My Rad Life

Home Making

allthingsrad — Sat, 11 May 2013 16:46:16 -0400

It’s good to own land …

Before last week, I never would have imagined that SO many crazy/amazing/beautiful/life-changing things could happen over the course of seven days, but everything keeps getting radder and radder.

Matt taunted me in the days leading up to my birthday saying, “I have lots of surprises for you.” Did he ever! The Saturday before, he spilled the beans on what I thought was going to be the biggest, best surprise. He had rented a house on the coast for the weekend and we were going to hang out, relax, and just having a great time. Perfect! I LOVE the coast. It was such a wonderful, welcomed surprise and I was touched he had gone to the trouble of planning the trip.

But there was more … after a couple of months of contract negotiations, house inspections, and the rest we FINALLY closed on our first home! It was a thrilling moment that I had been working towards most of my adult life. Unfortunately, our conflicting work schedules kept us from celebrating by cracking out that luxuriously priced $12 bottle of wine from Trader Joe’s. We usually stick to the $4 bottles, but figured … Hey … we just closed on a house - let’s indulge! So the plan was to grill and accompany some tasty burgers with some tasty wine. I got home from work Wednesday night, I prepared everything, eagerly anticipating my sweetie to be home within the hour. Time ticked on and he was nowhere to be found. When he called, he gave me the “bad news” that he was in Portland getting one of my birthday gifts and wouldn’t be back until 9!

I had no idea what he could be getting. What the hell would he buy me that could only be obtained in Portland? Thoughts of a new dining room table or perhaps he was picking up a friend from the airport as a surprise… I was not expecting Alice!

Happy hedgie.

She is too cute! I have been a hedgehog enthusiast for quite some time and now I have a snuffly-nosed ball of prickles to call my own. And so we welcomed the newest member to our crazy little family of humans, chickens, and a dog. A hedgehog seems fitting addition.

The surprises didn’t end there. Matt had invited friends to join us at the beach house - we ate, drank, watched sunsets, walked the dog, laughed, and enjoyed what was possibly the most idyllic weather I have ever experience at the Oregon coast.

Best. Cake. Ever.

It was an amazing birthday night - topped off by my favorite birthday cake made by Angie (even though it is a huge pain in the ass to put together). I felt love, love, love all around.

Two nights were spent soaking in the coast … I was incandescently happy and grateful for such a flawless birthday weekend. How could it get any better? It turns out Matt had one more surprise.

After packing up the rental house on Sunday, Dave encouraged us all to take one more walk on the beach before leaving town. I almost said “no” due to the huge amount of work awaiting me at the office, but heck … how often do perfect weekends happen? Might as well extend things just a few more minutes. We took Hermione down to the beach and splashed in the water. Dave took her by the leash and ran off for a while as Matt and I stood holding hands and looking out at the soul stirring beauty of the Pacific. Suddenly Hermione ran back to us and Matt remarked, “There’s something on her collar.” I suspected nothing and looked down for a piece of trash or seaweed. What I found instead was a gorgeous diamond and sapphire ring, and looked up to see Matt on one knee proposing! Never in my life would have expected such a moment of cinematic-style romance. It couldn’t have been scripted better.

A ridiculously perfect day.

My head is spinning with so much love. I am very excited about this next step in my lucky, lucky, very rad life. Monday we got the keys to our new home and now … the nest-making begins!

Spring's Promise

allthingsrad — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:12:59 -0400

The new members of our weird little family.

Spring has returned bringing warmer weather, longer days, and the promise of new experiences and challenges. We’re this close to closing on our first home, I’ve begun a new quarter, and on Wednesday Matt brought home the new additions to our little family. In twelve weeks Feste, Athena, Bullseye, and Jane will be joined by their little sisters. This year we add a Rhode Island Red (Sriracha), a Black Sexlink (Troi), a Golden Sexlink (Butter), and two Speckled Sussexes (Winston and Maggie) to the flock. So far, they seem to be settling into their temporary brooder box nicely - peeping away, pecking at their chick feed … basically doing what fuzzy little chicks do best.

Their presence in the house has a calming effect. Coming home from a long day at work, there is something a little magical about going into the “peep room” with its warm, red glow from the heat lamp, and taking a few moments to hold each peep. Taking the time to gently handle them each day makes them friendlier towards us in the long run. It’s fun how, as grown hens, Feste, Athena, Bullseye, and Jane come running towards us when they see us approach the coop (most likely because we have food, but still). Hopefully the new additions will grow in their affection for us as well.

Life’s adventures continue …

Good Friday

allthingsrad — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:33:29 -0400

Lent seemed particularly long this year. Usually my carnivorous cravings fade after a couple of weeks, but this year I’ve spent the last thirty eight days salivating over fantasies of bacon, tender short ribs, juicy roast chicken … uhg! I’m getting hungry typing this.

Every year people ask why on earth I would impose this fast upon myself. I’m not Catholic, after all, so I can understand why it seems a little weird. Truthfully, it’s part of a personal tradition and a spiritual discipline. I’m incredibly lucky to have the privilege to choose to forgo inexpensive sources of quality protein. I’m very privileged to be able to choose to purchase organic, minimally processed, and humanely-slaughtered animal products. Lent, for me, becomes a reminder of all the blessings and plenty I have from the people around me to what I can put into my body. An annual meat-hiatus allows me to step back and examine a number of life choices. It is a reminder that every time I choose to eat meat, another creature gives its life to nourish me. That incredible gift should not be taken lightly.

Veggie Loaded Pasta e Fagioli Soup

With the end in sight (and my cravings some something deeply flavorful and satisfying), I devised a new recipe. This vegetarian-friendly Italian-inspired pasta and bean soup has a rich spicy broth thanks to the additions of smoked paprika and a handy Parmesan rind. Try it out! I topped it off with homemade garlic croutons for some extra crunch. It’s a nice reminder than going meat-free can be a flavorful and fun adventure.

Huevos Rancheros for Two

allthingsrad — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 22:31:55 -0400

Put an egg on it? Don’t mind if I do!

Have I mentioned how awesome chickens are? Yeah … I know I have. The ladies have been producing like crazy since we sprung forward last week. We’re getting a dozen eggs every few days - which is more than enough for two people. Not that I’m complaining … the abundance has inspired lots of yummy new egg-centered recipes. Tonight’s fare? Huevos Rancheros making use of leftover vegetarian chili and a variety of on-hand items. Check out the quick and delicious recipe! You won’t be disappointed.

Other signs of spring? Blossoms are doing what they should be doing this time of year … blossoming! Right outside my building little buds are bursting pink and orange like tiny sunrises! Hope, fresh starts, and gratitude is in the air.

