Stage Banter: The Arena Stage Blog

A note by the bed

by Janine Sobeck

In the middle of pulling together information for the Sub/text page for Striking 12 we stumbled across a piece of information that I just had to share.

As previously mentioned, part of the Striking 12 story is based on the Hans Christian Andersen tale The Little Match Girl.  While looking into Andersen's life story (a VERY interesting read - I highly recommend it), some of Andersen's...shall we say oddities?...have been popping up.  This one is definitely my favorite.

Andersen, who had a nervous temperament, had a perpetual fear a being buried alive.  This fear was so consuming that every night before he went to bed he would place a piece of paper on the nightstand that read "I am only apparently dead" so that no one would take him and bury him while he was sleeping.

With stories like this, I'm beginning to understand more and more the unconventional themes of his tales...

More to come!

Fantastick's Sub/text is live!

by Janine Sobeck

Are you trying to remember all that you need to know about the Fantasticks in order to gear up for Arena's production?  Well, Sub/text is now live to help you out.  Complete with background info on the fantastic Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, a peek into director Amanda Denhert's magical vision of the show, some great clips of our favorite renditions of "Try to Remember", as well as some insight into one of the show's biggest controversies, this Sub/text page will definitely get you ready for the show.  So go ahead and check it out!

Laramie Epilogue Sub/Text Goes Live!

by Amrita Mangus, Dramaturg for The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, An Epilogue

Before you see the reading on Monday, check out the The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, An Epilogue Sub/Text page! You can follow the timeline of events leading up to and following Matthew Shepard's murder, read an excerpt from Judy Shepard's new memoir, and learn more about the Tectonic Theater Project. Here's a sneak peek of one of my favorite features on the Laramie Sub/Text, a collage of video snippets from the epilogue interviews:

By the way, we start rehearsals tomorrow! You'll definitely hear much more from the Laramie team (and maybe view a picture or two) in the next couple of days.

Discussion update! and more from the rehearsal room...

by Janine Sobeck

So a few days ago I officially announced the first names for the special discussions that we are having around The Quality of Life.  We've been getting some great additions since then, and all the names and dates are now posted on Sub/text.  Check it out and see which nights might be of interest to you.  All the discussions will immediately follow the performance and should prove to be a great companion to the experience the audience is going to have with the show.

And what an experience it's going to be.  Wednesday I was able to see a run through that the actors did for some of the designers and I couldn't help but be impressed by the amount of progress that this cast is making.  You can tell the excitement and love that they each have for the production and it's pretty infectious.  We're moving out of the rehearsal room and onto the stage today - a move that has been eagerly anticipated, especially considering the physical quality of the show (I can't wait for you all to see the set!). Our tech week is going to be full of discoveries.

And I just have to say it...isn't the new image cool?

"Quality of Life" Sub/text is live!

by Janine Sobeck

As promised, The Quality of Life Sub/text page is now live.  You can find everything from an interview with playwright Jane Anderson to an exclusive look at a cut scene to information on the belief systems of Neil and Jeannette and Bill and Dinah...and much more.  Feel free to take a look around and let us know what you think!

Women in Charge

by David Dower

With all the talk of late in the theater press about the gender gap in American plays and productions, I thought this short clip from the Making of The Quality of Life made a pretty succinct statement about where Arena Stage sits on the issue. Meet Jane, the playwright, Molly, Arena's Artistic Director, and Lisa, the play's director. The Quality of Life follows on the heels of The Legacy of Light, our world premiere of Karen Zacarias' new play. Oh, and no coincidence that Karen Z. is the first Resident Playwright in Arena's new Mellon-sponsored initiative The American Voices New Play Institute. For more on the play and the people behind it, you can now visit the Sub/Text site.

One last sneak peak

by Janine Sobeck

Alright...even though the Sub/text for The Quality of Life is in its final stages of editing, and I'm going to be able to announce really soon that it's gone live, I just couldn't resist having one last sneak peak available on the blog.  Though it could also be resulting from my recent trip to the local farmer's market...

This is an excerpt from the article entitled Dinah's DIY Projects.  And yes, the recipe is real...

