Actor Q&A with 'Tis Pity's Reese Madigan

At the heart of ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore, beyond the love of siblings, families, suitors, there is another love. Love of duty. Or at least that’s the way Reese Madigan sees it. Returning to CENTERSTAGE as Vasques, the loyal—and manipulative—Spaniard who serves Soranzo, Reese has a warm and gracious attitude toward the theater and his cast mates, and a keen eye as to what sets Vasques apart from the rest of the characters.

“In a play in which almost everyone talks about their hearts, swears by their hearts, other people’s hearts, Vasques is lead by his sense of duty,” says Reese. “I imagine he swore to Sorenzo’s father he’d take care of his son, who is hot-headed and impetuous. He’s trying to keep him in line as he’s getting involved with a very dangerous woman, angering her, and angering her husband.”

In this Reese has found a lot of depth and that the role “is yielding more fruit than I expected,” he says. This profound sense of loyalty carries throughout, and while many times it is played manipulative plots or wry comments, other times it is a very deeply drawn dedication.

“Irene really wanted me to relish my last line [where Vasques boasts that a Spaniard has outwit an Italian in revenge]. It was a real push, because his life is over, in a way….If his whole reason is to do the best at his job, keeping Soranzo safe, he’s failed,” when his master dies.

This failure is not from any lack of machination—or physical skill. Vasques is one of the top swordsmen in the play, making his first entrance verbally and physically slashing at Grimaldi (played by Jacob Knoll). Reese, who has been doing martial arts since he was a child, is well trained in stage combat. “I’ve been lucky to be [fight choreographer J. Allen Suddeth]’s fight captain three times now—a huge honor as he is one of the top two or three in the country.”

A graduate of SUNY Purchase Conservatory, one of Reese’s first parts out of school was as a “spear carrier” in the Shakespearean in the Park production of Richard III with Denzel Washington. “I had three or four fights, it was fantastic!”

Back then Reese was one of the “kids” in the cast. For many years, Reese always felt like the youngest guy, but has been realizing he has transitioned to being one of the “older-young people,” he laughs. “I’m not that old yet!

“I'm at the top of my game, acting wise, but the roles are changing on me with age. The biggest challenge is staying in the game—and the game changes.”

After the close of ’Tis Pity, Reese heads back to New York, without another project lined up. Creative changes impacted a role he had been offered at a theater for the summer, and after much consideration he decided not to accept the change of roles.

“There are the choices you make,” he says. “You’re never just offered a dream role, you always have two choices, and either way you feel like you are burning bridges or making a sacrifice…feast or famine.”

He recently played Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a dream role. “I’d love to do more Tennessee Williams, he's my idol. And more Shakespeare.” It was his role as the Danish Prince in last season’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead that gave him a taste for Hamlet, his next dream role, “by hook or by crook!”

But nothing is planned at the moment. “It’s daunting to leave this, go back to pounding the pavement and working in catering while looking for the next gig.” However, you never know where you’ll meet people. As an event captain for a New York catering company between shows, Reese was working an Upper East Side event just before coming to Baltimore.

“I was growing out my goatee for this role, and felt foolish, so I explained to the wife hosting the party that it was for a part.” The wife asked him if he was an actor and what part. It turned out she was Kate Roche, daughter of the late Nancy Roche, a Trustee and former Board President for CENTERSTAGE (and for whom the Chapel Bar on the Theater’s fourth floor is named).

“Suddenly I was legitimized in her eyes because Irene chose me, I worked at CENTERSTAGE,” Reese says. This strong respect for the Theater seems carried over to the actor as well, who answers questions about returning to Baltimore with obvious warmth for the people here.

”I think this theater is a real jewel,” he says. “The people I’ve worked with here are really some of the best—Irene, David and the costume shop, Larry, of course…one of the best stage management teams I’ve ever worked with.

“It’s a great place to work because Irene [Lewis, Artistic Director] is responsible for all who work with her. She’s a very good director, one of the best. And she hires people who are the best; the actors are treated with a lot of respect, and that seems, from what I can see, to flow over into everyone on the staff.”

And the city, too, has its charms. “Baltimore is a wonderful city with great history—and great theatrical history.” He recalls going out to Green Mount Cemetery, where the Booth family is buried. The Booths were one of the great American theatrical families of the 19th-century (prior to the act that made son John Wilkes notorious). “All that history is all right here.”

Whatever the next show, for now Reese is enjoying the final days of ’Tis Pity and the people he spends his time on stage with. “It’s a really great cast on this one, a lot of laughs. Everybody is a really good actor and it is a pleasure to be on stage with them. There is this combination of really talented younger actors with really seasoned older actors.”

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Interview by Heather. Production Photos: Richard Anderson. Bottom photo: Reese with Felecity Jones.