Life, Love, and Food Blogging

allthingsrad — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:03:00 -0400

House … work … love … life … the stirring of creativity associated with sunnier weather. Spring is coming and I have so much to be grateful for, but for every blissful achievement there is a challenge. As I transition into the next part of my life, the culmination of work and sacrifice, I will always carry memories that have shaped me for better or worse and the tangled mass of scar tissue around my heart. We all bear burdens and I hope to bear mine with grace, strength, and gratitude for the fortune I have experienced. While good days and good times can be shadowed be sadness and challenges, I want to thankful every single day.

And with that little bit of self-indulgent musing … here is a link to my latest recipe! I like to present myself with little “food challenges” on my food blog. Re-making leftovers into something rad is a common theme in my world.

What the Heck Do I Do With All This Leftover Fried Rice? Egg Drop Soup With Leeks and Greens

Last night’s challenge was a shrimp fried rice makeover. It was a success, by the way. I’ve been keeping my food blog since 2009. I started it at the behest of friends and family who wanted me to share recipes. I love to cook. I love having people over for dinner. There is nothing like the act of sharing a meal to turn strangers into friends and friends into family. Food can be magical in that way!

What are you going to do with the chickens?

allthingsrad — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:01:35 -0400

We raise chickens - it’s the best! Fresh eggs everyday coming from a source where we know they are taken care of humanely. Currently we have four hens in a coop and run at our rental. We are getting new peeps in a few weeks to add to the flock. They will be moving with us - they are a part of our little family. We’re very excited because we will have a larger space with grass they will be able to range. We let them range in the backyard now, but without grass there are fewer bugs and grubs for them to peck at. Thinking of raising chickens? Check out this book A Chicken in Every Yard - it’s an amazing resource for newbies!

Home

allthingsrad — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:47:54 -0400

“Sale pending.” To me.

My life seems absolutely full. Full of action. Full of people. Full of adventures. Full of challenges. And I’m grateful for all of it … the good and the bad. The current challenge is exciting, life-consuming, and a culmination of many years of planning, saving, and being a bit boring and responsible. I have said “no” to so many things for so many years to be here now where I can actually say “yes.”

I moved out of my parent’s house at eighteen to go to college and I never lived at “home” again. I have resided in a variety of places … apartments, dorms, rental houses, couches, guestrooms, and (very briefly) my office and car. I’ve had this colorful inner-life about buying my first home inspired by countless hours of DIY television shows.

I’ve always been pragmatic and cautious, and for many reasons I delayed the gratification of buying a home in spite of low interest rates, special deals for first time buyers, and other social and economic pressures. I wasn’t ready. I wanted to do it when I felt I had saved enough money and felt secure enough in my own life and choices to take that next step.

And here I am. I sat back after a meeting with the loan officer and realized with a little bit of pride that I actually did this. I had saved money, maintained an excellent credit score, and put myself in the secure position to purchase a home without a roommate, husband, boyfriend, parent, sugar daddy, or co-signer or any kind. It’s a strangely empowering thought that hard work and discipline can pay off in the end.

The process has been moving forward smoothly. Matt and I found a home well below our price threshold. Yesterday’s inspection proved it had a strong foundation, good roof, lots of insulation, solid siding … pretty much everything it needs. The “problems” are quite frankly very minor - mostly little maintenance issues. This is getting quite exciting.

Home sweet home?

I’m in nervous anticipation of seeing this process through. There will be issues to address, but for the most part, fun issues. Painting rooms, making the kitchen the way I want it, planting a big garden, figuring out where to put the chicken coop.

I will, no doubt, be including lots of renovation pictures and other house-related information soon. For the time being, I am enjoying these little rad moments where the pieces seem to be falling into place. I’m thankful for my wonderful partner, my parents, my patient students, Andrew and Katie, Arin, Barb, and Tina-Marie all who have been there to listen and share in this exciting new part of my life!

THREE SISTERS

allthingsrad — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 18:39:58 -0500

My current directing project is Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters for Oregon State University. The process so far? Challenging, tiring, and pretty darn rad.

Chekhov is so delightfully dense as he probes into life’s most heartbreaking moments with sensitivity and humor. For more in-depth information, dramaturgy, and a rehearsal blog on this production, please check out OSU Theatre Plays: http://osutheatreplays.blogspot.com/

Book Review: The Casual Vacancy

allthingsrad — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 20:49:00 -0500

Rowling conjures up a very adult novel that weaves a different kind of magic.

I picked up The Casual Vacancy from Costco with a degree of skepticism as did, I will assume, many other readers daring to explore J. K. Rowling’s follow-up to that series about some boy wizard. My hesitance came not from a dislike of Rowling, but the fact that I would consider myself a Harry Potter fan. I attended more than one “Magic at Midnight” book release party, I speculated on theories as the series progressed, I regularly followed various Potter-themed fan sites, I have read (and listened to Jim Dale’s charming audio versions) multiple times, and I have been known to wear a Hermione Granger costume on more than one occasion.

In spite of my devotion to the series and the charmingly inventive world of Harry Potter, I have also been willing to criticize Rowling. My general assessment of this beloved series of books is that Rowling may not be the best writer in the world, but she is an amazing storyteller. The astounding cross-cultural popularity of the Harry Potter series is a testament to her skill at crafting an engaging narrative and creating a magical world with such detail that it seems as if it could actually exist. (Since reading the series, I have passed by many run-down buildings or sketchy hole-in-the-wall bars and considered wryly, “Could there be wizards in there?”)

When my partner saw the freshly purchased copy of The Casual Vacancy on the kitchen table amongst the bulk cheeses, he responded with a note of cynicism, “What’s she trying to do with this? She just needs to stop writing.” (Later, he came to refer to the book as The Casually-Written Novel.) Like me, he is a fan of the Harry Potter series and his feelings toward Rowling’s attempt at a follow-up are not completely unfounded. After all, he is right … she will never have success to match what she has already achieved.

But what is the world’s most famous living writer to do? She will never write another Harry Potter. How could she? In creating Hogwarts she has achieved a level of success no other author has ever reached. What other writer living or dead can boast eight blockbuster film adaptations, multiple prestigious literary awards, sales in multiple translations of over 450 million copies, and even a theme park? It’s simply unprecedented. Rowling’s challenge now, it seems, is not to make people forget Harry, but to live past it. She is a writer, after all, she must have other stories to tell. She has nothing to prove, and yet with this book it seems she has everything to prove. In spite of her previous success,The Casual Vacancy is Rowling’s literary debut.

The Casual Vacancy is a deliberate departure from the world of Harry Potter. This is obvious in its content (which is unapologetically adult - rife with profanity, sex, and drug use) and its utter grounding in “the real world” lacking in whimsy or sentimentalism. That is not to say the story is without humor or hope, in fact, the common thread that binds Potter’s world with the people of Pagford is Rowling’s social thesis of personal, familial, and community responsibility.

