This summer season has been absolutely incredible! We've had superb performances, amazing sets and costumes, and epic battles -- and everyone, cast and crew, has been a pleasure to work with, both onstage and off and we can't wait to do it again in the fall!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Farewell to Mackers
This summer season has been absolutely incredible! We've had superb performances, amazing sets and costumes, and epic battles -- and everyone, cast and crew, has been a pleasure to work with, both onstage and off and we can't wait to do it again in the fall!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Macduff
Q: What do you do to prepare for a role?
A: All the re-reading helps, but out-loud repetition is the only sure bet. For monologues, I'll record myself and listen to the recording.
I can't help but wonder how Macduff holds up over the next few years after the play ends; Malcolm has essentially opened the door for the Anglicanization of Scotland, and soon Macduff's country, for which he sacrificed so much, will be unrecognizable to him. "Earl" might not be the most comfortable of titles for a Scottish patriot, no matter how well deserved.
It's not cursed, really!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Notes From The Stage Manager - Twas a rough night.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Parry! Swing! Ching! - The Beautiful Sounds of Battle: Fights and Mackers.
So I've gone through that process eight different times, and actually performed in several more test fights as a partner for other actor-combatants. Actor-combatant is the term the SAFD uses for members recognized as proficient in several weapons; although there's a huge emphasis in the organization on safety, stage combat is part of a performance, so acting is incredibly important. If you just do a few moves safely, it looks less like a fight and more like a martial arts kata: interesting, but neither visceral nor exciting.
Q: What approach do you take when teaching a novice actor? A professional?
A: Hah! I don't usually dream choreography unless it's someone else's choreography I'm trying to remember. Usually, I like to sit down with a director and discuss general themes of the show, what a director is planning to do with the text of the play. I'll go into a show knowing the general shape of the fight, how it progresses from beginning to end without knowing the specific techniques it will use. Then I'll talk to the director about my ideas and make necessary changes. At that point, it's very similar to any other tech aspect of the show: a set designer comes up with a plan, then shifts that plan based on what the director has to say. With Macbeth, I actually gave Julie a fairly thorough synopsis of the fights, written as prose. It's a good method of conveying my ideas without getting bogged down in details that will likely change anyway. After that, I started actually teaching the actors technique before I set any real choreography. Since I knew a rough shape of the fight, I knew what techniques I needed to teach, but I still didn't have set, blow-by-blow choreography. Once I started actually doing choreography with the actors, it's actually a fairly organic process. I knew I wanted the midpoint of the Macbeth/Macduff fight to come out of a tight spiral, largely controlled by Macbeth, into a sudden break and then a wounding from Macduff, but I didn't know exactly how many moves it would take to make that happen.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Malcolm
Q: How do you prepare for a role?
A: The first thing that I do to prepare for any role is read the script four times: once for familiarity with the play, and one read-through for each of the three essential things that an actor has to know in order to start working on a role - What do I know to be true about my character? What does my character say about himself? What do others say about my character? The end result is a couple pages of notes on the role and the show, and a good idea of where to start that let me start sculpting the clay of the character (or Play-dough, if you're the sort who enjoys lame jokes). Once I have a general shape, the proverbial lump o' clay gets tossed to the director, who adjusts and re-sculpts it as they see fit, and removes any extra limbs that I might have thought looked cool when I started working the clay. The end result is a statue with two sculptors, who work together to keep improving the piece at each rehearsal until it is unveiled on opening night.
