Audience Influence

Those brandy filled glasses no longer clink in the Head Theater here at CENTERSTAGE, as the curtain closed on Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? November 30. However, one important part of this provoking show remains, and that is the audience.

The audience that hesitated walking into the theater knowing there would be over three hours of uproar, sarcasm, rage, and pain transitioned to the audience that walked out of the theater deeply engaged, moved and touched in watching the two couples loose themselves in games, gossip and agonizing secrets.

And they will soon return. CENTERSTAGE's production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? received many positive reviews, as The Baltimore Sun claims "The talented director Ethan McSweeny elicits first-rate performances from his top-notch cast." I recently found out it is our audience here at CENTERSTAGE that has made that cast rise a few more notches than usual, as I had the opportunity to speak with Leah Curney (Honey) about her experience.

As we sat in the downstairs lobby, Leah and I talked about Baltimore, and I asked her how the Charm City differs from other cities she has performed in. While she was not able to explore as much as she would have liked, she could sense this is an area that is being revitalized, an area full of history and on the verge of creating more. Leah particularly enjoyed the Farmers Market on Guilford Avenue, and the variety of restaurants up on Charles Street, since she tends to crave Indian and Nepalese food. However, one thing that stood out in Leah's mind about this area is the Baltimore audience here at CENTERSTAGE.

“CENTERSTAGE really reaches out to a diverse crowd, bringing in young and old people, from all sides of the spectrum" she explained. “There are no bells and whistles in this show. It is a talkative play, and most people are not used to that. To go on that journey we actors go through on stage is demanding of the audience, and here, they have chosen to journey with us.”

Leah admitted there are days she came into work tired after performing this exhausting three hour and ten minute play night after night, with the occasional matinee. Yet, once she steps onto stage, and after not only listening, but feeling the response of the audience, she is recharged and forgets how tired she once was.

“We play off of the audience's energy. We feel the response; although it is an intangible thing, it is so important, and at CENTERSTAGE it has been different than other places I have performed in. These audiences night after night have been so attentive and responsive, and I am really going to miss that."

~Emily

(Photos: Leah Curney onstage (above) and onstage with Andrew Weems (top) in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Photo by Richard Anderson)

Meet the Blogger

Name: Emily Hope Dobkin

Title: Box Office Assistant

Hometown: Simsbury, CT

Alma Mater: Goucher College

Amusing Stat: I've sailed around the world on a ship and I eat the core of every apple I devour.

I start every day with… believing as many as six impossible things before breakfast, followed by a bowl of mixed cereal and blueberry green tea!

One-Man Wonder

Charlie Ross, the writer and star of the upcoming One-Man Star Wars Trilogy, chatted with us about the origins of his unique production, and the challenges of life on the road.

CS: How old were you when you first began developing this act?
Charlie: 27

CS: What sort of response did you initially get from family? friends? critics?
CR: Family, positive—a little surprised.

Friends, positive—surprised, as I was never an overt Star Wars fanatic.

Critics, usually positive, some negative—it really depends whether the critic is Star Wars fan themselves.

CS: After performing the show so many hundreds—thousands?—of times, can you stand to watch the movies? Or does it feel redundant at this point?
CR: I haven’t watched them lately, but when I do I realize just how different my show is from the films. I find that the films feel long mostly because my version is so short.

CS: How do you keep the show itself fresh for yourself?
CR: The audience, they’re always changing, if it wasn’t for the fresh faces with their fresh reactions the show would get stale.

CS: You seem to slip into some characters a little too smoothly (Luke’s whine about going into Toshi Station to pick up power converters is dead on). And obviously you most closely resemble Mark Hamill. Do you feel more Luke-like? Or is there a secret thrill in getting to be Princess Leia?
CR: I was a whiny, feathered haired kid when I first saw A New Hope, plus I was living on a farm (and I was male)—so it was Luke I identified with.

CS: How has this changed over the years?

CR: As time has passed I’ve found myself feeling a bit more like Darth Vader. Mainly because I’ve had to sacrifice a lot of what matters to me: being with family and friends, in order to tour this show. Albeit I didn’t have to lose a hand or fall into a fiery river of lava in the process, I imagine it’ll all work out in the end.

CS: Did performing this piece confirm or bust your preconceptions about the typical Star Wars fan? Have you met any celebrities that revealed themselves as stealth fans after seeing the show?
CR: I didn’t have any concept of Star Wars fandom—the degrees that some people go to, the lows and the highs, and the camaraderie shared across borders and language—it’s a worldwide phenomenon.

