Posted by Siobhan Lockhart, Artistic Intern, 7 February 2008
Tuesday, January 15, was the first rehearsal of Paradise Park, the final play in Signature Theatre Company's Charles Mee Series. It was a packed house (well, packed room) as the cast, creative team, and the entire Signature Theatre Company staff, including interns, gathered at the rehearsal studio at Manhattan Theatre Club to hear the first reading of the play. Also in attendance were members of True Love Productions, the producing partners of the show, and a class of extremely engaged ninth graders from Brooklyn Generations Charter School, accompanied by Signature alum, actor Chad L. Coleman (August Wilson’s Two Trains Running). So it was an excellent crowd, a mixture of old faces (to note just a couple, Satya Bhabha and William Jackson Harper, cast members from Queens Boulevard) and new faces to Signature, all unified by a great deal of anticipation. And before the actual read-through began everyone chatted and ate the very nice spread of bagels, pastries, and coffee. It also ended up being an interesting meet and greet for me personally because I ran into both someone I went to college with and someone who attended the same high school as me...it really is a small world. But I digress...
This being my second first rehearsal at Signature, I was definitely excited, remembering the Queens Boulevard read-through and how much of a difference it made hearing the play read out loud by actors rather than just reading it on my own. It’s strange how you can already start to hear/feel how the play will begin to shape just in an initial reading by actors. It’s definitely a great way to kick-off (excuse the football lingo so close to Super Bowl time but it can’t be helped…Go Giants!) and inspire not only the cast and creative team, but also the staff to get even more geared up for a production. I’ve already been feeling a special kinship to this play. Over the past few months I have been helping out with some of the initial research for Paradise Park and have been feeling somewhat immersed in the world of this play—reading up on many of the references and inspirations in the text. Having the opportunity to sit in on the reading was a chance for me to see the beginnings of the production take shape.
Until Tuesday I mostly had vague visions, characterizations, and factoids of Coney Island, Esther Williams, and Devonshire circling my head. Hearing actual voices put to the dialogue helped to really bring a lot of it together for me. And the design presentations helped bring these initial visions together even more. I can’t wait to see how this production will develop. I miss Queens Boulevard, but this first rehearsal really fueled everyone’s enthusiasm for the upcoming show.
Posted by Marianne Miller, Management Fellow, January 23, 2008
(Subscribers, this one’s for you)
I’ll be honest. Bravo’s top-of-the-line editing skills suck me into every reality competition show they’ve ever done, whether it be about clothes, cooking, or carving soap (not out to market yet, but my faith in Bravo means it’s a possibility).
I was excited when the Signature heard of the newest restaurant on the block: Dave Martin’s (yes ladies and gentlemen, Season 1 of Bravo’s “Top Chef!”) Crave on 42nd (between 11th and 12th). Signature exchanged ideas with Dave and added Crave on 42nd to our subscriber benefits. Subscribers, you can now get 10% off all food purchases (not including the Pre-Fixe menu, but that was also created with you in mind!).
I just had to try it out. Andrew, my boyfriend, and I snuggled down into the comfy couch-like seating in the corner of the restaurant and began quite the whirlwind of a journey. We picked through the world-wide wine list, both settling on a Pinot Noir. Andrew is vegetarian (with vegan-like qualities), and it’s often quite the task to find something on the menu he would enjoy to eat. Not a problem here! We started off with the “Top Chef” Season One dish of Dave’s Black Truffle Mac ‘n’ Cheese. Andrew went on to have the Mascarpone and Green Apple Ravioli, a taste that “blew his mind.” I quite enjoyed my meat, trying the Hoisin and Cider Pork Tenderloin. This dish came with a side of mashed potatoes even my very Southern grandmother would approve of. We finished the meal off with Erika’s Chocolate Addiction (Erika and I would be best friends, I feel), which was dressed with vanilla cream anglaise. I was delighted with the food, and absolutely stuffed!
