serious as a heart attack

I have recently been reminded how everything in our lives effects our work as artists.

I am approaching the mid-point in directing Ghosts.

And, suddenly, I learn my mother is being rushed to the hospital. She is having a heart attack.

Drop everything and rush to the hospital. Cancel rehearsal that night and the next-- we had a 3 day break scheduled after that, so we could wait and see . . .

At the hospital, helping my mom fill out in take paperwork-- although do we call it paper work any more? It's all on the computer.

We are asked about her advanced directive, or living will, or durable power of attorney for health care? Which she has, and she tells me where to find it, and I go the next day and find it.

The first person listed as holding this durable power of attorney for health care is my mom's significant other, now deceased. The nurse asks me to cross out his name, write "deceased" and initial.

Which I do.

I am now the person named to hold the durable power of attorney for health care. I am the one to speak for my mother, to see that her wishes are known, if she cannot speak for herself.


The nurse takes the copy I have given her and adds it to my mother's chart.

A few minutes later, as my mom is trying to nap, the nurse asks me to come into the hall. I do. She draws my attention to the section on "DNR"- Do Not Resuscitate. Under certain conditions, it is my mother's wish is that no extreme measures be taken to extend her life. If her condition were to be one where there was no reasonable hope of recovery -- this is all carefully defined-- then, my mother's wish is that she be allowed to die.

The nurse says that there are specific papers that are usually drawn up in this case and added to the chart. She asks, should she draw up these papers?

I say, let me think a minute.

And I go and think.

I ask her to wait, please. My brother is in Oregon, stuck on a business trip. I don't want to complete the paper work while my brother is so far away.

Nothing is imminent. (In fact, the good news for this episode is that a week later, my mom is back home.) We can wait.

But I know, in future, this is quite possibly a decision I will have to face.

And, suddenly, Helen Alving's pain and wrenching decision at the end of Ghosts is a little less melodramatic. It is much more serious.

As serious as a heart attack.

dramaturg

The position of dramaturg was unfamiliar to me until I returned to college for my PhD.

A dramaturg is a researcher and reporter. A dramaturg researches a play, a playwright, a time period or any combination of these, to report back to the production. Sometimes the research is directly applied to the production, influencing the design of costumes, set or props; sometimes the research is shared with the audience in a lobby display or program notes. Sometimes the research is shared with the cast and crew to give a richer, deeper appreciation of the play's setting or characters.

This in depth research is a part of my preparation and process in directing.

At present, for Ghosts, I am researching:
- Norway
- the 1880s
- Bohemian Paris
- the status of women at the end of the 19th century
- Ibsen
- meerschaum pipes
- orphanages

that's for a start.

Playwriting workshop!

What:

MYT Playwriting workshop!

Who:
For Creative People ages 12 - 19!

By Instructors Playwrights Beth Kander and Megan Donahue

When:

Saturday, March 10, 2010. 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Where:

Old Town Hall, 486 Mill Street, Ortonville, MI 48462

Learn techniques, tools and tips, formats and formulae- and FUN! for creating great scripts for theater from professional playwrights Beth Kander and Megan Donahue. More info about the playwrights is available at http://www.michiganyouththeater.org/ (click on "Workshops" on the left).

Includes: Improvisation for dialogue, developing characters and conflict, scripting for success and more. This workshop includes follow-up work with instructors via email and online journaling with instructors.

Cost: Only $75 if postmarked by March 16 ($85 after). Lunch is included: cheese pizza, fruit and water. Registration also includes registration in Michigan Youth Theater's Playwriting Competition!

To register: download registration form at www.michiganyouththeater.org

(Click on "Workshops" on the left). Mail form and payment to MYT, 2122 Houser Rd, Holly, MI 48442.

Please make check or money order payable to Michigan Youth Theater.

criticism

In teaching acting, or in giving workshops, I also teach feedback, or specific criticism.



In the Intro to Theater class I teach, the students are required to attend three plays and write reviews of these plays.





My instructions are to choose an aspect of the production, such as acting, directing, scenic design or costume design, and write about how that aspect aided or did not aid in that production's realizing the vision/message of the play.

Each semester, I find ways to further refine instructions to guide students to seeing and evaluating the performer's art.

