Yesterday was our Open Rehearsal at The Garage. We do these for every production and to be honest - they're awesome! We invite the public into the rehearsal process for an hour to glimpse at the production while still in its raw form. It isn't just exciting and eye-opening for the audience but for the actors and production staff as well.
To work through scenes at rehearsal with audience reactions for the first time is interesting to observe. It gives the actors an energy boost of sorts. To hear laughter or gasps from people that haven't seen it 20 times before is both reaffirming and intimidating. What are they reacting to? What are did I do differently? As an actor you definitely enter a new "place" after the open rehearsal. It answers a lot of questions that you may have and at the same time keep starts some fresh ones.
For the audience it is an intimate look into our "world". One that not too many audience members get to see and no doubt they'll see something take place that they've never seen before - how the play comes to life. It also gives them a unique perspective on the actual performance when they see it all together. They can say "Oh, that has changed" or "I remember when they discovered that moment." It's quite rewarding as an audience member to have that knowledge.
'Til next time,
Laura
Marketing Manager
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Layer Cake
Jason Bowen, Magda Spasiano and the Boston Arts Academy students have started their tech process!
I went to rehearsal on Tuesday afternoon to sit in on their last run through before going into tech. The previous week, Jason and Magda had met to go through the script and pencil in where they envisioned light and sound cues being placed. So I could already see some of the layers being built around the text. At least on paper. Tuesday I walked into the theater first, not knowing where the rehearsal was to take place and the new layers started to jump out at me. Jenna Lord, the scenic designer and one of the tech teachers at BAA, was in the theater painting the floor with three of her students. And it is stunning. The floor consists of swirls of bright color with poles of brightly colored limbs to represent the forest into which the lovers flee. The energy Jenna has managed to convey with this set exactly matches the energy the actors bring to Shakespeare's text.
After exploring the set, I walked over to the rehearsal room to watch the run and work a bit more with the student Stage Manager. The work she has done is just fantastic for a first time stage manager - her blocking can be understood by everyone who needs to reference it (actors, the director, designers), she keeps track of where everyone enters and exits and where they hide in between. We worked on creating props tracking paperwork and we talked through how to write sound and light cues into the stage management book. (SQ A & LQ3!). Russ Swift, the lighting designer for BAA, sat down with us at the stage management table to watch a run through and penciled the lighting cues Magda & Jason had placed into his script. So before the run through had even started, I could see two more layers being added to the text - set and lights.
The room, full of teenagers and adults, felt like a top spinning out of control - the students started their rehearsal time by warming up, Jason checking in with different people, everyone seeking his attention at once...and the NOISE. The kids have SO much energy and it is simply uncontrollable. Uncontrollable, that is, until Jason called places. It started to get more quiet and then the Stage Manager called "lights up" and complete silence fell. As soon as the actors started speaking Shakespeare's words, every single eye was glued to the stage, every word spoken in the room was Shakespeare's. The change was, quite simply, astounding.
As they moved through the play, I could see other layers that have been added. The first fairy entrance consisted of singing and dancing so I knew Sarah Hickler, choreographer extraordinaire had been there to work with the fairies. Then Oberon entered, wearing pieces of his costume - that would be Seth Bodie, costume designer and another tech teacher at BAA, hard at work. The actors executed the fight choreography that Robert Walsh had taught them a couple of weeks ago beautifully and different props started to make their appearance (a collaborative effort between Jason, Magda, Seth, Jenna, and ASP's Production Manager, Jason Ries). So even before the production started tech, I could see at work just how many people it took to bring the words to life. The kids could have stood in the dark in their street clothes speaking the text and it still would have been beautiful and their passion and talent would still have shown through. But now they have a foundation of the work of other gifted artisans to work upon. Tech started this morning - I can't wait to see it all put together as a whole!
More soon.
