Part four in a series of interviews with the cast of Dog in a Manger at Red Tape Theatre.
1. Where are you from?
It's hard to say where I'm from. I was born in Hawaii. Then when I was two, we moved to Rochester, NY. In second grade, I stayed briefly in New Jersey, then eventually Long Island until fourth grade when I found myself in Nashua, NH. Then another great opportunity and new job happened for my dad, and we moved to Walled Lake, Michigan for the last two years of high school. Went to Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, then moved to Chicago. After a brief two year stint in LA, I'm back in where I consider home - Chicago.
So the short answer is "I'm from Chicago"
2. What is the first stage play you remember seeing?
I actually wrote a show and performed in two before I saw a live show. In NH high school, I played Lacrosse, Football and Basketball mostly, and for a change, I joined Odyssey of the Mind. We ended up choosing the performance problem and wrote a show in which I was the MC. I did a few shows in high school and it wasn't until I went to college that I actually saw a live theatre performance I was not in. I actually did not realize that until I attempted to answer this question. Interestingly enough, my best friend was in the first show I watched and it was also the first time I met him.
3. When/why did you start acting?
I chose acting on a possible sign and a whim. I thought I was going to be a mechanical engineer, and I had applied to four schools I was kind of interested in. I applied to Western Michigan frankly because there was a small application fee, and no essay. I put Theatre as my major of choice, just to see what could happen. Then, one day, I got the acceptance letter from Western while my mom was driving me to rehearsal. It was an overcast day, and as I opened the letter the clouds parted and light broke through. It was weird to say the least.
Those moments are rare and odd and again, weird. I was mulling over the decision, every day after submitting the application I thought about what to do if it worked out, and although I had missed the first department audition, I was generally accepted to the University. When I read the letter in the sudden sunshine, I just felt confident in going forward in the direction of my dreams. It's funny how a small coincidence can suddenly alter the course of one's major life decisions, and we will mull over what cereal to buy for a good half hour and regret it for days after even when it is clearly delicious. I decided that entertaining is important to me and I want to entertain in all facets. I figured theatre training would be a way to get started. Since then, I've been involved in large and small production theatre, tons of improv, stand-up, sit-coms, movies, shorts, I was a tour manager for the Dollyrots travelling all over the US, I've MC'd several events and I've even presided over two weddings. I love entertaining. If given the choice, I would rather be Willy Wonka than one of the kids.
4. Tell us about your character in Dog in a Manger.
I play Ricardo, the inquisitor. He is an overbearing presence to say the least. As an inquisitor, he is used to being in absolute power in most any situation. Since the inquisition is being dismantled slowly, he finds himself basically waving a gun loaded with blanks. As a man of immense power, he has basically been able to say and do whatever he wants. Power does things to people who crave it, and it has definitely warped Ricardo. He has done so much wrong in the name of right that he believes that everything he does is right by default. This man can convince your mother that you have fosaken all that is good and get her to cast the first stone at your death all in the name of God. Personally, I am a gifted skeptic and devil's advocate and so it is interesting to play a true believer.
5. Do you have a favorite moment/scene in the play?
If I had to pick a scene I really like to do, it'd have to be the first speech to the audience. I've been a stand-up comic and in general a comedy guy for a while, and to be so blatantly evil and mean with a bit of charm is exquisite for me. I've tried to be mostly a gentle giant most of my life on and off stage, so to be able to bring out my inner asshole is really.... relieving.
As for a scene I like to watch, I like when Belflor hits Teo. It's sweet, vengeful, heartbreaking and ridiculous.
6. What's next for you?
What's next? I'm lucky I know what's happening this week. I'm in the pilot episode for A&E's The Beast, so hopefully we'll all see me and other fine Chicago actors in the winter.
Dog in a Manger runs October 2-26.
Visit www.redtapetheatre.com for details and to purchase tickets online!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Two Takes on Fuente Ovejuna
Fuente Ovejuna (or The Sheep Well) is one of Lope de Vega’s best known works. It was interesting to re-read this midway through the rehearsal process for Dog in a Manger.
A wicked Commander terrorizes the villagers of the title town and deflowers all the maidens on their wedding nights. When Laurencia resists, and is violently raped for it, she leads the villagers in bloodthirsty rebellion. The Commander and his men are slaughtered at her command, making her one of de Vega’s most proactive heroines.
