Sunday, February 15, 2015

Day two at Centre

Hey,

The two days at Centre were incredible. The shows could not have gone better. Both shows set an attendance record for the department. Both shows received standing ovations. The casts shared a similar love and ownership for their characters as the Ashland cast. Lindsay and I were fortunate to be at Opening on Friday and then closing on Saturday. We both showed our New York Theater mindsets when the play sold out again the second night in thinking 'they should extend.' We want the students to hold on to this experience.

I was struck by the temporal experience of a production. A play exists in the period of time that it is being performed. Here is a photo of the theater at half-hour and then one just a few hours later as the stage is cleared and the department prepares for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to begin rehearsals.
Pre-show
after strike
What I appreciated about talking with the students on Saturday before the show were the things of permanence that this experience was creating. Emily, who played Briana, articulated what a lot of the cast members felt about their contribution to the characters in the play. In this video, she talks about how the make up of the character will remain forever, and the importance of that for her.



And again all of the students spoke about the value of being part of a developing a play that will be published. Something that Indie Theater Now offers many playwrights. It is a tremendous resource for others to be able to find our plays but the students, and again Emily, captured one of the great values of being published. It is tangible evidence and documentation of what we've created to share with the world. It is validating. Thank you Martin and Rochelle from everyone involved in The Farm Theater's College Collaboration - and I am sure the playwright's on Indie Theater Now feel the same. The documentation of the art and process that you offer is greatly appreciated.


The students talk about the value of the relationships they formed with Lindsay and I. One of the primary goals of the program is to connect early career artists with younger artists in order to form mentoring relationships - if not formal mentors, at least contact with someone who is a little further ahead. I was thrilled and grateful to hear Seth, who played Peter, talk about this as one of the values he appreciates the most from this project.



Lindsay has a play opening this week in Brooklyn. Then she will focus on rewrites for Clark. That production will go up in a month. The process keeps moving forward. Today I am grateful for the things that are taking root and will remain from this process for a very long time.

Thank you Centre College for an excellent production and an incredible few days.
Thank you all for being a part of this process.

Talk with you soon.

Padraic

No comments:

Post a Comment