Adele Nadine Traub
Manager of Artistic Operations
I went to rehearsal on Tuesday afternoon to sit in on their last run through before going into tech. The previous week, Jason and Magda had met to go through the script and pencil in where they envisioned light and sound cues being placed. So I could already see some of the layers being built around the text. At least on paper. Tuesday I walked into the theater first, not knowing where the rehearsal was to take place and the new layers started to jump out at me. Jenna Lord, the scenic designer and one of the tech teachers at BAA, was in the theater painting the floor with three of her students. And it is stunning. The floor consists of swirls of bright color with poles of brightly colored limbs to represent the forest into which the lovers flee. The energy Jenna has managed to convey with this set exactly matches the energy the actors bring to Shakespeare's text.
After exploring the set, I walked over to the rehearsal room to watch the run and work a bit more with the student Stage Manager. The work she has done is just fantastic for a first time stage manager - her blocking can be understood by everyone who needs to reference it (actors, the director, designers), she keeps track of where everyone enters and exits and where they hide in between. We worked on creating props tracking paperwork and we talked through how to write sound and light cues into the stage management book. (SQ A & LQ3!). Russ Swift, the lighting designer for BAA, sat down with us at the stage management table to watch a run through and penciled the lighting cues Magda & Jason had placed into his script. So before the run through had even started, I could see two more layers being added to the text - set and lights.
The room, full of teenagers and adults, felt like a top spinning out of control - the students started their rehearsal time by warming up, Jason checking in with different people, everyone seeking his attention at once...and the NOISE. The kids have SO much energy and it is simply uncontrollable. Uncontrollable, that is, until Jason called places. It started to get more quiet and then the Stage Manager called "lights up" and complete silence fell. As soon as the actors started speaking Shakespeare's words, every single eye was glued to the stage, every word spoken in the room was Shakespeare's. The change was, quite simply, astounding.
As they moved through the play, I could see other layers that have been added. The first fairy entrance consisted of singing and dancing so I knew Sarah Hickler, choreographer extraordinaire had been there to work with the fairies. Then Oberon entered, wearing pieces of his costume - that would be Seth Bodie, costume designer and another tech teacher at BAA, hard at work. The actors executed the fight choreography that Robert Walsh had taught them a couple of weeks ago beautifully and different props started to make their appearance (a collaborative effort between Jason, Magda, Seth, Jenna, and ASP's Production Manager, Jason Ries). So even before the production started tech, I could see at work just how many people it took to bring the words to life. The kids could have stood in the dark in their street clothes speaking the text and it still would have been beautiful and their passion and talent would still have shown through. But now they have a foundation of the work of other gifted artisans to work upon. Tech started this morning - I can't wait to see it all put together as a whole!
More soon.
Adele Nadine Traub
Manager of Artistic Operations
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Temptation scene
Last night the actors worked on the temptation scene, the tremendous central scene of the play. Here's some of what they said afterwards about how it felt to play the scene: terrifying and compelling . . . I can't believe I'm doing what I'm doing in this scene . . . it feels like I'm going through a whole play compressed into about 10 minutes, beginning with Othello in love with Desdemona and ending with his plan to murder her . . . an emotional roller-coaster and once you step onto it you can't get off . . . you can't believe it's happening but at the same time the psychological accuracy is so acute that you feel, yes, this is the way people ARE.
Joyce Van Dyke
Dramaturg
Joyce Van Dyke
Dramaturg
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
A picture is worth 1,000 words
We had our first photo shoot for Othello last night and it was really fantastic! This cast has such an incredible energy amongst them that it's hard not to feel it when you're in the room with them. And Nancy Leary has such an amazing vision for the costumes that is going to be translated beautifully on stage. Hopefully the pictures will be ready tomorrow and I can post them for all to see.
Things are coming together and it shows.
Cheers!
Laura
Things are coming together and it shows.
Cheers!