Best of all, Dave and his staff are some of the hardest-working, most generous people in the city. They came around to every table in the restaurant to check in and see how the evening was progressing. Many patrons wanted pictures with Dave, and he granted each request with a smile. The food had integrity, which rounded the evening off in just the right way. I’m happy to welcome their business into Signature’s family, and I hope each one of you will go and experience an ingenious menu and a lovely dining experience at Crave on 42nd.
Posted by Mike Trerotola, Marketing Intern, January 23, 2008
Welcome to Signature Theatre Company’s new blog! My name is Mike Trerotola and I am the new Marketing Intern for Signature. I’m really excited to start working for second half of the Chuck Mee season at Signature.
Over the next couple of months I will be posting on the blog about my time at Signature. Marianne Miller, Management Fellow at Signature, will also be joining us and posting her own blog stuff every now and then. I hope you find this blog entertaining and enjoyable to read.
Any of the previous posts were originally posted on Signature's website.
If you have any questions/comments/concerns/suggestions/etc., please email me at intern_marketing@signaturetheatre.org. Happy blogging!
Originally Posted by Marianne Miller, Management Fellow, January 10, 2008
"Can I really just take a pair of flip-flops from the wall?!"
Starving young artists are often over-zealous about free stuff.
"Yep," Paul Ziemer, Production Manager, replied, motioning to the vendor wall of the set. I was ecstatic. I bounded up the stairs of the theatre and found a pair of sea-green flip flops, size 38 (I didn't realize I had feet that big), that were perfect for me. The joy of Charles Mee's Queens Boulevard is certainly infectious.
It's always strange when a show ends, especially when it's a show that packed as much energy as Queens Boulevard. Each element of the production only heaped on more and more life and vitality to what was already a dynamic piece of work (Bravo, Mr. Mee). Every cast member brought his or her own history, culture, and life story to the table, and what resulted was a show that was chaotic, exhilarating, and just downright fun. The closing night audience on Sunday evening displayed this exuberance. Patrons (a whole list of VIPs, family, and friends) whooped, hollered, clapped, and laughed longer than any other audience. The momentum of the piece was unstoppable.
Queens Boulevard was a production that enjoyed artistic progression. Playwright, Director, and actors tinkered and toyed with the humor of the play, adding a Metrocard bit during the preview period. Crew members and designers alike slaved over the solution to the paper flowers that fell from the Queens sky (perhaps a less heavenly-seeming project for those involved). The production was always growing and changing, and even when the show was officially opened, actors continued to explore the journey of their characters. What resulted on Closing Night was only evidence of long hours and hard work.
Originally Posted by Marianne Miller, Management Fellow, January 3, 2008
No doubt it's hard to drag your feet back to work after such amazing celebration and conviviality during the holidays. Not so much at the Signature Theatre Company! My first outing in New York after returning from my visit in my homeland (Kentucky!) was to the Signature to see Queens Boulevard with my boyfriend. He loved it, I had a great time, and we rang in the New Year with some excellent theatre. That's the way to do it!
The Sig has certainly had a fantastic year. With reverence, we ended the August Wilson Series, celebrating a great man, his work, and a true reach to the city of New York with our $15 TimeWarner ticket initiative. The August Wilson Series certainly didn't go without notice: Entertainment Weekly chose King Hedley as a top ten play of 2007! The recognition and enjoyment didn't stop there. David Bell, blogger extraordinaire, brought the voice of the people to light with his entries about the best, worst, and favorites of 2007. I am happy to say the Signature Theatre Company walked away with two awards: Favorite Off-Broadway play (Iphigenia 2.0 by Charles Mee), and my personal favorite: Hottest Moment! Also from Charles Mee's phenomenal Iphigenia 2.0, the soldiers claimed the 'Hottest Moment' prize for their testosterone-filled, fatigue-stripping dance (I must admit, one of my favorites of the year as well!) In August 2007, Charles Mee steered the theatre in New York in a new direction. Challenging to audiences, certainly. Brave, stunning, and ingenious art, absolutely.
