Precious Little first rehearsal brings City Theatre together

posted by Molly MacLagan, Literary and Dramaturgy Intern

Precious Little rehearsals started last Tuesday, and playwright Madeleine George was on hand to see her remarkable play take the first steps towards its City Theatre production.  Precious Little follows gifted linguist Brodie as she receives cryptic results of a genetic test performed on her unborn child, and unexpectedly finds herself struggling to decide what to do about it.  As a single woman with no romantic partner to turn to, she looks for comfort in an elderly speaker of a dying language, and an ape at the zoo that was formerly part of a language acquisition program.  At the meet and greet before the first rehearsal, City Theatre staff members exchanged memories of visits to the zoo.  City Theatre Artistic Director Tracy Brigden, who’s directing Precious Little, also announced that the cast and available company members would be making a field trip to the zoo.  Then (after a light lunch of course) it was back to work.

The design presentation allowed company members to see the work that has been done thus far by the designers.  Brigden presented scenic designer Anne Mundell’s model, as Mundell was unable to join.  The foreground is very sparse, to allow it to become a variety of locations, including Brodie’s office, a doctor’s office, and an examination room.  The enclosure at the back of the stage, Brigden explained, would function both as the exhibit at the zoo where Brodie visits the ape, and as a recording booth in the linguistics department where Brodie works with Cleva, the speaker of the dying language mentioned earlier.  This visually represents the play’s theme of “enclosures” and the opposition of inside/outside.  Lighting designer Andy Ostrowski was also on hand to explain some of the ways his design would utilize institutional lighting to continue those explorations. 

Ange Vesco, the costume designer, presented her concept board and described some of her ideas.  Actors Theo Allyn and Laurie Klatscher will both be playing multiple characters, so differentiating the roles is something Vesco is already thinking about.  In addition, she’s exploring ways to create distinction in age -characters range in age from mid-twenties to seventies – and how to subtly and theatrically dress Klatscher when she’s the ape!  Before the first read-through, Literary Manager and Dramaturg Carlyn Aquiline provided print and video resources about everything from prenatal testing, genetics, and ultrasound to linguistics and ape-language experiments.

Another exciting moment was the small birthday celebration held for the Assistant Stage Manager, Lauren Connolly.  Check out photos of the meet and greet, design presentation, and mini-birthday party below.   Check back soon for more about Precious Little.

(Click to enlarge) City Theatre Interim Managing Director Mark Power, Development Director Andrea Glickman, and Gala Committee Member Joyce Candi Grove chat at the Meet and Greet.

(Click to enlarge) Director Tracy Brigden presents a model of the set to the cast of Precious Little while dialect coach Don Wadsworth.

(Click to enlarge) Anne Mundell’s model of the set for Precious Little

(Click to enlarge) Anne Mundell’s model of the set for Precious Little

(Click to enlarge) Costumer Ange Vesco shares her concept board for Precious Little

(Click to enlarge) Playwright Madeleine George looks over research images of the costume design for Precious Little

(Click to enlarge) Lighting Designer Andy Ostrowski describes his lighting design for Precious Little

(Click to enlarge) Stage Manager Patti Kelly offers birthday cake to the Assistant Stage Manager, Lauren Connolly

Designs for Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet keep us in the know

posted by Molly MacLagan, Literary and Dramaturgy Intern

City Theatre Company’s production of Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet, Tarrell Alvin McCraney’s coming of age tale, closes on Sunday.  Part of the same trilogy as City Theatre’s 2008 hit, The Brothers Size, the show follows the title character as he comes to terms with his sexuality and searches for meaning in the cryptic dreams he’s been having.  Marcus’s father, Elegba, also dreamed we’re told.  “I’m just confused,” Marcus says to the elderly soothsayer character, Elegua.  “I mean, why my daddy dreams made you sad?  What about my dreams make you get quiet.”  Marcus wonders if perhaps his father’s dreams are the key to understanding his own.   However, considering that Marcus lives in the fictional town of San Pere, Louisiana, whose name means “without father,” it’s no surprise that Elegba is nowhere to be found. 

In spite of the angst that Marcus and his friends experience, the world the playwright has created is also one of hilarity and humor.  Within moments of the play starting, Marcus’s friend Shaunta Iyun laments the heat of an August funeral in Louisiana, saying “Lord, I’m in hell and I ain’t even the one dead.”  Such lines act as signposts for costumer Ange Vesco, who says of the funeral “I’m not sure any of them actually cares that Shango is dead.  They’re here to be seen, and they’ll wear whatever the hell they want.”  That kind of information is important in establishing character, she explains. When Shun enters the scene in her sexiest out-on-the-town getup, the audience learns something about her.  She is a woman who isn’t defined by men, but also a woman who may not be the best example for her daughter, Osha.  When Vesco and director Robert O’Hara discussed Shun’s character and clothing, the word “inappropriate” came up repeatedly.  That’s something the costume needed to communicate clearly.  “What I do is I use clothes the characters wear as a way to instantly convey information about them to the audience.” 

