An Actor Prepares [for Medea]

CONGRESS IN SESSION

Medea is a role actresses wait their entire careers for. I am playing her at 23. It is quite the undertaking.

I have no equal parallel in my own life to what Medea goes through. But I have experienced the emotions - loss and love, hate and hope, anger and ardor. What makes her human is that she lives always between these contrasts and that is where I will find her.

The beauty of the way we are working on this project is that I do not need to recall sad memories to play this character truthfully. I need only to rely on the intricate text, to push it, analyze it, live in the sound of the words and the emotions will come.

We are using an approach, a system, very new to me on this production. I am like a recent convert to this way of working. It inspires and excites me and I have put all of my stock in it. But I also go through moments of doubt and frustration. I just have to trust it.

It is first and foremost about the text. Everything - character, emotions, honesty - will come from the form. Ryan Emmons, our fearless director, had me read Peter Hall’s Shakespeare’s Advice to the Players.

• "First comes the form and second comes the feeling."
• "Here is the paradox: by hiding the feeling you reveal it, by not indulging it, you express it. This is the contradiction of all great acting."
• "Shakespeare’s text is a complex score that demands to be read as a piece of music, learned like the steps of a dance, or practiced like the strokes of a duel."

Shakespeare may not have written Medea, but we are working with a finely crafted, rhetorical, verse play. Sir Peter has made me hyper-attuned to the sound of words. I dig at the script searching for antithesis, monosyllabic lines, onomatopoeia, and repeated sounds. To this I add the wisdom of Michael Chekhov (I’m currently reading his Lessons for the Professional Actor)

• "Whatever we are going to experience on the stage - even if it is terribly heavy and uneasy - the impressions that it is terribly heavy must be given, but how it is produced must be artistically light and easy always."

For me, at this moment, Medea is not a woman who kills her children. She is a woman in pain. She must sing though she only talks, dance though she only walks.

My mind is very full of ideas at the moment. It is excitingly overwhelming.

Written by Julie Congress

The Benefits of Starting Out

It’s easy to think, as you watch the group of singers you’re working with huddle around a microphone that you have jammed into a roll of paper towels because you lack a microphone stand, what are we doing?  If you fin yourself looking at that shoved in microphone or building all of your props out of cardboard, don’t doubt yourself…applaud.  Think “wow, this was a way better idea than using that beer glass on a pile of chairs.”   Whether recording a song or rehearsing a play, if you are just starting out, you’re probably working in somebody’s apartment, your neighbors hate you, and you rehearse after an eight hour work day.  These conditions are less than ideal, but at the end of the day, no one is going to see your apartment, they will see your work on a stage, they will assume you had a long rehearsal period in a large studio with a full day of technical rehearsal…this is part of the magic of indie theatre.    

So as you tie up your bed sheets to make yet another set of costumes, I wanted to take a moment to mention some of the positives of creating theatre as a new company:

·      No one is working on a project because of all the money they are going to make, people are working with you because they want to create art and believe that your company can facilitate that.

·      You don’t have to follow any rules…but it’s a good idea to make some up.

·      No matter how ridiculous your choices are, people will read them as gutsy because you’re just starting out – so the theatre you make can be way out there.

·      You can drink wine at rehearsals (not recommended for every rehearsal). 

·      More established artists are super enthusiastic and encouraging about your work…grass roots are trendy right now.

·      You have the gift of time, if you want to spend 5 months on 1 project…that’s possible. 

·      You’re not cornered into a niche, you can keep exploring different genres and mediums.

·      You can choose the work you do, it’s always better if you are passionate and have something to say about the play you are working on.    

·      If you have a flop, it won’t destroy you…your audience base isn’t that big anyway.

 

Those are just a few thoughts…there may be more, but I’m young and have crazy ideas and lots of time…so you’ll have wait.  Be adventurous and let us know when you are…we’ll come check it out.

 

Written By Ryan Emmons         

Acting

There are countless books on acting. Everyone has their own theories and systems. But how does the 21st Century, Indie Theatre actor tackle a role? Here's what some of the working actors we most respect had to say when we asked them the question:

How do you prepare for a role?

Daniel Talbott: "I wish I was better at answering this question but the thing I find most helpful for me to begin working on a play is to try to read it as many times as I can and ask as many questions as possible before going into rehearsal. I try to figure out as much as I can about the world of the play, the other characters in it, and the given circumstances for all of us based on what’s written. I try to be as full and inspired as possible and have ideas and choices and questions to bring to the table on the first day, and at the same time always try to make sure I haven’t made anything truly concrete yet cause I don’t think the work can really happen without everyone else in the room. You may come up with the most brilliant physical characterization in the history of theatre but if it has nothing to do with what the rest of the cast and the director and playwright and designers are trying to work on in telling the story of the play it really doesn’t matter. I read somewhere once that great acting is like walking a tightrope or plate spinning. I guess I try to know as much as I can and be in the best shape possible—spiritually, emotionally, physically—as an artist to try to start learning how to walk that specific rope or spin the particular plates that the play I’m working on requires. For me all the preparation you do on the outside is about making it possible to come to the rehearsal room excited, open, positive; with ideas, choices, and confidence to be able to be a brave and risk-taking part of the ensemble, because for me there’s no play and no theatre without the other folks in the room." http://www.risingphoenixrep.org/


Daniella Rabbani: "I start with the text which is great when you're working with a good writer and a little tricky when you're not. But judging the writing is not my job, so before anything, I trust the writer, director, other actors, and myself. Which sounds a lot easier said than done. So when I read the text, I'm looking for clues about the character and the given circumstance which informs my physical choices. Where I hold tension, weight or energy. I try to improvise in that new body in rehearsal and then get off book as soon as possible. Walk down the street speaking my lines, dream about moments that could be better, and generally obsessing." http://www.daniellarabbani.com/


Michael Criscuolo: "First, I read the play once, maybe twice, to determine the story, where my character fits into it, and to get a sense of the relationships between my character and all the others."

"Then I start going through all of my character's scenes one by one to figure out what my character wants (i.e. their intention) and how they're going to get it (i.e. their activity). Those two things are my anchors throughout rehearsals. If I run into trouble at any point, I re-examine/tighten/clarify the ol' intention-and-activity game plan, and that usually takes care of things."

"I'm also a fan of what others might call more "external" facets of acting: characterization conveyed through voice, body language, appearance, etc., and how one's intention influences those things and vice versa. Often times if I get stuck or want to figure out a new way to develop a character, I imagine how another actor might play my role. For instance, I just finished playing Lopakhin in The Ninja Cherry Orchard at The Brick Theater. This is a character who's gone from being a peasant to a wealthy merchant. I had no idea what that meant in terms of actualizing the role in a flesh-and-blood way, but I remembered that Brian Dennehy had once played this part for Peter Brook. So I started thinking about how he would do it. Well, for one thing Dennehy wouldn't put on any airs. Everything would be very straightforward with no frills, because he's a very salt-of-the-earth type of guy. And once I started thinking about Lopakhin that way, it became much easier to figure out how he would pursue his intention and react to certain other things in the play."


Adam Lerman: "Every character is different, and often the way that I approach the role tends to work alongside how the director is approaching the play. That may sound obvious, but if we're mining the text at the top of the process, then the dramaturgical work will come in first. Sometimes the director and I will talk about other actors or characters as references, but sometimes the characters come from notions in the text, or physical work, exercises, etc... Sometimes the character will remind me of someone in my own life, and I'll blend that person(s) with myself and other sources. The possibilities are endless."

"One of the challenges I battle with the most is avoiding my go-to tricks and old habits. People-watching tends to alleviate those issues, because in impersonating other bodies outside my own, I find I immediately depart from my natural muscular patterns (which can make for some uncomfortable and awkward postures and walks). And additionally, once the text has really been analyzed and the intentions are evident, the clarity of the character starts to really shine through, my obligation is to use those mental, emotional and physical tools to just honor those things." http://www.thisisadamlerman.com/

Medea Trailer

We will have this video up on our website soon...but until then you can view the Medea trailer on youtube at this link:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBcYnUw_sNo

Enjoy and let us know what you think!

Surfing Medea Part 4

Alright, here it is...our last picture post before our big release. Things are coming together nicely and we are very excited for the end of the week, but still have a lot to do before then!

Our noble film makers set up the perfect frame.  


The men stand by as the women pose on the rocks.

One of our movie stars consults with the director of photography.  


"That's a wrap!"

An Informative, Bulleted List

CONGRESS IN SESSION

We’ve learned a lot in the past year and a half here at No.11 Productions. Here is my short list of things we’ve learned from experience, both good and bad. I hope it can be helpful to people in the industry (particularly those just starting out) as well as informative for those not in the world of theatre.

• Keep setting your goals higher and higher. In theatre, and in life.
• Festivals are your best friend when you are starting out! Some of our best (and most lucrative) experiences have been doing the FringeNYC, FRIGID New York, Capital Fringe Festival, and SaratogaArtsFest. A festival comes with a built in audience, and does some of the hardest advertising for you. It’s also WAY cheaper than renting out a space.
• Always get a recommendation! Whenever you are renting a new space, working with a new actor, etc.
• Even though you may not be paying your actors, don’t feel like you are inconveniencing them. Your cast and crew may be pro bono, but you are still giving them a gift – the chance to do what they love.
• Going hand in hand with that, be prepared for heartbreak. A close friend and brilliant actor in your show may get a paying gig and leave you to do it, even though he/she knows it’s an inferior production. It happens. You have to get over it and move on and hope that one day soon you’ll be big and important and able to pay them what they deserve.
• The internet is your friend. We’re still learning and working on that. Find us now on Twitter!
• Personally, I would much rather work with someone who was good to work with and I enjoyed collaborating with than someone who was more talented but harder to deal with. Especially when you’re rehearsing in someone’s apartment, after an eight hour work day.
• Read a play before you agree to produce it.
• Do both big and small projects. Follow your interests, see where it leads you.
• Don’t rush! This was the hardest lesson for us to learn. We were VERY prolific our first 15 months. But now we’re working on what is undoubtedly our most ambitious, best production to date and it’s because we have TIME.
• Be super careful when it comes to contracts. Don’t let yourself be rushed or bullied into signing something until you are sure it’s right for you.
• Befriend other companies of your size. It’s not a competition.
• SEE THEATRE (and art and dance and read and be an open-minded citizen of the world).

