THE THEATER MIRROR, Boston's LIVE Theater Guide
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The Greenroom Discussions is your forum for issues, commentary and reviews written by you, the theater-goer. It is arranged by the most current item first. Discussions may be deleted, periodically. Please email us at greenrm@shore.net
Hi Larry!
How are you? I'm doing fine, I guess. I haven't spoken to you in quite some time. I have been very busy, as I am sure you have been.
I finished The Sea Gull here at school. It went very well...much better than expected. The actors didn't think anyone would enjoy it, but surprisingly, the audiences loved it.
I won the Irene Ryan Acting Competition nomination (say that five times fast) for the role of Sorin. It was a blast playing a seventy-two year old.
I've also since performed in Curley (it was for an afternoon senior citizen show). There were many changes to the show, since it was moved to the theatre district. So, that made it a bit difficult.
Well, this summer I'll be returning to the Saxtons River
Playhouse. It should be fun. I'm assistant directing The Kathy &
Mo Show:Parallel Lives, then playing Rolf in Sound of Music, Glenn
in Rumors, Albert in The Secret Garden and Motel in Fiddler on the
Roof. If you want to put a listing in here's the info...
It's all at the Saxtons River Playhouse in Saxtons River, Vermont.
The Box off. number (after June 15) is (802) 869-2030. Here are
the shows and dates...
The Kathy & Mo Show:Parallel Lives June 20-24, June 27-July 1
Rumors July 18-22, July 25-29
The Secret Garden August 1-5, August 8-12
Fiddler on the Roof August 15-19, August 22-26
That's it-They also have a new internet page...here's the
adress:
"http://www.sover.net/falklorn/srp.html"
check it out.
I'll be off line this summer, so if you want to reach me, my mailing address will be c/o Saxtons River Playhouse, Box 501, Saxtons River, VT. 05154
I will also be in touch with you at the beginning of next
semester, RE: the Bridgewater State College Theatre Arts 96-97
Season-Let's see if you can maybe review some stuff
We'll be doing Godspell & Midsummer Night's Dream among other
things.
Well, I'll see ya!
Bye-Jamie McGonnigal
LARRY STARK'S ANSWER:
I tried to give an answer to Mike Bell (below), but the Email was somehow screwed up.
CENTASTAGE this season seems to have done all new plays, plus a series of staged-readings.
So has TRIANGLE THEATRE, though their commitment to gay and lesbian themes restricts what they're interested in.
PLAYWRIGHTS' PLATFORM and THE B.U. PLAYWRIGHTS' THEATRE are apparently involved in Developing plays by local dramatists. Ed Bullins and Mort Kaplan at NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY and the people out at WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE run an annual play- readings marathon, probably for local people.
And there may be other people who have escaped my notice or slipped my memory.
Anyone else able to add more?
Love,
===Anon.
From: Michael Wayne John Bell Organization: University of Manitoba
Subject: Submissions
Hi. My name is Mike Bell. I am a playwright from Winnipeg,
Manitoba, Canada. I was just curious if you could help me in
regards to finding some of the theatres in the Boston area that
might be very receptive to submissions of original work, and
development of new plays. I would appreciate it very much.
Sincerely,
Mike Bell
Date: Fri, 24 May 96 17:23:12 -0400
Sender: cmprime!jchatter@wiser.cis.att.com
Thanks for the posting and general compliments.
I've been in Highland Park for over 1-1/2 years now, and it is
beginning to pale. I hope to buy a 3-family in Union City, right
by the Lincoln Tunnel, so I can get into the City and still do
contract labor in NJ.
Speaking of pale, the Green Room is a lot easier to read in
white, as it appears now. Of course, there are compromise shades,
which would get across the idea of giving each "room" a theme
color but still be readable. The expert consensus seems to be to
avoid text over heavy color or patterns -- just as you would
in designing a magazine (remember OMNI?).
Keep it up!
John Chatterton
PS Oh, I'm dabbling in the theatre landlord business in New
York. I'm subletting and then renting out a small theatre near
8th Ave. and 40th St., the Impact Theatre space. A first step to
doing a redevelopment of a raw space in the same area.
J
Date: Wed, 08 May 96 15:13:51 -0400
From: John Chatterton Subject: General comments
I admire how much effort you put into the Theatre Mirror. Some
constructive suggestions:
The Green Room is so green it hurts my eyes. This is the deep
green of Envy, that theatrical sin so commonly displayed in green
rooms!
