Podcast #178

Ubu For President is about a big slobbering, farting war general who becomes the leader of the make-believe land called Fugall who goes on to rape, pillage and plunder the men women and children of the land…

…So why and the hell would anyone want to watch this show?

Because it is going to be FUN, proclaims the Patrick Dooley, Director of the show and Artistic Director of Shotgun Players Theatre Company.

The play, UBU FOR PRESIDENT, is loosely based on the play UBU ROI, by Alfred Jarry. And when I say loosely based, I am talking loose like a Hilton Heiress.

Ubu Roi, the original play by Alfred Jarry, was ground breaking for many reasons. One of those reasons was because when it premiered in 1896, the first word from the mouths of actors was “marde”.

Now for those of you who don’t know any French, the American equivalent would be “shit”. During the 1800’s and early 1900’s, it was not very polite to be so blunt in the theatre. People were so in an uproar when they heard “Marde”, a riot broke out.

That’s right, the aristocratic crowd, that still unfortunately defines theatre, went into an uproar. So Mr. Philip and his little lap dog, stood up and slapped, Mrs. Gooder with his white glove. And so spread the violence thru-out the theatre.

The word “shit” will not startle any American audience today, but this is an indication of how the play UBU FOR PRESIDENT will be.

Not your typical politically correct play, and as far as I am concerned, we need more - less politically correct plays in our repertoire.

Why did Patrick Dooley and the Shotgun Theatre Players decide to do a play based on a shoe string connection to the original play (Ubu Roi)?

Politics baby, Politics

The Historic 2008 presidential election is upon us, and the Shotgun Players want to have some fun. What they really want to do is turn politics upside down. And how are they going to achieve that?

As described by director and Artistic director, Patrick Dooley, it is a freak fest, carnival, fart fest hyped up for your enjoyment. It turns out that the play Ubu for President has men dressed as women, women dressed as men, women dressed as animals. If that is not crazy, I don’t know what is? But they ado all this to help lighten the mood for the tough economic climate that Americans now face.

And we also face an election that can categorically move us forward in our race relations with ourselves. But in order to do that, we must be willing to look at some ugly aspects about ourselves.

I don’t know about you, but looking at ugly aspects about myself can be a painful proposition. It is not something that people like doing. Which is why the Shotgun players are putting a play onstage that will allow you to see the ugly side of America, without you having to do the painful introspection thing. That will definitely take some pressure off of you while still allowing you to examine the changes that need to happen in our world.

If you like the absurdist movement, then you are about to appreciate UBU FOR PRESIDENT, because this play is loosely derived from what some same to be the grandfather of that movement, Alfred Jarry…

…I know the creators of Dumb and Dumber, and Porkies give credit to Jarry as influencing their work.

Of course many of us know Beckett as the Father of the absurdist movement, but Jarry had his place also. But when you think of the characters that Alfred Jarry wrote, you can see that modern day films that many would consider “marde”, were in-fact possible because of the risks that Alfred Jarry took. Jarry writes low ball characters, who tend to be crude, self-serving, sloppy, rude people who resort to lowball tactics to get what they want.

This is certainly true of some of the “great” comedies of our time. (Now I know there will be a few of you out there who refuse to see Dumb and Dumber as a great comedy, and that is your choice, but there were elements of brilliance in that movie).

There is nothing sophisticated about the characters that Jarry wrote. They were simpletons that everybody could identify with on some level. The thing is, nobody ever saw themselves as that character, we only knew of people like that.

Ubu Roi was a king who went around murdering, pillaging, and raping the population. Not many people see themselves as that type of person. But we can identify with elements of what makes a person a bad person.

Ubu For President, written by Shotgun Players, takes Ubu Roi, written by Alfred Jarry, and transports it into a modern day context, complete with whole lot of mayhem, that even you the audience will want to take part of…

Even if you feel you are ‘above’ the antics of the less than everyday man. Go out and have some fun!

Ubu for President is set in a country called Fugall. If you can have fun with that, then you are absolutely the type of person who should not go see this production. The minute I heard Patrick Dooley (director) say that word, I immediately had to stop the interview just so I could have fun with that word. If you can’t see the fun in that word, but want a little clue, I would advise you to listen to this interview. You might just laugh!

Ubu for President, in which Ubu is that same, fat, disgusting, self serving, murderous person as in the original play, takes you on a journey on what might happen with this type of character in a modern democratic election.

So in this production there will be debates in front of the audience. You will have the presidential candidates meeting the common man and kissing babies. There will be people at tea parties and fundraisers.

In other words, the Shotgun Players want this to look like a real life presidential race, with Ubu at its helm.

