Every Brilliant Thing

Posted on by Thor

Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan MacMillan with Jonny Donahoe runs at the Orlando Shakes (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL 32803) runs through October 16, 2021. Suzanne O’Donnell did a magnificent job ass the narrator in this one person play.

The Shakes is coming back with full safety precautions in mind. All cast and crew at the Shakes are fully vaccinated. The theater also insists that the audience bring a vaccination card and photo ID to the performance.

I have had my vaccination card in my wallet for the last six months and this is the first time anyone has asked to see it. I was excited and proud to finally show my vaccination status. Those vaccine cards however are printed with cheap diapering inks. The police officer outside the theater had a hard time making out the faint marks that remained on the card. Ultimately I was waived in and I got to see my theater posters full size for the first time.

Pam and I elected to sit in the socially distanced section of the theater. In every row black lace marked several seats in alternating spots where people should not sit. This would allow for at least 4 feet of social distancing between groups. Everyone was wearing masks. I felt safe and secure to relax and enjoy the show as I sketched. Members of the audience were given numbered cards with list items on them. During he show Suzanne would shout out a number and an audience member would shout out what was written on their card. Pam pointed out that one guy kept removing his mask when he had to shout out his item, which kind of defeated the point of having a mask. One drawback is that the audience wasn’t always on top of their callback game but the actress handed these glitches with grace and humor.

Every brilliant thing has to do with a list the narrator began compiling as a child which was expanded later in life. She started the list because her mother was depressed and felt no desire to live. The list was for her mother to remind her of every brilliant thing that makes life worth living. Number 1 was of course ice cream. Later in life the items became more subtle like lending a book to a friend and actually having them read it. This was a perfect play for these pandemic times. We have all been isolated in some way and the joys in life must be found even through the isolation. Happiness was mixed with a pinch of sadness.

Suzanne exuded joy and passion for life, and in the end as she relaxed on her lounge listening to music I left feeling she would be fine, even though life is bitter sweet.

Three cheers to the Shakes for bringing back theater safely and responsibly. They are a bright light in these dark times.

 

Every Brilliant Thing at the Shakes

Posted on by Thor

I had a blast designing posters for this season’s shows at The Orlando Shakes (812 E Rollins Street Orlando, FL 32803). The first show now on stage is Every Brilliant thing by Duncan MacMillan with Jonny Donahoe. The show stars Suzanne O’Donnell as the narrator.

Laughter is the antidote to all things. When mom is depressed, a young child sets out to assemble a list of all the things that make life wonderful. From “ice cream” to “sunshine” to “laughing so hard milk shoots out your nose”. The list grows as the child progresses from adolescence to adulthood. Told in collaboration with the audience, this uplifting story explores resilience, and the lengths we will go for those we love.

The creative team consists of, Director: Anne Hering
Scenic Designer: Kurt Bippert
Lighting Designer: Delonte Smith
Sound Designer: Britt Sandusky
AEA Stage Manager: George Hamrah*
AEA Assistant Stage Manager: Anne Hering*

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association

The Shakes will require proof of vaccination or a negative test result for audience members. This brave move puts my mind at rest. They are also providing a special section in the upper mezzanine for patrons who wish to be distanced from other parties. When purchasing, seats for this section are indicated in bright red.

The poster underwent a series of adjustments and explorations and I will share the sketches leading up to the final version shown above.

The first version consisted of colorful post it notes being covered with children’s drawings. I loved the idea of a large children’s drawing of the sun being the idea that encircles the title. The child’s hands drawing gave off the vibe that the show might be for children. It needed a touch of darkness to balance the light. The child’s hands had to go.

The next ides as to show the mom and to paint her in black and white to contrast the colorful sun and post it notes. I planted a post it right over her face, as if to protect her identity. Part of the challenge is that we did not know who would be playing the lead roll in the production yet. We were not sure of the lead would be male of female. I liked the notion of portraying the mom but anyone who does not know the show would likely think the person portrayed was the lead actor. That presented a new challenge.

Next I made it clear the yellow post its were falling from the sky with the children’s drawings on them. I removed the post it not covering the mom’s face and had to lean her head back in such a way that it would be difficult to tel if the person portrayed was female or male. I failed. she clearly looks female. I would have to try another tack.

Since the show was running in September and October I decided to try changing the vibrant sky to a view of fall foliage with the post its falling like leaves. A thicker fall coat and scarf might help further make the sex of the character less obvious. I tilted the head even further back to dance on the end of the pin. The fall scene however evoked a bit of menace that I didn’t intent. Since the first production of the play had a male actor in the lead roll we decided I should do a version with a man where I wasn’t tilting the head back as much.

So this version with the man shouting for joy was considered to be the best option at the time. I did an earlier version where he had closed fists but that was interpreted as showing hints of protest rather than joy. For me this worked because the face was clearly visible and his joy radiated from his expression. Months passed and then I heard that Suzanne O’Donnell was cast in the lead roll. We decided to have her pose in the same way and she was worked onto the poster at the last moment before marketing began for the season. I turned that painting around in one day but it was so worth it. Her expression exuded a pure serine joy that was truly needed.

