The second performance was less frantic, and a little more polished, in terms of lines, entrances and exits, props, etc. Still, there were surprises and there were many moments that were different from the night before.
One of the results of not having a rehearsal process with a tech week is that costume problems don't get discovered before the show is in front of an audience. Shannon, our Titus, had to adjust her costume for the Sunday matinee, for she discovered last night that her wooden dagger kept falling out of her sash. Saturday night it actually happened in the final banquet scene when Saturninus and Tamora had sat down to eat. Shannon played it off great: she picked the dagger back up and smiled with sheepish innocence as if to say "how did that get there??"
On Sunday it was another person's sash that caused some live theatre magic. This was near the opening of the play after Titus has declared Saturninus the emperor. Sarah was speechifying and her sash had come off her shoulder. As she moved and strode around the stage it slowly slipped down her body, and the rest of us stood on stage wondering how to help her. It finally started tangling around her ankles, and there was this moment we all had -- will this make her trip?? So Shannon said "Madam--" (again, interesting gender coloring -- the ad lib was automatically feminine, though in the text we keep all masculine pronouns). This brought the sash to Sarah's attention. Sarah stayed 100% in character, laughed it off, and said something along the lines of "Oh! I am embarrassing myself in front of the tribunes! One gets so excepted with you are made Emperor of Rome!" And she sold the ad lib so well that there were members of the cast that did not realize the lines weren't part of the text.
We also had a great moment of an actor impulse creating "accidental" blocking that turned out to be oh-so-right. In a moment I'll talk about another choice of JJ's (our Tamora) that I got to ask him about, but I did not remember to ask whether he meant for this moment to happen the way it did, or if it just occurred (what I'm about to describe did not happen during the Saturday performance).
It is the scene after Bassianus has stolen Lavinia from Saturninus. Titus has slain one of his sons in the fight. They are all met before the Emperor, and Tamora pleads with the Emperor to be merciful and forgive Titus. Tamora says:
Then at my suit look graciously on him,
My Lord, be ruled by me, be won at last,
Yield at intreats, and then let me alone:
I'll find a day to massacre them all,
And ‘rase their faction, and their family,
The cruel Father, and his traitorous sons,
To whom I sued for my dear son's life.
And make them know what 'tis to let a Queen
Kneel in the streetes, and beg for grace in vain.
Come, come, sweet Emperor, come Andronicus.
At some point during this speech, JJ walked over to Shannon, put his hand on her shoulder, and forced her to kneel. Titus's sons then had to follow suit. I found this fascinating: a) due to the reverse gender, our Tamora is taller than our Titus, and so it is believable that Tamora could have some amount of physical power over Titus; and b) because of what the text brings next.
Saturninus. Rise Titus, rise, my Empress hath prevailed.
So Titus and his sons stand back up. The scene continues:
Titus. I thank your Majesty, and her, my Lord.
These words, these looks, infuse new life in me.
Tamora. Titus, I am incorporate in Rome,
A Roman now adopted happily.
And must advise the Emperor for his good,
This day all quarrels die Andronicus.
Sweet Emperor, we must all be friends,
The Tribune and his Nephews kneel for grace.
Instead of this line becoming a description of what was happening, JJ played it as a command. Titus and his sons were forced to kneel twice in a very short amount of time, a humiliating action. In the scene playing out this way, it became very clear how much Tamora was toying with the Andronici.
My final lines changed as well. Sara had mentioned when we were working out fights on Saturday that when Saturninus is killed her crown fell off her head and made a huge thump. She pointed out that it may be on the floor for someone to give to Lucius. I said I may be able to, but it depended on where the blocking fell at that moment. On Saturday night I couldn't do anything with the crown because it fell behind Sara, and close to her body. I couldn't really see where it was, and it would have been awkward to try and get it.
