Beautiful

Went to another Chekhov show tonight, "The Three Sisters," Directed/Adapted by Paul Budraitis, and performed by the senior ensemble at Cornish.  It opened last night.  I missed the 7 pm bus, caught the next one, which was running late, and got dropped off no where near the theatre with 10 minutes to curtain.  Ran.  Made it, the ushers came in to sit right behind me, but then it didn't end up starting for five or ten minutes after that.  I'm glad I made it, it's only playing two weekends, and this was the only night I was free.

Beautiful staging.  Minimalist, three-dimensional metal outline of rooms in the house, everyone always on stage, and when they weren't in the scene, wearing big masks over their heads.  I had seen a photo of that earlier, and was wondering if they were going to perform the whole play that way, and wondering how the sound would carry...they played the scenes without them, sometimes they did background vocalizations through them, which created a subdued sound dynamic under the scene being played, which I liked.  I'm still not sure "why" the masks, but I liked them.  I love the staging particularly in Act IV, both with the house shrinking to a box (or a cage) for the sisters (the shrinking of possibilities at that moment?), and the way the duel was staged, the latter of which was unexpected, and so worked really well.  (Go see it if you are in town.)

He definitely has a style: a sense of uneasiness; sound, lighting, mood, set design, staging: dark, minimalist, touching a void; I would definitely recognize his work, even if I didn't see his name on it.  When I saw that show, "Cold, Empty, Terrible," last week, it was so much like his, that I wondered if they'd seen his work.  Kept thinking, "this reminds me of Paul," throughout the whole thing.  (Take that as you will, but there was hardly any dialogue, and not a lot of explanation to hang onto...mind wanders, makes associations.)

I connected more with the play the further along it went, there was more connection to the words, between the actors, and I think with the audience, in Act IV than in Act I, plus, it's the culmination of everything: all they've been talking about "going back Moscow," everything you dream life would turn out to be, or tried to force into being, comes to fruition, and the realization that you don't get your dream, but you carry on (like Nina in "the Seagull.")  Up until that point, life would happen "tomorrow", whenever they could return to "Moscow," and so they stagnate in anticipation of that day, some future when life would be better.  But in Act IV, it comes into "Now." (Spoiler alert, they never return to Moscow, but they do emerge from the box.)

It's late.  I'd like to spend more time with this play.  When I read it, I think, "I want to come back to this," and I thought that tonight as well (and also during "The Man Who Could Forget Anything" show.)  I feel like there's a lot I want to think deeper about, but because I'm also trying to read through it, it stays on the surface.  Things like: what the characters represent, both in context of the play, and in the current climate; what was going on in Russia at the time; cultural context; the idea of finding meaning in doing work; the way Natasha treats people; thoughts about happiness and fulfillment; the difference in mentalities of Russian thought vs US thought and how that affects what you believe your life can be; evolution, and the future, among others.

Maybe I'll write more later, or edit for coherency.  I still have music and a monologue to get solid by tomorrow.  But I liked the show.

Ooh, wait.  Time change, get an extra hour.

Show Poster, Oct 31/L Herlevi  2014

Late

The theme tonight was "Away at Camp."  If anything, across the board everyone had stepped up their game:  stage combat, accents, someone had to sing, the stories were particularly strong.  I was mentioning that to someone and she said she'd heard someone else say that when you get to the point of that much lack of sleep you are too tired to block ideas.  Maybe.  Great show at any rate.  Would've liked to have stayed for Act II of the second showing, but wasn't sure how late my bus ran.  As it turned out, they stop at 1:15 am or so, so it's good that I left (and I have to get up early.)  I especially liked the plays in the second act and wanted to see them again, but there were a couple of drunk women in the bar behind me whooping it up as if they were at a sporting event making it difficult to hear the actors, (especially when the mics had to be killed after they were hit with a water balloon, and in general not really seeming to get what the stories were) and being so loud that they drew attention to themselves and away from the stage.

For whatever reason, I was particularly social today and so met a lot of people, or re-met them.  Some days that is much easier, good timing for it.

I dreamt that I had chains chopped loose and I ran forward and jumped into someone's arms I didn't know was waiting.  There were others there, too, though I didn't see their faces.  Maybe it represents finally breaking free and letting myself win.

Tired, not particularly as coherent as I'd like to be.

After Clown

Survived the clown cheer, won the cheer competition...I don't think I won any contests last year (I think it was either because I was loud and obnoxiously pointing at myself, or they wanted to see how I would react to winning.  I also kissed a couple of clowns, on the cheek, at some point, just to get a reaction.)  Still need to work on discovery and exiting.  It's the same as acting.  You enter and leave with presence, except in clown, you acknowledge what you give and receive the audience more so.  You never do anything until something makes you do it.  This is such a good reminder of that, especially when it's just you (me) on the stage facing the audience.  We ran late, but I got a ride home, otherwise, it'd be closer to midnight.  This class is short, only six sessions.  So far, has not been as scary as personal clown.  I think clown helped with Meisner, and Meisner (plus the clown jam) have definitely helped with this class.  I allow myself to take more risks.  Committing more.  At any rate, in class, I don't think about anything else going on in my life: I like that.  And even if it's scary at times (failing) it's a fun way to learn these things.

Everything else? I don't know what to make of anything.  Holding the sweet unexpected moments from strangers close to my heart.

These are from Sunday.  First is a view from Kite Hill, and the second is what our "emergency" snacks were wrapped in.


View from Kite Hill, July 20/L Herlevi 2014

You Are Safe, July 20/L Herlevi 2014

Sunday

So many ways we misinterpret each other's meaning.  So many ways we don't connect.

Almost two pages of rehearsal notes, but we got out early.  Came home and took a nap and then went to the final night of the NWNW showcase; traded the ticket.  Home two hours earlier than last night.  (Theatre Anonymous, Witness for the Prosecution, Agatha Christie.  Really good, but ran 'til after 11:30 pm, and with bus re-routes and all, it was almost 1 am when I got home.)

Overall, show tonight was beautiful.  David Schmader's We Can All See Your Lips Move, was entertaining, and I realize by the title that the lip-syncing part makes sense, but it felt like he got bored of the performance so sent someone else to finish it (who did a good job), but that's what it felt like.  Pep Talk by Hand2Mouth was fun.  The two dance pieces were beautiful to watch, and Molly Sides' voice reminds me of a female Jeff Buckley (I Once Was My Father.)  Three perspectives in one space,  Coleman Pester//Tectonic Marrow Society was the other dance piece, lovely choreography on that.  Again, with both, wonderful body awareness and the effects of varying states of gravitational pull.  (What it made me think of.)

Pouring down rain when I left the house and again when I left the theatre.   Two hours earlier is still late, but I need to do something regarding the notes (and I'm hungry.)  Less than two days now.

Hyvää yötä.