The Casual Vacancy begins with the untimely death of a kindly pillar of the seemingly idyllic community of Pagford. The small town is dominated by typical small town politics and old rivalries between “old families.” Town council member Barry Fairbrother’s roots in Pagford were not that deep, having grown up underprivileged in the neighboring community. The first in his family to attend university, Barry became a beloved resident of Pagford and an advocate for the disenfranchised poor living in “The Fields,” a poverty-stricken no-mans-land between peaceful, prosperous Pagford and Yarvil. Barry’s untimely death in his early-forties leaves a vacancy on the town council, but more importantly, sets in motion a tragic series of events revealing bruised and broken relationships, cruel class warfare, and the power that a single individual can have to impact the lives of many for better or for worse.

Tensions run high throughout the story as Rowling moves fluidly between numerous character perspectives. The large cast of community members spans three generations of residents, including established families and newcomers. While the convention of an inconsistent perspective may take some getting used to, it pays off in the last half of the novel when rivalries and suffering relationships can be pinned back to moments of misunderstanding and miscommunication.

The Casual Vacancy is a compelling work, and I might argue, Rowling’s most mature writing to date. She approaches the world of Pagford with intricate detail and her familiar sly wit, but her prose has grown more confident. The writing is a successful balance between poignancy, humor, and anger in articulating the problems of class tension and poverty without descending into making trite moral judgements. Rowling’s personal concern and sensitivity for youth issues is made clear throughout the story whether through the perspective depressed social-misfit who resorts to cutting herself as a means of dealing with her internal demons or in the particularly heartbreaking scene when social worker Kay visits the dilapidated home of a heroine addicted mother, her struggling teenage daughter, and neglected three-year-old son.

The novel is strong, but imperfect. Due to the number of characters, the first quarter of the novel reads slowly … carefully setting up the story to come. Once immersed in the small town, however, it’s an extremely engaging read.

RAD RATING: 4/5 (A richly wrought-world without a hint of magic.)

Director's Journal: Season's Greetings

allthingsrad — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 00:09:00 -0500

The beautiful and fully realized set design by the amazing Cristie Johnston.

Opening Night has always been a bittersweet experience for me. It’s satisfying to see everything come together (and it truly did for Season’s Greetings) but it also means saying “good-bye” to a show and to a great group of people. When I direct at home, I get a more drawn out farewell because I see the show more than once and I get to be a part of the cathartic experience of strike. For Season’s Greetings, I came to Opening Night excited, but knowing it would be the last time I’d see the silliness and that twelve hours later, I’d be on a plane back to Oregon.

Bernard (Philip Bozich) performs his ill-fated puppet show for Harvey (Jason Grubbe) and Pattie (Wendy Greenwood).

I am happy to say, that in spite of a few unplanned detours, the show came together delightfully - as far as I am concerned the Opening Night was pretty flawless. With the exception of a malfunctioning prop the show went off without a hitch, the audience enjoyed it, the cast was full of inventive energy, and that’s all I could have asked for. The show did what it was supposed to do, made a room full of people laugh while making them feel a little uncomfortable watching all the familiar dysfunctional relationships. What more could you ask for of a holiday production?

I go into every production wanting to learn something … and once again I wasn’t let down. This was a blocking challenge! How am I ever to create multiple acting areas (and believable multiple rooms) in a postage stamp-sized space? Luckily, the brilliant Cristie Johnston was up to the task for transforming the Gaslight into the warm and welcoming Bunker home. For me, this became a play about people desperately searching for private moments in an impossibly public area … and (thankfully) comedy comes from that tension.

Clive (Stephen Peirick) and Belinda (Emily Baker) try to steal a moment together underneath the Christmas tree.

I am very happy with the show and thankful that the audiences and critics are also responding positively to it. The cast has worked hard in our short time together in order to bring it together. They stepped it up! And people are responding!

The cast is now in the midst of their second week of performances and I am cheering them on from afar. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with this gifted group of artists and I look forward to my return to St. Louis come spring time for the upcoming La Bute New Theater Festival and for next season’s auditions! For now, I need to move on to preparing for Three Sisters. I have a wonderful cast lined up and I’m eager to being this next journey.

Thank you to STLAS for a wonderful November! Happy holidays!

Director's Journal: Season's Greetings

allthingsrad — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 18:37:00 -0500

Rachel’s ill-fated attempt to seduce a man. Poor Rachel.

And in the blink of an eye … the journey is nearly complete. In all honestly, after spending some time with them … the Bunkers have really grown on me. This is certainly due to, in large part, the wonderfully talented cast I have been lucky enough to work with over the past few weeks. While on the page this collection of socially awkward misfits seemed terribly unlikeable, here on the night of the preview performance … they have come to life with warmth and a surprising amount of familiarity. Perhaps they will be reminiscent of your own familial dysfunction amidst the annual holiday chaos.

Last night’s run was one of the first times I could sit back and watch the show for the sum of its parts. I was reminded about the personal nature of making theatre. There are pieces of me infused throughout this play from my own personal experiences and aesthetic. And the same is true for every person who contributed to this production. Certain moments ring particularly true … much of Rachel’s characterization, for example, was directed to be painfully autobiographical of my own ill-conceived attempts at impressing men. I guess that’s one of the tricks about theatre … in order to make these stories authentic directors, designers, and actors must empathize with the world and characters in it. We must find ways to facilitate and communicate those stories, so it only makes sense that we draw from personal experience in combination with imagination and creative innovation.

Neville faces his ultimate rival.

Watching last night’s rehearsal, my suspicions were confirmed … they are ready (and pretty eager) for an audience. The element of laughter and live response will push this show to its next (and desirable) level for performance mode. Peter sat with me through about half the run last night and as a completely fresh set of eyes, he enjoyed the show. So … that’s quite encouraging.

Bernard sets up his beloved puppet theatre while Harvey delivers a dire warning to Neville and Eddie.

There were some notes from last night. As always, I don’t want to let go completely until the very end. I came by the theatre this morning to paint some props and help with the final details. Deep breath! One night left and then tomorrow … this little bird will fly!

Director's Journal: Season's Greetings

allthingsrad — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:50:00 -0500

The first night in the Gas Light Theater.

It’s remarkable to me how suddenly a show can experience a growth spurt. Our first night after transitioning from the rehearsal space onto the stage was met with challenges. It’s totally normal for actors to get a little thrown off when you introduce new elements into the process. You take steps forward and backward at the same time. On the one hand, they were clearly excited to be on a set with doors and levels and much more space than we were working with next door. This led to discoveries about how to use the space as performers and to “live” in it as the “Bunker family.” At the same time, in learning how to move in the space, the rhythm we had developed in rehearsal was disrupted.

Monday night’s first dress rehearsal.

I went into Monday’s first dress with high hopes and my fingers crossed. There were, again, challenges involved. This is an extremely complicated show involving numerous props. There are numerous bits of action reliant on having various props - tools, toys, food, puppets, drinks, and weapons are a few items from the long list and each of these elements needs to be worked with and worked into the world. While we had much more to work with Monday night, we were still lacking some key elements.

