Friday, May 23, 2008

Directors Lab #4 & #5

Thursday 5/22

OK, I confess. I played hooky in the morning. I decided I needed to make some money, so I skipped the a.m. sessions which were a rehearsal of Oedipus directed by Syyx Mhlanga from Zimbabwe, followed by a discussion with LCT Executive Director Bernard Gersten. I'm sure both were very interesting, but I wasn't there.

I did, however, arrive in time for the afternoon rehearsal of Goldstar, OH. It was fascinating to watch director Andy Paris continue his process, working with the elements to bring his actors into the text. The process he employs is the same used to develop The Laramie Project. His subject matter - the Iraq war - couldn't be more immediate. There were moments of great enlightenment. Any time limitations are created, the art begins to emerge. I look foward to seeing where this leads.

In the evening I participated in the chorus rehearsal for Oedipus. It involved African dancing, and some re-enactments of old Living Theatre shtick. It was a nice stretch but theatrically unenlightening.

Friday 5/23

This afternoon there was a presentation of Goldstar, OH. Of course, it's unfair to even call it a presentation after only 4 days of work. But the material is gripping. There were some incredibly moving moments. They used the device of the interview, so we watch an actor playing the role of interviewer asking questions of the family who has lost a son or brother or husband. In between there were some non-verbal pieces that explored relationships in space and worked with light. It was a great effort, and I applaud the entire team.

I decided to skip the evening rehearsal of Oedipus. I don't really need to do anymore African dancing. I'll wait to see my colleagues in their presentation tomorrow.

That's all for now folks.
w.


Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Directors Lab #2 & #3

It's been a whirlwind. I can't write as much as I'd like. Here are some of the notes I jotted down.

Tuesday 6/20
Religious Play Discussions We broke up into small groups to discuss the idea of religion and theater. Here are some bullet points condensed from my group:
  • What constitutes a "religious" play?
  • Community
  • Ritual
  • City/Country divide
  • Asking questions vs. Giving Answers
  • Class distinctions
  • The Power of the Theatrical vs. the Power of the Spiritual
  • Context
  • Hope & Light
  • Private vs. Public
"Preaching to the choir is fine as long as it inspires the choir to keep singing." - Peter Rothstein

Some of the plays under discussion were:
  • "The Happy Journey" by Thornton Wilder
  • "House of Blue Leaves" by John Guare
  • "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told" by Paul Rudnick
  • "White Chalky Substance" by Tennessee Williams
  • "St. Joan" by G. Bernard Shaw
  • "Androcles and The Lion" by G. Bernard Shaw
  • "Galileo" by Bertolt Brecht.
  • "Jesus Christ Superstar" by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice
  • "Gilgamesh"
Wednesday 5/21
I started the day by attending Ming Cho Lee's Clambake - a gathering of the finest new designers from across the country at Fordham University. I met designers from Yale, NYU, Northwestern, USC, Cal Arts, and Carnegie Mellon. It was great to see the work that is coming out of these schools. More on Ming Cho Lee later in this blog.

In the afternoon I attended a rehearsal for Goldstar, OH directed by Andy Paris. (Andy and I attended NYU at the same time, and he is a member of Moises Kaufmann's Tectonic Theatre Project, starring in the original productions of The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde and The Laramie Project.) Goldstar is a new work that he is creating based upon interviews with families that have lost a son in the war in Iraq. On the wall at rehearsal was a big sheet of paper with "The Elements" - a technique that was being created at NYU by Wendell Beavers. Here are "The Elements" of Theater, as listed in the rehearsal room:
  • Prop
  • Choices
  • Lights
  • Sound
  • Color
  • Costume
  • Gesture
  • Space
  • Scenery
  • Music
  • (Text)
  • Audience Relationship
  • Emotion
  • Intent
  • Time
  • Breath
  • Rhythm
  • Duration
  • Movement
  • Unison
  • Character
  • Subversion
  • Tension
Andy then had the actors do an exercise called "I begin. I end." The objective was to explore the poetry of a prop - "find the poetry of an object, a way it's not normally used" - then do a round of moments in the space using the prop. It was a fascinating exercise and many theatrically exciting moments came out of the work. Andy talked about "subverting expectation" by creating the unexpected. I can't wait to see how this work progresses.

I then watched an hour of rehearsal of a new play called Hookyjook directed by Chrystal A. Dickinson. Chrystal was doing table work with the actors, and had created a very cheerful and productive environment. It was fun to watch.

The best part of the day was a discussion with legendary designer Ming Cho Lee. Ming was the principal designer for Joseph Papp, creating the sets for nearly every production in Central Park during the 1970's and 80's. He teaches scenic design at Yale University. He had many wonderful things to say. Here are a few:

On technology:

"Nobody goes to the library anymore! You can go online and "google" and get just what you want. But what if you don't know what you want?"

"Image doesn't make the set, or the play. A picture isn't enough. You're dealing with actual space. As opposed to the movies, or TV that is two dimensional, theater is actual space. You creat infinite space within these finite limitations."

"People are manipulating finished images, but they don't go through the process of discovery. They are too lazy to go to the library, where you can open up many sources at once!"

"Everyone wants everything. It's gotten so complex. Instead of actors driving the show, technology is driving the actors."

On directing:

"I will not allow piece-meal decision-making. Don't delay decision-making as a director."

