Tea Party Maids

I'm moving tomorrow, so I'm going to bed. In the meantime, check this out.

I could tell you all about what this is, but I think it'd be more fun if you checked out for yourself. Here's the link that will guide you!

peace.

We're Open!

My posts have been noticeably short these days. Here's why (Click the logo for more info!):

Tonight, we opened. Never have I experienced such a wonderfully accepting and responsive audience. And working on this show has felt as if I've stolen someone else's wonderful life.

If you have a chance to check it out, please do. We are having a great time with this one.

peace.

A Quick Thought on Precision in the Theatre

Recently, I saw a play at one of the larger theaters in town that solidified a belief I've had for quite some time now.

Let me start by saying I thought the play was very well done. It was a solid piece of engaging and important theatrical art. The actors were all incredibly available, their navigation of the stage was alive and purposeful, and the production values were first rate. I was impressed.

But not as much as I could have been.

Even though everything was seemingly in place for this production to be successful (And considering I bought the last ticket that night, success wasn't a problem.) the one crucial piece missing, at least for me, was a concrete sense of communal precision in the work I witnessed.

Let me explain.

As I watched the show, it became clear to me that I was observing a wonderful group of inspired and talented actors who were hindered by constraints of the modern approach to producing a piece of theatre. On average, the typical play is rehearsed for about four to five weeks. The actors meet on the first day; perhaps they know each other from other shows or they could be meeting for the first time. The play is read at a table, there is discussion of what it means and what's being said, then everyone goes home to begin memorizing lines and doing their individual work. From then on, the destination is opening night. The attention is given primarily to staging the show and incorporating the technical aspects of the production. And yes, there is time for continued discussion and debate, but that type of exploration can never outweigh the primary objective of opening the play.

However, there was a time in the theatre where instead of rehearsing for only four or five weeks, a company of artists would spend four to five months working on a play. Actors were given the time and space to truly explore the more nuanced and complex aspects of the script. More time was available to develop a common vocal and physical vocabulary that more appropriately served the ensemble and the production. The cast had the opportunity to know and understand each other's personal aesthetics with more depth and intimacy. All things considered, this type of rehearsal timeline always produces more consistent, inspired, and precise work. In fact, a friend of mine in New York just began a rehearsal process that is scheduled to take an entire year! Think about how good you could be at something if you gave yourself an entire year to practice it. Imagine how brilliant you would be.

This is a major issue in our current theatre culture. Too often are good performers from differing artistic points-of-view and training backgrounds thrown together and expected to "make the magic happen". Sometimes it comes together beautifully, other times it falls flat. And there are many gradations in between.

I say let's take the guess work out of it. Let's make well defined, precise, and penetrating pieces of theatre all the time. And for god's sake, let's give ourselves the time we need to do it.

peace.

Uncle Shotsie

If I'm honest, the only reason I'm posting this is because I have the pleasure of seeing Uncle Shotsie everyday, and it's fun to post youtube videos of people I know. Having said that, this is my first look at Uncle Shotsie in all his brilliance. Dig those lapels, why don'tcha!?

Working on this show feels like I've stolen someone's fantastic life. I'm having a good time.

peace.

The McKellen School

Tonight, I'm going to spend some time writing (or at least, pondering) some material for my current project. Therefore, allow me to leave you with this.

Many people often ask me how I do what I do. This is about the best way I've heard it described.

:)

peace.

Thoughts on Speech Sounds: Part 1(?)

Okay, so I've been thinking about this speech sounds post for a while now (see here for the preview). I've had quite a few discussions with friends and colleagues about this stuff, and I feel the best way to communicate my thoughts on the whole thing is to share some words and ideas from respected theatre artists and practitioners with whom I have similar aesthetic or pedagogical interests. I could rant and rave for pages with how I feel about the this stuff, but I don't think I've quite reached the diplomatic proficiency to be of use to the conversation. Because honestly, the conventional thoughts on speech sounds in the theatre make me quite angry.

The first thought is from a gentleman named Phil Thompson, who currently serves as the head of acting at the University of California in Irvine (check the stats). He and another gentleman called Eric Armstrong, who is on the theatre faculty at York University in Toronto, Ontario, (once again, the stats) jointly record a podcast called Glossonomia which covers the history, evolution, and usages of speech sounds in the English language. On August 14th while attending the annual conference of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association in Chicago, IL they recorded a live question-and-answer episode. (Check it out here!)