Strawberry Preserves

Dinah’s garden in Ohio thrives with delicious fruits, and by preserving them, she can enjoy them year-round. The key to keeping them fresh is in the sealing. When you’re done, you can add a colorful gingham cap just like Dinah does. This recipe from ehow.com > will be enough for seven jars.

1. First, pour boiling water over 8-fluid-ounce empty jars and lids, dry them, and place them in the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. To prepare the strawberries, dip 4 pints of them in a sink full of cold water and then use a colander to drain the excess water.
3. Remove the hull (the stem part) of each strawberry.
4. Put the strawberries into a food processor for 15 seconds (so that they’re still in chunks).
5. Add the strawberries into a pot with 7 cups of sugar. Bring the pot to a boil and add 3 ounces of liquid fruit pectin. Make sure that you’re stirring constantly so that the strawberries don’t burn.
6. After 1 minute, take the pot off the stove and remove any foam that has formed on top.
7. Take out the jars from the oven and ladle the strawberry mix into them.
8. Screw the lids onto the jars as tight as you can. Then turn over the jars for 5 minutes before putting them right-side up. After an hour, the lids should be sucked down, letting you know that your strawberries will be preserved!

Isn't that Fantastick?

by Janine Sobeck

I'm currently on the outskirts of New York City, taking the bus back to DC after a whirlwind weekend at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education's (ATHE) annual conference.  It seems that Sub/text is creating some buzz, so I was there to present on a panel about what is going on, how the idea started, what we're doing next, etc.  It's wonderful to see so many people excited about the project and I have a feeling that we're going to start seeing a lot more dramaturgical websites popping up around the country.

The other highlight of the trip was actually this afternoon, right before I left.  In a little restaurant about a block from Times Square I sat down to lunch with Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me), Tom Jones (The Fantasticks) and his wife Janet Watson (choreographer for Big River).  The musical theatre talent in the room was a bit daunting, but it was great to talk to Mr. Jones about the upcoming production of The Fantasticks at Arena and to reminisce about the recent Arena production of She Loves Me with Mr. Harnick, as well as hear stories of the original production of It's a Wonderful Life that Arena did in 1991.  Conversation ranged from their personal stories in the business (including Mr. Harnick sheepishly admitting that his "claim to fame" was that when he saw an early reading of The Fantasticks he told Tom Jones to "forget about" the project), their views of the current state of musical theatre, as well as some of the projects that they are still working on.  As you can probably tell, this was a lunch that I will not soon forget.

Quality time with Jane

by Janine Sobeck

As we've been putting together the information that will go on the Sub/Text pages for The Quality of Life we've been finding all sorts of fun and fascinating information.  While Sub/Text should be going live in the near future I couldn't pass up the opportunity to give our blog readers a sneak peak into what you'll be able to find.  For today's tidbit, here is an excerpt from an interview I did with playwright Jane Anderson.

Janine: At Arena, we keep talking about how new plays don't really find their voice until the second or third production.  What has the process been like for you, continuing to work on the play after the "world premiere?"

Jane: I'm lucky that I've been given so many shots at making the play work.  This piece in particular has been a bear to get right.  This will be the third production which has given me a chance to tear the second act apart and put it back together.  It hasn't been easy, believe me.  There was a point when the play was lying there in shreds and I didn't have a clue what to do with it.  It rather makes you ill, like you're looking at an animal that you just deliberately dismembered.  That's when I wanted to say to everyone, "aw come on!  It worked just fine before, why don't I just leave it alone?!"  It's hard to let go of what you've written when you've already heard the audience laugh and cry in all the right spots.  But if those particular beats or scenes aren't serving the play as a whole, you have to ruthlessly let them go.   This production at the Arena is a real gift.   I'm eager to see how this new version plays.  Please wish me well.  I don't know if I have it in me to slice it open again.

Looped Sub/Text is now live!

by Janine Sobeck

Get ready to dig into the wild life of Tallulah Bankhead during the Golden Age of Hollywood.  Complete with an interview with playwright Matthew Lombardo, a spotlight on our leading actress Valerie Harper, and tons of pictures and videos of Tallulah, these Sub/Text pages will dive you right into the world of Looped.  And you'll even learn what "Looping" is...