Written by Julie Congress

Surfing Medea Part 2

Here is the second installment of photos from our film shoot for the Medea trailer!


The wind whips at Medea as she says goodbye to the perfect life that has just been stolen from her.


Two of our actress keep warm between takes, with long scarves and big smiles.


Our cameraman sneaks off for some establishing shots.


The dramatic sky steals the scene in this awesome shot.

Surfing Medea

We just got these pictures loaded onto our computer and cannot wait until our trailer for Medea airs to share how beautiful and awesome the beach was.

Here are a few pictures from the beach to whet your appetite:



The film crew frames the shot for an ethereal looking Chorus from the trailer for Medea No.11 just shot on Long Beach Island.



You might not be able to tell, but these girls are cold wearing an array of fabric, bed sheets and a lot of safety pins in late November on the beach!



A windy scene between Medea and Jason that will blow you away when you see the trailer.



The movie crew and director pack up for the night...never fear though, more pics to come and the release date for the trailer is slated for Dec. 18th.

On Location

This weekend, I felt like a professional director. I always aim for professionalism, but I often cannot help but feel like a young theatre artist who is playing “theatre company” with his most talented friends. This weekend, shooting the trailer for Medea down on Long Beach Island, my friends became professionals, and I was inspired.

Perhaps it was because we were on location, with perfect weather and knew that the cameras were rolling. Perhaps it is because many of us had worked together before, and we are getting a few steps closer towards an ensemble of actors that is happy to work with us on whatever kooky project we propose next. Or maybe we are simply growing into ourselves as people and artists and there’s a certain maturity that comes with age…although I would like to stay young and idealistic for another year at least.

When we came back from the beach one of the actors said, “It was an incredible experience, seeing artists creating the kind of art that you yourself want to be creating, and then also getting to be a part of it.” It was funny to hear this, because I felt the same way…I thought “yes, this is the quality of work we should be creating all the time”. Now, I have not seen any of the edited footage, and who is to say what the final product will look like, but even the clips we saw from each day (those are called dailies from what I’ve heard), I found myself taken aback. Much of the professionalism and tone of the weekend came from our unbelievably talented and professional film crew, which consisted of Danny Caporaletti and Dylan Frayser. These two film makers are not only talented artists, but some of the best collaborators I have ever worked with. The actors were all phenomenal and the beach was a star performer. I honestly could not have had a better introduction into film directing, I’ve caught the bug and you should keep your eyes peeled for even more. We will post some pictures of our shoot soon, as to whet your appetite for the finished trailer, which is slated to be released before the holidays take over!

-Ryan Emmons

Manning the Ship

For the past few weeks I have been meeting with and inviting various artists, designers and actors to work on our upcoming production of Medea. No.11 Productions is just over a year old (officially) and no one who works for us has, up to this point, been financially compensated. Medea will be no different. The advantage to this (to be the forever optimist I try to be), is that you have a group of dedicated artists creating “art for art’s sake”. Actors, designers, musicians etc., are creating solely for the sake of putting something out into the cosmos that might open up the opportunity for different people to broaden their various perspectives of the world we live in. I know, that sounds a bit utopian and it’s a poorly structured and wordy sentence, but that is at least how I see it. I can tell you for a fact that this is not how all 20-something-year-old artists see it, no matter how fledging they may be. Some young artists expect to be paid, and I hope they are…but we cannot afford them.

When I approach different artists to engage in a project, I am asking them to commit time, talent and energy to somebody else’s vision, in this case mine. There is an instant pull between “that sounds awesome” and “I should be focusing on my own art.” My theory (and I would dare to say No.11’s) is that theatre is a meeting place for all of the arts, and that an artist that works in the theatre is stretching their own art/talent in directions that no one artist would think of on their own…collaboration leads to higher art. I’m sure Mr. Van Gogh would disagree, but he never worked in the theatre. So my leverage to engage artists becomes, work on a project with No.11 Productions, and you will come out of it a stronger artist. I never push someone to collaborate with me because without money or a contract, it is passion and friendship that hold a particular production ensemble together, and even these qualities are not fool proof. When a “better” (read: paid) opportunity rolls along, most actors and designers cannot resist…and I have never held this against them. Have I kicked and screamed and cried? Sure, but only for a moment before I start making phone calls.

There have been people who have worked with us consistently and beautifully and who we continuously turn to for their talent, guidance and support. Young companies and artists should find other young companies and artists they enjoy working with and believe in and invest their efforts. No one I know (in my age bracket) can invest several thousand dollars into No.11 Productions, but my peers and friends invest time and effort because they believe that our small theatre company has the potential to be one of the greatest non-profit theatre organizations of our generation (or at least self sufficient). They believe that the theatre we create and the vision we hold is worth what they have to offer. I find this idea tremendous and inspirational. In a year, we have grown much faster than I ever had expected, and with no intention of slowing down, I feel confident in our path. I have too much respect for the artists we have worked with, and will work with, to allow them to come to a dead end when a production is over. No.11 Productions is an ensemble company, and although we are still many artists away from being a true ensemble, we get closer with each production.

My goal is to have a full cast and list of designers before the New Year, a collective of passionate, growing and invested artists who have the desire to make our production of Medea unforgettable. I will keep you posted.

-Ryan Emmons

Puppet Progress

Jen's turn. The others are hopefully going to wean themselves back into blogging via short Twitter updates (follow us - just search No11productions!). Until then, I'm taking things into my own hands here on the interweb. I'll have fewer insights about directing and acting, but more pictures of STUFF. So.

No.11 has an ambitious and exciting production of Medea coming up in February as part of FRIGID New York. (You may remember No.11 from such past FRIGID productions as Jet of Blood or the Ball of Glass).



The character Medea has two young boys. This will be one of them.



The cat is a real cat. He's mean to me, but he likes to help.





Our boy is starting to get some meat on his bones. This picture was taken right after a field trip to Starbucks, so he's happy and relaxed (he's made out of recycled Starbucks cardboard; he feels at home there). My co-workers were sufficiently creeped out, which means I'm on the right track.

In related news, No.11 is filming its first theatrical trailer next weekend at the beach! Get excited.

-Jen

Lysistrata

Our original adaptation of Lysistrata opens this Friday in the New York International Fringe Festival. We’re performing it al Fresco, that is to say outdoors, in a park, and it’s FREE!

As a special sneak peek at our adaptation (written by Ryan Emmons and Julie Congress), why don’t you meet the characters of Lysistrata.

LYSISTRATA – The lady with the plan. ALWAYS SPEAKS THROUGH A MEGAPHONE. Grade A monologist. Quotes a lot. Played by the incomparable comedic actress, Jackie Byrne.

THE COMMISSIONER – The head-honcho of the Athenian Army. A mixer of metaphors, with the occasional splash of a similie. He’s trying to put a stop to Lysistrata and her coupon-cutting curs! Played by William Popp, tall as a tower and with more gravitas than Sir Isaac Newton.

KLONDIKE – Lysistrata’s second in command. She is one cool cucumber - mmmhmmm, honey! Always equipped with a one-liner, she is played with sass and class by Sara Kliger.

SOCRAPLATRISTMENIDEURIPPHANES – A reluctant soldier with the heart and soul of a dozen philosophers. Why did the Gods put him on earth? Do the Gods even exist? Why does he keep having so many existentialist breakdowns? Why is Sam Parrott so incredibly good at being so lost and confused?!

MARINE – Either the spaciest, dittziest woman to every live or the cleverest, most cunning. Which is she? We may never know! Played with mysterious vacancy by the inestimable Marie Roussel.

KINESIAS – Marine’s sweet and simple husband. This soldier has come a long way to see his wife. If only she would stop finding more bedding in the Acropolis - it’s making him very feta up! Brought to life by the loveable Andrew Van Buskirk.

BAKLAVA – Athens’ very own flower child. Psychedelic Haley Greenstein will have your hands clapping, your hair growing, and the Ouzo flowing.

AKILLTHESE – A brave, brawling Athenian warrior. Perhaps the only thing that can stop him is a multi-syllabic word. Roger Mulligan’s raw, masculine energy will leave you growling in your seats.

LAMPITO – “Climb would she Taygetus tip-top to the up mountain ending if meant it the war” (Translation: She would climb to the tip-top of Taygetus Mountain if it meant ending the war.) Lampito is a terrifying Spartan woman who looks like she could strangle a bull. Rachael Richman’s intense, animalistic energy will have you thanking the Gods you weren’t born a bovine.

HERALD HAROLD – Lampito’s down-trodden countryman. Has a great knack for walking into trouble. They may say not to shoot the messenger, but what about heralds? Played with adorable timidity by Alex Roan.

BOIOTIA – A mysterious, brooding foreigner. Watch as she does her Dance of the Seven Veils! Watch as she speaks entirely in words beginning with the letter ‘B’. Sarah Congress IS Boiotia!

THE TROJAN – A! Soldier! Speaks! Only! One! Word! At! A! Time?!?! Rides! A! Toy! Horse!?!?! Yay!!!!! Brandon!!!!! O’Sullivan!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!

CORINTHIA – An exotic trombone player who’ll wet your whistle. This brassy babe speaks only in alliteration. Rebecca Greenstein will have you signing up for music lessons.

Written by Julie Congress

Directing a Musical

CONGRESS IN SESSION

I am directing No.11’s first musical right now – The Elephant Man. We open in two weeks. The thing is – I’ve never directed a musical by myself before.

Musicals are an odd beast. People talk and walk around like normal and then WHAM! suddenly they’re singing. Singing and dancing serve no evolutionary function, to my knowledge, and yet, we all do it. And we enjoy watching and listening to other people do it. And The Elephant Man – The Musical is a celebration of this.

Going through the script, I have to decide what songs are “staged” and what are “choreographed”. Songs that are choreographed I have my brilliant Choreographer Simon Gunner create. Numbers and scenes that are staged, I wrangle with. But, outside of the delegation, what does it mean? No offense, dictionary.com, but you weren’t much help:

Staged–adjective
1. adapted for or produced on the stage.
2. contrived for a desired impression: It was a staged, rather than spontaneous, demonstration of affection.
3. occurring or planned to occur in stages: a staged increase in wages.

Choreograph–verb (used with object)
1. to provide the choreography for: to choreograph a musical comedy.
2. to manage, maneuver, or direct: The author is a genius at choreographing a large cast of characters.

