We’re celebrating 200 today at Sue’s News!
Funny, but 100 didn’t seem so long ago. And yet, look how far we’ve come… A new production company and two shows in two festivals this summer.
Here’s looking forward to what the next 100 will bring!
–Sue
Add comment July 17th, 2009
I spent the afternoon in Bryant Park today, taking in Lite FM’s Broadway in Bryant Park.
We saw performances from Little Mermaid and the upcoming Pure Country among others.
And the best part of the day, besides the Broadway part, and sitting on a blanket on the grass on a beautiful summer day, was the audience.
It was FULL FULL FULL of little kids!!! And though I know most were there for the first show, it was great to watch them hitting chairs with the handles of fans, keeping time with the music. I saw babies bounce up and down. I saw little ones shimmy and shake… to songs they’d never heard before.
And I was happy… happy to know that they’re getting this kind of exposure at such a young age.
The next generation of theatre goers is already here.
–Sue
Add comment July 16th, 2009
I’ve been told many times that people can hear music in my words, and last night, I saw some dancing too.
Our protagonist, Jane, has a monologue that’s about a page and a half long. (Not the longest, but it is a lot to say and remember.)
Our director, Noel, gave our actress, Georgie, an innovative exercise to try. Each time she said a verb, she had to stomp her foot. Forgetting about intention, just being cognizant of the words. (Apparently, it’s an exercise that’s been done with actors learning some of Shakespeare’s soliloquies…)
Georgie, our little firecracker, was stomping her little heart out, but found herself tripping over the words. She went through it a few times, until she finally decided she was going to lunge for each verb… By this point, she’d already done the exercise at least twice, if not three times.
The repetition, and moving her body to feel the rhythm brought about an amazing epiphany. When Noel asked her how she felt, Georgie said that she felt the verbs–the action… and that there were times when she wanted to keep lunging, but there was no verb to lunge with.
That impulse to keep moving showed her that she was pushing harder than she needed to be pushing. She finally said, “I can let the words take care of me.”
Those were the words I’ve been waiting to hear!
–Sue
PS – Our Summer Kick-Off Party/Benefit is TONIGHT!!! There will be drinks, food, magic, comedy, a raffle, and a silent auction. It’s going to be a fun night and a great way to start our season. If you can’t be there, but would still like to support great theatre, consider making a donation.
Add comment July 15th, 2009
It’s AMAZING the response I’ve been getting to our paper postcards for “Disillusioned“.
Dina and I worked on it for a few hours (yes, it did take hours for a postcard). And we were really happy with the result, but WOW!!!
I’m floored, and humbled… Now let’s see what that translates into at the box office…
–Sue
PS – Our Summer Kick-Off Party/Benefit is only ONE DAY AWAY!!! If you can’t be there, but would still like to support great theatre, consider making a donation.
Add comment July 14th, 2009
During Friday night’s rehearsal, I got to see the real reason why a play is called a play, and why actors were once called players…
One of my hallmarks as a playwright is writing strong female leads. Another is writing at least one very physical action scene that is mostly devoid, or at least less so than a normal scene, of dialogue. More often than not, the female lead gets this scene… it’s an awakening/transition/spiral… usually the last stop before hitting rock bottom.
Due to some of our restrictions with the upcoming festival, the physical scene in “Disillusioned” is being altered from what I had originally written and intended… It’s a little softer in this production, but it still gets the point across loud and clear.
The fun part this past Friday was watching our actress play a bit… Inhabit where this girl is in her life… what it really is to be alone, her only friend in the world a blind, stray cat. And at this point, she’s already blind herself…
We got to watch our actress make a series of choices beyond the page… We had the chance to wonder about what she would do next.
The fact that at this point (after having lived with this script for the last 4 years) I can still wonder, is a beautiful thing.
–Sue
PS – Our Summer Kick-Off Party/Benefit is this Wednesday!!! If you can’t be there, but would still like to support great theatre, consider making a donation.
Add comment July 13th, 2009
The other night at rehearsal, we were all in for a real treat. We got to have an amazing magician, Jeff Grow, show us how to do the tricks I wrote in the script.
I wrote those tricks from a how to book, and though the illustrations were good, it was nothing like watching the master work.
I literally got chills… and the actors were like kids.
The artistry, the timing, the finesse… it was literally poetry in motion.
Jeff will be performing at our kick-off party next Wednesday… come early and get a good seat!
–Sue
Add comment July 10th, 2009
We just got the swords in the mail today for “Disillusioned”. They’re metal, broad, heavy…they’re real.
The swords will be inserted into the coffin I made with my dad. Out of wood. Real.
Our bunny, Max, is a living, breathing, cute as a button bunny. 100% real.
You might be asking, “What’s the big deal?”
We’re doing our show on a shoestring… at a festival. I doubt anyone will be bringing this kind of “game.”
What’s the use of playing if you’re not playing to win?
–Sue
Add comment July 8th, 2009
A phrase you hear thrown around in a lot of theatre circles is that “Theatre is a collaborative effort.”
I agree, wholeheartedly… but there’s a piece missing here, and it’s not a sexy sounding piece… it’s not a heartwarming piece, but it is realistic:
Without trust, there is no collaboration. There is no ability to “play”.
Last night, we rehearsed a scene where Jane asks Bernie to let her be his assistant, and wants to do the “coffin trick”. She barely knows him at this point, but she knows he won’t hurt her.
That trust — that pure, innocent trust is what makes that scene work. It makes the rest of the play work, because it sets the wheels turning, and is the foundation of their relationship.
A heart naturally opens and closes to the world. Some might say that LOVE guides the movements of the heart. But even before love, there has to be TRUST.
–Sue
Add comment July 7th, 2009
Chrysalis has been cast!!!
This past Friday, we held our final audition for Chrysalis. The two actors who read for us were both talented and both had wonderful skills to bring to the role.
What tipped the scales was something intangible. Besides a natural ability, the actor is actually LIVING the role. After years of following another path, he’s pushing himself to try new things and follow his bliss.
And, he auditioned for us in a bathrobe, which impressed me…
He was willing to go out on a limb and “go there.” He made a big leap of faith and jumped off the edge of the cliff in order to show us how passionately he feels about the role and about pursuing acting.
This is gonna be good…
–Sue
Add comment July 6th, 2009
Scott has been workin’ hard to get our name and work out there. He’s just begun, but yesterday, he hit one out of the park.
Check out our story in Broadway World.com and USA Today!
–Sue
1 comment July 3rd, 2009
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