Apart from missing props, we were introducing other technical elements for the first time - lights, costumes, and new sound cues. It would be a miracle for everything to work perfectly the first time … and it certainly did not. Everyone left that night feeling tired, raw-nerved, and slightly disheartened at a less-than-smooth run. Through the fog of glitches and nervous performers, I could see the shape of the show was there … we all just had to come together with the confidence to bring it to the next level

Milt had watched that rough and rocky run, he could tell I was ragged around the edges afterward. But he turned to me with his laid-back Oklahoma charm and said, “It’s actually in good shape. Besides, there’s not much you can do now.” He was right. As much as it pains any high-strung control-freak director, tech week is a process of letting go and handing off responsibility to others. I quickly downed two large glasses of pinot gris at the bar, talked through notes with JC, Jonathan, and Amy, and went home knowing that tomorrow was another day, another rehearsal, another chance to get things on track. My nervous tension was dealt with the next, frigid morning with a run along side my beloved Forest Park, shoe shopping, and cupcake baking. Sometimes there is nothing to be done but bring in a batch of morale-boosting baked goods.

The Bunkers coming together as a family around the TV.

Something magical happened last night. Maybe it was the cupcakes. Maybe it was the fact that everything that could possibly go wrong had already gone wrong. Maybe it was just bound to happen given where we were in the process. But, we had a show last night! The performers showed confidence, energy, and focus in their characterizations and surrounding. The technical elements ran much more smoothly. The show was funny. I found myself laughing at pieces that I hadn’t found funny in a long time. Something else occurred to me … even though my initial reaction to this family was on of distaste, I’ve actually grown to like them very much in their self-centered displays of dysfunction.

There is work to be done, but Monday to Tuesday was like watching a completely different play. I think we all breathed a sigh of relief as we keep moving toward opening night. We are in excellent shape. I really think people are going to enjoy this play … and I’m not just saying that!

Director's Journal: Season's Greetings

allthingsrad — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 12:42:00 -0500

Rehearsal for Act II, scene 1. Puppet show chaos is about to erupt!

One thing I can say about these extremely short rehearsal periods is that growth happens in sudden spurts. Not that I should find it terribly surprising given we simply don’t have the luxury to allow things to sit and marinate. We had a couple of rough days and after the Thanksgiving respite, I was anxiously anticipating Friday’s run through - the first run through of the entire show. Before we began, I reviewed a couple of short sections and then ran through the two most difficult portions of the show: the puppet show and the Snakes and Ladders sequence. The actors approached the sections with a nervous energy lacking in confidence which led to slow cue pick-up and an uneven pace. It was not what I was hoping for.

I took a deep breath, there was nothing to do but be encouraging, remind them to pick up the cues, to stay focused, and be confident.

We set up for Act I with all the little makeshift props we had gathered over the past week - empty water bottles, paper coffee cups, and other bits of garbage that were being endowed into puppets, wine glasses, Christmas ornaments, and fine china. I braced myself for the run. In all honesty, Act I was what I had expected given we hadn’t approached the material for about a week. The blocking ran smoothly and some of the moments really clicked - Phyllis’ ill-fated seduction of Clive and Rachel’s constant lurking around corners stood out as particularly memorable moments. While the pace was slow and sometimes uneven, I could see the shape emerging and felt very encouraged that we were on track.

Act II was another story entirely. It clipped along at a breezy pace and built to a logical comic climax. After the first run of the puppet sequence earlier in the evening, my hopes were not high - but that section came together with a ferocious energy and a good sense of the overlap. It was all a bit magical quite honestly. Something seemed to click for the first time. I could see the elements gelling together nicely and the continuity of the show.

Clive (Steven Peirick) tries to let down Rachel (Rachel Hanks) gently while Bernard (Phillip Bozich) tends to his beloved puppet show.

And now it’s time to throw more complicated elements into the mix. Yesterday was spent working through sound cues which will help bring the Bunker’s holiday home to life. The sound designer, Robin Weatherall, is meticulous and extremely skilled in adding that layer of realism into the world of a play. He came with an appropriate television underscoring and a wonderful selection of saccharine holiday pop music. I’m very eager to add this in at tonight’s rehearsal.

Construction of the Bunker home.

Tonight will also be a huge step forward as it means our first night in the space! I could jump up and down I’m so excited to see everything on the stage with levels, doors, and real props. No doubt this will lead to complications and problems to be solved … but that’s my job. We are at a good place in terms of characterization and movement on the part of the actors. Time to take that next leap forward!

Director's Journal: Season's Greetings

allthingsrad — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 10:51:00 -0500

One of the unsung heroes of the show.

For those who don’t work in the theatre, the process of making a play can seem rather mysterious.When people hear what I do for a living, they tend to ask the same types of questions. Last night, spending Thanksgiving with a lot of new faces, the questions cropped up. What do you do all night? How is the show going? Is the show going to be good? Have you ever had to fire an actor? Do the actors just do what you say? What kind of director are you? How was rehearsal last night? How do you get actors to do what you want? Am I going to like the show?

Let’s face it, I have kind of a weird job. I take an imaginary world constructed by a playwright I have never met, draw out narratives and emotional content from words on a page, and imagine my own version of that world. Then I spend each evening attempting to get other people to communicate the visions I have about imaginary people for the purpose of manipulating the emotions of paying customers. It’s a weird job indeed. It requires the focused and energetic collaboration of an ensemble willing to work and play together. At their best, rehearsals can be an incredibly satisfying period of growth and creative discovery … at their worst, they can be torturous and unproductive exercises in frustration.

In my experience as an actor and a director I have been involved in rehearsal processes ranging from extremely short (a few days) to over six-weeks long with everything in between. No matter the length of a period, the processes all follow similar arcs with the same outcome of a looming opening night date. Rehearsals are about growth and the shape of a show taking form. Quite honestly, sometimes this can be a painful process. Rough rehearsals happen. People get frustrated. Problems arise. And yet out of these bumps in the road, solutions develop and bonds forge within the ensemble.

This particular process is shorter than I get when I direct university theatre, but it has experienced the same feelings of excitement when things go well and satisfaction when moments take shape between characters. It has also experienced the same bumps in the road that happen in more lengthy processes - actors getting sick, scheduling conflicts, and frustration in dealing with tricky bits of staging. It can be slightly terrifying when the plan for the evening does not run as smoothly as imagined, however, there is nothing to do for every person in the group but shake it off, work harder, and move on.

The cast faces their greatest nemesis: Snakes and Ladders.

For the most part, the process of Season’s Greetings has run fairly smoothly, but the unplanned illness of an actor through a wrench in the works. It happens. Like I said, there is nothing to do but move on and find other ways to be productive. The other major challenge has been what I will put under the category of “actor confidence” over a couple of difficult scenes. The human element of making theatre is simultaneously exciting and terrifying because of the amount of trust one simply has to put in the hands of others.

