Audience responds to TIME STANDS STILL

Audience members have been e-mailing us to share their thoughts about Donald Margulies’s Time Stands Still, directed by artistic director Tracy Brigden, designed by Tony Ferrieri (scenic), Robert C. T. Steele (costumes), Ann Wrightson, (lighting), and Joe Pino (sound), and featuring Robin Abramson as Mandy, Andrew May as James, Tim McGeever as Richard, and Angela Reed as Sarah. Here are some typical responses from the past few days:

Katie A. calls the play “delightful and provocative. I mentioned the dilemma [photographing vs helping] to a professional photographer friend and he said this subject was discussed extensively in his journalism program at Point Park. The acting was wonderful; set was perfect.”

Barbara C. says Time Stands Still “was the most riveting play I have seen in several seasons. Margulies’ writing is superb in this and all four actors are perfectly cast. What a great play to open the 2011/2012 season! Please, Ms. Brigden, more, more, more like Time Stands Still. Outstanding work all around and a story that will be on my mind for a long time. Bravo to all!”

Mary Anne J. lauded “the merits of the play. I think that Margulies achieved a remarkable balance, short of preaching, in exploring the dissonance arising out of war/atrocity/disaster photography and reporting. My attention was thoroughly commanded. The dialogue rang very true to my ear and the cast was excellent and very well balanced. Hats off to Ms. Brigden.”

Fore more information, see our website. And purchase tickets here or call the box office at 412-431-CITY.

What did you think? E-mail us to tell us your thoughts.

City Theatre Presents ‘Time Stands Still’ by Donald Margulies

Time Stands Still

by Donald Margulies | directed by Tracy Brigden

Adventurous couple Sarah and James – a photographer and a journalist – share a passion for reporting from the world’s deadliest war zones…that is, until Sarah is seriously wounded. Her recovery thrusts her into the safe, comfortable world of New York colleagues and couples – a world that could prove more dangerous than a battlefield. The New York Times called Time Stands Still “the finest new Broadway play of the year.”

Tickets are moving fast… so purchase your tickets today.

‘Time Stands Still’ Photo Contest Assignment 6: “I cannot live without…”

YOU get to play the role of photographer –

TIME STANDS STILL PHOTO CONTEST: 

Assignment 6 “I cannot live without…”

Win free tickets to City Theatre, dinner out, and other great prizes!

TIME STANDS STILL Tells the story of Sarah, a photojournalist.  To celebrate the play and the art of photography – we want YOU to be on assignment for City Theatre and enter the TIME STANDS STILL PHOTO CONTEST.

Every week we will post a subject to Twitter, Facebook, and our blog. It’s your job to take a great photo and submit it to our Facebook wall.  It’s that simple.

This week’s photo assignment is “I cannot live without…” Here is how it works.

1) Share a photo on our Facebook wall of  something you cannot live without.

2) Caption the photo with “I cannot live without…”  Then add extra details if you so choose in the caption.

3)  Get people to like your photo because the photo with the most likes wins.

4)  City Theatre will announce the winner on Tuesday morning October 25th.

Good luck!

Click here for more details on How To Play.  If you have any questions or comments please visit us on Facebook and submit your questions there.

If you are ready to submit a photo LET’S GET STARTED.

Time Stands Still: “these pictures are my testimony”

