From Joanna Horowitz, Communications Department
It's 5:15 on a Friday afternoon and it would be a lie to say I'm not thinking about ducking out of here and running downstairs to have one of our new show-themed specialty cocktails. The one for Blue Door is The Insomniac: Coffee, Bailey's, Chambord, Kahlua and whipped cream. Like a raspberry mocha, but with the promise of intoxication. Anyway, I clearly have weekend on the brain.
But, before I go, I wanted to make sure you knew that tomorrow (Saturday, Feb. 3), the playwright of Blue Door Tanya Barfield will be at the Rep for a free talk. The event (part of our Stage Voices series) takes place 5:30-6:30 in our Rotunda lobby. Tanya will be interviewed by Amy Wheeler, executive director of Hedgebrook, a writers retreat for women. After they chat about Tanya's work, you'll be able to ask questions. Tanya is one of those on-the-brink-of-the-big-time (how's that for an adjective?) writers. This is your chance to have an intimate hour with her that you might never get again. You don't have to have tickets to Blue Door, you can just show up. Maybe have an Insomniac!
The Times ran a preview piece on Blue Door. You can read it here. It talks about the play (of course) and also Tanya's former job as a spelunker (!)
Next weekend is closing weekend of The Lady From Dubuque. The reviews have been mostly positive, but all sort of academic. If I hadn't seen the show and just read a review, I might think, "This could be boring." But as a 24-year-old with not the world's best attention span for highly heady works, I can say I was really engaged the whole time. Yeah, it's about death and denial and caustic friendships, but it's also really funny. Some people don't like that kind of theater. But personally, I like my theater experiences to leave me thinking, even if it means I have to forgo skipping out of the theater in an ebullient stupor.
And on that note, I will be skipping ebulliently toward the weekend.
Showing posts with label The Lady from Dubuque. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Lady from Dubuque. Show all posts
Looking forward to the weekend
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Labels:
Blue Door,
Hedgebrook,
Tanya Barfield,
The Lady from Dubuque
Star Struck
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Labels:
Ariel Dorfman,
August Wilson,
Brad Pitt,
David Esbjornson,
Edward Albee,
Gem of the Ocean,
Heather Raffo,
Phylicia Rashad,
The Lady from Dubuque,
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,
Zoo Story
From Joanna Horowitz, Communications Department
Forgive me for the lapse in posts. Lots of blog-worthy things have happened this week, I've just been recovering from a fantastic (read: late and wine-filled) opening night. But here we are, Friday. The Lady From Dubuque has opened and is getting strong reviews already. Read Misha Berson's take on the play in today's Seattle Times. She says, "(David) Esbjornson tracks down every nuance, comic and tragic, in a script that does keep surprising you." But of course I'm paid to market the show and can hardly be trusted, so read it yourself.
Monday night Edward Albee was here for Stage Voices, a free, non-regular series we put on at the Rep that lets audience members engage in a more intimate dialogue with theatre artists. Last season we did one with Ariel Dorfman and another with Heather Raffo (playwright of 9 Parts of Desire). It's pretty amazing to get to peer into the heads of some incredibly talented and smart people. Or, in the case of Mr. Albee, one of the greatest American playwrights, um, ever. He was funny, insighftul, and spoke with the sternly playful authority of a man who has written nearly 30 plays.
On his writing process: He doesn't like to talk about it because he doesn't really have a process. He puts his trust completely in his characters. He knows they're ready to be in his play when he can go to the beach and write a 20-minute improvised, not-int-the-actual-play scene with them that's truthful. He writes long hand because then he can write anywhere and besides he doesn't trust computers.
On the state of theater: "For every 100 plays I read, one is good." He said the state of theater is OK when there are three or four playwrights who really get it, who are really creating works that help us understand what it is to be human.
On becoming a playwright: As a teenager he wrote bad stories and even worse poetry. But one of his stories had a brilliant first line: "Everything in Rome is uphill." He was great at imitating other writers, but didn't really find his voice until he wrote his first play, Zoo Story.
On the title Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf?: He saw it written on a mirror in a bar in Greenwich Village.
