What Side are You On?
I can't believe that we only have one week left of "Taking Sides" at the Rubicon Theatre. I had intended to write a blog a week, but it's been such a whirlwind that I guess you'll only get that glimpse from the beginning and here at the end. But I do want to write a few words about this journey before it is over.
The process was challenged with all sorts of technical problems, but they hired the right people to make that all run smoothly. There are so many things that happen behind that scenes that nobody could possibly know. But doing a play takes a village, and if some of the villagers don't show up, then you need to send out for reinforcements. Luckily, Steph and Karyl Lynn know the best people to contact. And if not for this blog, nobody would know that there was no set or lights a week before tech. We have a gorgeous set, and beautiful lighting and sound. It's a mystery how these things work out. (And by mystery, I mean a lot of really talented and dedicated people work really hard behind the scenes to make sure nobody notices them). Heroes.
But enough about other people doing amazing things. Let's talk about me--doing highly polarizing things. When I played this role before, I remember that we were all shocked at how hostile audiences were to my character. Not all. For sure there were some people on my side. Tara's husband, Matt, for instance, saw the absolute rightness of Major Arnold's argument. But many found it hard to root for this coarse, pushy, persistent Army Major. Especially since he was going head to head with the elegant, well spoken, bereaved Conductor (who may or may not have been a Nazi). It seems that the message that is delivered is less important than how it is delivered. If Major Arnold spoke politely, and respectfully brought up the same points that he does in the script, then nobody would have a problem. But, hey this is live theatre and we aren't here to make anybody comfortable (at least we shouldn't be).
Coming back to the play nearly three years later, and with all of that in mind, I was very mindful of fighting for Arnold's POV as we went through the process. I was aware that some people will just hate me for being the "ugly American." And although I can't do anything about the lines in the script (as an actor I feel I have a sacred bond with the playwright to say the words he wrote and with the intention he imagined), I was very aware of how we framed the scenes and how they were skewed. One might think that a play called "Taking Sides" would be balanced, and maybe it is for a European audience who can still walk out and see bomb damage from WWII. But for us Yanks, it's pretty one sided. So I fought for Major Arnold. I fought for those moments of care and humanity. I fought against him being framed as the bad guy in scenes. And for all of that work, I still had a woman in talk-back tell me three times that she hated me and wanted to come onstage and hit me. I had thought that living in a country where we have actual Nazi's once again marching in our cities that people would more readily side with Major Arnold's stance that anybody who benefited from the regime should be punished. I thought that living under Trump's curious rise to power and his cronies being white supremacists would somehow balance the scales (that are written so unevenly). But ultimately, the best I got was a woman saying that she loves to hate me in it. I'll take it.
The good news is that despite how off-putting Major Arnold is (or hopefully partially because of it), the play is a huge success. We were critic's pick in the LA times. We get standing ovations every night. People have been moved to tears (and those happy few who side with Arnold moved to laughter) on a nightly basis. The cast is great. All of them bring such truth and beauty to their roles. And just being able to work with Peter Van Norden has been a blessing. He's undoubtedly a genius actor, but so much more. He's so supportive and kind and a great acting partner. I feel very lucky that our paths have crossed, and hope that they do again.
The play is beautiful. It may make you uncomfortable. It will definitely make you think. It is filled with flawed humans doing the best they can. Which is a lot like life.
Anyway, this hardly scratched the surface of all that I wanted to talk about, but it's all I got in me. Hopefully I'll see you this week.
The process was challenged with all sorts of technical problems, but they hired the right people to make that all run smoothly. There are so many things that happen behind that scenes that nobody could possibly know. But doing a play takes a village, and if some of the villagers don't show up, then you need to send out for reinforcements. Luckily, Steph and Karyl Lynn know the best people to contact. And if not for this blog, nobody would know that there was no set or lights a week before tech. We have a gorgeous set, and beautiful lighting and sound. It's a mystery how these things work out. (And by mystery, I mean a lot of really talented and dedicated people work really hard behind the scenes to make sure nobody notices them). Heroes.
But enough about other people doing amazing things. Let's talk about me--doing highly polarizing things. When I played this role before, I remember that we were all shocked at how hostile audiences were to my character. Not all. For sure there were some people on my side. Tara's husband, Matt, for instance, saw the absolute rightness of Major Arnold's argument. But many found it hard to root for this coarse, pushy, persistent Army Major. Especially since he was going head to head with the elegant, well spoken, bereaved Conductor (who may or may not have been a Nazi). It seems that the message that is delivered is less important than how it is delivered. If Major Arnold spoke politely, and respectfully brought up the same points that he does in the script, then nobody would have a problem. But, hey this is live theatre and we aren't here to make anybody comfortable (at least we shouldn't be).
Coming back to the play nearly three years later, and with all of that in mind, I was very mindful of fighting for Arnold's POV as we went through the process. I was aware that some people will just hate me for being the "ugly American." And although I can't do anything about the lines in the script (as an actor I feel I have a sacred bond with the playwright to say the words he wrote and with the intention he imagined), I was very aware of how we framed the scenes and how they were skewed. One might think that a play called "Taking Sides" would be balanced, and maybe it is for a European audience who can still walk out and see bomb damage from WWII. But for us Yanks, it's pretty one sided. So I fought for Major Arnold. I fought for those moments of care and humanity. I fought against him being framed as the bad guy in scenes. And for all of that work, I still had a woman in talk-back tell me three times that she hated me and wanted to come onstage and hit me. I had thought that living in a country where we have actual Nazi's once again marching in our cities that people would more readily side with Major Arnold's stance that anybody who benefited from the regime should be punished. I thought that living under Trump's curious rise to power and his cronies being white supremacists would somehow balance the scales (that are written so unevenly). But ultimately, the best I got was a woman saying that she loves to hate me in it. I'll take it.
The good news is that despite how off-putting Major Arnold is (or hopefully partially because of it), the play is a huge success. We were critic's pick in the LA times. We get standing ovations every night. People have been moved to tears (and those happy few who side with Arnold moved to laughter) on a nightly basis. The cast is great. All of them bring such truth and beauty to their roles. And just being able to work with Peter Van Norden has been a blessing. He's undoubtedly a genius actor, but so much more. He's so supportive and kind and a great acting partner. I feel very lucky that our paths have crossed, and hope that they do again.
The play is beautiful. It may make you uncomfortable. It will definitely make you think. It is filled with flawed humans doing the best they can. Which is a lot like life.
Anyway, this hardly scratched the surface of all that I wanted to talk about, but it's all I got in me. Hopefully I'll see you this week.
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