tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156356070860079785.post5928313159996652402..comments2023-06-27T20:03:14.397-04:00Comments on ODIN'S AVIARY: Poetics (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Downtown Theatre Scene)Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02728223817801458234noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156356070860079785.post-59275809464930975812007-07-11T18:27:00.000-04:002007-07-11T18:27:00.000-04:00Just to clarify:By using the terms "professional" ...Just to clarify:<BR/>By using the terms "professional" and "amateur", I meant - by putting them in quotations - to take them out of their usually-assigned meanings of paid vs. unpaid. <BR/>I should have specified that, though.<BR/><BR/>My sense of high quality in theatre usually has very little to do with whether the actors are paid or unpaid, and certainly has very little to do with whether anyone is an Equity member (don't worry, I won't go into that old rant here. Someone might guess my secret identity).<BR/><BR/>I agree with the blog author on that – I mean, hell, the highest paid job I did was for a theme park, and it certainly was far from high art (though it had great pyrotechnic effects). And I think I’ve directed at least 1 1/2 good amateur shows. (And some of the finest work I’ve seen (esp. outside New York) was “amateur” by money standards.)<BR/><BR/>I meant to somehow express a difference between people who have been doing this work for a long time, who have learned from mentors and from each other, who maybe were doing theatre in the eras when they WERE breaking the rules, and/or a few who are just simply extraordinary at what they do. (I mean, really. Kate Valk. Have you seen her???? I’m telling you: she barely moved. She certainly didn’t “ACT.” I don't know how to describe her performance. But she was mesmerizing.)<BR/><BR/>I just feel like dancers and choreographers make sure to go see the work of (oh, I don't know this world - danger...) Bill T. Jones, Pina Bausch, Paul Taylor, Merce Cunningham. Musicians probably go rock out to - okay, whomever. But actors - many, many young actors in New York - tend to mostly see the work of their peers. And don't KNOW what's between that and Broadway. (And there's certainly a lot more theatres and kinds of theatre than those I listed, but I was focusing on non-traditional "downtown" work.) I don't know why this is. And perhaps I am wrong. And one can certainly learn from the work of one’s peers, and be inspired by it, but it keeps one within that world, and there is such a big world out there. (I mean, hell, even New York theatre has NOTHING on the theatre of Eastern Europe in terms of “downtown-ness” and “breaking all the rules” – but successfully.)<BR/><BR/>But thanks for inadvertently reminding me, Herr Rabe (no, not as in David) - I did not mean to leave HERE Arts Center off my list of theatre companies. They were one of my nurturers back in the day, too, and they have presented some very fine work. (And I would have put David Greenspan on the list but I know him by reputation only, and by a glowing review of his current show by Michael Feingold, who hates everything. Plus it seemed redundant.)<BR/><BR/>So what I was mostly trying to do was list people and places that have “earned their chops” (in my not so humble opinion) and I don’t know another way to say it, nor do I know if that’s even the right colloquialism. I don’t know why young actors will spend $65 to see “Proof” on Broadway but not $25 to see “Homebody/Kabul” at NYTW. (Examples only. I saw neither.) Those who might know me know I’m a big fan of learning from our elders (and thanking them in our program notes, where possible). Probably the youngest person I listed is Ivo van Hove. (Well, he was young ten years ago, when I saw a production he directed that blew my socks off.) Lord knows Richard Foreman has been around the block. As has Kathleen Chalfant. But Elevator Repair Service is fairly young, as a company – still, they’ve proven themselves for several years now.<BR/><BR/>All right, I think I clarified myself sufficiently. Sorry I didn’t do that in the first place.<BR/><BR/>OTB, ret.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156356070860079785.post-40852098507306733522007-07-10T17:06:00.000-04:002007-07-10T17:06:00.000-04:00Hoo, boy. I had my suspicions that this post woul...Hoo, boy. I had my suspicions that this post would garner some emphatic comments, but dag. Dag, yo. Keep 'em up! Yes, auditions are funny! Imagine what the auditions for "Avenue Q" must have seemed like, or "Metamorphoses." Yes, directors are funny! I'm guessing "trapped by a flood," Davey, because being in a musical whilst attacked by zombies sounds like something fun to do. Yes, NYTW (and David Greenspan) rules! Believe me when I say I don't mean in any way to trash the downtown scene, simply to express a personal reaction to it.<BR/><BR/>As someone who has stradled the amateur/professional downtown fence during most of his career, I can definitely support Anonymous (A.K.A. OTB, ret.) in her (or his) distinction. There is a difference. However, the gigs I was paid for were not especially good (some were awful), and some of the best work I've had the honor to participate in was amateur. Additionally, I remind my readers that I loved Stanley [2006], though it should--by almost every aspect--have piqued my common downtown frustrations. Why? Probably because I felt a part of the community.<BR/><BR/>That's my favorite observation of yours, OTB, ret. Part of the intention of downtown theatre (or any theatre scene [apart from Boradway]) is to create a like-minded community through theatrical "conversation," from choosing a season on down to choosing shoes for a character. This, to my mind, is noble. I only hope more burgeoning communities include the audience in their discussions.Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02728223817801458234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156356070860079785.post-4686841008522303672007-07-10T15:06:00.000-04:002007-07-10T15:06:00.000-04:00Please allow a cranky old retired theatre bitch to...Please allow a cranky old retired theatre bitch to presumptuously presume to have an opinion in this matter, even if she’s jumping to the wrong conclusions (her favorite cardiovascular activity).<BR/><BR/>Allow me to say – and this is in no way specifically directed at the beloved blogger, but at the multitudes I used to work with – there is a big difference, in my opinion, between “amateur downtown” and “professional downtown.” NOT that the latter is always brilliant, or successful, or even interesting. But it is usually much more informed, much more skilled, and much less<BR/>“I’ve-been-spending-too-much-time-in-my-own-sandbox.” To coin a phrase. (This is also assuming that "downtown theatre" implies non-traditional theatre, for the most part, or includes non-mainstream theatres/theatre companies.)<BR/><BR/>Way too many actors that I worked with (and possibly directors too) back in the day had no role models from within the field. As far as I know. If asked to list their role models, I imagine they would have said David Mamet, probably, and then listed some film actors. I think the problem with forming a community of like-minded folks is that one’s world may then remain confined to that community. (Okay, confession, I am definitely speaking of frustration with a particular theatre community. So I should repeat again that this is not directed at the author of this blog, but merely sparked by this posting. And by frustrations I share with the author.) <BR/><BR/>So I invite anyone who has ever been frustrated or bored to tears by a “downtown” show to – if you have not already – go see a show at New York Theatre Workshop. (They often have some sort of discount tickets, or last-minute deals.) Maybe they’re expensive, but you can see one good show there for the price of three or four bad ones elsewhere, and maybe once you go, you won’t want to bother with bad ones anymore.<BR/><BR/>http://www.nytw.org/season_07_08.asp<BR/><BR/>(And actually, every production of the season is either written, directed, or performed by someone I have great admiration for or have wanted to see for a long time.)<BR/><BR/>So here are some names, from the days when I used to appreciate theatre. Just some folks that – while their work may not be perfect, and I’m sure is not to everyone’s taste – I think have actually earned their chops in “downtown theatre”, and I think their work is generally worth seeing. Maybe one could Google them, and see if they have any upcoming or current shows. And if you do, let me know what you think.<BR/><BR/>THEATRES AND THEATRE COMPANIES:<BR/>New York Theatre Workshop <BR/>The Culture Project<BR/>P.S. 122 (okay, a mixed bag, but the shows are usually interesting and damn cheap)<BR/>The Wooster Group (and a confession – I did not like or “get” “House/Lights” in the least, but the work is fascinating)<BR/>Elevator Repair Service (also performing at NYTW this year)<BR/><BR/>PERFORMERS<BR/>Elizabeth Marvel <BR/>Kathleen Chalfant <BR/>Cherry Jones<BR/>Will Bond<BR/>The family trio of Valda Setterfield, David Gordon, and Ain Gordon <BR/>…and Kate Valk (Wooster Group) is an EXTRAORDINARY performer, even if she’s triple mic’-ed and being fed weird lines while licking her lips at precise moments – maybe everyone was doing that, and you had no fuckin’ clue what was going on, but you still couldn’t take your eyes off her<BR/><BR/>DIRECTORS AND PLAYWRIGHTS<BR/>Ivo van Hove (who will be directing a production at NYTW in Sept.-Oct. Anyone who’s ever been bored by 25 year-olds “breaking the rules” should see it. Warning: he WILL deconstruct. It IS downtown theatre after all. But he DOES know what the hell he’s doing.)<BR/>Will Pomerantz <BR/>Tony Kushner <BR/>Andre Gregory (playwright and director)<BR/>Naomi Wallace <BR/>Douglas Hughes <BR/>On the fence about Anne Bogart’s directing results, but I think she’s cool<BR/>Richard Foreman<BR/><BR/>That’s all I could think of for now. I’d love to hear of others. Also, one could check out past winners of the Obie awards. Usually a good bet.<BR/><BR/>Forgive my late-night, spewed-out, first time ever response to a blog. It just struck a chord, and I’m posting without mulling it over first.<BR/>Certainly interested in any responses.<BR/><BR/>OTB, ret.<BR/>(Old Theatre Bitch, retired)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156356070860079785.post-52375939278973000672007-07-10T14:35:00.000-04:002007-07-10T14:35:00.000-04:00"now do the lines as if you are both..."1. being a..."now do the lines as if you are both..."<BR/>1. being attacked by zombies<BR/>2. trapped by a flood<BR/>3. in a musical<BR/><BR/>Only one of these is made up. I've been in a situation where I was asked to do two of the above.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10942759609610660482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156356070860079785.post-68868145751825667202007-07-10T09:51:00.000-04:002007-07-10T09:51:00.000-04:00You know makes the downtown scene so great? The ON...You know makes the downtown scene so great? The ONE audition I pick to go to, the guy asks us to dance the phrase as if a sock puppet was on our hand.<BR/><BR/>I was the only one who started laughing out loud (but they didn't know it was from excitement!).<BR/><BR/>I've got a baby seal in one hand and a club in the other. The comedy begins when I.....Moheggiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10930707759403991308noreply@blogger.com