Tag: Lane Teilhaber

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Audition for Postmortem update

Apparently a large number of people auditioned on Tuesday night at Kudzu Playhouse. Jason Meinhardt, who will be directing, was at the theater till after 10 PM. Well on Wednesday night, Lane Teilhaber (director of Beau Jest) and I were the only two males to audition. Half-dozen or so females, so Lane and I read with different ladies for the same side. It actually gave me an opportunity to read over the side many times before doing it before the director.

Jason was to phone for callbacks last night and today. I think I did well, but that does not mean anything.

An interesting note: One of the sides I read was for WILLIAM GILLETTE. GILLETTE is well known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes and has blurred the lines between Holmes and himself. GILLETTE quotes the well know Holmes axiom “Eliminate the impossible and whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” This is the single line which defines GILLETTE/Holmes as a character. I never did read that line to my satisfaction. In my mind, a perfect reading of that line within the side could land you the part.

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Dinner Rehearsal

With Lane Teilhaber, director of Beau Jest, the priority for the actors was blocking first, characterization second and memorizing lines last. Lane did not want us to concentrate on line memorization until after we had blocking down. Lane moved consecutively through the script; All of Act I Scene 1, then Act I Scene 2, everyone present.

Well each director has there own method of directing. For The Man Who Came To Dinner, director Mary Binaco is no exception.

For The Man Who Came To Dinner, there is one main presence on the stage for most of the play and that is WHITESIDE. There are many other roles that come in and out during the play. Mary has been taking the smaller roles and going over each of there parts individually with WHITESIDE. For my character, DR. BRADLEY, we went over all his major appearances, skipping over all other parts in between.

Last night we continued that method but the focus was on MAGGIE. Most of MAGGIE’s parts ended where DR. BRADLEY’s began. So, rehearsal went from WHITESIDE and MAGGIE into WHITESIDE and DR. BRADLEY in one large chunk. Skip to the next MAGGIE area and continue.

In the mean time, Mary would like for us to have as many lines memorized as possible so we can concentrate on the blocking. Mary is also surrounded by yellow notepad papers with notes. And she seems to be always thinking about and analyzing the script. Tweaking.

I am not complaining or really meaning to compare. As far as I know, me being a newbie and all, there is no wrong way to direct. These are merely observations; A note of my experiences.

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Jest a Second is a No Go

Tammy and I went to see a play Saturday night at the Stage Door Players in Dunwoody. The play is Blithe Spirit. Mary Sittler, who was in Beau Jest with me, and my friend Mark Grey were in this play. And by chance the director of Beau Jest, Lane Teilhaber also attended Saturday’s show.

As you may recall, Jest a Second is the sequel to Beau Jest. Lane was hoping to do Jest a Second at Kudzu Playhouse, with the same cast as Beau Jest, and at the same time next season. Well it turns out that Kudzu does not want to do Just a Second.

The story of Beau Jest was that SARAH created a fake boyfriend to please her parents because, they did not approve of her real boyfriend. So in Jest a Second, JOEL, divorced parent of two, is afraid to introduce his significant other, RANDY to his parents. The impression is that RANDY is female when actually RANDY is JOEL’s boyfriend.

What Kudzu has an issue with is not the potential controversy, the same controversy Stage Door experienced with a homosexual relationship in Deathtrap just recently, but that it would not draw the audience or even chase away the audience when they call to find out what the play is about.

Well keep that a secret. Say something like: “Jest a Second, a sequel to Beau Jest. In Beau Jest, SARAH has problems and hilarious consequences over the issue of presenting her boyfriend to her parents. A year later, JOEL is faced the very same issue.”

See. Let the audience assume whatever they want. Jest a Second, like Beau Jest is about family and family relationships and not about sexual preference. And after seeing the play, I would hope the audience would see it the same way. It is a very good play and I hope one day to be able to be in it.

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Actor’s Nightmare

I had a nightmare the other night. I dreamed I was in a production and we were at opening night and I did not have ANY of my lines memorized. So I was going to use the script on stage. Then I couldn’t find where I was supposed to be in the script.

Before that part of the dream, I had all my stage clothes locked in my truck and I could not find my keys. So here I was on stage, without my clothes, did not know my lines, nor could I find where I was supposed to be in the script. No I wasn’t naked. I was wearing gray sweatpants and a long sleeve button-up.

But wait, there’s more. Before I realized I did not have my clothes, and before I realized I did not know my lines, there was the phone call: “You do remember we have a show tonight?” AARRRGGHH!

So there I was, on stage with no lines, no clothes, not able to find my place in the script and I was late!

Oh, did I mention that it was sold out?