I am pleased to say that someone even as macho as Vin Diesel is a Star Wars fan, he sat in the front for the whole show.

CS: What are some of the biggest challenges you are faced with as a solo performer on the road?
CR: Other than aspect of being away from my zone of comfort, a big challenge is weathering the bad days between good. When I have a hard show r a crappy day it’s mine alone to bear. It can be hard but I’ve grown callous over the years- in a positive way.

CS: Can you share any advice or warning to artists or performers who are considering a solo show?
CR: Choose your subject matter with your heart though be prepared to be passed over and ignored. Just because you love something doesn’t necessarily follow that others will. You must push through the adolescence of your work—it’s like high school: it can be easy for some and hellish for others—but once you reach the other side, find your audience, you will discover the long road ahead. If you can survive that period you’ll rarely look back, except maybe to laugh.

CS: What is the oddest or most interesting space in which or group for whom you’ve performed the show?
CR: Other than Star Wars conventions where I’ve performed for thousands at a go, the oddest was performing for two German tourists (girls) who’d heard about the show and wanted to see it very badly. They paid me five hundred bucks to perform in the living room where they were staying. It was Wunderbar!

***

The One-Man Star Wart Trilogy opens on Tuesday, December 9th and runs through December 21st. Check out www.centerstage.org for more details.

A letter from the Dramaturg

"[I]n an important way it’s actually a play about money and I was very pleased on that level. It’s something I’ve been interested in trying to do—to write a play in which money, an economic system, is sort of in a privileged position in terms of the narrative, in terms of what you are experiencing in watching, and so I feel really good about that. I am happy there are songs in the show that are simply about how little money this woman has—that don’t sentimentalize; that simply deal with an economic anxiety or economic difficulty and that the tracing through of this kind of game with the change sets a little engine in place that accomplishes various things and dismantles various things. To that extent it’s Brechtian." - Tony Kushner, 2007


Caroline Thibodeaux is a family maid. She works in the Gellman household for thirty dollars a week. She leaves work one day because of a disagreement over money she finds lying around the house. Then, about a week later, she comes back to work. In a sense, this is the entire plot of Caroline, or Change. Tony Kushner sets the play in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in November of 1963—to the west of the bloody states of Alabama and Mississippi, which were exploding in a violent process of desegregation, and to the east of Dallas, where President Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a motorcade—but the main action of the play is intensely focused, almost microscopically so, on the people in the Gellman house and the daily wages of their maid. The Change referred to in the play’s title has a similarly compound nature; in the play, “change” can mean the large historical changes buffeting the nation during the period—the assassinations, the marches, the freedom rides, and so on—but it also stands for loose change, the coins jangling in all of our pockets, the money that tells us what we can afford to be, where we can afford to go, who we can afford to be.


In Caroline, or Change, Tony Kushner set out to write a play about America’s potential for social change, and the provocative point the play raises is that this change is often made more difficult, if not impossible, by the power that money holds over us in society. Caroline, or Change is not really a play about character, even though it is filled with expertly drawn portraits of recognizably realistic people. It isn’t even a play about action, since we essentially end the play where we begin it, with a maid working for a family in the south (for the same wages). What Caroline, or Change seeks to represent is the extent to which money shapes and conditions our lives, our personalities, our decisions, and ultimately our politics. These are not new ideas. In the first production of this season at CENTERSTAGE, Thornton Wilder’s The Matchmaker, Dolly Levi remarked that, “The difference between a little money and no money at all is enormous—and can shatter the world.” Or, as the characters on fellow Baltimorean David Simon’s dear departed television show The Wire would utter as an ominous and all-too-necessary refrain: “Follow the Money.”

~ Drew Lichtenberg, Production Dramaturg

Meet the Blogger

Name: Drew Lichtenberg

Title: Associate Dramaturg

Hometown: Amherst, MA

Alma Mater: Yale School of Drama

Amusing Stat: Drew is a second-generation dramaturg (his mother received her MFA from UMass) and has an identical twin brother. Unfortunately, he is not related to Georg Christoph Lichtenberg.



I start every day with… a coffee from my beloved Dunkin’ Donuts/Red Emma’s rotation.

Meet the Blogger

Name: Katie Van Winkle

Title: The Debbie and Michael Nagle Dramaturgy Fellow

Hometown: Austin, TX

Alma Mater: Swarthmore College, 2007

Birthday: May 7 (Taurus, or rather Aries if you want to get all scientific about it! Check out this Live Science article: Your Astrological Sign Might Not Be What You Think It Is )

I start every day with… A shower with the most frighteningly intense water pressure I’ve ever known (yeah awesome intern housing!).