I can’t wait to see the show. I will be sketching from the socially distanced seats but I am so happy the Shakes is bringing live theater back to Orlando responsibly. Hopefully others fill follow in their footsteps.

A Doll’s House Part 2 at Shakes

Posted on by Thor

Doll House Part 2 by Lucas Hnath is being performed at the Orlando Shakes (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL 32803) through February 23, 2019. In
the final scene of Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 groundbreaking masterwork, Nora Helmer
makes the shocking decision to leave her husband and children, and begin
a life on her own. This climactic event—when Nora slams the door on
everything in her life—instantly propelled world drama into the modern
age. In A Doll’s House, Part 2, many years have passed since
Nora’s exit. Now, there’s a knock on that same door. Nora has returned.
But why? And what will it mean for those she left behind?

The simple set designed by Stephen Jones consisted of a curved wall with one huge Victorian door.  The paint was chipped with time. The play did indeed begin with a knock at the door. When Anne Marie (Anne Hering) answered the door all the lights on stage illuminated to their top setting creating a blinding sunburst effect as Nora (Suzanne O’Donnell) entered. For some perspective, Pam and I watched the original Ibsen play as a live 1959 telebroadcast. Nora in that production was a flippant housewife demurring to her husband’s wishes. She forged a signature on a loan in order to whisk her husband to Italy for the sake of his health. That act indentured her to try and pay the loan off by begging her husband for small sums of money. Instead of a Christmas present she begged him for a small sum of cash.

When Nora returned, she was a self-made woman of means. She had become an author and was very successful at it. She was a feminist firmly believing that women do not need men for their happiness. The Part 2 production is set 15 years after Nora left her family which would be around 1894. Women would not gain the right to vote for another 26 years, but Nora was well ahead of her time believing she could make a difference through her writing which had to be authored with a pseudonym. She wrote about her marriage to Torvald (Steven Lane) and the book encouraged women to take charge of their own lives. A judge was upset by her message, so he found out who she really was and discovered that she was still married. Torvald had never filed for divorce. It was more convenient for him to think she had died than to face the shame of filing for divorce. She needed that divorce to truly be free. This play focused on that quest. Despite her success, she was still beholden to unfair laws that made her the property of a man she had not seen for 15 years. She needed to sit down with her husband to again demand her freedom. I identified with her desire for artistic freedom.

The language is decidedly modern with some cursing that seemed out of place compared to the original Ibsen play. These outbursts do offer some comedic relief. People in the audience who had suffered through divorce were nodding their heads in solidarity as Nora pontificated about the need for freedom. Love and affection were cherished, but after marriage she felt people changed. They no longer wooed their partners and took them for granted. This is what caused affection to turn to resentment. This was a decidedly modern message.

Tickets are $32 to $44.

PlayFest: I Can Go

Posted on by Thor

I sketched the first read through rehearsal for  I Can Go by Meridith Friedman
which is a Comic Drama at the Orlando Shakes (812 Rollins Street Orlando FL).

Armed with sharp tongues and dry wit, Richard (Dan Bright) and David (Alexander Mrazek) navigate complex family relationships on the eve of their wedding. Despite hindrances ranging from little white lies to life-altering secrets, I Can Go uncovers human truths about the ones they love most. This contemporary and wryly humorous dramedy is the final installment in a series of three plays by Meridith Friedman, following The Luckiest People (produced by Orlando Shakes in April 2018) and Your Best One (read at PlayFest 2017).

I had seen and sketched a production of The Luckiest People but missed Your Best One. Despite that I felt quickly up to speed and familiar with this family and cast who had already won my heart. The patriarchal father had passed away but the family had a way of resolving any differences with humor. Richard and David now have an adopted son, Josh (Connar Vidman). Josh didn’t have a large part in the section of the rehearsal I sketched, but I heard him rehearsing in the Shakes lobby and thus knew something of his back story.  Richard’s sister, Laura (Suzanne O’Donnell) spilled a family secret in her attempts to get the attention of her son Matt (Terance Lee) who seemed largely shut off, tuned in to his headset. Nancy (Kate Denson), David’s mom sat with her back to me. She had a calming voice and seemed the anchor of fairness and reason as wedding plans escalated into petty arguments.



For me, this was time well spent with a family I already had grown to love, and a fun cast who seemed at home in this family’s skin. You don’t have to have seen the previous two dramas by Meridith Friedman for this show to make sense. There was a relaxed humor as they eased into the comedic drama. This is clearly going to be a fun performance.

Director: Tara Kromer,
Stage Manager: Jackqueline Hilliker, Stage Directions Reader: Kaley Pharr.

The performance will be on Saturday, November 10, 2018 at 4:00 p.m. Tickets are $10.

