www.donhall.blogspot.com
To all you theatre promoters and producers out there:
You don't have to invite all the reviewers in Chicago. There's not a set rule. You don't have to please everyone. I learned from Larry Bommer at a panel discussion I attended a few months back that it's better to do your research on the reviewers you're wanting to invite, read what sort of reviews they write, decide who is worth it to invite, then invite that person. Sound and thoughtful words.
You Have the Power especially if you know how powerful words can be. If there are critics out there who write irresponsibly, just don't invite them.
Rebecca
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Third Week
Good afternoon, almost eventide, my friends.
Mulch and I will be venturing forth towards StageLeft in less than an hour, but I wanted to take a few minutes to give a quick "How do" and let you know the skinny on The Scarlet Letter.
Our audiences haven't been good, point blank. We thought people would like the Scarlet Letter. There's quite a bit of resentment, to tell the truth, about the book before people even enter the theatre. About half of our audience has entered the lobby with the "I hated The Scarlet Letter in high school" sentiment. My my my. And, the thing about The Scarlet Letter is that old and young have been required to read it during their high school years. It's been considered a Great Book for years, y'see. I know you know.
I was required to read it the summer before my senior year in high school along with The Chosen and The Handmaid's Tale. It took me a couple of tries to get used to the language, truth be told, and I always fancied myself a decent reader, so I found it strange that I was having a hard time with the rhythm. It is flowery, yes. Once I got into it, though, it, obviously became one of my favorites. I've never denied that I'm a geek or a reader.
So, is this a reflection upon the students? A reflection upon the teachers? A reflection upon Nathanial Hawthorne? Hawthorne had a hard time getting his stories to great success. He was friends with several people that went on to become quite famous, but never was able to jump on that bandwagon, even though he wanted to. He was roommates with Martin VanBuren, a president of ours, but that still didn't help matters in his world.
Anyway . . . it all culminates, on the producing end, in the fact that you can't say for sure, before a show gose up, what's going to work with your potential audience. We thought we might have good audiences because there's not tons of theatre happening right now, not tons of major Chicago events happening right now, and it's the time between most other theatre company's seasons. But, alack, alay, we haven't had many people.
Yeah, you've seen those reviews, but we hope that our audiences will give a show a fair shake regardless of what a sole opinion has to say. We had a guy from France come last Saturday and say, "Did you see that you received a bad review in the Trib?" and I said, "Yes." He said, "My friends didn't want to come see the show because of that reason, but I always loved the story and wanted to come. I thought it was a very powerful show and I'm sorry you received that review." So, we invite you to come, form your own opinions, talk to us about it if you feel inspired to do so or enraged to do so, so we can learn from your experience. It's a new show, after all. A calculated risk. I'd like, personally, to hear what you have to say and see how that could potentially be incorporated into our process for next time. I'm talking about constructive criticism here, folks, not bathroom humor.
Regardless, as far as the next show goes, we're going to have to sit tight for a little while because of the sheer money factor. That doesn't mean we're not going to do this and that, but . . . we'll have to sit tight, as prudence is dictating. Mulch and I are the primary donors to the GreyZelda Theatre Group and our pockets are billowing out of our pants right now. We're not worried. We don't want you, Dear Readers, to feel worried. It'll all get back on track, but this notch on the GreyZelda belt definitely is making things tight.
So, come see our show soon, please. Our actors need you. The company needs you.
It's two hours. You'll be able to go elsewhere as soon as 10pm rolls around. Our Hester Prynne rocks. The rest of the ensemble does really cool things. Miranda Sex Garden rocks if you like that kind of thing. It's two for one on Thursdays. Pay what you can Industry nights on Sundays. And only $15.00 the other evenings. And, if you're saying to yourself, shit, I ain't payin' that much for The Scarlet Letter, well . . . give me a call and we'll talk about it. I'd rather have your presence in the theatre than out of it. It's not a bad show. It's a GreyZelda show. And GreyZelda's pretty neat. If you like our kind of stuff. I always do.
Cheers,
Rebecca
Mulch and I will be venturing forth towards StageLeft in less than an hour, but I wanted to take a few minutes to give a quick "How do" and let you know the skinny on The Scarlet Letter.
Our audiences haven't been good, point blank. We thought people would like the Scarlet Letter. There's quite a bit of resentment, to tell the truth, about the book before people even enter the theatre. About half of our audience has entered the lobby with the "I hated The Scarlet Letter in high school" sentiment. My my my. And, the thing about The Scarlet Letter is that old and young have been required to read it during their high school years. It's been considered a Great Book for years, y'see. I know you know.
I was required to read it the summer before my senior year in high school along with The Chosen and The Handmaid's Tale. It took me a couple of tries to get used to the language, truth be told, and I always fancied myself a decent reader, so I found it strange that I was having a hard time with the rhythm. It is flowery, yes. Once I got into it, though, it, obviously became one of my favorites. I've never denied that I'm a geek or a reader.
So, is this a reflection upon the students? A reflection upon the teachers? A reflection upon Nathanial Hawthorne? Hawthorne had a hard time getting his stories to great success. He was friends with several people that went on to become quite famous, but never was able to jump on that bandwagon, even though he wanted to. He was roommates with Martin VanBuren, a president of ours, but that still didn't help matters in his world.
Anyway . . . it all culminates, on the producing end, in the fact that you can't say for sure, before a show gose up, what's going to work with your potential audience. We thought we might have good audiences because there's not tons of theatre happening right now, not tons of major Chicago events happening right now, and it's the time between most other theatre company's seasons. But, alack, alay, we haven't had many people.
Yeah, you've seen those reviews, but we hope that our audiences will give a show a fair shake regardless of what a sole opinion has to say. We had a guy from France come last Saturday and say, "Did you see that you received a bad review in the Trib?" and I said, "Yes." He said, "My friends didn't want to come see the show because of that reason, but I always loved the story and wanted to come. I thought it was a very powerful show and I'm sorry you received that review." So, we invite you to come, form your own opinions, talk to us about it if you feel inspired to do so or enraged to do so, so we can learn from your experience. It's a new show, after all. A calculated risk. I'd like, personally, to hear what you have to say and see how that could potentially be incorporated into our process for next time. I'm talking about constructive criticism here, folks, not bathroom humor.
Regardless, as far as the next show goes, we're going to have to sit tight for a little while because of the sheer money factor. That doesn't mean we're not going to do this and that, but . . . we'll have to sit tight, as prudence is dictating. Mulch and I are the primary donors to the GreyZelda Theatre Group and our pockets are billowing out of our pants right now. We're not worried. We don't want you, Dear Readers, to feel worried. It'll all get back on track, but this notch on the GreyZelda belt definitely is making things tight.
