Space explores the horrors of living in space at Fringe.

Posted on by Thor

Space, written and directed by Cory Volence  and produced by Hubris Theater Company and the Dark Side of Saturn is a hard hitting psycho drama set in the confines of a colony ship on a 15 year mission to establish biological life on a distant planet. In the pre-show, crew members described their feelings about the mission in a promotional video. Their accounts are idealized visions of a future of possibilities.

The show opens with Chief engineer Hightower (Trini Kirtsey) in a spacesuit unable to get back into the spacecraft. The heated debate about the risks of letting him back in, sets the stage for seeing Commander Copeland (Chaz Krivan) as a power hungry despot. The commander is married to Science officer Chesky (Ashleigh Ann Gardner). She is pregnant and the commander is pleased that his family name will live on.

Living together on a tiny tin can of a ship has the crew on edge and at each others throats. The commander treats his wife like he does the crew with authoritarian disrespect. When Chesky visits Medical officer Novak (Brenna Arden), the doctor shows concern and the women kiss, free of any male domineering. The doctor herself is troubled with dreams of suicide.

A video diary station allows crew members to express their true feelings although they often have to erase their entries from the ships official record. The videos are projected on the large screen at the back of the stage allowing the audience to see jumbo tron sized close ups of the crew members faces. Dark circles show the increasing stress of living in confined close quarters with crew members who all hate each other. The crew members were all trained to perform one specialized roll on the mission. There was no cross training. That makes every member of the crew indispensable. That makes if difficult, when crew members truly want to kill each other.

I loved the show. The dark vacuum of space is nothing compared to the darkness found in the heart of a human soul. A special shout out to Chaz Kriran and Ashleigh Ann Gardner, who gave particularly noteworthy performances.

12 Angry Jurors Opens in Sanford

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12 Angry Jurors is based on the 1957 film titled 12 Angry Men written by Reginald Rose. In the black and white film, the jurors were all men, but in this modern adaptation more that half of the jurors are women. Aléa Figueroa plays the role that Henry Fonda played in the film. As the jury voted for the first time she had a look of terror on her face as every other juror voted guilty. From that moment on, she commanded attention. She had to convince all the other jurors that there was a reasonable doubt. I went to the rehearsal expecting to see 12 good old boys debate the case, but only one man in the cast fit that bill. It was the women in the jury who were able to pick apart the testimony and weigh the evidence.

The play deals with deep rooted racism that still persists today which is the reason many of the jurors were convinced of the defendants guilt from the start. Chaz Krivan played the part of a juror who angrily argued for guilt even as the rest of the jury began to sway. Director, Nicholas Murphy was the person who opened the locked front door to allow me into the rehearsal. He watched the dress rehearsal from several different seats to get a feel for the staging. One juror just wanted to reach a verdict so he could get to a baseball game he had tickets to. Ironically, I had just sketched a trial where a juror was wearing a Green bay Packers jersey and the lawyer in his closing statement pointed out to the fact that there was a game that night.

I liked this production that had a jury of men and women since it is more true to what would happen today. When the good old boy juror demonstrated the use of a knife by almost stabbing Aléa, there was the underlying hints of aggression towards women that comes with sexism. Some jurors were recent immigrants and they fully understood the responsibility that came with being a juror while long time citizens just wanted the process be quick and painless.

Mark Your calendars! This is a production that is well worth seeing. You will leave the theater thinking and maybe wonder how you would have stood in that jury room. I can vouch for the fact that it is a short drive to the Princess Theater
(115 W 1st St, Sanford, FL). Call: (407) 494-8474.