Fights and Gore-- backstage videos for 'Tis Pity She's a Whore

"'Tis Pity is at its best at its bloodiest...." -City Paper

And that is part of the fun—and the challenge—of a Jacobean Revenge Tragedy. Our fight choreographer J. Allen Suddeth and the cast worked hard to bring a realistic edge to the violence and mayhem on stage, and the crew backstage puts extra hours in every night to deliver—and remove—the gallons of blood required.

Check out J. Allen Suddeth’s video that compares the fights in rehearsal to the finished action on stage. And then take a backstage tour with members of our Stage Management and Costume crews as they give a sneak peek into the array of tools and tricks to giving a Revenge Tragedy a bloody good ending (created by Rapheal Davison and Sarah Anne Austin)

Cinema and Stage: or, rather, sex and blood

I must admit, I was extremely excited for the arrival of ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore at CENTERSTAGE. At first, I wasn’t even sure why! When he discovered how much I was anticipating the production—before I had even read the script, at the time—our Resident Dramaturg Gavin Witt invited me to the department for a “brain-picking” session. Just why did this play interest me?

Through conversation with Gavin, Drew, and Katie, we realized one of the reasons for the appeal was that this script has a lot in common with the craft of filmmaking. Many of the movies that have made a stamp on our pop culture are those that combine beauty—lush in color, texture, or merely a graceful directorial touch—with a bit (or a lot) of the macabre. And this is no different.

’Tis Pity She’s a Whore is a Jacobean Revenge Tragedy, combing picturesque Italian setting and poetic dialogue with convoluted plot twists and a bloody and tragic ending. This balance of beauty and violence can be explored in any number of films, whether it is the stunning fights of Kill Bill, or Julie Taymor's Titus, which delves into Shakespeare's bloody tale violence and revenge with gutso, and yet so often during the film you find yourself gasping at the beauty of her shots.
And add into consideration that 'Tis Pity is a 350 year old play that deals with sexual taboo—and one that is still considered such, unlike many period plays that can often seem more tame to today's audiences. However, a brother and sister in love is still a sketchy subject, no question.

All of this came together to produce our TABOO Free Film series, in conjunction with City Paper and the Windup Space. So far we have presented Titus and The House of Yes (who can resist Parker Posey? and talk about brother/sister relationships...), and next week The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover rounds out the series. So, I guess we weren’t too off when we began describing this production as “Romeo & Juliet meets Quentin Tarantio,” after all!

Whether you can make the free movie showing or not, we hope you'll come see ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore here at CENTERSTAGE. With the official opening this week, it was great to see how all the hard work over the last month has come together to create something that audiences are really talking about: a perhaps shocking, surprisingly funny, and yet still touching tale.

~Heather

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Photos (top to bottom) Colby Chambers and Kristen Sieh; Reese Madigan and Felicity Jones; Reese Madigan, Colby Chambers, Curt Hostetter, Kristen Sieh, Corey Pierno, and Tim Artz. Photos by Richard Anderson

Interview: Richard Gallagher of "Fabulation"

It’s been nearly a week since the cast of Fabulation, or The Re-education of Undine departed from CENTERSTAGE’s Head Theater. Still, even after two days of previews for 'Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Lynn Nottage’s beloved characters from Fabulation continue to linger in the hearts of our patrons and staff. Perhaps it is due to the pretentiously hysterical situations that the title character, Undine Barnes Calles, constantly found herself in; or maybe it’s because there is always something heartwarming about watching an individual reunite with his or her estranged family. Whatever the reason, it is certain that a much deeper, more meaningful message was meant to be heard through Undine’s sarcastic narration of her own satirical fall from social grace.

As the show approached its final performance, I had the opportunity to sit with Richard Gallagher, a member of Fabulation’s ensemble cast. He greeted me with a smile as he sat at one of the round coffee tables where his green baseball cap and coffee mug were already settled and waiting. Before long we were chatting like old acquaintances.

“So, did you study theater in college?” I asked, expecting to know the answer. How surprised was I to discover that Richard Gallagher, who plays Undine’s slightly nervous yet demanding accountant among his roles, received his undergrad in English and History?

“I wanted to be a professor,” he confessed. And how did he find his way into acting? “I took an Acting I class my senior year of college for fun,” he explained. “I got such a good response from my professors that I decided to take Acting II my final semester and had a blast.”

After graduation, Richard signed up for Acting III classes as a continuing education student before being offered a full-ride into the M.F.A program of his alma-mater.

“It was a disaster,” he claimed. “Due to a number of reasons. I only stayed for a year.”

Following his short-lived first experience as a graduate student, Richard moved to San Francisco in attempts to pursue an acting career. It was there that Richard had his first run in with Lynn Nottage’s work. He auditioned for Nottage’s play Las Meninas and was called back three times before eventually losing the role to a Yale graduate. He took it as a sign to return to graduate school and after thorough research and only one audition, was accepted to Yale School of Drama’s graduate program, where he studied for three years.