LAURENCIA: “I swear to God above that women alone shall be responsible for their honour, for their blood, and make these traitors, these tyrants pay…. And once again we’ll see that age return where there were women who were strong, true Amazons, whose deeds amazed the world.” (translation by Gwynne Edwards)
King Fernando and Queen Isabel send a magistrate to investigate the Commander’s death. Despite torture and imprisonment, when the people are asked who killed the Commander they claim it as a group crying “Fuente Ovejuna!” When the people report the Commander’s misdeeds and his rebellion against the crown to the King he pardons the entire town.
In his introduction to the play Gwynne Edwards writes that the play does not advocate revolution. “Rather, [de Vega] shared the desire of his contemporaries for the continuity of established social structures, ending the play, therefore, not with the victory of the citizens but with the restitution of order by the Catholic Kings.” Even so, the people demand responsibility from their King as they did from their Commander. Though peasants, their honor is no less than that of any so-called nobility.
Dog in a Manger focuses on a conflict between a Countess and her servants. Both sides disrupt the status quo. Neither will back down as each regards their honor as something worth defending. While the Countess is a nobler specimen than Fuente’s Commander, she too learns the dangers of underestimating the lower classes.
Paul G. Miller
Season Dramaturge
Dog in a Manger opens October 6.
Visit www.redtapetheatre.org for details and to purchase tickets online!
A wicked Commander terrorizes the villagers of the title town and deflowers all the maidens on their wedding nights. When Laurencia resists, and is violently raped for it, she leads the villagers in bloodthirsty rebellion. The Commander and his men are slaughtered at her command, making her one of de Vega’s most proactive heroines.
LAURENCIA: “I swear to God above that women alone shall be responsible for their honour, for their blood, and make these traitors, these tyrants pay…. And once again we’ll see that age return where there were women who were strong, true Amazons, whose deeds amazed the world.” (translation by Gwynne Edwards)
King Fernando and Queen Isabel send a magistrate to investigate the Commander’s death. Despite torture and imprisonment, when the people are asked who killed the Commander they claim it as a group crying “Fuente Ovejuna!” When the people report the Commander’s misdeeds and his rebellion against the crown to the King he pardons the entire town.
In his introduction to the play Gwynne Edwards writes that the play does not advocate revolution. “Rather, [de Vega] shared the desire of his contemporaries for the continuity of established social structures, ending the play, therefore, not with the victory of the citizens but with the restitution of order by the Catholic Kings.” Even so, the people demand responsibility from their King as they did from their Commander. Though peasants, their honor is no less than that of any so-called nobility.
Dog in a Manger focuses on a conflict between a Countess and her servants. Both sides disrupt the status quo. Neither will back down as each regards their honor as something worth defending. While the Countess is a nobler specimen than Fuente’s Commander, she too learns the dangers of underestimating the lower classes.
Paul G. Miller
Season Dramaturge
Dog in a Manger opens October 6.
Visit www.redtapetheatre.org for details and to purchase tickets online!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Adapting the Classics – Midsummer
Red Tape Theatre's panel Adapting the Classics will be presented on Saturday, October 11 at 4:30 p.m., between performances of Dog in a Manger.
Panelist Tony Lewis is the Artistic Director for Midtangeant Productions (http://www.myspace.com/midtangent). They've had great success with their production of A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Queer Tale which I had the good fortune to see in its third revival this July.
Tony's production of Shakespeare's comedy cast Lysander as a no-nonsense lesbian, Helena as a lonely gay man, and Titania as a fantabulous drag queen. When Lysander and Hermia flee the king's persecution, Demetrius gives chase with lovesick Helena close behind. They find themselves in the Boyshood ruled over by Titania and her band of pansexual, club-kid fairies. Love and sexuality prove fluid as Puck's drugs cause couples to mix and match in all combinaitons.
Tony's adaptation was brash, raucous and loaded with sex, but there were more tricks up his sleeve. Not every character in the play was happy to discover their sexuality and the final scene at court turned unexpectedly tragic. This scene fascinated me and convinced me that Tony was someone to invite to our panel.
Other panelists include:
Season Dramaturge
Dog in a Manger opens October 6.
Visit http://www.redtapetheatre.org/ for details and to purchase tickets online!
