Etude it.

Do you know what an etude is?

Neither did I until my Sophomore year at Cornish. That was the year we were introduced to a method of training called Meyerhold's Biomechanics and a crazy man named Gennadi Bogdanov. Gennadi wasn't our teacher, but we learned from those who learned from him.

The reason I'm bringing all this is up is because as of late, my training, that toolbox that I took four years to build and develop, is slowly but surely coming back into play.

I've been picking up books on viewpoints, meisner technique, dusting off my copies of Impro & The Articulate Body (I might actually invest myself in reading them this time). Thinking about how I can bring those techniques into my rehearsal space as I direct. I'm starting to get that thirst to train again. It's been awhile and I see the thick layer of dust that has accumulated on my technique. I'm not saying that I want to go back to school, because I don't. I spent enough money, but what I am looking for are artists to train with. To push me as I push them.

Obviously this isn't feasible at this moment because I'm in production and I have no space to do this in, but to me those are just excuses made not to do something. There is this need growing inside of me to rediscover what it is to move on stage, to move others and be moved myself, both physically & emotionally.

I know that Everyman is starting a Viewpoints workshop some time soon if it hasn't started already. Unfortunately the funding isn't in the cards, but god do I miss being in a rehearsal studio with actors that I trust and allowing myself to say yes. I get a sense of that when I'm in rehearsals for a show, but there is something about the ensemble & the training process that can not be replicated without doing it.

Apprehension melted away into beauty.

Last night I attended the BTA Mixer, a fun little get together before a show that allows the theatre community to talk to each other. I ended up missing the actual discussion (boo on me) because I was starving on my way there and so the boy & I decided to grab a crepe. Bad idea when the crepe place sits right next to Everyman Theatre and they currently have a show running that is selling out. Lesson learned.

Anyways, I did a little chatting before the show started with my fellow theatre people. I have to be honest about something here though... I was very apprehensive about seeing Eurydice. I honestly love this play and had even pitched it to Spots for this current season, so obviously this play is pretty close to my heart and I have some set ideas about the play itself. This was either going to be a really awesome experience or a really bad one. I was going to see the show no matter what, but like I said, I was apprehensive.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Single Carrot's TD was able to figure out how to bring a pool of water into that space (an extreme challenge with this play). There were elements reminiscent of the Williamstown production, but not enough to be accused of biting their style. I love a nice simple set that with the actors & lighting transforms into something completely different. All in all it was an interesting interpretation, though using the rope as the windows of the Interesting Man's apartment caused some focus issues at times b/c when the ropes were illuminated with an actor behind them, I found myself looking at the ropes more.

I think director J. Buck Jabaily made some very nice choices, very different from ones I would have made, which I appreciated. I love when an artist will make me take a look at something that I know intimately and then see it in a new way. Jabaily's Eurydice does just that.

When I had heard that they were using contact improv in their process, I have to admit I was a little scared. Contact Improv is one of those techniques that can either be gorgeous or completely cheesy and out of place. I'm happy to say that Jabaily's restrained use was for the most part right on, there were a few moments where that particular weight share didn't aide the action, but in some cases it was exquisite execution.

I do have to ask wtf was up with the ping pong balls? The original effect was incredible, that cascading beautiful sound, but the after effects became severely distracting when anyone moved around. Sometimes it helped add drama to a moment, but having a couple of hundred ping pong balls bouncing on cement floor because actors need to move around when something else is happening on stage can be quite distracting. I'm trying to remember which part the ping pong balls reflected in the script, but I also quickly realized I'm familiar with a earlier version of the script than the one that was used.

I have a few nit-picks about the acting... Giti Jabaily's vocal choice came off to me as overly child-like, having never heard her speak before though I couldn't tell whether this was her natural voice or a vocal choice to play into the naiveté of Eurydice. Either way it made her come off as just a "silly little girl" at first listen, though as we moved deeper into the play the audience got to experience the depth of Mrs. Jabaily's acting prowess. Also, Brendan Ragan (Eurydice's father) was great when he was interacting with another character, but during those moments where it was just him, the connection between him and his character seemed to fade. Specifically I'm talking about his opening monologue, it didn't come off as fatherly advice on his most precious daughter's wedding day, but more a list of things that weren't really connected to what Eurydice was experiencing. Lastly, the stones; I loved their unison work, but individually I didn't get a clear sense of Big Stone, Loud Stone, Little Stone. I wish their choices had been bigger and more reflective of their character name, though they proved to be a great choral backdrop to this world. I'm torn about the director's choice to have them on the little scooter things from physical education classes, on one hand what an awesome way to have these characters motor around, on the other, the sound is distracting.

I do have to recognize Kaveh Haerian as the Interesting Man/Lord of the Underworld. Awesome, believable, creepy, brilliant. The weight exchanges between him and Eurydice during the dance were pure bliss and I loved his commitment. Not to say that the other actors didn't have the same commitment, because they did. He just stole the show a little bit. ;)

All in all Eurydice is a beautiful play, beautifully staged. You'd be a fool to miss it!
(In fact I'm probably going again next weekend if I can get tickets!)

Good job carrots, keep it up!

Does the age of an actor matter?

So there was a discussion on a Facebook event invite about the age of one of the actresses in the upcoming production of Mercy Seat at the Strand.

It's a interesting question for directors (and I think for actors too), what's the balance between talent and someone fitting the description of the character?

My initial thought is that it doesn't matter that much as long as the actor can portray the character. (Though this next comment might come off as a little ageist, please don't take it that way...) My second thought is that it is easier for an audience to believe a younger actor as a character that is older, than an older actor playing someone obviously younger. Maybe this view is derived from the fact that when I act I usually play an older character (I really rock at the 60 year-old ladies if I do say so myself), but it drives me CRAZY when and actor is cast in a role that they are obviously too old for.

The first example of this I can think of was Spot's version of Hamlet. Hamlet is supposed to be younger, somewhere under 20, and Ophelia the same. Though Michael Leicht and Jen Mikulski are both very capable actors, it drove me nuts that they looked late 20's/early 30's.

So what do you think? Is talent more important than age or do they need to balance each other?

Has John C. Reilly jumped the shark?

So I went and saw 9 this week, I didn't really want to see it, but my boyfriend dragged me along. Well it was better than I thought it was going to be, anyways I digress. During the previews, I saw a trailer for Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant. I've never read the books, though with the vampire craze as of late - you know Twilight, True Blood (of which I am a die-hard fan, thank you Alan Ball), CW's Vampire Diaries - it's no surprise that they would make a more kid-friendly version. When I say kid-friendly, I mean like that way Harry Potter is kid-friendly.

Anyways, back to what I was saying... In the trailer John C. Reilly seems to be phoning it in a bit. I heard that same vocal tone from him that he used in Step Brothers, Walk Hard & Talladega Nights. I'm a huge fan of John C. Reilly, but it's really disheartening that such an awesome actor is starting to lose his sparkle. I hate musicals, truly I do, but his rendition of Cellophane in Chicago almost made me cry. He was the main reason I even decided to watch that movie.

I guess what I'm scared of is one of the great actors that can transition from stage to film so easily is falling into type-casting. I just want back the John C. Reilly that could switch off with Philip Seymour Hoffman like there was nothing to it.