Got some sleep and didn't get up until 9. Nancy got me a coffee, and I then headed to Union Square on the subway. I really like Union Square and I sat in the park and slowly drank my coffee and tried not to get divebombed by pigeons! From there, walked to the Public Theatre where we had a backstage tour! I love the mission of the Public, I love the space, I love the history of the building and that section of the city (the Astor brownstone is across the street). We got this opportunity through Sam, a student on the trip, and his networking that got us hooked up with Sara in the props department. She gave us a tour of the 5 theatres- in two of them we saw the electricians and crew working on upcoming productions. Then she took us through the prop shop, and then we had a Q and A with her, the production manager Elizabeth, Jay the head of props, and Stephen, an actor. We learned a lot what each of those job descriptions entails and I hadn't previously known what a production manager did. I think I could do that! It's about communication, big picture, and details. I was again struck by the work ethic of the young actor--the auditioning, preparing of monologues, reels, and sides, networking, etc--it seems that it would be exhausting. All while holding another job so you can live. My respect for working artists continues to grow. The almost two hour tour/interview ended with a fire alarm and we had to evacuate the building!
Went to a Mediterranean Restaurant with Seth, Sam, Kayla, Kelly, and Jordyn and very much enjoyed chicken schawarma, then dashed to the upper west side to meet UW-Eau Claire grad Laila Robins. She has had a 30 year acting career in the city and was gracious enough to invite us into her home for more than two hours! She did an amazing career talk and Q and A, and for the first time I understood how an "outside in" approach to acting would actually work. I was fascinated to her about her acting process and was completely drawn in as she got more and more animated, stood up, physicalized some of what she was talking about, and gave descriptive examples. She was gracious to the students, giving them water, apples, and cookies, and answered every question thoroughly. She went above and beyond, that's for sure. Thank you to Marie for contacting her and setting this up for the group!
Monday night was our free night, so people went their separate ways in small groups. Andy had his interview with a man who composes, conducts, performs, and generally does it all (like Andy wants to do), Ruth and Alan went to Newsies, some students went to La Traviata at the Met, some to the performance art piece Sleep No More, some to Avenue Q, and I went to part of the Joy of Singing concert at the New York Public Library. Lovely mezzo sang a song cycle by Argento and I briefly spoke to Paul Sperry who coordinates the series. Then Nancy and I trekked through the snow and sleet to the Lower East Side for a reading of a play- Logan Tracey, who will be doing our "Hustle" workshop on Friday is the one who got me in touch with this play. Here is what she had to say:
Regarding the play on Monday the 18th:
"The play is new and it's in really good shape - it's a bit edgy and it's got a ton of comedy in it.
It will be at 7:30pm on Monday at University Settlement in the Lower East Side located at 184 Eldridge Street where On the Square Productions has its artist in residency. It's near the F train.
Mass by David Ian Lee directed by Candace Cihocki
A brief summary of the play from the playwright: Kay Hitchens abandons her life for an adventure, and finds what she's looking for in Leo, a brilliant cosmologist who believes a mutation in Kay's genetic code can unlock all secrets of creation. In an abandoned corner of the Arizona desert, Kay and Leo confront life-threatening forces -- and the unexpected arrival of Kay's husband, Tom -- in a search for meaning at the edge of time and at the end of all things."
Cool little company, small audience, different area of town. We really enjoyed it!
Afterwards we went to Katz's Deli for huge pastrami sandwiches, fries, and pickles--Nancy had matzo ball soup,too- and then a taxi ride home. Weather was too bad to walk. Had a great meeting with the students, who were all buzzing about their experiences. What a great day.
I absolutely loved the time we spent at the Public and I'll never forget all the things we experienced today.
Mitra
No comments:
Post a Comment