Conveying information is a large part of what any theatrical design does.  Sound designer Joe Pino says that he feels a responsibility to provide information on an intellectual level, but also on an emotional level.  “Sound design is connected to the emotional life of the play, and the audience’s experience of that world,” he reflects.  His job can be to create literal sounds, such as thunder, or to create an abstract sound, such as sugar.  “[The story] at that moment is about the origin of the word ‘sweet.’  The words are already telling us what’s happening – the sound doesn’t need to tell us the same information again, so if it can be metaphoric it will help the audience to consider the deeper meanings and thoughts of the play instead of just illustrating the surface.” 

This concept naturally carries over into costuming.  The ensemble Vesco specifically created for Shua, the young man visiting from the North, was deliberately more urban than those of the other characters, and she describes the look as distinctly New York or North East.  On a deeper level, though, Vesco wanted to create a look that seemed out of place when compared to the other characters’ wardrobes.  She recalls “I wanted him to look like he didn’t belong.  He had to put your antenna up that nothing good is going to happen with this person.”

  Vesco points out that the characters in the play are larger than life.  The designs support the world of the play, which is written in a highly stylized way with actors speaking directly to the audience to describe the inner life of their characters, so naturalism isn’t necessarily a part of the design process.  Pino explains “The biggest challenge in a show like this is not getting too literal.  Having worked with Robert before, I know he’s not really interested in literal sounds.”

Having the opportunity to return to McCraney’s Brother/Sister Plays trilogy is another aspect of Marcus that both designers have enjoyed.  Pino and Vesco both worked with O’Hara (and scenic designer Tony Ferrieri) on City Theatre’s production of The Brothers Size, and being reunited has been an exciting experience for both designers.  Vesco says, “My favorite part about working on Marcus has been the chance to do another part of the trilogy.  I think this play is so beautiful, and I really love Tarrell’s writing!”  For Pino, working on another play from the trilogy presented some practical advantages, as well.  “The Brothers Size was recent enough that I remember the sorts of sounds that I used for it, but far enough away that I don’t remember the specifics,” Pino muses.  “So a lot of the sounds [in Marcus] are my memory of how that play sounded and how those textures would move out of the garage [where Ogun worked] and into the swamp [that surrounds San Pere].” 

The sounds on that swamp in Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet are of a storm that’s looming.  Pino and O’Hara recognized the importance of what Pino calls the “sensual qualities” of the play, its events, and its characters, and how those qualities inform the way the show might sound.  “There’s sound under almost the entire show,” he says.  “It’s subtle, but it’s there.”  Pino’s designs help transform the set from place to place, discreetly providing a soundtrack for life in the projects and the world on the bayou.  The transformations facilitated by the costumes are more tangible, providing the means for actors to do triple-duty, since Starla Benford and Jaime Lincoln Smith both play three characters apiece.  The wigs in the show, provided by Penn Wigs, were a big help, but there are other ways to create distinctions between characters.  Vesco explains that accessories such as a pair of glasses or different shoes not only create a visual difference, but provide different information about the character.  Also, she says, “Luckily Jaime and Starla are both incredible actors, so my job was a little easier.” 

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Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet designers bring life to dreams

posted by Molly MacLagan, Literary and Dramaturgy Intern

In Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet, the title character’s friend, Osha, asks him “Marcus, what’s the secret?”  He answers “Ain’t no secret.  I’m just dreaming.”  The questions that follow are telling.  “Like sweet dreams?” Osha asks.  “Or beautiful nightmares?” his friend Shaunta wants to know.  Dreams provide the background for the lyrical and poetic world through which Marcus must journey to learn about his father and, more significantly, about himself in McCraney’s coming of age and coming out tale, set in the projects of the fictional town of San Pere, Louisiana and the surrounding bayou.  The world the playwright created requires some innovative thinking from the set and lighting designers who have the hard job of making a dream world out of reality.  When asked what instruction he gave designers, director Robert O’Hara says he told them “It’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream on the bayou.  This is a mystical dream world.  But Marcus’s dream is a nightmare.”  Scenic designer Tony Ferrieri and lighting designer Andy Ostrowski took that idea and ran with it.  Both tried to incorporate a feel of mystery and magic (and sometimes a little something sinister) to exemplify the journey Marcus is making, resulting in the sense that one never knows what could be lurking just beneath the surface. 

