Open Wardrobes

This morning at 6 AM I left Saint Paul and drove to Bismarck, North Dakota for the premiere of The Princess and the Moon. I arrived in Bismarck in the afternoon and, walking around the town center, came across this as I passed the theater.

I don't know that it gets much better than that (unless of course they added my name up there as well. In lights). Several hours later I went to the theater to meet with the cast and crew and spent awhile signing programs and chatting with everyone before the performance.

It was a fun show. The kids clearly had a good time with it and it was exciting to finally see this play up on its feet, after almost four years since I first sat down to start to write it. There are some things in the script that I want to fix for the future, but I appreciate Shade Tree Players taking on a new play and all those who poured their energies into this production. In talking with the kids, some were old pros having spent years with Shade Tree, while others were stepping onto the stage in front of an audience for the very first time tonight. It was humbling to have written the script that gave them that opportunity. I wish them luck for the rest of their shows this weekend and I now enjoying having seen another play take flight.

On Friday night I finally had a chance to catch Walking Shadow's closing production of the season, The Transdimensional Couriers Union. An original script by company member John Heimbuch, Couriers is an ambitious go at a rarity in theater: science-fiction. I'm not sure why sci-fi is so rare in the theater (perhaps as the gentleman seated next to me pointed out, it so easily becomes camp), but as something of a time travel aficionado I was instantly intrigued. In Couriers time travel takes place with the Impulse Device which, like cell phones, needs to find a receiver at the destination point to function, limiting its use from the years 2012 (when the system goes online) to 2589 when an unknown event causes the network to go down. (Here Heimbuch keeps one foot firmly grounded in actual physics, as current theoretical methods of time travel do in fact limit travel to the period of time the proposed device is running.)

The story begins with Sophie (Melissa Anne Murphy) and Peter (Sid Solomon), a couple just starting their day when the Impulse Device is released and the sudden ability of anyone to return to the past and rewrite history wreaks havoc upon the world's original timeline (referred to as Iteration 1). Enter the Couriers Union: using the Impulse technology they rebuild and maintain causality allowing the rest of the world to go about their normal lives and still enjoy the benefits the Impulse Device provides. The plot follows Sophie and Peter as they are pulled apart by future versions of themselves as pawns in their own schemes. Peter helps Renee (part of the original research team that developed the Device, played by Anna Sundberg) found the Couriers Union, while Sophie ends up with Quentin and his Enforcers, who work for Duinn Tech, the company who developed the Device and wants to take back control of the network from the Couriers Union.

Despite the frequent time travel Heimbuch keeps the non-linear storyline remarkably coherent. A projection onstage tells us the date and location for each scene (a definite necessity), and with that as an aid I was rarely lost as to where (and when) characters were coming from or going to when they popped in or out of a scene, courtesy of their Impulse Device. What starts as a scattering of myriad dots does grow into a definite picture by the end as all of the pieces of each character's timeline become clear. This is a story where the pieces need to ultimately come together and Heimbuch does so deftly.

I felt however that in taking such care with the structure and making it comprehensible, the characters and story themselves were lost in the shuffle. For me all of the characters came across as flat, and I never quite understood what was driving them. The performances too felt wooden (and having seen several of the actors in other productions I know they are capable of better). Sophie and Peter were supposedly driven to repair time to restore their relationship, but I never felt that either really cared that deeply about the other. There were some nice, sweet moments with Eleanor Morgan (Jean Wolff) and Dr. Savien Mercure (Alan Sorenson) as we learn how their relationship began, beginning the sequence of events that lead to the Impulse Device, but this subplot was sadly underdeveloped. Sorenson's Dr. Mercure, the scientist behind the Device, was the best performance of the night, which made me wish we could have seen more of him.

On the technical side Andrea Heilman's scenic design was perfect, supplemented by E. Amy Hill's costumes, Paul Epton's lighting, and Michael Croswell's wonderful sound design. The set was kept simple, mostly two rolling (and internally-lit) tables (nice touch to the futuristic atmosphere) that could be rearranged to represent different locations in space. "Time travel" was accomplished with a few simple touches of lights and sound: when a character is jumping in or out the lights dim and the rest of the actors freeze, giving the time-traveling actor a moment to enter or exit. Strategically placed lights with specific colors (yes, I did notice the subtle difference in the two networks) and sound effects finished the effect. Once complete, the lights return to normal and the action resumed. The simplicity of the effect was perfect, although I did wish it could have been accomplished more quickly. Because of the non-linear nature of the show scenes were often short, which meant that scene changes were frequent. Even keeping things simple, changing the set pieces often required a lengthy pause. I'm not sure how that particular problem could be solved, but it significantly slowed down the pacing and contributed quite a bit to the 2 1/2 hour or so run time (with intermission).