Originally Posted by Edward Freeman, Development Intern, December 20, 2007
Queens Boulevard (the musical) is a play that amalgamates a multitude cultures, assimilating their different customs, their different values, their different fashions and, of course, their different languages. At one moment in the show, a female actor uses sign language to communicate with her character’s ailing husband, and for that one moment, the hard of hearing audience members at the matinee this past Saturday focused on the action instead of the open caption screen. Finally the actors were speaking their language.
The open caption performance of Queens Boulevard (the musical) happened last Saturday. Those who have seen the show will know that the set includes several screens on which text that interprets foreign language is projected. Saturday’s performance, however, included one more screen (that looked actually like part of the set) that displayed text of the entire production for the hard of hearing. It functioned the way the closed caption subtitles on television do, giving the opportunity for everyone to understand the dialogue clearly.
Signature presents two open caption shows per season (the last one was during Iphigenia 2.0). Development works closely with the Marketing and Artistic Departments to plan the production, acting as a contact, liaison, and final reporter for David Chu (the man who captions the performance), while Marketing advertises the event and Artistic interprets a whole new script, tailored specifically for David and his clientele.
When I was a kid, I was enthralled with the closed captions on television. My eye still focuses on them whenever the function is turned on at a bar or the gym, even when I can hear the television clearly, causing me to lose the delivery of the action. Throughout the whole performance this past Saturday, the hard of hearing audience members had to focus on the open caption screen, so they could follow the story. But for that one moment in the show, while the rest of the audience focused its attention on the subtitles screen, the hard of hearing audience was able to capture the beauty and profundity of a moment in a hospital as acted by Marsha Stephanie Blake and Demosthenes Chrysan.
Originally Posted by Adam Wright, Production Intern, December 13, 2007
Adam Wright is a student at UNC Chapel Hill who spent the fall working with Signature Theatre Company as the Production Intern. Upon completing his internship he sent out an email to the entire staff of Signature to share with us his thanks for the experience he had here as an intern:
Dear Friends,
As I will soon be working on my honors thesis in creative writing, Signature's mission to allow a single playwright to hone and shape an entire season was of particular inspiration to me. As a result, once I knew I would be coming to NYC this semester, I immediately let my professor know that I wanted my internship to be with this company. Thankfully, I am so proud to say that my experience here has been everything I hoped it would be. Jim, your energy and commitment to this company shines through every individual and project here, and I am so thankful to have worked in an environment driven by your ongoing commitment to honor the written word. Knowing little about the production world beforehand, it was such a treat to start my first week as Queens Blvd. was in the midst of wrapping up pre-production talks and to end my final weeks here celebrating at our opening night part - it was pleasure working on the entire process of this show, and as result, I have learned so much more than I would ever have expected. Thanks to you all, especially to Paul, who I find to be one of the committed and selfless men I've had the pleasure to work with.
Look for a postcard from me this summer - I found out today I received a $6,500 grant from UNC to study the art of storytelling across the UK! So, appropriately, here's to you all who work so hard to shape the experience of so many individual storytellers year-round. The end of something is always the beginning of another...
Originally Posted by Marianne Miller, Company Management Intern, December 6, 2007
After an epic preview period that left actors, designers, staff, and crew somewhat exhausted, the long tweaking period Queens Boulevard had to endure was well worth the time!
The staff worked all day on Monday to prepare for the Opening Night. Our Development Department prepared the list of guests. Sara Danielsen and I gathered the opening night gifts (#7 line key chains-very Queens, really) and the flowers for the actors, bathrooms, and lobby. All fell well into place as "Happy Opening!" was the resounding note in the office. We prepared a big show for a big night!