I feel like I am doing both of these things when I direct and the line between dance and movement is blurry to me. And the fact of the matter is we have a very short rehearsal process for this show. So my choreographer can only do three dances. What do I do? More to the point, what do I have my actors do while they are singing? I know they need to be moving, but moving how? Doing what?

Ryan Emmons and I directed Bat Boy: The Musical a year ago. We did it in the style of German Expressionism. Simon also choreographed that show and created a half dozen Expressionist inspired dances for it. In one of the songs Ryan and I staged, we had all of the townspeople sitting in a circle happily working and then you realize they are making a noose and suddenly they’ve formed a mob and the noose is hanging from the rafters and Dr. Parker is trapped – all the while they’re singing. German Expressionism is about showing the inner life. Would these townspeople actually be hanging a noose? No. Is it how they feel inside? Yes. And isn’t a song just about showing how a character feels rather than exposition?

In talking to Ryan about The Elephant Man, I’ve said how I don’t know how to approach the songs. He said, “every musical number is either a dance or a noose – so find the noose”. So that’s my mission. In a way it’s so simple – that’s why it’s easy to forget. At their core, so much of directing and acting is about asking the right questions – “what is happening?”, “what do I want?”, “what is stopping me from getting what I want?”, “what is the scene about?”

And I’m going to stop looking at it as “staging”. Because I don’t know what that means – it sounds like glorified blocking. I need to direct these songs. And that means asking questions – questions of the script, questions of the actors, questions of the music. Sometimes the answers, the ropes, come easily – this song is about journeying to find what you want (Great! So this scene-song is movement, walking, running contrasted by expressionist moments showing what the characters want).

A musical is a big undertaking. You are blessed with many extra collaborators (and if you don’t view them as blessings, than you need different collaborators). It’s not about relinquishing power to the musical director or choreographer or film maker or costume designer or prop designer or actors or band, but about imparting your vision to them, igniting their imaginations by telling them you want it to look like an Al Hirshfeld caricature come to life, that it’s a simultaneous parody of and love song to the Broadway Musical.

And as daunting as directing a musical is, particularly when you have three weeks to do it, it’s still directing. And directing, in the Julie Congress dictionary is:

1. Having a clear vision you can impart to others
2. Asking the right questions
3. The ability to inspire your collaborators

Written by Julie Congress

Where have we been?

I know it has been a while since No. 11 has attend to its blog. So, I will update you on our goings on. Last week, on May 30, No. 11 celebrated its one year anniversary with Seaport the Arts, a fundraiser featuring scenes from many of No. 11's shows, and a whole variety of other acts.

The evening was directed by Julie Congress and Ryan Emmons, and hosted by myself and the former Miss Delaware Becky Bledsoe. Justin Mathews played jazz guitar during the cocktail hour. The No. 11 founders performed any opening number highlighting the five producitons we have put up in the past year. John Bambery performed "You Don't Know Me" accompanied by Dylan Glathorn. Ryan Emmons and Jackie Byrne performed a scene from Lysistrata. Rebecca McRae, Susan Philipp, Brooke Whitfield, and Brittany Whitmoyer of bnw:dance performed individual dances around a ghost light. Haley Greenstein sang a lovely version of "Meadow Lark." Mitchell Conway, Jackie Byrne, and Jen Neads performed a scene from Claire and the Ornithological Shadow. Sarah Congress sang a hilarious rendition of "Ooh! My Feet!" Julie Congress, Mitchell Conway, Haley Greenstein, and Simon Gunner performed the "Anything Goes" dance from Jet of Blood or the Ball of Glass. Co-host Becky Bledsoe sang "Loves Changes Everything." Julie Congress, Mitchell Conway, Haley Greenstein, and Jackie Byrne performed a scene from Mythunderstood. Katie McSherry sang "The Spark of Creation." Then accompaniest for the evening Brian Walters brought on his band raised.FOR.radio to perform Billy Joel covers "The Entertainer," "You May Be Right," and "Miami 2017." Adam Lerman performed his original monologue "The Sound of Reporting: The Beginning of the Universe." Ryan Emmons sang a song from The Elephant Man - The Musical, accompanied by Rebecca Greenstein. Then Neil Berg (Broadway Composer of Grumpy Old Men, Prince and the Pauper, and The Man Who Would be King) accompanied Bridget Collins and Rita Harvey (Phantom of the Opera, Fiddler on the Roof) on some numbers.

Whew!

We had a great audience turnout and a really fun time! We felt very supported and very eager to keep creating theatre.

We'll try to keep you better updated. Next week we go to Saratoga Springs to perform Mythunderstood in the SaratogaArtsFest!


Mitch

Experience not Performance

CONGRESS IN SESSION

To the Esteemed Delegation,

My hopes are high for 2009. In a week, we will be seeing in a new president and much needed change. I also sense a new artistic breeze stirring, one that I hope turns into a full storm, again of much needed change.

I firmly believe that one of the main roles of art is to allow the spectator to see the world through a new set of eyes, through a different perspective. To broaden perceptions creates acceptance and understanding. We have lived through eight years of feeling morally superior to the world, and that is unhealthy. The moment you place yourself above another, the moment you assume that you know what is right for someone else better than they know what is right for themselves, is the moment when violence and hatred are allowed to blossom.

Last week, I reviewed the interactive Iraq War simulation/performance Surrender. For four hours, I was literally put in the U.S. Army issued boots of another person. For four hours, I saw the world through eyes that were not my own. I cannot stop thinking about this experience. And though I did not see Kirk Wood Bromley’s new untitled play, I have talked to Critic Martin Denton extensively about his experience seeing it. While he was not issued a replica rifle and put through basic training as I was, Denton nonetheless left the theatre feeling ravaged and defiled by a play that did not just show him an experience but put him through it as well.

Experience. I wrote that word three times in the last paragraph, not because of shoddy proofreading, but because there was no other word to use. ‘Experience’ is a very powerful artistic tool, and one I hope will be part of this new theatrical wave I perceive.

Here is my challenge to the artistic community (first and foremost to my own company, No. 11 Productions): Do not just show the audience a new world or a new perspective, let them feel it, be completely engaged in it. Make it an experience. Take them on the journey with you. It does not have to be done as literally as in Surrender (although I sure would love to take part in more theatre like it). I believe there are a multitude of means to this end yet to be explored, and that is very exciting.

We have only had two rehearsals for our upcoming production of Artaud’s Jet of Blood. But they have been incredibly energizing and fruitful. I hope that when all is said and done, Jet of Blood will be an Experience not a Performance.

Written by Julie Congress

Attacking the audience?

The Conway Corner

The staged readings of Aurolac Blues by Saviana Stanescu and Self at Hand by Jack Hanley on Monday night at Manhattan Repertory Theatre went well...except that an audience member fainted and an ambulance had to be called in the middle of the performance. During the second part of Self at Hand called Tastes Like Robot, I was reading a particularly gruesome passage involving a man refilling with peanut butter a section of his leg that he had cut out, when I heard the rustle of a metal chair from the audience. Unsure of what happened in the dark in front of me I continued reading for a moment. Then I heard a voice say we had to stop. We brought up the house lights and indeed someone had collapsed from their seat.

The audience member is fine, don't worry. But we were all quite concerned at the time. After regaining consciousness, he dry heaved into a bucket for a while, so it was hard to tell exactly what had happened to him. He was then moved to the hallway, where his condition worsened, and it was determined that it was necessary to call an ambulance.

Self at Hand is a play that makes the most callous listener squeamish. Its vivid poetic language is as outright gross as it is deeply metaphoric. I perhaps expected a few audience members to leave during this play, but I certainly did not expect it to overwhelm someone's capacity to remain conscious.

After a discussion between Martin Denton and the two playwrights to distract attention from the emergency situation, we continued the reading where we left off, with the peanut butter. Ryan was accompanying the audience member onto the ambulance, so I jumped into his role in the final part of Self at Hand.

Since No. 11 is beginning its next endeavor, Jet of Blood or the Ball of Glass by Antonin Artaud, an advocate of the audience's visceral involvement in the work of theatre, a Theatre of Cruelty, often interrupted and implemented as attacking the audience, the real question at hand for me is when an audience ought to be attacked and to what extent. Certainly, aiming to make an audience member faint on its own is not a worthwhile objective, but when would it be justified to make an audience faint? Outside of New York City, there are possibly those who, as an audience to the way Ryan cradled his boyfriend in his arms after he fainted, would themselves faint. Should such a scene be presented to such an audience? Women wearing corsets used to faint whenever they ascend a flight of stairs. Ought one to make such a women ascend many flights of stairs in order to make clear the absurdity of the device restricting their breathing? Artaud does not have a social agenda such as these examples present, rather more of a spiritual and cultural agenda. But, the question reapplied to the context of the Self at Hand reading bares asking, and of course one would respond, "well, people should see what they want to see, but not be made to see anything they aren't interested in seeing." Of course I can't force all of New York City to come see No. 11's plays. Although if I had the means...

I guess we are banking on those unsuspecting few, who stumble into the theatre for a night of fun, and wind up having an experience they were not interested in having. They will be most affected. I cannot help but wonder whether theatre that pushes boundaries isn't aimed at those accidental few, rather than those who are accustomed to its ideas. Maybe theatre isn't for theatre-goers? Ought one's gag reflex to be jostled by an unfamiliar stimulus, such as a description of peanut butter spread into a wound? I don't think the audience member wanted to faint. Nor would most. But nor does the corset wearing woman at the stop of the stairs, yet she will faint following her routine ascension of the staircase. It requires our proposed incessant ascension for her to remove her corset out of fear of death. Will she love her protruding stomach because it is her savior, or maintain the attitude she bore towards it when she wore the corset? She would most likely only adopt the attitude of acceptance if the experience of multiple ascensions was prompted by her own interest in being involved in it. But there remains a possibility she will love her stomach after the multiple ascensions, were she to accidentally be required to ascend many a' stair. So, ought Self at Hand to be performed for an audience member, given that it will make him faint and he'll have to leave in an ambulance? I think it may be contingent upon the coinciding objective of the performance...

