RPO Tiny Tots Concert

I was delighted to be invited to 'guest blog' for the RPO earlier this week. I'm lazy, so here's the link to their blog!

http://rochesterphilharmonic.blogspot.com/2017/05/music-comes-to-life-for-kids-at-rpo.html

I had a limit on my word count, so what I didn't mention for their blog was what a wonderful singing voice Michael Butterman has...

“Other than Honorable” at Geva Theatre Center

Riveting. Intense. Gripping. Compelling. These are comments you hear leaving the theatre after Geva’s current production of Other than Honorable, by playwright Jamie Pachino. Jamie was inspired to write this play about sexual harassment in the military after reading a Salon.com article about soldiers and the aftermath of being attacked. She felt that the lack of justice they received, and the ability (or inability) of these victims to move forward “desperately needed to be dramatized.” (The creators of the documentary Invisible War were similarly, independently moved.)

Jamie is no stranger to the stage or to Geva – her Splitting Infinity premiered here in 2006. But she has been in Los Angeles for 14 years, so she is currently better known for her work in feature films, TV movies, and TV series, such as Chicago PD. So it’s no surprise that this new stage drama, having its premiere at Geva, is as fast-paced as a TV show. Luckily, she doesn’t have to cram the entire plot into 48 minutes – the drama unfolds over two hours, and we really get to know each of the characters and watch them evolve. Jamie not only has a good sense for authentic dialogue (I loved the real life talking over each other moments), but she’s creatively mixed on-stage and video-taped actors, and keeps us on the edges of our seats until the very end. She’s presenting a very tough, real, contemporary subject, but has personalized it to give the audience a way to understand it in less vague terms (although she still manages to hit us with some staggering statistics, and I didn’t leave feeling optimistic that this play won’t still resonate in 25 years…).

According to Mark Cuddy, Artistic Director, this has been one of the most complicated Geva productions ever – not just because it’s a new play, but because the scenic design is incredible (not in the “I’d like to live there” way of the set of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, but in the intricate double turntable system and the backdrop of projection screens). The set movements definitely keeps pace with the progression of the play, and I know I wasn’t the only audience member to be exhausted for the actors by the end of the show!

For more information and tickets (through May 21), visit www.gevatheatre.org

Geva Auditions

No, I did NOT audition to be in a show!

When Mark Cuddy announced to the trustees his intention to open next season at Geva Theatre with In the Heights (the 2008 Tony Award winner for best musical and best original score, with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, of Hamilton fame), the excitement in the room was palpable. In order to commit to the show, his question to us was whether we would commit to sharing that excitement with our friends (who might not be familiar with the musical), and whether some of us would commit to help produce the show (since it will be a large production, in the vein of Spamalot). The answer was a resounding “yes!”

One of the benefits of being in the “Scale the Heights Producing Group” was the opportunity to attend a casting session, either here in Rochester or in New York City. Since the latter didn’t fit my travel schedule, I opted for the former. It was a new experience for me to watch someone audition. The auditions were scheduled in 6-minute intervals – so little time to make a lasting impression!

Since I arrived early, I had the chance to chat with two brothers who were auditioning, one of whom now lives in NYC (and has appeared Off-Broadway). It would be the first audition for most in this round, and many of the actors had been recommended by the Rochester Latino Theatre Company, which is Geva’s community partner for this production.

I got to watch 9 auditions (4 men and 5 women) in my hour slot, and it was fascinating to see the range of talent. Two of the men were particularly adept at rapping, and more than a couple of the women seemed to project and connect vocally and emotionally. Melissa Rain Anderson, who will direct this show (and who directed the recent productions of Spamalot and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum), asked a couple of the actors to re-sing a passage, to get them to convey that the character is the hero of his/her own journey, even if her or she is a victim. I’m not sure if she elicited the effect she was looking for – I couldn’t really tell the difference…

Mark Cuddy & Melissa Rain Anderson

After the auditions, Mark and director Melissa explained the process – they would be calling back a couple of these actors for dance auditions over the weekend. Mark also explained the complex rules regarding equity vs. non-equity actors for chorus vs. principals, as well as an exception to the chorus rule is to use college students. Of the auditionees I watched, only one, Demetrio, was a student (at Nazareth College), and I recognized him immediately as a star of recent SOTA productions. He is definitely maturing as a singer.

I wonder if any of the actors I would have chosen will wind up in the cast – I’ll definitely hold onto my notes. And I look forward to taking advantage of my other producing group benefits, such as attending the first read through, and sharing my experiences with my friends. Because in the end, if my enthusiasm for this show isn’t contagious, then I haven’t fulfilled my end of the bargain.

The actors only sang about 32 bars from selected songs for the auditions, but these snippets definitely made me want to hear more! These are the songs I already have rolling around my brain waiting to put them into context:

“Hundreds of Stories” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA51MNJ5KlA

“When the Sun Goes Down” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxBODJ5vJWk

“Everything I Know” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B4cSDcPADQ

“Paciencia Y Fe” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldv7aWp9z9A

For more information on the upcoming season, visit www.gevatheatre.org