Monthly Archives: September 2007

a propos of nothing

I Want To Ride My Bicycle (part 2 in a saga)

Yesterday, I accidentally recoded the lock on Vickie’s bike while stopping into the Village Stationers on Santa Cruz Ave, to buy a backpack, because I thought biking miles carrying my computer in a purse was a really good idea.

Couldn’t open it.

Shiyan and Belinda took me back to Menlo, and I took another bike to work today – failing to find the mysterious bike bridge over Willow Road, and again almost getting creamed to a pulp on the overpass.

Today, after riding Bike #2 a good mile out of my way through EPA and up University to avoid said Willow, after asking two bike stores to cut the chain off Bike #1 (the one on University refused cause it was too far away, the one on Menlo said only the police would do that), I took one last crack at the lock on Bike #1.

Sure enough, Vickie was right – I had just reset it by one digit. This is why she’s an engineer and I’m not.

Rode Bike #1 home. Now about to walk back to Santa Cruz and ride Bike #2 home. When that is all over, I’ll have ridden 11 miles – no, 13.5- and walked a good 3.  Talk about triathlon in spite of yourself. Now I’m swimming too…

If I had *realized* this show involved a daily ten-mile bike commute, I might have hesitated.

Well, not really.  I’d bike twice as far to be working on this show. I’m enjoying it so much.

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directing

SCDF

The deadline for the SSDC Observerships is Sept. 10. This is from my application:

“My artistic development is rather like a teenager with growing pains. Fast, big, and awkward. I directed and choreographed three shows in 2006, the last one which was an original piece based on my own method of improvised choral physical theater, and I got away with it. I direct workshops on this method around the country. It almost feels too good to be real. I’ve achieved some big goals early, but at the cost of calm and confidence in my technique. I’m looking to find that through learning and observing.

I find myself cautiously proud of my results, my finished productions – and confident they will improve – but, like many young directors, not contented in my process. I need to learn by watching more older directors, who have the “process” part down, who know the tricks of the trade – how to incorporate text changes or tough notes. “

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a propos of nothing, film

Master Lock :(

I bought a new backpack on the way home from Menlo Park today, for better bike commuting, and when I went to unlock my bike at the rack it wouldn’t unlock. (It’s not my lock..my bike..It’s Brian’s…Vickie C’s…I have no possessions…) Vickie C thinks I reset the lock by spinning the wheels when the latch was open.

So I hung out at the Starbucks and wrote my SSDC observership essay and I compared my artistic development to an overgrown teenager.

Then I watched SAVING FACE with Shiyan and Belinda.

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F&F, Golda

I can do without that music

Last night, Li Han made zucchini, Shiyan made an omelet, and Melissa made curry, and we all feasted. It’s been a week of good food.

I swam this morning with Shiyan before biking in to rehearsal.

Camille heard the Bach suite mentioned in GOLDA’S BALCONY in the Starbucks this morning.

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Golda

Day 1 – Golda’s Balcony

At the show introduction, Aaron spoke about the set representing the layers of history (platform of Israel’s war room atop rubble of centuries, literally.) He also read from Golda’s autobiography, a passage about her not wanting to be prime minister, but accepting the job because she felt she had no choice.

The designers are excited about the challenge of a one-person show, especially sound, lights, and projection.

After the show intro, we adjourned to the rehearsal room. Aaron divided the script into 9 sections and we began working through, like this:
– read through a section
– discuss and table-work
– read through again

Some things that stood out to me:

Moshe Dayan as Golda’s military conscience – the two of them going down together, taking blame for unpreparedness.

The abstract structure of antisemitism: Jews get sandwiched between the power and the people.

The twelfth-century Christian blood libel, a myth still alive today in parts of the world – a miniseries, “Horseman without a Horse” was made in the last 5 years repeating it. Jews killing an arab girl for matzos.

Gibson shifting between the war story and the personal story. He tightens the tragedy then releases through humor. He gives us new, complicated political information, then lets Golda pull back and comment on it.
The war story is the anchor – the other story is the digresssion. The war story progresses through landmarks. The phone call. The cabinet meeting.

Discussions between Aaron and Camille about text.

Aaron, Camille and I are going to see EMMA on Sunday.

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directing, employment, theater

Back in town

I flew from Seattle to San Jose today. Back in Menlo Park, blogging from Borrone’s.

I’ve officially been hired, and I begin my new job tomorrow, as the assistant director for Aaron Davidman on TheatreWorks’s production of GOLDA’S BALCONY, by William Gibson. I’ll be helping Aaron out with whatever he needs, including but not limited to taking notes and the understudy rehearsals.

I’ve read the play a couple of times over the course of this trip. It’s a complicated portrait. Should be quite the journey. This is my first time on a one-woman show. The actress playing Golda is Camille Saviola.

The end of the Seattle stay was great – my meetings with Jen and Chris were wonderful, and made me very excited about coming back to do some theatre in that town.

Last night, Sam, Erica, Kyle, Rob and I made dumplings (their method definitely added some improvements to mine), tofu, stir-fried beef, woodear mushrooms, and bok choi, and (drumroll) crab, boiled alive. Yum.

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Uncategorized

Seattleite 2

Spent yesterday sailing in Puget Sound and the evening drinking in Eastlake.

Today I’m meeting with two Seattle theater folks, an actress and a costume designer, to learn more about the town.

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