posted by Carlyn Aquiline, Literary Manager and Dramaturg

I mentioned in my post on Saturday about Time Stands Still—and Tracy (our artistic director, who’s directing) has been mentioning in the press—that the play’s heart is personal, about the relationship between the main character, Sarah, and her boyfriend, James. But playwright Donald Margulies was exacting in the character detail he created for Sarah as a conflict photographer and James as a war correspondent, and in certain references to how they operate in a war zone. One of the sources I came across early in my research that ended up being essential to all of us—Tracy and me during our pre-production preparation, and then the cast once they were here in residence—was a documentary film called War Photographer, about the photojournalist James Nachtwey, considered by many to be the greatest war photographer of all time. Much footage was caught by a tiny video camera attached to the top of his camera, allowing us to virtually see through his lens as he’s shooting photos in Kosovo, Jakarta, and the West Bank, among other places. In between, Nachtwey—a quiet, reserved man—speaks eloquently about the importance of his work, and the apprehensions that come along with it. On his website he says, “I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated.” The theme of “witnessing” is huge in Time Stands Still, so it’s exciting that in War Photographer we get to witness the witness in action. See clips from the film, starting at this YouTube page, and exploring along the right margin for additional clips from there:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3VoyjUP8hg&feature=relmfu

Nachtwey also wrote of suffering and of the conflicted feelings that many war photographers speak of in another of our key sources, an excellent book called Shooting Under Fire: The World of the War Photographer, edited by Peter Howe. In it he says:

It’s not easy to witness another human being’s suffering. There’s a deep sense of guilt—not that I caused the situation, but that I’m going to leave it. At some point, my work will be finished, and if I’m lucky, I’m going to get an airplane and leave. They’re not.

            It’s a hard thing to say, but there’s something a bit shameful about photographing another person in those circumstances. None of this is easy to deal with, but overcoming emotional hurdles is just as much part of being a photojournalist as overcoming physical obstacles. If you give in, either physically or emotionally, you won’t do anybody any good. You might as well stay home or do something else with your life.

            People understand implicitly when a journalist from the outside world shows up with a camera, it gives them a voice they wouldn’t otherwise have. To permit someone to witness and record at close range their most profound tragedies and deepest personal moments is transcendent. They’re making an appeal; they’re crying out and saying, “Look what happened to us. This is unjust. Please do something about this. If you know the difference between right and wrong, you have to do something to help us.” It’s that simple, that elemental.

            I try to connect with people in a very respectful manner, to let them know that I appreciate what they’re going through. I’m not there to threaten them. I’m not there to exploit them. I’m there to give them that voice, and I want them to understand that I feel respect for them and for what they’re experiencing.

            But it takes a toll. You carry a weight, you carry a sadness, you carry anger and guilt. And it doesn’t go away; if you have a conscience, you carry it with you, always. Sometimes I think it’s ruined my life, and other times I think it’s given my life meaning.

To hear more from James Nachtwey—and to understand why he had such an impact on the artists of our production—check out this 20-minute video where he accepts his 2007 TED Prize, shows his life’s work, and asks TED to help him continue telling the story with innovative, exciting uses of news photography in the digital era:

http://www.ted.com/talks/james_nachtwey_s_searing_pictures_of_war.html

And to see Nachtwey’s photos, see his website at http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/

‘Time Stands Still’ Photo Contest Assignment 3: “The bane of my existence.”

YOU get to play the role of photographer –

TIME STANDS STILL PHOTO CONTEST: 

Assignment 3 “The bane of my existence.”

Win free tickets to City Theatre, dinner out, and other great prizes!

TIME STANDS STILL Tells the story of Sarah, a photojournalist.  To celebrate the play and the art of photography – we want YOU to be on assignment for City Theatre and enter the TIME STANDS STILL PHOTO CONTEST.

Every week we will post a subject to Twitter, Facebook, and our blog. It’s your job to take a great photo and submit it to our Facebook wall.  It’s that simple.

This week’s photo assignment is “The bane of my existence.”  Here is how it works.

1) Share a photo on our Facebook wall that represents the bane of your existence… be clever and have fun.

2) Caption the photo with “The bane of my existence….”  Then add extra details if you so choose in the caption.

3)  Get people to like your photo because the photo with the most likes wins.

4)  City Theatre will announce the winner on Tuesday morning October 4th.

Good luck!

Click here for more details on How To Play.  If you have any questions or comments please visit us on Facebook and submit your questions there.

If you are ready to submit a photo LET’S GET STARTED.