And even more interesting is what happens at a debate when there is food around. Shotgun players is going to give the audience liberty to express themselves with food. And by that I mean that if the audience is not satisfied with a particular candidate, they can throw food.

Now they are not going to have potatoes, or cantaloupe, or something that can give the actors a concussion. But there will be items like cabbage, carrots, bread and things of the sort.

Shotgun Players wants strong audience participation in this play. You are encouraged to speak out, you are encouraged to voice your opinion, and you are encouraged to barrage the actors with food.

One word of caution though. They may do to you what you do to them!

What do you think the most difficult aspect of putting this show together was?

I asked Patrick and he gives an honest answer

You have a responsibility audience. And it is a responsibility that I am giving to you.

You see, the most difficult thing about directing the show, for Patrick, was coming up with crazy things to do on stage. The spirit of the play was to find the most outrageous way to tell a story. Patrick’s job was to find things that seemed outrageous, but felt familiar.

So your responsibility, when you go see this production is to notice if the production falls short because of lack of structure. Notice if the production falls short because of the use of gags, and craziness just because.

OR

Maybe the play works for those very same reasons.

Your job, cool as hell audience, is to decide if the play works, and how.

SHOW NOTES
Shotgun Players Theatre: The Website

Playing August 2 - September 14, 2008
Ubu For President: Buy Tickets

Listen Now

alfred jarry patrick dooley Shotgun Players ubu for president ubu roi

Podcast #176

THERE IS A SHOW COMING CALLED “WHAT YOU WILL”

Initially to be called BARD FOR LIFE, until performer / playwright decided on the more practical

And it stars a gentleman of distinction. It will be playing July 18th - August 9th, 2008 at A.C.T’s Geary theatre for a limited engagement run.

I don’t want to give to much away at the beginning because this is one on the coolest interviews to ever grace Cool As Hell. But I will tell you that this is a one man show that takes a romp thru Shakespearean soliloquies, and does so with humor. It is being performed by a veteran Shakespearean actor who knows how to make compelling characters.

And in this interview, although I knew him to be a compelling actor, I felt the title of his new one man show, WHAT YOU WILL, was rather dull and non-descript. So in those words, dull and non-descript, I ask this veteran stage, tv and film actor to explain his choice for the title of his show.

What he revealed was eye opening to me. I learned something about one of Shakespeare plays that I had never known. WHAT YOU WILL is actually the secondary title to one of shakespeares plays.

But Roger, in this interview, gives us about 3 layers to the reason why he chose the title WHAT YOU WILL. And they make great sense

IF YOU LISTEN TO THIS INTERVIEW, YOU’LL GAIN VALUABLE INSIGHT INTO CRAFT AND TECHNIQUE OF ACTING WORTH THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS!

It sounds terrific, but, when and Obie winning, Tony winning actor, who has acted along side some of the BIGGEST NAMES in HOLLYWOOD discusses character, the VALUE of listening to this FREE podcast is ASTRONOMICAL!

How many times in your life have you gotten up close and personal with a true film, TV, and stage legend and gotten to listen to him distill his knowledge down into tasty bite sized morsels that allow you to walk onto the stage and start utilizing them? RIGHT AWAY!

I am going to venture to guess that you don’t have that opportunity very often. But that is ok. I am going to venture to say that even I don’t get that opportunity very often. So I am sure you can understand the thrill I experienced when I got that opportunity with a man whose name you probably won’t recognize, but whose face has been around the entertainment block a few times.

What if I told you the man who was dispensing this knowledge had no pretentious intentions. As a matter of fact, he was as down to earth as you and your next door neighbor. I mean humbleness oozed out of him (until of course, at one point in the interview I asked him to unleash his ego. He did it brilliantly, by the way).

Let me tell it to you like this.
Because this man has been on so much television.
Because this man has been in so many films.
Because this man has set foot on many of the most prestigious stages.
And because this man is now marketing, publicizing and performing his one man show…

EVERYBODY wanted to interview him. And when Cool As Hell got the email invite to come in for the interview, well, lets just say cool as hell is as cool as hell does (meaning our jaws hit the ground but we never let them see us sweat!) But you see, this gentleman had A TON of interviews before I got the chance to interview him. I was actually the last on his agenda (not because we weren’t cool as hell enough, but because my schedule wouldn’t allow for me to be there any earlier. And this gentleman, and his PR firm were kind enough to accommodate my schedule (thank you Carla).

So As you can imagine, or at least I was imagining, this fellow had to be SICK of doing interviews. But guess what? He seemed thrilled, energetic, and truly honored to be on the Cool As Hell Theatre Show.

I say this because I was certain that he was going to give me some dull-drum answers and kind of go thru the motions. But, and I say But here, but he didn’t. He gave me his undivided attention. He put careful thought into his answers. He was generous with his responses and gracious in his demeanor.

