Dinner Break....

Just got back from the dinner break for Tech.

For those of you who care - I had a BBQ Chicken Wrap and it was very tasty.

The afternoon was spent working with lights and cues - working with actual beer bottles with liquid, working with actually making toast onstage and burning waffles. It doesn't sound like much - but all those little things add up to a big ole helping of awkwardness onstage.

When I was in college and working a summer theater job a girl I was working with that summer stopped mid-scene and simply said, "acting's hard." It was something we quoted for the rest of the summer, and years to follow until we graduated college. I find myself saying it every once in a while jokingly, but now out of context and away from those who heard it first and are in on the origin of the joke - it has taken on a different meaning. Mainly, a much more serious one.

Acting IS hard. It is a series of choices. And a lot of them. And to make something that is theatrical seem like it is an everyday scene from the lives of three people is an incredibly difficult thing to do.

Tami Workentin has the hardest job, I believe. As the Mother in this 1946 setting, she has to deal with serving Mr. Tasse and I breakfast - not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES. And none of them the same way. It is a delicate dance of bringing 2 cups, then 2 spoons, then juice, fill coffee, drop bread in toaster, and so on and so forth. Jim Tasse and I only need to eat, drink and talk. I commend Tami for being able to do all of those things and make it seem effortless and just another part of the daily life of these people.

I think a lot of time people don't realize just how much work goes into the 'small things' onstage, or the 'business' that the actor is doing. Often times in talkbacks we will get the question, "how did you memorize all of those lines?" But in a play like this - or any American Realism play - the business is just as much of the magic and craft.

To give you an idea how much thought goes into this stuff. A waffle iron is used for one breakfast. This waffle iron is placed in a cabinet - and it could have been placed in the closest one for convenience, but what story does that tell? Instead, taking into account that waffles are the son's 'favorite' and he has been away at war for two and a half years, the waffle iron was placed in a cabinet high above in the kitchen. So high that Tami has to get a step stool to reach it. The story that we tell with that simple shift in location is huge.

It shows first off that waffles are not an everyday thing. It is an event. One that does not happen often. It also tells the story that since the son has not been there for two and a half years, it has moved to a place for items of disuse. The mother put it away until her son's return, and this is a morning that she has been thinking about for quite a while. So by placing the iron in that location - that simple choice speaks volumes. Does it read onstage? Yes. Will you notice it? Probably not. But for the keen observer and the good storyteller, all of it lies in the details like that.

Heading to Tech

I am writing this about an hour before we head into Technical Rehearsals for 'The Subject Was Roses.'

I admit I have been neglecting my duties as of the last few weeks of rehearsals, so over the course of Tech, I will try to fill you in on the many happenings of the last few weeks, a bit about the process, the props, and other enjoyable tidbits that you might not otherwise have the chance to hear about or see in the final production.

To begin I should introduce myself to you. My name is Nicholas Harazin and I am an actor. In ROSES, I play the role of Timmy, the son who comes back from WWII to his parents house in the Bronx. I last blogged for Sweetest Swing in Baseball - so you may have read some of my ramblings there as well - for the sake of all involved, I will try to be as eloquent and terse as possible.

I will be bringing my computer with me to Tech and reporting from there when I have the chance. For those of you who do not know what Tech is, it means that it is a Technical Rehearsal, in which all the elements of design come together in the space. The Set is done, and tweaks will be made here and there as we work on it. The lighting is going to be set, we will work on setting levels, as well as working with some 'practical' cues onstage - where one of us actors has to turn on a light switch or a lamp onstage, and the lighting designer has to light the room as though that were the only source of light in it. The costumes will be worn today for the first time and we will see how everything fits and works in the space. And the sound designer will be adding his elements throughout the play.

The actors have had weeks to rehearse this play, and now, essentially, it is the designers chance to rehearse their play with us and see how we all come together to make what is sure to be an incredible production.

Report back soon.

If the shoe fits!

You might remember me as MCT's Audience Development Coordinator, but this time I am wearing another hat - designing costumes for THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES! It is a big job to design and produce period costumes (this play is set in 1946). The smallest details are so important - especially in the Studio Theatre!