So, come see our show soon, please. Our actors need you. The company needs you.
It's two hours. You'll be able to go elsewhere as soon as 10pm rolls around. Our Hester Prynne rocks. The rest of the ensemble does really cool things. Miranda Sex Garden rocks if you like that kind of thing. It's two for one on Thursdays. Pay what you can Industry nights on Sundays. And only $15.00 the other evenings. And, if you're saying to yourself, shit, I ain't payin' that much for The Scarlet Letter, well . . . give me a call and we'll talk about it. I'd rather have your presence in the theatre than out of it. It's not a bad show. It's a GreyZelda show. And GreyZelda's pretty neat. If you like our kind of stuff. I always do.
Cheers,
Rebecca
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
It's All About the A
It's All About the A.
Here's what Chicago has to say about GreyZelda's adaptation of The Scarlet Letter!
Kerry Reid of the Chicago Tribune says:
"Elizabeth Styles is a striking and dignified Hester . . ."
************************************************
Tom Williams of ChicagoCritic.com says:
" . . . dramatic moments from Toby Minor as the tormented Dimmesdale."
" . . .witness Elizabeth Styless commandingly powerful performance as Hester Prynne. Meredith Rae Lyons added several effective scenes as the impish child Pearl."
"I admire the ambition . . . "
"Kudos to Greyzelda Theatre for stretching to present an original adaptation."
**********************************************
Kay Daly of Timeout Magazine says:
"This staging of Hawthornes novel of sin and redemption opens promisingly enough with a striking image: a tangle of actors entwined in a sort of living sculpture, groping hopelessly to move apart while staying connected. Its an evocative and eloquent symbol for Hawthornes New England: repressed, interdependent and hypocritical."
***********************************************
Jack Helbig of the The Chicago Reader says:
"Adapter-director Rebecca Zellar and the ensemble do a good job finding the drama . . . The acting is strong and many of the scenes are spare and pointed."
************************************************
Barbara Vitello from the Daily Herald says:
"GreyZelda's version stands head and shoulders above Roland Joffé's spectacularly ill-conceived 1995 film starring the spectacularly mediocre Demi Moore as Hester Prynne."
"Rebecca Zellar remains faithful to Hawthorne. Her scrupulous adaptation keeps intact the novel's dialogue."
" . . . newcomer GreyZelda shows promise."
"The production also benefits from solid acting from its principals, especially Elizabeth Styles as an appropriately stoic Hester . . . Styles carries herself with the dignity and calm reserve Hawthorne's proto-feminist heroine demands. It is a quietly noble performance, capped off by an emotional, well-acted reunion with Toby Minor's Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale . . .Minor is passionate . . . "
"(Ron) Kuzava makes an especially effective predator."
"Lisa Baer stands out among the supporting cast . . ."
Tickets on sale now at www.theatermania.com or by calling 773-267-6293 for reservations!
www.greyzelda.com
Here's what Chicago has to say about GreyZelda's adaptation of The Scarlet Letter!
Kerry Reid of the Chicago Tribune says:
"Elizabeth Styles is a striking and dignified Hester . . ."
************************************************
Tom Williams of ChicagoCritic.com says:
" . . . dramatic moments from Toby Minor as the tormented Dimmesdale."
" . . .witness Elizabeth Styless commandingly powerful performance as Hester Prynne. Meredith Rae Lyons added several effective scenes as the impish child Pearl."
"I admire the ambition . . . "
"Kudos to Greyzelda Theatre for stretching to present an original adaptation."
**********************************************
Kay Daly of Timeout Magazine says:
"This staging of Hawthornes novel of sin and redemption opens promisingly enough with a striking image: a tangle of actors entwined in a sort of living sculpture, groping hopelessly to move apart while staying connected. Its an evocative and eloquent symbol for Hawthornes New England: repressed, interdependent and hypocritical."
***********************************************
Jack Helbig of the The Chicago Reader says:
"Adapter-director Rebecca Zellar and the ensemble do a good job finding the drama . . . The acting is strong and many of the scenes are spare and pointed."
************************************************
Barbara Vitello from the Daily Herald says:
"GreyZelda's version stands head and shoulders above Roland Joffé's spectacularly ill-conceived 1995 film starring the spectacularly mediocre Demi Moore as Hester Prynne."
"Rebecca Zellar remains faithful to Hawthorne. Her scrupulous adaptation keeps intact the novel's dialogue."
" . . . newcomer GreyZelda shows promise."
"The production also benefits from solid acting from its principals, especially Elizabeth Styles as an appropriately stoic Hester . . . Styles carries herself with the dignity and calm reserve Hawthorne's proto-feminist heroine demands. It is a quietly noble performance, capped off by an emotional, well-acted reunion with Toby Minor's Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale . . .Minor is passionate . . . "
"(Ron) Kuzava makes an especially effective predator."
"Lisa Baer stands out among the supporting cast . . ."
Tickets on sale now at www.theatermania.com or by calling 773-267-6293 for reservations!
www.greyzelda.com
Windy City Times Review of The Scarlet Letter
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Playwright: Nathaniel Hawthorne, adapted by Rebecca Zellar At: The GreyZelda Theatre Group at Stage Left, 3408 N. Sheffield Phone: 773-267-6293; $15 Runs through: Sept. 16
BY MARY SHEN BARNIDGE
It is ironic that Nathaniel Hawthorne’s romanticist view of Puritan society in 17th-century Boston should become MORE coherent through Rebecca Zellar’s introduction of abstract elements in her adaptation of The Scarlet Letter for the GreyZelda Theatre Group. But if a picture ( as the saying goes ) is worth a thousand words, it should come as no surprise that a few moments of silhouetted corybanting, accompanied by Miranda Sex Garden’s orgasmic synth-rock, should convey subtext more vividly than the evocative inner monologues so irksome to generations of students required to read what may be the least salacious tale of adultery ever penned. For those who succeeded in avoiding that homework assignment ( like I did ) , it is enough to know that Hester Prynne, her husband long missing at sea, has given birth to a child whose father she refuses to name. This decision being deemed inappropriate by her community, she is sentenced to wear a badge proclaiming her sin. But that brave woman flourishes, while the father of her illegitimate offspring falls ill under the stress of his secret. His decline is exacerbated by a mysterious physician—actually the incognito Mr. Prynne—bent on avenging the wrong done his beloved, if unfaithful, wife. Hawthorne’s point is that only by being true to one’s own code of conduct does one achieve the dignity that confers happiness. Hester does this, as does her daughter, Pearl, and their protector, the ruthless Dr. Chillingworth. But only on the point of death does the Reverend Dimmesdale find peace, confessing his guilt by revealing the literal stigma engendered by his crime. Zellar’s direction matches her production’s tone to the operatic proportions engendered by this gothic climax. Ron Kuzava renders Dr. Chillingworth as grotesquely menacing as his name, while Elizabeth Styles and Meredith Rae Lyons deliver heroic portrayals of gentlewomen Hester and Pearl Prynne. But the dramatic scope inspired by their performances inadvertently diminishes Toby Minor’s no-larger-than-life Rev. Dimmesdale, making us question, at times, if he is truly worth all the trouble taken by the others in precipitating his downfall.