And that’s why I believe the San Francisco Bay Area’s premier performing arts podcast was able to capture some golden advice from a veteran of the stage, TV and film.

Some of the insights he gave into the craft of acting was something that every actor, director and audience member should listen to intently. He explains the mistakes people tend to make when they tackle Shakespeare. And to be honest with you, having myself been taught by some master Shakespeare teachers, I agree with him wholeheartedly.

Acting tips that you’d have to pay thousands of dollars for to hear from some random acting teacher…

How many of you actors, directors or even general audience members who have encountered Shakespeare have heard it treated like it is a religious piece of text? And how do you remember the production? Was it memorable? Was it enjoyable?

I hope you answered these questions with a resounding NO!

It is not a religious text, and this great actor, with EXTENSIVE Shakespearan knowledge believes that to treat it like it is such does not serve the text. It makes it dull, it makes it boring and it makes it unwatchable.

he then goes on to speculate on what Shakespeare may have sounded like. LITERALLY. This guest (and I will let you in on a little secret…He is British) seems to think that Shakespeare sounds best and was meant to be performed as Americans do and as Americans sound.

And to top it off, when you understand that Shakespeare understood the human condition better than anyone else, you come away with a mountain of gold worth of advice from this gentleman.

Take it from me, if you value information, if you value wisdom distilled from experience, if you value principles of performance, you are going to want to listen to this whole interview. It is chalk full of information that will definitely make you a better performer and possible a better human being.

Here is another tip in equation form:
Humanness -poetry +story for story sake –religious experience = HUGE PAYOFF IN CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

This may not make absolute sense, but after you listen to the interview, this will come to light.

NAME DROPPING, IN MY OPINION, CAN BE A HUGE TURN OFF, LIKE SOME PION TRYING TO BE SOMETHING HE IS NOT. BUT…

What happens when the name dropping is well qualified? By a well qualified individual? Is it still repulsive?

There is a podcast that I did by a gentleman who claimed he wrote and was responsible for the movie The Wedding Crasher with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. I actually met him quite by accident.

I was at a Family Pickle Circus anniversary event (and if I may name drop here, that is where the great Bill Irwin, whom I have interviewed, did a lot of training). I was there to do coverage of the event. As I was setting up, a gentleman walked over, introduced himself, and begin to pitch away.

“My name is Rex Reginald and I want to give you the interview of a lifetime. You probably don’t know me by name but you definitely know my work. You know the movie The Wedding Crashers? Well I am THE original wedding crasher. I wrote the book on crashing weddings. As a matter of fact I am currently in a lawsuit right now against the producers of the movie for not acknowledging who I am, the book I wrote and me being an inspiration for that movie. Isn’t that ridiculous? They would never have had a movie if it wasn’t for my book. I mean the techniques in that movie were soooo similar to what I laid out, I was astonished when I saw the movie. I mean I was flummoxed, or as you African Americans like to say, I was bamboozled. You know what I mean brotha? Well anyway, incase you don’t believe me I want to show you some pictures. [podcast #34]

This guys pulls out magazine covers, magazine articles, with him standing next to some big name stars. And he is spewing his fast talk faster than a Ferrari Modena can reach 60 from standstill. And I had to admit, I was intrigued by it all, BUT…

…at the same time I was leary! And he gave me his card and said that I should give him a call to do an interview.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, pimps, players and hustlers of the theatre world, I did him one better. I said “how about right now? I have a few minutes.” He agreed and we were off the to races.

After the interview, I was exhausted. Not physically tired, but mentally drained. This guy talked a mile a minute and named dropped with an efficacy that Heidi Fleiss couldn’t match if she was reading from her black book.

In the end, I ruled him out as a phony. And so did the listeners who wrote to the Cool as Hell Theatre Podcast. Many of them went out and researched the guy only to come up with NOTHING to substantiate any of his claims.

So why am I telling you all of this? This guy Rex Reginald named dropped because he was A PION TRYING TO BE SOME BIG SHOT HOLLYWOOD PLAYER when in actuality he was obviously the red headed bastard child of a love tryst gone horribly wrong by 2 people who could never make anything of themselves.

That is name dropping gone bad.

The flip side to this story is…

The gentleman in this current show IS the EXACT OPPOSITE. When this guy name drops, he does so with credentials to back him up.

When this guy name drops, he does so with stories so believable, you know he is genuine.

When this guy name drops, he does so with some of the biggest legends in television, stage and film, and has personal details about these persons that would be hard to find in public media.

PLEASE TELL ME, WHO IS THIS GUY ALREADY? AND WHAT NAMES, FOR GODS SAKE, DOES HE DROP?

He is none other than Roger Rees.

