Ring. Ring. Ring.

Hello, this is Edward Albee.

Hello, this is Zach. I just have a few questions… if you can spare a day or two.

Click.

Fortunately, I have found incredible support from our director (who is far more patient with me than my imagined Albee), and the rest of the cast. That said, THE PLAY ABOUT THE BABY is proving to be a personally, and artistically, rewarding challenge. We have been at this for weeks now and I feel like I am just beginning to crack into BOY’s innocent ideology. Before BOY, the parts I have had the pleasure to play have all been predominately defined by what they have experienced, but the unique challenge of this play, and this character, is that BOY is defined more by what he hasn’t experienced. Perhaps it is a thin distinction, but I find it easier to imagine what never was than to forget what is.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Hello, this is Edward Albee.

Hello, this is BOY. I have a question for you. Not exactly for you, but for you to answer. Just one question: what is real?

Click.

Reality is a concept constantly commented on in our rehearsals: the reality in which the play exists; each character’s sense of reality; and how reality is tested, manipulated, and ultimately changed. BOY’s name aptly reflects his initial sense of how the universe works. He is obsessed with the physical. He is easily taken to, and lost in, storytelling. Cause and effect are ever present forces. Good things happen to good people. The fun part is figuring out how exactly his sense of what is real erodes, and how to play that.

So, if you need me, I will be at rehearsal, questioning reality.

-Zachary Eisenstat (aka BOY)

As producer, I have my hands in all aspects of the show. It feels like directing to a degree, but now my eye is trained on the fundamentals of the production. I have been forced to really think strategically about the time line of the production, and what needs to get done when. How we make the production “grow & go”? How do we find and hire the right team for the production?   How do we ensure that everyone involved has the proper tools to get what they need done? And if someone doesn’t get what they need, what’s the best solution for the show? I am learning to think about how all the pieces of the production fit together as a whole, instead of focusing my energies on just the world of the play.

There are so many balls in the air at once; I am learning how to change focus quickly. Some of the broader brush stokes of producing include: Ensuring that production supports our director’s vision for the play, the actors get what they need for rehearsal props, the designers have access to the tools they need to build the world of the play. I have been learning what it’s like being the point person from ExCorps to the Theater itself. I need to make sure that the ticketing info is set, rental payments are received, program materials are completed and general audience logistics are taken care of. Also, I have had the pleasure to work with our fabulous marking and creative directors on how to get “butts in seats.”

I count myself incredibly lucky to work with this amazing production team on Baby. The learning curve as a first time producer has been steep, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the effort of the director and production team. Their tenacity, guidance and boundless creativity have given me the unique opportunity to help build a production from the foundation up.

It’s gonna be a great production and I can’t wait to start showcasing it in March!

See you at the show!

-Louisa Richards (Producer)

Yet, I have so many questions about her.  Why is she with MAN?  Why are they infiltrating the world of BOY and GIRL?  What does she really want?  Why does she vamp away so often?  At this point, I don’t really know.  I have an idea, but I don’t know.  I guess that is what rehearsal is for after all.  There’s also the question of What does it all mean?  Heh.  I could tell you but then I’d have to kill you.  Actually, I think my director or my producer might kill me.  It’s a good thing I haven’t figured that out yet either.  I have more questions now than when we started rehearsing.  This is the fun part for me – the discovery.

I have to say working with Lynn, Zach, and Bob is making this discovery time a lot of fun.  They bring so much good energy to the rehearsal room.  They are a devoted group of actors who help answer my questions.  I’m sure you are thinking that folks say this about all casts, but it really is true.  As just one example, Lynn revealed that the women are closely tied to creation while the men of the play are more about the physical world.  That’s brilliant!  I hope I’m not giving away anything she wants to blog about.  This has been an invaluable revelation as I’m working on the script.

We have a few weeks left until opening.  I’m expect the momentum to really start to pick up this week.  What we’ve worked on so far is already compellingly different from what I had in my mind.  I am very much looking forward to where we end up.

Eeep!

–Janelle Mills (aka WOMAN)

I’ve had the privilege of working in the room on this terrific but challenging play for just over a week now. We are still on book and feeling our way through the piece, and there is no better way to do that than by diving into it on our feet.

What can I say about blocking this play? The experience has been unlike any other I’ve had. Baby takes place in a world without scenery, barely any props, and no textually defined sense of place. As such, there are no ‘landmarks’ on the set, except for two chairs and two exits, and no prescribed way that characters behave in these particular environs. We know from the text that the room belongs to Boy and Girl, but Man and Woman seem comfortable there as well. They infiltrate the space with no effort and even seem to control it for most of the second act.

