14th: Welcome Back One Acts

    The Fourteenth Grade players opened both their season, and the student theater season as whole, tonight with their annual Welcome Back One Acts. And, it was everything the annual event should be. There were a couple things that made this productions a real joy to watch. The first was the incredible amount of fresh, new faces on the stage. I don't believe I had seen any of the performers on the stage before. The second, was that Fourteenth chose to do longer shows than is typical. I remember when I came in as a freshmen and auditioned for WBOA. At that time, WBOA was more about sucking freshmen in and trapping them in the company (and, I suppose that worked in some strange fashion). But, throughout the past three years Fourteenth has really worked to change the image of this annual opening to the student theater season. It's wonderful to see that WBOA is now about attracting and encouraging new actors, rather than locking them in. So, without further ado, my first review:

Company Presentation:
   I choose to start with company presentation because with a three show event, it just seems to make sense. Let's start with the poster for the production. The colors for the poster seem to have come straight out of a CI cabinet member's wardrobe, and that's not a bad thing! The flashy blue color is sure to catch the attention of those passing by Rome/Phillips on a busy class day. But, the layout and cartoony filter of the rest of the poster leaves me wanting a bit more. In fact, it's a little bit jarring. Still, if the intent is simply to snag people's attention then I'd say this poster would succeed.
  Arriving at the theater was easy. No hassle getting in, some cool Jukebox the Ghost cruising the airwaves - a classically Fourteenth setting. And, to boot, Fourteenth is running a new promotion! This year they're selling season passes that allow you to save a dollar if you're seeing all of their shows this season. Plus, you get a pretty sweet 14th Grade cup - so that's cool I guess. Though it would be nice for students to save a little more than a dollar, any money saved is a blessing in college!

Set:
   Out of necessity the set's for WBOA are always spartan at best. Yet, the technical team and the directors really made it work. Whether it was the two simple tables for Check, Please!, the bare stage of This is a Play, or the few bits and bunches of furniture for Way Station the actors seemed comfortable in their setting and we didn't get distracted by too much nonsense.

Lights:
   Fourteenth ran into quite a bit of trouble with lights this time around. But that's to be expected. A mere two or three days before opening night the light board in the Downstage said its last farewell (rest in eternal pain, we will not miss you). With no lights and opening approaching fast the company faced one of the biggest challenges in theater: changing the venue. From the sounds of things, they weren't allowed to change any of the plot in the Bett's theater either so they had to work with what they had. In the end, things seemed to work out - for the most part. Way Station seemed to be plagued with quite a few lighting mishaps, however. Lights occasionally popped up on the wrong part of the stage and at a few times actors were forced to begin their scenes outside of the focus area. Nothing too out of the ordinary for a student theater production though, and I'm sure they'll work the kinks out for the remainder of the run.

Acting:
    A huge round of applause goes out to this cast made up mostly of newbies to the GW theater scene. Welcome to the fold, kids! Since this was an intro show for most, I just want to give a few shout-outs to those who really stood out for me.
   In order of appearance:
   Aazam Sultan for his roles as Tod, Manny, and Ken in Check, Please! This guy really stole the show at times. Each one of his entrances was well planned and gave us a flare of the character we were about to see. Not to mention that each of his characters was entirely distinct.
   Jon Weigell for his role as "male actor" in This is a Play. Jon kept the laughs coming so nobody in the audience had to shout out asking for them (anybody remember that one?). He played the stereotypical leading man well (it's not bad that he was stereotypical, the script calls for it I promise!). He did seem to be struggling not to laugh himself a few times, but you could tell he was having fun up there and that's what it's all about!
   Nicole Cunningham was fantastic in the role of Luisa in Way Station. Fourteenth snagged a talented actress here! Her portrayal was believable and honest and I couldn't ask for more.

Directing:
    Check, Please!
        This was not the first production of Check, Please! I've seen. But, it was definitely one of the best. I find that directors tend to go a bit nuts with this script, choreographing in wild table movements and sometimes even revolving sets. It was a great relief to see that director Emily Messing took a much more simplistic approach. We bounced back and forth between tables creating a feeling that we were stuck in a never ending cycle of bad dates. Her coaching of actors seems to have been well done too - each actor played several distinct roles and it never got monotonous. Congrats, Emily!
    This is a Play
          This is a Play is a clever story about a play within a play. It is VERY targeted at people who themselves do theatre. Director Phil Anderson's strength here was in making the jokes accessible to those who have not done theater (also that lettuce over the shoulder moment, nice touch). On the other hand, the blocking did tend to get a little jumbled and at times repetitive. Though, whether that is because of the director or the script is up for debate.
    Way Station
          I'm certain director Shira Hereld had a unique experience among the three in that she wrote the show herself. Shira's character work seemed strong and lead to a touching performance. The show did suffer a bit from some inconsistencies though. One actor frequently change from wearing a simple t-shirt, to throwing on a sweater, even a scarf making it unclear what season we were in. Another actor frequently removed a corded phone from it's table, a movement that felt motivated only by a desire to diversify blocking rather than being grounded in the character's emotion. The biggest problem, however, is one that anyone who has read the scathing review of my production, Ecce, will call me a hypocrite for pointing out. She frequently staged scenes behind another character, sitting on a bench downstage, in the dark. Still, despite some odd blocking choices, the love that Shira put into this show clearly shines through. An excellent, student written, production that I hope to see again someday.

Well, that's it for me! Fourteenth Grade Player's Welcome Back One Acts was a great way to kick off a year of theater. Check in next week for Generic Theater Company's Freshmen Showcase!

See you in the theater,
Ed
 
Fourteenth Grade's Welcome Back One Acts runs Friday 9/28 and Saturday 9/29 at 7 and 10pm in the Betts Theater.

