Gut Responses

Today is a holiday for some and a Friday and sowhile I slave away here in Rorschach's Northern DC Office, I know that readership of this blog will drop off like a Sunday Matinee audience member at a large theater of your choosing somewhere in the City. Therefore, I will hold off on publishing our next Ask the Cast segment for Monday, when all of our readers will be bright eyed and bushy tailed.

MONSTER continues this weekend with performances tonight and tomorrow at 8pm. Last night we were once again joined by students from Peter Marks's Theater Class from GW. Apparently the students were appropriately appalled by the appalling bits and experienced a rather honest response when the heard the Monster ask why Dr. Frankenstein gave him a (redacted). I love the honesty that a younger audience can bring to a performance. Adults will sit there and act like nothing shocks them but younger audiences tend to let you know what the are really thinking. That makes for a pleasant change sometimes and should be embraced.

Sometimes you get so caught up in what a reviewer who has seen a thousand shows thinks instead of someone who may be coming to the theater for the first time feels in their guts. You forget what it was like the first time live theater made you feel sick, cry, jump in your seat or made you feel better about the world you live in.

Now on to Trey Graham and his review in the City Paper. Well the less said of that the better I suppose. Overall Trey seems to not be a big fan of the script and spends a lot of time comparing this production of MONSTER to its previous iteration at Olney. I would once again like to point out however that the design of the show and some of the performances get special note. Go here if you want the whole bloody run down (scroll to the middle of the page). And here is a choice bit about the design:

. . . Sivigny builds a little wooden avalanche for actors to scramble and scrap and posture (and electrocute one another) upon, while swoops of that fabric frame a playing space that bleeds nicely out into the dark-arched recesses of Rorschach’s high-ceilinged home in the former Calvary Methodist sanctuary. There’s fun to be had with shadowplay (courtesy of lighting designer David C. Ghatan) and with various thunderclaps and heartbeat noises (William Burns) . . . -Trey Graham- Washington City Paper

Ask Ryan Nealy

Today marks the return of an old favorite feature, Ask the Cast. Roving blogger Jason Linkins has composed a list of questions for the cast and crew of MONSTER to answer. So far the only two people to get back to us are Assitant Stage Manager, Jillian Levine-Sisson and cast member Ryan Nealy. Since one of them is the blogger's girlfriend (I am not saying which one) I have waited until a couple of these bad boys made their way into my inbox. So without much further ado here is the first in an inderminately long series of Ask the Cast of Monster.

Ryan Nealy is the first on the block that is him on the left being lifted into the air by the blond guy. Enjoy!

1. Where are you from, originally?

Born in Manhattan, raised in Nutley, New Jersey

2. Where did you go to school?

American University

3. What is the last book you read for fun?

Well fun might be the wrong word, but Surviving Auschwitz, by Primo Levi

4. When you first learned that you would be working on MONSTER, what was the first thought that crossed your mind?

Oh man...I auditioned for a show called Monster?

5. If you could reanimate anyone, who would it be and why?

I guess John Lennon pre Yoko...he might be fun to talk to


6. As a kid, what was your favorite Halloween candy?

Milk Duds

7. What tune is going on your "Awesome MixTape 2006"?

I don't know, but if the woman in the cubicle next to me doesn't stop playing James Blunt and Black Eyed Peas all day long someone will get hurt.

8. What story of primal horror would you like to see Rorschach stage next year?

How many primal horror plays are there?

9. What are your words to live by?

It's nice to eat the pickles, but sometimes you just gotta drink the juice.

10. I'm going to quote you out of context. Okay? Go.

If you high five your date, it's not a good date

11. What's something you do in every show to maximize the audience's fear?

Die

12. Why DID Victor give the Creature a [REDACTED]?

What does redacted mean?

