I wasn’t going to write about my fourth viewing of “Octopus” at the Phoenix Theatre, but then “Debby” (I know her full name but she does not review frequently so I am not sure she wants her full name to be public) wrote about her first viewing of it on Indiana Auditions, and I couldn’t help writing back, especially since I have the day off from my day job today.  Below are both of our posts to the full thread on IA:

Debby wrote:

I got to see the show tonight and I’m trying to pull together some thoughts before going to bed because I’ve got a couple busy days ahead so this is my chance. I think, though, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to wait because this is the type of show that marinates in your mind and develops over time, I’m sure. But I’m awfully excited about it and not keen on that delayed gratification thing so here goes:

This show is TOTALLY AWESOME and you should get yourself out to see it. The script is wonderful, tight, well-written, multi-layered. Funny! Touching. Sad. Scary! The actors are, to a man, wonderful. No one made a false step. Seriously. The set is nice, but the staging is wicked beyond belief! There were lighting and other effects that really took me out of the little Mass Ave theatre to places far away.

I love that a story that seemed so specific, a story about two couples’ sexual adventure (or misadventure) and the consequences, could actually be so universal and far-ranging. I loved seeing the contrast between the couples. They really could have been each other at different stages. I wondered if Kevin and Blake hadn’t been confronted by a demanding consequence if Kevin wouldn’t have grown into Max? If that playful “let’s go for it” attitude wouldn’t have turned into Max’s never-satisfied predation? And I loved the touch of magic realism in the show and chewing over what the ocean represented. I’m still deciding. The water theme was so neatly woven throughout.

I love that the characters were so real and the actors did a great job bringing them to life. Well, one character was not–Scot Greenwell’s telegram delivery boy, but he made even this bizarre, otherworldly character believable in the context of the story. Dang, somebody should have installed a peephole in that apartment door! Don’t open it! He was wonderful at being comical yet menacing from the get-go.

At different times throughout the show, my sympathy went out to different characters. Ben Snyder’s Blake had it in the beginning. His concern for his relationship and his obvious discomfort with the situation that his partner dragged him into tugged at me. Later, when the second couple arrived, I felt bad for Ricardo Melendez’s Andy as his partner Max dismissed his interest in wine and ultimately dismissed him for a one-night stand. Still later, I found my heart aching for Nate Walden’s Max, which was a big surprise. Although fun to watch, he’d been a bit of a jerk through the whole thing, denigrating Andy, stalking Blake like a toy or a mouse then treating Kevin badly when he reached out for answers in the coffee shop. When his loss finally hit him, though, when he realized that he’d lost Andy and he was sinking into the ocean himself, Max was a heartbreaker. Finally, Kevin–Jason Gloye’s Kevin made misstep after misstep–the character, not the actor. He sets up a partner swap which his partner is not crazy about and then gets jealous that it’s happened. He seems not to notice that the water is rising until he’s in nearly over his head. He rejects his partner in a time of need. I felt bad for him, but I never really trusted him until about halfway through his final battle with the telegram delivery guy. He finally proved his mettle and made all the difference.

And if you can’t go for any of this stuff, for the great story and the excellent actors, go for the amazing special effects. There are light and sound effects that are beautiful and scary and there are stage effects that just have to be seen to be believed. Kudos to the Phoenix for never worrying about how messy it might get! We saw the Inishmore show last year (was it last year?) and I didn’t think anything could top all. that. blood. Yea.

Anyway, great show and you should see it.

Then I wrote:

Yay!  Debby, I am so glad you made the time to write about this show!  As I said to you last night, I always love to read your reviews.  They always give me new insights into a show.  I have now seen and loved “Octopus” four times but until I read your review I didn’t think about how Kevin might have become Max if Kevin and Blake’s relationship hadn’t been so deeply challenged.  So true!

 I know what you mean about the marinating thing, too.  The first time I saw this show, I laughed at several of the expressions (both verbal and facial) and was turned on by the sexy, naked men, and felt awe over the special effects.  The second time I saw this show, I got a completely different intellectual take on it from the friend that went with me.   The third time I saw this show, I went by myself, started crying the moment we joined Andy at the bottom of the ocean and pretty much cried nonstop to the end of the show.  I hadn’t expected that, so I was a real mess when the house lights came up, but I felt exhilarated with a feeling of hope.

Last night, I sat with a friend and had a thick, paper napkin ready…but no tears came until the “birthing” at the very end.  But later, when I got home, I felt almost unbearable loneliness as I thought some more about the play.  I mean, I had had a great time hanging out with my friend, J.C., and it was icing on the cake to chat a little with you and the rest of the Spotlight gang, but when I was left with my own thoughts, I couldn’t help wondering if I will ever love someone enough to call them back from the bottom of the ocean.  I cried some more then…and slept deeply.

 Funny, how one play can evoke such a range of emotions and physical reactions over multiple viewings.

 Anyway, thanks again for writing.

I wish I had time to see this show a fifth time!

Hope Baugh - www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

Email: amarylliswriter at gmail dot com

Twitter: IndyTheatre

PS - You might be wondering about the significance of the photo, above, in terms of this post.   Sara Goldsmith took it and called it “Takoyaki Inside.”

“Takoyaki” means “octopus balls” in Japanese.  They are a delicious, ball-shaped, sauce-covered snack that you can buy from street vendors in Japan.  English speakers, of course, get a kick out of the idea of eating an octopus’ balls.  In the photo above, you can see one of the balls split open to reveal a piece of cooked octopus.   Debby used the word “marinates” in her review and I think the show is ballsy and then there’s the title of it, so..

Okay, maybe the photo is a stretch.  Probably I should quit blogging for the moment and go get some lunch.  ‘See you at the theatres!

Yes!  Remember how I said a few days ago that I had some other playwright news that I was waiting to confirm before I shared it with you? 

I have been too busy even to make a phone call, but today I happened to receive confirmation of one those bits via a press release that I received from Jason Loewith, Executive Director of the National New Play Network c/o Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

Steven Yockey, author of “Octopus,” which is currently having its Midwestern premiere here in Indianapolis at the Phoenix Theatre, has been selected for one of three Emerging Playwright Residencies sponsored by the National New Play Network.  Steve’s residency will take place at the Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley, California.

Congratulations both to Steve and to the Marin Theatre Company!  Yay, Mill Valley, too!

Jason’s press release also informed me that our own Phoenix Theatre has received an award from the National New Play Network’s Continued Life of New Plays Fund to participate in a three-way rolling world premiere of a new play called “Sunlight,” by Sharr White. 

Congratulations, Phoenix!  Yay, Indianapolis, too!  I don’t know anything about “Sunlight” yet, but I don’t really need to know anything about it in order to look forward to it.  When Phoenix Artistic Director Bryan Fonseca and his team select a play, I know it is worth seeing.

Below is the full press release with all kinds of exciting National New Play Network news.  As you know, here at Indy Theatre Habit we love reading the whole thing.  Speaking of the Phoenix, I am heading there now to see “Octopus” for the fourth time.  This Wednesday night performance is a Cheap Seats Night.  There will be no performance this Saturday, July 4, 2009.

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NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK AWARDS $140K TO THEATERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Victory Gardens & Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte Voted into Membership at Annual Conference

WASHINGTON, DC - The NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK (NNPN), the country’s leading alliance of non-profit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, will award grants totaling over $140,000 to its 26 member theaters in 2009-10, with participation in nearly every region of the country. The grants were announced at the organization’s Annual Conference on June 20 in Dallas, TX, hosted by Kitchen Dog Theater.  Conference attendees also voted Victory Gardens and Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte into the membership.

CONTINUED LIFE OF NEW PLAYS FUND

NNPN’s flagship program supports three theaters which mount the same new play within a year. The result is a “rolling world premiere” through which playwrights develop new works with three different creative teams for three different communities of patrons. Awards ranging from $5,000 to $6,300 have been awarded for 2009-10 for the following projects:

26 MILES by Quiara Hudes - Alliance Theatre (Atlanta)*, Curious Theatre Company (Denver), New Theatre (Coral Gables, FL)

JIHAD JONES AND THE KALASHNIKOV BABES by Yussef El Guindi - Golden Thread (SanFrancisco)*, InterAct Theatre Company (Philadelphia)*, Kitchen Dog Theater (Dallas)

THE RANT by Andrew Case - New Theatre (Coral Gables, FL)*, InterAct Theatre Company (Philadelphia)*, New Jersey Repertory Company (Long Branch, NJ)

SHOTGUN by John Biguenet - Southern Rep (New Orleans), Orlando Shakespeare Theater (Orlando), Florida Studio Theatre (Sarasota, FL)

SUNLIGHT by Sharr White - Marin Theatre Company (Mill Valley, CA), New Jersey Repertory Company (Long Branch, NJ), Phoenix Theatre (Indianapolis)

YANKEE TAVERN by Steven Dietz - Florida Stage (Manalapan, FL), Curious Theatre Company (Denver), New Jersey Repertory Company (Long Branch, NJ)

*projects that began in 2008-09, and are completing in 2009-10

EMERGING PLAYWRIGHTS RESIDENCIES

The Emerging Playwrights Residencies were established in 2007 to support playwrights graduating from qualified MFA programs for season-long residencies at NNPN member theaters. Playwrights selected for the program receive stipends of $8,750 to learn from and engage with NNPN members. 2009-10 recipient theaters and playwrights are:

• Florida Studio Theatre (Sarasota, FL)/Sarah Sander (U of I Playwright’s Workshop)
• Marin Theatre Company (Mill Valley, CA)/Steve Yockey (NYU Tisch School)
• Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey (Madison, NJ)/TBA (Rutgers)

COMMISSION

NNPN awards an annual new-play commission, selected by the membership, in the amount of $3,500. The 2009 Commission has been awarded to Elaine Romero for her play Ponzi, nominated by Kitchen Dog Theater (Dallas).

