The Imagination Blog

As you may have noticed I haven’t put a post onto this blog for quite a while. Not for lack of interest, but more due to a lack of time. But I’ll try to make up for it now. Andy Ladd, the character I played in “Love Letters” talks at one point about all of the letters he’s required to write to family and friends while away at school. He explains how he once skipped a weekly letter to his parents, and was then forced “to write my parents three pages to make up for the week I missed.” Though I’m not required to “make up for the week I missed”, I’d like to do it anyway.

THE SHOW

The show was great. I mean, I’ve very proud of the production we staged. I hope people liked it because we sure did. It was a fun show to be in. It didn’t hurt that my wife is great, and funny, and beautiful. We laughed a lot back stage. And found the humor in each others gaffs. I, for example, did the entire first act one night with my fly open. (Normally I’d charge extra for that, but I decided to let it go just this once!) Terry, for reasons we are still unsure of, decided to skip half a page of the show one night. As you know, we held our scripts, so as soon as the words she was speaking became different from those I was following on the page, I began to panic. I started to sweat because I had no idea where we were in the show. Then out of my peripheral vision my eye caught a word she was saying on the next page, and I was able to “catch up” before it was my turn to speak. They really need to make an “actor grade” anti-perspirant!

THANK YOU’S

I can’t thank everyone enough for the way they welcomed Terry and I to the Playhouse family. Paul Thompson, the Chairman of the Playhouse, and Tony Pingitore, the Vice-Chairman, literally met us at the door when we arrived for our first rehearsal. That was really cool of them. We really appreciated it. I should add that it was our pleasure to meet them that night, and to get to know them throughout the production.

Stuart Landon, our Director, is simply wise beyond his years. For the past two decades “Love Letters” has been staged like a portrait. Two actors sitting side-by-side. Static. Stuart, for the first time ever, looked at “Love Letters” and instead of seeing a portrait he saw a dance. He managed to create a flowing, moving production, that seemed to connect with people in a way they hadn’t imagined. Many people came up to me after the show and told me that they simply loved the direction of the show. Many had seen it before, and were sort of embarrassed to suggest that they had previously thought “Love Letters” was “boring”. This time around, they said it “had life” and it really spoke to them. That’s all Stuart’s doing.

Also, like bosses or coaches, directors have different techniques for bringing the most out of their employees, athletes, or actors. Stuart’s technique is kindness and respect. He said he enjoyed collaborating. In my past experience that usually meant, yes, tell me what you think, I’ll listen, smile, and then disregard what you said. In every instance that we brought an idea to Stuart, I felt he was really listening. Some of our suggestions were better than others, but still, regardless of the quality of our suggestions, he still listened. And often, to my surprise, he took an idea and incorporated it. This spirit of collaboration made the entire process enjoyable. To come to the theater and feel like I didn’t have to leave my creativity at the door was a great pleasure.

If you are an actor and have the chance to work with Stuart I strongly suggest you jump at the chance.Thank you Stuart.

Derek Dunham is technically the “Marketing Director” of the theater. He is definitely that. But I can’t think of an title that truly captures the amount of work that he put into this production. He gave more of his time than I thought possible. For example, one afternoon Terry and I were invited to be on the WITF radio to talk about the show. We weren’t going to be able to do it because we could get a sitter. But Derek said he’d handle it. He took time off of work and met us at the station. He sat with our son for an hour while we were on air. This he did because he’s a great guy and good friend. But also because he knew it was important for the Playhouse to get the exposure it would garner from being on the radio that day. This from a volunteer.

I told Derek that this level of attention is what Terry and I used to pay a manager 15% of our income for. I also told him that it would only be fair to pay him the 15% that would normally go to a manager. So Derek will be getting a check for 15% of our salary from “Love Letters”. (That check and 5 cents will get you a nickel!)

Thank you Derek.

There were two of us in the cast, but we couldn’t possibly do the show without the people who VOLUNTEERED to be on the crew. They were there every night. Their commitment to the show was unmatched, and we can’t thank them enough. But I’ll try.

Thank you to Mark Cuddy (Producer), Susie Gruber (Set Designer/Costumer), Amy Schedler (Asst. Set Designer), Linda Knapp (Props), Aileen Hower (Makeup/Hair), Jayme Paluskievicz(Stage Manager), Tim Banis (Sound Designer), Dillon Lewis (Lighting), Theresa and Pete Ridge (Lighting Design), Samantha Bates (Asst. Stage Manager), Marley Amstutz (House Manager), Karen Dundore-Gulotta (Wardrobe), Michael Feldser (Photographer), our Ushers, Box Office Staff, and Concession Stand volunteers, and everyone on the Board of the Hershey Area Playhouse.

