It's Thursday morning. This evening is the first performance of our final weekend at Byrdcliffe. There isn't a person among us (us being Bette, Wallace and I) that wouldn't like more life for this production, but for now we will kill it four more times and then move on.
It may be redundant to express what a thrill ride this has been. Two weeks in Woodstock rehearsing leading up to the opening . . . the feedback we got referring our production to the top of the heap (and comparing Bette's performance to Billie Whitelaw!) . . . then the night the lights went out and we persevered anyway . . . amazing stuff.
As Winnie would say: 'And now?'
So here we go. There will be much to cherish forever with this production. Much that will linger on. A new frame of reference for what theater can be and how it can communicate. It's what we all strive for. As another Beckett heroine says: 'More!'
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Friday, August 12, 2016
Opening night of Happy Days
We have one performance under our belts now. It went very well indeed. I thought Willie would get more in the way of laughs, and there were some, but a) I didn't push for them and b)the audience was into it and very moved by the entire thing. So it accomplished what we hoped to. I had one small line glitch, but no one noticed it I think . . . I'll have to on my toes, not enough lines to screw one up, but having said that the glitch involved adding to, not taking away.
There is so much love and commitment in the air, it's just an amazing event for all concerned . . . and when we can pass that along to the audience it's magic.
There is so much love and commitment in the air, it's just an amazing event for all concerned . . . and when we can pass that along to the audience it's magic.
Monday, August 8, 2016
Building the mound
Well I thought that building the mound for Happy Days was gonna be a long drawn out process . . . but the wizard Bob McBroom is amazing. He had the entire thing figured out so he could just put the pieces together when he got to the theater. It was like building an erector set. From getting to the theater to leaving with a fully assembled mound was about two hours (and that involved some ooh and ahh time as well). So today we will start rehearing on the set and after rehearsal McB will come in with Chester, his helper and start to shape it and paint it . . . this is going to really be something else!
Saturday, August 6, 2016
The home stretch for Happy Days!
We had our last rehearsal at Wallace's studio today and on Monday we move into the theater! Pretty f'n exciting! We've been in Woodstock for the last week rehearsing every day and it has paid off in spades. This is going to be a pretty amazing event and I can't wait to get it up and running. Which of course is bitter sweet because we have been working on this for over a year now, and seriously rehearsing since October, so it has been a most intense ride . . . but I wouldn't trade it for anything. This has been a profound experience and, while it will be an intense next few days, this production should kinda blow people's minds.
This is the third time I've worked with Wallace in Woodstock and I'd say the third time is the charm, but they have ALL been charmed experiences. This collaboration is something that you can't just create, it happens through a series of events that lead one to another and then . . . magic happens . . . I could write a book . . . maybe some day I will!!!
This is the third time I've worked with Wallace in Woodstock and I'd say the third time is the charm, but they have ALL been charmed experiences. This collaboration is something that you can't just create, it happens through a series of events that lead one to another and then . . . magic happens . . . I could write a book . . . maybe some day I will!!!
Monday, July 18, 2016
Heating up!
The last couple of weekends have been great up in Woodstock. We got to see the house we will be staying in while there week before last, and we have had great rehearsals with other folks dropping by from time to time. Victoria Sullivan who will be hosting an event on Beckett on the 23rd came last week to sit in, and this week we were interviewed by the local paper, which is very nice.
All is moving in a wonderful direction, and both Bette and I are very happy with the love and support we are getting. We added stage managers to the mix this weekend, my old buddy Richard Ralph (?) and Lena, who's last name I don't remember. Both sweet people. Richard and I got back about six years, he was the house manager for Old Hickory and has been around the Fringe for as long as I am aware. A sweet guy and money in the bank level responsibility . . . I would trust him with anything.
So the team is all in place and we are ready to rock it out . . . can't wait. The only sad part is that this time next month it will be nearing the end of the Happy Day trail . . . but what an experience it has been . . . and we're just getting to the sweetest of the sweet spots!
All is moving in a wonderful direction, and both Bette and I are very happy with the love and support we are getting. We added stage managers to the mix this weekend, my old buddy Richard Ralph (?) and Lena, who's last name I don't remember. Both sweet people. Richard and I got back about six years, he was the house manager for Old Hickory and has been around the Fringe for as long as I am aware. A sweet guy and money in the bank level responsibility . . . I would trust him with anything.
So the team is all in place and we are ready to rock it out . . . can't wait. The only sad part is that this time next month it will be nearing the end of the Happy Day trail . . . but what an experience it has been . . . and we're just getting to the sweetest of the sweet spots!
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
AWOL for a bit
It's not like I've not had anything to report . . . it's just that who has time for updates . . . sorry to anyone looking to follow.
Happy Days is going very well. It's a lot of work especially for Bette, but it's gonna pay off in spades. The tech team is all in place; and they are all people who worked on Old Hickory six years ago! How cool is that. The set designer is going to have much more to do this time around that's for sure. We met with him after rehearsal on Sunday and talked about his ideas .. . he owns a lovely place in the Catskills and we met in a room with windows on three sides all overlooking mountains . . . it was the most striking room I've ever been in . . . absolutely beautiful.
We're doing full weekends every weekend up in Woodstock and then on August 1 we move up there for two weeks. It won't be play time but it is going to be an unforgettable experience . . . and how do I know that? Because it already has been!
