tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34941963038822645942024-02-06T18:03:29.006-08:0016th Street TheaterUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-86096077299576362132013-05-22T11:13:00.002-07:002013-05-22T11:13:34.998-07:00Emerging Theater Award 2013 Acceptance Speech <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinRTll0D4XpFjLI2_01c5uD56yzrWAyObgdhQzUGktANmja2VpPyTpM-OdrZ2L36XLsQo0jltlaqbcSo-pNm6i-mTHVOWjwS5muWeifGBhR1RE7aI8Ff10BXRkO0KrT1SHvnb8iDELzZlJ/s1600/League+Gala+Speech.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinRTll0D4XpFjLI2_01c5uD56yzrWAyObgdhQzUGktANmja2VpPyTpM-OdrZ2L36XLsQo0jltlaqbcSo-pNm6i-mTHVOWjwS5muWeifGBhR1RE7aI8Ff10BXRkO0KrT1SHvnb8iDELzZlJ/s320/League+Gala+Speech.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ann Filmer:</span></i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> On behalf of Managing Director Eddie
Sugarman and North Berwyn Park District’s Joe Vallez – please stand up, Joe,
people need to know who you are -- thank you for this honor.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is so
fitting to follow Michael Halberstam, my first mentor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I began my career as Michael’s assistant at Writers’
Theatre in Glencoe where I watched him in the back of a bookstore build up his
theater literally one audience member at a time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">16<sup>th</sup>
Street Theater is unique because it is a partnership between artists, a park
district and a not for profit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>North
Berwyn Park District’s Executive Director Joseph Vallez had a vision of “if you
build it they will come.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He built a 49
seat theater in the basement of a city building so that the park district could
offer <u>the arts</u> in addition to sports and recreation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In May of 2007, he built it and Ann Filmer
came, and in one of those “you have a theater, I want to run a theater” moments,
16<sup>th</sup> Street was born. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When we
announced our first season of plays: Tanya Saracho’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kita y Fernanda</i>, Arlene Malinowski’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aiming for Sainthood</i>, Susan Hahn’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Scarlet Ibis</i> and Will Dunne’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Ascension of Carlotta</i>, a woman from nearby Stickney called
after she saw Hedy Weiss’ announcement in the Sun Times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said “Don’t you want anyone to come to
your theater?” I said, “Uh yes.” She went on: “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Ascension of Carlotta</i> what is that about?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve never heard of it and such a strange
title.” I took a breath, decided to not get defensive, “Ma’am it’s a lovely new
play and tell you what: try us out, and if you don’t like it you can have your
money back. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, ma’am, remember <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Glass Menagerie</i> was once a new play
and if <u>that</u> isn’t a strange title I don’t know what is.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a pause on the other end of the
line: “Well now that’s true.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The vision
from day one was: a professional theater <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>FOR</u></b>
the community telling the stories of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>ALL</u></b>
in our community. Professional meaning not only a dedication to Artistic
excellence but also a commitment to compensation: artists are skilled workers
and must be paid fairly for their craft. With the playwright as our central
focus, 16<sup>th</sup> Street offers up stories not only <u>reflecting those</u>
but <u>FOR</u> those who live in our community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That means: diverse stories, affordable tickets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>High ticket prices tell a certain segment of
the population: “This is not for you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are proud to be a 49 seat equity house with a top ticket price of $18
with plays told mainly in English with big bursts of Spanish, and sprinkles of
Urdu, Farsi, Arabic, American Sign language and the language of poetry.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Eddie Sugarman: </span></i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I joined 16<sup>th</sup> Street in
January of 2013, and was inspired to be a part of a theater engaged 360 degrees
in its community. A strong and growing board of directors led by President
Patrick Murphy including Marilyn Campbell and Deborah Stewart provide support,
advice and invaluable fundraising. Foundations and organizations such as the
Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Alphawood, The Chicago Community Trust,
Illinois Arts Council, The Saints, Arts Work Fund, Culvers, small businesses of
Berwyn, our audiences and subscribers and donors - And especially the North
Berwyn Park District and its staff for creating a home for theater in the first
place and sustaining it. They all make 16<sup>th</sup> Street’s vision
possible. In just our sixth season, we have expanded our reach by offering
community-based programs and classes through North Berwyn Park District, and will
partner again with Berwyn Library and Morton High School on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Berwyn Reads</i>.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ann Filmer:</span></i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> This is such a huge honor for
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Personally this is my 20<sup>th</sup>
year anniversary as a member of the Chicago Theater Scene. Chicago’s world
class theater scene has yet to disappoint me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What I treasure most about it is the communal spirit which is not just
lip service but a true collaboration with shared respect between large
institutions and small theaters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chicago
is theater that <u>works</u>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chicago
theaters understand this: when we support each other and share resources we are
ALL better for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This award
exemplifies this spirit:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a large
commercial theater Broadway in Chicago awarding a small not for profit theater
located in a park district building in Berwyn not only an award but $5,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to the League
of Chicago Theatres, the press who have hiked out to Berwyn to take notice. and
the entire Chicago Theater Community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">-- Ann
Filmer <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">May 20, 2013 </b></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Transcript of her acceptance speech on
behalf of 16<sup>th</sup> Street Theater winning Broadway in Chicago’s 2013 Emerging
Theater Award. </span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-84924610228398566812013-03-14T09:09:00.002-07:002013-03-14T09:09:23.841-07:00Cast of "8"Spectacular cast of "8" performs at the historic Hemingway Arts Center in Oak Park, llinois on Sunday, March 10, 2013. What a moving performance!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZsihiQndgsJpA6KnozwjxCSBYNkQeJY79kGz2ygHdzaTh2Aq-tfcbFc8f_Ueuo-uzwpiX62xPHOfMYLtDymIoP9rdxGeGwiUbGuwdgG82EOyZaAUV2b1ZPGXcARzyx9IXJQuMlS7CPqT/s1600/8-Play-ByHalBaim_WCTimes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZsihiQndgsJpA6KnozwjxCSBYNkQeJY79kGz2ygHdzaTh2Aq-tfcbFc8f_Ueuo-uzwpiX62xPHOfMYLtDymIoP9rdxGeGwiUbGuwdgG82EOyZaAUV2b1ZPGXcARzyx9IXJQuMlS7CPqT/s320/8-Play-ByHalBaim_WCTimes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-17157713042859225302012-02-18T09:26:00.000-08:002012-02-18T09:33:06.860-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1U-bXtWgrcZnfdiNQzPfTaUX5KtdyFceAYa7JIigEDvOWa1vh7DSCg1jhroOJiCzuak2serKqbUSHO9lCJ3HbNDHdMCXffSb_-5YvgGaYN4E2zn-IPLwBmMl6jgbOFzATfnjNUmKTROwX/s1600/Christian+Archie+Archies+Parables+PAGE+1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 227px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1U-bXtWgrcZnfdiNQzPfTaUX5KtdyFceAYa7JIigEDvOWa1vh7DSCg1jhroOJiCzuak2serKqbUSHO9lCJ3HbNDHdMCXffSb_-5YvgGaYN4E2zn-IPLwBmMl6jgbOFzATfnjNUmKTROwX/s320/Christian+Archie+Archies+Parables+PAGE+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710529209730815122" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdsiih0OEmM0O4OjEuPf9N-BYX76h-dqAg_22kz5Hioc5HN2tGxRFrGCzhwGp5Wz3d4yHXOJ02vAHHUU_QxTMMj79Zy939OXbRfwgl_htAV3z7ZFXhADiiu4jIn75OJjv513dhfnvcanO/s1600/christian+archie+archies+one+way.