A bit of hope.

Last night was a very moving experience for me. For the first time in a long time I have hope again.

I'm hopeful that art won't be cast aside as a luxury. I'm hopeful that President-elect Barack Obama (aka PEBO, thanks @scottpalmer) will see art as a necessity to society's well being. I'm hopeful that american Theater will survive.

What inspired this?

I had an amazing theater experience seeing "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" at Centerstage in Baltimore. I was leary to go when I heard that Centerstage was doing Virginia Woolf this year since it's one of my all time favorite plays. I love the banter and the play that Albee delivers all while saying something about the way that we treat each other. I know some of the play by heart and even used a George and Martha scene for my stage combat final in college. I've seen other productions that really didn't wow me, so I was anxious to be surprised.

Well it was fabulous. Incredibly so. It shook me to my core and even got me to cry a little. Martha has always been my dream part, I've always wanted to be her. I admire her vulnerability within the hard edge. She is a complete person. Sometimes in plays there are characters that only show you the one side of themselves, not Martha, you see her ugly, sweet, brash, rude, complementary, etc. You see the whole person.

I made me feel like the purpose of theatre wasn't just to make money to do more theatre, but that there was a level of art to it. That American Theatre is back on the road to art, instead of just entertainment. That the arts I love so much will actually have funding!

We'll see what happens...

It's over...

Anytime a director closes a show I think there is a bit of remorse. A mourning of sorts.

I'm the type to throw myself into another project and distance myself from what I was working on so it isn't as hard for me. I've been more distant from the show, saying "my job is done, the show isn't mine anymore", which is true. It's not mine anymore, the stage manager is in charge, they are supposed to run the show.

They still looked to me for guidance during the strike today, which made me a little sentimental. I really enjoyed working with all of them and appreciate the journey they went on to put this show on it's feet.

One world premiere done. Stage management up next. I've also been asked to direct a staged reading in the next two weeks, which I'm trying to make myself focus enough to sit down and read (it's not working very well at this moment). Then a nice long break before the next show. Now will I actually stick to my break schedule? Maybe, but we'll see...

Like A Botonist Walking Through A Forest

Lately I've been going and seeing more theatre since now I know more people in the theatre scene. A lot of friend/acquaintances have shows going on right now and there is a college putting on a Mary Zimmerman piece, so I have lot of plans to go see theatre pretty much every weekend for awhile. Sounds spectacular right? Well, the problem is...

It's really hard for me to sit and just enjoy a play. Seriously.

I've spent my life living & breathing theatre. I had a teacher in school who said he couldn't enjoy just going to the theatre anymore and I questioned him about this because I didn't understand. He told me it was like a botonist walking through a forest. A botonist can't just take a walk through a forest, they see all the different kinds of plants and any diseases. They can't just enjoy the calm.

Well I've reached that point. It's a little sad for me. I love theatre, that's why I've consumed everything I could relating to theatre for so long, but now that I've become an "expert" (for lack of a not so elevated term) it has kind of ruined the experience for me. The only time a I get heart-a-flutter excited about seeing a play anymore is if it's a Mary Zimmerman play. Even when I get a chance to see some of my favorite plays, I get analytical. It annoys the hell out of me.

There has also been another crazy side effect of this... Now most of the TV I watch is reality TV because I don't have to think about the acting or directing. It isn't high quality and honestly the lower quality the better (thank you VH1)!

Sad really in the end. I think that's also why I like to work on new work, because there isn't a pre-made opinion about it. It's fresh, it's new, it's like an infant who you have to help grow up.

I'm wondering if anyone else out there feels like this about the work they do? Is it something that is just limited to the arts or does it affect other occupations as well?

To Start Anew...

So last night was the first production meeting for Cloud 9 by Caryl Churchill. I'm a big fan of Caryl (I talk like I've met her, though I have not) and think her work is amazing. She makes statements with her work.

It felt good to be back at the beginning of the process again. Though Watch only has one more weekend left in the run, jumping in on something else will help with the grieving period. What I mean is that when a show closes there is a sense of loss. Not sure what to do with your nights anymore, you are thrust back into normal life. It's been weird to come home every night after work and not have to race off to the theatre, but still good. It's nice to be able to sit at home and read a play. (or write a blog post...)

Anyways, working on this next show is really exciting. My director is an awesome guy and it's great to have a full production team. (Unlike the last two shows!) That means I can focus on stage managing and props. I think I may be a little on the over organized side, but I need to be when I start the show so that way if I slip up a little later on, I'm still ahead of the game.

I also started my position with the Baltimore Playwrights Festival as the rep for Spots. So far I've read one play and am really excited about it. It's the first one, but it engaged me. I don't think it's right for Spots' season, but definitely something I would love to work on in the future.

Anyways, not sure if there was a real point to this post except to say that I'm in a good place moving forward and excited for the next show!

Review: Watch, A Haunting

So we just finished up week two of our three week run and I think the press has been really good. Here are the reviews we've gotten so far. Please note that in Baltimore, unless you work for one of the "professional" (professional = union) stages, it's harder to be reviewed.


