Trenton to nyc

The holiday is over. Back on track

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Many happy returns

I return to juilliard in january to work on one of the new plays. This is the same slot as BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE was (two years ago). It'll rehearse nights and saturdays.

I don't know the cast yet nor which play it is. But I really enjoy working there and the kids are great.

I swung by the new school and had a nice wrap up with Bob Lupone. We're already looking at shows for next year. I liked being at the new school a great deal. Bums me out that I never applied to the westbeth. There's a 14 year waiting list..so, should they ever take new applications, there's a chance that I could get in there by 2022. Age 56. Gulp.
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BURN THIS

Went with joe kraemer and carly mensch to see the fourth year students perform BURN THIS directed by pam mackinnon.

A terrific job by adam driver as pale. Got to see my old duo from BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE - Gabe and Jo. They were wondrous: I think they both have such promise - it'll be interesting to see where they land after this year.

Saw dylan moore from REBORNING and Zach also from BTC around the block from school, or thereabouts. I'll see them in brian mertes's final greek chapter in feb.
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Slowest ride ever

I love new york so damn much. But its 2 am and I am craving my bed but am stuck on the slowest 2 train. Ipod died of low battery earlier so I am just biding my time. Looking at people. Was it hate comics that showed a fantasy of what life would be like if the world ended and we were all stuck with the people of the car? Kill me know.
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Door is closed

Stage Door's final performance was saturday. It went well.



On some level I think Thursday night might have been the smoothest show technically and performatively, though I continued to see great growth, focus and play the last two nights. (I did not see the matinee - and apparently that was a good thing)



Tonight was a solid show. Act One was a little slow - but not like last night. The actors were clearly having fun - particularly big and little mary. Last night seemed to be olga's night. All of the piano lazzis really played (haha).



Jean made some nice leaps tonight. I could go on about each cast member - but there are 31! So that could take a while. In short, i think Terry really started to own playing the character of the best actress in the house. Her voice became much more confident - as did how she physically held herself. The scenes with kingsley and keith really landed. Kingsley really grew so much the past month - playing him as a kind of cary grant, classy guy.



To put the whole thing in perspective, I feel the students accomplished the objective: to apply what they've been learning in acting class to a (semi)-full production, playing roles in what is clearly a different style from what they're used to. And to enjoy it.

The adjusted scene

Definitely the biggest challenge in doing STAGE DOOR beyond having so many people in the cast is the adjusted scene at the end of act one.

The script takes place in a bedroom (while all the other scenes take place in the living room of the footlights club boarding house. This "small" scene really requires the idea of people coming in to the bedroom of actresses kaye, terry and jean at all hours. Instead, we've shifted it to the living room - with the permission of samuel french.

But the intimacy and the pre-bedtime talk is much harder to play now. The actors seem disconnected as a result and well, I am just hoping I can clarify their objectives so they can really connect.

Of particular concern is terry's speech about how she always wanted to be an actress and how her mom was one but gave it up to be a wife and mom. There's all this backstory - and it is all about how terrified she is of failing: failing her mom's dream for her, failing as an actress. It seems very playable - and certainly a sense of frenzy seems to help.

How kaye's response works is also challenging. It clearly brings her down that she is hearing terry, the best actress in the house, talk about failure. She then exposes the truth about her husband having previously not let on to anyone about her own backstory. Playable, but challenging.

Anyway, we'll have another crack at it tomorrow. I just want to make sure its more than just wordiness and actually two people have needs from each other.

palin webathon

from my friend Kathryn:

Dear Friends,

I am an actress and new media producer working on a unique online project in protest of Sarah Palin's nomination for Vice President of the United States.

Inspired by a letter that has become an internet sensation (you can find Lyra and Quinn's letter on our site, http://womenrespondtopalin.com) I am producing an 8 hour Webathon, a LIVE streamed reading of some of the over 170,00 responses to this letter that have been submitted by woman from all over America. This is a very simple project that I believe has the capacity to become a major internet event. I am looking for 40 or 50 actresses who are very diverse, physically and vocally, and who might resemble the very women who are currently on the fence regarding their support for Sarah Palin.

This is a complete grass roots efforts so unfortunately there is no pay involved, only the chance to have a positive and creative effect on this years election.

Our event is being held on October 30th, in NYC, from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m..

If you are interested in participating I wonder if you could forward me your headshot and contact info including the state you are originally from. Because I'm an actress too, I want you to know that I am not judging you or making any decisions based on your resume. If you are a recommendation of Hal's that is more than good enough for me. We are looking for a very diverse "cast" and that is the only element that will go into the decision making process.

Also, if you naturally speak with an accent that would not be identified as standard american, could you please let me know.

Thank you so much for your time and attention.

I so look forward to hearing from you.

Very Truly Yours

Kathryn Velvel Jones

Piano

Today we'll be spending the first hour plus working on piano cues. Olga, who studied with the great kolijinsky, is condemned to playing at the winter garden stupid ditties. She's frequently interrupted and there's many a lotzi that involves her stopping and turning around.

If emsa, who is playing olga played piano, things might be a bit easier...bt that is not the case. There will be a lot of starting and stopping. Sound design always seems to take a bit longer than you suspect.

In the meantime, phillies play game three tonight. At home.

Outside in

Last week, I had the actors prepare two-minute scenes from philadelphia story. The idea was to pick a scene (freely available on youtube), cast themselves (regardless of gender), memorize it and replicate it exactly, mimicking the gestures, the intonations, the blocking. Wearing the similar costumes, etc.

In order to crack the style of stage door why not approach these characters from the outside in to see where it takes the actors?

I think most importantly, these guys had fun - laughing at themselves and at each other. They experienced technically how the language and voice work. Some of them detected how a facial expression informed the objective. Others felt that that "hepburn" voice really served as a way to liberate them. Still others noticed how fast the language works.
Thank god!

And of course, meanwhile, we continue to ask the basic questions from the inside out. All in all, a pleasing experiment.

Stumble through

Last night was a designer stumble through for STAGE DOOR at the new school. As I told the cast, we are precisely where we are - and where I expected us to be, having merely finished blocking the THREE ACTS. The running time was approximately 15 minutes longer than our first read through. Ouch. But also, just fine. That will all be remedied in the next two weeks.

Production mtg after rehearsal went till 11 (and thus I missed my beloved PHILLIES BEAT TAMPA BAY). Joe the scenic designer has agreed to modify the back wall so that rather than be covered by famous actresses of the past plus sarah (not sandra) bernhardt, the wall will have only frames plus sarah. She later gets replaced by jean.

Saturday we'll spend an hour and half working music cues with olga. She doesn't really play piano so we'll have to do some nifty fakin' it.

Tonight, I'll get to spend more time on act one, though the actress playing jean is still out sick.

STAGE DOOR

Sorry for the passage of time. All is well here in new york.

I've been busy the past two weeks working on STAGE DOOR at the new school. Its been quite fun.

The production consists of second year students (there are five first year students as well). I have three ADs, two ASMs and about 32 people in my cast. My PSM Dale also works at the pearl and is rachel's friend.

Its a play in three acts and surprisingly relevant since we are now in a depression like the women in this play. It is set at a boarding house for women of the theater (the footlights club). And the women are experiencing varying levels of success in their theatrical careers and their lives. Its ferber and kaufman and the writing is terrific. (Though there feels like there is a big dramaturgical whole involving the girl, Linda, who is having an affair with a married man).

The toughest part - aside from presenting this play as relevant to the students - is getting them to approach the style of the piece. It aint naturalism, and requires a bit of that katherine hepburn witty repartee. I am having them perform 2 minute scenes from PHILADELPHIA STORY - to approach the characyers from the outside in. Hopefully, this will open up the style for them.

We've completed two weeks of research presentations - while I've managed to stage the whole play. I've forced the students to be off book early - as I sense they need a little push in that department.

It will be a fun two more weeks. But what to do when the phillies games are on?

Mcc reading nine circles

Mcc will be having an inhouse reading of Bill Cain's nine circles which I worked on this summer at ojai.

Its a difficult play for a cold read, but hopefully it's humor and compassion will shine through.

I'll be attending despite it being more of a closed reading. I've talked to the actress reading the women's roles and emailed the main guy. There is no rehearsal for this - so it's a bit of a crapshoot.

Let's hope they like it!

Camp reunion

So - I went to my camp reunion: if you know me well, then you know I went to camp for a total of ten summers - six as a camper and four as a counsellor. Six decades of campers and counsellors were in attendance: about 300 people, from as early as 1955 up to folks who are still there.



Like at any gathering of non-theater folks, I find it difficult to explain to the layperson what we do.



I will now summarize the conversation I had approximately 17 times this weekend.



RANDOM ALUM: Hey Hal. Are you still acting?



HAL: No, I became a director about 15 years ago



RA: oh. Do you direct movies?



H: no, I am a theater director.



RA: Oh. Which theater do you direct?



H: I am a freelance director. I direct at regional theaters and off broadway.



RA: Anything I would have heard of?



H: probably not.



RA: Do you ever direct on broadway?



H: No. Not yet.



RA: OH. Well, we saw hairspray last month and loved it.



To RA's credit, he/she is truly trying to make sense out of what I do and is genuinely interested. But it is a reminder of how challenging it can be to explain what we do.

In New Haven

As part of my nea/tcg grant-which-is-not-a-grant, I am observing mark wing-davey directing PASSION PLAY by sarah ruhl.