Meanwhile, actors prepared for their ninth (!!!) performance of the week. Not a single actor looked down or tired, however, upon entering the theatre. The members of the large and very diverse cast were all smiles as they prepared for the celebration of their hard work. There was a tangible sense of eagerness, nervousness, and excitement that I enjoyed sharing. Loads of gifts came in for each actor, and I happily placed them backstage. In the midst of the holiday season, I couldn't help but draw the festive parallels.
An entire list of VIPs poured into the theatre, packing the house and adding loads of energy to the performance. The men and women made their entrances, and the entire theatre lit up! The transformation was fantastic, and I was so enthralled, I stood at the top of the stairs for over half the show. Delighted by the changes Chuck, Davis, the designers, and the cast had made throughout the process, I was drawn in to see what new aspects of the show appeared. This performance was certainly different from that which I had experienced during tech rehearsals!
The company enjoyed a smooth performance, followed by recognition of top VIPs present, including (but not limited to) Lee Blessing, Romulus Linney, Luis Castro, Charles Weldon, Oskar Eustis, Kate Mulgrew and many others. I was absolutely honored to be in their company. A well-attended party followed, and I maneuvered around large groups of congregating people to enjoy the excellent food and company.
Happy Holidays!
All of you who have been to a show at Signature Theatre must be familiar with our bookstore!?!? We carry a large assortment of plays published by former Playwrights-in-Residence. Most of the plays we sell are either the Sam French acting copy of a script or a compilation of single artist's work and we even sell a couple of the Humana Festival Anthologies that feature our Alumni. We recently sent around our second edition of the Signature E-Newsletter announcing the publication of a box set of August Wilson's Century Cycle. The asking price of the set is a little out of line with the usual fare on the shelves at the Peter Norton Space so we were excited about the potential interest from our audience.
Originally Posted by Siobhan Lockhart, Artisitic Intern, November 22, 2007
Actress Heather McComb, Actor James Van Der Beek and Signature Founding Artistic Director James Houghton
This past Sunday, November 18, Signature Theatre Company celebrated (what is to become a regular ritual for all Signature productions) its second Alumni Night. The centerpiece of course was that evening's performance of Charles Mee's Queens Boulevard (the musical).
There was a definite eagerness and anticipation in the crowd gathering. Sensing that it could be a special performance night I decided to go watch the show, promising Sara, the artistic assistant, that I would return to help the staff during the post-show cocktail party. I had sat in on some rehearsals and seen the first preview, but I was keen to see the show in front of a crowd that was shaping up to be quite lively and receptive. (Personally, I think I made the right choice!)
It was an exhilarating performance, but the fun wasn't going to end there. After Jim Houghton, Founding Artistic Director's welcoming remarks the cocktail party began. Congratulations to Sara for putting together a wonderful spread of food. The festivities went on into the night, Queens Boulevard (the musical) cast, creative team, and production staff now mingling amongst the crowd of alumni and staff. People did not seem to want to leave, but eventually we did run out of booze and food, and well, it was a Sunday. But overall, a successful night, a wonderful performance, and an event that will secure "Signature Alumni Night" its place -for shows and years to come-as the party not to be missed.
Originally Posted by Marianne Miller, Company Management Intern, November 9, 2007
Extensive, numerous, and challenging tech cues.
Ever-developing budget alterations.
All of these situations posed a genuine threat to the Company in successfully preparing Signature's current show, Queens Boulevard (the musical) for an audience. Challenges are not new to the Signature Theatre Company, however, and in genuine Signature form, each and every new obstacle was met with tenacity and determination, and opening preview was a delightful and fun-filled evening.
The entire staff here at the Sig threw all of our weight behind helping the cast, crew, and designers to get the show up and running. One of the most memorable events of the evening of Opening Preview (which was even joked about during a subsequent staff meeting!) was watching my supervisor and our General Manager, Mr. Adam Bernstein, vacuum the front lobby before the show. The time-crunch demanded that everyone pitched in.
