tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802846685361343252024-03-12T21:46:19.625-07:00MCC TheaterMCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-22259854252928951442009-10-29T12:33:00.000-07:002012-02-08T12:46:31.331-08:00We've moved!<a href="http://www.mcctheaterblog.org/">Click here</a> to check out the new blog and keep up to date on everything happening at <a href="http://mcctheater.org/">MCC Theater</a>.MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-65756948626199974022009-10-28T08:22:00.000-07:002009-10-28T09:33:44.189-07:00Conducive to Magic<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397672936518822578" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 210px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: left" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0kV1xpO7btSwbn80TsNdIkNDCdI-48d9N_v6D75910EBRVjmc5-nuecgLsHZv6qvLdZFxnL2e8sGQy42ovUkZynZqDlheNwwIYMXAWRN3RKGYP4TF6uEsD4x2DC1CeZl6jUJJOF3ts8/s320/blog_image.jpg" border="0" /> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:small;"><span style="color:#000000;">Posted by <em>Still Life</em> actor, <span style="color:#cc0000;">Halley Feiffer</span> -<br /><br />It is hard to believe we have less than one week left of "Still Life." This makes me want to cry. I am crying, in fact; don't tell anyone, please.<br /><br />Last night's performance was very exciting, in a surprising way. We were all aware -- including the audience, I think -- that it was our last Tuesday performance; the air in the room had a certain electricity, the feeling of "This is one of the the last times we will be doing this!"<br /><br />I don't remember feeling this way in other shows I have done. Often I feel: "Oh good, it's almost over!" or "I can't believe this is ending; what the heck will I do with my life?!", and these two feelings are so overwhelming that I have little time to think, "Oh, it is the last Tuesday we will be performing this show; how strange and sort of magical."<br /><br />There is something about Still Life that is conducive to magic. From the first day of rehearsal, there was a certain buzz in the air. We were all here because we loved the play, I think; and that is a rarity. It has been such an immense gift to get to work on a play that I love in the way I love this play. I feel, now, the way I felt during the first read-through, or watching the first run-though: "I can't believe I get to be a part of this! I can't believe we are all here, working on this piece we love so much, and I can't believe it's this good!" What an unusual, thrilling feeling.<br /><br />Thank you, MCC, for this experience. I don't think any of us will forget this magic any time soon.</span></span></div><div><div></div></div>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-11724633545589665882009-10-06T08:14:00.001-07:002009-10-06T08:21:37.529-07:00"Still Life" Opening Night Party<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyETK8_fUdU0_ddXZeKdvSD25zUlx7KZaS8GX5YgFBrEF5rbB4cBcmlnpt9QALSfxn4HX7pgN01XU1re0CknSYyegAp0YZ_6gS-bQYCmNXRAt7RI6CqL-mdJEgPoBukAIaOjcIFjLHlA/s1600-h/kelly.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyETK8_fUdU0_ddXZeKdvSD25zUlx7KZaS8GX5YgFBrEF5rbB4cBcmlnpt9QALSfxn4HX7pgN01XU1re0CknSYyegAp0YZ_6gS-bQYCmNXRAt7RI6CqL-mdJEgPoBukAIaOjcIFjLHlA/s320/kelly.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389505861005716626" /></a>Click <a href="http://blip.fm/profile/mcctheater/playlist">here</a> to check out photos of fancy folks and listen to DJ Randyhate's amazing playlist from the opening night soirée for <i>Still Life</i>. (Above: DJ Randyhate catches a glimpse of <i>Still Life</i> actor Kelly McAndrew and Kristina Valada-Viars. Photo by Sung An.)MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-563346520245585302009-09-22T10:28:00.000-07:002009-09-22T10:46:34.459-07:00Death Takes a "Sentimental Journey"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sD4BJ805olKQpfRE0OnsVNOBQ5YgwoMEp0Nusd4DXCuAbOBa4yP0ZdKsVbLmmnRAGOCzmK1trqR-NWclT3K-Lh2VcTZDPzOcU5UTUPNCYaMi4EStTmCEf5G_67qusLFmmnJzo8R89uc/s1600-h/bunny.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sD4BJ805olKQpfRE0OnsVNOBQ5YgwoMEp0Nusd4DXCuAbOBa4yP0ZdKsVbLmmnRAGOCzmK1trqR-NWclT3K-Lh2VcTZDPzOcU5UTUPNCYaMi4EStTmCEf5G_67qusLFmmnJzo8R89uc/s320/bunny.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384347616000348050" /></a><div>Posted by photographer <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">Tamara Staples</span>, whose photos are used in <i>Still Life</i>-<br /><br />Using the dark rich palette of the 15th century Flemish painters, "Sentimental Journey" is a series of photographic still lives portrays rotting fruit, dead animals in repose and ephemera like candle smoke. These are the symbols of the Vanitas painters, whose opulent assemblages served to remind the viewer of the fleeting quality of life and all its entertainments and accomplishments. In my work, these objects embody my reckoning with the passing of my own youth, a passage of death and rebirth that contemporary culture by and large fails to recognize or celebrate.<br /><br />The unabashed gaze at death in this series serves as a visual counterpoint to the death-denying, youth-worshipping culture that pours into our consciousness from the popular culture: advertising fetishizes youth, plastic surgery creates artificial ingenues from those who should be doyennes, and medical procedures prolong life and rob death of its dignity. While around me the thrust is to cling to the blossom of life, I am interested in the fruit, the decay of the fruit, which ultimately yields a new seed.<br /><br />My work approaches death and decay with a gentle awe as well as the mournful loss evoked by even the kindest change. In this sense, the animal portraits among these pictures harken back to Victorian Memorial portraits, where a loved one was often photographed in the coffin. To the modern, death denying eye, these death portraits can appear grotesque; but to the 19th century eye, they represented the loved one in a state of grace, having gone on to a better world. Thus by portraying the death of innocent woodland creatures, I mean to suggest the cusp of a new phase of development, a maturity beyond the naivete of youth.