Its great so far and nothing has happened. I saw the show twice in chicago when I was there last sept-oct. Here it is again, with a new cast less four folks. And in a different space: the university theater where I acted way back when. (What was it? THE TEMPEST directed by David Esbjornsen. Oh man. Only 22 yrs ago).
Looking forward to observing. Right now watching the video projection that surround the stage.

On to the next

Auditioned last night for the NEW SCHOOL production of stage door. It's gonna be kinda massive. There are 31 parts and "only" 26 students. Yikes.

They've assigned me 3 ad's, which should be interesting. Its definitely a different vibe than juilliard to be sure. First off the classes are larger. Second, I get the sense that the faculty is more involved in the day to day life of the students uptown. (This could be a function of the undergraduate-ness of juilliard) Third, this one is being performed in a theater as opposed to an alexander training room.

It'll be a fun play to do. Style and comedy. Minimal set. Decent amount of rehearsal times. Let's see if I can keep sane.

The drama league

Yikes. Before the summer I promised that I'd put out this magnum opus on what fellowships/programs were available for directors. I stink. Here it is - the next chapter: "the drama league".

Another great program/fellowship/grant is the drama league. There are four different flavors of the directors programs: 1) fall 2) summer 3) new
directors/new works 4)roundabout assistantship/observership (which reminds me: ssdc offers observerships as well).

4) the roundabout assistantship is what it sounds like: you get to assist/observe one of the shows. I know a director who got to assist a show that transferred to broadway and went on tour. She stayed with the show, on salary, for months. Not a bad gig - but of course, you can't anticipate a job working out like this. I also know of an actress who was interested in directing. She also did this roundabout gig. I suppose the roundabout is a pretty good way to assist on some rather larger broadway-like shows with more broadway-bound names.

3) New directors/new works. This is really a grant for a production on a new work. Not sure how many of these DL gives out, but I don't think the grant themselves are for more than about $1500. I could be wrong. Still, its a good opportunity to get some money for a piece of work you're interested in getting up on its feet.

2) Summer. You spend part of the summer in ithaca, new york at the hangar working with new playwrights (kenny finkle and kate walat have had their works directed there). I think you also get to work with the young company on children's shows. It is supposed to be a vigorous experience and I know a number of great directors who have done this. This seems right for the director just out of college - although I know of several experienced professionals who have gone up to ithaca on this one.

1) Fall. This is the program I did. It was great for me. You start with wonder week in new york - boot camp for meeting everyone (directors, producers, artistic directors, casting directors etc). Then you spend several days at a retreat (we went to the o'neill in ct) - working with a mentor and with terrific actors. Afterwards, you assist regionally as well as on broadway or off broadway. The program culminates with a showcase, fully produced in nyc.

This is a good one - and includes a stipend. It is a great way to immerse yourself in the "new york scene" if that's important to you. Also, it allows you to see how theater is directed at the regional level. And, most importantly, I think it can fill in important artistic blanks in a young director's arsenal.

Four months long, the fall directing program absolutely took me to a new level in my directing and helped refine my aesthetic.

For way more information, go to

http://www.dramaleague.org/directors/index.htm

Last performance of zayd dohrn's reborning tonight

Tonight - at 7pm. Juilliard room 302. See ya there!

Juilliard presentations

So - all is going well. Today's audience consisted of parents and other fourth year actors. A few faculty, including jim houghton.

Christina, John and Leah are doing well. Finding their way through difficult material. Great to see how funny some of the stuff landed on thursday. Today's noon audience wasn't quite so buoyant. And some of the joke's fell flat. Ah well.

The technology - seems like its working. Except when it doesn't. Such as this afternoon when christina turned the video camera on (to show what damage she's done to one of the dolls) - only, the camera fell on the table. This is only slightly better than when the camera didn't turn on thurs.

Saw evan cabnet's direction of WONDERLAND by brooke berman last night. A fun rompy play from about 10-15 years ago. Hollywood, the millennium and jesus.

Sick as a dog

Both my sister and I and brother in law are sick. With the same sore throat. How weird!

I felt run down and ache-y on sunday while they watched james braly's penultimate performance.

Yesterday, I took it easy having woken up with a sore throat. I relaxed at home mostly. Then saw vicky christina barcelona.

Today, I am awful. The sore throat from yesterday is magnified. And I've spent the day lying down and catching up on emails. I've rebuilt my computer - reformatted the hard drive - and now am back online.

I am supposed to be rehearsing with the juilliard folks but I don't think I could. I am just wiped. I feel terrible about it. But I don't want to get anyone else sick. We have a few more rehearsals and note sessions so hopefully it'll all work out. Plus - I've managed to change things around so now I can see the final performance.

I typed up my notes from saturday and have sent them off to playwright zayd and sm patricia. Its not ideal, but she'll read them the notes and zayd and she will watch a runthru.

Oy. I hope this vicious thing ends soon.

Platonov by Anton Chekhov

Yesterday, Rachel and I and a few hundred other folks had the fortune of seeing PLATONOV up at Melissa Kievman and Brian Mertes house. What a terrific event! It was just a beautiful day - and a wonderful cast. It was one of those great lucky things to be part of...

The Kievman-Mertes live near New City which is about 45 minutes from Lincoln Center (or about 2 hours away if you miss the exit, have to turn around, get gas, and get stuck in GW Bridge traffic)...The house is on lake lucille...and it's just lovely.

There was something just so suitably idyllic about the setting.

PLATONOV is such an oddball play and this production was so much fun. It is actually one of my favorite plays - I've always wanted to do a production of it. In it, you see the antecedents of all of Chekhov's great characters. And there's just something about Platonov, played with lovable-rogueness by Reg Rogers...that just slays you. Here is a guy with so much potential - who ends up being a fucked up school teacher, broken, and in a constant mess love-wise. An Ordinary Life. Fantastic

Highlights included terrific performances from all the folks below...fireworks, people jumping in the lake, cool choreography reminiscent of ERS, a piano being chopped at with an axe, Marin Ireland playing a boy, a piano being thrown in the lake, Guy Boyd in drag, watching scenes from across a lake, being surrounded by swell theater folks and members of the Lake Lucille community. A terrific night. And man, just four or five days of rehearsing it!

The Cast!
Betsy Aidem, J.Ed Araiza, Guy Boyd, Jason Butler Harner, Jim Calder, Rob Campbell, Matthew Cowles, Robert Eli, Dana Eskelson, Marin Ireland, Bill Irwin, Fiona Lane, Didi O'Connell, Lucas Papaelias, Phil Roebuck, Reg Rogers, Ted Schneider, Jess Weixler ----and Daniel Baker, Hazel June Baker, Jenni Bowman, Miklos Buk, Kenny Cahall, Sam Fichtner, Stephanie Fleischmann, Olivera Gajic, Alex Harvey, Daniel Kluger, Alicia Lewis, Farrol Mertes, Johnny Moreno, Margot Newkirk, Deb O, Jesse J. Perez, Simone Perrin, Kaz Phillips, Jon Pratt, Dan Safer, Mauricio Salgado, Cindy Salgado, Chris Studley, Katya Vetrov, Carlo Vogel.

Reborning, end of week two.

A lot of great progress made this week. The actors seem to be really getting up to speed and zayd has made some changes to the script.

Highlight of the week goes to baby Light who joinged us on wednesday. She is nine months old and riveting. She managed to skirt the no eating rule, and ate some cheerios fed to her by her adoring grandpa.

Christina and Leah and John all took turns holding her, playing with. I think it will be a good overall lesson for the students - just getting deeper into the world of the play.

We've been focusing a lot on the reborning doll community and christina brought in a great posting from a message board. Apparentlyt "memory dolls" are a subset of the reborning doll community. Additionally, she found some dolls on ebay that go for as much as 16k. Yow.

Reborning

Its a bizarre world out there. Zayd Dohrn's play deal with a "reborning" artist - a woman who paints, sculpts dolls to look like real babies. She suspects an older woman, a client, may be the mother who abandoned her.

You've got to see these dolls. They are totally creepy. There's also something enormously hokey about the hobby too. And the websites embrace that hokeyness.

The cast are all juilliard students who are approaching the material slowly and steadfastly. We've three weeks to put this on its feet. There are a number of technical issues we won't be able to tackle (crying babies and video projections), but the goal is to develop a new play while simultaneously stretching these students.

Ojai finale

Whoa. A very good way to end my summer of developmental workshops. There was thunderous applause at the end of the first act. I was really moved by how well the actors did - and how well the story was told. Patrick Adams was really remarkable as private reeves (nee green) and I think josh and amy sloane took great steps forward.

As bill cain's agent said, its a good sign when at the top of act two the audience is clapping for me.

SPOILER ALERT:
Bill did impressive work all week - and I think we've come up with a great shape for NINE CIRCLES. The ending now has in circle eight private reeve's last words before his execution and circle nine are his thoughts as he is dying. It is haunting and moving and I think almost right. Close. But man, it was a great week. A real sense of accomplishment.

Once again, ojai has proven to be immensely fruitful for play development. It succeeds for so many reasons. Which I hope to get to next.

Juilliard

On my way to juilliard to work on zayd dohrn's REBORNING. Its my second time working at juilliard on a second year directing project.

Zayd's out of town this week so I will be on my own. Having just taken the red-eye I plan to take it real slow. We'll read the script once without stopping. Then go through slowly and ask questions. If there's time, we'll break the script down by beats.

There's a lot of interesting information on reborning dolls online. And it creeps me out. But that's a good thing too.

Blogging when cranky

I just reread my last entry. I sounded lsooo annoyed. And much of what I said sounded under duress.