When Saturninus died at the Sunday matinee, however, the crown slid off her head, and the momentum caused it to slide along the floor towards me. It was close to me, and very much in my character's awareness. From my point of view, Lucius seemed to notice the crown as well. It certainly gave me a "how can I turn this situation to my advantage?" feeling.
So when it came to my line, I was able to pick up the crown, stride to the center of the playing space, and kneel before Lucius, presenting the crown. Now that the crown's been picked up, the issue is created of where does it go - does it end up on Lucius's head? If so, who puts it there? Elizabeth told me that when this happened, she had a moment of "how do I deal with this crown before me?" but then her text gives her the answer. Lucius says:
Thanks gentle Romanes, may I govern so,
To heal Rome's harms, and wipe away her woe.
But gentle people, give me time awhile,
For Nature puts me to a heavy task:
Stand all aloof.
So she/he was able to waive off the crown with "give me time awhile."
We had a great talkback after the Sunday matinee with our audience. We spent a while discussing gender, and what the swapping did. Some audience members said they got used to it pretty quickly, and it didn't matter; some said they never quite got used to it. We discussed whether it made the play even darker to have feminine bodies performing these acts of violence.
There was also a discussion about why Titus Andronicus was chosen. Many audience members seemed less familiar with it, and Cyndi, our Bassianus, pointed out that at one point in Philadelphia, over 100 years passed between productions of this play. Felipe, our Lavinia, pointed out that theatres find extremely violent plays difficult to pull off. We live in a movie society, and movies have vast technology that can make anything seem real. In a very violent play you have to work harder to convince the audience, because if they see the holes in the combat or the blood work, it no longer seems real. I pointed out that the play also has a reputation as "lesser Shakespeare" and that attributes to it being done less often.
We also talked about the nature of the Bare Bard and whether they are as successful with tragedies as they are with comedies. One of our audience members said that he prefers seeing comedies on the Saturday night, because the frantic energy and the mistakes add to the fun, but he likes seeing the tragedies on the Sunday matinee, because they are well served by the extra bit of polish.
Speaking about the spin the changed gender put on the play reminded me that I had a specific moment I wanted to ask JJ about. In Tamora's scene with Aaron, Tamora has a line comparing the two of them to the Prince and Dido. JJ gestured to himself on the word "prince" when normally Dido, the Queen of Carthage, would be the equivalent one in the story to Tamora. I asked him if that was a conscious choice, or did he do it automatically because of inherent male identification with the word "prince?" JJ said it was a conscious choice because he decided that in this version, his Tamora, being male, was the Prince in the story. The choice certainly worked in the context, the moment passes so quickly, and the word "prince" highlights Tamora's status as royalty, particularly with an audience not immediately familiar with the background of such classical allusions.
It was a fascinating weekend, as a Shakespearean, and as an actor, and I certainly hope they will have me back again in the future!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Titus Androgynous, First Performance
I have survived my first Bare Bard at Maryland Shakespeare Festival. This one certainly had a lot going on: violence, no rehearsal, large cast, plus the reverse gender cast. Things certainly went wrong on Saturday night: people of course had to call line, entrances and exits were flubbed, props were forgotten, but in the end, we did the play. The story happened. That was what I found remarkable.
The moment that I had mentioned before was near the end of the play. All the deaths have occurred and Marcus and Lucius have speeches explaining what has occurred and asking for pardon from the Roman people. Aemilius, who up to now is really just a messenger with a name, steps forward and declares Lucius to be emperor. Aemilius takes the reins and what he says happens. “Lucius our Emperor, for well I know / The common voice do cry it shall be so.” My joke is that I am Aemilius the Emperor Maker, as opposed to Warwick the King Maker. (Oh nerdy obscure Shakespeare jokes!)
