Thursday, January 31
No child in los angeles
If you're gonna be in los angeles in march, check out no child. My sister-in-law's folks are gonna throw a party at the theater after the march 8, 2pm performance. The reception will be at one of the rehearsal rooms. Very cool!
Wednesday, January 30
"Scarily similar"
Ok - totally embarrassed. In quote about my taste in plays with woolly. . It should have read "scarily similar". Not "barely similar". Sheesh. I've fired my assistant...
This is why this blogging wigs me out.
DC meetings
The great part about my NEA/TCG grant which is not a grant but for which I am a recipient, is that it allows me to spend extra time at each city we visit meeting folks, discussing their careers, their theaters, new plays, etc.
Had great meetings throughout including with:
David Dower at Arena
Michael Kahn at Shakespeare Theater
Ari Roth at Theater J
Joy Zinoman at Studio Theater
And the crew at Woolly
Howard Shalwitz, Artistic Director
Elissa who has a difficult to spell last name Goetschius, Literary Manager
Miriam Weisfeld, Dramaturg
Woolly mission is "edgy, challenging, thought-provoking" (mostly new) plays, and howard and I have a scarily similar taste in plays...hope to work there again sometime...
Had great meetings throughout including with:
David Dower at Arena
Michael Kahn at Shakespeare Theater
Ari Roth at Theater J
Joy Zinoman at Studio Theater
And the crew at Woolly
Howard Shalwitz, Artistic Director
Elissa who has a difficult to spell last name Goetschius, Literary Manager
Miriam Weisfeld, Dramaturg
Woolly mission is "edgy, challenging, thought-provoking" (mostly new) plays, and howard and I have a scarily similar taste in plays...hope to work there again sometime...
Woolly: No Child Reviews
Or 'review', anyway...
Here is the washpost's
Hope it opens for ya.
The toughest part of the show down there was getting the sound and the set right. Eventually, the painting job nicely approximated the paint job at the beckett. It's tricky: you know how nyc subways are still depicted as covered with graffiti? As if it is still 1977? Similarly, there is a misconception about the NYC schools as being decimated, just bombed out wrecks... And that's not true - they are beaten down, but they are kept up (Hence, the importance of the conclusion of the janitor's history lesson). Luckily, the set designer down there, understood the point and I think we have a lot to be proud of...
Here is the washpost's
Hope it opens for ya.
The toughest part of the show down there was getting the sound and the set right. Eventually, the painting job nicely approximated the paint job at the beckett. It's tricky: you know how nyc subways are still depicted as covered with graffiti? As if it is still 1977? Similarly, there is a misconception about the NYC schools as being decimated, just bombed out wrecks... And that's not true - they are beaten down, but they are kept up (Hence, the importance of the conclusion of the janitor's history lesson). Luckily, the set designer down there, understood the point and I think we have a lot to be proud of...
Braly redux
Back to Braly: I will be working at 59E59 next month as well, on James Braly's LIFE IN A MARITAL INSTITUTION. We've met a few times before i left for DC and James left for Florida. Mostly, we've been discussing the script.
Since the title is Life in a Marital Institution, then I believe that each story and each transition must connect to that point. What is life like with Susan? And why does James stay in it? The strength of the play (if it is a play) to me is that James indicts himself...it's not some guy pulling on his tie saying "My wife is SOOOO crazy..." That's what will be doing the next two days. Simply put: we'll be hitting the books.
What else? I've learned that the folks at 59E59 don't want us to perform in cabaret-style. Not sure why not. So we'll likely be doing the show in a more theatrical, formal setup. As far as I am concerned, I prefer the cabaret setup because it, I think, we'll best help connect James to the audience. And that in turn, will make the audience more relaxed. I liked the idea of the show as a date night, with tables and drinks...
James is a gifted, no, expert storyteller - and the job at hand is making sure he crosses the great divide between performer's space and viewer's. One thing that I think will help him most is the lighting. We argued a bit in Edinburgh when he really wanted the audience lit so he could see them - but it was grim, almost fluorescent, lighting. Had we raised it any hotter, the audience would have felt violated. I am certain.
But here - there is less divide between James and the house, and I think it will be easier to control the lighting...
Since the title is Life in a Marital Institution, then I believe that each story and each transition must connect to that point. What is life like with Susan? And why does James stay in it? The strength of the play (if it is a play) to me is that James indicts himself...it's not some guy pulling on his tie saying "My wife is SOOOO crazy..." That's what will be doing the next two days. Simply put: we'll be hitting the books.
What else? I've learned that the folks at 59E59 don't want us to perform in cabaret-style. Not sure why not. So we'll likely be doing the show in a more theatrical, formal setup. As far as I am concerned, I prefer the cabaret setup because it, I think, we'll best help connect James to the audience. And that in turn, will make the audience more relaxed. I liked the idea of the show as a date night, with tables and drinks...
James is a gifted, no, expert storyteller - and the job at hand is making sure he crosses the great divide between performer's space and viewer's. One thing that I think will help him most is the lighting. We argued a bit in Edinburgh when he really wanted the audience lit so he could see them - but it was grim, almost fluorescent, lighting. Had we raised it any hotter, the audience would have felt violated. I am certain.
But here - there is less divide between James and the house, and I think it will be easier to control the lighting...
Back to Widows
Excited to see the show tonight. I haven't seen it for almost two weeks. I wonder what it will look like. The only empirical evidence a director has once his show opens is the performance report, specifically the running time and the house count. Usually, you'll rely on the opinion of the stage manager, and fortunately, Samone (yes, that's how she spells it) really gets what I was going for. So - it looks like there have been a lot of good shows.
I can see that the running time of the first act has been trimmed by 2 minutes - which means it's running smoothly. And the houses have been good.
Only 5 shows remain. Wed - Thurs - Fri - Sat - Sun.
Will my folks come? Dunno...
Also, I am wondering how the reviews have affected the performances. I will get into the reviews in detail once the show closes. Similarly, I wonder how the reviews will affect my perception of the show.
More tonight...
I can see that the running time of the first act has been trimmed by 2 minutes - which means it's running smoothly. And the houses have been good.
Only 5 shows remain. Wed - Thurs - Fri - Sat - Sun.
Will my folks come? Dunno...
Also, I am wondering how the reviews have affected the performances. I will get into the reviews in detail once the show closes. Similarly, I wonder how the reviews will affect my perception of the show.
More tonight...
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