Chalk it up to fatigue. But it might be a good lesson as to when to post and when not to.

ojai saturday

I am cranky. We've been rehearsing like dogs and we just don't seem to have as much downtime as in 2006. On the other hand, I may just be tired. The work we are getting at is good and deep. So its a good cranky I suppose.

I've been working on a dual track: rehearsing the existent scenes with bill in the room for a while. Then bill goes off to do his rewrites (as well as the last three circles) while I rehearse without him. His addition to the room is crucial - since no one knows his plays inner workings as well as he does at this point. After watching the rehearsals you get the sense he knows where he has overwritten, or under explained

Yesterday we spent some time on the last two circles (the last words of private reeves followed by his inner monologue in hell). And then we teched.

Today we will present the show to some friends who can't go tomorrow. 9am - 12pm. No wonder I am cranky. Its early!

Let's Do Brunch: Prune

Rachel and I had a good time at Prune last month. Here is our review...

Ojai days 2 and 3

Its wednesday already. Tomorrow we have our "tech" rehearsal - in quotes because it's challenging to tech a reading when the play isn't finished.

The play is about steven dale green, a private who has been charged with raping, murdering and burning a 14 year old iraqi girl and killing her family. He was honorably discharged despite the army knowing he had a personality disorder.

The play, NINE CIRCLES, watches Reeves (nee green) descend into hell. Its been fascinating working with bill. He's so passionate about his play and his characters. There is a sense of belief in communion in the room.

What we've been doing in the room the past two days is slowly but surely reading it, and dissecting the scenes to make them actable. That it's unfinished is actually pretty darn exciting and liberating. Our agenda isn't to make it perfect, but to make it more of a play (it began as five discrete scenes).

In the draft read during the pre-conference, bill called for audience participation of a kind. I am not sure where that will end up. I do know that one thing that is desired is bill implicating himself in the proceedings. So it'll be really cool to see where this concludes here at ojai.

What's great about this process is that it is so very clearly a process: the actors josh, amy and patrick are smart and giving and have really helped us figure out how the play operates, how the scenes flow into each other and who these people are. (Reeves and his interlocutors)

We've worked through the first 6 circles (minus the fifth). There are only two scenes with amy thus far (scene 7 will likely include her as well.) She needs to zip back to los angeles so we will likely spend the afternoon hitting scene five and reviewing.

I've gotten into a nice rhythm of 7 hour days this summer. And so off to another session.

Ojai day 1

I've arrived! I love it here. What a great place - so supportive.

Friend and literary manager Catherine Kimmel picked me up at LAX and we got caught up. I've missed the pre-conference - where writers, directors and dramaturgs meet and read the six or seven plays out loud then spend an hour or two talking about the work/week ahead.

I got in town just in time to hear our play read: Bill Cain's NINE CIRCLES. Very exciting to hear it and to hear the discussion afterwards. Today, sunday, Bill and I will meet to discuss the play, and the gameplan going forward this week.

The play is based on the actual events of steven d green, an american soldier who has been charged with the raping, murder, and burning of a 14 year old iraqi girl. It also uses influenced structurally by dante's nine circles of hell.

Great to see familiar faces sarah treem, keith bunin, abigail deser, bob egan etc.

Spent the evening at a road house-y barbecue then back at the twin peaks ranch, where some of the writers are staying.

Glamor of this life

Its 3 am.

I am heading to ojai now - and in order to get there, I have to fly at 630 am. Thus, I am here at Logan airport wearing sweats and lying on a about 7 ottoman like seats I've put together to form a "bed". My bed I just at the head of the food court near the united terminal and I am sandwiched between the burger kind and famous famiglia pizza.

I've tried closing my eyes but alas, I will not sleep. I might sleep for the next 24 hours.

Airports this size don't close, but they are not exactly open either. No place is open to get a bite, and the amiable tsa folks don't open again until 4.

So - I sit here and listen to my ipod through active noise canceling speakers.

See you on the other coast.

Whirlwind

So I am back, sort of, from sundance. I am now in falmouth, mass (cape cod theater project) working on annie baker's NOCTURAMA. We have a great cast and I dig the way we were working yesterday. Slowly and steadily.

Annie's humor is terrific, but it can be tricky. This play has a depressed guy at its center - and the trick is figuring out to what extent he is really depressed and to what extent faking it. In a way, he's a failed artist (a drummer) who is really only good at this performance piece of depression.

Loving the gang: guy, deborah, chernus and quincy.

More later.

Music stands?

Today I have to block the reading of origin story. Or rather, incorporate music stands with the staging. Its unusual to have some scenes staged and others not - but I think it'll work well. Sadly, rehearsal is from 9am to 1230 so here's hoping the synapses fire.

The table read the other day was 1 hour 5 min. Which is great!

Dan's made some minor changes to the end which I think make the logic a bit more airtight without revealing too much. In a sense, that's been the goal of the workshop: how much do we need to tell? How much can we get away with showing instead?

Sundance end of week two

Its criminal how bad I've been about keeping up. Its tough to keep up blogging here for some reason - I think everyone is working so hard that its hard to find the usual time for self. Many folks are sleeping late - and working seven hours a day on new works.

I am happy where we are with ORIGIN STORY. I think we've bitten off a good amount to stage (approx one scene in its locale). Its definitely very stylized for us. How does one act a comic book? Or as if in one?

I told the harrison ford story. When y friend kirby worked on regarding henry, we went to the rap party and he introduced me to harrison. We were studying with mike nichols at the time and kirby mentioned we studied together. Harrison shook his head.

I said something like "I take you dont think highly of professional actor training, mr ford".

"You don't need it" he said. "Nah. They should teach you to make funny faces. You should go to funny face making school".

Now of course whenever I see harrison ford, I notice nothing but funny faces. (Regarding henry, star wars, blade runner, indiana jones. They're chock full).

I offered the story to the cast because they should feel completely free to act wildly with facemaking. As they say, we could always dial it back.

Horn Tooting: Braly Reviews

I think we got some really good, solid reviews for LIFE IN A MARITAL INSTITUTION. We're still hoping that the Times will republish...but so it goes.

Time Out

Variety

NY Post

Blogcritics

Theaterlife

Paper Mag

Broadway World Coverage of Opening Night

Brooks "Cooks"

A piece in Variety came out yesterday. While I am a little uneasy with being pegged Mr. One-Man Man, I think it's a fairly clear assessment of the venture.

Also, a nice review of LIFE IN A MARITAL INSTITUTION came out last week in variety.

The Writer's lot

From sunday:

Its a sunny beautiful day here in utah and Dan is back at the house writing. An unenviable but necessary role for which we will all be grateful.

He's making some tremendous headway with the script. I am really impressed with how creative and fierce and dogged he is. A true talent.
Meanwhile, susie sokol and I got lost on a mountain. I suppose we could have lived on nuts and berries before eventually succombing to cannabilism.

Sunday at sundance

Just had a great brunch at the tree room here at the resort. Of course, its a beautiful wood room, with a tree in it.

Gearing up for a hike with a bunch of folks. Not sure why I have been designated the "leader" of this exhibition. But it should be fun to be with a bunch of theater folks in the wilderness.

Perhaps this is the perfect antidote to last night's karaoke party in which i was in the voyeur non-participant group. I've just told the folks at the mountain bike shop about our exploits should we get eaten by wolves.

a chat at a local bar

Thanks, Jason Zinoman for some nice words about James Braly in this past weekend's THE WEEK AHEAD section.

I think that's right - and what we've been going for. It should seem like a conversation, with James being that riveting guy at a local bar, enthralling you with the peculiarities of his life.

Only The Blog Knows Braly

I submitted a little blurb about Brooklyn for a blog, aptly called ONLY THE BLOG KNOWS BROOKLYN.

They've plugged Braly lately - and I am grateful

It's a really good Brooklyn Blog. There are more and more of 'em out there.

Open rehearsal

Last night's dress rehearsal of LIFE went well. Note to self: don't do preshow announcements. I mean, have them. Just don't go onstage and utter them if it can be avoided. One less thing to worry about...

James did well for having his first audience. He seemed to be withholding himself a little and he knows this. For the piece to fire on all cylinders he's got to have that excitement, that fire, that charm in telling this story for the first time. This effect is often generated with that charming little laugh, he felt so determined to avoid.

Anyway, tonight there is supposed to be a decent sized house. And what this piece needs now is an audience.

Hb

Open rehearsal

Last night's dress rehearsal of LIFE went well. Note to self: don't do preshow announcements. I mean, have them. Just don't go onstage and utter them if it can be avoided. One less thing to worry about...

James did well for having his first audience. He seemed to be withholding himself a little and he knows this. For the piece to fire on all cylinders he's got to have that excitement, that fire, that charm in telling this story for the first time. This effect is often generated with that charming little laugh, he felt so determined to avoid.

Anyway, tonight there is supposed to be a decent sized house. And what this piece needs now is an audience.

Hb

Life in a Marital Institution: DRESS REHEARSAL

We are having an open dress rehearsal tonight at 7:30. The show runs about 1 hr. 10 min. This'll be your only opportunity to see the show, which had a sold out run at 59E59 in Feb-March, for FREE. James is a great storyteller and quite funny.

Soho Playhouse is on Vandam Street, right near the Spring St. C/E stop...

My summer trifecta

Not sure if I've mentioned this:

After we reopen LIFE IN A MARITAL INSTITUTION at Soho Playhouse in July, I am off to my developmental summer bonanza.

It starts "on the mountain" at Sundance with Dan LeFranc's ORIGIN STORY. July 7-27.

