Dealing with Negativity

There is a major virus going around our community.  It destroys art.  You know it just as well as I do, I'm sure.  We deal with it on a daily basis - from our news to our friends to ourselves.  What's it called?  Criticism.

Recently, I became aware of this doppelganger website, whose sole purpose seems to revolve around slamming The Seeing Place Theater.  Through some research, we learned that the website was created last April, has recently been put online, and the creator spent extra money to disguise his/her identity.  The web address is www.theseeingplacetheatre.com, and the site itself seems to pose as our theater, while also commenting on the quality of our work.  They even reword one of our old slogans, "Known for fly-on-the-wall theater."  Screenshots are below.

After the site was online for several months with no revisions, we noticed an update this morning (see below) to reflect the fact that Three Sisters is now closed and offers some explanation as to why our reviews were so good.  (Apparently, we wrote them ourselves.) 

This is not the only instance of public negativity against The Seeing Place.  There is a user named "theatrelov" on TheaterMania, who reviewed Look Back in Anger and Closer and slammed both shows.  Who knows if that person even came to both.  This person literally wrote "the worst piece of theater I've ever seen" on both shows.  On the latest one, it said, "If I could give this zero stars, I would."  Given that their first review stated, "Never again!", one would think that this person wouldn't have wasted the second visit to one of our shows.  Either way, I would not be surprised if this person is connected to the defamatory website. 

Since we've exposed this whole situation, we've now received our first and only bad review for Three Sisters on TheaterMania.  Unlike previous reviews, this one makes sure to point out enough things so that there is no question as to whether or not the person was at Three Sisters - there just isn't a whole lot of substantive information to the review.  It's just a paragraph of negativity...which brings me to my next point...

I've always believed that if people feel the need to tear you down, you've achieved at least some height.  So, in a way, it's exciting that we matter this much to people, and that our work is important enough to receive such attention.  At the same time, theatre needs a much more supportive community.  I can't stand it when people say things like, "That show was terrible.  I was so bored."  About ANY show.  What an uncreative state of mind!  In my opinion, we should, instead, focus on what is working, and what might be done to address what isn't. 

Unfortunately, we learn these kinds of habits from reviewers.  We seem to have gotten away from the idea of reviewers as liaisons to the public, matching the right audience to the right artistic experience.  My favorite review EVER was written by Kenneth Tynan and went something like, "Albert Finney did a wonderful job in the role of the man that Hamlet would have loved to have been."  How wonderful is that?  There's no need for the reviewer to discredit the artist when the disagreement is over interpretation.  Another review said something along the lines of, "If your idea of Falstaff is Fatty Arbuncle mixed with Charlie Chaplin, then you'll love this rendition."  It seems to me that if a review serves to turn people away from the theatre, then it has betrayed its function to support the arts. 

I've never known a person not to give their best when they walk out onto a stage.  Even in my own reactions after shows, I try to keep in mind that these people have just shared a great deal with me in the scariest art form ever - because when people don't like my guitar playing, then maybe they prefer jazz music, but when they don't like my acting, it seems like they don't like me.  The canvas and the painter cannot be so easily separated onstage.

So, when I read these kinds of reviews and see these kinds of websites that seem only to destroy, I try to keep in mind that we have also gotten a great amount of positive response, and that some people feel threatened by things they don't understand.  Any act of destruction comes from a place of insecurity.  And that when you really put yourself out there in your art, not everyone will like it.  The Seeing Place pushes a lot of buttons.  We're not trying to be regurgitated Broadway.  We're trailblazing.  We're trying to do something that isn't attempted very frequently.  We're trying to do something that even The Group Theatre couldn't sustain for very long.  It's a difficult road.

Thanks for reading.  What are your thoughts?

Cast Interview #10: Kathleen Brower as "Natasha" in THREE SISTERS

Welcome to our exciting series of interviews, where you can get to know the cast & creative team in our production of Three Sisters -- an adaptation by Brian Friel of Anton Chekhov's classic story.