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Saturday, August 19, 2006
Chicago Reader Review of The Scarlet Letter
This isn't the entire review - we have to pick up another copy of the Reader and will add what was omitted.
THE SCARLET LETTER Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic story of adultery and hypocrisy in a Puritan town is brought to the stage by the GreyZelda Theatre Group. Adapter-director Rebecca Zellar and the ensemble do a good job finding the drama in this rather static, meditative work. The acting is strong and many of the scenes are spare and pointed. But the nuances of Hawthorne's brilliant writing and spiritually complex message get lost amid the play's romance and melodrama. (Jack Helbig) Through 9/16: Thu-Sun 8 PM, Stage Left Theatre, 3408 N. Sheffield, 773-267-6293, $15.
THE SCARLET LETTER Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic story of adultery and hypocrisy in a Puritan town is brought to the stage by the GreyZelda Theatre Group. Adapter-director Rebecca Zellar and the ensemble do a good job finding the drama in this rather static, meditative work. The acting is strong and many of the scenes are spare and pointed. But the nuances of Hawthorne's brilliant writing and spiritually complex message get lost amid the play's romance and melodrama. (Jack Helbig) Through 9/16: Thu-Sun 8 PM, Stage Left Theatre, 3408 N. Sheffield, 773-267-6293, $15.
Daily Herald Review - The Scarlet Letter
Letter imperfect
Casting, set undermine classic tale of adultery
BY BARBARA VITELLO Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Thursday, August 17, 2006
GreyZelda Theatre's adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne deserves a letter.
But it doesn't merit an "A."
Questionable casting, a distracting set and some awkward transitions that may confuse audiences unfamiliar with the classic novel mean this adequate production of "The Scarlet Letter" fails to earn a top grade.
And yet GreyZelda's version stands head and shoulders above Roland Joffé's spectacularly ill-conceived 1995 film starring the spectacularly mediocre Demi Moore as Hester Prynne.
Unlike Joffé and Moore, whose famously bastardized ending made a mockery of the tragedy, director Rebecca Zellar remains faithful to Hawthorne. Her scrupulous adaptation keeps intact the novel's dialogue. And while it has yet to match the expertise of say Lifeline Theatre, a company renowned for its masterful literary adaptations, newcomer GreyZelda shows promise.
The production also benefits from solid acting from its principals, especially Elizabeth Styles as an appropriately stoic Hester, who bears a child out of wedlock, is convicted of adultery and is forced to wear a scarlet "A" as punishment. Hester emerges as a woman of commanding will, who from shame and humiliation forges an identity independent of the one her puritanical society imposes. Styles carries herself with the dignity and calm reserve Hawthorne's proto-feminist heroine demands. It is a quietly noble performance, capped off by an emotional, well-acted reunion with Toby Minor's Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, the flawed clergyman who shares Hester's sin but not her punishment.
Minor is passionate as a guilty man consumed by sin and hypocrisy who draws from Hester the strength necessary to confess and thereby earn his salvation.
Ron Kuzava plays Roger Chillingworth, Hester's husband, who is presumed dead but returns under an assumed identity to exact revenge on his wife's lover.
A study in obsession and vengeance, Chillingworth is a man crippled by hate, whose deliberate revenge emerges as the play's greatest expression of evil.
Playing the role with a perpetual scowl, Kuzava makes an especially effective predator.
Also Kuzava and Minor resemble each other, a clever bit of casting that underscores the bond shared by these men, unwavering in their beliefs and ultimately corrupted by them. The production fares best when this trio is on stage.
Lisa Baer stands out among the supporting cast, most of whom deliver mundane performances, with several inexplicably adopting British accents when an indistinct, mid-Atlantic one would have better suited the 17th century Boston setting. Meredith Rae Lyons also stands out, but for the wrong reasons. Lyons is clearly too old to play Pearl, Hester's 7-year-old daughter. That bit of miscasting, plus several other missteps make this less than letter perfect.
The minimalist set consists of gauzy white panels suspended from the ceiling which serve as the backdrop for projections and shadow shows. As visuals, they work best when only a few actors occupy the stage. Otherwise they are distracting; likewise the ethereal background music from 1980's goth rock band Miranda Sex Garden. However, the stylized group pantomime - an expression of Puritan repression, guilt and passion that serves as prologue - works. But not so the recap of the Hester-Dimmesdale-Chillingworth triangle that begins the second act as little more than a redundant distraction.
"The Scarlet Letter"
Location: Stage Left Theatre, 3408 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago
Times: 8 p.m. Thursday to Sunday through Sept. 16
Running time: About two hours, including intermission
Parking: Street parking available
Tickets: $15
Box office: (773) 267-6293 or www.greyzelda.com
Rating: For teens and older
Casting, set undermine classic tale of adultery
BY BARBARA VITELLO Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Thursday, August 17, 2006
GreyZelda Theatre's adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne deserves a letter.
But it doesn't merit an "A."
Questionable casting, a distracting set and some awkward transitions that may confuse audiences unfamiliar with the classic novel mean this adequate production of "The Scarlet Letter" fails to earn a top grade.
And yet GreyZelda's version stands head and shoulders above Roland Joffé's spectacularly ill-conceived 1995 film starring the spectacularly mediocre Demi Moore as Hester Prynne.
Unlike Joffé and Moore, whose famously bastardized ending made a mockery of the tragedy, director Rebecca Zellar remains faithful to Hawthorne. Her scrupulous adaptation keeps intact the novel's dialogue. And while it has yet to match the expertise of say Lifeline Theatre, a company renowned for its masterful literary adaptations, newcomer GreyZelda shows promise.
The production also benefits from solid acting from its principals, especially Elizabeth Styles as an appropriately stoic Hester, who bears a child out of wedlock, is convicted of adultery and is forced to wear a scarlet "A" as punishment. Hester emerges as a woman of commanding will, who from shame and humiliation forges an identity independent of the one her puritanical society imposes. Styles carries herself with the dignity and calm reserve Hawthorne's proto-feminist heroine demands. It is a quietly noble performance, capped off by an emotional, well-acted reunion with Toby Minor's Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, the flawed clergyman who shares Hester's sin but not her punishment.