First Rehearsal Report: Caroline, or Change

Change: it’s the political buzzword of the year, and a mandate felt deeply from coast to coast. It’s also a key word in our next production: Tony Kushner and Jeanne Tesori’s Caroline, or Change, a story of people who demand change, resist change, pocket loose change, and refuse to be changed themselves.

On Tuesday, November 11th, exactly one week after the history-transforming November 4th election, the Caroline cast, director, designers, and the theater’s staff gathered in our 5th floor rehearsal room. The room is huge and airy, lined with windows, and will soon be transformed by the stage management team into a basic model of the Pearlstone Theater, with tape on the floor marking the shape of the stage and a single line of chairs representing the audience. But on Tuesday, it felt like a party. This is a large cast: 19 people all told, and the addition of 50+ members of the production and administrative staff created an exuberant, hectic hustle and bustle as everyone shook the hands of new friends, embraced old ones, and loaded their plates with cheese cubes, Asian pears (from our local Farmer’s market), and chocolate chip cookies.

First rehearsals are always exciting; there’s always a hum of energy and anticipation. But the atmosphere of Tuesday was particularly thrilling. In his marvelous introductory speech, director David Schweizer articulated just why.

He began, “I was resolved to work on Caroline, or Change as a necessary thing under a McCain-Palin administration.” Laughter. But, he explained, because he was “relieved of that combat duty…this project can become a kind of celebration…not a happy-go-lucky celebration…an intense, harrowing…passionate celebration.”

The rehearsal hall primed and ready for the next show's hard work.

Caroline, or Change scrutinizes the lives and families of Caroline Thibodeaux, an African American maid, and Noah Gellman, the eight-year-old son of her Jewish American employers. It’s 1963, and the turbulent waves of resistance and struggle and change flooding the country have begun to ripple and disturb the sleepy bayou town of Lake Charles, Louisiana.

With the complex grandeur of opera, and the microscopic attention of memoir, Caroline scores, as Mr. Schweizer put it, “the crucial unsung (though in this case, very much sung) lives that inch by inch crept along and got Barack Obama elected. It happened because these kinds of people chipped away at it.” He paused, and swallowed, and promised, “I’m not going to weep at rehearsal.”

As Caroline herself sings, she is “mean” and she is “tough”: she would live to see this election. Her kids, and their kids, would see it. Mr. Schweizer affirmed, and, if the palpable exhilaration in the rehearsal room is any indication, everyone at CENTERSTAGE agreed: the opportunity to produce this show, right here and right now, is a gift.

After his speech, Mr. Schweizer presented the set model, designed by Allen Moyer, which begins as a “gleaming nothingness” until Caroline creates a world populated by singing appliances. The initial costume sketches, designed by David Burdick, covered one table in the corner, along with sample swatches of material and the photographs that inspired each design. Then Mr. Schweizer turned to the lighting design by James F. Ingalls, and to perhaps the funniest exchange of the day:

David Schweizer: “What would you call these instruments?”
James Ingalls: “Lightbulbs.”

Usually first rehearsals conclude with a read-through of the play. The cast begins to familiarize themselves with their roles, and the crew and staff hear the script out loud for the first time. But Caroline is set to music, so the cast wasn’t ready to sing it through for an audience—a friendly one, but an audience nevertheless. They promised the staff a concert in a few days’ time.

After most of the people in the room left for their own offices and shops and work, Production dramaturg Drew Lichtenberg and I passed out the dramaturgical research packets we’d prepared, which include a glossary, historical background, and wonderful essays by and about Tony Kushner. Wayne Barker, the music director, sat at the piano and led the cast through a stumbling sing-through. The range of familiarity with the material was vast (E. Faye Butler, after all, joins us having just closed a production as Caroline at Chicago’s Court Theatre), but despite that, the humor and power of the piece shone through. By the end, we needed the tissues that stage management had so kindly placed around the table.

The cast is like a huge extended multi-generational family – from grade-school children to their fictional grandparents – all gathered to tell a story together. Everyone is excited and committed, including the youngest members of this new CENTERSTAGE family. Aaron Bell, a freshman at the Baltimore School for the Arts, will play Caroline’s son Jackie Thibodeaux. “I’ve seen meetings like this on TV, and now I’m here!” he told me, beaming.

I think Baltimore is in for a treat. David Schweizer, a Baltimore native himself, agrees: “I know the audience here is waiting eagerly for this piece and will enter into it as fully as it deserves.”

We’re eager for you to join us in a few weeks for Caroline, or Change.