But I've run into some difficulty here, and I think you'll see why. There is a collision between someone's free choice what is good for them. I would not necessary say that Self at Hand was good for the audience member who fainted. He would most likely say it was gross and he wishes he hadn't gone to the reading. But what would the audience member say to the hypothetical woman who faint when she saw him and Ryan embracing, and wishes she hadn't gone to the reading? I'm not saying the audience member ought to become accustomed to descriptions of bodily mutilation by enduring many evenings of fainting. But, should the visceral experience of violence lead to a new discovery, then it may be justified. Not actual violence...we won't go there. In the realm of art, is revolution possible and justifiable? The vicarious investment in an affective experience, by the accidental few who do not expect it, may lead to an unpleasant public loss of consciousness, but there is also the possibility it could lead to a woman accepting her belly fat. Hmm...is it worth the fall? To be honest, I'm not sure yet. A definitive component of our current culture is prevention: insurance, preemptive war, enhanced security, etc. So, especially in the context of such emphasis on surety, I think the theatre could use a little of the unexpected.

Written by Mitchell Conway

What Makes an Actor Good?

CONGRESS IN SESSION

To the General Assembly,

To grow as an artist, it is important to be perpetually questioning and reexamining one’s craft. Unfortunately, this sort of discussion seems to have little place once one graduates from their particular Institution of Learning. It is the aim of No. 11 Productions to be continually learning and growing, so please give me leave to wax [semi-]eloquently on the question: “What makes an actor good?” My list is nowhere near complete, but I hope that my compatriots at No. 11 and you, dear readers, will add to this discussion.

What Makes an Actor Good?

• Talent – You can’t rule it out, some people are innately gifted, and while good actors become better through training and experience, some degree of talent is necessary.
  
• Versatility – While the Tom Cruises and other mega-celebrities of this world can make a living playing themselves on the screen, a good actor, in my mind, should be able to play many parts. You should see the character on the stage/screen not the actor.
  
• Collaboration – As a director, I would rather cast someone I want to work with than someone who is uber-talented but brings nothing to the ensemble. The ability to work as part of a group, to bring ideas and energy to the project, and put the production over oneself is one of the most important features an actor can have.
  
• Control/Proprioception – Not only must a good actor have control over their physicality and voice, but they must always be in command of themselves on stage. Yes, we must be the character and be caught up in the world of the play, but a small part of the actor must always be watching what is going on. Proprioception, according to Wikipedia, “is the sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body.” Proprioception is how we can move our feet even if we are not looking at them. It is a function of the brain that an actor must have to an extended degree. We must be in the moment onstage, but our actor-proprioception allows us to also know what is going on with the audience and with our fellow actors. Without this, an actor can become dangerously immersed in the character and lose sight of the fact that they are acting, which can be perilous for those onstage with them. No matter how immersed in a character and the given circumstances, we still have to pull our punches.
  
• Humanity – To paraphrase Stanislavsky, even if you are playing an evil character, it is the responsibility of the actor to find what is good about him. The job of an actor is not to judge their character, but to embrace them, faults and all. To find the good in a character, to understand how humans work, and to want to create life is essential to a good performance.
  
• Energy/Passion/Charisma – To create life, you need energy. Scientists say energy cannot be created or destroyed, so an actor must be able to find within him/herself that fervor that will not only catch an audience’s eyes but will invigorate and enliven everyone and everything around them. You can tell when an actor loves what they are doing and it is contagious and exciting.
  
• Dedication/Hard Work – As an actor, you will experience these rare, magical moments where something inexplicably wonderful happens and you are greater than yourself. But there is no recipe for this, and you cannot rely on it happening. What you can do is work hard, continue to train, and be constantly open to learning and growing.
  
• Good Attitude – Theatre is a highly collaborative art form. An actor must be receptive to the director, to the ensemble, and to the project. There is a reason we rehearse so much, it is to make the production and the performances stronger and stronger and the actor must be excited, not resistant, to this process.
  
• Openness – A good actor has an open mind, an open heart, and an open soul.

Written by Julie Congress

No. 11 in 2009

No. 11 Productions is celebrating its first holiday season! Here’s a quick rundown of what this 8-month-old company accomplished this year and what is on the roster for 2009.

2008

• Received the first ever Stephanie Mnookin Grant from Skidmore College
• Debuted in the SaratogaArtsFest with an original adaptation of Lysistrata
• Presented the world premiere of We Three in the Capital Fringe Festival and FringeNYC, garnering some great reviews from DC Theatre Scene and nytheatre.com
• Collaboratively created a beautiful shadow play called Claire and the Ornithological Shadow, receiving another great review from nytheatre.com and piquing the interest of the Jim Henson Foundation
• We launched a website, a monthly email newsletter, a swell blog, a facebook group, recorded 2 podcasts, and conducted 1 late night radio interview
• Organized an extensive reading series (11 Celebrates 10) celebrating 10 years of the Plays and Playwrights anthology series with readings of 9 plays at 8 different venues

2009

• We’re performing Artaud’s Jet of Blood or the Ball of Glass in the Frigid Festival
• 3 more readings as part of our 11 Celebrates 10 series
• Currently applying to the Capital Fringe Festival, Berkshire Fringe, and maybe FringeNYC
• Post video clips of past and upcoming productions on our website and youtube
• Hoping to become a non-profit
• We can’t officially announce our spring show yet – but if all goes according to plan it will be killer!
• There’s also a murder mystery on our horizon
• Make this blog a premier source of theatre discussion for actors, directors, students, and theatre lovers alike

It has been an amazing, busy, wonderful 8 months for us. When we began No. 11 we vowed to be constantly producing work and I think we’ve met the goal. There have been growing pains, of course, and our numbers have diminished. But rest assured that we are small but mighty, our energy and enthusiasm is uncontainable, and 2009 is going to be our year!

Written by Julie Congress

Claire and the Ornithological Shadow

Claire and the Ornithological Shadow is a hit! Read our terrific review here:

http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/showpage.php?t=clai7582

And never fear, you've still got two chances to see this innovative new work!

Friday and Saturday, December 19th and 20th at 8pm.
The Bushwick Starr (207 Starr Street, Brooklyn NY 11237)
Only $11

We look forward to seeing you there!

Train-ing

Thursday, I took the Amtrak to Washington, DC. To pass the three and a half hour trip, I sewed part of the feather dress that is worn in Claire and the Ornithological Shadow.

The young woman sitting next to me immediately asked me what I was doing. To be fair, I had anticipated working with 7 yards of fabric and two enormous boas of turkey feathers would be something of a conversation starter. I explained that I was sewing the sleeve of a costume. She told me that it looked great and asked if I’d considered glitter. She said she didn’t know anything about costumes, but she thought that on the stage everything should be bright and sparkly. I apologized repeatedly to her for getting specks of feather on her black wool coat, but she told me repeatedly that she loved it and even asked me for a full feather as a souvenir.

Then the conductor came by and hovered over me. I was sure I was going to get in trouble for the glinting, razor sharp sewing shears sitting on my tray. The conductor said: “You makin’ a dress?” I nodded, still mentally picturing my scissors being confiscated and myself kicked off the moving train. “Looks good” she said and moved on.

My next visitor was a pleasant, ancient woman from two rows behind me. “I’m so fascinated by what you are doing!” she exclaimed, “tell me, is that a sleeve?” I said yes which sent her rejoicing. “Oh, I told my husband that was a sleeve! Tell me, what is this for?” I explained that it was a costume for a play I was doing in Brooklyn. She replied: “That’s so lovely! Well, I won’t keep you. But I just wanted to tell you that the sleeve is beautiful and I’m sure I’ll read about your play in the paper!”

This is my first time creating a dress from scratch and I am a little nervous about it. However, I can happily report that everyone on the train loves the dress! I had several other lovely people comment on my work. My seat mate has plans to see the show.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and it was wonderful to spend it artistically productive and part of such a charming, art-enthused, friendly community. I can’t wait for my return trip tomorrow!

Written by Julie Congress

Thanks For Theatre

With thanksgiving come and gone I wanted to write, perhaps a bit self indulgently, about how thankful I am to be a theatre artist. On Thursday, I am on my way to Waterbury Connecticut with fellow company member and collaborator Julie Congress. This trip brings three blessings. First, I get to work with high school students. In case you did not know, I have a real passion for working with young theatre artists, there is a vibrancy and life to young artists that I find inspiring and motivational. Second, I get to direct the festival showcase production, which will be a challenging and professional experience. I’ve been given a room with an attached living area in case I want to have meetings. Third, and perhaps misplaced in my list of thanks, I get to collaborate with Julie! It is rare to find someone with whom you can co-direct and both end up feeling really proud of the finished product. Julie and I have the ability to create a unified vision and then see it to it’s completion. A recipe for success that I am of course grateful for.

That is only one thing. There are other things as well. That you should know about! For instance we have a reading on Dec. 1^st of a play called The Resurrectionist. We are reading the play with English accents, which is really fun. It is also an adventure story, which is doubly fun. Then of course we have our opening of Claire and the Ornithological Shadow. The more I have been thinking about it the more I think it is really going to be an excellent venture. I feel lucky that I am in a position where I can produce risky, new, experimental work. I am not sure on the commercial success of the productions. It does not really fit the formula for large monetary gain…it is an unknown play, it is playing in Brooklyn, No. 11 Productions is still a very new company, we have not gotten the kind of press that we wore hoping for (yet). That being said, it is still an admirable example of theatre as powerful art. The play is simple and beautiful, which is ideally perhaps how we should live our lives…simply and beautifully. I am not sure about that one but it makes sense to me today.

Alright, thank you so much for reading and caring and caring to read. I hope you have not read this entry to carefully, I ramble. I wish everyone the best of weekends and I will write again soon. To the simple and beautiful life!

Written by Ryan Emmons

Rehearsal Photos

Here are a few rehearsal photos from Claire and the Ornithological Shadow.  These scenes take place in the shadow portion of the show:  

BLOG CPR

Step 1.  CALL

 

Check the victim for unresponsiveness. 

 

Readers?   Hello?  Hold on, hang in there, more postings are on the way.  We have gotten carried away with our production of Claire and the Ornithological Shadow. Building the set and folding dozens of paper birds have taken away from our more frequent Blogging practices.  Not to fear, balance is to be found.  I’ve been looking for it for 5 months now and I feel like I am on the cusp of it.  That is not to say that I feel like I am even close to achieving balance in my life, but I do feel like I am learning.  Learning how to deal with a day job, a theatre company and a personal life.  There is no question that it is a lot to juggle and that it is a problem many young (and perhaps older) theatre artists face.  I wish I could provide an answer to a schedule that involves working from 9-5, rehearsing from 7-10, and still getting in personal time.  It is a riddle. 

 

Step 2.  BLOW

 

Tilt the head back and listen for breathing.

