We're busy finalizing the details for our 4th season -- Wow! It will feature the return of "The Dijon Discussion Series" -- staged readings of plays designed to encourage energetic dialogue. Lots more exciting news coming .... soon!
(hint.... CS Lewis will play a part in 3 of the 6 season offerings!)
Which character or moment or image from Fires in the Mirror lingers in your mind?
Watching rehearsals for Fires in the Mirror has got me pondering the "performance of gender." Like the playwright (Anna Deveare Smith) who initially performed Fires, our actors (Michelle Hand and Rory Lipede) portray many male characters -- and it's exciting to watch them move beyond stereotype to honest specific choices that create each individual person.
And yet, the reality that these are females portraying males never completely disappears (nor does the fact that they play characters that differ from them racially). It would be really interesting to see this show performed as we're doing it (2 women playing all the roles) and then performed by actors who visually match the characters. I wonder how the meaning of the story might change? Would we be more or less engaged in the theatrical experience?
OK -- show of (virtual) hands -- who remembers the TV show "Moonlighting" with Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis? (All of you who weren't yet born in the mid-to-late 80's, stop making the rest of us feel old!) "Moonlighting" was the first TV show (in my memory at least) to break the "fourth wall" - the characters referred to themselves as characters on a TV show, frequently talking about the Network and the Writers and the Audience.
I thought of "Moonlighting" last night as I was watching the hilarious production of "The 39 Steps" at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Four actors portray a myriad of characters, and they let the audience in on the fun by acknowledging the "we're pretending" part of theatre. There seems to be a trend toward productions where a small number of actors play multiple characters -- as in our upcoming production of Fires in the Mirror -- and there's no attempt to hide the fact that they are actors switching roles.
When an audience sees an actor switch characters through a simple change of hat and posture, they become a vital participant in the theatrical exprience. The character and story are co-created by actors and audience, who use their imaginations to create a unique event which will never exist in exactly the same way again.
Theatre relies on the imaginative participation of the audience in a way that neither television or film do. We create a community which creates the art together.
So exercise your imagination. Choose to be an art-maker. See a play.
In 1863, Fanny Kemble published her jounal of day-to-day life on a slave plantation which was read on the floor of the House of Commons and credited in part for England’s decision to aid the North in winning the US Civil War. Her fight for equality is echoed one hundred years later, in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous dream "that we will one day be judged, not by the color of our skin, but by the quality of our character."
Join us on Monday, January 18 at 7 pm as we celebrate Martin Luther King day with Fanny Kemble - Shame the Devil - a woman show chronicling Fanny's struggles and triumphs. The performance is a fundraising event for Mustard Seed Theatre, with a suggested donation of $25 -- so you can see a thought-provoking show, contribute to our company, and celebrate the spirit of MLK day all at that same time!
Seating is limited, so reservations are suggested - 314-719-8060. For online tickets, click on the "Fanny Kemble" button on the home page of our website: www.mustardseedtheatre.com
Only just now typing the word "familiar" did I notice how much it looks like "family" -- I'm not an etymologist, but I can see what's right in front of my nose! I rode the train today with my son Andy - it's a holiday tradition for us - and as the wheels clacked rhythmically it occurred to me that it's the Familiar that is comfortable, and it's often the Familiar that we seek -- and this is a definite problem for those of us in the Theatre! In the first place, the theatre itself is not a familiar place for most of the population. Add to that our penchant for New Stories and Challenging Experiences .... well, it's kind of a recipe for "no butts in seats."
How can we make the theatre a more Familiar place for more people? Does it require known stories and characters? How can we make attending the theatre a tradition?
dj
professional theatre about our relationship with God and our ethical responsibility to the world
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