~Katie

A walk to CENTERSTAGE photoblog

Name: Erika Kim
Position: Box Office Assistant
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Education: Maryland Institute College of Art, 2008; BFA in General Fine Arts and minor in Creative Writing
Start everyday with: Food and water.

Growing up in Colorado, fall was never the grandest of seasons. It was just a time for the pine needles to turn brown and the snow to come. Now that I live in Mt Vernon, I get to enjoy the beautiful colors of the season, not to mention the architecture and quirky details of the city.

Seeing leaves in the alley....and I love all the brick.

George Peabody in the park, surrounded by the leaves, and the fountain full of fall.

Even the lion has a pumpkin!

The Washington Monument, of course.

It's been a big fall!

Keep on Dancing!

Some would say it’s a glamorous job. Booking bands and finding exotic acts to perform for our Friday Night LIVE series. I’m not going to say that I think it’s glamorous...but I will say it has opened my eyes to how many things actually happen in Baltimore. Last Thursday is the perfect example of how one thing leads to another. I’m hanging out downstairs in Brewer’s Art after dinner, and an Argentinean friend of mine says, “Let’s go learn the tango!” What? The Tango? Argentinean Tango, no less? And where does this happen? The questions kept coming…who KNEW?

I end up in the upstairs lounge of Dionysus and feel like I’ve turned the clock back to a time when men and women danced with their eyes closed and their heads together. SIMPLY DIVINE. There were about 10 couples dancing slowly in the circle, no one in the middle disturbing the flow. You could hear the soft brush of shoes touch the hardwood floor. The music was from 1957 and sounded as if it were being played on a record...just the right amount of crackle! I sat on a couch that overlooked the dance floor. Mostly in amazement, I said nothing to anyone for at least 30 minutes, watching some of the most beautiful dancing I’d ever seen. Now, some people were better than others and you could tell teacher from student, but the environment was so...satisfying and peaceful and everyone was...blissful.

Immediately, my head went to, “How do I get people to have this same experience at CENTERSTAGE?” And then I realized that we a) don’t have a hardwood floor and b) an instruction of the simple steps takes a good hour and LIVE is only an hour. But that hasn’t stopped me before! It’s so important to me that people know how much of a treasure our community is. That there are all types of wonderful things happening in our fair city. And LIVE is a great platform to showcase those talents. As I write, Mark, the main Tango instructor, is trying to figure out if there’s a way to have them give instruction at Live. Worry not! I’m thinking hard as well and still going out on a nightly basis looking for, not necessarily those entertainers, but more of those moments. You know. The ones you just have to share because they mean something. Stay tuned...more good trolling to come!

~Charisse


Photo: Charm City Swing is one of the many groups to perform at Friday Night LIVE this season.

Meet the Blogger: Charisse Nichols

Name: Charisse Nichols

Position: Promotions Director

Favorite hobby: Vacuuming . . . whilst wearing a ball gown.

Latest obsessions: Chandeliers and Miro.

I start every day with: Two huge cups of green tea, a splash of milk and two splenda packs.

Plans for the future: To learn to speak French and Norwegian fluently.

Rise and Shine!

Honey and Nick leave George and Martha’s house in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as the sun is just coming up and birds start chirping. This part of the play was in my mind as I sat on the steps of CENTERSTAGE at 5:15 this morning, drinking coffee and watching those admirable-but-crazy early morning joggers.

I wasn’t sitting out there because I had a night of drinking and games like George and Martha, however. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was featured this morning on WBFF/Fox 45’s “Hometown Hotspot,” part of their morning news show! For me, that meant waking up at 4:45 am to get to the theater, make a pot of coffee, help Darren from FOX run cable (out the fourth-floor theater window!), and assist Public Relations Manager Heather Jackson prep for her first spot at 6:10 am.

For perspective: Many theater people go to bed at 6:10 am.

We had three short segments – one with Heather, another with Resident Dramaturg Gavin Witt, and a third with Props Master Jennifer Stearns and Props Artisan Nathan Scheifele.

Hopefully Baltimore’s early risers caught our segments, and will feel inspired to come on down to 700 North Calvert Street—even if it means going to bed later than usual.

~Sarah Anne

No Fear for the Woolf: Director Ethan McSweeny

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? director Ethan McSweeny talks about the challenges of taking on this classic text, and the advantages of working from a fresh slate

What was your familiarity with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? before this show?
I had read it, of course, but I had actually never seen a production of it. I had also never seen the film, so I made a conscious decision not to, once I knew I was directing it, as to not be unduly influenced by choices they had made—so I had the rare opportunity to come to it as if it was a new play.