<br /><br />I hope that by portraying death as a peaceful finality and decay as irrevocable yet sensuous, that these images invite the viewer to contemplate mortality, loss of youth, and all the inevitable change that life brings with a sense of acceptance and serenity.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.tamarastaples.com/">here</a> to view the full series of photographs, under the tab "Personal."</div>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-44409454495467984892009-09-18T11:25:00.000-07:002009-09-18T11:33:22.405-07:00For the Birds!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQSQ_NURUiJGi9K_kk2SFyyQ0xtTDwht2RE8WnY5YdmdYUyiJ5bpxuq8CHFa9bviUG4w9_OZd_61BG77XQdHjGiP8ft63xCJfndwzwIB9BVrzPKZZaj3dWHTKJqEL4jHdtZ4-RZk30K0/s1600-h/Still+Life.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 311px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQSQ_NURUiJGi9K_kk2SFyyQ0xtTDwht2RE8WnY5YdmdYUyiJ5bpxuq8CHFa9bviUG4w9_OZd_61BG77XQdHjGiP8ft63xCJfndwzwIB9BVrzPKZZaj3dWHTKJqEL4jHdtZ4-RZk30K0/s320/Still+Life.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382875705701381186" /></a><div>Posted by <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">J. Michael Grey</span>, Head Treasurer at The Lucille Lortel Theatre-<br /><br />A woman who has tickets to see <i>Still Life</i> just saw the photo of the deceased bird on the theater marquee and came into the box office in a panic - wanting to make sure that there were no real birds in the show. I told her, "Only one, but they kill it in the first scene." She laughed. (Glad she could at least tell I was joking.)</div>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-1673807173152397852009-09-11T07:25:00.000-07:002009-09-11T07:33:55.359-07:00Week FourPosted by <i>Still Life</i> actor <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">Ian Kahn</span>--<br /><br />We’re now in the fourth week of rehearsals for <i>S</i><i>till Life</i>… I always find this period to be an interesting one, and in some ways, the most fun and fruitful part of the rehearsal process. We've got the whole show blocked, and we're doing full runs of the play in the afternoons. It is the time where we can all start to get an idea of the piece as a whole, and where each of our characters fit into it. Can be tricky, too, though. You can get your hands around a scene or a moment, and you feel like you’ve really "got it", and then the next time through it just seems to slip away. Reconnect with your partner, look to your director, and get back on that horse. That's the advice I was given and I try to keep in mind.<br /><br />I am feeling really fortunate to be working with this company of actors, this director, playwright, stage management, and MCC. We are up here swinging with everything we’ve got. Here's hoping we knock it out of the park like Derek Jeter. Or at least a double off the wall.<br /><br />Editor’s note: Ian has had many roles you may recognize him from – including major roles on ABC's <i>The Unusuals</i> and <i>Dawson’s Creek</i> and – although he’s now a married man – a number of rolls in the hay with some top-shelf leading ladies, including <i>Sex and the City</i>’s Carrie Bradshaw – Check it out ...<br /><br /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PVgol33TWs8&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PVgol33TWs8&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></div></div>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-58967964406468688172009-08-31T07:49:00.000-07:002009-08-31T08:00:28.770-07:00From "Red Dog" to "Still Life"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Kw6MI0b5RAzh0WduzWf20QmB3tY_5qv5a1aWNQndZPUfqWqPFyp1l6mFnjStR_HyhZaABBH4erUG9idiOD3End0yQpRWK5z15X0h4u2Y_edjL0dcGpPadjEvZSwjGH-UYujAvlouUc4/s1600-h/red+dog+LA.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 292px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Kw6MI0b5RAzh0WduzWf20QmB3tY_5qv5a1aWNQndZPUfqWqPFyp1l6mFnjStR_HyhZaABBH4erUG9idiOD3End0yQpRWK5z15X0h4u2Y_edjL0dcGpPadjEvZSwjGH-UYujAvlouUc4/s320/red+dog+LA.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376141172848546898" /></a><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Posted by </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Still Life</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> actor </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Matthew Rauch</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">--<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br />Working with Alexander Dinelaris on his play, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Red Dog Howls</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, was similar in many ways to my experience with </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Still Life</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> so far. We have an amazing friendship, and I have been privileged to participate in the early stages of Alex's process on several pieces - to read early drafts, to talk through arcs and themes and structure with him. It's exciting to work closely with a writer whose voice I admire, and who speaks to his audience with such honesty and without a hint of irony. I find his use of muscular emotion to be tremendously refreshing. His words just seem to fit me, and when we are grooving, it's really really fun. Of course, Alex explores painful and profound themes in his plays, and with </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Red Dog Howls</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, we were dealing with some extremely delicate issues of collective shame and discovered identity. It was a difficult and rewarding process - incredibly emotional and cathartic. I consider myself very lucky to have been in that play, and of course this one, too. It's thrilling and a great honor to be a part of my friend's journey as a writer, and to be his companion on this path.<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br />Photo (L-R): </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 19px; font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Darcie Siciliano, Alexander Dinelaris, Kathleen Chalfant, Matthew Rauch at the LA premiere of Dinelaris' <i>Red Dog Howls</i>.