When it came time for our production, director Jackson Gay inquired specifically about him through his agency when casting first began. He had several friends who had worked for CENTERSTAGE in past productions, and had heard nothing but praises of their experiences with the Theater. Although he had never read Fabulation, clearly Mr. Gallagher was familiar with Lynn Nottage’s work.

“I loved Intimate Apparel!” he oozed. Despite his fondness of Nottage’s previous plays, Richard confessed later that he was still relieved to find that Fabulation was one he knew he would enjoy doing. “I thought it was honest [and] found the story inspiring.”

Carefully, I mentioned a review of the production in which the critic claimed Nottage to be unsympathetic to the title character.

“I guess [Nottage] probably isn’t sympathetic,” he pondered. “But does it matter? It’s about a crisis... The sky is falling!” He gets excited. “If you don’t know who you are then what’s left?”

There is something endearing about Undine’s misfortunes, I must admit, and the fact that such a seemingly indestructible character could be broken in so many ways. Watching Fabulation for the very first time, I remember wondering how many of us in the audience could sympathize with Undine. How many of us have lost our jobs in these troubled times? Who of us has not said and done something to hurt our loved ones? And how many of us refuse to see past our own personal tragedies?

“There’s a very interesting button at the end of this play,” Richard adds. “‘I breathe’…If you are breathing, you can listen. You can change. So much goes by Undine. Even her accountant says ‘You don’t listen to anyone.’”

I asked what sort of impact he hoped Fabulation might have had on its audiences.

“I hope it’s a chance for them to re-evaluate where they are in life… there is a sense [throughout the play] of ‘That’s not gonna happen to me.’ But it does. When that happens, what do you do? You can choose to stay angry at the world or move on. There’s not a lot of sympathy about the fall. It’s about how you re-evaluate yourself after.”

For Undine, that new sense of self was found in the forgiving arms of her abandoned family. Perhaps that is what made this show so memorable. Despite all of Undine’s desperate attempts to hang on to what little she had left of her “fierce” lifestyle, in the end, she finally found that moment to breathe and realize for the first time the true meaning of unconditional love. And hopefully, our audiences were also able to find that moment to breathe in their own lives.

~Cori

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Photos: Richard Gallagher in Fabulation, photo by Richard Anderson; Richard Gallagher.

Interview: Maria-Christina Oliveras of "Fabulation"

The curtain may be down on Fabulation, but we couldn't resist getting a few final words from some of the talented actors who visited our theater and city for this fantastic show!

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Working in the Box Office, I received phone calls over the last month requesting tickets not for Fabulation, but for "Fabulocity," "Fabulosis," “Fabulon,” "Fabucation," among various other inventive titles. These creative titles echo the meaning of fabulation itself; the act of inventing or relating false or fantastic tales. Our patrons have not gone to the extremes in inventing false tales about Fabulation, but many have inquired exactly what it is about. After viewing the show myself, I have been tempted to ramble off Flow's final verse of his compelling epic, yet unfinished poem about Brer Rabbit:

"It be 'bout who we be today/ And in our fabulating way/ 'Bout saying that we be/ Without a-pology/ It is a circle that been run /That aint no one ever won/ It that silly rabbit grin,/ 'Bout running from your skin..."

But instead, I explain that Fabulation is about a career driven woman who has worked her way to the top of a PR firm and suddenly finds herself broke, on the verge of a divorce, and pregnant, forced to face her roots and go home to her family in the projects. "It's a comedy," I explain, but then rethink; how is that description I just explained comical?

It is the satirical punchy moments that have brought laughter to our audiences, while leaving them contemplating issues of race, social class, identity, and even the definition of success.

As Undine Barnes Calles bosses about her Post-it wearing secretary and listens to her accountant inform her that her Argentine husband has left her with nothing, the audience watches a social climbing woman's true identity unravel. She is forced to go back to Brooklyn where she has not seen her family for 14 years. When Undine reluctantly returns to her mother, father, brother, heroin-addicted grandmother, and even the jump-rope champion girlfriends of her youth, she begins to shed layers to what might be a social fall, but might also be a moral rise.

As I had the opportunity to sit down with Maria-Christina Oliveras, who played the post-it-clad assistant Stephie, among her multiple roles in the show, we discussed the major themes in Fabulation such as the notion if image, the meaning of success, the ideas of perception of race and class, as well as the pressures to blend and assimilate within society.

"The script is wonderful in that it touches upon interracial class issues that have been explored, but not yet produced." Oliveras admits it is indeed a challenge, but a challenge that forces her to evaluate not only herself, but humanity as a whole in illuminating different types of people through her multiple character roles. "It’s about finding a tone, honoring the character, and finding moments larger than life, but staying grounded in truth and reality."

Oliveras concurs with me in that "[Fabulation] is funny, yet tragic." She hopes the audience is able to watch these different characters and go beyond their comic caricatures. "I hope they are able to see another dimension, and see them as human beings struggling." Moreover, she hopes audience members can evaluate what is truly important to them and what makes their identity. What if, like Undine, everything you have is taken away from you? What would you really do? Where would you go? Overall, Oliveras would like the audience to expand their sense of empathy. "Everyone struggles; the person sitting next to you in the theatre might be the person who just lost their job, or the person taking the extra shift so that their child can have that new winter coat."

