Maybe it's me, but I just need more substance to really buy sitting thru a huge bgt production or maybe any bgt production. Yes, it was a delightful and witty story. Yes, the actors were excellent and the singing was terrific. But after War Horse and even Memphis, (which had subject matter that meant something)Wicked seemed like so much fluff. And the visual effects that I had hoped for seemed minimal compared to what I had just recently seen--- except for the time when Elphaba went up into the sky on her broom-- thanks to amazing lighting effects , that was spectacular. Oddly, one of the times when they could have used multimedia effects (when Elphaba fizzles and apparently dies) they employed the lowest tech technique imaginable: an actor literally hand pulled a muslin half curtain across the stage and the actors appeared as shadows behind it. It was effective, but so unlike anything else in the show.
I did enjoy seeing the use of cut out miniature scenery that was backlit and appeared way upstage. It added depth and perspective to the stage picture and is something I can easily employ.
Am now on my way back to DC via Bolt Bus ($20 one way, complete with wifi). Looking forward to visiting a few exhibits at the Smithsonian, visiting with friends and having really good food. DC has become a foodie paradise and always has had terrific sea food.
Final food report from NY: I had a little argument with the elderly man behind Zabars's smoked fish counter. I wanted To buy a little piece of whitefish---just a snack. He said absolutely not! He would only sell me a hefty chunk, so I had to pass. No amount of begging would persuade him. Will have to go to Canter's when I get back home if the urge still persists.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
ONE HIT, ONE MISS (a big one)
Friday nite: After seeing War Horse, anything was going to potentially pale in comparison. Luckily, Memphis was a total delight. nowhere near the amazing theatrical experience that I had had the nite before, but a good time. It was great to see a traditional Broadway musical in the old classic Shubert Theater. And probably due to the subject matter (race relations and rock n roll) the audience was fairly integrated----many age groups & ethnicities. The projections were fine. Sometimes it was hard to tell what was projected and what was painted. but overall, worth seeing.
Unfortunately, the Museum of the Moving Image was a real disappointment. nothing like it was advertised or at least not in any way what I had hoped for or expected. If one knew nothing about the film or television industry, this museum would have been good. But for a museum that is trying to celebrate the "moving image" it had the worst and most boring exhibits. Where they might have used video installations, backdrops and effects, there were none. Just words on a wall or artifacts in a case. The most interesting thing was riding the subway and getting lost (as usual) walking thru Queens trying to find the museum. My first time in Queens. Other than that, a total waste of time.
Risk Assessment noted: pay close attention to descriptions on a website and call before you go to a museum if you have expectations of something very specific!
Food report: the rugulah at Zabars are tasty, but not as good as my mother's. And, can you believe it, there is a Trader Joe's on Broadway & 72nd. I popped in to take a look. It was sort of bizarre seeing all the same products. A little too much like home. It was jam packed. Obviously just the thing for the busy New Yorkers.
Unfortunately, the Museum of the Moving Image was a real disappointment. nothing like it was advertised or at least not in any way what I had hoped for or expected. If one knew nothing about the film or television industry, this museum would have been good. But for a museum that is trying to celebrate the "moving image" it had the worst and most boring exhibits. Where they might have used video installations, backdrops and effects, there were none. Just words on a wall or artifacts in a case. The most interesting thing was riding the subway and getting lost (as usual) walking thru Queens trying to find the museum. My first time in Queens. Other than that, a total waste of time.
Risk Assessment noted: pay close attention to descriptions on a website and call before you go to a museum if you have expectations of something very specific!
Food report: the rugulah at Zabars are tasty, but not as good as my mother's. And, can you believe it, there is a Trader Joe's on Broadway & 72nd. I popped in to take a look. It was sort of bizarre seeing all the same products. A little too much like home. It was jam packed. Obviously just the thing for the busy New Yorkers.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
THEATRE IN NEW YORK, DAY ONE
Tonite I saw War Horse at Lincoln Center. Hands down the most amazing evening that I have spent at the theatre EVER! The production values, visuals, multimedia, amazing puppetry, acting, story.....everything moved and inspired me. I feel so lucky to be a part of a profession that brings such work to audiences. I can't wait to see it again when it comes to LA next year.