NATIONAL SHOWCASE OF NEW PLAYS

An award of $7,000 goes to Atlanta’s Actor’s Express and Horizon Theatres to host the 2009 National Showcase of New Plays, scheduled for December 4-6. A “traveling trade show”, the NSNP showcases six new plays selected from member theaters’ submissions.

ABOUT NNPN

The National New Play Network (NNPN) is the country’s leading alliance of leading non-profit professional theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays. Since its founding in 1998, NNPN has commissioned over a dozen playwrights, provided seven MFA graduates with paid residencies, and supported nearly 50 productions nationwide through its innovative Continued Life of New Plays Fund, which creates “rolling world premieres” of new plays. Through these activities and others, NNPN has granted nearly a half million dollars to theaters and artists in the past ten years. Hundreds of artists have gained employment through these efforts in the 24 regions of the country where NNPN member theaters are located. NNPN receives substantial support from the Mellon Foundation, the Shubert Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

NNPN’s 26 member theaters are: Actor’s Express Theatre (Atlanta), Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte (Charlotte, NC), Borderlands Theater (Tucson), Curious Theatre Company (Denver), Florida Stage (Manalapan), Florida Studio Theatre (Sarasota), Fountain Theatre (LA), Horizon Theatre Company (Atlanta), InterAct Theatre Company (Philadelphia), Kitchen Dog Theater (Dallas), Magic Theatre (San Francisco), Marin Theatre Company (Mill Valley, CA), Mixed Blood Theatre Company (Minneapolis), New Jersey Repertory Company (Long Branch), New Repertory Theatre (Watertown, MA), New Theatre (Coral Gables, FL), Orlando Shakespeare Theater (Orlando), Performance Network Theatre (Ann Arbor, MI), Phoenix Theatre (Indianapolis), Playwright’s Theatre of New Jersey (Madison), Prop Thtr Group (Chicago), Salt Lake Acting Company (Salt Lake City), Southern Rep (New Orleans), Unicorn Theatre (Kansas City, MO), Victory Gardens (Chicago), and Woolly Mammoth Theater Company (Washington, DC).

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Hope Baugh - www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

Email: amarylliswriter at gmail dot com

Twitter: IndyTheatre

Yay! Today Gabe Gloden, Managing Director for  The Bloomington Playwrights Project, emailed me (amarylliswriter at gmail dot com) a press release with info about their upcoming season.  I love it when theatres do this!  So far, BPP is the only theatre in Indiana to do so this year.  Thanks very much, Gabe and BPP!  You can be sure I will be road-tripping south for as many of your shows as I can from now on.

Even if I weren’t trying to reward behavior that makes me feel taken seriously as a theatre reviews blogger, I would be planning trips to Bloomington based on the shows themselves.  Doesn’t this line-up look interesting:

(between the asterisks below is the press release Gabe sent me)

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Announcing the BPP’s 2009/2010 Season

Celebrating 30 Years

The Bloomington Playwrights Project is proud to announce its 2009/2010 Season featuring five great new Mainstage shows, three Dark Alley productions and a bevy of special events celebrating the theatre’s 30 year commitment to high impact theatre. 

The BPP will kick off its Pearl season this September with a special production of Lanford Wilson’s cherished romantic comedy, Talley’s Folly, which captured the Pulitizer Prize in 1980, the year of the BPP’s genesis. 

The Mainstage Series opens in October with the production of the 09/10 Season’s winner of the coveted Reva Shiner Full-Length Play Competition, Naked in the Kitchen by Lynda Martens.  The play examines the marital difficulties that arise after a couple’s only son Michael leaves home for University, laying bare the emotional residue from the husband’s recent battle with a disruptive medical condition.  Naked in the Kitchen is a warm hearted and respectful exploration of contemporary family relationships that will move and touch all audiences.

In November, the BPP offers up Donald C. Drake’s Candide Does America, a modern-day update of the original Voltaire classic.  Drake’s insightful satire invites the audience on Candide’s journey throughout the United States, Iraq and Antarctica as he attempts to answer the question: Is this the best of all possible countries?

In January, the BPP produces Cadillac by Bill Jepsen, an exploration of ethics and morality that erupts in the most unlikely of places: a used car lot. Howard Austin treats every customer at Lindy Motors as if they’re special-not at all the stereotypical used car salesman. Valuing loyalty and service, he has built his career on principles, in an industry mired with sharks and hucksters. But as the hours tick away on the last selling day of the month, those principles are challenged and he must choose between his own career and a customer’s life-long dream.

In April, the BPP will celebrate the 80s — the decade of its coming of age — with a specal production called 80s Shorts.  Ten favorite playwright alums have been commissioned to pen ten-minute plays depicting an 80s event.  The BPP invites audiences to revisit the era of Pac Man, Michael Jackson, the War on Drugs, Rubik’s Cubes, New Wave music, Live Aid, Reaganomics and more. 

The BPP concludes its 30th Anniversary Season with a celebration of new Hoosier plays, the 2010 BloomingPlays Festival.  Each play began as a seedling script, undergoing extensive revision and workshopping as part of the BloomingPlays Development Series at the BPP, blossoming into fully-formed works on our Mainstage theatre.  The BloomingPlays Festival is a co-production with the Indiana Theatre Association.

Subscribers to the BPP’s 30th Season will receive an 09/10 FlexPass for 7 tickets for the price of 4 (more on this below).  FlexPasses are $72 General, $60 Students and Seniors.  FlexPasses may be purchased at the Buskirk Chumley Box Office (formerly Sunrise Box Office) on Kirkwood or online at www.buskirkchumley.org.  Or call 812.323.3020 or email tickets@buskirkchumley.org for more information.

To thank them for their support and to increase the value of their FlexPasses, the BPP is offering subscribers exclusive discounts to several popular local eateries.  Participating restaurants are offering 10% off a subscriber’s table’s meal once during each Mainstage play’s production run.  Season subscribers can once again choose to use their FlexPasses this season to attend designated Special Event Fundraisers including The Blizzard, The PlayOffs and or David Baker’s special performance of Dodging Bullets. In addition, as a season subscriber, your FlexPass entitles you to a Festival Pass to the BloomingPlays Festival in May featuring 3 unique productions of new theatre (thus, you have an opportunity to see 7 Mainstage productions for the cost of only 4 regular tickets).

For a full schedule, visit www.newplays.org. 

The 2009/2010 Season is sponsored by World Arts Printing, the Indiana Arts Commission, Oliver Winery and WFHB.

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Congratulations, Bloomington Playwrights Project, on celebrating 30 years of “high impact theatre.”  Here’s wishing you 30 more!

Hope Baugh - www.IndyTheatreHabit

Email: amarylliswriter at gmail dot com

Twitter: IndyTheatre

If you have been reading my blog from the beginning you know that I love to interview theatre artists when I can.  I am especially interested in playwrights because a) I think of myself as a writer, too, and excellence in other writers of all kinds inspires me, and b) the unique, multi-faceted magic of most theatre art begins with the playwrights.

Conducting and writing up interviews is very time-consuming, especially on top of reviewing, so I don’t get to do it as often as I would like.  I feel privileged to have had detailed, one-on-one conversations with playwrights Jacob Appel, T. J. Dawe, Scott Haan, Emily Schwartz, James Still, and Steven Yockey.  I also feel privileged to have had the opportunity to chat very informally with Deborah Zoe Laufer after seeing multiple world premiere performances of “End Days,” and to sit in on part of Lou Harry’s development process for “Midwestern Hemisphere.”  

Whenever I hear of further success for any of “my” playwrights, I want to congratulate them publicly.  I mean, why have a blog if you can’t use it to say, “Hurray!” and “Yay, you!” and “Oh, that is so great!”?

I actually have three bits of joyful playwright news but two are unconfirmed gossip at this stage, so I’ll have to get back to you on those.  However, one is in the form of an official press release.  As you know, I love reading press releases “straight up” so I share them with you that way, too.  I was delighted to read this one about the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s playwright-in-residence, James Still:

NEWS RELEASE

June 22, 2009

PLAYWRIGHT JAMES STILL NAMED RECIPIENT OF 2009 MEDALLION BY THE CHILDREN’S THEATRE FOUNDATION OF AMERICA

James Still, one of America’s most versatile and internationally produced playwrights will be honored in New York City at Sardi’s Restaurant, August 11th, by the Medallion of the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America.