When it comes to the mechanics of blocking, it has been much more challenging and fun than a typical living room play (or any room play). Usually when one is staging a play that takes place somewhere with some recognized identity, blocking tends to be based on some combination of story-based or power shift-inspired moves along with typical patterns, familiar to an audience and actors, of how one might move around the given place. With Baby, however, we have no such luxury. We need to define the rules of this space ourselves, and then we need to create movement in it that is almost only plot and action based. That means we need to be thinking about every layer of character and action from the very outset so that we can authentically physicalize it. My hope is that, when we are done, the movement landscape of the piece will be akin to that friend everyone has, who may not speak much, but when they do, it is profound and surprisingly elegant.

So, Boy’s words from Act 1, quoted at the beginning of this entry, ring true for the process of staging this play as well. It’s easy to create the visual reality of this piece – you just have to know it inside and out, and understand both logically and viscerally what happened, and what is going to happen.

-Adrienne Boris, Director

-We’re proud to announce our new artwork, by Alison Naturale . Not only is it snazzy, but it really reflects the themes of the play!

-Check out our show page here for more info about the show and the performance schedule.

-Keep an eye on our blog — As we did with Trout, we will be bringing you updates about the show from the perspective of the cast and production team, as they take on this challenging play.

-We have launched a Kickstarter campaign to help defray the formidable costs of producing a play at a venue as prestigious as the Boston Center for the Arts. Please check out the short video which we made for the campaign, which provides a fresh look at our past, present and future! We are overwhelmed with the support we have already received, and cannot wait to share this production with you!

Girl – Lynn R. Guerra
Boy – Zachary Eisenstat
Man – Bob Mussett
Woman – Janelle Mills

Stay tuned for more information soon as we shift into production for this haunting, deceptively simple play, by one of the masters of American drama.

Rehearsals will start January 16, 2012. Performances run from March 9 – April 1, 2012 at the BCA’s Black Box Theatre.

Casting: BOY, male early 20s; GIRL, female early 20s

Please note, the roles of MAN and WOMAN have been cast.
Actors of all races and ethnicities are encouraged to audition.

Jenna Scherer of The Boston Herald writes:

“‘Trout Stanley’ wouldn’t work without a production that nails Dey’s willfully offbeat tone, and Exquisite Corps delivers. Louisa Richards’ production is vividly rendered, from Sean Cote’s detailed set to the characters’ exaggerated Canadian accents.”

“Webber and Lynch both give impressive, detailed performances that fully explore the comedy and pathos of Dey’s script. Webber’s fidgety, fra-gile take on Sugar is just right, as is Lynch’s protean, over-the-top Grace.”

Killian Melloy of EDGEBoston calls the show a “fantastic voyage” and praises the entire creative team for bringing “fire and conviction” to the production!:

“Ian King’s lighting design and Bob Mussett’s sound design work hand in hand to goose both the comic moments and the underlying dramatic tension. Taken all together, the production’s elements create a complete, if not necessarily tidy, little world in which anything seems possible and even credible, no matter how improbable it might be.”

John Perich of Periscope Depth calls out some “truly compelling performances” and ”the most complete transformation of [The Factory Theatre]” he’s ever seen!:

“Kathryn Lynch (Grace) has excellent comic timing, lighting up every scene she’s in with the verve of a sketch show veteran. Sean George (Trout) has an animal intensity that makes him both weird and fascinating at the same time. When he says, “I never lie,” he says it with a desperate conviction that makes you believe him. But Becky Webber (Sugar) is the standout, primarily because she does so much with scenes where she’s the only one on stage.”

If that’s not enough, then just ask around! We were honored to have so many familiar and new faces in the audience last weekend, and we still have two weekends left, including our first

TWINS NIGHT (2 tickets for the price of 1 or 1 ticket at half price!) tomorrow – Thursday September 15 at 8PM!  (You do not need to be actual twins!)

So make plans for a beer at the Parish, a cocktail at Darryl’s Corner Bar or a fro-yo at Red Mango, and get your tickets now!

(Remember, we don’t charge you fees when you buy in advance online!)

Click here to grab one of the remaining seats for tonight’s Pay-what-you-can preview, or pick a future date!

Also, check out this awesome piece in the Dig about Trout Stanley, and all of the other great press we have been getting!

G To Do list
Director Louisa Richards talks to John Black

Less than a week until the Ducharme sisters celebrate Lucky Thirty! Come celebrate it with them, at Trout Stanley!