FEBRUARY - MARCH 2000 ----------------------------In this issue--------------------------------------- Voices in Contemporary Theatre: Spotlight on Providence. New Columnist Willis Whyte profiles Perishable Theatre Scene & Reviews Night and Shakespeare Enter Laughing: A Showbiz Dictionary: A buzz-word to reality translator Techie's Corner by Michael Powers: New series on Platforms Rubin's Corner: Sondheim's Saturday Night CyberTheatre Monthly : Channel P, Jeffrey Sweet's Homepage, Shakespeare Duck, BroadwayNewYork.com The Play's the Thing: The Chekov Project Follow-up -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOICES IN CONTEMPORARY THEATRE NIGHT AND SHAKESPEARE -- OR WHO WAS THAT BEARDED POET? Yes, there are moments in Night and Shakespeare, when everything comes together but we have to wait so long for them they almost pass us by! Directed and staged by Ricardo Pitts Wiley with music by Pitts-Wiley and Robert Schleeter, the show is meant to be an evening of song and poetry that comes together to form a seamless fabric. Oops -- there were a number of times when the fabric became completely unraveled! My question is why Shakespeare? Why not use original material -- there are a number of excellent poets like Caryl Traugott, David Church, and C.D. Wright who call Providence home. My only thought was that Shakespeare was a beard behind which was hidden some of the best original music I’ve heard in a long time. All I could think about was how much stronger the cloth would have been if the weaver used all original material instead of recycling the work of a master thus weakening the veracity of the fabric? The show did have its moments though. Staged in a rather pedestrian cafe "located at the corner of Midnight and the Edge of Time" the format was somewhat shaky and I found myself wondering if the on-stage band was there to perform or just waiting (in the dark) for a bus. But even on the darkest of nights there is some light. For Night and Shakespeare it came in the form of Mark Anthony Brown’s rendition of Sibo's Song which gave the audience a taste of what should have been -- especially since it was expertly linked with A Middle Passage Love Song. Kim Trusty a bright light on any stage, captured audience attention with a commanding performance of Night Do You Care and Night and Loneliness. Both performers did their work without amplification -- and both were outstanding! These artists are two of the most talented performers on the Providence Theatre Scene -- watch for them elsewhere! Perhaps if the creators think and think again, they will see the need for unifying the show through the use of original music and original poetry -- sure throw in the Bard for balance (when it works) but don’t count on Shakespeare as the primary box office draw -- unless of course you’re not counting on receipts to compensate the cast, crew and writers for their work! Night and Shakespeare is being toured on an abbreviated schedule -- it has played in Foxboro, MA and Providence, RI with additional dates to be announced. There’s proof that..... THEATRE IS ALIVE AND WELL AND THRIVING IN PROVIDENCE! Perishable Theatre, Rhode Island's only Theatre Arts Center, will launch its 8th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S PLAYWRITING FESTIVAL this May. The highly successful project is scheduled to run weekends from May 20th through June 18th. Directed by Perishable's Associate Artistic Director, Vanessa Gilbert, the one-act festival premiers original works by women playwrights. These are scripts which have been selected from (submissions by) an international community of writers. In addition to the stage productions, the festival presents preview/warm-up performances by local female artists in various formats including song, dance, performance art, and monologues; it also includes a gallery showing of visual arts created by women. An integral part of this theatre festival is a post-performance reception that offers audience members the opportunity to discuss the plays with the playwrights, directors, actors, and production staff. This year's Festival attracted 260 submissions written by 195 different women from 7 countries and 35 states. The three winners will be announced in March, 2000. Each winner will receive a $500 cash prize and a fully staged production of their script; at Perishable Theatre. Winning scripts will also be included in a printed anthology that highlights the play and includes critical essays written by area scholars discussing the themes of each script. In the fall of 1992, Kathleen Jenkins created the 1st Annual WPF to provide a continued forum dedicated to women playwrights, who currently author only 25% of the plays produced in regional theaters in the United States. Director Vanessa Gilbert describes the goal of the Festival as follows: "As we step into the new millennium, opportunities for women in theatre will increase. It is my hope that the Women's Playwriting Festival will continue to celebrate the diversity of women's experiences and points of view." The Perishable Theatre Arts Center, under the direction of Mark J. Lerman, is currently in its 17th year of sharing unique and diverse theater productions with the public. In addition to the WOMEN'S PLAYWRITING FESTIVAL, Perishable offers a MAINSTAGE season, which celebrates the art of playwriting by presenting groundbreaking world premiers as well as new adaptations of 20th Century classics. They also produce a STAGE 2 season that is dedicated to bringing acclaimed international talent to local