The Education and Community Department at CENERSTAGE has given Oliveras the opportunity to speak about these important issues highlighted in Fabulation in local high schools and universities. Within her discussions, she encourages students to think about stereotypes and how people are perceived. "I think this show really pushes you to think about perception and how you are perceived, something that many youth deal with on their path to self discovery." Along with that, she has asked these students to think about success; what does success really mean, and who defines success?

Perhaps success for a character like Undine's brother Flow it means concluding that epic poem on Br'er rabbit. We can only imagine how Flow ended his epic poem, but possibly it might be something like this: "...It is a circle that been run /That aint no one ever won/ It that silly rabbit grin,/ 'Bout running from your skin/And underneath, you find that identity clinging from within."

~Emily

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Photos: Crystal Anne Dickinson and Maria-Christina Oliveras in Fabulation, photo by Richard Anderson; Maria-Christina Oliveras.

First time through

We found our Resident Dramaturg Gavin Witt's latest post on the Dramaturgy tumblr so enlighting about our upcoming production of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, we had to cross-post. Check out all the inside thoughts of the Dramaturgy department at their tumblr, The Thaumaturgy Department.
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Wow. (Finally) invited back in the room to watch the first rough run through the whole show. What a massive, mighty monster of a play! A tremendously complicated effort, with scores of scenes and a half-dozen fights and seven bodies piled up by the end. There should be some nifty rehearsal video of fight rehearsal coming soon, but meantime, some impressions that linger:

John Ford might have been a failure as a lawyer, if indeed he really trained for the law; but as a playwright he had his moments, and plenty of them. There are passages of exquisite beauty and emotional resonance throughout ‘Tis Pity and like Shakespeare they are across the ethical spectrum. Some of the writing, as poetry, achieves real heights/depths, and structurally the play is extremely inventive, amibitious, and modern. There are virtually jump-cuts, including one remarkable moment when we jump ahead a matter of months in the space of an eye-blink, as one character talks and time seems to whirl past him in a sentence. Remarkable.

The play is—in a good way—all over the map in tone. There’s gut-busting comedy (not really slapstick, but good character-based laughs) that turns on a dime to knock the wind out of you, into pathos at least. There’s violence, cruelty, betrayal, and revenge a-plenty. There is romance of all sorts, in unexpected and often quite uncomfortable ways, and it’s managed beautifully even in the current rough stage of the process.

The rehearsal room has the air of a creative beehive of endeavor. The big, white room, lined with windows on either side and blasted up to two stories of height, is an extremely conducive space, for all its cavernous acoustics and rough, semi-industrial aesthetic. The cast announced today that they really don’t want to leave the rehearsal room, one of the few ever that elicits that response. There are props scattered about, but not too many—mostly swords and blades of various kinds. There’s some basic indicators of space, to define some apertures, but not much. There’s a recycled statue of Venus, standing in. And of course, colored tape on the floor to indicate the shape of the eventual set. Even with so little, the piece already has shape, life, specifity, and momentum.

Little by little, the cast of a dozen and a half is coming together as a unified and cohesive band. They’ve been pretty tight since the start, getting along well, but since the various plot strands are so distinct, they’ve been rehearsing almost as if it were a movie, in for a few hours intense work, then away for days, and only in small groupings. Now, they are beginning to see each other’s work, and to start inhabiting the same world of performance reality.

Still curious to see if a few plot points, important as the premise for action and motivation though not really for much detail, come clear. They seemed to land but they are dicey. The sort of thing one coughing fit in the audience can just wipe out, leaving a roomful of people very, very confused. We don’t have the benefit of all knowing the story of this play in common, which is mostly a huge boon (nobody comes in reciting lines along with the actors, or already jaded about the outcome, or even likely prefering another version they saw) but does leave us a bit vulnerable. There’s less inclination to take the play’s extremes as a given, to give it permission to challenge; and there’s less familiarity with its basic parameters. So, we’ll see…..

One aspect was a huge relief—there seemed to be a tremendous sense of momentum driving the first “act” as we’ve divided it, and leading naturally or even inexorably towards the intermission break. It’s an artificial imposition on a five-act play, so that’s always a risk.

Given that we’d cut and gently adapted the script, it was a relief as well to hear how well the text played. I missed nothing that we’d removed, and actually caught a few more places where we could make useful (small) adjustments for clarity and distinction.

The show should be beautiful, costumes are coming together quickly, and as drew’s photo illustrates the set is not far behind either. With music, dance, fights, blood, scenery, and lighting this should grow into an extravaganza worthy of the challenge and potential of the piece itself. A fantastic opportunity to work on this bear.

~GHW

from: http://thaumaturgy.tumblr.com/post/82492915/first-time-through

What is a BAP?

