Stage Banter: The Arena Stage Blog

Top Ten Things to Look For Next Season

by Amrita Ramanan, Literary Manager

My fearless leader, David Dower, always carries the mantra of replicating best practices throughout Arena Stage, whether it's learning how to integrate audiences in the new play development process with Theater 101 from a model shared generously with us by our friends at Steppenwolf Theatre Company or learning from you, our audience and blogosphere readers, what we should add to Sub/Text or the post show discussions. So with that guiding principle, I'm here to replicate a best practice from two Davids, Dower and Letterman, with my highlights of what's coming around the bend next season: 

1) Plays about art, and how we make it

As we've continued to explore the content and research for the plays in the 2011/2012 season here in the literary office, we've noticed a strong thematic connection of how they all interact with the process of developing and creating art. Plays within plays. Documentaries within plays. Plays about artists making art in a variety of ways (music, visual art, just to name a few). Plays about the political ramifications or commercialization of art. You'll see more blog posts from us that expound upon this idea, but it's definitely something to look for, dwell on, and talk about throughout the year as you go from show to show.

2) The Dr. is in

Many of you shared your congratulatory tweets when the news broke out that Dr. Polly Carl would be joining Arena Stage as the Director of the American Voices New Play Institute and she's going to be riding the tide with us starting this season! You'll mostly see her around the productions of The Book Club Play by Karen Zacarías and You, Nero  by Amy Freed (both are playwrights in residence), as well as Theater 101 and our upcoming round of convenings. She's a new play mover-and-shaker that's already bringing some great energy, wisdom, and kick-ass tatoos to Arena. 

3) OK! back at the ranch

Never thought I'd say this, but a second time around can be just as good, or even better than the first (and it looks like Peter Marks shares this opinion too). If you missed Oklahoma! the first time around, come see it. If you saw Oklahoma! and thought a second time around wouldn't have anything new to offer, come see it. New cast members and additional choreography add a bit of surprise to the musical that still leaves me humming the familiar tunes long after the performance. It's still got the magic of the inagural production, just with a little more pizazz.

4)  From Ashland to Arena

One of our core pillars in our programming is presentation; showcasing the best and brightest companies and productions from around the country in our nation's capital. We ended last year with a bang and are blessed with the arrival of some heavy hitters this year: Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Equivocation and the Goodman Theatre's Red. Artistic Directors Bill Rauch and Robert Falls will don the director's chair for each production respectively. With their talented casts and crews, they'll share two exquisite productions with us in the Kreeger Theater that you won't want to miss.

5) Mary Todd Lincoln's dresses in Mary T. and Lizzy K.

If you've ever seen one of dressmaker Elizabeth (Lizzy) Keckley's creations at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, it has the ability to take your breath away. Meticulous detail work and precise tailoring weave together in stunning harmony that fully validates fashion as art. Our stellar costume shop is already in the works of figuring out how to replicate these beautiful dresses on stage with playwright/director Tazewell Thompson and costume designer Merrily Murray-Walsh. Stay tuned for ways in which you can chart the costume build with us before seeing them adorn the actors on stage.

6) What's in a magic trick?

Confession time. Growing up in Las Vegas, I attended my fair share of magic shows with my folks. And while some of them may have involved tigers and disappearing acts while others toyed with card tricks, they all left me wondering the same question: how did they do it? It's still been a fascination of mine and made me super excited when I learned that the insanely talented ensemble RainPan 43 and actor-magician Steve Cuiffo were pairing up to create a show about the world of magic with Elephant Room. You can check out a sneak peek of the guys in action at the Philly Live Arts Festival in September before they head into the Kogod Cradle in January and conjure up a slew of tricks that will keep you guessing. Not to mention that these guys are freakin' hilarious and will wow you with their physical comedy.

