Life On the Wicked Stage: Act 2

Man of La Mancha Diaries: One Down, One To Go

We opened Cotton Patch Gospel at Totem Pole Playhouse last night to a thunderous standing ovation and now I’m back to just directing one show, Wayside Theatre’s season opening Man of La Mancha. We just got back home, and am taking a brief breather before heading to a long day of rehearsals before we start piecing together the show, which opens next Sunday. By the end of today we should have a good idea where we are and where we need to go. I can’t wait.

I’ve been blessed to be working with two extraordinary casts in both shows, both have understood both my, and Steve (our music director’s) constraints, and have stepped it up to make the time we spend with them very productive. Now that the laser is only focused on one show, we should be prepared to leap ahead in our typical Wayside style.

A word about last night’s opening. My good friend, Ray Ficca, not only stars in Cotton Patch Gospel, but it is the first show in his new role as Artistic Director of Totem Pole Playhouse. Not only was it a bold move to open his first season with a show he stars in, but the boldness doubled (if not trebled) when he picked this particular show. Cotton Patch Gospel is a dangerous show for some. It tells the story of the Gospel of Christ through direct address and song, with one man playing most of the characters in the story. For those who hold their faith too preciously close, they may find it offensive. Indeed in our previous two Wayside Theatre productions of the piece (both starring Ray) we’ve had some folks walk out quite indignant and calling the show sacrilegious. To each his/her own, but I think more folks agree that this is a great re-telling of the greatest story ever told. Indeed at last night’s opening, several patrons left during the first act. But that did not diminish the enthusiasm for the rest of the audience as the show was met with a sustained standing ovation at its conclusion. That response signaled so many victories for one evening of theatre.

First it was a testament to, if I may so myself, and excellent production of a piece of theatre that reaches right into your heart and soul. This play demonstrates the power and the essential roots of theatre, storytelling, at its finest. Second, it was a response to a magnificent ensemble who played and sang and acted brilliantly throughout. Third, it was a thrilling thumbs up for Ray Ficca’s superlative performance. And lastly, it was the Totem Pole audience’s way of letting Ray know that they want much more of the same from the new regime he just rang in with amazing results.

When Ray asked me to direct this show, his first new show of his first new season, I was both humbled and honored. My collaborator and musical director Steve Przybylski and I gave it all we could for Ray, and his team rose to the occasion in magnificent style. He’s not just one in a million, he’s one where they threw away the mold. His efforts at Wayside Theatre have always brought us great success and wowed our audiences and I know the Totem Pole Playhouse fans are in for an equally amazing ride.

What a delight and honor to have been a part of something that is not only heralding a new era for the venerable Totem Pole Playhouse, but to have been able to return the favor to someone who has given Wayside Theatre so much over the years.

Bravo’s all around.

And now back to Man of La Mancha (before R. Scott gets too crazy and feels left out.)

Man of La Mancha Diaries: Week 2 of Doubling Up Soon to Start

The first week of being in two places at the same time went off very smoothly and so far according to plan. Week 2 kicks off tomorrow, after everyone breathes a bit today on Memorial Day. We've got Cotton Patch Gospel at Totem Pole Playhouse staged and ready to rock out. Tuesday night we tweak in the new sound system and then roll from there. We had a first run last night after a long day of rehearsal and things seem to be in good shape as we head to that opening night on May 30.

Back at Wayside Theatre, we spent all day Saturday blocking all the book scenes in Man of La Mancha and accomplished that goal in good time. This week we do musical staging and that will both speed up and slow things down a bit as we move forward. The reality here is that we've got a structure to the piece, not we work on smaller junks, and then hopefully next Sunday we'll be able to pull it all back together heading into the final week.

So far so good.

And So It Begins

At 10 AM this morning we begin orientation for new company members at Wayside Theatre. That will run most of the day. Then I head to Totem Pole Playhouse tonight to begin rehearsals for Cotton Patch Gospel tomorrow morning. I’ll be back in Middletown tomorrow evening to start up Man of La Mancha.

Time to strap it on and get running.

Man of La Mancha Diaries: Here Comes The Crazy

It is almost here. In fact I’m feeling it breathing down my neck and see it staring me in the face. Beginning next week I have to literally be in two places at once, directing two shows at once, for two different theatres.