It was more fun than a barrel of monkeys. (And when you think about it, is there really any place you’d rather be than trapped in a wooden drum with a bunch of rabid simians?)

THE AUDIENCES

Terry and I were having fun rehearsing the show. We really enjoyed to coming to the theater and working. But when we took to the stage the first night, and heard the laughter from the audience, we felt like we were in a different world. It was magical. There is nothing like live theater. Actually, if I’m completely fair, live theater can be as painful as gum surgery. I’ve performed in plays that had more people on the stage than in the audience. That hurts. But every night we performed at the Playhouse we had an audience that was right there with us - sharing in the experience of the moment.

For everyone who came to the show, for those who wrote about it in the press, for those who brought a friend along or encouraged a co-worker to come and see the show, we thank you. Personally, for giving us your support. But also for supporting the arts in our community.

I truly think the Playhouse has only just begun. Mark my words, with your support, the Hershey Area Playhouse will soon be the cultural center of our community.

THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE!

Brian Baker & Terry Farrell

Putting on a play is a lot like building a house. The script is the blueprint, the author is the architect, and the director is the homeowner - the chief decision maker. The actors, I think, are the interior designers - trying to add some color to the place.

So if doing a play is like building a house, then “Tech Week” is the moment when the electricians, the plumbers, the carpenters, and the roofers all show up at the same time. That is what we are facing over the next few days.

Tech Week usually takes place the week prior to a show’s opening night. It’s the time when all the technical elements of a show are brought to life. The lighting designer hangs and sets the lights. All of the props are incorporated into the production. Costume designs are finalized, and all sound effects and cues are set. For the actors Tech Week is all about starting and stopping - moving from one cue to the next and back again.

Some actors dread Tech Week. I happen to love it. It’s exciting. It’s the moment when all  of the creative forces are teeming, and, well, “team-ing”. I love seeing people working together. It’s inspiring. And it’s really nice to feel the sense of community that comes at this time in the process.

Often, decisions regarding the technical aspects of the show are made by the director and/or producer in conjunction with the designer. The actors are usually out of the loop. So frequently during Tech Week we, the actors, are seeing things for the first time.

Music, for example, is one of the elements that is incorporated during Tech Week. Music is an element that we often take for granted. We really shouldn’t. Music has the power to set the mood for the whole show. And often that mood is set before the actors reach the stage. So if the wrong mood is set, the actors can wind up swimming up stream in an effort to undo the mood that has already been set. Think of the music from, say, “The Three Stooges” shorts (“Three Blind Mice”, remember?). Well that sets the tone. It’s says “Get ready to laugh!” A funeral march would, of course, say something different.

ADDENDUM : I didn’t have time to finish this post before I had to leave for rehearsal. So the rest of this post comes after Day 1 of Tech Week.

Wow! The lights are up and set, and the show is really coming together. We were able to run all of the light cues for the whole show in the first day. We’ll spend the rest of the weekend working out any kinks, and getting everyone comfortable with their respective assignments. Costumes have been discussed, and will be finalized today. We’ll be attempting to run the entire show IN COSTUME today.

Costuming is an element that really effects how the actors feel about their character. Something as simple as the shoes you wear on stage can change a performance. Think about it this way. What would change if you had to leave the house for work tomorrow wearing cowboy boots? (Assuming, of course, you don’t already.) You’d probably walk differently. You’d be taller. People would see you differently. All these things effect an actors performance.

Working with costumes for the first time also effects a performance in more practical ways. I did a show once where I was wearing wool knicker and a wool vest, over a heavy cotton shirt. We’d rehearsed for month without costumes, but as soon as we ran the show, under hot lights, wearing clothes as breathable as a dry cleaning bag, I found myself nearly fainting by the end of the first Act.

I’m looking forward to the rest of this important week. Everyone is bringing their A Game. Each and every person working on this show has shown a level of commitment and professionalism that is unmatched. It’s been a pleasure to be a part of this. It’s been a ton of fun, and I think everyone is anxious for Opening Night. I can already tell that the show we will be presenting will be something special.

The pressure is starting to rise. As the month of January moves into its latter half, I realize we are now less than a month away from Opening Night. Yikes!