I was curious about this moment because Maryland Shakespeare had sent all the actors a packet of information and staging and rhetoric and language, to help us prepare for this Bare Bard. Part of the packet dealt with status, and how what words you use to refer to someone should dictate the physical action – “Sir” vs “Lord” vs “Emperor.” Due to that information, I know that when I proclaim Lucius emperor, I should kneel. And if the people onstage are listening to my line “the common voice do cry it shall be so” they should follow suit and kneel as well. In the original text of Titus Andronicus, there is a crowd line that follows Aemilius’s line, concurring with what he has proclaimed. But that line was cut in our script, meaning that very few people would have had any reason to read that particular moment and to know what was about to happen. Without the crowd line, there was nothing to point the other actors to what they should do, and it would just be up to them to listen and act appropriately. And they did. Everyone on stage followed suit. Yay!
Part of this was due to this moment occurring at the end of the play, after we had collectively had a couple moments already of “oh… should we all respond…????” and so I think we were all more aware of moments like that and more comfortable in responding to them. At the beginning of the play, Saturninus is proclaimed emperor, and we didn’t have a crowd response. We had a meeting this morning and that was a moment that was brought up – how we all really wanted to say something, but were nervous about vocalizing something that wasn’t in the text. I think we’ll all be more comfortable with that sort of ad lib in today’s matinee.
I think the most useful aspect of these Bare Bards is the sense of freshness, of things unfolding for the first time before you, because that is exactly what is happening. Without four to six weeks of rehearsal, the story isn’t drilled into your head. Even though we know the story, the details are all hazy for us, and that’s what allows the surprises to happen.
I had two specific moments where I felt the magic of events occurring right in front of me, or receiving information for the very first time.
The first was when I run in to tell Saturninus that Lucius has gathered an army and is on his way to attack Rome. All I knew in my head was that Saturninus and Tamora had some lines and then Saturninus says something like, “Aemilius do this message honorably.” And I respond, “Your bidding shall I do effectually” and exit. So I go on stage, deliver my message, and then I am waiting for my cue line, waiting for Saturninus to tell me what to do. What happens in the scene is that Tamora comes up with the entire plan. I’m standing there listening to Tamora’s ideas, but I’m not going to do anything until The Emperor tells me to. It was a interesting, and unexpected, dynamic, particularly because Sarah, playing Saturninus, was playing this scene a little frantic and like she/he didn’t know what to do, and she/he took a moment before playing, “Yes! We will do that plan!” It was a very cool moment to live through with my fellow actors.
The other thing I noticed had to do with the ending of the play – living through the story, I don’t think you feel that Rome’s troubles are over. It seems like a rough, violent society, and one that will stay that way. I know Elizabeth feels that Lucius is very honorable, and that she/he puts Rome first, but that doesn’t change the fact that the way we put Rome first is through immediate retributive violence. Lucius calls his son up to say goodbye to the dead Titus (the young boy’s grandfather). There is this sense of Lucius telling is son to take the scene of carnage in and learn from it. And there is this tenderness to the Andronicuses saying their farewells to Titus.
Then Lucius flips on a dime and has his speech about Aaron the Moor’s punishment. And it’s mean. And cruel.
Set him beast deep in earth, and famish him.
There let him stand, and rave, and cry for food:
If any one relieves him, or pities him,
For the offence, he dies.
It’s two very different colors, and says a lot about the character, and the world of Titus Andronicus.
Now it’s time to warmup and get ready for the matinee!
The moment that I had mentioned before was near the end of the play. All the deaths have occurred and Marcus and Lucius have speeches explaining what has occurred and asking for pardon from the Roman people. Aemilius, who up to now is really just a messenger with a name, steps forward and declares Lucius to be emperor. Aemilius takes the reins and what he says happens. “Lucius our Emperor, for well I know / The common voice do cry it shall be so.” My joke is that I am Aemilius the Emperor Maker, as opposed to Warwick the King Maker. (Oh nerdy obscure Shakespeare jokes!)