Read about the show from the City Paper's Goeffrey Himes.

Listen to YPR's Martha Thomas talk about Watch, A Haunting.

So let me know what you think! I think in general the reviews are positive. This is what I'm taking away from them:

Pros - genuine, simple, earnest, potential, minimalistic

Cons - sound effects, unrealized potential

So after this show closes, I'm on to the next. Not directing this time, but to Stage Manage for Cloud 9. Back @ Spots again, oh how I love that theatre! (And of course their AMAZING Artistic Director) This one is going to be a long one since we don't go up until mid-February. And then... a much needed break. I'll be back at Spots (of course) to direct another new work come next August. What new work you ask? I don't know, haven't decided yet since I'm the Baltimore Playwrights Festival rep for Spots and have a TON of plays to look through. I'm excited though.

An Update: Me & the AD are on great terms now. Back to how we were before we disagreed. :)

A Director's Place

I wasn't sure whether or not I should write about this...

Then I remembered my own words... "I intend to be bold, brash and above all, honest with myself and with my subject." Honesty.

Honestly last night ended badly. The actors were great, it was more what happened with the artistic director.

After the run the artistic director approached me and told me some moments that she felt weren't natural in the blocking and they needed to be fixed now. Okay, I can see where she gets that. With the way that I block it comes naturally out of the character; I read impulses and create the blocking out of what the character is going through. It is heavily dependent on having actors that have strong characters. This is one reason I spend so much time of establishing relationships and improving scenes before I get to the blocking stage. So usually if something isn't looking right on stage it has to do with the character not being defined enough.

I worked with two of the actors helping them to define and make their characters more specific, which then in turn fixed the blocking problems that she had mentioned. Cool, the play is better off for her pointing those things out, but I didn't appreciate her disagreeing with me in front of my actors. I let it go though.

Well, this is where things got a little uncomfortable with me. The AD decided that she was going to reset all of my sound levels for the sound cues. She said they needed to be louder and be more shocking to the audience. She just started resetting all the levels WAY higher than I would have set them. The sound cues that I've come up with are meant to be an underscore. I am no means a sound designer, but I have been around the theatre long enough to know what I want and what I don't and I was the one who came up with the sound design for the show. It's not great, but I do know what I'm trying to achieve.

In my aesthetic for this show, where things are subtle and each audience member walks out of the theatre with a different experience, having the levels set higher would jar the audience in a way that I do not want. The sound design is meant to be subtle, something you would hear in the back of your head, but not be sure that you heard it. Kind of like when you are in a real haunted house, not some spooky Halloween one.

On top of this, the SFX that I have are from the internet, on a burned CD, on an in-home mini boombox thing, not a professional sound system. When the sound is turned up too loud, the speakers buzz in that bad their gonna blow way. Not the impression I want to give my audience.

I felt very insulted by the fact that even though I said things were too loud she told the stage manager/board op to turn it up anyways. I'm frustrated because I feel like the show now has someone else's stamp on it. I believe that art is a collaborative process, but in the end it is my name and my reputation on the line because I was hired as the director. Having my AD push me is great, it's a way of collaborating, but being criticized and then pushed aside when my vision of the show I was hired to direct is not.

So with all this bitching what am I going to do? I'm going to be the bigger person (at least I hope this is what being the bigger person is in this situation) and let the show run tonight with the loud soundFX. I will give it a chance, I have a feeling I won't like it, but I'm going to be open to it. If I feel that the show becomes campy, or the soundFX are overbearing and become the focus, then they will go back down. I will fight for my vision if I have to. The show I'm trying to create is not a campy "Halloween" show, it's not a haunted house. It's a show about a girl coming to terms with the death of her father. Yes there are ghosts in the show. Yes the house they live in is haunted. But like I said before, this show isn't a haunted house, it's a play.

Thanks for reading my rant. I'd like to know what you think though, respond with your comments.


UPDATE - So after the preview last night (and audience members laughing at SFX) I talked with the AD. It wasn't pretty, but we came to a compromise... We're turning them down a little bit, not as much as I want, but that's what compromising is about. Basically the issue all arises from the fundamental difference in how we see the presence of the house. (This part will make more sense if you see the show...) I see it as there, alive and in the background. She sees it as a presence on stage. That's what is causing the conflict and since we can both be very strong willed women, it causes us to butt heads. Such is life though.

Things are a little awkward, but whatever. I felt like I had to stand up for the show I was trying to create.

Blog Action Day - Topic: Poverty

So today is Blog Action Day and the topic this year is Poverty.

As of yesterday I had no idea what I was going to write about. None. I thought maybe I would write about a play that deals with poverty, like Odets' Awake & Sing! or something like that.

Then I realized something when I stumbled upon Americans for the Arts Action Fund tally on where the candidates stand when it comes to arts funding. Suddenly the idea of poverty hit closer home.

I have friends who are working artists; my goal is eventually to be a working artist. When I took a look at the Arts positions of the 2008 candidates, I got scared for the future of arts funding in America.

