Taking Sides
Alright my faithful readers I am back. My sojourn into Scotland as Macbeth has ended and now I'm headed to Berlin (post war) to bust Nazis as Maj. Steve Arnold. Actually I'm headed back up to Ventura to work at the Rubicon again. And I couldn't be more excited. (And no, not just because I'm getting away from my screaming children).
So there is a lot to know about this play, and my involvement in it. I did a production of it two and a half years ago at Little Fish theatre. And it was great! (despite what some sad, jealous piece of shit might think...also my character calls everybody a piece of shit, so get ready for some cussing). The production (then and now) is directed by Stephanie Coltrin, who is my artistic other half. I actually have to re-do my resume when I audition now because we have worked so much together it is crazy. Not crazy. It's great. When we first worked together we promised to do it 100 more times. We may be closing in on that number...so I will raise it to infinity times. That she relies on me to play these roles is an honor and a privilege. Cy Brown (my little brother) and Tara Donovan (my carpool buddy) are also doing it again. And that makes me happy. I know Steph would have been delighted to move the entire group up there, but it's far away and people in LA have lives and jobs that can't just be put on hold for a couple of months. People, am I right? So I will miss Kristina, Jim, and Richard. I love them all. But I am really excited to see what this play becomes with Vivien, Adrian, and Peter.
Ok, so coming back to a role is always a bit tricky. I mean, I just re-did Macbeth after 15 years. But this is a little (a lot) fresher. It's been two and a half years. But in that time, I have become a different person. Hell, just playing Macbeth in the interim has made me grow. But also the world is very different, and my place in it (lacking my dad) is very different from what it used to be. But let's talk about the world. Donald Trump is President of the United States of America. That sentence is crazy. And he is not only using tactics out of Hitler's playbook (and that of all dictators), but he has also given rise to a new wave of proud Nazis. Racists no longer have to hide in the shadows under this regime. Hell, they are "fine people" according to the minority Prez. And this change alone makes me curious as to how this play will be received. When we did it over 2 years ago, we were living under Obama. And although Fox News was trying to convince the red states that they were under siege, we were actually doing pretty well as a country. We had climbed out of the worst recession since the great depression, we were getting troops out of the middle east. Bin Laden was dead. America seemed to be great. (despite what the red hats said.) And the response to the show was somewhat hostile. One patron said she wanted to punch me in the face. My character is "persistent" as a mother-fucker. He is the catalyst. His job is to take down this Maestro. But as we worked on it (in the room) we really had no idea that I was going to be perceived as the villain. The play is named "Taking Sides" for a reason. There are two camps and Ronald Harwood (the brilliant writer) seemed to slant it to Furtwangler's side in the play. And we were all quite frankly surprised at how angry people were at the way my character treated the bandleader. Because in the room, we saw both sides. We are artists and we understand the inherent need of art to counter tyranny. But we are also free human members of a republic and we are keenly aware of corruption and those who benefit from the system and flout the rules. This play lives in that intersection. And when it was written, Harwood believed that being tied to the Nazi party was like death sentence. Unlike today where it gets you on the staff of the White House.
A synopsis of sorts: The war is over! Hurrah! Adolph blew his brains out and the Russians, British, and Americans closed in and won WWII. In the aftermath, the allied forces divide Berlin and seek to find those who are responsible for (and benefited from) the atrocities of the regime. Dr. Wilhelm Furtwangler is banned from his job, but desires to work again. The play is set in the office of Major Arnold (a fictional character played by me) whose job is to nail the bastard Wilhelm Furtwängler (real life conductor and celebrity played by Peter Van Norden) as a Nazi. It is a beautiful play filled with nuance which my blog cannot possibly express. But the central theme is what makes somebody stay in a situation that they know is awful, how do they benefit, and at what point are they complicit? It also tackles the role of art and popular culture as it pertains to politics. (Thanks "45" for making our play even that much more relevant by complaining about the NFL peaceful protests). Ultimately, it asks the question who benefits, and at what cost?
