Get to Know Yasmin Tuazon

This Storm played to splendid crowds this weekend, including a sell out plus 1 for Saturday night. You can still see Storm for the next two weeks. But now the next punch in our reservoir of shows in exile coming out to knock you in the gut. The Skin of Our Teeth starts PWYC Previews this Thursday. With shows Friday and Saturday as well. All shows start at 7:30pm so get there on time.

If you see see anyone who is a theater critic for The City Paper this week ask them when they he might be getting down to Georgetown. If you get a chance read read their timely review of The Lion King. I know the Kennedy Center could use the help a great mention in the City Paper can bring.

While you are here why don't you get to know Yasmin. She's kind of cool and she is in our next show.

1. What is your name, role/job and on which show are you working?

Yasmin Tuazon
Baby Dinosaur, Broadcast Official, Ivy, Carol Burnett
The Skin of Our Teeth

I've also been working behind the scenes on Storm - every day, I replace one of their fake blood Tupperwares with real blood.

2. Is this your first time at Rorschach? If no, what have you done with those crazy kids before?

Well, it's my first time legally.
My previous misdemeanors include God of Vengeance, The Illusion, J.B., Fair Ladies at a Game of Poem Cards, Jesus Christ Superstar (Editor: She's Fibbing), and References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot.

3. Besides your show which of the Exile shows are you most interested in?

Sock Puppet King Lear.

4. Tell us what has been your favorite part about working in the comfort of Georgetown University?

Air conditioning, air conditioning, cleanliness, air conditioning, endless supplies of toilet paper, air conditioning, a vermin-free environment, reliable plumbing, the fridge, the rehearsal blocks, proximity to designers, and air conditioning.

5. What has been the biggest challenge you have faced either designing, directing, managing or acting in this particular show?

Walking the fine line between dinosaur and chicken. Not to mention saving my knees.

6. Who is your favorite character historical or fictional who was placed in Exile?

Benjamin Linus. Or Napoleon. I'd actually like to see both of them exiled to the same island, to see what would happen. Who would take out the other? Or would they end up in a blissful domestic partnership like the Skipper & Gilligan?

7. In a fight, which cast would win?

Depends on the type of fight
Light saber - Skin.
Dodgeball - Dream Sailors. I think they have it in dexterity and sheer numbers.
Philosophical debate - Storm (though it would probably be settled by 2am sudden-death arm-wrestling between Karl & Grady).
Tickle fight - oh, that's anyone's. But I'd like to see it happen.
Karaoke - again, I'd give that one to Dream Sailors.
MC battle - Storm
Pudding wrestling, aka The Butterscotch Smackdown - Skin, all the way. You heard me, Colin Hovde. We will take you DOWN. Dave Ghatan has been ready to build a ring for five years. I'm just saying.

8. Why should people come and see your show?

Come for the side-splitting and heart-wrenching carnival that is the persistence of human spirit; stay for the pie.

Hayes-y Shade of Winners

I got no photos. I got no quotes. I even handed off my one souvenir of the evening off to a good friend. All I have are the memories.

And lets clear up one of my complaints from previous years the bourbon this year was Jim Beam. The Old Crow they tried to foist on folks for the last couple year has flown the coop. Good work everyone who lobbied for the change (which may have been only me).

Last night was a great night for Rorschach in a lot of ways. If you count winning as the only mark of a great night you would be wrong. That being said, Gabi, Tracy, Shirley and Patrick you were all robbed.

For me it was seeing some of the finest actors, directors, designers and stage managers in town decked out to the nines, tens and tens and halves for an evening with glamour. That and well supplied buffet and open bar.

Now if you were looking for a list of winners, please go to one of the state run blogs, they are very good at lists. And if you are looking for an actual fashion report like what designers people were wearing I am would be of very little help in that area as well, so I will instead give fashion impressions.

Yasmin Tuazon was in a hot little purple number. It might have been lilac, but since my knowledge of color can be boiled down to knowing the Roy G Biv and that chartreuse is some form of green, you will probably have to ask her what color it was.

Jessie Terrill was in a great pin striped suit which made him look at least two feet taller.

Jenny McConnell Frederick was in a fetching black number with a blue neck line. Very styling.

Gwen Grastorf was hot, hot, hot in a black flapper dress.

Grady Weatherford, Andrew Price and Scott McCormick all managed to work with the color pallet of black tuxedo with gold and red accents and managed a variety of results for the their presenting duties. No one really noticed those three because Mona Lisa Arias and Elizabeth Richards were the ones everyone were looking at during our five person salute to the Canadian Flag.

Jason Stiles was carrying a lot of fake (at least I think they were fake) ammunition on his belt last night.

Congratulations to all the winners and I hope the out there woke up early enough this morning to return their tuxes without incurring a late fee.

See Its Like a Swap for Ads Instead of Clothing or Wives

See we try and help our friends here at the ol' Rorschach Blog. Got this note from Gwen the afternoon and we begin the eternal cycle of butt scratching (or it might be back scratching I was never good with cliches).

I do love me some Brecht so I think it is all kinds of exciting. Enjoy!


hey DCepticon,

I think we talked about this a long time ago - would you be willing to put something up for the opening of the constellation show today?

Katie Atkinson, Yasmin might be the only rorschachites, also meghan reichelt is running sound board for this first weekend. (Editor: Yvette Ryan also.)

let me know!
thanks darlin,
g

THE GOOD WOMAN OF SETZUAN
by Bertolt Brecht,
directed by Allison Stockman

Performances are March 27th - April 20th. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm

Summary: Three gods descend to earth in search of one good person and discover that kindness and compassion don't pay the rent. Shen Te, a kind and generous prostitute, is driven to disguise herself as a shrewd and unethical male businessman in order to navigate the demands of love, family and hungry neighbors. Bertolt Brecht, the avant-garde father of epic drama, mixes comedy and fantasy to create an exotic world that turns out to be very close to home.