Panelist Tony Lewis is the Artistic Director for Midtangeant Productions (http://www.myspace.com/midtangent). They've had great success with their production of A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Queer Tale which I had the good fortune to see in its third revival this July.
Tony's production of Shakespeare's comedy cast Lysander as a no-nonsense lesbian, Helena as a lonely gay man, and Titania as a fantabulous drag queen. When Lysander and Hermia flee the king's persecution, Demetrius gives chase with lovesick Helena close behind. They find themselves in the Boyshood ruled over by Titania and her band of pansexual, club-kid fairies. Love and sexuality prove fluid as Puck's drugs cause couples to mix and match in all combinaitons.
Tony's adaptation was brash, raucous and loaded with sex, but there were more tricks up his sleeve. Not every character in the play was happy to discover their sexuality and the final scene at court turned unexpectedly tragic. This scene fascinated me and convinced me that Tony was someone to invite to our panel.
Other panelists include:
- Libby Ford, Associate Artistic Director of Greasy Joan & Co.
- Katie McLean, Artistic Ensemble Member at Lifeline Theatre Company
- Blake Montgomery, Artistic Director of The Building Stage
Season Dramaturge
Dog in a Manger opens October 6.
Visit http://www.redtapetheatre.org/ for details and to purchase tickets online!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Meet the Cast! – Paul G. Miller
Part three in a series of interviews with the cast of Dog in a Manger at Red Tape Theatre.
1. Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Corvallis, OR. I moved to Portland, OR in 1998 and Chicago in 2006.
2. What is the first stage play you remember seeing?
My grandmother was directing a production of Little Women at the local arts center. I’d go with her to rehearsals and helped her build the set. There’s a scene where the March sisters put on a melodrama. Grandma built a “Castle tower” out of a large cardboard box. We colored the exterior together with pastel markers. When the show reached performance I got scolded because I knew all the jokes and would laugh loudly before the rest of the audience could respond. I didn’t realize I was being rude. I was just loving the play!
3. When/why did you start acting?
Grandmother again. She gave me two roles in a children’s theatre when I was very small. I played a servant in The Emperor’s New Clothes who rang a gong when the emperor appeared, then a turtle in Red Riding Hood with a big paper mache shell. I was tiny with a loud voice and the grown ups thought I was adorable. I loved the attention. Then I auditioned for some other companies and discovered that being adorable wasn’t enough to get me cast. My bruised ego, and the dreadful pageants at my elementary school, were enough to keep me from acting again till high school. By then I was no longer adorable, just closeted and socially awkward. The theatre scene helped me make friends, come out, and try on some new identities. It’s been a rocky romance ever since.
4. Tell us about your character in Dog in a Manger.
Fabio is bodyguard and confidante to the Countess Belflor. In a play about changing social roles, Fabio is an advocate for the status quo. He wants to be a protector but his fear of the Inquisition, and of change in general, causes him to give some very poor advice. It isn’t until others start breaking the rules that he finds the courage to pursue a love of his own.
5. Do you have a favorite moment/scene in the play?
Fabio gets to perform a little dance, which I’ve enjoyed learning. However my favorite moment would have to be a speech late in the play where Fabio finally speaks his mind about all the chaos that’s been going on around him. He spends most of the play biting his tongue so it’s a relief to finally cut loose.
6. What’s next for you?
This fall I’ll be co-organizing Red Tape’s Fresh Eyes Festival and doing dramaturgical research for our original adaptation of An Enemy of the People. Acting-wise it’s simply a matter of audition, audition, audition.
Dog in a Manger runs October 2-26.
Visit www.redtapetheatre.com for details and to purchase tickets online!
1. Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Corvallis, OR. I moved to Portland, OR in 1998 and Chicago in 2006.
2. What is the first stage play you remember seeing?
My grandmother was directing a production of Little Women at the local arts center. I’d go with her to rehearsals and helped her build the set. There’s a scene where the March sisters put on a melodrama. Grandma built a “Castle tower” out of a large cardboard box. We colored the exterior together with pastel markers. When the show reached performance I got scolded because I knew all the jokes and would laugh loudly before the rest of the audience could respond. I didn’t realize I was being rude. I was just loving the play!
