Last Saturday, I made a first visit to the Delaware Theatre Company to catch their production of All My Sons, Arthur Miller’s well-known classic drama, before its closing performance the following day. This was DTC’s season premiere, and their attention to detail and community engagement was clear in my entire visitor experience. I’m glad that my 50th show for this year is also appropriately a first (fully staged) show seen in Delaware.

Hmm, I started this post last Sunday and clearly would have made it more detailed if I’d finished it on the same day. Ah, well…

As it stood, this production created a tight ensemble (a mix of Philadelphia and NYC based actors) working together to honor Miller’s legacy. Director David Stradley paid strong attention to details throughout the entire evocation of community onstage. I could tell this from his director’s note, where he paid specific attention to “the little things” and “supporting players” of one’s life.

The performances were all strong and highly serviceable. But I found myself unexpectedly mentally comparing them to the well-known actors who appeared in the show’s Broadway revival a few years ago, wondering how John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest, Patrick Wilson and Katie Holmes had portrayed the parts. That (forced comparison) has not happened to me before, and I’m wondering if it arose because the revival was so well publicized or simply because I am now much closer to NYC than Marin County.

Often I will not feel as well versed in classical/historical American theatre as I might like to be. This production will stand out as a reminder to remember the greats (American Dramatists) and consider the parallels between their era(s) and the modern day we live in.

I really need to write these commentaries immediately after I see the show in question, no matter if it is late at night!

Thursday night brought a return visit to the NT Live programme (I deliberately use the British spelling) of live theatre productions from the National Theatre in London brought to your local cinema screen. It had been too long since I’d last attended one of these broadcasts, mostly for various complicated scheduling reasons. Now they could provide show #49, The Kitchen. Linking to the production’s home page makes me notice that it will be closing in London three days from now after a successful fall run.

On a local culture observational note, I was disappointed to be one of only two audience members in attendance at the screening in Wilmington. I know that Delaware is not exactly Broadway, and the screening was not well advertised, but I would have liked to have seen at least 15-20 people there. Perhaps there will be more enthusiasm when I attend their December screening of Collaborators, a new play by John Hodge.

I have some reservations about the “theatre in cinemas” trend that the NT Live helped to pioneer, but in this instance, I sat back and let my imagination do the work. It helped that I am familiar with the (real) performance space, the Olivier Theatre. I could easily envision that I was right back there in the cavernous production space with a full house of audience members around me.

The play itself, The Kitchen, was surprisingly captivating. The unspecific advertising campaign made me envision a standard ensemble drama. The reality of the play showed a distinct duality. Act 1 seemed operatic at times, with emphasis on building the group ensemble of the aforementioned kitchen and hard working restauranteurs. Having built up the story, the actors and director were free to zero in on specificity within Act 2, leading to several provocative storylines and confrontational moments.

If I had written this on Thursday night, I might be more specific. The more you know…

I rounded up shows #47 and #48 over the past week, with #49 (August: Osage County at the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia) waiting in the wings subject to ticket availability.

Last Friday night (why does Katy Perry have to pop into my head as I write that??!!) brought the staged reading of “September Echoes” by a regional troupe called Distant Voices. I see they maintain a website, however it has not been recently updated. Director Danny Peak explained that the piece had come together in spurts over the past ten years, with multiple revisions. I later asked a question if the coincidence of the Iraq War troop withdrawal (that day) would affect the script, and he confirmed that it would. His wife Julie Nishimura provided musical accompaniment, with Peak and two additional actors, Steve Gleich and Michelle Stradley, interpreting the text.

I was most taken with how the performance seemed to define provocative – not in a racy way, but in the sense that the words provoked the memories. Simple language gave way to clear descriptions, and suddenly I remembered. That clear September day. The seemingly mono-maniacal push to war. The massive anti-war demonstrations in February, 2003 (and my own backing out of the Hampshire charter to go to NYC). The sudden invasion of Iraq in March, 2003. The misleading statement of “Mission: Accomplished” in May of that year. And so on.

The piece could be a thoughtful sibling to Stuff Happens by David Hare, with its similar thematic material. I happily recall the curiosity and integrity of seeing that play in its world premiere in 2004. It was exciting to work with an original ensemble member of that show in 2007 and later know that Porchlight produced the Northern California premiere the following summer… but I digress.