I was curious about this moment because Maryland Shakespeare had sent all the actors a packet of information and staging and rhetoric and language, to help us prepare for this Bare Bard. Part of the packet dealt with status, and how what words you use to refer to someone should dictate the physical action – “Sir” vs “Lord” vs “Emperor.” Due to that information, I know that when I proclaim Lucius emperor, I should kneel. And if the people onstage are listening to my line “the common voice do cry it shall be so” they should follow suit and kneel as well. In the original text of Titus Andronicus, there is a crowd line that follows Aemilius’s line, concurring with what he has proclaimed. But that line was cut in our script, meaning that very few people would have had any reason to read that particular moment and to know what was about to happen. Without the crowd line, there was nothing to point the other actors to what they should do, and it would just be up to them to listen and act appropriately. And they did. Everyone on stage followed suit. Yay!
Part of this was due to this moment occurring at the end of the play, after we had collectively had a couple moments already of “oh… should we all respond…????” and so I think we were all more aware of moments like that and more comfortable in responding to them. At the beginning of the play, Saturninus is proclaimed emperor, and we didn’t have a crowd response. We had a meeting this morning and that was a moment that was brought up – how we all really wanted to say something, but were nervous about vocalizing something that wasn’t in the text. I think we’ll all be more comfortable with that sort of ad lib in today’s matinee.
I think the most useful aspect of these Bare Bards is the sense of freshness, of things unfolding for the first time before you, because that is exactly what is happening. Without four to six weeks of rehearsal, the story isn’t drilled into your head. Even though we know the story, the details are all hazy for us, and that’s what allows the surprises to happen.
I had two specific moments where I felt the magic of events occurring right in front of me, or receiving information for the very first time.
The first was when I run in to tell Saturninus that Lucius has gathered an army and is on his way to attack Rome. All I knew in my head was that Saturninus and Tamora had some lines and then Saturninus says something like, “Aemilius do this message honorably.” And I respond, “Your bidding shall I do effectually” and exit. So I go on stage, deliver my message, and then I am waiting for my cue line, waiting for Saturninus to tell me what to do. What happens in the scene is that Tamora comes up with the entire plan. I’m standing there listening to Tamora’s ideas, but I’m not going to do anything until The Emperor tells me to. It was a interesting, and unexpected, dynamic, particularly because Sarah, playing Saturninus, was playing this scene a little frantic and like she/he didn’t know what to do, and she/he took a moment before playing, “Yes! We will do that plan!” It was a very cool moment to live through with my fellow actors.
The other thing I noticed had to do with the ending of the play – living through the story, I don’t think you feel that Rome’s troubles are over. It seems like a rough, violent society, and one that will stay that way. I know Elizabeth feels that Lucius is very honorable, and that she/he puts Rome first, but that doesn’t change the fact that the way we put Rome first is through immediate retributive violence. Lucius calls his son up to say goodbye to the dead Titus (the young boy’s grandfather). There is this sense of Lucius telling is son to take the scene of carnage in and learn from it. And there is this tenderness to the Andronicuses saying their farewells to Titus.
Then Lucius flips on a dime and has his speech about Aaron the Moor’s punishment. And it’s mean. And cruel.
Set him beast deep in earth, and famish him.
There let him stand, and rave, and cry for food:
If any one relieves him, or pities him,
For the offence, he dies.
It’s two very different colors, and says a lot about the character, and the world of Titus Andronicus.
Now it’s time to warmup and get ready for the matinee!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Titus Androgynous, Day 2
We are currently on our two hour dinner break, after being at the church from 9:30am. We began the morning with some physical and vocal warmups, and then headed straight into an entrance and exit run. That was quickly dispatched, but helpful because I'm now an attendant to the emperor and have to follow him/her around and now I know where I am supposed to be. I have become Aemilius, the curtain holder!
Then the majority of the morning was spent on stage combat. There are a lot of deaths in Titus Andronicus, so all that violence had to be worked out safely. Quick decisions were made about weapons and blood (red fabric). Then we went through the play and practiced each death and moment of violence, one-by-one. Meanwhile people could go off and work on lines and text.
