Cryptic Rave

Jim Cavener is no spoiler. He takes great pains to praise the production without giving away the plot in his Citizen-Times review of Caryl Churchill's A Number.
-Ron Bashford

"It's like Mamet, but better." -Charlie Flynn-McIver

Following Friday night’s performance of A Number, the actors, Charlie Flynn-McIver and Graham Smith, and the director, Ron Bashford invited audience members to a question-and-answer session in the lobby of NC Stage. Patrons used this opportunity to ask questions about the play and compliment the performers. Topics which were brought up included questions about the playwright, Caryl Churchill, choices that the actors made, the intimacy of doing the show in-the-round, how performances will progress over the next few weeks of the run, along with many praises.

In relation to inquiries about Churchill, Ron mentioned that her plays are relatively serious and challenging, which is why they are not performed as often as other productions. An audience member asked about spacing between lines in reference to the moments of silence on stage. An interesting fact about this play is that there are no pauses written into the script, which a patron would obviously not be aware of unless they had read it prior to viewing the show. Ron mentioned, “She doesn’t write pauses, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want them.” Charlie also commented that a lot of the communication is conveyed through silence. The majority of the patrons responded with positive remarks on the intimacy of the seating around the stage. One audience member felt she could feel the tension more by being closer to the actors. Graham said that if there was a further distance things that happened in the play would loose meaning. A member of the audience pointed out the density of the text and complimented the richness of the production by comparing it to a flourless chocolate cake. He also noted that the actors were not condescending and felt that the audience was treated equally during the performance. Another patron stated that Caryl Churchill might be the greatest living playwright and expressed her appreciation to NC Stage for producing one of her plays.

The final rehearsal for A Number took place last Friday afternoon (4/17). The actors are now on their own to facilitate the growth of the show through performances only. One audience member told the cast that he is planning to view the show again during the final week to witness its evolution. I personally feel that those who attend a performance of A Number should see it more than once to truly appreciate Churchill’s writing as well as Charlie and Graham’s immense talent in playing these roles. I also encourage patrons to hang around the lobby after the show to talk with the actors and the crew who welcome questions and comments about the play. They may seem intimidating on stage, but don’t be fooled, they are all very friendly and inviting and are open to discussing this intense drama.

-Elizabeth Dacy

Dress Rehearsals – The Final Stretch

The first dress rehearsal for A Number this past Sunday (4/12) was preceded by Ron’s notes for the actors. Charlie and Graham ran through a few scenes that still needed some work during which Ron asked them how they felt about certain moments or lines. I was able to observe earlier during the time when the actors’ movements were carefully planned and thought out. Now, the sequences of their actions are effortless as though they were not premeditated or discussed, but are spontaneous. Each individual move is not structured, of course, but staging is difficult because of the arena style seating in the theatre, referred to as “in the round”. There is still constant questioning and revisions of the staging due to this seating arrangement choice. Ron watches closely to the actors’ movements and placing making sure that they are not obstructing audience members’ views for long sequences. Changes also occur in smaller ways which drastically alter the effectiveness of a scene. Sometimes the actors run through a section and it works cohesively, then go through it again and it feels wrong to either them or Ron, but they all typically agree when they sense that something isn’t working. I find often that after I watch them run through a scene it looks perfect from my perspective, then Ron changes a minor step or one of the actors decides to change their tone of voice and I realize how much more natural the same scene appears after their revisions. It obviously takes experience as an actor/director to know how to recognize these feelings and to know when something looks or feels right. It felt satisfying to watch the first dress rehearsal and view the entire play including lighting and sound from beginning to end. Transitions between scenes are an effective aspect of the play as well. The music suits the tone of story unerringly. The lighting design during transitions reminds me of watching a rhythmic dance. The light rotates in and out from the stage to the back of the audience changing hue while gliding with the music. The sound and lighting designs are both features to admire in this performance.

The night before the opening of the show, NC Stage hosted an event welcoming contributors, members, and many others in the Asheville community to view an invited dress rehearsal. With nearly every seat in the house filled, the acoustics in the theatre sounded much different than they had in the dress rehearsal on Sunday. I noticed that a higher level of emotion came out in Graham and Charlie who both performed brilliantly and intensely. After the show, Ron went over his notes with the cast and crew. They discussed small staging adjustments as well as modifications in lighting and sound refinements. They then ran through the areas that required corrections. The play has its first "Preview" tomorrow night (actually tonight considering I am posting after midnight) and the actors definitely seem prepared and comfortable with all of the elements of the show. Ron, Charlie and Graham will continue to rehearse in the afternoons this week until the official "Opening Night" this Saturday. Just a reminder, dates for A Number are April 15-May 3. This is a unique and powerful performance that is sure to usher contemplation and compassion.

-Elizabeth Dacy

And from the director...

Friday night's performance will be followed by a "talkback" discussion with me and the cast... more info is available at www.ncstage.org.