Now before you go saying “WHO???? Who in the hell is Roger Rees???”, let me give you his background.

Do you remember the Television Show “Cheers”. Well he was the character named Robin Colcord, the multimillionaire industrialist who was hot for Rebecca Howe (played by Kirstie Ally). If you ever saw the show, Cheers, you know his character and how brilliantly he played Robin Colcord.

So Roger Rees can talk about Woody Harrelson, Shelley Long, John Ratzenberger, Kelsey Grammer, Kirstie Alley, Ted Danson, George Wendt, Bebe Neuwirth, and Rhea Perlman.

TV and Film Credits include:
Lord John Marbury (West Wing)
Carlin Marlow (Greys Anatomy)
The Prestige
The Invasion
The Pink Panther
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Frida
A Midsummer Nights Dream
Garfield

But believe me when I say this IS not an exhaustive list. Check out his complete list of works at the internet movie database.

Not only is Roger Rees an accomplished TV and Film actor, he is also an accomplished stage actor. When I say this cat is accomplished, I mean award winning. But let me first say that he spent 22 years in one of the most prestigious Shakespeare companies in the world. I am sure that many of you know what company that is. The Royal Shakespeare Company. It was while he was a company member there that he won an Olivier Award for his role in the RSC’s THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF NICHOLAS NICKLEBY.

In case you don’t know, the Olivier awards are the British equivalent of our American Tony Awards. Which by the way, I should say, he also won a Tony award for the same role in the LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF NICHOLAS NICKLEBY.

So back to the name dropping issue. He can drop the names of the famous alumni of the Cheers cast, but it goes deeper than that. Although the Cheers cast has some very famous people, and although the Cheers alumni boasts of some very talented individuals, Roger Rees goes on to name drop some even BIGGER names than the Cheers cast.

Listen in to hear about his exploits with Ben Kingsley, as they traveled to Los Angeles during a production. Ben Kingsley is an Oscar winner for his portrayal of Ghandi, in the movie Ghandi. He is a 3 time Oscar nominee for best supporting actor in the movies Bugsy, Sexy beast and House of Sand and Fog.

Ben Kingsley has been in well over 150 television and TV roles. His latest, more popular films include, The Love Guru (2008), Lucky Number Slevin (2006), Oliver Twist (2005), Suspect Zero (2004), etc.

How about the name Patrick Stuart, who Roger Rees also counts as a friend. Patrick Stuart is an Emmy-, Golden Globe-, and Tony-nominated English film, television and stage actor.

Patrick Stuart is most well known for his roles as Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the starship Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor Xavier in the X-Men films.

Then there is his good friend Judy Dench.
She has won 9 BAFTAs,
6 Laurence Olivier Awards,
1 Academy Award,
1 Golden Globe,
and 1 Tony.

“Dench’s more recent film career has been extremely successful. She successfully garnered six Academy Award nominations in nine years for Mrs Brown in 1997; her Oscar-winning turn as Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love in 1998; for Chocolat in 2000; for the lead role of writer Iris Murdoch in Iris in 2001 (with Kate Winslet playing her as a younger woman); for Mrs Henderson Presents (a romanticised history of the Windmill Theatre) in 2005; and for 2006’s Notes on a Scandal, a film for which she received critical acclaim, including Golden Globe, Academy Award, BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild nominations.” [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judi_Dench]

Ohhh, wait. And let’s not forget the godfather of acting (and no I am not talking about Al Pachino’s Scarface). I am talking about the real life, contemporary godfather of acting.

HERE IS A HINT: STELLAAAAAAAAAA!

That’s right. Roger Rees has walked along side Laurence Olivier. Roger Rees has been on screen with the big O. And Roger Rees has a story about Mr. Olivier that he reveals on the Cool As Hell Theatre podcast.

So although name dropping can be the mark of a wannabe, of a pion, of a nobody trying to ride on the coattails of those who have worked hard to establish themselves, when Roger Rees does it, it feels absolutely genuine.

A VETERAN BRITISH ACTOR DECLARES AMERICANS AS GOOD OR BETTER AT SHAKESPEARE THAN THE BRITISH.

There has always been a long debate about whether the British where better at acting Shakespeare compared to Americans. The British have always felt that they were superior handlers of the language than the Americans. But Americans have always felt that they embodied the soul of the meaning behind the lines of Shakespeare.

Here we have, recorded and on “tape”, a 22 year Royal Shakespeare Company alumni saying, “This New generation of young American actors do shakespeare better than anyone I have seen and I has worked with all the great actors.”

I will take that as a victory for the strength of Shakespearian performances on the American soil.