While tossing about impressions of the characters in Fabulation or, The Re-education of Undine, we were struck by the characterization of the “BAP”, or Black American Princess, as represented, maybe not so much by Undine, but by her equally status-seeking, nouveau-rich friend Allison. But what is the stereotype of a BAP?

Tossed onto the desk of our Promotions Director came the clever, if tongue-in-check, book:
The BAP Handbook: The Official Guide to the Black American Princess (at amazon.com).This humorous slant by Kalyn Johnson, Tracey Lewis, Karla Lightfoot, and Ginger Wilson looks at the definitions of the Black American Princess as:

1 : a pampered female of African American descent, born to an upper-middle or upper-class family;
2 : an African American female whose life experiences give her a sense of royalty and entitlement;
3 : BAP (acronym) : colloquial expression; or
4 : an African American female accustomed to the best and nothing less.

A whimsical look into “BAP speak, BAP style, and BAP history,” the BAP Handbook, also includes lists of so-called BAP colleges, famous BAPs and a glossary (who doesn’t need to know the crème-de-la-crème of French phrases to toss about?).Our particular favorite feature? A break down of the leading “types” of BAPs:

Betty \’bede, ‘bete, -i\n., usually cap B [short for continuous betterment]: a. A BAP by birthright who strives for perfection in everything she undertakes. B. a BAP whose life expectations are based on a sense of entitlement. C. the Quintessential BAP.

Boho \‘’bo-ho\n. usually cap B [diminutive of bohemian]: a. a BAP by birthright who lives an unorthodox lifestyle. B. A funky-fresh sister with a decidedly unique if not outrageous approach to life. C. A majorette in her one-woman band.

Butterfly \ ‘be·ter·fli\n., usually cap B: A BAP who evolved from a dormant state at any point during her life. B. A BAP who is often presumed to be a Betty. A BAP who may protest the categorization.

We found this satirical book quite amusing, and hope you do too!

~Heather

Photo: Crystal Anne Dickinson, photo by Richard Anderson

Auction in photos

Whew! I just spent two hours on the phones and it was exhilerating! Thank you to all of our friends and members calling in, and keep it up. I'm still out of breath, so here are is a short collection of moments, quiet and not so quiet, over the last couple of hours (taken by our fabulous graphics intern Raphael)

awed and inspired

Maybe it's like being on the stock market floor (perhaps at least in years past) as people wave thier arms and shout bids as the hour closes and final bidding wars erupt. A set of four Ravens tickets are still going from the last quater hour, now approaching $1,300-- a touching tribute to both the love of the sport and the dedication to support CENTERSTAGE. And as the bid closes out the room of staff and volunteers erupt into cheers of gratitude.

None of the shy, quiet card waving of the typical auction, this is fast paced excitement as people vie for incredible offerings for a great cause. I'm consistently blown away today by the involvement of our volunteers and the excitement this event garners-- no wonder people talk about it all year! As we enter the busiest hours, things get more frantic. Listen in at 1090 am or WBAL radio online and you'll hear the chorus of cheers as a top bid breaks out from the pack echo behind the local celebrity auctioneers (right now listen for WJZ's Sally Thorner!)

The spirit of excitement-- for both the hard earned prizes won as well as the wonderful show of support-- is amazing.

Don't forget eBay!

Wow! what an exciting hour... an all access pass to the Maryland Film Festival topped at $400 (but don't worry, there is another one up for grabs at 7 pm). Right now we're seeing a great deals at the top of the hour for a stay in the Dominican Republic (I'm keeping my eye on that one) and a week in Duck, North Carolina!

On our eBay auction page, there are still some real steals, and a few hot collectors items-- including several items from the Tea at Five production with Kate Mulgrew, including her costume, which is going for a steal-- this item is up until 10pm tonight, so don't miss out!

*****

Whether running up and down the stairs or answering the phones, what keeps our volunteers running? A steady stream of food and refreshments has been graciously donated-- from home-baked cakes from our very own docents to ham and sandwiches, plus a box full of the unique Balitmore delicacy, Berger cookies! These sugar packed snacks, a local favorite, show up in bulk every year to keep the blood sugar pumped up for all the action.

*****

The water main break hasn't shut down the auction! In record time we had facilities set up (just in case) outside the theater, to be sure our volunteers were taken care of. So far we still have water, but just in case, be prepared, be prepared, be prepared!

And the excitement continues!

I've been hearing about the annual Auction for CENTERSTAGE since coming to the theater in September (and, as a local, have often followed the exciting list of items being auctioned each year for much longer). But that really doesn't prepare you for the great excitement--and incredible deals-- of the actual event. I won my first bid, getting a fabulous package of tickets to the opening night of the Maryland Film Festival and a poster signed by John Waters, but alas I was out bid on a stunning etching by artist Ruth Channing.

The bidding wars have already started, including a great deal on a catering package for an engagement party.