You can't get too attached to your initial sculpture, however, or you'll end up with a sphinx without a nose. Beyond hammering the script into my head, I try to keep it pretty simple. The most important thing for an actor to concentrate on when building a character, especially in Shakespeare's plays, is making the characters accessible to a modern audience. I know some actors who do an insane amount of research for the roles they're in, particularly Shakespearean ones; they look up historical context, read analyses of the characters, watch other people perform the roles, and do a bunch of other stuff that I consider (for the most part) to be going overboard. If you're cast as Romeo, for example, researching social interaction and courtship in 14th century Verona and considering the audience that Shakespeare was writing for and his intent with each line isn't going to make your character connect with the audience any better, or make them care when Romeo dies. The audience will appreciate a character that they can understand and relate to more than one that is "true to Shakepeare's vision" or "historically accurate". Randy Jeffreys did a fantastic job as Macbeth, not because he played a Scottish Thane with dreams of kinghood, but because he played a guy who'd worked hard and been loyal his whole life, and been passed over for recognition that he deserved. Also, Macbeth's fall from grace will resonate (I feel like I'm overusing that word) with anyone who's ever thought about taking matters into their own hands to get what they feel (or in this case, what a manipulative companion feels) they deserve. Long story short, it's important to act for your audience.
Q: How do you go about learning all the lines?
A: WORDS WORDS WORDS. There's no secret method an actor can use to memorize lines (or if there is, it's too secret for me to know). It's all about reading, re-reading, re-re-reading, reading out loud, attempting to recite from memory, failing, kicking any furniture in one's general vicinity, shouting assorted curses at the inanimate objects you just kicked, trying to recite from memory again, rinse and repeat. It does help me to learn lines as I'm going to be delivering them; if I'll be walking across the stage when I speak a particular line, I'll walk with the script as I'm memorizing it, for example.
Q: Prince of Cumberland.....do you think Malcolm was expecting that? How close do you think the royal family is to one another?
A: I'd imagine that he was expecting it to happen at some point, he's King Duncan's oldest son, after all. There isn't much dialogue between Duncan and his sons that suggests that their relationship was terribly close, but they seem to be pretty well-adjusted for a royal family. Malcolm and Donalbain seem pretty tight despite their personality differences, with Malcolm being more of a planner and politician and Donalbain being more action-oriented. I tried to push the closeness between the two brothers whenever I could onstage, since it makes Don's death at the end of the show more of a blow to the crown prince.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Heads!
The process began with some carefully placed vaseline around my hairline , eyebrows et cetera, to make "removal" of the casting less arduous . The top of my head was covered with a latex cap and attached with a type of surgical glue. The guys then began mixing the gloopy material in a bucket...when it was ready they began to encase me. I was totally "entombed" by the quickly hardening material. Only two small nose openings..so I could breathe! Then the waiting. It was actually quite warm and relaxing...I almost dozed off at a few points. The crew even had to knock on my "head" once because I was so relaxed that I didn't hear them ask me if I was okay ! A quick thumbs up from me and the wait continued. Finally the extrication began and sweet freedom. The casting was removed in two halves and there I was! Can't wait to see the finished product.
Thanks again to Logan Tobia and the whole crew at the school...I had an awesome time!
Friday, July 22, 2011
MacHilarity Part Deuce: Revenge of the Birds
1) Don't grab the glue gun by the front
2) Don't tightly grab chicken bones (yes, they are also on said costume)...they are prickly,
3) Make sure you don't glue while on carpet,
4) Don't drink ANY beverage near feathers...
5) Always, always, ALWAYS, most of the time...ALWAYS! Remember...(the fifth of november)...WHERE YOU PUT YOUR NEEDLES. [This time my butt found a needle]
I only have one costume left to stitch together, but after that I only have details and pretty things to sew on costumes...AND WE AREN'T EVEN IN HELL WEEK...Huzzah!!!!! My only concern at this point is when all our online purchases will arrive. Don't judge me for not making everything myself...I have a life...a dissertation I need to work on...etc etc...(insert something that sounds like whining).
A few minor setbacks may have put us a tad over-budget, but my hope is that we can cut costs by using free services some of the cast/crew are able to provide us :) In all though, most, if not all, our purchases will be useful for shows after the Scottish Play. I have learned that certain skirts that look lovely in pictures, and lovely in person, are not as complicated as we initially thought...I could've made the same damn thing out of a simple rectangular fabric with 3 lines of stitching...Oh well, renaissance clothing is not my specialty...YET!