GO OUT AND SEE ROGER REES PERFORMING “WHAT YOU WILL”

The British are coming, The British are coming

This is his show that he is bringing to the SF Bay Area. “This is hysterical (and somewhat historical) 90 minute gallop through all things Shakespearean is an irreverent one-man everything there is “to be or not to be” about William Shakespeare: the greatest soliloquies ever written along with side splitting accounts of the funniest disasters ever perpetrated on the stage.”

SHOW NOTES
American Conservatory Theatre: The Website

Playing July 18–August 9, 2008
Get Tickets: Roger Rees’ WHAT YOU WILL

Listen Now

a.c.t. act american conservatory theatre ben kingsley carla befera judy dench laurence olivier patrick stewart roger rees shakespeare

Podcast #175

IMAGINE YOUR SIBLING, WHO YOU ARE CLOSE TO, SUDDENLY DOES SOMETHING THAT GOES AGAINST THE VERY FIBER OF YOUR BEING. WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

I will tell you what Bay Area artist, Liza Raynal did. She created a show. Can you imagine being put in a position of having someone so close to you do something that seemed so fundamentally counterpoint to your ideals, that you had to totally re-adjust your attitude about what life was about? Well that is how liza Raynal felt, when her little brother decided to take his life into his own hands.

What did he do you ask?

Before we get into that, let’s take a look at their relationship.

They grew up in a house hold where Liza felt she had to be the protector of her little brother. I never really find out why. I can only speculate.

I suspect the older child syndrome, where by default, the older sibling feels the need to protect the younger sibling. It is almost as if the older sibling, in this case Liza, takes on a parental role. It was easy for me to see how Liza could have taken on the mentality of “I am older, I have more life experience than you.”

Kind of like our parents did to us when we began to break our parental ties in search of teenage autonomy. Whether or not this is true, in regards to Liza and her brother, is as good as anybodies guess. She certainly didn’t say any of this to me. I just inferred it.

I also suspect there was some intellectual leashing going on in their relationship. Can I confirm this? No. But I CAN explain how I come to this conclusion.

When you listen to the interview, you will hear an interesting segment in which Liza reveals that her brother did not want her to do the show, AMERICAN JOE. Intrigued by this, and knowing that the play was HEAVILY inspired by their relationship, I ask why. She replies that her brother didn’t want people to think of him and his friends as mindless dummies who had no ability to make an educated decision about their life’s direction.

Well when I heard that I had to know if she was portraying them in that manner. And do you know what her answer was? Let’s just say that her answer sparked the idea that she felt she had intellectual control over her little brother.

Again, let me assert that I cannot confirm the validity of my opinion. They are in fact, just my opinion. BUT…being that I am cool as hell, I am sure that you agree that I can express my opinion on my own damn show.

DO YOU REMEMBER THE TIME IN YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU STOOD UP AGAINST AUTHORITY AND MADE THE BIGGEST DECISION OF YOU LIFE? AND I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT TIME YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE A BAD ASS AND FOUND THE COUAGE TO TELL YOUR DAD TO “SHUT UP!”

Polar opposites. That is something you have to understand in order to appreciate the significant decision that Liza’s brother made: The decision that would rock her world.
So what are some polar opposites? Just a few to get us in the mood:

Country Music – Rock and Roll

Black – White

Little – Big

Ballet – Kick Boxing

Thin – Fat

Ying – Yang

Microsoft – Linux

Hyundai – Mercedes

Wal-Mart – Habitat For Humanity

I am sure you get the picture by now.

So what was it that Liza’s brother did? What decision did he make that forced his sister to produce a play in record time?

He joined the Army. And now the pacifist sister was faced with losing proximity to her brother (thus no more leash), and had to deal with a member of her liberal family going off to kill in the name of patriotism. No longer could she delude herself with thinking she could impose her beliefs and ideals on her little brother. And now she had to deal with the ramifications of little puppy dog growing up ready to establish his identity in the world and his autonomy.

WHEN AN ANIMAL IS BACKED INTO A CORNER, IT WILL FIGHT FOR IT’S FREEDOM AND SOMETIMES TRY TO EXERT ITS DOMINANCE OVER THE ATTACKING PREDATOR

I stated earlier that I felt that during much of their relationship, Liza may have felt she had an intellectual leash on her brother. And when you listen to the interview, there will be a point in the interview where that becomes evident and you will understand why I was able to draw that conclusion.

Not only does little brother make a decision for himself that would shake the foundations of his relationship with his sister, be begins to exert his dominance over her when she decides to do a play chronicling there relationship up to and just beyond the point of enlistment.

IN THE WORLD OF THE ARTS WHAT IS THE BIGGEST SIN PERPETRATED AGAINST AN ARTIST? HOW ABOUT A BEING BOUND AND GAGGED. OR SHOULD I SAY…

CENSORSHIP! Little brother decides that, although big sister had a right to express her thoughts about their relationship, she DID not have the right to express the thoughts he communicated to her about the Army without his express consent.