Like a good democrat, Obama supports funding the arts. His campaign has put out an official policy proposal on arts funding that focuses on combining education and arts. At least from his position statement, he see the value of the arts. But will he really follow through on all this or is it an attempt to capture the already leftist artists? Why would he need to do that though, most artists I know would automatically vote left, purely because the Democratic Party has a history of supporting social programs, including the arts.

What scares me though is McCain and Palin. I was in Virginia on Monday, driving through a neighborhood and I forgot what it was like to be in a “red” state. In the course of two long blocks I saw probably 10 McCain/Palin signs, it was scary, mainly because of her, but that’s not what this blog post is about.

McCain doesn’t have published policy proposals on arts or arts education.

He hasn’t made a statement on federal support of the arts, though he has about arts education.

The Republican party platform does not include a statement on arts and/or arts education.

McCain himself has voted to cut funding or terminate the National Endowment for the Arts .

I know I’m not talking about the world’s poverty issue and I didn’t really set out to be political when I wrote this, but I’m concerned about where my country is going and whether or not I will cross that poverty line to pursue my dreams.

I’m not a huge fan of Obama, in fact I gained more respect for the ticket after I heard Biden speak. But McCain scares me and Palin scares me even more. It's the lesser of two evils situation, per usual.

I just ask that when you go to vote in less than a month, you consider what choice you make and how that will affect those you love.

Thanks to Abigail Katz's Katzeye Report for bringing to my attention the candidate's positions on arts funding.

An Essential Tool for the Actor

So this has never happened to me before... I lost my voice. Yep it went bye, bye and left me with little to work with.

This took me back to my first day of orientation at Cornish and the Freshman voice teacher Ellen Boyle (who later became a good friend and mentor) had lost her voice because she had spent the weekend protesting against the killing of Canadian Geese in one of Seattle's many parks. So she had been screaming at the top of her lungs trying to scare the geese away so they wouldn't be killed. Honestly, when she first told the story I thought it was a little weird, but she was passionate about her cause and I respected that. She told us about how profound it was to lose her voice, since as a voice teacher she relies on it so much. I really didn't understand what she meant until this week.

I mentioned how last week I was experiencing the "Death Plague" and it's reach was farther than just the fever, chills, cough and phlegm. The cough was so powerful that I seriously damaged my vocal folds and it was very hard for me to talk. I was not fully "on-voice" for a few days. All you got out of me what whispy sounds that resembled words.

What made it a profound experience for me was when I was in rehearsal with the Watch cast. Normally if I'm talking about an actor using their voice is a weird way I will demonstrate, because a visceral experience is always more informative than me just telling them about it.

Well I couldn't demonstrate at all. What a punch to my gut!

My voice and speech has always been there for me, it was something I excelled at in school (with the exception of keeping my soft palette lifted) . And, no, I can't sing; just for the record. I always took for granted that my voice would be there, even if I hadn't warmed up fully, it was there and usable. I had control over this, my vocal choices were always the first choices I made as an actor once I learned how to harness my tool. Learning about my voice and exploring and using it made me a better theatre artist.

Well I'm on the mend and my voice is slowly but surely coming back, I'm not trying to baby it, but I'm also trying not to overwork. I just hope things didn't change too much in the past week.

Your voice is how you let the world know you're there. I don't know what I'd do if I lost it.

Why Do They Leave Their Socks On?

Is porn art?

Background: Flipping through the HBO channels I come across Thinking XXX, a film by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders about shooting portraits for his book XXX: 30 Porn-Star Portraits.

One of the subjects, Sean Michaels, likened his work to art. My first reaction was, what the fuck? They get paid to fuck. How is that art?

Mr. Michaels said his work was an expression of the art of fucking. Made me think...

Porn Stars get paid to fuck on film. Actors get paid to act on film. (I won't make this distinction between art and entertainment in this post, though it could be valid)

Porn Stars get paid for their pornographic still shots. Models get paid for their photographs.

Porn Stars film soft-core scenes of simulated sex. Actors simulate sex scenes in movies all the time.

These are just some parallels that I've come up with off the top of my head. Though that also brings to mind the actors are like prostitutes, we are paid to perform.

Art & Sex have always crossed paths. Artists push the boundaries. Was the Marquis de Sade's work smut or literature?

What is the link between sex & art? Can sex be art? When does sex cross that line where it is no longer art?

Brief Update: Watch, A Haunting

So it's getting down to crunch time, we open 2 weeks from today. Yikes!

Also, I've been fighting what I'm referring to as the "Death Plague" the past couple of days. No fun, for sure.

Last night we took full-on production photos (minus the few props we still need to get). I'm excited to see how they will turn out. Don't get me wrong, it was a little slice of hell sitting through photos last night, but not because it was boring (it wasn't). Nope, purely because I'm fighting a bad fever and a nasty cough.

Did I mention how much more I love the way we took the production photos last night? Not yet. Well, I did. We would practically run through the scenes, and photographer would make adjustments in blocking to help suit the pictures. Much more organic, way more my style.