Ferrieri strove for that sense of secrecy when using water in his set design.  Four pools of water dot the stage, separated by winding boardwalks that twist around each other before disappearing offstage or becoming part of other set pieces.  The pools are deliberately lined in black to obscure the depth of it.  To look at it, one can’t tell whether the water is one foot deep or nine feet deep, and that’s the way Ferrieri wants it – the darkness and depth of the water suggest the depth of the issues with which Marcus and other characters in the play wrestle.  Of course, the water presents practical problems, as well.  The weight could be an issue, but that doesn’t worry Ferrieri.  Laughing, he says “I’m just praying nothing leaks!”  The pools of water are right over the Gordon Lounge, but all the precautions have been taken and he doesn’t foresee any problems.  “We [the scenic crew] have been really careful to keep things like screws out of the pools.  We don’t even wear shoes around them so we won’t puncture the lining.”  That lining has created some challenges for Ostrowski’s lighting design, too.  He asks, “Do you know why the Caribbean looks so blue?  It’s not the water, it’s all the life that’s beneath the surface.”  Lighting water is as much about lighting what is in or behind the water as it is about lighting the surface of the water.  Ostrowski had to find a way to light the water without depriving it of its mystery. 

In addition, Ostrowski worked with his team to create a device that keeps the water moving.  “Moving, moving, moving,” he smiles at the thought.  “Always moving.”  The movement is appropriate, since there’s nothing calm about the upheaval in Marcus’s life.  Another way the designers have created a sense of instability with the water is through the use of rain; it adds to the motion of the water.  In a play where water features so prominently, having rain onstage is fitting and Ferrieri doesn’t disappoint: it can fall in all of the pools simultaneously or in individual pools.  The use of rain also allows the audience to see the dream that Marcus describes to other characters – a dream about rain. 

McCraney often lets the audience witness Marcus’s internal world, and one of the most interesting dreams we’re privy to is the “Sun shower” dream.  In it, Marcus and his friends, Osha and Shaunta, perform a drag show to “Sun Shower” by Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band.  Osha and Shaunta are Marcus’s “bests,” his best friends and confidantes, and like teenaged girls everywhere, they often tell him what to do.  O’Hara likens Marcus to The Wizard of Oz, saying “The characters around Marcus are the interesting ones.  They’re the ones that drive the action forward, and Marcus kind of goes where they take him.  And Marcus is like Dorothy: we don’t really know if this is actually happening, or if it’s all in his head.”  Ferrieri acknowledges that the idea of The Wizard of Oz and of the other characters helping Marcus on his journey influenced the set design.  Wanting to create a magical world for the play, he incorporated the boardwalks after finding an image of a zig-zagging boardwalk through a misty forest.  “The imagery I looked at when I was researching for this play is just a dreamy world.  You never know what’s going to come out of there.  And it’s emblematic of Marcus’s journey,” he says of the image and the set he created in response. 

The boardwalks and the spaces between the wood were also designed so that Ostrowski could light effectively.  The two men have worked together often at City Theatre, and as Ferrieri scrolls through the research images he’s compiled on his computer he explains, “I wanted to consciously create a world that light plays a big role in.  I love working with Andy.  He’s very aware of lighting everything – not just the actors, but the set, too.”  Ostrowski had one thing to say about the set: “Fantastic.”  Since the set itself doesn’t change during the show, Ostrowski is excited by the possibility of creating new locations with just light.  “I looked at the set and I thought, ok, I can really transform this world.”

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The inside scoop on Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet

posted by Molly MacLagan, Literary and Dramaturgy Intern

With Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet opening tomorrow night, there’s already a lot of buzz around town, and in local papers.  Take a look at what some of the Burgh’s finest publications have to say about City Theatre’s current offering, and hear from some of the artists who are making it all happen:

Hear from director Robert O’Hara, returning to City Theatre after directing 2008 hit The Brothers Size in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11027/1120740-325.stm

Local actor Bria Walker and CMU grad Larry Powell talk about their work on Marcus in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ae/theater/s_719961.html

Playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney and City Theatre Artistic Director Tracy Brigden share their thoughts on Marcus with City Paper:
http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid:90132

Reviews of Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet will be posted here, so keep checking back, and if you want to reserve tickets, just call 412-431-CITY (2489).