Then its off to cape cod with Annie Baker for a week to work on NOCTURAMA at cape cod theater project. July 28-aug 1

Taking the early morning plane to LAX, to work on bill cain's play NINE CIRCLES at beloved Ojai

It's kind of miraculous that the stars have lined up thusly. I always want to work on new plays during the summer - and there's nothing better than these summer workshops for so many reasons.

Those Fellowships

No one has it easy in theater. No one. There is a constant unease and lack of control. Even the powerful producers have fragile egos and produce shows that bomb. And for a director, a freelance director, times can be particularly tough. Lean. Empty. Gulp.

There are fellowships out there designed to make life a little easier for us. Actually - that's not truly what they are designed for. They are more often than not intended to help you develop as an artist. And sometimes you can get a stipend. But mostly, I'd say without exception, they help you get to another level - both through the people you meet, the growth that you experience, as well as simply psychologically feeling that you have expanded your horizons.

There are fewer of these fellowships for directors than for writers. But they do exist.

Among them include:
The Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab
The Drama League Directors Project
NEA/TCG's Career Development Program

Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab has been in existence for about twelve years, designed and led by one of my favorite people in american theater, anne cattaneo. She's truly a visionary and a great supporter of the role of director in the theater. She designed the lab - and now - every summer, for three weeks, directors get to meet each other, work with terrific actors, meet leaders in the field, see theater, and workshop plays. Each year there is a new theme. I'd recommend the lab to any director. No - i'd recommend it to every director.

The lab of 2001 was an incredibly stimulating time for me. I had been out of the directing world for four years and hadn't immersed myself in the new york scene since I'd left to go to act aka grad school for acting.

At the lab, I workshopped valparaiso, met delillo, met great artists and friends, and was just high as a kite. There were directors from around the country and around the world, so it was just a blast. So much discussion and so many people with varying nuanced theater interests.

I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to fully immerse themselves into the theater scene in new york.

Next Post: Drama League Directors Project

Departure of Jill, the Lab Assistant

Jill MacLean, who has been the assistant to Anne Cattaneo at Lincoln Center Theater Director's Lab for FIVE YEARS is moving back to San Francisco for other pursuits. She (as well as Anne) has been a great supporter of my work and has always been very kind to me. She has done a great job, much of it largely unsung, and we directors who have been part of the Lab have been very lucky to have her in that spot.

Jill - I wish you much luck in the next chapter.

Writer's group

I met with a playwright yesterday. She's in a writer's group. That's cool. They get together to read each other's work, support each other, socialize, etc.

Is there anything like that for director's beyond the director's lab. Or the soho rep writer/directors lab? I wonder.

Is there a community of directors out there that gets together? Would directors want this?

It's obviously a different ball of wax since, well, what would we get together to do? Direct each other? No. But we could socialize, talk theater, see something.

Trouble is: we are often in our own rooms, doing our own things. So its not as easy. Still, I wonder...

Find Your Writer

So here's part one: find your writer. This is not about how to work with your playwright which is far more important, substantive and complex. Its just about finding your writer.

After the success of valparaiso by don delillo with the rude mechanicals, I was able to wrangle a number of meetings. One of which, through amy potozkin at berkeley rep, was with tim sanford of playwrights horizons.

His advice: find your writer. If you want to do new plays, look for a writer who is at your level career-wise, who is as hungry as you are, who you connect with. Start working with him or her however you can, as often as you can, any way you can.

Earn enough trust from the playwright so that you are "attached" to the material. When you meet with literary managers, pitch that writer. Offer to do a reading of a play of theirs that you like and that you have some ideas for.

Obviously, you must really connect to this writer's voice, and that's the challenge: how do you find each other?

I got lucky.

Through Delillo I met Will Eno. Will sent me a copy of Tragedy: A Tragedy. I loved it. I loved his voice and his humor. And his sensitivity. But most of all, here was a peer. Someone I see eye to eye with about theater

A few months after valparaiso's run, I did a reading of tragedy with the rude mechanicals and will and i started working together. A workshop of king: a problem play (also how I met keith reddin), another reading of tragedy, a short play of his for the rude mechanicals.

Inevitably, we kept working together - and I directed a ten-minute version of thom pain for naked angels as part of their issues project series.

I worked on several applications for grants with him. And we worked together on a new play that the rude mechanicals commissioned. Ultimately, I directed his first full fledged new york production, the flu season, which won will an oppenheimer award. And before closing night in feb of 2004, we flew ourselves to london, where nina steiger of soho theatre got us a workshop of the full length thom pain with james urbaniak.

Thom Pain was produced by soho theater, taken to the fringe, where james won best actor of the festival Soon after, daryl roth and bob boyette produced the show at the dr2 and well, you might know the rest. Or not.

The important thing is that in will, I had found my first writer. We developed a great synergy and I truly connected to his language, his humor, his pathos. And he's a great guy. We have a lot of fun together. And you want that too if you can find that.

Anyway, its a good example of finding your writer. I'd modify that slightly: find your writers. You have to, if you want to eat. But you have to start with one person.

Letter to a young director, part one

I had a nice coffee with a nice, smart young director last week. He, like so many of us, wondered what he should be doing next, how to get to that next rung. Its a darn good question.

We had a good discussion. in short, I know he's doing everything he could be doing: he's creating his own work, he is working with writers he likes, he is assisting, he is connecting with theater companies.

So, what else is a young director to do? Or in other words, what's your job when you are not actually directing a play?

I think I'll spend some time delving into this, but here are the major points I'll be exploring.

Those Fellowships
There are few things out there for the director - there's LCTDL (lincoln center theater directors lab), Drama League, TCG/NEA, etc.
When I first got back into theater, I applied to LCTDL, and I'll explain why and what that did for me, as well as give some application advice.

Directing New Plays
Tim Sanford's advice: find your writer
or my gloss on that: "Find your writers"


Interviews
The interview you have today is not for the job tomorrow. It is for the job in a year, or two, or even five.

agents
You want an agent, and you feel like you need one. But what does an agent really do for a director?

I'll spend the next couple of posts diving into this stuff. And again, it's just my advice.

As Soon As Impossible

AS SOON AS IMPOSSIBLE by Betty Shamieh.

With only two hours to rehearse, there is very little true direction that can be done. But I thought we accomplished a lot. I made subtle adjustments for our cast, who were terrific: Jamie Farr of MASH fame, Richard Masur of Risky Business fame, Brian J. Smith and Tala Ashe. Jamie is totally a sweet guy and read the older grandfather with a nice intelligence and sweetness. I was most impressed with the adjustment that Tala made from the mini-rehearsal to the performance. Yes! Richard had some nice suggestions that worked well - tiny changes of where and when (or not) to read stage directions. As Betty put it, it's great when an actor invests in an effort that way. It sets a good example for the cast as a whole.

I thought the audience responded favorably - and there were plenty of laughs and even a gasp or two. All in a days work.

It was the first time that the play had been read publicly so it was really exciting for Betty (back from Holland with chocolate in hand) and me.

Tomorrow there's a five minute excerpt to be performed.

Prod Mtg #2 - LIAMI

LIAMI = life in a marital institution

Getting our ducks in a row at Soho Playhouse. It's a bit of a bowling alley - but the acoustics are good. I sat in the back row and James could be heard very easily. Wondered if it had to do with the current set that we are rehearsing on top of.

Lucrecia and Michael have great ideas, I believe, that I think will unify the production elements. There's no sound beyond the Beck CD we play during the pre-show. Other than that, it's all James. The priority, lighting-wise, remains the same for me:
Let's light James's face, and make sure he can see the audience.

Set-wise, we are going to add some venetian blinds, which I think will help lift James out of a void, and will also create something of texture to light. Big news for all set designers: IKEA opens June 18th in red hook

Braly at Soho Playhouse

We had our first rehearsal today at the Soho Playhouse.

After talking initially with James about what's going on, we began again. What impresses me the most is how ready James is for this run. The story itself will be largely unchanged from our earlier run at 59e59 - James feels fine about cutting the mini-introduction and just getting started with the show. I think that's smart.

But what to do with the rest of the time alotted for rehearsals? Seems like we really don't need to spend the time with me and James and Lauren the stage manager. We need an audience.

Betty Shamieh's AS SOON AS IMPOSSIBLE

Cast is set for tomorrow's reading of Betty Shamieh's AS SOON AS IMPOSSIBLE.
it's part of Second Stage's New Works Festival featuring plays from the Time Warner Commissioning Program

The reading is at 3pm at Manhattan Theatre Club
Studio 2
311 W. 43rd
8th Floor

and features...

RAMSEY - Jamie Farr
DREW - Brian J. Smith
ARTHUR - Richard Masur
LEYLA - Tala Ashe

I am excited to work with Betty on this. I've worked with Richard Masur briefly on a reading (MEN OF TORTUGA), and I think it'll be a blast to work with Jamie. It's a quickie: 2 hours of rehearsal and then, wham: the presentation.

If interested, RSVP to Ryan Fogarty: rfogarty@2st.org

Paul Sills

Paul was a tremendous teacher. He was at once incredibly warm and cantankerous. He seemed to always have a bit of a blood sugar problem that would grow worse with bad improv. He seemed to just really believe in what he was doing. And he inspired me.

I loved doing improv with Paul. For some reason, I was able to both be in my head and out of it at the same time. Paul was all about focus. Find your focus. And feeling your feet. I am sure he has influenced my work a great deal - though I am not sure how exactly.

Perhaps it is simply that desire for things to be better, to be right. A certain exasperated perfectionism that resides in the process rather than the product.

He was also a big Dylan fan so we had that in common. Of course, I was a 23 year old kid when I studied with him - so I was happy to find a formidable figure like him.