Minor is passionate as a guilty man consumed by sin and hypocrisy who draws from Hester the strength necessary to confess and thereby earn his salvation.
Ron Kuzava plays Roger Chillingworth, Hester's husband, who is presumed dead but returns under an assumed identity to exact revenge on his wife's lover.
A study in obsession and vengeance, Chillingworth is a man crippled by hate, whose deliberate revenge emerges as the play's greatest expression of evil.
Playing the role with a perpetual scowl, Kuzava makes an especially effective predator.
Also Kuzava and Minor resemble each other, a clever bit of casting that underscores the bond shared by these men, unwavering in their beliefs and ultimately corrupted by them. The production fares best when this trio is on stage.
Lisa Baer stands out among the supporting cast, most of whom deliver mundane performances, with several inexplicably adopting British accents when an indistinct, mid-Atlantic one would have better suited the 17th century Boston setting. Meredith Rae Lyons also stands out, but for the wrong reasons. Lyons is clearly too old to play Pearl, Hester's 7-year-old daughter. That bit of miscasting, plus several other missteps make this less than letter perfect.
The minimalist set consists of gauzy white panels suspended from the ceiling which serve as the backdrop for projections and shadow shows. As visuals, they work best when only a few actors occupy the stage. Otherwise they are distracting; likewise the ethereal background music from 1980's goth rock band Miranda Sex Garden. However, the stylized group pantomime - an expression of Puritan repression, guilt and passion that serves as prologue - works. But not so the recap of the Hester-Dimmesdale-Chillingworth triangle that begins the second act as little more than a redundant distraction.
"The Scarlet Letter"
Location: Stage Left Theatre, 3408 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago
Times: 8 p.m. Thursday to Sunday through Sept. 16
Running time: About two hours, including intermission
Parking: Street parking available
Tickets: $15
Box office: (773) 267-6293 or www.greyzelda.com
Rating: For teens and older
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Buy Tickets for the Scarlet Letter Online!
Hey, everyone!
We're opening The Scarlet Letter up tomorrow and have made arrangements to sell tickets online through Theatermania.com if you'd like to purchase them early to assure that you'll have a seat. You can go to the following website to buy them:
The show's rockin' it. The actors look gorgeous in their costumes, Heath's lighting is starting to illuminate the billowing white curtains, Miranda Sex Garden sounds awesome in StageLeft's speakers, etc, etc, etc. I think you'll really enjoy yourselves.
We're having a Preview for a few audience members this evening and are considering tonight our final dress, so hopefully everything will come together in one fell swoop.
The Jeff Committee is coming tomorrow to adjudicate the show for possible Jeff recommendations which would be incredibly exciting. This is the first time GreyZelda's been eligible for consideration and we're hoping for the best.
We'll have quite a few reviewers there on Saturday evening . .. if you haven't ever witnessed many reviewers showing up to the same place at the same time, please try to do so. It's more entertaining the show half the time! =)
So, come see, come see!
www.greyzelda.com
We're opening The Scarlet Letter up tomorrow and have made arrangements to sell tickets online through Theatermania.com if you'd like to purchase them early to assure that you'll have a seat. You can go to the following website to buy them:
http://www.theatermania.com/content/show.cfm/show/122578
The show's rockin' it. The actors look gorgeous in their costumes, Heath's lighting is starting to illuminate the billowing white curtains, Miranda Sex Garden sounds awesome in StageLeft's speakers, etc, etc, etc. I think you'll really enjoy yourselves.
We're having a Preview for a few audience members this evening and are considering tonight our final dress, so hopefully everything will come together in one fell swoop.
The Jeff Committee is coming tomorrow to adjudicate the show for possible Jeff recommendations which would be incredibly exciting. This is the first time GreyZelda's been eligible for consideration and we're hoping for the best.
We'll have quite a few reviewers there on Saturday evening . .. if you haven't ever witnessed many reviewers showing up to the same place at the same time, please try to do so. It's more entertaining the show half the time! =)
So, come see, come see!
www.greyzelda.com
Monday, July 31, 2006
White Chicago
I hope you all have read Timeout Chicago's new article about how bleached the Chicago theatre scene is. It's food for thought. Food even for action.
GreyZelda's angle and experience with this issue is as follows: We are non-discriminatory when it comes to casting. We always cast the person that deserves a part, not based upon skin color, but based on their understanding, commitment, and intuitive taking to a character. Even for Desire Under the Elms, a play entirely about a family, if we had had another race besides the sea of Caucasions beat the pants of someone else for a role, we would have cast that person hands down. We wouldn't think twice about it. And we did, as a matter of fact.
. . . . You know what's funny? I've written several statements about casting someone other than a white person down and then promptly deleted them. Why? I think I'm scared of what you might think. Of your judgements of my phrasing. Of you thinking I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. And I think that's one of the main problems. One of the reasons why this doesn't get discussed more. As a white person, I don't want to offend.
I've got opinions on the race issue in Chicago but do you think I'm qualified to say them?
This is something that needs to be talked about.
Discuss freely . . .
GreyZelda's angle and experience with this issue is as follows: We are non-discriminatory when it comes to casting. We always cast the person that deserves a part, not based upon skin color, but based on their understanding, commitment, and intuitive taking to a character. Even for Desire Under the Elms, a play entirely about a family, if we had had another race besides the sea of Caucasions beat the pants of someone else for a role, we would have cast that person hands down. We wouldn't think twice about it. And we did, as a matter of fact.
. . . . You know what's funny? I've written several statements about casting someone other than a white person down and then promptly deleted them. Why? I think I'm scared of what you might think. Of your judgements of my phrasing. Of you thinking I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. And I think that's one of the main problems. One of the reasons why this doesn't get discussed more. As a white person, I don't want to offend.
I've got opinions on the race issue in Chicago but do you think I'm qualified to say them?
This is something that needs to be talked about.
Discuss freely . . .
Friday, July 28, 2006
The Black Forest
When the clouds go vertical, you know that something's brewing. A witch's salve with a touch of nightshade peppered with flabby leaves found under stumps with white slugs burrowing for darkness.
The salve is applyed with gentle death onto the eyelids. A crone in a girl's frock creating the evening whimsies that rock and cut. Slicing letters through hearts. Weaving stories through thread. Shouting through the hump. The disease. Fiends arise.
Under the croak of summer. The cloak of secrets. The petty wants and fretting needs. A twisted hand reaches from the gravestone.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne
Adapted by the GreyZelda Theatre Group
Preview - August 9, 2006
Opens - August 10, 2006 and will run Wednesdays through Sundays at StageLeft Theatre
3408 N. Sheffield
Call 773-267-6293 for reservations.