I used the time to double check all my entrances and exits. And since I have many scenes where I stand on stage without lines, it's my job to stay out of the way. So I checked the chart to see where other characters would be entering, to make sure I could pick a spot on stage that was out of the way.
We stopped for lunch, and I got to geek out more about Shakespeare (this time it was through sharing my undying love of the Histories). I got to have a conversation with Stephen Lorne Williams, a lovely man whom I had seen perform in Measure for Measure at the American Shakespeare Center. When I introduced myself to him in the morning, I think I surprised him by asking him about a specific choice he had made on the line "If any in Vienna be of worth / To undergo such ample grace and honour, / It is Lord Angelo." Williams delivered the final words with a big fat question in his voice. I knew this production had been directed by Patrick Tucker, who believes strongly that the First Folio has all the answers, so I wanted to know if this choice was suggested by First Folio punctuation, or just the idea of the actor. Williams said he think it was just his choice in the moment.
When lunch was done the last few deaths were plotted out. Then, at about 2pm, our facilitator Abbie Isaac came up and gave me another line! That's the kind of thing that happens in this set up -- you have to figure out who says random unassigned crowd lines. It certainly keeps you on your toes! People also planned the interlude music. I'm excited that a suggestion of mine, half made in jest, was accepted, and I'll be playing my recorder for it. Then we found out when the intermission is and blocked the curtain call.
And in an hour we are due back. In two hours we perform. There is little pressure on me, since my role is small, so I'm getting to observe the process a lot. When they say there is no rehearsal, they aren't kidding. Nothing we did was anything like a rehearsal. None of us know what is going to happen tonight. I am involved in one important moment at the end of the play, and I don't know where the two people I need to interact with will be standing. I don't know how or if the other people onstage will respond to the plot point that I put out there. (I'll explain more after the performance). But I'm very excited to see what happens.
 |
| The death of Bassanius |
Then the majority of the morning was spent on stage combat. There are a lot of deaths in Titus Andronicus, so all that violence had to be worked out safely. Quick decisions were made about weapons and blood (red fabric). Then we went through the play and practiced each death and moment of violence, one-by-one. Meanwhile people could go off and work on lines and text.
 |
| How do we cut of Titus's hand? |
I used the time to double check all my entrances and exits. And since I have many scenes where I stand on stage without lines, it's my job to stay out of the way. So I checked the chart to see where other characters would be entering, to make sure I could pick a spot on stage that was out of the way.
We stopped for lunch, and I got to geek out more about Shakespeare (this time it was through sharing my undying love of the Histories). I got to have a conversation with Stephen Lorne Williams, a lovely man whom I had seen perform in Measure for Measure at the American Shakespeare Center. When I introduced myself to him in the morning, I think I surprised him by asking him about a specific choice he had made on the line "If any in Vienna be of worth / To undergo such ample grace and honour, / It is Lord Angelo." Williams delivered the final words with a big fat question in his voice. I knew this production had been directed by Patrick Tucker, who believes strongly that the First Folio has all the answers, so I wanted to know if this choice was suggested by First Folio punctuation, or just the idea of the actor. Williams said he think it was just his choice in the moment.
 |
| The deaths of Chiron and Demetrius |
And in an hour we are due back. In two hours we perform. There is little pressure on me, since my role is small, so I'm getting to observe the process a lot. When they say there is no rehearsal, they aren't kidding. Nothing we did was anything like a rehearsal. None of us know what is going to happen tonight. I am involved in one important moment at the end of the play, and I don't know where the two people I need to interact with will be standing. I don't know how or if the other people onstage will respond to the plot point that I put out there. (I'll explain more after the performance). But I'm very excited to see what happens.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Titus Androgynous, Day 1
We arrived at the church at 5:30pm. The night started off with food and mingling. Hi, I'm so and so, what's your name? Who are you playing? were the commonly heard questions, along with, Have you done one of these before? This Bare Bard has quite a few of us who are taking part for the first time, including the actresses playing Marcus, Bassanius, and Saturninus.