It's almost exactly a year since we started this baby and we're kind of at that stage where it seems like it'll never end, but it's going to get real crazy now as time accelerates and we get there before you even blink . . . or that's how it will seem.
Can't wait.
I sent something off to a competition in Chicago. They wanted plays under the theme 'Killer Instinct' so I sent my solo piece (which until yesterday didn't have a name) about the guy who leaves his love in bed while he goes to buy bread and wine . . . only we find out she is chained there . . . and when he gets home she has escaped! Anyway, I called it The Rumpled Man and sent it off. We'll see what happens.
Still thinking about new pieces . . . things are starting to fall into place, but more on that later (possibly much later).
Ciao for niao.
Happy Days is going very well. It's a lot of work especially for Bette, but it's gonna pay off in spades. The tech team is all in place; and they are all people who worked on Old Hickory six years ago! How cool is that. The set designer is going to have much more to do this time around that's for sure. We met with him after rehearsal on Sunday and talked about his ideas .. . he owns a lovely place in the Catskills and we met in a room with windows on three sides all overlooking mountains . . . it was the most striking room I've ever been in . . . absolutely beautiful.
We're doing full weekends every weekend up in Woodstock and then on August 1 we move up there for two weeks. It won't be play time but it is going to be an unforgettable experience . . . and how do I know that? Because it already has been!
It's almost exactly a year since we started this baby and we're kind of at that stage where it seems like it'll never end, but it's going to get real crazy now as time accelerates and we get there before you even blink . . . or that's how it will seem.
Can't wait.
I sent something off to a competition in Chicago. They wanted plays under the theme 'Killer Instinct' so I sent my solo piece (which until yesterday didn't have a name) about the guy who leaves his love in bed while he goes to buy bread and wine . . . only we find out she is chained there . . . and when he gets home she has escaped! Anyway, I called it The Rumpled Man and sent it off. We'll see what happens.
Still thinking about new pieces . . . things are starting to fall into place, but more on that later (possibly much later).
Ciao for niao.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
June update
Here we are in early June. Hard to believe that in two months we'll be rehearsing in Woodstock full time, leading up to an August 11th opening!
Pretty exciting stuff indeed. Wallace worked his ass off last weekend on posters and mailers, and they look phenomenal. Tickets are on sale and people are buying them so, while we have a ways to go yet I'm sure it'll be here before you know it.
I called the props master at Yale Rep the other day to pick her brain about some of the technical aspects of the show. She was incredibly helpful and would have stayed on the phone as long as I wanted to talk . . . very nice lady. I asked about what they were doing with the props, but they are boxed up awaiting word on a possible move into the city. I'm guessing that if they weren't spoken for Jen (the props master) would have let me borrow what I needed, but so much for that! That production deserves the move. Diane Wiest was excellent and the overall production values were top notch, which I guess is what you'd expect from one of our better regional theaters. It would be interesting to know if they were planning/hoping for a move; that's a big expectation for the play, but with Wiest playing Winnie that sure don't hurt. Good for her if they do it. It's first class all the way.
Last year's production with Tony Shaloub and Brook Adams was a travesty so maybe NYC is hungry for a good production.
I don't see how that'll impact our production. People who don't want to shlep into the city to see it won't have to, and our production will rock on its own merits.
Ideas are popping for me from a writing standpoint. I now have landed on one of my older, unfinished plays that I liked the idea of but could never really pull off . . . I had an idea for it today that might add something pretty stunning to the mix . . . so it's something I'm gonna have to start working on in the coming days/weeks.
This weekend we are going to Woodstock for an early rehearsal on Sunday, and the weekend after that we are starting to go up for overnight weekend long rehearsals. Then August 1 off we go!
It is going to be a dynamite summer! And the doggies are gonna love Woodstock (and Wallace and Scott are gonna love our mutts!)
Pretty exciting stuff indeed. Wallace worked his ass off last weekend on posters and mailers, and they look phenomenal. Tickets are on sale and people are buying them so, while we have a ways to go yet I'm sure it'll be here before you know it.
I called the props master at Yale Rep the other day to pick her brain about some of the technical aspects of the show. She was incredibly helpful and would have stayed on the phone as long as I wanted to talk . . . very nice lady. I asked about what they were doing with the props, but they are boxed up awaiting word on a possible move into the city. I'm guessing that if they weren't spoken for Jen (the props master) would have let me borrow what I needed, but so much for that! That production deserves the move. Diane Wiest was excellent and the overall production values were top notch, which I guess is what you'd expect from one of our better regional theaters. It would be interesting to know if they were planning/hoping for a move; that's a big expectation for the play, but with Wiest playing Winnie that sure don't hurt. Good for her if they do it. It's first class all the way.
Last year's production with Tony Shaloub and Brook Adams was a travesty so maybe NYC is hungry for a good production.
I don't see how that'll impact our production. People who don't want to shlep into the city to see it won't have to, and our production will rock on its own merits.
Ideas are popping for me from a writing standpoint. I now have landed on one of my older, unfinished plays that I liked the idea of but could never really pull off . . . I had an idea for it today that might add something pretty stunning to the mix . . . so it's something I'm gonna have to start working on in the coming days/weeks.
This weekend we are going to Woodstock for an early rehearsal on Sunday, and the weekend after that we are starting to go up for overnight weekend long rehearsals. Then August 1 off we go!
It is going to be a dynamite summer! And the doggies are gonna love Woodstock (and Wallace and Scott are gonna love our mutts!)
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