Our hard work paid off. Pre-show, a nervous and excited energy permeated the air. Patrons were clearly delighted upon entering the transformed house at the Peter Norton Space-One can't help but to develop a visually-stimulated high after being inundated with neon lights, bright decorations, and an extraordinary set. Actors passed out wedding reception jellies to and greeted the incoming audience. From the beginning, one could tell this would be a very different theatre experience.
Ultimately, this experience is one that would not have been possible had it not been for the fact that the Signature Theatre Company works as family. We face these challenges with the security that we all work for each other and for the greater good of the company.
Originally Posted by Jennifer Taylor, Marketing Associate, November 1, 2007
Everyone at Signature has been very busy getting Queens Boulevard (the musical) ready to begin previews this Tuesday, November 6th. Charles Mee and Davis McCallum (the playwright and director) were kind enough to take some time out of their very busy rehearsal schedule to sit down with us for an interview so that we could give you some insight into the play.
Originally Posted by Adam Wright, Production Management Intern, October 25, 2007
Chuck Mee’s Queens Boulevard demands that one of New York’s most colorful and diverse neighborhoods be somehow squashed down and thrown on stage, taking audience’s on a topsy-turvy journey through karaoke bars, bathhouses, underground clubs, and everything in between. As you can imagine, creating an accurate and lively representation of such a place has been no easy feat. So as one of the largest scenic designs Signature has yet to undertake in its 17-year history, set designer Mimi Lien and production manager Paul Ziemer should be commended for all the dedicated and exhausting work they have put into such an epic project. Finally, with load-in underway at the Peter Norton Space, Lien’s vibrantly bold, intricately detailed vision of Queens has finally begun to take shape, and the result, even in its half-finished state, is still, quite simply, stunning.
I missed out on load-out for Iphigenia 2.0, but as punishment I got to rip down all the FHM and Maxim girls that blanketed the USR walls by hand. (The new Radiohead came out the day before, so I jammed out on my iPod and made the most of the good music and the cute girls and it actually wasn’t all that bad.) Paul and I readied ourselves for the chaos to come, but fortunately we offered our theatre space to UCSD graduate showcase before load-in, so we had at least had one day of calm before the storm was to arrive. Shortly afterwards painters came in and began transforming the boards into pavement and pedestrian walkways, and soon enough, hoards of neon signs and steel beams began pouring in. The first few days of last week were spent getting up the walls of the set and Queens seemed to be growing into its own.
The wary informal meet 'n greet while the company slowly gathers gives way to the Artistic Director's address, contextualizing the production within the season. And then, anxiously scrutinized by the assembled company, the Director delivers his opening address and the cast speaks the words of the text aloud for the first time, after which, designers unveil their vision of the play that has been rendered concrete in the months of pre-production and preparation that precede rehearsal.
Originally Posted by Marianne Miller, Company Management Intern, October 11, 2007
Friends, family, loved ones, and Signature fans alike joyously rushed out of the performance of Iphigenia 2.0 on Sunday evening, October 7th, 2007. One observing might assume the rush was for the awaiting Brooklyn Brown, Brooklyn Lager, and Amstel Light in the lobby (and indeed, we had to fight a few guests off until the party officially began). Truly, however, the exuberant rush came from the final exhilarating performance of the first show in the Charles (or Chuck, as we colloquially refer to him) Mee Series at the Signature Theatre Company-Iphigenia 2.0.
As the Company Management Intern, I was absolutely blessed to work next to these actors in their final moments of this process. I shared conversation over a Pret-A-Manger banana nut muffin with Louisa Krause (a favorite pastime of ours) right before she warmed up for the final performance. She was all smiles mixed with a hint of nostalgia for the total process of the show. We talked about what came next for the young actress. She was hopeful for what would follow, and I was reminded that Iphigenia 2.0 is certainly not the last any of us will see of these phenomenally talented people. She then scurried off to put on her ballet shoes-the excitement for the evening had begun!
