Searching for Beethoven

Posted on by Thor

On July 29th, Beth Marshall and Aradhana Tiwari held an audition in their ongoing quest to find the perfect actor to play Beethoven at The Venue (511 Virgina Street Orlando FL). The role is for 33 Variations written by Moises Kaufman. This play, directed by Aradahna will run March 13th through March 30th at the Garden Theater. About five actors came out for this audition. Actor Eric Pinder was stuck in traffic. The producer and director waited patiently while periodically getting text updates on Eric’s progress on the road. The conversation took a surprising turn to a cult of Satanists living in Central Florida whose bark was louder then their bite.

The roll of Ludwig van Beethoven requires an actor with a strong domineering presence. Beethoven was quite honestly a bit of an asshole, treating people around him with disdain. Which reminds me, I recently was mentioned in a venomous, anonymous letter, as someone who is an asshole, financially unsuccessful, a wimp, and not much fun. An asshole and a wimp are bipolar opposites so I can’t be both. Perhaps my opinions rub some the wrong way. My single minded drive and ambition could be perceived as not much fun. When lost in the creative process, I am occasionally interrupted by people who are curious about what I do. I’ll offer a quick joke, so they realize I am human, and then I get right back to work. If the conversation continues, I’ll keep working regardless. I suppose that can be considered rude. The narrow window I have to capture a moment requires constant observation. There is an agonizing panic in the need to finish a sketch before the moment is lost. I can identify with Beethoven’s annoyance at the shallow niceties of the Vienna social scene, the chattering crowd. Now, every time I meet someone, I wonder if they are the coward whose life is so empty that they need to write hateful letters to someone they don’t truly know.  Perhaps this is the danger of social media in that some people feel they have the right to meddle in other peoples lives. Perhaps that has always been the case. Part of me thinks I might have over stayed my welcome in Orlando. San Diego is being considered as a new city where Terry and I can set down new roots.

Eric arrived, dusted off the annoyance of unexpected traffic and quickly focused on his craft, reading his lines with a thick Bavarian accent. You have to look past the distractions and stay true to yourself in any creative endeavor. Seize the moment. Ignore and distance yourself from anyone who feels the need to bring you down. Regardless I will be around Orlando jackin’ out sketches every day.

Dizzi Bone

Posted on by Thor

Dizzi Bone is an energetic boxer that is owned by Kristen Wheeler and her husband Shane. Kristen is the photographer for many of the arts groups in town, and Dizzi accompanies her on many of those shoots. I first met this pup at a photo shoot for a Boudoir Bombshells calender. As models pursed their lips into sexy vowels, Dizzi did what she does best, she spun in circles. She became petrified when red, white and blue balloons began to fill the studio for the July 4th shot. A cleft palette gives her a face only a mother could love, yet she is the unofficial mascot for many Central Florida arts groups.

I went to the Wheeler’s yellow Victorian house with a white picket fence in Eustice to sketch Dizzi. She was very excited when I arrived, spinning around the house, but she finally settled on the couch as Kristen made some gumbo in the kitchen. The lamp was given to Kristen by Beth Marshall. The shade is rumored to once have been used in a bordello. There was a large tumor is on Dizzi’s front leg and a smaller cancerous growth was on her butt. She doesn’t always get to sleep on the couch so being sketched meant she got a models privilege. Movie posters and cinema paraphernalia decorated the home. The downstairs bathroom was dedicated to Marilyn Monroe. A cat made herself comfortable on my artist stool and then batted a cat nip toy around the room as Dizzi snoozed. She would often keep one eye open just in case.

Dizzi needs surgery. The large tumor on her elbow, a small one on
her hind quarters, and several other growths on her body need to be
removed. The estimate Kristen was given includes pre and post care,
surgery itself, medications, blood work, EKG etc. But Kristen and Shane were not
approved for CareCredit so we will have to pay for everything up front. They will also have to order a custom DogLegg  for post surgery to aid in the physical therapy. With
everything it comes to around $1000.00. The couple of course will be
contributing what little they can, but with your help they can get
her through this immediately with less stress. The amazing boxer girl is loved by so
many people and Kristen can not imagine a moment without her. Help the couple heal her so she can live
out the rest of her years in peace and pain free. A gofundme page was established to help raise funds. To date $775 was raised of the $900 goal.

Auditions

Posted on by Thor

Beth Marshall Presents held auditions for the 2013-2014 season at the Garden Theater in Winter Garden on Saturday June 22nd. Productions she was holding audition for included…

The 2013 Play-in-a-Day 2013 Season kickoff in partnership with Lake Howell High School and Penguin Point Productions September 7th.