Three Sisters runs March 9-25, 2012, Wed-Sat at 7:30pm; Sat & Sun at 2pm in New York City.

For tickets, please click here.

For more info about The Seeing Place, click here.

Your Name:

Kathleen (Kat) Brower 

Role in this Production:

Natasha

How long have you been acting?

Professionally since I graduated from college at 22 from Marymount Manhattan College, but I started out in a production of Oliver for my grade school when I was 6. It was a very small role as one of the Oompah-Pah dancers, but I was hooked and forced the neighborhood children to be in various productions in my backyard thereafter. 

How long have you been in NYC?

This last stint started in 2009, but I have been crisscrossing between coasts since I was 13. When I decided I wanted to focus on Theatre, New York became the obvious choice. I was living in San Francisco at the time. 

Where are you from originally?

Originally I am from Hurley, NY, about two hours north of NYC. I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area through my high school years, and my parents still live there, so I feel like I am from both places. 

What's been your favorite role, to date?

It’s a tossup between Shelly in Buried Child at North Coast Rep (2003) and Hypatia in Misalliance at The Pear (2005). I gravitate toward plays with strong, outspoken, articulate women. 

If you could play any role in any play right now, what would it be?

Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. 

What's the wackiest experience you've ever had onstage?

This isn’t the story of a production; it is an audition story, actually. I was auditioning for the role of Candy Starr in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The director watched my monologue and asked me to make an adjustment – he wanted to see it again, but this time in Polish. I do not speak Polish. So I just sort of winged it, if such a thing is possible, with what little Polish I did know (which mostly consisted of food names) and ended up getting cast. Later the director told me he was just studying my speech pattern to see if I could change it up. I would have preferred it if he had just asked to see another monologue! 

What's your experience with Chekhov?

I studied Chekhov in school and played Irina in a scene study with one of my best friends. He is forever telling me that he has not had his coffee this morning (one of the Baron’s lines from the play). It was one of the most moving acting experiences of my life. I have always wanted to be in a fully staged production of this show, so this is something I can now check off my bucket list. 

What's been the most challenging thing about preparing for this role?

I think it is always a challenge to prepare for the role of the outsider, and to allow yourself to be rejected and ostracized for extended periods of time. 

What's been the most exciting thing about the rehearsal process?

I loved school and I adore dramaturgy, so everything that I have learned as a result of this process about Russian culture and the early part of the 20th century has been a treat! 

What parts of yourself are similar to the character?

This is difficult to admit, but I have a fascination with many subjects that I didn’t study in school and as a result am constantly mispronouncing words and names. I can relate to Natasha’s burden of the self-taught. 

What excites you about THREE SISTERS?

Someone explained to me the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi recently, which I understand as the idea that something is beautiful because it is flawed. Natasha, and all of the other characters for that matter, has a flaw that makes their story poignant and relatable for an audience, and, in their way, beautiful. I am excited to share that with an audience and to hopefully help them to see things from the perspective of someone that they wouldn’t necessarily like or associate with in their real lives. 

To learn more about Kat, visit her website at www.kathleenbrower.com.

Having Something To Say as an Actor

We live in a world that is saturated by a need for escapism.  The ideal human community consists of 22 people.  Especially in a city like New York, we're more than a little overextended.  When we take time out of our lives to appreciate art, were more likely to veer toward entertainment than enrichment.  Once upon a time, they used to be one in the same thing.  If you think about Shakespeare's fools, they were always teaching a lesson.  That was a basic premise under the heading of entertainment until the 20th century.  Nowadays, most actors are more than satisfied to have their audience marvel at their talents, rather than receive their (and the playwright's) ideas about our world.

We had a talkback for For Profit last night.  It was most inspiring.  At one point, the panelists thanked Aaron for bringing a voice to the student loan crisis, for humanizing the issues involved, and for telling his story in a way that is accessible and entertaining.  Harold Clurman used to say, "Make them laugh and while their mouths are open, pour truth in."  That should be the aim of every storyteller.  That's why stories are effective.  They illustrate something in a way that is easy to relate to.  Without anything to relate, what are we doing?