</span></span></span></span></div></span></span>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-70697475978110507252009-08-27T10:53:00.000-07:002009-08-28T07:22:05.648-07:00Photos from "Still Life" First Rehearsal<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgodgIMHOddZ0f4NNCdH8n9Xb4KaRd5JySDxQn_jcQkL0zGhvpN1MXtCQZhoXTLtTnYmZLBpGF_eM59LU3e1JhgZMS9bfp14BDrL4pNytNo_xBEosuad7Jg2XvgpY7nI1CKVmODg4jlXGA/s1600-h/DSC05368.JPG"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoUBHSvFEntu-zB343vkt_r40ErcfE2sq0xrMEj3zp6APegLzs4M2Cf2_05B4_QInftDPqPtKjZEheCIC80K6_xGolIId0BVt6spLOcUrZV_x1l8WRd_kzlrDn3XptyzdeF97rNuefw8/s1600-h/BDSC05366.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374704334351425762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoUBHSvFEntu-zB343vkt_r40ErcfE2sq0xrMEj3zp6APegLzs4M2Cf2_05B4_QInftDPqPtKjZEheCIC80K6_xGolIId0BVt6spLOcUrZV_x1l8WRd_kzlrDn3XptyzdeF97rNuefw8/s320/BDSC05366.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">Actors Adriane Lenox and Ian Kahn.</div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline"><br /></span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374704712635960482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgodgIMHOddZ0f4NNCdH8n9Xb4KaRd5JySDxQn_jcQkL0zGhvpN1MXtCQZhoXTLtTnYmZLBpGF_eM59LU3e1JhgZMS9bfp14BDrL4pNytNo_xBEosuad7Jg2XvgpY7nI1CKVmODg4jlXGA/s320/DSC05368.JPG" border="0" /></span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">MCC Artistic Director Bernard Telsey with<br />Scenic Designer David Korins.</div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374703914099283522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center; TEXT-DECORATION: underline" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOhI-3ptDOy6leDiPD7mCGdYzEBEWm_ZeP9fPWP9fgtfNI48GmclSyQFcPWdcMdBo4zM2EavsqDVtBgxTYMebBg3lYz7WpVXJAV3idk-XOvF6bn3zamNB8pLe5dJZY45TFcKVKI1Fioc/s320/BDSC05357.JPG" border="0" /> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">Actors Frederick Weller and Dominic Chianese with<br />MCC Associate Artistic Director Will Cantler.</div>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-6175579822325858982009-07-31T10:30:00.000-07:002009-07-31T10:10:40.460-07:00Joy and All Out PleasurePosted by <span style="color:#cc0000;">Cullen Golden</span>, 18, MCC Theater Youth Company Member --<br /><br />Over the past few weeks of FreshPlay rehearsals three plays have been rewritten, staged, lit, sprinkled with sound and acted out with such love and dedication.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364672298741885794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 203px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZ0OLK9Alnyyur769jTWNtqE9yKbPEUMwWFeC4hieApJm_Fa-abu7CM9MZyAtqdmZ7CDh8x5f802Frz0-2Dnu7m75BIArEd3lZ-yJaxaxtItQcYWbWRe6fMrIqMrDaW0jj7LwrnSmF6Q/s320/3775026848_03f7968a7d.jpg" border="0" /><br />These photos show just one of the plays being produced, <em>Taking Leave</em>. I hope that they give you a glimpse into the joy and all out pleasure that is this year's Fresh Play Festival.<br /><a href="http://tinyurl.com/kpgk3y"><span style="color:#cc0000;">http://tinyurl.com/kpgk3y</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"><br /></span><br />Click <a href="http://www.mcctheater.org/youthcompany/freshplay09/index.html"><span style="color:#cc0000;">here</span></a> for show info. Tickets $5/$10.MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-90124410047019130572009-07-15T13:19:00.000-07:002009-07-15T13:40:42.236-07:00Swoon<div style="text-align: left;">MCC Company Manager Kristina Bramhall was at the Tony Awards ceremony last month to support our Broadway production of <i>reasons to be pretty </i>(nominated for three awards). But, apparently there was also some swooning going on and the <i>LA Times</i> was there to catch it. Sadly, she wasn't credited. (Although in fairness, Susan Sarandon, who sat next to her, wasn't credited either.)<br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzs4ueWD_4DKPYJyRTJByKiq7EabP4WI_PjOkWbB1Hu-0B9HUPcsndoh9wXkzCXJXrncoeubesUElOoNfEkbC031ascva8WleZ0Hp3HK9gmIf0vVjR73e0jfGhD9nxhyphenhyphena4pUFPOtLjmxA/s320/Gavin-Creel.gif" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 243px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358787457276817970" /><div style="text-align: center;">Click <a href="http://bit.ly/STgcL"><span class="Apple-style-span" target="new" style="color:#CC0000;">here</span></a> to read the <i>LA Times</i>'<br />feature on <i>Hair</i>'s Gavin Creel.</div></div>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-70474966525980200072009-07-01T08:42:00.000-07:002009-07-01T09:00:35.696-07:00Playwrights' Coalition Productions All Over Town<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oK2rVpCzM0Fu8541tyUXQJjRqIPFxFntgU9Ul9VrkEeTUjdgdJabtrUQY45CE1TsjLmBYB8AIhumlJSTTVAgDIO3CF8v9xBNOqu2BrMYSFjdfB-acTP1Cdz191P4CWQA77okDDJnX18/s1600-h/Stun650.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oK2rVpCzM0Fu8541tyUXQJjRqIPFxFntgU9Ul9VrkEeTUjdgdJabtrUQY45CE1TsjLmBYB8AIhumlJSTTVAgDIO3CF8v9xBNOqu2BrMYSFjdfB-acTP1Cdz191P4CWQA77okDDJnX18/s320/Stun650.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353518832711859938" /></a><div><i>Posted by </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><i>Stephen Willems</i></span><i>, Literary Manager--</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Our developmental support group for 27 of New York’s most exciting early and mid-career writers, <a href="http://www.mcctheater.org/literary/playwrightscoalition.html" target="new"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">The Playwrights’ Coalition</span></a>, is all over town – with three separate productions happening now or about to happen soon:</div><div><br /></div><div>David Adjmi’s wonderful <i><a href="http://duke.new42.org/events.cfm" target="new"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">Stunning</span></a></i> is currently playing to great notices and audience response at The Duke Theater as a Lincoln Center LC3 production. It boasts an incredible artistic team of director, actors, and designers … a great theater experience.