There are circular links. For instance, you can click on
Curtain and get the Curtain area, then scroll to the bottom and
click on Curtain again. It's a bit confusing.
Maybe a clearer hierarchical structure, with an explanatory
table of contents that tells you what to expect under Curtain,
Intermission, Marquee, and the rest. They weren't all self-
explanatory.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks,
John Chatterton
Your complimentary copy of OOBR is crawling to you via snail
mail. Hope you enjoy it. It includes a mixed review of my own
play, "Slap! Or, School for Slaves," which closed early a couple
weeks ago.
As for your Green Room question about Yale Drama School:
getting a degree there will certainly help you get a job in the
field, as well as provide good training. It's also a good place to
meet other Yalies, preferably rich ones.
Off-Off-Broadway is populated by Yale and NYU MFAs (presumably
with rich parents) going to each others' showcases. They hang out
Off-Off-Broadway until they run out of dough, get tired and go
back home, or get on in the business.
I have no statistics to back up any of the above assertions --
only scuttlebutt and the memory of numerous OOB programs.
(Frequently, by the way, showcases by these MFAs are a notch
better than their non-degreed competitors, though they lean toward
art for art's sake.)
Just my point-oh-two's worth,
John Chatterton
Date: Fri, 17 May 1996 10:41:51 -0700 Hello my name is Alan Perry,
I am doing a project for drama about mime act's. I must also study the make
up techniques. I am writing to you for any information or advice you can
give me. please rsvp imediatly if possable. LARRY STARK REPLIES:
In other words, you have a paper due Monday morning, right
Alan? Well, I'll try to get this into the Greenroom tonight, and
then it's up to the people who look into The Mirror.
I'm no expert by any means, but a few things about mime
are obvious. Since the art happens in silence and relies on
illusion and concentration, every detail must be carefully
controlled. Mime make-up traditionally uses thick white
greasepaint with bright black or red for detailing, so that the
slightest change in expression will project into the audience. It
makes the face into a neutral mask because the mime will not
remain one specific individual, but shift quickly through a series
of different ages, sexes, and perhaps even species. (I remember a
very beautiful routine in which the mime was an oyster!) Like the
loose clothing and slippers, the facepaint is flexible.
I hope someone reading this can tell you more specifics,
in time to meet your deadline.
Love,
===Anon. Date: Wed, 15 May 96 06:15:36 EDT The problem you discussed under "Have you seen the GLOBE today?" isn't
even a new one. I wrote to them about it at least 1 1/2 months ago;
I've never received an answer. I think that, like many organizations,
they are not willing to put the required effort into a web site, or are
unaware of just how much effort is required. E Grace Noonan Date: 15 May 1996 16:55:09 -0400 Thanks for the reply Larry! Rosanne is thrilled that you are coming and she
was touched that you remembered her and her work. FYI I look forward to meeting you on Sunday. FYI - there is a Red Sox home game,
so plan accordingly. Hope to see you there, elizabeth Date: Mon, 06 May 1996 16:36:18 +0000 To whom it may concern: Pilgrim Theatre and Research Performance
Collaborative would like to be included in the Theatre Mirror
website. We are holding a fundraiser on June 2nd at the Playhouse
at MamaKin on Lansdowne Street in Boston. The play is "Letters
from Sarajevo", a dramatic adaptation of Anna Cataldi's book
Letters from Sarajevo: Voices of a Besieged City. Date: Wed, 08 May 96 15:13:51 -0400 Your complimentary copy of OOBR is crawling to you via snail mail. Hope you
enjoy it. It includes a mixed review of my own play, "Slap! Or, School for
Slaves," which closed early a couple weeks ago. As for your Green Room question about Yale Drama School: getting a degree
there will certainly help you get a job in the field, as well as provide good
training. It's also a good place to meet other Yalies, preferably rich ones.