"Don't ask for diagonals in a classic play. Shakespeare calls for symmetry. Don't pin the play down with specificity."

"At the first showing (of a design to the director) the designer is scared out of their wits!"

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

20 May 2008


note to an ex-husband
by Janet Ward

on the walk across town
the morning sun blasts at corners
where buildings abruptly cease
and gargoyles look out for me
crossing lexington between bumpers.
and then, when the light fades
at six o'clock on the walk back
Mister Softee waits
at sixth avenue
with a tall sweet cone
that tastes like cream
and lasts all the way
to eighth avenue,
where a girl can use her napkin,
wipe her mouth, and
toss it perfectly away
into the purple-line bin.
that's the moment i'd like to see,
when it all comes clear,
that little turn i made
and where we went:
what was lost,
and what wasn't.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Lincoln Center Directors Lab Day 1

It was a day.

Registration for the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab 2008 began at 2:00 PM. We got packets and badges. Then they took a group photo on the steps in the lobby of the Mitzi Newhouse Theater. I wish I had the photo to post here. I actually brought my camera, but didn't take a single photo all day. Sorry folks. Anyway, it's not an attractive crowd. It's just directors.

After the photo we were led down into the depths of LCT to the large rehearsal room. I had flashbacks. This is where, as a student - way back in 1988 - I had acting classes with William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman, and Stephen Schachter. The room was pretty much the same, but cleaner.

There were opening remarks by LCT Executive Director Bernard Gersten. Bernie was also my teacher. I remember our class on producing meeting twice a week in the lobby to discuss how to bring in an audience for Speed The Plow. Gregory Mosher was the Artistic Director back then, and Maddona - yes, that Madonna - was spotted in the halls on her way to rehearsal. Bernie looks great now. Much thinner than I remember. And he's produced another hit - the revival of South Pacific directed by Bartlett Sher. (Mr. Sher will be coming to talk to us all next week.)

Next, we had our orientation from the creator of the Director's Lab: Anne Cattaneo. Anne is a petite woman with a dazzling smile and very hip eye-glass frames. She talked for about forty-five minutes. I took meticulous notes as she spoke. Her articulation of what the lab is and is not could serve as a primer on the process of creating theater. It was the singular highlight of the day, and at the risk of plagiarism (and of not doing justice to her speech) here are the Ten Points she articulated:
  1. The Lincoln Center Directors Lab is not a teaching situation. It's not about mentoring. Nobody is considered more "important" than anybody else. We all have experiences that are valid and worthy of consideration.
  2. You will experience some of what you encounter as utter non-sense, and other things as incredibly enlightened. Look for the things that you least expected.
  3. The Directors Lab takes place in a theater - a real, live, working, operating, theater. Some things are practical - not theoretical. (At this point Anne describe "kicking Alan Alda out" of th e room we were in to begin the start of the day.)
  4. The Directors Lab is intentionally large - 45 or 50 people. Its main asset is as a place to meet other people. Will directors even like one another?? It remains to be seen.
  5. The most important stuff will happen in a bar.
  6. Guests come into the Lab by serendipity (i.e. - whatever is going on and whomever happens to be in town at that time.)
  7. Distrust the notion of choice. "It's not true that a given director's career is created by institutions." Nobody at a big institution will pick you out. You will make your own career.
  8. Social aspect. Actress Lois Smith said "What I do in a reading bears no relationship to what I do in a rehearsal." The process is completely different as an encounter on a deeper and more personal level is what creates the work. Hence....Director Richard Ayre: "Invite the leading actor and designer to your house, read the play, and stop and ask 'what does this mean to us' at every scene, turn, punctuation, question." Group together around the play.
  9. Question: Who is in charge when you're really making art? Ride the horse in the direction you are going!
  10. We have a bias toward the actor.
Anne likened the Directors Lab to a boot camp. "We want to wear you down."

Finally, at 5:00 pm, we received an official welcome from Lincoln Center's Artistic Director - Andre Bishop. Andre has a deep and authoritative voice. He could make tons of money doing voiceovers. He told us all to "take advantage" of Lincoln Center and the opportunity we have before us. "Remain open" was his message.

After a break from dinner, we had a talk from Steve Cosson, Jim Lewis, and Michael Friedman from the ground-breaking theater company The Civilians. Their new play This Beautiful City is based upon interviews with residents of Colorado Springs, CO, and focuses on the Evangelical Christian movement there. They were all whisked away at 8:00 PM sharp to receive their OBIE Award which coincidentally was also happening tonight.

Lastly today we had a visit from director Ruben Polendo of Theater Mitu. It was a fascinating talk. Mr. Polendo studied with Peter Brook and has created a philosophy of "complete theater". He is an engaging and charismatic presence, but I was conflicted about his philosophy. It was basically a re-hash of Peter Brooks' writings, but I will reserve judgment until I actually see his work. Theater Mitu is in residence at New York Theatre Workshop and will be presenting their new work The Apostle Project June 4 - 15.

Mr. Polendo said one very important thing that deeply resonated with me: No fear, no deception. This is the measure for your work. I thought that was wonderful, so thank you Ruben for that.

I can't promise this detailed a blog every day for the next few weeks but I'll do my best. Stick with me. I think it will get better.

Wayne