I Caught The Second Half and -WOW!

Okay, I got there on time, but they had started early. So I only saw the second half of the show. I wasn't lost because I had read the play. But yikes, it's kinda scary to walk in on such powerful scenes. The theatre was charged with the kind of frisson caused by an intervention. And it just kept going. And yet through out it was bites of comedy. Clever, clever writing. You have to see this show. Bring a friend, you're going to want to talk about this afterwards. Fascinating things work like that.
See you there.

Interview- Part 1 with Paul Anninos

What interested you in auditioning for this play?

I haven’t acted in a production since 2006. Much of this was due my wife, Missy, and I becoming parents to our daughter, Alexis. During those 4 years, I’ve dabbled in other art forms but was unable to satisfactorily scratch that creative itch, so I made the decision to put my big toe in the water again as an actor. I wasn’t aware that when I auditioned for this production, and subsequently cast as Uncle Peck, a lot more than my big toe was going to get wet.

How will you make character decisions for your role in this play?

I’ll begin with the play itself and see if I can’t find what Paula Vogel wants to say through Uncle Peck. Ultimately, I’m looking forward to collaborating with Rod and my fellow actors on finding the appropriate emotional content and translating that into visual actions and behaviors that will best exhibit Ms. Vogel’s and Rod’s intentions.

I do think that in order for the character and the relationship he has with Lil’ Bit to be accepted as believable, there has to be some kind of balance in the character of Uncle Peck. Yes, he commits the most heinous of abuses (potentially more egregious than murder), but there must be some elements of Peck’s character and the relationship that appeals to Lil’ Bit.

Will there be anything difficult in preparing for this role?

It’s very difficult to delve into the subject of sexual child abuse and the role of Uncle Peck requires that I explore both sides of the issue: as a victim of and, in the context of the play, as an abuser. Ironically, I think that part of Vogel’s intent is call attention to the fact that our inability to confront this kind of abuse individually, within a family unit or as a culture, on some level, propagates the abuse.

There are explicit examples of the abuse that Lil’ Bit endures throughout the play, but with Uncle Peck the only specific indication that the audience gets of his own sexual abuse is at play’s end when Lil’ Bit plainly asks when it happened to him. That required me to enlist my imagination to construct episodes of sexual child abuse that my character undergoes. The experience of imagining such things, knowing that they have and do happen and realizing that they may not, in actuality, be so far outside our lives is chilling and demoralizing.

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week.

If You Build It They Will Come

Ben Garcia, our Set Designer for "How I Learned To Drive", By Paula Vogel, has an interesting take on design. When he starts to think about a set design he doesn't think about the set, the empty set that is, and how he is going to fill it. He thinks about the play, and physically what needs to be there to support the words. Only use what you have to, and support the play. That's kind of like Jenga isn't it? I never have played that kids game but the theory is you play the game by reducing elements down to their bare essentials. No extra fillagree to distract the viewer. I like it.

"They Are One"

I was busy getting a set piece painted early this Sunday morning when Rod Oden, the Director for "How I Learned To Drive" walked in to deliver some more set pieces. We chatted, checked in with each other about the production, when he said an interesting thing. Basically he said, "It is so great, they are one! The cast of this show is so in-sync with each other and have progressed so far already, that they are behaving as a unit." He went on to describe instances where he had seen how they have fine tuned their scenes into a well meshed volley of lines. The performances are all interconnected, the actors have developed the play to the point where you can't easily separate out individual performances. Think about that. This is very cool, because these actors still have two weeks to work this play into the thing they want it to be. So heads up. This is going to be an amazingly strong work, and that's good because the playwright, Paula Vogel, writes so well her work deserves that kind of cherishing. Better get your tickets!

Idle? We don't know that word

How true, how true. We are gearing up for our next production, " How I Learned to Drive", by Paula Vogel, which is expertly directed by Rod Oden. But have we been sitting with our hands in our laps patiently waiting? No,no,no, we have hosted events every weekend at our little theatre and it has kept the energy flowing like a swollen river. Which is good, because this next show has taken the momentum built over the last month and is barreling along at high speed with it. "Drive" as we affectionately call it, has got it's cast humming along in their new set with their spots on their marks. It's gonna be good, and it's gonna sell out. So give us a call and reserve your seats. You don't want to miss this one!