Dr. Dorothy Webb of Indianapolis, President of the CTFA, states:  “Mr. Still’s mastery of his medium is equally matched with his commitment to theatre that speaks to children and youth.  He joins the distinguished playwrights applauded by CTFA — Charles Strouse, Alfred Uhrey, Maurice Sendak, Charles Schultz, Suzan Zeder, and Dr. Seuss (a.k.a. Dr. Theodor Geisel.”

JAMES STILL

JAMES STILL’s award-winning plays have been produced throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. He is a two-time TCG-Pew Charitable Trusts’ National Theatre Artist with the Indiana Repertory Theatre where he begins his twelfth season as the IRT’s first-ever playwright in residence. He is also a winner of the William Inge Festival’s “Otis Guernsey New Voices Playwriting Award,” the Charlotte B. Chorpenning Playwright Award for Distinguished Body of Work, is a two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, and three of his plays have received the Distinguished Play Award from the American Alliance for Theatre & Education. His plays have been developed and workshopped at Robert Redford’s Sundance Lab, the Eugene O’Neill Playwright’s Center, the New Harmony Project, New Visions/New Voices at the Kennedy Center, the Bonderman New Play Symposium, and Hibernatus Interuptus New Play Festival.  His plays are published with Dramatic Publishing, Samuel French, Music Theatre International, and Anchorage Press.

Three plays by Mr. Still had world premieres in 2009: THE HEAVENS ARE HUNG IN BLACK premiered at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. THE VELVET RUT premiered at The Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, followed by another production at the Illusion in Minneapolis.  INTERPRETING WILLIAM premiered at the Indiana Repertory Theatre.

Mr. Still’s plays include A LONG BRIDGE OVER DEEP WATERS for Cornerstone’s Faith-Based Theatre Cycle in Los Angeles; AND THEN THEY CAME FOR ME, translated into several languages and produced around the world including a recent command performance at the House of Commons in London in an event hosted by Vanessa Redgrave and a production by the U.S. Army at a base in Stuttgart, Germany; IRON KISSES which premiered at Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, NY and produced recently at Portland Stage (Maine), Act II in Philadelphia, and Company of Fools in Hailey, Idaho). SEARCHING FOR EDEN premiered at the American Heartland Theatre in Kansas City and will be produced next season at The Asolo Theatre.  LOOKING OVER THE PRESIDENT’S SHOULDER — which since its world premiere at the Indiana Repertory Theatre has had many productions at theaters including Ford’s Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, and Arkansas Rep in Little Rock. Mr. Still also wrote a commissioned short play called “Octophobia” for the Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville which the editors of the Smith and Kraus anthologies have published in their BEST WOMEN’S STAGE MONOLOGUES.

OTHER PLAYS include AMBER WAVES (the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.); HE HELD ME GRAND (People’s Light & Theatre Company and Indiana Rep); and A VILLAGE FABLE which was commissioned by the Mark Taper Forum, premiered at the Honolulu Theatre for Youth, produced at the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis, in Switzerland at the Zurich Young People’s Theatre, and at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. HUSH: AN INTERVIEW WITH AMERICA was co-commissioned and premiered by Childsplay in Tempe, AZ, and Metro Theater Company in St. Louis.  Mr. Still’s solo performance piece THE VELOCITY OF GARY (NOT HIS REAL NAME) premiered in New York at the Ensemble Studio Theater, and he performed it across the country; it was later produced off-Broadway, in San Francisco (New Conservatory Theatre) Studio Theatre in Washington, DC, and earlier this year at Tricklock Productions in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Mr. Still’s work in television and film and has been nominated for five Emmy’s, a Television Critics Association Award, and was twice a finalist for the Humanitas Prize. He was a producer/head writer for the series “Paz” airing daily on both TLC and Discovery Kids. For Nickelodeon he was a writer and story editor for Maurice Sendak’s long-running “Little Bear”, and the Bill Cosby series “Little Bill.” He has created a new series for Amsterdam-based Telescreen adapted from the “Frog” books by Max Velthuijs; and has completed the screenplay for the first Dutch-produced feature film for children based on Dick Bruna’s “Miffy” books.  Mr. Still also wrote “The Little Bear Movie” and the feature film “The Velocity of Gary.”

 THE CHILDREN’S THEATRE FOUNDATION OF AMERICA

CTFA was founded in 1958, and seeks to advance the artistic and professional interests of theatre for children and youth, and theatre education for the young.

The Foundation pursues its goals by funding proposals of artists, scholars, and special projects of national import to the field.  The Medallion of the Foundation honors significant, unique achievement.  Occasionally the Foundation originates programs of its own.  This non-profit organization is managed by a national board of professionals and benefactors of theatre for children in the United States.

# # # # #

Congratulations, James!   That is very cool.

Hope Baugh - www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

Email: amarylliswriter at gmail dot com.    Twitter: IndyTheatre

My goodness, there is a lot going on this next weekend!  “Annie” is still running at Beef and Boards, for example, and “Octopus” continues at the Phoenix…but before I tell you about the new stuff that caught my eye in my email box this week, let me invite you to take a virtual tour of my friends’ beautiful house.  Here is the link:

 http://tours.tourfactory.com/tours/tour.asp?t=517638&home=agent-41556.pages.tourfactory.com

 What does this have to do with live theatre in the Indianapolis area, you ask?

Well, for one thing, I learned about “rushing” shows via a professional costumer who was at a party that I attended in this house.  She taught me that a person can always call a professional theatre and ask if they do rushing.  If they do, a person can wait until just under an hour before curtain time and get tickets for half-price.   If you do this, you’re taking your chances on the availability of seats, but…half-price!

Also, two very creative, compassionate, and responsible people have been living in the house for three-plus years, so it has been well cared for and there is a lot of good energy in it.  This beautiful house is now for sale because the owners are building a new one that will accomodate more family.  If you buy this house, you will bask in all that good energy when you’re at home, and you will be only a quick drive away from the downtown theatres.

If you are interested in taking a tour of the house in person, please call my friends’ realtor, Kevin Warren, at 317-507-7660.

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Another thing I want to tell you before I go to my mailbox is that Gary and Dan, the co-owners of Henry’s on East Coffee Bistro, told me that they are looking for visual artists who would like to have their work considered for exhibition on the coffee shop’s walls.

The theatre connection to this is that I almost ALWAYS see an actor or director or playwright or theatre designer from the IRT or the Phoenix or some other theatre whenever I go to Henry’s.  Just last Saturday afternoon, for example, I got to chat with THREE of the actors from “Octopus,” which, as I mentioned above, is now on stage at the Phoenix Theatre.  First Ben Snyder came in to sip some iced tea while doing his ritual daily reviewing of his script.  After he left, Scot Greenwell came in to grab a salad to go before call.  I also got to chat a bit with Ricardo Melendez and ask him about his movie career.  He showed me the trailer to his exciting new movie, “The Border Town,” via my laptop.

From Henry’s you can easily walk to the Phoenix or to Theatre on the Square or ComedySportz or the Murat Theatre or the Athenaeum Theatre or any number of other fun places.

Location and local celebrity-spotting aside, one of the main reasons I love going to Henry’s during the Indy Fringe Festival and other times during the year is because there are always beautiful and/or interesting paintings and other pieces of art on the walls.  That, and the free wireless Internet access.  And the consistently fresh salads.  And the yummy desserts.  And the smoke-free air.  And the peaceful yet lively atmosphere.

I’ve been going to Henry’s for over a year now but I only met the owners this past weekend.  Dan and Gary seem like very nice guys.  If you have some pieces of visual art that you would like to exhibit for sale in their space, you should call them:  317-951-0335.  I couldn’t get their website link to work while I was writing this post, but maybe it is back up by now:  www.henrysoneast.com.  Anyway, the coffee shop itself is at 627 N East St in downtown Indianapolis.

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And now, here is what caught my eye among the theatre- and storytelling-related items in my mailbox for this weekend:

Storyteller Gene Tagaban will be featured at the 17^th Annual Indian Market and Festival, sponsored by the Eiteljorg Museum, on Saturday, June 27^th and Sunday, June 28^th, 2009, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. in Military Park.  Advance tickets are available at Marsh and O’Malia Stores and at the Eiteljorg Museum or call 1-800-622-2024 to purchase by phone.  Children 17 and under are FREE!  At the gate tickets are $10, or $8 for members.

I loved Gene’s stories when he was here last fall for the Hoosier Storytelling Festival.  He is, as my email from Storytelling Arts of Indiana says, “a captivating performer of combined Cherokee, Tlingit and Filipino ancestry.  He began dancing at the age of five and grew up listening to and learning the songs, dances and stories of Alaska’s Tlingit people.“  He will perform at the Indian Market and Festival this weekend in the Entertainment Tent at noon and in the Cultural Presentation Tent at 3:30 on both days. 

To learn more about Gene, please visit www.genetagaban.com.  To learn more about the Indian Festival and Market, which brings nearly 130 Native artists from across the country to Indianapolis to sell their art and favorite foods, please visit www.Eiteljorg.org.