Here's a first-hand look inside the action, including Managing Director Debbie Chinn with Sydney Wilner our auction coordinator, and guest auctioneer Chris Noya from Stevenson University (the auction sponsor); floor leader Adam Rubin supervises a bidding war at the end of hour.

Exciting morning!

A loud buzzer just sounded in the room full of shouting volunteers and phones ringing like mad... a large sign is waved "2-Minute Warning" and the clatter of phones increases...

It's 11:20 am and the Auction for CENTERSTAGE is well underway-- phones have been going since 8 am. Adding to flurry is the breaking action on Calvert and Madison as the streets gush from the water main break early this morning is still flooding the area.

But while performances of Fabulation are unfortunately canceled (don't worry! the box office is frantically calling patrons, if you have tickets, email boxoffice@centerstage.org to reschedule), in here the show goes on!

This annual fundraiser has been the talk of the theater all month, and now we sit in the midst. Local celebrity auctioneer Dan Rodericks was among the volunteers making frantic calls this morning to help get portable toilets to the theater for when the limited water we still have is shut off.

Meanwhile, the last 15 minute segment is closing out and there are great deals being made-- a package to the Allenberry Resort Inn & Playhouse is going for a steal of $180m and the hour-long items (including a Christmas holiday in Orlando) are still going strong.

I'll be back to update you on the excitement, but don't forget to check out www.centerstage.org for all the items up in the next hour!

~Heather

Auction for CENTERSTAGE!

Sunday marks the 32nd Baltimore Sun Auction for CENTERSTAGE. This annual event features 16 fast-paced hours of auctioning off a bevvy of great prizes, from trips and dining around town to exotic location (and prime seats for next season's Orioles' and Ravens' games!) The auction will be broadcast live on WBAL 1090 AM all day.

Take a sneak peek at all the items being auctioned hourly in this weekends Baltimore Sun MAIN section, or visit auction.centerstage.org for a full list. Also, a great selection of items (including trips to see Jon Stewart's Daily Show and prime signed items from Star Trek Voyager's Kate Mulgrew's performance in Tea at Five) are up for bid now at ebay.centerstage.org.

In total, over 700 items are being auctioned off, with benefits going to support the artistic and educational endeavors at CENTERSTAGE.

Check it out, and look for the deals!!

~Heather

PS~
We'll be blogging regularly throughout the day to highlight all the excitement!

Caroline & The Ravens

In the two weeks before the closing curtain of Caroline, or Change, I found myself chatting with Eddie, our tailor, in the third floor break room as I dried my feet of the rain and satisfied my craving for Indian food with vegetables and Naan. As our conversation progressed, it somehow evolved from the Akbar’s wonderful buffet menu, to ticket sales for Fabulation and Caroline, and then to the Ravens upcoming game against the Titans. I’m not even a real fan of football; however, it is a topic one can not readily avoid, especially in this town.

Football season is like a pandemic of purple for Baltimore and every year, without fail, the city finds itself draped in the color. Those last two weeks before Caroline, or Change closed its curtains at CENTERSTAGE, there were only two topics of conversation: Caroline and The Ravens.

As a fan of the arts and friend to many a Ravens fan, I wanted to be able to relate to both sides of the spectrum. But where should I even begin? Yes, I can discuss Caroline, or Change with a passion all my own, but the Ravens? I feel almost entirely dislocated from the matter. So, with a desperate urge to understand this obsession that had practically consumed nearly all of my closest associates, family and friends, I read. I read, not just about the Ravens, but of the Colts, their history with Baltimore, Johnny Unitas, Robert Irsay, and those infamous Mayflower buses.

As I researched, I became engrossed in the history of football in this town. Although I cannot say that I fully understand, at the very least I have begun to empathize with the Ravens cult. I mean, the Colts just left us, and in the middle of the night, nonetheless. I get now, just a little bit, this sense of Ravens pride and the excitement that filled the hearts of all fans at the thought that we were so close to reaching our second Super Bowl!

In the end, I somehow became invested in our final game against the Steelers and was bitterly disappointed at our loss. Despite the upset, it was still exhilarating to witness that same enthusiasm and fervor burst through the doorways of CENTERSTAGE and fill our hallways with the same Ravens fanfare that was thrown all over the city. We had Ravens promotions on ticket sales and drink specials offered to all who walk into our theater wearing any type of Ravens attire—plus a specialty drink so lovingly named “The Interceptor” after Ravens jersey number 20, Mr. Ed Reed, and yes, it was purple!

What was most fascinating to me, however, was not all of the purple, nor was it all of the media, nor our attempts to keep our patrons coming back to see Caroline one last time. But what surprised me the most was the fact that our city’s love for football never wiped out its love for the theater.

The weekend the Ravens played the Titans, our house was consistently full despite the game. In fact, not only did we offer drink specials that day, CENTERSTAGE went the extra mile for our patrons and played the actual game in both of our cafes prior to the show. As the game ended just twenty minutes before curtain, a new energy filled the lobbies. It was the kind of energy that could only come with a three point and one field kick victory over the opponent and to watch it enter the Pearlstone that night really was a unique experience.