Pictures of Monster

The photos you have seen on the blog and in the media of Monster have been taken by Marigan O'Malley-Posada. As evidenced by the striking postcard image and the striking way that these production photos have turned out, we at Rorschach are becoming big fans of Marigan's work. Enjoy some shots of the show and then call 1-800-494-TIXS to book your seats.

VOTE!

Yes, ladies/gentlemen it is Election Day! And while Rorschach cannot endorse any actual poltical candidates, I would like all of you to think how a company that produces shows like A Bright Room Called Day, Accidental Death of an Anarchist and Family Stories: A Slap Stick Tragedy might vote. Then I want you to look deep into your soul and remember how much Rorschach's shows mean to you. Then I want you to vote. I am not saying who you should or should not vote for, but I think if you look deep down in the bottom of your theater going heart, the answer will present itself.

All right I will come out and say it! Its time to write-in Grady Weatherford for Senate in Maryland and Rahaleh Nassri for Senate in Virginia. They both meet all of the qualifications to be Senators: American Citizens and over 30. Either one would be willing to spend tax payers money on frivilous things like education, healthcare and the arts. And most of the incriminating photos of Grady and Rahaleh are the property of Rorschach Theatre. Here is a photo of them in an early political debate on the issue of Stem Cell Research.

I won't tell you it doesn't matter who you vote for but just go out there and vote, because that is rather a silly thing to say. Vote the way you heart tells you, and then ask your head who it likes and then let your kidneys break the tie.

And get your tickets for Monster.

Big Monster on Campus

Weekend 2 went off without a hitch. We had a great crowd on Friday night I heard and Saturday sounds like it was a great audience as well.

The college press chimes in with this contribution from The Eagle, American University's Student Paper, here is the link to the review.

Tare Abell writes:

Directed by Randy Baker, the show is sure to surpass the expectations of horror seekers everywhere with the on-stage adaptation of Mary Shelley's famous novel "Frankenstein."

We have other reviews coming but I just wanted to also direct your attention to the ad that DC Theatre Review put together for MONSTER on their front page. For those of you not familiar with DC Theatre Review, you should check them out they love Rorschach and were really excited to see the trailer and wanted to help us spread the word.

Also a special thanks to our friends over that the DCist for making us a pick for this weekend and spreading the word about MONSTER.

Review Lovin' and Holiday Plans

And a little more of the sweet sweet love that only the internet can deliver. From our favorite critic over at the DCist (unless you consider what Linkins does with the Red Skins critiquing), Missy Frederick adds to the choir of well wishers with her Monster review. Jenny says I can not use the following quote in our advertising, but here on the blog I rule supreme, so here is the quote of the day:

Monster is most riveting for displaying the way a family can be torn apart when one of its members is just a little bit off. It's a reality show starring an extended family that we actually want to watch: "Mom, There's A Body In The Basement." - Missy Frederick -DCist

Last night was nearly sold out ladies and gentlemen. Though I have to be honest that was because we were celebrating our Night of Free Theatre, but it was a full house and that means something to a cast who has only had one night off in a week.

Please book you tickets now! And might I suggest an interesting way of dealing with your out of town guests this Thanksgiving. Rorschach has four shows on Thanksgiving weekend. So pack up Aunt Hilda and Uncle Walter and bring them down to Casa del Pueblo on Friday 8pm, Saturday at 4pm, Saturday at 8pm or Sunday at 7pm. Or send them on a grand adventure into the City. Nothing says love and the holidays like sticking your cousins from Jersey on the Green Line and telling them to fiind their way to Columbia Heights and back on a holiday weekend.

As always tickets are available on-line here and at 1-800-494-TIXS.

Reviews Start Coming In

And so it begins. There is an attitude among some in the business we call show, not to read the reviews. That it will make you doubt everything you do and if you believe the good ones then you will have to believe the bad ones as well. Over the years all of us at Rorschach have received our share of praise along with not-praise. It is when we take our biggest risks that we are sometimes lauded the loudest and also set ourselves up for the biggest disappointments.

