(Edited 11/10/2007 - Kelly Breheny is playing the role of Catherine and Gene Van Dyke is playing the role of Mike/First Officer)
Hi, GreyZelda readers -
It's almost September. Sheesh. I'm feeling a sadness that I can put several fingers on but I won't get into that here ... I normally do those types of writings over at my Lady Crow myspace site and keep this blog for GreyZelda goings ons or thoughts on theatre and sech. If you want to visit me over in myspace land, please feel free. The link is right over there on the left. Rock it.
So ... updating, updating, updating.
We're heading over to Angel Island tomorrow night to sign the contract and put money down for The Skriker which will open in Thursday, April 17th and will run until Saturday, May 10th of 2008. We're looking forward to working with the Mary-Arrchie folks!
On Friday, Chris, me and his parents will be driving to West Virginia and we'll return on Sunday. We'll visit his grandma's grave and see his uncle as well as one of our dearest friends of all time, Matt Hedrick and his family.
Robert has been submitting music ideas to Chris and they're lovely. Robert and Kristen are located in Atlanta, GA, but working long distance really hasn't turned into an issue. The music is lovely. Ed's doing his thing in New York. I'm going to be talking to Sarah Stec soon about brochures and sech.
We have the majority of the cast for A View from the Bridge which is opening in January. Drum roll please!!!!
Eddie - Aris Tompulis
Beatrice - Nicolle Van Dyke
Catherine - Jenny Myers
Alfieria - Dave Lykins
Marco - Dave Goss
Rodolpho - Tom Gordon
Thank you to everyone who helped us during the readings! We're really looking forward to working with this cast and think that the process will be lots o' fun.
We still need to ask some peeps if they would be interested in the parts of Louis, Mike, and the other neighborhood characters. If you or someone you know would like to hang with us at GreyZelda and fill those roles ... primarily male ... please let us know. There'll be some serious "hangin' out" to be done with good people. Just email us at greyzeldatheatre@yahoo.com if you'd be interested.
What else, what else ... we need to get some fund raisers organized, so, again, if that's something you'd like to help with, do let us know!
Rock and roll. Enjoy the rest of your summer ... fall's knocking at the door..... this little crow girl loves fall, don't get me wrong, but ... I always miss summer.
Yours,
RZ
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Rawheadbloodybones
Lisa and I have been continuing our Skriker conversations and it's been great researching and obsessing on the Faerie lands. Did you know that Oaks are considered faerie trees? Yes, indeed. So, imagine the power of a Live Oak draped with moss in Louisiana .... mmmmm. The faeries and the dead abound.We picked up where we left off last time and continued through The Skriker's opening monologue. I'm giving brief descriptions of what we discussed, but it's by no means complete ... just a little taste.
"Put my hand to the baby and scissors seizures
seize you sizzle. Metal cross cross me out cross
my heartburn sunburn sunbeam in my eyelash your
back. Or garlic lickety split me in two with the
stink bombastic. Or pin prick cockadoodle do you
feel it? But if the baby has no name better nick a
name, better Old Nick than no name, because then
we can have the snap crackle poppet to bake and
brew and broody more babies and leave them an
impossible, a gobbling, a no."
So, amongst other things we discussed how umbilical cords get cut, how faeries HATE iron, rituals to get rid of vampires, pretentious shit, goblins and changelings.
"I've been a hairy here he is changeling changing
chainsaw massacre missive a sieve to carry water
from the well well what's to be done? Brother
brewed beer in an eggshell. I said I'm old old
every so olden dazed but I never see saw marjory
before three two one blast off!"
King Arthur was Queen Maeve's half-brother, by the by. The changeling stock isn't doing too well. The Skriker's too old for this shit, in a nut - or egg - shell.
"Put me on a red hot shovel pushel bushel and a
peck peck peck. Gave me red hot metal in a piping
hot metal in a pie ping pong what a stink. Call the
vicar to exorcise exercise regular sex a size larger
six or seventh heaven and hellcat."