The next day, our house was booked solid for our Sunday post-Ravens-game matinee, and patrons waited outside our box office for any canceled tickets to the show that had earned rave reviews from The Sun, BroadwayWorld.com, and our audiences.

It humbles me to know that, not only do our patrons love us as passionately as their favorite team, but that there were those who saw our show three, four, even five times and always with a new person. One of our patrons came to see Caroline a record of six times during its run. And our seats never stopped selling, which is a testament that the most powerful advertisement was not any sort of public media; it was word of mouth. It gives everyone involved here at CENTERSTAGE the genuine feeling that we are doing something extremely right.

I am so overjoyed to see such a response. It encourages and fills me with hope that in spite of our troubled economic times, there are still some things in our immediate universe that manage to bring us happiness and cause for celebration—and even those that help us laugh through our troubles, such as our new show, Fabulation.

Sure, we have may not have made it to the Super Bowl this season, but we will still cheer for the Ravens, for Caroline and, most importantly, for Change.

~Cori

***

Photos- Aaron Bell, Bradley Bowers, Kelly McCreary, Roland Haywood, and Renn Woods in Caroline, or Change (top); The Interceptor (middle); Robert Montano and Natalie Venetia Belcon in Fabulation (bottom). Show photos by Richard Anderson.

Meet the Blogger

Name: Cori Inocencio Daniel

Job/Position: Box Office Assistant

Alma Mater: Towson University

Give us something interesting: My best friend calls me “Cidney” and I like to juggle oranges in the produce aisle of every grocery store.

I start every day with... The snooze button on my alarm clock.

Change.

I have a special place in my heart for this show. It’s a little secret, but I suggested to Irene that we add this show to our season. I had seen it a few weeks before it closed on Broadway, and I have to say the most memorable moment of that trip to New York was the drag queen yelling at me a block away from Penn Station that her Prada bag was real and that her boyfriend was sexier than mine! Long story.

But I saved my playbill because there was something about the show that I loved, I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was that turned me off. But it all made sense when I suggested this show to Irene. I looked at her and I said, “The show is amazing. The casting was really bad. If we can find the person that Caroline was written for, we’ll have a hit.” My psychic powers have never been more correct. Once we got the rights, casting began and no one thought of anyone else to portray Caroline than our favorite chanteuse, E. Faye Butler! And the artistic ball kept rolling. And at the same time, our world changed! And the beautiful sounds and lyrics of the play gave birth to an entire new meaning and purpose of the show! I was beyond excited!!!!

I could hear rehearsals slightly through the ceiling and I would see the actors strolling around the building, all of them excited to put on this production. The director, David Schweizer, one of my favorite people on the planet (mostly because he directed the music video for Tina Turner’s hit What’s Love Got to Do With It?), kept talking to me about how the rehearsal hall had this incredible feeling every day. The kind of feeling that we were producing something of incredible importance to every soul that would come to see it. The kind of feeling that hearts would be stirred and spirits would be lifted. The kind of feeling that we in the world of theater pray for: That our audience has some sort of euphoric experience in their seats, no matter what that experience would be.

The first time I saw our production was the final rehearsal in the 5th floor rehearsal hall. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, it is clean white space with taped floors to simulate the stage and props similar to those used in the production. It’s an imagination box, as I affectionately call it. You have to use your child’s eye to see all of the things that your adult’s mind can’t. And the running joke is that every show that I see in this very private part of the rehearsal process MAKES ME CRY.

Er . . . I wasn’t prepared for that moment, in front of a room full of people that I work with, but I just couldn’t keep it together. That last moment between Caroline and Noah . . . it just killed me. It was much like the world we were experiencing for real at that time after the election, reconciling the old and the new, voting for change and watching it actually happen, making peace with our past and moving on to our future . . . all of it was quite overwhelming.

Moving on . . . the show opened and boy did it open! Every piece of what this play is was more than we could have dreamed of. I’m sitting upstairs writing this at 9:30pm while a group of friends are downstairs watching one of the final shows. Proud, you know?

I think I’ll watch every show right down to the last one. Cuz, when it’s gone, our production is GONE. And I feel privileged and honored that our production has been so engaging. And it’s given me a renewed love of our audience and our community because there are two very strong moments that I try to catch any night that I’m working late: The first is the moment after E. Faye sings Lot’s Wife. There’s this moment of clear silence and for anyone who hasn’t seen the show the silence is unexpected. But I love to stand in the back at that moment and listen to all of the people who are crying, try to pull it together. It happens every night and, eh hm . . . you know who you are! My other favorite moment is listening to the conversations people have as they leave The Pearlstone Theater. Words like, “I’m exhausted that was so good” or “speechless, amazing, precious, best show of the season, best show ever, so proud of CENTERSTAGE for producing this show”.... I could go on but you know what I mean. Theater . . . it can change you. Thanks Tony Kushner, for sharing your story at such an appropriate time!

