(3/17/11 – Updated with a correction.  See below.)

I made the little video above with my trusty iPhone.   Visiting stage director/production designer Joachim Schamberger was very gracious about giving me some of his time during a very busy week for the Indianapolis Opera.  Thank you again, Joachim!

I am going to indulge myself with an even-longer-than-usual post about my first experience of the Indianapolis Opera a) because it was such a core-shaker, b) because I usually only write reviews of performances, not rehearsals, c) because I really have no business reviewing opera at all, and d) did I mention it was a life-changing experience?

If you don’t have time to read something long, at least let me tell you that this particular production of “Carmen” in the intimate space at the new Frank and Katrina Basile Opera Center is a profound and accessible treat.  There are only four more chances to experience it yourself.  Tickets are $34 and $60 and may be purchased through the Indianapolis Opera’s website: www.IndyOpera.org.

Okay, so here’s the detailed version of my night at the opera (if you want to know only about the show itself, jump down a few screens to “The Show”):

Last Wednesday I was supposed to attend a Trivia Night event with one of my Twitter buddies, Scott Semester.  I was looking forward to it.

But then Aimee Morgan, media contact for the Indianapolis Opera, emailed me to invite me to a final dress rehearsal of their production of Peter Brook’s adaptation of Georges Bizet’s “La Tragedie de Carmen.”  It would be their first production in the new Frank and Katrina Basile Opera Center at 40^th and Penn on the north side of Indianapolis, not far from their other home, Clowes Memorial Hall.  The invitation included a tour of the new facility and a hands-on exploration of the set.

How could Curiosity Girl pass that up?  Especially since I knew virtually nothing about opera.  My opera experience consisted of one trip to see “La Boheme” with my friend Timothy William Wesley over 30 years ago.

(Tim, if you happen to Google yourself and find this post, I would like to tell you in person that I will always be grateful to you for introducing me to opera back then, even though I apparently wasn’t ready for it yet.  I’m sorry we lost touch after you moved to California!)

Anyway, I would never have had the courage to ask for a media pass to review one of the official performances of the Indianapolis Opera.  But since they asked me to visit…Yes!  I would love to!

I asked Scott if he would like to go with me to the opera instead of Trivia Night.  I was delighted to learn that he loves opera and is, in fact, learning how to sing it himself.  He has agreed to sing with the Lyric Opera Theatre of Indianapolis this summer.

Scott said he would love to go with me on my IO adventure.  He asked about the dress code.  I gulped and emailed Aimee to ask.  She consulted someone else, who wrote back: “We’re pretty casual at the opera, especially at the dress rehearsal.  Just come in whatever you feel comfortable in.” 

(Whew!)  So I wore a print skirt and solid sweater set, which is pretty much all I have in my closet anyway.  Scott wore jeans, a nice shirt, and a sport coat.  I suspect that many people dress up more at regular opera performances, but it is nice to know that I wouldn’t be kicked out for wearing my usual even then.

The “Tour” (aka Hanging Out With Nicole)

Indianapolis Opera’s marketing director, Nicole Brandt, met us in the lobby of the Basile Opera Center, formerly a Greek Orthodox Church.  We could glimpse several pews through a doorway.

(You can see some “before” and “after” photos of the renovation of the theater space, which used to be the church’s basketball court, I think, on this page of the Indianapolis Opera’s Facebook profile:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=8214531379&aid=286096

More renovations are in the works.)

Nicole gave me a thick and truly useful media kit that included several fact sheets, newspaper clippings, artist biographies, a “Guide for First-Timers” pamphlet, and more.  (Yay!)  Then she led us back to the theater space itself, which was furnished with several rows of chairs with cushy seats on risers.  The cast was on the small stage doing some last-minute polishing with the fight choreographer, Rob Johansen.

“Hey!” I thought. “I know him!”  I don’t know Rob to speak to, but I have loved his acting and directing work with several professional theatres around town, including the Indiana Repertory Theatre and ShadowApe Theatre Company.

The performers were still on the small, virtually bare, all-black stage and soon they would be backstage getting ready to perform, so the “tour” was more like a chance to hang out with Nicole and ask her questions while surrounded by world-class artists doing their thing, which was fine by me.  The following are not direct quotes, but I believe the gist of them is accurate.  I thought the information would be more fun for you to read in conversation form:

“Are the seats assigned or can you sit anywhere you like?” I asked.  First things first.

“The seats and risers are rented for now,” Nicole said. “The seats are assigned because we want the typical opera-goer who is used to Clowes Hall to feel comfortable here, too.  Clowes seats thousands.  This space seats only a couple hundred.”

“Which is the best seat?” Scott asked.

Nicole smiled.  “We are still figuring that out, especially in terms of pricing.  A seat in the center here is like the 10^th row at Clowes in terms of proximity to the stage.”

“Really, they’re all good,” Scott said, looking around.

“Where will everyone park?” I wanted to know.

“We expect most people will park in the street and use the front entrance,” Nicole said.  “There are a few parking spaces in back of the building but they will be reserved for…” 

And I can’t remember now what Nicole called them (maybe Impresario Circle members?) but I understood that she meant the People With Money, the Most Generous Donors, aka my heroes because they make it possible for the rest of us to buy reasonably-priced tickets. 

I also wanted to know if the Indianapolis Opera owned the building or was renting it.  Yes, I know that was rude, but I asked it anyway.

Nicole said something like: “The CEO of Angie’s List bought it for the Indianapolis Opera but we are renting it from him for two years first.  After two years, he will donate the building to us.” 

Nicole shared with us some of the hundreds of details that the staff members have been working on in order to get the space ready for opening night.  Things that I never would have thought of, like whether or not to buy a chime to alert people that it is time to take their seats, and if so, what kind of chime.

I said that although it must be a lot of work, it must also be very exciting.

“Yes,” Nicole said.  “The staff have a strong feeling of ownership since we have all been working so hard to get this place ready.”

I asked if all of the Indianapolis Opera’s shows would be in this space from now on.

“No.  Next season, three shows will be at Clowes and one will be here.  The season will be announced at the performance Friday night but I will make sure you get the news, too.”

(Later I read in my press kit that the Opera Center will be used for rehearsals, meetings, classes, private voice studios for visiting artists, summer opera camps, and more.)

Nicole also shared with us some thoughts about this particular production.  “It is specifically meant for a theatre of this size,” she said.  “There is no chorus like there is in the Bizet version, nor are there any big, elaborate set pieces.”

She drew our attention to a huge screen at the back of the tiny stage.  “All of the scenery is provided by the projections but they are not very literal.”

I didn’t know what she meant by that (it made sense later) but I looked at the screen that reached all the way to the ceiling and said, “I don’t see a box for the English translation…”

“Oh, there are supertitles,” she assured me.  “Like subtitles in a movie but they show up at the top of the screen.  But really, you almost don’t need them in this piece.”  (Again, I only understood later what she meant.)

I asked about the performers and the rehearsal process.  Nicole said that all of the principals are fulltime professional opera singers.  They rehearse eight hours a day.  This show is “double-cast,” meaning there are two sets of performers, because on some days during the two-weekend run there are two performances.  Opera singing is so physically challenging that you can’t make an opera singer sing a whole opera twice in one day and expect each performance to be his or her best. 

“Who comes to the opera in Indianapolis?” Scott asked.

“All ages,” Nicole said. 

(Later I read a sheet in my press kit that gives the following demographics:  “IO’s subscriber base and main stage audience: 52% over the age of 50; 52% female and 48% male; 87% live in Indiana…Nearly 25% of IO audience is under the age of 35.”  Source: Arts Marketing Research and Emmis Data Direct)

Nicole continued, “People in the 55+ age range are our diehard opera fans.”

“So the Opera’s audience is like the Symphony’s audience?” Scott asked.

“Yes,” Nicole said with affection, “but we like to say that the opera audience likes to party more.  They like to drink and carry on.”

“Ah,” said Scott.  “So do you acknowledge that?  Will there be a bar in the lobby?”

“Yes, and a by-invitation-only Black Tie Tailgate Party on opening night.”

By this time a busload or two of teenagers from Muncie had arrived and filled the seats that had been labeled for them.   Several other guests had arrived as well.  Nicole encouraged Scott and me to sit wherever we liked.  We chose the seats that I would be willing to pay $60 for: in the fourth row back, center aisle.

Someone whose name I didn’t catch gave the “curtain” talk and introduced the conductor, James Caraher, who is also the IO’s artistic director.  Fourteen members of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra had set up their instruments and music stands off to the side of the stage.  James’s conductor’s podium or stand or whatever you call it was there, too.  He told us that this arrangement was new and very different for both the orchestra and the singers.  The singers were used to seeing their conductor right down in front of them, in the orchestra pit, but there is no orchestra pit at the new Opera Center. 

I understood the difficulty, but I confess that I liked being able to glance over and see the musicians doing their thing.

James reminded us that even though they were hoping to go straight through, it was still a dress rehearsal and they might have to stop and adjust something.  He smiled in relaxed way, though, and wished us an enjoyable experience.

Then he went to his place, lifted his hands, and “La Tragedie de Carmen” began.

(Photo of James Caraher taken by Denis Ryan Kelly, Jr.)

The Story

There is a lot to explore in this sexy, violent, and tragic story, but at least on one level the story is this:

A beautiful woman, Carmen (Ariana Chris) blames fate for her unhappiness even as she rebels again and again, with one man after another, determined to be free of her fate.  First she viciously lures a soldier, Don Jose (Clayton Hilley), away from Micaela (Rachel Elizabeth Copeland), the sweet young woman that loves him.  Then, when he turns out to be not what she wanted after all, she hooks up with a bullfighter, Escamillo (Darren Stokes.)  She never does realize that her own choices are what caused her unhappiness.

(Ariana Chris and Clayton Hilley – photo by Denis Ryan Kelly, Jr.)

The Show

The many layers of rich artistic pleasure in this supposedly non-extravagant piece made me swoon.

I went in expecting to have a good time, but I also expected a lot of stand-and-sing, stand-and-sing, if you know what I mean.  Instead, to my surprise and delight, the acting was as rich and exquisite as the singing was.  Instead of being all stand-and-sing, the show was all flirt-and-fight-and-sing.  There was a lot of interaction and movement among the actors, plus a lot of subtle, nonverbal communication about the characters’ relationships and their internal thoughts and feelings. It was all organically blended with the phenomenal singing so that it seemed perfectly believable for the characters to be singing while making love or singing while bleeding or whatever. 

(photo of Ariana Chris and Clayton Hilley taken by Denis Ryan Kelly, Jr.)

When Nicole said that you don’t even need to look at the English supertitles, I think she meant that even if you don’t know French, you can understand what is happening simply because the acting is so nuanced and clear.

Meanwhile, at the back of the stage – close enough to envelope the performers but not so close as to distract from them or overwhelm them – were the huge projections.  Production designer Joachim Schamberger used his computer and his collection of original images to create a unique, movement-filled film collage that perfectly enhances the moods, events, and themes of the story.

As Nicole said, the projections are not a literal background for the individual settings.  The projections include wordless foreshadowing and flashbacks.  They include images that are almost surreal – of roses, tarot cards, mental and physical landscapes, and more.  Some of the images are black and white, others are tinged with color.  All are both old-timey and timeless.