So no lines, no cloths, not able to find my place in the script and I was late for a sold out show. With all that said, once I was on stage, not delivering any lines, large parts of the audience in the 250 seat theatre were leaving! What a disaster.

And then like all dreams, the plot twist arrived: The remaining audience stood up and cheered. Still don’t know why. Maybe it was because at that point I found my place in the script and read a few lines. So I started yelling for them to be quite so I could read some more and they wouldn’t. Lane? oh yes, the director was Lane. You know, the director of Beau Jest. Lane then told me to let them cheer if they wanted to. OK. Fine by me.

The worst part of all this is that I am dreaming about acting. This isn’t the first time either. Other dreams included auditions and other plays. Is that a good thing or bad?

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Beau Jest: Best 3rd Act of the run

…was on Friday night March 18, 2005. It actually started on Friday night during the 3rd act when I forgot a line. SARAH and JOEL are doing the “Fight” as it is called by the director and sound manager (Lane and David). The dialog goes:

JOEL: Hey, I am concerned about their feelings too, but?
SARAH: Oh really. You weren’t too concerned when you got divorced. They were traumatized.
JOEL: I was concerned about there feelings. But I took responsibility for my own actions.
SARAH: Well forgive me for not being as self actualized as you.
JOEL: Look, whatever resentment you have towards me?
SARAH: Is nothing compared to the resentment I have towards them.
(Beat)
JOEL: Oh. Well now we’re getting somewhere.

Amy and I are yelling at each other up until the (Beat). But on Friday I forgot my line “Look, whatever resentment you have towards me?” and we came to a screeching halt. Apparently Lane and David at the same time said “shit”. I know my next line, but could not remember that one. So I thought about the next line, how can I get it out when we haven’t presented the issue for psychologist JOEL to focus on. Amy was also trying to figure out how to help me. But then I remembered it. Now, how to present it. I just can’t yell it out. It would not fit after a significant pause. So in a fairly calm voice as if I had been mulling over it “What ever resentment you have towards me?” Amy being as good as she is, followed suit and also did her next line in a non-yelling but with equally stressful intent. Then I immediately did. “Oh. Well now we’re getting somewhere.” All told we just ended up, hopefully in the eyes of the audience, moving the (Beat) two lines earlier.

So how did this affect the next night? Well I was worried about forgetting my line again. I was thinking about it all first act. At the end of the first act, I assist setting up the table for the next scene. Then run into the dressing room to change for my entrance. I have about 3 minutes to change.

The suit I have been wearing belongs to Kudzu and the zipper was not working. So I never unzip. I just pulled the pants up and buttoned. This time the zipper had enough and completely split from one side. OH CRAP! Now what, I can’t go on stage with a open fly. So I yelled out for someone to get me some safety pins. That closed it up some, but it was still obvious that the fly was open. Time is running short. Well I would just have to try to keep it covered.

I go to put on my tie and someone says “I’d just forget the tie.” That may have been good advice. But I want the tie. So I do up the tie quickly but did not tuck it under the collar. I’ll do that before I go on stage. I jest need to get to the other side and be ready. As soon as I put on my coat and overcoat and leave the dressing room, I hear BOB say something like “you really drink four glasses of wine?” That is my queue to get ready to ring the doorbell. YIKES! So I run to the other side of the stage and arrive just in time to ring the doorbell 2 seconds early. CRAP. I ring the doorbell over one of SARAH’s lines.

Needless to say, I forgot about my tie.

I follow ABE and MIRIAM on stage and I immediately turn and face the closet, to put the coats away. When done with that I check my fly and button my coat so no one can see my crotch. Walk over to the table and sit down. OOPS! Now I remember my collar. I am so flustered that I don’t just fix it. I try to do it in a very casual way, hoping no one notice. Fat chance of that.

Now it is time for me to walk across stage, open the door, close it and walk back … part of the Sader. I almost skip this, but it would confuse the other cast members. Ok, so I get up holding my Haggadah low and using my arm to push my coat in front of me I am hoping now one will notice. I get to the door open it, stand sort of behind it and use my Haggadah to cover my crotch. Well the audience starts giggling. DAMN!

Get back to the table and as soon as the scene is at blackout, I get up and leave as quickly as possible. During intermission, I was asked what was up with the tie. It turns out nobody noticed the crotch issue because of my tie.

So how does this lead to a great 3rd act? Well, I was so upset, angry? well in general just so emotionally charged that the “fight” with SARAH was just as charged, which passed on to ABE and MIRIAM. Amy usually tears up at the beginning of Act III, Scene 2, but that night the tears were flowing. It really was a great 3rd act.

It has been said before that we really look angry, etc. during that “fight” scene, but I normally do not feel as angry as I portray. I did that night. This is what I have been talking about: How to get that level of intensity at a moments notice and consistently time after time.

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