Rehearsal 5-19

Posted by DCA Theater on May 21, 2009 in January-June 2009 Season, INCUBATOR Series: Rubicon Theatre Project

by Josh Johnson, Artistic Director

I had the opportunity to attend rehearsal once again and things are really starting to shapen up nicely!  Thus far the director and cast have been rehearsing Act 1 only, adding blocking and exploring the characters and relationships.  That hard work is really starting to show!  The nature of the script requires a lot of smooth transitions from one location to another and for the most part that is happening nicely.  There are of course a few rougher moments that need to be ironed out but overall its working quite well.  One thing that James (the director) and I discussed was the importance of dialects for the reading/performance on 6/1.  The play takes place in Scotland and several of the characters are to have various European dialects.  In addition to that challenge, there are several characters that are played by the same actors.  What we discussed is clearly stating in the programs or maybe making an announcement to the audience at the top of the show to clarify that the actors are multi-cast and also give descriptions of each character, alleviating the need for the dialects for now.  Of course if we proceed to do a full production, this is an aspect that will require some more specific attention and training with a dialect coach.  But we both agreed that for this project they dialects may be more distracting that beneficial.  Some actors may still work with dialects if they feel comfortable doing so, but it won’t be a requirement for the performance.

The plan is to begin working on Act 2 (which will be a more traditional reading of the script) on Thursday.  I can’t wait to see where the cast will take the characters next!

Blocking…

Posted by DCA Theater on May 14, 2009 in January-June 2009 Season, INCUBATOR Series: Rubicon Theatre Project

by James Whittington, Director of Becoming Ingrid

Click here to see some blocking diagrams from James Whittington, Director of Rubicon Theatre Project’s Incubator Becoming Ingrid.

Rehearsal 5-12-09

Posted by DCA Theater on May 14, 2009 in January-June 2009 Season, INCUBATOR Series: Rubicon Theatre Project

by Josh Johnson, Artistic Director

I had the opportunity to sit in on rehearsal on Tuesday and had the pleasure of seeing the beginning stages of the script come to life.  As an observer of the process, not directly involved with the production, its exciting to see how well the actors we’ve selected to work with are embodying their characters.  (For more info about the actors, including headshots and bios, visit our website at www.rubicontheatreproject.org) And perhaps its the “director” in me but I couldn’t help but begin to imagine other elements of the production, such as lighting, that will remain absent for this particular project at the DCA.  Our director, James Whittington, is doing a good job of making use of the space and minimal feel of the script to really cause the viewer to use their imagination.  I’m looking forward to returning to rehearsal this week to see the additional progress the actors have made with additional sections of the script.  Even thought this is simply a workshop, I’m glad we’ll be able to present portions of the script “on its feet” rather than simply as a reading.  Hopefully the audience will feel the same way!

Meg Harkins (Christine) and Tori Ulrich (Mrs. Sputtle) in a rehearsal scene from Act 1 of Becoming Ingrid

Read more »

Photo blog 5-6-09

Posted by DCA Theater on May 8, 2009 in January-June 2009 Season, INCUBATOR Series: Rubicon Theatre Project

by Scott Allen Luke, Managing Director of Rubicon Theatre Project

Actors, Jeff Taylor & Tori Ulrich

Actor, April Pletcher Taylor

Read more »

First Read Through

Posted by DCA Theater on May 7, 2009 in January-June 2009 Season, INCUBATOR Series: Rubicon Theatre Project

by Scott Allen Luke, Managing Director of Rubicon Theatre Project and actor playing Andre and Ewan

As the Managing Director of Rubicon Theatre Project, I feel it’s probably necessary to mention at the onset that “Becoming Ingrid” is a play that has already been written.  A New York-based playwright, Liza Lentini, has written the piece.  She feels confident with where the script is at right now, so now we are digging deep this month to explore the depths of the play and the relationships between the characters.

“Becoming Ingrid” is a lot about being alone versus the companionship you have with a spouse, a life partner, a significant other.  It’s also about obsession and what happens when one human elevates another human to godlike stature.  Why do people do that?  It’ll be interesting to explore this idea. 

The piece is also very wordy.  In fact, the main character Christine, mentions this quite a bit throughout the script.  She seems to yearn to hide behind beautiful words in the midst of an otherwise “un-“beautiful world.  Does that really work?