Well we have rehearsal tonight and I know some of the cast wants to see the VP debates tonight as well. Sure I'd love to see it too, but we gotta get down to some real work tonight. Next week is run-thrus, then tech next weekend. Keep your fingers crossed, it's going to be a wild ride!

P.S. I'll post the pictures when I get them.

Actor's Center Expo Review.

So today I went to Galludet University for the Actor's Center Expo.

5 sessions for $45 (non-member early price), not a bad deal.

The break down... (there were WAY more sessions than what I've mentioned here)

1st session - Yoga
A must have for me when I'm working. I did Yoga for 4 years in college and it changed the way I look at my life and at the world. There is one thing that has stuck with me through the years, "How you face challenges on the mat is how you face challenges in your life." And it's true. Seriously. When I started focusing on finding a healthy way of dealing with my challenges on the mat, I found a healthy way of dealing with my problems in life. It was good touch base again after 2 years and see what I still need to work on. I would love to be in another yoga class, but I don't think the rehearsal schedule is going to allow that. If you're in Alexandria, I totally recommend Hope Lambert at Little River Yoga, she was awesome.

2nd session - Fundamentals of Improv
Taught by Karen Lange of Washington Improv Theater, I took this session out of a seriously masochistic tendency to push myself. I'm weak at improv, I know this, that's why I took the course. To reinforce my "yes, and" so to speak. Well it was great! I actually really enjoyed myself, which was not what I was expecting. I wanted to have an anxiety attack before the class started, but I said fuck it and didn't switch my ticket. I'm glad that I stayed and got to play Oprah & Friends during our "Radio" game. Go cooch cleaning with the help of a nurse! (Don't ask, you had to be there)

3rd session - Working in Voice Over
A panel discussion sort of session where I don't know how much I really learned from it. It was nice to hear and reinforce things I knew about working. Also I really admired the message that unless you are going to really go for this profession, don't bother. I just wish they had been a little more specific about the steps that I need to take to get started (beyond making a demo reel) in the DC area. Melissa Leebaert lead the group discussion. I definitely see why people use her. She's straight forward and talented as all hell. She has workshops going on as well later this month and in November.

4th session - Stage Combat
A basic intro to stage combat, we worked on distance (safety, safety, safety!), knaps, slaps, punches and falls. The class was led by Karin Abromaitis who ended up mentioning David Bouchey (or as I know him Maestro Bouchey). Small world since Maestro Bouchey is who approved my actor combatant certification in Broad Sword my senior year in college. Granted I haven't kept up on it, but I did have one glorious year of being certified. She is working on starting a group called "Women With Weapons" and I'm excited to hear more.

5th session - Chekhov Workshop
Who doesn't want to learn Chekhov from a talented (and handsome!) acting teacher? Thought we really only worked on the 3-fold body I think this really gave me something to work with in rehearsal when I'm directing (or acting, like that happens often). I'm going to try and implement some of this stuff into Watch, A Haunting and hopefully take the work to the next level.

All in all totally worth the price, I'm exhausted but in that good way! Can't wait for Expo 2009.

The Theatre and Social Media Pt. 3

A brief note...

Interesting how last night at BPF there was talk of breaking away from traditional forms of media exposure (i.e. The Sun Papers, etc.) and realizing where BPF can go.

I've also become involved with the Strand and will help them with marketing. Now where to start... Any ideas?

A Director on Directing.

So a colleague of mine made a comment to me about something he had heard from another director in town. I'm going to quote directly...

"He told me that if you really want to be a "known" director in
this area you have to direct musicals as well as strait plays and comedies.
Do you agree?"


Nope. I don't. Not at all. Elia Kazan didn't direct musicals so I don't have to. ;P

Just kidding, but I do believe that you don't have to direct musicals to be known as a director. I do think Baltimore is more of a musical town, meaning that they are very popular here. There is a very different skill set that is needed to direct a musical as opposed to a straight play. I direct only straight plays. Why? A couple of reasons:

1. I have a vile taste in my mouth when it comes to musicals. I can't sing as much as try sometimes and so therefore am bitter... Not really, but there are very few that I really enjoy. They just aren't my thing.

2. I think that straight plays hit the meat of the story more than musicals. Music can be distracting from the actual message of the play, people can lose themselves in the music instead of the issue. There are exceptions to this rule (think Sam Mendes' version of Cabaret), but in general I think straight plays deal with issues more straight on.

Not to knock musicals, but they just aren't my thing. Luckily Baltimore is small enough and if you're good enough, you won't have a problem working.

So I'm curious... Which do you prefer, musicals or straight plays? Why?

Baltimore Playwrights Festival

Congratulations to the cast and crew of Helena Troy for a 2nd place finish in both the production and play categories!

Rich Espey did a fantastic job writing this script, the cast was a joy to work with and I appreciate all the hard work everyone put in. This makes me excited to be more involved in this coming year as a BPF Rep and to direct next year at Audrey Herman's Spotlighters Theatre.