I can’t continue without acknowledging a huge boost we all received recently by way a wonderful article in The Sun. Aura Hill, a reporter from the paper, and Nathan Merkel, a photographer, came to the theater to interview us for what was supposed to be an “article” about the show. However, what was ultimately printed was more than I could have imagined - a full-page, color-photo montage of our rehearsal, and a half-page, beautifully written history of our production.

Terry and I saw the paper the night it came out. We stopped by a local convenience store to grab a copy. It was snowing and the temperature was in the teens, but I heroically ran into the store so that my wife could remain cozy, warm, and listening to Dave Matthews. When I returned to the car - my core body temperature in the single digits - we turned the overhead light on and flipped through the paper. When we saw the photos, we just sat there. “Wow!” was all we could say. It was beautiful. (Any Hollywood production would die for this kind of publicity.) It was so nice in fact, that I had to run back into the store to buy the remaining copies.

Nathan’s photos truly captured the feeling in theater that night. One photo in particular, taken from the control booth at the top of the theater, showed what a wonderful space we have at the Playhouse. It’s a modern facility, yet it is cozy and extremely intimate. The sight lines are wonderful - there truly is not a bad seat in the house.

It was getting late so Terry read me the accompanying article out loud as we drove home. After each paragraph I kept saying “Wow!” and she kept saying “Let me finish!” I let her finish.

Aura did a fantastic job of telling our story. It’s funny when you read about yourself because you know your own life story. When there are errors, you know it right away. (I once did an article with a major city newspaper only to find it peppered with errors. Errors which, I would later find out, were cut and pasted from an unofficial “fansite”.) But this article was perfect. To be honest, I had a feeling it would be. We were only few minutes into the interview and I could tell that Aura was really listening.  She asked thoughtful questions, and followed up our answers with new questions. She didn’t just run through a list. It also didn’t hurt that she was a very nice person. Terry and I just liked her from the start, and it was our pleasure to talk with her.

It’s probably clear that the article meant a lot to us - for many reasons. Sure, we need and appreciate all the attention we can get. We want people to come to the show. But the Playhouse is about more than that. It’s the community’s hub for the Arts. It’s inclusive. It’s there for everyone, and that message needs to get out.

In one of the photos in The Sun article, you see a group of folks standing on the stage having a discussion about the set design. There, in the middle of the pack, is a friend of ours, Amy. Several years ago, we met Amy through a business contact. Since then we’ve gotten to know her, but, again, our relationship was based on business. One day she told me that she was interested in doing something creative with her time, and she mentioned an interest in design. I suggested to her that she might consider volunteering to do set design somewhere. Ironically, it was a just a few weeks later that Terry and I got involved with “Love Letters”. I called her and said, “The time is now.” I told her about the show, and told her I’d be happy to give her name to the theater if they needed help. Weeks went by, and I hadn’t talk to her. But the night The Sun was at the theater, there was Amy, notebook in hand, emerging from a production meeting. Terry and I were thrilled to see her. She is now a part of the team, and to me, that’s what community theater is all about.

The “marathon” rehearsal is over, and I think it was time well spent. Terry and I, Derek Dunham (marketing guru and assistant Director), and Stuart Landon (the Director) all hunkered down this past weekend for a five hour rehearsal. Our goal was to finish blocking the show. We succeeded in doing that - helped in large part by caffeine, cherry brownies, and an assortment of Hershey chocolates.

As I mentioned in a previous post, there seems to be a point in the rehearsal process where things get exponentially better. Usually, it’s when everyone has learned their lines and is free to relax and play. This happened for us on Saturday. Well, really Monday.

Monday night’s rehearsal was great. We ran the first act with just a few minor stumbles. It was nice to feel the blocking becoming familiar, as well as the text. Also, a production meeting preceded our rehearsal which gave Terry and I a chance to meet the people who will be handling the technical side of the show. No surprise, everyone was wonderful.

Also, a few folks stayed around to watch our rehearsal. In such an intimate space, a few bodies in the seats really makes a difference. I think Terry and I both felt excited to have someone there, but also a bit nervous. Nervous in the sense that we want to do a good job, and have everyone pleased with the end result. But at this point we’re still finding our way. However, once we got rolling, we really had a good time. I left the theater feeling really elated. I think that’s a sign that thinks are really working. Or that I should switch to decaf.