I have been in a constant battle over the last week or so over the NFL players right to peacefully protest. I'm all for it by the way. But it has revealed the racist undertone of this nation. It also has shown the leader of this nation stepping on freedoms of citizens of this country. (It is actually illegal for somebody who is in government to call for the firing of a private citizen under the first amendment...Mueller, Mueller, Mueller). One of many laws that this maniac is breaking in his total disregard for law, the constitution or civility. So, coming to this play again now is fun. And I wonder how it will be received. I mean I got thousands of hate tweets because I supported people kneeling during the anthem, but at the same time over half the country knows that this shit is fucked up and wants him impeached. So, the world in which we live is in a volatile state (as it was in the aftermath of WWII). Most have little patience left for this would-be monarch. And we just witnessed literal Nazis carrying Tiki torches in an American city. We remember what that shit show was. And we don't want that. So, how will the audience take the play now? What side will they take? I'm curious. Because Major Arnold is a tiger. He is a dog with a bone. He is relentless in his pursuit...not of truth, but of nailing the bastard. How do we feel about that now? Today? In this world? I guess we'll find out.
Here are some other observations I've had since I found out I was doing this again:
-Learning lines from a play you did in the last few years comes a bit easier.
-But if you learned those lines incorrectly, it takes time to undo that.
-It's exciting to enter a production completely off book.
-Two and a half years is a good amount of time to take away from a play. I've done many things since. I've had quite a bit of life experience thrown my way. The world has shifted. But I still remember the things I discovered in the text.
-The Rubicon in Ventura is my second home. I've done a couple of fight choreo things there in this last year, as well as "Moonlight and Magnolias." My dad died while I was there last year. But my fellow artists were there to help me. It's just a really good room for me, and I'm glad to be there again and I hope that in these tough times for theatres that people will donate and keep it going for another 20 years.
-Spending so much time doing Shakespeare makes you a better actor. Playing the text is always the best first option. Finding antitheses (even in modern text) is useful. Having the chops to do a soliloquy makes these speeches doable.
-I've found so many moments that I didn't get or understand before already and we haven't even gone into rehearsal.
-Doing this play, right now, may be the most important piece of theatre I've ever done.
So, we start on Tuesday. I can't wait.
So there is a lot to know about this play, and my involvement in it. I did a production of it two and a half years ago at Little Fish theatre. And it was great! (despite what some sad, jealous piece of shit might think...also my character calls everybody a piece of shit, so get ready for some cussing). The production (then and now) is directed by Stephanie Coltrin, who is my artistic other half. I actually have to re-do my resume when I audition now because we have worked so much together it is crazy. Not crazy. It's great. When we first worked together we promised to do it 100 more times. We may be closing in on that number...so I will raise it to infinity times. That she relies on me to play these roles is an honor and a privilege. Cy Brown (my little brother) and Tara Donovan (my carpool buddy) are also doing it again. And that makes me happy. I know Steph would have been delighted to move the entire group up there, but it's far away and people in LA have lives and jobs that can't just be put on hold for a couple of months. People, am I right? So I will miss Kristina, Jim, and Richard. I love them all. But I am really excited to see what this play becomes with Vivien, Adrian, and Peter.