Laura
Monday, February 15, 2010
Fires in the Dark
Judy's been working intensively with members of the cast in small groups of twos and threes -- Othello and Desdemona (Jason Bowen and Brooke Hardman), Iago and Roderigo (Ken Cheeseman and Doug Lockwood)-- and then when everyone reassembles to work on the scenes in rehearsal, it's palpable how many more layers there are to the relationships, how they've been deepened and complicated. We saw this happen yesterday working on Act 1, which is such an exciting Act.
Shakespeare beat David Mamet to it: Mamet says start the conflict immediately and don't bother to explain it to the audience because we'll figure it out if we get excited and drawn in -- and that's what happens in Act 1: it's nighttime, people can't see each other clearly, they're shouting in the street, there are insults, mistaken identities, confusion, alarm, armed assaults -- and behind it all, Iago, "a moral pyromaniac setting fire to all of reality" (Harold Bloom).
As the actors worked the opening scenes you could feel the currents of energy surging more and more strongly through the rehearsal space where Jason Ries, ASP's Production Manager, has built a replica of the playing area they'll be using at Villa Victoria. The actors explored how everyone is pulled in many directions as a result of the sudden intersecting crises that butt up against one another in the opening scenes -- the intense personal crisis resulting from the Othello-Desdemona elopement, and the simultaneous public one of the military threat. People are moving fast through the streets at night -- the military machine's marching soldiers -- the angry civilians coming after Othello -- the political powers-that-be calling an emergency night meeting -- and the family in crisis whose passions spill over into the public setting.
Joyce Van Dyke
Dramaturg
Shakespeare beat David Mamet to it: Mamet says start the conflict immediately and don't bother to explain it to the audience because we'll figure it out if we get excited and drawn in -- and that's what happens in Act 1: it's nighttime, people can't see each other clearly, they're shouting in the street, there are insults, mistaken identities, confusion, alarm, armed assaults -- and behind it all, Iago, "a moral pyromaniac setting fire to all of reality" (Harold Bloom).
As the actors worked the opening scenes you could feel the currents of energy surging more and more strongly through the rehearsal space where Jason Ries, ASP's Production Manager, has built a replica of the playing area they'll be using at Villa Victoria. The actors explored how everyone is pulled in many directions as a result of the sudden intersecting crises that butt up against one another in the opening scenes -- the intense personal crisis resulting from the Othello-Desdemona elopement, and the simultaneous public one of the military threat. People are moving fast through the streets at night -- the military machine's marching soldiers -- the angry civilians coming after Othello -- the political powers-that-be calling an emergency night meeting -- and the family in crisis whose passions spill over into the public setting.
Joyce Van Dyke
Dramaturg
Friday, February 12, 2010
Midsummer at the BAA
Yesterday, I ended up following Jason Bowen from rehearsal to rehearsal. First, I stopped in to the Midsummer Night's Dream rehearsal he is directing at the Boston Arts Academy. The students will perform the piece in their own black box theater and the difference between their theater and where ASP performed Midsummer really reminded me of how much a space can inform the play. The BAA space has no levels and is much smaller; the audience sits on all four sides of the playing space, forcing Jason to direct the actors to constantly stay on the move so they never forget one side or the other. Long, thin metal poles stand in for trees and the actors use them to create a feeling of being lost in the woods or to "hide" from one another or just to create a fun playing space. Yesterday was the first time they had worked with these poles so it took some getting used to - where once there was only empty space, now you could run right into a pole!
Most striking about the rehearsal though was the energy in the room. Those students are just boundless - running from one entrance to another, the lovers chasing each other, a couple of students were out sick so someone else would stand in for them, running from playing their own part to their new assignment. And the amount of support they give each other is astounding. Aside from the normal applause at the end of an act, the students gave each other laughter and congratulatory pats on the back when off stage, if someone went up on a line, someone would sneak a script into their line of sight. I loved watching their professionalism at work - something that Jason, Magda and the head of the theater department, Ms. Rodrigues works to teach them every day. From the first rehearsal I watched (when Jason had to remind students not to use their phones on stage) to this rehearsal (hearing them call for line like pros), the jump is astounding. In fact, Jason says one of the best parts of working with the students is, "witnessing the evolution of their professionalism." I loved watching the students who had only a line or two in our production of Midsummer take on the roles of Bottom, Oberon and Titania. These kids are hilarious!
