Archive for category Productions
Video: “The Keys to the Universe Next Door”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized, Video on July 9, 2012
Part 2 of my account of Overnight Sensations 2012, the annual 24-hour play project at Hollins University. (You can find part 1 here, along with background here.)
When I drew “science fiction,” my first thought was to do a baseball play. I figured it’s not what people would expect. However, I did baseball last year, when I drew horror (see “Strong As a Bull,” about baseball and steroids.). Still, I started quizzing the cast on whether they were right-handed or left-handed, just in case.
At that point, I hadn’t had a chance to study the bios of the seven cast members to see what special talents they had. Most of them I knew already. Then director Drew Dowdy whispered into my ear that Becky Marshall was an opera singer. Not just an opera singer, but an adjunct faculty members who teaches the History of Opera at the University of Virginia.
That cinched it. How could I let such a rare and exquisite talent go unused?
So my script dealt with . . . opera.
The basic plot: Twenty years ago, a scientist discovered how to unlock the door to an alternate universe. All it takes is a sonic key, and he used his opera-singing wife to sing the notes that open the door. Problem is, that door slammed shut — with her on the other side, trapped in a horrible alternate universe. Now, he’s trying to find someone with the same, clear voice to sing those same notes so he can rescue her. Hence, “The Keys to the Universe Next Door,” which attempts to channel H.P. Lovecraft.
The script (with help from Drew Dowdy’s expert direction) makes use of Becky’s incredible voice. We see Martha Boswell (who was in my piece last year) on stage, able to see and hear this universe, but with no one able to see or hear her.
The biggest challenge I found was dealing with a 7-person cast. That’s bigger than we’ve had in the past. I had several ideas which I liked but quickly discarded because I didn’t think I could make them work with seven actors. Even in my first draft, one actor had only three lines (I fixed that in the Saturday morning revisions.)
The audio here isn’t the best, but you’ll get the idea, I hope.
Here’s the full cast, and some still photos:
* Professor Arthur Wellington: Michael Mansfield
* Theodora, his daughter: Theano Mavroidis
* Martha, his wife: Martha Boswell
* Mrs. Marshall, an opera singer: Becky Marshall
* Cassandra, her daughter, and an aspiring opera singer: Emma Sala
* Agent One, a mysterious federal agent: Jason Burton
* Agent Two, equally mysterious: Blair Peyton
Becky Marshall and Emma Sala
Michael Mansfield, center, flanked by Blair Peyton (left) and Jason Burton (right)
Photos from Overnight Sensations 2012
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on July 9, 2012
For the fourth time, I took part in Overnight Sensations, the annual 24-hour play project sponsored by the Playwrights’ Lab at Hollins University in conjunction with Mill Mountain Theatre and other arts organizations in the Roanoke Valley.
The drill is the same each year: The writers, directors and casts gather on Friday night (this year at Hollins, since Center in the Square is undergoing renovations). The writers draw randomly a director. The director draws a cast. And then we alternate drawing a genre, a setting and a theme.
Then it’s off to write. On Saturday morning, the directors and writers assemble for a production meeting at 8 a.m. About noon, the actors arrive for an afternoon of rehearsal and then at 8 p.m., the curtain goes up.
It’s always a fun show and a great chance to work with some talented people, from both around the Roanoke Valley — and the whole country.
This year my director was Drew Dowdy, whose work I’ve admired on Roanoke stages before but whom I didn’t really know. He turned out to be fantastic. Between us, we then drew “science fiction,” “nursing home” and “overcoming weakness.”
I’ll have more to say about the script I produced — “The Keys to the Universe Next Door” — in the next post.
Until then, are some photos –– courtesy of the Playwright’s Lab — from this year’s event: Read the rest of this entry »
Photos from my two scripts in “Gone in 60 Seconds” Festival in New York
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on June 11, 2012
Michael Colby Jones and Eugene Solfanelli
I had two pieces in this year’s New York edition of the “Gone in 60 Seconds” Festival of one-minute plays, produced June 8-9 at Brooklyn College.
Both dealt with baseball.
“Sunset in North Dakota” dealt with two minor leaguers in that Midwestern state, one seeing his career setting along with the sun — the other seeing only a short right-field fence. It’s a cutting from a longer version I did at No Shame Theatre in Roanoke, Va. in summer 2011.
“The Uniform” is also bittersweet. A baseball coach is at the first practice after cuts, watching his team run laps, when he notices a kid that didn’t make the team running as well. When the coach calls him over, he discovers a misunderstanding. The coach had said he didn’t have a uniform for the player; the player took that literally and made his own.
The festival plans to post video later this summer.
Jay Nickerson and Sergio Ang in “The Uniform”
Photos from “57 Hours in the House of Culture”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in Productions, Uncategorized on June 5, 2012
From left: Dmitri the musician, Olga the cosmetic clerk who entered the theatre (whose legs are visible), Ivan the usher, Irina an audience member, Barayev the terrorist and Fatima the Black Widow. Not visible are audience members Andrei and Svetlana).
Here are the official production photos (courtesy of David Gross) from my show about the Moscow theatre siege, “57 Hours in the House of Culture,” that was produced at Studio Roanoke in May 2012.
Audience reaction to “57 Hours in the House of Culture”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in Productions, Reviews, Uncategorized on June 2, 2012
The “wreckage” of the theatre. The audience entered to find chairs overturned and the space littered with programs (in Russian), water bottles and candy wrappers.
The goal of the recent Studio Roanoke production of my script about the Moscow theatre siege — indeed, the goal of the script itself — was to make people feel like they were really there.
