Postering, or "I Love Starbucks"

I love Starbucks. I mean, their coffee is pretty good. Some people say it's burnt or it's too expensive or whathaveyou. But really, it's a pretty decent cup of coffee. Their quality is consistent. They managed to make a cup of higher quality coffee and specialty drinks ubiquitous in America. But that's not why I love Starbucks.

I love Starbucks because every single stand alone location (and some of the ones in grocery stores and hotels) has a community board. And they're pretty spread out across most urban/suburban areas. So if you have a map of Starbucks locations, you have a pretty good guide to where you can go to put up posters for your show.

Now look. This doesn't mean that I'm hating on local coffee shops. They're great too. And most of them have community boards or let you put up a poster in the window. But some don't, and it's really not worth driving somewhere if you don't know you can put up a poster. So having a corporate chain with lots of locations where you can know you can spread your message out geographically is really an asset.

Shout out to Bruegger's Bagels and Panera Bread for the same reason.

Set Building!

Director Andy Hayworth and Technical Director Todd Houseknecht consult while Stage Manager Betsy Richards does the work. Typical. 

Today was set building day. Well, really more like set painting day.

First I should say we owe a great debt to Cary Players for letting us use their flats and their shop to prep them. Their next play is Crossing Delancey, go see it! Anyway, without their help this whole process would have been much more difficult. As it is, we pulled the pieces we needed, laid down drop cloths. painted the flats, and were done in relatively short order.

We had help from the wonderful Ami Kirk Jones who helped us get the right colors and advised us on the look for the cement walls of the apartment. The set is going to look great. It's an industrial loft in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. I wanted it to have the modern-distressed look of a converted warehouse. I wanted muted colors as well, but not boring. Ami suggested a concrete look with muted rust stains (you see it partially complete above).

I'm really looking forward to showing it to you. Hope you like it!

Learn Your Lines!

We're coming into the home stretch for Time Stands Still. We will open two weeks from Friday! Even more than that, because of the holidays etc, we don't have that many rehearsals left (only 5 more before Tech week). That's fine. We have an experienced cast, and I'm very confident things will go fine. But it DOES mean we have to do a lot of work on our own. Especially learning lines.

Now granted, learning lines is always primarily done outside of rehearsal. That's the way it is. It's the hard work of acting. But that's especially true if you have limited rehearsal time. Often, if you have a longer rehearsal period, you get time to run and re-run the show, repetition that helps lighten the lonely burden of line learning. But when you're short time, rehearsal needs to be about what we do as a group, as a cast. Learning your lines - that you do on your own (or with your very patient friends/family/pets etc).

One of the things that people most frequently comment on is "how do you learn all those lines?" Actors, as a rule, find this comment a little frustrating (maybe that's the wrong word), because learning the lines is the most quotidian part of the process. Trust me, you could learn those lines (really!). People ask me what the secret is to it. I wish there was one. The secret is just hard work. Running it again and again in different ways (writing it out, reading it aloud, using flash cards, having a friend quiz you etc...). I usually record a read through and then burn the files to CD and listen to it in the car. Every method has it's advantages and disadvantages, but trust me, if you spent as much time as I did learning lines, you'd know my lines too.

Actors often feel (myself included) that this comment is frustrating because we consider "knowing what to say and when to say it" sort of the mandatory minimum of acting. It's the D minus acting performance. The hard part is understanding why you are saying it, what you want, wanting to say it, and really being there. Feeling the lines. Living the character.

That said, we probably shouldn't be so dismissive. It really IS a lot of work. And yes, almost anyone could remember all those words with enough effort, but hey, YOU put out that effort. That's worth recognizing. So give yourself some credit!

I have to say, I've been through this entire script twice today, and I'm more excited than ever to put it on stage. I really don't get tired of this piece. I love the writing. It's funny and gripping and altogether human. Going through it again and again, ok it is an effort, but it also reminds me that we'll be doing this on stage for you. And THAT really makes me happy.