Also, there's a new "Student Rush" price and policy: a limited number of seats may be purchased at the box office by students with ID for $5 beginning one hour before each performance during the run of the production (subject to availability). Shows are Wednesdays-Saturdays at 7:30, Sundays at 2.

-Ron Bashford

Taking the Next Step

Elizabeth Dacy, our production blogger from Warren Wilson, posts again...

Production for Caryl Churchill's A Number took an exciting turn this week as staging for the play commenced. Staging is a term used in reference to the period in production when the actors and director plan the movements and placement of the characters in each scene of the play. The actors run through their lines as the director advises and facilitates ideas as to where the characters might sit or stand. The director also asks the actors to determine for themselves where they feel their character should walk to or if they feel more comfortable remaining stationary. This process does not sound like as much work as it actually requires. It is imperative that the actors feel justification for each separate movement. They must ask themselves why their character should walk to the opposite end of the stage or what reason might the character have for standing at a certain moment? Staging is a course in production that takes a specific form of concentration and allowing room for constant adjustments.

Rehearsals have now moved to NC Stage from the space the cast had previously been using for table work. The actors are on an actual stage and under lights making the reality of the play itself rise to the next level. The stage has been built in a unique fashion: In his recent blog posts, Ron discusses the design process and the seating arrangement, and how theatre space reflects the themes of the play.

The actors are not quite off book yet, but the energy and life in their characters has begun to take a greater hold. Charlie is playing three separate characters who all have very different personalities. Each one seems to become more individual and defined as rehearsals progress. Graham plays a strong character who has made questionable decisions in the past which he must now explain. It is astonishing how quickly Graham is able to jump into character at the beginning of each run through. I feel as though he becomes a completely separate, distinctive person when a scene begins. His personality is very different than his character’s, but he appears to have little trouble switching into the mind of this role.

It was interesting to observe Ron’s process during the first staging rehearsal. He seemed to be working very methodically. He moved from one section of seats in the audience to the opposite side, his face continually transfixed on the actors on stage. In forty-five minutes Ron changed seats five times. When one of the actors expressed frustration or confusion about the staging for a scene, Ron generally advised them to just go through the lines and see how it felt to move one way or to remain seated. He did not directly tell them what to do or where to go, but instead he allowed room for interpretation. The way a concrete decision is made during the staging process does not occur through one single method, but by understanding how a choice can be made. This generally happens through discussion between the actor and director, allowing the actor to do what feels comfortable or what he thinks his character would do in a particular scene, or going back and figuring out how the previous staging in the scene might affect it later. Directing takes a specific eye and a sense of knowing when something feels right. Personally, I admire the method of directing in this particular play because of the challenge it presents. Churchill did not include any stage directions in the script. Interpretation is everything in this piece. Ron’s method is perfect for a play like this because he does not set anything in stone right away. The actors are always able to go back and change something if it doesn’t feel right later. The show opens in less than two weeks. I have a feeling that the true depth and reality of this play is about to reveal itself. This is sure to be an interesting week for both the cast and crew of A Number.

-Elizabeth Dacy

And a tidbit from director, Ron Bashford:

Here is a recent picture of playwright Caryl Churchill. She is 70 and lives in London. A compilation of reviews from the original production of A Number can be found here. Daniel Craig (a.k.a. James Bond) was in the cast!

“As a child too you were very pretty, very pretty child.” –A Number, scene two

A play is like a child. It begins as an infant and grows to reach maturity. A play travels across a vast range of stages of life. Exploring different directions it can go, stretching and growing until it discovers itself. The director is its parent fostering its abilities and guiding its path. Actors are what give it life. They grow along with it. A play is an entity, a life-force. You can understand it and it in return can understand you. Whether you are the audience, the director, the actors, or the stage crew, you are all a part of this life.

I dealt with this notion a lot this past week as I sat in on a few rehearsals for A Number. Parts of the play deal with childhood and how events during adolescence can change your outlook and personality as an adult. As I watched Graham and Charlie rehearse their lines at the table, I noticed how much their tones and demeanors had changed since the first rehearsal last Monday. The characters began to appear within them. I felt shocked during certain scenes by the depth of emotion which came out in their words. Their faces turned red as they began to shout at one another the way their characters would while having these conversations as real people. At times, the actors seemed indistinguishable to their characters. I have been to many plays in the past, but I have not previously experienced witnessing the amount of work and analysis that goes into a show, particularly the initial stages. It has been so interesting to watch the growing process of this play.