~Charisse

****

Caroline, or Change runs through this Sunday in the Pearlstone Theater.

Photos, top to bottom: E. Faye Butler with Bradley Bowers as Noah; and with Matthew Demetrides as Noah, and Milton Craig Nealy.

The Children of Caroline

Caroline, or Change was featured on Fox 45’s “Hometown Hotspot” yesterday morning with the young actors from the show: Aaron M. Bell, Bradley Bowers, Matthew Demetrides, Roland Haywood, and Brett Johnson. Although all seemed to drag their feet in at first, they soon got animated at the thought of being on TV.

The young men all agreed they preferred being on the Pearlstone Theater stage for the segment. “I like doing it here,” said Aaron Bell, who plays Jackie Thibodeaux. “It’s a comfort zone.”

Between the three segments we enjoyed juice and donuts and talked about their experiences in the production, now in its last week at CENTERSTAGE.

All the actors agreed director David Schweizer was great to work with. “He keeps working with you and asking questions,” said Bradley, who shares the role of Noah Gellman with Matthew Demetrides.

The actors have their share of embarrassing moments, too. Brett and Roland, who alternate the role of Joe Thibodeaux, agree the tendency for one of their shirts to become unbuttoned during dance scene was at first embarrassing, but then a little humorous in retrospect.

Matthew let us in on the fact he has a competition with E. Faye Butler, who plays Caroline. “We just have a staring contest on stage and try to be really mean.” When asked if he has ever lost, Matthew very seriously said no.

If the young actors’ demeanors and attitude this morning weren’t enough proof that they are professionals, their very interpretations of the show’s adult roles are very convincing—as they kept the still-sleepy adults laughing by dancing around onstage between segments, literally recreating the first 30 minutes of the play word-for-word in barely 10 minutes.

...However, it is odd to see a 13-year-old boy lament supporting four children on his own!

***

Caroline, or Change runs through this Sunday, January 18th, so don't miss out! Tickets are available through the Box Office, 410.332.0033, or at www.centerstage.org

Photo: Aaron Bell, Bradley Bowers, Kelly McCreary, Roland Haywood, and Renn Woods

Not your typical musical? Caroline, or Change Ruminations

Some of the most interesting comments we’ve been getting in our feedback are from the audience members who don’t consider themselves fans of musicals— but yet they rave about Caroline. Just this morning we were told:

“My husband is not particularly fond of musicals, but hasn't stopped talking about the talented cast and how much he enjoyed the performance.”

and there have been many similar comments over the last few weeks…

“I have to admit that I’m not the world’s biggest fan of musical theater (other than Opera). My theater companion for the evening absolutely hates musical theater. You had me the moment the washing machine started singing. By intermission my friend had tears of joy in her eyes…”

“I wasn’t aware it was a musical, or operetta. Had I realized that at the time I probably would not have ordered the tickets. I’m not a fan of musicals. I find that most musicals give me a chance to catch up on my nap time. Once I realized what I had, I figured, what the heck, I’ll just put in some zzzzz time. I could not have been more wrong. The performances were as riveting as the story. I’ve recommended it to everyone who would listen to me. This was one of the best mistakes I’ve ever made.”

This has made me stop and wonder, what makes Caroline so different? Is it merely a talented cast that swoops you up with their enthusiasm? Or that playwright Tony Kushner makes you stop and think? That Jeanine Tesori has blended such an eclectic mix of musical styles that you are constantly surprised and wondering what will come next? A Hanukkah-themed Klezmer tune or a three-part harmony on “small changes” sung to a Christmas carol?

As part of my job I have the privilege of driving various members of our artistic team and cast to interviews around town (so next time you see one pop up on WJZ, you’ll know who’s sitting off camera!) and we recently discussed these questions as I took two Caroline cast members and the dramaturg to an interview.

One of the conclusions in our conversation was that this is a “thinking person’s musical.” You may not get as many toe-tapping songs that linger in your mind—but the ideas, the issues, the CHANGE will. As will Caroline and the choices she makes. Because what has been the next most interesting thing I’ve heard after “I don’t usually like musicals but….”

Everyone keeps telling me they wake up the next morning still thinking about the show.

Hopefully you will catch Caroline, or Change, entering its final week here, and have a chance to tell us what you thought!

(Photos: TOP: Te'Ra Cambpell, Adrienne Muller, and April Nixon as the Radio. BOTTOM: E. Faye Butler and Bradley Bowers. (C) Richard Anderson)

Meet the Blogger

Name: Heather C. Jackson

Title: Public Relations Manager

Hometown: Catonsville, MD

Alma Mater: St. Mary's College of Maryland

Amusing Stat: My family has been in Baltimore for more than 200 years.

I start every day with...as much coffee as I can!

(We had Boba Fett at the opening of One-Man Star Wars. Sweet!)