Tickets are:
Adults $20
Students $15 (under 25 with valid ID)

Showtimes:
Sunday, October 5, 2014 at 2:00pm
Thursday, October 9, 2014 at 7:00pm
Friday, October 10, 2014 at 8:00pm
Saturday, October 11, 2014 at 8:00pm
Sunday, October 12, 2014 at 2:00pm
Thursday, October 16, 2014 at 7:00pm
Friday, October 17, 2014 at 8:00pm
Saturday, October 18, 2014 at 8:00pm
Sunday, October 19, 2014 at 2:00pm

True West

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The Dark Side of Saturn Productions is presenting Sam Shepard‘s True West at the Orlando Shakespeare Center. I was surprised by the intricate set by Tom Mangieri. I had just been in the Mandell Theater multiple times at Fringe and got used to seeing a bare stage. Fringe just ended two days ago, so this set was created incredibly fast. This was the first time the actors got to move around in the actual space. Director Kevin Becker was in the audience seating while Chaz Krivan who plays Austin, and Cory Volence who plays Lee sat at the breakfast nook table on stage.  Lighting levels were being adjusted, so the actors got to relax for a bit.

After all the lights were adjusted, Bill Warriner, the fight director, put the actors through the paces as they fought in the kitchen. The fight began with Austin breaking a beer bottle over Lee’s head. He then slammed Lee into the counter. As Lee lay on the floor recovering, Austin grabbed an electrical chord and wrapped it around Lee’s throat. Now, this was a rehearsal, and the action was supposed to be at 1/4 speed. The safe word for Cory was “Hold”. He called out to stop the action several times. He stopped the action when he was slammed into the refrigerator, because he was concerned it might topple over. He was concerned that Chaz was getting too aggressive. In a staged fight, both actors need to feel they are in control of the action. In the heat of the moment, the fight accelerated. There was a long moment where Austin was chocking Lee. Lee’s face was beet red as he struggled. Was he struggling to say the safe word? Was this acting, or had the fight crossed over the fourth wall? Austin said, “I could easily kill him, all I have to do is twist.” Lee’s eyes bulged in his head before he fell limp to the floor.

After the fight rehearsal, there was a full run through of the play. Tara Rewis picked up the broken glass and other refuge had to be cleaned up before the play could begin.  Dorothy Massey who did costuming, had to help Cory figure out how to use his belt. “This is why I get paid the big bucks!” she joked.

The play is about two brothers, Austin and Lee. 
Austin was writing a screenplay while he watched his mother’s home. She
was on vacation in Alaska. Lee,who is the black sheep of the family,
showed up wanting to drink beer, borrow Austin’s car and in general cause mischief. He had a knack for bullying, scheming or stealing anything that he wants. Arguments erupted
but, despite their differences, these brothers did care about each other, or they would do just about anything to steal each others lives. When Hollywood agent, Saul, played by Jim Cundiff comes to the home to check the progress on Austin’s screenplay, Lee schemed his way into convincing Saul that his true life experiences in the desert would make for a great screenplay. The brothers collaborated on writing the script outline but the writing sessions never went smoothly. When the mom, played by Barbara Blake, returned home, she found the house a mess. Her crowning moment came when she grabbed a bottle of rum off the table to spare it when the brother’s brawled.

This was a powerful drama that dives deep to explore the relationship between brothers who are polar opposites, yet united by a dark past. If you are missing the mad rush of Fringe, then head to the Shakes to see True West. Nothing beats a hangover like a nice cold beer. Don’t miss it!

The Mandell Theater
Orlando Shakespeare Center

812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL

May 31 at 8PM
June 2, 6, 7, 8 at 8PM  

Tickets are:

$16 in Advance
$20 at Door
$15 at the Door with a Fringe Button

Key of E Load In

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 On August 20th, I went to The Venue to see the Key of E load in for their one week run. I got there about the same time as Helen, the tech for the show. As I sketched the empty stage, Andy Matchett pulled up to the theater with a truck full of set pieces, wood, monster parts and fabric. The garage door was opened on house right and several guys in the truck helped unload. One of them was wearing a boy scout uniform and I wondered if he would earn an apocalyptic merit badge. Soon the stage was cluttered.

Since there needed to be room for the band, a platform was constructed house right that essentially extended the stage. The first order of business was to hang huge black curtains on both sides of the stage to create very small wings where actors could not be seen when off stage. The tiny wall at the back of the stage was at a quirky angle because it sloped along with a wheel chair ramp that had to be installed to comply with city codes.