As we were eating the conversation naturally turned to Shakespeare geekery. The question of families appearing onstage together was discussed -- what plays have a child and both parents? Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth (Macduffs) were the ones that easily came to mind. Someone asked about Merry Wives, and that was confirmed. Then Comedy of Errors (one of the few where it turns out well for mother, father, and child), Pericles, and The Winter's Tale. Loving the histories as I do, I was able to point out Margaret, H6, and Prince Ned in 3H6, the French King, Queen, and Alice in H5, and the Duke of Aumerle and his parents in R2. Any others that we missed?
Before long it was time to stop being nerdy and time to start... being nerdy. We began the evening with group warmups. Chairman Mao's warm up, which I hadn't done in years, some Linklater, and some tongue twisters. We passed a sound and motion around a circle, and played a name game while tossing balls. This last exercise was difficult because most of us had all just met. If you had the ball, you had to make eye contact with someone, say their name, and then toss them the ball. We added movement and something tells me the act of recall along with panic, eye contact, and having to change spots on stage, felt something like what this performance tomorrow will feel like.
Then we did a status exercise. Talking about status has always been one of my favorite tools, as I feel it's extremely enlightening. The most difficult part was remembering who everyone was playing. Then as we were told we had to line up according to status, the questions came -- is this the top of the show? Is Tamora a Roman Queen, or a Roman prisoner? Actual status, vs. personal perceived status? We discovered, of course, that this is a play where the status of the characters in Rome change quite a bit. Aaron the Moor was also an interesting piece of the puzzle. In general, everyone speaks badly of him. But Tamora is sleeping with him, and her sons sometimes show a grudging respect. Part of the status exercise is about it being displayed by how others treat you and how you treat others. Others treat Aaron as low, but Aaron does not act subservient to them.
The night finished with a couple brave actors taking the stage to test out making direct audience contact in speeches and playing with rhetoric. The speeches were quite unpolished, but there was something electric about them all the same. It was very exciting to watch. Bassanius wanted to do his speech were he tells Saturninus to pardon Titus. Instead of just ending there, the actress playing Titus stood up and said her line in response, coming out of the audience. Then the actor playing Tamora stood up and moved from the audience space to the acting space. It all seemed so spontaneous, because it was. And there was a magic in that. A magic I'm looking forward to seeing more of tomorrow night.
And now it's time to sleep, for we start back tomorrow at 9:30am.
As we were eating the conversation naturally turned to Shakespeare geekery. The question of families appearing onstage together was discussed -- what plays have a child and both parents? Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth (Macduffs) were the ones that easily came to mind. Someone asked about Merry Wives, and that was confirmed. Then Comedy of Errors (one of the few where it turns out well for mother, father, and child), Pericles, and The Winter's Tale. Loving the histories as I do, I was able to point out Margaret, H6, and Prince Ned in 3H6, the French King, Queen, and Alice in H5, and the Duke of Aumerle and his parents in R2. Any others that we missed?
Before long it was time to stop being nerdy and time to start... being nerdy. We began the evening with group warmups. Chairman Mao's warm up, which I hadn't done in years, some Linklater, and some tongue twisters. We passed a sound and motion around a circle, and played a name game while tossing balls. This last exercise was difficult because most of us had all just met. If you had the ball, you had to make eye contact with someone, say their name, and then toss them the ball. We added movement and something tells me the act of recall along with panic, eye contact, and having to change spots on stage, felt something like what this performance tomorrow will feel like.
Then we did a status exercise. Talking about status has always been one of my favorite tools, as I feel it's extremely enlightening. The most difficult part was remembering who everyone was playing. Then as we were told we had to line up according to status, the questions came -- is this the top of the show? Is Tamora a Roman Queen, or a Roman prisoner? Actual status, vs. personal perceived status? We discovered, of course, that this is a play where the status of the characters in Rome change quite a bit. Aaron the Moor was also an interesting piece of the puzzle. In general, everyone speaks badly of him. But Tamora is sleeping with him, and her sons sometimes show a grudging respect. Part of the status exercise is about it being displayed by how others treat you and how you treat others. Others treat Aaron as low, but Aaron does not act subservient to them.
