Mutt Marching with Pansy Sue

So I've got this dog, Pansy Sue. And she's really cute, if you like fluffy tanks full of poop. And I thought we ought to do something social. Well, actually my therapist thought *I* ought to do something social. He thinks I don't get out enough. He's right, I don't, but not because I'm shy -- it's usually just because people bother me.

One of our local no-kill shelters, Pet Refuge <www.petrefuge.com> has an annual fund raiser called the Mutt March. You get people to give you money, and in return you agree to walk around a park with your dog. I don't really understand that part of it -- I mean, I got people to give me money long before the actual walk, and most of them wouldn't ask for it back if I didn't show up to walk, so what's the point, ultimately, of "marching"? But that's what they do, so I signed up for it.

It was actually kind of fun. And I'm surprised that that fact surprises me. I mean, it's a bunch of dogs with people attached to their leashes. Where's the downside?

Pansy Sue is *not* a good traveler, and she proved it on the way to the park. I've never actually seen someone "blow chunks" before, but she'd just had breakfast and that's really the most accurate way to describe what happened. Doesn't bother Pansy, she just opens her mouth and lets it out. Not so pleasant for me, though. I had to wait until we were in St. Pat's Park and out of the car before I could clean it up; luckily we were parked on the grass, so I just slid the whole nasty mess of it onto the ground for someone else's dog to eat . . .

Pansy saw other dogs. She loves other dogs. She loves people, and chipmunks, and children, and cats, and squirrels, and motorcycles, and ice cubes, and moving garage doors, and -- well, you get the picture. She loves everything. But she *really* loves other dogs.

At first, she was determined to sniff everyone's butt thoroughly -- that's why it took us about 20 minutes to walk the 100 feet from the car to the registration table at the barn. Pretty soon, though, she was completely overwhelmed -- so many butts, so little time. She had to resort to dashing from rear end to rear end, giving a quick ladylike snort, and moving on. She never did get to all the dogs. There was a Newfoundland who was so tall Pansy couldn't reach his butt -- she looked at him with great awe before she sidled away. And there were teeny tiny little dogs who were so minute that she could barely catch a scent; I think she categorized them as cats and dismissed them. And there was one dog who had so much fur on both ends that she had trouble deciding which was the business end. She sniffed front and back, just to cover it all.

Finally we got to the walking part. *That* she could handle easily. Walking on a leash, leading mom down a path? Cake! You could tell she was proud of herself.

She got a lot of attention, too. She wore her little T-shirt; it reads, "Mostly Shar-Pei. Thanks for Asking." People kept telling me how cute she was, and how friendly, and how well-behaved. I dunno if they were blowing smoke, but who cares. I like having my dog admired.

The T-shirt had to come off on the way back to the barn. We took a little detour to the smelly lagoon -- I figured, hey, she's walked her butt off today, let her get stinky in the water if she wants to. But I didn't want to turn the Mutt March into a wet T-shirt contest, so I wrestled it off her (not until she'd laid down in the shallows and gotten it all wet and mucky, however).

We left before the contests following the march. I'd like to think she could have won a prize for best tail wag or something, but she was pooped -- she's not used to that much exercise. So we climbed back into the car and she collapsed in the back seat and slept all the way home.

Well, except for the few seconds halfway home when she woke up and threw up the rest of her breakfast.

Sigh.

Directing Part 4: the Aftermath

There were auditions, and auditions, and auditions, and then a couple more auditions. Yes, I ended up having 4 separate auditions, and I think I could have had a couple more -- I'm still getting emails from people asking if they can try out.

Nope, too late, it's cast! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

When "12 Angry Men" auditioned the week before, they got 38 men showing up for 12 roles. Let me repeat that: they got 38. Men. Most theatres can't get 3 men to show up for a 4-man show, and here we could have cast "12 AM" 3 times and still had guys left over. And for the most part, all these guys were pretty darn good -- there were maybe 3-4 who were just awful, and another 4-5 who needed some tips on effective auditioning, but the rest were *really* castable.

And so I had high hopes for "Glass" auditions. Surely I'd pull as many people for this classic of American theatre, this play with iconic roles for both men and women -- surely.

I had 18 audition, total. And I'm counting dear Seyhan, who showed up at an audition, filled out the form for me, then said, "I'm not the right age for either of these female roles, am I?" And when I admitted she wasn't, she left without auditioning. So really I only had 17 people to choose from.

