Welcome

Hi Everyone,

In this very unique rehearsal process, we spend more time away from each other than with one another.  In order to keep in touch, I thought a blog might be a good way to stay connected.  You'll soon find out that I love the research element of doing shows, and I always enjoy sharing what I discover with the actors, designers, and technicians.  Hopefully you'll find some of this information useful.

The first little bit I'd like to share is the original NY Times review of ...Island, by one of the toughest (and smartest) critics around - Frank Rich.  Note his comparison of "We Dance" to "Magic To Do" from Pippin and his use of the term "storytelling style".

From the mood-setting first number, titled ''We Dance'' and reminiscent in spirit of Bob Fosse's ''Magic to Do'' in ''Pippin,'' the audience is drawn into the evening's once-upon-a-time storytelling style and fantastical atmosphere.

The New York Times
May 7, 1990
Frank Rich

It's no accident that my conceptual statements about OOTI included the term "storytelling".  This means that actors can switch roles, suddenly play inanimate objects, and at times directly address the audience.  Apparently this style made an impression on Frank Rich, and will likewise engage our audiences.

Next, notice his description of the ending - "a catharsis".  THAT'S what we need to be playing for.  Not a nice package wrapped up in a bow, but a real catharsis, which is defined by Webster as: The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

''Once on This Island'' has the integrity of genuine fairy tales, in that it doesn't lead to a saccharine ending but to a catharsis, a transcendent acceptance of the dust-to-dust continuity of life and death. ''Why We Tell the Story'' is the concluding song for the evening's storytellers, and one of those reasons is that ''our lives become the stories that we weave.'' As the story and its tellers at last come full circle in ''Once on This Island,'' the audience feels the otherworldly thrill of discovering the fabric of its own lives in an enchanted tapestry from a distant shore.

The New York Times
May 7, 1990
Frank Rich

So, are we agreed?  Let's work to make sure our ending is cathartic, not just pleasant.  The stakes of this play are nothing short of life and death.

Look for more stuff as we move through the process.  Also, if you come across anything interesting in your own research that you'd like to share with the cast, crew, and designers, let me know and we'll put it on the blog.

I'm looking forward to creating this with you!

Kevin