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lucy Thurber’s sprawling, futuristic play <i><a href="http://www.13p.org/monstrosity.html" target="new"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">Monstrosity</span></a></i> with a staggering cast of 30 will be opening soon at The Connolly Theatre. Raw energy and great storytelling.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ann Marie Healy’s funny and haunting play <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">What Once We Felt</span></i> is another Lincoln Center LC3 choice for next season.</div><div><br /></div><div>Congratulations to these founding members of The Playwrights’ Coalition!</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div>(Photo: Sara Krulwich/<i>The New York Times</i>. Cristin Milioti and Danny Mastrogiorgio in <i>Stunning</i>.)</div></div></div>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-41465447348240667032009-06-02T12:01:00.000-07:002009-06-27T11:12:03.902-07:00Opening Night: Sights and Sounds<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7hgJvDkN9mONQVpaAbCPH8TPjG79YetazoFDnDjirfPGkb8GuEFZaekz6ZY3tBb49AY17JBaQVf7jmc3UyTW5IEtoLaFJKvBOw_fFVK4iiaEG8a2nBR4vdi4LwQRww8HGAqdB6U_z74/s1600-h/10821467.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7hgJvDkN9mONQVpaAbCPH8TPjG79YetazoFDnDjirfPGkb8GuEFZaekz6ZY3tBb49AY17JBaQVf7jmc3UyTW5IEtoLaFJKvBOw_fFVK4iiaEG8a2nBR4vdi4LwQRww8HGAqdB6U_z74/s320/10821467.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342813757348657138" /></a><div>Last night was the opening night party for <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Coraline</span>. DJ Randyhate spun for the evening's revelers as well as streaming live on the internet via blip.fm.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://blip.fm/profile/mcctheater/playlist" target="new"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">HERE</span></a> to listen to his set list. And, be sure to click the photo links of Neil Gaiman, David Greenspan, Stephin Merritt, Jayne Houdyshell, Aaron Tviet, Lisa Kron, Thomas Sadoski, and more!<br /><br /></div><div>(Above: DJ Randyhate with Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls. Photos by Sung An.)<br /></div>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-22999322670816875342009-05-28T13:08:00.000-07:002009-05-28T13:33:40.596-07:00A Plethora of Pianos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4aQ3jrX0OnaFDSXODqbXMO1ywhOKT-YQJBz0vFID77irFW-v5uOUk4QDsRajh5pg_J5Awta37qKt_tQrtEuPOQfB2InMuO5zrHr77yQ9Q_VRTV8g8sTF0EQNPmok9aJqGFMRWU6ABcE/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4aQ3jrX0OnaFDSXODqbXMO1ywhOKT-YQJBz0vFID77irFW-v5uOUk4QDsRajh5pg_J5Awta37qKt_tQrtEuPOQfB2InMuO5zrHr77yQ9Q_VRTV8g8sTF0EQNPmok9aJqGFMRWU6ABcE/s320/photo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340972340610226754" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Posted by </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Phyllis Chen</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">, pianist--</span><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div>We are now in our last week of previews of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Coraline</span>! What a truly unique collaboration it’s been so far. As a musician, I work mostly with other musicians and composers, but for this show, the experience has given me a glimpse into a different world. It’s demanded the creativity and talents of so many different artists. It’s been truly amazing to see. </div><div><br /></div><div>Since <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Coraline</span>’s arrival at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, the multiple-piano set-up that I perform on has become a very comfortable playground for me. I love having access to a prepared piano, adult piano, and three toy pianos all at once. Actually, it reminds me of my own apartment. I have been playing toy and prepared pianos for more than ten years. Stephin Merritt's prepared piano, however, is probably the most intricate and detailed I’ve ever worked on. </div><div><br /></div><div>It’s also rare for me to work with a prepared piano for such a long period of time. Certain preparations move around or pop out during performance and these adjustments need to be repaired and maintained on an ongoing basis. Twisting a screw or other item in the piano’s strings by even a tiny bit is enough to change the pitch of the note. And for Coraline, it’s very important to maintain the instruments, since they are both playing tonal music and accompanying the show’s singers! The scoring is sparse but detailed and beautiful. There are really no words to describe it. </div><div><br /></div></div>Click <a href="http://www.phyllischen.net/" target="new"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">here</span></a> for more info about Phyllis and her music.MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-54740534564013753692009-05-14T12:32:00.001-07:002009-05-14T12:37:47.537-07:00Photos from the "Coraline" Set in "Vanity Fair"OH, and a great interview with Stephin Merritt...<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHglPcCjx_RPPGHcjSBVEZK8emRATr7a21EA56tewqZqBIFl34yMlWIaUurTRxlf5nqzQDJDdY9sWyuLsrUkkC05qss7oVbu5Aa2YQXcnNCcCKT6UuwG6mHw0wfzF3paZzVN8qoSZ-X6A/s320/IMG_7705.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335765280945309842" /><div style="text-align: center;">Click <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/online/culture/2009/05/13/stephin-merritts-new-musical-coraline.html" target="new">HERE</a></span> to view.</div>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-51381045150656184132009-05-07T07:54:00.000-07:002009-05-07T09:17:52.443-07:00Rehearsal, Technically Speaking<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcXSzR-0zky2Gt8HIzQLIctb8oX5Hn4yUXjMlryech0D-IYRzczJSd1ZwPs_1Wdpli4I8EGbjpNQQ47NkeKIvcqbYnKroQdYBpk2jgldeU5YXXL96b224hPGo7OGsTTXSFoKl_G7LdzQ/s320/january.gif" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 247px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333114362830638866" /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Posted by </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">January LaVoy</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, actor--</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Whew! We've just completed the first 40-some-odd hours of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Coraline</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> tech rehearsals (with a few more to come). It's left me feeling simultaneously exhausted and compelled to blog a bit about the experience. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I've been doing theatre for some time now, and have been fortunate enough to act in a number of new plays. But I've </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">never</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> felt the type of creative energy and commitment that I feel from our </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Coraline</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> tech and design crew. Each day of tech rehearsal has brought new delights - incredible and intricate set dressing, unbelievably gorgeous and inventive props, mind-blowingly beautiful lighting effects, fabulous and innovative costume designs... I could go on and on! But I won't, because you simply must see it for yourself! </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I also wanted to send out some mighty props (not the stage kind) to the folks who are helping us put it all together backstage - our wardrobe crew, dressers, deck carpenters, ASM, PA's, et al... There is a huge group of people putting this show together, and they are doing it with amazing generosity and good humor. I'm so grateful to everyone involved. Every night this week, as I fell into bed, thoroughly exhausted, I thought about how lucky I feel to be a part of this show, at this moment in my life.<br /><br />Onward, now, to our first public performance tomorrow night...</span><br /></div></div>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-37649624000017367402009-04-23T11:05:00.000-07:002009-04-23T13:51:18.069-07:00A Censored Sneak Peek at "UnCensored 09"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgF6nJ7k31OdqTbKcGZyjwB1O1pfBGOkDseVW895i3zkJrUqCjDqROBp2omaWn4XzvbE9DIZU9BCv0rMitX3OJGVmIx8h1IYrFPFSRSW3OwpXaLoYUTu21lIlJjlA88hLkDGly1tMNS3U/s1600-h/Picture+598.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 235px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgF6nJ7k31OdqTbKcGZyjwB1O1pfBGOkDseVW895i3zkJrUqCjDqROBp2omaWn4XzvbE9DIZU9BCv0rMitX3OJGVmIx8h1IYrFPFSRSW3OwpXaLoYUTu21lIlJjlA88hLkDGly1tMNS3U/s320/Picture+598.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327954340189446978" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Posted by </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Amy Leon</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">, 16, MCC Theater Youth Company member--</span><br /><div><div><br /></div><div>We stay on the same issues making no progress </div><div>And the only ones we blame is f--kin’ congress</div><div>Why the hell can’t we see the change needs to be me needs to be you</div><div>Needs to be us</div><div>Cuz seriously we can’t keep relying on those whose faces lie on the side of a f--kin’ bus</div><div>Look at me</div><div>A teen damned to be nothing</div><div>Yet I’m up here telling you </div><div>So listen up cuz though my mothers gone and my dad never met me</div><div>I’m gonna get my sh-t together and be something</div><div><br /></div><div>Click <a href="http://www.mcctheater.org/youthcompany/uncensored09/uncensored09.html">here</a> for show info. Tickets $5/$10.</div></div>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-12068536497001468572009-04-03T10:07:00.000-07:002009-04-16T14:31:04.353-07:00reasons to be glamorous<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHkGw58LDx25NHk_O5axsNF2nJnK-XSnAP9mBVaA80y6DRYhqceUaKtIxz1PBbLol2CPtr1_Ra9wwYYXjmQZwKUJCX5c1IS__pcgU32GceTvYOrEbl3Qo0HOHuHiMtgi7MbDlUV5Y4aI/s1600-h/IMG00236.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 270px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHkGw58LDx25NHk_O5axsNF2nJnK-XSnAP9mBVaA80y6DRYhqceUaKtIxz1PBbLol2CPtr1_Ra9wwYYXjmQZwKUJCX5c1IS__pcgU32GceTvYOrEbl3Qo0HOHuHiMtgi7MbDlUV5Y4aI/s320/IMG00236.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320515476955427714" /></a>Posted by <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Kristina Bramhall</span>, Company Manager--<div><br /></div><div>Last night was the Broadway opening of our production of <a href="http://www.doesthisplaymakemelookfat.com/" target="new"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">reasons to be pretty</span></a> by Neil LaBute. Check out this picture of the fancy custom lite-brite-y chandelier that was suspended above the revelers at the after-party at Hudson Terrace. This morning, the reviews came in and (drum roll, please) ... and the critics are <a href="http://theater2.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/theater/reviews/03reas.html?ref=theater" target="new">raving</a>! Everyone here is very excited, grateful, and humbled by it all.</div>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-34022639307105564032009-04-01T13:47:00.000-07:002009-04-01T14:06:23.980-07:00'Coraline' Podcast<p>MCC Theater's brand new podcast, with a series of interviews with the artistic staff of <em>Coraline</em>, kicked off last week. The first episode is available now.</p><p>Our <em>Coraline</em> series will air weekly through April 30. Guests will include Stephin Merritt, Jayne Houdyshell, David Greenspan and more. Check out a new episode each Thursday!</p><p><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=303853759">Click here </a>to subscribe through iTunes.<br /><a href="http://www.mcctheater.org/podcast_feed.xml">Click here </a>to download episodes to your desktop.</p>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-8865363371663399892009-03-26T12:25:00.000-07:002009-03-26T09:22:15.507-07:00All Meetings Are Not Created Equal<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41hZnqal667LHS6ijgqZS0-rhSaSlYawpl33UQDx8U_KBkL2E0RX71h1NT9PLifs24l9gcD1RIlqZYSOh-23bw-AeeOlVI1PF5ub4jW2J-Wn8lB_9Jhnx8q4gff7gHQCFd-IHaKcLUmM/s1600-h/Picture+012.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 254px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41hZnqal667LHS6ijgqZS0-rhSaSlYawpl33UQDx8U_KBkL2E0RX71h1NT9PLifs24l9gcD1RIlqZYSOh-23bw-AeeOlVI1PF5ub4jW2J-Wn8lB_9Jhnx8q4gff7gHQCFd-IHaKcLUmM/s320/Picture+012.