(Photo by Denis Ryan Kelly, Jr.)

In front of the projections are the exquisite live actors, also conveying so much without English words about their relationships to each other and their internal emotional states.

(Photo by Denis Ryan Kelly, Jr.)

And on top of all that – and under it and permeating it – is the music!  The gift-from-Heaven music that is right there with you, nothing in between you and its live producers except a few feet of air.

In fact, the whole experience is surreal but not faked, if that makes sense.  Like snorkeling in the water above a coral reef. 

Time passed quickly Wednesday night, both in real life and in the show.  For example, Carmen knifed Micaela…and when Micaela came back out on stage a few scenes later, a real scar seemed to have formed on her forehead. 

(Rachel Elizabeth Copeland as Micaela – photo by Denis Ryan Kelly, Jr.)

The show itself was 90 minutes with no intermission but I know this only because my press kit says so.  It seemed much shorter than that as I was experiencing it.

Although the set, other than the projections, is very plain – just a black floor, black curtains at the sides, and a long, low, bed-sized black box in the middle – the other design elements are satisfyingly rich.  Props include beautiful jeweled daggers and a fair amount of blood.  Not “Lieutenant of Inishmore” amounts of blood, mind you, but enough to be dismaying, and definitely convincing.  The costumes include a dazzling golden outfit for Escamillo the toreador.

(Photo of Darren Stokes and Ariana Chris was taken by Denis Ryan Kelly, Jr.)

The story was easy to follow and I recognized some of the songs. (Or am I supposed to call them arias?)   I found myself still humming Escamillo’s “Toreador en garde…” song the next morning as I made coffee in the staff kitchen at my day job.

But wait, I am getting ahead of myself…

(LtoR: Ariana Chris, Thomas Gunther, Patrick McMonigle? and Clayton Hilley – photo by Denis Ryan Kelly, Jr.)

The Post-Show Discussion

I was full-out weeping during the last part of the show, so when the lights came up and the performers came back on stage to take questions, I was in no shape to ask any.  However, I listened with interest to the questions asked by other audience members.

A little girl in front, for example, raised her hand enthusiastically but then was only able to whisper.  Her mother finally said for her, “She is trying to say that she wants to be an opera singer when she grows up.”

“Oh, then you must come up here and sit with us!” said Carmen, aka Ariana Chris, smiling and beckoning with her arms.  The girl did go up and sit between the two divas (and I use the word “diva” in the most respectful, admiring way) for the whole Q&A period.

One of the teenagers said how wow’d he had been by the projections.  He also wanted to know if opera singers are divided like the members of his church choir – i.e., tenor, bass, soprano, and alto.

“Yes,” said the tenor (Don Jose, aka Clayton Hilley.)  “And we all happen to be sitting here in that order.”  He pointed to himself and then Escamillo (bass Darren Stokes), Carmen (alto Ariana Chris), and Micaela (soprano Rachel Elizabeth Copeland.)  Actually, I think he had another word for Ariana’s part.  I’m sorry I can’t remember what it was. (3/17/11 – See also update* at the very bottom of this post!)

Another teen asked how it felt to be performing in this new venue.

Ariana Chris (Carmen) said, “It sounds very different to us to perform here instead of in a large hall.  Also, the maestro is not right in front of us.  Did you see me leaning to try to see him?”  (We all shook our heads, no.)  “But here there are more nuances for the audience to pick up on.  ‘Carmen’ is always sexy and fun but it is especially gritty and violent in this space.  There is a lot more action, a lot more running around, dancing, and jumping.”  She laughed.  “I am covered in bruises.”

Escamillo (Darren Stokes) added that in such an intimate space, it is easier for the audience to notice the performers’ mistakes. 

We all looked at each other in surprise and asked, “Did you notice any mistakes?”  “Nope, not me.”  “Me neither!”  It had all sounded great to us.

Someone asked about the fighting.  Rachel Elizabeth Copeland (Micaela) told how she produces the blood from her wounds when Carmen slashes her with a knife.  Rachel said, “I have the fake blood packet in my pocket.”  Since she is leaning over after the attack, the audience doesn’t see her take it out.

“But I couldn’t get it opened tonight!” she said.  “Finally, I just bit it open.  Part of the mixture is soap, so…blech!”

It may have tasted horrible but it looked completely real on Micaela’s forehead.  When Micaela finally looked up and faced the audience at that point in the show, she looked truly cut, truly in shock and pain.

Rachel and the other performers also talked about fight choreographer Rob Johansen’s coaching.  “He shows us how to make it look real but while keeping it completely safe for the performers in real life.”

I loved listening to all of the questions and answers.  I loved that in person, these extraordinarily gifted artists are just regular folks. 

Two Final Conversations and Some Photos

Nicole had said that it would be okay for me to ask Joachim Schamberger if he would make a little video with me, so even though I was still shaking and sniffling from the power of the show, I hung around until Joachim acknowledged me.  He was very gracious about granting my request, an extra special gift since the only people that were going home at that point were the audience members.  Everyone else was staying for “notes” and/or a little more rehearsal.

After Joachim and I made the little video in a quiet corner and said goodbye, the Indianapolis Opera’s Director of Development, Joe Peacock, found me a program to go with my press kit and explained which names belonged to the cast I had seen. 

In addition to the four double-cast principals, there are three supernumeraries (supporting roles) that are played by the same three men for every performance since they don’t sing.  (Or they don’t sing very much.)  Michael Mills plays Zuniga, another of Carmen’s flings.   Patrick McMonigle plays another character, named Garcia.  Usually, Howard Baetzhold plays Lillas Pastia, Carmen’s sort-of friend and tavern owner, but Joe told me that Wednesday night Howard’s plane had been delayed and he couldn’t make the rehearsal.  So, the other Escamillo, Thomas Gunther, stepped in for him!

Joe said it was probably the first time a supernumerary had ever had such an esteemed understudy!

I was impressed that Thomas had been able to do such a good job with the role on such short notice.  That tavern keeper may not sing much, but he has a lot of scurrying around to do in relation to Carmen’s adventures.

Here is the full “who did what” of the Artistic Personnel:

• Conductor: James Caraher
• Stage Director: Joachim Schamberger
• Fight Choreographer: Rob Johansen
• Production Designer: Joachim Schamberger
• Costume Designer: Indiana University Opera
• Lighting Designer: Betsy Cooprider-Bernstein
• Wig/Make-up Designer: Amanda Bailey
• Production Stage Manager: Deborah Jo Barrett

The next day, Nicole emailed me the photos you see in this post.  They were all taken by Denis Ryan Kelly, Jr. and almost all taken during the rehearsal that Scott and I saw.

(Photo by Denis Ryan Kelly, Jr. – www.DenisKelly.com )

Up Next at the Indianapolis Opera

As the IO’s artist-in-residence, Joachim Schamberger will also stage direct “La Traviata,” the final piece in the 2010-2011 season.  James Caraher will conduct the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.  “La Traviata” will be performed in Italian with English supertitles at Clowes Memorial Hall at 8pm on Friday, May 13 and at 2pm on Sunday, May 15.  For more information and to buy tickets, please go www.operaindy.org.

Here is the information that Aimee sent me about the just-announced 2011-2012 season:

**********

INDIANAPOLIS- Indianapolis Opera’s 36th season launches with four full-scale productions scheduled for performance at Clowes Memorial Hall and the newly renovated Basile Opera Center. The season ranges from the classic good verses evil story of Faust to one-act comedic operas such as A Water Bird Talk, a lecture to an Audubon Society gone awry, and Bon Appetit!, in humorous homage to Julie Child.

Indianapolis Opera 2011-2012 Season

Madama Butterfly

When: Sept. 23 & 25, 2011

Where: Clowes Memorial Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave., Indianapolis

Cost: $30, $70, $98, $115

A Water Bird Talk & Bon Appetit!

When: Nov. 4-13, 2011 (six performances)

Where: Basile Opera Center, 4011 N. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis

Cost: $34, $60

Opera Goes to the Movies

When: March 9 & 11, 2012

Where: Clowes Memorial Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave., Indianapolis

Cost: $30, $70, $98, $115

Faust

When: May 4 & 6, 2012

Where: Clowes Memorial Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave., Indianapolis

Cost: $30, $70, $98, $115

Discounts are available for seniors, military personnel and students. Season subscription cost is $105-$360. For tickets and further information, visit www.indyopera.org.

********** 

‘See you at the theatres….and now, too, at the opera!

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

P.S. – Follow me (@IndyTheatre) and/or the topic #indystage on Twitter.com.  I never tweet during a show (and I beg you not to take your phone out during a show either, for any reason!) but I often tweet first impressions during intermission or immediately after a show.

P.P.S. – After we went our separate ways on Wednesday night, Scott tweeted that he had loved the evening’s adventure, too, and  that this production would be a wonderful introduction to opera for someone who had never been.  I agree!

* Update 3/17/11 – When I first posted this blog entry, I had Carmen as a soprano part and Micaela as an alto part.  No one had called them that; I apologize for my misquote.  I think I just assumed that the title role would go to a soprano because in my church – whose music I love, by the way – the sopranos get to sing the interesting melodies in the hymnal and the altos are supposed to sing basically the same note over and over again.  (Guess which part I am?) 

But today I received an email from Rachel E. Copeland that said, in part:

This is Rachel E. Copeland, the singer whom you met after coming to our dress rehearsal last week of IO’s Carmen. I read your review of our performance and appreciate it very much. However (and I hope you don’t mind), I wanted to point out that Carmen (Ariana Chris) is the alto role and the role of Micaela (myself) is the soprano. Her lines consistently sit lower (this is called a tessitura) and her voice fills out and blooms more in the lower register. You also were wondering what the other term that Clay used to describe an alto- it is mezzo-soprano, which usually just goes by mezzo (in Italian this actually means medium or middle soprano) in operatic terms.

Let me know if you have any more questions or if there is anything that I can help you out with. I hope you don’t mind that I shared this info with you….

I didn’t, and don’t, mind at all!  On the contrary, I was very glad to receive the information, and honored that Rachel had a) read my blog and b) taken the time to write to me, and with such kindness.  Thanks again, Rachel!

Also, from now on when I try to sing in church, I am going to imagine my voice “filling out and blooming in the lower register.”  Thanks for that image, too!

H. Baugh

Last Thursday night I attended the preview night of Dance Kaleidoscope’s “Love Is…” program at the Indiana Repertory Theatre in downtown Indianapolis.  It was a wonderfully cathartic evening, artistically admirable in and of itself, but also coincidentally a perfect fit for my euphoric, spring-time mood and my emotional and aesthetic needs at the time.  I left feeling washed and ready.

The next day I still felt physically and emotionally uplifted by the experience.  I think this was because the program had incorporated not only strong, graceful dancing and other visuals but also spoken words, sung words, and explicit, well-communicated storytelling in the movements of the dancers (as opposed to abstract emotions.)  Most of it was easy for me to relate to, and yet there was also content that stretched and inspired me. 

The program included four pieces, all of which were new to me.