The cast at large was nervous about two particularly challenging moments in the script: the Snakes and Ladders scene and the puppet scene. In both cases, the challenges lie in the way that Ayckbourn has woven together two separate but simultaneous scenes with different characters. When it works, it’s amazingly naturalistic and funny. When it doesn’t, it’s disastrous. It requires of the actors intense focus and listening to two scenes at once. It also requires them to know their lines and cues absolutely cold. Without complete confidence in words and action from every performer in the room, the chipper rhythm of the scenes break down and it’s difficult to recover. At some points during these difficult rehearsals I could see the paled panic on their faces, but there was nothing to do but repeat, repeat, repeat to work though the moments again and again.

Progress was made. Character growth occurred. Pacing improved. It’s all part of that mysterious process. We took last night off for turkey and Thanksgiving shenanigans. Tonight we resume with a run through of the entire show. I have pretty thoroughly examined all the pieces of this machine … now it’s time to reassemble to see if it will fly.

Director's Journal: Season's Greetings

allthingsrad — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:49:00 -0500

Emily Baker (Belinda), Rachel Hanks (Rachel), and Stephen Peirick (Clive) working through blocking rehearsal.

It’s amazing and extremely gratifying how quickly plays come together when working with a group of talent and motivated performers. Beginning the process (oh so many days ago), I found myself a little nervous approaching this script in this challenging space, but after one smoothly-run blocking rehearsal, it occurred to me: “Yes, this show will be very, very funny.” Blocking rehearsals can be a giant pain in the ass, so my goal is to get through them as quickly as possible and to ask the actors to be off book as quickly as possibly so that the real (and much more fun) work can begin.

We are now well into that “work” and I am seeing delightful details developing between characters - from Rachel’s “lurkiness” to Neville’s charmingly self-absorbed neglect of his wife. Everyone has found a clearly defined approach to his or her character. This is an eclectic group of self-involved misfits and although I personally disliked them on the page, I am growing quite fond of watching the dysfunctional family discord play out on stage. I’m finding now that the petty squabbles and childish behavior exhibited by the character is, in fact, what makes them so incredibly human and identifiable. While this may not be a heart-warming romp through Santa’s workshop, it will certainly make people laugh about the best and worst parts of the holidays.

Teresa Doggett (Phyllis), Phillip Bozich (Bernard), Stephen Peirick (Clive), Wendy Greenwood (Pattie), and Eric Dean White (Neville) working through the infamous “Snakes and Ladders Scene.”

The way I like the make a play is a process of taking it apart, examining the pieces, messing with them, putting it back together again, and then repeat. Getting the details just right is incredibly satisfying, but it takes time. The past couple of rehearsals have required frequent stops and starts and, quite frankly, patience on the part of the actors.

One of the most difficult pieces of the play is the “Snakes and Ladders Scene” where one group of characters engages in a rowdy and drunken round of a child’s board game, while another group of characters has a more intimate heart-to-heart about relationships. This requires intense listening for cues and a good sense of timing and coordination between six actors engaged in two different scenes. Honestly, from my perspective, it all came together much easier than I ever anticipated that it could.

A drunken Rachel (Rachel Hanks) makes an ill-conceived move on Clive (Stephen Peirick).

Since we are working the scenes all out of order at the moment, the next step is going to be seeing if, once the play is reassembled, the arc of the scenes will still make sense in terms of character development. After spending a great deal of time on a Rachel and Clive section last night I am eager to see how it fits in with the rest of Act I.

Tonight will we work with the last little bits of Act I and then run the whole act - theoretically straight through. Act I is significantly longer than Act II, so we only get two days to work with the last two scenes in the play. Friday, after a much-needed Thanksgiving respite, we will return to rehearsal to run the whole show.

Director's Journal: Season's Greetings

allthingsrad — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 10:25:00 -0500

Our teeny, tiny rehearsal space at the 11.

Blocking rehearsalsalways take a leap of faith. While I spend ample time preparing and envisioning how I want any show to look and move before I get to rehearsal, I inevitably come into the space with nervous anticipation that what I see in my head might not actually work in three dimensions. Seasons Greetings is particularly challenging to put together because of the farcical elements and the Gaslight’s physical limitations.

Due to the small physical space of the Gaslight stage, some concessions had to be made in the set design- thankfully Cristie was up to the task. Where the script requires at least four distinct acting areas (the dining room, a hall, a sitting room, and the Christmas tree nook) and various stairs and exits, we simply could not accommodate that. The “hall” was the first thing to go and we basically have two areas: the sitting room and the dining room with tiny “areas” within them. This creates a couple of challenges for staging. First of all, the risk of getting really crowded at certain points in the play. Second, and more importantly, it limits how “private” moments can develop and occur at key moments. As written, for example, Belinda and Clive can steal off to the hall to enjoy their coffee in relative privacy. Here, I have staged them in the landing by the front door with Harvey deeply asleep in the armchair downstage.

Much of the written business also revolves around characters looking for each other and just missing one another as they move though the house - upstairs, into the kitchen, outside, etc. Ideally, I would have liked to use the escape stairs into the audience to create more “space” into the house. It wasn’t going to work, however, because then we wouldn’t have a good alternative to place the tv.

Doing my homework.

With all that in mind, we plunged into blocking on Sunday without a full cast. Scheduling conflicts led to the actors present moving about the space talking and responding to invisible characters while Amy read their lines. Steven (while he was not on stage as Clive) did make a suitable Harvey substitute. In spite of this, I was extremely encouraged and went home Sunday evening with a deep sense of relief. The showisfunny and I am working with a wonderfully creative and talented group of actors.

Steven Peirick (Clive) and Emily Baker (Belinda) working through a bit of blocking.

In seeing things on their feet, even with scripts in hand, relationships are developing on stage and hierarchies are being discovered. The close quarters led to a discovery about Rachel’s awkwardness that will, hopefully, pan out into some effective comic business about her sense of personal space. I am absolutely encouraged.

The show, as of last night, is blocked! We will run through the remainder of scenes we didn’t get though last night with a full cast this evening. I am eager for Thursday, the first rehearsal where the actors are scheduled to be off book. Last night Eric (Neville) asked if we were going to run through the first scene a second time. There wasn’t much need. I have always been of the mindset that only so much can be accomplished while actors have scripts in their hands. Deep relationships and timing issues can never effectively worked out as long as there is a physical script between the actors.

Very much looking forward to seeing the entire cast assembled for the first time tonight!

Director's Journal: Season's Greetings

allthingsrad — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 23:27:00 -0500

A model of the set with the recent addition of a dividing wall.

The Look and Sound
Saturday’s production meeting was an exciting time back at the West End Pub and Grill for two of my favorite things … the steak sandwich (rare) with coleslaw and talking about the show with the rest of the production team. Conceptually speaking, there is nothing too crazy about my vision … I’m not planning on setting it on the moon or anything. It isn’t a script so much bound in time and place as it is bound within a series of unsatisfying relationships. The original play was set in the 1980s, but with the exception of one reference to a rotary phone, there is nothing dated about the script.