All in all I did enjoy the show, as I always love to see a well-crafted time travel story come together, but the show doesn't rise to the level of last year's brilliant sci-fi production, Robots vs. Fake Robots (still one of my favorite Walking Shadow offerings). The Transdimensional Couriers Union runs through May 29th at the People's Center Theatre in Minneapolis. 3 out of 5 stars.

As someone with this unique combination, I am always interested to find others who find ways to synthesize science and the arts in their own lives. Below is a link a friend (also a physicist and playwright) forwarded to me with wonderful thoughts by astronomer and actor/director Virginia Corless:

http://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201002/backpage.cfm

This afternoon I went to see The Royal Family at Lakeshore Players. Loosely based on the Barrymore family, this 1920's comedy chronicles the misadventures of the Cavendish family, from Uncle Bertie's latest attempt to get back on the stage to latest scandal of black sheep Tony Cavendish. It is a chaotic family, with everyone coming and going at every moment, although at times the nearly three hour show suffered from slow pacing. In the end though director Joe Hendren brings us along for a fun roller coaster ride with a family we are secretly glad we don't have to spend Thanksgiving with.

Karen Rene-Peterson as Julie Cavendish helps anchor the family and the cast, as the current leading lady of the family she has to help keep everyone else's life together while trying to keep a handle on her own. She aptly portrays a woman at a crossroads as Julie looks back on her life wondering if she took the path she truly wanted or the one simply expected of her. Syd Stephen and Jan Arford as Uncle Bertie and Aunt Kitty play wonderfully off each other as the bickering couple trying to recapture their former glory. Christopher Kidder does a nice job as the fun-loving, wild son of the family, and James Crews stands out as Oscar Wolfe who has the unenviable job of trying to manage the Cavendish family's affairs. Miranda Mewes also gives a strong performance as Gwen, youngest of the family, whose conflict between the family name and her own desires mirrors her mother's own struggle.

Beyond the comedic surface of the play lies the question of what causes some of us to choose the artistic life, despite all of the trials that such a life brings with it. Julie and Gwen both struggle with this question, with part of them wanting nothing more than to quit the stage and lead a "normal" life. However, in trying to do so they discover that when something is your passion it has a way of drawing you back, however impractical it may seem. Despite the the chaos of the life she lives, in the end Julie seems to realize that the life she has led is the life that has made her truly happy. From my own experience, this is indeed what brings so many of us back to the theater time and time again, despite all of the work involved. Somewhere in the middle of memorizing lines and the long nights of rehearsals, we realize that coming together and creating this ephemeral work on the stage is what brings us joy.

Lastly, Technical Director Dennis Joslyn works his magic once again with a beautiful set that makes you wonder just how he managed to fit it on such a small stage. The Royal Family continues for three more weekends, performing Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM through March 28th. 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Last night Walking Shadow Theatre Company opened their second production this season: Mojo by Jez Butterworth and directed by company member Amy Rummenie. Set in 1950's Soho as Rock and Roll is growing in popularity, the play centers around the staff of the Atlantic nightclub who believe they've found the next big Rock and Roll star and are eager to get a piece of the pie. After a hit concert starring their find, Silver Johnny, they think their fortunes made, but it all goes south when the nightclub owner is sawed in half and Silver Johnny disappears, all courtesy of the local mob boss, and the rest of the nightclub staff holes up in the club waiting to see what the fallout will be.

I've mentioned before that the scripts Walking Shadow chooses can be hit or miss for me, though the production value is always top notch. Mojo wasn't the best script they've chosen, but overall I thought it was a fun piece. The play had a nice rhythm to it, even if the characters spend most of their time waiting for a hit that never comes. It also could stand for about 20-30 minutes of trimming; at almost 3 hours (including an intermission) the play was long for what the story was, despite the actors' great pacing. (And due to the excessive language, it's definitely not one to take the kids too.)