“Love Letter”

The first piece, choreographed by Cynthia Pratt and first performed in 2001, was called “Love Letter.”  It was actually several short pieces tied together, a bundle of spoken and danced poems detailing various aspects of romantic love – things like jealousy and boundary-setting and self-esteem and desire and pleasure and stalking and yearning and more – through specific people’s experiences.  The dancers unexpectedly and humorously (!) enriched and interpreted the letter-poems that Sam Shepard had written and Diane Timmerman had skillfully read aloud for a recording.  There was also pre-recorded music by Thomas Newman, Christopher Young, Ennio Morricone, and Chas Smith. 

Some of the letters were performed by couples, or triads, or groups of couples…but not all.  One of my favorites, in fact, was performed by a tiny blond woman (Melanie Schreiber?  I’m sorry: I don’t know any of the dancers in person and of course I didn’t take time while the dancing was going on to try to match the people on the stage with the headshots in the paper program*)  who danced all by herself.  I don’t remember there being any words to the first part of her dance, but she was clearly dancing about being in love with life even though she was not partnered up. 

“Ah, good,” I thought.  “This is me now.”  I had been relating to the other letters based on past experiences, but just as I was beginning to feel wistful and left out, along came this delightful segment.

In the second part of her dance, the accompanying poem-letter was about how she had changed everything about herself to fit her partner…whom she had not met yet!  The poem was hilarious; the dancer made it even more so.

*Update: The dancer was actually Jillian Godwin.  Thanks, David Hochoy, for the info! 

All ten members of the Company – Brandon Comer, Jillian Godwin, Mariel Greenlee, Liberty Harris, Timothy June, Kenoth Shane Patton, George Salinas, Caitlin Swihart, Melanie Schreiber, and Noah Trulock – deftly and deliciously helped to bring this collection of love letters to life. 

The dancers all wore some combination of purple and lavender, velvety textured and filmy, fabric.  Their costumes taken all together reminded me of the ribbons that people (me!) used to use to tie paper love letters together.  (Costumes by Cheryl Sparks.)

The lighting design, by Laura Glover, included some crinkly texture and lots of candy box red – a perfect, affectionate accompaniment.

“For Jose’”

After a pause, the curtain came up again for a second piece, performed by just two athletic men, Timothy June and Noah Trulock.  “For Jose’” was choreographed by David Hochoy and first performed in 2001 but the performance I saw was the Indiana premiere.

No costumer was given for this piece in my program.  The two men wore simple white trousers.  Lighting designer Laura Glover dappled ruddy-orange light over their bare chests at first and later bathed them in Grecian blue and white while they sensuously danced first the ups and downs of their friendship and then their love for each other. 

Yes, their love.  They actually kissed only at the end, and even then it was a sweet farewell kiss rather than a passionate one, but throughout the dance they looked at each other and moved with each other and took turns lifting each other in ways that suggested volumes about their shared intimacy and trust.

I hadn’t been expecting this at all, and I confess that at first this piece made me feel lonely and left out, even a little betrayed.

But then I thought that maybe that is how a gay person feels every time he is expected to relate to mainstream, heterosexual love stories.

And then, as I kept watching the beautiful dancing and listening to the heart-wrenching voice of Barbara Cook singing “This Nearly Was Mine” (music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II), I remembered that love is love and, as Rita Mae Brown says, love multiplies.   

At the end, when the two lovers were forced to separate, I felt that the loss of love through death has got to be one of the most universally painful experiences there is.  I realized I had stopped feeling jealous and “just” felt sympathy. 

“Love Key”

After another pause (and lots of whispering in the audience), the curtain rose a third time for the world premiere of a piece choreographed by Nicholas Owens, called “Love Key.”  Nick said later, during the intermission question-and-answer period, that this piece was inspired by Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

I understood the R&J inspiration from the dancers’ visual storytelling, but what I loved about this new piece was that its storytelling was (for me, anyway) more about (or at least also about) the right and left side of a person’s brain, and how important it is to appreciate and integrate both sides, i.e. - to  love one’s whole self.  In the dance, one side was not better than the other.  They were just different.  One group of dancers moved in very round, twirling, individualized ways.  The other group moved in very angular, matched formations.  At first, they did not get along at all, but when one from each group fell in love with each other, the others eventually  got over the fact that they were different, and started appreciating each other’s strengths. Eventually everyone (except the one guy who just would not give up his need to control and conform and therefore ended up banished and lonely) could dance together in harmony.

The right-brain-left-brain-integration theme was reflected in Cheryl Sparks’ costume design and Laura Glover’s lighting design as well.  Some of the dancers wore silky, flowing garb, while the others wore stiff, military-esque uniforms, but all of them shared the same cerebral blue palette and danced in the same airy-liquidy light.

The piece incorporates music by Stewart Copeland and James Newton Howard, and Music from the Vatican.  The dancers for this performance were Brandon Comer, Mariel Greenlee, Noah Trulock, Jillian Godwin, Liberty Harris, Timothy June, George Salinas, Caitlin Swihart, and Melanie Schreiber.

“Love Songs”

The fourth and final piece was a collection of “Love Songs” sung by tenor Steven Stolen, accompanied by Catherine Bringerud on the piano, and choreographed by David Hochoy. 

This piece was first in performed in 1995.  During the intermission, someone asked David how he and the dancers go about reviving a piece.  David said that they watch the videos that they have of their earlier performances but no video captures all of the details.  For those they rely on the dancers’ and choreographer’s memories, which is what everyone had to do for everything before there were videos.  Dancers and choreographers passed dances down in person (like stories in the oral tradition!  I love this!)  Sometimes even with videos, the dancers’ memories differ, in which case the dancers have spirited discussions in the studio.

“Love Songs” includes music & lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Loesser, Paul McCartney and John Lennon, George and Ira Gershwin, and Harold Arlen, with arrangements by Rick Walters.  Here are the names of the songs with their dancers:

• “I Have Dreamed” – Liberty Harris, Kenoth Shane Patton
• “I’ve Never Been in Love Before” – Kenoth Shane Patton, Mariel Greenlee
• “If I Fell” – Mariel Greenlee, Jillian Godwin, Timothy June
• “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off”  – Jillian Godwin, George Salinas
• “Over the Rainbow” – George Salinas, Melanie Schreiber

Steven and the pianist were in full view at the back of the stage.  I always feel rich any time I get to hear Steven Stolen sing live.  Hearing him interpret songs live while the DK dancers added still more layers of live interpretation in the same space was a chakra-tuning experience.  I cried in a cleansing way all the way through it, even when I was laughing at the funny parts.

The singing and piano playing were quiet enough that I could hear the squeak of the dancers’ bare feet as they twisted and leaped across the stage.  I could hear the dancers breathing, too.  At first this was distracting, but then it added yet another layer of meaning to the already powerful piece:  love is gorgeous, but it is also real and it takes effort.

The last song, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” has always struck me as a very lonely song, but part of it was danced here with infectious joy over the arrival at that “place that I heard of once in a lullaby.” 

At the end of the song, the female dancer danced alone, and the final look on her face – well, drat: I am crying again, remembering.  The look on her face at the end of the dance (and of her life?) was a powerful, and yes, healing blend of fear, hope, and strength.

I loved this show.

New Season

Dance Kaleidoscope announced its 2010/2011 season at “Love Is…”  This will be artistic director David Hochoy’s 20^th season with the company. He said at intermission that he never expected to be in Indiana this long.  I’m glad he stayed!

Here is the new season:

• Fall 2010: “The Body Electric”
• January 2011: “The Elvis Project”
• March 2011:  “Passionate Puccini”
• Spring 2011: “Mad for Musicals”

The 2010 Summer performance and venue are still to be announced, but before that is “Pictures at an Exhibition,” which will run May 20-23, 2010 at the Indiana Repertory Theatre.

For more information about the above shows and other Kaleidoscope events, please visit www.dancekal.org.

Conversations with David

Also of interest from my “Love Is…” program: a world premiere performance of Israel’s Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company 2 will take place here in Indianapolis at the Arthur M. Glick JCC (6701 Hoover Road) from 7-8:30pm on Thursday, March 18, 2010.  This event is free and but to guarantee a seat, RSVP to 317-726-5450 or IsraelPartnership@JFGI.org.

Dance Kaleidoscope’s artistic director, David Hochoy, will interview members of the Israeli company on Wednesday, March 17 from 6-7:30 pm at the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s Cabaret (3^rd floor.)  There will be complimentary refreshments.  Please RSVP for this ”Conversations with David” event to lynnw@dancekal.org or 317-940-8459.

********** 

‘See you at the theatres!

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

Also follow @IndyTheatre on Twitter.com for brief, day-of-show observations.

The rest of Indianapolis has moved on from the Colts’ attempt to win another Super Bowl on Sunday, February 6, 2010.  However, I had an artistic gestalt that night and now that I think I may have my home computer working again, I would like to record a few more thoughts about my “discovery” of the performance art of Bob Lamey and other sports storytellers.

Most of the world does not call them that, of course.   They call them sports announcers or radio hosts or commentators or something like that.

Whatever you call them, you can not deny that the good ones bring unique skills and impressive knowledge to create an exciting, in-the-moment spoken interpretation of what is happening on the field.

That Night

Let me back up and share part of what I wrote on Lou Harry’s Arts & Entertainment blog on ibj.com the morning after the Super Bowl:

I only decided to follow the Super Bowl at the last minute when I was trying to write a theatre review Sunday night and my laptop stopped cooperating.  I don’t have TV, either, so finding Super Bowl coverage at the last minute at home was a bit of a scramble.  I kept trying unsuccessfully to find some website that would let me follow the game on my iPhone.

A social networking friend suggested I listen to radio station 97.1, aka Hank FM.

I am so glad he did!  The two guys announcing each play of the football game were WONDERFUL! I could SEE the game happening through their descriptive words, feel the excitement of the action through the emotion in their voice, share their disappointment when the game didn’t go the way we wanted it to go…

The game was exciting, but even more exciting to me was that I felt as if I had discovered a whole new spoken word performance art.  It was a treat!

Who knew that radio sports announcing could be so riveting?

The Next Morning 

After the game, I looked at the Hank FM website but I couldn’t figure out who the sports announcers were, so I called the station and was transferred to the Operations Director, Bob Richards.

He told me that it had been Bob Lamey and Will Wolford “calling the game.”   He also told me that they are employees of the Colts organization and that they “call” all of the Colts games.

I suspect that “calling” can sometimes be as inadequate a word as “telling.”   A good oral tradition storyteller transports his or her audience.  A good sports caller does, too.  My listening experience that Sunday night was so much more than someone merely calling out “Hurray, there’s a touchdown!” or “Darn, he dropped the ball.”  It was richly informative and cathartic.

Mind you, there were two visuals that I usually pay attention to on the rare occasions when I watch a football game that these announcers did not provide.  They did not say a word about the design and fit of either team’s uniforms, nor did they comment on the physical attributes (and sexiness thereof) of any of the players themselves. 

But hey, complete satisfaction is rare in any art form.

Not Just at Home, Not Just the Colts

Another social networking friend told me that even when he goes to Colts games in person, he still loves to listen to Bob Lamey on headphones while he watches the action.

My father says that he knows a lot of people who do that: watch their favorite sport in person whenever they can, but listen to their favorite radio announcers at the same time to enrich their experience.