About half-way through the show, someone brought up the topic of "General American Dialect". This was Phil's response.

So, I've been thinking about that topic a lot lately because I'm endeavoring to write an accent book, and I feel that non-Americans need good information about how to do an American accent so they can come over and steal our jobs...So I think that it's a very important topic. It is a topic that's very loaded. I've been, as I've been writing about it, always referring to it as SCGA: "So-Called General American". So that we never forget what the problems are with the idea. That said, it's a very important idea, and I think maybe we've made mention of it in a couple of episodes...

I really, really, really don't want to present to a group of American acting students a model of American speech that is canonical. I'm perfectly happy to teach and Australian student a canonical American accent because it's much easier to understand that as something 'other' that's [an exploration] you're trying so you can get your pilot and move on. Then you can detail from there...If I say to, let's say, an African-American student from Detroit, "I'm going to teach you General American," what I'm really saying is, "Your American isn't general enough or isn't American enough." So I'm really cautious about that. But as long as I explain about that every time then yes, it's something worth teaching.

There is no standard. There's no uniformity. Standard means "the same". But standard is also what you carry into battle. So there are plenty of people holding up "the standard" of accent purity, but I don't think any of them can agree on what those sounds ought to be.

There's no morality in speech [sounds]. Sounds are not 'good', they are good for us...The problem to me is that people get incredibly confused because the teacher is confused about what their agenda is. They think they are simply trying to teach the student what the sounds are, but they're trying to teach propriety, phonology, and phonetics simultaneously and that's just a train wreck.

The other thought is an excerpt from the book The Empty Space by Peter Brook, a book I've been trying to read for about five years now. In it, Mr. Brook attempts to examine the challenges of creating appropriate and engaging theatrical work for a given audience, culture, or current social condition. In it, he writes of four "kinds" of theatre; Deadly, Holy, Rough, and Immediate. As of now, I've only gotten through the Deadly chapter. Nevertheless, he writes a striking passage in this first section that I had to present to this discussion.

During a talk to a group at a university I once tried to illustrate how an audience affects actors by the quality of its attention. I asked for a volunteer. A man came forward, and I gave him a sheet of paper on which was typed a speech from Peter Weiss's play about Auschwitz, The Investigation. The section was a description of bodies inside a gas chamber. As the volunteer took the paper and read it over to himself the audience tittered in the way an audience always does when it sees one of its kind on the way to making a fool of himself.

But the volunteer was too struck and too appalled by what he was reading to react with the sheepish grins that are also customary. Something of his seriousness and concentration reached the audience and it fell silent. Then at my request he began to read out loud. The very first words were loaded with their own ghastly sense and the reader's response to them.

Immediately the audience understood. It became on with him, with the speech - the lecture room and the volunteer who had come on to the platform vanished from sight - the naked evidence from Auschwitz was so powerful that it took over completely. Not only did the reader continue to speak in a shocked attentive silence, but his reading, technically speaking, was perfect - it had neither grace nor lack of grace, skill nor lack of skill - it was perfect because the had no attention to spare for self-consciousness, for wondering whether he was using the right intonation. He knew the audience wanted to hear, and he wanted to let them hear: the images found their own level and guided his voice unconsciously to the appropriate volume and pitch.

For me right now, these two ideas cover much of the feelings I have about how an actor's voice and speech are perceived. I would be very grateful to hear or read your responses to any of this.

peace.

The Actor's Brain

Science proves actors are weird.

From The Guardian:

'My bra! My bra! I have to take off my bra!" yells Fiona Shaw, running past me into a changing room. She sounds like Richard III after the battle of Bosworth Field: "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" What a top thesp Shaw is: even when she's in a panic about her underwear she sounds Shakespearean, such is her actorly grasp of prosody.

And this is no small matter. Shaw has come to the basement of London University's psychology department to be analysed by cognitive neuroscientists. Today's experiment will find out what – if anything – goes on in actors' brains when they perform a role. "I'm sure there's some sort of muscle," says Shaw. "I'm sure I'm using the wrong word – some sort of muscle in an actor's brain which is extended."

But why does Shaw have to take off her bra? Because it's underwired. Metal plays havoc with the huge magnet used in the machine that is going to scan her brain. There have been accidents involving highly magnetised flying oxygen canisters – not here but in scanning rooms in other parts of the world.