Also in attendance at this rehearsal was company member Robert Walsh. He came to give the students his expertise on stage combat, working with them on the physical struggles between the lovers and Demetrius and Lysander. He taught them about safety and respect and then choreographed the moves and then stayed to see the run through, having a great time watching this incarnation of Bottom, the role Bob so recently played himself. Bob got a good chuckle or two out of the afternoon.
At the end of Midsummer rehearsal, I raced with Jason over to Cambridge where Othello rehearsals are being held. Othello has a little less comedy going on and the process has just begun. The actors spent the rehearsal reading and discussing the different aspects of what will be our Act I. I can't wait to see how things progress there!
Adele
Manager of Artistic Operations
Most striking about the rehearsal though was the energy in the room. Those students are just boundless - running from one entrance to another, the lovers chasing each other, a couple of students were out sick so someone else would stand in for them, running from playing their own part to their new assignment. And the amount of support they give each other is astounding. Aside from the normal applause at the end of an act, the students gave each other laughter and congratulatory pats on the back when off stage, if someone went up on a line, someone would sneak a script into their line of sight. I loved watching their professionalism at work - something that Jason, Magda and the head of the theater department, Ms. Rodrigues works to teach them every day. From the first rehearsal I watched (when Jason had to remind students not to use their phones on stage) to this rehearsal (hearing them call for line like pros), the jump is astounding. In fact, Jason says one of the best parts of working with the students is, "witnessing the evolution of their professionalism." I loved watching the students who had only a line or two in our production of Midsummer take on the roles of Bottom, Oberon and Titania. These kids are hilarious!
Also in attendance at this rehearsal was company member Robert Walsh. He came to give the students his expertise on stage combat, working with them on the physical struggles between the lovers and Demetrius and Lysander. He taught them about safety and respect and then choreographed the moves and then stayed to see the run through, having a great time watching this incarnation of Bottom, the role Bob so recently played himself. Bob got a good chuckle or two out of the afternoon.
At the end of Midsummer rehearsal, I raced with Jason over to Cambridge where Othello rehearsals are being held. Othello has a little less comedy going on and the process has just begun. The actors spent the rehearsal reading and discussing the different aspects of what will be our Act I. I can't wait to see how things progress there!
Adele
Manager of Artistic Operations
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Projects around Othello
ASP has a ton of stuff to be excited about going on outside of the Othello rehearsal room as well! Our own Othello and Desdemona (Jason Bowen and Brooke Hardman) will be working in the Charlestown High School two days a week. They will work with students on scenes from Othello. The really exciting thing about this is that these students have NEVER had a theater program in the high school!
Company member Robert Walsh (last seen as Bottom in Midsummer) will be working at the Eliot Treatment Facility for boys for days a week through March 4th. I saw their performance last year and it was amazing! They did a fight scene from Othello and just loved working with Bob and performing in front of an audience for the first time.
Michael Forden Walker (our Cassio) will be making school visits to schools who will be attending the Othello matinees. They'll do work on the play before the students see it so they'll have a deeper understanding of the text right from the get go.
Outside of the Othello text itself, Jennie Israel and Project Director Lori Taylor will be at the Pelletier Assessment Facility and Rotenberg Treatment Facility 2 days a week through the end of March; Magda Spasiano is working on Midsummer with our Shakespeare on the Outs girls two days a week as part of an after school program. (Check out the SoS page on Facebook!); Magda and Jason are also working with student at Boston Arts Academy on Midsummer. Some of the actors that performed in our Midsummer (which closed in January) are performing in this production as well! I went to one rehearsal and you should see Jason direct these kids! They think he's just the bees knees (but they would never use such an old fashioned word to describe it!). And last but not least, Lori Shaller and Mara Sidmore (our Hermia in Midsummer) will be leading a teacher training at Charlestown High School for 12 English teachers in March.