The salve is applyed with gentle death onto the eyelids. A crone in a girl's frock creating the evening whimsies that rock and cut. Slicing letters through hearts. Weaving stories through thread. Shouting through the hump. The disease. Fiends arise.
Under the croak of summer. The cloak of secrets. The petty wants and fretting needs. A twisted hand reaches from the gravestone.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne
Adapted by the GreyZelda Theatre Group
Preview - August 9, 2006
Opens - August 10, 2006 and will run Wednesdays through Sundays at StageLeft Theatre
3408 N. Sheffield
Call 773-267-6293 for reservations.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Results of GreyZelda's fundraiser at Four Moon Tavern
This picture is of our friend, Corey Bicanich. More news to come at the end of this post.
A huge Thank you to everyone who attended our fundraiser last night. And a gigantic Hip Hip Hooray to Meredith Lyons, GreyZelda's new marketing director, for organizing everything. She did a wonderful job. She hit the streets and got restaurants and theatre companies to donate gift certificates and tickets. We also had donation of gum from Wrigley and Stacie Barra, original artwork donated by Sarah Stec, and beautiful watches donated by Meredith.
For those of you theatre companies that wonder about doing a fundraiser at Four Moon Tavern - here's how it works:
We were able to hold our event from 6pm to 8pm. If sales equaled $1000.00 in that timeframe, GreyZelda would received 25% of the sales. If we didn't total $1000.00, we would have gotten nothing. Puts the pressure on. And we reached the goal and then some thanks to everyone who came and ate and drank amongst good friends.
The total for the evening was $771.00. Which is great! That money could pay for a week at StageLeft! It helps with costume rental prices! Printing paper for the programs! Buying food and drink for our theatre Thursday event on August 31st! Incredible. Thank you so much for helping us out, everyone.
I'd have a fundraiser every day at Four Moon if I could. It was a great evening. Good conversations. Wonderful food. A pleasant temperature. And doing it all for the greatest theatre company I know, GreyZelda.
And, in other equally remarkable news, our friend in Morgantown, Corey Bicanich, is speaking. Some of you know that he suffered through a horrible car accident and has been slowly recovering for months. We received a call right before the fundraiser from his sister, Aimee, saying that he's starting to speak. Incredible! That's our man, Corey!
Saturday, July 15, 2006
The time is getting closer . . .
What a lovely Saturday.
The coartistic directors of GreyZelda - Lady Crow and the Olde Gentleman, who Crow calls Mulch - will not be doing anything today. Lady Crow has been consumed with directing the Scarlet Letter and sincerely looks forward to a day of nothing. Nothing normally constitutes tv, dart throwing, listening to music, talking, and making tasty food at home.
On Monday, we'll start putting the scenes together and seeing where we are with everything. The curtains have been hung, Mulch and Heath will be painting and weathering tomorrow, the costumes are starting to come together, we've received the promotional postcards and banner that we'll hang o'er StageLeft. We're receiving reservations already, which is grand.
We're excited to share this show with you.
What else? GreyZelda will be renting their rehearsal space to the Promethean Theatre in August and Greasy Joan in September. We'll be happy to host them and wish them successful rehearsals. We're currently renting to the improv folks producing Adventures in Comedy so go see it.
Lady Crow and Sir Mulch went to see GI's in Europe last night. Stacie Barra, Scarlet Letter's assistant director, was in it, as was her man Friday, Anthony. We later headed over to Chief O'Neill's where we shared stories and booze with our pals Ben Veatch, his lady, Anne, Stacie, Anthony, Missy, Eric and his wife whose name I can't remember at the moment and I apologize. Met some new folks. Met the guy on Wild Chicago. 'Twas fun. Good place to hang if you're over by Prop Theatre.
Again, have an exquisite Saturday.
Take care,
Lady Crow
The coartistic directors of GreyZelda - Lady Crow and the Olde Gentleman, who Crow calls Mulch - will not be doing anything today. Lady Crow has been consumed with directing the Scarlet Letter and sincerely looks forward to a day of nothing. Nothing normally constitutes tv, dart throwing, listening to music, talking, and making tasty food at home.
On Monday, we'll start putting the scenes together and seeing where we are with everything. The curtains have been hung, Mulch and Heath will be painting and weathering tomorrow, the costumes are starting to come together, we've received the promotional postcards and banner that we'll hang o'er StageLeft. We're receiving reservations already, which is grand.
We're excited to share this show with you.
What else? GreyZelda will be renting their rehearsal space to the Promethean Theatre in August and Greasy Joan in September. We'll be happy to host them and wish them successful rehearsals. We're currently renting to the improv folks producing Adventures in Comedy so go see it.
Lady Crow and Sir Mulch went to see GI's in Europe last night. Stacie Barra, Scarlet Letter's assistant director, was in it, as was her man Friday, Anthony. We later headed over to Chief O'Neill's where we shared stories and booze with our pals Ben Veatch, his lady, Anne, Stacie, Anthony, Missy, Eric and his wife whose name I can't remember at the moment and I apologize. Met some new folks. Met the guy on Wild Chicago. 'Twas fun. Good place to hang if you're over by Prop Theatre.
Again, have an exquisite Saturday.
Take care,
Lady Crow
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Daily affirmation . . .
Yes, it's already been posted, but . . .
Read It Again
Once a day with your multivitamin will do wonders.
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Read It Again
Once a day with your multivitamin will do wonders.
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
www.theatreinchicago.com
I love this site. It's really comprehensive and has a great layout.
And, The Scarlet Letter was mentioned! So, even better.
You can check it out at:
theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=118
While you're hanging around there, feel free to check out their Review Roundup and other shows mentioned.
Take care,
Lady Crow
And, The Scarlet Letter was mentioned! So, even better.
You can check it out at:
theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=118
While you're hanging around there, feel free to check out their Review Roundup and other shows mentioned.
Take care,
Lady Crow
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Scarlet Photos
We had a photo shoot in the afternoon of July 4th with Kim Katona, Meredith Lyons, Missy Styles, and the Mulch man. Meredith and her landlord graciously let her use the backyard, which set a perfect garden background. The ladies look beautiful. Missy is Hester Prynne and Meredith is Little Pearl. The makeshift costumes look alright, as well. You might remember them from One Flea Spare. They've been waiting for another opportunity to show themselves and jumped at the chance when it was offered. I kind of like Pearl wearing that dress . . . we will see, we will see. Stacie is the main girl with costumes, so we'll discuss and go from there.Rehearsal is going well. We've had to improvise a bit because actors have been sick or working or seeing good music or this and that. We're doing alright, though. Chris pointed out that I've scheduled with some give time to accomodate potential cancellations, but after this week, we won't be able to continue doing that, as we're moving into piecing the scenes together.