This weekend at Wayside Theatre our new Interns arrive. Actually the first one arrives tomorrow night, and we’re excited to welcome Aviva, David, Cody, Jayson, and Randy into the company. I’m sure you’ll read more about them here on Wicked Stage as the season goes on. Like every year they, like their predecessors, will define the company for this season, Wayside Theatre’s 48th and my 11th as artistic director. On Monday we have a company orientation day to try and get them up to speed, and then Tuesday we begin rehearsals for our season opener, Man of La Mancha. Yeah, we’re dreaming some impossible dreams at Wayside Theatre this season. We’re still hanging on and we’re still struggling, and I’m sure that will continue, but we’ve got quite a few folks pulling for us. (We can always use more, hint, hint.)

After welcoming the new company on Monday, I head that night about 90 minutes north to Totem Pole Playhouse to direct the remount of our production of Cotton Patch Gospel. Yep, the one we just closed a few weeks ago at the end of season 47. My good friend and collaborator, Steve Przybylksi, is jumping on the insane wagon with me and music directing both shows. We’ll do rehearsals for one show during the day, drive 100 minutes or so and then rehearse the other at night for two weeks, before settling into the relative ease of just rehearsing one show the first week of June. We’ll be spending a good part of our life on I-81 these next two weeks. Fortunately the rest of our Wayside collaborators will be able to keep their focus on Man of La Mancha, while we are racking up the driving miles.

If it sounds like a crazy schedule it is. This double up is a big opportunity for us, and right now we can’t afford to not attack each opportunity that opens up.

All in all, it is going to be a wacky time. I’m sure I’ll be blogging less. This post will open up the Man of La Mancha Diaries here on Wicked Stage. I’m thinking of locking myself in my bedroom this weekend and trying to store up some sleep, but I know that won’t work.

Cotton Patch Gospel Diaries: Easter Weekend Resonances

This weekend is Easter weekend. Today is good Friday. At Wayside Theatre we’re running our exciting production of Cotton Patch Gospel, which tells the story of the Gospel, but set in Georgia with a real down home twist. It is based on the New Testament books of Matthew and John, and the writings of Clarence Jordan. The music is by Harry Chapin and was the last music he wrote before his untimely death.

Given the religious subject matter, I’m excited to see and feel the resonances this weekend as audiences attend this show as a part of their Easter weekend. As the show winds its way towards the crucifixion (in the play it is a lynching) a stillness that is palpable always envelopes the theatre. The release and the relief that occurs upon the resurrection is also tangible. The mix of prior knowledge, expectations, an amazing performance by Ray Ficca, and an outstanding approach to the storytelling by the authors all conspire to create something really powerful. We’ve got a lot of families coming to the show together this weekend to share it together.

As expected, we’ve already had some folks who have been very upset with the show, calling it sacrilegious, and some who think it is too religious. They get equally upset. Just goes to show you that you can’t please them all, and just how crazy we can be on all sides of any discussion about religion.

We certainly don’t intend to offend anyone with the show, but the semiotics are what they are, and the story is what it is. In fact, we’re doing this show primarily because it is great story telling, and it tells a great story. That makes it great theatre.

I’m sure there will be some interesting discussions around the show this weekend and I look forward to hearing and participating in them, regardless of how they turn out.

Hope you and yours have a Happy Easter weekened, however or whatever you choose to celebrate.

Cotton Patch Gospel Diaries: Great Day for a Matinee

Beautiful weather today in our area, although we’re looking at some rain later. We’ve got an almost full house for the matinee of Cotton Patch Gospel this afternoon at Wayside Theatre, and folks sure seemed to be in a sunny mood as they arrived at the theatre. Should be a fun performance today based on the reactions to the curtain speech.

Penguins Taking the Plunge

OK, it is Friday and it has been a long week, and admittedly I’ve thought a couple of times about taking a long leap. I’ve got a full weekend of rehearsals for Comedy of Errors ahead and my brain needs to let go a bit. So, here’s the first of two wacky animal posts that I enjoyed and hopefully you will as well.

Note: There is no truth to the rumor that I’m making the cast of Comedy of Errors or Cotton Patch Gospel do this.

 

Via The J-Walk Blog

Good Reviews Coming in for Cotton Patch Gospel

Interesting. Normally we see reviews spaced out over several days (and even weeks) when one of our productions open at Wayside Theatre, but for Cotton Patch Gospel, we hit the trifecta today with three reviews out. All of them are good and talk about the wonderful acting, musicianship, and production we've assembled, but I think if you read all three, you'll find that the respective reviewers have some difficulty figuring out just how to talk about this show based on Clarence Jordan's writings. It is almost like they are trying to walk a fine line.