7) The O'Neill and the sea

In celebration of this year's American Giant Eugene O'Neill, we're in the works of developing a festival that explores O'Neill's sea plays in conjunction with our productions of Long Day's Journey into Night and Ah, Wilderness!. A lot of this is still in the nascent stages, but there's the promise of exciting partnerships with organizations and universities in the DC-metro area and using our location by the Waterfront to evoke O'Neill's never-ending fascination with maritime themes. 

8) A new class of Allen Lee Hughes Fellows

The fellowship training program that I'm a proud graduate from will welcome a new class of fellows in a number of departments starting this August through next Spring and Summer, as well as mark a number of senior fellowships for fellows from this season (like dramaturgy fellow Aaron Malkin. Yay!). They always bring a determined work ethic and charisma that keep the wheels of the organization turning. We can't wait to have you on board!

9) Engaging and Educating Communities

Our Community Engagement department succeeded in the big move from 14th and T street to the Mead Center with flying colors and expanded upon their exciting programs with a Voices of Now Ensemble Festival, more Student Playwright's Project plays in submission than ever before, and the continuation of Camp Arena Stage and the Musical Theater Academy that Ado Annie's June Schreiner came from. If you missed the festivals and showcases last year, check out the CE webpage for updates this year. The work of these young artists is remarkable and fueled by passion, dedication, and persistence.

10) Some changes in the literary office

We've been thinking about how to better develop a dialogue between the art and audiences and plan to experiment with some new changes to SubText, the post show discussions, the lobby, and much more. Remember that we can only move forward with your feedback on what's working and what's not, so send in your thoughts to Stage Banter or find some time to chat with us by the concessions bar while you're in the building. 

What are you looking forward to next season? We'll post your highlights on Stage Banter and can't wait to see you back at Arena!

 

A Second Homecoming

by Amrita Ramanan, Literary Manager

Déjà vu.

In the middle of frantically typing e-mails and responding to voice mails after five days away from my desk at the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of America Conference (another post on that soon to come), I suddenly heard a distinct tapping noise coming down the hallway. It struck me as familiar, but I couldn't quite make out why. As I leaned around the corner to investigate further, I saw that it's none other than Oklahoma! actor Shane Roades rehearsing the dance number accompanying "Kansas City." That's right. The OK! crew is back in town (and by town, I mean the Fichandler Stage)! The familiar faces and voices of the cast moving in and out of the theater provide a nice reminder of the magic of this production that stays with you long after the performance ends - and how we've trekked through a wide frontier at Arena since the opening of the production in Fall of 2010.

I still can't believe that a year has passed since we crossed the river from Crystal City back to Southwest DC. It was a year of combining the familiar and the new: a season of new Arena artists like Jenny Jules, June Schriner, and Sebastian Arcelus with Arena favorites like Anna Deveare Smith, Nicholas Rodriguez, Kenny Leon and E. Faye Butler; our first American Giants festival with the legendary American playwright, Edward Albee; exciting new audiences mixed in with our dear friends and loyal subscribers; and a return to our home with a "brand new state" of a building, many years in the making. We gained an array of new members that make up Team Arena in staff, interns and fellows, and lost some of our beloved family to retirement and beyond (although they have a tendency to reappear every now and then). We've made some new neighbors with Station 4 and a brand spankin' new Safeway while still enjoying the memorable walks down the Waterfront and happy hours at Cantina Marina. We've kicked off new audience enrichment programs, like Theater 101, and hosted our first-ever 100 person convening through the American Voices New Play Institute. And here we are, going on year two in the new building and year sixty-one as a company. Oy.

As the sounds of "People Will Say We're in Love" emanate through the speaker system in my office, I realize it's the perfect synergy for Oklahoma! to return as a second homecoming - allowing us to take a moment and look back while also moving forward. And we couldn't have done any of it without you. Do you have a favorite memory or artist from the past season that wasn't mentioned? Send it in and we'll post it on Stage Banter.

Thanks for sticking with us and see you in the theater for the 2nd/61st season at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater!

