Well Elements Theatre Company is on their way out to Chicago for a month. They leave on Sunday the 29th of July. I hope they have a eventful and educational time....how could they not ! Exploring Ibsen, Feldenkrais, stage combat, improv, voice work, and more, its sure to keep them busy. They are using the Ruth Page Center for the Arts as their home away from home. When ever they go out for a while they always come back with a new energy and another way of looking at things. This always spills into the other groups here, so we all benefit.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
A fly on the wall...
A few days ago I had the chance to listen to Elements run through the next play they are working on. Its so interesting to listen to how the characters take to the personalities of the players right from the start. This is a really fun time to be a fly on the wall! I already have a favorite character and I cant wait to see what he becomes...
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
some cool chatter going on our Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/ElementsTheatreCompany Come back and check often- there's usually something going on there.....
Monday, June 25, 2012
Reading
Well the rumor is Elements theatre is reading. From what I've heard it seems that being a player means you experience it first. As a actor reading, if you separate yourself from the character it cheats the whole purpose. To me this takes bravery and trust. You have to bravely display inner parts of yourself and trust that those with you will air their own inner parts and forgive the flaws in yours. What a band of "brothers" you must be.
Friday, June 1, 2012
What is Drama?
What is true drama? Over the centuries the forms have changed but the intent has remained- to communicate or share in some way an event to others. Whether it is storytelling around the campfire, marionette puppets or actors on a stage, the hope is to share an experience with another.
Elements Theatre Company has finished their performance of The Dining Room, but they are not quietly resting on their "laurels". They are getting ready for a months study in Chicago. There they will study among other things, stage combat, performance technique, and the playwright Ibsen. Keep an eye on our facebook page (here) in August to check in with them. As you can see by the list of classes Elements Theatre continues to purse the best tools to create Drama.
Elements Theatre Company has finished their performance of The Dining Room, but they are not quietly resting on their "laurels". They are getting ready for a months study in Chicago. There they will study among other things, stage combat, performance technique, and the playwright Ibsen. Keep an eye on our facebook page (here) in August to check in with them. As you can see by the list of classes Elements Theatre continues to purse the best tools to create Drama.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
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...
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...
Saturday, May 26, 2012
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?
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?
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