31 posts tagged “theater”
The reviews are in and it appears that we pulled it off!
Time Out enjoyed us. Though I'm still trying to figure out what he means by "unexpectedly winning". Did he see my name on the cast list just assume that I was going to be my usual, expectedly loosing self? Maybe he means the character? I'm not going to give it too much thought though. It's the sort of thing that can keep you awake nights.
The Reader had nice things to say as well. As did New City.
The one naysayer in the batch was the Loyola Phoenix. Even though it's a bad review of the show, it is some fine collegiate writing. It is also obvious that this particular "critic" has a very strict vision of what theater is and how it is to be performed. I don't want to spoil it for you, but I promise, you won't be disappointed.
Of course, if you'd like to form your own opinion there's still plenty of time. We don't close until December 22nd. (There are no shows next week for Thanksgiving.)
Spukt opened on Friday to lots of laughter and applause. Two sounds that are most welcome at a comedy.
I'm very relieved that the show is open and we're no longer tinkering with the script. Or, well, um, at least not massive chunks of it. There are still lines and moments here and there that get discussed after every show. But I'm sure that will settle down soon and we'll get into a nice rhythm. Knock on wood.
Friday night was our first night with full costumes and tech and whatnot and, of course, we had five reviewers in the house. It was a sold out show, with lots of friends, so that helped. They laughed in all the right places and even applauded a few moments that were particularly inspired. Seriously, it's worth the admission price just to see David Kodeski milk every possible second out of Napoleon's death scene.
But if you're not into super-glazed ham on your stage, perhaps I can tempt you with a little fox.
There's a lot to be entertained by in this show. A little something for everyone. I add plenty of ham and cheese to the offerring. While Diana Slickman, Guy Massey, David Kodeski and Rachel Claff do yoeman's work wringing out the funny from just about every possible moment.
Come see it, won't you? And then stick around and let me know what you thought about it. I'm really interested to know what this show looks like, having no director and all.
The show I've been rehearsing, Spukt, opens next week. At least that's the plan. To say that this show has been "troubled" would be putting it mildly. When I came aboard in July the script had already gone through a few revisions and between that day and this there have been many, many more. It's as if the script were one of those zen, sand gardens and we keep moving shit around to see how it looks. Last night even, we were cutting lines and adding new ones. No wonder I'm having trouble getting off book.
Don't get me wrong, it's been an enjoyable time for the most part. I've thoroughly enjoyed my fellow castmates and can't remember a rehearsal process where I've laughed as much. At times I've felt like we were only there to crack each other up. I wish every show could be this much fun.
Where things tend to get a little dicey is during those rehearsals when we have "outside eyes". You see, Theater Oobleck doesn't use a director, so most of the rehearsals have been us five actors running through the scenes and doing our thing. We give each other notes, discuss certain parts here and there and keep going. But once we get to a certain point in the process, it helps to have someone not so closely involved watch the rehearsals and give us a little feedback. Or so the theory goes.
But it's hard not to get defensive about these well-intentioned notes. After all, some of these people have never even read the show and are seeing it for the first time. How dare they give me a note about what my character does or does not want. Also, without having a "leader", aka director, it feels like you should take every note that comes your way, which can be confusing, especially when two people see the same moment from different angles. You have to learn to pick and choose. Or completely ignore.
In the end, though, I hope we've created an entertaining evening of theater. There will be live music. (I have two brief moments of singing.) Lots of running around. And, hopefully, lots of laughter. There's a small blurb about us in the upcoming issue of American Theater Magazine (with a photo of yours truly.)
We open at the Viaduct next Friday, November 9. If you'd like to come to a preview Wednesday or Thursday (and be an Outside Eye.) let me know and I'll give you the details. $12 dollar suggested donation "More if you got it, free if you're broke." You can't beat that. So come on out and see what we've been working on. I'd love to hear what you think of it.
You can see this show for free on Sunday if you're an industry type. Just get to the Cultural Center by 2:45 and say "Industry" when you get to the box office. And then prepare yourself for a show unlike anything you've ever seen before. Well, unless you see a lot of Dada-ist theater. It's a very enjoyable, entertaining, magical show. And it's free this Sunday. Go.
I know I've mentioned the play I'm in right now, Dream a Little Dream. It's part of the Rhino Fest over at Prop Thtr. Monday nights at 9pm. But just in case you're on the fence about whether or not you want to attend, let me offer you a little incentive.