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310185574506880450"></a>Posted by <font class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Ted Rounsaville</font>, General Manager--<div><br />Though this picture does it ZERO justice, our first production meeting for <font style="font-style:italic;">Coraline</font> was the perfect way to wrap up our weeklong workshop. During the workshop, everyone came together to tweak the music, script, and staging of the show, as we all head off toward our first performance on May 7. Listening to an artistic team describe their initial design is one of my favorite parts of the production process, but this <font class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Coraline</font> meeting was even better than usual. Director Leigh Silverman, composer Stephin Merritt, playwright/performer David Greenspan, set designer Christine Jones, costume designer Anita Yavich, and lighting designer Ben Stanton have created such a unique artistic universe that it's startling at times. The concept of an altered, dangerous version of reality (jumping from Neil Gaiman’s brilliant book) is given truly expert treatment in the proposed designs. Don't want to spoil anything, but, highlights include pianos that have been chopped up, shrunken, or modified in the extreme; puppet versions of Scottish highland terriers made from Slinkys; and rats with shining, red LED eyes. This is going to be a fun musical to work on.<br /></div>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-63364095784312465412009-03-13T08:06:00.000-07:002009-03-13T08:21:39.574-07:00Miscast 09 Photos<a href="http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_MCCs_MISCAST_2009_Gala_20090312" target="new"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312689875441899346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 234px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zJYZFgAyXu4yPQ5amRN9kbgSW7obZbf9mkNDNG3Goi2QLbPJa_wwPc5U91TJOhBDFXxzyK7G8GnHjxMguNK6_0R3eRQ5Sjtwm0C4xqc1PWV6Dcpc5DTk3hzALFrgjL400cckGk9DWHM/s320/tn-500_amcchd032017148.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#000000;">Click</span> <a href="http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_MCCs_MISCAST_2009_Gala_20090312" target="new"><span style="color:#cc0000;">here</span></a> <span style="color:#000000;">to view photos from Miscast 09 on Broadwayworld.com</span></span></div>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-86968302760867523262009-03-10T09:10:00.000-07:002009-03-10T09:28:26.854-07:00Does This Play Make Me Look Fat?MCC's production of Neil LaBute's <span style="font-style:italic;">reasons to be pretty</span> begins its Broadway run on Friday! Check out the great short film from the <a href="http://www.doesthisplaymakemelookfat.com/">site</a>...<br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-tBP8rWNJFU&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-tBP8rWNJFU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-65532307381597730752009-02-27T11:14:00.000-08:002009-03-06T10:02:24.191-08:00As "The Third Story" Wraps Up, a Look Back<div style="text-align: left;">Posted by <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Carl Andress</span>, Director—</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When I was a kid, I first became infatuated by the theater because I was fortunate enough to have parents who were infatuated by it. This love affair with make believe worlds continued to grow in my heart as I got older and was allowed to take part in local theater productions where I grew up in Nashua, NH. To this day, I vividly remember every "load-in weekend" that we had with the Nashua Actorsingers at the Elm Street Auditorium (a 1,600 seat theater!) as the best holidays I could imagine. To be a part of all the bustle of lights being hung, scenery being painted and costumes getting fitted filled my head with the smell of the greasepaint -- most certainly bitten by "the bug." I was always right at home and to this day, I continue to look forward to the load-in and tech rehearsals with great anticipation. Everyone is focused and working very diligently to stay on schedule and solve all issues that arise. But there is also a tremendous amount of fun and joy to be had by all, even as tensions mount and public performances get closer. Below are some pictures I was able to sneak during breaks during the tech rehearsals for MCC's The Third Story at the Lucille Lortel Theater. Great fun was indeed had by all!</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">-----------------</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRi8qQGwWTaVZT-wssJ36r4TlBsXKhrucAq_QJYNhbrJ7J7hIm5yyFts-NLBOkEHVLQ29vnpPMiLwObZqpwmi1GQi2loRSp3Ivk8m0BKrY8CaSrnw-N0off_N7waNPm86QRfp1e3xYYfU/s320/set1.gif" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Here's the set as seen from the balcony of the Lortel. We had just placed the furniture on the stage so that lighting designer, David Weiner could focus his instruments... hence all the ladders and scaffolding. All the pieces, starting to come together...<br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWNyzlOKl0Z4fRNIZeh94sLNW2RyGONRsb2Z-XnHTd0yHV7q4hqwozUGzAKwlMElHN976Ry-4yKu0Q1njewvQl2k3rS7wlbPaaM7nvBPQTzJJo7gXjwju4imTTzap6fEceujdgeEZnWk/s1600-h/set2.gif"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWNyzlOKl0Z4fRNIZeh94sLNW2RyGONRsb2Z-XnHTd0yHV7q4hqwozUGzAKwlMElHN976Ry-4yKu0Q1njewvQl2k3rS7wlbPaaM7nvBPQTzJJo7gXjwju4imTTzap6fEceujdgeEZnWk/s320/set2.