My point in reflecting here is that the subtlety of this piece is its most effective asset. The audience member doesn’t need to see visual excerpts of 9/11 again or a clip of George W. Bush talking to the nation. They can be guided to remember their own impressions, recollections and interpretations of that era, and make their own conclusions. On a related note, it is startling to realize the reality of 10 years passing. In a post-show Q&A, Peak described taking the show into schools where some students have no memory of 9/11/01 and were born after the date – and that is a reality I had personally not acknowledged.

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Monday night brought my first show within Philadelphia: Mistakes were Made at 1812 Productions. I’m sorry to say that this may end up in my bottom five shows for the year. However, part of that may be self-inflicted, where my very occasional theatrical narcolepsy struck during the performance. (It’s interesting to see that “theatrical narcolepsy” is an actual defined term on the Web.)

I see that I wrote briefly about this narcoleptic state when it last struck me, back in February in Mill Valley:
I’ll reflect briefly on that odd, trance-like state that sometimes envelops me, and possibly other audience members, if a play doesn’t hold my focus. Where does it come from? Is it something about the low lighting? The time of day? The things I’ve done that day? It never seems to happen to me anywhere else.

Back to this show: I was drawn to it for two reasons.
1) Familiarity with Craig Wright’s work, having ASMed his play Grace at the Chester Theatre Company in 2007.
2) Curiosity with this particular play, which was originally scheduled to premiere at the Magic Theatre in 2009, but postponed (and not rescheduled) following that company’s then-pressing economic difficulties.

Unfortunately (or not), I have to look at the Philadelphia Inquirer review of the show to refresh my memory.

I think what happened here is that the left-field surprise of the end of the play colored my impression of the whole show. I recall this happening cinematically with the sudden ending of The Adjustment Bureau earlier this year.

It could be that I don’t care much for comedy, theatrical or otherwise. Recent moves have made me notice the sparcity of comedies in my DVD collection, and I’m sure that if I went back through a list of plays seen, comedic forays would also be sparse.

Yesterday I traveled down to the state capital for the 2011 Delaware Arts Summit. I was pleased to make the effort to attend this event. The Delaware Division of the Arts seems to be a generous organization, befitting the state’s small but vibrant size. Attendees were informed that this state is in superior arts-support/fiscal health shape, as opposed to our immediate neighbors. I’ve also gotten the impression over the past two months that the arts here are not immediately visible, yet still vibrant and active. They – and their representatives – are certainly very cheerful and welcoming when I/you do find them.

In the morning breakout session, I especially enjoyed being a part of this workshop:
Ready, Set, Engage: Harnessing the Power of the Arts to Change Your Community
Presented by ANIMATING DEMOCRACY, a program of Americans for the Arts
Find new meaning and purpose in your work as an arts administrator and/or artist. Join this session to learn how to address larger community issues through the arts by building relationships and engaging new partners. You’ll also be asked to consider a new view of arts engagement and ways the arts help develop social, human, and community capital. Whether you’re an arts administrator or an artist, you’ll gain a greater appreciation for the power and potential of your work and new practical tools for engaging a wider audience. Facilitated by David Bradley, Theater Director, Arts Educator, Consultant, Philadelphia.

Mr. Bradley’s energetic facilitation, and the game attitude displayed by everyone else in the room, helped to awaken that proactive theatre/arts approach that I always appreciate. It didn’t seem like anyone was holding back their thoughts or opinions, and there was a very genuine display of enthusiasm and creativity throughout the session.

In the afternoon, I attended a workshop on social networking for artists. While I enjoyed this session too and thought it offered useful skills and pointers, there was one issue that continues to stand out for me. FACEBOOK IS NOT A NEW MEDIA TOOL. As someone who’s had his account since 2004, and misses the days when the site was a little-known underground phenomenon locked to only college students, I feel strongly about this. It seems that the wider public often treats the website as if it came out of nowhere a few years ago and has taken over the world. On a different note, I was amused to see that the facilitator chose a celebrity based in Marin (musician Zoe Keating) to spotlight how someone well-known spreads themselves across social networks.

While events like this may often have crisis or urgency as underlying words in their activities, I take the opposite approach and consistently find them inspiring and energizing to meet like-minded individuals and feel supported in creative crafts.

I am very pleased to have concluded my longer than expected theatre-going hiatus. The recipient of show #46 honors was LITTLE FOXES at the University of Delaware Rep in Newark. I became familiar with this play last year when considering it as part of a show production research project. My mother also recalls seeing a 1967 revival in New York City, featuring Anne Bancroft in the central role of Regina. This production concluded a three week run as the Rep’s season opener, and seems to have been well received by the (seemingly) supportive local audiences. As a well-traveled theatregoer, I was most impressed by the physical surroundings. The theatre itself is nestled in a gorgeous performance hall that is like the best possible melding of boarding school, Broadway and West End performance venues. The set design, showcased in the company’s YouTube trailer below, also reflected this standard of elegance.