More here.

People who aren't actors usually have one question they ask more than any other: how do we memorize all those words? My response has stayed fairly the same for a few years now: we don't memorize the words, but rather the thoughts. Knowing the actual words becomes an inevitable byproduct of understanding the progression of a character's thoughts, needs, and impulses. This video offers an exciting and fascinating scientific view into the actor process. It's absolutely marvelous.

Now, I'll get back to memorizing lines.

peace.

A Quick Thought on Good Theatre

I saw some really good theatre yesterday, a fortunate occurrence that happens far less often than it should.

The show I saw wasn't perfect; honestly I don't think a perfect show exists. However what made the show fun, entertaining, and inspiring to watch was the extraordinary sense of bravery and humility from the ensemble. Bravery and humility seem to be the more artistically constructive relatives of fear and fearlessness I've explored in this earlier post.

Firstly, the piece was a brand new work of theatre, not something from the pages of an anthology. This meant the show was attempting to comment on the here and now in very immediate and contemporary terms. Additionally, the staging seldom resembled the standard film-envying methods of most modern drama, conventions that often serve as aesthetic crutches for many theatre artists and patrons. Breaking convention and addressing the now are always a scary prospects, and a significant amounts of bravery and humility are absolutely necessary in committing to this kind of work.

It's a difficult balance to navigate.

Nevertheless, it was quite refreshing to watch a group of performers who understand the risks they are taking and approach them with thought, sensation, and engagement. It was a really good time.

peace.

A Quick Thought on Bad Theatre

I saw some really bad theatre yesterday, an unfortunate occurrence that happens all too often.

From my experience, bad theatre usually stems from one of two things: either an overabundance or extreme absence of fear.

On the one hand, when a company takes reckless and unsupported liberties with a play, their fearlessness and complete abandon produces theatre that is wayward, lacking purpose and direction. The audience leaves feeling confused and attacked, not by the story but rather the presentation of the play.

On the other hand, when a company of actors is afraid of the urgency or immediacy of a play's content and impact, the result is an artistic paralysis that prevents the ensemble from being available to adventurous theatrical exploration. The show becomes half-hearted, flat, and monochromatic.

It's a difficult balance to navigate.

Of the two, I must say I prefer the former. Shows approach with this perspective at least have a level of investment and engagement that keeps them somewhat entertaining. What I saw yesterday more resembled the latter, which is far, FAR more depressing.

(sigh)

peace.

Thoughts on Speech Sounds: A Preview

Fast forward to 4:23 if you really want to see something cool.

I'm even a fan of Patrick Stewart's comment after John Barton is done.

There has been a lot of research done on the sound of early modern English since John Barton displayed this in the late 1970s. However, this video still offers us a more authentic idea of how Shakespeare originally sounded. It seemed a lot more interesting to hear back then.

I had a flashback a few weeks ago to an experience with Shakespeare having to do with the usage of certain prescribed sounds of speech that are traditionally, and I feel antiquatedly, associated with the performance of Shakespeare text. I'm currently putting together a post comprised of thoughts and ideas both of my own perspective and the perspective of some of North America's leading experts of voice and speech for the stage. Consider this video a bit of a preview.

We'll speak again soon.

peace.

Winter's Tale Plankage

So I've sat on these pictures long enough. It's time to let them breathe.

These are planking pictures taken during intermission and post-show of the last performance of Delaware Shakespeare Festival's The Winter's Tale. Many may be a bit grainy and/or dark because I was toying with the settings on my camera and the light was fading fast. I didn't want pictures that would keep spilling off the page of my blog!

In the photos, you'll see epic planks by Janice Rowland, Griffin Stanton-Ameisen, Sean Bradley, and myself.

Check 'em out.

The illusive Double-Overhead Compartment Plank

The Under-The-Bus Plank in Workout Clothes

The tricky Double-Across the Headrests Plank

The technically difficult Roadie Box Plank

The Radiant Hermione Plank

The Great Depression Plank

The Tailgater's Plank

The "Papa was a Rolling Stone" Plank

The flamboyant Handrail Plank

Apparently, Janice and Griffin had no idea what plank was until Sean and I began goofing around. Nevertheless, this planking session has sparked conversations about a day of planking in and around the greater Philadelphia area. So if you're a fan of plankage, stay tuned.

peace.

Closure

Well, it's over...almost.