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdsiih0OEmM0O4OjEuPf9N-BYX76h-dqAg_22kz5Hioc5HN2tGxRFrGCzhwGp5Wz3d4yHXOJ02vAHHUU_QxTMMj79Zy939OXbRfwgl_htAV3z7ZFXhADiiu4jIn75OJjv513dhfnvcanO/s320/christian+archie+archies+one+way.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710529068861062050" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; font-family:'times new roman';font-size:17px;"><div><a href="http://generationexploitation.blogspot.com/2006/06/history-of-christian-archi_114951302719460209.html">Kliph Nesterhoff</a> gives a thoroughly entertaining<a href="http://generationexploitation.blogspot.com/2006/06/history-of-christian-archi_114951302719460209.html"> history of Archie Christian comics </a>on his blog. An excerpt below:</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; font-family:'times new roman';font-size:17px;"><br /></span></div>"In <span style="font-style: italic; ">Archie's Love Scene</span> Jughead's pet Hot Dog stars in a story called <span style="font-style: italic; ">God Spelled Backwards</span>. Hot Dog fantasizes that he functions as a human, walking upright, and dressed in bell bottoms, head band, and other hippie regalia. Hot Dog pontificates...<br /><br />HOT DOG: It's strange being a human being - after you enjoy all those wild things - then what??? There must be more to life than this!!!<br />[Hot Dog wanders into a Christian discussion group]<br />CHRISTIAN MAN: Welcome - there's just one thing that separates man from animal -<br />HOT DOG: He's speaking to me!<br />CHRISTIAN MAN: Animals can eat and think and communicate to a degree - just as man does - but they can't worship!<br />HOT DOG: Worship? What's that?<br />CHRISTIAN MAN: Animals just aren't capable of faith!<br />HOT DOG: Faith???<br />CHRISTIAN MAN: And without faith man becomes an animal!"</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; font-family:'times new roman';font-size:17px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; font-family:'times new roman';font-size:17px;"><a href="http://generationexploitation.blogspot.com/2006/06/history-of-christian-archi_114951302719460209.html">Read entire blog from Kliph Nesterhoff here</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.carpsplace.com/spire/030.%20Archie's%20Clean%20Slate.pdf">To enjoy an entire Archie Christian comic for yourself go here.</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-64238324601463928602012-02-08T10:13:00.000-08:002012-02-08T10:20:06.388-08:00I was a teenage Tim Tebow by Syler Thomas<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgitOeJhoeeZiQlZXoWB1SOZhBunDxMjNX7G5e6wNTZApdGrZkYdZmS1-riRKvAhoIv0Uv0Rwgi65ee_kHr-QhiF_1_hP50E5El7GPA_T_JGI-InNYpg3YXKzuWl7hnUDCS5NyTQnwjhDr1/s1600/ESC_3278_640_Gbdr.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgitOeJhoeeZiQlZXoWB1SOZhBunDxMjNX7G5e6wNTZApdGrZkYdZmS1-riRKvAhoIv0Uv0Rwgi65ee_kHr-QhiF_1_hP50E5El7GPA_T_JGI-InNYpg3YXKzuWl7hnUDCS5NyTQnwjhDr1/s320/ESC_3278_640_Gbdr.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706831194712815858" /></a>Pastor Syler Thomas will be our guest at 16th Street for post-show dialogue after Accidental Rapture this Thursday, February 9.<div><br /></div><div>Enjoy his article in yesterday's Tribune: <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-perspec-0208-tebow-20120208,0,6723741.story">I was a teenage Tim Tebow.</a></div><div><br /></div><div>It is funny and moving.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-8209309208102224092012-01-24T09:44:00.000-08:002012-01-24T09:53:28.632-08:00So many Raptures... so little time!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyj_FeOek0swTtySGhf6wSZgxgx7T81FwoubmUzcwp1g4FZ_IBwDWkVGI4Sug2WWrm4tab_zCxpvFK8ByOUeMdFRgdmpNgkewMjhOq5EoXzELXGph77MtLWkUd5tHwaiGgoA47IY90xwJX/s1600/ESC_3387_640_Gbdr.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyj_FeOek0swTtySGhf6wSZgxgx7T81FwoubmUzcwp1g4FZ_IBwDWkVGI4Sug2WWrm4tab_zCxpvFK8ByOUeMdFRgdmpNgkewMjhOq5EoXzELXGph77MtLWkUd5tHwaiGgoA47IY90xwJX/s320/ESC_3387_640_Gbdr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701258089290861506" border="0" /></a>I really enjoyed this article written by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ken Trainor</span> in Oak Park's Wednesday Journal and wanted to share it with you: <a href="http://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/05-31-2011/Looking_for_rapture_in_all_the_wrong_places">Looking for Rapture in All the Wrong Places</a><br /><br />Post-show dialogues begin this Thursday and continue every Thursday and Friday following the performance of Eric Pfeffinger's <a href="http://www.16thstreettheater.org/seasonFive/accidentalrapture.html">ACCIDENTAL RAPTURE</a> through February 18.<br /><br />See you at 16th Street!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-73715433026332341422011-09-22T20:47:00.000-07:002011-09-22T21:06:19.769-07:00What are you going to do to participate?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FvPgwFwy7PunY96ak8ovGRaxADc2boXs3c89h1daWIibiMN05GW_aI94PcVtjgOebs3rKknwNjGUgqO2JE9gTXsO4UnJL5wjhp1LN9dl2HY9mf2DQv6IyI1T2ilMfZNO3I-l4SoX2cVM/s1600/John+%2526+Adam.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FvPgwFwy7PunY96ak8ovGRaxADc2boXs3c89h1daWIibiMN05GW_aI94PcVtjgOebs3rKknwNjGUgqO2JE9gTXsO4UnJL5wjhp1LN9dl2HY9mf2DQv6IyI1T2ilMfZNO3I-l4SoX2cVM/s320/John+%2526+Adam.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655400746390817490" border="0" /></a>Had our first talk back tonight after The Beats. Guest poet Shannon Matesky was doin' some truth tellin'. Her spirit is awesome. Confident and full and unafraid and full of love and desire.<br /><br />We talked about spoken word and poetry. And is there a difference. She said "it's poetry if it has art in it." She said she liked Amiri Baraka saying: "I'm not interested in writing sonnets or sestinas or anything. Only poems." and then he adds: "If a poem has got to be a sonnet, it's certainly let me know. (Though I doubt it.)"<br /><br />We talked about audience engagement because when I saw Louder Than a Bomb we were encouraged to make noise, give props, snap, clap, say "ye-ah". The performers were doin' it. The audience was doin' it. And she said it's all about giving permission.<br /><br />Actor Malcolm Callan talked about when he was going to shows as a teen and the band saying: "We are the band. And you are the band. What are you gonna do to participate?"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbU5_9ZzZPgBY_XaPeCySkbTOt5rQrTIpqpvoieYV82ionEcLa39gstP22Q0fAD3jWxfj1R6MOynnw_F5EOQikYMrH8_AXUZQDF-y8AtrCNndktp49JXjykdBeWeMDIcvOWNWe-BXMiyEV/s1600/DSC_2777_640.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbU5_9ZzZPgBY_XaPeCySkbTOt5rQrTIpqpvoieYV82ionEcLa39gstP22Q0fAD3jWxfj1R6MOynnw_F5EOQikYMrH8_AXUZQDF-y8AtrCNndktp49JXjykdBeWeMDIcvOWNWe-BXMiyEV/s320/DSC_2777_640.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655401187407499138" border="0" /></a><br />I guess it's all about asking the question. Giving permission. Turning up the lights maybe just a touch.<br /><br />We will see what happens in the experiment that is "poetry as theater."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-18577321607801156752011-07-19T13:01:00.000-07:002011-07-19T13:19:23.190-07:00"It's not that I didn't want children....."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CVtX2r_tJyOICfeZ40jQiN8wk_aHHF6q20HRmYuBXPZA4rqVjpvwK_bsQKTdfRG09Ra5akgBlZivaSipAJyx6clXVSNQrF2caSqcD01Jstt-AN0vPR6ki_37IWYGz4t5MlC4LHZEoDoN/s1600/Windsong+Dan.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CVtX2r_tJyOICfeZ40jQiN8wk_aHHF6q20HRmYuBXPZA4rqVjpvwK_bsQKTdfRG09Ra5akgBlZivaSipAJyx6clXVSNQrF2caSqcD01Jstt-AN0vPR6ki_37IWYGz4t5MlC4LHZEoDoN/s320/Windsong+Dan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631160518599631794" border="0" /></a>Rebecca Gilman's play THE CROWD YOU'RE IN WITH has got people talking! Theater is dialogue and we hope that this is a safe place to share thoughts, opinions and feelings. Of course we all will not agree with each other. But we treasure the voices of ALL in our community. Hope you enjoy this below from Rosie Newton. After seeing the play last weekend and telling me about her own choices, I asked Rosie to write her thoughts down for our blog. We would love to hear from you too. Please email me yours at info@16thstreettheater.org<br /><br />"It's not that I didn't want children. It's that I never had the urge to have them. It just wasn't there. I never thought about it. When I was in my 20's and friends were starting to get married and then to have babies, I was always a little surprised--"Really? You're having a baby?!"