On to the production itself. What seemed most notable to me, somewhat unusually, was the high standard of direction. Several scenes were played very far upstage, playing with audience expectations of storytelling and drama. In at least three cases, the curtain or an onstage door opened on to an already in progress scene. Several moments of silence extended just long enough for me to wonder if it was a case of line-forgetting, and then be pleased that it was in fact a deliberate pacing choice. The actors, nearly all of whom are resident artists at UD, seemed to play off their knowledge and experience with each other.

Two performances stood out amongst the ensemble, although no one in the group could be listed above the other… they all worked together as equals. I found Carine Montbertrand as Birdie to be the most intriguing, giving surprising depth to what initially seems to be a stock character. In a similar vein, Erin Partin as Alexandra believably matured over the course of the play. I noticed myself dismissing her as an over-eager character in the first act, and later reflecting on how she is left alone at the end as the roles shift. This isn’t meant to forget Elizabeth Helfin’s notable work as Regina, with an impervious air about her and clear command of her scenes.

On a side note, all of the Rep company members are pictured in the program “as their real selves” in a pleasingly informal group portrait that made me recall British theatre programs with their snapshots of rehearsals in action and/or the cast and crew hanging out at the bar, defining ensemble.

I’ll definitely be back in the audience next month when the Rep brings in Noises Off.

I’ll repeat a tactic that served me well earlier this year and make a WANT-TO-SEE list of upcoming shows, in my now semi-new neighborhood of Greater Philadelphia.

In no particular order:
PASSING STRANGE in Wilmington
A PLAY AND A PINT, a weekly new play event at the Society Hill Playhouse in Philadelphia
ALL MY SONS at the Delaware Theatre Company
LITTLE FOXES at PTTP/University of Delaware
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY at the Arden Theatre Company
MISTAKES WERE MADE at 1812 Productions
RED at the Philadelphia Theatre Company
GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES at Theatre Exile

… with more to come!

Cut and pasted from the Theatre Bay Area Weekly Update:

TCG needs your help to tell the story of theatre in America and they want to make sure our region is represented!

You can read more about the campaign and watch the videos that have been released so far at http://www.tcg.org/iamtheatre. To learn more about how to submit a video, click here. If you have any questions, please contact Ruth Eglsaer.

My longest post title ever for this blog reminds me of the AVENGERS episode entitled Look (Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One) But There Were These Two Fellers…

I feel like this title reflects the entrepreneurial and ensemble spirit of The Penny Seats, a brand new ensemble theatre company in Ann Arbor. I’ve watched this company grow from afar over the past six months or so (having personal connections to several of the board/ensemble members) and am delighted to have made it back to Ann Arbor just in time for OPENING NIGHT, last night, of their debut production. The play they chose has its own Wikipedia page with a synopsis and some production details.

This production is my 44th show for this year, and I remember that Ann Arbor was where I started my theatrical year right on January 1. It was not shy about putting a fresh and distinctive spin on the play. Cross-gender casting made appearances, the initially simple set revealed several layers, puppetry walked in late in the show, and Zach London of the Hard Taco Project added two unique songs and several sound design cues. The show opens with a charming and carefully choreographed rendition of “The Alchemy of Blank Verse”, written especially for this production, and closes with the troupe’s theme song of sorts, “The Penny Seats are Nothing But Trouble”. In an appropriate coincidence, this same Penny Seats song appeared on my Ipod just as I crossed the Michigan state line (from Wisconsin) two days ago.

The casting of the show seemed to take particular care to draw from a wide theatrical net, and thus create a tight ensemble. Troupe president Lauren London led the way in the lead part alongside her brother (and my college friend) Russ Schwartz, with Melynee Saunders Warren, Roy Sexton, Matt Cameron, and Sarah Leahy all offering equally memorable portrayals. I appreciated the free spirited versatility that the cast embraced, throwing themselves into their multiple roles with enthusiasm and commitment.

The best thing about an opening night is knowing that the show can and will get stronger from here. I’m sure that will be the case with the Penny Seats, who wear their hearts and enthusiastic energy on their sleeves, their theatrical energy in their souls and their all-abiding dramatic flair around them, physically, at the West Park Band Shell in Ann Arbor.

Their debut production is only two weekends – catch it while you can until August 14. I know they will be back again in the near future, being just as bold and creative.