3. When/why did you start acting?
Grandmother again. She gave me two roles in a children’s theatre when I was very small. I played a servant in The Emperor’s New Clothes who rang a gong when the emperor appeared, then a turtle in Red Riding Hood with a big paper mache shell. I was tiny with a loud voice and the grown ups thought I was adorable. I loved the attention. Then I auditioned for some other companies and discovered that being adorable wasn’t enough to get me cast. My bruised ego, and the dreadful pageants at my elementary school, were enough to keep me from acting again till high school. By then I was no longer adorable, just closeted and socially awkward. The theatre scene helped me make friends, come out, and try on some new identities. It’s been a rocky romance ever since.
4. Tell us about your character in Dog in a Manger.
Fabio is bodyguard and confidante to the Countess Belflor. In a play about changing social roles, Fabio is an advocate for the status quo. He wants to be a protector but his fear of the Inquisition, and of change in general, causes him to give some very poor advice. It isn’t until others start breaking the rules that he finds the courage to pursue a love of his own.
5. Do you have a favorite moment/scene in the play?
Fabio gets to perform a little dance, which I’ve enjoyed learning. However my favorite moment would have to be a speech late in the play where Fabio finally speaks his mind about all the chaos that’s been going on around him. He spends most of the play biting his tongue so it’s a relief to finally cut loose.
6. What’s next for you?
This fall I’ll be co-organizing Red Tape’s Fresh Eyes Festival and doing dramaturgical research for our original adaptation of An Enemy of the People. Acting-wise it’s simply a matter of audition, audition, audition.
Dog in a Manger runs October 2-26.
Visit www.redtapetheatre.com for details and to purchase tickets online!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Adapting the Classics – The Misanthrope
Red Tape Theatre's panel Adapting the Classics will be presented on Saturday, October 11 at 4:30 p.m., between performances of Dog in a Manger. I'll be devoting a post to each of our panelists, starting with Libby Ford.
Libby Ford is the Associate Artistic Director of Greasy Joan & Co. (www.greasyjoan.org) where she recently directed Moliere's The Misanthrope. Set in a crumbling city, the social climbing characters did their best to ignore the gaping whole in the wall of Celimene's boudoir. Bedecked in 1980's finery they sniped, gossiped and formed alliances in a world that had no rewards to give them. Alceste, the misanthrope of the title, ignored the door and entered through the wall itself; a prelude to the illusions he would shatter.The production opened at the Athenaeum Theatre in March 2008 and was revived at Theatre on the Lake that June.
Greasy Joan's mission is to re-imagine classic plays for the contemporary stage. I'll be asking Libby about the company as a whole but particularly look forward to a discussion of The Misanthrope.
Other panelists include:
Paul G. Miller
Season Dramaturge
Dog in a Manger runs October 6-26.
Visit www.redtapetheatre.org for details and to purchase tickets online!
Libby Ford is the Associate Artistic Director of Greasy Joan & Co. (www.greasyjoan.org) where she recently directed Moliere's The Misanthrope. Set in a crumbling city, the social climbing characters did their best to ignore the gaping whole in the wall of Celimene's boudoir. Bedecked in 1980's finery they sniped, gossiped and formed alliances in a world that had no rewards to give them. Alceste, the misanthrope of the title, ignored the door and entered through the wall itself; a prelude to the illusions he would shatter.The production opened at the Athenaeum Theatre in March 2008 and was revived at Theatre on the Lake that June.
Greasy Joan's mission is to re-imagine classic plays for the contemporary stage. I'll be asking Libby about the company as a whole but particularly look forward to a discussion of The Misanthrope.
Other panelists include:
- Tony Lewis, Artistic Director of Midtangent Productions
- Katie McLean, Artistic Ensemble Member at Lifeline Theatre Company
- Blake Montgomery, Artistic Director of The Building Stage
Paul G. Miller
Season Dramaturge
Dog in a Manger runs October 6-26.
Visit www.redtapetheatre.org for details and to purchase tickets online!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Meet the Cast! – Marika Engelhardt
Part two in a series of interviews with the cast of Dog in a Manger at Red Tape Theatre.
1. Where are you from?
I'm from Portland, Oregon.
2. What is the first stage play you remember seeing?
The first play I really remember seeing, and more importantly, liking, was a production of Waiting for Godot at the college where my father taught. It's one of his favorite plays (and now mine), and I found the show really moving. The actors in that show really have to explore what it means to be on this earth, and it demands intelligence and bravery.