 

Alright, perhaps this is more depressing then resuscitating, so I will move on.  Claire and the Ornithological Shadow has kicked into high gear.  With only ten more rehearsals left, the show is finally starting to click in that really magical way that perhaps only theatre artists know about.  We should be putting some pretty exciting production photos on our website soon so that you can get a sneak peek into just how remarkable this production is going to be.  This is me, gently blowing all of you into the theatre to share in this unique theatrical experiment. 

 

Step 3.  PUMP  

 

If the victim is still not breathing normally, coughing or moving, begin chest compressions.

 

So get up, come out, and allow yourself to be moved by the ability of a young woman and a shadow to change their existence for the better.  This is the first piece that No. 11 Productions has created as an ensemble and we are very proud of this original work.  It is a risky piece of theatre, yet it is also simple and beautiful.  The character that Samantha has created is by far her strongest work with the company and the precision and specificity of Mitchell is unparalleled in any of our previous work.  The shadow puppets designed by Jen Neads are skillfully made and professional.  Obviously I am PUMPING up the show…shamelessly.  I am proud of what we have created and I am certain that when you see it, our slight BLOG hiatus will be forgiven.  If not, at least you will have had an uplifting and not so expensive night of theatre. 

 

It should be known that I am not certified in CPR, but that was my best attempt!        

Written by Ryan Emmons          

On Hope and Guidance

CONGRESS IN SESSION

To the Fair Assembly of this Great United States,

Two pivotal events occurred this week, one great and one small, but both endowing me with new vigor and belief.

First was the monumental election of Senator Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States. I am an avid supporter of this dynamic gentleman and was thrilled to be on the streets of New York City amid cheers and honking when McCain’s concession was announced. This campaign was really something special. For the first election in my lifetime, there were ways for the everyday citizen to get involved other than just giving money (to go into the pockets of the television network giants).

It occurred to me, while watching Obama’s acceptance speech, that maybe this incredible national involvement will not end. Prior to now, I have assumed that the involvement of the typical US citizen in this representative democracy does not extend past voting and paying taxes. It has suddenly dawned on me that perhaps there is more. Perhaps we the people will play a role, should we accept it, beyond casting our ballot and be a part of the Great Change. I am 22 years old and this is the first time I have really felt proud, and excited, to be an American.

The second encouraging event of the week occurred last night, when Ryan Emmons (New Jersey-D) and I met our beloved teacher and mentor, Marie, for drinks and discussion. For four years, Marie guided, pushed, challenged, and encouraged us and I am so grateful that, though we have graduated, she is still just as much in our lives. With her usual no-nonsense insight, she has helped me see the path again in terms of our company, the current play, and reaching my dreams. Talking with her has reminded me how simple it all is. If something isn’t working, don’t keep slamming your head against it or looking around vaguely for an answer, just go to the source and find what caused it and fix that.

So thank you, Barack and Marie, for allowing me to see how to make the change we need.

Written by Julie Congress

Congress In Session

Thank you Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the opportunity to express a few views on the importance, and randomness, of inspiration.

Throughout school, an artist, of any discipline, is continually told to learn about all of the arts. As a director, it is important for me to have a solid grounding in music, dance, and visual art. That does not mean I have to have a proficiency in any of these subjects, but it is important to know about them. Why?

As I have argued previously, I believe theatre to be one of the highest art forms because it holds the potentiality to incorporate all of the other arts. Is a set not a painting? Is blocking not moving sculpture? Thus, if theatre includes other art forms, then one must know about them so as to have a bank to draw from.

Why else? You never know what is going to excite your imagination. A year ago, I saw some German Expressionist woodcuts. A few months later, Ryan Emmons, my colleague from New Jersey, and I decided to direct a high school production of Bat Boy: The Musical in the Expressionist style.

Currently, No. 11 Productions is creating an original play, entitled Claire and the Ornithological Shadow. At any early rehearsal, we gave Samantha Hooper-Hamersley (New Jersey – D) a wooden bird that happened to be in the apartment and told her to create a short scene with it. How could we know that this would so spur all of our imaginations? How could we know that birds (and ornithology) would become a central element to the piece? It is amazing to me how large a role luck and chance have in the creation of a work of art.

This is why an artist must be constantly observing, constantly noticing new things. An artist must surround him or herself with the unusual and creative and that goes for objects, people, and ideas.

I do not pretend to know where ideas come from. In my mind, they are rather magical. You cannot seek out inspiration or force it to happen, but you can follow what interests you and be a constant observer, detective, and student. Whenever Twyla Tharp starts a project, she just researches whatever interests her. She calls this “scratching.” As an artist, one must be constantly scratching. An artist must know about all of the arts, keep interesting company around, engage in stimulating conversation, and have new experiences. To put it plainly, an artist will be inspired creatively if they life to the fullest.

Written by Julie Congress

Ryan's Feelings

Halloween is in 4 days.  I’m counting.  It’s always been my favorite holiday for one reason or another.  Surely when I was younger it was because I knew there were pillowcases of candy coming my way.  A bit later in life it became an excellent excuse to throw a fun party, themed with the undead or homicidal hippies.  Then came the phase where I tried to create the most impressive Halloween display on the street complete with fog machine and strobe light (I know, it’s a bit much).  No matter when, what was always at the heart of it was an opportunity to be creative in an uninhibited way. 

Halloween, as it exists in America today, is an excuse for people to have fun and express themselves in a non-traditional way.  It’s a day people use to put on the costume of a hero or to dress like a sexy pirate.  As winter slowly approaches, it gives people one last hurrah before the deep freeze.  It’s also one of the only days of the year where we, as a society, create something and then walk around to display work.  Very few people I know simply buy a costume from a store, rather they invent and fashion themselves something that is unique.  Four days before Halloween, people are thinking creatively, asking themselves What am I going to be.  What is the best way to carve my pumpkin this year?  How can I add to the yard display?   

I don’t mean to suggest that these are consuming questions that everybody thinks about, let’s be real, there are lots of people who don’t think about Halloween at all.  I do suggest, however, that there is something in the air around Halloween that I find inspiring.  There is something amidst the leaves changing, the cool air and the hot sun that picks me up and urges me to enjoy.  To create something beautiful.  To be silly.  To embrace spooky.  To have fun.  Four days left and I still don’t know what I am going to be.                 

11 Be or Not 11 Be

As you know, we had our first reading of our reading series (11 Celebrates 10) on Monday!  The play was called Out To Lunch by Joseph Langham, and we read at Under St. Marks. 

Before I talk about the performance, which I will, I wanted to point out something else.  Something that I hope continues throughout our reading series.  It was truly inspiring and fun to work with other young theatre artists with similar aspirations and goals in creating theatre.  At our rehearsal for the reading there was energy and excitement about this relatively unknown play.  There was also a sense of play and silliness that I think can be lost in a world that often seems to be every theatre company for itself.  This reading went beyond that and was simply about people wishing to create theatre collaboratively.  Of course this project was low stakes and the artistic commitment was on a much smaller scale than attempting a full production.  When something becomes a larger commitment, that is when it seems people need to stay true to their own company.  That is when actors and directors and designers become territory that is not ready to be lent out like a library book.  I’m in no way condemning this, I act in a similar way…I just wonder if an inter-company loan system might benefit us all.   

The reading itself went well.  We had a good sized audience, the playwright was there we had a talk back that opened up the play in new ways and shed some light on theatre and art in this day and age.  The entire evening was very fun, again there was a lightness and an honesty to what everyone was doing that made this an enjoyable experience for all.  Even more exciting was that this became an opportunity for theatre artists to talk about the political nature of theatre, the power of theatre and what needs to be done in theatre as we move forward in our world today.  I felt like I was a student in a small café in France right before the revolution.  Certainly with our country, economy and lives where they are, an artistic revolution is necessary.  We are on the cusp of great change, for better or for worse, and we need to be prepared to reach out and also listen to the pulse of our country and then, like any good actor would do, react.

 

Written by Ryan Emmons

               

Direct Consequences

As a director, every production you tackle is a different. Currently, I am co-directing (with Ryan, the Kander to my Ebb) No.11 Productions’ original play Claire and the Ornithological Shadow. After last night’s lackluster rehearsal, I feel I need to remind myself what it means to be a good director. Here’s what I think (and please, feel free to comment or disagree or question this, I would love to make this a discussion).

A director…

• Is organized and creates a focused rehearsal atmosphere that fosters ideas, growth, and play.
• Determines blocking and provides the creative team with a sturdy structure.
• Is keeper of the vision, creates the world of the play.
• Inspires the actors and creative team to do their best and makes sure no one feels slighted.
• Ensures that all of the elements create a cohesive production.
• Is never afraid to try an idea.
• Asks questions and provokes the imagination of the creative team.
• Is confident in their ideas and vision (without being closed off to suggestions).
• Finds the means to create onstage what they imagine in their head.
• Pays attention to every detail.
• Does his/her homework and researches all aspects of a show.
• Does not impose superfluous ideas/devices on a play. Every artistic decision should bring out and enhance what lies in the script.
• Acts for the good of the production.

Claire and the Ornithological Shadow has been a very different directing experience for me. First off, there’s no script. We’re creating this from scratch through the rehearsal process. Previously as a director, the script was my measuring stick and my source of inspiration, now the “script” is an amorphous idea I have to discover. Secondly, there are two directors and two actors. That’s a very odd proportion for me. And we’re rehearsing in our apartments, not a studio. And we’re all really good friends. It’s a weird rehearsal atmosphere and one we haven’t fully adjusted to. Thirdly, and what needs to be addressed most urgently, I’m not sure if we’re all on the same page. The world of the play exists in my mind, but, without a script, it is very difficult to know if the rest of the team sees it the same way. As directors working without a script, Ryan and I have to be all the more eloquent and clear in painting the landscape on which our terrific actors will play.

Don’t fear we’ve got two months to work out the kinks before the play opens and I know it is going to be great when it does. I in no way am casting any disparity on the gang at No. 11, they are wonderful! I just know that personally, as an ever-growing artist, I’ve still got a lot to learn and discover about this powerful, delicate craft called directing.

Written by Julie Congress

11 Be or Not 11 Be

Last night, Mitch and I, the resident Night Owls of No. 11 Productions, were interviewed on the radio! Actor Paul Newport hosts a segment called “Acting Up” and last night, or, rather, this morning at around 2am, we were on live talking about our upcoming reading series (11 Celebrates 10), our company, and our upcoming original production: Claire and the Ornithological Shadow.