Cooking, creatures, cauldrons. Energy. More changeling rituals.
"Chopped up the hag whole hog higgledy pig in the
middle. Kelpie gallops them into the loch stock
and barrel of fun fair enough and eats them, falls
out of the water into love with a ladylike, his head
in her lap lap lap, her hand in his hairy, there is
sand in it there is and there is sand and shells
shock. Bloody Bones hides in the dark dark dark
we all go into the dark cupboard love all. See
through the slit where he sits on piles of bloody
boney was a warrior and chews whom he likes.
Dollop gollop fullup."
Maybe I'll start making entries about the Underworld creatures featured in the Skriker because they're all very fascinating ... this paragraph starts the introductions and talks about the Hag, the Kelpie and Rawheadbloodybones with a nod to Jenny Greenteeth and the other green women beings. Warriors, soldiers, sacrifices, oral sex, child murderers and cannibals.
"But they're so fair fairy fair enough's as good as a
feast day. Take them by the handle and dance in
the fairy ring a ring ding sweet for a year and a
day date data dated her and never finished the first
reel first real dance in the fairy ring on your finger
and bluebell would wouldn't it. Their friends drag
'em out dragon laying the country waste of time
gentlemen. Listless and pale beyond the pale
moonlight of hear sore her with spirits with spirit
dancing the night away in a mangy no no no come
back again."
The Fair Fairy. She's not doing so well. I'll tell you lots more about her later because she's really haunting and fascinating.
Lisa and I meeting again this evening to discuss the next page.
On the View from the Bridge front ... the cast is almost set. We're having people come over on Sunday to read certain scenes. Chris is getting film ideas together to send over to Ed who's located in New York and is helping us on the video end. Heath has some initial set ideas and we're waiting to get the complete presentation. Robert has put some music themes together that are pretty awesome ... we'll announce the cast list as soon as it's complete. Rehearsals will probably begin mid-October, but we're taking care of business behind the scenes as much as possible because adding the film element is a new idea for us.
Oh! and Skriker will be performed in April at Angel Island (Mary-Arrchie's theatre). Exact dates will be announced soon when the contract is completed and signed.
Rock and roll.
RZ
Monday, August 06, 2007
Rose Tint My World
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/critics.html
I posted the link for quotes about critics because a lot of the quotes made me smile and feel a little bit better about a situation that occured this weekend ... sometimes an artist needs to realize that, yes, the critics are apart of your audience, but you can't allow them to completely reflect your audience. GreyZelda has a couple of critics that seem to wish we would curl up and die (yes, I'm being a bit melodramatic here) ... but, to quote Tori Amos, "Let's not give that one a try." We can't create shows wondering what the critics will say ... we have to create shows that we believe in and, through that belief, hopefully our audiences, including critics, will believe, too.
There are a lot of critics that I've had the pleasure to meet here in Chicago that I really admire: Jack Helbig, Mary Shen Barnidge and Kris Vire and the Timeout Chicago gang and most of the Reader's critics top my list of reviews that I always enjoy reading. My favorite experiences have been when a critic will come before or after the show and talk with us about what they just saw, for good and for bad .... it creates a two-sided conversation that has really been informative and helpful to our endeavours. And, I like meeting people in our audience, point blank. We like it when critics come just because ... we know they're extremely busy but like seeing them when they're not there for their respective publications. It's nice to see them. Unfortunately, I've run into some negative situations with reviewers because, for example, they've come to see our shows, came and left without a word, published their review (either through a respected publication or their own blog) and then got really mad when I either responded to them via email about their review (yeah, I've got a mouth - I sure as heck won't deny it) or went through their review online with the Lady Crow tongue-in-cheek. I believe in what I say and what I put my (or Lady Crow's) name to - and I'm not saying I'm the sweetest corn on the cob, by any means. The situation this weekend involved the fact that I was accused of writing someting I didn't (and I was so not looking for something like this, but what can a girl do sometimes?). I'm looking at the whole thing with a positive spin and believe that it's as resolved as it's going to be. On the learning front, it exposed a fact that I was unaware of ... there are people who read everything you write online even if it's no longer available on the internet and was taken care of through private correspondence and a reached understanding. Never forget this fact, fellow bloggers and artists. You must stand by your word and art. By all means, don't hush up your voice in fear of having it used against you. For God's sake, please don't do that. Just know ... if that's something that bothers you, be careful what you say.