But whatever you think of the script itself, this was a production that belonged to the actors. The strong cast kept the play moving swiftly along, a must for a script that is mostly talk. A weaker cast would have quickly become bogged down in the text, but such was not the case here. Skyler Nowinski was my favorite, with his quirky portrayal of Potts who schemes and dreams of riches in the wake of his great find. He is wonderfully complemented by Joey Ford's delightfully good-natured and none-to-bright Sweets who is mostly along for the ride. Ryan Parker Knox provides a nice counterpoint to this humorous pair as the straight-faced number two who must figure out how they can survive the night in the wake of his boss' murder. Mark Benzel does a nice job as well as the awkward Skinny who tries desperately to fit in while escaping the harassment of the sadistic Baby (Anthony Sarnicki). Kudos must also go to the cast for dealing with the the unexpected seventh cast member: a bat who flew around for about 20 minutes during the second act. They persevered despite its repeated interruptions and it certainly made for a nice humorous break. (There are some experiences you just can't get except in live theater.) I have to also call out the great scene design by Steve Kath. I wasn't so impressed during act one, just a simple room on one side of stage... until I realized during intermission that once it and the curtains were removed there was an entirely different set for the downstairs of the club behind it!

So all in all a solid production. Shows continue through February 27th at the Red Eye Theater in Minneapolis with a Pay-What-You-Can performance this Monday night (shows at 7:30 PM, except for Sundays which are a 3:00 PM). 4 out of 5 stars.

Last Sunday afternoon we wrapped up Doubt with our last performance, and 15 minutes later were hard at work tearing the set apart. Four weekends felt like the right amount of time to me for a run. I'm always sad to have a show over: you may work with the same people again or do the same play again, but it's never quite the same. Each production is it's own unique experience that can never be recaptured again, on stage or off, and that is part of what is so wonderful about it. It is transient, but there is a beauty in that transience, just as there is in a sunset. It happens every day and yet each in unique, and were it not so it could easily become mundane. Even within a production every performance is different. The wonder of live performance is that it never is the same twice but wholly unique. And we as actors and audience are changed by the experience, in large ways and small, and do not come out of it the same as we went in, not if we are truly experiencing it. The end of a production means leaving the character behind, parting ways after spending so much time together, but I am always conscious that a piece of the character stays with me. I am a different person than I would have been for not portraying this role (which is why I believe that a good actor is not someone who can play any role, but is someone who knows what roles they should play). The experience of being in a show is too an interesting observation of human nature. You can throw a group of random people together, potentially where none of they have ever met each other before, and by the end of the show have a group that functions as a family. Certainly this does not always happen, most actors probably have at least one story of a completely dysfunctional cast, but when it happens there is a magic there and it translates to what you see on stage.


And the show is over, and these people you have spent hours and hours with over the course of weeks or months you may not see again. But something special has been created that goes beyond the performance. It is, I think, akin to what is meant in the Christian sense when we talk of the Body of Christ: together we are something that we could not be alone, and yet without any loss of our individuality. C. S. Lewis compares the Christian view with others that seek a Oneness of humanity, pointing out that Christianity differs in its thoughts on this in that as the Body of Christ we are more ourselves, not less, for being one in God. A theater performance is much the same: we need to be our unique selves in order to create something together that is more than the sum of its parts. It is a paradox, but one thing life has taught me is that "paradox" is not a synonym for "false," however much it means we may not understand.

Yesterday afternoon, before heading off to my own performance, Kelly and I went to see The Mousetrap at Lyric Arts. I've seen the play a couple of times before (including the long-running production in London), but not for many years and Kelly hadn't see it at all. It's the first time I've seen Lyric's space. It's a great theater and the beautiful set fit in perfectly (I wasn't always sure where the set ended and the theater itself began). Overall this cast of 8 was strong. Rachel Weber was a highlight with her reserved and inscrutable Miss Casewell, as was Ron Tolliver with his genial Major Metcalf. Joe Hendren gave a solid performance as Sergeant Trotter as he tries to unravel the mystery despite the lack of cooperation among the guests. Mary Kay Fortier-Spalding was also a delight with her hard-to-please Miss Boyle. Allie Munson was nice, if busy, as Molly Ralston and she made a good pairing with Toby Rust as her husband Giles. I found Tim Gage's Christopher Wren a little over the top, and Keith Wynecoop's Paravicini was sadly lacking any sense of mystery.


While a long production (a good 2 1/2 hours or so, including intermission) it did not feel slow-paced and Christie's wonderful script keeps the audience engaged throughout. The show runs for one last weekend (January 28 - 31) with evening shows on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Definitely a good opportunity to catch a classic. 4 out of 5 stars.