Find out more about the Baltimore Playwrights Festival.
BPF on Myspace.

I also want to thank Rich for his beautiful words about how instead of focusing on how much we hate the Baltimore Sun, we should recognize that its nothing more than a shell of it's former self and we should focus our efforts to spreading the word of Baltimore Theatre. (His words were way more eloquent than my hack job) Though a lot of stuff produced in this town isn't up my alley, a lot is and I'm really excited to be a part of it.

What are you proud to be a part of?

The long road back.

I'm inspired to write about my journey back into the world of theatre because of this post on The Guardian's Theatre Blog. Though my story doesn't involve the loss that hers does, but I connect with that journey back to that thing I love, the theatre.

So I went to college for theatre. I focused on theatre for about 12 hours a day 5 days a week. My weekends in college were spent working to support myself while I went to school. It was difficult, it was heartbreaking and most of all it was wonderful. I loved every minute of it, even if the only days I ever had off were during the summer.

My senior year was super full, though I never seemed to be in class. I directed the first semester and the second semester I was juggling 2 internships.

One at the Intiman Theatre as assistant to the director on Rounding Third by Richard Dresser under the incredibly talented BJ Jones, Artistic Director of the Northlight Theatre in Chicago. An amazing experience working with BJ, he's kind, caring, supportive and has a true love for what he does. He also gave me my copy of Anne Bogart's A Director Prepares, a book that I reread every time I even think about directing a show.

Another one is where I got bit by the marketing bug. I don't really know where my passion for marketing came from, but I think when I was the PR/Marketing Intern at On the Boards (OtB) I suffered a flesh wound. What more could I want? A place to play with my ideas about marketing, learn more about DIY marketing, editing, proofing, designing, web site management, using social networking/blogs to support the arts and to top it all off, the BEST venue for expiremental performance I've ever been to. The highest quality artists perform there. I also discovered my appreciation for dance there. An artform I love to enjoy as a spectator and one that I learn from as a director.

So senior year was busy for me...

I graduated that May and started working at a vet hospital, still continued at OtB one day a week and spent the other 6 at the hospital. Boy did I become worn out and fast. I couldn't even think about doing theatre, I was done. Not done permanently by any means, but done for now. I need "a break" and so I took one.

It was a long journey back, after distracting myself for just under a year. I yearned for what I used to do every day and honestly my life seemed a little empty without. Then finally 2 years and some change after graduating, I finally worked up the nerve to do an audition.

Little did I know I picked a piece from a show that had just been done a few months prior to rave reviews. Way to check on whats going on in the local scene and how that affects an audition piece... Oh well! Learning experience.

I didn't get call backs, whatever. So I saw a posting for a paid stage manager gig and I emailed. Well the paying gig had been taken, but they had an opening for a different show. Actually it was a show that I had seen an audition listing for and had considered auditioning for, but talked myself out of it. I took the non-paying gig and it has snowballed into a lot of other work.

Needless to say I'm happy again. I have my outlet and now that I'm directing I'm redefining my voice as a director again.

So thanks to the people I've worked with so far and thanks to all those I will work with.
I learn from all of you.

What do you learn from?

Follow-up: Social Media & The Theatre

Last week I wrote about how my worlds were colliding and now it's come up again. This time it's actually talking about the debate of people using Social Media (specifically YouTube) to show clips of Broadway plays and what implication that has with Equity actors.

The original blog post:
The Playgoer post on Theatre and Social Media (By Abigail Katz, love her posts!)

The article that inspired the blog post:
Washington Post's article

I find it so amazing that the things I'm pursuing in my professional life is crossing over.

I wonder how I can use Social Media to promote the shows that I work on... More to come on that note.

Simplicty of your needs.

As actors, we try to justify everything we do and say on stage. We create trains of thought, stories to flesh out our character's history, we create a whole new person inside of us. We find truth in a story that was created. We live truthfully in imaginary circumstances.

I do find one thing though... Actors find it very hard to get to the core want/need of the character. They over complicate the simplicity of what we all want. It comes down to one simple thing that will fulfill us completely. For example, in my own life all that I do focuses on one thing.

What is that one thing? Expressing myself. I do theatre to express my artistic viewpoint. I write a blog to express my ideas on theatre and the work I do. I express myself in my work by advocating social media/networking and how I think it can benefit people. As an actor I want to express the character I've created.

We all have one thing we yearn for, the deep dark core of our soul. What's yours?

My Worlds Colliding

So I'm sure most don't know what I do for a living. I am in the association management field, doing membership marketing & services. One of my passions in my professional life is Social Media and I obviously have a passion for theatre since I write a blog about it.

It looks like my world are combining...



Bringing the movie trailer to the theatre and using viral marketing to get the word out. Genius! (I feel like the Guinness radio ad)

I recently ran into someone locally doing this as well. Fuzz Rourk, one of the producers for Bare, the musical in Baltimore, was editing videos one day when I walked into Spots. I asked him what it was, and they were videos of rehearsal that he was going to use to promote the show. The Baltimore theatre scene is already present in the Facebook realm, but this brings up the question as to whether or not social media and viral marketing work for the theatre. Is it money/energy well spent or a bandwagon that we are bound to fall off of?