Photo: Ethan McSweeny welcoming guests to the final dress rehearsal of Virginia Woolf. Photo by Richard Anderson.

It is a great classic of the 20th-century, maybe the quintessential post-World War II American play. And those usually come with a lot of baggage. When you get the opportunity to interact with a script without the baggage, as an artist, you’re very lucky.

Why were you interested in directing Virginia Woolf?
There were several factors, but, first, on the practical side, I’m a freelance director, so when I get a job, a chance to direct a major classic play at a major theater, I say yes. And I was supposed to direct a production of this play five or six years ago, but the rights were pulled because of the impending Broadway production. I almost felt I had a date with this play I had not kept.

This is also my first opportunity to work at CENTERSTAGE, a theater I have always admired and respected....CENTERSTAGE puts a pretty high emphasis on technicality, on design. That is an important aspect in Virginia Woolf, particularly, and great to get to do it in a fully supported regional theater.

I'm also a Washington, DC, native, and have a lot of family, friends, and other theaters I've worked with around here, so it is always great to come back to the Mid-Atlantic area.

What was one of the most challenging parts about bringing Virginia Woolf to life?
The most important thing was getting a good cast. Getting a George, Martha, Nick, Honey that are right, was very important. But they also have to be able to make it as a company, a group that works together to make a fantastic show.

Also, dealing with the length and breadth of the play, and dealing with it in our time in rehearsal. We had to be very aware of timing, scheduling. We don’t, aside from Shakespeare and Shaw, find ourselves doing many three hour plays. That creates challenges in relearning the rehearsal muscle.

How much time do you spend with a script before hand?
I spend a substantial amount of time reading the play, and reading it again in the design process. A big part of Virginia Woolf is that the action is carried by people talking, so we had to come up with interesting visuals and stage business to help the audience engage with the actors on stage. I spent a lot of time in the design process talking with Lee [Savage, scenic designer]. Once we had a design, I would re-read the play with that design in mind, thinking about how it would work.

I also make a scene breakdown, dividing the script into French scenes [every time a character enters or leaves]. Each act was divided into eight or ten smaller chunks, then I give a title to each of these scenes. It isn’t until I do a scene breakdown that I feel I’ve made an internal decision about what I feel the scene is about.

Finally, you have to be open as you work through the play together with the actors. Voices help reveal the structure in the text…. The punctuation is important, especially in Albee. Its almost a song, its a piece of music for four human voices.

What are you working on next?
I will be back at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC, doing a classic with a twist with Ion by Euripides. It is a relatively modern translation by David Lam, and it is a fascinating play that I’ve really warmed up to—a Greek play with a happy ending; not a comedy, not a tragedy, but a story.

After that, I go out to the Old Globe in San Diego for a new play, Cornelia, about the second wife of Alabama Senator George Wallace.

I have been very fortunate in my career to do classics, contemporary masterpieces like Virginia Woolf, and world premiers of new works. The ability to work in these different genres increases your skills as a director.

***
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? runs in the Head Theater through November 30th. Visit www.centerstage.org or call 410.332.0033 for information.

Election Day Vibes

My eyes usually trace the ground as I trudge up Madison Street to get my coffee from Donna’s, but this morning was different. Its Election Day! Although I cast my absentee ballot weeks ago (and, by the way, can’t those come with an “I Voted” sticker? I’m feeling left out!), I’m still feeling the excitement in the air. Citizens are fulfilling their civic duty by coming together at civic centers and school cafeterias and casting their votes. I walked with pride and optimism, eyes and heart up and out, looking forward to the nerves and anticipation as much as the thrill of the day.

Perhaps I’m projecting my own feelings, but I’d like to think that today the nation comes together as a community. I’d also like to think that we’ll continue the community-building that was created during this election—online, in living rooms and in cramped campaign offices—to truly progress as “We the people.”

~Sarah Anne

* * * *

Don't forget, tonight's the night! Come by CENTERSTAGE for all the fun at our Drill Baby Drill Election Night Party!

Making the stage- Dressing the set in Virginia Woolf

Jennifer Stearns, Props Master at CENTERSTAGE, and intern Ellen Nielson took us on a tour of the very detailed set of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

How we defined the props here is “everything in the house.” Whatever is not bolted to the walls, not part of the actual physical structure, is props—from the shrubs and ivy on the porch outside to the rugs, art, curtains, even the ceiling fixtures and wall-mounted sconces are part of the props department.

In a show as detailed as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, that’s a heck of a lot.