I checked out a rehearsal for WNEP's next DADA show, Blinde Essel Hopse (Blind Donkey Hopscotch), on Saturday. I've never seen a DADA show before, so I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting in to. I'm not going to "review" it because I was taking pictures and when I'm behind the camera I tend to tune everything else out. So while I can tell you that the show looks really cool, I don't think I could do it justice trying to tell you what it's about. Never the less, if the images are any indication, you need to get your kiester to the Cultural Center this Friday night.
I know you are all dying to know what happened next in my thrilling tale of adventures in Iowa. I promise I haven't forgotten. I've just been busy. Too busy to blog? Well, maybe not. But it's not something that's made it onto the "To Do" list lately.
What have I been up to? You ask. Well, let me tell you.
I've been rehearsing a show called Dream a Little Dream which opened Monday night at the Prop Thtr. It's produced by WNEP and is part of The Rhino Fest. We'll be performing on Monday nights at 9pm through September 24. So if you're sitting around, thinking nothing very fun happens on Mondays, come check out the show. It's only an hour long and I know you'll be entertained. Plus, admission is $15 or pay what you can. You can't beat that. Oh, and at one point I dress up as Princess Leia. That's worth $15 alone.
I've also been working on a television pilot with my friend Jason Headley. Jason and I went to college together and hosted our own radio show called Goodnight. It was in the midnight to 3am slot, which meant that we had about two listeners. I'll have to see if Jason has any of the shows as MP3 files and maybe I'll be able to post one on here for your amusement. It was a pretty damn good show. Most nights. At any rate, we decided to see if we could recapture the magic and write something with a little more substance and that led us to the pilot. We're shooting for that Northern Exposure/Ed feel and I think we're doing a pretty good job so far. We've written two episodes and we're talking about doing one more so that we have a nice little package to present the powers that be. I'll write more about it later. And I'm sure I'll be hitting some of you up for your opinion on it. So get your red pens ready.
Speaking of television pilots, I received an email from Dan O'Day yesterday saying that Ken Levine's Sitcom Room is gearing up for another run. I attended it in July, after much wailing and nashing of teeth, and it was well worth the price of admission. If you're thinking about getting into tv writing I highly recommend checking it out. There's nothing else out there like it and it's run by one of the true masters of the field. You can sign up to be on the "alert list" here and Ken will contact you with more information.
While I'm on the pimpin' wagon...
I'm still offerring headshot packages for cheap. Like $100. So if you or someone you know has been talking about getting some new shots, let me know and we'll get you taken care of.
Joe Janes is running a sketch writing workshop called RoboWriters, every Thursday night at 6:30 in the Uptown Writer's Space. It's only $5. Joe teaches at Second City and Columbia College and gives excellent feedback. The dude knows sketch. So, if you're working on a sketch show or just want to improve your skills, this is workshop is soooo worth your time. I've only managed to make it a couple of times, but I plan on getting there every chance I can.
Go see The Fugue. It's part of Theater Momentum's show at The Theater Building on Wednesday nights. It's an evening of improv, three thirty minute shows, that were created at the Work(shop) in Progress. It's improv, so there's as many misses as there are hits, but the forms are worth checking out. Don Hall directed The Fugue, which follows the form of a musical fugue, and I can honestly say I've never seen an improvised show like it before. It was a little slow going at first, but once all the balls were in the air it was very entertaining. I also really enjoy '97 Bulldogs.
All right. That's enough advertising for one day. I'll try to finish my story about the fair soon. And by "soon" I mean before the end of the year.
It's been a busy couple of weeks for me. I spent last weekend in Three Oaks, MI at the Acorn Theater telling stories and trying to win fabulous prizes as part of WNEP's SKALD competition. And this past weekend was much of the same, only the contest was held here in Chi-town at the Cultural Center. Both weekends were a blast and I walked away from four chances to win cash and prizes empty-handed. But I can't be too hard on myself considering the company I was in. There are some damn fine storytellers out there.
The past week was also the deadline for choosing plays for Speaking Ring's annual Vitality Play Writing Contest. This is our fifth year and after reading through nearly 100 short plays (some not short enough) my brain is mush. Every year I swear I'm not going to be on the reading committee again, but my morbid curiosity gets the better of me. You'd think with 100 plays to choose from we'd be swimming in winners, but only about 10% of them are worth reading the whole way through and out of them only three or four are strong, well written shows. But we narrowed down the field to an even dozen and then sent them off to the directors to pick their six favorites for production. They will be performed the first two weekends in August at the American Theater Company.
On top of reading plays and telling stories, Karyn and I have signed up at the Galter Life Center. It's a fitness center that's part of the Swedish Covenant Hospital. Which is one of the main reasons I decided to join. I figure when I have a stroke trying to stay on the fucking eliptical machine at least I'm only an elevator ride away from the ICU. Karyn's been very good about going. She went five times last week. I managed to make it twice and one of those times was to meet with a fitness instructor who made me take all kinds of tests so he could tell me that I'm out of shape. He could have just waited for me at the top of the stairs to figure that one out.
