#chasarts

                   ~David Adjmi’s MARIE ANTOINETTE at PURE Theatre ~

This is an article I wrote for www.charlestongrit.com about the time I've spent working for 34West Theatre Company, in Charleston. They are very good friends of mine and have taken me on wonderful adventures, so I decided to write them a love letter~

There is a lot to be said about a theatre company that serves Jack Rudy Cocktails and Westbrook IPA. There’s even more to say about a theatre company that writes all of their own material, and produces it with a cast and crew of no more than 4 people. There’s the most to say about a theatre company that allows their employee and co-star to eat #allthepopcorn in the dressing rooms. Popcorn that should be being sold to loyal patrons….

They had a lot of patience with me.

Before coming to Charleston, 34West Theatre Company co-founders Stephen Wayne and Jeff Querin spent a lot of time touring with their original shows. Like 15 years of touring. FIFTEEN YEARS. Their company of 4 included New York-based actors Magdalyn Donnelly and Nathan Gurr, who continue to perform with them now. They performed in Ohio, Florida, Connecticut, off-Broadway in New York City and for Charleston’s own Piccolo Spoleto before finally settling down in Charleston in the Summer of 2014.

I have been working with 34West for seven months now and it has been an unexpected whirlwind of theatricality that I never saw coming. They opened their doors last July with an original, three person musical called Doo Wops and Beauty Shops, which ran for two months. It starred Mary Fishburne, a Best of Charleston nominee for Female Vocalist, and a good friend of mine. She did the show for a month before leaving to have a baby, and passing the torch on to me- funny, as one of the two characters that we played in the show is pregnant.

Mary left me her script, with every cue, prop, and costume-switch marked. I used that for our 1 week of rehearsal. The boys didn’t have to take any time off, and without skipping a beat we re-opened the show. It was so exhilarating jumping in with just a little bit of fear. The time constraint, rather then causing panic, made me bust my butt. Failure was not an option. The show turned out great.

At this point- if you’re really into this story and want to know more- I’d like to direct you to this post which I wrote shortly before closing Doo Wops round one. http://thelaziestbird.tumblr.com/post/98236125419/the-energizer-bunny.

We performed five nights a week for two months. Usually by the Sunday matinee I felt like I was experiencing a permanent case of deja-vu. I would arrive at the theater every night-20 minutes before places- while the boys were busy serving drinks and snacks. I would go through the kitchen and into the dressing room to get into costume. We’d do the show, drink a beer, and then I’d go home to pass out and do it all again the next day. But the thing about it was that the show itself was so joyful, and elicited such a strong response from the audience, that it never got boring. Not to mention the number of times we broke character because everyone was laughing so hard. Stephen’s shows are FUNNY y’all.

Fast forward 4 months: The boys did two more shows- Speakin’ Easy (Starring Magdalyn Donnelly- remember her?) and A Swinging Christmas. I was in Macbeth at Woolfe Street Playhouse and auditioned for grad school, before we brought Doo Wops back as filler after the New Year. This was the first time I had ever returned to something that I had performed in before. We ran it twice before the first performance, and discovered that it had become a completely new show. It was all grown up. We performed for three weeks (about 15 shows) until closing right before Valentine’s Day.

After the last show we took down our set, packed up our props and costumes and threw it all in the truck. The next morning we left for Appalachicola, FL for two sold-out performances at the Dixie Theatre. Now, Appalachicola is not the biggest town. Its on the Gulf Coast and has really good oysters. It's beautiful there- very quaint and very charming, but very small. We basically performed for the entire population of the town. It was a blast. We got there in the evening and unloaded and rebuilt our set. We did our two shows on Valentine’s Day. Afterwards we packed up our set (again) and loaded up the truck. Then I drank two ridiculous Martinis that I absolutely deserved- A hell of a Saturday. The next day we were back in Charleston. It was a fantastic experience, and I look forward to working with them again in July. 

34West has created a wonderful environment for artists. I'm so proud of the work they do, whether I am involved in it or not. I just feel lucky that I met them. There is a sense of pride that comes from knowing that your day job is your dream job. I have 34West to thank for making that happen for me, and the many other performers mentioned in this article. They have created a wonderful tribe. The fact that there is a professional, touring theatre company here, is something Charleston should be immensely proud of.

