Category Archives: theater

The Play is Definitely the Thing

For the next two weeks I expect to be obsessed. This is perhaps not a good thing for the blog, especially since I had a number of Mohawk Valley adventures in the last few days, which I would very much like to write about. However, I just returned from rehearsal and the play is on my mind (I bet you thought I was going to say, “The play’s the thing.” Well, I don’t have to indulge in every cliche, do I?).

We ran the whole show. It is not the first time we ran it; that was last Sunday. Did it go well? I think it did. I called for line a few times. I messed up a few times. Maybe several. I wasn’t counting. The funny thing is I have to have a cockney accent for my character. When we stopped running the play I kept talking in the accent. The director told me I have to slow down on one dramatic line. I tried a few times then said, “I’ll practice it at ‘ome!” Maybe you had to be there.

One kind of discouraging thing is when the director tells you to do something you were trying to do already. Damn! It didn’t work! I have to try harder. One thing I strive to do, though, is listen to direction. I have worked with actors who want to argue with everything. “I just don’t see the character that way,” they say, among other things. There is nobody like that in this cast. Phew!

I guess posts about rehearsal are not that exciting. Well, I don’t want to give away too much about the play, in case local readers want to come see it (and I hope they do). Perhaps I can manage a post or two about my recent Mohawk Valley adventures. We’ll see what tomorrow will bring.

Did You Know I’m in a Play?

Once again I did not write my post earlier in the day, as I prefer to do, because I was studying my lines for the play I am in. And I did not write it before rehearsal, because I was worrying about my props. I almost said I was gathering props, but I must be honest. I had already gathered most of the props. Today I grabbed like two more things and worried about the stuff I don’t have yet.

So now I’m writing this post after rehearsal, and it is past my bedtime. OK, my bedtime is earlier than many people. I shall not apologize for that. I shall instead, speak briefly about the awesome theatre experience I am having.

The play is called Busybody. It is a British comedy, so I get to talk with a Cockney accent. It is fun to talk with an accent. The plot concerns a nosy cleaning lady who discovers a dead body which moves then disappears. Get it? A busybody who finds a busy body. Guess which one I play? It is a very funny play, and we have an awesome cast. Some of my favorite actors from Ilion Little Theatre are in it as well as a few newcomers.

I guess this is not going to be a very informative post. That is because I do NOT want to include a spoiler alert. I want local readers to feel free to come see the play without having any of the major plot points revealed ahead of time. Performance dates are January 30, 31 and February 1, 6, 7 and 8, two consecutive weekends. Curtain times are 8 p.m. on the Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. For more information, you can visit ILT’s website, www.ilionlittletheatre.com or Like their Facebook page.

Back on Stage?

Ilion Little Theatre is moving right along with their 2014-15 season. Noises Off still has another weekend to run (Nov. 21, 22, 23; catch it if you get a chance!), but they are already holding auditions for their next production, Busybody.

My public will be pleased to know that I auditioned last night. OK, I guess my public mostly consists of my husband, Steven, and maybe my Mom and Dad. Steven thought it was cool I tried out. So did I.

The theatre is located in The Stables behind Remington Arms in Ilion, NY. It is a short drive from Herkimer, where I live. It was pouring rain and I was nervous. What if I’d forgotten how to act? Worse yet, given the weather, what if I’d forgotten how to drive? I managed to arrive safely, so I trusted I would be OK on stage.

The director greeted me and introduced himself. Very polite of him, since I’ve known him for five years, ever since I joined the theatre group. I filled out my audition sheet, pausing only when I got to the “experience” section, because I couldn’t seem to remember my character’s name in And Then There Were None (good God, I think that was before I started writing a blog. Did I even have a life back then?) (Note to self: answer that question on Lame Post Friday).

Another auditioner was looking at the script.

“This smells awesome,” he said. “It smells like elementary school.” I just love a good description like that. Ilion Little Theatre gets the coolest actors.

When I checked out the script myself, I was more worried about sight than smell. I had neglected to bring my reading glasses. My regular glasses are progressives, but I like a wider reading area, just to give myself every advantage.