The good news is, most of them were really good -- if this same group came to audition for "Arabian Nights" next spring, I'd be a very happy woman. The bad news is -- well, I'm not sure what the bad news is. The show is cast, I'm very happy with my cast, and I'm sorry I couldn't use a bunch more of these folks.

And 18 is a fine respectable number. But damn it, it's not 38!

Fooey.

So who did I cast? Well, Pat B. will be Amanda. She's done the role before, down at Amish Acres (though she had a wildly different script than the one we'll be using--what's up with that?). Pat's very directable -- as an actress, she'll bend over backwards, literally, if a director asks her to -- she'll try anything you suggest, and *really* try to make it work (unlike some actors -- like me -- who'll sort of half-heartedly try something they don't really want to do, then argue that it "just doesn't work"). She understands the character -- heck, she admits that in some ways she *is* the character -- and she can carry a show if she has to. Audiences *enjoy* watching her, and that's a rare quality. I only have one concern about her doing the role, and it stems from her personality -- she's a very grounded person, doesn't put on airs (except obviously artificial ones for purely humorous purposes), doesn't pretend to be anything she's not -- and Amanda is nothing but airs and pretense. The underlying emotions Amanda feels are real, but her affect is unconnected with that reality in many ways. It's not a major concern, I don't think Pat's going to let her own personality overwhelm the needs of the character, but it's something I'm aware of, and it's something I thought about when I was casting the part.

Tom will be played by Rick E. I really only had one choice -- Rick blew me away. It was weird -- I can think of at least two other men at auditions who would have been terrific as Tom, but they didn't bring the passion or the commitment I got from Rick. Frankly, no one was more shocked than I was -- I knew he was good, but I didn't know he was *that* good. Even if his Tom never changes or grows from the audition Tom, I'll be happy. I just hope I don't ruin him. I've directed him before in a couple of shows, and I realized something then -- he's too much like me for me to be a good director for him. It's hard for me to pull away from what he's doing and give him an objective evaluation of his work -- so much of what he does is exactly what *I'd* do if I were playing his role, so of *course* I think it's wonderful. My main concern about Rick as Tom is concern for myself -- I don't want to let him down as an actor who's looking for directorial input.

Emily P. will be Laura. She was one of the few who showed me Laura's inner life, plus she didn't annoy me in auditions -- I find the character of Laura very annoying in general, so any actress who can show me a Laura I don't want to slap is an actress I want to work with. I've never worked with Emily before, and I've only ever seen her in one show, so I'm not sure what to expect from her, ultimately. She has a good reputation around the theatre -- people I know speak highly of her work ethic, for example -- so right now I don't have any particular concerns about her in the role. I have to get to know her better before she makes me nervous, I guess.

And finally, Aaron N. will play Jim, the Gentleman Caller. It's not (I hope) a thankless role; Jim doesn't show up until Act 2, but he's a vitally important character. I wasn't sure what I was looking for in Jim when I started auditions, but I eventually realized what the role needed -- an affability, a good humor, and a sympathy that none of the other characters exhibit. Jim's the representative of the outside, "normal" world, and he needs to be 180 degrees from the others. Aaron's audition was fairly low-key, and I ended up appreciating that -- he didn't "act" for me, he just showed me a very natural, very "normal" young man, someone who's very likable without being a caricature of a Hearty Fellow. Aaron's Jim was real, and genuinely *nice* to Laura -- I could see him being the sort of person to whom Laura would automatically be drawn. I've never directed Aaron before, though he was my percussionist for Zombies, so I have known him in other settings.

So that's it -- the Glass Menagerie cast. We won't start rehearsals until after Labor day when Pat gets back from California. Should be very interesting. Even though I don't like the play . . .

Mutt March Madness

Pansy Sue and I are raising money (maybe, if anyone donates, that is) for Pet Refuge. We'll be doing their annual Mutt March on September 8. I'm looking forward to it -- she's a very social dog, and I know she'll get a charge out of being around dozens and dozens of other pups. I bought her a new t-shirt, a custom design that reads, "Mostly Shar-Pei. Thanks for Asking." She has a new pink collar (well, *two* new pink collars, but the one with rhinestones is for formal wear only), and I think I'll put pink bows on her ears. That should annoy her.

