Open Rehearsal: The Court Theatre Blog
Artist Post
November 4, 2008
Anne Bogart speaks
Reposted from SITI Co.‘s own blog: http://siti.collectivex.com/blog/
“I am writing on election morning in Hyde Park, Chicago, Barack Obama’s very own neighborhood. We are in tech today, Election Day, for Radio Macbeth at the beautiful Court Theatre on the campus of the University of Chicago. I am full of thoughts and feelings about the world we inhabit and where we are headed. How will we function productively in the future, this very particular future we are headed into? The disorienting sensation of these past weeks is oddly familiar. In the wake of shattering worldwide economic and political events we find a certain silence emerging from what the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan calls “the real.” Our ship has slammed up against the shores of “the real.” The real is what lies behind our daily busyness, our symbols and our imaginative flights. Markets dive, jobs are cut, consumers stop consuming and the assumptions that we carved out to describe our futures are in jeopardy. Silence arrives because familiar words, sentences and paragraphs are suddenly not sufficient to quell our anxieties.
The market culture and its manufactured desires and materialistic promises have failed miserably. The unregulated markets resulted in a ravaged landscape of unpaid for despair. In this uncertain and cataclysmic climate, the creative impulse and the art experience is essential. In art we find a direction. The capacity to see, to perceive the world through another’s eyes, to empathize, is a vital sign of a civilized culture. To touch upon the unsaid and find articulate shapes for our present anxieties is the goal of our work together. The myth of economic progress as the answer to our baseline problems is simply not true. What else can there be?
I have come to understand that the creative act is ultimately action against natural human tendencies. Left to natural devices, human energy and endeavor moves towards entropy and disintegration. Our lives lead inevitably to decay and death. In the morning we are weighted down by the burden of sleep, requiring a supreme effort to arise and join the world. The end of a gesture, when not treated with an artistic attack of acceleration, tends to die out. The artistic impulse, in contrast to the entropic direction of a life cycle, rises above the tendency towards death and negation. The artist searches for lightness and for exactitude in the face of rot and decay. Fueled by curiosity, energy and hope, we enter the darkness. We accept the darkness and in that acceptance sometimes we discover a thin vein of light.”
-Anne Bogart
September 19, 2008
What’s it like under water?
Brittany A. Little, Production Dramaturg:
Let me tell you, this has been a fantastic experience for me—hectic and a little intimidating, but fantastic. Being a third-year History major at the University of Chicago and an artist, the chance to really dig deep into a work like Kushner’s, with a cast and production team as wonderful as this one (Charles Newell and E. Faye Butler…what more can you ask for in life?) has allowed me to bring my academic and artistic lives together.
I’ve been working with Court for a while now. I started as an intern in the Development office (hey guys!), went on to work as the Assistant Director of last season’s The First Breeze of Summer with Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson (One of my favorite people) and then I found myself trusted with this position, one usually handled by someone older and with a lot more experience than I. But that’s why I love Court—they give younger people like me, the opportunity to learn new things and grow under their guidance.
So, it was either sink or swim and I was determined to swim because I could not let Court down. I must admit, it was daunting at first. I had to balance a fellowship with a theater across town, make time to wrap my head around all of the complex themes that are featured in Caroline, and present them in the most informative and beneficial way possible.
Complexity is a feature of Tony Kushner’s work and Caroline is no exception. This musical touches on so many topics that are rarely seen in theater that my job was difficult (rarely, for instance, do we see African-American women at the heart of a full-scale show). With Caroline, I found myself elbow deep in books, microfilm and documentaries trying to find images and written accounts of these silently suffering Southern maids who seldom got to tell their stories. Add that to other themes like the Civil Rights Movement, racism, segregation, poverty, JFK, Jewish/Black relations, music of the 1960s, the Jewish American, Louisiana and domestic appliances and you end up with stacks and stacks of some of the most interesting material that a Dramaturg could ask for.