‘Time Stands Still’ Photo Contest: Assignment 2 “That is so Pittsburgh.”

YOU get to play the role of photographer –

TIME STANDS STILL PHOTO CONTEST: 

 Assignment 2 “That is so Pittsburgh.”

Win free tickets to City Theatre, dinner out, and other great prizes!

TIME STANDS STILL Tells the story of Sarah, a photojournalist.  To celebrate the play and the art of photography – we want YOU to be on assignment for City Theatre and enter the TIME STANDS STILL PHOTO CONTEST.

Every week we will post a subject to Twitter, Facebook, and our blog. It’s your job to take a great photo and submit it to our Facebook wall.  It’s that simple.

This week’s photo assignment is “That is so Pittsburgh.”  Here is how it works.

1) Share a photo on our Facebook wall that you think embodies the attitude, mindset, and spirit of Pittsburgh.

2) Caption the photo with “That is so Pittsburgh.”

3)  Get people to like your photo because the photo with the most likes wins.

4)  City Theatre will announce the winner on Tuesday morning September 27th.

Good luck!

Click here for more details on How To Play.  If you have any questions or comments please visit us on Facebook and submit your questions there.

If you are ready to submit a photo LET’S GET STARTED.

‘Time Stands Still’ Photo Contest Winner!

Congratulations to Dustin Wickett for winning the first assignment of our Time Stands Still photo contest.

In honor of City Theatres’ first play of the season Time Stands Still, the story of Sarah a photojournalist, we asked our Facebook fans to go on assignment.  The first assignment was “how I wake up” and  our fans responded with great photos and captions, but Dustin’s chickens sealed the deal.  Thank you to everyone who participated… but that’s not all folks we have more assignments.  Click here for your second assignment and a chance to win more great prizes.

LOUDER FASTER brings big laughs

The reviews for Louder Faster are in!  If you haven’t had the chance to see this hilarious comedy about George S. Kaufman, written by Eric Simonson and Jeffrey Hatcher, and directed by Tracy Brigden, you are missing out.  Click the links below to read reviews from Pittsburgh’s local media.

Christopher Rawson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11137/1147000-500-0.stm

Gordon Spencer of WCRT:
http://gordonspencerwrct.blogspot.com/2011/05/theatre-review-louder-faster-at-city.html

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For more information or to book tickets, call 412-431-CITY (2589), or visit http://www.citytheatrecompany.org/LouderFaster.html.

Designing LOUDER FASTER: Costumes

posted by Molly MacLagan, Literary Management and Dramaturgy Intern

Pittsburgh’s home for new plays just opened another world premiere commission, Louder Faster.  Making a play from scratch requires a lot of teamwork, a concept that costume designer Michael Krass is no stranger to.  Another concept he’s no stranger to is creating a period-specific design.  Louder Faster is a play about George S. Kaufman, one of the most prolific playwrights of the 20th century.  Kaufman’s heyday was between the World Wars, so the play is set in 1937.  Krass had the challenge of providing an appropriate and telling wardrobe for each of the characters to be portrayed – including an FBI agent and a “lady of the night-time!” 

Below, Krass shares a few of the principles that guided him in creating his design for Louder Faster.

Michael Krass: Even though the play is a comedy, I didn’t really aim for funny while I was designing the costumes.  I aimed for character-appropriate and period specific, letting the dialogue and actors do funny.

Marina Squerciati as Betty and Robyne Parish as Veronica (the "lady of the night-time") in Louder Faster.

 

The research images Krass used to design Betty and Veronica's costumes

Before I could really get started, I had to decide with Tracy [Brigden, Artistic Director at City Theatre and director of Louder Faster] how realistic to make my design, and work with her to determine the time and place.  Together, we also had to find the tone of the production, making sure all the designs would fit smoothly into the production as a whole. 