Beef-and-Boards actor Eddie Curry, when he saw what I wrote on Lou’s blog, told me I would also probably enjoy the work of Mark Boyle, the announcer for the Indianapolis Pacers basketball team.  I will try to find time to give him a listen, too.

Other Arts Radio News?

I really only called 97.1 Hank FM to get the names of my new performance art heroes, but Bob Richards seemed open to questions, especially after I confessed that I was a blogger focusing on live theatre and storytelling in the Indianapolis area, so I ducked into a phone booth and changed into my Curiosity Girl cape and tights while we talked.  I.e., I kept asking questions and he kept answering them.

I’ve slept since then, but I think he said that the people (Vectron Network?) who own and/or sponsor 97.1 Hank FM also own 1070 The Farm and 93.1 WIBC radio stations.  He said that they were planning a twice daily “arts vignette” series that would begin this spring, around March 1, on WIBC.  The series will be hosted by someone special but he couldn’t give me that person’s name yet.  (Remember, this was back on February 8.)  He also said they planned to launch a companion website where arts organizations and everyday people could post information and reviews about arts events.

That all sounded good to me, so I gave him my email address (amarylliswriter at gmail dot com) and asked if he would add me to the distribution list for media releases as they became available.  He said that he would.

I have not heard back from him yet, however, so maybe those plans had to be pushed back a bit.  I still enjoyed our conversation, though.

One Other Word about the Super Bowl Game

I would have been delighted if the Colts had won, of course, but I have friends in New Orleans, and that gorgeous city has been through a LOT in the past several years, so I didn’t begrudge the Saints the win at all.  I appreciate both teams for providing all of the fans a Super Bowl game that was… well, yes: it was dramatic!

‘See you at the theatres…

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

(“Coltssaints355″ photo, above, taken by Paul J. Everett.)

Follow @IndyTheatre on Twitter.com, too.

Last Sunday afternoon, I met a friend at Clowes Hall on the Butler University campus on the north side of Indianapolis to see and hear a six-group collaborative presentation of “Carmina Burana,” by Carl Orff.  It was a transformative experience.  This might sound silly, but it’s true: at one point in the program, I could actually feel my chakras clicking into balance.  Bliss!  After the show, I happily walked into walls a bit until I found my way back to my car. 

My friend loved the show, too. When we met back up at a restaurant downtown for an early dinner, we both said that we hadn’t wanted to turn on the radio while we were driving because we were so enjoying the music from the show that was still running through our heads.

Neither of us had had any first-hand experience with “Carmina Burana” before this, but my friend said that when he lived in Germany, everyone he knew was very familiar with it.  He was glad to have a chance to finally experience it for himself.

I hadn’t known a thing about it except that Dance Kaleidoscope was involved with this production of it, and it had been too long (last January!) since I had seen a DK show.  When I heard that there would be live musical accompaniment to the dancing, I thought, “Well, won’t that be nice.”

I was unprepared for – but exhilerated by – the level of stimulation that a stage filled with powerful, graceful dancers gorgeously costumed and lit and framed by overflowing banks of live, talented musicians would provide.  This was definitely a case where the sum was even bigger than its parts.

Multiple Artistic Contributions (besides the composer)

In addition to Dance Kaleidoscope (more about the dance component in a moment), the collaboration included the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, whose artistic director is Dr. Eric Stark.  Dr. Stark conducted “Carmina Burana,” too.  I read in my program (and a “well done” to whoever wrote the program, by the way: I appreciated the concise but interesting mix of information it provided)…

…I read in my program that the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir is the choral partner of the Indianapolis Symphonic Orchestra “having been founded in 1937 at their request in order to perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.”  The Choir has approximately 160 volunteer singers.  “In addition to serving as ‘guest artists’ for the ISO, the Choir produces its own concerts and events each season…The most recent addition outreach program, ‘Hallelujah – What’s it to Ya?,’ is an educational and engaging look at Handel’s ‘Hallelujah Chorus,’ complete with choir members leading an audience sing-along.”  That sounds like fun!

At “Carmina Burana,” the men and women of the Choir wore all black and stood in rows on risers on both the edges of the stage and the edges of the orchestra pit.  In the second half of the show, their vibrant bouquet of voices was joined by the Indianapolis Children’s Choir.  The children filled several rows of the house left balcony.  It was lovely to have their sweet voices drifting down over us as we watched the dancers.

Down in the orchestra pit, two pianos nestled in each other’s curves like kittens.  Two men from the American Pianists Association – Stephen Beus and Michael Sheppard – masterfully played the pianos while facing each other.

I should stop here and confess that I use the word “masterfully” as if I know what I’m talking about, but I really don’t have the vocabulary, training, or experience to write about music (or dance, for that matter) in any authoritative way.  However, “masterful” is the word that came to my mind as I listened to these two men play their pianos, so I’m using it.

Six percussionists from the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra – Tom Harvey, Jeff Nearpass, Jon Crabiel, Craig Pare’, Matt Roberts, and Rares Caluseriu – played their various drums and other instruments in locations around the pianos.  Another confession:  I have a soft spot for all percussionists because my father, brother, and I (to a much, much lesser extent) are all percussionists.  I love the very specific, often surprising layers that percussion can provide to any aural experience.  Quoting my program again, this time from Dr. Stark’s notes, “Carmina Burana” is “a sort of percussion concerto due to the aural prominence of the drumming, clanging, crashing and scratching.”  In other words, this “chamber version” of a piece that can also be performed with a full orchestra instead of with “just” two pianos, six percussionists and a gazillion vocalists, is a treat for a percussion fan.  The contributions of the six percussionists in “Carmina Burana” confirmed my belief that percussionists have both the hardest job and the most fun.  The percussion contributions to this piece all sounded perfectly placed and perfectly executed to me.  They richly enhanced the overall storytelling of the piece.

Three vocal soloists – Marcy Richardson (soprano), Zachary Colby (tenor), and Ryan De Ryke (baritone) – performed from a slightly elevated row of music stands on the stage-right side of the orchestra pit.  I’m not sure which arts group brought them into the mix, so I am giving them their own category: The Soloists.

My only disappointment with this show is that I couldn’t see the soloists very well.  They each sounded wonderful, and maybe that should have been enough, but the fact that they each sounded so good made me want to watch them do their thing, too.  And when I scrunched over and looked left through people’s shoulders and managed to catch a glimpse of Ryan De Ryke when he was singing in the second half of the show, his mischievous, sly, flirtatious facial expressions did give me a delicious window of meaning into what I was hearing in a language that was foreign to me.

I am not complaining about our seats, though.  I loved being far enough back to get the full visual of the Dance Kaleidoscope dancers as a group but also close enough to see the expressions on their faces and the subtleties in the movements of their individual bodies.  These dancers!  So strong!  So beautiful!  So expressive!  I could have watched them for DAYS.

The dancers included Kenoth Shane Patton, Liberty Harris, George Salinas, Jillian Godwin, Mariel Greenlee, Melanie Schreiber, Tanner Hronek, Caitlin Swihart, Brittany Edwards, Timothy June, Zach Young, Carly Whitehead, and Brandon Comer.

They danced the choreography of Dance Kaleidoscope’s artistic director, David Hochoy, who originally worked with the Martha Graham Dance Company.  To me, with my admittedly limited experience, “Martha Graham style” means that the lines and visual compositions in the piece are strong and cohesive but unexpected.  Sometimes the word “geometric” comes to mind, but not always.  Sometimes the words “popping” and “swirling” come to mind.  Anyway, I like David Hochoy’s choreography very, very much.   

In “Carmina Burana,” Mr. Hochoy incorporated large pieces of silky fabric or long, wooden poles into several of the segments.  This made the choreography even more dramatic and exciting.

Six arts organizations came together to create this production of “Carmina Burana,” but I want to give the DK lighting and costume designers their own paragraphs, too, because they were each outstanding.

Laura Glover designed the lights.  According to my program, she is DK’s Resident Lighting Designer and Production Manager.  Her designs for “Carmina Burana” took us from warm, peachy day to cool, glistening night, but also into green woods, smoky bars, airy clouds, a stained glass sanctuary, and more.   The lighting for this show was fabulous.

Barry Doss designed the costumes, with additional costumes by Cheryl Sparks.  I have many, many favorites, but I will just mention the shaggy haunches of the satyrs – so randy and wonderful!  I loved the way the hairs moved.  Oh, and the swirly, colorful panels of everyone’s “skirts.”  And the golden helmets!  And the women’s golden breast cups.  They must have had to use super-glue to hold those on, which must have been painful to remove, but they looked great! 

Yes, the costumes and the lighting were as much treats as the music and the dancing in this show.

The Story

There were actually two pieces in this program.  First, as a sort of appetizer before all of the arts leaders came on stage to introduce themselves and thank the sponsors, there was a short piece called “Pie Jesu” by Andrew Lloyd Webber. (Choreography by David Hochoy, lighting by Laura Glover, and costumes by Cheryl Sparks.)  Four dancers – Brittany Edwards, Mariel Greenlee, Timothy June, and Zach Young – danced gracefully in pairs.

After the introductions, “Carmina Burana” began.

All the program tells us about the story of ”Carmina Burana” is that there are two acts.  The first act is called “The Day” and it includes three segments:  “Fortune, Empress of the World,” “Spring,” and “On The Green.”  The second act is called “The Night” and it includes four segments:  “In the Tavern,” “The Court of Love,” “Blanchefleur and Helen,” and “Fortune, Empress of the World.”

At intermission, I overheard someone telling someone else that she thought there was no German-to-English translation of the lyrics in the program because David Hochoy had choreographed the piece based purely on what the music had made him feel.  She thought he probably wanted the audience to have the chance to interpret it for themselves, too.  Something like that. 

I don’t know if that’s true, but her words made me think, “Whew!  No other newcomers know what is officially going on here either, and it’s okay.  I still have no idea who Carmina is or was, but I can just relax and enjoy whatever I’m thinking and feeling.”

For me, then, the piece is about transformation.  As I mentioned earlier, I felt physically transformed by it, myself, but I think the themes of the piece are related to transformation as well.  E.g., the transformation of day into night, but also the transformations that come from creation, from playing in nature, from sex, commitment, birth, torture, longing, and more.  The piece includes “small” stories of transformation within a larger story of the transformation – or maybe “evolution” is a better word – of a people from a beautifully gilded but highly structured and warlike community to a more flowing and colorful community that is loving and beautiful to the point of ecstasy.

I am sighing again, remembering how satisfying this show was.  I wish I could experience it again.

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com and @IndyTheatre on Twitter.

I had a wonderful time at the Penrod Arts Festival on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art yesterday.  I confess that part of what got me there was the thought that I would be able to bring my iPhone along and “tweet” about my day at Penrod as @IndyTheatre on Twitter.com.

I also made another little video, this time with Dave Ruark from the Indiana Repertory Theatre.  (See above.) 

Below is the expanded version of my tweets, so that you can see what tweeting is like, if you haven’t already tried it.  It’s not for everyone.  Please don’t think I’m trying to sell you on Twitter or anything like that.

IndyTheatre hoping to get to #penrodartsfair today.  Gorgeous weather for it!