 

 

 

Worth Two Chickens and a Pig

by D. Ohlandt, Albee Festival Fellow

The girl with the lasso has been in the hallway for weeks, and I'd heard about the goat and the chickens, but hadn't actually seen them until yesterday.  My transit from my desk to the copy room today included multiple glimpses of cowboy boots and braided hair-- not quite the fashion standards you'd expect in a Washington, DC office.  At the desk across from me sits a woman whose tapping on the keyboard is interrupted every couple of minutes when she stops to tap out dance steps with her feet.  More than once I've had to stop in a doorway to let a cart of potted prairie grasses pass by.  (Sometimes I feel like I'm working in that MasterCard commercial from a few years ago that featured a Hollywood production assistant in the chaos of wrangling animals and funny props for her director.)

Sure, we've been sharing the staff kitchen with the cast members of Oklahoma! for weeks now, and there have been snatches of music wafting out of the rehearsal rooms since they started rehearsing.  But the rehearsal rooms are actually on a different floor from most of the administrative offices, and arranged so that the traffic in and out of rehearsal does not generally disrupt the administrative work being done (and vice versa).  So, as the show "loads in" to the Fichandler, it's the first time since the building opened that I've gotten to see the "on stage" part of what we do here at Arena literally move through and around the "backstage" part of what we do.

It's very exciting to feel the Mead Center activated in this way for the first time, even when (and especially when) I look up from my email and catch a glimpse of a baby pig.  I wish him the best for his professional theater debut.

Alumni Brunch Preparations

by Shelley Weber, Managing Director Fellow

As many of you already know, Arena Stage is getting ready for a big event on October 23^rd.  We are hosting our Homecoming/Open House with performances in 6 spaces all throughout our new Center for American Theater and we are expecting between five and seven thousand people will visit our new building before the end of the day. However, before the ribbon is cut and the doors “officially” open a smaller event will be happening in our Café when about 400 Arena Stage alumni will be gathering for comradeship, conversation and coffee.

When in the beginning planning stages for our grand re-opening, the idea was tossed about to find a way to honor our Alumni with a special event or gathering during the weekend.  Eventually we landed on the idea of a brunch, “a good way to start the day”, as nutritionists put it.  The staff figured a 100 or so Alumni would be interested in coming.

We sorted through records and found contact information for several thousand alumni covering all parts of Arena Stage’s history.  We complied information on staff, interns, fellows, designers, actors, living stage, box office, everyone. An invitation was sent out and the RSVP’s started coming...and they kept on coming...and coming.

Currently we stand at 391 but that number will probably change before this blog is posted.  A few people send their regrets every day and a few more contact us having discovered the event through a friend of a friend’s Facebook page or a happenchance meeting at a grocery store.  Right now our list is pretty diverse with actors, designers and staff from all decades of Arena’s rich history.  The executive staff has been busy printing special nametags, planning the menu and performing all the little tasks that add up to a big event.

We are looking forward to having our alumni visit the new Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater in only a few short days. 

Welcome Home!

And as the first week comes to an end...

by Jamil Jude, Assistant Director, every tongue confess

And what a first week it was!!! Rehearsals for every tongue confess began on Tuesday, October 5 and it's been full steam ahead! "All aboard, all aboard!" 

The first day of rehearsal was very well attended. After brief introductions by the company, we were joined by 30 participants from Theater 101, members of the Artistic Development team, and a few board members for the first read. Having worked on this piece since the Spring, it was truly sensational to hear this talented ensemble bring life to the text. During the break after the first read, the Theater 101 co-hort were lead in a discussion by Amrita Mangus, New Play Producer and Associate Artistic Director David Dower. Following a brief meet and greet, everyone gathered in the Kogod Cradle for the Arena tradition "First Rehearsal Presentation." During the presentation, Director Kenny Leon spoke passionately about Marcus Gardley, the play, the Kogod Cradle and the company of actors. At the end of the presentation, the entire Production Team was assembled on stage. That moment felt amazing! It felt like something monumental was about to take place.