--I had a hard time picturing my high-school pals as parents--probably because I couldn't picture myself as a parent. I still felt like such a kid.<br /><br />When I got to my early thirties, most of my friends were married and starting families. I was less surprised at each new toddler that showed up at barbecues and pool parties, but I still didn't think about my so-called biological clock. Children simply were not on my radar. Once, when a single woman I knew confided that she couldn't believe she was still unmarried and childless, I was struck at how sure she was that she would have been a wife and mother by now. I mentioned the conversation to another friend, and related my astonishment at how let-down this woman had felt--parenthood had seemed, to her, a natural course of events, and somehow it hadn't happened. My friend let me know that most people felt that way. Most people grew up wanting to get married and have a family. I was stunned.<br /><br />I took up the conversation with other friends, and yes, it seemed that nearly everyone I knew had always known that they would have children--even when they were children themselves. As a child, I always saw myself as alone in adulthood--of course, I always saw myself saving a busload of orphans from plunging over a cliff, or curing cancer, or opening a speech with, "I'd like to thank the Academy...", but I never had a motherhood fantasy. My Walter Mitty daydreams didn't include a vision of myself as a mother.<br /><br />Looking back--I'm glad I didn't have kids. As a young adult, I had my own issues to work out, and taking on a helpless, dependent child would quite simply have been a disaster. I am sure of that. My brothers and sisters gave me a dozen nieces and nephews, each of whom I adore and absolutely cherish. Having them in my life has been an absolute joy, and I wonder sometimes what my life would have been like with kids at the center of it, but other than that curiosity, I don't feel a void in my life. Being a mom wasn't for me, and I knew that. It was a certainty that I've held all my life, and I don't regret it. I rarely tell people, though--it makes most folks uncomfortable."<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Rosie Newton is an actress and writer. You may have seen her in Teatro Vista's OUR LADY OF THE UNDERPASS at 16th Street. Interestingly enough, she played the woman who was heartbroken over the fact that she was childless.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-57486905419330353812011-06-21T08:21:00.000-07:002011-06-21T08:36:39.218-07:00What a Stumble Through Teaches Us by Brad Harbaugh<span style="text-decoration: underline; font-style: italic;"></span><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0r34cSQ7a_ggS4GR_A9bjEFvUmmUi58kUc_edSGZC_n2rrgAmJOR1ALEeEZhtNfrOD1wlLi9_o2WYK3tPJVynnGySzU5SOUtJABLuLJ1eQ1ZKavmJVl095-W06tr3H6nNaTILuv8-DAAF/s1600/IMGP2033.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0r34cSQ7a_ggS4GR_A9bjEFvUmmUi58kUc_edSGZC_n2rrgAmJOR1ALEeEZhtNfrOD1wlLi9_o2WYK3tPJVynnGySzU5SOUtJABLuLJ1eQ1ZKavmJVl095-W06tr3H6nNaTILuv8-DAAF/s320/IMGP2033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620695123692626242" border="0" /></a></p><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> <p class="MsoNormal">Earlier tonight, the cast of Rebecca Gilman’s <u>The Crowd You’re In With</u> (Crowd), the next play going up at 16<sup>th</sup> Street Theater, did it’s first stumble through of the show. A stumble through is exactly what it sounds like. The actors start at the beginning of the show and stumble their way through to the end, without stopping, and without shame. They have a notion of their blocking (the movement their characters makes on the stage), they have their lines memorized, more or less (mostly less), and they try their best to do the show without causing injury to self or others or embarrassment to the playwright.<br /><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Pictured cast members Skyler Schrempp and Joan Kohn with Brad Harbaugh.)</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Stumble throughs are often angst ridden experiences for the actors. Moments of the play they thought they had down suddenly go up in flames. Whole chunks of memorized lines simply vanish. The actor’s desire to go slow and not force anything crashes up against the performers desire never to suck, and often the result is ugly. Nevertheless, as bad as a stumble through can be, it is a necessary step in the evolution of a play – a right of passage the artists must go through. Crowd director, Anish Jethmalani, said doing the stumble through is like assembling the skeleton, from which we can then hang the meat.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">With those words in mind we took to the stage tonight…and the results were not bad. Nobody crashed into anyone else, the lines were said mostly in the order they were written and by the characters to whom they belong. And for those moments I was not on stage, I sat in the audience and watched, and I was transported into the world of this play as if I were an audience member seeing it on its opening night. It was wonderful.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Of course the set needs to be finished and the props need to be assembled and the costumes finalized, and many moments need tightening up to meet the director’s and the playwright’s visions. However, even in this stumble through – there was a living, breathing play that was lovely to behold. I’ve experienced that before in rehearsals, where I am able to step back and experience it the way the audience will…just rarely this <a name="_GoBack"></a>early in the process. It’s a special cast, with a great production crew, and I think it’s going to be a very good show.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">That’s not something I say or feel about every show. The truth is, like parents who secretly like one kid more than another, actors have favorites too. Sometimes we don’t know a show is good until it’s in front of an audience…but sometimes there is no denying that what’s taking place in rehearsal is something special. This is one of those times. Of course, no play is complete until the audience is there…and I can already feel my fellow actors itching for that connection with you; for someone to tell this story too, and from whom we will learn what is really important.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Still, what does it all mean? It means that instead of waiting until the show opens to invite friends and family to see the show (after we’ve had a chance to work out the kinks). I’m going to invite them now. Let alone the fact that the topic is one everyone can relate to on some level, I think this play is going to be a hopping good time. The only downside of this production, that I can see, is the limited number of seats. If you’re thinking of coming, my advice would be to get your tickets early…before every last seat in the house is sold to a friend or family member of the performers. If they have the same feeling about this show that I do, they are going to be inviting everyone they know to come see it. The old theater adage is “Bad final dress rehearsal, good opening night.” I might add another. “Not a terrible stumble through, very good play.” </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Written by Brad Harbaugh. Brad plays Dan in 16th Street's upcoming THE CROWD YOU'RE IN WITH starting July 7. He also happens to be married to Julie Ganey (the blond dentist) in our winter production DENTAL SOCIETY MIDWINTER MEETING. </span><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-58025890111004989212011-04-29T09:42:00.000-07:002011-04-29T09:46:44.344-07:00OUR DAD in SpanishFrom Maria who came to OUR DAD IS IN ATLANTIS first weekend.<br /><br />"so i actually found a clip of the staging of play in san luis potosi (my mom's home state). check it out - it certainly conveys some of the same feelings but in spanish it is quite different:"<br /><br />thank you for sharing, Maria!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0T-6dVan1E">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0T-6dVan1E</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-59156318100072862622011-04-28T08:15:00.000-07:002011-04-28T08:21:03.509-07:00Associate Artist Kurt Sharp<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7khfi708Cw3Wo3KQ0FqDtjDpMi0qkMNIhigmnYhsoeU9oLBYWLugMQB0Vja4nLwWzXxwtLEbNH0ihziXoan-f9pGcjsOyLTMm7FL0o2dEG3RaKfj4L-uLAFcwSn166kDIzUJp-a1xtn9W/s1600/our+dad+set.