When I got back from my hiatus in 2000-2001, I bumped into him - at an opera. At ps 122 I think. I don't remember the details precisely (though I think it was the daughter of someone I was tutoring who was the composer). I asked if I could observe his class. And i did. what a trip: to see him teach again ten years later. I realized just how big an impression he made - I felt I could complete every word he would say. I knew the critique he'd be making before he did so. It was joyous to watch him work.

He will be missed - but truly, his work lives on.

Scientology??? WTF

I just looked at my blog and saw google ads is feeding a SCIENTOLOGY ad.

I am not a scientologist. I don't endorse scientology.

I was going to remove google ads - but I think I understand why the ad was served. The new york times paul sills headline referred to him as a guru...

Paul Sills, a Guru of Improv Theater, Dies at 80

The New York Times
June 4, 2008
Paul Sills, a Guru of Improv Theater, Dies at 80
By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON

Paul Sills, a founder of the Second City theater company and the godfather of modern improvisational sketch comedy, died on Monday in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. He was 80.

The cause was complications of pneumonia, said his wife, Carol Sills.

As a founder and resident director of a series of small theater companies that began in bars, former bakeries and Chinese restaurants in Chicago, Mr. Sills taught an approach to theater that would later feed directly into the creation of “Saturday Night Live” and influence a range of artists including David Mamet and Richard Foreman. Under Mr. Sills’s direction, performances were based on games, audience suggestions and bare-bones scenarios, the basic building blocks of improv comedy.

Many of these techniques Mr. Sills learned from his mother, Viola Spolin, who had used them as a drama teacher with the federal Works Progress Administration from 1939 to 1941 and later codified them in her influential book “Improvisation for the Theater.”

But while Ms. Spolin, who worked closely with her son throughout his career, might have developed and refined the theater-game approach, it was Mr. Sills who spread the gospel, starting the careers of comedy giants like Mike Nichols, Elaine May, Barbara Harris, Alan Arkin and Paul Sand. While his influence spread, Mr. Sills continued to stick with the basics, moving on to his next opportunity as a teacher and director and remaining mostly obscure.

In 1968, Mr. Sills created the story theater form, in which actors on a bare stage narrate, mime, sing, dance and create plays based on existing stories from the Brothers Grimm, Ovid and others. In 1970, “Paul Sills’ Story Theater” appeared on Broadway; Clive Barnes, writing about it in The New York Times, said it brought back “magic and innocence to Broadway.”

In Jeffrey Sweet’s book “Something Wonderful Right Away: An Oral History of the Second City and The Compass Players,” Mr. Sills explained his approach this way: “Theater is concerned with reality. Reality is shared. And reality of the moment can occur only with spontaneity.”

Paul Silverberg was born in Chicago on Nov. 18, 1927. His parents separated when he was young, and he moved with his mother to a rented mansion on Lake Michigan, where she and her friends lived communally. They relocated to California in 1943, but Mr. Sills returned to Chicago to finish high school. After graduating, he was in both the merchant marine and the Army and then enrolled in the University of Chicago.

During and after college, Mr. Sills began developing his directorial skills in theaters like the Playwrights Theater Club, which he helped to create and where he staged plays by Bertolt Brecht, who strongly influenced him and whom he later met. But in 1955 he and a friend he met at the University of Chicago, David Shepherd, created the Compass Players, an improvisational cabaret theater, where they put on revues based more closely on the Spolin approach.

At the Compass, actors would speak in gibberish, perform sketches in languages they could not speak and generally create plays from scratch while an audience was watching. In 1959, after the Compass had dissolved, Mr. Sills, along with Howard Alk and Bernard Sahlins, created Second City, at which they were joined by many of the actors from the Compass.

Second City, which turns 50 next year, would go on to become a comedy mecca, performing a revue on Broadway under Mr. Sills’s direction, setting up satellite theaters in Toronto and Detroit and grooming alumni including Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Bill Murray, Mike Myers, Gilda Radner and Tina Fey.

But before Second City became ensconced in the comedy establishment, Mr. Sills had moved on, starting theater companies and teaching workshops using theater games. In 1988, Mr. Sills, Mr. Nichols and George Morrison created the New Actors Workshop in New York, where for the next 15 years Mr. Sills taught and directed productions based on the idea of story theater.

Mr. Sills spent more and more of his time in Baileys Harbor, Wis., where he lived with his wife. His survivors also include a son, David Michael; four daughters, Rachel, Polly, Aretha Amelia and Neva; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a brother, William.

In Wisconsin, Mr. Sills put on plays with a community theater group, rehearsing in a large barn and performing at local theaters and town halls. His approach to his career was not unlike his approach to theater in general.

“He always wandered away well before opening night,” Mr. Nichols said in an interview, “because he had no interest at all in results, only process.”

Yale reunion

This weekend I spent at my 20th college reunion. It was a blast..From friday at 6 until sunday at 1 it was a continuous recollection of days gone by and finding where folks have ended up.



I participated in a panel on saturday - following a panel discussion of election politics with a list of very impressive panelists/classmates. It was led by ursula burton and included screenwriter gillian horvath, actor phil lamarr, singer-songwriter julian fleisher and me.



The questioned ranged from "how did yale inform your career pursuits" to "what do you think about american idol?". I am grossly simplifying.



I felt very nervous and serious. (Not sure, have I lost my college silliness?). I imagine the single question that most threw me into a tizzy was about law school. A classmate who I took the LSATS with, who remembered my struggle, asked me if I had any regrets about not going to law school. "Mom? Mom?" I cried out, eyes closed. "What are you doing at my 20th reunion???"



I really hope I wasn't insulting, but I do believe I referred to my being a lawyer as an incredibly excruciating horrible choice for me. Only that's not at all how it came out.



"Don't have a family": 3 of the 5 panelists don't have children and one of the questions seems to have evoked ambiguous responses. I think the question was "what advice do you have about balancing a family with a life in the arts". My response was meant to mean "I don't have children. This question is not applicable" though it could easily suggest that my advice is not to have a family. That's not my advice. Have a family. Have several. I don't have children.



I felt a bit raw following the panel. I mentioned this here blog too. Perhaps its because we followed the serious election panel. Or perhaps its just really exposing to talk about life in the arts. Either way, I am proud that I was asked to do the panel. I'd do it again.



But I won't go to law school.

Lonesome Hollow redux

I don't think I've had a reading of a play after a performance before. But today i am "directing" a cold reading of lonesome hollow, by lee blessing. This is the play I directed at CATF last summer.

The whole cast is reuniting except Sheffield Chastain - who is rehearsing something else. PJ sosko is doing the reading of the role of tuck. Which just goes to show: about 3 possibly four years ago I did a "one-on-one" session, and pj was one of the actors

"One on one" is a place where actors can meet directors: actors perform a monologue, directors critique the work, and hopefully, relationships are formed. And I think you get 9 minutes.

Well - here's an instance of where one of these casting things paid off.

It'll be great to see the rest of the old gang as well: frank deal, lou sumrall, anne marie nest and andrea cirie round out the cast.

Ken weitzman

This for some reason never posted - but its from a week ago monday. May 19. My first day back from berkeley/sarasota.

+++

I went to a reading of FIRE IN THE GARDEN, ken's one man play at the Atlantic, directed by AAD christian parker. Essentially, its ken's rumination on the self-immolation of quaker norman morrison in front of the pentagon in 1965 and ken's own first year of fatherhood in the age of global climate change. Morrison committed suicide with his one year old daughter nearby.

Its good writing and very personal. Ken performed it himself. He told me about it at humana and I enjoyed reading it during my recent travels. I look forward to talking to him further about it.

Life pt 2

http://broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=28336

So - life in a marital institution opens at the end of the month - or rather, goes into preview.

I will start rehearsing with james shortly - and then, soon enough, it'll be tech.

I've a new lighting designer: lucrecia, who I am thrilled to be working with. She gets what I am going for, rather intuitively. I feel confident that adding her to the design team is a great choice.

We met with michael moore at the theater and discussed lighting an element to signify a change of place - not making james's face change, imposing an emotion on his face.

For james, the most important thing is making contact with the audience. If he can't see them, he's dead. So I feel assured that that's a priority for lucrecia.

Also discussed with michael moore the addition of some scenic element: blings? A red curtain? Something that will force james downstage, will be easy to light, and will not lead james into a void.

Soho playhouse seems like the right space.

Holy Cow, part two

Diane Paulus and I went to the New Actors Workshop here in NYC. You know this place, the one that advertises on the back of American THeater every month, with Paul Sills (Second City), Mike Nichols (um, the Graduate) and that other guy?

Well, Diane was in the first graduating class; i was in the second.

Some good news for Diane right here.

Holy Cow.

When I was re-emerging after my several years in the dotcom wilderness, Diane was the friend who I asked about getting back into theater. She offered three suggestions:
1) the fringe festival (which wasn't viable, since I really knew no one in NYC)
2) the Drama League (a fellowship, which I was later to participate in)
3) The Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab - which I applied to, got in, workshopped Delillo's Valparaiso, and I can pretty much say changed my life.

I can explain that in detail some other time...

So, thanks Diane, and Mazel Tov!

Annie Baker

Holy cow. This is cool.

I will be working with Annie this summer at Cape Cod Theater Project. And now she is a superstar.

Holy cow
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/theater/25mcge.html?_r=1&ref=theater&oref=slogin

Tony taccone

Had a nice talk with him yesterday. Needed some career/contract guidance and as always he was incredibly helpful and gave some very sage advice.