We had a great rehearsal last night working a couple of the major movement sequences at the beginning of each acts and trying to figure out how to drape the curtains. Heath and Chris will be purchasing and constructing the curtains this weekend, so we'll have them to rehearse with on Monday night. Cool. Should be very fun figuring out interesting layouts. Chris will need to be there with us on Monday and Tuesday to assist with manipulations of the fabric, so that will be fun showing him this and that. I've told him about the different scenes we've worked on and explored, but I prefer showing the work as words can't begin to describe some of the gorgeousness the actors have come up with. Collaboration and creation are two of my favorite things and we've got them working for us each night.
So, that's where we are right now. We should be getting the postcards soon to start spreading the word. Meredith has been great at brainstorming for our fundraiser on July 23rd at Four Moon Tavern. We'll get a percentage of their sales. It's a quick and painless fundraiser, but a little bit goes a long way.
Rock and roll. Hope you're all doing well.
Crow
Friday, June 30, 2006
4th of July. Red Fireworks. Red
Hello, everyone -
It's been a while since I updated the GreyZelda blog and for that I sincerely apologize. I've written over at myspace, which is a psychotic mistress. You can see some of my goings on at www.myspace.com/mulchcrow .
The Scarlet Letter
Rehearsal has been going extremely well. Sometimes I feel nervous when it's moving along like this. We've gotten about half of it blocked and will carry the tourch on to the final staged scene in the next week or so. Ben of Miranda Sex Garden has given us permission to use some of their music in the show, which is awesome. I've been waiting to hear what Robert may have come up with, but, unfortunately, he's moving in the next couple of days, so . . . Miranda Sex Garden has been providing an aural backdrop of gothic splendour.
Our actors have been phenomenal. They only need a little bit of direction and just start running with it. This production is very movement oriented and with simply reading aloud out of Hawthorne's text, extracting abstract themes and images, and combining a safe, ensemble atmosphere where all is permitted to be tried at least once, we've really come up with gorgeous compositions which will only get bigger and better as rehearsal moves forward.
Our production team has been a huge treat this time around, as well. Stacie Barra and Melissa Kuhlmann have been working very closely with me during rehearsals and we've had awesome collaborations of the mind. We all seem to be speaking the same language. This has been a female-led undertaking all the way around and it's just been a joy every night. I may be tired when I get home from work, but once we start rehearsal, the energy comes right back.
Thank you, everyone, for making this process a lovely one.
Don Hall
Don has a blog at www.donhall.blogspot.com . He rants, discources, discusses, and tells it as he deems fit on it almost daily. He recently resigned as Executive Director of WNEP and we wish him the best of luck. We're not "friends", per se, for we've only talked once or twice in the last couple of years, but I admire what he stands for, what he's done with his theatre company, and how he goes about acheiving his goals while doing what he wants to do. I hope I never resign from GreyZelda, being a founding member. 'Twould make me heartsick. But, if it's in GreyZelda's best interests that I ever do such a thing, well . . . decisions have to be made. A person's heart has to be in it, though. That's the only thing that keeps most of us trucking in this town and in this art form. If that starts to fade, then it's hard going. It's fucking hard, yeah. But, that pony is always there to ride. And it's good to know that there are helping hands if you fall.
Anyway.
I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday weekend. Go see fireworks. Eat corn on the cob. Drink pink lemonade.
Freedom.
Crow
It's been a while since I updated the GreyZelda blog and for that I sincerely apologize. I've written over at myspace, which is a psychotic mistress. You can see some of my goings on at www.myspace.com/mulchcrow .
The Scarlet Letter
Rehearsal has been going extremely well. Sometimes I feel nervous when it's moving along like this. We've gotten about half of it blocked and will carry the tourch on to the final staged scene in the next week or so. Ben of Miranda Sex Garden has given us permission to use some of their music in the show, which is awesome. I've been waiting to hear what Robert may have come up with, but, unfortunately, he's moving in the next couple of days, so . . . Miranda Sex Garden has been providing an aural backdrop of gothic splendour.
Our actors have been phenomenal. They only need a little bit of direction and just start running with it. This production is very movement oriented and with simply reading aloud out of Hawthorne's text, extracting abstract themes and images, and combining a safe, ensemble atmosphere where all is permitted to be tried at least once, we've really come up with gorgeous compositions which will only get bigger and better as rehearsal moves forward.
Our production team has been a huge treat this time around, as well. Stacie Barra and Melissa Kuhlmann have been working very closely with me during rehearsals and we've had awesome collaborations of the mind. We all seem to be speaking the same language. This has been a female-led undertaking all the way around and it's just been a joy every night. I may be tired when I get home from work, but once we start rehearsal, the energy comes right back.
Thank you, everyone, for making this process a lovely one.
Don Hall
Don has a blog at www.donhall.blogspot.com . He rants, discources, discusses, and tells it as he deems fit on it almost daily. He recently resigned as Executive Director of WNEP and we wish him the best of luck. We're not "friends", per se, for we've only talked once or twice in the last couple of years, but I admire what he stands for, what he's done with his theatre company, and how he goes about acheiving his goals while doing what he wants to do. I hope I never resign from GreyZelda, being a founding member. 'Twould make me heartsick. But, if it's in GreyZelda's best interests that I ever do such a thing, well . . . decisions have to be made. A person's heart has to be in it, though. That's the only thing that keeps most of us trucking in this town and in this art form. If that starts to fade, then it's hard going. It's fucking hard, yeah. But, that pony is always there to ride. And it's good to know that there are helping hands if you fall.
Anyway.
I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday weekend. Go see fireworks. Eat corn on the cob. Drink pink lemonade.
Freedom.
Crow
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Let the Hester games begin
The Scarlet Letter had its first rehearsal last night and, although we were missing three out of four ensemble members, the reading was much fun over all, aside from the monkeys and the Black Man. The former is a Kuzava gem. The latter is all Hawthorne.
I'm very tired today, my friends. The energy that buoys me is purely from that creative spirit that takes a hold so well. I don't know what it is, but I feel like I could delve into the soma pool for a couple of weeks and sleeeeep, sleeeeeeep with the poppies. I've a touch of the sleeping sickness. And some tummy trouble. I called off work yesterday to tend to it. It's still hanging out today along with this intense weariness I speak of.
Back to flowers: This lovely rose will be featured on the Scarlet posters, so keep your eyes open for technicolor thorniness coming to you soon, thanks to the ever fantastic Sarah Stec. Whenever she presents ideas to us, she gives us a few choices to pick from. And each choice has its distinct merit. She and the Mulchman both liked the same design, but I can't turn my eyes away from this Rose. I want to pick it and put it in my hair.