I'm not suggesting that every actor needs to be an activist (as is true of Aaron Calafato).  The Seeing Place is also currently producing Three Sisters, which is a play that discusses the existential repercussions of our lives and questions the things we put above family in this world. Anton Chekhov also poses questions about how we treat our elderly citizens and lower classes. To that, he explores the bonds between siblings, spouses, an children - and what happens when those relationships deteriorate. Finally, he focuses much of his story around how we all deal with death, stress, failure, and what happens when relationships break down. These are characters straight out of our lives: dreamers, philosophers, workaholics, alcoholics, gamblers, adulterers, compulsive over-eaters, you name it.

A story doesn't even have to raise big ideas.  In The Princess Diaries, we get a glimpse into young womanhood.  I know I know very little on the topic, but that is every bit as important a political statement.  A story is a shared experience.  It seems too easy to get away from that in the modern age.

It is our job to share the truth.  In Latin, the work "actor" means "purveyor of truth".  We are the "brief chronicles of the time".  Though it's tempting, none of us can afford to stop at an appreciative audience.  Much as applause may be nice, it's superficial at best.  It's too easy to get caught up in the head of "Do they like me?"  But in no other forum does the artist feel a need for constant reaffirmation.  The painter does not concern himself with the viewers response until the painting is finished.  We cannot afford to pander to our audiences as we are performing, either.  We have an opportunity to give voice to every aspect of the human struggle.  And the theatre has a responsibility to the people that aren't able to make their voices heard. 

Every good public speaker places their attention on what it is they are trying to communicate, rather than connecting to make sure their points land.  That is something we all need to develop as well.  Otherwise, all we can hope for is a refined and well-dressed waste of time.  It saddens me to no end to go to a play and see actor after actor full of sound and fury, trying to impress the audience, as though a career is the only thing that matters.  It's like a five year old, constantly saying "look at me".  And though that is an important aspect of the theatre, it has to go beyond that.  Otherwise, we are really engaged in a popularity contest in which every actor battles to upstage the play.  The literal translation of "theatre" is "the place we go to see ourselves."  The Seeing Place.  And that's what we're committed to do. 

What are your thoughts?

Creative Team Interview #5: Livia Hill-Mildener, Stage Manager for THREE SISTERS

Welcome to our exciting series of interviews, where you can get to know the cast & creative team in our production of Three Sisters -- an adaptation by Brian Friel of Anton Chekhov's classic story.

Three Sisters runs March 9-25, 2012, Wed-Sat at 7:30pm; Sat & Sun at 2pm in New York City.

For tickets, please click here.

For more info about The Seeing Place, click here.

Your Name:

Livia Hill-Mildener

Role in this Production:

Stage Manager

How long have you been stage managing?

I have been a stage manager for 6 years in New York. Before this, I was a professional ballerina for 22 years. I continue to dance some, but more in the ballroom world.

How long have you been in NYC?

I have lived in NYC since September of 2005. I moved here from San Antonio, where I had evacuated to during Hurricane Katrina. I am a New Orleans native.

Where are you from originally?

New Orleans, Louisiana.

What's been your favorite project, to date?

Wow! There have been so many wonderful projects I have worked on, each one a learning experience. Yet, the most special experience I had was working on The Rite of Spring during “Berlin in Lights” produced by Carnegie Hall. It was in old church now called The United Palace Theater. I got to work on an important piece of dance history teaching young people while also using my stage management skills. Creative people from all over the world came together in this historic theater to bring it to life. I made some great friends during this project. Including this one guy from Queens, New York. He became my husband.

If you could work on any play right now, what would it be?

Lion King or Venus in Fur.

What's the wackiest experience you've ever had in the theater?