The fundraising page is at www.firstgiving.com/pansysue . It'll be open for donations until early November (just about the time Glass Menagerie closes, so I can hector my cast for money throughout the entire rehearsal period! Yay!).

Directing Part 3: The "Getting-Sick-to-my-Stomach" Part

A week from today I'll be finishing up auditions, and all my troubles will be over. Ha. This is honestly the worst part of the process for me: waiting to see who, if anyone, shows up. And no, I'm not trying to be amusing -- I *know* Glass Menagerie is a classic, with terrific roles many actors would kill to do, and I *know* audition notices have gone out to a wide variety of people, but I still worry I'll end up looking at an empty room next Monday and Tuesday nights. Or worse yet, there'll be 3 or 4 people there, and they'll all be 14 years old with no experience on stage beyond playing the Easter Bunny in their church pageant, "Jesus and the Pagan Symbols of Everlasting Life."

Absurd, yes, but it's my not-so-secret fear anyway.

I've had light auditions before, usually for shows no-one's ever heard of, and the productions have all turned out great (or mostly great), so I should stop worrying. Right?

Sigh.

Moving right along. I roughed out a rehearsal schedule today; I'd like to do Mondays through Thursdays throughout September, then kick into higher gear and do Mondays through Fridays in October. Not terribly complicated, but I feel better for putting it down on paper. That's eight full weeks of rehearsal for a 4 (or 5) character play, which should be more than enough time for me to figure out what the heck I want the show to be. You'd think so, wouldn't you?

Problem is, I'm having more creative thoughts about the plays I'm going to be directing in 2008 (The Arabian Nights and True West, just in case anyone's interested, and I hope lots of people will be interested) than I am about Glass Menagerie. Right now, the whole play feels like a fly in amber -- very pretty, but fossilized, immovable. I'm not intimidated by the script, but I'm not completely engaged by it yet, either.

I think I'm looking for actors who will inspire me. No pressure on them or anything .

Directing Part 2: Casting my Net a Little Further

The other thing that happens with casting, besides saying no to people, is that you have to explain *why* you're saying no, and sometimes there's no good reason. I'm not casting you because -- I'm not. You're just as good as the person I'm casting, you're just as pleasant to work with, you look right for the part -- I'm just casting a different person.

It's no wonder actors feel bewildered, hurt, or angry when they're not cast. I did too, sometimes, when acting was what I did. It's one of the reasons I like directing -- I don't have to be cast as the director, I just have to show up.

Thank goodness.

Often the more enterprising auditioners will ask me what they can do to improve their auditions, to make it more likely they'll be cast in the future -- and I have nothing to tell them. Actors have no control over the casting process, none at all, and there's *nothing* they can do or say or be that's going to get them the job every time (or even most of the time). Well, except doing some prep work like reading the show ahead of time, or maybe learning how to act, stuff like that. But even then it's a crap shoot.

See, there's no universal standard for what makes a good actor. The things I like about an actor may be exactly the things another director despises. I cast my friend Mike in a lot of my early shows with Civic because I saw a certain interesting quality in his work -- to me, he seemed like an Everyman type, but with a twist. He's the sort of guy you look at on stage and immediately identify with, even before he opens his mouth. The twist is, he's a really smart actor, and he can't hide that. Even when he's playing a dumb character, it's a dumb character with a certain amount of native cunning -- the brain just doesn't stop working with Mike.

So I liked that about him, and I didn't understand why he wasn't being cast in almost every play Civic put on. Turns out other directors didn't see him the way I saw him, at least not until I'd put him in a few parts and they'd had a chance to see how versatile he was. They saw a guy who was reserved, quiet, maybe even bookish -- and who wants to look at that on stage?

So yay me, I cast him a lot and other people saw him and realized he was good. Of course, now I can't get him to audition for me any more because he's too damn busy doing other people's plays! Ah, well, them's the breaks.

The point is, I saw something in him that other people didn't. And other directors see things in actors that I don't, and it's not until much later that I realize, oh yeah, that *was* the perfect actor for your play -- how'd you know that?

Actors shouldn't tie themselves up in knots over being cast, or over not being cast, at all. If you're cast, pat yourself on the back and know you got the part because of your amazing talent, beauty, and charismatic personality. If you're not cast, know that you lost the part because the idiot director wouldn't know good acting if it fell out of a tree and bit him, and besides, it's obvious he has the hots for the person who *did* get the part and you sure feel sorry for both of them, but really, they deserve each other because they're so shallow and not very attractive, either.