Doing a show right after the closing of our last one will be an intense challenge. We have helpers, oh yes, and they're wonderful, but a lot of the work is done by me and that Mulchman I mention now and again. So, jumping right up on that saddle again and riding away into the GreyZelda sunset will require much focus. Everything seems pretty organized. We're calling more meetings this time around and getting everyone on the same road. This one's going to be more technical than some of our other offerings, so we're having a design meeting Thursday night to discuss music, costumes, set, shadows, cloth, etc. We're also having a fundraising meeting on Sunday afternoon to get our summer fundraising plan going. So . . . busy, busy, busy. Father's Day is this Sunday. We mustn't forget.
And speaking of days not to forget: Happy Birthday, Darlene!!!! (Darlene is Chris's mommos. He sent flowers to her today and she'll be receiving her present soon.)
That's about it. I hope you all are well. If you want to offer your assistance to GreyZelda in anyway, shape, or form, please let us know. Feel free to ask what you can do to help if you're drawing a blank. We have lots of things. And we love our feeling of ensemble behind and in front of the curtain and are always looking for those people who just love doing it and being a part of it.
Beak, beak, beak,
Crow
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Metromix audience Reviews of Desire
Last night's tonight! We'll have a great show! MK's feeling better! We'll go out afterwards for anyone who wants to join us.
Thanks for your support, everyone!
From www.metromix.com:
Most Recent Reviews:
May 22, 2006
Lois Foster Hillsdale, MI
This is a great story that is well presented. You will have an enjoyable evening. You will also hear the message and it will give you something to think about in the following days. Go see the show!
May 22, 2006
Derek
Chicago, IL
This is an excellent production that really strips away all excesses, leaving a very strong cast of characters and raw, unfiltered emotions. With the very intimate space used by the production, you can't help but be a part of everything that is going on.
May 21, 2006
Dora Chicago, IL
Definately a fine way to end your evening with a captivating cast sharing O'Neill's dramatic tale. I've followed Gray Zelda theater company's productions for several years, follwing their hits and misses. I feel that, without a doubt, Desire Under the Elms is their best work to date. The actor who played the father's character is intimidating and real- similar to a distant relative whom you have the misfortune of bumping into at annual family gatherings. Watching his family fall apart, unaware of his own part of the crumbling, the actor of Ephrim was memorable and powerful. As an audience member, being in the dark with this character is at times frightening and exhilirating. By all means, see this theater company's version of Desire Under the Elms. I feel that you'll get chills (like I did) as the play ends.
May 21, 2006
Sarah Chicago, IL
Greyzelda does it again! Desire Under the Elms is a collaboration of genuine talent—from the minimalist stage that truly captures the environment to the amazing actors that carry you through each emotional chapter. Come see what these creative minds assemble on limited budget with limitless talent and vision!
May 21, 2006
Tiffany Chicago, IL
A wonderfully rooted ensemble, coupled with clever staging and imaginative use of a small space. It's Chicago storefront at it's best.
May 14, 2006
John Marrick, IL
Waste of three hours. Melodramatic, overplayed. I should have left after the first intermission. Not reccomended.
Thanks for your support, everyone!
From www.metromix.com:
Most Recent Reviews:
May 22, 2006
Lois Foster Hillsdale, MI
This is a great story that is well presented. You will have an enjoyable evening. You will also hear the message and it will give you something to think about in the following days. Go see the show!
May 22, 2006
Derek
Chicago, IL
This is an excellent production that really strips away all excesses, leaving a very strong cast of characters and raw, unfiltered emotions. With the very intimate space used by the production, you can't help but be a part of everything that is going on.
May 21, 2006
Dora Chicago, IL
Definately a fine way to end your evening with a captivating cast sharing O'Neill's dramatic tale. I've followed Gray Zelda theater company's productions for several years, follwing their hits and misses. I feel that, without a doubt, Desire Under the Elms is their best work to date. The actor who played the father's character is intimidating and real- similar to a distant relative whom you have the misfortune of bumping into at annual family gatherings. Watching his family fall apart, unaware of his own part of the crumbling, the actor of Ephrim was memorable and powerful. As an audience member, being in the dark with this character is at times frightening and exhilirating. By all means, see this theater company's version of Desire Under the Elms. I feel that you'll get chills (like I did) as the play ends.
May 21, 2006
Sarah Chicago, IL
Greyzelda does it again! Desire Under the Elms is a collaboration of genuine talent—from the minimalist stage that truly captures the environment to the amazing actors that carry you through each emotional chapter. Come see what these creative minds assemble on limited budget with limitless talent and vision!
May 21, 2006
Tiffany Chicago, IL
A wonderfully rooted ensemble, coupled with clever staging and imaginative use of a small space. It's Chicago storefront at it's best.
May 14, 2006
John Marrick, IL
Waste of three hours. Melodramatic, overplayed. I should have left after the first intermission. Not reccomended.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Desire Nears Its Closing Hours
We sold out Wednesday and are sold out tonight and tomorrow. We could have been sold out last night, but dear Melissa Kuhlmann was sick and we had to cancel the show. We have a few 100% certainties with GreyZelda and Melissa is one of them. So . . . if MK can get so sick that we have to cancel the show, then it's just a friendly remember from Dame Fortune as to how frequently that wheel of life spins. We just have to hold on and enjoy the ride the best we know how.We've loved producing this show. There have been some elements that have made it trying. More on that later. I keep saying that, but, there's a time and a place. If you must know all now, you can shoot us an email and we'll talk about this and that.
One thing I know is this: The Chicago Reader brought in our audiences. We polled our folks as they purchased their tickets, asking where they heard about the show. 99.9% have heard about it from the Reader. So. To those who sometimes bitch about the Reader, just know . . . that's where you're getting your audiences from, if our audiences are an example of the Chicago people's choices of publications and news of what theatre to see.
I love the Reader. Good reviews, bad reviews, I'm just happy that they've been the one consistent paper that has reviewed every single one of our shows from the beginning. We only had one reviewer for One Flea Spare. Mary Shen Barnidge. And it was such a pleasure having her there during our first show. It was great speaking Kafka with Jack Helbig after Metamorphosis. Jenn Vanasco was sick the first time she saw Thimbleberry and had to leave at the intermission. I quipped, "It's that bad, huh?", but she was as sick as dear MK. She came back and gave us a lukewarm review but nice things to say nonetheless. Zac Thompson didn't speak to us at all after Insanity. He didn't like the show, to say the least. From the jist of the review, it appeared that he had a problem with feminism, thus having a problem with the show altogether. And, now, we've come full circle with Mary returning for Desire. Very cool.