All of that is a lead in to the fact that the reviews for Monster have begun to come in. There will be more in the coming days.

Washington Theatre Review offers a review of both adaptations in town, both ours and the two person affair at Roundhouse Silver Spring, featuring Rorschach Alum, Jesse Terrill. Here is some of the sweetness pouring our way from Ms. Debbie Jackson:

The entire production cackles with such moments of creativity, and Baker’s bloody fingerprints are on every scene. He keeps a laser-like focus on character-development, amazing use of space, even eerie lighting cues, all while commandeering a rollicking 90-minute show.

The review everyone waits for is the Post review and it came out today and while it heaps praise on many it also avoids heaping praise on others. Here are some of the choice bits that Mr. Marks had to share:

The invigorating source of disturbance is the big guy who's stitched together from exhumed arms, ears and kidneys. As played by the young, expressive actor Robert Rector, this creature out of our collective anxieties emits the requisite scent of the grave -- what you might call eau de crypt.

If I could just add to Peter Marks enthusiasm, Bobby Rector gives a powerhouse performance as the Monster of the title. The very real danger he embodies is a site to behold. The cast as a whole provides an evening of theatre that will make you shiver, but everyone knows why you really go to see a scary movie or play, it is to see what is hiding under the covers. And this Monster will be one you looking under the bed for when you get home.

Halloween Scares

Captain I-Hate-Candy-Corn and Princess Rainbow Brite over saw the festivities at our special Halloween performance of Monster last night and while the reviews haven't come out here is what our friend the CityMouse had to say:

Saw Monster last night. Extremely spooky in the very best way possible. Many interesting ideas about god creating man creating god creating man. Stuff to think about and creepy sexual and familial scenes. Again, what more can one ask for?

Creepy facial hair too. On everyone, including Getman, who isn't even in the damn show, and Randy, who I think just didn't bother to shave. Lots of fun people there. And halloween candy goody bags to boot.

Just FYI Randy's not shaving was due to some sort of instruction from Dceiver regarding the World Series.

Many people came in the spirit of the season, including a couple of fairies, Wonderwoman and Woody from a Toy Story.

Here are some other shots of the party. Enjoy!

Monster Opening

The Opening was a big success. And tonight promises to be even more fun. Some seats are still available if you would like to spend your Halloween with us. Call 1-800-494-TIXS. BOO!

PWYC Start Tonight

Rorschach's MONSTER comes to life this weekend, with three Pay-What-You-Can Previews on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night at 8pm.

What better way to celebrate the Halloween Weekend than experiencing Neal Bell's adaptation of Frankenstein?

For the truly fearless we offer our special Halloween Night Performance. Join the friends of Rorschach as we celebrate All-Hallows Eve with one of the scariest stories in the world. Tickets are selling fast!

Want a Sneak Peak at MONSTER?? View our theatrical "trailer" by following this link. This video, created by Artistic Partner Grady Weatherford, gives you a taste of the thrills and chills awaiting you at Rorschach Theatre.

If you can't join us for any of these shows remember that MONSTER runs until November 26th and tickets are available at 1-800-494-TIXS or by visiting the web site.

MONSTER has been hailed as one of the most inventive and frightening adaptations of Frankenstein ever to be put on stage. Drawing parallels between our modern science and morals and those of Shelley's characters, playwright Neal Bell has created a unique and chilling telling of this Gothic Classic. Take away the Hollywood lens, and the story of Victor Frankenstein and his creation becomes a lean, terrifying tale of morality and immortality.