It was my first experience ‘going live on the air’ and I will say I was rather nervous about it. However, Paul Newport is a real swell fella and an excellent interviewer, and it was a very fun and exciting venture. Our segment was part of the Teddy Smith show on WPAT AM 930. They’re gonna send us a copy and we should have it uploaded onto our website soon (for our loyal fans who did not happen to stay up until 2am to listen to us).

Here at No. 11 Productions we are working hard to get this company moving and exciting events, such as this radio interview, are starting to bring us some legitimacy. We’ve got a very full, varied, and thoroughly awesome Winter Season planned. Here’s the Reader’s Digest version:

• 11 Celebrates 10 reading series – No. 11 Productions will be celebrating the 10 years of the Plays and Playwrights Series of Anthologies by reading 9 plays and 8 venues. See our homepage for details. And it’s FREE!
  
• Claire and the Ornithological Shadow – An original shadow play we’re creating at the very moment. Dec. 12, 13, 19, 20 @ 8pm and Dec. 14 @ 2pm. Venue: The Bushwick Starr.
  
• Jet of Blood or the Ball of Glass by Antonin Artaud – Our take on this unbelievable play by the father of Theatre of Cruelty. Presented as part of the FRIGID Festival in late February and early March.

So that’s our update. If you didn’t receive our newsletter and would like to, email us at no.11productions@gmail.com.

We’re going places!

Written by Julie Congress

A Beckett Full of Wine or Albee Alright in a Weill (formally Morning)

My day job is at a children’s arts enrichment facility.  The children I work with range from 6 months to five years old.  Children this young obviously have a very small vocabulary and communication is a challenge.  You can tell a group of 2 year olds to come sit down twenty times and they do not understand, but if you sing it once “everybody over here and sit right down” their heads turn and they understand what they need to do. 

 

A friend of mine told me the other day that if you hear a song and then 10 years later you hear the same song, most people will remember the music.  Even if you read a story or are told a story 10 times, it is very likely that you will not remember it in 10 years.  This is why I can watch re-runs of “CSI” or “Law and Order” and have no idea how they are going to end.  Music has the ability to go beyond the intellectual experience and physically move its listeners.  As musical notes and chords vibrate through our bones we are physically changed by that experience.  We understand.  We are forced to feel something.  A person cannot be physically shaken and remain apathetic to what they have been moved by. 

 

This is why I think the American Musical has a place beyond mere entertainment.  When I talk to people about musical theatre there is a stigma that suggests it is not real art or that it is simply entertainment.  But with the potential to have such a lasting and powerful effect, it is also an area of theatre that has the ability to create lasting change and hope.  That’s what a musical like Oklahoma! did.  It gave soldiers going off to war a reminder of the beautiful and incredible country they were fighting for.  It left them with a lasting image of hope, freedom and the life they were fighting to preserve.

 

Ride on the subway or sit in a doctor’s waiting room and listen.  Music is inherent in our world, it’s all around us.  Nature, machines, our bodies all make rhythms and sounds.  A musical should not be a weird land where people break out into song for no good reason, it should be a celebration of the world we live in.  When life takes a person to a point where they no longer can express themselves in words – that is when the musical form becomes necessary.  If that feeling can be transmitted with music, absorbed into an audiences bones, then it becomes more than theatre…it becomes an experience.  Suddenly the audience has literally felt the vibrations of despair or ecstasy.  They have shared a monumental moment with another human being.  This is the type of experience that can be unforgettable. 

 

This is not to suggest that I think most audiences have the intelligence of a 6 month old and therefore need music to understand a play.  But I do believe that there is something unbelievably powerful and lasting that can be experienced through musical theatre.                             

 

Written by:  Ryan Emmons

The Conway Corner

I went to another scam today.

At 7:00 at night, on the 12th floor of 500 8th avenue, I arrive at "One Source Talent" because I received a call from someone who had somehow received my information, and said they may be interested in representing me. I was told I would meet with the office director, Temur, and that my invite number was 34294. They even called in the middle of the day today to confirm I would be coming to meet Temur. The twelfth floor has a hallway with a number of people lining it, waiting outside of suite 1210, with a sign next to the door that says "One Source Talent." In addition to people my age, there a number of mothers there with young children.

Now, I thought this was a scam going into it. I got a funny feeling from the phone call. I am confused by the large number of people, but the sign looks somewhat legitimate, being three dimensional and mildly shiny. A man opens the door and says to line up so we can begin. I wait, then receive a clip board with an application on it from that man. The clipboard was lined up with a pile of clipboards along the front desk of this office, which is a gross pale yellow. I am directed down a hallway, past a strange room containing a children's table and chairs, a room with a man sitting at the desk wearing a black scarf and grinning at me as I walk by, and another little office with a desk, until I get to a large screening area with a TV playing some movie. A woman in the screening area directs me to take a seat along with a number of other people and fill out the form I've been given. I'm hesitant about how much information to give, since I suspect some funny business, but the form asks no more information then you could get from my facebook profile. Below my personal information is a little paragraph, stating that "I, in good faith, am present with the objective of finding representation for myself as an actor/model..." or something weird like that. The 'in good faith' was weird, and there was also a clause at the bottom, saying I "consented to be filmed and/or photographed" during the screening process.

The movie playing in this screening room has the volume blaring, and my hearing is quite poor, so if I thought it was loud it must have been damn loud. I ask the woman if I could turn down the volume and she says, "not now." That's the same tactic the scientologists used when I talked to them in the subway and I asked for them to explain how the 'theaton meter' works. "We can talk about that later," the woman said, moving on to discuss why I need to buy the book Dianetics. There is never a 'later.'

I sign at the end of this paragraph with my real name, but using a different signature then I normally use just to be careful. I hand the clipboard to the woman at the front of the room and sit back down. Now, I know that this is a scam at this point. There is little doubt in my mind. I feel like I'm wasting my time. It was stupid of me to go there in the first place after I suspected something from the phone call. So, I walk up to the woman, who is now joined at her side by the man who had been grinning from the desk in the first office, and I say, "Listen, is this a legitimate thing? If this is a scam, just tell me now and I'll leave, because I'm going to be very angry if I find out that it is." To which she responds, somewhat nervously, but keeping her cool, "no, this is real." After which the grinning man says, "if you aren't comfortable waiting, then just leave now." To which I say "no, I'm fine waiting." He gives me a quite frightening fake smile beyond his standard plastered-on-grin and I return to my seat.

I think about what I can do in this situation. I could yell to this whole room, over the blasting movie, that this is a scam and they should leave now. I could go up to each person and tell them, so the woman at the front does not hear me saying it. But, before I can keep thinking, the woman has already called me next. There were a number of people who had hand in their clipboard a duration before I hand in mine, but apparently I deserved to skip the line. I watched the grinning man walk out of the room I was about to enter, grin at me, and he is followed by a quite young man, of about fourteen, who asks me to come inside. A girl of around seventeen is also in the room, and they ask me to stand against a wall which has measuring tape on it. The boy says, "five feet ten inches," which he writes on my clipboard, and then the girl takes my picture. Then the girl says, "is this phone number the best way to reach you?" "Yes, that should be fine," I say, thinking of what an idiot I am for even putting down my real phone number. Then the boy says, "Okay, we'll be in touch." I walk slowly out of the office, plotting how to deal with the situation. People notice how exceptionally slow I'm walking, and the man who gave me the clipboard at the start asks, "are you alright?" "Yes, I'm fine," I say, actually quite upset. I stroll, still slowly, out of the office, and stand thinking in the hallway for a few minutes. Maybe I should go back in and ask for Temur. Was the grinning man Temur? I showed up fifteen minutes early, did that mean I joined the cattle call group when in fact I should have waited until 7:00 for the time of my appointment? Then I could have really confronted someone about this! Or now, I could still go back to that screening room and start yelling. But, realizing there was nothing logically I could do, because I have no real evidence, I sadly wander to the elevator. A man with a tie arrives next to me waiting by the elevator, and I say to him, "did you think that was a scam?" "What? I work in an office up here," he says confused. Then a well made-up and well dressed girl who looked like she could have been interviewing/auditioning arrives at the elevator. "Did you think that was a scam?" I ask politely. "I work there," she says without smiling. "Oh. Well is it a scam?" I ask with honest accusation dead into her eyes. "No," she says looking at the ground. We ride down the elevator in silence.

I thought of at least twenty clever comments to throw at her, but none of them were really any good because I didn't have much of a basis for seeing this thing as a scam. It has a website, they had that sign out front, and although the office lacked many of the normal decorations of an office there was a feeling about it that was just wrong. There was that strange room with the children's table and chairs that could have been a photography room of some sort. That's what these scams usually do. They say they want you to join up with them and if they are smarter than to just say, "okay, now give us some money to represent you," then they have a more elaborate scheme where they say you need to get a 'comp card' through their photographer in order to start getting work. I went to one of this type of scam before, when I actually got through to a second stage instead of giving myself away as suspicious in the first. Apparently my headshot wasn't good enough, and I needed this other thing. Bullshit, of course.

Anyone know any legal action that can be taken in this sort of situation? Please let me know what you think should be done about this. I intend to keep going to scams until I think of a good way to expose them.

Written by Mitchell Conway

Congress In Session

To my compatriots:

Allow me to rant for a spell on the importance of community to the arts.

As I wrote previously, Café Cino was the beginning of Off-Off-Broadway. It started as a coffee house for artistic friends to gather, talk, and share.

I am reading a book right now called The Era of German Expressionism. The pages are filled with name after name of the cafes and houses that Kafka, Kokoschka, Conrad Veidt and hundreds of other artists, writers, and actors frequented daily, drinking, arguing, and imagining a new beginning.

At Skidmore College (the ole Alma Mater) there were classes and parties and the theatre department met every Friday to critique, discuss, and present.

The precedent is there, so why isn’t there anywhere like any of these places in New York City??? This is the biggest city in America and it is bustling, brimming, bursting with theatre!

I know the information age has changed things and that there is much “artistic talk” on the Internet. I know there are blogs and discussion groups and informational sites and podcasts and interviews and reviews all at my disposal at the click of a button. And I go to a lot of shows (and occasionally a movie or museum) and I am starting to get to know other people in the biz. But why is there no physical home for it?

I am lucky to have the No. 11-ers and we do engage in a fair amount of artistic musings. But there is a difference between being in dialogue with my company and being in dialogue with a whole community of artists from different backgrounds and with different ideas. Maybe it does exist somewhere and I just haven’t found it yet.