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7khfi708Cw3Wo3KQ0FqDtjDpMi0qkMNIhigmnYhsoeU9oLBYWLugMQB0Vja4nLwWzXxwtLEbNH0ihziXoan-f9pGcjsOyLTMm7FL0o2dEG3RaKfj4L-uLAFcwSn166kDIzUJp-a1xtn9W/s320/our+dad+set.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600653925858375186" border="0" /></a><br />Kurt Sharp's Scenic design rendering for Javier Malpica's <a href="http://www.16thstreettheater.org/seasonfour/ourdadisinatlantis.html">OUR DAD is in ATLANTIS</a><br /><br />The reverse rake gives the subtle illusion that the boys are further away than they really are when they are all the way upstage.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-18984378444414091692011-01-17T12:01:00.000-08:002011-01-17T12:09:14.008-08:00Holy the rap gestures!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03-Oa0K3aTH4UOdUcTyZ3BrKWTeEgbqI6oKXNSvawI2s0Wl4foiSMxe43Wl-usmOH7iFznnOqjYD7-p3ZNkj9mOzQg9IkOhB_8BtBJDBzRzTIIWy8Z2ktGy9AgOTW87nsKoEAZxW4Dqgz/s1600/DSC_2776_640.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03-Oa0K3aTH4UOdUcTyZ3BrKWTeEgbqI6oKXNSvawI2s0Wl4foiSMxe43Wl-usmOH7iFznnOqjYD7-p3ZNkj9mOzQg9IkOhB_8BtBJDBzRzTIIWy8Z2ktGy9AgOTW87nsKoEAZxW4Dqgz/s320/DSC_2776_640.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563249256883841218" border="0" /></a>Here is what I emailed to Kelly Kleiman, <a href="http://www.wbez.org/blog/onstagebackstage/beat-generation-remix-comes-berwyn">regarding her great review of The Beats</a>. I have one "But" I must respond to though, so I share my email to Kelly here:<br /><br />You know I love to dialogue so here are my thoughts RE: "rap gestures"<br /><br />This ain't no period piece. The whole point of the show was to see how these words would sound and feel in the mouth's of today's hipsters. These actors play themselves right now right here in Berwyn reading the words of The Beats from back then. Only once do we go nostalgic and attempt to "bring back the dead" when Adam reads The Railroad Earth in the tone, voice and style of Jack Kerouac. (Our little theatrical moment.) The rest of the time, they let the words influence their own selves. They are not trying to become Kerouac, di Prima, Baraka, Corso, Ginsberg. We are not trying to bring the audience back to the 1940s and 1950s, we are bringing these words of that time right into 2011. But with no tricks and no "updates". <br /><br />The influences of today exist on stage including the wordle painted on the stage wall and the fact that the actors wear their own clothes. (which is amazing that their clothes of today fit right in!!)<br /><br />I am rarely interested in going back and going period. Going period most often to me can feel inauthentic and just a bit phony. <br /><br />Rap on and gesture freely!!!<br /><br />Thanks so much for coming and for your review. I always love to hear your thoughts especially regarding women's roles. Holy Kelly Kleiman!<br /><br />oops: actors names misspelled: John Taflan, Carly Ciarrocchi<br /><br />Holy the dialogue!<br />Ann FilmerUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-5880825175408501642011-01-16T11:04:00.000-08:002011-01-16T11:08:32.420-08:00About Poetry<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9C92F2uqwn_vl9cVleVWK_QUPRdR4Q0-S9_3UDzKqQKd5BLod0gMtnIGrkGg1ySAXfv3Bf_TjeVKJ_7GwsLEWT_Il9OG6l50euvAMMGz4Db4tFGPsZtULCfaylHwGXTiWbWR6gOJLbUw/s1600/DSC_2790_640.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9C92F2uqwn_vl9cVleVWK_QUPRdR4Q0-S9_3UDzKqQKd5BLod0gMtnIGrkGg1ySAXfv3Bf_TjeVKJ_7GwsLEWT_Il9OG6l50euvAMMGz4Db4tFGPsZtULCfaylHwGXTiWbWR6gOJLbUw/s320/DSC_2790_640.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562862591591469138" border="0" /></a>This from Artistic Associate Kirsten D'Aurelio (lead in Menorca)<br /><br />Ann,<br /><br />Bravo on a really spirited and beautifully-staged production!<br /><br />When you talked about the light switch, I thought of this Billy Collins poem. Is this the one you meant? I always read it to my Performance of Lit classes when we start the poetry unit.<br /><br />Have a great run!<br /><br />Peace,<br />Kirsten<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Introduction to Poetry</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">by Billy Collins </span><br /><br />I ask them to take a poem <br />and hold it up to the light <br />like a color slide<br /><br />or press an ear against its hive.<br /><br />I say drop a mouse into a poem <br />and watch him probe his way out,<br /><br />or walk inside the poem’s room <br />and feel the walls for a light switch.<br /><br />I want them to waterski <br />across the surface of a poem<br />waving at the author’s name on the shore.<br /><br />But all they want to do<br />is tie the poem to a chair with rope <br />and torture a confession out of it.<br /><br />They begin beating it with a hose <br />to find out what it really means.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-40581755468197493172011-01-14T09:12:00.000-08:002011-01-14T09:23:55.844-08:00Obama keeps the beat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FQfOIH7lDLv7B2cOfOQW_0FzQhba5m6nhFo4gA4A0YoO6W9HzX3jL2rfjXpswCG9erTVZkJeQA97Iw2ISXVg5MCShO7os1cHtdz109g2qu6QYTxJbPvp2_L3QsTLh-zeQynySBuxJxsx/s1600/DSC_2948_640.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FQfOIH7lDLv7B2cOfOQW_0FzQhba5m6nhFo4gA4A0YoO6W9HzX3jL2rfjXpswCG9erTVZkJeQA97Iw2ISXVg5MCShO7os1cHtdz109g2qu6QYTxJbPvp2_L3QsTLh-zeQynySBuxJxsx/s320/DSC_2948_640.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562093181385240450" border="0" /></a>This from actor John Taflan who plays Allen Ginsberg in The Beats among others.<br /><br />"Thanks for the inspiring words, Ann.<br /><br />A quick bit for you:<br /><br />I was moved to tears this morning by President Obama's speech in Arizona.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztbJmXQDIGA">View speech here.</a><br /><br />Not only because of the maddening brutality of the event which necessitated it, but because of just how BEAT the speech was.<br /><br />Listening to him you could hear Corso, LeRoi, Kerouac, Ginsberg; all of them. A chorus of love flowing from the pedestal.<br /><br />At the end of the speech, in reference to Christina Green--the youngest victim of that terrible day--he says (and I paraphrase, slightly)<br /><br />'May we be forever worthy of her gentle spirit'<br /><br />Holy the supernatural extra brilliant intelligent kindness of the soul."<br /><br />-John Taflan<br />Photo by the great <a href="http://aicardi.net">Anthony Aicardi</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-15364207172153167902011-01-14T08:56:00.000-08:002011-01-14T09:05:46.122-08:00It's all about the words<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AtO1xYa2Mk3NCVl-g4X0R1Z3UfISlp3uhgbtjb5QG3a0bzlo_pjD-axqN2SgDVe36pZVIhWzb4D4o0qMUajxKH1Q9eGj1rNJ1DcCAxEi_oIvsHGMiiCAtSWzdNC_SrPwf1Ch9U1vGqMu/s1600/Adam+as+Kerouac.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AtO1xYa2Mk3NCVl-g4X0R1Z3UfISlp3uhgbtjb5QG3a0bzlo_pjD-axqN2SgDVe36pZVIhWzb4D4o0qMUajxKH1Q9eGj1rNJ1DcCAxEi_oIvsHGMiiCAtSWzdNC_SrPwf1Ch9U1vGqMu/s320/Adam+as+Kerouac.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562088544763716770" border="0" /></a>Words I shared with the cast on opening day of The Beats yesterday:<br /><br />"The day a show starts performances I love to go back to the first idea and the first intention with the work.<br /><br />And as I look back way way off in the distance..... ha ha.... over 3 weeks ago way WAY back to, uh<br /><br />Dec 20<br /><br />I remember thinking and maybe saying:<br /><br />"it's all about the words<br />we discover them at the same time as the audience<br />we do not set the vibe and then say the words. the words carry us to the vibe."<br /><br />or some words like that<br /><br />of course this is theater and we have craft and magic and theatrics on stage and cues and transitions and we have worked all that out and made it precise and swell and fade and pop and all those things that give us structure and magic moments<br /><br />and now we step back from craft and manipulation because that was what rehearsal was for<br /><br />and let the words carry us where they will<br /><br />as poet Jim Carroll said, and I paraphrase:<br /><br />'With performing poetry you just open the door and turn on the light.<br />No need to tell us what all is in the room.<br />No need to point to the chair telling us this is the chair, that is the rug.<br />Just open the door and turn on the light'<br /><br />Holy holy holy<br /><br />It's all about the words"<br /><br />Ann FilmerUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-88217987673631066242010-12-15T18:21:00.000-08:002010-12-15T18:28:34.623-08:00Go Go for 16th Street!The company I used to work for, <a href="http://verticalincorporated.com/">Vertical Incorporated</a> in Wicker Park, devised this<a href="http://gogosanta.com/#16thstreet"> little fun game to raise some money for local organizations including 16th Street!