Steak sandwich. A thing of beauty really.

Talking with the designers, I articulated the need for the production to feel fast-paced and showcase characters obsessed with the image of happiness, rather than having genuine happiness. It’s set now. (One of the jokes at the meeting was for the “better hair” 2012 had to offer.) The visual and aural tone of the show is also decidedly secular, these are not people concerned with attending Mass or the birth of Jesus, but with the endless series of dinners, teas, and gift distribution. The musical component, therefore, goes from the tolerable pop of the 1950s to the tinniest, most manufactured tones the 90s and onward have to offer … I hear Justin Bieber has a Christmas song.

The meeting went smoothly enough. The biggest design challenge from my perspective is the props for this show. Quite frankly, it’s a props nightmare: food, special effects toys, a working puppet theatre, guns, and a thousand of other bits and pieces that the jokes and blocking are dependent upon. Big sigh. It will be a challenge, but just like Neville … I like a challenge.

The Read-Through
Time moves quickly around here, but that time has been productive. Friday’s read-through brought new ideas about the characters and their relationships. I felt a little odd walking into rehearsal, the cast having met without me on a couple of occasions earlier in the week. It’s always interesting to hear early character interpretations where the performers act on impulse rather than a deeply developed study. Neville’s complete indifference to everyone (and nearly everything) rang out especially true. I also noticed the distinct personality contrast between siblings Neville and Phyllis. While Neville floats easily above any disaster that erupts in his home, Phyllis is an emotional tornado whirling around and infusing chaos wherever she lands like the Tasmanian Devil from the Loony Toons.

The read-through also helped me organize more clearly the complicated network of competitions that exist between this group of people. Each “rivalry,” however, is completely one-sided as the opponent is fighting a battle with someone else. Five of the nine characters engage in constant one-sided rivalries. The other four are oblivious to the rivalries and are the clear “winners” - Neville who is too narcissistic to notice or care much for the needs of others, Phyllis who has the attention span of a small child or over-excited terrier, Harvey who has long since given up on caring what others think, and Clive, the outsider to the family, whose presence as a new element into the group dynamic allows tensions to ignite in new ways for the Bunkers.

A Web of Rivalries
Rachel versus Belinda: In this classic sibling rivalry we have an older, awkward sister in a constant rivalry with her younger more alluring sister. Belinda has everything that is supposed to make a woman happy - she’s married, she has children, and she and her husband live a comfortable middle-class suburban life together. At one point, in her terribly painful explanation to Clive about her sudden (and unwanted) sexual advances, Rachel refers to “the Belindas of the world” effortlessly turning a man’s attention toward her. This seems to indicate that this “love triangle” isn’t a new experience for Rachel and she has, in fact, “lost” male attention in the past to her more charming sister. Belinda, however, does nothing to attract Clive. It occurs easily from the moment they meet in front of the Christmas tree in the first scene leaving Rachel’s efforts to attract him all the more futile and comically pathetic.

Belinda versus Eddie: Suburban wifery is not suiting Belinda, as becomes apparent through the play. While she makes an effort to trim the tree and create a holiday fantasy for the household, she is in a constant (and tense) battle for Neville’s attention with Eddie. Eddie does not work for Neville’s time just as Belinda does not work for Clive’s advances. Clive and Eddie are practically joined at the hip as they fiddle with broken toys or sneak off to the pub for a quick pint. Both husbands shirk familial responsibilities to be with each other. Belinda loses to Eddie every time.

Pattie versus Neville: Like with Belinda, Pattie lacks any apparent devotion and attention from her spouse. While Belinda has the opportunity to act out her frustration in a tryst with a handsome stranger, pregnant Pattie is most often left alone in corners crying to herself or tending to the children. Neville so easily wins the rivalry that Pattie’s existence barely even registers on his radar.

Bernard versus Harvey: This is the least subtle battle between characters in the play because while the others interact passive-aggressively, Bernard and Harvey stage an all-out war of ideals. Both are older, both are childless, and yet Bernard seems to fight for the respect of the younger generation while Harvey seems to win it easily. Bernard takes care to build and stage elaborate (and terrible) child-friendly entertainment, while Harvey sends them out unchaperoned to a gravel pit for a Texas-style shoot out. The middle generation also gives Harvey respect - bringing him drinks, paying him mind - where they completely ignore Bernard.

Eddie versus Neville: While Eddie follows Neville around like a helpless stray dog, he is in a rivalry with him for respect. Eddie is a failure and Neville is not. Neville frequently sweeps in to save Eddie from more failure and embarrassment. He holds the power without effort and Eddie is completely beholden to him.

Director's Journal: Season's Greetings

allthingsrad — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 16:46:00 -0500

My delightful home away from home for the next three weeks.

I made it in one piece - an encouraging start to my work here in St. Louis with the Actor’s Studio. I was in an absolute frenzy in preparing to leave this time around, with a full schedule of classes, meetings, and casting Three Sisters for Winter term at OSU, I left Corvallis with my head spinning and feeling a little nervous about jumping in so quickly. Thankfully, when my feet hit the ground in my beloved adopted city, I fell right back into step.

Peter, class-act as always, picked me up and we met up with William at the West End Grill and Pub (yum) for drinkies and shop-talk. William presented me with a stack of play proposals for the upcoming Labute Theatre Festival and we chatted about some of the challenges for this current production. Really, it’s the same things I’ve been feeling all along about Season’s Greetings- short rehearsal period, rather large cast, small space. I’m especially anxious about working out the intricacies of the “Snakes and Ladders Scene” and the extensive props list in the show, but I am also certain that these challenges will be worth the work in their potential for laughter.

Tonight is the first read-through. I’m a bit disappointed conflicts and other issues won’t allow the entire cast to meet as I was looking forward to hearing all the voices blend together. Alas, sometimes that’s the nature of the beast. Although my runs in the past couple of weeks have allowed me to think through a lot of the blocking, I haven’t yet committed much to paper. There is something about hearing everyone together that helps me envision what a particular production will look and feel like. I expect to hammer out a lot of the details late tonight after the read-through and even more so tomorrow afternoon following the first production meeting.

The amazing Cristie Johnston is once again at the helm for creating the set design. The Gas Light Theatre stage always presents challenges because it is narrow and very tall - rather chimney shaped. The challenges of staging this piece, in particular, are doubled because of the farcical elements. Cristie found an effective way to use the vertical space in her design - hopefully this will accommodate some of the more difficult pieces of blocking.

Cristie’s model for the set.

I’m very excited to get the actors playing in this space. I imagine blocking will go fairly smoothly at the rehearsal space, but the transition into the theatre is always an interesting day. Fingers crossed that we will get in there early on in the process.