Getting in shape is one of those items that's been on the to-do list for a long time. Every year I think "This is it. This is year I get back to my t-ball weight." And every year I ride my bike a half a dozen times and strap on the roller blades once or twice and that's as far as I go. The best fitness regieme I've had in the last five years was getting cast in "Black Comedy", which had me carrying furniture around for ninety minutes four nights a week. I actually lost weight doing that show. But as it was in the fall, I quickly recovered it all once the marathon eating festivals began in November.
A couple of years ago, I actually hired a personal trainer to come to my apartment and help me get in shape. I went with a woman trainer, hoping that my male ego would keep me from wussing out. She told me she'd take it easy on me for our first session, just to see what my fitness level was. After the "warm-up" I was ready to quit. She had me running sprints down my alley and then jumping jacks and then squat thrusts. Then we got into the actual workout. She did the entire routine with me, chatting away unfazed, while I gasped and groaned. Towards the end of our forty-five minute session I was only concentrating on three things; Not passing out. Not throwing up. And not crying. I managed to keep my dignity, but barely.
The trainer only lasted for that one session, as I decided that I was a grown up and I wasn't going to pay some skinny bitch to come into my home to torture and humiliate me every week. We'll see how long I keep up with the fitness center. It's only a couple of blocks from our apartment so that's a bonus. My goal is to just get in better overall shape. I'm not trying to look like Brad Pitt without my shirt or anything. Though it would be nice to go to the beach without people pointing and giggling. Of course, that could be because of my choice in swimwear. But the pink Speedo is just so damn comfy.
I'll keep you posted on my progress.
It is done. The run is over. The set has been removed; flats taken down, furniture moved out, walls painted and repainted and then painted again for good measure.
I have mixed feelings about endings. I always do. Watching the final show on Saturday night wasn't easy. As much as I resisted taking this show from my imagination into a space with real people who had ideas of their own, I came to love this show and really enjoyed watching it.
Sure there were things that made me sigh. (No, it wasn't the ad-libs that began popping up. Though stopping mid-line to add your own, then trying to finish the scripted line just makes us both look like we don't know what we're doing.) More and more I began to see the things I wish we had more time to work on. Much of it inspired by the way the actors came at the lines that I hadn't noticed before myself. A moment that I always thought of as a "throw-away" that was given a little weight suddenly made me see another avenue for the scene that could have made it a little richer. Lines that just didn't work. Scenes that were too long or too short. I might take another crack at the ending.
I might never have seen these things if the play had stayed on my desktop. For that I am grateful to the cast and crew for all their hard work and dedication. Thank you Mercedes, Dietrich, Zoe, Joe, Becky, Emily, Sean, Sarafina, Hattie, Jehan, Liz, Alicia, Erin R., Erin O., Dehlia, Jamie, Graham, Brian, Dianna, Amy, Steve, Dan and Dan. Thanks, too, to Speaking Ring for taking a chance on a new play. This really was a dream come true.
And thanks to you, too, Gentle Reader. I don't know what the future holds for this blog. It was started with the intention of keeping a record of the show in progress. Now that the show is over I'm not sure how I feel about being a blogger. Maybe I'll shift the focus on to something else as an excuse to keep coming back here. Though these internets are chock so full of interesting places that I don't know if I'd be able to keep up. Plus, there are already a good many Chicago playwrights working the blog angle. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
But thanks for coming along. I'll be sure to let you know when the next adventure arises.
Well. Here we are. Closing week. Three more shows and then these characters will return to the confines of my imagination. Hopefully they've expended enough energy and won't be so restless that they keep me awake nights. I've got other things I need to be working on.
But I'll miss this show when it closes. It really is a lot of fun to watch. I think there are plans to tape it this weekend, so I suppose I can watch it any time I want. But judging from the layer of dust that sits on all the other show tapes that I have, it seems unlikely that I will. Of course, the shows that I've been in that were taped weren't always worth watching to begin with.
If you're out there and you haven't seen the show yet (my ego is assuming that people other than the cast read the blog) come check it out this weekend before it's too late. And don't try to use the "I'll borrow the tape off of you" excuse either, because I'll be charging a $20 rental fee. You can make a reservation by calling (312) 458-9374. Bring your friends. Bring your neighbors. Grab people off the street and bring them. And just to make it fun, if you mention the title line of this blog entry, I'll get you in the door for $10. Feel free to pass it on.
