Thesis Approved, Nieland, Cassman et al Hello!
Hello loyal readers and thanks for keeping in touch!
Just finished first section of Directing with Jason Loewith. Next moving on to Musical Theatre!
Initial thesis meeting was today and it's full speed ahead! My advisor loved the gender-neutral casting and the start of my vision: "to resurrect Ibsen," but said "enough" to my pretty far out imaginings. So no live stenographer, coolneon.com, or stage manager quizzing the audience during the show. lol. He thought putting the cast and audience on stage was plenty, and out of a fear of it being too much for inexperienced actors, suggested three sided audience instead of four. We shall see. The script is pretty much set. Ooooh! Here's something fun! At the bottom is a list of phrases that strike me as a bit outdated. Help me come up with contemporary expressions (but not slang or tooooo hip) and listen to your words come to life on stage!
Had tapas last night at Sangria with Nieland, Cassman, Goody, Anne Thompson, Cindy Cox, Ann Pittenger, and Heidi Lee (Tim Goodmanson just won his 5th Emmy btw!). Yummy! Then to a dance club (Roscoe's) in Boystown, and while they really do have the best dance floor in town, it's pretty slow on a Tuesday night!
The phrases that strike me as odd, but now that I look at them, might be too context dependent. Anyway, have a go and respond as a comment!
1.Look, let’s not get into each other’s hair. 6
2.So you want me to spit in my own face officially. 26
3.Knock some sense into his head, will you? 27
4.Some miserable animal who’d crawl up the boots of that gang? 28
5.He’s yellow 30
6.You’re just trying to blow up everything! 46
7.glazier 50
8.A [political] party is like a sausage grinder: it mashes up the clearheads, longheads, fatheads, blockheads—and what comes out? Meatheads! 53
9. When I look at you, I swear to God I see the devil! 56
posted by erdecker @ 10:11 PM
7 Comments:
I am glad to hear things are moving along Mr. Decker!!! I am hopefully not too busy next fall to come down to Rochester and see your thesis production.
BTW I saw a version of "Metamorphosis" at the Signature Theatre Company. Good thing the SHREK! Design Studio is in Theatre Row or I wouldn't have even seen a poster for the show.
Robert
Just finished reading the play and I am very excited to see the play put in more modern times! How would Katherine be played as a man? The script seemed to very much lend itself to the time it was written in, in that women were very subordinate creatures. Can we belittle men that way?? Can't wait for auditions!!!
Elizabeth
Bobby - email me directly so we can chat about your experiences! Did you love Metamorphoses?
Great questions, Elizabeth, about a male Katherine. Here's what I wrote about it for my thesis meeting: Challenges, all approachable
Casting: Gender ambivalent. I’m quite comfortable with a female Dr. Stockmann, female Mayor, Editor, etc. If Dr. Stockmann is cast female, then I am left with four choices, any of which could work for Mrs. Stockmann: Personal Aide/Nanny, sister, partner, or a male spouse. There are text tweaks that would happen in any of those scenarios, but with none of them do we need to strain credulity or character.
Did you get ahold of the Miller adaptation, Elizabeth, or one of the academic translations (like the one I linked to earlier at Gutenburg)? The Miller was present day (1951) and I'll fix those phrases listed on this post that seem dated. Otherwise the language and phrasing is wonderful, also slicing most of the 4th act rant -- my goal tonight (and last night, and the night before and the night before. . .) is to finish mushing together our version from all the various translations/adaptations I've been working with. I'll post it soon.
Enjoy summer!
The version I actually read was from an Ibsen anthology, but I will keep my eyes out for the Miller adaptation.
Simple translation for #5? "He's a coward." or "He's afraid."??
Elizabeth
#9: "When I look at your face, I swear to God I see the Devil!"
...Irony in the word choice? Just noticing that :D
***
A few questions:
1. where would be the best place to find a Miller adaptation?
2. Tagging on to what Lizi said, how could we read the script in a way to stay true to the gender-context (male dominance), and yet look at it in the modern times?
3. How should we read the script overall? When I say that, I'm more poking at "what types of literature aspects should we look for," as in...male-female interactions and roles, psychological traits, ironies, all that stuff you would use to critically analyze something?
Those are my biggest questions right now...basically how to go about reading it. :D
-Emily-
Great comments, Emily!
latest version of the line is "I swear I see the Devil!"
1. The piece I've posted is 90% Miller adaptation. Others are in every library.
2. By male dominance, I assume you mean the women care for the kids and home and the men are active in the community outside the home (politically). I do not see this whatsoever as a period piece about gender issues to which I need to remain true. So, I guess we have to determine what we stay true to. Costumes? 1882 geographic and monetary references? Gender subservience? My answer has gone to the heart of the story. With Enemy, I don't see gender at its core. Now, if it were Doll's House or Ghosts, of course. But this is about the sacrificial struggle to do what is right versus what is self-serving, a universal story in 1882 (Ibsen), 1951 (Miller), or in 2008. (see Dumbledore's speech at end of book four. . .Remember Cedric!) Indeed, I believe it will be told better in a contemporary setting -- which is what Ibsen and Miller both did -- than "killing Ibsen under miles of brocade," as Miller writes.
3. How about a real reading challenge? Read for comedy. While the passion and idealism of Dr. Stockmann is inspiring, he can be a pedantic demagogue. Also, as you're reading, ask yourself at what point you think the Doc has gone too far and you could no longer make a similar sacrifice. If you want more analysis work, note how tightly each French Scene tends to have one very specific purpose - then title that scene.
Enjoy! I'm about 200 pages typed so far (not counting the script), with three assignments left: Text Analysis, Actor Packet, Outreach Program. Text Analysis is at 40 pages so far. Oh, and my Aida choreography with Luis Perez is wonderful and my Voice with Christine Adaire is divine!
Enjoy!
I agree with your thoughts about the play not really having a gender-dominance to it.
As for reading the show as a comedy? In my book I'm about 10 pages in (which doesn't help in telling you where I actually am in accordance the show itself :/) and MAN...it's DIFFERENT looking at it like that.
My book is full of highlighting and sidenotes, I'm low on space--but at least it's not the library's copy :D
-Emily
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