In case you are wondering why the actors are still spending time reading at the table during rehearsals I would like to clarify. Ron explained in rehearsal on Saturday that they planned to finish close analysis of the text at the table before working out any of the staging. He said that in some cases while working on a show, the cast will analyze one particular scene at the table, then stage it and go back to the table to work on the next scene and so on. With A Number, they are gaining a lot of progress at the table by reading chunks of text, then discussing questions and interpretations about that scene. They will usually read a certain part, analyze it, then go back and read it again. In doing so, the structure of the lines take a new form each time they are read. The way the text is written allows an open means of interpretation. Ron explains the construction of the Churchill’s writing and the play itself in his blog in a very detailed, coherent way. This next week, the cast will finish up table work and move on to staging. I’m looking forward to continuing to watch this show evolve and grow.

-Elizabeth Dacy

So many plays! A Number!...AND...haiku contest!

Wow! These are some great plays, and LOTS of them! I can’t thank everyone enough for taking the time to jot down some of your faves. Turns out, a lot of them are our faves, too! Some are already on our short list, while some others are on a different list because they’ve been performed around here in the last 5 years, etc. You know what I really appreciate is the thoughtfulness of suggesting plays that you think either fit into our space, budget or aesthetic. So many of these suggestions are spot on. At this point, we really have no idea what we’ll be able to choose, get the rights for, etc. but the time is coming when we will need to get out a season announcement. So again, thanks for giving us such a HUGE reading list!

I just started rehearsals for A Number, by Caryl Chuyrchill. I won’t say much about that since we have a guest who will be writing regular, oh what should I call them, not updates, but impressions of the process of working on this play. Dacy is a student at Warren Wilson College and our director, Ron Bashford, is one of her professors. Dacy sat in on the first rehearsal on Monday night and took notes for a series of blog posts we’ve asked her to write. We’ve really given her no instructions on what the posts should be other than her own impressions of the process from someone not involved in the production and someone not really involved in professional theatre.

So here's the first 2 posts of a regular series that I hope you’ll enjoy and feel free to comment upon.

Finally, the LYLAS sketch comedy group wound up their 2009 show at NC Stage this past weekend. I caught it this past Saturday and had a great time. My favorite sketch involved tourists on Segways. Nuff said. Anyway, they gave their curtain speech about turning off cell phones, where the exits are, etc with a series of haikus. I really love haikus.

So I want to announce an unofficial, impromptu haiku contest for our blog readers. Post your best haiku in 3 categories: haiku about NC Stage; haiku in praise of theatre; and haiku about your favorite play you’ve ever seen, anywhere.

I am the sole judge of this contest and there are no prizes as of yet. I will post winning haikus on the NC Stage Facebook page and on the literal wall at the theatre. If they really kick my ass, I’m sure I can come up with a couple of tickets for an upcoming production or maybe a gift card. How about that?

A Number - First Rehearsal

A Number – First Rehearsal 3/23/09

The first rehearsal for the NC Stage Company production of Caryl Churchill’s play A Number began this past Monday with an intimate table reading followed by a discussion among the cast and crew members about their impressions and interpretations of the play. Those present at this meeting included the director, actors, stage manager, sound designer, producer, and costume designer. I felt apprehensive when initially meeting everyone, but they were all welcoming and seemed excited about my blogging endeavor. I do not have previous experience with writing for a blog. I am, however, passionate about both writing and theatre and am curious to combine these areas of interest through blogging about the process of the rehearsals and production of this play.

A Number is a fascinatingly bizarre drama based on family and cloning. In the NC Stage production, directed by Ron Bashford, two actors will be playing five separate roles. Actors Charlie Flynn-McIver and Graham Smith are currently in the process of working with Ron rehearsing the play and analyzing the complexity of the story itself. While observing the table reading of the script during the first rehearsal, I couldn’t help but notice that both actors were very well suited for their roles. The emotions evoked within their characters’ words came naturally and the tension built between them seemed eerily real. The actors paused after particular lines which they found perplexing or interesting in terms of the story and a discussion would ensue between everyone present as to the possibilities the lines might have. Both cast and crew members also talked about their individual interpretations of the characters and what reasons they might have for expressing specific emotions and statements. At times, I felt compelled to add to these discussions, but initially refrained in order to keep a distant presence. This is not to say that I thought I was not allowed to speak my mind and convey my suggestions, but I observed in particular that the conversations between the actors and the director exclusively was an intimate part in the process of analyzing the play. To watch them play around so candidly with their ideas was mesmerizing to me. I eventually began adding my own interpretations of certain aspects of the play and the characters. I was actually surprised and delighted by how open everyone was to my input.

While taking notes during rehearsal, I suddenly realized that I did not know how I could ever write entries for the NC Stage blog without divulging too much information about the play, subsequently ruining the story for those who intend to see the show when it opens in April. I decided later that it is not the story told by the play itself that I should be concerned with discussing in my entries, but the events and breakthroughs which transpire during the progression of the rehearsals. For those who intend to keep up with my entries, I encourage questions about the proceedings of the preparation for A Number. I will try to answer them to the best of my ability. Stay tuned for more exciting behind the scenes news!

-Elizabeth Dacy