I usually only tweet once a day or once every couple of days to let my Twitter followers know about a new blog post or to give a first impression of a show I’ve just seen.  Sometimes I tweet other theatre-related news, but I’ve become resigned to the fact that since I am only a part-time blogger – and I don’t want to give up my fulltime day job as a librarian – I am never going to be able to go after the “scoops” that fulltime, professional journalists can.  But that’s okay.  What I enjoy most about blogging and micro-blogging anyway are the opportunities to share personal responses in a creative way.

IndyTheatre scored a Marsh discount ticket, gassed up the car…on to Penrod! #penrodartsfair

Micro-blogging “at the scene” is a lot harder than you might think!  Being creative, or even observant, on demand is a challenge.  Also, you don’t want to be so busy tweeting that you miss the actual experience.  But this is true of life in general.  One woman yesterday fussed and fussed about where she and her friend were going to sit to watch the dancers.  I wanted to shout at her, “Lady, the dancers are dancing right now and you’re missing it!  Sit down, shut up, and BE HERE NOW!”

It’s also hard, for me anyway, to type with one’s thumbs.  However, almost everything is hard at first, right?  So I keep at it with faith that I will get better at it.  For this blog post I confess that I corrected most of the mis-typings in my tweets.

Another thing that’s tricky about tweeting is that you can make your tweets more searchable if you use hashtags – keywords that start with # and that are the same keywords that other people are using to write about your topic – but you have to remember to use them.

For the Indy Fringe Festival, for example, the hashtag was #indyfringe.  I tried to figure out what the common hashtag would be for everyone who was tweeting about the Penrod Arts Fair, but I couldn’t find any that were specific enough.  Plain #penrod led me to some very unsexy porn.  Gaagh!

IndyTheatre Wondering what the hashtag is for Penrod.  Using #penrodartsfair with fingers crossed.

I never thought I would be one to want to tweet (or text or call) from my car, but when you’re sitting in traffic waiting for the light to change, the urge to pick up your clever new iPhone is almost irresistible.  Especially when:

IndyTheatre Sees a couple in lederhosen on their way to #penrodartsfair.  Yay!

But I actually finished that tweet from the parking lot because I didn’t sit in traffic very long.  The parking for Penrod this year was better organized than ever.  I followed the signs to Light of the World Christian Church, slid into a parking spot, and then rode a school bus to the fair itself.  Smooth!

IndyTheatre Scores the perfect free parking spot for #penrodartsfair.  Is there a hashtag for good parking karma?

There were a gazillion other people at Penrod with me.  At first we all shuffled along and I thought, “Oh, man.  I hate crowds this dense.  I should have stayed home and done yard work.”  But eventually the crowd dispersed onto the various paths and I could breath again.

IndyTheatre Hah!  Long line at the temporary ATM at #penrodartsfair.   Must be good stuff to buy here!

IndyTheatre Stopped by Storytelling Arts of Indiana #penrodartsfair booth to say hi to Ellen Munds.  Hi, Ellen!

I actually stopped by this booth a couple of times.  Storyteller Marcia Baker was there, too.

IndyTheatre Okay, gorgeous paintings, pottery, and jewelry but where are the stages? (following my ears…)

I forgot to put the hashtag in that tweet.  Sigh…

IndyTheatre Yay! Here is the #penrodartsfair dance stage!  Just saw Indianapolis School of Ballet!  Dazzling!

Young girls danced first on point and then with tap shoes.  Then a group of older girls came out on stage and…

IndyTheatre Wow. “Blue Metallica” dance by indyballet.org was fluid, intriguing, & beautiful.  #penrodartsfair

I wish I had caught the name of the choreographer.  The woman announcing the dances gave him credit but it slipped out of my mind before I could tweet it.

When the Indianapolis School of Ballet was finished, some of the crowd left, and I snagged one of the folding chairs under a huge tree to people-watch and tweet some more before the next show:

IndyTheatre is thinking there is probably a pair of earrings here with my name on it, but Recollective is next on the #penrodartsfair dance stage.

IndyTheatre Cool breeze, shaded seat, live performance art.  This is the life!  #penrodartsfair

IndyTheatre Wonder where that child had that GREAT skull & crossbones painted on his cheek.  #penrodartsfair

I found out later that there was a whole grotto devoted to activities for children.  They could throw a pot, watch a puppet show, and more.  The face painters used stencils, I think, to make their cool designs.

IndyTheatre Recollective Company is quintessential #penrodartsfair – an entrancing mix of disciplines.

ReCollective shared a version of the “humanature” piece that they had developed for the Indy Fringe Festival.  I watched for a while and then decided to walk around some more.

IndyTheatre Just hung out with cast from “Speech & Debate” cast at Phoenix Theatre booth at #penrodartsfair

I was delighted to see Matthew Van Oss at the Phoenix booth.  He was a geeky-cutie in a show called “End Days” at the Phoenix in early January, 2008 (just before I started Indy Theatre Habit.)  The young woman with him looked familiar, too, and she definitely knew me, but I couldn’t place her, even after we talked for a bit, so I finally had to say, “I’m sorry: I’m spacing on your name and how I know you.”  This happens a lot, I’m afraid.

She was very gracious about my lapse.  She was Kelli Johnson!  She had been in “June 8, 1968” last year and in “The Do’s and Don’ts of Time Travel” this year.  Of course.

Kelli told me excitedly that she was looking forward to being in “Speech and Debate” with Matt at the Phoenix this year.  It’s about three students who feel squelched at their high school.  The girl that Kelli plays, for example, never gets cast in school plays because the school’s theatre director hates her.  Oh, I’m not explaining it as well as Kelli did.  I wish I had thought to ask her to make a little video with me!  But I had fun talking with her anyway.  And now I am looking forward to seeing “Speech and Debate” next spring.

IndyTheatre Spring Phoenix show “Speech & Debate” sounds VERY fun and real.  My kind of high school.  Thanks, Kelli!

As I was standing off to the side tweeting, Dave Ruark from the Indiana Repertory Theatre came up to me.  “Hey, you made it!” he said.  “I just sent you a message on Twitter.”

Dave tweets for the IRT sort of in the same way I do: the occasional news bit or blog link, but then sometimes a whole flurry of “in the moment” tweets for special occasions such as when the cast of a new show gathers for the first time.  I love reading Dave’s tweets. (Follow him yourself @IRTlive.)

Dave is also an iPhone user.  It’s sort of like being in a club: you bond easily simply because you’re both members.  He gave me some useful tips about downloading apps, and recommended Twitterific to make tweeting easier.

IndyTheatre Enjoyed talking with Dave Ruark from the IRT just now at #penrodartsfair.  Video on blog tonight.  Thanks, Dave!

I walked some more, and thought about tweeting that the three people at the Arts Council of Indianapolis booth made me smile because they looked like people from the movie “Men in Black” because they were all wearing dark sunglasses and standing solemnly with their arms crossed and this made me feel glad that the Arts Council is out there fighting on behalf of Indy arts…but before I could figure out how to say that in 140 characters or less, I was distracted by another booth – the Indiana Historical Society’s:

IndyTheatre Yay!  Huge photo of man Abraham Lincoln at the indianahistory.org booth at #penrodartsfair

IndyTheatre Ooops!  That should have been MY man Lincoln…but I’ll share.  #penrodartsfair

Also by then I was at another of the several Penrod stages:

IndyTheatre Tad Robinson and company on the #penrodartsfair jazz stage is making me dance in public!  I’m not the only one!

Matthew Socey, host of “The Blues House Party” on WFYI, was the MC for that stage.  He said he was going to include musical cuts from the Penrod event later that night on his radio show.  I caught the tail end of it on my drive home from a theatre show.  Fun!

IndyTheatre Loving the idyllic “secret” paths of the IMA grounds especially during #penrodartsfair

Everything was in bloom!  There were colors and patterns everywhere, yet they were all presented in a completely soothing way.

IndyTheatre IMA Lilly House is beautiful…and it has flush toilets.  Yay!  #penrodartsfair

I would like to go back to the Indianapolis Museum of Art some day soon to just wander the beautiful grounds and take a more leisurely tour of the Lilly House and exhibits.  I am sorry that I have let my membership lapse.  People were offering free tickets to the Penrod festival if you bought an IMA membership at the gate, but I had already bought a discounted ticket at Marsh.  ($12 instead of $15)  Ah, well.  I’m sure the IMA will let me renew my membership the next time I’m there.

I wandered next to the children’s area, just to see what it was like…

IndyTheatre just “pet” a violin at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s Petting Zoo at #penrodartsfair.  Very cool.

A young man named Charles Lin, I think, from the ISO’s Education Department showed me how to put the violin under my chin and move the bow parallel to the little bridge thingy.  My breath caught, it was such an exhilarating experience.

“How do you know where to put the fingers of your left hand?” I asked when I could breathe again.

Charles smiled and said, “Oh, you just learn.”  I moved the bow then while he held down the strings.  Then I tried holding down one string myself.  “About an inch from the end,” he said, before turning to help someone else with another violin.

I pressed down on the string, drew the bow across, lifted my finger, drew it across again.

I wonder how much violins cost.

IndyTheatre feels good but is grateful for the firstaid people at #penrodartsfair just in case.

I walked past some more booths for organizations.  Indianapolis Civic Theatre, Footlite Musicals, Buck Creek Players, and more.  I didn’t stop to talk at each one, especially if I didn’t recognize the people staffing them, but I was glad to see them represented at Penrod.

Several people in black t-shirts, including a woman who told me her name was Robin, were assertively approaching passers-by to hand them show fliers:

IndyTheatre enjoyed talking with Robin from cabaretpoe.com at #penrodartsfair.  New-to-me Irvington Lodge theatre.

Robin said that a young man who is somehow connected with a seniors center in Irvington put some of Edgar Allen Poe’s stories and poems to music.   His show (warning: his website’s sound effects are startling!) will be at the Irvington Lodge all through October. 

“It’s not a Masonic lodge any more,” Robin told me.  “We’re making it into a theatre!”

“Are you in the cast?” I asked.

“Oh, no!  I’m just helping to get the word out.” 

I gave Robin my blog card and asked her to pass it on to “the young man” (I never did get his name) or whoever is sending out press releases or whatever.

Then I got serious about shopping…

IndyTheatre Hey!  This year’s #penrodartsfair earrings DO have my name on them! “Hope” & “Create.”

…and about seeing as much as I could of the festival grounds…

 IndyTheatre feels good to sit down with a lemonade.  How big IS #penrodartsfair anyway?

It is HUGE.  I walked and walked and still only saw a fraction of what was offered.  But by then it was 4:30.  The festival would end at 5:00.  My iPhone battery was down to only 10% – just enough to call the Epilogue Players to make a last-minute reservation to see “Other People’s Money” at 7:30 that night.  Then I listened to a band wearing tie-dyed shirts play songs from the 1960s and 1970s.

IndyTheatre Grooving to Peace Train on rock stage at #penrodartsfair.  So glad I came!

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com and @IndyTheatre

Last Saturday night I judged an Encore show that let out relatively early.  I didn’t feel like going home yet, so I drove to downtown Indianapolis to Massachusetts Avenue to see if ComedySportz had a 10:00 improv show on Saturday nights. I was delighted to find that they did.

