Apollo's Angry!
We had three Winter's Tales all in a row this week. Starting on Wednesday in La Mirada. If you aren't sure where La Mirada is, go outside during the day and look up at the giant ball of fire in the sky. We were there on Wednesday. There was also a really noisy generator too close to the stage and we were fighting with that. It was a brutal way to start the week. The show was fine. Greg had a great insight. He said, "man, it's too hot out there to do anything but be honest." No doubt, gregbear.
Thursday we were in Santa Ana. It was a bit hot, but after we had braved the heat of Mordor, we didn't sweat it. I love doing the show in Santa Ana. Something completely unexpected will always happen...so I guess I expect that, but not what it will be. This time, somebody snuck backstage and stole Bohemia Bob's bottle of wine and a fake flower. We have this jug of Chianti that has been cooking in our truck for two months that I bring on in Bohemia as a drunk party guest. I set it under the stage before the show, and then it was just gone. Whoever stole it is probably in a world of hurt, because that shit must be toxic by now. Not sure why they took the fake flower, but maybe they wanted to be fancy.
But another wonderful thing about Santa Ana is that the senior center at the park studies our shows and makes art to share with us. It's so sweet and amazing!
This was one of many pieces made for us. We had a really good show! For me, I was too tired to be anything but honest.
Friday we were in my hometown of Torrance! One of our favorite places to play every year. The crowd was great! The show was the best that it has been. My sweet Leah even admitted to having a good show for the first time ever. (She's always a genius goddess of the highest rank, but as such can't admit to it).
Here are some tidbits from the week:
-People are getting a bit cranky. Especially the two show peeps. This is common and understandable. What we do is stupid and shouldn't be done by humans.
-We found a really great dive bar in La Mirada called Rookies. (I'm not sure if it was really a great dive bar or we were just so hot, tired, and thirsty that it seemed like heaven. But if we go there next year, I'll be there after).
-I had a thought while working on my script this week which I took into the playing of Leontes. There's no mention (at least in our cutting) of Leontes being the son of a king. He and Polixenes were "brothers" growing up. What if he was a noble in the court of his friend and not actually a prince? What if he is only a king because he married Hermione? What if that was arranged by Polixenes? One of the "problems" of this problem play is how quickly and thoroughly Leontes is overcome by jealousy. "Too hot! Too hot!" seems to come out of the blue. Like a lightning bolt from Zeus. I've approached that speech as simply as I can. I believe Leontes is having a panic attack. The text tell us that he is too hot and his heart is palpitating. So, for me there is a physiological thing happening. This makes sense to me. I have had panic attacks. They suck. But adding this one detail about never being equal to Polixenes took it deeper. And although BJ is one of my dearest friends, I could easily imagine being jealous of him. He's tall, handsome, talented, plays and writes music, the ladies swoon for him, and he is delightful to be around. I mean, if I didn't love him so much, I'd hate him. This is how jealousy works.
-This also had some other consequences. When Hermione says she's the daughter of a great king, that digs because I am not of royal blood. All her talk of her blood being in their children now hits Leontes hard.
-I wear a ring in the show. It's my ring of state, or what have you. Sometime last week or so, I started to relate to it as if it was my wedding ring. When I'm convincing myself alone to send Hermione to the fire, I'm conflicted. I'm not sleeping. My son is languishing in sorrow. And in my mind Camillo and Polixenes are laughing at me. So, one night, I took the ring off when I said "They (Camillo and Pol) should not laugh if I could reach them. No shall she (Hermione) within my power." Now that the ring is not only a wedding ring, but basically my claim to the thrown, taking it off has a bigger impact. I am literally willing to give it all up. That's how lost Leontes is in his jealousy and the story in his head. (We all do that, don't we? Make up stories in our heads that are the worst. Ugh).
-I had to put one of my cats to sleep this weekend. She was 11 and was a rascal. She was lethargic and we thought maybe she had a blockage. Turns out she had kidney failure and a heart murmur. Unfortunately I had my four year old at the vet with me, not thinking it was going to be this way. It was awful trying to navigate her feelings, and mine, and still do what was necessary. The reason I'm writing this is that at the end of the first half of the play Leontes is confronted with all his transgressions and weeps, but has to still rule. Having to explain to my daughter that Penelope is in a better place and no longer suffering, while grieving myself is very similar to that. That's the thing about actors, we take note of every emotion. And just like being drunk onstage means trying very hard not to be drunk, the power of emotion is greatest when working against itself.
-PV bowl is the most fun place!