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At this month’s Fringe Friday event on June 26 at the Indy Fringe building, you can get your first - and FREE - look at some of the 2009 IndyFringe Festival comedies, including:

• Ms. Pat from New Vaudeville - Emerging Midwest Artists
• The Stetson Manifesto - Happy Holler Productions,
• Tortillo! - Avenging Orange Productions
• Waiting with M. Godot - Wisdom Tooth Theatre Project
• Welcome to Blanksville: Improvised Tribute to Choose Your Own Adventure® - IndyProv

In addition to free admission there will be free food and a cash bar.  There will not, unfortunately, be air conditioning, but I admire the Fringe folks for refusing to let this situation hinder them.  They will be accepting donations towards an AC system, but in the meantime, they will be passing out popsicles and ice cold lemonade.  AND if you decorate and bring your own hand fan, you might win a VIP ticket to the Indy Fringe Festival, if your fan is selected “fringiest and most creative.”  The winning fan will also be displayed at the opening of the Visual Fringe part of the festival.

Here is the schedule for Fringe Friday on June 26th:

5:30 Mix and Mingle

6:15 - 7:30 p.m. Performances

Then stay after for the world premiere of English playwright Graham Farrow’s new psychological thriller, “Pure Morning” at 8:00 pm.  Tickets are only $8 for people who attended FringeFriday.  Regular tickets for the show on either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday are $10.

On Saturday, June 27, there will be a free Master Class with Graham Farrow from 1pm to 4pm at the IndyFringe building, which I should have said earlier is at 719 E. St. Clair Street, Indianapolis. (Look for a renovated church sort of near the intersection of Mass. Ave. and College Ave.)

Here is some more information about “Pure Morning: A Psychological Thriller in Three Acts”:

June 26 and 27 at 8 p.m. June 28 at 2 p.m.

Presented by Merely Players of Owensboro, KY. Producers of hit IndyFringe shows Adventures in Mating and Open 24 Hours.

The President is due in a small, overlooked town. The area is excited and thousands of flag-waving locals are ready for the big welcome. Inside a nearby, non-descript hotel which has seen better days, a group of disparate, disconnected individuals are going about their business; trying desperately to earn their daily dollar and defeat the demons which dog their every move. Each person has a different story and a different agenda but slowly, over the course of a long and lonely night, they reveal their stories and find a connection - a connection which will lead to deadly consequences and involve the VIP who is due in town shortly.

Graham Farrow’s award-winning TALK ABOUT THE PASSION and RATTLESNAKES have been produced globally and are a constant source of interest from Hollywood. Graham returns from England to join us for his third season with Merely Players for the World premiere of his new psychological thriller.

Tickets: $10, Available at the Door

For more info visit www.merelyplayers.org and/or www.indyfringe.org.

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I am not much of a beer drinker any more, but I have always wanted to attend the Phoenix Theatre’s Annual “Brew-Ha-Ha” fundraising event because, well, look at the photo at the top of this post.  Doesn’t that look like a fun time? 

Here is an excerpt from the press release:

PHOENIX THEATRE PRESENTS 14THANNUAL BREW-HA-HA

 Indianapolis — The Phoenix Theatre will hold its 14thannual microbrew festival, Brew-Ha-Ha, on Saturday, June 27, 2009, 3:00-7:00 pm. The event is open to individuals aged 21 and older. Sample the region’s finest microbrews and craft beers, relax to live music all afternoon long, and enjoy great food at Indy’s original beer sampling event. Proceeds from Brew-Ha-Ha support the educational outreach programs of the not-for-profit Phoenix Theatre.

The Event:

Brew-Ha-Ha provides an outdoor block party atmosphere in 700 block of North Park Avenue between Massachusetts Avenue and East St. Clair Street in downtown Indianapolis’ historic Chatham Arch neighborhood, with the street blocked off to traffic for the event.  Live entertainment is provided all afternoon with music by three local bands: The Elect, AyAwAscA (eye-uh-WAH-skuh), and The Alpha Primitives.  Brew-Ha-Ha is a rain-or-shine event.  Tickets are $25 ($20 in advance through June 26), just $10 for designated drivers.

The Beer:

Brew-Ha-Ha attracts the area’s finest microbrewers and craft beer distributors each year, with more than 50 beers available to sample.  Scheduled to attend Brew-Ha-Ha are Indianapolis-area brewers and distributors Barley Island Brewing Co., Broad Ripple Brew Pub, Cavalier Distributing, Half Moon Restaurant & Brewery, Main Street Brewery, Mass Ave Wine Shoppe, New Albanian Brewing Co., Oaken Barrel Brewery, Party Pak Brewery, Ram Restaurant & Big Horn Brewery, Rock Bottom Brewery, Sun King Brewery, Upland Brewery, World Class Beverages, and Zink Distributing Co.

The Food:

Brew-Ha-Ha admission enables attendees to sample as many brews as many times as they care to. Food is available for sale at the event from Dick’s Bodacious BBQ, King David’s Dogs, Blimpie’s, Red Coach Kettle Corn, and Marco’s Pizza.

Sponsors:

Brew-Ha-Ha 2009 is sponsored by Dean Johnson Design, NUVO Newsweekly, Indianapolis Monthly, and ESPN 1070 The Fan.

Contact:

For additional information, contact Tom Robertson, the Phoenix Theatre’s Development Director, by phone at 317.635.2381 or by email at trobertson@phoenixtheatre.org

Oh!  Except that you shouldn’t call Tom Robertson because he had some sudden and unexpected health problems earlier today.  See this thread on IndianaAuditions and add Tom to your prayers, if you’re a praying person.  Tom was the first person to sum up improv for me in one phrase:  “Yes, and.”  He told me, “Hope, in improv you just keeping saying ‘yes, and’ to whatever comes your way, and make the best of it.”  I hope that his body and his family and his doctors can say, “Yes, and” to this, too, so that Tom heals quickly and completely.

In the meantime, if you have questions about “Brew-Ha-Ha,” someone is probably checking Tom’s messages, or you could try calling the Phoenix box office at 317-635-PLAY (7529). 

One of the emails I received about “Brew-Ha-Ha” says the event will be held rain or shine.

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I love getting regular press releases from the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra but I don’t always mention them here on Indy Theatre Habit because there just isn’t time and space to do everything and my focus here is on theatre.

But THIS weekend: “The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra will take Marsh Symphony on the Prairie audiences on a musical journey into the magical and mysterious world of Harry Potter in two family-friendly Marsh Symphony on the Prairie concerts featuring many selections from the Harry Potter film scores on Friday and Saturday, June 26 and 27, at 8 p.m. at the Conner Prairie Amphitheater.”

Harry Potter! 

Yeah, yeah, I know all about the literary weaknesses of the books, but I love them anyway.  I love all of the movies so far, too.  I love the idea of listening to music from the movies played live and lushly by a professional orchestra.

And guess what?  ShadowApe Theatre Company founding member Constance Macy will be the narrator for the Symphony event!  I’d go just to hear her, with the delightful ISO as icing.

Here is another excerpt from the ISO press release:

Tickets are priced at $20 in advance and $25 at the gate for Adults, with Children’s prices (ages 2-12) at $10 in advance and $12 at the gate.  Tickets may be purchased at any convenient Marsh or O’Malia’s supermarket location, by calling the Hilbert Circle Theatre Box Office at (317) 639-4300, toll free at (800) 366-8457, or by visiting the ISO’s website at www.IndianapolisSymphony.org.  New “Premium Parking” passes, which provide convenient parking near the amphitheater, also may be purchased for $20 each exclusively through the Hilbert Circle Theatre Box Office.

The program, which will be conducted by longtime Evansville Philharmonic Music Director and Symphony on the Prairie  audience favorite Alfred Savia, will open with Manuel de Falla’s “Ritual Fire Dance” from El amor brujo (Love, the Magician), followed by Mozart’s Overture to The Magic Flute, John Williams’ “Witches, Wizards and Wands” from the film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, with the popular The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas to conclude the first portion of the concerts.

Following intermission, Maestro Savia and the ISO will present selections from John Williams’ popular Harry Potter film scores, including “Hedwig’s Theme” and “Nimbus 2000″ from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, followed by selections from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, “Aunt Margie’s Waltz” and “The Knight Bus” from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and the program will conclude with the theme Harry’s Wondrous World.  Joining Maestro Savia and the Orchestra will be local actress Constance Macy, who will provide dramatic narration for some of the Harry Potter selections to place the music within the context of the stories from the famous and popular novels which inspired the films and the music.

If rain is possible on concert days, the public can stay up-to-date via the ISO’s new “mSymphony Weather Text Message Service” by texting “WEATHER DATE” (i.e. WEATHER JULY 25) to “24025.”  This service will be available on every concert date and will be updated by the ISO, which constantly monitors the weather as conditions change.

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This is my weekend to work at my day job plus I have an Encore show to judge, so I don’t know how much of any of the above I will actually be able to do.  But aren’t there some lovely possibilities for this weekend?!

‘See you at the theatres!