I had been to see the Three Dollar Bill Comedy Company - a current-events-based sketch comedy troupe – in the Friday 10pm guest slot at ComedySportz several times before, and had a great time.  I had also seen various Indy Fringe Festival shows on the ComedySportz stage last summer.  In other words, I already felt very comfortable with the venue.  I also had seen some of the ComedySportz improv artists perform as part of the Laugh-a-thon Fundraiser for various charities at Theatre on the Square several weeks ago. I had been meaning to see what a whole evening of their work would be like.

It was SO…MUCH…FUN!

The Match

A ComedySportz match really is like a sporting event, only it is much more engaging than most sporting events that I’ve ever attended.  I was impressed by the layers of audience participation that have been carefully built into the show’s format. 

The audience stands and sings the National Anthem before the match begins, same as at a regular sporting event, for example.  There is a well-grounded referee with a whistle, plus a big, electronic scoreboard that displays the points awarded to the two teams of improv artists that are up on the compact stage, or “playing field,” competing against each other to make the audience laugh. 

However, the audience members are asked – in a skillfully guided way – for suggestions to help make the games go.  We help call fouls, too, and we help award points.  The whole process is very energizing, and we all leave feeling like winners, whether the red team won the big trophy this time or the blue team did, and whether we ourselves are shy rookies or confident veteran improv audience members.

Each match consists of several different improv games, which is another reason this artistic sporting event is unusually interesting.  You might think you would get bogged down with learning the always-changing rules, but you don’t because the team players already know how each game works, and the referee, who is actually more like a master of ceremonies or a time-and-energy manager, knows what questions to ask to get you to give good suggestions. 

There is another board under the scoreboard where over-used words go for a time-out.  I think it was called the “suggestion graveyard.”  Apparently, everyone says “toilet” first, for example, when asked to name an object, so that word is now off-limits.  No one wins if the games are not freshly funny.

The ref calls fouls for “groaners” (something too stupid or icky or punny) and for “brown bag” content (something too rude or crude for an all-ages, family-friendly audience.)   This doesn’t feel restrictive, however.  It feels exciting.  Somehow the ComedySportz format acknowledges and embraces the competitive nature of human beings, yet keeps us from wallowing in our baser natures.

As I say, this was only my first time to attend a regular ComedySportz show, but I can see how it would be fun and continually interesting to attend on a regular basis.  Not only do the games change constantly, the content within each game is unique every time because the ref always takes the first audience suggestion she or he heard, and the audience changes a little every night.

In fact, when I was standing in line to use the restroom before the show started, the woman ahead of me told me that this was their (her and her husband/boyfriend’s?) fourth time to attend.  They liked coming to ComedySportz so much that this time they had invested three extra dollars to receive the special judges’ paddles and the privilege of judging special events within the show. 

I decided I had better go back to the box office and pay my three dollars, too, in order to get the full ComedySportz experience.  During the show, I enjoyed waving either my blue flyswatter or my red flyswatter depending on which team I thought had been funnier.  I’m keeping my judge’s paddles in my car for the next time I go to ComedySportz.

The players, referee, and announcer change every show, too.  I’m sure audience members who attend regularly develop favorites, but the wide variety of players in an even wider variety of potential combinations keeps everyone minty.  My program lists 47 players, but only six compete at a time (three on each team.) 

The players take turns being servers, too, on nights when they are not playing.  Saturday night, I recognized Ed Trout and Jon “J-Co” Colby from seeing them at the TOTS Laugh-a-thon, and but I did not know the other players.  I asked my server, Erin “The side of caution” Hopkins, to mark them on my program:

Lynn “The Big Cheese” Burger was the referee in a black-and-white-striped shirt.  The team players included “Strange” David Fuller, Mookie “Kevin” Harris, Eric “When Harry” Metcalf, Brent “E I E I” Owens, and Kelsey “Mini” Van Vorst.  Ed “Over the Rainbow” Trout was up in the announcer’s loft, serving as The Voice of the Director in a game called “Auditions” and moo-ing and making other sound effects with his voice and his microphone as needed.

A young man named Josh was in the box office.  He told me that he will graduate from Pike High School in three days and then he will be eligible to join the regular team of ComedySportz players.  CSz sales manager Troy “T-bone” Hanna told me later that Josh has been on Pike’s high school ComedySportz team and that when the high school league is going on, CSz is packed with enthusiastic parents and other fans.

The Press Kit

That’s Troy Hanna in the photo at the top of this post, by the way.   He is wearing a CSz blue team shirt and preparing to walk in the Humane Society’s Mutt Strutt.  Ed Trout said I could use a photo from the CSz website, and that one made me laugh out loud, so that’s the photo I went with.

Troy gave me a juicy press kit.  You know me: I’m a sucker for press kits, especially when they are filled with interesting information and other goodies.  I was surprised, and then filled with admiration, to learn that ComedySportz Indianapolis offers a wide variety of professional improv-related services in addition to their standard Thursday/Friday/Saturday night shows.

One example is their Group Unity Training Seminars (G.U.T.S.) for businesses.  According to the brochure,

“The fun, supportive improvisational learning in G.U.T.S. teaches teambuilding, communication, sales techniques, customer service, leadership and creative thinking. Through active participation, people in a G.U.T.S. session enjoy games and exercises that challenge them to work with others to solve problems.”

The ComedySportz people work with each company to design the exact G.U.T.S. experience to meet the company’s unique needs.

The brochure lists several companies that have hired the CSz people to do this work, including Eli Lilly and Company, Well Point, Key Bank, the American Cancer Society, and many more.  My press kit also includes a letter from a Ball State University representative thanking the ComedySportz people for presenting their “Leading with Confidence” workshop to students.

Another brochure suggests several variations of customized corporate entertainment events.  That brochure says:

“ComedySportz is completely flexible and scalable, from a 15-minute United Way Kickoff to a fully produced World Tour; in spaces from living rooms to outdoor festivals, and everything in between.  Our show always tailors itself to your group, and it’s always positive, hilarious, and clean.”

The list of private show clients is even longer than the G.U.T.S. list.

Yet another brochure tells about CSz’s Summer Improv Theatre Camp.  It is designed for high school students, grades 9-12.  The camp will run July 20-24, 2009, 1:00-5:00 pm, at the air-conditioned ComedySportz venue and includes a showcase performance for family and friends at the end.  Cost is $199 and there are some scholarships available.

“Through improv games and warm-ups, professional ComedySportz improvisers will teach: creating funny characters, building scenes, rhyming and music, and miming and object work.”

Man, that sounds like fun!

My press kit also includes a copy of a satisfyingly detailed article by Steve Carr from Nuvo a few years back, when ComedySportz Indy was celebrating its tenth anniversary.  I wasn’t able to quickly find the article online to include a link to it in this post, but if I do find it, I will add it here.  It tells about how the ComedySportz Indianapolis troupe grew from a group that originally called itself Below the Belt.  I envy Carr’s smooth writing style and the content itself is a fascinating piece of Indy theatre history.

Another piece in my press kit says that ComedySportz Indianapolis offers performances as fund-raising events to help not-for-profit organizations.  Troy told me a little about this in person, too:

“We charge a flat fee of $500 and they can charge whatever they want.  We can hold it here, if they want, but they can make more money if they hold it in their own venue.”

There are some other goodies in my press kit, but I haven’t fully explored them yet so I’ll have to tell you about them another time.  Well, okay, I also want to tell you now that a refrigerator magnet in my press kit says that on Saturdays at 4:30 there are shows just “4 kidz.”  Tickets are only $8 for everyone at those shows, and CSz welcomes birthday parties and school/scout outings.

There were three adults celebrating their birthdays at the 10pm show at ComedySportz on Saturday night.  I think people go there as part of their anniversary celebrations, too.  I would, anyway.  I don’t know about you, but I rate “laugh together” as right up there on my list of romantic things to do with a partner.

I went home alone on this particular Saturday night, but I was smiling.

Souvenirs and More Info

ComedySportz is a smoke-free facility.  You can buy beer and snacks from a “fun ballpark-style menu.”  I had nachos and lemonade Saturday night and they hit the spot.  I also added a fifth plastic souvenir cup to my collection of ComedySportz cups.  Plastic souvenir cups definitely remind me of college sports events.

To make a reservation for a ComedySportz show (recommended), or for more information about any of the services I mentioned above, please call 317-951-8499.

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

On Monday night I attended the Spotlight 2009 gala at Clowes Memorial Hall on the Butler University campus.  It was presented by the Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis and Efroymson Family Fund: a CICF Fund.

According to my program, the event was “One extraordinary night of singers, dancers, musicians and actors to benefit the Indiana AIDS Fund.”  In other words: “One Night.  One Stage.  One Reason.”

It truly was extraordinary.  A sampler of many artistic treats, from music to dance to theatre and more.

I had intended to give myself a night off and NOT write about an arts event for once, but now I find that I really want to record at least a few comments about Spotlight 2009 here on my blog as a souvenir.

Here is a list of the arts organizations that donated their performances.  I wish I had time to write about all of them in detail. They were each a pleasure:

• The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra played the Prelude to Act 3 of Lohengrin by Richard Wagner. Actually, this was the one act I missed because I had had to park in the next county over and hike back to Clowes Hall. However, based on the other times I have heard the ISO, I’m sure this was a pleasure, too. Note to self: If you do buy tickets to “Wicked” at Clowes, leave an hour earlier than you think you need to so that a) you will be able to nab one of the very limited parking spaces, b) you won’t miss any of the show, and c) the Clowes box office lady won’t yell at you again. Who needs a shaming on top of sore feet?
• Actors Theatre of Indiana performed the hilarious “Lion King” segment from their currently-running production of “Forbidden Broadway.”
• The Indianapolis Opera Ensemble performed the Finale, Act II of La Boheme by Giaccomo Puccini. Note to self: I have got to find a way to incorporate going to the opera into my theatre habit.
• The Phoenix Theatre performed a funny excerpt from their currently-running production of “References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot,” only they did it in Spanish with English supertitles.  This was brilliant: it freed people who might have felt uncomfortable hearing the sexual references and other adult material in the show in this setting to relax and laugh.  It also let people know that the Phoenix takes interesting risks artistically.
• The Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre performed a gorgeous excerpt from “Hooray for Bollywood.”
• A duo from the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra performed “Zigeunerweisen” by Pablo Sarasate. Such magnificent fingering and bowing!
• The Indianapolis Children’s Choir performed “Georgia On My Mind,” by Hoagy Carmichale, arranged by Ken Berg. In my mind, children are different from teens, and these were teens. But in any case, they sang beautifully.
• Brenda Williams and the Pride of Indy Jazz Ensemble performed “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” by George and Ira Gershwin. Another treat, and a lively way to bring us all back together after intermission.
• Dance Kaleidoscope performed an excerpt from iconoGlass that left me breathless.
• The Butler Ballet performed the beautiful Grand Pas de deux from “Cinderella.”
• Kenyetta’ Dance Company performed a piece called “Calling You.” I don’t know what it is about this young company, but they had me in tears again Monday night just as they had at the Indy Fringe festival last summer.
• The Indiana Repertory Theatre shared a musical excerpt from their production of “Crowns,” by Regina Taylor. Note to self: You have GOT to write a detailed review of this wonderful show before it closes.
• The Indianapolis Men’s Chorus sang “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” and “Who Are the Brave?” which made me think of the service of soldiers everywhere.
• Steven Stolen of the Meridian Song Project sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Rodgers and Hammerstein with Gary Walters on the piano. Steven’s singing voice always makes me swoon!
• The Indianapolis Civic Theatre performed the “Tonight Quintet” from their production of “West Side Story.”
• Poet Tasha Jones shared a strong poem called, I think, “This is a Casting Call” or “AIDS Is Having a Casting Call.”

