We had a good run of it

Well, Madagascar has come to a close after it's 2 week, 8 performance run. It was fun!! We got some great feedback, the actors continually discovered new things, audiences loved it and i did too. :) Stay tuned to what we do with it next and what the future holds for NWT!!

Yay

So the show is going great. :) We're acting well above and beyond the summer heat and summer thunderstorms. Our audiences are making the trek to come see it and we're giving them what they paid for. Yay, cast!! We're getting some great feedback and Matt Freeman had some kind things to say (thanks Matt). 2 more shows! Let's knock it out of the park.

MADAGASCAR Review by Matthew Freeman

To view the original posting, click here.

Last week I was invited to come and check out Madagascar, a production by New World Theatre at the American Theatre of Actors on the Upper West Side. The company, whose website is here and who also blogs here, initially produced The Bad Hamlet at the Pretentious Festival in June. I tend to avoid reviewing shows on the blog, but the production invites comments and I'd like to recommend it to (both of) my readers.

Madagascar, by Wry Lachlan, is, on the surface, a melodrama couched in a few theatrical tricks. It's the story of a couple, a writer and an architect, whose relationship is tested by, among other things, the loss of a child. Lachlan moves the story in time freely, with pieces of scenes, monologues and memories. There are moments when this script (which is, fairly, being workshopped) feels a bit overwritten. There is, maybe, a bit too much repetition. It also has moments that are both compelling and convincing; no small feat with material this well-trod.

The play is immeasurably helped by the direction and the acting. Director Meghan Dickerson keeps things modest and spare in the small ATA space, but she takes advantage of the scripts fluidity, and never allows the actors to feel boxed in or over-staged. The actors, though, do wonderful work here and I recommend this production almost entirely so that you can go and check out their work. Jason Liebman (who many of you may know from Men of Steel at the Vampire Cowboys or Bad Hamlet) gets to sink his teeth into a more realistic role and thrives in that environment. Both Alanna Thompson and Robert Zick, Jr. in supporting roles, are in turn touching and hilarious.

The biggest revelation for me was Courtney O'Brien as Michelle, the center of the play. She is bruising and complex; a powerhouse of an actor that I'm happy to have discovered in the time spent with New World Theatre.

The play runs only to August 11th. If you're looking for an alternative to the Fringe this weekend, try a trip to Madagascar.

Madagascar opens tonight

Nervous. Anxious. Excited. Expectant. Hopeful. Tired. Yep, that about sums it up. :)

Load in on Monday was fairly easy and simple, as were the 2 cue to cues yesterday and dress rehearsal last night. Much thanks to my ever professional and patient cast! Not only am i directing, but i'm stage managing/running the board. So i had to run tech from the light booth. But i've done it before, no worries.

It looks great and i know we're ready for an audience. Jeff and Chris (friends and fellow POYers) came last night and sat on opposite sides, so the cast could feel what it's like.

Let's bust this out! Hope to see you all there!

Moving right along

Rehearsals are slowly getting into full swing. I've been meeting with sets of actors to read the scenes that involve them, discuss the relationships between them and go thru the script and see if we need to send any feedback to the playwright. It's all going really well! I am continually surprised by my cast and their abilities to pinpoint the journeys that their characters go through and the questions that they're asking themselves and the script. I can almost just sit back and let them hash things out and then shape it all! Too cool. I'm giving myself a lot of homework this weekend to figure out blocking, costumes, characters, directors notes, pre show music... I tend to procrastinate but i don't want to with this. We only have a month to tackle this huge script and i want to give it all it deserves.

Madagascar re-writes and rehearsals

All the way from Africa, playwright Wry Lachlan sent us a revised script for Madagascar last week. After a busy weekend and past couple of days (I'm re-stage managing Hamlet for the Brick Theatre's Pretentious Festival) i finally read it. There's some tweaks here and there and a little more back story added and i'm trying to get my thoughts together to send my feedback to Wry as soon as possible so he can further revise and have a 'finished' script by our off-book date of July 15th.

Speaking of rehearsal...i was ready to tear my hair out yesterday, just to get our first read thru scheduled! I'll admit that i'm a bit behind in coming up with a schedule and i'll even further admit that making a schedule isn't my strong suit. (is it for any director?) We basically have a month to delve into this script and fully understand it and give it and the actors what they deserve. I believe we'll be fine and will step it up if we need to. As in life, i guarantee that conflicts will come up and things need to be shifted. Hopefully my hair will grow back by then so i can tear it out again. ;)

I'm really looking forward to finally doing this. I'm nervous cuz it's my first full length directing project. I've only done one acts and monologues. But i have an amazing cast (check out the website) that are really excited to be on board and i know the ideas will just flow. I may even have to reign them in a bit! ;)

Inspiration

Last night Bob and I went to a NY Times sponsored panel discussion called Times Talks. They invited 4 of the most talented, prolific, passionate, inspiring choreographers to have a dialog about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it. We had the complete honor and privilege of being 3 rows away from Mathew Bourne, Susan Stroman, Bill T. Jones and Jerry Mitchell. It was a truly inspiring evening as they told tales, gave advice, recounted horror stories and talked about the art of choreography and the challenges it faces today. This could translate into any live artform out there today, and I'm glad Bob came along, even though they were more often than not using dance terminology. Yay Bob!

I feel so motivated and inspired just from *listening* to them speak. They weren't up there dancing or demonstrating. Just talking. They're passion and knowledge just shines through and you catch on to it and want to be just like them. Or at least I do.

I'm also reading Twyla Tharp's book 'The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It For Life'. That's also inspiring and truly making me miss dancing. But it's also all so overwhelming! I have so many ideas floating around in my head; dance, theatre, dance theatre... :) It's hard to know where to start and where to direct my energies. Twyla says to just start, and she gives suggestions on how to. That's easier said than done. I think I (we all do) let our fear of failure...and of success...get to us so we end up not trying at all, or not trying our hardest. I don't want to be like that. I want to be creating everyday.

Thank you Twyla, Mathew, Susan, Bill and Jerry. :)