It looks like no child...has extended at berkeley rep again! What a great way to end the run.

Rode my bike

Nothing to say about theater today. I rode my bike for the first time this spring. I did ride my bike to bay ridge in january. It feels like spring. And I am back in nyc. And that's great.

Betty shamieh reading

Yesterday we read a few women to for the role of layla. Its a little unconventional to read - or audition - for a reading. But we only get two plus hours of rehearsal for a play that reads just about two hours.

It was also an opportunity to sit down with betty and get to know her better. We'd met a few years back at the 24 hour plays and she's off to holland wednesday and won't be back until two days before the reading.

Looking forward to working with her and getting our cast together.

Ming cho lee's clambake

Not at all sure why its called the clambake. But its a chance to talk to some newly graduated designers.

Sort of like going to a museum - really. Or maybe, like how I enjoy going to a museum. I started at the back and breezed through. Then I started over and drilled down, stopping and talking to the designers that most sparked me. I ran out of steam a bit and had to take a few breaks. I know a few folks who split it up over two sessions and I think I will do that in the future.

Its really hard to make a judgment based on a thesis project. So often the work just feels so theoretical. And impractical. And so often the work here in nyc is very much about how much you can do with very little. Very little in the way of resources, money, time.

Still - one of david korin's great techniques was always to ask "what is the one million dollar production. What about 100k? 10k. Ok - we've got a thousand." And thus, you ask yourself: what is essential.

I took a number of resume's and wished that I had brought my digital camera. I wrote a note or two but I think that might be the way to go.

Saw a number of fine directors there: many of this past year's drama league directors. And herskowitz and tim vasen. Also, saw mara isaacs from mccarter.

I bumped into a friend of mine who is connected to a theater here in nyc on my way out. She informed me of a reading that she pushed to have me direct - but someone else got to do it. "I believe in you", she said. Man, that made my day. I want to type that up and print it and put that in my wallet. In case I forget to do the same...

The obies

Happy to see that takeshi kata won one for adding machine. I am sure mr morfee is pleased. It seemed that they gave out fewer awards this year?

Rachel went because they gave an obie to sean. Sat near korins and carolyn cantor - who I've not seen forever.

Second real day in the city

1) Had meeting at soho playhouse where james braly's life in a marital institute is transferring. Its a great little theater, and I am pleased to be working with darren - any friend of morfee's.... Also bumped into peter lee dean from directors lab 2001. He is the td/pm there, I believe.



2) Called jimmy clarke - who ripped his tendon in florida. He seemed elated - and not from the meds: Turns out he will not need surgery. Spoke to michael edwards and marian too.



3) Spoke to meg at wma about contracts. Always fun. Glad I am not a lawyer.



4) Went to joanne tucker's birthday. I directed her in better than chocolate a year and a half ago at juilliard. She's twenty-five and I predict big things.



5) Continued and began casting processes for sundance (origin story - dan lefranc), second stage (as soon as impossible - betty shamieh), rattlestick (lonesome hollow - lee blessing) and cape cod theater project (nocturama - annie baker)



6) Met with claudia - my costume designer at dallas theater center. She and I talked about steroids, baseball and showing muscles on stage.



7) Attempting to work out cape cod and ojai. Again - there's a one day overlap. Can I get it all to work?



8) Parents want to come up and see rachel in importance of being earnest. This weekend.

Sibyl wickersheimer

Ok - that may not be how she spells her name. But she is a terrific set designer. We met maybe a year and a half ago - and we worked together in LA. She re-vamped the NO CHILD set. Very cool designer.

One day, we'll work from scratch. We met today at the grey dog cafe. I am still attempting vegetarianism and followed her lead - a huge garden salad.

We got caught up - and we discussed her set at berkeley rep. They modified her set - and shipped the whole thing up to brt from mark taper.

And we also discussed the ideal designer/director relationship: a designer and a director come up with shows to pitch. This is not so dissimilar to ann cattaneo's idea (suggested by a director) of having a designer present at rehearsals at the earliest stages

She and I are going to exchange pet plays and maybe there's one she might feel most connected to.

Still thinking PLATONOV is the magnum opus to work on.

Catastrophe in sarasota

Holy cow. I just heard from marian - the psm at asolo - that one of my actors "has ruptured his Achilles tendon. It's a 6 week recovery and we don't know yet whether he will need surgery. After he sees a surgeon we can determine if we can have him do it on crutches."

I feel terrible. Wondering what I can do for the actor from here - (just got back to nyc)

Jack fletcher

My mentor. Loved it. And I know he was genuine with his praise. His sister had been in Our Country's Good directed by tony taccone at berkeley rep maybe 15 years ago. And he just dug no child.

Of course I was moved last night: how great to see NO CHILD for my final time with my teacher and his wife. My friends.

It was a good show - and michael called it tremendously well. He remains one of the best psm's I've ever worked with. And he reveres jack as one of his favorite - and best - directors.

But jack rarely directs these days. In the 90s after I trained with him, and after I assisted him, he transitioned into voice direction and voice casting. He definitely has made a good living doing that.

But it is a shame that he hasn't directed at ACT or at berkeley rep or at the magic for sometime. Because he is so damn talented. Jack has an amazing way of connecting actors to the text, of making you feel that what you are working on is crucial. He is a genius and has an uncanny way of getting to an actor - of culling all of his experience and remembering the details of an actor - and mine those details.

While talking to rachel's father at his office - he's the head of the Cal biophysics dept - I saw a list of his lineage, dating back to the 1750s. It listed his name at the bottom, and above him his professor, and above him his professor.

So I wondered - what's my lineage. In other words, I studied with jack. Jack studied with his father allen fletcher. Allen studied with someone named betcher and someone else named aubrey. I think.

I want to trace that.

Last no child for me

Last night was a great show. Watching nilaja take her time as we see jerome arrive too late for the school play. Beautiful and right.

Tonight is the last time I will get to see nilaja perform no child. I am sad, relieved, overjoyed. And its made all the better that my mentor, jack fletcher, gets to see the show tonight. Jack is the reason I am a director - and I aspire to be as devoted and passionate and SMART as jack is.

Ready to watch.

...And then

Upcoming:

1) Yale college reunion may 30-june 1
2) Reading of lonesome hollow by lee blessing at rattlestick june 3
3) Reading of betty shamieh's play at second stage june 9
4) TRANSFER of james braly's LIFE IN A MARITAL INSTITUTION to soho playhouse. Tech: june 23.
5) Casting of dan le franc's origin story for sundance july 7-july 27
6) Casting of annie baker's NOCTURAMA for cape cod theater project july 28-aug 2
7) Ojai? Here's hoping I can make that work aug 2 - aug 11

The days ahead

I head back to nyc on sunday, may 18. I went back april 18-20 but have been gone since march 28 - when I went to humana. That's a long time.

In the days ahead here in berkeley there a couple of exciting things happening. Looking forward to catching up further with tony t - who I assisted 14 yrs back on caucasian chalk circle; les waters comes back from ART and I am hoping to meet up saturday; catchingup further with amy potozkin. She got me my first two jobs in theater, way back when.

Tonight old roommate keith and his wife will attend no child. I suspect the review will bolster sales. Or at least, that's how its supposed to work. Tomorrow the botchans are throwing a brunch. Leo and megan from bolinas to attend.

Freakin hot

A heat wave in berkeley, and I am schvitzing.

I love it here. If I could find that right job, I'd stay here. Why? Great place to live, great environment for creating challenging work, discerning audience. And its beautiful.

I've had a number of meetings with talented folks thus far. Might not be able to meet with old friend ryan rillette and that would bum me out.

Thus far, I've chatted with pink pasdar at act, melissa smith who runs the conservatory, beloved actor joaquin torres, madeleine oldham - lit manager of berkeley rep, lila neugebauer - soon to be force of all of american theater, amy potozkin, artistic associate and casting director and just one of my favorite people on the planet.

Tomorrow its tony taccone, and susie falk. And hopefully I manage to connect with amy mueller of bapf as well. Saw carey perloff briefly while at act yesterday, too.

Today's student matinee was great - really smart, disciplined, interested students. They asked spot-on complex questions, and I truly believe this will make nilaja a happy happy women.

This feels like the perfect place to end the tour. And I am full of mixed emotions about its ending: proud, relieved, touched that it has lasted two years.

Time for some iced coffee at

The little man

One of the peculiarities of the san francisco chronicle is that it manages to avoid a star rating system. Instead, it has the "little man" in the chair. If he loves the show, he is standing in the chair clapping enthusiastically. If he likes the show, he sits clapping. If he is ok with the show, he sits looking straight ahead, not clapping. He can also be asleep, or non-existent: he has left the theater.

Happy to report that he is standing on the chair, clapping enthusiastically.

http://feeds.sfgate.com/~r/sfgate/rss/feeds/entertainment/~3/290523836/article.cgi

Opening night

The show opened well. And man, there seemed to be a lot of press. Nilaja has adjusted perfectly to the 3/4 thrust.

I sat next to tony which was a lot of fun. It was his second time seeing the show - and I look forward to meeting with him on friday. He and I can relate on the one-person show blessing/curse/pigeon holing.

There was a reception prior to the show for the alameda county educators and a champagne toast afterwards. Nilaja wore her lucky red dress.

Not sure whose idea it was to have a talkback on opening night. Nilaja agreed to do it. I agreed to do it too. And I will do another one on thursday, but I gotta say, the audience of educators really doesn't want to hear from me. And that's ok.