The night finished with a couple brave actors taking the stage to test out making direct audience contact in speeches and playing with rhetoric. The speeches were quite unpolished, but there was something electric about them all the same. It was very exciting to watch. Bassanius wanted to do his speech were he tells Saturninus to pardon Titus. Instead of just ending there, the actress playing Titus stood up and said her line in response, coming out of the audience. Then the actor playing Tamora stood up and moved from the audience space to the acting space. It all seemed so spontaneous, because it was. And there was a magic in that. A magic I'm looking forward to seeing more of tomorrow night.
And now it's time to sleep, for we start back tomorrow at 9:30am.
Titus Androgynous
Right now I am packing a suitcase and getting ready to head to Frederick, MD for the weekend. Once there I will be packed in with a group of actors who together will put on a production of Titus Adronicus with barely any rehearsal. It's one of Maryland Shakespeare Festival's Bare Bards, and my first time participating. The play was cast and scripts were sent out about a month ago. We all arrive (hopefully) completely off book. We get together for dinner and a workshop on Friday night. We rehearse (mostly exits, entrances, and fights) on Saturday. We perform Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. We drink.
Hopefully somewhere in the middle of all that craziness I'll find time to blog and tweet about the experience. I've been wanting to take part in one of these projects for a long time, so I'm very excited to see first hand how it all works, or doesn't. There are already a couple moments that I am curious about.
And if that isn't enough wackiness, this Titus Andronicus is reversed gender! I'll be playing Aemilius. The cast also includes Shannon Parks, JJ Area, Maya Jackson, Sarah Thomas, Lindsey Mitchell, Cyndi Rose, Liz Hostetter, Elizabeth Jernigan, Erin Brannigan, Emily Karol, Felipe Cabezas, Christina Frank, Anne Nottage, Colby Codding, and Corey Mullen. The production is facilitated by Abbie Isaac.
March 19 -- 8pm
March 20 -- 2pm
Sunday’s performance will be followed by a spirited post-show discussion. No two performances are ever the same, so come twice! $15 suggested donation at the door. Seats fill quickly, so reserve in advance by emailing Karen@mdshakes.org or by calling (301) 668-4090.
Performances located at:
All Saints Episcopal Church
21 North Court Street
Frederick, MD 21701
Hopefully somewhere in the middle of all that craziness I'll find time to blog and tweet about the experience. I've been wanting to take part in one of these projects for a long time, so I'm very excited to see first hand how it all works, or doesn't. There are already a couple moments that I am curious about.
And if that isn't enough wackiness, this Titus Andronicus is reversed gender! I'll be playing Aemilius. The cast also includes Shannon Parks, JJ Area, Maya Jackson, Sarah Thomas, Lindsey Mitchell, Cyndi Rose, Liz Hostetter, Elizabeth Jernigan, Erin Brannigan, Emily Karol, Felipe Cabezas, Christina Frank, Anne Nottage, Colby Codding, and Corey Mullen. The production is facilitated by Abbie Isaac.
March 19 -- 8pm
March 20 -- 2pm
Sunday’s performance will be followed by a spirited post-show discussion. No two performances are ever the same, so come twice! $15 suggested donation at the door. Seats fill quickly, so reserve in advance by emailing Karen@mdshakes.org or by calling (301) 668-4090.
Performances located at:
All Saints Episcopal Church
21 North Court Street
Frederick, MD 21701
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Swan Day 2011
Once again this year I have been working with some other wonderful women to organize DC's Swan Day. SWAN Day/Support Women Artists Now Day is a new international holiday that celebrates women artists. It is an annual event taking place on the last Saturday of March (Women’s History Month). You can find out more about this event, by visiting the website, http://www.womenarts.org/swan/.