To work on such a huge show with a cast and crew this experienced made me nervous, and I rarely doubt my abilities. How much is too much and how much is too little? These worries plagued me until I sat down with Charlie and realized that he liked his research short but informative. Answer his inquires, send out anything that I find interesting to the team and give the actors a 20-page packet with lots of great pictures. Charlie gave me freedom to explore and share my findings and I really began to fall in love with the material.
By the time rehearsal came along, I was so excited that I was ready to share everything with the cast (whether they were interested or not). So, I put up a table full of books and historical research in the rehearsal room but honestly thought that the cast wouldn’t even glance at. I was wrong—they actually checked items out and wanted further information! That is what is so great about having an extraordinarily talented and intelligent cast. They really worked at their characters so that they could present the best show possible. They asked such fascinating questions that I was excited to find the answers for them. The cast and the entire production process motivated me, as a student and an artist.
There is nothing like watching the indescribably fabulous E. Faye Butler and Music Director Doug Peck work through a song note by note, Kate Fry find the subtlety in a phrase, Harriet Nzinga Plumpp flow effortlessly between characters, Iris Lieberman execute perfect comedic timing or the child actors scramble through their hilarious first act number. Being able to add to that experience in my small, complicated way feels amazing. As I sit and watch the final product, I can see a little Martha and the Vandellas in the Radio, know the significance of the oil that fries the latkes, and understand the desperation in Caroline. It makes me realize how much insight Caroline, Or Change has to offer to the audience.
September 2, 2008
My daily task is done
Hi, I’m Harriet Nzinga Plumpp. I am the Washing Machine and the Moon in Caroline, or Change.
Well, let’s see….where to begin. First off, I want to say how happy I am to be back on my feet in rehearsals. My son is 11 months old and I have not done a show since my first trimester with him in the Winter/Spring of ‘07. Our cast is full of parents so I feel a great sense of support—Yay to that! It’s an even bigger delight to be in rehearsals at Court Theatre. Caroline, or Change is my third musical at Court (I had the pleasure of working on Man of La Mancha and Raisin). It is great to be back.
Just yesterday I was conversing with Melanie Brezill, who plays Emmie in the show. We were discussing how valuable the rehearsal process with Charlie Newell is for us as actors. At Court, the musical is treated first and foremost like a play. This theatre definitely strives to present a strong, focused point of view. Many of us have been in this business for many years and have experienced a rehearsal processthat does not allow time to explore and to ask questions about who you are as your character.It should be natural…second nature. For me as an audience member, it’s much more enjoyable to follow an actor’s journey when every breath, every gesture andthought has intent behind it. Oooweee, don’t get me wrong, this is not an easy feat—but, it’s a great thing to strive for. In rehearsal, Charliegives us this time to explore. Which is, as Charlie says, “fantastic!”. So, hopefully, by the time you see the show our instincts are settling in. You can feel our anguish, our joy, anticipation etc… This takes a lot of energy, focus, and patience from everyone and can be exhausting.
We did our first run-thru of the show two days ago and I was exhausted afterward, in a good way;-) Because I am playing the Washing Machine and the Moon I need to figure out how to separate the two vocally, mentally, and physically. This past weekend it dawned on me that whatever energy Caroline (E. Faye)has I must feed off of it for the Washing Machine to work. The W.M. is truly a part of Caroline. Once that clicked, I was able to start taking the W.M. and the Moon on their own separate journeys.
I’m off to rehearsal now, so I look forward to seeing you in the house. Enjoy the show! I have a great feeling that you will.
Peace, Harriet Nzinga Plumpp
August 28, 2008
We’re scientific people
Rob Lindley, actor playing Stuart Gellman:
“My father is a clarinet” says Noah about my character Stuart Gellman, based on Tony Kushner’s own father, Bill, who was a concert clarinetist. Stuart is often in a practice room playing the clarinet and brings his clarinet with him to the family Channukah party. The clarinet is one of the ways my character expresses himself.
I wish you could all be in the rehearsal hall right now. All of the actors are on a 20-minute break and musical director Doug Peck and our clarinet player Adam DeGroot are going through the music for the big Channukah Party in CAROLINE, OR CHANGE. The music is just thrilling!