I will wrap up the MacHilarity blogs by mentioning how in love I am with Poor Yorick's Players. This is the first time I don't feel ridiculously stressed out as a costumer, and the director is very vocal about her wants/desires for costumes. The latter bit is a huge help in making sure I make the costumes to fit her vision, not my own.
Don't fret little ones...blogs on a costumers perspective in PYP will continue...just maybe not with the same theme/play/yadayadayada...blahblahblah.
Signing off and hoping you ALL come to see the show,
Bobby Karimi
PhD Candidate
Costuming Efficianado
Minor Actor
All-around sexy beast
Thursday, July 21, 2011
In the Spotlight: Macbeth
Randy Jeffreys, who plays Macbeth, was kind enough to shed some light onto Macbeth's descent into madness...
What to you do to get into your role? Randy: Most of all being an adherent of the Mamet approach, I trust the text to give me what I need to find the core and truth of my character. Of course Shakespeare gives you the very best to work off of ! How do you learn your lines? I truly believe you can't really begin to breathe life into your character until you are free of the script...at least that is how it feels to me. Favorite thing about your character? R: The fact that he is at his core a very decent man at the start, and the descent into the darkness is so compelling, and gripping and of course tragic. What’s your dream (Shakespeare) role? R: This is it by a large margin. When do you think Macbeth goes to the 'dark side'? R: Certainly an argument can be made that it's when he kills Duncan, but I think he feels the most irrevocably lost after Lady M's death. He loses his last tenous grip on the man he once was. Why do you think he is so easily manipulated by his wife, Lady Macbeth? R:I don't know if manipulated is quite accurate. He has clearly pondered the path he takes before they openly "discuss" it. Although his love for her does make him open to her desires as well. Do you think he ever wonders about how and why the witches chose him? R: I'm not sure. The events happen to him in such a breakneck manner that he may not ever really dwell on that. By the end and of course far too late, he realizes just how badly he has succumbed to their "mis-information". What do you think is his last thought before the one of woman born ends his existence? R: Excellent question ! Probably just wondering how it all went so bad , so fast. Just a complete feeling of fury, desolation, and regret...pretty difficult to imagine the enormity of his sense of loss. Thanks Randy! And again, thanks Dana for fabulous action shots! |
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Macbeth + Costuming = MacHilarity, Part I
My first introduction to Poor Yorick's Players can only be described as a botchy audition. I mentioned I also did costuming, and a few weeks later I get a call for a small part and a lovely position as costume designer. I'm in cloud nine right now. Careful planning with the oh-so-amazing Director extraordinaire, Julie Babal, and communication with cast members, has let us remain under budget (brings a tear of happiness to my eye to write), and have a nice array of costumes that can be reused in the future.
At this point, you may be asking yourself, "But Bobby, where's the MacHilarity promised by the title of this post?" Simmer down young Padawan learner, you can't laugh if you don't know the plot:
Several hours and $500 dollars of fabric/supplies later, I find myself in my tiny apartment with a dear friend (here's a shout out to Bailey!) ready to sew till we drop (there was no dropping though...maybe a few pins here and there, nothing that a foot can't find later). A few hours later, Bailey pulls out the fabric steamer, courtesy of our remaining budget, and starts to steam fabric with only a few self-inflicted burns. After the third minor burn she turns off the machine and unplugs it so we can eat (chinese, if you cared). And have you guessed what happens? No? Once the meal is done and some lackluster fortunes are read, Bailey turns the machine back on...did you figure it out yet? About, maybe 10 minutes later I hear, "Bobby, I think the steamer is busted..." I quickly stand up explaining how it's a new machine, etc etc...and then I notice it...
"Um, Bailey...did you put water in the tank?"
She nods yes.
"Did you turn the machine on?"
She nods yes.
"Did you happen to plug in the machine at some point in the last 10 minutes?