Hope Baugh - www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

Last Friday night I went to ComedySportz in downtown Indianapolis to see the “FaceTweet Finale” show by Three Dollar Bill Comedy Company.  This was a “best of” show.  3$B has been performing their original sketch comedy pieces based on current events during the late night slot at ComedySportz every Friday for six months now.

I have been several times.  3$B’s odd, often dark and wacky sense of humor appeals to me, even when it makes me groan instead of laugh. I also admire the company’s commitment to developing at least one new story per week.

The “FaceTweet” collection is built around the phenomenon of online social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter.  The final show was very tight, very funny.  I could hear people in the audience saying “Yes!” and “Oh, I love this one!” at the beginning of their favorite sketches.

I was there to hear company member Claire Wilcher sing.  I had missed the week that she did her spoof of Susan Boyle’s fifteen minutes of fame, but ironically enough, I had heard about it on Facebook.  Susan Boyle, in case you don’t already know, is a woman who is not conventionally attractive but who impressed the judges and the world with her powerful singing voice on a British talent search show on television a few weeks ago.

Claire revisited her Susan Boyle impersonation Friday night and added a verse at the end to update the story: Susan came in second at the next round of competition on the TV show and then had a nervous breakdown.  This in itself is not funny, of course, but Claire’s spin on it was.  And, as always, it was a treat to hear her sing.

The guys in the group seemed especially “on” or “in the zone” or whatever on Friday night, too, which was another treat.

An unexpected bonus to the evening was the fact that Scot Greenwell and Jim Lucas each asked if they could sit with me.  I enjoyed talking with them about their theatre work during the intermission.

Jim is directing a show called “The Stetson Manifesto” for the Indy Fringe Festival in August. He mentioned that the cast includes Carrie Fedor.  She has been a hoot in everything I’ve seen her in.

Scot is playing the Telegram Delivery Boy in “Octopus” at the Phoenix Theatre now through July 11, 2009.  I have seen the show three times and hope to see it at least once more before it closes.

I asked Scot, “So your character is God, right?  The Telegram Delivery Boy is an aspect of God.”

Scot said, “God, the Devil, I don’t know if the playwright had in mind for him to be either of those, although people have told me they see the character as one or the other.  I created my portrayal of him based around two of his lines: ‘That is what happens when people stop paying attention’ and ‘I am what happens when people don’t care.’”

The lines of our conversation here are not direct quotes, but Scot did give me permission to share the content of it.  The lines from the play are quoted exactly because a little bird gave me a copy of Steve Yockey’s script.  (Yay!  Thanks again, little bird!)

It was fun talking to Scot about his character and about the “Octopus” show in general.  I am not sure why, exactly, the piece resonates with me so deeply, but the third time I saw it, I started crying the moment we joined Andy at the bottom of the ocean and continued crying until the end.

Three Dollar Bill makes me laugh instead of cry, but I would like to see more of their work, too.  Both kinds of catharsis are important.  According to the press release that producer Will Pfaffenberger sent me, 3$B will be traveling to sketch festivals and performing at benefit shows this summer.  They will return to The ComedySportz Theatre for their fifth full revue (collection of connected comedy sketches) on Friday August 7, 2009.  You can sign up for an email reminder via their website: www.threedollarbillcomedy.com.

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

PS - The visual to go with this post was created by Will Pfaffenberger.

So this morning I ran into my friend and theatre buddy, David.  I said, “I’m going to see ‘Octopus’ at the Phoenix Theatre tonight.  I won’t have media passes because I already saw it once, but would you like to go Dutch with me?  Tickets on Thursday nights are $15.”

“What time?”

“Thursday night performances start at 7:00.”

“Okay, yeah.  I can do that.  What’s it about?”

I love this about David.  He is a true theatre adventurer, game for anything, as long as it is not “Will Rogers Follies.”  He hated “Will Rogers Follies” when he saw it years ago, before he knew me.

“You mean you haven’t been reading my blog?” I teased.  “I wrote all about ‘Octopus’ the first time I saw the show.  In fact, I probably wrote too much.  I even was lucky enough to interview the playwright.  I wrote about that on my blog, too.”

“I never read the reviews before I see a show.  I read your blog afterwards.”

“Ah.  Well, ‘Octopus’ has mature content…”

“Oh, yeah, I did read about that.  But yeah, okay.  Let’s go.”

So we went. 

I felt completely differently about the show this time.  I still loved it, and I found new things to appreciate in it, but I felt….odd, afterwards.

I was still trying to figure out what I felt as David and I were walking to his car.  He said, “I am glad I got to see that, but I didn’t agree with any of them.  In fact, the play made me angry.”

I was surprised by the vehemence in his voice.  “What do you mean?”

“Those three guys ganging up on…what was his name?  Kevin?  All of them dumping their actions on him, blaming him, instead of taking responsibility themselves.  It is as easy to say “I own my actions” as it is to say “I love you.”  ‘Doesn’t mean a thing if they’re just words.”

Kevin (Jason Gloye) as victim?!??  I had not considered that possibility before at ALL.

David went on: “I wonder if the playwright meant to show that ‘watching’ is worse than ‘acting’ but it backfired on him.  Or maybe that was his point: that people who complain about the people who watch are really the ones at fault.

“Those other guys didn’t give Kevin a chance.  They didn’t let him explain.  They just put all of their stuff on him.  He was the only one actually doing anything.  He arranged the evening of sex.  He went to Max for help, twice.  He shared his feelings honestly AND stayed put.  He made the choice to stay with Blake and call him back.  Those two will be together forever now because of Kevin’s commitment.”

I was flabbergasted.  This was so completely different from what I had taken away from the show.  However, I loved that the play was so complex, so layered, as to evoke such different reactions in us.

Then David laughed.  “But I have to tell you, Hope.  When you say a show has ‘mature content,’ you really mean mature content.  I thought you meant just a little…well, I don’t know what I expected.  But not a bunch of naked guys all the way naked!”

By then we were both laughing.  I said, “I’m sorry!  I didn’t realize that you didn’t really know anything about this show!”  We laughed some more.

“All of those fellas were spectacular actors, though,” David said, when we had finally caught our breaths again.  “I forgot they were acting.  Not one, not ONE of them acted ‘at’ you.” 

David hates it when actors act at the audience.

“I wonder what a gay person would think after watching this show,” David mused.  “They (gay men) have a different context for it, so probably a different reaction.”

“Well,” I said.  “Please see my review of this show for at least two gay people’s reactions.” 

I did not say, but I was thinking, that it was fascinating to hear a straight man’s reaction to this show after hearing a gay couple’s reactions to it, and even more fascinating just to hear three different people’s very different reactions based on, I guess, their personalities and life experiences even more than their sexual orientations. It was as fascinating as…well, yes, as fascinating as watching other people have sex.

Or so I imagine.

“I think it’s about more than gay issues, though, don’t you think?” I asked.  “It’s about relationships in general.”

“Yes,” David said.  “It’s a vehicle.”

“The play wouldn’t have been as powerful if it had been two straight couples,” I said.  “I would have read things into the male roles vs. the female roles.  This way, they can all just be people.”

“Yeah, but I could see this play done with two straight couples, too…”

“With cancer instead of AIDS.”

“No, with AIDS.  Straight people get AIDS, too!  But the stereotype of gays is that they talk a lot, they talk easily, about their feelings or whatever.  So maybe it is better this way.” 

I should have told you from the beginning that none of the above, or below, is a direct quote.   I certainly wasn’t in note-taking mode as we were talking.  However, it is the gist of our post-show discussion, and David gave me permission to share his ideas (as I understand them) with you.

“That show was spectacular,” David said again, after we had been talking for a while. “I’m really glad I got to see it.  I’m going to have to be careful about who I recommend it to, though.”

“Because of the mature content?”

He laughed.  “No, I’m going to let them get hit over the head with that, the same way I was.  No, I mean because of the intensity.  It starts out funny, but then it becomes… I’m going to have to say to people, ‘Now be sure you’re in the mood for something intense.’  Because that was one intense play.”

“Intense” was my word for it, too.

********** 

“Octopus” was written by Steven Yockey and directed at the Phoenix by Bryan Fonseca.  It continues at the Phoenix Theatre through Saturday, July 11, 2009.  There are no Sunday performances, but Thursday nights are “Cheap Seat Nights,” thanks to Duke Energy.  Please call 317-635-PLAY to make a reservation.

By the way, actress Gayle Steigerwald and I saw each other at this show on opening night.  She was there again tonight, and happened to be sitting right next to me.   When the house lights came up at the end, she turned to me and said, “I love this play.”

“So do I,” I said.  “Same time next week?”

She laughed.  “Thursdays are Cheap Seats!”

“‘See you then!”

Hope Baugh - www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

Last Thursday night I met my friend, Chris, and his partner, Doug (who is also becoming my friend, I hope!) at the Phoenix Theatre in downtown Indianapolis to see the opening night performance of the Midwest premiere of “Octopus,” by Steven Yockey.  Bryan Fonseca directed it, assisted by Brandon Gelvin.