It turned out pretty OK. I think I did all right on the scenes I read. It seems like a really fun play. I’m looking forward to reading the whole script. Or, you know, seeing the show, if I don’t get cast. I hope I get cast. I’ll write numerous blog posts about it if I do.

For more information on Ilion Little Theatre visit their website at www.ilionlittletheatre.org, and Like their Facebook page.

I’ll Tell You Witch Scene

Yesterday I talked about how I will appear in a Shakespeare scene Oct. 16 as part of Third Thursday in Little Falls, NY. I haven’t really talked much about the scene itself (but I just realized that yesterday’s title, “Witch Scene?” would have been perfect for today; missed a bet). I thought I would use Wuss-out Wednesday to give a brief overview.

The scene is from the first Act I of Macbeth. I am the third witch.

The witches enter first and say, “Yeah, we’re bad-ass.” Macbeth and Banquo come in and say, “Whoa.” We tell Macbeth he’s going to be king and Banquo that his kids will be kings. Macbeth says, “Tell me more,” but we vanish (alas, no special effects; we just do a kind of a cape flourish). Then two rank and file soldiers show up and tell Macbeth that the king just gave him a promotion. Macbeth says to Banquo, “We’ll talk more later,” and it’s the end of the scene.

Only, you know, in Shakespearean language. We witches spend all our time onstage capering around and cackling, which is a lot of fun. I don’t have any big speeches, which is a little disappointing for me, being as I am a colossal ham, but I like the lines I have.

I am quite looking forward to our little performance. I’ll probably write a blog post about it.

Witch Scene?

So a while ago I wrote a post right after I got home from a rehearsal for a Shakespeare scene I am in. I felt it was not as good a post as I had wanted to write. I see now that I did not write a better post about that or the other rehearsal we had. Now I am home from the third and final rehearsal before the scene is presented Thursday. I’m not saying this is going to be a better blog post, but as usual, it’s the best I got right now.

The scene is from Act I of Macbeth. I’m the third witch. Yes, there is a theatre superstition that you are not supposed to say the word “Macbeth.” I believe it is OK when the play (or the scene) you are working on is actually Macbeth. Be that as it may, the scene is to be presented at Gansevoort House Books in Stone Mill. It is part of their Adult Story Time, which is part of Third Thursday in Little Falls, NY.

Today was our dress rehearsal. I had my costume put together utilizing old Halloween costumes and clothes I just happened to have. I purchased Halloween make-up. I was set to witch myself up.

I made my hair stick up with gel and a blow drier. I put in contact lenses prior to putting on scary make-up. I thought I looked scary before I started on the make-up. Who knew my glasses were hiding such dark circles under my eyes? But I had purchased make-up so thought I might as well use it.

First I put on a white base. Not too much, just enough to make me look paler. After putting on black eyeliner, I used a brush to put black make-up on those dark circles. I looked at the rest of my face and decided the white base made the other lines on my face stick out enough. I put on some black lipstick and was done.

Rehearsal went pretty well. I’m looking forward to the performance Thursday. I’ll probably write a blog post about it.

I Missed the Drama!

Last night Steven and I attended the monthly dinner meeting of Ilion Little Theatre Club. It was the first meeting of the 2014-15 season. Through one cause or another we missed all the dinner meetings last season, although we made it to all the plays. It was so nice to be back in the theatre again, reconnecting with our theatre friends.

Rehearsals were going on for the first production, Noises Off. We did not audition for that one but may audition for something later in the season. I’ve missed being onstage. Also, being in a play usually gives me any number of blog posts.

A new season always brings new projects and goals. One of the most exciting things I heard last night was the upcoming Save Our Tower campaign. Ilion Little Theatre, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, is in The Stables on Remington Avenue in Ilion, NY. It used to be the Remington family’s stables. It is a beautiful historic brick building. Like many historic buildings, it is in need of repair.

One of the most pressing problems is a crack in the tower. The Board of Directors has talked to a couple of masons about repair or, better yet, restoration. It’s a complicated process and it don’t come cheap. A number of ideas were mentioned, including forming a Fundraising Committee.

