Photo Night

We had a lovely photo shoot for The Runner Stumbles last Tuesday with Kyle Cassidy. As always it was a treat! The actors got all dressed up, we scouted the building for the perfect backdrop, and got a bunch of wonderful press photos.

Rehearsing and performing a play about a nun and a priest in a church has its advantages. We had some lovely locations to work with around the Calvary building, although it was a bummer to everyone that the stain glass windows were dark because of the rainstorm going on outside!

Take a look at these behind the scenes photos:

Steve and Isa pose for Kyle.

Kyle at work.

Did anyone call for a lawyer?

Steve and Isa pose (this time we're out in the hall!).

Paul lights Aetna, who is creepin' at the top of the stairs.

And the finished product:

Press shot for "The Runner Stumbles"
Taken by Kyle Cassidy. Pictured: Isa St. Clair and Steve Carpenter 

Stay tuned for more behind the scenes pictures of Season 8!

There's a Tempest a' brewing!

Rehearsals are once again underway! We've got a cast; we've got a director; we've got designers. Now it's time to think about putting on a show! If you're wondering what we're doing to get ready for Shakespeare's The Tempest take a gander at the photos below!

First Read
(L/R: Ken Opdenaker, Steve Carpenter, Brian McCann, Isa St. Clair)

Just finished the first read
(L/R: Anna Butler, Liam Castellan, Robert DaPonte, Isa St. Clair)

First day on our feet - Director Dan Hodge blocks the Royals
(L/R: Paul Kuhn, Aetna Gallagher, Eric Scotolati, Liam Castellan, Ken Opdenaker, Dan Hodge)

Set Designer Paul Kuhn contemplates the stage during a break

Week Three, Eurydice

If you don't think that beautiful rhyme in today's blog title was cleverly thought out, then clearly you're not reading it the same way I am. But that doesn't mean you can't read on!

This week we had a wonderful Designer Run for, well, the designers. What is this thing we call a Designer Run? It's all in the name. We do a full (but still rough) run through without stopping for our designers so that they can see the full product. Most of them haven't seen anything of the show up until this point in the rehearsal process. So, for instance, the lighting designer can see where the actors are, what the mood of a scene is, and then have an idea of what and how he needs to light the show. Pretty neat, huh? We also had a lovely visit from our composer. He had lots of great tunes for us to dance, bike, and Suzuki to.

The lights are almost all up. The actors are off book. Next week is tech. We are, as they say, moving right along.

What did we learn this week?

• Glenn Miller is all you could want in a fifty's musician, and more
• String houses don't just take time, they take a lot of time
• The Arden Shakespeare edition of King Lear makes a fantastic thump noise when thrown from a height of 10 feet
• Orpheus writes a lot of letters...



Stones and Eurydice take direction

Hats are fun!

Working Stones

Orpheus writes another letter

Father takes a phone call

Two Weeks Down

Week two of rehearsal: complete. This week we had another lovely visit from Josh Browns for our third and final Suzuki workshop, and we started delving into the language of the Stones. We have, as foretold by the mystic prophesy of rehearsal schedule, moved and grooved our way through the Second Movement, and are now ready for the epic conclusion of this three part play.

On the schedule for next week is the Third Movement. This may not seem as exciting as, say, a week of dancing and Suzuki, but believe you me, it is! The end of the play is something we haven't seen hide nor tail of since the read through. Who can remember how it ends!?

What did we learn this week?

• Making a list of what we learned is super fun: I'm making it a weekend tradition!
• Tricycles are not built for adults
• String houses don't just take time, they also take patience, and a whole heck of a lot of imagination
• Suitcases can be stylish, and fun to sit in!

Stones strike a pose

Suitcases are comfy!

Orpheus writes another letter to Eurydice

He's growing, can't you tell?

The Art Behind the Mask

We are deep into the rehearsal process for Curio's next production, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead," a darkly comedic look into the psyches of two of the minor characters in Shakespeare's "Hamlet," written by the brilliant Tom Stoppard. Many of the actors double as members of the King of Denmark's court and members of the traveling group of players that comes to entertain the court. Director, Liz Carlson, has made the wonderful choice of having the players be a troupe of Commedia dell'Arte actors, which means: MASKS! MOVEMENT! WORKSHOPS!

This week we were fortunate enough to have Brendon Gawel of Philadelphia's Ombelico Mask Ensemble come to lead us in a Commedia workshop, reviewing the stock characters and their quirks with us. It was fascinating, fun and exhausting. I think we all realized just how many leg muscles are used in maintaining the basic Commedia stance, let alone are required for any sort of movement through space!

The plaster half-masks we will be using in performance are still under construction and will, hopefully, be ready for use in rehearsal by the end of this week.

Here, Brian McCann, who plays the role of the Player, is being fitted for his mask by artistic director, Paul Kuhn (Paul wears many hats at Curio, including set designer and constructor... but more on the set later.)



Facial hair had to be protected by vaseline and tape so that the strips of plaster wouldn't stick to the face, making removal of the hardened mask a painful process. As it was, it required only a scrunching of the facial muscles to pop the mold off. The twenty minutes it took for the soft strips to harden on the face were incredibly relaxing, at least for me, and I found myself naturally using my hands and arms to express myself as I waited for the process to be complete.

I can't wait to post an update with photos of the fully-molded and painted Commedia masks!

Until next time,

-Jennifer Summerfield
(Gertrude/Commedia actor)