So what happens is that little brother and big sister have discussions about little brother’s experience in the Army. Little brother opens up to big sister. Big sister, many times, sits on the phone STUNNED at the harrowing accounts her brother retells. Sister figures that these would make good theatrical presentations. BUT…

SCORE ONE FOR THE LITTLER BROTHER

…and here is where little brother begins to exert dominance, little brother expressly forbids her from retelling stories that he told her. In other words, Liza cannot retell any story that she herself did not have first hand knowledge about or could not find in public records.

So part of the show, American Joe, deals with Liza’s ability or inability to deal with the changes that affect her life amidst the major decision her brother makes. Liza’s ideals are tested:

How to maintain love when someone so damn close to you demonstrates, fundamentally, that they are not the same as you and don’t wish to be (this can be devastating to someone use to controlling a relationship)

What it takes for a family to stick together when a local decision (brother’s decision to join the army) has global implications (the brother could never understand how his decision would affect the whole family)

The idea of free speech, and free choice and his ability to make a decision that Liza would never chose for him

DO YOU THINK THAT LIZA HAS A SHOW, BEING THAT SHE IS CUT OFF FROM THE JUICY STORIES OF HER BROTHER?

I asked her why people should come see her show, knowing that I had developed some skepticism during this interview, wondering what she could possibly offer the audience in the face of censorship from her brother.

Her response was a bit touching, despite the apprehensive-ness of her response. Her response clearly shows that her internal and external struggles are show-worthy and despite the fact that she can’t tell any brotherly army stories, she can tell her story. And from her perspective her story has been just as harrowing.

So audience, listen to the interview. Enjoy it. It is cool as hell. Then decide if you want to go check out this stage movie. And then let me know what you think!!!

Stay Cool As Hell

P.S. Here is a little morsel of tantalization. At one point in the interview, I thought she was going to have an orgasm. But not in a Harry Met Sally way. In a much more organic, not really realizing what she was doing type of way. I enjoyed it.

SHOW NOTES
Marsh Theatre: The Website

Playing July 3rd thru Aug 15th @ The Marsh Theatre
Get Tickets: American Joe by Liza Raynal

Listen Now

american joe army liza raynal one man show one woman show The Marsh Theatre

Podcast #174

RED STATE: ‘THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT MANY CONSIDER TO BE HEALTHY, INTELLIGENT AND PROGRESSIVE’
Do you remember where you where the first time you heard about the explosive and derisive talks of evolution versus creationism? And do you remember the debates where evolution was to be ousted from school curriculum?

How do you feel about gay marriages? Especially since its ban in California has been overturned by the California Supreme Court?
How about abortion? What is your stance on that? Are you a right or left winger?

The SF Mime Troupe believes we don’t need the moral police running around trying to govern our morals. Instead, they believe, we need to hire competent government employees to spend our tax dollars on the things that matter to us. After all, this is supposed to be a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

TAKE THE FOLLOWING SCENARIO, FROM THE PLAY REDSTATE, AND SEE IF YOU CAN PREDICT THE OUTCOME!
What if a small town found itself at the forefront of a political fight? It’s Election Day in small town America, and that’s what happens when, due to an Electoral College tie, the entire Presidential Election comes down to the one tiny town.

Suddenly, the ignored, disregarded Bluebird, Kansas is the most important town in America. And they are being pressured to quickly cast the deciding vote, and vote the “right way.”

But what would happen if they decided to wait? Can one little town hold an entire nation’s election hostage? Should it? Is bread on the farm house dinner table tonight more important than deciding who sits at the Oval Office desk tomorrow? Yep, this election could take a while . . .

IF YOU LIKE SILENT, REALLY BAD, SOCIALLY IRRELEVANT MIME, THEN YOU WILL HATE THE SF MIME TROUPE
The SF mime troupe is known for their political upheaval thru theatre. They have a mission to empower the working class people and have a political voice that can be heard around the world (literally). Not only do they perform around the world in countries many of us may have never heard of, they have received national recognition by winning a Tony award and 3 Obie awards.

The SF mime troupes’ motto: Take today’s headlines and turn them into socially dramatic pieces of work.

Their intention: To activate the audience to go out and overthrow something.

How many of you out there feel that the news coverage is a constant stream of bad news? How many of you believe that the media is a vehicle to disempower our society? How many of you often feel powerless to make a dent in the political structure that is our government?