Then go audition for the next play.

Directing -- Oh Ye Gods and Little Fishes, What Am I Thinking?

I'll be having auditions for "Glass Menagerie" in about 4 weeks. I've just realized this will be the 12th show I've directed for South Bend Civic in the past 11 years. I've acted in 6 others, and done tech work only for 8 more. Apparently, I like this theatre thing.

Casting is the most important part of a show, and it's the part I hate doing the most. I've been on the other side -- wanting to be cast, wanting to be loved, wanting *not* to be rejected. The thing is, there are only so many roles in a play (though I've been known to add a few extra people here and there), and only so many actors you need. So I empathize with what the auditioners are going through, I really do. And I hate having to tell some very good actors that I just can't use them -- this time. I try to emphasize the "this time" part, because I often have to turn down people I'd love to work with, and I want them to know that even though I can't use them in this play, I really want to be able to cast them somewhere down the road.

So what does a director look for in an audition? What do *I* look for in an audition?

I dunno.

No, really, I don't. It changes from show to show. In general, though, I want somebody who's not too stupid (though I can think of exceptions. I've know a couple of actors who where thicker than bricks, but who were utterly convincing on stage as whatever character they were playing. No clue how they managed to pull it off, either). But how does an actor be "not stupid" for me?

It hardly ever has to do with how well they read the script in the audition. Some people aren't good sight readers, but they're wonderful actors.

It rarely has to do with whether or not someone makes witty jokes or engages me in philosophical discussion during the audition process. In fact, I'd really rather they didn't, I'm too easily distracted.

It never has to do with whether or not the actor is a friend of mine (though all my friends are, by definition, intelligent people. And they have good taste, too ). I have cast friends in the past, and in a community theatre, I don't see any way around that. I'll undoubtedly cast friends in the future -- I don't think it's "wrong" to do so. But being my friend ahead of time has nothing to do with getting cast in one of my shows. At least I don't think it does. Some days I think I only cast people I like, which means being a friend would be a plus, right? But other days I think I'm harder on my friends than on other actors, just so I don't give the appearance of being biased in their favor. So I don't know if friendship is a plus or a minus when it comes to casting. I'd like to think it has no real bearing one way or another, but I could be lying to myself.

When I cast "Zombies From the Beyond," I got way out of my comfort zone. I was casting singers and dancers as well as actors, and I had to rely on my musical director, vocal coach, and choreographers to steer me in the right directions. There were a couple of people I cast in the show that I would normally never have considered at all -- except that one or more of my production team went to bat for them. And they were absolutely right -- "Zombies" was probably the best cast I've ever worked with, and I have Richard, Rick, Steve, and Ralph to thank for that -- they saw things in certain auditioners that I couldn't.

Some actors in Zombies were easy to cast -- Ed, Mike, and Nathan, for example. I totally lucked out on all of them, because they were perfect for their roles, and they all agreed to do the show. Frankly, I could have cast Ed in any of the three roles (Rick, Trenton, or Billy) and been perfectly happy -- but Mike was a great choice for Trenton, and Nathan simply was Billy -- finding out he could tap dance (because what the hell do I know about dancers or singers in this town?) was just icing on the cake. Poor Ed kind of ended up as Rick by default. He was great, he was terrific -- but I've never cast a role by default before, and it felt weird to me, almost as if I were shortchanging him. I keep telling myself he couldn't have played all *three* parts, so it worked out fine -- but I still feel that little niggle of obligation towards Ed, like I owe him a bigger role, or at least a different role, in something else, Someday, Somewhere, Somehow -- but I'm not directing West Side Story any time soon (I hope).

Kathleen was a pretty easy choice for me too -- there was another actress that I had really *expected* (before auditions) to cast as Charlene, but it just didn't happen. I *remembered* Kathleen's singing voice, which is rare for me -- I tend to remember acting, not singing or dancing -- so when we were kicking around potential "Charlenes", her name kept coming up from all of us. The decision to cast her wasn't difficult. And now of course I'm patting myself on the back for casting her, because she was a real standout in the show. No matter what she does after this, I fully intend to tell everyone I "discovered" her . Hey, I'll take my strokes where I can.