The Luckiest People at the Shakes

Posted on by Thor

The Luckiest People written by Meridith Friedman will rip your heart out. Oscar Hoffman (J.D.Sutton) and his son Richard (David Lane) enter Oscar’s retirement in an assisted living facility along with David’s partner David (Alexander Mrazek.) David is carrying what I presumed to be ashes. They had just returned from a funeral burring Oscar’s wife. Oscar finds himself alone in the world and he is cantankerous and angry. Richard is blindsided when his father demands to leave his
assisted living facility.

With his sister Laura (Suzanne O’Donnell) living in Shanghai, and his plans to soon to become a first time father with his partner, he is less
than thrilled at the prospect of housing his–to put it mildly–difficult
father. Accusations begin to fly and defenses are drawn, spiraling
father and son, brother and sister, and spouses into a heated game of
finger pointing with unintended consequences.

When Richard has second thoughts about adopting a child with his partner, their relationship is strained to the point of breaking. David knows he wants to raise a child but suddenly Richard is faced with having to possibly care for his father. He also discovers that his sister Laura is planning to meet an old boy friend behind her husband’s back. She yearns to be with someone who knew her before life set so many demands on her. This contemporary and wryly humorous play touchingly explores the
middle years of life when competing priorities from children, spouses,
and parents create challenges and self-examination.

I laughed, I cried, I sketched. Seemingly comedic at first, the play delved deep into this family’s relationships, demands, and blunt trauma.  The injuries of childhood surface and the injustice of being treated like a child as an elder become a driving theme. “You are lucky to have somewhere to runaway to. Someone to run to.” Everyone had hidden scars and no one seemed particularly lucky to me. This is the first play in a
trilogy about the Hoffman family.

The Luckiest People runs approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.

Tickets are $25 to $50

John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center 812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL 32803

The remaining show dates are:

Thursday, April 12, 2018 – 7:30 PM

Friday, April 13, 2018 – 7:30 PM

Saturday, April 14, 2018 – 7:30 PM

Sunday, April 15, 2018 – 2:00 PM

Wednesday, April 18, 2018 – 2:00 PM

Wednesday, April 18, 2018 – 7:30 PM

Thursday, April 19, 2018 – 7:30 PM

Friday, April 20, 2018 – 7:30 PM

Saturday, April 21, 2018 – 7:30 PM

Sunday, April 22, 2018 – 2:00 PM

Wednesday, April 25, 2018 – 2:00 PM

Wednesday, April 25, 2018 – 7:30 PM

Thursday, April 26, 2018 – 7:30 PM

Friday, April 27, 2018 – 7:30 PM

Saturday, April 28, 2018 – 7:30 PM

Sunday, April 29, 2018 – 2:00 PM

The Cortez Method

Posted on by Thor

I went to the World Premiere of The Cortez Method written by Rob Keefe and Directed by Mark Routhier at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater (812 East Rollins Street Orlando FL). Being in the small Mandell Theater, I was surprised at how intricate and ornate the set by scenic designer, Robbin Watts was.

The play takes place in a rural home in the Kentucky woods. Based on the set, you can tell that there have been recent renovations like new marble counter tops and flooring Bill, played by Paul Bernardo arrives home only to be surprised by his brother Walter, played by Riley Clermont. After some joking and wrestling it becomes clear that Walter is a no good brother who wants a handout. Some event from the brothers pasts makes Walter feel he is owed. Paul’s pregnant wife, Sarah, played by Suzanne O’Donnell is asleep off stage and Walters loud booming voice wakes her up and she pounds on the wall. Walter is not welcome in their home.

This is a dysfunctional family with a capitol D. Bill is constantly trying to appease his wife and brother. He seems whipped and tired. He also resents that everything has been poured into the opulent home furnishings like a five burner range and a stove whose name he cant pronounce. The fridge is battered and old, the one appliance from a past life. There are dark criminal currents beneath the country bliss. The play is a dark comedy in which the past and present collide. Walter claims he is like Cortez who burned his ship when invading the Aztec Empire to prove there was no retreat. It was all or nothing. A complete and total commitment. Walter had the same commitment to get a “loan” from his brother of about $30,000 to start a gate welding business. All of Bill’s money however was tied up in his home.

The second act gets violent as no one gets what they want. The most astonishing character was Odette, played by Melanie Whipple. She was Walters girl who would set him straight. She was missing teeth, was disheveled and looked stoned or ill.  When Walter grabs her, she defends herself. Bill’s wife has a warped idea of how they need to protect their home and Bill does everything he is asked to do. He is like a small dog on a leash who puts up some resistance but always relents with a tug. I was confused by the confrontation between the couple. There was resentment and hate and yet, in the heat of the argument, they kissed. Bill seems changed by what had transpired. He rips the shades off the windows and the room blazed light. Just what changed remained unclear. I suspect he would continue to do as he was told. He would never be free from his past.

This play marks a renewed commitment by the 25 year old Orlando Shakespeare Theater to present original plays.The play is a very adult story of family dysfunction, infidelity, and substance abuse. It is best suited for adult audiences. Mark Your Calendar! The play runs through September 22nd. Tickets are about $25.