I hope to follow this matter, participate in some of the fundraising (I can’t beg for donations, but I could, for example, wash a car at a car wash), and of course write blog posts about it. In the meantime, I’m just happy to be back at the theatre and with a great group of people.

For more information on Ilion Little Theatre Club, you can visit their website at www.ilionlittletheatre.org and you can Like their Facebook page.

And, No, I Did Not Run Today

I am a very dramatic person. A drama queen, you ask, in an accusatory tone of voice. Perhaps, perhaps. On the other hand, there are worse things, my friend, than being a drama queen. For example, one could make unkind remarks in an accusatory tone of voice. Be that as it may, I offer the following tale for my Non-Sequitur Thursday post.

Once again I did not write a blog post at work, because I was working on my novel during breaks. My original plan had been to run after work and write a post about that. Then again, I’ve made a lot of running posts lately. One can get too much of a good thing (cue unkind remarks about how my running commentary posts are not necessarily a good thing).

I could not run immediately after work, however, because I had someplace else to be. When I apologized in advance for missing today’s meeting of the Wait Five Minute Club (I’ll write a blog post about the club another time), I said, “I have an audition.” I went on to explain I was auditioning to be one of the witches in a scene for MacBeth.

“It’s typecasting,” I said. Nobody disagreed. One guy referred me to a female co-worker (everybody calls her his work wife) as a source of information for the part. I assured him that I am an excellent actress. “But watch yourself,” I warned. “Or I’ll go all method on your ass.”

Now I sound quite obnoxious, calling myself an excellent actress. I was just being silly. In fact, I am probably an actress of normal abilities. But I love acting so much I hope I make the most of what talent I have. After all, one can go a long way with hard work and a good director (which I have often been fortunate enough to have).

Be that as it may, I went to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC) to meet with the man who was directing the scene. It is always kind of odd to me to drive up that hill, since I usually run it. I have not run it since the DARE 5K, although I plan to run it again soon. I had to find a building I had never been in before, to find the director’s office.

That was my main adventure, walking through two buildings at HCCC looking for an office. I found it without too much problem, though. I read the scene. Ooh, I love to read Shakespeare. I wanted to read it again, as well as a few more scenes from the play, but one mustn’t be greedy.

The scene is to be performed in Little Falls in October, as part of their Third Thursday event. I really must attend one of these Third Thursdays. Quite a lot goes on. It would probably make a good blog post.

After reading we talked about the scene to be presented, then branched out into Shakespeare, theatre, writing and all kinds of stuff. You may not know this about me, but I talk. I talk a lot. I like to talk. After I left the audition, I thought, “Wow, I talk too much.” I hope I didn’t sound dumb.

I don’t know yet whether I get to be one of the witches. That would be so cool if I did. If I don’t, though, I will try to go to the Third Thursday on Oct. 16 and see the scene. I’ll probably write a blog post about it.

About that Play…

I apologize to local readers (if any). I really prefer to attend Ilion Little Theatre (ILT) productions opening weekend. That way readers of the post about the play have another weekend to catch the show. Didn’t happen this time. Then again, I often write about events that were one-shot deals, and people do still have two more chances to catch Don’t Talk to the Actors (if you act quickly, as they say in the infomercials).

We arrived at the theatre on Remington Avenue in Ilion, NY right around 7:30 p.m. last night (Friday, March 21). We wanted to get there early, in case the play sold out. It had played to very appreciative audiences opening weekend. We knew it had gotten good word of mouth. There were plenty of seats left, although we had to discommode people sitting on the end of the row. We like to sit in the middle, although at ILT there are no bad seats that I know of.

As we waited for the show to start, we perused our programs and, as always, looked around at the framed posters on the walls. So many plays! I love to look at the dates and look for names I know.

The director didn’t make the usual curtain speech. It was made by a character in the play, the most sought after stage manager on Broadway. A nice touch which pulled us right into the story.

