Oh Sweet Validation!

September 23, 2007

"True!--nervous--very, very dreadfully nervous I had been, and am . . ."

-Edgar Allen Poe

We return once again, for the second installment in the annals of our troupe. It should be noted that we are the third and final company to be sent forth from Boston this season, under the banner of 'Encore', the productions title.* This means we now have dominion over all of the Uphams Corner rehearsal space, since the other companies have already departed. Well, partial dominion; we must share with the mice.

We've also added the final three members to our merry band, who will be in charge of the smoke and mirrors:

Wild Erin Whipkey: Though deceptively soft-spoken, we are convinced that our meticulous stage manager is actually harboring a wild-child inside. Bookies all over the east coast are placing bets on how many weeks into the tour it will be before she drops the act and starts partying like its 1999.

DJ Quincy Nate (Beckman): Blastin' his beats, he storms all over the show with an unending barrage of hoof beats, thunderclaps and animal noises. You want a door creak? He's got you one. You want a frog jump? He done already jumped up in there. He's got you covered like a Britney Spears wig.

Master Marty O'Hearn - Illusionist: Though his origins are obscure, its clear that Martin is experienced in the art of prestidigitation. When not counseling David Copperfield on tricks of the trade, this shadowy figure can be seen moving among the catwalks and manipulating everything from shadow puppets to search lights; whatever it takes.

. . . and with our new friends in tow we embarked on our first mission as a company: a run-through of the full production for the Producer. Now from day one we had been hearing stories of anguish from other companies and others affiliated with the process about actors being replaced after not meeting the producer's standards. Since we only had time for one run-through before the Producer Run, and because this run-through went extraordinarily badly, one could understand our excited nerves heading into the Producer Run last Wednesday. The sentiment was best expressed by Brent the day before. He started prefacing all of his sentences or questions thusly:

Brent: "Erin?"

Erin: "Yes?"

Brent: "So, when I get fired tomorrow . . . "

Pretty much how a lot of us were feeling at the time. The tension was palpable, and imagine our surprise and relief when the Producer Run went very well. It was certainly not without flaws, but the performance was strong and we all felt a lot better afterwards having the producer approve of our progress.

And now we have another week to perfect and hone the show before we head into tech rehearsals at the end of this week, leaving Uphams Corner behind. Though I will miss the convenience of the location, the change to our new digs . . . The Chevalier (pronounced Shuh-vahl-ee-ay) will be welcome. In fact the only ones sad about our departure will be the Uphams mice, who are very glad to have us around. There's a prevailing theory that the mice are quite well acquainted with these plays after observing thirty years of rehearsals, and that they reenact the shows at night while we're away. It's quite possible that there are theatrical rodent families, who pass the roles on to one another:

Mouse Thespian1: "I MUST play Herbert in The Monkey's Paw! Its a family tradition. My great-great-great-great-grandfather played him two years ago."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(ha! mouse jokes!)

Most exciting this week was the birthday celebration of dashing Debonair Diseth! It commenced Saturday evening at the casa of Kate's roommate Al the Chef, who prepared an epic feast. Bread was broken, libations were poured, and a good time was had by all. Though conversation was unusually low-key without the presence of Brent's constant Meg-heckling (its become a mainstay of the rehearsal process. Every 10-15 minutes we get a new quip from Brent regarding Meg's age, intellect, or opinions. And although the repartee is immensely entertaining, MIGHTY MEG MARK has declared open war on her Russki tourmate . . . ) we did have some very entertaining slugs that kept trying to inch their way to join the party. One especially bold slug actually made it into Peter's glass while he wasn't looking. Happy Birthday with a slime trail . . . and many happy returns.

More will follow as E3 prepares to get technical this week and slip into the second half of the rehearsal process. The first test passed, success celebrated, and many more to come!

Taking the suck out,
(and the creepy)

-ICHABOD

*the designation E3 will henceforth be used in reference to the company.

Beginnings . . .

"Stay for me there, I will not fail,
to meet thee in that hollow vale"

-Edgar Allen Poe

Welcome! Welcome, to our stark, antiquated little corner of the Athens of America. Referred to as 'Uphams Corner' in the local patois, a rather unremarkable conglomeration of dilapidated brownstones on the south end of Boston. Our origins are far-reaching, from the pacific northwest, to the Lone Star State, and all the way back up to NYC (capitol of the world).We've gathered in this hollow vale on the uppermost floor of an abandoned Masonic lodge, (replete with crests, carvings, and stained glass aracana amidst the flaking paint and beat wooden floors) to incarnate five classic tales, and imbue them with the tragic magic that is our trade.

It is the lofty aim of our fellowship not only to create artistically brilliant, impeccably entertaining theatrical productions, but also to commit ourselves to a prolonged itenerancy, as a means of conveying our histrionic hamboning to audiences all over the country. A worthy endeavor if e'er there was one!

The Dramatis Personae of our party is as motley as one could wish. Though a full introduction will follow in due course, I sincerely hope, dear reader, that this synopsis will suffice for the now:

P. Debonaire Diseth: Don't let his mild-mannered looks fool you, he once performed the unabridged text of King Lear while Indian leg-wrestling Bigfoot. And who said Olympia wasn't interesting?

MIGHTY MEG MARK: Many men made Meg melt; many made Meg mad; mostly Meg maintains Meg-quilibrium. Meg's magnanimous, metropolitan, & man, Meg marvelously manages magnificent melodrama!

Kitty Kat Costello: Blithe and playful, this sultry soubrette is no stranger to touring vagabondage.

Baryshnikov Bradley: Yankee-bred, Russki-trained, he's referred to as 'The Machine'. His offstage time is spent exploring the nuances of Prussian mating rituals.

B.D. Tex Bell: Although this cowboy's portrayals err on the side of 'Brokeback' rather than 'Gunsmoke', he swears that at least one woman at the theater loves his 'bod.

Hoping that your interest is piqued, we leave you now to the meanderings of your own wild fancy.

Until next time,

ICHABOD