Press Round Up

Well, it’s 3 months later and I’ve had a moment to pause and enjoy my successes, learn from my mistakes, and take the stress and strain in stride. One of the most interesting things about the experience was the WIDE range of attitudes toward the play. In the press, I had one very negative review, one very positive review, and one… uh… review? (Well, I’ll leave the editorializing to the critics.)

More interesting than the critical response was the response from the audience – equally torn. There were those who LOVED it, who really connected with the language or the universality of the characters. There were those that were offended by the theatrical conceits and highfalutin vocabulary. (And then there were my friends who politely ascribed to the “I had no idea what was going on but thought you did a wonderful job” philosophy.) Either way, I was proud of my cast for really embracing the language and quirks of the script and really, openly experimenting.

I did, however, want to recap the press from the show.

My interview with Nicholas Gilewicz from the Fringe Office

City Paper’s Best of the Fest Preview

Mark Cofta’s review of this “enthralling production”

Wendy Rosenfield was less than impressed

Jim Rutter is a man’s man… which is all I learned from this review

I Survived Opening Night

…and all you get is this lousy blog post!

Yesterday was truly a marathon. Between trying to finish the set, running errands on all corners of the city, laying cables and putting out last minute fires, I almost forgot how much fun it is to make theatre.

But it all happened – the play went up, only a few minor snafu’s (the kind for which most of the audience wasn’t even aware), and we’ve come out on the other side with a play I’m quite proud of.

For those of you who get a chance, we are running for 7 more performances (tonight at 6:30 being the next.)

And check out my interview for the Philly Fringe Blog. Definitely one of the more surreal experiences I’ve had – to be interviewed and quoted. My favorite part, on stage managing: “It let me gain the trust of talented people without risking directing.” HA! Both true and embarrassing. I guess I can no longer say I’m not “risking directing!”

Hair Acting

Goofing around with the camera during tech: priceless.

Best of the Fest, no jest.

Nuda Veritas has been selected as one of the “50 Reasons to Dive into the Fringe,” according to Mr. Mark Cofta at the Citypaper.

“Somewhere between sleep and awake,” four women in white pajamas seek answers (“nuda veritas” is Latin for “the naked truth”) that elude them, exploring memories of love, lust and heartache. And what a terrific cast — Melissa Lynch, Laurie Norton, Christie Parker and Barrymore Award-winner Charlotte Northeast. Inspired by an ethereal Gustav Klimt painting in which a naked woman holds an empty mirror up toward the viewer, Melissa James Gibson’s Nuda Veritas asks, What do we see in the mirror: the truth, merely our own image — or both?

—Mark Cofta

Bios: Round Two

Christie Parker (Inez) is having a wonderful time with these amazing women! She was last seen at Act II Playhouse in Magnetic North playing the character Mara. Other credits include The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre in Pericles (Thaisa). She has also been seen there playing Desdemona in Othello for which she received a Barrymore Nomination for Best Actress. Other credits in Philadelphia include: Pig Iron’s Mission to Mercury, (2006 Barrymore for “Best Ensemble in a Musical”). The Arden Theater’s production of Proof (2004 Best Supporting Actress Nominee), The Lantern Theater’s The Comedy of Errors (Barrymore for “Best Ensemble 2004), Brat production’s The Designated Mourner, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Theater Exile’s production of Princess Ivona. Thanks to Natalie, and all of these delightful women for their talent, laughs and creativity. To everyone involved… I have had a blast!

Melissa Lynch (Merle) local credits include Agnes of God, Breathing Corpses, Monster, & Hot n’ Throbbing with Luna Theater Co, Simpatico’s Getting Out, Azuka’s Sweetie Pie, BCKSEET’s 8 Reindeer Monos., Phila. Shakes. Festival’s Two Gentlemen of Verona, Phila. Irish Rep.’s Playboy of the Western World & Shadow of a Gunman and Inis Nua’s Skin Deep. She is also working on 4play & Superheros who are Super! for the fringe. Up next: BOOM! with Flashpoint. For Dave, forever etched in memory.