It is a fun story for any theatre lover, especially ones like Steven and me, who have worked on many plays and perhaps harbored Broadway dreams of our own at one time (I’m not saying we actually did, but perhaps). A naive playwright and his innocent fiance are in New York City, where the playwright’s play is about to be produced. I did think it was kind of funny that Buffalo was treated as a small town, from which people came who had NO IDEA how to cope with the rat race of NYC. I always thought Buffalo was kind of a big city. Then again, I live in Herkimer.

I guess I don’t need to tell you that things do not go quite as expected for our hero and heroine (wouldn’t be much of a play if they did). It is a very funny and surprisingly touching story. I expected the funny, because of what I’d heard beforehand, but the touching was a nice surprise.

We laughed out loud in many places, as did a lot of the audience. We enjoyed some coffee and candy during intermission. Another highlight of my evening was winning the 50/50 raffle at intermission. Proceeds from the 50/50 go toward framing the posters I always admire on the wall. Some nice people donate their winnings back, but I greedily kept mine. Don’t judge.

I recommend the production and, like I said, if you hurry, you have two more chances to see it: tonight, Saturday, March 22 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 23 at 2 p.m. For more information, check out ILT’s website at www.ilionlittletheatre.org. You can also Like their Facebook page.

Maybe Tomorrow I Can Write About the Play

I was so certain my gyrations this afternoon would yield material for a blog post that I didn’t write a thing all day. Well, a letter to my sister. I know, doesn’t count.

And now I must quickly come up with something. You see, we are going to Ilion Little Theatre (ILT) to see Don’t Talk to the Actors. We were supposed to go last Friday to see it, but I had a headache. I mean a really bad headache. I may have written a blog post about it. Today I had a headache again. I guess it was a good headache, because it’s mostly gone now. Phew!

I’m looking forward to the play, as I do to any ILT production. This one I am especially anxious to see. It is directed by Steve Wagner, who played Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey year before last. I played his sister (in case you missed all my myriad blog posts about that production). He’s cool. The cast features a number of ILT veterans, including two who are returning to the stage. Goody.

So I spent all afternoon, thinking I have to go here, do this, hurry there, get that done and, oh yeah, think of something to wear. I thought at least the wardrobe would be worth a post (this is Lame Post Friday after all). But no, I drove around and did all my stuff without drama. I even figured out something respectable and not very exciting to wear.

I’m ready to go. I only have to publish my blog post. And here it is, boring but done.

The play, by the way, is at the Stables, Remington Avenue, Ilion, NY, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 21, 22, 23, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. For more information visit their website, www.ilionlittletheatre.org, or their Facebook page (Ilion Little Theatre Club).

On the Edge of my Seat

At one point during Ilion Little Theatre’s (ILT) production of Wait Until Dark, I got so absorbed I let my notebook fall off my lap and land on the floor with a plop. Anything louder would probably have made people jump, because I think most of us were on the edges of our seats.

Wait Until Dark, by Frederick Knott, is a thriller about a recently blinded woman pitted against dangerous criminals. It was made into a movie with Audrey Hepburn some years ago. I like the play better.

The play is directed by Raphael DiLorenzo, who also has a major role as one of the criminals. DiLorenzo has appeared on the ILT stage before, notably with yours truly in Harvey. Other ILT favorites in the cast include Arthur Wilkes, Ron Creighton and Juliane Allen.

A recent newcomer to ILT is Kaylynn Iglesias, who recently appeared in Bless Me, Father. She plays the blind woman and is excellent in a role with unusual challenges. Other newcomers include Chris Smith and Charity Plows. As usual, all of the acting is top notch.

Steven and I brought my friend Diane to see the show. Scandalously, she had never been to an ILT production before. She was immediately enchanted with the theatre and, as I always do, enjoyed looking around at all the posters. She enjoyed the show a great deal, too, as, I believe, did everybody in the audience.

The show runs for another weekend, so area readers have a chance to sit on the edges of their seats too. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, January 31, February 1 and 2 at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Doors open a half hour before curtain, no reserved seating, so get there early. I wouldn’t be surprised if they sell out.

For more information on Ilion Little Theatre you can visit their website at www.ilionlittletheatre.org, email them at ilionlittletheatre@gmail.com, Like them on Facebook, or call 315-894-3203.