Get to Know John Brennan

The Get to Know the Cast and Crew just keeps chugging along.

We did Kit and now we do the dreaded Sir Walsingham. The charcter of Francis Walsingham has a proud tradition here at Rorschach, it was previously been portrayed by the legendary Austin Bragg in The Beard of Avon. Austin's performance can only be called unique, you don't often see Sir Francis popping out of a costume trunk and turning all gooey over The Regina Dentata herself Elizabeth One. It does however beg the question. Does appearing in two Rorschach shows qualify a charcter to be a tradition?

Now the devil, he keeps popping up every season. I think we are up to like 67 devils at this point. To be honest it is getting kind of rediculous. Can't throw a decapitated paper mache head around this place without hitting someone who has played the devil. What the hell is going on at this theater?

Anyway here is Mr. Brennan and his thoughts on working on Kit Marlowe.

Hi Scott,

This is John Brennan.

Here are my replies to the various questions.

1. What is your position, role or roles in Kit Marlowe?

I am playing Sir Francis Walsingham, spymaster for Queen Elizabeth.

2. Is this your first go around at the Rorschach rodeo? If no what have you done for us before? If yes, what has surprised you the most about working for us?

This is my first Rorschach production. Can't say anything has really surprised me yet, I will say that it's a pleasure to be working on a play with such talented people who are also very nice.

3. If this play were a Beatle which one would it be and why?

If this play were a Beatle it would be John Lennon: bright, spirited, cheeky, full of punny humor, but with a very dark streak that becomes apparent once you really get to know it.

4. What feature of Marlowe's London should Rorschach duplicate to really enhance the audience's experience?

The part of Elizabethan London that featured the theatres, taverns/bawdy houses, the animal baiting arenas, and the execution site at Tyburn. There one would see both the best and worst of what that world had to offer, with a great deal of what comes in between on display as well.

5. What was your best/worst haircut or body modification for a part in a play?

I don't believe I've ever had a bad hairstyle/body modification experience, which means I've been very lucky.

6. If you could go out for a wild night on the town with Kit Marlowe, where would you go and what would you do?

I'd love to have Marlowe as a companion at the theatre, preferably at a performance of one of his works (at a play by someone else he'd probably make nonstop catty remarks). Other than that, it would be interesting to accompany him to Sir Walter Raleigh's home. Otherwise, I think I'd avoid Marlowe's company, at this point in my life I prefer to steer clear of the sort of situations he seemed to relish.

7. Can you think of worse way of being killed than being stabbed in the eye? If so how?

I can think of a much worse way of dying than being stabbed in the eye, and Marlowe dramatized just such a death in his play Edward II. See any good history book for the horrifying details.

So what have you been doing lately?

I have been a bad blogger! We all realize that as much as I would love to be at every Rorschach rehearsal and be in every Rorschach show, it just isn't practical. I can try and funnel the news that comes to me, but eventually I just start making stuff up to fill the page. And that isn't fair to any of us. I promise I will have some pics of the process later this week.

For now I just want to give a shout out to a newly married couple with Rorschach ties. Val Fenton and Chris Neibling tied the knot last night. And while I have known Val and Chris for years, it wasn't until we did The Beard of Avon. (That's Val on the left with Grady.) Chris came and did some fight work with us and Val was our sweet strumpet of an Anne Hathaway.

There was a nice little mini-reunion last night with many Rorschach favorites in attendance.

We wish Chris and Val the best! And congratulations on delicious buffet.

The Defenders of Stan

While we all wait for the various reviews that should be coming any day now to arrive. I direct you to a project that Rorschach Alum Austin Bragg has started, which strangely enough like Rough Magic, also exists in that strange four color world of comics.

Austin and his friends have come up with a web based series called the The Defenders of Stan. Each webisode deals with the adventures of Stan one of the few remaining non-super powered individuals in the world. Stan (Austin) tries to live his life as his co-workers, dates and roommates all start to exhibit super powers. Some have decided to work for Justice and others have become super villians. Leading the pack is Stan's brother Captain Ultra (Hunter Christy) who is the bane of Stan's existance.

This most recent episode features Eric Singdahlsen and Scott McCormick (along with Austin two of the stars of that run away Rorschach hit The Beard of Avon) as Floating Heads of Justice in an homage to Superman and Superman II. There are three other episodes, so take a look, they are funny. I promise.

Check back later today and I should have something to report regarding the City Paper review.

Beard of Avon Begins

Welcome to Rorschach Theatre's first blog. I know let the rejoicing commence and the questions to pile up. Questions like: Why? What are you doing? Do we really need another theater blog? How do you keep your whites so white and your colors so bright?

As to the last question is that really important right now or germane to the topic at hand? For the first: Why? Well because we want to give the public a look into the process of producing small professional theater in DC. Not just the dirt you get on T-boy or reviews like Potomac Stages, but a verbal and pictoral representation of nearly empty space and script to fully designed, directed and acted production.

What are we doing? Well there is a whole season of stuff coming up but first up is The Beard of Avon (follow the link if you want to learn more) . A smart, sexy and literate comedy about William Shakespeare.

Check here every couple of days and we will have information the production. Cast lists, designer names and comments from the actors. It will serve as a way to see what it takes to be a theater on a mission, a desire for perfection and the guts to do shows that comparably sized and funded theaters wouldn't dare.

Later today I will post the cast list, so until then enjoy the picture above from our first read on a very early Saturday morning.