Today my biggest dilemma is that I can't decide which shoes to buy for my leading lady, so I have to buy three pairs. Thank goodness for places like Zappos that have super speedy shipping and free returns! Now I can bring three pairs to my fitting and determine the perfect shoes with the help of the most important person - the one wearing them! After she decides, I will return the other pairs. Tami Workentin (Nettie) will be wearing these shoes for a few hours every performance for the duration of the run. As a designer, when I am thinking about which shoes to provide, not only is it important that the look is correct, but that they last the duration of the run and provide comfort for the actor. Many actors have been on their feet all day and the last thing they want to do is come to their performance after a long day and put on a pair of uncomfortable shoes! So, even though it would be nice to save some money and go to a cheap shoe store, I have to splurge a little for the actor's sake! Instead of buying multiple cheap pairs of shoes, I will buy one good pair. This also benefits the actress when she has quick changes and doesn't have to worry about changing her shoes!

So there you have it - a little insight on shoes from the costume designer for today. Now, I am off to my favorite vintage boutique - Vintageous in Bay View, to continue my search for Tami's (Nettie's) wardrobe!

www.zappos.com

Check out all of this great press for MAIN-TRAVELLED ROADS!

Main-Travelled Roads behind the scenes YouTube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awN-YweCyy4



Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – review
http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/arts/105101384.html


Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – advance story
http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/arts/104914214.html

OnMilwaukee.com – advance story
http://onmilwaukee.com/ent/articles/maintravelled.html?24038

Third Coast Digest – advance story
http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/10/those-rhode-girls-and-mcts-main-travelled-roads/

WUWM Lake Effect interview
http://www.wuwm.com/programs/lake_effect/le_sgmt.php?segmentid=6478

do you know where you're goin'?

Hello MCT blog-world!

I can hardly believe MAIN-TRAVELLED ROADS is officially one week from opening! Time certainly flies when you are doing what you love most in the world, especially when you have the support of such a wonderful team. When I accepted the part of Aggie about one year ago, I thought that fall of 2010 was eons away, and here we are about to head into tech week after a great rehearsal process.

My experience at MCT is unlike anything I have had the opportunity to experience. From the initial audition and throughout this entire process I have felt so welcomed and at home with the MCT family. Everyone is so genuinely invested in creating something special and I feel blessed to share this experience.

I’ve learned a lot in rehearsals, from the scene work to charming music. The most challenging aspect of the show so far has been learning the “air piano.” There is a certain scene in which I get to play an imaginary piano in space, and let me tell you it is not as easy as one might think! Unlike jamming out on an air guitar, (a skill that many can claim they have mastered) “air piano” requires acute concentration and precise execution of finger placement. I gave up learning piano at an early age, a decision I regret as I prepare my “air piano” debut. However, I have the advantage of getting to play with the awesome Scott Haden during the scene, so I’m not too worried. Wish me luck. :)

I recently heard a writer on NPR say something to the effect of “At the very end, life is the story you tell.” This idea made me so excited to be apart of MAIN-TRAVELLED ROADS and have the opportunity to share Hamlin Garland’s touching stories. At our first reading, Michael said these stories were 'old world Wisconsin.' I grew up visiting Old World Wisconsin on school field trips, where I could live out my Little House on the Prairie dreams. This play reminds me of those stories I fell in love with as a little girl and live out the make-believe world of a simpler but more difficult time.

More about Garland’s stories later…which everyone should read! They are fascinating and it is so great to see how Dave Hudson translated the stories to the book/lyrics. I was surprised to see how much was taken directly from the text and how it adds authentic truth to the play.

Happy Friday! :)

Minnie the Moocher

Hullo.

Tomorrow at about two thirty in the afternoon, Jeeves and I will be having tea with many of the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's patrons. If it were entirely up to my Aunt Agatha we would solely be drinking "oolong" tea. She would also try her utmost to make sure that I get nowhere near the piano, or sing a song of any kind. Therefore, I will be doing just that. I have been fooling around with "Minnie the Moocher" - some 'Cab' fellow wrote it, or some chap wrote it in a cab... I can never be certain - either way, I will be playing that ditty. The words still don't make all that much sense to me, but I think I will get Jeeves to explain their meanings. I might even ask him to join in on the chorus. He's never been much of a musical person and it's nice to know that I can at least best him at one darned thing. Hopefully everything will turn out to be a smashing success.

See you then!
-- Bertie

One endeavors to give satisfaction, sir.

Although one takes great pride in executing one's duties faithfully, one is not often used to seeing one's praises enumerated in print. I had not considered the amount of fame I might incur by being a part of this production. I do not wish to alarm Sir Rupert or Mrs. Spencer-Gregson, however, it seems members of the press have not only been invited to our theatrical, but have written about it, effusively.

Our skit has become somewhat of a critical darling, and now, I fear I will never hear the end of it from Mr. Wooster.

-Jeeves.