Check back in soon for reports on how all of these projects are going!
Adele
Company member Robert Walsh (last seen as Bottom in Midsummer) will be working at the Eliot Treatment Facility for boys for days a week through March 4th. I saw their performance last year and it was amazing! They did a fight scene from Othello and just loved working with Bob and performing in front of an audience for the first time.
Michael Forden Walker (our Cassio) will be making school visits to schools who will be attending the Othello matinees. They'll do work on the play before the students see it so they'll have a deeper understanding of the text right from the get go.
Outside of the Othello text itself, Jennie Israel and Project Director Lori Taylor will be at the Pelletier Assessment Facility and Rotenberg Treatment Facility 2 days a week through the end of March; Magda Spasiano is working on Midsummer with our Shakespeare on the Outs girls two days a week as part of an after school program. (Check out the SoS page on Facebook!); Magda and Jason are also working with student at Boston Arts Academy on Midsummer. Some of the actors that performed in our Midsummer (which closed in January) are performing in this production as well! I went to one rehearsal and you should see Jason direct these kids! They think he's just the bees knees (but they would never use such an old fashioned word to describe it!). And last but not least, Lori Shaller and Mara Sidmore (our Hermia in Midsummer) will be leading a teacher training at Charlestown High School for 12 English teachers in March.
Check back in soon for reports on how all of these projects are going!
Adele
A story's power
I’m eager to see what happens tonight at the first full rehearsal. Tuesday night's read-thru was so alive – Judy, the director, invited the actors to move physically whenever they felt like it – and the play kept catching fire, giving us glimpses of its glory and power. I thought, if just the read-thru is making me feel so much, this production is going to be amazing!
Before the read-thru, Judy spoke about her vision of the play and the setting of this production in the very near future (2015). The designers showed everyone the work they’d been doing over the past months – Tijana’s gorgeous and elegant set model with a gold runway-floor and gold wires, Nancy’s sleek and sexy costumes that pick up the gold of the set and Villa Victoria’s gold-and-purple interior, and GW’s eerie musical themes for Iago and Desdemona. Rob, the violence designer, gave an exciting demo of the modern weapons the actors will be using. Judy told us the action is going to swirl all through the Villa Victoria space, the floor, the balconies, the stairs.
The read-thru gave me such a visceral sense of all these people in the play who are so enclosed inside the bubble of their own stories, and who feel compelled to play their story out. Othello is (among other things) about how powerful a story can be. Othello wins Desdemona with a story. (“My story being done,/ She gave me for my pains a world of kisses . . .”). Iago destroys Othello with a story – a fiction about Desdemona. The characters’ stories about themselves and others, their own belief-systems or world views, are shockingly powerful – WE can see the story might be just a bubble, paper-thin or thinner, that you could put your fist through – but for them, it’s completely impenetrable. They are unable to break through to one another. And I thought, is this what tragedy is? or is this what makes tragedy possible?
Joyce Van Dyke
Dramaturg
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Let the games begin!
And they have begun! We had our first rehearsal last night for Othello. It was an amazing, productive and magical. Every person in the room was excited to be working on this project.
This is just the beginning of the journey and a journey it will be indeed! Several members of the cast, crew & staff will be updating the blog throughout the rehearsal process. We look forward to joining us along the way.
Cheers!
Laura Sullivan
Director of Marketing
This is just the beginning of the journey and a journey it will be indeed! Several members of the cast, crew & staff will be updating the blog throughout the rehearsal process. We look forward to joining us along the way.
Cheers!
Laura Sullivan
Director of Marketing
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