It is not a privilege.

Dear Baltimore Sun,

I am not privileged to have you cover the work that I do. I am a theatre artist, I survive with or without you. I will do my art whether or not you cover me. You can't survive without people reading you, well guess what, you lost one more.

Until the Baltimore Sun starts to give the Baltimore Theatre Community the respect that it deserves, I want nothing to do with it.

What sparked this new influx of hatred of the Baltimore Sun?

I submitted a letter (via email) to the editor last night of the Baltimore Sun. You can find it here. Today I got an email back from the Letters Editor asking me to contact them to verify the letter was indeed real and what the "nature of your involvement with this issue". Called, left a message. Got a call back and it all when down hill from there.

He asked me my involvement, I told him I'm working with one of the actors of Take Me Out in my current show and that I direct in town. I also act, produce, do make-up, etc. He then said it was odd that they had just got a letter the other day talking about how angry they were with the Sun about the nudity and how I was praising them (don't remember the exact wording). I was like "What?!?" Apparently he missed the first part where I said I was outraged and angered by the article.

As I made my position on the play clear and how they obviously missed the boat on the opportunity to discuss the plays ever-relevant themes, he actually said to me "shouldn't I be happy that the Sun featured a community theatre piece?" I told him no, because of the way that they did it. I once again said all they focused on was the nudity, not the themes that are playing out in American politics right this second.

Well needless to say I don't think they are going to run it. Oh well. Fuck the Sun Papers, they aren't worth all this heartache. Time to make some art!

8/30/08 - As of today they have not run the letter.

My Letter to the Baltimore Sun

"Outrage by the Sun's obsession with nudity"

Dear Editor,

I want to express my anger and revulsion towards the article that Ms. McCauley wrote on August 24, 2008 entitled “A diamond in the buff”.

As a local theatre artist in Baltimore, I was outraged, I was appalled and most of all I was disappointed that the Sun would discredit a play that was nominated for a Pulitzer and is Tony award winning. It was made clear by the Sun that it does not have the time to cover "community" theatre productions. I was excited and hopeful that such a wonderful play had caught the attention of the Sun, at least until I read the article. The play is not about nudity, yet Ms. McCauley's article made that the main focus. The nudity is not gratuitous; it makes sense in the action of the play. If they were in the locker room and did not change, then you mess with the world of the play and would disconnect you with your audience.

By sensationalizing the small amount of nudity (only 10 minutes in Ms. McCauley's words), you discredit the work that these actors do. You do a disservice to the courage that these actors have to take on such themes and portray them with vigor and vulnerability. You cast a shadow on the Baltimore Theatre Community.

I appreciate that the Sun took the time to examine a "community" theatre piece, but I am also shocked that during an election year and right before the Democratic National Convention, that your writer would completely pass over the metaphor for American Democracy. You missed the chance to explore how theatre is a reflection society's feelings and how the racism and bigotry that are rampant in this piece play a role in American politics. We are on the verge of a new era in politics and this play discusses themes that will play out in this election more than they ever have before. America has the chance to have its first African American president and you brush over a play that uses the game of baseball to discuss those issues. In the future when you choose to grace community theatre with your presence, make it about the work we do, not about basic human anatomy.

From Take Me Out:
"Baseball is better than democracy -- or at least democracy as it's practiced in this country -- because, unlike democracy, baseball acknowledges loss" and "Democracy is lovely, but baseball is more mature."

Lynn Morton
Baltimore, MD

Commitment

So working on Helena Troy has been fantastic. The cast has been really amazing and super fun to work with. I've learned a lot about myself and how people work together.

So we have the honor of performing at the Page-to-Stage Festival at the Kennedy Center this Labor Day and now one of the actors has told us today that they will not be able to make it. WTF?

I really don't want to talk shit about anyone, but I'm a little peeved, especially since earlier in the week they had me find out our time slot because this person wanted to attend a Labor Day barbecue with friends. I don't want to get into anymore specifics, but this does prompt me to talk about commitment.

Commitment is defined as an act of committing to a charge or trust. To commit is to obligate or pledge oneself.

To commit yourself to a production means that you are there for the duration. I understand that this is a group of volunteers that are doing this for the pure love of theatre, but that does not mean that your commitment should not be just as strong as someone who is getting paid to be there. You accepted the role, now follow-thru on what you said you were going to do. You disrespect the production and your fellow cast and crew by backing out of something that had been planned since the process started. You disrespect yourself and violate your own integrity. It is not okay to give last minute notice saying that you will not be able to make a performance that had been previously scheduled.

If there is one thing that Rich's play taught me it is "no matter how much you love the theatre, it will never love you back." Let me just say, he totally nailed that one.

8/28/08 - Update before I'm off to rehearsal. The lovely actor who had conflict problems has rearranged their schedule to join us at the Kennedy Center. I appreciate this actor living up to their commitment that they made. It shows true integrity to follow-through.