Directed by Randy Baker

Cast: Lily Balsen, Nicola Daval, Jeremy Goren, Jason Basinger Linkins, Tiernan Madorno, Paul McLane, Ryan Nealy, Robert Rector, Jon Reynolds

Design and Production: Debra Kim Sivigny (Set), David C. Ghatan (Lights), Erin Nugent (Costumes), William Burns (Sound), Megan Reichelt (Stage Manager), Jillian Levine-Sisson (Asst. Stage Manager), Jessie Gallogly (Asst. Director), Andrew F. Griffin (Asst. Lighting Design), Grady Weatherford (Fight Choreography)

Running Time: 90 Minutes

“Starting from Shelley’s original, but with a sharp eye for cogency and a sharp ear for the turn of a phrase, [Neal Bell] has managed to locate the philosophical germ inside each of the horror myth’s iconic scenes. The scare is still there, but now has other functions than merely frightening your inner child – with fantasies of impotence, rape and castration on a dark and stormy night. If you really want to frighten yourself, there’s always today’s paper; if you want a dramatic story that makes you think-- you should probably go see MONSTER.”-- Michael Finegold, Village Voice

Setting

Add some lights and some mood music and you know what do you got but scary scary stuff my friends. Watched the run last night folks and I can honestly say there were some moments that had me on the edge of my seat and made my skin crawl a little bit. Your first chance to see it is tomorrow night. What better way to start Halloween Weekend then with MONSTER at Rorschach. Pay-What-You-Can Previews are Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8pm.

Boo!

It Waits . . .

Here is your first peek at Rorschach Theatre's production of Neal Bell's Monster. This adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein will haunt your dreams. Thanks to Grady Weatherford for putting the trailer together.

Pay-What-You-Can Previews start this Friday night. With shows on Saturday and Sunday night. Tickets are also available for our Special Halloween Show. Spend All-Hallows Eve with Dr. Frankenstein and his Creature. Why should Halloween just be for kids and surly teens? Tickets are available at 1-800-494-TIXS or visit the web site.

Rorschach Retrospective

Some of you saw a different version of this before I took it down on Friday. Grady Weatherford created this teaser trailer for Season 7. Many of you are probably featured in this retrospective of Rorschach's past, others will remember some of their favorite Rorschach shows and yet others will say what the hell is this. Enjoy!

Monster starts previews this Friday, so start making your plans to spend Halloween weekend with us.

Postcard of Death

Rorschach Theatre: The Movie

This is just an experiment please be patient.

Enjoy!

Quashing

There have been some rumors flying around this week which I need to quash. It has long been a priority at The Rorschach Theatre Blog to prevent the spreading of unfounded rumors and to prevent the petty bickering that has broken-up numerous start-up theater companies and at least two British rock bands. So here and now I am going on the record.

Rorschach has not adopted any orphans.

We were looking, but found nothing we liked. Perhaps in a couple years we will be in a better place in our lives and we can handle the responsibility of a child, but for right now we are all very busy concentrating on our careers and Monster.

Rorschach did not test a small nuclear device in the basement of Casa del Peublo.

While we are constantly trying to find ways to raise money and awareness, we have not engaged in any testing or development of nuclear devices. We are not playing God here, like Dr. Victor Frankenstein in our upcoming production of Monster that starts Pay-What-You-Can Previews on October 27th at 8 p.m.

Rorschach did not have pictures taken in the buff when it was in college for which we are being blackmailed to prevent them from appearing in the Tabloids.

Now that one is just plain stupid. Where do you people get this crap? Aren't there better ways to spend your time? How about coming to see Monster? Tickets are available by either calling 1-800-494-TIXS or visiting Box Office Tickets.

I hope this ends the speculation and that you people will let us live our lives in peace.

See Monster!

Caption Constest Mach II

This Picture from Friday Night Needs a caption. Best caption wins a drink of some sort! Oh and Ghillian I still owe you a beer from the last Caption Contest.

Enjoy!

Mary Shelley and Frankenstein Part II

Mary Shelley incorporated a number of different sources into her work, not the least of which was the Promethean myth from Ovid. The influence of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and John Milton's Paradise Lost, the book the creature finds in the cabin, are also clearly evident within the novel.