audiences, and providing a venue for local and regional talent. This spring, Perishable's STAGE 2 season will bring pianist Philip Glass to Rhode Island. Perishable Theatre also introduces the magic live theater to over 50,000 students each year with New England's premier professional touring children's troupe, SHOWS FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES. Providing first-rate performances and tackling current issues, SFYA has been lauded for their ongoing commitment to bringing quality theater to children of all ages. The theatre offers a THEATRE ARTS SCHOOL, which offers a vast array of theater and film courses to local teens and adults. Students are taught by leading area professionals who are sharing not only their theatrical knowledge, but the deep love of their craft as well. Perishable Theatre is located at 95 Empire Street, Providence, RI (401-331-2695). It is one of thirty theatre production companies located in the Rhode Island area, proving beyond a doubt that "Theatre is alive and well and thriving in Providence!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Techie's Corner Hello Again and welcome to the Techie’s Corner. This month I am going to start a series of articles on platforms. We will try to cover everything from parallels to triskets to space age stressskin and everything in between However, before I start with platforms, I have to make a slight correction to my last article on torches. Now, on to platforms. Platforms in some form or another have been used in theatre as long as theatre and the stage has existed. In fact the stage itself is a form of platform. In some cases a stage is a permanent installation inside a building and is usually raised to some degree above the audience. By far though, the majority of stages in the world today are temporary structures made up of platforms. Rock concerts, Music festivals, fair grounds, school cafetoriums, etc. comprise more stages than all of the legitimate theatres in the world. It is difficult to say exactly how the Greek theatre used platforms as few descriptions of performances still exist. We can surmise that some appearances, disposal of dead bodies, etc availed themselves with rolling platforms. During medieval times Miracle Plays were performed on platforms that were basicly wood planking laid over the beds of real wagons. I can not say if that is where our present term for rolling platforms originated or not. In the renaissance stages were often set up as temporary structures in large ballrooms. When winter weather chased Shakespeare and his contemporaries indoors for the season, some of their stages were permanent and some were once again set up on temporary platforms in large halls, taverns and other places. Today we continue the use of platforms in many ways. We use platforms to build sculptured unit sets, rolling platforms to bring on special pieces of scenery or even entire sets. We use platforms to build the very stage we act upon and sometimes we use them to set our audiences on. There are many different types of platforms and methods of building them. Which one is the best way or the right way? There is no such thing as best or right, only what is best in any specific situation. Right is determined by being the look the designer wants, the cost the production manager wants, the building method the technical director needs in relation to the time, tools, and kind of skilled labor available. All platforms have a number of things that are in common. First is the "lid" or the surface that is walked on or that supports other scenery. The second is the frame or the structure that supports the lid. Finally there are the legs or the method by which the platforms’ height is achieved. Because theatre is notoriously short of space, time and money, platforms also have several requirements in common. They need to be able to be reused more than once, if possible. If they are to be reused, they need to store easily and in the least amount of space possible. If the platforms are used in a touring show, they need to be light and strong and easy to move. In repertory theatre or touring shows they need to be quick and easy to setup and takedown. The first type of platform we will look at is the old standard parallel. The parallel platform has been around for over 300 years and it is still one of the most useful, overall, platforming techniques devised. The parallel is so named because the lid is removed and the frame then folds up, all the sides remaining parallel as they fold. There are three types of parallels: The standard parallel or closed corner parallel, the open corner parallel and the continental parallel. Parallels are made up of a series of frames built very much like a standard theatrical flat without a cover. Notice however that the corner blocks are not held back from the sides of the frame as would be done on a flat. This is to provide a flat surface for the hinge to sit on. Some times the frames are simply cut out of a solid piece of ¾" plywood. The frames are then hinged together so that they create a square or rectangular foot print when opened out and fold flat for storage or travel. The hinging method is what determines the type of parallel. Although I have drawn a 4’ x 8’ x 2’ tall parallel, parallels can be as short as 6" or as tall as 20’. The very short ones can simply be made of hinged planks and very tall ones will have to be made of heavier and or thicker lumber, but the principal is exactly the same. A parallel can also be shorter or longer in either direction, 