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Scary & exciting!

Posted by DCA Theater on October 8, 2011 in July-December 2011 Season, The Spirit Play

Submitted by Matt Holzfeind, the actor who plays Mr. Gerard in The Spirit Play and a company member of The Strange Tree Group

BOO!

Did we scare you? 

No?

Well… maybe you don’t scare easy. 

We here at The Strange Tree Group don’t scare easy either. But I will tell you one thing… we are scared right now. Deathly scared. But also incredibly excited. This weekend we open the World Premiere of The Spirit Play, by Emily Schwartz, at the DCA Storefront Theater, in downtown Chicago, IL. And right now, the world is full of ghastly (see: ghostly) possibilities…

Let me give you some background. Our journey began over a year ago. Right here, in fact! Strange Tree was fortunate enough to be accepted into the DCA Incubator Series: A program, through the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture in association with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, that is designed to promote and support the creation of new work by emerging Chicago theater companies (see: us!). At the time, The Spirit Play was only an idea, being whispered clandestinely in dark, seedy corners. Through the Incubator program, we were given rehearsal space, resources, and time to develop this idea… culminating in a one-night showcase event, sponsored by DCA Theater and open to the public, to present what we’d come up with to a gaggle of unsuspecting, yet highly attractive audience members. It was a tremendous success, but the journey clearly wasn’t over…

Over the next 8 months or so, The Spirit Play was nestled safely in one of The Strange Tree’s highest most comfortable branches, while we dove headfirst into our next project: Another little World Premiere called The Three Faces of Dr. Crippen, at the Steppenwolf Garage Rep. Also penned by the lovely and talented Ms. Schwartz, and directed by the extraordinary Jimmy McDermott, Crippen won the hearts of many a theatergoer… not too mention also winning Jeff Awards for Best Direction and Best New Play. 

So naturally, when called upon to revisit The Spirit Play (now, with the intent of being a full-fledged production at the DCA Storefront Theater), we decided to not fix what clearly wasn’t broken. We invited the same directorial and design team that helped make Crippen such a success, back to play with us again. We then climbed up, and retrieved our little beginning, and so began anew.

It was no easy feat. Months of workshops and read-throughs, in the confines of Emily’s apartment… surrounded with lap-tops, cookies and glasses of wine. Then came casting, and the rehearsal process. Production meetings and magic consultations. And re-writes, and re-thoughts, and re-imaginings. Spirit cabinets, period costumes, Victorian sets, spectral lights, bells, fire, and even glorious gifts from the beyond. Everything coming together—not always in concert—but always in a shared direction, toward where we come to this very evening: the opening of a brand new play that tells a story about what it means to believe in the unbelievable.

This brings to mind a final thought. Is there room for magic in the world we live in today? What does it mean to have faith in something that, on all accounts, should not be possible? What would you say to someone you loved, who you knew was gone forever? And what lengths would you go to, if you thought you had the chance? Is it possible to come together with other strangers in a room and witness something fantastical, that you knew not to be real, yet still glean an emotional and healing response? A medium’s parlor perhaps… or even a theatre?

Is there is room for magic? We think so. As an actor, I can tell you that magic happens every time I walk on stage… a shared communion between the audience and I: that what is happening in front of them is true, even though it isn’t real.  But if we both try hard enough, perhaps collectively we can will it to be so.

So let’s begin. This weekend. The both of us. Let’s go on this journey, and discover this magic together.

It is indeed a scary prospect… but a truly exciting one as well.