No child - first preview

Playing it in 3/4 has been a challenge to nilaja. She just hates to ever have her back to a single audience member. But there are 400 seats - and quite frankly - because it is a strangely configured place there are times where it will be unavoidable to block a few folks.

From my perspective, it seemed that the folks on house left were less reactive, reacting less. But they were completely attentive and I think incredibly focused. It may be that wherever I sit is wherre the reactions are, and that in the other spots its a bit quieter. But marc disagrees. He felt it was just as responsive where he was sitting.

Michael suenkel called a remarkable first show. He remains one of my favorite stage managers of all time. When I assisted tony taccone in 94 on caucasian chalk circle, he was psm. I remember how incredibly organized, precise, and focused he was. So great to be here. Also, nice to see will eno's TRAGEDY: A tragedy all over the place. Its one of my favorite plays and one that we did two readings of.

Now its off to san francisco for some HOUSE OF NANKING, city lights books, and vesuvios.

Berkeley rep

No child... Finale!

Nilaja has her last gig starting tonight. Yesterday was our 5 hour 30 min rehearsal. Its a strange confusing asymmetrical space but I have no doubt nilaja will master it. Its a thrust. an odd thrust but a thrust and marc barton and I agree that their is really not a bad seat in the house.

As I said to tony taccone, with all due respect to all the other cities, berkeley rep is THE place where I felt NO CHILD belonged.

I am thrilled to be back here: one of my first jobs was assisting tony taccone on caucasian chalk circle back in 1994.

Opening night oy

The first scene was humming along. In the dark, waiting for the drawbridge to come down, I heard nothing. And then a crack. House lights came on and the actors left the stage. Marian came out and addressed the audience. We took a twenty minute intermission in a play that has none. I was pretty bummed - but I was pretty proud of the performance considering. And there is not a thing I'd have changed about the design. The td believes he's solved the problem.

Oddly enough, I had an inkling of a premonition. though given that the show has firearms I am relieved that the bridge not coming down was the extent of the debacle.

The audience seemed to dig it. I can only imagine what their reaction might have been had the second scene opened without a hitch.

Ah well.

Day three of lady tech

Tough to write about tech. Spent the first part of the day trying to get the right kind of sidelighting for the first scene. I think we've accomplished something.

Pooped

I never can write during tech, but here goes. Got off to a rough start. I decided to restage the fight at the end of scene two as I wanted it to cover more ground and I felt that, well, one of the actors might hurt himself - he's got a bad knee. So this new one is standing and covers the stage. I think actors tend to get a little finicky at this point in the process - they know for a little while anyway, the focus is going to be lights, sound and costumes and not the acting. So - I wasn't surprised by the finickiness - but at the same time, I just didn't really want to hear it. Oh well.

And then there were gunshots. Which of course terrify me. We are being safe but come on. These are working firearms! Everyone seems cool about it. Cool, alert and prepared but there's nothing I can say except the presence of these guns makes me abit nervous.

Then the lights: they haven't been completely hung and focused which is scary. Joe is trying to match the abstracted set - and started out by going very naturalistic which wasn't really working.

Sets sound and costumes are in goof shape. The tricky bit will be lowering the bridge which ways a ton. Its on a winch now so I am assured it will get lowered easily. I am praying.

I've loved working with andromache. She's great: so smart, positive and a joy to be around. I am glad we got this one to work out!

We staged all of act one. We will pick things up at the top of act two and work through the transition when we can - as soon as the bridge is in place.

Right before tech

Origin Story

Off to sundance in july! With dan lefranc's ORIGIN STORY. Its a mysterious, complex comic book-style play about a superhero (or a super antihero) called pronoun. I am psyched as hell to be working on this with dan. Adam greenfield will be our dramaturg.

I went to the comic book shop on wed to pick up a few titles: a few deadman, and a new spidey and a new daredevil. I have a feeling I will be going in pretty deep. Also, have picked up scott (?) Mccloud's seminal work UNDERSTANDING COMICS.

Also, first offer is out there. Let us pray.

An audience?

We got some nice work today in the car museum - we are rehearsing in the auxiliary rehearsal hall which is part of an antique car museum. The conditions are not ideal - but hey, in nyc we are used to far more.

My concerns from yesterday which mostly consisted of "are we where we're supposed to be?" in the process seem unfounded. The guys have really bore down (beared down? Borne down?) And are, I feel, really making nice connections. It is really a play about three friends - so when these guys are just there being present with each other, the play really shines. Ah - the lesson of acting less

Andromache arrives monday. Joe the lighting designer saw a second runthrough today and I am grateful.

I worry a little about energy. With one rehearsal left itd be great to have a smooth energized run on sunday. Meanwhile, I am on a beach. All true.

What happened to my blog

Or "what happened to my blogging?"

Well, gentle readers, I've been seduced by the sunshine here in florida and I apologize. I will do my darndest as we head into to tech to catch you up on what's going on here at asolo.

I've three more rehearsals left - and michael edwards came to a runthru on saturday. I've been implementing many of his notes. As you may recall, I assisted michael way back when - during the drama league fellowship. I put in AMADEUS for him down at norfolk's virginia stage and that remains a lovely memory and great experience.

Michael has a great way of telling story: both connecting the actors to the tech as well as depicting the visual elements to tell the story. So - in short - I trust the guy.

I'd say his main critique was making sure one of the actors played the reality of the circumstances and wasn't commenting. Its something I'd been working on, so it was good to hear confirmation that I was on the right track. also I think having the artistic director give me notes was a nice jolt for the actors. They trust michael too and I am sure they have a good sense of where his notes were coming from

Its clear to me that the last quarter of the play needs work. It seems, under rehearsed. The transitions are vague.

Three rehearsals left. Andromache arrives monday.

First stumble through of act II

SPOILER ALERT: The guys did great. Much smoother than I would have suspected. The hardest part seems to me to be sustaining the action before lady's death. There are about four or five pages at the top of the act, after lady's been shot and before kenny puts her down. I think today david b (kenny) came in with the right energy - and really got into the manic, frenzied energy required to get us through.

I am pushing jimmy to be more presidential, to be more grounded the way a politician might deliver a speech. I want his political speeches to be very much about lifting himself up, and building himself up. Right now, they feel somewhat defensive - which weakens his position. Physically, I want him to move less when he speaks - as I feel that will help raise his status.

Doug is getting into some nice terrain - and seems to really get this guy. I feel like they are all really in tune with each other, having worked in rep with each other for years.

I saw michael edwards - the ad - today and he will come by this weekend.

I am hoping to see some of the costumes tomorrow. As I know nothing about hunting, I am hopeful that we are well suited, but not too well suited.

Sarasota day one

My schedule here is going to take getting used to. Asolo Rep is of course a repertory company, so the folks in my cast, david, doug and jimmy, are in other shows. So my rehearsal schedule revolves around their performance schedule. Indeed.

So, for example, I had day one of rehearsals friday from 12-6. But don't have rehearsal again until 630 tonight. I am not complaining, it just means that we are going to have to be on our game and swiftly.

Had a production mtg, followed by a meet-and-greet, at which I felt a little like obama going along a receiving line, shaking hands with the folks who run this place.

I assisted michael some years ago on amadeus in syracuse and norfolk. I am grateful that he brought me down here.

So - the first rehearsal. We read the script then did table work on act one. I've decided to add a dog to the top of scene 1. We'll see if its viable.

Lido beach

Or close enough. I am in sarasota, about to get started with craig wright's lady. Rehearsals begin on friday and I am fortunate to have a few days to unwind and prepare.

I've a car, a bike that works, a gym and a pool near the theater and proximity to the beach. I will be a happy camper. Still, nothing quite satisfies as much as human contact

Looking forward to meeting the cast - I just met the stage manager this afternoon. Its a bizarro schedule - several days on followed by several days off. Its probably the same as having 3 weeks.

It was great to see michael edwards who I assisted long ago during the drama league days. This seems like a perfect fit for him. The whole operation has a sort of elegance to it befitting his sensibilities.

But for now, the beach beckons.

Post-humana

I've got the post-humana blues. I'll admit. When Sharr and I were there two years ago, it was as if someone was shouting "its your birthday! Happy Birthday!" all the time. Particularly for the writer since its truly a writer's festival. But when you leave - there's a bit of melancholy. The party is over, and on to the next.
In an odd way, I think that's still true even if you just go down to visit. When's the next time I'm gonna see Ed Sobel, one of the great folks of american theater? When will I get to hang for three days straight with the folks at p73 even though we live in the same city? The party held after the gala by larry shuman (sp?) And hosted by christie evangelisto has grown into an annual shindig that is unparalleled in its density of theatricians. Or so I like to imagine.

And louisville: its got an odd charm - there is lifesize wax statue of colonel sanders holding a bucket of kfc at the visitors center. There's the louisville slugger museum. There's the more or less empty downtown and its environs. There is butchertown which smells fetid when it gets warm. There's the brisket smelling galt house. The fourth street live (they've got a tgifridays AND a maker's mark restaurant. And there is good ol actors theater of louisville. Which the locals call "actors".

And now each year in this town with its convention-based economy there's the mary kay convention. This year was also a truckers convention and the cheerleading competition.

Charming. And many are hungover.

Humana 2008

On my way to asolo rep in sarasota. But first a quick report of the humana festival:

A really solid weekend, but truly the best part of the weekend is getting to be in the midst of cool, likeminded friends. You definitely feel that you are surrounded by peers all weekend and that's an unusual thing - since most of the non-humana time of the year, you're working on an individual play or at your own insulated theater.

Disappointingly, I did not get to see Lee's play, great falls but managed to see the rest. I love lee and had a great time working on Lonesome Hollow last year at CATF. I'd be thrilled to work with him again, and hope to read this one.