A large back lit screen had to be put on top off the wall, so a plank and two by fours were needed to level off the TV platform. Chaz Krivan and Evan Miga tackled the task. Chaz actually had an iPhone app that acted as a level. All the actors gradually trickled in and Brittany Wine, the stage manager, got them busy running lines and going over dance moves. Her task was to keep everyone on task so they could do a run through of the show at 8:30pm. Corey Volence was worried that some scenes would need to be re-blocked since there was no actual backstage where actors could go when not on the stage. There are close to a dozen actors if you count the band and special effects crew. Andy decided to run one exit scene where all the actors needed to get off stage. There was a major bottle neck as actors tried to get down the wheel chair ramp. They realized that at times some actors would literally need to exit the theater. It will all work out in the end. Christie Miga asked Andy how he would rate his anxiety level. He said it had leveled off at a solid 7.

Brittany Wine was pleased that she finally appeared in one of my sketches. She asked why I put her in a garbage can. The garbage can must be a stage prop and it was just chance that she stood behind it. As I finished my sketch, the cast was ready to do a run through of the show. As I left, I heard Andy begin to sing “I Just Can’t Wait for the Game to End!” The Key of E Kickstarter fundraising drive was a success so the full cast soundtrack is available!

Get your tickets for the return of the show at The Venue (511 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL). Mark Your Calendar! You don’t want to miss the end of the world. Show times are…

Friday: 8/23 8 PM

Saturday: 8/24 8 PM

Monday: 8/26 8 PM

Thursday: 8/29 8 PM

Friday: 8/30 8 PM

Tickets are $10 pre-sale, and $15 at the door.

Key of E Rehearsal

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The cast of Key of E was still hard at work recording the sound track in the secret lab. With just two mics, they often had to share a mic and then step aside so another actor could step close. Amanda Warren offered to take off her high heels so she and Marisa Ashley could be about the same height. Corey Volence and Joel Warren shared the other mic with Andy Matchett and Chaz Krivan stepping in as needed. Toward the end of the recording session, the band, comprised of Minks members Abraham Couch, Brandon Kalber and Randy Coole, began to load in all their equipment. A symbol clashed to the floor. Andy turned and said, “Real nice guys”.

Once recording was done for the night, the cast got ready for a full run through of the show. Amanda and Chaz went through some dance moves together. She improvised a new move and they agreed that it worked great. Corey’s character, Ethan dreams of the end of the world so he can start his life over as a macho Mad Max road warrior or gun slinging survivalist. His girlfriend played by Marisa has to drag his sorry ass home from the bar. On the drive home, the world meets it’s watery demise.

The show is funny, heart felt and full of surprises. It was awesome to see it being rehearsed again. The harmonies are richer than ever polishing the gem. The rock music is solid and original. Andy who wrote all the music starts the show off, singing, “I just can’t wait for the world to end!” The mic is then handed off to Corey who takes over the lead roll. Andy only steps in once and a while after that as the all knowing narrator and a scientist.

After the run through, the cast got ready to make a a video promotional for the Key of E Soundtrack Kickstarter campaign. Corey acted as the narrator and the cast quickly threw together fun scenes that jokingly stressed the dire seriousness of the fundraising effort. As of this writing, $946 was raised of the $3000 goal. You could be the person to push campaign past the $1000 mark. Order the Key of E Soundtrack today! The album is done, waiting to be cut onto vinyl and magically digitized onto CD.

As I was sketching, I suddenly found myself smack dab in the middle of the promotional shoot with a camera pointed at me. I went for a subtle under played performance, channeling Al Pacino in that Italian restaurant scene in “The Godfather.” NOT! No, I went for flummoxed because I was flummoxed. I will certainly not be getting an Oscar for that cameo. It was fun to play along with such an amazing cast for a moment.

After you order the soundtrack off Kickstarter, then get your tickets for the return of the show at The Venue (511 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL). So, Mark Your Calendar! You don’t want to miss the end of the world. Show times are…

Friday: 8/23 8 PM
Saturday: 8/24 8 PM
Monday: 8/26 8 PM
Thursday: 8/29 8 PM
Friday: 8/30 8 PM

Tickets are $10 pre-sale, and $15 at the door.