</a> At the same time, turning people on to their business.<br /><br />Will you play a game and allocate some points to 16th Street and/or any other organization you dig? Link is below. I just played and I am so stupid about these things it took me the whole game to figure out how to play it. I still don't really know. Anyway I wouldn't be bugging for some multi-national, but Vertical is a small company full of good-hearted people I really love. So I pass on to you. Go go Santa!<br /><br />Love,<br />Ann Filmer<br /><br />Here's how it works:<br />Go Go Santa is a free-to-play game designed by Vertical to help people relieve holiday stress. We launched our first game in 2009. The 2010 version of Go-Go-Santa goes a little further, giving players an opportunity to allocate Vertical’s end-of-year contributions to one of five organizations.<br /><br />At the end of the game, Go-Go-Santa players will be asked to allocate their points to one, two or more of the organizations. Vertical is limited to making $5,000 in holiday contributions for 2010. It will give a minimum of $250 to each of the five organizations. The remaining $3,750 will be divided among the five organizations based on the number of points each organization earns from Go-Go-Santa game players. Players have until December 28 to allocate points to the organizations. In addition, each organization will have the opportunity to link its donor page to Go-Go-Santa to allow players to make direct contributions.<br /><br />Have fun with the game and enjoy the holidays!<br /><br />Link:<a href="http://gogosanta.com/#16thstreet"> http://gogosanta.com/#16thstreet</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-63225963646235818532010-12-14T12:36:00.000-08:002010-12-14T12:38:16.599-08:00Holy the Wordle!Here is the entire script of Marilyn Campbell's adaptation of The Beats as a wordle. <br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/2884552/The_Beats" title="Wordle: The Beats"><img src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/2884552/The_Beats" alt="Wordle: The Beats" style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-33232702185425719182010-12-10T06:59:00.000-08:002010-12-10T07:13:53.125-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ePsWUQBm9mfBPgkVTTAieAHz3cGRcuyK-E3M9FMxugVbZE5zZqfOg8qhpeMlBtPNSCDLvyR_XySynb9nb0QlsdQJkw8hwiN73BlSaNG0dbhZ7iXQoujQKu7w2oFkiqcR9BQQPfCF7y01/s1600/beats.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ePsWUQBm9mfBPgkVTTAieAHz3cGRcuyK-E3M9FMxugVbZE5zZqfOg8qhpeMlBtPNSCDLvyR_XySynb9nb0QlsdQJkw8hwiN73BlSaNG0dbhZ7iXQoujQKu7w2oFkiqcR9BQQPfCF7y01/s320/beats.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549071281813454610" border="0" /></a>I subscribe to The Sun magazine and in the December issue that just arrived the main article is "Kim Rosen on Reclaiming the Ancient Power of Poetry." As I am starting to direct <a href="http://www.16thstreettheater.org/seasonfour/thebeats.html">THE BEATS</a>, it is easy to get distracted by the scene, the lifestyle, the culture. But they were, they are, Poets. Poets trying to change the world by changing the conversation. Writers changing the way we write and think through Poetry and Prose. Below are <a href="http://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/420/written_on_the_bones">two excerpts from Alison Luterman's interview of Kim Rosen in The Sun</a>, but please go <a href="http://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/420/written_on_the_bones">here to read the entire article</a>. Enjoy!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Excerpt One</span><br /><br /><strong>Rosen: </strong>When you attend a symphony, you lean back, close your eyes, and go for the ride. You’re not thinking to yourself, <em>Now, what was Beethoven trying to say with that particular chord?</em> Most of us don’t analyze a painting by Georgia O’Keeffe. We stand in front of it and observe what happens in our own bodies and minds. <p>But with poetry, because it’s words on a page, we think we’re supposed to understand it the way we understand a newspaper article. The left brain says, <em>Aha! This is </em>my <em>domain</em>. It wants a literal meaning to the poem. But poetry is the stuff of the right brain — the ineffable, the emotional, the relational — arriving dressed up in the costume of the left brain: words. Billy Collins has a great poem called 'Introduction to Poetry.' He invites people to "take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide," but all they want to do, he says, is beat it with a hose to "find out what it really means."<br /></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Excerpt Two</span><br /></p><p><strong>Luterman: </strong>You recently wrote a blog in the <em>Huffington Post</em> about this country’s “metrophobia,” or fear of poetry. Why is American culture so poetry-phobic, whereas other cultures revere poetry and poets?</p> <p><strong>Rosen: </strong>Only a few generations ago in the U.S., poetry was much more popular than it is now. My father, who is ninety, still remembers the John Donne sonnet he memorized in grammar school. Poetry recitation used to be a fixture of small-town American entertainment. But over the last few generations we have managed to marginalize the art form. And it’s not just about the rise of <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">tv</span>, radio, and other technologies taking the place of poetry. Did you know that the most popular <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">tv</span> show in the Middle East is <em>Million’s Poet</em>? It’s like <em>American Idol</em>, but the contestants recite poetry. The show has even inspired a <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">tv</span> channel completely dedicated to poetry, an idea that seems unimaginable in the U.S.</p><p>-- <a href="http://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/420/written_on_the_bones">Kim Rosen and Alison Luterman discuss Poetry in The Sun December 2010 issue.</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-31456109250086012122010-08-27T21:59:00.000-07:002010-08-27T22:01:25.791-07:00MENORCA Rehearsal Blog #2 by Charlie Homerding16th Street intern Charlie Homerding shares more thoughts on MENORCA rehearsals...<br /><br />"The first 2 weeks of rehearsal are over! We’ve had additions, cuts, and revisions of the script. It’s crazy to see the process of a new play. Because no one knows what they’re doing. Just kidding, I do, I make the coffee, remember? But seriously, we’re all trying to figure this play out together. Ann will take time to talk about the scenes making sure we’re all on the same page, and every day the actors will bring something new to their characters. It’s been great to be a part of the process. I’ve been helping the actors out with their lines, and I even got to fill in for an actor the other day! Well, it was really for just a scene or two… and I was carrying a bulky stage manager binder. But still fun!<br /><br />Next week the actors are supposed to be off book. We’ll see how well they do."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-23535431092513166372010-08-23T08:49:00.000-07:002010-08-23T08:57:16.120-07:00Creativity, genius and showing up to workPaula Swasko sent this to me. Thoughts on the creative process and where it comes from.<br /><br />It is a video of Elizabeth Gilbert's speech at the 2009 TED Conference. Didn't know anything about this author before or her work (though I think I saw the film Coyote Ugly) but now I am intrigued.<br /><br />I hope you enjoy it and that it inspires you to show up for your part.<br /><br /><object width="446" height="326"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"></param> <param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/ElizabethGilbert_2009-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/ElizabethGilbert_2009.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=453&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius;year=2009;theme=words_about_words;theme=speaking_at_ted2009;theme=the_creative_spark;event=TED2009;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;"><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="446" height="326" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/ElizabethGilbert_2009-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/ElizabethGilbert_2009.