Mr. Albee stuck around for opening night and was approached or at least eyed by many-a admirer. For us theatre people, it's kind of like having Brad Pitt around, except shorter and smarter (sorry, Brad). I didn't meet him personally, but I did get to interview Phylicia Rashad today who was here casting Gem of the Ocean, which she is directing here in March. This is her directorial debut, though she's very familiar with the play having starring in it on Broadway. She had a lot of passionate things to say about August Wilson's work, but I found the most endearing part of our conversation when my tape recorder kept stopping and she suggested we name it Priscilla and stroke it gently to get it to keep working. For the most part, it was a very relaxed, comfortable interview, although I did have a moment or two of, "Um, this is Mrs. Huxtable!" I think the play will be amazing. She has this graceful presence about her that I can tell is just going to flow out her fingers and cover the entire production (why does that sentence make me think of Spiderman?).
This blog is getting awfully long. Is anyone reading these? Leave a comment or something and let me know. If I don't hear from you, I will assume I have free reign to say anything, and my next blog will probably be about how I spent my weekend.
Forgive me for the lapse in posts. Lots of blog-worthy things have happened this week, I've just been recovering from a fantastic (read: late and wine-filled) opening night. But here we are, Friday. The Lady From Dubuque has opened and is getting strong reviews already. Read Misha Berson's take on the play in today's Seattle Times. She says, "(David) Esbjornson tracks down every nuance, comic and tragic, in a script that does keep surprising you." But of course I'm paid to market the show and can hardly be trusted, so read it yourself.
Monday night Edward Albee was here for Stage Voices, a free, non-regular series we put on at the Rep that lets audience members engage in a more intimate dialogue with theatre artists. Last season we did one with Ariel Dorfman and another with Heather Raffo (playwright of 9 Parts of Desire). It's pretty amazing to get to peer into the heads of some incredibly talented and smart people. Or, in the case of Mr. Albee, one of the greatest American playwrights, um, ever. He was funny, insighftul, and spoke with the sternly playful authority of a man who has written nearly 30 plays.
On his writing process: He doesn't like to talk about it because he doesn't really have a process. He puts his trust completely in his characters. He knows they're ready to be in his play when he can go to the beach and write a 20-minute improvised, not-int-the-actual-play scene with them that's truthful. He writes long hand because then he can write anywhere and besides he doesn't trust computers.
On the state of theater: "For every 100 plays I read, one is good." He said the state of theater is OK when there are three or four playwrights who really get it, who are really creating works that help us understand what it is to be human.
On becoming a playwright: As a teenager he wrote bad stories and even worse poetry. But one of his stories had a brilliant first line: "Everything in Rome is uphill." He was great at imitating other writers, but didn't really find his voice until he wrote his first play, Zoo Story.
On the title Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf?: He saw it written on a mirror in a bar in Greenwich Village.
Mr. Albee stuck around for opening night and was approached or at least eyed by many-a admirer. For us theatre people, it's kind of like having Brad Pitt around, except shorter and smarter (sorry, Brad). I didn't meet him personally, but I did get to interview Phylicia Rashad today who was here casting Gem of the Ocean, which she is directing here in March. This is her directorial debut, though she's very familiar with the play having starring in it on Broadway. She had a lot of passionate things to say about August Wilson's work, but I found the most endearing part of our conversation when my tape recorder kept stopping and she suggested we name it Priscilla and stroke it gently to get it to keep working. For the most part, it was a very relaxed, comfortable interview, although I did have a moment or two of, "Um, this is Mrs. Huxtable!" I think the play will be amazing. She has this graceful presence about her that I can tell is just going to flow out her fingers and cover the entire production (why does that sentence make me think of Spiderman?).
This blog is getting awfully long. Is anyone reading these? Leave a comment or something and let me know. If I don't hear from you, I will assume I have free reign to say anything, and my next blog will probably be about how I spent my weekend.
College, Cocktails, etc.
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Labels:
arts,
cocktails,
College theatre,
internship,
The Lady from Dubuque
From Joanna Horowitz, Communications Department
Other things happening at the Rep:
Tonight is College Connections, a subscriber series for college students interested in theatre. They get to meet each other at a pre-show reception and then see the show. I only wish we had had something that cool where I went to school (but that's what you get for going to college in rural Washington). In conjunction, tonight is also our first-ever Arts Career Fair. You need to RSVP to attend, but if you're reading this and thinking, "Wow, I'm looking for an internship or entry-level job in the arts," get on the phone and call Winnie at 206-443-2210.