IF THESE QUESTIONS STRESS YOU OUT, THEN I HAVE THE MAGIC PILL THAT WILL NOT ONLY BRING A SIGH OF RELIEF, YOU’LL WONDER HOW COME YOU DIDN’T KNOW THIS LONG AGO…
There are very few places where you can go see a stage movie that takes hard hitting local and national news and turns it into an inspiring piece of drama. As a matter of fact, in their shows, the SF mime troupe (sometimes playing to crowds of over 2000 people), will demand your active participation in their production. But don’t worry, it’s fun, it’s engaging, but most of all, IT IS EMPOWERING.

You are going to find yourself in the midst of an audience that will be supportive, yet there may be some contradictory people. That will rally behind you, yet there will some who rally against you. But most importantly, no matter who surrounds you out on the lawns, whether they agree with you or not, you will be in a safe environment to express your views.

And what is really fun is that the mime troupe believes that music is the bridge to empowerment, so you can expect their politically and musically inspired pieces to give you great value for your money spent: Ohhhh Yeah… Put your wallet away because the shows they present are FREE!

THE SF MIME TROUPE BELIEVES THE REPBLICANS CAN WIN THE 2008 PRESEIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IF THEY…
We are on the eve of the one of the most historical events in mankind’s history. Potential permeates the air. Potential waits to make its mark in the history books. And this potential has been created by you.

The first black man in the white house is as historic as the first man on the moon, as mans first foray into the air with birds, as mans discovery of the wheel. There is no doubt that we are on the cusp of something Earth shattering.

But the SF Mime Troupe believes the Republicans can win. They believe the Republicans can deflate the air of potential that has enraptured the world. They believe that the Republicans have their own potential: the Potential to Defeat Hope, the Potential to Defeat Change, the Potential to deny America it’s destiny to present to the world how PROGRESS EVOLVES.

Michael Gene Sullivan, the writer of their current production: RED STATE, stated in no uncertain terms what he believed the Republicans needed to do to take the White house in the 2008 presidential elections.

The Republicans can win by:

1. Literally attacking us
2. Bombing us and blaming it on someone else
3. Fixing the election

So you see, in essence, one of the most politically inclined theatre producers in our country seems to think that the Republicans have a chance in hell to win the presidential bid. And that is alright with us.

SF MIME TROUPE HAS TO BE GOOD BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANT THE AUDIENCE TO KILL THEM
When I sat down with Michael Gene Sullivan, to discuss the new play RED STATE he penned, one of the things that stood out from our conversation was the things he did so that his audience would not revolt against him. He basically has a manifesto for how to prevent the audience from “killing him”.

#1 STYLIZED LANGUAGE.

They have a mission to activate the audience to do something. By that, Michael means he wants his audience to take action. And he is passionate about this directive. But in order to do that, they specifically don’t make fun of politics. Instead they want to give you food for thought. [I kept imaging him feeding the audience spinach, giving them ‘action taking muscles’ (what I like to call the Popeye syndrome)].

It is not that they want to make you think, self evaluate, and self-loathe. As Michael states, that’s the role of psycho-drama, which the Mime Troupe professes to not being. Instead they want to give you the option of deciding what is relevant and what is not. They do that by elevating the language beyond the ordinary, allowing you to be a bit removed from the style allowing you to see in a whole new light.

#2 LARGER THAN LIFE ACTING.
Many of you may feel that you are allergic to larger than life acting, but look at it in a political light…

The political arena is larger than life

The political players are under a microscope, making everything come out larger than life

The role of president is larger than life (very few men, since the inception of the US of A have held that position)

The policies that are made are designed to affect millions of people, which is larger than any one persons life

The government, designed to manage the lives of millions of people is larger than life

The idea to have a show in which the acting is larger than life falls in line with the politics of the United States of America. There is also a practical reason for the larger than life acting. The SF Mime Troupe plays to HUGE audiences. Because of this it becomes necessary to have big acting so that the people in the back row can understand the play.

So don’t let the idea of big acting deter you from seeing the show. Look at it as an extension of what politics is about. And as a necessity to satisfy the large crowd you will be nestled in.

#3 MUSIC
I don’t think there is anyone on the planet that doesn’t appreciate music. Music is the ointment that calms the savage beast. And in RED STATE, it is the vehicle for delivering FUN, ENTERTAINING SATIRE. Being the sophisticated audience that you are, I am sure that you know some of the most fun and relevant satire has been expressed thru song. And the SF mime Troupe does not shy away from expressing their thought through a good lyric.

With these 3 steps, stylized language, larger than life acting and music, the SF Mime Troupe hopes to keep you laughing, thinking and really really laughing. They figure, if they can keep you in stitches, you’ll be too busy laughing to think about throwing that bottle of wine you joyously consumed.