No Diving!

posted by Molly MacLagan, Literary and Dramaturgy Intern

City Theatre staff knows how to party!  The holidays and the Winter Classic have come and gone (as have the vast quantities of food and drink heartily enjoyed by all).  But as someone very wise once said, the show must go on.  Without wasting anytime, the company for Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet was hard at work in the rehearsal room, and the staff was hard at work putting into place the elements needed for our next production.

Marcus is part of McCraney’s Brother/Sister Plays which includes City Theatre’s 2008 hit The Brothers Size.  It’s customary for designers to make a presentation at the first rehearsal.  Because Marcus requires some unique scenic elements, designer Tony Ferrieri and his crew needed to hit the ground running.  Or it might be more accurate to say they needed to dive in headfirst.  What will eventually be four pools of water framed by meandering wooden catwalks looks more like an advertisement for Hefty bags at the moment, with the stage carefully protected by pool lining.  The crew walks on this liner without shoes to prevent damaging it, and a “no diving” sign jokingly warns against any actual diving.

Scattered about the theatre are pieces of the set – weathered wood planks and platforms that will eventually makeup the aforementioned catwalks.  The front row of the theatre is mere feet from the stage, ensuring that audience members will be up-close and personal with the action.  To see sketches and models of the set from the first day of rehearsal, as well as the progress made on the set so far, click on the photos below.

Scenic designer Tony Ferrieri presents the design of his set for Marcus.

A color-coded ground plan of the set design for Marcus.

These research images helped inspire the set for Marcus.

A model of Tony’s scenic design for Marcus.

Lighting designer Andy Ostrowski will create the moon by lighting this “moon-box.”

Pieces of the puzzle.

Tony and the scene shop guys discuss the build for Marcus.

The scenic crew, and the start of the Marcus set.

The beginnings of the build for Marcus.

Shoes on the pool lining are a no-no.

The action onstage will be very close to the audience!

Soon this will be a pool full of water.

Tony models with the satchel of “important information for the safe enjoyment” of the pools.

Shaggy enforces the strict no diving policy on the set of Marcus.

Seriously. No diving.

Want to see more more?  Check back soon for more information about scenic, lighting, sound, and costume designs for Marcus and interviews with the designers.

Audience Accolades and setting the stage

Posted by Molly MacLagan, Literary and Dramaturgy Intern.

Audience members continue to rave about Willy Holtzman’s The Morini Strad.  If you haven’t had the chance to see it yet, act quickly!  The show closes on December 12, and there’s less than a week to catch it!  For some reasons to check it out, read the enthusiastic audience responses below:

“I want to tell you how much I enjoyed… The Morini Strad.  I [cried] at least four times throughout the production!  The writing, the setting, the actors, and the music were superb.  Thank you, all, for such a deeply satisfying experience… as all your plays are.”
Jeanie S.

“Thank you for the wonderful production of The Morini Strad…  It was a remarkable performance by two extremely talented actors, with the assistance of Tony Ferrieri’s innovative and very attractive set and the sound design of Brad Peterson.  The result was both gripping and entirely believable.  City Theatre productions never fail to entertain, move, and amuse us.  Thanks so much for seeing that our time (and money) are so well spent!”
Diane and Graeme E.

Tony Ferrieri’s set for The Morini Strad has been the subject of much praise, and with good reason!  With so much attention going to this beautiful and innovative set design, we thought that Tony’s two cents on creating it would be almost as interesting as the set itself.  The resident scenic designer at City Theatre, Tony has been affiliated with City Theatre for 31 years!  He has designed the scenery for The Blonde, the Brunette, and the Vengeful Redhead, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Speak American,  and The Brothers Size, among many others.  Next on the list for Tony, he’ll be designing the set for Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet.

Literary and Dramaturgy Intern Molly MacLagan caught up with Tony to pick his brains about The Morini Strad.  Here’s what he had to say:

Molly MacLagan:  When you receive the script for a show you’re designing, what is the first thing you do after reading it?

Tony Ferrieri: I begin doing research [in this case] on Erica Morini and on the various locations in the play.  For The Morini Strad that was researching locations like Upper West Side NY apartments,  Mount Sinai Hospital rooms, Violin maker and repair workshops including images of Brian’s actual workshop and visiting Phillip’s workshop here in Pittsburgh, Mannes School of Music, the violin; in particular the Morini Stradivarius… etc.

MM: What was your first thought about the scenic design when you read The Morini Strad?

TF: Because of the sound of violin music I thought that the lines of the set needed to be curved rather than hard lines.  The violin is also a curved and beautiful piece of sculpture as well,  if you will, so I wanted to in some way use those curves and shapes in the design of the set as well.