What's great about the Reader is their new system with the shows, letting readers know, just through a quick glance, what shows are Critic's Choice, Recommended, Opening, Closing, etc. They also keep a synopsis of the review throughout your show's run, which is nonstop press and updates for people. I really appreciate that. I mean, think about it - unless it's online, people who are picking up the Tribune and the Suntimes only have that issue for a day and then chuck it. That's it. Good review or bad. Please inform me if I'm wrong. Timeout is awesome and a classy magazine, but you have to pay for it. The Reader's free and is hefty enough to last for a week.
I love the Reader.
Have you ever checked out www.theatreinchicago.com? That's pretty cool, too, with their review roundups. It's very comprehensive and easy to navigate through, giving you the quick scoop on what show's to see or not see.
You know who needs to see a GreyZelda show? Chris Jones and Hedy Weiss. They seem tired of the H groups. They need to see fresh blood and what they've been unhappy with in their recent reviews of select current shows is something GreyZelda can fix. Or try to. Opinion is opinion, whether you're happy with a review or not. Speaking of - I don't think I ever included Kerry Reid's review here. I'm going to go over it with my Crow fork. I'm glad she came representing the Tribune, though, because to add fuel to my Reader fire - she also writes and works for the Reader.
Here it is:
Eugene O'Neill's 1924 New England tragedy "Desire Under the Elms," based on the Hippolytus and Phaedra (people keep throwing that around. We never released that with the press release. It's a time honored tale, yes, but it's our understanding that O'Neill wrote it because he dreamed it in its entirety one night. Maybe he was inspired by Phaedra tales. I don't know. I'm not as researched as some, I admit, and Phaedra's a hell of a heroine, but . . . it seems to quickly categorize the story into a Greek rip-off. Some people just want to sound very informed. . . ) story of a lustful woman and the stepson she ensnares, is tough going (Not really. Thanks for your concern, Kerry, but our actors really don't have a problem with that. We liked the womby feel of the whole thing. And I think our actors have been awesome with their use of the space. And the C-man has been awesome with his manipulation of the blocking. So, we don't find it tough. It's meaty, but not tough. Heh heh. ) in a small room. The titular (mmm, titular) elms in GreyZelda Theatre Group's production, directed by Chris Riter, are reduced to shadowy projections (it would have really been tough going if we had two draping elms - oh my gosh!!! Then there would have been no room, no sirree, bob jr. GreyZelda never likes to be blatantly obvious anyway. And when you're in a house, you don't see the elms directly. You see shadows in the room, so . . . that's what we simulated. She's a little pickyand not accounting for the fact of innovation-on-a-dime.) The over-the-top and across-the-board accents fall under the generic heading of Rural Bumpkin 101 (Doesn't this seem, once again, like she's attacking West Virginia? She can do no better than that sentence? We kind of wonder if people have read O'Neill's script and know that he wrote the dialect directly in there - h'aint is in there, whether or not you think it's a word or not . . . I admit that some of the accents aren't exactly on the nose, but the choice was made to not have that be the biggest concern. The C-Man wanted to tell the story and that technicality wasn't as important as some other things. Not that it's not important. Just a choice, and I think that the actors really pull the show off and do an admirable job with the dialect and what O'Neill wrote in the first place.) --while the central tragic romance, between Eben and his young stepmother Abbie, doesn't ignite with the all-consuming passion it requires. (Others have disagreed on that point as well. We disagree. Did you know Tom and Melissa are together? We think they achieved greater intimacy and hot and heavy passion than most actors can get to. Whatevah.) But at intermittent points, the actors find the wounded dignity that girds O'Neill's potboiler of a story, thanks mostly to Melissa Kuhlmann's quietly mesmerizing Abbie and to Aris Tompulis' ability to imbue Ephraim--her flinty old coot of a husband--with the wounded solitary pride that is the undoing of his troubled clan. (She liked Aris, which is awesome! We told you he rocks!!!! So, he got a shout out in the Tribune. Kick ass.)
So, you see, it's one of those lukewarm ones again. So it goes. I do think that for small theatre, the Reader is the one that prevails with helping to get folks in the seats. It didn't seem to matter one way or another that the Tribune came to the show. It was cool to finally get acknowledged by them and I hope our relationship can continue, but the Reader won this particular round.
We'll see what happens with Scarlet Letter.
Crow
Thursday, May 25, 2006
The Scarlet Letter needs one more actor!
And this is a hell of a part . . . they all are.
The male ensemble member will be changing characters 3-4 times (and all the characters are very juicy - it is, after all, Hawthorne's text) and will constantly be moving with his fellow ensemble members to represent rose bushes, water, etc. He'll be creating shadows behind one of the four white curtains hanging.
It should be really exciting.
And he'll be acting with this assembled confirmed cast of actors: Ron Kuzava, Toby Minor, Elizabeth Styles, Meredith Lyons, Lisa Baer, and Derek Jarvis. - Awesome actors, yo!
And we'll be performing at StageLeft. Music composed by Robert Filippo. Set design by Kim Katona and Heath Hays. Graphics: Sarah Stec. Assistant Directed by Stace Barra. Movement assistance by Melissa Kuhlmann. General support for sanity by Chris Riter. Directed by me, BZ!
So . . . spread the word, my friends, that we're on the hunt for a man. Not just any man. A movement oriented, ensemble joining man who loves experimentation and exploration - (I should put an ad out in the Reader! Heh heh)
And he should be comfortable with an english accent and classical text.
Rehearsals will begin on June 5th. I'd like to not have to hold a general audition in such a short time but I'd like to read the person first, if I don't know him.
Thank you so much for your help!!!!!!! This should be an incredible process and experience.
Rebecca
The male ensemble member will be changing characters 3-4 times (and all the characters are very juicy - it is, after all, Hawthorne's text) and will constantly be moving with his fellow ensemble members to represent rose bushes, water, etc. He'll be creating shadows behind one of the four white curtains hanging.
It should be really exciting.
And he'll be acting with this assembled confirmed cast of actors: Ron Kuzava, Toby Minor, Elizabeth Styles, Meredith Lyons, Lisa Baer, and Derek Jarvis. - Awesome actors, yo!
And we'll be performing at StageLeft. Music composed by Robert Filippo. Set design by Kim Katona and Heath Hays. Graphics: Sarah Stec. Assistant Directed by Stace Barra. Movement assistance by Melissa Kuhlmann. General support for sanity by Chris Riter. Directed by me, BZ!
So . . . spread the word, my friends, that we're on the hunt for a man. Not just any man. A movement oriented, ensemble joining man who loves experimentation and exploration - (I should put an ad out in the Reader! Heh heh)
And he should be comfortable with an english accent and classical text.
Rehearsals will begin on June 5th. I'd like to not have to hold a general audition in such a short time but I'd like to read the person first, if I don't know him.
Thank you so much for your help!!!!!!! This should be an incredible process and experience.
Rebecca
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