Macbeth Without Words Open (Yee-Haw!!)

We opened Macbeth on Wednesday to a nearly full house and some nice reviews (nytheatre.com and Backstage).

Review time is always strange.

A few months back, there was a big to-do about a certain New York Times review that was unfavorably received by the show's director. She wrote a pleading letter to her mailing list, basically asking that they disregard the review and still come out to see the show. An essay on Culturebot dissected the issue, which shone the first big spotlight on the role of theater bloggers beyond the indie theater scene. (Martin Denton, in my opinion a "theater blogger" before the term came into the vernacular, discussed it on his blog here.)

I found this whole situation fascinating, with everyone buzzing about the artist/critic food chain. I have written theater reviews (for nytheatre.com and the L Magazine) since around 2000, and being an actor as well puts me in an interesting position. When I write reviews, I write my opinion. Just my one opinion. Is my opinion more important because it ends up in print?

Maybe.

But then I am (like many at nytheatre.com) also on the other side of the pen-and-paper, actually being reviewed.

Our first review for MWW was very positive. The guy got what we were going for and liked it. That feels good. The other guy's review looks like he didn't like it as much as the first guy: the initial reaction is to say that he didn't get it.

But perhaps he just didn't like it. And that's ok. (Christ, I'm giving myself therapy over two reviews where I'm mentioned as ensemble-- get a grip!)

The bottom line is that I feel really good about this show. We've worked our asses off for months, the ensemble is tight and I like what we're doing.

I'll be interested to see if I can take these grains of salt with me when reviews start coming in for SCOUT'S HONOR!, where I actually have money going into it... (not that money matters... we're all in this for the art, of course!)

First Read Through

We had our first read-through for SCOUT'S HONOR! last night, and the ball is officially rolling!

These plays are really really funny and the cast is rock-solid (if I do say so myself).

Now once we figure out a rehearsal schedule (the downside of having an awesome cast is that we've all got super-busy schedules!) and get confirmation from a costume designer, we can really get down to business. This is going to be a super fun show to work on and an even super funner show to see!

Announcing SCOUT'S HONOR! Cast

After going back and forth what seemed like years, we finally decided on a cast. A super-groovey, uber-talented cast!




Scout's Honor! (Snipe Hunt and Becky's Beaver)
Written by Ed Valentine

Directed by Melanie S. Armer**

Featuring Chris Caron, Joel Derfner, Carrie Haugh, Chance Muehleck*, Renee Rakel and Robin Reed

a Cardium Mechanicum production

at the
New York International Fringe Festival!
(exact dates and location TBA)




* Member AEA
** Member SSDC

Oh, and I'm Doing Macbeth, too...

Before I get too wrapped up in the Fringe show, I should remind everyone that we're about a week away from opening Macbeth Without Words as part of the Pretentious Festival at the Brick.

I feel like I am constantly in rehearsal, but it's so worth it-- the show is really looking good. Below is a photo from a shoot today with Fred Backus as Macbeth and me, Katie Brack and Iracel Rivero as the Witches in the beginning stages of costumes by Julianne Kroboth. (Will Schenk took the photos-- Will is our hero.)

A View from the Other Side of the Table

We held auditions last night for SCOUT'S HONOR! and, wow.

Since I am primarily an actor, I've almost always only seen auditions from the actor's point of view: signing in, waiting in the hall with the "competition", going over lines and character choices to myself and fending off those nagging butterflies that set up camp in my belly. Luckily, I've had a lot of practice on the waiting part over the last few years doing voiceover auditions regularly, but the tension is rarely not present.

Last night, I sat (as actor and producer) in the audition room with Ed (playwright/producer) and Melanie (director) and served as the scene partner for each of the fifteen actors who auditioned.

In short, eye-opening.

Melanie, Ed and I each invited actors we know and love to audition. We have each worked with a number of different actors over the years and were excited to have each other see "our people".

I was absolutely floored by everyone who walked in the room. Friends, strangers... some whose work I had seen but had never met, others I knew personally but hadn't seen on stage. Everyone was unique and incredibly talented, and many presented takes on the roles that none of us had ever thought of before!

And that was the problem: fifteen actors reading for five parts. There are a number of different ways this thing can go.