I played the saxophone all through school, so when I was cast as a woodwind player I thought, “perfect - maybe I can play some of Stuart’s clarinet licks.” I soon discovered that it wasn’t going to be nearly as easy as I thought! But I have been meeting with Adam (for my clarinet lessons) so that we can perform the long clarinet solos (every thing from traditional Jewish Klezmer music to a Mozart concerto) as a unit. I am planning on videotaping Adam playing so that I can do my best to replicate the fingering of the solos and know when Adam is going to take a breath so that we can truly be in sync. Think of Glenn Close lip syncing to Kiri Te Kanawa in “Meeting Venus” - or something like that.
This is definitely one of those special shows that makes me feel like I’m sitting on a big secret that I can’t wait for other people to see. The rehearsals are breathtaking. I can hardly wait to see what the actual performances will be like.
August 26, 2008
Gonna pass me a law
Doug Peck
August 23, 2008
Hello from Doug Peck, music director of Caroline, or Change. This is my seventh show at Court (James Joyce’s The Dead revival, Guys and Dolls, The Importance of Being Earnest, Man of La Mancha, Raisin, Carousel), and it gets better and richer and more fulfilling every time. Collaborating with Charlie and the amazing casts we always manage to assemble is the highlight of my year.
We’re just about to finish the second week of rehearsal, and it’s going very well. Because of the difficulty of the music, we have really taken our time learning the score. For those readers that don’t do musical theatre for a living (that means you, Jack Tamburri), you usually get less than a full day to learn the music and then off you go into staging. However, in assembling Caroline, we spent a full day just reading the lyrics out loud, two full days discussing all of composer Jeanine Tesori’s musical markings, and then three full days actually learning the twelve complex scenes. Now, as we stage each scene (we finish scene six tomorrow), we review music at the start of each day. I’m so proud of the cast as they are patient with themselves. I started several rehearsals saying “No one here is dumb, no one here is untalented” just so no one felt defeated by the high level of musical difficulty.
I’m thrilled we were able to take this time (many theaters have much shorter rehearsal processes than Court), because it means we are not only going to perform the score accurately, but we are taking the time to figure out WHY Tesori and Tony Kushner made these compositional choices. For example, if the score says we should get softer and faster, we’re not just executing it, we’re discovering the character and story-telling reasons to do so. I’m proud of Charlie on his journey in directing musicals, because his eyes and ears have become very sensitive to these kinds of things and it’s wonderful how he reflects them in the staging and character work.
It goes without saying that being back in the room with E Faye Butler is a thrill. We’ve done two Court galas together, as well as Chicago Shakespeare’s production of Seussical. One of the things I love about Chicago theatre is the diversity of roles our actors get to tackle. I don’t think you’d ever see Tonya Pinkins as the Cat in the Hat or Cathy Rigby as Caroline Thibodeaux! The great thing about tackling a score this intricate with an actor this wonderful is that you really feel like you are working together, discovering each nuance and dynamic. As E Faye memorizes the material and gets the pages out of her hands, she is amazing to watch. Her Caroline is already fascinating and deep (and amazingly sung).
One musical highlight is the quartet in scene eight between Melanie Brezill (Caroline’s daughter Emmie), Rob Lindley (young Noah’s widower father Stuart), Harriet Nzinga Plumpp (the omniscient moon), and Kate Fry (Stuart’s new wife). It is a perfect blend of pop and Jewish and classical styles of music, and the four singers work so well together. Dennis Kelly, our Mister Stopnick, commented that it’s refreshing to hear young singers sing in the center of the pitch. I would add that, beyond the perfect singing, they’re all working together so beautifully, following every dynamic in Tesori’s music and every twist in Kushner’s words.
Tomorrow we finish staging scene six, working with our terrific young performers Malcolm, Jack, Donavan, Micah, and Greg as well as Harriet, Melanie, and E Faye. We’re working toward a work through of Act One on Sunday, which will be very exciting.
Thanks to Jack and everyone at the Court for setting up this blog, so those of us involved with the production can share our excitement about this production.