Brian

I’d like to share a little story that was relayed to me today from an old friend in Chicago. About 13 years ago, when I was starting my career in the Windy City,  I had the good fortune to be cast in a play called “And Neither Have I Wings To Fly”. The show was an enormous success - so much so that we formed a theater company from it.

One night, towards the end of the run, an acquaintance of one of my cast mates brought a group of troubled teens she’d been working with to see the show. We met briefly with them afterwards and that was that.

Well, it turns out that the woman who brought those kids to the show was contacted recently by one of the boys - now grown up and raising a family - who wanted to reach out to her, all these years later, to thank her for being such a powerful force in his life. In his correspondence he asked if she remembered the night she’d taken them to see the play because that night had meant so much to him, and had launched a love of plays and the arts that he still has today. He said that he has never forgotten that night, and the people involved in it.

I wanted to share that story because it’s sweet. But it’s also important to remember that when we participate in the arts we create experiences. Kids, and even some adults, in the audience may be experiencing live theater for the first time. And when they leave the theater we may not think that we’ve had an effect on them. But for some, like the boy in Chicago, the effect is enormous and lasts a lifetime.

Now to change gears for a moment:

Despite the icy conditions tonight we managed to have a brief photo shoot for the cover of the Playhouse’s magazine “Bravo!” As always, Michael Feldser volunteered his time and his camera to get the shots we needed. His wife Louise was on hand as well to make sure that the lens cap was off. (Thanks again, Michael and Louise!)

We also got to see the finalized poster for “Love Letters”. It looks great, and is now in the hands of the printer. So pay extra attention when you are meandering around the Hershey area over the next few weeks - you may just see one. And when you do, point at it and shout, “Love Letters at Hershey Area Playhouse is when? February 12 through the 22nd? I hear that show is awesome! I’m am definitely not missing that! I’m gonna run home right now and log-on to HersheyAreaPlayhouse.com and order my tickets!” (Or words to that effect.)

Brian

Happy New Year!

Unfortunately, I don’t have much news to report since my last post. We’ve had to cancel our rehearsals as a result of unforeseen travel issues and other things during the holidays. However, we are going to make up for it with the theatrical equivalent of an “all-nighter”. We’ve planned a marathon rehearsal for next week.

At this point we still need to block the second half of the show. As I mentioned before, “Love Letters” is a unique play for many reasons. For one thing, the actors hold their scripts - it requires no memorization. I bring that up because if you’ve ever done a play you probably know that the rehearsal process intensifies exponentially when everyone is “off book” (i.e. has their lines memorized). Once everyone knows what they are supposed to say the real fun of rehearsal can begin. Before that, when everyone it tethered to the script, the creative process is somewhat restrained. But once you let go of the script, you, as an actor, can really stretch and create your character. Likewise, in our production, I think that once we have the show blocked, and we have a framework from which to work, things will really start to happen.

I’ll report back when it does.

Brian

We’ve just finished our fourth rehearsal. We are currently on a once-a-week rehearsal schedule due to the holidays, but we’ll be amping up to three-a-week rehearsals after the first of the year.

Terry and I have finally begun to shake off the rust - neither of us has acted in years. We also weren’t sure what it would be like working together. But it’s been great. Though I must confess that during much of the rehearsal process my co-star has been leering at me with a look that says “when and where, baby?”. I’m trying very hard not to let it distract me. I’m a professional, and I don’t want her flirtations to shatter my focus. (She is cute, though.)

We’ve begun blocking the show, and we’re almost through Act 1. For those of you familiar with “Love Letters” you may be wondering how one “blocks” a show that traditionally doesn’t have any. You see, “Love Letters” is usually staged with the two actors sitting at desks or a table, and presenting the entire play without moving. Well, we’re trying to break the mold. In so doing we’re hoping to make the show a bit more visually interesting for the audience.

This is something we talked about from the outset. When Terry and I first met Stuart Landon, the show’s director, he discussed the idea of breaking with the “traditional” staging of the show to try to give it a more modern flavor. It seems to be working. He’s broken the stage into 9 sections (3 rows of three) and each section represents an “acting area”. The stage at the Playhouse is a thrust stage which means there is seating on three sides of the stage. This can be problematic if the action stays in one place. It typically means that a portion of the audience gets to see your face, and the other portion gets to see, well, your tush. By creating the acting areas Stuart has made it possible for the performance to be seen by every seat in the house equally.

So far, so good.

Happy Holidays.