Alice Lost in Wonderland (a world premiere) written by Rob Winn Anderson and Beth Marshall, October 18-November 3 at the Garden Theater.

Beatnik, a multi-media art evening of poetry music and dance in collaboration with VarieTEASE. December 3rd at the Venue.

33 Variations by Moises Kaufman, directed by Aradhana Tiwari, March 13-30 at the Garden Theater.

Touring shows include,

Commencement written by Clay McCleod Chapman, directed by Brenna Nicely, Starring Beth Marshall at Fringe, or  The Venue.

The Books, written by Michael Edison Haydon, directed by Beth Marshall for Fringe or The Venue.

Actors gathered in the lobby of the theater and they entered the theater in groups of four or five. Actors read monologues and occasionally sang. I sketched actress Becky Lane since I knew her from some incredible performances in the past. Some actors read beat poetry but it just didn’t have the swaggering flow of 50’s beat angst.

That changed when writer, Tod Caviness and his new bride, dancer, Christin Caviness took to the stage. He recited a poem completely off book with the furious confidence of a generation reaching for a new understanding of what it is to live. Christin danced with sweaty abandon rising and receding with the tide of the poem. Garments were tossed aside as needless encumbrances to the need to move. I was swept along enthralled. I stood and applauded. This could be the corner stone for an amazing evening of Beat madness. What an incredible collaboration, a true marriage of two art forms.

A thunderstorm sent loud rain hammering down on the theater’s metal
roof. Beth considered it good since it would force actors to project. As
one actor was on stage giving a monologue, the lights of the theater
went black. The huge empty theater went silent. In the darkness he muttered, “Well I guess that’s a sign
that I didn’t get the part.”

Children of a Lesser God

Posted on by Thor

The Garden Theatre announces Beth Marshall Presents’ production of the powerful drama, Children of a Lesser God by Mark Medoff sponsored by Progress Energy, March 15-30, 2013, at the Garden Theatre (160 West Plant Street, Winter Garden). On Friday, March 22nd at 8pm, there will be a fully interpreted American Sign Language performance in partnership with the Center for Independent Living.

Winner of the Tony Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award and the Drama Desk Award, Children of a Lesser God is the powerful drama by Mark Medoff.  The show is being directed by Brenna Nicely and Beth Marshall, sign language direction was by Joe Kramlinger. This is the first time Beth has directed a show at the Garden Theatre although this is the eighth show produced by her here.

I went to the Garden Theatre to sketch the dress rehearsal. The front door to the theatre was locked so I walked around the building clockwise to try and find an open door. I climbed two flights of a stairwell before realizing it wouldn’t lead to the theater. The stage door was in the back and thankfully it was open. I stepped right into the actors green room. There was one door leading to the stage. The black curtains disoriented me. I stepped out and saw Will Hagaman who plays James Leeds, as he instructed Mike Deaven as Orin Dennis on how to speak. I realized that I was on stage and quickly stepped back behind the black curtain. I scooted along the wing to the front of the stage but I couldn’t go down the steps into the theater without stepping on stage again. I waited till the scene being rehearsed was finished. Beth shouted out, “Come out of there Thomas.”

As I found a seat, I saw the James Leeds on stage embracing Sarah Norman played by Eliza Steves. They signed to each other intimately. Beth warned me that a sign language interpreter would be standing right in front of where I sat. In the show, James is an instructor at an institute for the deaf. Sarah has never spoken. She refuses to try and do something if she can’t do it well. She signs faster than an interpreter can speak. James falls in love with her and they get married.

 Sarah Norman is performed by Eliza Steven

Every married couple has their differences, communication is the anchor to any relationship but a common ground is hard to find between silence and sound. I found myself rooting for the couple hoping they could mend their differences. Their love story revolves around the politics within the deaf community
about bridging the gap between the hearing and deaf worlds. The show packs an emotional one two punch that overwhelms to the point of tears. It glows with radiance of hope and abandon and then the depths of despair. As Sarah stood and signed without an interpreter, I felt the undeniable urge to understand. The set was minimal with no props. All the attention is spent on the spark between James and Sarah.

Besides myself there was only a row of acting students from a States Acting Competition. We all stood and applauded. This show leaves you thinking long after you leave the theatre. Will Hagaman did an amazing job as James. He not  only had to learn his lines, he had to learn sign language. Eliza Stevens did an astonishing job expressing her emotions without a word. More importantly the couple had a spark that ignited the emotional engine of the show.