We spent the second day around the table, re-reading the script, working out a few questions some of the actors raised and generally working on the rhythm of the language. By Day 3 we were on our feet beginning to block through the first scenes of the play. On Sunday we finished the blocking the entire first act! While this blocking may not be set in stone, it sets a great skeleton to continue to work from as we "search for the truth." 

Everyone's energy is so high! Everyone seems anxious to come to work and dive right in to the text. The company has started to build a really strong relationship. The ensemble is really tight and they seem to enjoy one another's company. As a Director, Kenny is very demanding, but very giving. He supports the actors in as many ways as possible but holds them responsible for giving him their full participation.

Next week we will begin to block Act 2. By the end of the week, we will have the entire play blocked, and will work with that blocking, to clean up the text and how the words influence the blocking. While we've put in a lot of work in the first 6 days, we all know there is a lot more work in store. I'll continue to keep you all updated on the progress!!

Fresh Perspective

by D. Ohlandt, Albee Festival Fellow

There's really nothing like giving other theater folks a tour of this beautiful building.  It wasn't until I met four local theater artists-- all of whom are preparing proposals for the Edward Albee Festival!-- for their "informal tour" of the building that I realized how, in the few weeks since we moved in to the building, I've started (sometimes, when I'm tired or busy) to take it for granted.  Before their scheduled tour, I decided to wander around a bit to plan my own route, so that I didn't get lost as I showed them around.  It quickly become apparent to me that, while I've learned to negotiate the labyrinth of "staff spaces" rather well, I haven't spent nearly enough time in the "other" part of the building, where our theaters are.

It helped that I was also working an event for our subscribers that day, an event where we invite subscribers to come in the building before our big Homecoming gala, as a special treat for them and an opportunity to "meet their seats" before their first show.  For two hours I met folks who believe in what Arena does, folks who have been supporting Arena's growth and development since before I had ever even heard of Arena Stage-- some since before I was even born!  The wonder on their faces to see the new building-- so similar to the ones they've been coming to for years, yet so different and revitalized!-- helped me to see the building from a fresh perspective once again.  (Now I know what people mean when they talk about the "ALR" or "Awesome Ladies' Room"-- it has a window to the Washington Monument!)  I had never been to Arena Stage before we moved to Crystal City, but now I can see the elegant "buildings within the building" that preserve our past even as we move into the future.

 

After a few hours of interacting with our subscribers that night, I was really looking forward to leading my own tour.  Showing theater people around a theater building-- especially one they've never seen before-- is kind of like taking your car to a trusted mechanic.  They know what they're looking at, and they're constantly comparing it to what they've seen before.  They walked into, around, and through the theaters, peeking into the booths, and admiring the overhead grids for instruments.  They gushed over the lobby space, and were visibly envious of the rehearsal rooms.  They asked questions I couldn't even answer about the design and flexibility of the stages, questions that opened up artistic possibilities that I hadn't even thought of yet.

Since then, I try to bring to work with me every day the excitement of seeing this building for the first time, and I know how lucky I am that I get to call it "my office."

New photos of the Mead

by Janine Sobeck

A lot of discussion has been revolving around the activities of our Homecoming Celebration (Oct 23rd) and Gala (Oct 25th). So when these new photos from Nick Lehoux, courtesy of Bing Thom Architects, came in today, I couldn't help but share them on the blog.  While there were many beautiful options, here are a few of my personal favorites.

 

It looks just like the drawing!

 

our new lobby

   

the front entrance

 

the location of our new cafe

 

the Kogod Cradle

Lift Off!

by David Dower

I was at the Mystics game yesterday afternoon, (if you aren't following the team this season you may want to start: they just clinched a playoff spot with that win...) and a friend said "Man! Arena sure has some starry names around these openings!" And the papers have been full of this stuff since we moved back into Southwest.