I do believe part of this is jealousy at reading about the incredibly vibrant, stimulating, creative atmosphere of pre-World War I Expressionist Berlin. And part of this is probably some ‘I just graduated from college’ withdrawal. I guess I’m just feeling a little lost and uninspired right even though I am living in a city that should make me feel energized and brilliant and at home.

Community is important to me. I draw much of my energy from being around other artists who are driven and creative and passionate. I hope I can find that non-Internet NYC artist community that I am looking for. And if I can’t, well, then I hope that I can play a role in reviving it from its dormancy.

Written by Julie Congress

The Conway Corner

I've decided to post some of the sounds I made for We Three onto the blog for you to download:

Mattress Discounters 1
(0:11, 111 KB mp3)

Mattress Discounters 2
(0:14, 150 KB mp3)

Mattress Discounters 3
(First sound in the play, 0:14, 147 KB mp3)

Mattress Discounters 4
(sine wave chorus, 0:13, 135 KB mp3)

Pills Sound
(0:41, 433 KB mp3)

Strange 1
(2:09, 1.25 MB mp3)

Strange 2
(3:33, 2.06 MB mp3)

Strange 3
(1:01, 623 KB mp3)

Strange Arabic
(5:20, 6.73 MB mp3)

Strange All
(1-3 and Arabic together, with some other unused sounds, 5:20, 6.74 MB mp3)

Motion Picture Soundtrack
(preshow song, 2:04, 974 KB mp3)


The Mattress Discounters and Strange sounds 1-3 I created using static and sine waves and messing with them in various ways. Sorry that some of the Strange sounds have a bunch of extra space at the end of the track. I used various sounds of pills and sped them up and put them on top of each other to create the Pills Sound. Strange Arabic is an Arabic Techno song, "Moi Et Toi" by Abdel Ali Slimani on the compilation album "Arabic Groove," slowed down quite a bit, and with a few other tweeks. NTI alumni will get a kick out of that. Motion Picture Soundtrack is a recording of me playing the Radiohead song, overlayering a bunch of guitar tracks.

I know these aren't songs you would put onto your ipod, but I figured I would make them available since I have them laying around. I put up the time and size of the files, just so you know what you're getting yourself into. In most cases they aren't very large. Let me know if you come up with any good uses for this stuff. You never know when you'll need some spooky noises. Or you just might be a Mattress Discounters junky.

I'm working on some stuff for the shadow play right now that may be more appealing to the ear. I'll throw some of it up here once it's more developed.

Written by Mitchell Conway

A Beckett Full of Wine or Albee Alright in the Morning

Two nights ago, I had the honor of attending the New York Innovative Theatre Awards which celebrates Off-Off-Broadway theatre. The Blue Man Group performed, Lisa Kron hosted, and presenters included Olympia Dukakis, Tina Howe, Bill Irwin, and Edward Albee. Judith Malina, co-founder of The Living Theatre, received an honorary award as did nytheatre.com.

The event was very fancy, exciting and brought legitimacy to Indie theatre. Albee said “There are two types of theatre. Commercial theatre and the theatre that matters. This is the theatre that matters.”

The celebration was extra special because it celebrated the 50th anniversary of Off-Off-Broadway theatre. I kept hearing one name over and over again that I had never heard before. I’ve done some research into it now, and I’d like to share it with you. The name is Café Cino.

In 1958, a man named Joseph Cino opened a coffee shop on Cornelia Street in Greenwich Village with the intention of presenting poetry, art, and folk music. By December of that year, plays were being performed. Cino introduced every act by saying, “It’s magic time!” This was the birth of Off-Off-Broadway theatre (and gay theatre). Along with performing plays by Tennessee Williams and Jean Giraudoux, there were a number of new playwrights that found a home and at Café Cino. These included John Guare, Sam Shepherd, Jean-Claude Van Itallie, Lanford Wilson, and Doric Wilson (who Mitch and I had the honor of meeting at the NYIT Awards – he laughed when we told him we were starting a company, telling us in colorful metaphors how difficult it is to do such a thing).

When Café Cino started, there wasn’t even a stage. And when Joe Cino finally put one in, it was only 8’ by 8’ and made of milk crates. This is the legacy and challenge that Cino and Off-Off-Broadway have given us. How can we create theatre with no resources?

No. 11 Productions is an Indie theatre company. We have no money and we have no venue. But we do have perhaps five of the most valuable assets: time, creativity, energy, talent, and passion. So, armed with these, all that’s left to say is “It’s magic time!”

Written by Julie Congress

Congress In Session

Distinguished Colleagues and Esteemed Opponents,

Today I present a rather lofty claim. Give me leave to present my case. I propose that:

Theatre is the highest art form because it holds the potentiality to incorporate all other art forms.

Granted, not every piece of theatre uses every other art form in it, but there is substantial precedent for all of the following:

• The Two- and Three-Dimensional Visual Arts – the set and lighting designs of a play are crucial elements in telling the story and bringing the director’s vision to life. Picasso, Dali, and Matisse all designed theatrical sets and/or costumes during their careers. In addition, the blocking of actors on the stage is a form of spatial arrangement and sculpture, albeit moving sculpture.
• Literary Arts – prose and poetry are brought to life onstage as the text of a play.
• Film and Multimedia – projections (clips of existing films, live feeds, original footage, etc.) are used frequently in theatrical endeavors as another means of telling a story to a modern, tech-savvy audience.
• Fashion – costume design is an inherent design component of a play.
• Music – this does not just go for musicals. As Mitchell Conway, my honored colleague from Massachusetts, once pointed out, it is exceedingly rare to see a production that does not utilize either canned or live music as part of the experience.
• Dance and Movement – again, not just for musicals. Movement is an intrinsic part of most theatrical training and “physical theatre” is very popular.
• The Culinary Art – disagree with me? I humbly offer you the examples of Brecht’s Baal or Killer Joe by Tracy Letts.

Undoubtedly, this is a cursory look at the other art forms and perhaps I have missed some. Yet I cannot think of any other art form that is so inclusive of the others (save Opera, but I am considering that a close sister of theatre and grouping them somewhat together). Challenge me if you wish, but in my mind, theatre will always be the Super Art.*

*Super Art: The Art that invites all of the other arts over for parties, that never forgets a birthday, and is all around the friendliest and best art form.

Written by Julie Congress

The Conway Corner

Hey! Everyone notice the staged readings "11 Celebrates 10" that we're doing to for the 10th anniversary of the "Play and Playwrights" anthology series? The dates are posted on the main page of the website. We really hope you can make it some of them. They're all free!

But we also want your feedback. What more information could we provide for you on the site that would make you more interested on our readings and our other endeavors? Please comment on the posting with your suggestions!

The new piece No. 11 is creating has a lot to do with shadows. My last semester at Skidmore I was in Carolyn Anderson's Advanced Directing class, and most of my first projects with that class revolved around shadows. So I'm going back to my resources for inspiration. I've been taking "Jung on Evil" and "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" on the subway. Carl Jung has a lot of great quotes about his conception of the shadow as a component of the psyche. Here are some good ones:

"The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort. To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real."

"...it is quite within the bounds of possibility for a man to recognize the relative evil of his nature, but it is a rare and shattering experience for him to gaze into the face of absolute evil."

Also, Jung references a good quote from Faust, after he has confront Mephistopheles:

"That was my other side, my alter ego, my all too palpable shadow which can no longer be denied."

The Tibetan Book of the Dead is lengthy, and will require a great deal further study before it becomes truly useful. As of now, I see a lot about the shadow of ignorance. A huge part of ignorance is fear of death, which one should not have. Death and life are one. Learning how to die is a major mission of life which is often ignored in favor of the enjoyments of life. In the West, we usually think of shadow as associated with death. But their shadow is an attitude towards life. To see a difference between life and death, means to forever remain in the cycle of life. The life-death cycle, which are one, is negative, and the goal is to be liberated from it. Light is the pure reality beyond this shadow reality of life and death. I guess as Macbeth would put it, "life's but a walking shadow."

Some people on blogs do this music playlist thing, so here's what I've been listening to: "Shadowplay" by Joy Division, "Hidden Shadows" by Herbie Hancock, "Pictures At An Exhibition" by Modest Mussorgsky, "Blue in Green" by Miles Davis.

I know I am all over the place. Sometimes it feels like I'm grabbing at everything with the word shadow. But I'm really trying to think about what shadows mean to people. Beyond exploring about they mean to me, and asking others, I feel the need to build up these references to the idea. Jung's shadow is quite specific (or quite vague considering it is a supposed component of the quite indefinite psyche), and the Tibetan’s shadow is very different, but there are many shadows to look at. I should probably look at my own on the wall for a while longer.

Written by Mitchell Conway

The Conway Corner

I've been auditioning a good amount here in the city, and I'll pretty much audition for anything. I go from waiting around at AEA (Actor's Equity Association) for a Broadway show and never ever being seen one day, to disorganized unpaid student films where I'm the only auditioner the next. So my first or second week in New York, I got an e-mail from a student film maker who seemed really excited for me to have sent him my headshot and resume, and sent his script as an attachment.

I believe whole-heartedly in going into an audition prepared to the point of bleeding, but that doesn't mean I always put it into practice. I was busy working on We Three, auditioning elsewhere, and going to my real job, so I only read the first scene of this film script. It consisted of a scene involving some character I would be playing and his friends at Coney Island riding the Cyclone. I was excited about the prospect of filming at Coney Island, but not excited enough the go to the next page of the script.

Anyway, I told the director I would meet him in Union Square one day. I waited around for a while, and after calling him incessantly, he finally answered and apologetically said there had been a mix up and he thought we had agreed to meet a different day. So we then arranged to meet after I finished working in Williamsburg one afternoon. I trot over to the Roebling Tea room to conduct the audition/interview without any idea what I was doing. Normally a director will make sure to say 'bring a classical monologue' or 'there will be sides at the audition.' I had no clue.

I'm a little early, so I take a seat and order a sandwich. Shortly, a tall, thin, quite gay, twenty something in short shorts recognizes me from my headshot and sits down across from me. After the obligatory introductions he asks how I liked the script. Maintaining my cool, I mention how I'd be interested in filming at Coney Island, and how I thought the dialogue was distinct yet genuine. But, not wanting to reveal my neglect, I smoothly transition into my own endeavors with No. 11 and so forth.