First play I saw was Becky Shaw with girlfriend rachel's great friend mia and a wonderful cast. David wilson barnes's portrayal of max may have been my favorite at the fest. I thought it was good, mean, delicious nasty fun. Terrific direction from Peter DuBois

I really was entranced by This Beautiful City from the civilians too. (emily ackerman's voice and marsha stephanie blake's preacher speech were not far behind David Wilson Barnes's performance - see above).I know folk said it was too long - and it may be - but I also know that they'll have another year or two to develop it. It will be grand. And it was great to see brad heberlee shine onstage in various roles. Ian brennan is also a crackup.

Kip's work on neighborhood 3 was solid - I saw the show with a bunch of folks at 10am - and that's just crazy. Its about folks getting caught up - literally - in a video game. Thought his set - not sure who designed - was pretty and smart - felt like tetris or rubik's cube pieces.

The mensch - I am a huge fan of carly's and it was great to see her work staged on such a huge showcase of her work. I did a reading of ALL HAIL HURRICANE GORDO at ars nova last year and I was thrilled that she had the opportunity to go to Humana. I think Sean's production was a good demonstration of her intelligence, quirkiness, and humanity. The audience seemed to dig it and I hope it gets a continued life - I know that cleveland playhouse is doing it next. Go menschy!

Michael garces directed a hiphop solo performance piece complete with dance and video doc. The guy - marc bamuthi joseph - is a great performer/dancer/choreographer and I think the audience for the most part connected. I don't think the piece doesn't needed the video/doc that projections.

I've been to Humana three years now. The first was when I directed sharr white's six years. Last year was my first time as a tourist and it was cool. No pressure. Just coming back for fun. Hitting the old stomping grounds: Freddie's dive bar and The Evangelisto Annual Party.

This year a few other tcg/nea recipients went down. I stayed with davis at the brisket smelling galt house. And it was actually pretty darn nice

More to follow, including about the Apprentice show and the ten minute plays.

Louisville

Flying down this morning. Very excited. Its simply the best new play festival in american theater every year. I had the fortune of directing my friend sharr white's play SIX YEARS two humana festivals ago. And that was a great, growing experience for me.

Excited to see the civilians, hurrican gordo and lee's play. And just as eager to see all my theater friends from around the country.

Will I be able to resist consuming maker's mark? Should I resist?

Chay yew and ssdc

I participated last night in a one hour chat with aspiring directors. It was a reminder of just how uphill a battle directing can be. So many of the questions had to do with the obtacles, the hurdles that are inherent in our pursuit. So it was particularly refreshing to hear Chay talk about how he invests in the people and the project at hand. I got the feeling that he would definitely pass on the high paying lort a gig if it meant working on something he was not interested in, with folks who made him miserable. Life's too short and there's really no value in hitting your head repeatedly against the wall.

I talked about making 6 figures in my last dotcom job at earthnoise and crying in the shower my FIRST day of work, keenly aware that I no longer had any clue who I was or what I was doing. So I need to remind myself about that from time to time and realize how great things are going. They are!

Nilaja is playing to sold out shows in LA. I had a nice run with Braly at 59e59. I have a reading on monday with kara manning, princess grace winner. Its all going very very well.

And jojo got the gig at vermont! I don't know if its her first paying gig - but I am pleased that she'll be working in weston. Have a sausage for me, jojo.

Yesterday I had the pleasure to meet with the terrifically talented annie baker. Her play INSOMNIA is set in vermont and we had a chat about many things: LA, shabbat services, and the difficulty of casting. She is in the throes of casting her show at the atlantic. Anyway, she's great and am really glad we met up. I look forward to many more talks with her, both subtantive playwise, as well as fun.

She interviewed for a job working on the OED! And we had a nice discussion of the misuse of non-plussed. How do smart people use it to mean "unimpressed"? When did that happen?

Trista

Had a great time working with playwright trista baldwin the past two days. She's an excellent playwright and a great soul. I think she made some masterful changes to her play during the workshop.

Polly Carl had to double as actress for one of the days - an actress got the schedule wrong. But otherwise, all went without a hitch.

Its heavy material though not without humor.

Forgetting

Arrived in minneapolis at around 12 and started the workshop at 1. Sort of. One of the actors didn't show, so polly, the artistic director and dramaturg, sat in.

We got some good work done, until our brains began dissolving at 530. Then we took a break and reconvened at 730. We worked until 930. And now, we'll be back at 930 for a few hours. Presentation is at 7.
(And my flight to la is at 7 am tomorrow!).

It was great working with trista. The material is difficult - three women (or three version of a woman) dealing/coping with the suicide of a brother. Its intense and moving and oddly funny at times. Her writing is really rich - we met when I fell in love with a short play that she wrote for mark armstrong's production company.

So far so good. We are very compatible and I can tell that we both have questions about the same moments.

Really glad I came out to mn. You cannot believe the guthrie. Its enormous. Looks somewhat like I imagine a theater complex on star trek might look.

Madame walker and being thom pain

So - the show went on without a hitch. Nilaja heard me call go a few times. This was my first time having to stage manage a show and well, it wouldn't bug me if it were the last. Still - probably something every director should do. Like act.

Last time acted was the 10 minute version of thom pain 5 years ago already. Urbaniak had to fly for an audition of a show called come to papa and I went on. I put on the black suit and had some index cards with the text on them. I was terrified - but did ok. In attendance, oddly enough: friends dan and paul, then-girlfriend eve, sharr white, will, keith reddin, and current producer anna becker. A number of other people have mentioned to me over the years that they attended. Bizarre.

It was a good experience and probably one I should have again.

Back to madam walker: it was a huge house (seats 900) and they had about 125 in attendance. Nilaja loved the crowd, and they her. You could tell that the cursing freaked them out. Still - it was certainly well received but it impressed upon just how crucial mark bartons lighting design is: it doesn't force you to feel, but reinforces what nilaja's characters are feeling. It also places the scene so simply and elegantly. He's damn smart.

Off now to minneapolis for trista's forgetting.

Madame walker

I am in indianapolis at the madame walker theater. She was the first black woman millionaire. True.

The theater is old school. It has about as many instruments as my elementary school. And there's no stage manager. Or lighting designer. Or sound designer. Just me, nilaja and a guy named thomas and a guy named william.

We've outfitted nilaja with a lavalier and I think she'll be able to fill this house just fine. It seats 1000 tho we don't think there'll be more than 450.

Now its time to go back to the airport motel.

All in a day's work.

The whirlwind

Today is the final day of the workshop of nathan wright's peninsula. He's made a number of refreshing changes and there are more for todays reading. Here's hoping the cast doesn't get overwhelmed.

Then the whirlwind begins:
I am in indianapolis for a one-off of no child tomorrow.

Sunday I am off to a workshop of forgetting by trista baldwin at the playwrights center

Then tues I fly to los angeles for our run at the taper.

In addition, I hope I get to have some decent meetings set up for tcg.

And itd be nice to relax.

The laugh

Braly has this great ability to laugh at himself and his situation. And it is infectious. Plus, it helps animate him.

Last night, however, he laughed too much and in the wrong spots. it was the equivalent of someone coughing on the verbs. Or stealing focus and always on the punchlines.

Consequently, he robbed us of the ability to laugh. We were amused but never free to laugh.

I won't likely get to see the show again but who knows? Maybe I will fly out from LA day or two early.

Braly review

Yep. It's a good one...

Thanks, Neil Genzlinger for understanding...

Nathan wright's peninsula

I've been working all week with columbia mfa playwright nathan wright on his play peninsula.

Braly up and running

I think he's doing great. Let's hope he is doing great tonight. I am not watching for the first time since we got up and running. And I had some friends check out the show. I am hopeful that everyone had a good time.

Meanwhile, I had dinner tonight with john o'boyle and ari roth. We're talking about working on his play - love and yearning. In the not for profits and the annals of higher learning. I met with ari last month while in dc and then again a little later. I dig the play and his writing and I will be very psyched to continue to develop it.

John is very impressive. A smart guy. Clearly passionate about the theater. He's got a huge advantage over other producers in that he has experience in another business: commercial real estate. This allows him to make parallels to the theater business. And decide if investing in a show makes any sense.

And off broadway is tough.

Just ask scott morfee who got another rave review from isherwood today for adding machine a musical.

Braly fourth preview

We've arrived.

I think the show is in great shape and I am really proud of the work we've done.

The looks of the individual scenes all seem extremely differentiated and the flow seems smooth.

James and I worked on a new intro (including info about him having been in a psych ward, etc) but in the end, we just kept it as it had been for preview three.

Last night was definitely the best of all the nights and well, I feel a huge sense of relief and pleasure.

We've been working on this puppy for almost a year and a half. And I think people will dig it.

Third preview - braly

James is really coming into his own. He is really relaxed up there. We've refined the opening so that he is just talking to the audience, saying hi, in effect relaxing himself - easing into his relationship with the audience. I do very much love the reaction to the tale of the placenta.

Technically, I feel that we are close. Each of the stories should have its own identifying look and I guess its getting there. I like how we've outlined the hospice.

Somehow the spotlight cue got captured in a cue and then persisted throughout the first 15 minutes. I was so puzzled that it was pretty hard for me to focus those early minutes. James was thrown - as he is supposed to come out in darkness and did not. He recovered quickly and didn't notice the strangeness of the lights.

Ah - its so hard sometimes. You spend hours and hours making something look crisp and then in an instant it's gone.

Ah the ephemeral nature of il teatro.