Show times are Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays at 2PM and 8PM,  Sundays at 2PM and Thursday March 28th at 8PM. Tickets are $25 for adults and $21 for seniors and students. The show runs through March 30th.Saturdays
at 2pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm, plus Thursday, March 28 at 8pm.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $21 for seniors/students. For tickets, visit gardentheatre.org or call the Garden Theatre Box Office at 407-877-GRDN (4736).

Biloxi Blues

Posted on by Thor

Walking down Plant Street in Winter Garden, I was surprised to find a Dixieland Band playing in the central gazebo. A few older couples sat in folding chairs watching. I didn’t have enough time to do a sketch, so I kept going. At the Garden Theatre, I asked Sherri Cox, the front house manager, a huge favor because I wanted to sketch the stage from the second floor lighting booth. She was wonderful and made the arrangements. I just had to wait till it was closer to curtain time before she guided me up. I watched everyone enter the theater. It was an older crowd. Some of the men might have served in WWII themselves. Upstairs, I was seated on a tall stool next to a huge black metal spot light and some device that looked like it catches sound waves. This was the first time I saw Biloxi Blues and it was a treat.

Winner of the Tony Award for Best Play, Biloxi Blues is the semi-autobiographical comedy-drama by Neil Simon and the second in the trilogy which includes Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound. Biloxi Blues follows
the story of Eugene Jerome as a young army recruit going through basic
training during World War II and the harsh lessons he must face while
stationed at a boot camp in Biloxi, Mississippi. Antisemitism among the recruits was a recurring theme throughout the play which is ironic since America was at war with the Germans who were exterminating Jews.

The play is directed by award winning-playwright and acclaimed director Rob
Anderson. This is Anderson’s directorial debut with both the Garden
Theatre and Beth Marshall Presents. The role of Epstein will be played
by C.K. Anderson, the son of Rob Anderson. C.K. starred in the lead role
of the Beth Marshall Presents production of The Diviners last season at just 14 years of age. I must say that the young actor did an amazing job playing Epstein, who questioned the reasoning behind every training method used by the Drill Sargent Toomey, played by Tyler Cravens.

Towards the end of the second act, I heard torrential rain pounding on theatre’s roof. Maybe I noticed it more than the audience below since my ears were so close to the ceiling. It distracted me from the romance blossoming between Eugene, Carl Krickmire, and Daisy, Julie Snyder, on stage and I wondered how I would get back to my car without the sketch getting soaked. The rain stopped long enough for me to get to my car and then it poured on the drive home.

 Biloxi Blues by Neil Simon has one last performance today, Sunday February 24th, at 2PM in the Winter Garden Theater (160 West Plant Street).

Play in a Day, Tech

Posted on by Thor

A flock of 50 artists awake and together at 7AM at the Lake Howell High School Auditorium to start rehearsing for Play in a Day. I got there around 11:30AM or so. I asked Beth where I could find Aradhana’s Cast. She didn’t know where that cast was rehearsing. Different casts had staked out different class rooms. I asked everyone I met where I could find the cast. I had arrived at an inopportune time to sketch because everyone was about to break for lunch. During lunch I found the female actress from Aradhana’s play named Gwendolyn Equality Boniface. She let me know that they were rehearsing in the boys dressing rooms. Of course! Why didn’t I think of that! After lunch she explained that they would be doing tech on the main stage.

Beth Marshall was being interviewed by a new video blogger who was asking her questions about Play in a Day. She pointed out that the high school venue had the advantage of offering young aspiring actors the chance to work beside and learn from seasoned actors. The first play on stage for Tech was a CSI themed play that showed a manic, stupefied playwright seated behind a computer with Mountain Dew cans strewn all over the stage. A female officer examined a can by picking it up with a pen. The playwright shouts out “They want me to write another play!” His face twitched. Another officer explained the horrifying specifics of the crime but it could best be summed up as play in a day. A prisoner in a jumpsuit whispered, “No one should try and produce a play in a day, it isn’t humanly possible!”

Aradhana’s five minute play was the next play on stage. Chelsea Adams Locklear directed the piece. A high school girl, played by Gwendolyn, was doing pleas to stretch before a dance rehearsal with her flamboyant boyfriend played by Cory Price.  She muttered “Owe” after each squat. The boy teased her until she admitted that she shaved herself. He said, “I hope you don’t catch a cold.” and he made sneezing gestures with his hand pointing at her crotch. “A chew! A chew!” She wanted to go home but he was depending on her. A teacher tried to find out what was wrong and he reassured her saying “It is only natural.”  Her friend laughed, saying, “He thinks your having your period!” She was mortified. I liked how the short play resolved itself with the two friends on the edge of the stage blowing bubbles. She had shaved to feel more like an adult but as a result she felt more childish than ever. The two friends playfully chased each other off stage. There was an innocence despite the uncomfortable subject. I was glad I got to see what had been typed out the night before as I sketched the playwright Aradhana Tiwari. I couldn’t stay for the show because I had to do a live projected sketch performance at a concert. I packed up to leave once the actors took their bows.

