Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Publicity Shot of Francis Jue for "Red"
So far I've mentioned that Francis Jue is starring in "Red" and that the show will feature some recreation of Beijing Opera productions. Here's a photo that lets you get a look at both:
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Kelley Keeps It Mellow
The rehearsal atmosphere for "Red" is surprisingly mellow, considering the intense subject matter and the level of work being accomplished in fairly short order.
And director Robert Kelley, or simply Kelley as he is known to the Bay Area theatre world, is to thank.
Kelley sets a comfortable and collaborative mood, asking questions out loud to anyone and no one in particular. He isn’t afraid to answer a cast member question with "I'm sorry, I don’t have an answer for that right now", betraying the fact that yes, indeed he is human like the rest of us. He may even give a line reading or two (gasp!) He is confident enough to try ideas on stage and then cast them aside.
This allows the actors to be comfortable trying new things too. Grace was even spied holding a tea pot top in her mouth while balancing other various props and her script, as she explained- "You said you wanted funny!" Perhaps that's a visual you had to be there for to really appreciate!
Although Kelley may casually joke "Are we getting behind again?" - it is clear that it's the artistic quality of the work, not the clock, that is foremost in his mind. This enthusiasm and searching seems to inspire the cast, so that even during breaks, you can find actors reviewing their notes or lines, or rehearsing blocking! Of course these are people for whom this is their occupation, so it's not too surprising that the work is treated like serious business.
The cast and artistic team of "Red", led by Kelley, are presently creating the moment-to-moment blocking of "Red." What is emerging from this work is more than just empty physical movement around the stage; it's really forward movement of the plot and characters of "Red." Sometimes it's hard to feel that momentum so early in the rehearsal process (early blocking rehearsals can entail a lot of starting and stopping and changes) but, with "Red", there's definitely a sense of calm progress already.
Stay tuned for an interview with Robert Kelley sometime in the next weeks!
And director Robert Kelley, or simply Kelley as he is known to the Bay Area theatre world, is to thank.
Kelley sets a comfortable and collaborative mood, asking questions out loud to anyone and no one in particular. He isn’t afraid to answer a cast member question with "I'm sorry, I don’t have an answer for that right now", betraying the fact that yes, indeed he is human like the rest of us. He may even give a line reading or two (gasp!) He is confident enough to try ideas on stage and then cast them aside.
This allows the actors to be comfortable trying new things too. Grace was even spied holding a tea pot top in her mouth while balancing other various props and her script, as she explained- "You said you wanted funny!" Perhaps that's a visual you had to be there for to really appreciate!
Although Kelley may casually joke "Are we getting behind again?" - it is clear that it's the artistic quality of the work, not the clock, that is foremost in his mind. This enthusiasm and searching seems to inspire the cast, so that even during breaks, you can find actors reviewing their notes or lines, or rehearsing blocking! Of course these are people for whom this is their occupation, so it's not too surprising that the work is treated like serious business.
The cast and artistic team of "Red", led by Kelley, are presently creating the moment-to-moment blocking of "Red." What is emerging from this work is more than just empty physical movement around the stage; it's really forward movement of the plot and characters of "Red." Sometimes it's hard to feel that momentum so early in the rehearsal process (early blocking rehearsals can entail a lot of starting and stopping and changes) but, with "Red", there's definitely a sense of calm progress already.
Stay tuned for an interview with Robert Kelley sometime in the next weeks!
Monday, June 28, 2004
Chay Yew's "Red"
Before we start giving you all those inside peeks, it might be helpful to learn a little bit about the production currently in rehearsal, Chay Yew's "Red."
We've given "Red" the tagline, "An Intimate Epic". "Intimate" because there are characters dealing with the very intimate act of coming to terms with themselves, their cultural and historical identity, and their art. "Epic" because it spans history to take a look at the turbulent days of the Cultural Revolution in China. Yew has done a masterful job of weaving together the story of a modern-day Chinese-American writer and a Beijing Opera diva from long ago.
The show features segments recreated from the world of Beijing Opera, which are visually stunning and probably completely new to most audience members.
Francis Jue returns to TheatreWorks to star in "Red." For long-time TheatreWorks audience members, this is a particular pleasure, as they will remember Francis' memorable turns in such TheatreWorks shows as "Cabaret" and "M. Butterfly". Francis recently closed out a lengthy run on Broadway in "Thoroughly Modern Millie", and we're happy to have him gracing the TheatreWorks stage again.
TheatreWorks continues to produce shows that explore the Asian experience, from "The Joy Luck Club" to "Pacific Overtures" now to "Red."
We've given "Red" the tagline, "An Intimate Epic". "Intimate" because there are characters dealing with the very intimate act of coming to terms with themselves, their cultural and historical identity, and their art. "Epic" because it spans history to take a look at the turbulent days of the Cultural Revolution in China. Yew has done a masterful job of weaving together the story of a modern-day Chinese-American writer and a Beijing Opera diva from long ago.
The show features segments recreated from the world of Beijing Opera, which are visually stunning and probably completely new to most audience members.
Francis Jue returns to TheatreWorks to star in "Red." For long-time TheatreWorks audience members, this is a particular pleasure, as they will remember Francis' memorable turns in such TheatreWorks shows as "Cabaret" and "M. Butterfly". Francis recently closed out a lengthy run on Broadway in "Thoroughly Modern Millie", and we're happy to have him gracing the TheatreWorks stage again.
TheatreWorks continues to produce shows that explore the Asian experience, from "The Joy Luck Club" to "Pacific Overtures" now to "Red."
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Welcome to the TheatreWorks Blog
Welcome Blog-Readers!
For those of you who are part of the blogosphere? You know the drill. We'll be blogging; we look forward to your comments and questions, and we hope you'll add us to your news reader, blog roll or at least bookmark us and visit us often.
To those of you for whom the previous paragraph was a foreign language? This is going to be the place where you can find inside information, tasty tidbits, TheatreWorks interviews and artist profiles and a general behind-the-scenes look at what is going on as we bring each TheatreWorks production to the stage.
You are welcome to add your comments to any entry we post. We welcome hearing from you as you see the shows, for example.
We'll be updating this blog at least 3x per week, so we encourage you to keep coming back, finding out what's new, and getting to know TheatreWorks in an entirely new and different way.
We'll start by giving you the download on the Northern Californian premiere of "Red" by Chay Yew.
Stay Tuned!
For those of you who are part of the blogosphere? You know the drill. We'll be blogging; we look forward to your comments and questions, and we hope you'll add us to your news reader, blog roll or at least bookmark us and visit us often.
To those of you for whom the previous paragraph was a foreign language? This is going to be the place where you can find inside information, tasty tidbits, TheatreWorks interviews and artist profiles and a general behind-the-scenes look at what is going on as we bring each TheatreWorks production to the stage.
You are welcome to add your comments to any entry we post. We welcome hearing from you as you see the shows, for example.
We'll be updating this blog at least 3x per week, so we encourage you to keep coming back, finding out what's new, and getting to know TheatreWorks in an entirely new and different way.
We'll start by giving you the download on the Northern Californian premiere of "Red" by Chay Yew.
Stay Tuned!