I have some ideas to share with the production team tomorrow. I feel that part of this play is about a group of people whose lives, on the surface, seem very idyllically middle-class. In this attempt to embrace the holiday season with games, drinking, and puppet shows they are trying to construct and live in an image of what they think the season should be, however, the facade slips rather easily. Neville and Belinda’s home should look “perfect” - at least in the beginning, as she is making an effort to create a Christmas worthy of being featured in a Martha Stewart publication. The mood at the beginning should be festive, cheerful, and somehow suggest the “magic” of the holidays. But, as things go on, I would somehow like to show the cheap plastic reality about this family’s relationships and lives.

Director's Journal: Season's Greetings

allthingsrad — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 22:00:50 -0500

Poster design for the STLAS 2012 production.

Approaching any holiday play is a bit of a minefield with such potential to fall into the realm of schmaltzy cliche and asinine fluff. But on a social and purely secular level, that is what the holidays are for. Amidst the dreary months of cold weather, it’s nice to find reassurance in the innate goodness of humanity and embrace the festivities of the season. Realistically, however, how many of us absolutely dread at least some aspect of so much feasting? When I first read Seasons Greetings I thought, “Well, isn’t this just a horrible group of people?” I wasn’t rooting for any of the characters and, with the exception of a Christmas tree on stage, this play has a thoroughly un-holiday feeling about it. What a delicious treat for the season!

Of his 1980 Christmas farce, Alan Ayckbourn said:

My late agent, the great eccentric Peggy Ramsay, hated me writing plays set at Christmas. ‘Oh Alan,’ she’d say, ‘not another bloody Christmas play.’ But I’d explain to her that Christmas was a gift to a dramatist. You’re always looking for a reason to stick a group of people together who can’t stand each other, aren’t you? Dinner parties are good, but what better time than Christmas? You’ve got three days together and there’s always bound to be at least a cousin no one can stand. I’ve seen it at my own Christmases - two relatives arguing bitterly over who should sit in which chair. (The Guardian, 20 December 2007)

My sentiments echo Ayckbourn’s, the holidays can become a time where adults act like children- and not in the child-like-wonder-of-Christmas-magic-rubbish way. Instead, they are selfish, petty, and all in need of naps.

The fact that the characters in this play are so selfish and possess so few redeeming qualities makes them very easy to relate to. On the surface, the family gathers together to construct a “perfect” holiday situation of peace, goodwill, parties, and memory making. In reality, the annual reunion creates stress and exposes personal failure and unhappiness for every one involved. Stepping back from the situation, one can look at this particular Christmas season for the family and assume that even after the arguing, attempts at infidelity, and absurd rivalries they’re going to do it all again next year. Why? Because they are all bored, middle-class suburbanites and the holiday season (for better or for worse) breaks them from the drudgery of their rather disappointing lives.

Ayckbourn has a keen sense of exposing familial tensions and struggles. Is the situation a exaggerated? Of course. For all the family drama I have witnessed personally, few get-togethers have ended with a shooting. The comically heightened sense of play makes this a delightful farce, but the petty familial discord between characters is very real. From Neville’s inattentive relationship to his wife to the rather one-sided sibling rivalry between Rachel and Belinda, this relationships are joyously rich in nuance and detail.

As with any farce, the play will live or die by its pace and the balance between character detail and broader moments of physical comedy. The disastrous holiday gathering must clip along from one calamity to the next. In reading through and conceiving of a production concept, the play should feel like the ultimate holiday bender from the initial nervous anticipation, to raucous and rowdy celebration, to the dizzying fall from drunken euphoria, to the inevitable (and painful) hangover.

Happy holidays to come everybody! I join my fully assembled cast for the first time on Friday. Very excited to head back to the St. Louis and delve into this deliciously rich and sinful holiday dish.

Director's Journal: Christmas in May

allthingsrad — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 14:08:00 -0400

The audition room at The Eleven.

I consider myself extremely lucky that I spend my professional life pursuing a passion. It’s challenging, exciting, creative, and rewarding. Is it hard? Yes. Will I ever become rich doing it? Unlikely. Am I constantly facing rejection and failure? Yep. But I wouldn’t choose any other life. One of the reasons I really believe my life to be “rad” is because I love what I do. I’ll say it: My students drive me absolutely crazy. They are frustrating, needy, and exhausting. But I love them because they are energetic, funny, creative, and inspiring. In a similar respect, my creative work is fraught with challenges and getting used to hearing the word “no.” I’ve developed a rather thick skin over the years … a tactic for survival in the world of academia and the arts- and yet the rewards and personal satisfaction I gain from what I do are immeasurable. It takes hard work, tenacity, creativity, patience, as well as a little bit of good fortune.

I am deeply passionate about directing. I love telling stories. I love the process of working through a script, of bringing literature to life, of communicating something potentially moving about the human condition to an audience. I thrill at the opportunity to do facilitate that role in a theatrical process.

Why the long introduction? Because I simply want to express my gratitude for my wonderfully rad and often lucky life. I am grateful and have the fortune to have been asked to return to the St. Louis Actors’ Studio. Two years ago when my dear friend Peter suggested I “work with them.” I thought, “Yeah, okay, whatever.” I assumed that some cool emerging theatre company in a cool city would be completely uninterested in taking a chance on some random girl from the West Coast. But I blessedly was wrong.

Shortly after my 2011 production of My Three Angels opened both William and Milt asked if (and when) I could return. I felt honored to be asked and couldn’t wait to return to a city I love so dearly and a group of incredibly talented people I have gained a deep appreciation and affection for. I am also extremely lucky to have supportive colleagues back here in Oregon, willing to let me satisfy professional gigs for several weeks during the academic year. My life is pretty rad indeed.

Leaving on a jet plane from PDX. Let the adventure begin.

As many professional companies do, STLAS casts multiple shows in one shot. About this time last year, I made a similar trip out to Missouri to cast My Three Angels. There I sat in a room with Milt, William, and Ron Hines viewing a string of “general auditions” followed by a long day of call-backs. It was exciting and fun. This trip out was a similar experience- except that we crammed all the auditioning into a single (and very long day).

Due to costs of plane tickets and my own schedule, I found the best bargain was to fly out to St. Louis from Portland on Thursday even though the auditions weren’t actually until Saturday. This way I could spend Friday focusing on the script, running through the beautiful Forest Park, and simply enjoying the city.

Turned my airplane tray table into a tiny work station. I felt like a little bad ass.

The plane ride out was time effectively spent focusing on the script and figuring out how the heck I wanted to cast this quirky little farce. I enjoyed spreading out my notes and script on my tray table- all I could really do was focus on the text being trapped on the plane and everything with no temptation of Facebook or online shopping to distract me.