Money raised from Play in a Day went towards first annual Beth Marshall Presents, District 3 Thespian “Wild Card” Scholarship, which will be awarded to an emerging theater student.  Aradhana won the voter choice award for Revolution which was her one minute production at Play in a Day.

Play in a Day

Posted on by Thor

Play in a Day involved 12 plays written, rehearsed, and then performed in front of a live audience in less than 24 hours! At 6PM on Friday November 9th playwrights met at Lake Howell where themes are announced and logistics discussed. Producer Beth Marshall announced that the five minute theme would be “High School” and the one minute theme would be “The Aftermath”. Then all the playwrights left to start writing. They needed to finish a one minute and five minute play by 6:30AM the following morning.
Then all the directors and actors would meet up Saturday Novovember10th at Lake Howell for solid day of rehearsal. In the past, Play in a Day was produced at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, but this year it would use the much larger stage of Lake Howell High School‘s auditorium. Since authors are often the unsung heroes in this 24 hour production marathon, I asked Beth if I could sketch a writer at work and I was assigned to sketch Aradhana Tiwari. 

I was late to the writers meeting on November 9th. Aradhana texted to let me know she was doing research for her high school themed piece. The parking lot at Lake Howell High School was jammed. I thought to myself, “There can’t be that many playwrights in Orlando.” Then I heard the piercing screech of a whistle. Aradhana was getting her research and inspiration from a high school football game.  After several texts, I found her in the home team bleachers. She was eaves dropping on a group of four teenagers seated in the bleachers behind her. Then she interviewed the kids, asking them about their teachers, friends and relationships. It was a cold night for Orlando and she had on sandals so at half time she let me know she was ready to start writing. Actually the one minute piece was written in her head as soon as Beth announced the “Aftermath” theme. A character sat at a table devouring Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets as another character glowered at him. This piece turned into a political debate the next morning because Beth refused to allow Chick-fil-A chicken on her stage. She is boycotting the restaurant chain because of their anti-gay stance. Aradhana had to scramble for some other processed chicken sandwiches the morning of the show.

Five minutes may seem like a short time, but for a writer, it is an eternity until the pieces all fall in place. I met Aradhana at a Olive Garden Restaurant on Colonial Drive which is where she began to write. She ordered a bowl of black olives and a red wine. She put ear buds in her ears so she could listen to music as she worked, drowning out the clatter of all the bustling tables around her. At times she smiled and laughed to herself as she wrote. Shattered fragments of dialogue began to form. Most authors write comedy for Play in a Day, but her work tends to be more dramatic. She read to me some of what she had written. “This is either really good or really bad.” She said. As in viewpoints, there would be no safe middle ground. The title of the play took me by surprise. A high school girl  stretched for a dance performance, she was very uncomfortable in her leotards. She was rehearsing with a flamboyant boyfriend who teased her until she admitted she had shaved. He teased her about her prickly situation.

Aradhana left to continue writing at home. I lingered, continuing to work on the sketch. I always need to finish what I start, even as life rushes by. At 2AM in the morning, Aradhana panicked and threw out everything she had written. The deadline was just four hours away and she began all over again from scratch. She finished the play with just minutes to spare and rushed the script to the theater. She was awake for 37 or so hours straight. As a student said in the bleachers, “We are fire breathing dragons!“

Fringe Poetry Smackdown

Posted on by Thor

The Poetry Smack Down happened at the Fringe outdoor stage. Tod Caviness was the host. Judges included Beth Marshall, Michael Marinaccio, Eric Yow and several other producer-directors. Tod lead off the event with a spoken word piece about Orlando called Swamp. It makes Orlando sound like a pretty cool place to be. None of the poets at this event relied on sheets of paper or iPhones. Their words were deeply rooted in their memories and the cadence, beat and flow were well rehearsed. These were monologues from the heart, some raw and some humorous.

A heavy set woman got on stage and she knocked any preconceptions to the ground as she spoke passionately about her queef.  This is a word so seldom heard, or uttered, that my computer insists it is spelled wrong. At first the audience was in shock, but soon everyone was roaring with laughter. Beth gave high marks for this passionate poem about a woman’s right to let go. A male poet followed her with his passionate poem about how he would like to f*ck the whites from his woman’s eyes. He later spoke of religion and intolerance with insight and level headed reflection. You never know what to expect at a smack down.