I enjoyed all of these performances very much, and I am proud to have contributed my little $32.50 to the more than $350,000 raised by the Spotlight event to benefit the Indiana AIDS Fund.

However, the main reason I was there was to see my friend Asia LaBouche of “The Ladies of Legends of Talbott Street” perform.  Asia is the glamorous and exquisitely detailed creation of Douglas Mellinger.  Doug’s partner is a friend of mine from college; we sometimes go to theatre shows together.  I felt privileged to be part of the Friends-Family-and-Fans-of-Asia row Monday night at Clowes.

And Asia?  She was STUNNING.  Doug is a tall man to begin with, but on Monday night Asia must have been eight feet tall in her heels and wig. 

When she first appeared on stage, Asia wore a chin-to-toe, black-and-white feathered coat.  She danced and lip-synched elegantly to a Celine Dion song while three male dancers and three female dancers in simple clothes gyrated around her.  Eventually the feather coat fell into a fluffy pile to reveal a trailing, floor-length, deep purple gown encrusted with pearls and sparkling jewels. 

Asia and the other dancers all looked great together.  Asia told me after the show that Brent E. Marty from the Indianapolis Civic Theatre had organized the dancers for her.  The program also says that Marty staged Asia’s piece and that Holly Stults choreographed it.

After the show, in the lobby, it was wonderful to just bask in Asia’s graciousness and gracefulness.  Many, many people wanted to talk to her and have their photos taken with her.  She chatted calmly and kindly with them all, and did not topple over.  (I would have!)

It was also fun to notice and admire even more of the details in her presentation up close: the huge, jeweled rings on her fingers; the sparkly red lipstick on her perfectly lined lips; the baubles around her neck; the beadwork on her gown; the jeweled chopsticks in the back of her hair; and more.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again: the art of drag – especially drag done with wit and skill – fascinates me.

Oh!  I also want to record that at intermission I got to chat a bit with several other artists, including choreographer/dancer Nicholas A. Owens from Kenyatta’ Dance Company.  I was sorry again that I had not been able to see “American Modern” presented by Dance Kaleidoscope earlier this year, because Nick had choreographed a piece for that.  However, he told me that DK has asked him to choreograph another piece.  I was delighted to hear this! 

And finally I would like to publicly say “thank you!” to David Hochoy and everyone else that made Spotlight 2009 happen.  It was a very special, very enjoyable evening.

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

Last Sunday night, March 1, I drove to Trinity Episcopal Church for the Meridian Song Project’s free “All About the Bs” concert.  I simply wanted to satisfy my curiosity about what Steven Stolen, managing director of the Indiana Repertory Theatre, sounded like as a singer. 

However, the 75-minute program was a TREAT, and went way beyond satisfying my curiosity.  It was accessible and beautiful – exactly what my heart, mind, and body needed at the end of a stressful weekend.

Stolen sings with his whole body and evokes a full range of emotions.  Man, what he can do with his voice!  I don’t have the vocabulary, experience, or training to write critically about music, but I can tell you that my own breathing slowed as I listened.  Also…well, I know this will sound bizarre, but I could feel grimy stuff being cleared away from my aura as I listened, too.

The content of the concert was an eclectic mix, but that seems to be the mission of the Meridian Song Project: to offer “eclectic vocal music programming.”  I don’t think I knew there was such as thing as “vocal chamber music,” or if I did, I didn’t know that that was what it was called.

It’s my new favorite thing.

Resident Artist Steven Stolen was accompanied Sunday night by two guest pianists: Gary Walters and Stephen Strugnell.  The three men brought to life music by such diverse composers as Ludwig van Beethoven, Benjamin Britten, Burt Bacharach, Irving Berlin, and the Beatles.

I was moved in spite of my lack of musical background by Stolen and Strugnell’s interpretation of Beethoven’s “An die ferne Geliebte.”  Stolen said that it was a rare piece not only because it was the first “song cycle” ever written but also because it was “through composed.”   He sang it in German, I think, but the audience could follow along in English in our programs.  I especially loved how the piano sounded like a “little brook” when the singer sang about one.  I found myself in tears at same time that the singer sang, “And tears are our only consolation.”

At the end of the Beethoven piece, everyone in my pew breathed, “Wow!” together.

Several pieces had been arranged by pianist Gary Walters.  When he and Stolen performed “Alfie,” by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, I felt as if I were hearing it for the first time.  The pace was very slow and gentle, as if the singer were seriously asking, “What’s it all about?” and promising, sincerely, that if “when you walk, (you) let your heart lead the way…you’ll find love any day…”

Speaking of finding love, if I ever get married, I now know that I want Irving Berlin’s “I’m Putting All My Eggs in One Basket” played at my wedding.  I had never heard that funny song before, but I knew exactly what the singer meant.  It delighted me.

Some of the pieces by Benjamin Britten, too, had me tapping my toes and even laughing out loud.

Stolen introduced the final piece, a collage of Beatles songs arranged and accompanied by Gary Walters, by saying, “This ends with ‘Let it Be,’ which is a rock anthem, and anyone who knows me knows that I do not do rock anthems, so we’ll see how it goes.” 

I am glad he made an exception.  Listening to Stolen’s and Walters’ interpretation of “Let It Be” was a powerful ending to an already truly enjoyable experience.

The next Meridian Song Project offering will be Bach’s “St John Passion.”  It will be presented by the Meridian Song Project, Meridian Vocal Consort, and the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, with Steven Stolen as Evangelist and Kyle Ferrill as Jesus.  Michael Messina will conduct.  I assume it will be free, as this program was.  I predict it will be another treat.

Here’s the thing, though: my paper program from Sunday night says that the “St John Passion” program will be at Trinity Episcopal Church at 33rd and Meridian Street in Indy on Friday, March 27, 2009 and at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Carmel on Sunday, March 29, 2009.  However, the Meridian Song Project website says the opposite (St. Elizabeth on Friday, Trinity on Sunday.)  So…if you’re interested in going, I recommend calling the location of your choice to pin down the date and time.  Trinity’s phone number is 317-926-1346.  St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s phone number is 317-846-3850.

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

On Sunday, January 11, 2009, my friend Chris and I met at the Indiana Repertory Theatre downtown to see Dance Kaleidoscope’s presentation of “Magical Mystery Tour,” choreographed by David Hochoy.  This was a repeat of one of DK’s most adored pieces, but it was my first time to see DK at all.

It was a real treat.  Apparently, based on what I heard from the man sitting on the other side of me (I think his name was Ron) and from other long-time DK fans that I met during intermission, this was DK’s best performance yet – an intoxicating mix of veteran dancers and newcomers bringing new life to what was already an exciting program.  The exuberant costumes designed by Barry Doss also yielded additional delights in a second viewing, or so I was told.

It was all new to me except for the also-beloved Beatles songs that informed the dancers’ movements.  I was enthralled by all of it, including the glorious wit of the costumes and the mystical, jewel-like lighting design by Laura E. Glover.  I loved the shamanic, trance-like feel of the whole piece, and the touches of humor within it.

I really have no vocabulary for writing about it in a professional way.  I can only share with you some of what went through my mind and heart as I watched it.

At one point, for example, most of the company members were on their backs with their feet in the air, moving in a way that reminded me of sea anemones.  It was charming…and a little unnerving.

During intermission and later, over dinner, Chris and I both wondered how a choreographer communicates his vision to the dancers, and how they take notes on what he tells them.  Or do they not take written notes at all, but instead, record the dances directly into their brains via some sort of mysterious, wordless, full-body shorthand?

Either way, does the choreographer say to the dancers, “Okay, now at this point, be like sea anemones”?  And does he get down on his back himself and show them, or does he let them interpret “sea anemones” on their own?

But surely that is not enough, because each tentacle, each foot, in each moment, was up in the air, or bent down, with toes pointed or ankle flexed, in an aesthetically pleasing way in comparison to the rest of the foot-tentacles.  There had to be someone in charge of the visual as a whole.

But surely the choreographer does not go through the sea anemone scene note by note and tell each dancer when to move each foot up or down and at what pace, on which beat.

Or does he?  Man, that must take a long time!

We also wondered how a choreographer makes a record of his design so that he can refer to it a year later if he needs to, or so that someone else can refer to it in the future when the choreographer is not around.  There must be a way that does not involve video recording the finished dance, because there were dances long before there were video recordings.

Is there such a thing as a choreography script?  Do dancers talk about “blocking” the way actors do, using the lines of the song, and/or its musical beats, as anchors?

Is asking a dancer, “How do you learn all those steps?” as banal as asking an actor “How do you learn all those lines?”  Probably.  But I can’t help asking it.

Chris also observed that a dancer has to be very precise, very disciplined within his creative expression.  Not only is his partner depending on him to be in a certain place to catch her when she leaps, but everyone is depending on everyone else to go where they were assigned to go, and at the right, quick, moment, so that no one crashes into anyone else.  (Chris said it better than this, but you get the idea.)

Speaking of leaps, I loved all of them in “Magical Mystery Tour.”  Also the many graceful lifts and tosses.   I loved the architectural feeling of many of the dances.

Another thing that struck me about this particular company is its wealth of gorgeous men.  I am not being flip; I mean no disrespect.  It’s just that I have not seen a lot of dance and most of the dance productions that I have seen featured mostly women.  It was an unexpected pleasure to see lots of strong, beautiful, talented men in this production.

The lead male, Kenoth Shane Patton, danced a solo to “A Long and Winding Road” and reminded me, almost too clearly, of the times my own heart has been broken.  He made me feel like crying. 

But then he was joined by a beautiful woman (Liberty Harris) in a flowing, white dress, and their sensuously healing duet filled me with hope again.

Later in the show, apprentice Morgan Williams (you may remember that I met him during last summer’s Indy Fringe Festival) and Caitlin Swihart danced a suitably angsty yet lovely duet to “Sexy Sadie” that made me think about how challenging relationships can be. 

I also thought about how the fact that Williams has the long, powerful body of a basketball player – and yet also the subtle specificity of a dancer – brings something special and unexpected to any piece that he is in.  In this particular number he was juxtaposed with compact, supple Swihart, and that, too, was unexpected and pleasing.

In fact, each member of the company offers something special in terms of…I guess the word is “personality.”  It is more than a matter of appearance or style.  They all blend together very well, but no one becomes an anonymous chorus line dancer.   It makes for a feeling of richness.

The other male dancers include George Salinas, Tanner Hronek, Timothy June, and Zach Young.  The other female dancers include Jillian Godwin, Mariel Greenlee, Melissa Corning, and Carly Whitehead.

A few months ago, David Hochoy told me that he created this piece as a sort of coming-of-age story.  It is based on the cultural experiences of the 1960s but it has (I think) universal resonance. 