Although this was not my first reading of the script, it was the first time I made some clear decisions about how I wanted to tell this story. Seasons Greetings is a holiday-themed script, but it’s certainly not heartwarming and definitely lacks the sentimentality of something like My Three Angels. Instead of chipper rosy-faced children and a benevolent Santa Claus, the play offers multiple infidelities, a shooting, and a huge helping of dysfunction. The characters are selfish, vain, and rude. In fact, it’s pretty difficult to locate someone to actually sympathize with. I’m VERY excited about this challenge. In order to make the play work and the comedy to be actually … well, funny. I need to pull out the utterly imperfect humanness from this oddball group of self-centered ass holes.

I made some initial ideas about what I was looking for on the plane ride. The play needs to have a breezy, fast-paced feel to it. The actors need to have the ability to be at once very real and utterly unrepentant. In spite of that- the audience still has to like them. They remind me a little bit of the narcissistic cast of Seinfeld with the addition of charming British dialects. Getting off the plane close to midnight (St. Louis time) I was eagerly anticipating Saturday’s auditions with a clear mind about what I would be looking for.

I’ve got to be honest, Friday was an utterly magical day. It is rare day indeed when I have utterly all the time in the world to myself. Generous, wonderful Peter gave up his hip Clayton condo to me and bunked a few blocks away with his lovely girlfriend.

Staying at Peter’s always makes me feel as if I’ve stepped into a Pottery Barn catalog.

When I describe Peter to friends I include the description: “He’s like a character from a Wes Anderson movie.” A tall, handsome Mid-West colorblind lawyer with a deep appreciation for the arts and a great love for his community, Peter has been a good friend since our college days. He’s a classy guy, a lover of scotch, baseball, and jazz music. He is an unapologetic literary snob and his meticulously kept condo reflects his personality perfectly. Slick black wood floors, animation cells from the rad cult cartoon series from our youth, Batman: The Animated Series, shelves of books, and an empty refrigerator. I love staying there because it’s the physical embodiment of a good friend. Just being there feels like a giant hug.

On Friday, Peter and his lovely, amazing girlfriend (because who else would Peter be with than a lovely and amazing woman) had work. I was left to my own devices until evening when were were scheduled to hit the town. It was exactly what I needed. I slept as late as I wanted. When I woke up, I took my time getting ready for my run. The weather was perfect and I spent nearly two hours pounding the pavement of St. Louis, running through Clayton and down around my beloved Forest Park.

Friday evening meant time spent with friends. Peter, Jasmine, and I hit a couple of fantastic St. Louis eateries. Chorizo nachos? Yes please! I had a juicy hamburger the size of my head and lots of beer. Dessert was at some well-known dessert joint called Cyrano’s, famous for its bread pudding.

Bread pudding. With caramel sauce. In all its tasty glory.

Good times were exchanged with good friends and good food. This city spoils me. Honestly. Every time I go, it’s like stepping into a quaint little dreamland of rest, relaxation, friendship, and food. Even when I’m there to work.

Saturday it was down to business. Back to The Eleven, an office/rehearsal space/audition room/whatever they need it to be. What else can I say? This is going to be a lot of fun. Just as with the 2011 season auditions, I was impressed with the level of talent and enthusiasm coming from the St. Louis acting pool. I faced a rather long day of auditions on Saturday.

I saw quite a few familiar faces at the auditions. Some I had worked with in My Three Angels and others I remember having auditioned the previous May. It was exciting be wedged behind the table between directors Milt and Bobby. The two of them couldn’t possibly be more different. Milt may just be the most laid back person on the planet. Bobby, on the other hand, is a fast-talking witty cynic. It was a long, but fun morning. I get nervous in the beginning of a large “cattle-call” audition like this and, honestly, I start to call back too many people. I’ll see something. I want to give them a chance to read more, but for the sake of time and my own process, I need to get better at weeding out what I’m not looking for early on. I am VERY decisive when it comes to callbacks. I see what I want or what I don’t want and I’m ready to move on.

Something else I’ve learned about working with a theatre company like this, however, is there is a degree of politicking that goes on every now and then. It’s looked at as a courtesy to give Equity Actors auditions or, perhaps, other well-regarded local talent. This is fine, but occasionally means reading people multiple times for a role I’m not going to cast them in. This has happened two years in a row with a specific actress. She’s perfectly lovely and a capable actor. She just wasn’t right for any of the roles I was casting, but they kept sending her in to read again and again even though I told them (and her) I had seen what I need to see. These are people. I understand you don’t want to hurt feelings or discourage anyone, but I think it’s just as disrespectful to waste their time. Alas. It’s part of the business.

After a busy morning … break time! Which, luckily for me means my favorite meal I can get in St. Louis. At the West End Grill and Pub they have this steak sandwich. And I love it. Rare. With a side of coleslaw.

Food-gasm.

Full of steak and ready to face the afternoon of callbacks I braced myself for an onslaught of talent and resolved to be quick and decisive. Several of the roles were nailed instantly. I love when that happens. I just want to tell the person, “What wizardry did you use to get into my brain and just do exactly what I was thinking?” I love that.

I tend not to give very much direction during auditions. I honestly look for what they will bring to the role. How do they see it? What about their natural personality is funny, sexy, intimidating, or whatever quality the role demands? I’m also like many directors. I enjoy working with people I’ve had good experiences with or that have good reputations with other directors and stage managers I respect. I don’t like working with ass holes. I don’t care how talented a person is, no one has the right to be difficult to other performers and individuals working on a play. Luckily most everyone I have encountered through this company has been incredibly warm and generous.

After several hours of three directors calling back actors for five different shows, we convened in the main room to hash it out. There is really no conflict, actors can be in more than one show during a season, but the company does like to spread things out as much as possible. I went “home” to Peter’s very excited about my prospective cast. They seem to me, appropriately quirky.

On Sunday, I had didn’t fly out until 7:00 p.m. Sunday was also Mother’s Day. Peter, of course, had family engagements so couldn’t entertain me all day long. But we did agree to meet for a light lunch before he took me to the airport. I spent the morning on another satisfyingly long run followed by a hot shower and a coffee from the neighborhood Starbucks.

Another impossibly hip and delicious place to eat.

A panini and three glasses of wine later, and Peter and I headed to Tower Grove Park to scope out the sites and brainstorm about ideas we have for a food and arts festival.

A bad-ass pavilion in Tower Grove Park.

Part of Peter’s “master plan” apparently includes having me live in Tower Grove. “It’s the right kind of neighborhood for you.” He assures me. Sounds great to me. The park is lovely. Smaller than Forest Park, Tower Grove Park has its own charms including winding paths, gently sloping hills, and plenty of places for outdoor entertainment. We threw around ideas and wandered the park for an hour or so. Peter, for all of his wonderful qualities, has a notoriously poor sense of direction leaving us to explore perhaps a little longer than we had originally intended.

All this lush green grass is in need of some outdoor Shakespeare!

My action-packed weekend had to come to an end at some point. Waiting for might flight, I called my mom for mother’s day and shared the highlights of my weekend. As always, I look forward to my return in November. I am energized by my trip and ready to be creative and tell a new story with a new group of people!