Open Rehearsal: The Court Theatre Blog
April 29, 2010
Sizwe Banzi is Dead
We’re two weeks away from premiering our fifth and final show of the season, Sizwe Banzi is Dead by Athol Fugard, John Kani, and Winston Ntshona. The idea of presenting a Fugard play had been rattling around Court Theatre for many years, and it’s finally come to fruition under the direction of our Resident Artist, Ron OJ Parson. Court’s production is also the final installment in Chicago’s Fugard Fest, following Remy Bumppo’s The Island and Timeline Theatre Company’s ‘Master Harold’...and the Boys.
Sizwe Banzi is Dead was composed in 1972 by a white South African playwright in collaboration with two black South African actors. In creating the play, Kani and Ntshona would improvise large sections of the story, which Fugard would shape and tighten into a finished form. Devised largely from the experience of these three artists, the plot of Sizwe Banzi is Dead is concerned with the government-issued passbook, or “Book of Life,” which recorded and controlled the identity and movement of black South Africans under Apartheid. Those who could not produce their passbook on request were rendered ineligible for employment, kicked out of the white towns, and sometimes thrown into prison. Sizwe Banzi tells the story of one man who steals the passbook of a dead person and changes his identity in order to work and support his family.
Watch this preview for Sizwe Banzi is Dead shot by production dramaturg Kelli Marino and edited by Andrew Carter.
April 9, 2010
Fathers and their Actors III
In The Illusion, an old man visits a magician in the hope that he will help him locate his estranged son, the son he disowned fifteen years earlier. I asked members of the cast of Illusion to talk about their own fathers, and how they felt about their chosen profession.
“My father is an engineer by training and his mind is an ordered and thoughtful one. The presumption could easily be that I’m preparing to describe a two-decade battle between the son’s left-brain and the father’s right, but alas, he breaks the mold. He seeks to understand how something works in the hope that understanding will lead to a greater appreciation of its worth. That desire, partnered with a steadfast belief in my talent, has been present in all discussions over the years regarding my pursuit of a career in acting and theatre. Even at the beginning, the idea that I shouldn’t study theatre, for fear of the risks, never entered the discussion. He has always been supportive and checked any trepidation he may have felt as I plunged headfirst into a profession that never guaranteed anything but a hard road to obscurity. I know that I’ve been lucky in this. I’ve had a remarkable wind at my back as I’ve attempted to sail the rough seas of this peculiar profession. My understanding of this business’ idiosyncrasies and my place in it has always been improved by my father’s thoughtful questions and desire to understand what I do.”
“Dad was a jack of all trades. He grew up being a farm kid; horses, cows, 4-h…that sort of thing. His father was a horse man and refinished furniture, so Dad knew a lot about both of those talents. He went to college in agricultural sciences and taught high school after he finished his degree. After eight years of teaching and being a high school principle he moved into construction and was a foreman for a company that demolished buildings. Then he sold mutual funds and insurance; went onto managing a golf course in our small South Dakota town; and retired after working at a computer chip factory for about five years. I think all that moving around from one occupation to another, is not unlike what I do jumping from role to role as an actor. Maybe I learned it from him. Keep moving, stay active, never settle. I always thought he would have always been happier going back to the farm. But he never let on, and he was always supportive of my decision to be in the arts. As long as I was happy. He made that very clear. Be happy and love what you do.
“I also think there was little bit of an actor in him bursting to get out. He tells a good joke and does character voices to sell it. Now what actor doesn’t wish he could do that!”
The Illusion runs Wednesday through Sundays at Court Theatre until April 11.
April 6, 2010
The Music of the Illusion
A few times a week, we’ve been asked by patrons about the music selections we’ve chosen for The Illusion. Courtesy of Nick Keenan and Josh Horvath, here is that complete list. Enjoy!
Georg Muffat - Sonata 2 Sarabande
Jean-Baptiste Lully : Porceaugnac: Le Divertissement De Chambord - Entrée Des Matassins
Biagio Marini - Balletto Secondo
Jean-Baptiste Lully : Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme - La Cérémonie Des Turcs
Marin Marais : Les Folies d’Espagne
Antonio Vivaldi : Flute Concerto “La Notte”
Zoe Keating : Frozen Angels
Marin Marais : Sarabande
Max Steiner : The Three Musketeers : Fight behind the Palace
Georg Muffat : Sonata 2, G Major - Sonata
Zoe Keating : Exurgency
Tomaso Albinoni - Adagio
Zoe Keating : Coda
April 2, 2010
A Magic Show, a Colloquium, Tony Kushner, and YOU
Take a chance and explore some of the special events and performances around The Illusion. Our post-show events are the perfect way to enrich your experience of the play, but even if you’ve already seen The Illusion, you’re welcome to come back and attend the events independently. And don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear Tony Kushner hold a public conversation with Court’s Artistic Director Charlie Newell!
The Magic of The Illusion
Sunday, April 4, 2010 at 5:00 PM (between the matinee and evening performances)
Magician Dennis Watkins (House Theatre company member and Magic Consultant on The Illusion) speaks about the magical stagecraft in Court Theatre’s production of The Illusion. An exploration of the use of magic in theater, this post-show event will culminate in an exclusive magic show by Dennis Watkins.
Artspeaks: Tony Kushner
Tuesday, April 6, 2010 @ 7:30 PM
Tony Kushner in Conversation with Charles Newell, Artistic Director of Court Theatre
Now in its sixth season, The University of Chicago’s Artspeaks series engages internationally renowned artists from varying disciplines in creative conversations with the campus and community—giving voice to vision. Combining public presentations and workshops for students and faculty, Artspeaks residencies offer a rare encounter with eminent talent in an intimate setting.
Mandel Hall, University of Chicago, 1131 E. 57th Street
Ticket Prices: $20–general public; $5–students with valid ID
To order tickets, call the Artspeaks Hotline at (773) 702-8080
For more information, visit the Artspeaks website
From Corneille to Kushner Panel Discussion
Sunday, April 11, 2010 @ 5:00 PM
Larry Norman (University of Chicago) is joined by leading Corneille scholars in a panel discussion about Pierre Corneille, French Baroque theater, and how L’Illusion comique became The Illusion.