I definitely got many ideas for how I can incorporate some of the visuals into my work. The latest thing seems to be to project onto a piece of hanging screen that serves as both a piece of the set and a screen. It is very effective and quite different from the usual sq slide screen or simple scrim. The secret has to be how to make the projection fit into the slice of screen. Will have to experiment
I love being in NY. I have walked about 3 miles a day and that is just getting to and from places. Went to Zabars and got some take out delicacies for lunch and did the same for dinner ..got a great piece of Grilled salmon from a local gourmet deli. Last nite met a friend for dinner at Ocean Grill on Columbus and 78th. Delicious shrimp and scallops, marinated in lemon, garlic and olive oil, grilled lightly and served with two spicy sauces on the side. We split a lemon brûlée tart. Small portions, big price tag, definitely worth a litle splurge!
More tomorrow .....theatre, food, walking and the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Quens. Can't wait!
I definitely got many ideas for how I can incorporate some of the visuals into my work. The latest thing seems to be to project onto a piece of hanging screen that serves as both a piece of the set and a screen. It is very effective and quite different from the usual sq slide screen or simple scrim. The secret has to be how to make the projection fit into the slice of screen. Will have to experiment
I love being in NY. I have walked about 3 miles a day and that is just getting to and from places. Went to Zabars and got some take out delicacies for lunch and did the same for dinner ..got a great piece of Grilled salmon from a local gourmet deli. Last nite met a friend for dinner at Ocean Grill on Columbus and 78th. Delicious shrimp and scallops, marinated in lemon, garlic and olive oil, grilled lightly and served with two spicy sauces on the side. We split a lemon brûlée tart. Small portions, big price tag, definitely worth a litle splurge!
More tomorrow .....theatre, food, walking and the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Quens. Can't wait!
Monday, June 20, 2011
APPROACHING LEG #2 OF MY JOURNEY
I leave tomorrow for the second phase of my journey: New York & DC to see plays that feature multimedia and museum exhibits that focus on moving images.
Saw two Radar LA shows. One that I had seen in Copenhagen called Two Dimensional Life of Her and another featuring images, shadows and animated video in combination with live actors. Both wonderful to watch and inspiring--got many good ideas for how to create and use "low tech" multimedia effects. But in all cases, I missed STORY. For me, theatre has to have a good story--the images are not enough.
More from the east coast....and of course, a food report will be included!
Saw two Radar LA shows. One that I had seen in Copenhagen called Two Dimensional Life of Her and another featuring images, shadows and animated video in combination with live actors. Both wonderful to watch and inspiring--got many good ideas for how to create and use "low tech" multimedia effects. But in all cases, I missed STORY. For me, theatre has to have a good story--the images are not enough.
More from the east coast....and of course, a food report will be included!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
HOME & INSPIRED!
Back in LA with so many images swimming in my head. Can't wait to learn more about how to implement them.
Recently found out that I have been accepted as one of 12 participants for the Otis College of Art & Design teachers retreat in August. More multimedia training and all expenses paid!!!!
Trip home was smooth, long and uneventful. Did end up sitting next to a recall delightful young woman on the trip from Toronto to LAX. It is a small world--she was a friend of Traci Cho's
Visited Hamlet's castel on the Saturday before I left/ Saw a magical performance piece that night called "Hans Christian You Must Be an Angel". Hard to explain--part art installation, part theatre, part multimedia--all magic.
Just received emails from two of the people I met on the trip. One from South Africa, one from Serbia. It is wonderful to feel so connected to the world of theatre artists.
More soon as I digest and catalog images and ideas for future use.
Recently found out that I have been accepted as one of 12 participants for the Otis College of Art & Design teachers retreat in August. More multimedia training and all expenses paid!!!!
Trip home was smooth, long and uneventful. Did end up sitting next to a recall delightful young woman on the trip from Toronto to LAX. It is a small world--she was a friend of Traci Cho's
Visited Hamlet's castel on the Saturday before I left/ Saw a magical performance piece that night called "Hans Christian You Must Be an Angel". Hard to explain--part art installation, part theatre, part multimedia--all magic.
Just received emails from two of the people I met on the trip. One from South Africa, one from Serbia. It is wonderful to feel so connected to the world of theatre artists.
More soon as I digest and catalog images and ideas for future use.
Friday, May 27, 2011
WONDERFUL RUSSIAN PLAYWRIGHT, GETTING LOST & CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!
Thursday: walked more than 10 miles I am sure; got lost numerous times in the winding Danish streets as I followed insane directions (or lack thereof). Found the world's best chocolate chip cookies right down the street from my hotel at my new fav Mormor's (where I now can buy my steamed lofat milk with a hint of chocolate without feeling like a fool). During my foot travels found two killer bakeries selling delicious bread and pastries. Think La Brea Bakery X 10--that's how large they are. Got a great night's sleep again; so relieved!