After a week of tech and dress rehearsals we opened Doubt last night to a full crowd. The performance went great and it was nice to at last perform for more than an empty theater. :-D The audience was very responsive and found much of the show much funnier than we expected, but those surprise reactions are always fun. Sister Aloysius was a bit hit (the audience clearly loved to hate to her!) and the Father O'Rourke speech went over really well too. It's just such a solid cast and they have all been a pleasure and joy to work with. I'm looking forward to the rest of the run! For all the details visit the Lakeshore Players website. I hope to see you at the show!

I am been very remiss in blogging about Doubt rehearsals (which you should of course come and see; details here). We started rehearsals nearly a month ago, which has flown by! We did have a week break in there for Christmas which gave us all a nice chunk of time to work on lines. It's a tough show, no doubt about it (no pun intended), but that's what makes it so satisfying as an actor. With just a cast of four the show will ultimately rise or fall on us. We have a fantastic director (Kevin T. Houle) who is helping us all dig deeper and deeper into this piece, not to mention one of the best stage managers I've worked with (Sue Kuta) who I know will keep things running extremely smoothly, but in the end we four actors have to sustain an hour and a half of thought-provoking drama on our own. It has been a daunting task, as least I've found it to be so, and a ton of work. When so many people have at least seen the movie version, how do you break people's preconceived notions of this play? How do you keep the characters interesting and dynamic above and beyond the concepts being wrestled with? If they are not, the show becomes merely pedantic and the characters two-dimensional mouthpieces.


This at least is a taste of what I've been wrestling with. As Kevin has pointed out many times, this plays is most definitely NOT about whether or not Father Flynn did it. One of my challenges has been to not make that question too easy, to give the audience doubt about what my character may or may not be capable of. We have just under two weeks to go and we are definitely getting there. We have a great cast and I've been enjoying working with them on this. I'm excited for performances and to see what the audiences have to say.


But a New Year would not be complete without a new writing project. November of course was spent in NaNoWriMo, and December brought with it the start of rehearsals and Christmas, but during my break I've finally found some traction on a new project. My friend Brian teaches middle school theater in Georgia and awhile back we had talked about the idea of me writing a short show that he could use as scenes in class. Brian has build a small stage in his classroom (beyond acting he is an accomplished designer) and a flexible set comprised of many doors. We talked about writing something in the commedia dell'arte style, as we both though it would work well with minimal set and the stock characters would give his students s starting place. At the time I was knee-deep in writing the Fringe show, and so while I loved the idea it had to sit on the back burner for awhile.


But over the past few weeks I finally started doing some research on the commedia characters and over the last week started writing a scenario. As the original commedia was all improvised, the actors would choose a scenario for a performance that detailed the entrances and exits and gave the general gist of the plot. From there the performers, who each specialized in one stock character, would create the show on the fly. Later on playwrights such as Goldoni wrote full plays using the commedia characters and style and this was my goal as well. I don't normally start plays with a detailed outline, but in this case I wanted to create such a scenario first in order to replicate the commedia process as much as possible. And so, now having such a scenario in hand I have now started in on the writing process and shall see where it goes.

Yesterday afternoon I went with Kelly and my family to see Stuart Little at Lakeshore Players. After doing the holiday show the last two years it was difficult to forgo auditions this year in order to audition for Doubt (which did work out well, to be fair), and so I was certainly not going to miss the show. Claudia directed for the third year in a row, and I knew a good number of the cast, nearly half, which included many of the Greenies from last year plus a few others that I've worked with before. My two little nieces (5 and 3) came, it was the younger's first play, and they loved it! It is a cute, sweet story (though more episodic than I expected having only seen the movie) and the young actor playing Stuart did a fine job. It was a large cast, over 20, of mostly young performers and it is always fun to see kids on stage for the first time. Anne Westcott, one of the handful of adults, was a highlight as the devious cat Snowbell out to get both Stuart the mouse and the bird Margalo. Justin Baker, one of the kids in the cast, also had nice moments as the dog that Stuart keeps having to run from, and his older sister Jenna Baker was perfect as Margalo. The pacing of the play suffered a little from the episodic nature of the script, but on the whole it kept the attention of the mostly young audience (and from what I heard was loved by the school groups who came last week). Stuart Little closes this afternoon (the holiday show always has a short run) but Lakeshore always picks fun, family-friendly shows for this slot and so I recommend hitting the holiday show this time next year (rumor is it will be A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, which should be fun). And of course Doubt is coming up next at Lakeshore which will be a show not to be missed (shameless plug). 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.