Edited for typos and grammar 9/28/12

The Rubric

                                                                                                          Photograph: Sam Mircovich/REUTERS


    Let's be real. I'm not the most organized person in the whole wide world. So, if I don't at least give myself a template to completely ignore this blog will never go anywhere. Here's how this is all going to work: I will review productions at GW based on 5 things. Set, lights, acting, directing, and company presentation.

Set:
   What's a show without the technical elements? In the set section of my reviews I'll talk all about the place. First off, what did the set even look like? I mean, it's hard to give a reader a review of something if they don't even know what it is! Second, did the set work for the show? Meaning, did it detract from the production or did it help the audience to believe where we are and dive into the world of a play. Third, was it well constructed or did they slap a few pieces of luan together and call it a day?

Lights:
   Anyone who has worked with me will tell you my harshest critiques are going to come here. I'm a lights guy. Always have been, always will be. Lights serve as a crucial element of any production. It is not only important to set the mood, hide the things we don't want to see, and create pretty colors on stage; we also need to see the actors do their work! This section will review all these aspects as well as any cool special effects that pop up.

Acting:
   Ahhh the actors - the only ones who really care about reviews at the end of the day. There are a few things that make a good actor, and a whole lot that make a bad one. We'll talk all about it right here. Just you, me, a fuzzy blanket, and the glass of wine I will inevitably be drinking while writing these posts.

Directing:
   "OMG! Wouldn't it be, like, sooooo cool if he did the entire monologue while hugging the back wall!?!?!?!"..... No. No it would not. The director, at the end of the day [you're another day older (but seriously, who else is excited for the new Les Mis movie?)], is the one who really makes or breaks a production. Their vision is what shapes the play into context. Right here is where we'll go into my favorite question about a play: what was the point of that?

Company Presentation:
    Each one of the shows I'll be reviewing has to be presented by some company. Well, how'd they do? Were the posters cool or a total mess? Was getting into the theater a pain in the ass? Was the company money grubbing and shoving people into seats where they can't see a damn thing? Each of the companies on campus has a different way of doing things, so let's talk about what works and what doesn't!

That's the plan folks!

See you in the theater,
Ed

Welcome! [Biases Exposed]

Hello friends,
      Welcome to Thespian's Theater Thoughts! I promise I didn't make it just because I like alliteration. So why am I writing this blog and what is it all about? Well, this blog is all about theater at GWU. GW has four active student theater companies and a main stage theater department. It also has a student newspaper that doesn't seem to understand what theater is and does. My hope with this blog is to present reviews of productions at GW from the point of view of your average theater kid. Not just the kind of fluff reviews you read in the hatchet giving a brief plot outline and quoting a few actors - but real reviews detailing the successes and failures of a given production.
      In order to actually present reviews like this I need to expose my biases up front. So here goes:

FACT NUMBER ONE:
   The most important thing I need to say about this blog is the following. The theater community at GWU is my home. These people are my friends and I care about them all whole-heartedly. It is my sincere hope that those who read this blog (many of whom will likely be those very friends) understand that these reviews are coming from the point of view of a student pursuing theater as a career. I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings, damage any reputations, or burn any bridges. I simply want to provide realistic reviews. Yes, that means that not all of my reviews will be good or positive. But, if I accidentally offend anyone, please, don't take it personally. Just brush it off as another of Ed's crazy opinions.

Fourteenth Grade Players:
      I myself have been involved with theater at GW for the past three years. Most of the work I did was with the 14th Grade Players. With them, I have directed three shows, served as an assistant technical director and a producer, and acted in several productions. Fourteenth was truly a home for me for three years. But, I would be lying if I didn't also admit that I harbor some lingering frustration with where the company has gone. Not that the company is bad in anyway, just that I feel I no longer truly fit in there as a member. But then again, I no longer affiliate myself with any student theater company and, quite honestly, do not know many of the newer members of 14th Grade.

Forbidden Planet Productions:
     I directed Next to Normal with FPP last year and had one of the most rewarding and exciting experiences of my theater career. That being the case, I have a lot of warm fuzzy feelings regarding FPP. I hang out with a lot of the board members and consider pretty much everyone in this company to be a close friend. I also live with the current executive producer of FPP. If there is any company for which I have a strong positive bias for - it's gonna be FPP. But, on the flip side of that coin, I am often annoyed with the "phi pi pi" attitude of the company and the glitz and glam heaped onto their productions. No company is perfect.

Generic Theater Company:
      For some reason, in my GW theater experience Generic has always been the "other" company. In my freshmen year I worked with them briefly but mostly under the auspices of being 14th's ATD. In fact, Generic back then was often the company we shit on behind close doors (shocker! secrets revealed!). But, I've made a lot of friends in Generic over the past few years and my opinions on the company don't particularly lean in either direction. Generic has had a lot of ups and downs, but at the very least I feel they manage to pull off one really solid production a semester.

GW Shakespeare Company:
     As the youngest addition to the GW theater community, I have never worked with GW Shakespeare (or as I like to call them: baby-shakes). Still, I have followed their progress since a group of frat bros threw the company together a few years back. Since then baby-shakes has come a long way. They are now full-time members of the Student Theater Council and are growing rapidly. At the end of last year they set up a "board of directors" including prominent figures from many of DC's best and brightest theaters. I am certainly excited to see what that turns into and where GW Shakespeare is headed from here.

GW Main Stage:
     I am a fully participating member of the GW theater department. Not just a member, actually, but a theater major working on my thesis. But, I can easily see the downfalls of the department. I'm pretty sure my opinions on this will be pretty fair and balanced. I have observed a lot of positives of the department, but I've observed quite a few of its downfalls too.


   So, that's where I stand. I hope you enjoy where I'm going with this blog. Now, get out there and see some shows!

See you in the theater,
Ed