2’, 10’, 12’ 16’, 20’ or any other size that fits the specific need of the production. As I said earlier, the thing that determines the type of parallel is the way it is hinged. Shown below is the method of hinging a standard or closed corner parallel. The second type of parallel, the open corner type is built the same way except that the side frames are shortened in length by the same amount as the thickness of the end gates. This allows you to place all the hinges on the interior of the unit. It is much easier to construct but not quite as sturdy as the closed corner, relying more on the strength of the hinge to provide corner stiffness than the tight fitting wood to wood contact of the closed corner type of parallel. Hinging of the open corner parallel is shown below. The third type of parallel is the "continental" type. The name came about because European theatres supposedly used this type exclusively. The continental type is the least sturdy of the types, the most difficult to construct, requires more middle gates and hinges. Why would someone build this type? The reason is that it folds up in it’s own length. Notice that both the other types, when folded, are as long as the length plus the width. There times when packing size is all-important. I most recently experienced this when sending out a USO tour to Guam and the Philippines. We were a small troupe going to small, out of the way bases so our total amount of gear plus personal luggage had to fit into 36" x 36" x 72" crates. The Air Force gave us 40 shipping crates but everything, repeat EVERYTHING, had to fit into those crates. The platforming was all continental style parallels because it could be designed to fold and fit into those crates. The parallel frames were made of square aluminum tube rather than wood and the lids were an aluminum honeycomb stress skin, but they were still the good old reliable parallel. The hinge placement for a continental parallel is shown in the next illustration. Parallels without lids are only flimsy frames. The lid is what completes the picture. The lid stabilizes the structure so that it will not fold up in use. It provides the horizontal stability to the entire unit. Before the development of plywood lids were made of planks laid parallel to each other with cleats or battens of wood fastened across the planks at right angles. The cleats also were spaced to make a tight fit inside the frame and gates of the parallel. Depending on the action of the performance, these lids often did not have to be fastened to the frame except by the snugness of the fit. This made setup and takedown on the road extremely quick. Today lids are usually made of plywood. Plywood is notorious for having some degree of warp, curl, or twist. It will rarely stay flat on top of the frame. As a result lids today usually have to be fastened down by some additional method such as loose pin hinges, bolt and wing nuts, drywall screws etc. One of the main mistakes made today is to eliminate the cleats or blocks on the under side of the lid as these provide considerable lateral stability in addition to any other method of attachment. Other types of lids today include shop built stress skin, commercial stress skin, Triskets, the Texas Trisket and standard framed platforms all of which will be covered in this series in their own right. On another but related mater, a few months ago a reader asked our webmaster about the possibility of some articles on "how to" or "how to shop build" lighting or sound effects. The request was a bit vague and the reader has not contacted either Marie or myself sense then. I would be very happy to work up some articles in these areas if the reader would please contact me directly at mptecdir@aol.com. Also if anyone has tried to contact me via ICQ in the past month, my hard drive crashed and all back ICQ info was lost and I haven’t had time to reload the program as yet. This series of articles on platforms will continue for several months but I am always open to suggestions for other subjects. For now, don’t sweat the small stuff and remember …………….. It’s all small stuff! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Channel P http://www.channelp.com/index.cfm Despite the fact that they say so themselves, ChannelP is an innovative entertainment presenter of streaming-media programming on arts and culture. A kind of Internet Entertainment Network. By offering unparalleled access and information, the channel of streaming media and online magazines brings new artistic expressions to a global audience. Jeffrey Sweet http://hometown.aol.com/DgSWEET/index.html A TRE-reader's recommendation. Fans of the playwright/screenwriter and editor of the annual Best-Plays collections may be intrigued by the author's homepage. A few articles of interest, but largely an ego site. Shakespeare Duck http://www.celebriducks.com/shakespeare/index.html A reader recommendation so bizarre we just had to share it. Bathtub duckies themed after celebrities. That gift connundrum for the person "who has everything" is solved. Nobody buys themselves a Shakespeare Duck. Even if you never follow the CyberTheatre links, you MUST see this picture. BroadwayNewYork.com http://www.BroadwayNewYork.com the premier website for Broadway Show memorabilia & New York souvenirs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Enter Laughing A Showbiz Dictionary VERBS To schmooze = befriend scum To pitch = grovel shamelessly To brainstorm = feign preparedness To research = procrastinate indefinitely To network = spread