It is an intense show, full of satisfying surprises both in terms of the story and the staging of it.  After a lot of post-show discussion, Doug pronounced it “poignant.”  Chris pronounced it “genius.”  I loved it, too, but for maybe different reasons than they did. 

 ”Octopus” is the story of a young gay couple - Kevin and Blake - who invite another, slightly older and longer-established gay couple - Max and Andy - that they met in a bar to their home to have sex with them for fun.  The ménage a quatre is more Kevin’s idea than Blake’s, however.  When the play opens, the more-experienced couple is late and Blake is having serious second thoughts about the adventure, to the point of having a panic attack.  Kevin assures him that sex with other couples is “what men do.”  Blake reluctantly agrees to give it a try.

When the other couple arrives, we see immediately that although they have been together for longer than Kevin and Blake, their relationship, too, has issues.  Max and Andy have had sex with other couples fairly often in the past, but Andy is older than Max and only tolerates it now because Max continues to want it.  It is no longer what he wants. 

Max’s desires are ruthless enough to power past everyone else’s ambivalence.  Kevin dims the lights and pretty soon everyone’s clothes are on the floor and everyone is kissing and exploring each other’s naked bodies.  They are bite-your-lip sexy.

Max and Blake move to the bed, Andy follows them, and Kevin…stands watching.  Just before the lights go out completely to signal the end of the scene, he flees into another room.

All of this happens in the first scene.  The rest of the play is about the unexpected feelings that come up for each of the men in the days afterwards, and the actions they each take, especially after they learn that Andy is sick.

It’s not what you think…

WAIT!  Please don’t think, “Andy is sick?  Oh, man, another dreary AIDS play.” 

I haven’t actually seen that many AIDS plays, dreary or otherwise, but Doug has.  For over a decade he has worked actively with and for the gay community and has contributed his performance art to many, many AIDS research benefit events.  During the reception after the show Thursday night he told me that at first he thought that “Octopus” was going to be “Angels in America” all over again.  He wasn’t putting down that play, but he was depressed to be hearing that same message - which I interpreted to be “AIDS is real, AIDS is tragic, AIDS affects everyone, be aware, be safe” - 20 years later. 

“Have we learned nothing in all this time?” he wondered.

However, Doug said that by the end of this play, “I did a 360.”  I.e., he had completely come around in favor of this show because THAT was its message: have we learned nothing in all this time?

Doug told me that AIDS among gay men 18-25 years of age is steadily increasing.

He told me that he hears young gay men say things like “I just don’t like safe sex” and therefore they have sex without taking precautions to prevent the spread of disease.  They didn’t live through the time when gay men and their friends were going to three funerals a week, so they think AIDS is only something that happened to previous generations.

They think there is a cure for it.

The playwright, Steve Yockey, joined our huddle by the punchbowl at the post-show reception and told us that when one member of the young couple in the show says, “Andy tested positive” and the other says, “Positive for what?” it is not something Steve made up.  It is a conversation that he overheard in real life.  It was part of what prompted him to write this play.

I was moved by everything that Doug and Steve said about why the play is important to them, but the play resonated with me for other reasons.  For me, the play was about messages in general, rather than one specific message.

Information from Emotions

I believe that God or the Universe or whatever you want to call it, is always sending each of us messages that are important for us to hear.  For me they come seemingly randomly through books, shows, and other art, or through relationships, both fleeting and long-term.  If I ignore a message that is crucial to my development as a person and therefore to the development of the human race, the Universe sends it to me again in another, perhaps more uncomfortable way, again and again until I deal with it.  I might accept the message or I might reject it but ignoring it is not an option.

I love that in “Octopus” the messages from the Universe come in the form of telegrams on yellow paper delivered by a hilariously perky Telegram Delivery Boy (Scot Greenwell) dressed in a uniform straight out of the 1950s.  (Costumes by Beth Marx.)   He is soaking wet, literally and symbolically.  He himself seems fairly free of emotion, at least at first, but he drips water all over Kevin and Blake’s floor, forcing them to pay attention to the message addressed to Blake that says that Andy has gone to live at the bottom of the ocean.

He has gone to live at the bottom of the ocean?  The young men wonder: what does that mean?  And how can there be a Telegram Delivery Boy in their home?  Do people even send telegrams any more?

Without telling Blake, Kevin tracks Max down for help in making sense of the message.  He learns that Max has broken up with Andy because Andy tested positive for AIDS.  Max has been getting telegrams, too, and Andy has disappeared.  But in the meantime there is something the matter with the pipes in Max’s apartment: they are filling his home with water and he doesn’t know what to do about it.

I thought this scene meant that we would not see Ricardo Melendez - the actor who plays Andy - again, and that made me sad.  But then suddenly we were at the bottom of the ocean with Andy.

In that scene, we, along with Andy, become aware of an unimaginably vast sea monster that throbs and glides in the dark waters surrounding us, more than willing to devour us.  Laura Glover’s lighting design, Bryan Fonseca’s sound design, and Christopher Hansen’s technical direction and props, plus Ricardo Melendez’s acting, all make us feel that the monster is very real, very large, and very near.

I cried all the way through Andy’s poetic reflections on the dangers of feeling safe.  I cried because he wasn’t talking just about death and disease but about love and trust, about betrayal and abandonment.  I cried in sympathy because he didn’t feel he had many choices, now, and yet he was trying to make the best choice he could.  I cried because I so very much wanted him to be able to make a choice that didn’t involve surrendering to the monster.

Oh, crap.  I am sobbing again as I write this.

We’re All Doing the Best We Can with What We Have at the Time

I felt sympathy for each of the characters, actually, even the predatory Max, who is given a feline creepiness by Nate Walden.  From the moment he walks into Kevin and Blake’s home, he takes possession of it, and them.  Max is clueless, but not clueless about his cluelessness, if that makes sense.  I wouldn’t want him on the inside of my life because he scares me, but I feel sympathy for his stuckness.

I felt sympathy for the naïve Kevin, played with a boyish stubbornness by Jason Gloye, too. However, I wouldn’t want Kevin on the inside of my life either, because if I’m going to take risks, I want to be able to depend on my loved ones to be right there with me, not off to the side watching and manipulating.   I let a lot of people “watch me” via this blog, for example, but only because I know that I can depend on my close friends and family to keep “touching” me, skin on skin, heart on heart. 

I understand Kevin’s fears, though.  I really do.  His fears and his inquisitiveness.  One of the first things that drew me to this show, in fact, was the promise of a chance to see hot, naked men in person with absolutely zero risk to myself.  Yup, unfortunately I can definitely relate to Kevin.

I also agree with the playwright’s comment to us afterwards that it is easy to say “I love you.”  Actually loving, i.e. - staying present and open and yet connected with another person - is much, much more difficult.

So Do We Ever Dry Out? (Spoilers)

Ben Snyder’s sensitive portrayal of Blake and his complex loss of innocence is what buoys me, what gives me hope amidst all these waves of soggy emotion.  The ending of the play is ambiguous, so I won’t be completely giving it away by talking about it.  You will, I’m sure, want to discuss it at length with your friends, too, if you decide to go see this show. 

This is how I interpret it:

While Kevin is talking to Max, Blake disappears.  The Telegram Delivery Boy arrives with another telegram, this time adressed to Kevin, but Kevin refuses to accept it.  He screams for Blake over the Telegram Delivery Boy’s now almost violent insistence that Kevin take the telegram that says (I assume) that Blake has gone to the bottom of the ocean, too.  Kevin chooses to call Blake back, in spite of the telegram, but Blake also chooses to hear him and answer the call.  Both choices are important.

I am not convinced that the two men will stay together forever, because I think that Kevin’s choice is still more about fear than love.  However, I am convinced that Blake will always be able to resist the monster’s call because his choices really are based on love - love for himself and for others.

This example gives me hope for myself, too, a message from the Universe for which I am deeply grateful.

The Set and the Special Effects (No spoilers)

I promised the playwright that I wouldn’t tell you any specifics about the cleverness of the special effects or the compelling ways in which they support the audience’s experience of the story, so I will just say that even if you are “not into gay issue plays” or “not into touchy-feely plays,” if you are at all into the potential that live theatre has to be technically impressive, you won’t want to miss this show.   The special effects are uniquely “wow!”

Also amazing is the fact that you sit just a few yards away from the stage, and yet the special effects are completely believable even as they’re wowing you.   In fact, they are beyond believable: they are real!  Their execution is polished but there is nothing “digitally enhanced” or distancing about them.

The studio apartment set itself, even before any of the special effects, is elegant.   ”You can tell that’s a fag’s apartment,” Chris said, as we found our seats before the show and looked at the curtainless stage. “And you can quote me.”

I laughed and asked, “How can you tell that it’s a..?”  I couldn’t bring myself to use that particular “f” word.

“All the candles and other lights, and the clean lines.”

I’m still not exactly sure what Chris meant, but I loved the large, round, porthole-like window over the bed.

James Gross designed the set.  It was constructed by Christopher Hansen, James Gross, Glen Bucy, Amanda Lynn Meyer, Cody Grady, Ricardo Melendez, Clay Zook, Brandon Gelvin, and Kristen Johnson.