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307560499709565458" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This is one of the first moments during tech when David Weiner showed me how he would light scenic designer David Gallo's incredible two-sided, hand-painted backdrop with LED strip lights. Dave Gallo and I found inspiration for the design of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Third Story</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> from the great American scenic designer, Jo Mielziner, of whom we both are great admirers. We make use of one backdrop in the play, upstage of what we refer to as our "boarding house scrim walls." This drop is painted on two sides. Why they don't bleed together has something to do with a starch treatment -- old school theatrical know-how! This is how Mielziner achieved the sudden appearance of "Bali Hai" in his designs for the original production of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">South Pacific</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. When our drop is lit from the front, we are in our "reality" or "home base" -- Omaha, Nebraska -- where Peg and Drew, our protagonists, exist. When the same drop is lit from behind, we go into "the movie world" -- into the imaginations of our play's screenwriters and the movie that that may write together after the action of their story reaches it's conclusion.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEK3X2X6uS9XvL1R3ZF0l4V56DS8qkbKhAjiKFLqMp1l9lrWYppO_MUyQRxEjNcgGOUBKV_JQdP4j0MnLNMNZvGgYhgmKijLAYYhM5ZcsVsnqpcxHwVuthGUaaX36ghJa5aGIevu7yc0/s1600-h/set3.gif"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEK3X2X6uS9XvL1R3ZF0l4V56DS8qkbKhAjiKFLqMp1l9lrWYppO_MUyQRxEjNcgGOUBKV_JQdP4j0MnLNMNZvGgYhgmKijLAYYhM5ZcsVsnqpcxHwVuthGUaaX36ghJa5aGIevu7yc0/s320/set3.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307563825151935026" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Here we see "Omaha" in silhouette as the drop is lit from the front, a look we occasionally use in the show for transitions into and out of our three stories. Here it's great to see our scrim walls. When these are lit from the front, you can see all the realistic details Dave Gallo painted in, such as a radiator, pictures on the wall, stained wall paper, etc. When the scrim walls have no light on them from the front, they become transparent and you only can see the architectural details which are partly structural framework as well as solidly and intentionally painted in. Another technique pioneered by Mielziner in his designs for the original productions of such plays as </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Death of a Salesman</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A Streetcar Named Desire</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBxOExRUO62df7ac1hQ3HCvN_DTJ43sk-U5zCm4H7DavGlAkb54OpUVHMfmK8uWJz8_b9GWXDod-2Qbm4hrBfombJgEIfU8Z3vcbet8gu3gfx3XlJnMcbcALNCa23Hc68QRc1FO5byCY/s1600-h/kellyandpaddle.gif"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBxOExRUO62df7ac1hQ3HCvN_DTJ43sk-U5zCm4H7DavGlAkb54OpUVHMfmK8uWJz8_b9GWXDod-2Qbm4hrBfombJgEIfU8Z3vcbet8gu3gfx3XlJnMcbcALNCa23Hc68QRc1FO5byCY/s320/kellyandpaddle.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307564368574711778" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Here, we are upstage of the two-sided drop, experimenting with how the LED strip lights would make people look in photographs! Kelly Glasow and Paddle Henson, our crackerjack stage management team, pose for the director...looking like characters in a Toulouse-Lautrec painting! <br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7PBOAK5tT4xdnN8-hlViTPkXSTJhPvD5ujBzE4do-fWn2v5sOC7o-Dda4In-kO9cTYbvVWHeAVTLxzXKlGapyyb1qLE-J9ELqSSEravEbTJQIoxLxS4ZcL8x7TvXROh5KBEJnIZxWlw/s1600-h/set_actors.gif"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7PBOAK5tT4xdnN8-hlViTPkXSTJhPvD5ujBzE4do-fWn2v5sOC7o-Dda4In-kO9cTYbvVWHeAVTLxzXKlGapyyb1qLE-J9ELqSSEravEbTJQIoxLxS4ZcL8x7TvXROh5KBEJnIZxWlw/s320/set_actors.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307560910971760642" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Here we see Sarah Rafferty as "Verna," Scott Parkinson as "Zygote," Charles Busch as "</span><span class="SpellE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Queenie</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Bartlett" and Jonathan Walker as "Steve Bartlett</span><span class="GramE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">" working</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> through the staging of a scene, alternately referred to as either "The Slap Scene" or the "Damn Her! Scene" for the first time in costume, on set and in light. Sarah and her dresser weren't quite sure if the little hat costume designer Gregory Gale had given her to wear here would actually stay on her head. After a few slaps, Sarah was able to make it work! Shortly after this shot was taken we undoubtedly were ready</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> to grab a bite to eat on our dinner break during this first "ten out of twelve" -- meaning on a given day we would rehearse for ten out of twelve hours, with a two-hour dinner break. We often found ourselves at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame right around the corner from the theater. Those dinners during "ten out of </span><span class="SpellE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">twelves</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">" make for some of the best show-biz memories one can have.</span></span></span></div>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-36631109961414031462009-02-22T09:09:00.000-08:002009-02-23T08:45:28.849-08:00Creating a Monster<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqtqwsTrf3Or3A1SVlBHS85sLBT1Df7C6p4WM5Ga4JdBCS4XtyqrJ5pev3RsL1kTy6kBiQldkrh8DuiPW_UiqKvzfEQYb2RBMVR2mDddQdl994J0Myp9qabasecRQXoWQ21xRK-81Y9o/s1600-h/Third2190.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298997240831636530" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 190px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 258px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqtqwsTrf3Or3A1SVlBHS85sLBT1Df7C6p4WM5Ga4JdBCS4XtyqrJ5pev3RsL1kTy6kBiQldkrh8DuiPW_UiqKvzfEQYb2RBMVR2mDddQdl994J0Myp9qabasecRQXoWQ21xRK-81Y9o/s320/Third2190.