Some of our staff are not braving the snow, so it's a quiet day. But at least our offices aren't flooded like the INTIMAN's.
Tonight is the first preview of The Lady From Dubuque. Misha Berson previewed the show in today's arts section of the Times. You can read it here. Personally, I'm most excited about the ENORMOUS glass wall that is part of the set.
I have started brainstorming ideas for the Lady specialty cocktail. Stop by the bar during the run of the show (Jan. 11-Feb. 10) and try The Afterlife, which will probably be some delicious concoction of Grey Goose, Kahlua and other stuff. I'm going down to the bar later to "experiment."
Other things happening at the Rep:
Tonight is College Connections, a subscriber series for college students interested in theatre. They get to meet each other at a pre-show reception and then see the show. I only wish we had had something that cool where I went to school (but that's what you get for going to college in rural Washington). In conjunction, tonight is also our first-ever Arts Career Fair. You need to RSVP to attend, but if you're reading this and thinking, "Wow, I'm looking for an internship or entry-level job in the arts," get on the phone and call Winnie at 206-443-2210.
Some of our staff are not braving the snow, so it's a quiet day. But at least our offices aren't flooded like the INTIMAN's.
Tonight is the first preview of The Lady From Dubuque. Misha Berson previewed the show in today's arts section of the Times. You can read it here. Personally, I'm most excited about the ENORMOUS glass wall that is part of the set.
I have started brainstorming ideas for the Lady specialty cocktail. Stop by the bar during the run of the show (Jan. 11-Feb. 10) and try The Afterlife, which will probably be some delicious concoction of Grey Goose, Kahlua and other stuff. I'm going down to the bar later to "experiment."
Rehearsal: An Actor's Blog, Day 10
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Labels:
Edward Albee,
Paul Stetler,
The Lady from Dubuque
A daily rehearsal blog from actor Paul Stetler, playing Edgar in The Lady from Dubuque.
Our last 10 out of 12. We finished teching Act 2 and then ran the whole show. The first act seems to be in fairly good shape. Act 2 still needs some work. A day off tomorrow and then back at it on Tuesday.
Mr. Albee is scheduled to fly in from New York at the end of next week and he will stay through our week of previews and attend opening night. I’m very excited to meet him and look forward to his input and any suggestions he may offer up.
-Paul
Our last 10 out of 12. We finished teching Act 2 and then ran the whole show. The first act seems to be in fairly good shape. Act 2 still needs some work. A day off tomorrow and then back at it on Tuesday.
Mr. Albee is scheduled to fly in from New York at the end of next week and he will stay through our week of previews and attend opening night. I’m very excited to meet him and look forward to his input and any suggestions he may offer up.
-Paul
Rehearsal: An Actor's Blog, Day 9
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Labels:
Beth Clancy,
costumes,
David Esbjornson,
Paul Stetler,
tech rehearsal,
The Lady from Dubuque
A daily rehearsal blog from actor Paul Stetler, playing Edgar in The Lady from Dubuque.
Long day. 12 noon to 12 midnight, with a two-hour dinner break. Got through Act 1 and spent the next 8 hours on Act 2. Will finish tomorrow and try to do a run of the show. The set is beautiful but much bigger than I had imagined. We’re all trying to adjust to the difference between it and the relative intimacy we had in the rehearsal room. David made a number of staging adjustments as we worked through the Act that I found very helpful.
The cast looks fantastic in Beth’s costumes. She has me wearing an off-white cashmere turtleneck in the first act. I hate turtlenecks. But I gotta admit it really works for the character I’m playing. Edgar is most definitely a “turtleneck” guy.
-Paul
Long day. 12 noon to 12 midnight, with a two-hour dinner break. Got through Act 1 and spent the next 8 hours on Act 2. Will finish tomorrow and try to do a run of the show. The set is beautiful but much bigger than I had imagined. We’re all trying to adjust to the difference between it and the relative intimacy we had in the rehearsal room. David made a number of staging adjustments as we worked through the Act that I found very helpful.
The cast looks fantastic in Beth’s costumes. She has me wearing an off-white cashmere turtleneck in the first act. I hate turtlenecks. But I gotta admit it really works for the character I’m playing. Edgar is most definitely a “turtleneck” guy.
-Paul
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