The stage manager is director Bryan Fonseca, assisted by Amanda Lynn Meyer.  As I mentioned before, Christopher Hansen is the technical director and also in charge of props.  Dani Norberg is the light and sound operator.  Kristin Johnson assisted Laura Glover with the lighting design and is also the assistant master electrician.  The run crew consists of Amanda Lynn Meyer, Natasha Cox, and Brandon Gelvin.

Speaking of the run crew reminds me to tell you that the play runs around 85 minutes and there is no intermission.  The black-clad crew members rise like eels from murky, unexpected locations to make set changes between scenes.  I don’t know if that is an intentionally-created visual or whether it just came out of a need to make changes quickly, but it is startling and fun to watch.

A Quick Word about the Language

This is also a play not to miss if you, like me, love to hear beautifully-crafted lines that sound completely natural - these men use the other “f” word frequently - and yet which also surprise and delight.  I stopped jotting down expressions that I loved after the first scene or two because there were just so many.  Some day I would like to buy a copy of the script as a souvenir.

A Quick Word about the Opening Night Reception

The play’s the thing, but I just have to tell you, too, about the refreshments at the lobby party after the opening night performance because they were an additional treat.

Someone from Henry’s on East coffee shop had made a cake with a big, purple 3-D octopus on top.  It was a hoot!  Someone at the Scholar’s Inn had made other ocean-y nibbles, including a yummy calamari salad; a delicately-seasoned shrimp salad with sliced, whole shrimp; and thin slices of meat on skewers with a special dipping sauce whose name reminded me of tropical islands.  (I’m sorry: I wasn’t in note-taking mode then, so I can’t tell you what it was.)  There was hot coffee and generously spiked punch to drink, or you could buy a locally-brewed beer or soft drink from Jessica at the pub window.

For Reservations

“Octopus” is scheduled to run on the Main Stage at the Phoenix Theatre on Thursdays-Saturdays through Saturday, July 11, 2009.  There will be no performance on Saturday, July 4, but there will be a bonus performance on Wednesday, July 1.  Duke Energy makes it possible for Thursdays to be “Cheap Seat Nights” for which the tickets are only $15 instead of $25.  Please call 317-635-PLAY (7529) to make a reservation.

Hope Baugh - www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

PS - I saw this show a second time with a different friend and got a completely different take on it.

PS2 - I saw this show a third and fourth time, and wish I had time to see it a fifth time!

I heard that playwright Steven Yockey (www.redkingdreaming.com) was in Indianapolis for the opening of his new play, “Octopus,” at the Phoenix Theatre.  On a whim, I asked if I could interview him on the day before the show opened.  He said yes!

So then I scrambled to read more about his work and to prepare questions beyond “Where do you get your ideas?”  It was interesting to read about his career on the Internet, so when we met at Henry’s on East coffee shop Wednesday afternoon, I had several questions.

He graciously answered all of them, even the ones that were really just for me rather than for my blog readers.  Steve listens like a playwright, or at least the way I imagine all good playwrights listen:  intently, compassionately, and with no nonsense but a lot of humor.

Our conversation was a great blessing to me.

On Playwright as Collaborator

The Phoenix Theatre’s production of “Octopus” will be the third production among theatres in the National New Play Network.  The show was originally developed and produced by Actor’s Express Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, where Steve is from. It has also been produced by the Magic Theatre in San Francisco, California.

I asked if it is always part of the process for the playwright to visit a theatre that is premiering his or her play.  Steve said not necessarily, but Phoenix director Bryan Fonseca had invited him to visit any time during the production schedule for “Octopus.”  Steve chose to come three days before opening.  He has been offering comments all week with the understanding that they are just information for Bryan to consider.

“Bryan said something really great to me when I first got here,” Steve told me.  “He said, ‘I want you to tell me anything you want because we are all here for the same reason: to make a strong production.’

“The beauty of theatre is that it is dependent on the collaborators,” Steve continued.  “My play on the page is not literature, not in my opinion.  It is meant to be lifted.”  I.e. - lifted off the page by the voices of the actors and the vision of the director and designers.

Steve watched me scribbling down quotes for a moment and then said, “You know this is all going to sound very pretentious, don’t you?”  I protested, but he shook his head and said, “When you go to write this out, you’ll see: very pretentious.”

And you know what?  He was right: “My work is meant to be lifted” does sound pretentious.  But it didn’t feel pretentious when Steve was saying it.  It felt humble.  And it was a reminder to me about why I find plays exciting:  a play IS more than words on a page.  A good play is filled with possibilities.

On “Growing Up”

Steve started writing plays when he was 25.  He is now 32.

“I started out very prescriptive,” he told me.  In other words, he gave lots of detail in his stage directions.  “I was also very pushy with directors.”

Pretty quickly, though, he learned that “It is very misguided, especially for (someone in) theatre, to be all ‘my way or the highway.’

“It’s about developing a trust.  A professional lighting designer understands a lot more than a playwright does about lighting design.  A professional director understands more about how to interact with actors.”

He laughed, “Actually, just about anyone knows more about how to interact with actors than I do.  I never talk to actors because I will say things like ‘Just talk faster!’”

Steve has no ambitions to become a director.  He is a writer.  “My work is much, much stronger when other people direct it.”

Nor does he want to act.  He has acted in shows before, but that is not where his calling lies.  “I am an emotionally demanding playwright…I think actors like to be challenged.”

Based on what I heard from the “Octopus” actors after opening night, I think so, too.  More about this in a moment.

For someone who is now so dedicated to theatre, and who has had so many other plays produced before this one, age 25 seemed old to me for Steve to have written his first play.  “What did you do before that?” I asked.

“I started off as an economics and international business major,” Steve said.  “I was always in love with the idea of theatre but I didn’t want to fall in love with it because I had this (other) idea of what I was supposed to be, what my life was supposed to look like.”

But somehow, I guess, he surrendered to who he really was.  This impressed me, and suddenly, age 25 seemed very young to have arrived at that point in his life journey.  Many of us take much, much longer to reach self-acceptance.  I’m still working on it, myself.

“I had my quarter-life crisis,” Steve explained, making me laugh again. “We live in America where everyone’s a child forever, you know.  I had my quarter-life crisis and I started writing plays.”

On Inspiration and Help

We returned again and again in our conversation to the importance of collaboration.  “Ninety-nine percent of the time, having so many voices coming into the mix makes my work much better than if it were just my voice.”

We also talked about people who have helped and inspired us.  Steve said that one of the people that he is especially grateful for is Kate Warner, formerly of Actor’s Express in Atlanta, now artistic director at the New Repertory Theatre near Boston, Massachusetts.  “She gave me many resources and opportunities, first to see my short plays fully produced, then in the form of commissions to explore longer work.”

I wanted to know how those commissions worked.  Steve said that Kate would say to him, “Do you have an idea?”  Steve would say “Yes” and write a one-page description.  Kate would read it and say, “Yes, I will do this (produce this.)”  Then Steve would go write the play.

“Most successful people have at least one or two or three people who opened doors for them,” Steve said.  For him, Kate was one of those people.  Director Mark Routhier, formerly Director of Artistic Development for the Magic Theatre in San Francisco, was another.

I wish I had thought to ask Steve if collaboration has ever back-fired on him.  Or maybe a better question would be: how do you think you will handle it if you ever find yourself in collaboration with someone who seems to be taking your play in a disastrous direction? 

But maybe that is just one of the risks involved with doing theatre.  Maybe there is no way out but through in such situations.  Hmm.

On the Value of a Master of Fine Arts Degree

Steve completed his MFA in Dramatic Writing at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2008.

“Was it worth it?” I asked him.  “What does having that degree do for you?”

“Yes!  It was so worth it!” Steve said.  “Getting an MFA gives you the time, opportunities, and resources to improve your writing, to have people ask you questions, and to explore and to refine.”

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman was his thesis advisor at NYU.  The single most important thing she told him was something along the lines of: “You need to write so that your writing has as much of who YOU are in it as possible.  Don’t write to please other people.  People look to be inspired by an individual voice that stands out among many.”

“I don’t know whether it’s true or not,” Steve said after a moment.  “But I cling to it.”

At first (before grad school) he wrote plays with simple production requirements and small casts because he wanted them to be produced.  “But in grad school we were told not to worry about getting produced.  Engage the idea and see where it takes you.”

“Octopus” is the first play he wrote in grad school.  He fully embraced theatricality for this piece.

On Being in Love

“Does being in love help or hinder you as a playwright?” I asked next.  This question was just for me, because I had been thinking about it in terms of my own writing and my own relationships.

“Hinders,” Steve said immediately.

“Why?”

“Because it provides a kind of contentment that calms the sort of agitation that makes me want to write.”

Then he smiled and quietly added, “Which is not to say I don’t welcome that calm.”

“So what do you do?”  I meant: how do you keep writing and yet still have a satisfying love life?

“I just mess it up,” Steve laughed, meaning his love relationship. 