Melanie was a different story. I *didn't* remember her singing audition, at all, nor her dancing. She would have flown under my radar altogether except for Richard and Ralph -- they both looked at me like I was insane when I said, "Gee, I'm not sure we have any strong candidates for Mary", and almost in unison said, "What about Melanie?" It wasn't that I thought she auditioned poorly, she was actually really good. But there were a lot of really good ingenues there that night, and I simply didn't recognize her abilities -- or maybe I didn't recognize the *totality* of her abilities; I knew she could act, and I thought she was "good enough" or at least "ok" as a singer and dancer (because remember, I know squat about singing and dancing -- how could I know she was as good at them as she was at acting?). Directors can be morons sometimes, and just not see the obvious. Happens to me all the time . Really, the thing that made the difference, ultimately, was that she introduced herself to me before the audition -- just a quick "hello, I'm Melanie" and a handshake. Not much, but it gave me a taste of her personality, and that self-intro was the one tiny thing that convinced me to give her the part. Go figure.

Hey, I never said I was *good* at casting -- just lucky.

So anyway, "Zombies" turned out well. Just wish I could take more of the credit for it, but I can't. Not to say I won't try .

Back to "Menagerie." What do I want from actors who audition for Menagerie?

The only thing I know for sure I that I'm not sure. For awhile, I thought I had a handle on these characters -- I thought I wanted an older Laura, maybe in her 30s or even early 40s, because that just points up the tragedy of her situation (and helps me work through some personal issues of my own ). And whatever age Laura is, Tom is just a bit younger and the Gentleman Caller is just a bit older, and Amanda's -- old enough to be Laura's mother.

Of course, Tom is the narrator, and he's looking back on the story from a point in his own future, so the actor playing Tom can be as old as Amanda, really, or even older. Or, as a friend pointed out, it's possible to cast *two* Toms -- an older one to do the narration that bookends the acts, and a younger one to act out the scenes with Laura and Amanda. Intriguing idea. And I've always felt it was Tom's play, though I don't want the actors playing Laura or Amanda to agree with me, of course.

But there's nothing wrong with a cast that's more traditional, either -- I can see the point in having a Laura who's just 20 or 21, with a mother who still truly believes Laura can someday take care of herself and gain some independence. The contrast of that hope and the reality of Laura's fate (Williams' sister ended up institutionalized) is part of what gives the play its poignancy.

I think I'm going to be looking for actors who can help me make up my mind. I'd like to see people coming in and making definite choices about these characters. Hell, I'd *really* like to see a knock-down drag out fight between actors trying to pull the scene in different directions based on their interpretations of the characters. That would be exciting. No fisticuffs, please, but strong wills in opposition to each other? Sure!

At the same time, of course, I want *some* flexibility -- they can't be so sold on their own interpretations that they refuse to adjust to the actors around them, or to my suggestions.

I want people who are hungry for this experience, and who show me how hungry they are when they audition. I don't want to work with actors who're just looking for an impressive line on their resume, I want actors who know this play and love it -- maybe even need it in some dark and twisted way (hey, it's Tennessee Williams, and if you can't get dark and twisted about TW, who can you get dark and twisted about?). Theatre as Group Therapy -- a concept I strongly support .

So I guess I'm saying what I want from actors is strength and passion. Yeah. I'm not asking for much, just sign your soul away on the dotted line here, and try not to smear the bloody drips from the pen . . .


I'm going to go away and beat my head against a wall for awhile. Talk to you later.

Ultraviolet violets

Stumbled across another interesting link -- interesting to me, that is; I won't guarantee anyone else will get as big a kick out of it as I do.

Some guy in Sweden decided to start taking pictures of various flower species using ultraviolet. His purpose is scientific, of course, but he admits there may be some artistic value to them as well. Ya think? Anyway, ultraviolet is what insects see when they're cruising for a blossom to eat, or sit on, or suck from. Take a look:

http://www.naturfotograf.com/UV_flowers_list.html#top

I like the ones that change dramatically, like lapsana communis :

(sorry, the link for lapsana won't show up -- I've tried to add it 3 times. Just find the name in the list you'll find on the page above.)

or fragaria viridis: <http://www.naturfotograf.com/UV_FRAG_VIR.html>

Fragaria link shows up, lapsana link doesn't. Hmmmm. I'm apparently going to have to go get a degree in computer programming in order to understand why these things happen . . .