It's true, there are some names you recognize in all of this. But as I was thinking about it, with the Mystics controlling the tempo of the third quarter and ultimately taking down the league's best team, I was struck by how it's neither an accident nor a star-led drive here at Arena. To press this analogy a bit further, the Mystics have built their momentum over years of work, they've rebuilt, they've had to come together as a team without their biggest star even. (Alana Beard was sidelined for the season with a nasty ankle injury.) And here they are breaking through, lifting off. Hard work. Team work. Tenacity. And Katie Smith and Monique Curry.

I think the reason all these things are coming together for Arena right now has everything to do with the work we've been doing during the restaged period. We refocused the purpose and strategy of the company to fit the expanded capacity of the home we were building: we're now fully operating as a center for the production, presentation, development and study of American theater. Take a tour of the website to see just how broad and deep we've taken that inquiry.

We're living fully in our core values as well. Excellence, diversity, collaboration, and stewardship are bedrock here and when you look at the programs launching the new building you'll see it all on full display.

There's another ingredient that we don't talk much about and that's passion. I saw Mystics' owner Sheila Johnson screaming her head off after yesterday's win, jumping, fist pumping, dancing a flat out jig in total joy and abandon, high fiving her fan base on the way to the locker room and shouting "We did it! We did it!" They hadn't won the championship, but I knew what she was saying-- and they had. They'd broken through to the next level of achievement. They'd accomplished a tough and long-in-the-making goal. They'd lifted off.

Molly Smith said to me on day two in the Mead Center, "I feel like I'm living in the fever of my own dream." And it's the same thing. Twelve years of work and now she's walking the hallways and taking meetings in rooms of this thing she'd been aiming for all that time. And soon the rehearsal halls will fill with artists who will ignite the place. We'll have lift off.

That the Obamas and the Fentys and Phylicia Rashad and Kenny Leon and Anna Deveare Smith are going to join role players like Susan White, Ted Stumpf, Dan Pruksarnukul, Rebecca Campana, Khady Kamara, Jody Barasch, John Monnette, June Schreiner, and, and, and -- a smattering of names you know among the hundred names you don't know-- is a consequence of many years of work and a shared commitment to a vision.

I know exactly what Ms. Johnson was feeling in that crazy unhinged pure moment of joy as she shouted and danced her way to join the team in celebration. It's an amazing thing to feel it when it happens. And I was thrilled to be one of many fans delighted and moved to witness that passion exploding out of her.  Be around Arena for the opening events and you'll feel the same jolt of ignition, the release into the future.

"Lift off. We have lift off."

The Obamas, the Fentys, and Brian Stokes Mitchell...oh my

by Janine Sobeck

Our Opening Gala (the big day is October 25th!) just might be...well...awesome.  If you didn't catch the big announcement, we are delighted that President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be the Honorary Chairs for this black tie event, along with Honorary Co-Chairs D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and wife Michelle.  And to top it all off...Brian Stokes Mitchell (who I originally fell in love with in Ragtime) will be there to sing the night away.  You can find out all about it HERE.

And for your listening pleasure....

Did we really make it?

by Janine Sobeck

My computer is up and running...the boxes are dwindling...and I can see the cars passing on 6th street.  We actually made it back.

Stunning.  Spectacular.  Unbelievable.  Wow. These have been the words that I've been overhearing the most in the hallways the past two days as everyone has been settling in.  We've been spending a lot of time exploring our new spaces, having fun running into people from all the departments that have been scattered for the past two and a half years, unpacking all the many boxes and bins and, well...getting just a little lost (while I'm grateful for signs and color coding, I might have to resort to a trail of bread crumbs...). The difference between the old Arena and the new building is incredible, and while the memories remain strong, there is a feeling of excitement and anticipation in the air as we gear up for the season that is ahead of us.  

We're actually here.  Awesome.