Last night was Delaware Shakespeare Festival's final performance of The Winter's Tale in Rockwood Park. It was a wonderful audience, more vocal than most. We also didn't have any of the weather issues which plagued our run during the second week. But more than anything, everyone seemed to have a ton of fun doing the show and we all had a great time at the closing night party.

Fortunately for us, we'll have one more shot at the show this coming Thursday. The company has been invited to perform at The Freeman Stage in Selbyville, DE. Admission is totally free, so if you're in the area and would enjoy an evening of Shakespeare, I wholeheartedly recommend coming to see us. I must admit this is one of the most solidly performed productions of Shakespeare that I've had the pleasure to work.

peace.

A Quick Thought on Auditioning

In the past couple of weeks, I've attended what feels like a gazillion auditions, for various theatrical productions in the greater Philadelphia area. In all honesty, I've had a ton of fun at every single one.

However, there is an element to auditions that I never considered (or realized) when studying to become an actor. Auditions are really, really hard work.

Firstly, there's the task of simply getting to the audition location. Since most thriving theatre communities exist in major metropolitan areas, this will almost always involve crowded buses, tardy trains, or heavy road traffic. Planning time for unforeseen delays and detours can be quite tricky, especially on days with multiple auditions (like today).

Then there is the extreme variety of roles for which I've been auditioning. Each one is so very unique and different from the next; it's a tough job keeping up with who is who and making the transitions from playing one character (with a distinct set of beliefs, needs, and ideals) to another. This element is compounded by the necessity of reading all the wonderful plays I've been sent in order to have a more complete sense of who these people are. It truly requires a full time effort.

However, I feel the most challenging aspect of this flurry of auditions is meeting and interacting with the various personalities in the audition room, especially from directors. Each one has his or her own feel, sense, or impulses for making theatre. Being open and receptive to such a wide range of suggestion and adjustment is an absolute must, but more often than not leads to intriguing discoveries in the moment and movement of an audition. And every moment requires complete commitment and abandon. I'm tellin' ya, tough stuff.

Nevertheless, everyone I've met has been nothing but welcoming, accommodating, sincere, and professional. I'm really very happy to finally be making my way, and in such a first rate theatre community. I'm having a great time.

peace.

We're Open!

Last night, we opened Delaware Shakespeare Festival's The Winter's Tale in Rockwood Mansion Park, just on the outskirts of Wilmington, DE. It was a wonderful night.

If you get a chance to see it I can guarantee you'll have a lovely summer evening in the park, as long as you bring enough bug spray!

Look here for more information.

peace.

Soul Painters from Brooklyn

I promise. Once this show opens this weekend, I won't be so lame with writing stuff. This week has been rigorous.

So allow me to give some shine to my homies Not Blood Paint.

NBP is a rock/funk/rock/theatre/rock band born in Michigan and based in Brooklyn, NY. They'll be playing at The Knitting Factory this coming Saturday (July 16th), one of the most celebrated music venues in the city of New York. If you're in the area and are down with dope music and mesmerizing live performances, check these cats out. They put it down every time.

For more info on NBP, check out their blog here.

peace.

A Quick Thought on Community

As of this morning, I've been a member of the Philadelphia theatre community for 11 months and 10 days. I've mailed or emailed dozens headshots and resumes, attended tons of auditions, and seen as many plays as my time and resources can afford. It's been a difficult, exhausting, wonderful, inspiring, thoughtful, blinding experience. Even though it's been a year, it's really only felt like a month. I hardly know where the time went.

And in the first months, I hardly knew a soul in town.

Tonight I went to see a fantastic outdoor production of Richard III by Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company. (If you have a chance, check it out! There's information here!) Some of my castmates from Delaware Shakespeare Festival's The Winter's Tale where there to enjoy the show. (If you have a chance, check us out! There's information here!) After the show, many of us stuck around to meet new people, catch up with old friends, and laugh with familiar faces.

As the stories and conversations played on, I began to feel something different about myself tonight.

I genuinely felt as if I was becoming a part of something in this town; a collective; a culture; a society. Due to the important work I've done so far in Philly (both on my own and with others), I've begun to build a respectable history for myself here. I'm no longer the guy that someone met at the bar one time, humbling announcing myself as the new guy in town. I have new energies in my life that are becoming important and welcomed facets of my experience. I felt the beginnings of friendships and important conversations. I sense I'm starting down the right path towards being a productive member of a first rate theatrical community.