After Percy Shelley’s drowning in 1822, Mary was tireless in promoting her late husband's work, including editing and annotating unpublished material. Despite their troubled later life together, she revered her late husband's memory and helped build his reputation as one of the major poets of the English Romantic period. But she also found occasions to write a few more novels, including Valperga: The Life and Adventures of Castruccio and Falkner. The Last Man, a pioneering science fiction novel of the human apocalypse in the distant future, is, however, sometimes considered her best work, as is Mathilda, a novella published posthumously.

Mary Shelley died of brain cancer on February 1, 1851, aged 53, in London and was interred at St. Peter's Churchyard in Bournemouth, in the English county of Dorset. At the time of her death, she was a recognized novelist. Her son, Sir Percy Shelley, arranged for her parents to be exhumed and re-buried next to her; he and his wife are also buried there.

Mary Shelley and Frankenstein Part I

The story of how Frankenstein was written is nearly as famous as the novel itself. A nineteen year old girl is issued a challenge by her host to write a ghost story. The girl was Mary Shelley the then fiancée of the poet Percy Shelley and her host was Lord Byron.

Mary Shelley was born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin in London, England, the second daughter of famed feminist, educator and writer Mary Wollstonecraft and the equally famous anarchist philosopher, journalist and atheist dissenter, William Godwin. She met Percy Bysshe Shelley, a political radical and free-thinker like her father, when Percy and his first wife Harriet visited Godwin's home and bookshop in London. Percy, unhappy in his marriage, began to visit Godwin more frequently (and alone). In the summer of 1814 he and Mary (then only 16) fell in love. They eloped, (though Percy was still married to Harriet at the time) to France in July.

During the snowy summer of 1816, the "Year Without A Summer," the world was locked in a long cold volcanic winter caused by the eruption of Tambora in 1815. In this terrible year, Mary visited Lord Byron at the Villa Diodati by Lake Geneva in Switzerland. The weather was consistently too cold and dreary that summer to enjoy the outdoor vacation activities they had planned, so after reading an anthology of German ghost stories, Byron challenged the Shelleys and his personal physician John William Polidori to each compose a story of their own, the contest being won by whoever wrote the scariest tale.

Mary conceived an idea after she fell into a waking dream or nightmare during which she saw "the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together." This was the germ of Frankenstein. Byron managed to write just a fragment based on the vampire legends he heard while traveling the Balkans, and from this Polidori created The Vampyre (1819), the progenitor of the romantic vampire literary genre. Thus, Lord Byron’s challenge created both the Gothic themes of Frankenstein and the modern vampire.

Come back tomorrow for Part II.

A Message from the Artistic Director not Directing MONSTER

From : Jenny McConnell Frederick
Sent : Wednesday, October 11, 2006 12:38 PM
To : Scott McCormick
Subject : Blog

So last night I infiltrated the secret society that is MONSTER rehearsals and got my first real look at the show. Last night was the first chance the cast has had to run the entire show start to finish. With that in mind, it was a really great first run. Their energy and dedication to this play is enormous. This is always such a fascinating time in the rehearsal process--when the cast is still in jeans and tennis shoes, scripts are still in hand--but you can see the wheels turning. You can see the ideas begin to flow from the mind to the body and soul as they go from understanding their characters to becoming them. One of the most fantastic things about this script is how it turns on a dime from being sharp and witty to being bone-chilling and creepy. And as much as that kind of psychological dexterity is great for a playwright, it's not always easy for a cast to get a handle on. These guys are doing a great job of striking just the right balance.

As much as I love directing, it's also great to be the producer--to go away from the rehearsal process for days at a time and then to come back in and see how much it's grown and changed. The impact of that cumulative growth is so much more apparent after a week's worth of rehearsal has gone by than it is when you're the director and you're right there each night in the thick of it.

I'm looking forward to where things will be by the time we get to the second designer run this weekend...and all of you should be looking forward to when MONSTER opens on Halloween.

-JMF