Course, we need you. I can't share it with you if you don't buy a ticket. Click on over to our Kickstarter and get one today...

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1284004843/time-stands-still-by-donald-margulies

Rehearsal!

Olivia Greigo and Katie Barrett rehearse with the help of SM Betsy Richards.

We're in the thick of rehearsal. We have 7 (gulp) more rehearsals before we load in on December 27, and the show is really coming together. Working on this play has really reminded me that rehearsal is a safe place. This text works deep for all four actors. It really requires that we connect with empathy and imagination to strong emotions.  Knowing that you working with the support entire ensemble is so very critical when you are doing this sort of preparation.

Because acting is about being, but rehearsing is about making mistakes. Rehearsing is about taking that chance/risk the first time. About opening up, about exposing your feelings, your self, and not having the knowledge that you've done it before, that it's ok. And being able to do that knowing that if it doesn't work, if it needs to change, you didn't fail, you succeeded in the process. And that the people you are working with love you, and that doesn't depend on getting it right the first time.

It's funny, I used to feel nervous about the first few rehearsals. I wanted to show my fellow actors I was someone who could be relied upon. I wanted to show off the work I did on my own. I wanted them to think "wow, this guy is good." No, no, NO. Rehearsal is about being bad (not unprepared though). Make mistakes. And above all, don't censor yourself or worry about what other people think about you. Because, if it's a good set, here is what they think about you: they love you, they trust you, and you're great.

I wanted to put a brief shout-out here to Cardinal Gibbons High School and Kevin Ferguson. The shot above was taken in the studio theatre at Cardinal Gibbons, and the single biggest help to our production is having this wonderful space to rehearse in.

I also want to point out those empty seats. See them? That's where you go. So please, go over to our kickstarter page, pledge some money, and get a ticket today!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1284004843/time-stands-still-by-donald-margulies

Kickstarter!

Our kickstarter has launched for the Triangle Premiere of Time Stands Still by Donald Margulies.  Actually, it launched before Thanksgiving. We have 20 days to go (so 1/3 of the way there) and we've raised over four hundred dollars (so more than 1/3 of the way there)!

The kickstarter is a great way for you to get tickets in advance. It's the cheapest way to get regular price tickets (since you don't have to pay online processing fees), and the tickets are good for any performance, which is pretty great.

But it's more than getting a good deal, you're helping to produce the show. You can give a little extra money to be a Stringer, an Editor, or a Producer. Did you ever go to an independent film? Did you notice how many company logos are in the pre-show credits? And how many executive producers they list? "Executive Producer" - that's a list of "people who gave money." And that can be you! I mean, sure, your name will be in our program (and on our website) not on a movie screen. But hey, we're asking for $10, not $10,000.

So go to the kickstarter for Time Stands Still and get involved.

Link:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1284004843/time-stands-still-by-donald-margulies

Our Fourth Annual Production!

South Stream Productions is proud to announce it's fourth annual production: Time Stands Still by Donald Margulies.

Time Stands Still is the story of a photo journalist who returns from Iraq after injuries she suffered in a roadside bomb attack. Her long time partner (also a journalist) helps her with her recovery, but has wounds of his own. The characters struggle with the process of healing physically and mentally. Some scars remain, and they come to understand how the landscape of their relationship has changed. The script is bitingly funny, poignant, and above all, human.

We will be producing this show at a new venue this year. We are proud to be the first outside producer to present a show at Sonorous Road, a new black box theatre and teaching venue in the heart of Raleigh. Check them out here!

Tickets are now available via our Kickstarter campaign. Every year we rely on you, our audience to help make this show a reality. Please check out our kickstarter campaign and contribute!

The Long Off Season

We're looking at scripts for next year. We're getting close to making some decisions (we hope). In the mean time, you should check out one of our favorite theatre blogs - Bitter Gertrude. Just because she's awesome.