Ensemble: Katie Atkinson, Molly Cahill, Katy Carkuff, Catherine Deadman, John Feist, Kevin Finkelstein, Lewis Freeman, John Geoffrion, Keith Irby, Ashley Ivey, Hilary Kacser, Jenny Leopold, Lisa Lias, Kenny Littlejohn, Beckett Martin, Francisco Reinoso, Joe Thornhill, Meghan Tolmie, Yasmin Tuazon, Ron Ward.

Musician & Composer: Tom Teasley.
Design and Technical Team: A.J. Guban, Yvette M. Ryan, Chris Baine, Francoise Bastien, Brett Abelman, Angelo Merenda, Erica Jean Yeager, Michael Roike

All performances are at Clark Street Playhouse in Crystal City, VA

DIRECTIONS

Discounts:
1) PWYC performance on Thursday, March 27th and Friday, March 28th
2) $15 Student/Senior tickets, $12 Group tickets for groups of 5+
3) $10 "ARTIST" code tickets online for the first two weeks - Sun 3/30 through Sun 4/6.

For more information visit Contellation Theatre's web site.

Pei Day

Would it really be a Rorschach play if something surreal or metaphysical wasn't taking place somewhere on stage? My answer is no. If it isn't the devil making an appearance (which has happened three times) or people dying and coming back to life (which happened about a dozen times in one show) would our audiences even know they were watching a show at Rorschach?

References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot has a lot of things going on that make it a Rorschach show. Today I introduce you to the cast of characters that inhabit Acts I and IV. This time the meta comes from a talking cat (second time we have had one of those prowling Casa), a talking coyote (first time for that one) and the anthropomorphic moon (Rahaleh was the last one to take a stab at that one). What does it take to make these wonderfully weird creations of Jose Rivera come to life? Well costumes and research have a big part to play in allowing the actors to be the very best talking, walking and acting creatures of dream that they can be.

Today's entry will borrow heavily from other peoples research and work so the drawings are Pei Lee's our Costume Designer and the words come from Jacqueline Lawton's Dramaturgy.

Danny Gavigan returns after his Rorschach Debut in Rough Magic to play our coyote.

Coyote:

The coyote has grayish-brown to yellowish-brown fur on top and whitish fur on its underparts. It has large triangular ears on the top of its head and a long, narrow muzzle. It has a black nose, yellow eyes and a long, bushy tail. One way to tell the coyote apart from wolves and dogs is to watch its tail when it runs. The coyote runs with its tail down. Dogs run with their tails up and wolves run with their tails straight out.

Coyote often plays the role of trickster, although in some stories he is a buffoon and the butt of jokes and in a few is outright evil. His personality strengths are humor and sometimes cleverness. His personality weaknesses are usually greed or desire, recklessness, impulsiveness and jealousy. Coyote is often the antagonist of his brother Wolf, who is wise and good natured but prone to giving in to Coyote's incessant demands. In Tongva Mythology, it is Coyote who is tricked. Coyote challenges "The River" to a race. Coyote is victorious, but collapses from fatigue. The river laughs at him and takes the name "Hahamongna," which is said to explain the noise made by the upper Arroyo Seco which sounds similar to laughing.


Yasmin Tuazon joins the Rorschach five timers club in her role of the cat.

Cats:

A cat believes in itself, her walk can assure you that much. She is independent, has a mind of her own yet she is gentle enough to be liked by all. A number of myths have surrounded this animal since ages. In ancient Europe, she was believed to be an evil spirit. Those were the bad days for cats. Now, cats have become a part of almost every household. They have the power to win the hearts of their owners through their elegance, dignity and off course, their soft purrs and mews can have effect on you almost instantly.

· Myth: Cats always land on their feet.
· Fact: While cats instinctively fall feet first but that does not mean that they will not receive any injuries.

· Myth: Cats should be given milk everyday.
· Fact: Some cats have lactose intolerance. So, they should not be forced to have milk. A grown up cat can have its nutrients even without having milk.

· Myth: A cat's sense of balance is in its whiskers.
· Fact: Cats have whiskers as "feelers" and not to have balance.

· Myth: Cats smother babies
· Fact: Nothing can be more false than this. There has not been even a single case in the whole world so far.

And Scott McCormick is the moon.

The Moon:

The Full Moon seems to have some odd effects on both people and animals. They go bananas! Did you know that the word "lunacy" comes from lunar? Did you know that once people thought there were little green men living on the moon? Take a look at some of these superstitions:
· A full Moon on Christmas day brings bad luck.
· Two full moons in the same month will cause severe weather in the following month. It's also called a blue moon!
· The moon is made of green cheese!
· It is unlucky to look at the new Moon through a window for the first time.
· Chickens lay more eggs under a Moon in its last quarter.
· A full Moon during harvest means a good crop.
· A new Moon brings good fortune.
· Blowing nine times on a wart while the Moon is full will make the wart go away.
· A wish while looking up at a new Moon is thought to come true within the year.
· It is best to cut your hair when the Moon is waxing; it grows strong and healthy.
· It is unlucky for a child to be born when the Moon is waning.
· A ring around the Moon is a warning of rain to come.
· Bowing to a new Moon and turning over silver coins will result in doubling your money by the end of the next cycle.