Big Brother or Sister may come and get you someday.
In the meantime, I'm really looking to focus on our upcoming season and hope that there won't be any further skermishes that I can or can't take credit for on public forums. I like to join the discussions on the other theatre blogs, but please know, readers, that if the comment's not from GreyZelda, RebeccaZ, RZ, Lady Crow, or bz then it ain't my stink. I don't like being anonymous nor do I like being falsely accused of being an anonymous coward. It's the theatre person in me, I guess. And, to all you, to quote Don Hall, "anonymous fuckwads" out there ... put your name to what you write, please. You're making other people look bad.
Rebecca
I posted the link for quotes about critics because a lot of the quotes made me smile and feel a little bit better about a situation that occured this weekend ... sometimes an artist needs to realize that, yes, the critics are apart of your audience, but you can't allow them to completely reflect your audience. GreyZelda has a couple of critics that seem to wish we would curl up and die (yes, I'm being a bit melodramatic here) ... but, to quote Tori Amos, "Let's not give that one a try." We can't create shows wondering what the critics will say ... we have to create shows that we believe in and, through that belief, hopefully our audiences, including critics, will believe, too.
There are a lot of critics that I've had the pleasure to meet here in Chicago that I really admire: Jack Helbig, Mary Shen Barnidge and Kris Vire and the Timeout Chicago gang and most of the Reader's critics top my list of reviews that I always enjoy reading. My favorite experiences have been when a critic will come before or after the show and talk with us about what they just saw, for good and for bad .... it creates a two-sided conversation that has really been informative and helpful to our endeavours. And, I like meeting people in our audience, point blank. We like it when critics come just because ... we know they're extremely busy but like seeing them when they're not there for their respective publications. It's nice to see them. Unfortunately, I've run into some negative situations with reviewers because, for example, they've come to see our shows, came and left without a word, published their review (either through a respected publication or their own blog) and then got really mad when I either responded to them via email about their review (yeah, I've got a mouth - I sure as heck won't deny it) or went through their review online with the Lady Crow tongue-in-cheek. I believe in what I say and what I put my (or Lady Crow's) name to - and I'm not saying I'm the sweetest corn on the cob, by any means. The situation this weekend involved the fact that I was accused of writing someting I didn't (and I was so not looking for something like this, but what can a girl do sometimes?). I'm looking at the whole thing with a positive spin and believe that it's as resolved as it's going to be. On the learning front, it exposed a fact that I was unaware of ... there are people who read everything you write online even if it's no longer available on the internet and was taken care of through private correspondence and a reached understanding. Never forget this fact, fellow bloggers and artists. You must stand by your word and art. By all means, don't hush up your voice in fear of having it used against you. For God's sake, please don't do that. Just know ... if that's something that bothers you, be careful what you say.
Big Brother or Sister may come and get you someday.
In the meantime, I'm really looking to focus on our upcoming season and hope that there won't be any further skermishes that I can or can't take credit for on public forums. I like to join the discussions on the other theatre blogs, but please know, readers, that if the comment's not from GreyZelda, RebeccaZ, RZ, Lady Crow, or bz then it ain't my stink. I don't like being anonymous nor do I like being falsely accused of being an anonymous coward. It's the theatre person in me, I guess. And, to all you, to quote Don Hall, "anonymous fuckwads" out there ... put your name to what you write, please. You're making other people look bad.
Rebecca
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