional-grade theatre be viewed in the same light. But I'll post more on that later.
Another Update
So I'm still having a tough time managing to update this with any regularity, but as the time for graduation looms ever closer, I've been getting ever busier. I suppose there's probably some correlation there. As I write this, I'm currently about to start a rehearsal for The Baltimore Waltz, which is going quite well overall, it is a really fantastic show, and I'll write more about it here in a bit, maybe even later on this evening. I'm also directing junior high students in a midsummer night's dream, which is a bit impossible, but what can ya do. Again, Scott Walters writes more about unpaid internships (which I'm interviewing for!) here: http://theatreideas.blogspot.com/2010/04/on-unpaid-internships.html
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Upcoming Projects
So, I've been a bit slow to post more on here, due to a complete lack of time over the past week. I don't see that slowing down, but I will attempt to post more often. I'm currently beginning rehearsals for a production of The Baltimore Waltz that I'm directing for City Circle Acting Company. We've got a strong cast, and the play itself is extremely fascinating and well written, it was the first of Paula Vogel's plays to gain real national recognition, and for good reason. The cast, composed of Bryant Duffy as Carl, Nicole Vespa as Anna, and Kehry Lane as The Third Man, seems to be a good group of strong actors, we'll see how it all progresses, but right now I'm particularly excited about the project.
Beyond that, I'm teaching my weekly classes at the Junior High, and we're supposed to be putting up an abridged version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which may or may not be successful, given scheduling issues and such. Frustrating, though. Like herding cattle. Although they still show up, which is good.
Beyond that, I'm teaching my weekly classes at the Junior High, and we're supposed to be putting up an abridged version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which may or may not be successful, given scheduling issues and such. Frustrating, though. Like herding cattle. Although they still show up, which is good.
LBOing for Akarui. That's simple enough.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Daily Plays
Check out this site, really quite interesting. http://playswithothers.blogspot.com/
Basically, she reads a play a day and writes about them. Nifty little resource.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Suzuki and More
Just got back from a workshop in Suzuki technique taught by Alley Theatre company member and UW MFA grad Chris Hutchison. I'll probably edit this post later, as I have some things to say about it, but not that much time right now. I'm off to hold auditions for City Circle's production of The Baltimore Waltz, directed by, well, me. So that'll be interesting to. I imagine I'll have more to say tonight. In the meantime, take a look at this video - Ohad Naharin on Gaga (Video) | Dance In Israel.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The question of Internships
Looking at this post by Scott Walters (Theatre Ideas: Class, Geography, and Internships), I can't help but notice the relevance here. I'm in the process of applying for several internships, including one at the Actors Theatre of Louisville (which does not pay or house their interns) and another at Milwaukee Rep which pays maybe 75$ a week, and so I worry constantly about how I'm going to support myself if I manage to snag one of these positions. Don't get me wrong, I would absolutely take one of these internships if it were offered. The allure of having an internship at such a prestigious theatre is extremely powerful. But I think he's right in the sense that there's a problem here.
The problem lies with the notion that young artists are expected to support themselves in these positions after having just spent four years of their lives paying out the ass to receive a degree which grants them the ability to claim that they are educated theatre students (which is often not the case at all). The degree does not get your foot in the door, does not help you in getting a job or getting cast (at least not all that often), but it does seem necessary to have a degree in order to be recognized as *legitimate* in the theatre world, especially as a director.
Of course, you can't just do what is suggested in the post at TheatreIdeas, because the moment you take these unpaid or lowly paid internships and use legislation to require them to pay at least minimum wage, the internship pool will dry up. Many of the companies offering these internships could not afford to continue doing so if they were required to pay their interns more. As a student, and someone who is trying to find a way in to the business, I really don't want that to happen.
I'm not sure what the third option is at the moment, and because I can't thing of a better alternative at this point (other than hoping for federal funding in the US along the lines of that which exists in Europe), I'd say that I hope that this legislation never comes to fruition. I'd rather these opportunities exist than not, and so despite the problems with the current system, I'm not sure that there's a better viable option.
New York?