Realizing I wanted to be stage manager.  I was working for Career Transitions for Dancers fall gala in 2005. I was a Production Assistant. After being a dancer, I thought this role was not going to be as exciting. WELL! When I watched the stage manager, and started doing more assistant work for her, I realized there is a role in theater that I could love as much, if not more, than dance. Who knew that could happen to me? Maybe you can teach old dogs new tricks. 

What's your experience with Chekhov?

Ya know, I love Russian culture, and Russian art. Have I had any real experiences with Anton Chekhov? Very few people I have worked with in the past understand his work. Yet one day during our rehearsal period we had one of very few snowy days. An actress looks out the window, during the blizzard, and her line spoke to how her character did not enjoy the winter at all, she missed summer so much she forgot what it looked like. I thought it was a special moment.

What's been the most challenging thing about preparing for this project?

My being away during 3 weeks before opening. I had a dance competition I was in, yet I had to also to be with my mother, taking her to the cancer hospital in Houston. I am sure it was hard on the cast and crew as well, I felt just terrible. Yet, I did explain to our director my circumstances. When he told me he would find a way to make it work because he wanted me as his stage manager, I was so honored, and so grateful.

What excites you about THREE SISTERS?

Watching the cast work and seeing their interpretation come to life. 

Cast Interview #9: Brian Byus as "Solyony" in THREE SISTERS

Welcome to our exciting series of interviews, where you can get to know the cast & creative team in our production of Three Sisters -- an adaptation by Brian Friel of Anton Chekhov's classic story.

Three Sisters runs March 9-25, 2012, Wed-Sat at 7:30pm; Sat & Sun at 2pm in New York City.

For tickets, please click here.

For more info about The Seeing Place, click here.

Your Name:

Brian Byus

Role in this Production:

Solyony

How long have you been acting?

Since I was 13.

How long have you been in NYC?

6 years.

Where are you from originally?

Natchez, Mississippi.

What's been your favorite role, to date?

Val in Orpheus Descending. Tennessee Williams is something I am always willing to work with and this particular production was put up at Muhlenberg College, with great direction and a mighty set design!

If you could play any role in any play right now, what would it be?

Honestly? Solyony! I have been excited about this character since I accepted the role. Villains are typically my favorite parts to play. Nothing is more wonderful and strange than to try to sympathize with the bad guy. All though I don't think Solyony is all that bad of a guy! He makes me laugh.

What's the wackiest experience you've ever had onstage?

I played a Gay Nazi who acted as Pinnochio's pimp in a production called Spring Offensive, written and directed by Jeff Weiss. I have never been a part of so much vulgarity onstage. I don't think I will ever get the chance to try and fit a golf club up a puppet's ass again. It was wacky!

What's your experience with Chekhov?

I was supposed to be helping with stage tech on a production of The Seagull back in 2004 when I was a student at Muhlenberg College. I was just trying to gain volunteer hours to pass Basic Stagecraft: 101. However, once the director found out I could burp on command he agreed to see to it that I get the same volunteer credit just so long as I stepped in as one of the workmen in the production. He used me to belch in the middle of the longest pause in the play. It was also my first experience with method acting.

What's been the most challenging thing about preparing for this role?

Personalizing so much for a character that reveals so little about himself.

What's been the most exciting thing about the rehearsal process?

Well not necessarily the fresh brewed coffee and snacks at every rehearsal, but it helps! But I'd say mostly the use of speaking out in character has been exciting and quite challenging. I just have a wondering mind, so I try to filter saying the things they might send me to jail for.

What parts of yourself are similar to the character?

I always use humor to diffuse stressful situations. I wear cologne every day, perhaps not quite so excessively like my character. And I will study a girl for a long time before I finally make my move.

What excites you about THREE SISTERS?

It touches on something very true about people and their dreams. There are so many who keep putting them off. Perhaps out of fear, depression, or maybe even just a lack of knowledge about how to actualize thier ideas. A lot of these characters are stuck, it's tormenting inertia. It seems like most people wait for their dreams to come true, and very few understand what it really takes.