GO SEE THE SF MIME TROUPE AND THERE PRODUCTION OF RED STATE IF YOU WANT TO BE INTELLECTUALLY STIMULATED, HAVE FUN, AND LISTEN TO SOME GOOD OLE SOUL STIRRING, REBEL ROUSING MUSIC…
As a matter of fact, as I was sitting with Michael Gene Sullivan, I got the distinct feeling he wanted me to triple dog dare you to come see the show. And he knows that many of you will make the excuse, “Well I don’t want to have to travel far to see the show. Gas prices are too high”.

AND GUESS WHAT?… (MICHAEL GENE SULLIVAN IS A MIND READER).
He understands that. So he made it as convenient as possible for you to come see the show. How answer? He travels the show all over the Bay Area. I am sure that it will be playing in a city near you. Just go to www.SFMT.org to find out more.

And just in case you decide that you don’t have the cash to go see this stage movie, Michael has taken care of that. You see the beauty of the SF Mime troupe is that they are all about empowering the community. They are about getting the word out, and helping people feel politically powerful. And they are passionate about doing this. So much so, they put on their shows for FREE. That’s right. FREE.

Now don’t let the word FREE scare you. Remember, the SF Mime Troupe has won 3 Obie awards and a Tony award. They don’t like to do crap!

So get out there and participate in some political upheaval as we enter a new era of United States History. This is not a time to shy away from taking part in what may turn out to be a defining moment in the lives of millions of Americans. Participate, agitate and lets make something great happen.

Go Barack!

SHOW NOTES
SF Mime Troupe: The Website

Playing July 4th thru Sept 28th @ Various venues across the Bay Area
Get Tickets: OOPPS. Tickets Are Free. Just Show up

Listen Now

michael gene sullivan musical obie award red state san francisco sf mime troupe tony award

Podcast #173

WHAT GRAINS OF WISDOM CAN YOU HARVEST FROM A MAN WITH A PHENOMENAL MILESTONE THAT MOST THEATRES CAN ONLY DREAM OF…
It takes a person of certain determination to take a theatre from nothing to attracting world class artists. Robert Kelley is the pioneering founding artistic director (and director of their current production: SNAPSHOTS) who has reigned at the helm of Theatreworks for 39 years taking it into the stratosphere of what a theatre is about (producing relevant art for its audience)…

…What it can achieve (accolades about the quality of work his theatre produces)…

…And how to maintain its existence in political and financial ups and downs (maintaining cash flow with financial constraints imposed by governmental as well as corporate agencies).

STAR POWER ABOUNDS IN THEATREWORKS NEW PRODUCTION: SNAPSHOTS
Robert Kelley has a knack for attracting world class talent. What theatre would not like to do that? I am sure that many of you have dreamed about it, but Robert actually does it. He is not shy about revealing a few of his techniques for attracting talent that increases his theatres bottom line.

And they are revealed in this podcast interview about SNAPSHOTS, written by Steven Swartz and David Stern

The story drops us into a marriage that is on the rocks, and no we are not talking about a Vodka Martini (although the couple may need one). We are given the opportunity to take a voyeuristic glimpse into the lives of a couple whose world is about to change. How, you ask?

A review. A photographic review. A review with 40 years of history.

A review that will make them relive the good times…
the bad times…
AND
the ugly times…

And at the end, a decision must be made. But what’s interesting is what will be revealed to you… thru song!

BUT…THERE IS A BIG PROBLEM!
The songs will be familiar to many of you who are familiar with the works of Steven Swartz. You see, Mr. Swartz brings his Multiple Oscar winning experience, Hollywood experience, his legendary Broadway experience, and his famous Broadway songs to this production. What Robert Kelley (the Director) had to struggle with was how to have these famous songs re-lyric’d so that when you heard them, you were and are not whisked back to their original productions.

[But Michael, Mr. host of the Cool As Hell Theatre Show, I am not sure what you mean.]

If you know anything about musical theatre, you will certainly have heard songs from Mr. Swartz’ plays Wicked, Pippen, Godspell, Rags, Working, etc, etc.

So can you imagine a new play that incorporates already titillating, already brilliant, almost instantly recognizable songs into its structure?

THEATREWORKS ATTEMPTS THE IMPOSSIBLE
Theatreworks has taken on a task that seems almost insurmountable… They have the audacity to produce a show, with a world class musical writer, re-purposing so of his most successful past hits (hits from WICKED, PIPPEN, GODSPELL, RAGS, and WORKING), and trying to make them work in A BRAND NEW SHOW…

Can They Do it? Can They Make It Work??

SHOW NOTES
Theatreworks presents:: SNAPSHOTS :: The Website

Playing June 18th and July 13th @ TheatreWorks
Get Tickets

Listen Now

david stern godspell musical pippen robert kelley stephen shwartz theatreworks wicked