Occasionally we have overhire if someone is going to be away for part of the build time, or it is a really complicated show. We will also occasionally contract specialists to build specifics props.

(Ellen shows off the break-away bottle)

The two things that had to be exactly as they were listed in the play—had to be exact down to what is written. The breakable bottle had to be a whiskey bottle, not a glass, true to the script. And the stunt gun had to be exactly what the script called for.

Everything is a blend of bought, built, and stock, with a few specialty rentals sometimes. All the newspapers on the floor were printed in house to have dates in 1961 and 1962. The covers of the products, such as cigarettes and candy bars, were researched and then recreated here in house. The piles of magazines are a mix of a few old ones and many recreated—down a made up mailing address in New Carthage. More often than not there will be many pieces that are bought and altered, or are recreated from a mix of new and vintage pieces.

I had not worked with Lee Savage (the scenic designer) and director Ethan McSweeny before, and they gave a lot more attention to the props and set dressing than many directors do. Our usual process is that I go in, pull everything, and put it on a cart, which Lee than goes through and picks and chooses from. Once it is all on the set, Ethan goes through and makes notes, special requests. He really wanted there to be a Parcheesi set, and a chess set, things like that.


(Above: George's desk)

Some directors aren’t so worried about the set details, especially if I’ve worked with them before. There is a trust, a relationship that’s built when you work with someone a few times.

(Right: Jen and the custom Life magazines)

There are a lot of details that a lot of audience members won’t ever see. I’ve worked here for a number of years and there are things I’ve had and collected, things that I’ve wanted a chance to use. On George’s desk there is a double recliner that holds pipes that I was excited to use.

For the records, we went shopping and bought lots of old albums, there are some great, cheesy covers the audience never sees, such as a 1950s one with a woman in a great outfit lounging on the cover, called “Music to Read by”—really kind of camp and funny. The cover for the album that Martha plays was recreated by us [“Out of the Cool,” The Gil Evans Orchestra].

One of my favorite pieces is the glass table-top lighter, which were really popular through the late 1950s, but are really hard to find. We found this one, had it fixed up by Fader’s to actually work—and it is used by the actors now in the show.

Fantastic card table downstage was a find at a going out of business sale last year and knew we’d be able to use it one day—too much of a steal to pass up and a great period piece.

We also went to the Book Thing and got about 100 books, all copyright 1945-1962, all period, all things that George and or Martha would read. My favorite is one that was just a hilarious, really perfect for the time find, What We Must Know about Communism.

(Above: Tabletop lighter; Right: George's books)


--
Photos by Raphael Davison, Graphics Intern

All of this is achieved by a props department of four for most shows. Jennifer, Assistant Props Master Nathan Scheifele (the department carpenter), Jeanne Marie Burdette is the soft-goods artisan, and Properties Intern Ellen Nielsen.


The design team on Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? includes:
Scenic Design: Lee Savage; Costume Design: Murell Horton; Sound Design: Rob Milburn & Michael Bodeen; Lighting Design: Robert Wierzel

Drill Baby Drill: An Election Night Baby Shower!

Election Night can be a stressful event—but why spend it at home alone biting your fingernails? Come spend the evening as part of the local community as CENTERSTAGE hosts “Drill Baby Drill,” an Election Night Celebrity Baby Shower. Designed to be irreverent (not partisan), and ridiculous, the party features games, performances, stand-up comedy, and up-to-the-minute election coverage.

Beginning at 8 pm and lasting until a President-Elect has been declared, this party promises eclectic entertainment as we track the coverage of this landmark election. Entertainment guests include Colonel Bongo Betty, drag king Justin Incredible, puppeteer Sarah Jennings, comedian Dorian Gray, and hypnotist Jason Linett.

Come see a fashion show of celebrity maternity designs by CENTERSTAGE and local artisans, build your own baby—or baby bump! Gather around one of the may TV’s and projection screens for all of their Election Night coverage. Plus enjoy free wireless internet to find your own coverage.

It is a party designed to highlight the peculiarities and contradictions that arise in any election. In 2004, we hosted a Queer Bridal Fashion Show – both candidates spoke out against gay marriage and yet it was the gay marriage question on many state’s ballots that rallied voters to the polls and some say decided the election.



In 2008, we will host a “Drill Baby Drill” Celebrity Baby Shower to highlight a favorite slogan used by both campaigns. This year’s party brings together all of our concerns about the environment with our pre-occupation with celebrity baby-making. Shouldn’t family planning be a part of our discussion about the future of the earth?