After humoring a number of my tangents, the director says, "Well. I just want you to know that everyone else who I've talked to has been really passionate about this script. Do you have any other thoughts you'd like to share about it?" I realize that I'm about to slip and fall in a mound of horseshit. All I have to cling to is my previous nonsense about the script being genuine, and liking Coney Island.

The director has obviously picked up that I have not gotten past the second page of his masterpiece and says, "You know, I met with an eighteen year old earlier today. After a few minutes, I realized that he hadn't even read the script I send him. So I asked myself, 'why were we even meeting?' " He waited expecting some type of response from me. I let out a short panicked laugh, and said something like "Huh. Yeah."

The director out of nowhere asked where I had been before this meeting. I responded that I was just a few blocks away at a real estate office where I worked. He responded, "Well, good. I'm glad I haven't made you go too far out of your way." Luckily for me at this point the director took the initiative to close our interview/audition, and said he would give me a call. Without bothering to wait for the check for the tea he ordered, he handed the waitress cash on the way out. I finished my sandwich.

At the rehearsal for We Three that night I told my fellow company members about my experience that afternoon. After which Ryan asked, "What was the film called?" I said, "Glory Holes." The company burst out in laughter while I smiled in confusion. I had no clue what a 'glory hole' was, but apparently everyone else did. Barely holding back his feverish giggling, Ryan informed me that a glory hole was a whole in a bathroom stall through which men stick their phallus and engage in felatio with other men anonymously. Upon further investigation, we discovered that the script was about precisely this matter. The character I was auditioning for ended up having anonymous oral sex in the bathroom at Coney Island, featuring my penis rather prominently. Its involvement was intricately described in the stage directions. I am left wondering what the remainder of my audition would have consisted of, had I demonstrated familiarity with the material.

Embarrassed, and a little terrified, I learned my lesson. Acting is pornography.

Written by Mitchell Conway

A Beckett Full of Wine or Albee Alright in the Morning

There are many different schools of acting. Be it Hagan, Artaud or Stan the Man (née Stanislavksy), it seems that everyone has their own acting guru. Everyone in No. 11 Productions has there own: Samantha is Stella Adler all the way, Anne Bogart is Ryan’s lady, and Mitch, well…Mitch just seems to be obsessed with Nietzsche. Today, I would like to introduce you to mine.

Michael Chekhov was born in 1891 in St. Petersburg, Russia and died in 1955 in Los Angeles. He was the nephew of playwright Anton Chekhov and a star pupil of Stanislavsky. He was the best (or one of the two best, if you are a Meyerholdian) actors at the Moscow Art Theatre. In the late 1920s, Michael Chekhov emigrated to the United States and worked on Broadway and in Hollywood (you can see him in Hitchcock’s Spellbound). His students included Clint Eastwood, Marilyn Monroe, Yul Brynner, Gregory Peck, and Anthony Quinn.

One of his most distinctive ideas is that of the Psychological Gesture (PG) and the idea that our bodies are linked to our minds and emotions. The PG of a character is a physical representation of how the character feels inside. Every character also has a specific body part they lead from and identifying this body part is a really great way, I have found, to start discovering the physicality (or “plastics” as the Russians say). You can read much more about PGs in Michael Chekhov’s book To the Actor.

Why I like Misha Chekhov:

• His emphasis on GAMES. An atmosphere must be playful and free to produce the best, most creative work.
• The importance of IMAGINATION. Stanislavksy believes that every part you play comes out of who you are as a human. M.C. puts more weight on the power of imagination.
• My Michael Chekhov teacher in Moscow was one of the warmest, most encouraging, playful, lovely human beings ever.

Some quotes from To the Actor:

• “Although creative images are independent and changeable…they will require your active collaboration…You must ask questions of these images, as you would ask questions of a friend.”
• “The real task of the creative artist is not merely to copy the outer appearance of life but to interpret life in all its facets and profoundness, to show what is behind the phenomena of life, to let the spectator look beyond life’s surfaces and meanings.”
• “There is no human being who is obvious and easy to comprehend.”
• “It will be a good starting point for an actor, in order to grasp the initial idea about the character, to ask himself: ‘What is the difference between myself and the character?’”
• “The audience is an active co-creator of the performance.”
• “For acting should ever be a joyous art and never enforced labor.”

So thank you, Michael Chekhov, for showing me how my art can be "a joyous art".

Written by Julie Congress

11 Be or Not 11 Be

No. 11 Productions is a very new company. Here’s a brief status update of what we’ve done so far and what we plan to accomplish in the near future.

Already Done:

• We had a very successful production of our original adaptation of Lysistrata in the SaratogaArtsFest
• We had great runs of Will Goldberg’s We Three in the Capital Fringe and New York International Fringe Festivals
• Obtained a Tax ID Number
• Have begun planning our next two productions (tentative show dates in November/December and February/March)
• Sent out our first email newsletter (didn’t get it? Email us at no.11productions@gmail.com to subscribe)
• Created a website and blog!

Still to Happen:

• Form a legal General Partnership
• Procure a venue for our next production
• Write our mission statement
• Find a park that will let us perform Lysistrata
• Start a facebook group
• Open a bank account
• Become a self-sustaining repertory theatre company (okay, maybe this is a little further down the line. But it’s gonna happen, just you watch!)

Written by Julie Congress

Ryan's Feelings

Good Evening. Another one. I worked for 8 hours today and not in the theatre. I wish I didn't need a day job, but I do. Oh well. Sorry, I don't mean to get you down or to wallow in my own thoughts. That's why when I'm feeling down and out and I need to be feeling creative and work on what I really want to be working on (theatre) I like to bake delicious cookies. Here's one of my favorite recipes:

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 large egg
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ cups quick cook oats
1 cup peanut butter chips (Reese’s are my favorite and I use the whole bag when I really need it*)

Preheat the oven to 350˚.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugars until smooth. Then add the vanilla and the eggs and mix until it is all blended in. Next add the dry ingredients and mix well. Finally stir in the oats and peanut butter chips. By this point you should start feeling a little better. Drop teaspoon sized balls of dough on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes.

Now you can of course use an electric mixer but I find the power, energy and strength needed to cream the butter by hand is exhilarating and picks me right up. Don’t feel bad if it doesn’t pick you up entirely…the cookies will be out the oven soon to finish the job.

Good cookies lead to creative genius. I know it just seems like more of your precious time (because it is). But, 30 minutes baking is better that 2 hours of uncreative frustration. As an artist, I hope this helps you feel good and have at least one revelation about whatever it may be that you are currently working on. Feeling down is normal, especially when you need to be cramming in a day job, family and other obligations around your art. There are positives to these things as well which I will discuss at a later date. Remember that most of the time it is better to bake than to be half-baked while making art.

*you know what I mean and if you don’t then just stick to the cup

Written by Ryan Emmons

Congress In Session

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen:

I stand before you today with great excitement and hope. Hope for the future of No. 11 Productions. Allow me to digress, so I may get to my point most directly.

My favorite word is asymptotic. You may recall this term from mathematics classes. In layman’s terms, an asymptote is a curve that gets perpetually nearer to a number without ever reaching it.

In this diagram, note how the curve keeps getting closer to the dashed line. The x-axis represents time. So as time passes, the curves gets closer. Yet even if the curve had an infinite amount of time, it would never touch (or go higher than) that dashed line. That is what makes it an asymptote. It will never reach its goal exactly, but will get infinitely closer. Suppose the dashed line was at 2. Then as time passed, the curve would go from 0 to 1 to 1.5 to 1.9 to 1.99 to 1.999 to 1.9999999999 into infinity.

At No. 11 Productions, we are on an asymptotic quest. We want to do Perfect Theatre. We want to attain Truth and Beauty. Yet we know that these are abstract concepts. These ideals are our asymptotes. With every production we do, we will get closer and closer. We will learn more and we will grow.

That is why we chose to work as part of a company, so that the next play could pick up from where the previous one left off. For us, that “x-axis” is our productions. Rather than each play starting from zero and being an isolated line, all of our pieces will be going further and further on the “Great Parabola to Truth”.

It may not always be easy, but we will find strength because we are forever working towards, and getting infinitely closer to, a higher aspiration.

Written by Julie Congress

Direct Consequences

Yesterday, well this morning, we applied to the New York Frigid Festival with one of our next projects. Fingers are crossed all around that we get in and then we can announce exactly what we are planning. What I can say is that the next two projects planned have a very high “create from scratch” component. Risky for a director, actors and company perhaps, but one thing that is sure is that the experience and overall production will be entirely unique, fresh and new.

In this I see great benefits.

• Rights and royalties are not a problem
• A larger creative process
• More opportunity for collaboration

To name a few. For me, as a director, the greatest experiences I have had directing have been the most collaborative. I am looking forward to two such projects in a row and I feel that these shows will be an excellent opportunity for No. 11 Productions to establish a greater sense of it’s own aesthetic. I think it is critical for a new company to know what kind of theatre they are trying to make and to establish its style boldly and up front.

Written by Ryan Emmons

The Conway Corner

Has everyone seen the cool pictures like these that are online? Check them out here: http://krosemanphotos.smugmug.com/gallery/5705395_NTFXr#351947987_Ei6Hv

Written by Mitchell Conway

The Conway Corner

"A man can do what he wants, but not want what he
wants." -Arthur Schopenhauer

Woody Allen asks Annie Hall at a party with all of her friends in attendance, after hearing their respective careers and coinciding artistic endeavors, "how come all of your friends are on their way to becoming someone else?" I look around and see a city overloaded with people who have artistic endeavors. I'm one of them. We, No. 11, are some of them. Everyone wants to express themselves creatively, but nobody wants to pay them for it. Or not enough people want to pay them. Me. Us. Not enough people want to pay us to do this thing we do. Yet. I don't mind being on my way to being someone, because everyone is always in the process of becoming, but I don't like the possibility of being stuck in some first stage of becoming. I want to at least have a ticket to get on the train, even if its too full more me now. The ticket line is just so damn long...Maybe its a good thing that more people are expressing themselves artistically. Sadly for me, the result is a lack of need for someone to express for them and provide a vicarious experiece. I want to create theatre, and I don't want it to be my secondary vocation.

But, that is how most 'actors' live. They are on their way. I'm on my way. But we, No. 11, are on our way, and we'll get there. And then where will we be? Hopefully, we'll be able to define ourselves by what we want, and have that be what we are.

Written by Mitchell Conway