The house packed in quickly, and the show finished strong with a dynamic standing ovation, complete with daisy throwing by Sara Danielsen and me (I pat myself on the back-no injuries to the cast during this carousing, so to speak). Jim Houghton, Artistic Director, recognized a few very important constituents to the process: the designers and crew were praised profusely, director Tina Landau shyly stood up to welcome applause, the cast beamed at Jim's commendations, and Chuck Mee gave a quiet smile as the seated audience erupted to show their support for this man and the work he has completed thus far on Signature's stage.
Iphigenia 2.0 had, without a doubt, a glorious run. From the beginning stages of casting, designing, and rehearsal to the pizza, salad, and general communion of artists in the lobby after the final show, the entire artistic endeavor stayed true to a genuine execution of Charles Mee's first show of the season. The one-week extension attested to the powerful voice Iphigenia 2.0 had for its audiences.
What would happen if you took a random sampling of all of the people you met in each year of your life and invited them to a big party? Would they have anything in common? Would they know what to say to each other? Would the idea of hosting all those people from different parts of your world give you a conniption? Well, the Signature took that chance and threw that party this Sunday. And much to my relief, the first ever Signature Alumni Night was by all reports a huge success.
Let's go back a few months. Jim Houghton, the Signature's Founding Artistic Director, had been talking for a while about wanting to set aside one performance in each of the Signature's runs as a night for former Signature artists and staff to come together and see the show; a homecoming night of sorts, and a chance to make connections between all of the amazing people who've worked here over the past sixteen plus years. As the new Artistic Assistant, Alumni Night was handed over to me as my first project. After setting the date during the run of Iphigenia 2.0, my first big task was gathering email addresses for all of the people who'd ever worked at Signature (which brought me face to face with the fact that in 1991, the only people who had email addresses were working for the Defense Department). After we sent out an email invitation to as many people as I could track down, Marianne, the Company Management Intern, and I sat down with old copies of the contact sheets and started making phone calls. We had some charming conversations with past company members. We also left a lot of messages. I white-knuckled my way through my message on Parker Posey's voice mail. (She is one of my favorite actresses, but have you seen Dazed and Confused? The idea of actually reaching her on her cell phone made me a little nervous.) As we moved further and further into the past, the "disconnected" and "no longer at this number" messages became more and more frequent. All in all we reached out to over 700 people, which is only a fraction of the people who'd worked with Signature over the years but a good start for our first party.
The responses started coming in immediately. There were lots of people who couldn't attend because they were working out of town or in other shows, but they sent their congratulations and love to Jim and Signature. By the Friday before the event we had a full house, and I had to sit down with the seating chart and figure out where to seat everyone. Imagine the most complicated dinner table you've ever had to arrange. Do you seat all of the directors next to each other, or is it better to sit them with the designers they've worked with? Will the stage managers be shy? (Not at all as it turns out.) Should you sprinkle the actors amongst the house or seat them by cast? Who gets to sit next to Chuck? I dropped the seating chart off at the box office on Friday night with my fingers crossed. As it turns out, I shouldn't have worried about any of it. Once we managed to get the chatty crowd into the house and seated, they turned out to be the best, most enthusiastic audience a theatre could ask for. The Iphigenia 2.0 cast, who'd already had a matinee that afternoon and would have been justified in being a little low energy at the end of the week, responded to the liveliness of the crowd and gave a fabulous performance. Even a shower of flour over the first two rows in the final scene didn't dampen anyone's enthusiasm.
After the curtain call, Jim got up to welcome everyone to Alumni Night and to introduce Chuck. The audience gave Chuck a rousing ovation that went on for so long that witnesses say Chuck may have blushed a little. Everyone spilled out into the lobby for wine and snacks and more talk. I was working at the bar, so for a little while it was all a blur of handing out wine and champagne. Every time I looked up however, a new cluster of people were in front of me hugging and laughing and gossiping. I heard some great stories about the first production in the Peter Norton space. People who knew each other in different contexts realize that they had the Signature in common. Assistant designers and directors reconnected with their mentors and former interns passed on the word about their current projects.