I am trying to get closer to providing a template for meaningful criticism of the production, not the play; of these particular actors' performances, not the characters.

I try to guide students to choose an aspect of the production, such as scenic design or costume design, where choice of line, color, texture, pattern are easier to distinguish. Do color and shape set a mood of light-heartedness or shadow? Does the costume tell you where the play is, in time and space? Do the setting and costumes work together to tell you if the play is striving for realism, abstraction, or fantasy?

It is easy to get drawn in by the acting, but harder to critique the actor's work. Like the director's work, the actor's work is ephemeral, hard to describe, hard to find that specific moment and describe what made it work.

For me, the best criticism gives the theater artist constructive information about what is suceeding and about what needs improvement in the creative work. While it is nice to hear "You were great!" such grand, vague comments give one no more to build on than a general negative comment.

Ghosts

My youth theater troupe is about to embark on our latest production: Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen, translated by Lanford Wilson.

The small cast, realistic style and incredibly timely themes make this an excellent work for intense acting development and development of ensemble.

Ibsen shocked the world with this play in the late 19th century. In an era notorious for repressing all matters sexual, Ibsen wrote candidly about adultery, syphilis, incest and mental illness. He wrote complex characters struggling with society's stated values of fidelity and loyalty and self-sacrifice-- and the realities of infidelity, pyschological cruelty and betrayal of trust.

I am excited to work with Wilson's translation. Lanford Wilson is an outstanding playwright on his own merits, winning the New York Drama Critic's Circle Award, the Obie Award and the Pulitzer Prize in Playwrighting. One of Wilson's great strength is his wonderful ear for dialogue.

I am planning significant work on actor development and ensemble development during the rehearsal process.

Breathe

Perhaps one of the best bits of acting advice there is: Breathe.

Breathe deep. Breathe often.

Breathe.

Breathing deeply relaxes us, on a cellular level. Inhaling deeply takes in oxygen to feed our energy. The oxygen enters our cells and flushes out the chemicals of fatigue and stress. Exhaling fully releases those chemicals and allows us to let go.

Relaxed and ready posture frees the breath to support the actor's voice and energy.

Both training the actor's body and training the actor's voice begin with posture and relaxation. Postural alignment puts the organs, bones and muscles of the body in optimal position to function well and easily. Relaxation frees body and voice to be flexible and responsive to the needs of the actor, the character, the moment.

I use deep breathing and deep relaxation exercises in teaching acting, and also in building small class ensemble. Breathing deeply slows us down, brings us in sync with one another.

Standing Room Only for Intro to Theater

This week, I am exceedingly busy.

On Monday, I taught the first class for my Monday night section of Intro to Theater.

Tonight, I teach the first class for my Tuesday night section of Intro to Theater.

Tomorrow night, I teach a workshop on using Process Drama to teach Bible stories in Jewish Education.

Thursday night, I will be leading a rehearsal of my youth theater club to prepare them for leading a theater workshop next Tuesday (while I am teaching). After that meeting, I am off to meet with a subcommittee of my teen youth theater troupe regarding our "brand" identity.

Friday, in theory, I have off.

Last night, the class went quite well. However, the room was too small for the class. The class is capped at 45 students; I have permitted overrides that brought the number to 47. However, my overrides were not the reason we were at Standing Room Only last night. The room only had seating for about 25, and there was not enough room to bring in 20 more desks! I told my students I would look into finding another space for the class (which, with the help of the departmental secretary, I have accomplished today).

As always, the first part of the first class was taken up with going over the syllabus and establishing ground rules and priorities. Then, to introduce small group work and peer evaluation, both of which will be elements of future work in the class, I had the class break into groups of 5 students. Each group sent up one of their number to fetch the assignment sheet. Each student of the group took on one of the tasks: reader, facilitator, recorder, reader 2, presenter. The students then discussed a "think" question about theater-- each group had a different question.

Then, the groups reassembled in our (too small) room. Each group presented their question and the results of their discussion. The larger group was then invited to add additional comments.

Following a lively discussion, each student then evaluated the different members of their group on their contributions to the discussion and on their fulfillment of their task. These evaluations were then handed in.

Class went well; I think it will be a good group.