Sunday: Playwright Derek Ahonen left for LA after the staged reading of THE TRANSCENDANTS at Woolfe Street Playhouse. Local publication Art Mag wrote it up here ~ http://theartmag.com/2015/02/review-reading-of-the-transcendents/

Monday: Spent the rainy day with Jennifer Bissel and Maddie Casto, who are in Charleston from New York performing with 34 West Theatre Company. After crepes at Queen Street Grocery, we went by the beautiful Dock Street Theatre, home of Charleston Stage Company.

Tuesday: I was a reader for some auditions at PURE Theatre for their production of David Adjmi's MARIE ANTOINETTE. Their next show OUTSIDE MULLINGAR by John Patrick Shanley runs March 6-28. Tix @ http://puretheatre.org/

Wednesday: I caught some of a tech rehearsal, and spoke with the director of Alan Bennett's THE HISTORY BOYS at Woolfe Street Playhouse. This is the inaugural production in Woolfe Street's new black box space, and will run for only six shows.

Thursday: I won't lie. I took a night off.

Friday: Attended opening night of THE HISTORY BOYS at Woolfe Street Playhouse. Tix @http://woolfestreetplayhouse.com/events/the-history-boys/

Saturday: Ok- So its not theatre, but I watched ALMOST FAMOUS today and it reaffirmed my faith in the bohemian life.

Lets do it again next week~ 

One thing that I learned very early in my time in Charleston is that you can’t go more than a day without stepping into an historic building. This is a huge part of Charleston’s charm. Its age, and the wizened, stately beauty that exists here is evident not only in the historic homes along South Battery, but in many popular restaurants, stores, libraries, and theaters. Such buildings display the Carolopolis Medal on their exterior. Over time you start to notice the black metal badges, given by the Preservation Society of Charleston, which are a subtle reminder of the history of the streets we tread daily. These awards are given ‘“to recognize outstanding achievement in exterior preservation, restoration, rehabilitation and new construction” to the individuals, the business or the organization that owns the building at the time. The newest batch of awards was presented last week and included the Woolfe Street Playhouse, recently acquired by Keely Enright and Dave Reinwald of the Village Repertory Company, a non-profit theatre company founded over 15 years ago in Mt. Pleasant. Built in 1914, the Playhouse was originally the home of Meddin Bros. Meat Packing Company. Before being purchased by the Village Rep in 2012, it had been used off and on as a storage facility for The College of Charleston. With the help of the theatre community and friends (I helped paint the front office myself), Keely and Dave transformed the building into a beautiful theatrical space.

We’ve established that Charleston appreciates the ancient. I say ancient, though I always like to remind myself that America is a relatively young country. Ancient is a fitting word though, as it exudes that mysterious and wise quality that makes Charleston so alluring. I have found that this same quality exists within many theaters, not only in Charleston but everywhere. Theatre as a craft and theatre as an event is as ancient a thing as any. Think Greek. So whenever I have performed in a show at Woolfe Street, or watched a show there, I have always appreciated that we were in a building leftover from another time. Also, Keely, Dave and Associate Artistic Director Robbie Thomas all seem to have a knack for selecting shows that will fit the aesthetic of their space. They use the exposed brick walls, the high, open-beamed ceiling and balcony space to great advantage resulting in incredibly visceral, all-encompassing sets.

London Wall by John Van Druten runs through Valentine’s Day and is a perfect example of Woolfe Street Playhouse’s brand. Set in 1930’s London, the office set is a crisp creme and black, and boasts a legitimate, old-school telephone switchboard which was reconstructed and refreshed by Dave Reinwald. The office shelves are filled with matching volumes of books, vintage telephones and electric fans. Even the music playing at intermission and before and after the show, sustains the illusion that until you walk out the door, you are a visitor to another time. The women of the cast, beautifully costumed by Julie Ziff, are powerhouse actresses and strut around the stage with so much sass that the men don’t have to try too hard to appear distracted. The women rule this show, no doubt about it.