-Saw Merry Wives again at Terrenea. It's delightful. BJ is so funny. Tom is a great Falstaff! Leah is perfect! Everybody is bringing such joy to it and to the audiences that see it! Well done.
-We only have five more performances of "Winter's Tale." So, come see it. It's so good. You won't be sorry.
Thursday we were in Santa Ana. It was a bit hot, but after we had braved the heat of Mordor, we didn't sweat it. I love doing the show in Santa Ana. Something completely unexpected will always happen...so I guess I expect that, but not what it will be. This time, somebody snuck backstage and stole Bohemia Bob's bottle of wine and a fake flower. We have this jug of Chianti that has been cooking in our truck for two months that I bring on in Bohemia as a drunk party guest. I set it under the stage before the show, and then it was just gone. Whoever stole it is probably in a world of hurt, because that shit must be toxic by now. Not sure why they took the fake flower, but maybe they wanted to be fancy.
But another wonderful thing about Santa Ana is that the senior center at the park studies our shows and makes art to share with us. It's so sweet and amazing!
Friday we were in my hometown of Torrance! One of our favorite places to play every year. The crowd was great! The show was the best that it has been. My sweet Leah even admitted to having a good show for the first time ever. (She's always a genius goddess of the highest rank, but as such can't admit to it).
Here are some tidbits from the week:
-People are getting a bit cranky. Especially the two show peeps. This is common and understandable. What we do is stupid and shouldn't be done by humans.
-We found a really great dive bar in La Mirada called Rookies. (I'm not sure if it was really a great dive bar or we were just so hot, tired, and thirsty that it seemed like heaven. But if we go there next year, I'll be there after).
-I had a thought while working on my script this week which I took into the playing of Leontes. There's no mention (at least in our cutting) of Leontes being the son of a king. He and Polixenes were "brothers" growing up. What if he was a noble in the court of his friend and not actually a prince? What if he is only a king because he married Hermione? What if that was arranged by Polixenes? One of the "problems" of this problem play is how quickly and thoroughly Leontes is overcome by jealousy. "Too hot! Too hot!" seems to come out of the blue. Like a lightning bolt from Zeus. I've approached that speech as simply as I can. I believe Leontes is having a panic attack. The text tell us that he is too hot and his heart is palpitating. So, for me there is a physiological thing happening. This makes sense to me. I have had panic attacks. They suck. But adding this one detail about never being equal to Polixenes took it deeper. And although BJ is one of my dearest friends, I could easily imagine being jealous of him. He's tall, handsome, talented, plays and writes music, the ladies swoon for him, and he is delightful to be around. I mean, if I didn't love him so much, I'd hate him. This is how jealousy works.
-This also had some other consequences. When Hermione says she's the daughter of a great king, that digs because I am not of royal blood. All her talk of her blood being in their children now hits Leontes hard.
-I wear a ring in the show. It's my ring of state, or what have you. Sometime last week or so, I started to relate to it as if it was my wedding ring. When I'm convincing myself alone to send Hermione to the fire, I'm conflicted. I'm not sleeping. My son is languishing in sorrow. And in my mind Camillo and Polixenes are laughing at me. So, one night, I took the ring off when I said "They (Camillo and Pol) should not laugh if I could reach them. No shall she (Hermione) within my power." Now that the ring is not only a wedding ring, but basically my claim to the thrown, taking it off has a bigger impact. I am literally willing to give it all up. That's how lost Leontes is in his jealousy and the story in his head. (We all do that, don't we? Make up stories in our heads that are the worst. Ugh).
-I had to put one of my cats to sleep this weekend. She was 11 and was a rascal. She was lethargic and we thought maybe she had a blockage. Turns out she had kidney failure and a heart murmur. Unfortunately I had my four year old at the vet with me, not thinking it was going to be this way. It was awful trying to navigate her feelings, and mine, and still do what was necessary. The reason I'm writing this is that at the end of the first half of the play Leontes is confronted with all his transgressions and weeps, but has to still rule. Having to explain to my daughter that Penelope is in a better place and no longer suffering, while grieving myself is very similar to that. That's the thing about actors, we take note of every emotion. And just like being drunk onstage means trying very hard not to be drunk, the power of emotion is greatest when working against itself.
-PV bowl is the most fun place!
-Saw Merry Wives again at Terrenea. It's delightful. BJ is so funny. Tom is a great Falstaff! Leah is perfect! Everybody is bringing such joy to it and to the audiences that see it! Well done.
-We only have five more performances of "Winter's Tale." So, come see it. It's so good. You won't be sorry.
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