Watch, A Haunting - First Read-Thru

So tonight was the first read-thru for the show I'm directing at The Strand - Watch, A Haunting by Molly Rice. I've mentioned it before, but thought I'd say it again in case you forgot (or for my own vanity, who knows?).

I'm super happy with the casting choices I've made AND the girl that I cast as Jenny read the part of Granny. She did really wonderfully tonight and I think she's talented enough to handle the dual roles. So I'm pleased to say... I'M DONE WITH CASTING! :)

Casting done, check. Figuring out how to pull this all off, up next.

Also, super exciting! If you live in Baltimore, or within a reasonable distance, I invite you to make your Halloween plans now and attend the Free for Baltimore night at the Strand on October 31st (Yes, that's Halloween!). We will be putting on a free show of Watch at the Strand and will be having an old skool Halloween party. Think bobbing for apples, peeled grapes and wet spaghetti! Super fun and what better than a ghost story at a haunted theatre with fun festivities afterwards?

P.S. The Strand has a blog as well. Visit it, comment and keep up with whats going on at the Strand. So far it seems like a really great theater with a strong purpose and a strong mission, which I totally respect.

BTAd - Baltimore Theatre Advocates

Okay, so I'm still fired up about the article. Which I guess is good in that artistic, inspiring me to change things kind of a way; but I'm still pissy and bitter about it.

So as a way to "rally the troops" I created a Facebook Group called Baltimore Theatre Advocates (BTAd). The mission is to create a clear and concise viewpoint from the Baltimore Theatre Community on issues that affect the work that we do. I hope that people will help me speak out and gain back the respect that the Baltimore Theatre Community deserves.

Baltimore Theatre Advocates (BTAd) Facebook Group

If you have a facebook account I encourage you to join. I'm hoping that as a community of artists we can create a clear and collective voice that Baltimore will be proud of.

More importantly though... If you have read "the" article, comment about how you feel, whether you agree with me or not. I just think the focus of nudity is absurd and disrespectful. If you disagree with me, please say so.

I want the community at large to have a voice as a collective. What I don't want is to have everyone just rally behind what I say, I want the voice to be that of the community, spawned from the community.

I'm a little insulted.

I almost don't want to write on this topic because I don't want to bring anymore attention (or website hits) to her article, but I feel I have something to say.

"A diamond in the buff" By Mary Carole McCauley (I have not been given official permission to link to the article yet)
Baltimore Sun, 8/24/08

A clever title for an article that really isn't smart enough to go beyond the superficial, 5th grade health class mentality of "oh my god, that a boy has a penis." I hate to break it to her, but that is basic anatomy that my boyfriend's 7-year old son has known for years.

26 direct references to nudity in an article that is smaller than the picture printed.

Is it just me or is this a little immature of the Sun's writer? As a director newer to Baltimore, is this the kind of press I can look forward to reading about the shows I direct? (if it gets any coverage at all)

Why is there such a focus on nudity? Is that really what's important to this story? It barely mentions the themes of homophobia and racial bigotry that are rife throughout. It is a critique of American Democracy and how our hatred runs through it. Or are those topics just too intense for Sun readers? (I don't think so, but hey, in theatre we believe that are audiences are smarter than that. We trust them.)

Are men changing in a locker room and baring all really more important than the purpose of theatre?

You may ask what I mean by that... I fully believe the purpose of theatre is to hold up a mirror to society and reflect the ugliness and hatred that runs so rampant in our world. We kill, we rape, we maim. The theatre gives us a chance to sit in a quiet place and reflect on what we do. How we harm others and ourselves. It gives us the chance to say I'm sorry. It gives us the chance for redemption.

Ms. McCauley's article does nothing but play against the puritanical roots that still infect the way people think today to grab the reader's attention and trivialize the commitment that actors, directors and designers make to the local Baltimore theatre scene. Let me remind her, that not all actors that pound the boards of theaters other than Centerstage and Everyman are "average joes with day jobs", some are working actors that choose to stay non-union and volunteer their time and their skill because of their pure love for the craft. Not to say that being an average joe with a day job isn't just as admirable, because it is. Baltimore theatre can't survive without the commitment that the entire community makes.

Working in the local theatres, I feel trivialized; like what I do doesn't matter because I don't do it on a Equity stage. But I shouldn't feel that way because the community/fringe world does things that equity would never do. We take risks, we take chances. You don't have to be established or a known quantity to work in B-more theatre. You just have to have a passion for what you do and the talent to back it up. In a town with 2 Equity stages and (at last I heard) about 75 local theatre companies, you'd think the Baltimore Sun and Ms. McCauley would respect the passion that our community has for what we do. We dedicate our lives to the art we make and we want to be respected for that. At a time when movies and TV are killing theatre audiences, the theatre community in Baltimore gives the masses at large an alternative to the mind-numbing b.s. we see everyday on TV and like I said before, it gives people the chance for redemption.