BRIEF COMBINED REPORT: briefly, the day was about the good (healthy breakfast and the discovery of a delicious egg on the breakfast buffet, chic pea & tomato salad for lunch)
and attending an interesting presentation on theatre for young people in Mexico as a form of resistance against the awful conditions that have been created for them due to the war on drugs plus going to see a staged reading of 5 excerpts of Russian plays (1 of them terrific & I am planning to get the play and mount it) for young people performed by excellent Danish actors
and
the "bad" (but delicious) gorgonzola cheese and bread crust, salad, fizzy lemon drink & cookie
and
the ugly (getting lost in a bad part of town due to poor directions given by multiple people and missing a show that I had a ticket for--luckily it was not one of the multimedia productions that I came to see!). As I walked home from the train station feeling angry and frustrated, the skies opened up and, like in a Thomas Hardy novel, it began to rain. And I had not brought my umbrella!
Risk Assessment #5 noted: spend the money to activate your cellular roaming devices and gps so you can find your way around in strange lands!
BRIEF COMBINED REPORT: briefly, the day was about the good (healthy breakfast and the discovery of a delicious egg on the breakfast buffet, chic pea & tomato salad for lunch)
and attending an interesting presentation on theatre for young people in Mexico as a form of resistance against the awful conditions that have been created for them due to the war on drugs plus going to see a staged reading of 5 excerpts of Russian plays (1 of them terrific & I am planning to get the play and mount it) for young people performed by excellent Danish actors
and
the "bad" (but delicious) gorgonzola cheese and bread crust, salad, fizzy lemon drink & cookie
and
the ugly (getting lost in a bad part of town due to poor directions given by multiple people and missing a show that I had a ticket for--luckily it was not one of the multimedia productions that I came to see!). As I walked home from the train station feeling angry and frustrated, the skies opened up and, like in a Thomas Hardy novel, it began to rain. And I had not brought my umbrella!
Risk Assessment #5 noted: spend the money to activate your cellular roaming devices and gps so you can find your way around in strange lands!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
MORE TERRIFIC THEATRE AND A NEW CONNECTION
Wednesday: After a great night's sleep (at last and despite the bells) I took a long walk in the park near my hotel searching for the Little Mermaid statue but never found it; will try again tomorrow. Did chance upon a dramatic monument to those who died fighting the Nazis in WW11. Will visit the Danish Resistance Museum tomorrow or Friday.
FOOD REPORT: with all due respect to my host city, I have had it with cold Danish breakfasts. I give up. One of the hotel clerks told me about a small cafe down the street that serves hot oatmeal for 28 crowns (I would pay 100 at this point). I am definitely going there tomorrow morning! In the meantime, I had fresh fruit, a little yogurt and muesli, toast and marmelade. For lunch, a sandwich of thin slices of cheese, tomatoes and cucs (eaten between shows in Malmo). Dinner from my old friend Cafe Oscar was 2 grilled shrimp skewers with tiny tomatoes and roasted new potatoes. And a few pieces of really dark Swedish chocolate. Yum.
FESTIVAL REPORT: Took the train again to Malmo and walked to the first theatre to see "Berlin, 1961" by a German theatre company. The concept (they used a real small car on stage and it became a million different things--so inventive) was really well executed; the acting, direction and writing very strong and professional. The play itself would be a bit too controversial for most American teenage audiences; some really sexist and offensive stereotypes (they were equal opportunity satirists--no one escaped--the Russian solider, the American pop star, the wailing German mother, the farmers from the American Midwest) and again, sexual actions that would never fly in the US for minors.
Walked across town to the next theatre with a cheerful producer from Wales who talked about a theatre project she her company would do that would take place on a 3 month voyage at sea (with the young people playing the roles of the actual historical characters). The second performance that I saw today was stunning. It was a Brazilian piece called "Almost Nothing" by a company from Sao Paulo that combined what appeared to be video backdrop with actors and wonderful puppets. It was about the poverty endured by the those living in the slums and shanty towns of Brazilian cities and was done with such grace and style; almost like a series of moving tableaux interspersed with puppet manipulation. The stage was covered with what appeared to be sand and the sand was used over and over agin to represent the "nothingness" that is given to the poor. The majority of the piece was just movement (like Viewpoints compositions), music and a puppet or two but then a puppet stage appeared an a traditional Brazilian puppet show with dialogue was performed that mirrored the themes in the live piece. I spent some time with the director and actors after the show talking to them about their process and exchanging email addresses. The director was disappointed that the puppet show portion of the piece did not work in context and that the audience didn't get it. I agreed but stressed to him how meaningful the content was and how beautiful the overall effect had been. The company is called Sobrevento. I would love to connect with them and study their style--both the puppet and live forms. Note: I discovered that what appeared to be a multimedia backdrop was simply a backlit panel with photos of hundreds of feet stapled to it. A cool technique that I can use!