3. When/why did you start acting?
I started acting when I was little, I would write fake tv commercials and perform them live for my parents. I saw other people acting and I thought: that looks like an awesome job!
4. Tell us about your character in Dog in a Manger.
Diana is a countess during the Spanish inquisition. She is the ultimate matriarch. She is a powerful woman, someone who has to take charge and provide for those around her. She comes across as cold and temperamental, but those traits are what help her manage her enormous responsibilities.
5. Do you have a favorite moment/scene in the play?
My favorite moment in the play is probably a monologue in which I express my private thoughts about love. It is a rare moment for the audience to see Diana in a vulnerable moment, and I think it shows how human she is underneath and how important it is to maintain a controlled exterior to the world.
6. What’s next for you?
What's next? Continue to get to know the Chicago arts community and involve myself with projects that excite me!
Dog in a Manger runs October 2-26.
Visit www.redtapetheatre.com for details and to purchase tickets online!
1. Where are you from?
I'm from Portland, Oregon.
2. What is the first stage play you remember seeing?
The first play I really remember seeing, and more importantly, liking, was a production of Waiting for Godot at the college where my father taught. It's one of his favorite plays (and now mine), and I found the show really moving. The actors in that show really have to explore what it means to be on this earth, and it demands intelligence and bravery.
3. When/why did you start acting?
I started acting when I was little, I would write fake tv commercials and perform them live for my parents. I saw other people acting and I thought: that looks like an awesome job!
4. Tell us about your character in Dog in a Manger.
Diana is a countess during the Spanish inquisition. She is the ultimate matriarch. She is a powerful woman, someone who has to take charge and provide for those around her. She comes across as cold and temperamental, but those traits are what help her manage her enormous responsibilities.
5. Do you have a favorite moment/scene in the play?
My favorite moment in the play is probably a monologue in which I express my private thoughts about love. It is a rare moment for the audience to see Diana in a vulnerable moment, and I think it shows how human she is underneath and how important it is to maintain a controlled exterior to the world.
6. What’s next for you?
What's next? Continue to get to know the Chicago arts community and involve myself with projects that excite me!
Dog in a Manger runs October 2-26.
Visit www.redtapetheatre.com for details and to purchase tickets online!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Adapting the Classics – Peter Brook’s thoughts
Red Tape Theatre’s adaptation of Dog in a Manger takes the plot and central characters from Lope de Vega’s play and weaves them into a script with several new surprises. On Saturday, October 11 at 4:30 p.m., I’ll be hosting a special panel of Chicago artists who’ve put their own spin on classical works. The panelists for Adapting the Classics include:
I’ll be posting a series of blogs about their recent productions this month, but first I thought I’d share a quote from a recent article about director Peter Brook.
“He [Brook] thinks that the writer’s words are always sancrosanct, but that the stage directions can legitimately be modified. ‘The two things come from different sources,’ he argues controversially." *
Some of our panelists created their own texts while others found ways to update the plays without changing a word. We look forward to hearing our panelists thoughts on this process!
Paul G. Miller
Season Dramaturge
* The full Peter Brooke article was published in The Independent, September 5, 2008 and can be read here: http://tinyurl.com/65doyd
Dog in a Manger runs October 6-26.
Visit http://www.redtapetheatre.com/ for details and to purchase tickets online!
- Libby Ford, Associate Artistic Director of Greasy Joan Theatre Company
- Tony Lewis, Artistic Director of Midtangent Productions
- Katie McLean, Artistic Ensemble Member at Lifeline Theatre Company
- Blake Montgomery, Artistic Director of The Building Stage
I’ll be posting a series of blogs about their recent productions this month, but first I thought I’d share a quote from a recent article about director Peter Brook.
“He [Brook] thinks that the writer’s words are always sancrosanct, but that the stage directions can legitimately be modified. ‘The two things come from different sources,’ he argues controversially." *
Some of our panelists created their own texts while others found ways to update the plays without changing a word. We look forward to hearing our panelists thoughts on this process!
Paul G. Miller
Season Dramaturge
* The full Peter Brooke article was published in The Independent, September 5, 2008 and can be read here: http://tinyurl.com/65doyd
Dog in a Manger runs October 6-26.
Visit http://www.redtapetheatre.com/ for details and to purchase tickets online!
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