Donations and proceeds from the evening go to Civic Works and Planned Parenthood.

http://www.civicworks.com/

http://www.plannedparenthoodmd.org/

The Moving Game

We welcome new Managing Director Debbie Chinn from California, where she was previously the Managing Director of the California Shakespeare Theater. Follow her blog as she chronicles her adventures acclimating to CENTERSTAGE—and life in Baltimore.


Upon learning that California beds don’t fit into (some) Baltimore houses:

I’m renting a lovely home in Guilford which has three levels. Before arriving in Baltimore, my landlord warned me that a queen-size box spring mattress will not make it up the stairs due to the combination of a narrow turn and a low lamp that hangs about 2 feet below the ceiling. Instead, they told me that the only way to get the box spring in would be through a side window off the master bedroom. They had the outside planter boxes removed to make things slightly easier for me.

As I was waiting for my moving truck to arrive, I kept eyeing the staircase and was sure that my landlords were mistaken. I took a broom handle to slightly shift the low lamp off to the side and was glad to see that it provided a clear space to get the box spring up the staircase, provided we could stand it up on its end. With that in mind, I told the movers that – in spite of my landlord’s ominous warning – I had everything all figured out and was sure that the box spring could make the sharp turn at the top of the stair case landing. The four moving guys kept shaking their heads but agreed to try. As they lifted, hoisted, and grunted their way up the staircase, it was evident that the bed was stuck (even though I was at the top of the staircase reaching over with my broom handle to sweep the low hanging lamp around the 6’ 4” tall moving guy’s head). They went back down and shifted the bed in an upright position and charged up the stairs again only to get stuck at the corner. At this point, one of the moving guys asked me where I bought my bed. I told him I got it from Macy’s in California and he then told the other three guys to put the bed down and explained it was impossible to move a California bed into an older Baltimore home because box springs made in California don’t split down the middle – therefore, it doesn’t come apart in order to fit around narrow stair cases.

We agreed to try the landlord’s option and the four moving guys took the box spring to the side of the house with the goal of raising it through the side window. The five of us went upstairs to convene by the side window and, as we peered down at the box spring sitting on the ground below, it was now doubtful that it would make it through the window – even diagonally – because it appeared to be thicker than normal. Measurements were taken and hammers and screwdrivers were pulled out in anticipation of removing the hinges to the window to allow for an extra 1/4 inch of wiggle room. One of the moving guys offered an exasperated solution which was to leave the box spring by the curb and sell it later. By now, I was becoming quite attached to the box spring and was determined to get the wretched thing into the house. So after a quick huddle with the guys, we agreed to give it a shot.

We all got into positions: Two guys were upstairs pulling it in (I was holding one guy by the leg and the tail end of his t-shirt as he dangled over the window sill to catch the box spring from below), one guy was on the ground pushing it up and another guy climbed up into the tree to give it a shove through the window. He was covered with foliage and was hard to see, so he kept yelling in Spanish—which the guy downstairs couldn't understand. Leaves were flying all over the place as he was trying to direct things. When the guy dangling out the window seemed to be evenly balanced, I released my grip on his leg, ran to get my broom handle and raced downstairs to give it to the guy below to help poke the box spring up to the guy in the tree. There was a cacophony of noise – branches breaking, men yelling, the cover to the box spring ripping open as it made its way through the side window, and my now beloved broom handle snapping in half due to the pressure it took against the weight of the box spring. But the box spring made its way into the window and there were cheers of victory after we got the guy out of the tree.

But I swear that bed is staying in this house when I move out.

~Debbie

Earlier this fall, Grants Manager Sean Beattie played “20 Questions” (okay, more like 10) with Debbie... check out her interview at centerstage.org

Meet the Blogger: Debbie Chinn

Meet the blogger: Debbie Chinn

Position: Managing Director

Hometown: Long Island, New York (born in Huntington; raised in Syosset)

Birthday: January 30th. Sign: Aquarius with Leo rising (spoken like a Californian)

Favorite food: Way too many to choose from. I’m an equal opportunity eater and love all types of fresh cuisines. I generally avoid chain restaurants.

Favorite drink: Red wines; some of my all time favorites are wines from the Bordeaux region (St. Emilion and Chateau Margaux), the Burgundy area (especially a Gevrey Chambertin or a Chassagne Montrachet), and my favorite California reds are from Grgich Hills, Christopher Creek, Raymond Burr, Duckhorn, Dache, and Carmody McKnight. I also always keep a chilled bottle of Veuve Clicquot around for the times when I really want to relax and decompress at home.