In DC, Swan Day is produced by Catherine Aselford and the Georgetown Theatre Company. It will take place on March 26 from Noon to 6pm at various locations in Georgetown. Events include films, storytelling, visual art, and a short play reading festival. It is the latter that I am most involved with. So on Saturday the 26th you can find me at Grace Church (1041 Wisconsin Ave, NW), for much of the day, helping to run the staged reading festival. I am also directly involved with three of the works.
Woman at Bat
by Heather Meyer
I will be directing the reading of this short play about three women and their love of baseball. I'm thrilled to have actresses Katie Culligan, Lisa Hill-Corley, and Melissa Robinson on board.
Tiger Lilies
by Victoria Z. Daly
directed by Jessica Aimone
In this lovely play that jumps around in time showing key moments in the relationship between a mother and a daughter, I will be playing the part of Vanessa.
The Body Washer
by Rosemary Frisino Toohey
directed by Catherine Aselford
I will be playing Amy, a journalist reporting on the murder of a young woman at a military checkpoint.
Right before the Staged Reading Marathon, at noon at the Georgetown Barnes and Noble, I will be taking part in Dishing with the Girls, an open discussion between a panel of women artists and the community.
But Swan Day events have already kicked off! Today I took part in Soar with The Swans, a sneak peek event at the National Museum of Women in the Arts between 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
The afternoon included poetry; storytelling; the screening of SIS, an award-winning short film about the relationship between sisters; & a staged reading of 10 Page Drama, a short play about playwriting. Between performances, attendees can test their knowledge and win SWAN cookies by playing Name That Woman Artist.
For this pre-Swan Day event, I played Julia in the staged reading of 10 Page Drama by Samantha Kuperberg, directed by Catherine Aselford. The cast also included Jonathan Lee Taylor, Heather Benjamin, Terence Aselford, Jacinda Bronaugh, Frank O'Donnell, Stefan Aleksander, and Krista Cowen.
In DC, Swan Day is produced by Catherine Aselford and the Georgetown Theatre Company. It will take place on March 26 from Noon to 6pm at various locations in Georgetown. Events include films, storytelling, visual art, and a short play reading festival. It is the latter that I am most involved with. So on Saturday the 26th you can find me at Grace Church (1041 Wisconsin Ave, NW), for much of the day, helping to run the staged reading festival. I am also directly involved with three of the works.
Woman at Bat
by Heather Meyer
I will be directing the reading of this short play about three women and their love of baseball. I'm thrilled to have actresses Katie Culligan, Lisa Hill-Corley, and Melissa Robinson on board.
Tiger Lilies
by Victoria Z. Daly
directed by Jessica Aimone
In this lovely play that jumps around in time showing key moments in the relationship between a mother and a daughter, I will be playing the part of Vanessa.
The Body Washer
by Rosemary Frisino Toohey
directed by Catherine Aselford
I will be playing Amy, a journalist reporting on the murder of a young woman at a military checkpoint.
Right before the Staged Reading Marathon, at noon at the Georgetown Barnes and Noble, I will be taking part in Dishing with the Girls, an open discussion between a panel of women artists and the community.
But Swan Day events have already kicked off! Today I took part in Soar with The Swans, a sneak peek event at the National Museum of Women in the Arts between 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
The afternoon included poetry; storytelling; the screening of SIS, an award-winning short film about the relationship between sisters; & a staged reading of 10 Page Drama, a short play about playwriting. Between performances, attendees can test their knowledge and win SWAN cookies by playing Name That Woman Artist.
For this pre-Swan Day event, I played Julia in the staged reading of 10 Page Drama by Samantha Kuperberg, directed by Catherine Aselford. The cast also included Jonathan Lee Taylor, Heather Benjamin, Terence Aselford, Jacinda Bronaugh, Frank O'Donnell, Stefan Aleksander, and Krista Cowen.
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