Off-Off-Broadway is populated by Yale and NYU MFAs (presumably with rich
parents) going to each others' showcases. They hang out Off-Off-Broadway until
they run out of dough, get tired and go back home, or get on in the business. I have no statistics to back up any of the above assertions -- only
scuttlebutt and the memory of numerous OOB programs. (Frequently, by the way,
showcases by these MFAs are a notch better than their non-degreed competitors,
though they lean toward art for art's sake.) John, your little magazine is as zesty as its subject-matter,
and as soon as I can shake mind-enough free I want to do a
NOTEBOOK piece about it. Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 07:36:21 -0700 Dear Larry, Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 16:30:33 +0000 I've heard it's a nightmare, but it looks like the only way I'll see
Phantom is at the Wang. Any suggestions for where to sit? Bob My advice is: Front row, first balcony. Date: Sat, 11 May 96 18:52:01 -0700 Dear Sir,
I looked everywhere for the web site of the Wang Center, but to no avail. Is
the Wang Center
still going under that name, and if so, could you direct me as to where.
Thanks in advance for
any help you can provide me with. Sincerely, Mark, your question reminds me of a highly surreal cartoon I
saw in the Des Moines REGISTER back in another life. Two people
are pictured looking awe-struck into the sky at a huge, blimp-
shaped object floating by while one yells at the other: Date: Fri, 03 May 96 14:02:19 EDT who can play age range 10-13 yrs
Triangle Theater needs to cast the role Jason in "Falsettos" the
musical by William Finn which will perform the month of June.
Jason is 10yrs old at the beginning of the story and 13 at the
end. The second half of the play concerns the preparations for
Jason's bar mitzvah by his extended, contentious family
including--his mother, stepfather, father, his father's lover and
the "lesbians from next store." This Tony award-winning musical
is about the families we create and the power of love in the
early 1980s--a time of Reagan, yuppies and a strange new disease
that we now know as AIDS. Triangle is a non-equity theater that pays a flat fee to its
actors. Rehearsals have begun. In its 17th season, the theater is located at 58 Berkeley Street
in the South End of Boston. Myles Crowley at (617) 267-4459 Thank you! Sub: Theater Seats
Date: Thu, 02 May 1996 06:11:16 +0000 Hello,
I have been looking all over for a seating chart for the Colonial
Theater. But no such luck. It might be beneficial to your readers that are out of town to have
some kind of seating diagram for the local theaters available on
our site. I know it would make ordering tickets over the phone
easier. Just a suggestion.
Thanks Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 08:30:59 -0700 Dear Larry -
From: Wells High School
Organization: Wells High School
Subject: mime acts /make-up techniques.
Alan Perry
Wells@cybertours.com
From:
Subject: The Globe's calendar listings
e.noonan@hlo.mts.dec.com
From: "Elizabeth Haight"
Subject: Re: Blast frtom my Past...!
May 19 at 1 p.m.
Dreamchasers, Inc. afternoon of theater includes "Up The Down Staircase" and a
presentation by the Dreamchasers improvisational class followed by a
fund-raising reception at the Landsdowne Street Playhouse, 36 Landsdowne St.,
Boston. Suggested donation $5 per person.
Call (617)878-5922 for further information
--------------------------------------
From: Katie Down
Subject: Up-coming performance on June 2nd.
Our URL is http://www.tiac.net/users/katied
I hope this is enough information. We have likewise put Theater
Mirror as a link on our page. Many thanks.
--
Katie Down
mailto:katied@tiac.net
Flutist, composer "Hubub" original music ensemble
Music Director, "Letters from Sarajevo" (now touring)
http://www.tiac.net/users/katied
From: John Chatterton
Subject: General comments
Just my point-oh-two's worth.
I admire how much effort you put into the Theatre Mirror. Some constructive
suggestions:
The Green Room is so green it hurts my eyes. This is the deep green of Envy,
that theatrical sin so commonly displayed in green rooms!
There are circular links. For instance, you can click on Curtain and get the
Curtain area, then scroll to the bottom and click on Curtain again. It's a bit
confusing.
Maybe a clearer hierarchical structure, with an explanatory table of contents
that tells you what to expect under Curtain, Intermission, Marquee, and the
rest. They weren't all self-explanatory.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks,
John Chatterton
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
It's odd to find your home address as Highland Park, New
Jersey, since I spent my first 24 years in East Brunswick --- just
a spit and a holler from exactly where you are right now!
And it's always pleasant to hear sincerely constructive
criticism from someone in the business whose work I admire ---
something the playwrights your critics review must tell you all
the time.
Now, get back to the typewriter!