Pets: I have a 9-year-old Siamese cat whom I found when she was around 2. Actually, she found me. I was walking from my car to my flat in San Francisco and the cat came running over to greet me. Evidently she had been abandoned by the neighbors next door and thought I was there to feed her. I ignored her for several days thinking that someone would come back to claim her, but she was a fixture at the bottom of my stoop every night I came home. So, I took her in and dubbed her “Killer” because every so often, solicitors would knock on my door and in order to scare them off, before opening the door, I’d yell at the top of my lungs, “BACK, KILLER….DOWN, KILLER…..BACK AWAY, KILLER”. The name stuck, and the solicitors ended up leaving before I opened the door. So, it all worked out great.

Living Local

Nearly every Sunday morning I roll out of bed, grab my canvas tote bags and stroll down to the farmers market under the JFX. My morning ritual takes no more effort than driving to Safeway and I get much more out of the experience. Natural sunlight instead of florescent bulbs, and seasonal produce instead of a genetically modified object draw me in, but it is the people who keep bringing me back. I love talking to the vendors and trying food that may not be part of my grocery list.

I’m not the only one who feels this way. The farmers market is always crowded, thanks in part to the local food movement (and those hot, fresh donut holes with extra powdered sugar, I’m sure). People want to know where their food comes from and support the local economy. I feel the local arts community is part of the “living local” movement as well.

Take a look at the lobby during a Friday Night LIVE event. Performers from the Baltimore area (such as St. Veronica’s Steel Drum band, pictured) entertain as the crowd munches on complimentary samples from area restaurants and enjoys Happy Hour drink discounts. It can resemble the farmers market in many ways, with neighbors catching up and experiencing the talent Baltimore has to offer.

LIVE is also an opportunity to see the local establishments help each other. CENTERSTAGE promotes the performers and restaurants, performers talk about the LIVE party and show to their friends, who then go to dinner at a restaurant we promoted and then to a show at the theater! We get patrons who may not be familiar with theater or our plays that come knowing they will experience something new.

Just as the farmers market exposes me to new foods, CENTERSTAGE exposes patrons to new ideas and shows. Like many recent college graduates, I was only familiar with Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, but the CENTERSTAGE production of Wilder’s The Matchmaker introduced me to more of his great writing. I’m looking forward to Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? because I’ve only seen the movie version and can’t wait to see the sharp dialogue and action happen only a few feet away from me.

There are numerous ways to engage with artists and the community at CENTERSTAGE with one of our ongoing series. Baltimore presents opportunities to have fun and support local artists like no other city and it’s time we all took advantage of it. I’ll see you at the theater!

~Sarah Anne

Meet your blogger: Sarah Anne

Name: Sarah Anne Austin

Position: Audience Development Intern

Education:
BA, Communication/BA, Dance
University of Maryland, College Park

Hometown: All over the USA (child of retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel)

I start every day with…NPR and a cup of coffee.

Check out "Meet the Blogger" labels to get to know all of our contributors throughout the season.

Welcome!

...to the first entry of the CENTERSTAGE blog!

Over the season we plan to fill this space with behind-the-scenes action, interviews with actors, artistic staff, administration, and special guests. Stay tuned for updates on special events and activities, such as Friday Night LIVE! entertainment, Education and Community Outreach programs, performance-related events, and more.

This week at CENTERSTAGE:

Final performances of The Matchmaker wind up this weekend. If you haven’t seen this delightful show yet, come check it out!


(Keri Setaro as Minnie Fay and Kate Turnbull as Irene Molloy in The Matchmaker. Photo by Richard Anderson)



Preparation for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? heats up as the show moves into tech and prepares for Preview performance beginning on October 22nd. Look for interviews with the actors and artistic staff soon to appear on this blog.

Friday Night LIVE!
Tonight we welcome the St. Veronia’s Steel Drum Band, so come on out! For more on LIVE events, visit live.centerstage.org. Also, check out the LIVE site and the CENTERSTAGE Facebook page to see photos of past events—tag yourself and find you friends!


Plans are on warp speed for the One-Man Star Wars special engagement in December. You won’t want to miss this amazing solo performance, which has sold out performances from the Woolly Mammoth to Europe. Bring you light sabre and may the force be with you!

Upcoming in next week’s blog:
We sit down with new Managing Director Debbie Chinn to get her vision for CENTERSTAGE—and her first impressions of Baltimore!

What do you want to see in the CENTERSTAGE blog? We want your feedback! Comment here on requests of interviews, behind-the-scenes secrets, and regular updates that you are curious about. Or send us and email to feedback@centerstage.org

~Heather