misinformation To collaborate = argue incessantly To freelance = collect unemployment NOUNS Agent = frustrated lawyer Lawyer = frustrated producer Producer = frustrated writer Writer = frustrated director Director = frustrated actor Actor = frustrated human BUZZ WORDS High-concept = low brow Entry level = pays nothing Highly qualified = knows the producer FINANCIAL TERMS Net = something that doesn't exist Gross = Michael Eisner's salary Back End = you, if you think you'll ever see any Residuals = braces for the kids Deferred = don't hold your breath Points = see Net or Back End COMMON PHRASES You can trust me = You must be new It needs some polishing = Change everything It shows promise = It stinks rotten It needs some fine tuning = Change everything She got great press = She'll never live down the embarrassment I'd like some input = I want total control It needs some honing = Change everything Call me back next week = Stay out of my life It needs some tightening = Change everything Try and punch it up = I have no idea what I want It needs some streamlining = Change everything It's all up on the stage = You'll never find the money I embezzled You'll never work in this town again = I have no power whatsoever -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rubin's Corner SATURDAY NIGHT Stephen Sondheim disappointed all of us when his production of Wise Guys was canceled after its recent workshop production in New York. He told the popular press that they show needed to be rewritten. 2econd Stage Theatre has taken advantage of this "Sondheim Void" by bringing to its new theater on 43rd Street and 8th Avenue a musical comedy called Saturday Night. This is one of Sondheim’s first musicals that, up until now, has never been produced in the United States. After a successful Off-West End London run it was decided to finally bring the show to Off-Broadway. Sondheim wrote the music and lyrics for this show. Julius J. Epstein wrote the book. Mr. Epstein and his twin brother, Philip Epstein won the Academy Award for their screenplay of Casablanca. Kathleen Marshall is the director and choreographer of this production and Jonathan Tunick has done the orchestrations. I approached the theater with the hope that this was going to be a great evening. There was a lot of talent working on this production. Even the theater, an old bank building, was interesting because of its unique construction. You may be waiting to hear that the show was not really very good. I must disappoint you. The music and lyrics, although different that present Sondheim, are funny, touching and even have a melody. You can already hear the kind of songs that the master writer is producing today. It was fun to compare his work now and yesterday. The Tunick orchestrations with a small orchestra are well done and make it sound like there are fifteen musicians in the pit. Kathleen Marshall has done a nice job of keeping the show moving alone. The book for the musical is very light. It concerns a group of men who are looking for the love of their life on several Saturday night. The story get a little involved around some silly turns in stock market investment and the theft of a car to pay for the investment. The real problem her is the cast of young actors and actresses who have been asked to perform in the 1920’s style. The best think you can say about most of then is their wooden. So you basically have to ignore them and listen to those Sondheim lyrics and music which save the evening. Lets hope Mr. Sondheim can speed up work on Wise Guys. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Play's the Thing: THE CHEKHOV PROJECT. THE ACTORS. THE AUDIENCE. THE PLAYWRIGHT. 2 months ago TRE told you about Madcow Theatre's CHEKHOV PROJECT. The began its life last October, and will culminate next October with a production of Chekhov’s last play - THE CHERRY ORCHARD. Madcow is using this play as the basis and core of their work. But as they strive to uncover the life within every sentence, experiencing the world in which the characters live, they are also questioning the fundamentals of "doing theatre". In December, for three nights, they invited the public to join in their work, and observe the process. They did improvisations and exercises, ate and drank Russian food, and entered into a rich dialogue about which of the many translations of the play they would use. Examining the translations was a particularly lively discussion point between everyone and it was a joy to hear the audience. As one Mad Cow patron put it when asked to choose between several translations, "It just depends on how you want to spend your evening." So many choices, so little time! What ensued for those three nights was, in its own way, nothing less than transformational. The actors worked in a raw and unformed state in front of the audience. The audience, asked to do more than silently observe, collaborated via dialogue and conversation. These dynamics transformed the theatre experience, creating a different relationship between the two groups and probed the fundamentals of "doing theatre" by redefining the boundaries between performer and audience. Beyond this, the company moved forward in their examination of the play. It’s not as if the world shook, they didn't discover any great, previously obscured Truth. But everyone shifted our position slightly. It’s a beginning. As one resident actor summed it up: "This group has a year to live and breathe this play". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2000, Mersinger Theatrical Services