The Dining Room

Today was the last day of this performance for a while.  No doubt it will be pulled back out, dusted off, and re-explored. Someday.
The Dining Room was one of those plays that is either understood and played truthfully with all of the characters exposing the good and bad side of us all, or it entirely misses the mark and becomes a unintentional comedy.  Without understanding (or)truth characters have nothing that we want to identify with. 

One of the things we strive to do in Gloriae Dei Artes Foundation is to encourage younger people to come along side us and explore the Arts for themselves.  The benefit of this is almost tangible when you talk to the kids and hear what they have understood.  Here is what one of the stagehands said about the last performance today, " ... now it’s time for us to send it off to live a life of its own in the hearts and lives of everyone who came to see it. All we did was give the play legs and a voice to tell its story . It is bigger than all of us- the actors, the tech crew, everyone. Thinking of it that way makes it seem kind of  . . . beautiful.

So, until Someday...

Last Chance to see The Dining Room

This is the last weekend to see this moving play.  It is one of those plays where there are moments of stunned silence from the audience because the actor has struck a chord in everyone.  This is not to be missed.  In Elements theatre company there is an agreement between the players to pursue the truth about oneself and that agreement is played out right in front of everyone. 

Here is another post from the stagehands.  They are three highschool students that Elements has in their group. The education that they are getting about being honest to oneself in their Art is clear by what they have written here.
     "There is something incredible about sitting and witnessing the transformation. To see a child from a birthday party turn into an old man in only a few seconds is amazing. From backstage we can see the difference in posture, walking, and  expression. This play really brings out the true meaning of seamless performance.
     I was blown away at the last performance when an actor was walking around backstage as one of their characters that is a much older man than he is. It was completely believable to me that he was suddenly 80 or 90 years old! The way he played the character reminded me of a particular elderly man that I knew. Later, backstage I found out that elderly man who he had reminded me of was actually the actor's exact inspiration! That was so impressive to me that he had so accurately portrayed his inspiration."

Isn't this what Art is all about ? What do you think?

New Trailer

for The Dining Room click here.

More from behind The DIning Room curtain....

Here is another quote from a email one of the Highschool age stagehands at The Dining Room sent me:

"One of the emotional challenges of the play is the fact that all of these scenarios, as familiar as they may be to most of us in terms of our relations in everyday life, they never resolve. Each scene you are left with a question of what happens to these relationships. Do they heal, or are they forever destroyed? Can these relationships survive? It can be deeply unsettling, but also begs the question- Where are we unresolved in our own lives?

Exploring this question allowed me to realize what it is that makes the end of the play so emotional. All along, somewhere deep down, you are waiting hopefully for the dining room to have a sense of formality or stability. You are looking for the Norman Rockwell painting of Thanksgiving. But it never happens. Finally, at the very end, you get a glimpse of what you have been searching for throughout the entire play without even realizing it. It is a very humbling experience to realize that life doesn’t work that way most of the time."

What more can I say ? So simple and so complicated. Come experience for yourself.

And here is a super new article about Elements Theatre Company that just came in from Broadway World !-Click here 

Opening night of The Dining Room

 Last night was the first public performance of The Dining Room.  When I was thinking about it this morning I realized most of the words used commonly by people to describe an emotion have very general meanings.  The Arts are a challenge to describe even when the art is the use of words themselves ! How ironic... and frustrating !
Do come and enjoy! It will make you laugh and cry...It truly is worth experiencing for yourself.  

Here is a quote from an review that Elements received this Friday:

 "The seven actors who compose the entire cast tackle the more than 50 roles, and they do so with great ease. . . . The cast members clearly care for their characters and are enjoyable to watch."

Caitlin Malone

Cape Cod Times

news from behind the curtain of The Dining Room

here is a post from some of the stage hands for the new play that opens this weekend !

The doors just opened. We’re all waiting for the audience to arrive. Since we (Sarah and Lindsey) are backstage, all we can see is black fabric, but the stage is ready to go and it looks amazing! While sitting here, all we can hear is the song “Come dance with me” over the speakers, setting the scene for the play. Everyone is getting into their character, to the sound of the chatter of the audience as they get settled. Why is it that uncontrollable laughter always hits us at the most inopportune moments?! We valiantly try to stifle our giggles and wheezes in order to keep a peaceful vibe for the actors.

Our mission (in charge of props) is to make sure that each character has the right things for all of the 18 scenes. This play is more complicated than most because there are only 7 actors playing 57 parts. Each actor has 7 or 8 characters, and they have to transition basically every scene between characters. Since there are very few costume changes, there are a lot of props instead.

Tonight is the first performance of the show (whoops, someone in the audience forgot to silence their phone ) for a closed audience. Tomorrow night, we present it to the media, and then Friday night is OPENING NIGHT. It’s our job as the backstage crew to make it as easy and smooth for the actors as possible. Both of us have our specific jobs, giving different props to the actors, with a chart in case we forget. Since this is the modern-day theater, of course the chart is on a mac instead of paper.  In all there are about 300 props in this play, everything imaginable in a dining room from soup tureens and silver sets to typewriters and camera tripods.

We can’t see what’s happening on the stage, but it’s really fun even hearing the different things they are trying out on the stage. After hearing it so many times, it’s noticeable when the actors do different inflections or try a slightly different attitude for their character.

Definitely the most interesting scene to “listen” to is scene 8, also known as Winkie’s Birthday Party. Anyway, scene 8 is where 4 of the actors have to be little kids, it is hilarious to see them do things that kids really do. We never realized how funny those mannerisms really are, until we saw them on adults! More updates on different scenes, and the action behind the curtain to come tomorrow!

I remember

Does anyone else have a memory of trying to please a parent or beloved teacher, but instead makes them more angry ?  I remember.  I had forgotten, but The Dining Room reminded me.   There is a gift of freedom in looking back at your past and realizing things are not what you thought they were.

The Rehearsal

Yesterday I received a email from one of the players in Elements Theatre inviting me to a closed rehearsal.

I treasure these invitations when I get them. I believe it is a sign of trust to have me watching while the players explore the possible options they have with their character.  Usually this means soul-searching and then committing to expose those feelings within the player outside the comfort of their own skin. You don't know if you had it right until after you show everyone what was inside. I imagine that this feeling is like jumping off a bridge without checking the bungee cord first.

I was caught by scenes when I wasn't even thinking or remembering my own childhood dining room memories with my parents (and little brother). I found myself tearing up at the forgotten memories as they snapped into my mind. 

With the plays that I have seen over the years there are some people who can just move you.  They don't seem to work at it. It seems more like an accident... almost.  This group of players brings you in and then stretches and manipulates your emotions.  I wish I had words that matched the artless elegance with which they brushed against my soul.

The Dining Room has a reputation of being a players play.  The challenge of changing character in a split second is the mystery dish.  Don't be fooled. The Dining Room feeds the soul with the sense of shared forgotten memories both resolved and unresolved.