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;">Posted by <span style="color:#ff0000;">Scott Parkinson</span>, actor - </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><em>The Third Story</em> is a loving and zany homage to the movies. In one of the play’s subplots, a storyline that turns out to be the first draft of a “lady-scientist-meets-Queen-of-the-Mob” screenplay written by our leading characters, we meet Zygote. There is one short stage direction that acts as our introduction to him: he is an “ageless” being, “eerily beautiful” and “frightening”. Beyond that description we glean from the script that he is a botched laboratory experiment grown from a test tube, dependent for survival (or so he thinks) on a secret formula that helped him age thirty years in three hours, that he was designed to last only a decade, that he is angry about the circumstances of his “birth” and his creator’s inability to show him true love and care, and that he possesses a distinctive anatomy that includes seven nipples and a “very original intestinal tract”...(<a href="http://www.mcctheater.org/shows/08-09_season/third_story/parkinsonnote.html"><span style="color:#ff0000;">more</span></a>)</span> </div>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-43278757487272318452009-02-11T13:59:00.000-08:002009-02-11T14:07:29.957-08:00Opening Night Photos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9m3h5i30GIWczmyJqB-afF4uZco91ntyXN-d9_MvYyPBh64lZWXWTSutB1550cGv2DsEqeF4876HhXU2IsVJzOeR44vbjGrmK-Qa9vrZvGBiGiysXdbwXHVLEaqGif-hnDnc7FMReukg/s1600-h/2009+Bruce+GlikasBroadway.com.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9m3h5i30GIWczmyJqB-afF4uZco91ntyXN-d9_MvYyPBh64lZWXWTSutB1550cGv2DsEqeF4876HhXU2IsVJzOeR44vbjGrmK-Qa9vrZvGBiGiysXdbwXHVLEaqGif-hnDnc7FMReukg/s320/2009+Bruce+GlikasBroadway.com.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301664092744435026" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; font-family:Arial;font-size:13px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 0, 51); ">Click <a href="http://www.broadway.com/Kathleen-Turner-and-Charles-Busch-Tell-a-Wild-Story/broadway_photos/5020629" target="new" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); ">here</a> to view photos from the opening night party </span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia;font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; font-family:Arial;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 0, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">for </span>The Third Story</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 0, 51); "> on Broadway.com.</span></span> </span><br /></div></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80284668536134325.post-22291759487725891632009-02-06T12:24:00.000-08:002009-03-06T10:25:24.599-08:00Down Front again with the Lady in QuestionPosted by <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">John Catania</span> and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Charles Ignacio</span>, Filmmakers<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 13px; font-family:arial;font-size:11px;">—</span><div><br /><div>Actors and directors who have been fortunate enough to be part of Charles Busch’s long career came to know us lovingly as “the documentarians” (first coined by actor Julie Halston), for our work producing and directing the feature length documentary, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><a href="http://www.TheLadyinQuestion.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">The Lady in Question is Charles Busch</span></a>. </span></span>From 2000 to 2005 we dogged Charles and the people in his life to find out the real story behind the talented writer/actor/director/leading lady who we felt was one of the greatest and most enduring theater artists of our time.</div><div><br /></div><div align="center"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4CNEC_xXRxs&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4CNEC_xXRxs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We first came to know Charles Busch through the TV lens when as producers we turned to him often throughout the 1990’s to contribute his talent to the long-running PBS series "In the Life." So when Charles was set to open his first Broadway venture as a playwright in November of 2000, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife</span>, we came to him with our documentary idea and started our cameras rolling. We hardly knew what we were in for that mild autumn night as we discovered over the next several years that the man beneath the wigs was far more complex, charming, driven, and devoted than any of his celebrated heroines.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsjLmun-P2k74OsoUths3-qF5QomsWY66HvoAua3B_LDhX8Y0lmICPFij_Y6X7MGAiiE5HfQoTUcosUm3ONhdmUXrphYmG1YHnwo_2pM6i4jJ2oOIAkxxI6WgRPxWpiwFuEsI8rgRCBo/s320/Ignacio+Catania+Busch.jpg" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Photo: L-R, Charles Igancio, John Catania and Charles Busch.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Now that he brings a new work to the stage with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Third Story</span>, we welcome the event as another highlight in our theater-going lives, and we only regret that, having completed our film about his life and work, we were not there behind-the-scenes to document the process of another Charles Busch production. We always knew during our five years on his story that we were witness to the workings of a national treasure, and whether we were hearing his side-splitting and sometimes wrenching life-stories unfold in his Village apartment or backstage at some dusty New York theater, we had the time of our lives. We think that fun spirit of discovery is captured in our film.</div><div><br /></div><div>After finishing <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Lady Question is Charles Busch</span> we traveled the film festival circuit with Charles to take questions from audiences eager to learn more, many of them wondering how he was able to break out in NY Theater in the 1980’s against impossible odds. We conducted our last post-screening discussion some two years ago, and so we are thrilled to once again be down front with the inimitable Charles Busch on February 10th in a post-performance discussion after <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Third Story</span> with MCC Theater. As Charles' story continues we can't wait to take our place in the darkened theater among his eager audience.</div></div>MCC Theaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926038308334715234noreply@blogger.com0