It was one of the most fun yet most difficult evenings I've had. The official decisions have still not been made, but should be decided sooner than later.

I will post the cast list here as soon as I know.

Moving Right Along

It's starting to look even more official!










This is now our logo on the Fringe Site, and a black and white version will be in the program guide. I'm having fun with Photoshop.








Will and I have been out at his parent's house for the past couple of days. There are no less than three summer camps in the area, so I managed to snap a few pictures. Here is a photo of a sign pointing to Camp Wayne-- boys on one side of the lake, girls on the other! Ed's play is just littered with verisimilitude!







I would love to do a photo shoot with the soon-to-be-named cast, but don't know if time will allow for a roadtrip. Failing that, we may be able to get some fun outdoorsy shots in Prospect Park or Central Park and then just merge them in (like I said, Photoshop fun!)

The Ball is Rolling

Publicity Logo: check. Well, double-checking, but most likely, check. (See above. Any thoughts? Tell me in the comments, please!)

Designers: check, check, check and super check. We're in the process of getting for-sure yeses on a costume designer and sound designer, but all is looking Good.

Audition Time/Location: check. We're holding auditions next weekend. I'm really jonesing to cast this puppy-- I feel like we should already have publicity photos, but this is difficult with only one out of six actors (me) cast. Another reason I wish we had done auditions earlier: there are two actor-friends that I was really hoping to work with on this project, but they're both doing other Fringe shows. We're going to have such a rehearsal time-crunch that we really need people with super-availability, so we can't really accommodate the sharing of actors. Bummer. But, I think we'll be just fine.

(a little note about the show, since I don't think I've said here what we're doing. SCOUT'S HONOR! is made up of two short plays (Snipe Hunt and Becky's Beaver) by Ed Valentine. As written, the plays have eleven characters. But we're going to do it with six, 3 men and 3 women, so men and women will both play boys and girls. Whee!)

Fringe Friends: check! Apparently, MySpace has become a huge tool in Fringe networking-- the friends on Cardium Mechanicum's MySpace page have nearly doubled since everyone has put their webpage links on the Fringe site. I think it's actually a neat way to "meet" others with shows in the Fringe, especially the out-of-towners.

Also, we've hooked up with some old acquaintances, back from the Theatorium Days.

I'm feeling good about this. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, but it already feels fun.

I Think I May Succumb...

... and blog about my process of producing (and acting in) our Fringe show, SCOUT'S HONOR!

Why? Why do it like everyone else and become a theater blogger? Was it a burst of inspiration from the Pretentious Festival's Blogging Event?

No, no. I don't consider myself a theater blogger. I occasionally write reviews and that's enough "other people's theater" to write about for me. I don't want to talk about The Scene or What's Going On-- there are a bunch of people already doing that very well (like him and him and him and her).

But.


After posting the interview of me on his blog, Michael Criscuolo listed me in his blog rolls-- I've noticed that people are finding this site from a link on his. Obviously, these people are theater related in some way, so I wonder if they're just totally befuddled when they get here and find a travelogue from our Adventures in Italy with nary a mention of theater anywhere.

So I figured I'd do what a handful of friends and colleagues (like this guy and this guy) are doing/have done, and actually chart our process here.

Buckle up kids. We're going on a bumpy ride to the inner workings of indie theater madness!!

Not Sure How I Feel About This

I just took this quiz in Time Out New York.

It's late, so I can't conjure up a feeling about it now, but perhaps if my drinky (according to the mag) brain can remember, I'll write more on it tomorrow.

If you're dying to know my scores on the other tests, check back. Maybe if I wake up in my thirties tomorrow, I'll finish...

My New York age is 26

This New York age puts you-generally speaking-into the young category. That's what you were hoping for, right? Run and tell your friends. Then get drunk (as usual). Then sleep it off. Then pop an Adderall. Then come back and consider experimenting with a more mature type of New York life (just once in a while). Have you ever been to the Village Vanguard or the Living Theatre? Eaten at Elaine's? Taken a date to Michael Feinstein? Before you laugh, check 'em out and see what old-school NYC experiences you can add to the new.

Does your age reflect how you're living? Let us know.

What's your New York age? Take the Time Out New York quiz and find out!