A series of research images for Krass's design of Louder Faster

I then worked with the actors to help them create their characters.  It is important to me that I understand the body and personae of the performers themselves, apart from their character.  Then we searched for as much period clothing as possible (at least 60% of it is from the thirties), and made sure that it was introduced into rehearsals to benefit the performers as they worked, and benefitted the play itself. 

Marty Giles wears a period-style suit as George's agent, Max, in Louder Faster

Krass provided the performers with the some of the tools to bring this brilliant comedy to life.  The “Designing Louder Faster” series will continue with more behind the scenes looks at other technical elements.  Keep checking back for more exciting design features.  To reserve tickets or for more information about Louder Faster, call 412-431-CITY (2489).

The cast of Louder Faster

Designing LOUDER FASTER: The set

posted by Molly MacLagan, Literary Management and Dramaturgy Intern

Louder Faster, the new play about George S. Kaufman by Eric Simonson and Jeffrey Hatcher opens tomorrow!  (For more information about the play, visit the City Theatre website at http://www.citytheatrecompany.org/LouderFaster.html)

Theatre is one of the most collaborative art forms around, requiring many artists to work together to create a single production.  Tony Ferrieri, scenic designer for Louder Faster, has been part of the artistic team for countless plays, and enjoys the challenge of meeting the needs of each production.  One thing that makes his job both demanding and enjoyable is the collaborative work he does with the creative team working on a show.  Below, Ferrieri describes the conversations he had with director Tracy Brigden and the ways the other production designs influence his own:

Tony Ferrieri: The script calls for a row house, but that kind of structure is too long and narrow to allow for the kind of action onstage we wanted.  In a row house, you wouldn’t even be able to see the front door from the living room!  So Tracy and I had to decide what kind of structure would be the best.  We agreed about the kind of structure it would be – a house more like you would find in Shadyside [a detached house] than on the South Side [a rowhouse], for example. 

Scenic designer Tony Ferrieri and director Tracy Brigden discuss the set of Louder Faster

But it’s always a collaboration with a director.  Sometimes there’s a give and take to a design…  When we were trying to decide what kind of wallpaper to use, I decided on one that I thought would work, and Tracy didn’t like it.  She wanted blue wallpaper, but I thought green would be funnier.  In studies on color and their effect on emotions, green, green-yellow and green-blue were found to be the most arousing and evoked mostly positive emotions and yellow was found to be the most attention-getting color so I thought the combination of the two would be the funniest and most eye-catching combination.  

Also most period wallpapers and paint treatments used greens or yellows or reds or pinks or off-white rather than any blues.  And also initially the costumes were leaning toward browns, blues and navy so there needed to be some contrast against the background of the set.  Michael [Krass the costume designer] liked the green color, because it worked well with the costumes he was creating.  So I told Tracy that Michael liked it.  That’s a big part of working in theatre and working with other artists, is making sure that our designs will work well together.  I wouldn’t want to use a color on the set that would be a bad choice with the costumes. 

The wallpaper Ferrieri and his team ended up using for the set of Louder Faster.

A research image that Ferrieri used to guide his design for Louder Faster.

A research image that Ferrieri used to guide his design for Louder Faster.

Another example is when we were deciding on whether to have a ceiling.  We thought that would just make it too hard for Andy [Ostrowski the lighting designer], so we ended up not having a ceiling.  Collaborating means you have to kind of look out for the other designers on a show.

In terms of the set design as a stand-alone concept, three things that really guided my process were having a ground plan that would allow for varied and free-flowing movement to accommodate the many entrances and exits, making sure that it was funny and colorful, and being true to the period style and architecture.

A model of the set for Louder Faster

A model of the set of Louder Faster from above - note the layout that allows for freedom of movement

The “Designing Louder Faster” series will include more special behind-the-scenes looks at the costumes, lighting, and sound design, with designers Michael Krass, Andy Ostrowski, and Brad Peterson as well as an interview with Literary Manager and Dramaturg Carlyn Aquiline about what goes into commissioning a new play at City Theatre.  Keep checking back for more!