The floor level of the set for The Morini Strad

MM: Which aspect of designing for The Morini Strad excited you the most?

TF: Mostly I just loved the play!  I love plays that relate to the human condition.  Plays that are about people and real situations and realistic relationships and real life situations.

MM: Which aspect of it was the least appealing?

TF: Really only the need for multiple locations.  It is difficult, especially in the smaller Lester Hamburg space to achieve that in a set design, especially sets that require a bed to be onstage!

Note the dreaded bed - a creative solution to a difficult problem Tony faced when designing.

MM: My favorite parts of the design are the echoes of the violin itself in the set – the strings and the violin-shaped platform.  How did you make the decision to essentially create a violin as the world where the characters would be playing?

TF: It just really made the most sense for the play to in some way incorporate the shapes and curved lines of the violin in the set design. The Violin is like a third character in this play and is central to the plot and the story.  So we decided to, sort of, deconstruct the violin use those lines and I used those shapes and different elements and parts of the violin in designing the set.

Notice the echoes of a violin in the set design.

MM: What is your favorite part of the final set?

TF: I am so pleased with the design and really love the whole design so much but if I had to choose one thing I think my favorite part would be the “strings”.  They create a frame around the set and the playing area and in particular my favorite part is the four piece [of violins]; the full violin, the scroll with the fingerboard, the bridge and the tail piece hanging from the strings USL.  It is the extra salt in the ocean!

The platform level is Brian Skarstad's violin repair shop, complete with violin pieces hanging from the strings that frame the set.

MORINI STRAD resonates universally

Posted by Molly MacLagan, Literary and Dramaturgy Intern.

If you haven’t heard any of the word-of-mouth up to now on The Morini Strad, Monday’s post will be responses from audience members who have let us know their thoughts on the show.

There’s been a lot made of the fact that The Morini Strad is inspired by a true story.  But it’s not a transcription of it. Actually, the play’s center is its portrayal of the relationship between Brian Skarstad and Erica Morini.  That relationship, along with the question of what happens to child prodigies after their childhoods are taken away, inspired playwright Willy Holtzman to write The Morini Strad.

Maybe you don’t know anything about violins or violin-making or music, and maybe you’ve never heard of violinist Erica Morini.  Probably you’ve never heard of Brian Skarstad, the understated violin repairman hired by Morini to work on her prized Stradivarius violin.  Even so, their story, as told in The Morini Strad, is one that will resonate with anyone since The Morini Strad is partially about the choices we make in our lives, and the way those choices impact us and those around us.  That’s not to say that The Morini Strad is a play about regret.  On the contrary, the brief but intense encounter between Erica and Brian is a reaffirmation of art and artistry, life and love, family and friendship.

Specifically, the play is about Erica, a former child prodigy–now in her old age, and her relationship to Brian, a violin-maker whose doing mostly repairs to make ends meet.  Initially, there’s a back and forth in the entertaining power contest between the ego-centric diva and the skilled craftsman.  But as so often happens when we take the time to get to know one another, things change.  They develop a unique and unexpected friendship, learning about each other, teaching each other about themselves–and changing each other for good.

The play is supported by exemplary designs by Brad Peterson (sound), Ange Vesco (costumes), and Tony Ferrieri (set), and original music by Skarstad’s wife, composer Louise Beach.  Check back for features on those elements.

The Morini Strad runs through December 12.  Order tickets here or call the box office at 412-431- CITY (2489).

Daniella Topol returns to City Theatre to direct The Morini Strad

Posted by Molly MacLagan, Literary and Dramaturgy Intern

 

Today’s issue of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette features an exciting story about The Morini Strad. Director Daniella Topol has returned to the City Theatre after working in New York City.  She describes her job as she creates a play based on the lives of real people and their relationships with each other, and discusses her favorite lessons from the play.

Check out the story:
Morini Strad Strikes Sweet and Poignant Tone

If you’re curious about how the story ends, you’ll just have to wait and see.  The Morini Strad runs in preview through the rest of the week, and opens on Friday November 12.  To order tickets, call the City Theatre box office at 412-431-CITY (2489).

The 39 Steps earns fabulous feedback – read the reviews

Posted by Molly MacLagan, Literary and Dramaturgy Intern.

True to form, Tracy and her team have built a brilliant show!  The cast of four actors turns in a stellar performance in this “smash-hit season opener” about an unsuspecting British man-turned spy.

See what the critics are saying, and then call our box office at 412-431-CITY (2489) to book your tickets today.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Review

Pittsburgh Tribune Review