"Her eyes widen and glance at the outlet at the wall. Then, with a playful shove and an "Oh my Gawd!" (further expletives may have been used) she plugs the steamer in.
This was just the beginning of a series of funny incidents. I happened to be making a tunic for Lady MacDuff...while using Lady MacBeth's measurements...and let me tell you...their busts are not the same size, but lucky for me I managed to fix it! And by "it" I am referring to the tunic, not their busts. During the process of reopening the seams, I realized I was opening the seams on the bottom of my shirt. This was quickly followed by me rehearsing by lines in the shower at 5 AM and accidently replacing the word "scale" with "squirrel."
"Faith, here's an equivocator, who could swear in both the squirrels against either squirrel..."
I will not confirm that my roommate heard me and couldn't stop laughing. I will also not confirm that with no sleep I stared for about 20 minutes at 5 yards of gold polyester lining wondering what it was for, only to realizing it was lining for a cape. I picked up the fabric to notice a post it note reminding me that it was for a cape, who's cape, and the measurements (D'Oh!).
Breakfast was a blur, especially after I got in the car and realized I didn't eat breakfast. I was too distracted by adding lace to Lady MacBeth's dress. The drive to rehearsal/costume fittings was...oh lord, long. Traffic, and me not able to figure out why my phone was playing the same song over and over...yea, it was on repeat and I didn't notice.
And for the curious: My foot found 3 pins and the needle I threaded with invisible thread, but couldn't find when it fell off the table. I suppose the invisible thread really lived up to its name...
Part II to come...
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Behind the Scenes: Rehearsal
Friday, July 8, 2011
In the Spotlight: Lady Macbeth
What do you do to get into your role?
Alyssa: From a physical stand-point, I have to start wearing my show shoes and skirts from the first day of rehearsal. People not only spoke differently 400 years ago, they moved differently. Any early costuming I can do helps me figure out that movement, and put it into my character.
From an emotional stand-point, I think about doing things I can’t even imagine. What would you do if there were no consequences, if you were sure you would never be caught? What would you give up if you were guaranteed success? Day to day we bite our tongues and act politely. For this, you just let the worst parts of you fly. And then, go further.
How do you learn your lines?
A: For many actresses, we already know pieces of this amazing play. We’ve workshopped it in classes, or used the monologues in auditions. But for the other dialogues, I learn it anyway I can. Repetition. Mneumonics. Acronyms. Writing the lines by hand. Tying blocking together with the lines. Anything to make them stick.
Favorite thing about your character?
A: Her strength. A woman who took any sort of control in a marriage relationship at this time in history is a wonderful aberration.
What is your dream Shakespeare role?
A: This is it!
What's with the ambition? Lady Macbeth devised an entire murder plot.....why not be happy with the quick elevation to Thane?
A: Why be happy with just that? As a wife, her only job was to bear children. As a woman, she could have nothing but a title. If she can be crowned queen, it is of her own doing. Perhaps it can be forgiven she hasn’t given her husband any sons. She sees power as safety, and wants every security she can obtain.
Do you believe Lady Macbeth truly is in love with her husband? Or do you see him more as a means to and end?
A: I think she truly did. As a wife, she was property, and could have been treated horribly. But her husband showed her real affection and kindness, which she repaid with what love she was capable of. That and the encouragement to murder.
When do you think Lady Macbeth finally hits insanity?
A: For me, it’s not a sudden hit, but a slide. At the end of the banquet scene, when she sees her husband is delusional, talking to ghosts only he can see, she starts to realize this thing she has started is out of her control. That loss of control and fear of discovery, if her King can’t keep his own sanity, seem to be what unhinges her. By the time she walks with her taper, she is drowned in her madness.
Thanks a bunch, Alyssa!
(and thanks to Dana for some awesome pictures!)