While waiting for the train, I chatted with a Danish professor of theatre history who told me about a company called Odin Theatre that was born out of work with Growtowski. Road the train back to Copenhagen with a delightful Russian playwright named Ksenia. We have sons the same age and it was nice to talk about our kids, our lives and our professions. She invited me visit her in Moscow and to a reading of 5 excerpts of Russian plays for teens that will be performed in English by Swedish and Danish actors tomorrow at the Russian Culture Center. Looking forward to attending. And looking forward (hoping) for another good sleep tonite!
Before we left Malmo, Ksenia told me to throw a coin in the canal --a Russian tradition that is supposed to ensure one returns to a place again. I certainly would not mid coming back.
FOOD REPORT: with all due respect to my host city, I have had it with cold Danish breakfasts. I give up. One of the hotel clerks told me about a small cafe down the street that serves hot oatmeal for 28 crowns (I would pay 100 at this point). I am definitely going there tomorrow morning! In the meantime, I had fresh fruit, a little yogurt and muesli, toast and marmelade. For lunch, a sandwich of thin slices of cheese, tomatoes and cucs (eaten between shows in Malmo). Dinner from my old friend Cafe Oscar was 2 grilled shrimp skewers with tiny tomatoes and roasted new potatoes. And a few pieces of really dark Swedish chocolate. Yum.
FESTIVAL REPORT: Took the train again to Malmo and walked to the first theatre to see "Berlin, 1961" by a German theatre company. The concept (they used a real small car on stage and it became a million different things--so inventive) was really well executed; the acting, direction and writing very strong and professional. The play itself would be a bit too controversial for most American teenage audiences; some really sexist and offensive stereotypes (they were equal opportunity satirists--no one escaped--the Russian solider, the American pop star, the wailing German mother, the farmers from the American Midwest) and again, sexual actions that would never fly in the US for minors.
Walked across town to the next theatre with a cheerful producer from Wales who talked about a theatre project she her company would do that would take place on a 3 month voyage at sea (with the young people playing the roles of the actual historical characters). The second performance that I saw today was stunning. It was a Brazilian piece called "Almost Nothing" by a company from Sao Paulo that combined what appeared to be video backdrop with actors and wonderful puppets. It was about the poverty endured by the those living in the slums and shanty towns of Brazilian cities and was done with such grace and style; almost like a series of moving tableaux interspersed with puppet manipulation. The stage was covered with what appeared to be sand and the sand was used over and over agin to represent the "nothingness" that is given to the poor. The majority of the piece was just movement (like Viewpoints compositions), music and a puppet or two but then a puppet stage appeared an a traditional Brazilian puppet show with dialogue was performed that mirrored the themes in the live piece. I spent some time with the director and actors after the show talking to them about their process and exchanging email addresses. The director was disappointed that the puppet show portion of the piece did not work in context and that the audience didn't get it. I agreed but stressed to him how meaningful the content was and how beautiful the overall effect had been. The company is called Sobrevento. I would love to connect with them and study their style--both the puppet and live forms. Note: I discovered that what appeared to be a multimedia backdrop was simply a backlit panel with photos of hundreds of feet stapled to it. A cool technique that I can use!
While waiting for the train, I chatted with a Danish professor of theatre history who told me about a company called Odin Theatre that was born out of work with Growtowski. Road the train back to Copenhagen with a delightful Russian playwright named Ksenia. We have sons the same age and it was nice to talk about our kids, our lives and our professions. She invited me visit her in Moscow and to a reading of 5 excerpts of Russian plays for teens that will be performed in English by Swedish and Danish actors tomorrow at the Russian Culture Center. Looking forward to attending. And looking forward (hoping) for another good sleep tonite!
Before we left Malmo, Ksenia told me to throw a coin in the canal --a Russian tradition that is supposed to ensure one returns to a place again. I certainly would not mid coming back.
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