Regardless we'll take the praise and hope it leads to good ticket sales as we head into the weekend.

Here are the links:

Jesus Was A Good Ole Boy from the Culpeper Star Exponent

A Little Irreverence Mixed with Rousing Music from the Winchester Star

Cotton Patch Gospel Boasts a Spirited Cast from the Northern VA Daily

Cotton Patch Gospel Diaries: We're Open

Last night was a wonderful treat. Our Wayside Theatre production of Cotton Patch Gospel is now open (running through April 25) and the audience was treated to a feast of great acting and wonderful musicianship. Ray Ficca was on fire, playing just about every character in the Gospels and the way he took us into the last part of the play was a clinic in holding an audience in the palm of your hand. Our musician/actors were fantastic. They played great, they sang beautifully, and they let the music's role in the story telling really work. The standing ovation at the end of the show was well earned by all. I'm a big believer in the power of story telling in live theatre and am dangerously attracted to plays that do so well. When you have a play that tells the world's most re-told story so well, yet so differently, you have to meet the challenges and expectations head on. I think the response last night and this weekend means we've done just that, and done it well.

Now we head into the run and we'll see how we do.

More pictures are available here on this Flickr Feed from our great photographer John Westervelt.

Cotton Patch Gospel Diaries: Time to Take It To The Big Time

I was going to use another lyric from the show for the title of this post but that fiddlin’ demon, Larry Dahlke (or is that Dahike?) beat me to it. In any regard, ‘Sho Nuff’ we’re ready to open Cotton Patch Gospel at Wayside Theatre tonight after two wonderful previews yesterday.

Two great houses yielded two great responses both of which we learned from heading into tonight’s opening. The first audience was much older and felt very safe. Consequently the show felt safe and didn’t quite have the edge of danger it needed in performance. The evening show was a younger crowd and they were ready to rock, (bluegrass?) The edge came back. Again both shows were very good shows, but it proves once again that until you add the final character (the audience) to any play, you don’t know what you have.

The cast continues to improve with each outing and we’ve still got some details to iron out in a final hour or so of rehearsal today. And then we open.

Expectations are high here. This show is much beloved and folks are coming to love it again. The theatre needs the show to perform well at the box office, and our community needs another touchstone, like our previous version of Southern Crossroads to help ease the tensions in our lives in these crazy days.

Ray Ficca is dominating the stage like a Colossus, which you have to when you portray Pilate, Caiaphas, Judas and half of the disciples, John the Baptist, about 20 other characters, and of course Jesus, you have to. His performance is an amazing tour-de-force of acting and story telling.  Of course the piece is such an amazing piece of story telling that it demands that kind of actor. Ray and I have a pretty locked in and shared focus on what works and what doesn’t. It was a pleasure and delight to see him make adjustments, with no prodding from me, from the afternoon show into the evening show as he sharpens his attack.

My biggest barometers in previews on whether or not we have something good are two things. We have a group of volunteer ushers who always usher for the first preview. They are my first critics. They were having a blast yesterday afternoon. One lady said that her legs hurt from tapping her toes to Harry Chapin’s music so much. Good sign. The other barometer is after the show when I stand at the door, shake hands, and say thank you to those leaving the theatre. When folks look me in the eye with their comments I know we’re on to something. When they don’t I know we’re missing the boat. Lots of eye contact yesterday with heartfelt comments, so I believe we’ve hit the mark.

This show appears simple when produced, directed and performed well. But I have to tell you, it is a complex series of interwoven details that require an exacting and exhausting effort to prepare and intense concentration to perform. What’s amazing is that we’ve hit those marks with one less week of rehearsal than we usually do, due to financial constraints. This is two shows in a row that I have asked a group of very talented and gifted artists to take a journey with less time than we normally have. In both instances they have taken the ride and met the challenge.

I don’t want to do that anymore and not because of the stress, the tension, or the exhaustion. I want to take this incredible mix of actors and designers we have and really give them the room to create. We’ve made magic these last two shows (three actually) and when we can do our work with proper support we’ll be better for it. It is time for this company to really do some amazing things without feeling like there is a gun to their head. I’m not bragging here but one of those “meet eye to eye” comments from yesterday is one we hear after every performance. An audience member says she loves what we do, and is happy to travel all the way from Washington DC to see our shows because they are better than anything she sees in her town. In my heart I know she’s right. I wish I could infuse more hearts here locally with that.

On to opening night tonight.