It's a good feeling, and I'm incredible grateful.

peace.

The Rhymes of Our Lives (Audition Special)

I usually don't like to do "Rhymes/Lives" segments twice in one week, but this time I couldn't help it. I'm super-excited!

Tomorrow I have the pleasure and privilege of kickin' a rhyme in an audition. I've been waiting 15 years for this opportunity. He's what I've picked.

The Pharcyde - "Passing Me By"

I have an audition in the morning for a play called The Bombitty of Errors, which is a retelling of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors in rap verse. The audition notice requests the actors bring one comedic monologue and one hip hop verse. Now, the monologue I've been exploring for a little less than a year now; Charlie from In Arabia We'd All Be Kings. But the verse (the last one on the track by Fatlip) has lived with me for well over a decade. I remember my friend Miguel buying The Pharcyde's debut album Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde back in 1992 and playing this track like it was the only music that had ever been created. Our pre-teen brains soaked the lyrics like sponges.

By the time college rolled around, and the era of Napster, I had rediscovered this tune, eventually purchasing the album myself on CD. Needless to say it was rotated substantially during those years.

I can't wait for tomorrow. This is going to be fun!

peace.

The Winter's Tale: Off We Go!

Tonight was my first rehearsal with the Delaware Shakespeare Festival's cast of The Winter's Tale, and I had a really good time. It felt fantastic to be sitting with this large group of people at the beginning of a process that seems as if it's going to be enriching and quite exciting. This is my second experience with this play and I'm looking forward to being part of how this group tackles the play differently than the last. I'm also playing a different character this time (Antigonus before, Polixines now), so I'll be interested to explore a new journey through this play.

As a goof, I searched The Winter's Tale on youtube and this is what came up.

Now I don't know about you, but I think stop-motion animation is hilarious. I'm loving this.

peace.

A Quick Thought About Questions

There has been some concern at the Voice Intensive this year about disclosure of confidential events that occur during the daily sessions. This past weekend the core faculty had a very thoughtful and multi-layered conversation about this new phenomenon of social media and networking. During the debate, I offered to the faculty that I maintain a blog that looks into questions about music, politics and theatre. I wanted to make it clear that I recognized their concern and asked their advice for how I should proceed with any thoughts on our work this month.

David replys, "Ask the questions, 'What is music? What is politics? What is theatre?'" In other words, how can I be in process with my blog in a form parallel to my process associating at the Voice Intensive.

Crap, David. You gonna make me think!?

In the coming weeks I hope to look into some of these questions with more detail. Please stay tuned.

And I'm sorry about yesterday. Blame it on Susan!



peace.

West Bound and Down

Tomorrow I embark on an almost two-month journey to Vancouver and Canada's National Voice Intensive. First, my cat Mo and I will be driving from Philadelphia to Richmond, VA to visit my brother and his family for a couple of days. I'm look forward to seeing my niece and nephew, Cassidy and Tavon. They're always a bunch of fun, and since I'm a professional at playing pretend I usually fit right in.

After that all of us will be heading down to our home on the coast of North Carolina to visit my parents for about a week. The hope is that my brother and I can take our motorcycles down with us and so that he, my dad, and I can all ride together for the first time. That would be mighty nice!

Then on May 4th I will fly out to Seattle then take a bus across the border to Vancouver, where I'll be living and working until June 11th. I'm back in Philly on the 12th, then attending the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia auditions on the 13th. Whew!

In a way, I sort of turn off the rest of the world when I'm preparing to travel. There are a lot of things I have to think about and remember in order to feel comfortable and prepared. Just today I've had to do laundry, call the airline to inquire about baggage, pick up the trailer to tow my bike, audition for a wonderful acting opportunity at the National Constitution Center, and obviously pack my stuff. Tomorrow, there's even more to do, including the trip itself.

So allow me to apologize in advance for any lackluster discussion or observation in the next couple of days. Things will pick up, I promise. Vancouver always brings a lot of stuff out of me. You'll see.

Until then, I give you the song I sing to myself every time I travel more than 200 miles in a car. It never fails getting stuck in my head for at least 20 miles.

One of these days, I'll do a real Bandit run to somewhere; hopefully with less involvement from law enforcement. That would be bad.

I've give a travel update tomorrow. Let's hope all goes well!

peace.