From: sharyns@ix.netcom.com (Sharyn Shipley )
Subject: Re: HAMLET --- THE WOMEN
Okay, don't read it again. Let me make the major rewrite -- I'm
getting lots of critiques and they all spot the same necessities.
Thanks for being the first. And this is going to take awhile - and I'm
looking forward to it.
Best,
Sharyn
From: Bob Cohen
Subject: Wang Center
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
From: Mark L Calzolaio
Subject: Wang Center
Mark L Calzolaio
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
"That's not the Goodrich carp!
Goodrich doesn't HAVE a carp!"
And The Wang Center for The Performing Arts doesn't have a
web-page, either. Yes, I think that's short-sighted of them, in
fact I just told them exactly that --- and quoted them your
letter to prove it. But we can do only what we can do. As Dorothy
Parker remarked, asked to use "horticulture" in a sentence, "You
can lead a horticulture but you can't make her think."
Some days, there jes' ain't no carp!
Love,
===Anon.
From: mcrowley@MIT.EDU (Myles Crowley)
V
Subject: Need a Jason for "Falsettos" at Triangle Thtr
or email
Myles Crowley
Casting Assistant
Triangle Theater
From: Dawn Minier
Subject: Theater Seats
To: themirror@shore.net
Reply-to: drmrc@rc.rit.edu
X-Url: http://www.shore.net/~greenrm/
Dawn Minier
drmrc@rc.rit.edu
From: sharyns@ix.netcom.com (Sharyn Shipley )
Subject: Re: One sentence
About the seminal idea for the play - I remember thinking that I
wanted to read Hamlet - I'd seen it a few times but it was a
muddle to me - Maybe it was the production. I picked it up and
started reading it, then I realized what I meant was I wanted to
understand it. This struck me as impossible.
Then I thought if only I could live in Elsinore and watch what
went on - then I'd understand it.
Then I remembered seeing Rosencrantz & Guildenstern with you.
As I recall you and I were the entire audience. And I asked the
actors, afterward, how it was to perform for only one person
(because the show had been staged for you) and the actor said
"Larry Stark is a full house." But I digress.
The two plays came together in my head as I daydreamed. But there
were characters hanging around in castle with lives to lead and
nothing to do. So I wrote a scene - Ophelia and the Ghost. One
led to another. And pages hung up all over the writing room -
trying to co-ordinate scenes.
Then Hamlet said to Horatio, "Absent thee from felicity..."
Who, I wondered, is Felicity? (I know, I know, but Hamlet is a
knotty twist and my mind must have wandered.) And then, there she
was, pleading. I wrote some scenes with her. Struggled with
things going on in my own life. Realized she had a true
philosophical conundrum. Then realized (after watching the
Tempest) that she was a play in herself.
As I was listening to Hamlet the zillionth time I heard a
character telling Gertrude what was happening with Ophelia. (I
was listening on a car tape deck and I almost ran off the road.)
I felt as though WS himself had said the equivalent of "I'll throw
in a couple of lines for you."
Kind of a long sentence but that how it all came together.
Wish me luck for the reading in LA tomorrow. So many people are
coming - including someone from a group called "Plays on Tape".
All Best,
Sharyn
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
Yeah, I remeber what I insist is called "Rosenstern &
Guildenzweig Are Sick" at Tufts Arena Theatre. Good show. Harry
Ritchie was a Gifted director.
I even remember the line, but I thought YOU said it and not
anyone in the cast. I worked on a weekly, and had to see the dress
to get the review into the paper by deadline --- and you had a
car, while I couldn't drive.
And one other point: On the way to the car you said "Could I
just say One Thing!!!?" and talked, briefly, about how you would
have written the play differently if it were yours and not Tom
Stoppard's. I learned that evening that a student's necessary
orientation to what is being studied is analytical and thus, more
often than not, destructive. CONSTRUCTIVELY destructive, and
usefully so, but definitely NOT the attitude necessary for an
objective review of the work at hand.
And now you --- and Tom Stoppard --- have gone on to write a
lot of new plays. That's wonderful...
===Anon.
LARRY STARK EXPLAINS:
I have a copy of Sharyn Shipley's script, and I'm reading
slowly through, listening with my mind and speaking lines
aloud from time to time, they're so good. But it took a while
to untangle it from my primitive software, and playwrights
can be So Impatient sometimes. I mean, look:
THE THEATER MIRROR, Boston's LIVE Theater Guide
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