I laughed with him, but I am also going to keep hoping that Steve and I both find a way to be simultaneously successful in love and work.   Steve is moving to San Francisco next week.  I hope true love awaits him there.

On Other Playwrights to Know

For most of our conversation I just asked whatever question came to mind, but at the end of our time together I consulted my list to see if there was anything we hadn’t covered. 

Ah.  “What other playwrights do you like?”

“Caryl Churchill…I love her use of language.  Also a British playwright named Sarah Kane.  Unfortunately, she died at age 29 but she left us a few plays that I love because they are raw, authentic, unnerving, powerful…”

After the Show - On Playwright as Actors’ Resource

I had not seen or even read “Octopus” before I talked with Steve.  The next night I went to see the opening performance at the Phoenix.  My detailed thoughts on the show are here on my blog, one post after this one.  The short version of my review is that ”Octopus” is an intense show, full of satisfying surprises both in terms of the story and the staging of it. 

After the show, there was a reception in the lobby.  I breathed through my shyness and chatted individually with four of the five actors.  Each of them told me how much it had meant for them to have The Playwright available to them this past week. 

Nate Walden, for example, said, “The playwright came to see a run-through.  Afterwards, he and Bryan (the director) went out and stayed up late talking about it.  The next morning I got a call from Bryan, asking me to come in and try some new things.  This was three days before opening!  But it turned the character around for me.  I was able to take Max in a whole new direction.” 

Nate gave me specific examples of things he had tweaked, but I’m sorry, I wasn’t in note-taking mode so I can’t repeat them to you.  Whatever he did though, was effective.  Nate’s portrayal of the rapacious Max is compelling.

In fact, now that I think about it, I have seen all five of the “Octopus” actors in at least one other production each, and four of them in several shows each.  I have enjoyed all of their work before, but in “Octopus,” each of these actors shows more depth of interpretation, more nuances, and just better all-round command of their chosen art form than I have ever seen them give before.  So…I think actors do like to rise to the challenge of emotionally demanding material such as Steve’s play.

After the Show - On Age-ism and Engaging the Audience

During my conversation with Steve at the coffee shop, I asked him to tell me more about “event theatre” and the work he did with Adam Fristoe at Out of Hand Theater in Atlanta.  Fristoe is one of three co-artistic directors there. 

In my pre-interview reading I had come across an article about Out of Hand that was written by Heather Donahoe LaForge for Theatre Forum Magazine and posted on the Out of Hand website.  

In it, LaForge portrays Fristoe as age-ist.  I bristled while reading the article and thought, “Why do you have to go out of your way to say that you are NOT creating theatre for people my age?  Why do you have to act as if no one before your generation has ever created ‘work that titillates their audiences’ intellect as well as their desire to have a good time’?  As if no one before 2001 ever wanted ‘to work hard and make theatre that is more than just reading aloud’?  As if no one before the Out of Hand founders were born ever wanted ‘to make theatre, not just interpret it’?

I mean, if you are working to create theatre that creates buy-in for an audience ‘in the same way that a wedding, a football game, or a séance’ engages the attendees, why not just say that?  THAT’S what you’ve got going for you.  THAT is a very cool concept as is.  Why do you have to go out of your way to make people my age - your parents’ age - feel excluded and then allowed back in?”

Bleah.  I am ashamed to say that I worked myself into a proper fit over that article.  By the time I got to the end of it, I had clearly lost (temporarily, I hope!) my ability to not take offense where none was intended.  For all I know, Adam Fristoe was misquoted in the article, and even if he wasn’t, who am I to argue with a theatre team that has managed to stay up and running for eight years?

I also had to remind myself that I was interviewing Steve, not Adam.

But I was curious if Steve, too, thought that the only way to engage an 18-to-35-year-old audience was to make them do something physical, which seems to be the basis for “event theatre.”  I wondered if he, too, thought that ”just” telling young people a good story could never, ever be enough to fully engage them.

I wondered: Doesn’t the story have to come first for any age audience?  What does “audience engagement” really mean, anyway?

I am relieved that Steve gracefully avoided the defensiveness of my questions in this part of the conversation.  He said that while theatre does change and become what each generation needs it to be, “Octopus” is a different kind of piece from “Cartoon” and the other “event theatre”-style work he did for Out of Hand. 

“The Fourth Wall stays intact in ‘Octopus,’” Steve said.  “It is realism, not naturalism.”

Or rather, in “Octopus,” magical, allegorical things like sea monsters are part of the story, but the people in the play react to the bizarre parts in realistic ways.

No matter what kind of theatre you’re making, though, and no matter what age your audience is, Steve said, “You’ve got to get them (audience members) in the first 10 minutes.  You also have to let them know where you’re headed and when they get to leave the theatre.”

Steve said that Bryan Fonseca told him that the Phoenix never remounts old shows.  They want to be always doing what’s new, what’s current.  Bryan told Steve that he loves “Octopus” because it is “an idea of what’s happening in the world now.”

“I appreciated that,” Steve told me. “And I’m glad he thinks that.”

Maybe I should have just left out the long chunk of this part of our conversation that is more about my issues than Steve’s work,  but I share it with you because now that I have seen a production of “Octopus,” one of the things I love most about it is that although it addresses generational differences it is NOT about young vs. old, or even about innocent vs. experienced or mature vs. immature.  It is not about any kind of “versus” at all.  It is much more layered than that.

On the Future of Theatre

“Theatre is nimble,” Steve went on in our coffee shop conversation.  “It is not a dinosaur.  It is broad, vibrant, amorphous, fluid… (That characteristic) is what will keep theatre alive.”

I also asked him, ”Why theatre?  What not write film scripts or novels or…?”

He replied, “Nothing replaces the live experience.  It’s a different show every night.  People in one audience see different shows, of course, but also the show itself is different every night.

“And the catharsis of people in a room, in the dark, watching live people overcome, or fail to overcome, or fall, or fly…

“There’s nothing else like it.”

I couldn’t agree more.

*************** 

Steve Yockey’s “Octopus” continues at the Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana through Saturday, July 11, 2009.  There will be no performance on Saturday, July 4, but there will be a bonus performance on Wednesday, July 1.  Duke Energy makes it possible for Thursdays to be “Cheap Seat Nights” for which the tickets are only $15 instead of $25.  Please call 317-635-PLAY (7529) to make a reservation.

Hope Baugh - www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

Guess what?  I heard today from a little bird who heard from a little bird who heard from a little bird who is related to a certain young actor that he has been cast to play the “givee” in the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s production of “The Giver” next season. 

I don’t think I have seen this actor in a show before, and I am not sure, exactly, how to spell his name (does “Garrett” have two “t”s, for example? and does “McKenna” have two “n”’s?), so I am not going to baldly name names here.  However, my source says that this young actor is very dedicated and his talent very promising, so I am even more excited, now, about seeing Lois Lowry’s thought-provoking novel for young people brought to life on the stage.

Speaking of young people’s novels, I would like one of those necklaces that Hermione had in the 5^th (or was it 6^th?) Harry Potter book.  If I could be multiple places at once this coming weekend, I would, in addition to taking care of a lot of personal stuff and seeing the Encore shows that I need to see, attend the following:

Thursday, June 11, 2009:

• Opening night of the Midwest premiere of “Octopus,” by Steven Yockey, at the Phoenix Theatre. Why? See photo of handsome men, above. (Photo by Julie Curry.)  Also, because Bryan Fonseca directed it.  ALSO, the show supposedly uses and re-uses a ton (literally?) of water every night, which intrigues me purely in a stagecraft-y way.
• Trivia Night fundraiser for the Heartland Actors’ Repertory Theatre beginning at 8pm at Pat Flynn’s Pub. Why? Because the first one I went to, last year, was a lot of fun.
• A Wicked Disco Party at 45 Degrees (corner of Mass. Ave. and College Ave. in downtown Indianapolis.) Why? Because members of the Broadway touring cast of “Wicked” will sing disco favorites live to benefit Step-Up and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Doors open at 10:00pm. Show starts around 11:00pm. Suggested donation: $20.

Friday, June 12 or Saturday, June 13, 2009:

• “Bent,” by Martin Sherman, which continues at the Theatre Within through Saturday, June 20, 2009. Why? Because Michael Swinford is in it, and I haven’t seen him act in too long.
• “Sex, Dreams, and Self-Control” at 8pm at the Indy Fringe building. Why? Because from the brief description in the Fringe newsletter, this sounds like one of those quirky, one-person, autobiographical Fringe shows that I love.

Sunday, June 14, 2009:

• The opening show for Shakespeare in the Park’s 2^nd season: “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” by William Shakespeare, at the Greenwood Ampitheater in Olde Towne Greenwood: 100 Surina Way, Greenwood, Indiana. Performances are FREE and open to the public. Bring a chair or blanket to sit on. Performances Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights all start at 7pm. Why? Because although I don’t know all of the cast, it does include several actors that I already admire, including Josh Ramsey, aka Dracula.

There is much more in my mailbox, but I am falling asleep at the wheel, so this is all I’m going to mention today.  ‘See you at the theatres!

Hope Baugh - www.IndyTheatreHabit.com