So the audience entered the lobby to find . . . a video of the actual production of “Nord-Ost” playing on a television screen . . . still photos of the Moscow production were posted . . . audience members were handed a program that was in Russian . . .and two soldiers in Russian military garb blocked the doors until showtime — when they quickly donned gas masks, threw open the doors and ran into the theatre space.
As audience members followed, they found cast members “dead” around the theatre . . . chairs overturned, and the floor littered with debris — water bottles, candy wrappers. I am indebted to Kenley Smith, Studio Roanoke’s founding patron and playwright in residence, for helping me visualize all of this, and to director Brian O’Sullivan for pulling it off.
I attended almost every night of the show (my son’s baseball schedule kept me away on two nights.) Most of the audience members I heard from “got” the concept; a few did not. One night, one woman sniffed “they didn’t do a very good job cleaning up the theatre after the last show” and appeared to be completely serious. Another night, one audience member, on his way out, started picking up the trash!
Other reactions: I’m told one audience member wiped away tears on opening night when Olga was shot. And I was there another night when a woman suffered a panic attack as soon as she entered the space and declined to see the show.
Here’s a summary of some other feedback that people have posted on Facebook: Read the rest of this entry »
Review for “57 Hours in the House of Culture”: “It ain’t Oklahoma!”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Reviews, Uncategorized on May 20, 2012
Dan Smith — editor of Valley Business Front — has posted this review of “57 Hours in the House of Culture,” my show about the Moscow theatre siege,” on his personal blog.
Some of the key thoughts:
“I’ll simply say that this one was not my cup of tea, but I applaud everybody involved for their work and their obvious passion. Most of those in the audience seemed to thoroughly enjoy the production.
Give it a shot. It ain’t “Oklahoma” but it ain’t supposed to be. This is real theater.”
There was a previous review from Heather Brush of the Cave Spring Connection who called the show “the most interactive show I’ve seen.”
Congressman attends “57 Hours in the House of Culture”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Personal, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on May 19, 2012
Rep. Bob Goodlatte, Dwayne Yancey, Maryellen Goodlatte outside Studio Roanoke. (That’s director Brian O’Sullivan in the background.)
We had nearly a full house for the first Friday night of “57 Hours in the House of Culture,” my show about the Moscow theatre siege now playing at Studio Roanoke.
Among those attending was Roanoke’s congressman — Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke County — and his wife, Maryellen.
The Goodlattes are noted theatre-goers. About a year ago, they attended the Attic Productions youth show to see my one-act, “Curiosity Killed the Cat.”
The congressman said he took notes so he could do more research on the Moscow theatre siege.
Review for “57 Hours in the House of Culture”: “Most interactive show I’ve seen”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Reviews, Uncategorized on May 18, 2012
Director Brian O’Sullivan (in red, sitting in second row at left) delivers notes to the cast and crew after the final preview night. Notice the man with the AK-47 in the right hand corner; that’s James Honaker, who plays the terrorist.
We have our first review of “57 Hours in the House of Culture,” my show about the Moscow theatre siege, which opened May 16 at Studio Roanoke.
Heather Brush of the Cave Spring Connection says, in part:
“This surround sound and action atmosphere draws the non-acting audience in to an intimate experience and most interactive show I’ve seen. There were shocking moments and sad ones, with bits of humor, and all were experienced rather than simply witnessed. Panic at their moments of death is palpable in the darkness and smoky air, and then the ease of acceptance of what has come to pass as the violin plays a lullaby. It was a truly memorable experience as reality was suspended.”
You can read her full review here.
And here are some more photos of the cast and crew, shot on May 15 after the final preview night: Read the rest of this entry »
The set for “57 Hours in the House of Culture” takes shape
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on May 9, 2012
Here’s a more distant version. Notice the “blast” holes in the set, and the cut-outs of armed men on the balcony, intended to create a surreal feeling.
The set for my show about the Moscow theatre siege is taking shape at Studio Roanoke.
We don’t want to give away too many production secrets, but here are some photos to give you a taste of what’s to come.
The key thing: The goal of the production is to make you feel you’re there, at the House of Culture in Moscow when Chechen terrorists seized it in 2002 and held it for 57 hours. (Hence, the name of the show: “57 Hours in the House of Culture.”
With that in mind, we are trying to reproduce — in abstract form, at least — what the set at the theatre really looked like. Fortunately, it was a spare set for the musical “Nord-Ost.”
My show opens May 16 and runs through May 27 at Studio Roanoke.
A few close-ups:
A close-up of the set.
Here’s “the bomb” — a replica of the homemade bomb that the terrorists set up in the ninth row of the theatre.
Rehearsal photos from “57 Hours in the House of Culture”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on May 3, 2012
Joel Gruver (as Ivan, the usher) rehearses a scene from “57 Hours in the House of Culture,” my show about the Moscow theatre siege. At left, quite dead, is Owen Merritt (Dmitri the pit musician), and at right, equally dead, is Heather Sexton (Irina, an audience member.)
Rehearsals are well underway for “57 Hours in the House of Culture,” my show about the Moscow theatre siege that runs May 16-27 at Studio Roanoke.
I really like what director Brian O’Sullivan is doing with the show.
It promises to be just as dark and spooky as I envisioned — if it not more so.
Here are some rehearsal photos. You’ll notice that many of the players are laying down on the floor. That’s because their characters are dead.
Heather Sexton (top, as Irina, an audience member) and Kelly Anglim (below, as one of the female terrorists) rehearse a scene from my show about the Moscow theatre siege.
dwayneyancey 