My only complaint about the show is that it was too short.  The two acts each went by in a breath.

However, each breath was deep and good.  I left feeling relaxed and joyful.

********************

Dance Kaleidoscope’s next show will be “America, the Modern” on March 26-29, 2009.  It will be offered during only one weekend, so mark your calendar and be sure you don’t blink or you’ll miss it.  For more information, please visit the DK website at http://www.dancekal.org/.

DK’ s 2008-2009 Season Sponsor is the Indianapolis Colts.  (I was flabbergasted when I read this, but hey, go Colts!)  “Magical Mystery Tour” was presented by Barnes & Thornburg, LLP and the Irwin Union Bank.  The artistic sponsor was the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation.  MMT was presented in association with the Indiana Repertory Theatre and with the support of the Arts Council of Indianapolis, the City of Indianapolis, and the Indiana Arts Commission.  I appreciate all of these groups!

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

Last Thursday night I went to the final dress rehearsal of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s 2008 “Yuletide Celebration.”  It was Media Night but it was also the night for performers’ family members to see the show and to help their loved ones get used to performing with audience reactions.  There were a lot of people there!

It was a special holiday treat for all of us, adults and children alike.  This more-than-musical show somehow manages to be both sophisticated and truly family-friendly.

On my way into the Hilbert Circle Theatre I stopped to pat Blossom and Ember, the two reindeer who were visiting from the North Pole.  “I don’t go for traditional reindeer names,” the woman who was in the little corral with them told me.

“Are you their agent?” I asked.

“Well, I work for Santa,” she said.  “But yes, I’m their handler.”

I was surprised by how cute reindeer faces are.  I took off my glove to feel the reindeers’ smooth coats.  I leaned back to stay clear of their big antlers.

Inside the theatre, Mauna the usher told me that there were no assigned seats for this special performance.  She recommended I go upstairs and find a seat in the “dress circle” aka the best (and usually most expensive) seats in the house. 

But when I went upstairs, all of those seats either had people sitting in them or coats draped over them.  A few even had little home-made papers on them that said, “Reserved for the ____ family.”

I looked down over the balcony, though, and saw that the box seats were empty.  I had always wanted to sit in a box seat!

Someone told me that one box was roped off in case the governor stopped by. (He did not, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he has purchased tickets for later in the run.) 

However, the seats in the other box were like the rest of the house that night: first come, first served.  I slid into one and felt very lucky.

I discovered that one’s view of the stage is somewhat limited in a box seat, especially when the box is decorated with garlands that stick up on the front corner, but I still felt pretty special sitting up there.   I discovered later that I was sharing “my” box with the fiancé of one of the dancers and the mother, husband, and toddler of one of the violinists.

Many of the children sitting in the floor seats below us were adorable in their best holiday outfits.  Even better, every time I glanced down during the show, the children were all enthralled.  I learned later that my friend, Lisa, and her husband take their young son to this show every year.  I may have to make it a part of my own holiday tradition, too.  I would love to bring my godson when he is old enough not to need a car seat.

Before the show, I could hear the orchestra tuning behind the heavy curtain.  A voice reminded us to turn off our cell phones and added, “If you have any Scrooges or Grinches in your party, please feel free to leave them at the coat check.”

Two men came out to give the curtain talk.  There were no programs since it was a dress rehearsal, so I won’t be able to name everyone the way I usually try to do, but I think the one man said his name was David Levy (sp?), the stage director.  The other man said he was Ty Johnson, the executive producer.  They thanked Duke Energy for being the title sponsors for the “Yuletide Celebration” for a third year.  They encouraged us all to laugh and cheer and applaud.  In fact, they led us in some practice “hoot & hollering” to get us warmed up.

Jack Everly was the conductor.  Even without a program, I recognized his joyful energy from when I saw him conduct the ISO’s presentation of “Guys and Dolls” earlier this year.

The host of the show was Tony-nominated Ann Hampton Callaway.  Oh, my goodness, her voice is beautiful.  Listening to her sing reminded me of the way I felt the first time I went snorkeling over a coral reef.  I looked through the water at the gorgeous colors and thought, “All this is real.  It is not a digitally-enhanced movie.”  Listening to Callaway sing, too, I thought with amazement, “This gorgeousness is real!”

I enjoyed her work in the first act, but I especially loved her creativity and her feisty humor in the second act.  She asked for keywords from the audience that had to do with Christmas in Indiana. People called out “Snow!” “Lights on the Circle!”  “The Colts!” and more.

Then she (as she described it) stalled for time by “tuning” her ears.  (I’m laughing again, remembering that part!) 

Then she sat down at the piano in the middle of the stage and sang a delightful new song using all of words that the audience had given her!  It made me want to go back every night to hear each new song.

Partway through the impromptu song she called over her shoulder to the silent orchestra, “I’m in the key of G.  Feel free to join in!” 

The orchestra members all just sort of looked at each other and shrugged, smiling.  I guess orchestra musicians rarely jam, and that’s okay.  On the other hand, maybe they will get used to the idea over the course of the show’s run and throw in some impromptu embellishments in later performances.

Whenever it was the orchestra’s turn to play on their own, they sounded rich and lovely in their own way.  Again, I don’t have a program to check, but at least one of their pieces was from their new, limited edtion CD, A Christmas Greeting.  It was called ”The Sussex Mummer’s Carol.”  Maestro Everly told us that part of what makes the CD so special is that the ISO’s Conductor Laureate, Raymond Leppard, arranged all of the music for it.  Although I loved the visual and verbal feast that was the rest of “Yuletide Celebration,” when the orchestra played by itself it was nice to be able to focus for a little while on the intricacies of the instrumental music.

And, of course, when the orchestra played with the singers, dancers, and guest musicians, that was wonderful, too.  The Capitol Quartet is four men who play various kinds of saxophones.  I couldn’t help tapping my toes when they joined Calloway and the orchestra for an especially jazzy version of “Here Comes Santa Claus.”  I laughed with delight when the saxes added a mischievous tippy-toe feeling to an excerpt from “The Nutcracker.”  I glanced down and saw a tiny boy standing on his father’s knees and bouncing in time to the music.

At least two songs in the show made me weep.  Wet face, wet tissues, the works.

One was an original song by Calloway called, I think, “God Bless My Family.”  Part of the chorus is “I will find a way to let every face I’ve ever loved shine out of me.”  I now want to do that, too.

The other was “O Holy Night” sung by special guest Daniel Okulitch.  He is tall and good-looking, with a full, deep voice that he seems able to place effortlessly, exactly where it needs to be to satisfy his listeners. I swooned every time he was on stage. 

For this particular song, he appeared wearing a pea coat and a wool scarf around his neck.  The lights gave me the feeling that he was out for a walk through virgin snow on a cold, starry evening.  Okulitch himself gave me the feeling that he was experiencing the gift of holiness for the first time.  I have probably heard “O Holy Night” a thousand times, but he made it seem like a true discovery.  His vulnerability and wonder – and his magnificent voice – moved me, as I say, to sobs.

I’m sorry that I can’t tell you who designed the lights or the costumes.  They both enhanced the show, though.  The women’s ball gowns, especially, are splendid, and I loved the light stencils on the floor.  The Capitol Quartet guys are beyond dapper in their colorful spats and pinstripes.

And the tap-dancing Santas!  They are everything I had been promised and more.  Not only do they tap dance, they form and re-form precise lines and patterns like a kaleidoscope.  I wish I could tell you who they all are.  The singer-dancers actually perform several delicious numbers in a variety of personas.

(However, I can tell you that Tyler Braun is one of them.  You may remember his name from Civic’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors” or the Hendricks Civic Theatre’s production of “Joseph.”  I happened to meet his mother last weekend when I was judging an Encore show, and since I couldn’t talk about the show we were seeing, I mentioned being at the Symphony.   She told me that Tyler is in the chorus for this show! Go, Tyler!)

During the intermission, I chatted a bit with the man sitting in front of me, the one who is the fiancé of one of the dancers.  I asked if he, too, is a dancer.

“I swing dance and do ballroom a little,” he said, “but I’m the business major.  I’m going to support her being the artist.”  Lucky woman!

He told me that his fiancée has been dancing with the show for several years and that he will probably see this year’s show four or five times.  He also answered some of the questions I had about the show:  the songs are new every year but the tap-dancing Santas are a part of every show.  A guest host alternates years with Sandi Patty and there is usually at least one other guest artist.  This year it’s the Capitol Sax Quartet and the host, of course, is Ann Hampton Callaway.  Daniel Okulitch is in the ISO’s show every year but “he travels.” 

My press release from Tim Northcutt and Jessica DiSanto says that Okultich is a Canadian-born bass baritone and “one of the classical music world’s fast-rising stars.  (He) launched his career on Broadway in 2002 in Baz Luhrmann’s production of La Boheme and since has performed with major opera companies and orchestras throughout North America and Europe.”

By the way, my press release also says that the Capitol Quartet is “comprised of former saxophonists from the premiere military bands of the United States Armed Forces” and that it has…

“…performed in major concert venues on the East Coast and with many of America’s finest orchestras, including the ISO in both Pops Series and New Year’s Eve Celebration concerts.  Founded in 1991, the Quartet gained national attention when it won the prestigious Baltimore Chamber Music Awards Competition and since has showcased its artistry via innovative repertoire ranging from traditional French quartet compositions to contemporary works for saxophone and transcriptions of classical, jazz and ragtime favorites.”

My press release also says this about Ann Hampton Callaway:

“One of the most versatile artists in the entertainment industry, Ann Hampton Callaway is a renowned singer, pianist, composer, arranger and actress who is best known for her starring role in the Broadway musical Swing, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination for “Best Featured Actress in a Musical,” as well as for writing the theme song for the television comedy series The Nanny.  She also has performed on numerous national television shows, including The Today Show, Larry King Live, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Live From Lincoln Center and in a PBS pops special with The Boston Pops, among others. Although she will be making her Duke Energy Yuletide Celebration debut, she has previously appeared with the ISO in Pops Series and New Year’s Eve Celebration concerts.”

She mentioned during the show that she lives in New York but coming to Indiana feels like coming home because her mother lives here.

I don’t want to give away everything about this show (and I haven’t! for example, I haven’t even begun to tell you how completely charmed I was by the flying reindeer!), but I have to also mention Callaway’s funny, Christmas-y version of “Blues in the Night,” performed on the piano with the orchestra.  I’ve been belting “My mama done told me…” around my house and wishing I could bring even a fraction of the torchy flavor and power to it that she does.   I felt that red blues song all the way down in my base chakra!

My friend Lou says that I should also check out the CD she recorded with her sister, Liz Callaway.  It’s called “Sibling Revelry.”  I will, Lou, and thanks for the suggestion!  I’m going to look for her “Blues in the Night” CD, too.

According to my press release, some performances of “Yuletide Celebration” had sold out before the show even opened, so be sure to make a reservation if you want to go.  For more information, call the Hilbert Circle Theatre Box Office at (317) 639-4300.  Outside Indianapolis call toll free 1-800-366-8457, or visit the Orchestra’s website at www.IndianapolisSymphony.org.    To fax your ticket order, please call (317) 263-4900.

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com