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=453&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius;year=2009;theme=words_about_words;theme=speaking_at_ted2009;theme=the_creative_spark;event=TED2009;"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-15046973985473806012010-08-17T07:45:00.000-07:002010-08-17T20:56:38.839-07:00MENORCA Rehearsal BlogCharlie Homerding, who was my assistant director on last summer's The Last Barbecue is joining us again to help out with MENORCA until he goes back to school at Northwestern for his final year. He will be sharing his thoughts and impressions throughout our rehearsal process. Enjoy! -- Ann Filmer<br /><br />"Most of my days this summer consisted of half hour drives down Harlem Ave. that took 20 min. or 45 min. depending on road construction, car accidents or my own tardiness.<span style=""> </span>My destination?<span style=""> </span>The 16<sup>th</sup> Street Theater.<span style=""> </span>Yesterday was our first rehearsal for <i>Menorca</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.<span style=""> </span>I was told to make coffee.<span style=""> </span>I really don’t drink coffee… How much do I put in?<span style=""> </span>I figured stronger was better than weaker.<span style=""> </span>The actors can always put more creamer in it, so I went with five – not four – spoonfuls of the generic coffee mix that Ann bought.<span style=""> </span></span> <p class="MsoNormal">The actors slowly filled in the seats around the large table that our stage manager (Patrick) and his assistant (me) made out of two smaller tables that can be found in many park district basements.<span style=""> </span>I noticed the age diversity in our cast as they poured their coffee (hope they liked it) and chatted with each other.<span style=""> </span>The older members of the cast are, for lack of a better description, middle aged.<span style=""> </span>The younger members range from early 20s to young 30s.<span style=""> </span>Where do I lie?<span style=""> </span>I’ll be 21 on August 18<sup>th</sup>.<span style=""> </span>Ages are important.<span style=""> </span>It helps when we can put people on a spectrum.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The opening monologue begins with the main character’s perspective on time.<span style=""> </span>Layers are more important to her than linear progression.<span style=""> </span>She’s an archeologist and likes to dig.<span style=""> </span>Apparently that qualifies her to make grand statements about the world.<span style=""> </span>Like she’s been through life or something.<span style=""> </span>Oh wait, I forgot... she’s middle aged.<span style=""> </span>And of course, we later see her struggle through slightly confusing time lapses that capture everything from love to identity crisis.<span style=""> </span>And she doesn’t really talk about layers and linear progression again… at least not as overtly as in that opening monologue.<span style=""> </span>Her life is confusing.<span style=""> </span>She grew up speaking Catalan with a Basque accent, then Castilian with a Catalan accent.<span style=""> </span>Then went to England with a “Spanish” accent, and now she’s in America where she fits perfectly.<span style=""> </span>Ha!<span style=""> </span>Just kidding, she doesn’t fit perfectly.<span style=""> </span>That’s the whole point of the play.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I think this play is about deconstruction.<span style=""> </span>We start with the epiphany.<span style=""> </span>We start with message.<span style=""> </span>It’s there in the first five minutes.<span style=""> </span>The audience can leave.<span style=""> </span>See ya later! Come back for next season!<span style=""> </span>But a paragraph or a quote or a cute little message doesn’t really touch an audience.<span style=""> </span>It doesn’t let the audience have their own epiphany.<span style=""> </span>We have to deconstruct first, and that happens when we see this character slowly realize how fragmented and chipped and fractured her life is.<span style=""> </span>She doesn’t think linearly.<span style=""> </span>She can’t.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Every night I drive home from 16<sup>th</sup> and Ridgeland and go back to Burbank, IL, and I see the landscape slowly change.<span style=""> </span>I pass through Chicago’s very own borderlands.<span style=""> </span>Cultures and languages that have nothing in common find their place on a pot holed line called Harlem Ave.<span style=""> </span>Do we just see it as a spectrum? Where each end stays put and everything in the middle is lost in the shuffle of left turns and yellow lights?<span style=""> </span>Or do we see it as layers?<span style=""> </span>Where one thing makes up the other thing and we build upon each other?<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I guess the only way to answer that question is if we deconstruct.<span style=""> </span>What are our layers?<span style=""> </span>How can we be this thing and also be that?<span style=""> </span>Can I be the rehearsal assistant stage manager and learn more than just how many spoonfuls makes the best coffee?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I don’t know… I guess we’ll have to see how the rest of the rehearsal process turns out."</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-35531582300727895122010-07-26T10:44:00.000-07:002010-07-26T10:48:07.195-07:00Bones, Basques & Barcelona: Day 9 (Final Day)Hope you have enjoyed actress Kirsten D'Aurelio's blog. This is her final post. Rehearsals for MENORCA begin in just 3 weeks from today!<br /><br />"On our last day of “Where’s Ollie?”, I was up and out of our Barcelona hotel with great anticipation to see a local phenomenon of cultural identity: the Sardana.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBRxxURVITz-DgD4qXXivbTpS0QmaEwgKc-qZ6SRX9QQnIRQhQhQzPn5qN64x4kAPROJ9MFtj3sdzwx8lQ18E3h2JaKUlrwTavVEkw72qEKOtOEzR2hZa5-uHbVUQ0__gYGK1eMed60U2/s1600/Day9.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 89px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBRxxURVITz-DgD4qXXivbTpS0QmaEwgKc-qZ6SRX9QQnIRQhQhQzPn5qN64x4kAPROJ9MFtj3sdzwx8lQ18E3h2JaKUlrwTavVEkw72qEKOtOEzR2hZa5-uHbVUQ0__gYGK1eMed60U2/s320/Day9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498272838827337490" border="0" /></a><br />Every Sunday at noon in Barcelona's Barrio Gotico area, traditional Catalan music is played by an 11-piece band. As the music begins, groups of men and women appear, forming circles of about 12-30 people. In the center of the circle, they all place their belongings—purses, shopping bags, etc. as a statement of sharing, unity, trust. When the music starts, they clasp hands and hoist them above their heads, where they remain for the whole dance. Then the fancy footwork begins (I couldn’t get it down), sometimes with a spring in the step but never rotating the circle very much at all. This is the mid-19th century folk dance known as the Sardana. The dancers, most of whom were in their 60’s and above, had very determined expressions on their faces. Though the music sounds pretty upbeat to me, there’s wasn’t a lot of joy expressed in the dance; it doesn’t seem to be about that. There is a quiet elegance, a rootedness about it. Some of the dancers wear white espadrille shoes (invented by the Basques, by the way.) When the song ended, the groups dispersed, but others popped up all around the plaza while the band continued to play. An elderly woman approached me for a donation “for la musica”, and then looked me strongly in the eye and carefully pronounced the word “Sardana” to me, as if this were an important moment of cultural transmission between us. When I repeated it back, she nodded and gave me a sticker with the name of the sponsoring organization on it, and then disappeared into the crowd, just like the dancers. I was so moved by this display of unity, cultural pride, creative expression. For me, there was a feeling emanating from them that this dance is a link to a collective past, and ain’t no way they’re letting go of it (and indeed, there was one group of 40-somethings, not quite as skilled, but clearly grooming themselves to receive the torch.) All of this was made even more meaningful to me when I learned that the Catalans had their own 9/11 terror---in 1714. The King of Spain sent orders from Madrid to slaughter Catalan patriots, and they were killed on September 11, 1714 and buried in a mass grave in another plaza nearby, which has a monument with an eternal flame commemorating their 9/11 massacre. Even today, this dance is apparently ridiculed by many in Spain. So expressing their cultural identity week after week is an act of historical defiance and cultural survival. The serene but resolute looks on the dancers’ faces tell the whole story of what this enduring ritual means to them. I was moved to tears by the entire thing and will never forget it. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwhHjF_umsI&feature=related"> Here’s another traveler’s footage of it: </a><br /><br />After this glorious beginning, it was on to the Picasso Museum. Somewhere into his Blue Period, I was hit with a mild case of Stendhal Syndrome and Could. Not. Take. In. One. More. Visual. So I sat on a bench while my husband finished the exhibit, and I contemplated the artist’s loooong baptismal name, a series of names honoring various saints and relatives. The early paintings in the exhibit were signed “Pablo Ruiz Picasso”. Then “Ruiz Picasso.” And by 1901, I noticed that the Ruiz had dropped out. From then on, he was just Picasso, which is his mother’s birth name. Why did he go the nontraditional matrilineal route to self-identify? Was Ruiz too common? Was he closer to his mother? My character’s name, Ollie, is actually a nickname for a long set of names like Picasso’s, but her surname is the traditional patrilineal. So much of the “who am I?” and “where do I belong?” questions seem to be wrapped up in a name. Perhaps that’s because, as the Basques say, “Izena duen guria omen da.” (“That which has a name, exists.”) When you choose a name, you pull that identity more strongly into existence.<br /><br />Continuing our exploration of the Barri Gotic, we found the old Jewish Quarter, which was an active ‘hood in the 12-14th centuries but now has been completely subsumed. We peered at buildings up and down those narrow streets until we finally spotted a mezuzah (ritual door ornament) on a small, unobtrusive doorway. At that moment, a young man and and elderly woman approached and knocked on the door. “It’s the old synagogue,” he said, and it was closed, but according to the elderly lady we could find a Hebrew plaque “dans la rue.” Several meters down la rue, we finally saw some Hebrew lettering and an inscription dedicating the service of one Rabbi Samuel. Scrawled on the plaque in pink spray paint were the words “LIBRE PALESTINE!”, making the dedication to the rabbi only partially legible. As Ollie says in the script, “It does not matter if you are not political, because the world is political, and you live in it every day....you cannot avoid it, it follows you home.”<br /><br />The easy, clean Metro took us to 3 final attractions: La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s cathedral-in-progress (since 1882); Park Guell (wonderfully whimsical Gaudi—Willy Wonka meets Dr. Seuss); the Magic Fountains of Plaza Espanya (even better than Buckingham Fountain). Then on to a fabulous farewell meal with tapas and sangria. Barcelona is a beautiful city that anyone would be proud to call home.<br /><br />Now back to Chicago to integrate the things I’ve learned in the last 9 days so I can bring Ollie to life! Thanks for traveling with me. Hope to see you at the show in September!" ----KirstenUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-23042421397149875212010-07-22T12:41:00.000-07:002010-07-22T12:45:29.833-07:00Bones, Basques & Barcelona: Day 8Second-to-last post from actress Kirsten D'Aurelio...<br /><br />"We’re back in Catalan territory here in Barcelona, though there are little touches of Basque culture here---mostly bars or restaurants, where the Euskera font is used to draw you in, but the food isn’t really Basque cuisine. It’s just a lure, a way of appearing exotic or something, and a bit exploitative if you ask me, like a Native American at a casino. No Basque flags, no Euskera on the signs here. It’s fascinating how geographically contained Basque culture is; just a short 45-minute flight southeast within Spain and poof! A whole would-be nation has disappeared. Which means that Ollie was an outsider here at 8 years old, and found herself faced with a new language (Catalan.) By the time this play begins, adult Ollie can speak Euskera, Castillian Spanish, Catalan, and English (British, Canadian, and U.S. varieties.)<br /><br />To get a fast orientation to Barcelona since we’ll only be here 2 days, we hopped on a city tour bus that allowed us to hop on and off as we pleased. First stop: the Joan Miro museum. Really wonderful collection. Then we rode a cable car gondola that took us to the top of Mont Juic (“Mount of the Jews”). Ironically, the 9th century Jewish tombstones that gave this place its name were moved to a museum one year ago, so it’s now really “Mount of No Jews”...But the view from there is stunning, overlooking the whole city, harbor and sea. Barcelona really is a gorgeous city. Back on the bus, we glimpsed the Olympic Stadiums and a cool sculpture by Calatrava. Then a very tall statue of Christopher Columbus on a colonnade near the harbor. It’s interesting how many peoples like to claim him: his native Italians, Italian-Americans, the Basques (who built his ships and sailed with him), the Spanish (who employed him.)<br /><br />Also saw the stadium complex for FC (Football Club) Barcelona, the city’s pride and joy athletic institution and soccer team. Ollie mentions them in the play.<br /><br />Got a brief taste of the wonderful Gaudi architecture at the Pedrera house. I’m starting to understand “modernisme” (the Catalan art noveau movement) better, and in general the contributions by Catalans like Gaudi and Miro. Catalans here live inside the city, but are also outside it (one bit of graffiti read “Catalonia is NOT Spain!”) So would Ollie have felt a kinship with Catalans, who have a separate, distinct cultural identity just as the Basques do? Interestingly, there was a “Forum of the Cultures” in Barcelona in 2004 to recognize “nations without states,” and attendees included Basques, Catalans, Native Americans, Roma (Gypsies) and Maoris. A big party for the outsiders.<br /><br />Late in the day, we wandered the Ramblas, a long pedestrian mall lined with trinkets, trash and tourists, which I found to be crass, commercial and cacophonous (wasn’t happy to see Burger King, McDonald’s and KFC jammed with excited tourists at 1 a.m., either.) But on one side street off the Ramblas, there is a recently-discovered Roman necropolis right in the middle of this commercial district! Not your every day find in modern day Barcelona, and the novelty of this made me wonder how the heck a person like Ollie becomes interested in antiquity (archaeology) when surrounded by so much modernity in a big, up-to-date cities like Barcelona and San Sebastian. Where did her vocational passion come from? Have to figure that one out. <br />Here are the tombs:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-n1THGRGRLoG3EhwQqsgzBroR_YES7AqUQbn5sYBfNSsGlNjhID1rAqJiVVwSywViH8pATI8-cTY59AZ_fvUhxl81lPhNiLO_XKgfnpeQzEak3PGyMpwdJWkRR4qnKDVcZFV8q9HUHOVQ/s1600/KirstenMenorca.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 165px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-n1THGRGRLoG3EhwQqsgzBroR_YES7AqUQbn5sYBfNSsGlNjhID1rAqJiVVwSywViH8pATI8-cTY59AZ_fvUhxl81lPhNiLO_XKgfnpeQzEak3PGyMpwdJWkRR4qnKDVcZFV8q9HUHOVQ/s320/KirstenMenorca.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496818633741723010" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Tomorrow: my last day to soak up sunny Spain, and to find more of Ollie in her childhood city!"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-30933598726846658872010-07-19T08:33:00.000-07:002010-07-19T08:37:40.491-07:00corrections for Chris Jones<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcf5nEzzJ8l8_w1jOh0leg6plDicpcKpQqaSxBbnXTE6sTHFHH_jqjEVKWkd6fVsSPxx3UpxGfquX_oFZeB457AAZvrj3hqTKXvyezZb6q6AEunGVXVoZ_5UaJSdI_J56YLNsKNTXaths/s1600/DSC_7559_640.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcf5nEzzJ8l8_w1jOh0leg6plDicpcKpQqaSxBbnXTE6sTHFHH_jqjEVKWkd6fVsSPxx3UpxGfquX_oFZeB457AAZvrj3hqTKXvyezZb6q6AEunGVXVoZ_5UaJSdI_J56YLNsKNTXaths/s320/DSC_7559_640.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495641866052363650" border="0" /></a>Some corrections to <a href="http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/the_theater_loop/2010/07/riding-the-chicago-rails-with-tony-fitzpatrick.html">Chris Jones review of THIS TRAIN</a><br /><br />Dear Chris,<br /><br />John Rice is the guitar player, the music director and the one who wrote (along with Kat) the music for the song poems that Kat sings. <br /><br />John did not have his back to the audience the whole time.<br /><br />That man playing the harmonica was Buzz Kilman as the Hobo Ghost. You could also think of him as Mr Fowler.<br /><br />The lyrics for those song poems are from Tony's Hobo Alphabet Series of collages. A collage was projected after a story (they go together) while Kat gives voice to the poem within the work of art. Video artist Kristin Reeves focuses our attention onto the detail of Tony's art so we can see the hobo alphabet symbols, poetry, details and objects within his collages. Then she shows the collage in its entirety.