I'm severely disappointed that the Baltimore press treats the community that I have quickly come to embrace as my own in such a disgraceful way. Next time they finally decide to do an article on a "community" theatre in Baltimore, I hope the actually discuss the plays themes and don't get blinded by basic human anatomy.


P.S. Ms. McCauley should take a hint from some other reviewers around the country...

NY Times, a classy way to handle the subject of nudity on Broadway.
The Pittsburgh Tribune did it right as well.
The Seattle PI saw the nudity as normal to the story and therefore didn't even mention it.

And a big break a leg to the Eight Men Out cast! I applaud you for your courage to take on such vulnerable roles and do it with grace and maturity.

After show rituals...

So last night was the beginning of the second week of Helena Troy by Rich Espey at Spotlighters Theatre. The cast will normally go out after the show for a few drinks, but I don't drink so I don't normally go with them. Though last night I felt like getting out for a little bit before heading home.

Honestly, I missed going out with theatre people after rehearsal. It's almost like a ritualistic bonding that happens between casts where we talk and converse, being ourselves, instead of focusing on what character choices we are making. It can actually be about us, it doesn't have to be about the work. Though as when any group that has something in common, the talk eventually came around to the show and which Wizard of Oz character their Helena Troy character was most like. Being the stage manager I was dubbed the wizard, and of course the lead was Dorothy.

It reminded me of when I always used to go out with my friends from school when we were done with rehearsal. I've always seemed to have separate groups of friends that never really crossed over at all. My theatre friends were spectacular, but unless I was working on a show, I didn't see them.

What actors do after shows is crucial in the ensemble building. We read the only review on the show to date over cocktails, soda and appetizers. We laughed, commented and shared how we felt about the review. What we thought the reviewer got right, what he didn't and what we felt we wished he had covered.

It was a good night and though the cast and I are close, I feel that brought us together even more. I appreciate those times where you can really just connect with a group of people you respect.

P.S. Even though I have an amazing job, I applied for the Marketing Director position at Everyman. Wish me luck!

Casting Woes

So this is the inaugural season at The Strand Theater in Baltimore and I was chosen to direct the 2nd show in the season, Watch, A Haunting by Molly Rice. It is the very interesting and innovative script. Here is the description from The Strand's website:

Watch, A Haunting, centers around a young girl named VI living with her neurotic mother and elderly grandmother. Never fitting in, VI spends most of her time in her room or supplementing her lack of friends with food. VI does have a special talent, a talent of seeing people that others cannot. When she befriends a girl that no one else can see, her mother quickly makes an appointment with a PHD who may be after a Pulitzer, rather than providing any real help. Is VI crazy? Or is she simply able to “see dead people…?”

So we held auditions this past Sunday. There was a pretty good turn out, we even had a 10-year old show up (which I really wasn't expecting). I found my lead and found a bunch of talented actresses and one actor that I think would round out the cast nicely.

On a side note - when auditioning, please remove your purse, especially if it has keys that jingle during the entire audition. It does nothing for you or the person you are auditioning with.

Well the Artistic Director sent out notices asking the people I cast if they would like to do the show, sent them a script, etc. I believe pretty much everyone accepted, except there are a few scheduling conflicts which made people have to drop out. Well with the age ranges I have in the show, I have now had to skew all the casting younger. Luckily the woman I cast as the 10-year old girl can look super super young, so I think I can get away with having a 30-year old mom. Then there is the issue of the grandmother. I have someone that is in the next age bracket up from the woman I cast as the mom, but 1. I don't want to insult her by casting her as the grandmother (she really is more of a mom age) and 2. I'm going to have to age her a bit to help make the age gap look wider than it is.

We'll see what happens, if everyone accepts and what not. If not, back to the drawing board...

P.S. I also signed up for the Actor's Center conference in D.C. in mid-late September. I'm kind of excited to get back on my feet and awaken some of those skills that are collecting dust on the shelf. I start the day with a yoga session (always a must have for me), then an improv class (much needed), voice-over, stage combat and then finally a chekov class. I'll let you know how it goes.

The Over Saturation of Theatre in B-more

I'm newer to B-more and am just starting to make the rounds in the theatre scene. I notice a lot of the theatre in B-more is what I would classify as "community theatre". I came to Baltimore from Seattle almost a year ago. Seattle has a vibrant theatre scene, with many many fringe theatres all over the city. Fringe theatres that even sometimes pay. There is healthy community of artists that art is what they do, they have training and professionalism. Not to say that Baltimore isn't professional; I've met some very professional theatre people in this town. There is large populous that do theatre for fun though. It isn't how they want to pay their bills, and god love them for it. I don't think B-more theatre could survive without them. They donate their time to something bigger than themselves.

I had an interesting discussion the other night...

Do you think Baltimore theatre is over saturated? YES! Very much so.

Is it to the detriment of everyone? YES! There are too many shows in one weekend for the theatre going populous of Baltimore to support. I constantly hear complaints from people I do shows with talking about how they have to pick and choose what shows they go to.

I will give Baltimore Theatre one thing, everyone knows everybody else. It's definitely a community, and I'm excited to participate.