The newest member of the workforce, Pat Milligan (McKenna Dubose) has fallen prey to the attentions of Mr. Brewer (Robbie Thomas), an associate solicitor. His constant cooing of pet-names and sly side-eye glances would be enough to make any person, man or woman, feel creepy. Ms. Janus (Becca Anderson) doesn’t want to see Pat taken advantage of, and urges her to pursue another fellow, Hec Hammond (Christian Persico), with whom Pat had been cultivating a friendship. Persico’s Hec is a gawking and adorable mess who has wonderful chemistry with Dubose’s sweet and refreshingly naive Pat. Becca Anderson is truly the guiding force of the group, though I felt so exhausted for her by the end of the second act. Having to play matchmaker for your younger friends as your own future implodes doesn’t sound like my cup of tea. Get it? Because London…

The ensemble also includes Samille Jones Basler as the batty and sophisticated Miss Willesden, Lara Allred as Miss Hooper, the one girl in the office who might just get out un-fondled and Sarah Callahan as Miss Buffton, the flirt of the group who clearly has the most fun. Bronson Taylor is a delight as ‘office boy’ Birkinshaw, and Jeff Jordan is stern and kind as the boss, Mr. Walker. Again, I have to hand it to the ladies, who handle the patronizing tone of Every. Single. Male. Character. with grace and humor, then strut their way offstage in amazing shoes.

                                                  William Shakespeare's Macbeth

                                                             Photos by: Jessika Stocker

                                                               October 17~November 1

                                                               Woolfe Street Playhouse

It just keeps going and going and going...

An accurate depiction of how I've felt these last few weeks. We are one week out from the closing of 'Doo Wops and Beauty Shops' at 34 West Theatre Company, and I have been taking stock of the manifold lessons I have learned in my time with them. 

This isn't like any other show I've done in Charleston. We ran for two months, doing 5 shows a week. This show is geared toward the tourist crowd, although local theatre goers have enjoyed it too, as it is easy to follow and contains some of the catchiest tunes from the 50's. It's really less of a show and more of an experience. It's totally immersive. My two co-stars Jeff and Stephen (who is also the writer) work the bar pre-show, churning out root beer floats and popcorn. They greet the audience and acclimate them to the idea that we are in a 50's diner. So by the time the show starts there is already this fantastic connection between the audience and us.  

I saw the show in performance twice before I stepped in, and was honestly shocked by how clever and funny it was. I was also daunted. So. Many. Props. SO MANY PROPS. #alltheprops. I also play two characters who switch back and forth the whole time...So there was that. I have played multiple parts in shows before, but the fast pacing of this show made it tough. Not only are there a million props and costume changes, the three person cast is also in charge of music and light cues. Overwhelming. I've never been good with technology.

In spite of being petrified of what I was getting myself into, I couldn't help but notice the sense of joy that this show seemed to exude. People left the theatre feeling joyous and uplifted. I certainly did when I first saw it. It was important to me that this never be forgotten, and the nights when I don't like my own performance are the nights when pure joy is lacking. WE are the ones responsible for that energy. WE have to give it to the audience so that they can feel it and give it back. 

We rehearsed for one week. Yes- Just one. I approached it in sections- focusing first on getting everything (lines AND lyrics) memorized, then moving on to blocking, then staging the songs, adding tech, and finally adding costumes. I would love to say that it went off without a hitch that first week, but there were mistakes galore and hiccups in abundance. Lucky for me, the audience never noticed. Lucky for me, I had 30 more tries to get it right. 

At this point, the show flows smoothly. The costume changes and props have become like the tiny mechanisms within a clock that keep the big hands ticking. And after two months of doing this show, I feel like the Energizer Bunny. Every night, up on the stage, over and over and over.

I think this the most important lesson I've learned. It's NEVER going to be the same show as the night before. The audience will NEVER be the same. That's the challenge after two months, continuing to make it new. Relishing every moment and every song, and bringing the audience along with you. I think about the people performing on Broadway who have been doing the same show for years and years. Its enough of a challenge making the show new for yourself every night, let alone an audience of 500 people! 

True love takes a lot of trying.

'Happy In the Poorhouse' by Derek Ahonen

Woolfe Street Playhouse- 34 Woolfe St. Charleston, SC