<br /><br />THIS TRAIN was not found. It was deliberately and specifically crafted to give the audience a deeper look and understanding into Tony's work as an artist and a storyteller, along with his day-to-day struggles and shortcomings as a human being who lives, works and participates in our great and complicated city of Chicago.<br /><br />more later<br />annUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-67841682381608082392010-07-19T08:32:00.000-07:002010-07-19T08:33:10.266-07:00Bones, Basques & Barcelona: Day 7Actress Kirsten D'Aurelio's blog researching MENORCA... Day 7<br /><br />"Devoted the last day in Euskadi (Basqueland) to visiting Ollie´s birthplace: Donostia (also called San Sebastian, in Spanish.) I was eager to see what kinds of formative sights/sounds/flavors might have shaped Ollie as a child. 2 buses got us from Bilbao to Donostia´s Boulevard near the old town, which is chock full of pintxos bars, gelaterias, and bakeries. After a quick breakfast, we strolled along the 2-mile shoreline of the Playa Concha, which has beautiful views of the surrounding hills and the Atlantic Ocean. Less beautiful though is the dingy promenade and the surrounding buildings. A bit like Coney Island--faded glory. For some reason that even the tourist office couldn´t explain to us, there were polizia everywhere, some doing random vehicle checks, and we also encountered some pretty unfriendly merchants in the shops. Are they sick of all the tourists (who apparently comprise 50% of the population at any given time), perhaps? We tried to shake it off by wading into the ocean, but the hypodermic that washed ashore didn´t help matters. What to do? Something that is not deductible on my performing artist tax return: a visit to the fancy beachside spa. 4 pools, 2 saunas, and a relaxation room later, we felt ready to return to the town. I sought out the famous "pastel vasco" (Basque cake), which has been around for centuries. It was oddly-shaped, sort of like a pot pie, but tasted delicious. The ikkariña (Basque flag) was displayed everywhere. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to stop by Bar Herria, a haunt for Basque nationalists, where apparently there are photos displayed of some of the more violent members of the movement, who are currently serving prison terms.<br /><br />Did a mad dash back to Bilbao to catch our flight only to find it delayed due to the rain in Spain. So all in all, not the best day of the trip. But still some highlights, like the picturesque views of the hills and valleys and the whitewashed, red-roofed Basque houses I could see out the bus window between Donostia and Bilbao. Also a great ariel view of the Pyrenees on the flight to Barcelona tonight (where I am writing this blog entry.) By the end of the day, we will have followed Ollie´s trail on 5 buses, 2 taxis, and a plane---whew!<br /><br />And what of Ollie today? I came away from Donostia wtih the thought that due to the massive tourism industry in her hometown, Ollie was exposed to lots of people from different places, speaking different languages, different cultural values, etc. San Sebastian today has 180,000 people, so Ollie didn´t grow up in a tiny Basque village like the one we visited last night. She had a big view of the world right from the start, and though she would have had plenty of company as an "euskal herria" (speaker of Euskera), she was living in a place where other cultural identities were alive and well. Was that environment enough to cement her Basque identity, or did it leave a window open for questioning who she was? At 8 years old, she would move to an even bigger place--Barcelona--with her family, so that´s where I´m headed now to see where she finished growing up. Tomorrow: Barcelona!"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3494196303882264594.post-74527855288805212692010-07-18T06:56:00.000-07:002010-07-18T06:59:04.996-07:00Bones, Basques and Barcelona: Day 6Day 6 of actress Kirsten D'Aurelio's trip to Spain to prepare for her role as Ollie in MENORCA...<br /><br />"Took some time away from show research to visit Bilbao´s pride and joy: the Guggenheim. Fantastic. Shimmering. Sculpture within sculpture. For a Chicagoan, seeing designs by Gehry, Kapoor and Calatrava is a very familiar experience, so that makes Bilbao truly feel like a sister city. I love it here.<br /><br />But in the evening it was back to the show. We were treated to 4 hours of incredible hospitality from our new Basque friends, Itsaso and Egoitz. (These are older Basque names that are being revived by the parents of the post-Franco generation. Itsaso means "sea.") They picked us up at the hotel and we took a scenic drive out to their farm in Laudio, about 30 minutes outside Bilbao. Their traditional etxea (house) has been in the family for 150 years, and its name and family crest are prominently displayed over the door, just as Ollie describes in the script. We met an aunt, grandmother (88 años)and Dad. Beside the house is a vegetable garden, and lots of roosters. Down a short path, the family´s vineyard appears---4 hectares worth. We got a tour of the winery, and Itsaso and her dad explained the process with the vats and showed us the labeling and corking machines.<br /><br />Then the fiesta! We drank the lovely wine, of course---a white variety called txakoli--and Egoiz cooked for us. Our meal: deep-fried pig´s blood cubes (very good if you follow Itsaso´s advice and don´t think about it too hard), tortilla espanola (Spanish omelette), fresh (from their garden) green peppers with coarse salt, bread, and some chocolate candies we had brought as a gift from Gernika. Delicious! Served informally on napkins with toothpicks for utensils. The weather was perfect,and we were joined by 3 more friends as well. So the 7 of us had a lively conversation about gender roles in Basque life, politics, Basque culture, music. Some struggling to understand each other at times, but Itsaso´s great English saved the day (and her Spanish-English dictionary, which enabled us to look up harder words like¨"wild boar", "partridge", "woodcock", "criminal", and "stubborn".)So grateful to Itsaso for all her translating. 4 hours must have been exhausting, though we all tried to help by being enormously expressive and pulling on the little Spanish and cognates my husband and I knew.<br /><br />Some ideas: there is displeasure that, especially by Spaniards in the south, the Basque country is perceived as a dangerous place, since in reality there is so little crime and the terrorism has been so infrequent and small-scale (esp. compared to 9/11, as one person pointed out.) It´s true--we´ve felt perfectly safe here even at midnight on the Gran Via, and there are no partitions between driver and passenger in the cabs as there are in Chicago and NY and other US cities. There´s a feeling that politicians use the terrorists as a dodge for talking about real problems, such as drunk driving and domestic violence. Sound familiar?<br /><br />What about a separate Basque nation, we asked? Not much interest in our group. They feel solid in their identities as Basques (their primary identities) and feel very content with their lives. Securing a nation isn´t a priority for them, and they consider themselves apolitical (like Ollie.)<br /><br />Speaking Euskera outside of Basqueland? This would provoke curiosity, they said, but not necessarily disdain.<br /><br />Female power? Lots of spontaneous discussion about this. Women rule the home and family in Basque culture. But they cannot inherit the legacy homes, and they aren´t always paid equally in the workplace or represented in political bodies. Despite this, Basque women are considered to be very independent, especially compared to other Spanish women as a whole. They have jobs, own property, delay motherhood. We were told repeatedly that Basque women have this very strong, indepdendent character, and that their men aren´t threatened by that, including the possibility that a woman would earn more money. This is a lot for me to think about as I consider Ollie´s relationships to the men in the play.<br /><br />All of these serious themes were interspersed with guitar playing and loud singing (including La Bamba and "Don´t Worry, Be Happy.") As if all of this weren´t enough, Itsaso very graciously agreed to read Euskera words and even an entire English monologue from the script into my digital tape recorder, so I have fantastic source material now to design my dialect for Ollie. <br /><br />One final treat on the way home: a stop at a scenic overlook for a fabulous view of Bilbao at night. Reminded me of Mulholland Drive in L.A. What an incredible, authentic experience! I feel so fortunate.<br /><br />Tommorow: to Ollie´s birthplace!"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0