So here's the thing. With graduation coming in just a few months, I'm at the point where I've got to decide what is coming next. I've sent out several applications for directing internships around the country, but barring those, I've really got no complete idea as to what's coming down the pike. My brother is making the big move to NY in April, with a gig at the Momentum Repertory Company, and I am very heavily considering moving in with him after graduation. However, there's a lot scary about that idea.
First of all, I'm not exactly rolling in cash. Second, I have only a few contacts there, most of whom are around my age and might not be that helpful in the short term. As my brother has gone Equity, I fully support his decision to go there, but I'm not sure it would really be in my best interests at this point. At the same time, it really is alluring. The theatre scene in NY (outside of the Broadway behemoth) is so much more closely related to the work I want to do than a place like Chicago or Minneapolis. Meaning, I'm really into the works of people or groups like Richard Foreman or Mabou Mines, and I want to be able to see and hopefully meet and of course ideally work with these types. Essentially, I want to do theatre that makes a point, visceral theatre, the sort of thing in line with the aesthetic ideas I already have, but that will still challenge me to keep creating and to keep growing. That exists in New York.
On the other hand, there's Chicago. Where just about everybody I know is heading. There's obviously a ton of stuff going on, and from what I can tell it is a pretty good place to be as a young theatre person. However, it seems to me that in Chicago there's a ton of work going on, but it is almost impossible for any one place to separate itself from the crowd, to stand out. Sure, there's the House, but other than that, all you've got are the big ones, Steppenwolf, Goodman, etc. It seems almost impossible to become commercially viable. Not that that's easy anywhere... anyways. Mounting Sarah Kane in Chicago seems like a safe way to go bankrupt.
So basically, I'm stuck. Hopefully I'll figure it out sooner rather than later.
The Value of Unity
What is the value of unity in art? In theatre? Of unity of the self – natured arguments perceiving even more thoroughly the necessity of progress but as a dystopic thing, a divided thing and when the new is not separate but with itself complete and whole there is no way the thing can leave you anything but whole. Perfection is the great enemy of the audience who needs not to be whole but to be torn apart. To be separated – the body at least somewhat taken apart left open because in perfection there is no necessity in perfection there is no art there is no provision – no impact. The well made play is a fallacy. A dangerous object masquerading as masterpiece. The necessity resides in the imperfection, in humanity beyond sensitivity, in inability, in failure in not the perfect circle but the broken line. The broken line, and art must be broken, we must be broken in order to fulfill any sort of basic emotional, cultural, or personal need. It seems so basic to me this idea of unwholeiness. Intrinsic, to me. Keep the work challenging, stop the flow and in the process stop us, separate us from that collective morality juggernaut of pseudo religion and actual perversity, the judgment of the public. The value of unity lies simply then, not in the level of presence, but in the lack thereof entirely.
A Couple Things
So this is my first attempt at sustaining a real sort of blog, and I think what I'm hoping it will turn out to be is a place for writing about random thoughts, mostly theatre based, and responding to what I'm seeing out there currently in the blogosphere, there's a lot going on out there and I'd like to think I can add something to the discussion.
Firstly, about who I am and where I'm coming from at this point in my life:
My name is Greg Redlawsk, I'm currently completing my fourth year as a theatre student at Cornell College in Mount Vernon Iowa. I started out as an actor from the time I was relatively young, but have switched over more towards the directing side of theatre, a shift which began in earnest during my second year of College. I have directed a relatively large number of productions these past few years, ranging from Danny and the Deep Blue Sea to 4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane. I've been influenced in my thinking by several prominent theatrical luminaries, such as Anne Bogart, Robert Wilson, Jerzy Grotowski, along with Peter Brook.
To be a little bit more specific with my intentions, I think I'm looking to document my experiences as I finish school and move on towards trying to find a place to live and work and survive and that whole drill. As I said, from time to time I'll be posting random thoughts and reactions to events around me, I also plan on posting snippets from essays I've written on the theatre and thoughts I've had about what needs to happen to keep theatre as a viable and sustainable artistic force in the world. Hope you're as excited as I am, although that does seem unlikely at this point. But I'll get you there.
That's all for now.
Greg
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