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Notes From The Stage Manager
Hello Readers :) It is I, April, stage manager extraordinaire. Kristin and I thought it would also be fun to get you the inside scoop on more members of the production team for Macbeth. In this case, as stage manager, I get to talk about stage manager things. What would I like to talk about today? The best friend, confidant, colleague and first mate of the stage manager: The Kit.
All of you well seasoned stage managers know well the awesome power of The Kit. Me? It was a brand new concept for me, as this is my first time stage managing ever. Do not fear, my natural organizational skill/crazy minute attention to detail makes me a prime candidate for this position. I love post it notes, they love me, the world is a brighter place.
What is in this Kit? Pretty much anything you could possibly think of randomly needing throughout a show run. I have got paperclips, highlighters, matches, sunblock (yay outdoor theater!), flashlight, gadget knife/corkscrew magical thing, stopwatch, first aid kit, 'other needs' kit, tape, pencils, pencil sharpeners, a rain poncho........I have to do a shout out to post-it notes, because they are my favorite part of the Kit.
I have noticed throughout my work with the show thus far, the usual things of use from the Kit are pencils, pens and highlighters. I expect the other bits like safety pins and makeup remover wipes to happen later in the run. Some actors might not even need the Kit at all. What is nice though, that in that time of crisis when the leading lady needs a bobby pin, or the king needs a make up remover napkin to wipe the sweat off of his severed head, I will have reprieve for them.
The Kit is not difficult to maintain either. I plan to take an inventory at the end of the run to see what I need to replace/replenish. I am also sure to think of a few brand new things that can be added for future shows to come. Sunblock was the first new item that I added at the beginning.
All fun aside, there have been two online websites that helped me tremendously with preparing myself to be stage manager (thank you Josh!). Keeping in mind community theater and equity are two different worlds, I still found these very helpful in knowing what to expect and what was expected of me. Theatrecrafts has some great resources available for all there is to know regarding stage management and Upstage Review has a good bank of task lists, checklists and reports available for download!
For all of you novice stage managers out there, this is all really good stuff. For you veterans, maybe it is a good refresher course. Either way, this Kit concept is pretty much the coolest thing ever. Also, do not blame me for munching on those mentos in the Kit....stage managers need icy cool breath to, ya know.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Pay No Attention to the Woman Behind the Curtain! - A Macbeth Q & A with director, Julie Babal
How long have you been with Yorick?
Julie: Since he was a twinkle in Dana's eye? Dana and I formed this company in its raw form in 2006, and I am an original board member from our incorporation in 2008. In other words, I remember when Yorick was little more than some skull research and an amalgamation of ideas in my sketch book...
Why Macbeth?
J: Well, the board always picks each show, but I have a special love for "the Scottish play." Maybe I fell in love with it because it was my first Shakespearean play (Witch 2!) or maybe just because it's a bit creepy, but I love the language and the sentiment of this work, and I'm very excited to have the opportunity to direct it. Besides, who can resist a show with a curse?
Shakespearean plays can be a bit long in comparison to other shows. If you made any edits, how did you go about choosing what stays or goes in the script?
J: The whole play. Really. I just love it. But I'd have to say that anything with a witch in it is always good fun, and Mackers' speech about his wife: "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player/ That struts and frets his hour upon the stage/ And then is heard no more: it is a tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/ Signifying nothing." is one of my favorite passages in all of literature.
When do you start getting the feeling that things are coming together? Does it hit you at a certain point, or all at once...?
J: If pressed, probably I do, a little. I can be superstitious, but it's also good fun to avoid saying "Macbeth" in the theater and to hold others accountable. By the way, if you've just read this answer out loud in a theater, please go outside, turn around three times, spit, swear, say a line from a Shakespearean comedy, and wait for someone to invite you back in..... just in case...
Monday, June 6, 2011
Hello and Welcome!
Be sure to bookmark the site or subscribe via RSS feed to stay updated on all of the fun Yorick's happenings, like Q&A's with the director, character explorations from the actors, and mischief from the witches themselves!