My wife was covered in gold. We had been to a James Bond themed party earlier that day. With her Gold Finger, face, hands and sequined dress she fit in perfectly on the green lawn of fabulousness. She sat with her literary friends while I sketched. The face paint was starting to make her uncomfortable however so, as soon as I was done with my sketch, we had to go.

Paul Strickland: Jokes, Songs, a Hat, Etc!

Posted on by Thor

Beth Marshall was the producer of Paul Strickland‘s show at the Orlando Fringe Festival and she suggested I see and sketch the show.There was a line of people outside the Brown venue in the Shakespeare theater and I muscled into line. A volunteer scanned my ticked and then asked, “Do you have a button?” I said, “Of course.” and pointed down at my bag that was covered in buttons. Looking down, I realized my Fringe button had fallen off. Thankfully she didn’t notice.

I sat at the center of the top row of the bleacher seats. Jeremy Seghers and members of his cast from Mysterious Skin sat around me. The author of the play had been sent a link to the blog post and apparently he loved the sketch. I was flattered. A green light from the lighting tech booth illuminated my sketch as the room grew dark. Actress Sarah Villegas was visiting from out of town with her boyfriend. She had been in Fringe shows since she was 14 and this was the first time she came as a visitor. She said she missed Orlando and the Fringe in particular.

Paul’s show combined comedy and music in a perfect blend. Many jokes centered around his feeling old at 30 yet they resonate even more when you hit 50. The woman seated directly in front of me laughed so loud that she set off a chain reaction of laughter. I identified with that strange feeling he got when a child stared at him. For some reason, children always stare at me on airplanes or in supermarkets. It is unnerving. Anyway he decided to warm up to this particular child and he made cute faces and said “Where can I buy one of you?” That would be fine he realized, unless the child was black! He performed My Way which is a song any artist who forges their own path can identify with.

You have one more chance to catch his show today, Sunday May 27th at 12:30PM. Tickets are $11. This show can be an exclamation point to your Fringe experience.

Prop 8

Posted on by Thor

Beth Marshal Presents brought Prop 8 to the Orlando Shakes. Prop 8 was passed in California stating that marriage can only be defined as the union of a man and woman with the goal being to procreate. Protesters lined the entry walkway towards the theater entrance. They shouted their protests of equal rights to love. There was a surreal irony to the demonstration since most Prop 8 demonstrators would be shouting their judgements and hatred.

This play, written by Lisa Cordes, used court documents in the case to overturn Prop 8. When I got to the theater, Beth showed me where I would be sitting, right next to other bloggers and tweeters on the sidelines. I didn’t have a good line of sight to the judge, so I ended up sitting on my artist’s stool a bit further away from the stage. Daily City blogger Mark Baratelli had been out in the lobby curious about what was going on. He had been at an event across the parking lot at the Orlando Museum of Art but he was drawn to the hubbub at the shakes. I was alone in the theater blocking in my sketch before the actors got on stage. I texted Mark suggesting he join me in the bloggers section. When the play started, I finally realized that the bloggers were actually actors. Silly me. Their fingers floated above the keyboards to make it look like they were typing without creating noise. As it turns out, I was the court artist.

Lisa Cordes herself played a witness and I caught her in my sketch. Her wit and irony made it clear that she believed in the cause of any one’s right to marry. The lawyers who defended Prop 8 did a very poor job and defense witnesses were often weak minded bigots. The bloggers were able to summarize otherwise mind numbing testimony so it could be easily digested with humor and wit. The most compelling testimony came from witnesses who longed to be able to publicly celebrate their love yet were denied by law.

In the end, the play remained unresolved since legislation is still pending. The testimony and evidence certainly left us all with hope that love could outlast bigotry. Chad Lewis and Jason R. Donnelly were to be married in the theater after the performance. Members of their families took up much of the second row of the theater. We all were asked to wait in the lobby as the theater was converted into a chapel. Nicki Equality Drumb and Rachel Equality Gardiner stopped over to say hello. An actor came over and thanked Rachel for being such a good audience member. He explained that he had been exhausted near the end of the play, but her enthusiasm fueled a second wind. She was a bit embarrassed, but that is what makes theater in a small town like Orlando special. The actors truly appreciate the audience. Every year on Valentines day they host “The Human Heart.” Hundreds of people gather in Lock Haven park holding hands and forming a large heart shape. Candles are lit in the name of love and equality. I also love this couple since they go to the courthouse regularly to ask for the right to be married. Hopefully someday soon the tide will turn and the court clerk will finally say “yes.”