Ok, so coming back to a role is always a bit tricky. I mean, I just re-did Macbeth after 15 years. But this is a little (a lot) fresher. It's been two and a half years. But in that time, I have become a different person. Hell, just playing Macbeth in the interim has made me grow. But also the world is very different, and my place in it (lacking my dad) is very different from what it used to be. But let's talk about the world. Donald Trump is President of the United States of America. That sentence is crazy. And he is not only using tactics out of Hitler's playbook (and that of all dictators), but he has also given rise to a new wave of proud Nazis. Racists no longer have to hide in the shadows under this regime. Hell, they are "fine people" according to the minority Prez. And this change alone makes me curious as to how this play will be received. When we did it over 2 years ago, we were living under Obama. And although Fox News was trying to convince the red states that they were under siege, we were actually doing pretty well as a country. We had climbed out of the worst recession since the great depression, we were getting troops out of the middle east. Bin Laden was dead. America seemed to be great. (despite what the red hats said.) And the response to the show was somewhat hostile. One patron said she wanted to punch me in the face. My character is "persistent" as a mother-fucker. He is the catalyst. His job is to take down this Maestro. But as we worked on it (in the room) we really had no idea that I was going to be perceived as the villain. The play is named "Taking Sides" for a reason. There are two camps and Ronald Harwood (the brilliant writer) seemed to slant it to Furtwangler's side in the play. And we were all quite frankly surprised at how angry people were at the way my character treated the bandleader. Because in the room, we saw both sides. We are artists and we understand the inherent need of art to counter tyranny. But we are also free human members of a republic and we are keenly aware of corruption and those who benefit from the system and flout the rules. This play lives in that intersection. And when it was written, Harwood believed that being tied to the Nazi party was like death sentence. Unlike today where it gets you on the staff of the White House.
A synopsis of sorts: The war is over! Hurrah! Adolph blew his brains out and the Russians, British, and Americans closed in and won WWII. In the aftermath, the allied forces divide Berlin and seek to find those who are responsible for (and benefited from) the atrocities of the regime. Dr. Wilhelm Furtwangler is banned from his job, but desires to work again. The play is set in the office of Major Arnold (a fictional character played by me) whose job is to nail the bastard Wilhelm Furtwängler (real life conductor and celebrity played by Peter Van Norden) as a Nazi. It is a beautiful play filled with nuance which my blog cannot possibly express. But the central theme is what makes somebody stay in a situation that they know is awful, how do they benefit, and at what point are they complicit? It also tackles the role of art and popular culture as it pertains to politics. (Thanks "45" for making our play even that much more relevant by complaining about the NFL peaceful protests). Ultimately, it asks the question who benefits, and at what cost?
I have been in a constant battle over the last week or so over the NFL players right to peacefully protest. I'm all for it by the way. But it has revealed the racist undertone of this nation. It also has shown the leader of this nation stepping on freedoms of citizens of this country. (It is actually illegal for somebody who is in government to call for the firing of a private citizen under the first amendment...Mueller, Mueller, Mueller). One of many laws that this maniac is breaking in his total disregard for law, the constitution or civility. So, coming to this play again now is fun. And I wonder how it will be received. I mean I got thousands of hate tweets because I supported people kneeling during the anthem, but at the same time over half the country knows that this shit is fucked up and wants him impeached. So, the world in which we live is in a volatile state (as it was in the aftermath of WWII). Most have little patience left for this would-be monarch. And we just witnessed literal Nazis carrying Tiki torches in an American city. We remember what that shit show was. And we don't want that. So, how will the audience take the play now? What side will they take? I'm curious. Because Major Arnold is a tiger. He is a dog with a bone. He is relentless in his pursuit...not of truth, but of nailing the bastard. How do we feel about that now? Today? In this world? I guess we'll find out.
Here are some other observations I've had since I found out I was doing this again:
-Learning lines from a play you did in the last few years comes a bit easier.
-But if you learned those lines incorrectly, it takes time to undo that.
-It's exciting to enter a production completely off book.
-Two and a half years is a good amount of time to take away from a play. I've done many things since. I've had quite a bit of life experience thrown my way. The world has shifted. But I still remember the things I discovered in the text.
-The Rubicon in Ventura is my second home. I've done a couple of fight choreo things there in this last year, as well as "Moonlight and Magnolias." My dad died while I was there last year. But my fellow artists were there to help me. It's just a really good room for me, and I'm glad to be there again and I hope that in these tough times for theatres that people will donate and keep it going for another 20 years.
-Spending so much time doing Shakespeare makes you a better actor. Playing the text is always the best first option. Finding antitheses (even in modern text) is useful. Having the chops to do a soliloquy makes these speeches doable.
-I've found so many moments that I didn't get or understand before already and we haven't even gone into rehearsal.
-Doing this play, right now, may be the most important piece of theatre I've ever done.
So, we start on Tuesday. I can't wait.
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