Bios: Round One

Charlotte Northeast (Sonya): A native of Victoria, B.C., Charlotte is a graduate of Circle in the Square Theatre School. Favorite roles include Juliet (American Stage), Catherine (u/s perf.) in Proof (FST), and Lady Macbeth (Shakespeare on the Hudson). Philadelphia and New Jersey area: Hate Mail and Street of Useful Things (Act II Playhouse), Game of Love & Chance and Love’s Labor’s Lost (CCTC), Fat Pig (GreenLight), Tape (TOW Theatre), Proof (Act Out Theatre), Bash (Crooked Mirror), Bug (Theatre Exile) and Chicken (New City Stage). Charlotte has worked with Passage Theatre for the State Street Project and the Playwriting Lab. She received a Barrymore for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her work in Skin in Flames at InterAct. Love to Damon and pugs, Humphrey and Chico. Please visit: www.charlottenortheast.net

Laurie Norton (Nell) was seen last year at the Philly Fringe in A Streetcar Named Durang. Before that, at the NYC Fringe in The Suffrajets Present a Musical Seance, a musical she co-created about suffragist, spiritualist and presidential candidate Victoria Woodhull. She has appeared at InterAct (Man Measures Man), the Wilma (The Invention of Love) and was a company member at Iron Age Theatre, appearing in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Simpatico, and 70 Scenes of Halloween. She has an MA in Theatre from Villanova – where she was seen in numerous productions – including Angels in America, for which she received a Barrymore nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Laurie lives in South Philly and teaches acting, works in research and is a voiceover artiste. Many thanks to Natalie, the Very Talented Ladies, and Taskmaster Beth – and as always, much love to Jeremy, Viv and the Pupster.

“Where is everyone?”

Marketing and PR.

Can’t forget to do that.

Rehearsal Notes: 8/18/2009

It definitely doesn’t happen at every rehearsal. I dare say it doesn’t happen at most rehearsals, but once in a while you and your cast will crest a hill and then ride down the other side to the answers, solutions, and “happy accidents.”

I had one of those rehearsals tonight. We just completed our first stumble-thru this weekend and it was an exercise in stamina to get all the way through the play without falling over, breaking into a cold sweat, or needing an impromptu intermission. It was the FIRST time we’d done the scenes in order and I was extremely impressed with my cast. But certain scenes stuck out like sore thumbs. Last night it was our task to heal those thumbs.

In the end, I think the answer for most problems is “simplify” and “try it for the first time all over again.” If it’s not working, get rid of extraneous blocking, fancy footwork, and unnecessary stage business. If you’ve tried 10 different ways of doing a scene, try it the way the actors stumbled upon the first time you put it on its feet. 9 out of 10 times, you just might have solved your problem.

It reminds me of this passage from Russel Reich and Frank Hauser’s “Notes on Directing.”
“You are the obstetrician.
You are not the parent of this child we call the play.
You are present at its birth for clinical reasons, like a doctor or a midwife. Your job most of the time is simply to do no harm.”

Sometimes, YOU are what’s standing in the way.

Equal (Missed) Opportunity

Last week, my Facebook was all a-flutter with the New York Times’ recent assertion that female artistic directors are putting the Misters before their playwright Sisters. Do you agree that the boss-ladies are showing a deliberate bias against women writers, as Emily Glassberg Sands suggested, or agree with the commentary that it’s the underlings – the literary interns and woebegone dramaturges – who generally serve as the first line of defense before new plays (and new playwrights) ever see the light of the Artistic Director’s desk lamp?

And while male playwrights take center stage, women hold the purse-strings as far as the audience goes. According to the June 08 – January 09 Media Audit Survey, Philadelphia women make up almost 100,000 more “butts in seats” than their male counterparts. (The same survey also revealed that the Philadelphia theatre-going audience is 144% more likely to own a Suzuki than the general Philadelphia population so, you know, anything is possible.) Congrats to Sarah Ruhl for getting her fair share of the female foreign car-owner market, but female playwrights are frequently the cherry on top of a theatre’s season – not the main course.

Some more links…

American Theatre Mag’s Top Produced Plays Lists, by year
2005-2006 was a wonderful blip on the map…

League of Professional Theatre Women

Obvious plug – Nuda Veritas is a play written by a woman, produced and directed by a woman, starring four women.

The Ladies

I want to celebrate the addition of four new heads to the collaborative body that is Nuda Veritas. This cast is hugely talented, wildly creative, and generous of spirit. I couldn’t be more pleased.

The ensemble, alphabetically by character…
Inez to be portrayed by Ms Christie Parker,
Merle to be brought to life by Ms Melissa Lynch,
Nell to be realized by Ms Laurie Norton,
Sonya to become a reality by Ms Charlotte Northeast…