IF: Then

The key to a successful rehearsal process is unfettered exploration. This is most true in the earliest stages of the process. Whether it is at read through or during the tedium of blocking, an actor has the chance to test a posture, turn a phrase or otherwise plumb the depths of potential. Unfortunately, this freedom is often ignored or discarded for the first conclusions reached by the actor. These conclusions lead to subdued and monotonous repetitions rather than passionate variety. Subtlety is to be learned and honed by peeling away the excess of each choice and sharpening the result to the finest of points. Not by settling and becoming comfortable.

If an actor is unwilling or unable to aim for the stars and instead locks in on an idea without the benefit of discovery, then often he or she is short changing hermself (thank you Sarah Kane) and the production. An actor must push internally and externally in order to ensure that a dynamic and compelling moment is delivered to the audience by all participants. That means an actor can't settle for the same choice and the same posture and the same delivery as have been done each and every time. Instead, she or he needs to go large and go small. They must shout and whisper; crawl and leap. They must test the boundaries, break through and reach something more than they had before.

The collaboration between the actor and the director is an agreement to find the truth and power of a performance. A director can cajole and push, but in the end they rely on the actor to grasp the stars and them refine in from there. You can't sculpt air or make a mountain out of a mole hill, but if you're given a mountain you can carve out single beautiful clear grain.

From the moment an actor is cast he or she has been given the keys to the kingdom. So explore it!

At the risk of stepping on the third rail, I'd like to talk about critics. Those people that actors love to hate (unless of course it's a good review). The purveyors of validation or scorn who hold fragile egos firmly in their grasp.

While many might at best call the critic a necessary evil, I tend to see him or her as a valuable asset to production and audience. Within a few hundred words a jaundiced eye can sum up a tedium best avoided by audience or a breathtaking vista worthy of pilgrimage.

While none of us enjoy being "called out" on facets of a production or performance that aren't appreciated by the critic, the value comes from examining the comments and finding the kernel of truth that can help us to improve. The awe inspiring power of theatre is its ability to adapt and be reborn with every performance. (The key is ensuring that all members of the production are working towards the same goal and not just reacting to a harshly turned phrase.) Acting is constantly interpreting signals from audience, costars and space. So why not add the critic into the mix? No show should be re-envisioned simply as a knee jerk reaction to a critic, but it can certainly be tweaked and expanded after thoughtful examination of the critique.

Good reviews can be even more deadly. Never believe your own press. You may be very good and you might steal the show from the moment you come on stage, but the key to a good review is remembering that you got it because of all the people around you. When a critic focuses on positive aspects it can be helpful, but often that focus fails to take into account the forest around the tree. The result is the some of so many parts is appreciated, but not the numerous ingredients that made it possible. While a review can ignore the components, the participants in a show need to be even more wary of forgetting that acting is communal and collaborative.

The most valuable role a critic plays regardless of the positive or negative aspects of a review, is in growing, educating and informing our audience. A critic who develops a reputation for consistent, honest and clear assessments of a show, becomes a valuable resource as an audience member considers how to spend an evening out. A review keeps the production and theatre at the forefront of a potential audience's consciousness and in the long run strengthens our community as we become a forethought rather than an after for entertainment and art. Even if a reader consistently disagrees with a reviewer, that consistency encourages an internal dialogue and can still be a valuable barometer for someone considering whether to attend a show. The critic can also help audiences to develop a more nuanced appreciation for theatre. Through thoughtful comments and exploration of a show, they can help find the subtle inflections that lighting, set and many other facets can bring to a story.

Certainly the slings and arrows cast from the critic's keyboard can be painful, but the seeds that are planted at the same time will hopefully grow an audience, an appreciation and a commitment to theatre.

Alright, I'm not a list person. I just can't seem to embrace ranking things that provide enjoyment for a variety of reasons.

That said, I'm always intrigued by what others rank things and often the story behind it.

So, without further adieu, I'd like to ask for your 5 most favorite playwrights. What makes them special to you?

To prime the pump (or bite the bullet) here are my 5 favorite playwrights.

Sam Shepherd--He takes very vivid people and explores in a unique way so many things that underlie being a person, a partner or a family member.

Theresa Rebeck--She writes such honest and real dialogue that you almost feel voyeuristic listening in. Not to mention she gives female actors dynamite to play with.

Ben Johnson--Though he was performed far more often and regularly than Shakespeare up until the 19th century, he has become largely overlooked today. But I think he writes the most vibrant of comedic characters among all of his contemporaries.

Vaclav Havel--Long before he was a politician, he was writing rye and thoughtful explorations of a totalitarian world.

David Henry Hwang--While I'm not familiar with everything he has done, I am captured by his exploration of status, class, position and relationships. His one-act play, Bondage, is still one of my favorite studies of sexual and racial politics, while still providing wonderful humor and inspiring hope.

Course that is a quick list. There are so many amazing playwrights that have or continue to contribute to both American and World theatre. I've had the pleasure of working with some and look forward to the joy of finding others.

What is the difference between good theatre and deadly theatre?

Deadly theatre never lets you forget that you're sitting in a theater with poor air conditioning, in uncomfortable seats watching actors say words and move where their supposed to. Good theatre doesn't apologize for the seats or the artifice, but instead takes your hand and takes you on a brief, hopefully amazing, trip.

The best theatre transforms an empty cavern with throngs of onlookers into a vehicle of communal transformation. We stop thinking about the seats and the temperature and start wondering what next. We aren't furtively watching for the next tremor in the veil of illusion. Instead, we are asked by the actors to join them in a world that is equal parts reality and our imaginations. We all travel to a mutual place of play.

With some down time, I've got the chance to see more theatre and recharge physically and imaginatively. Each time I purchase a ticket I'm hoping that it is a passport to somewhere remarkable.

Job interviews rank somewhere below root canal and above lobotomy as things people want to experience. After the euphoria scheduling an interview fades, the dread, doubt and despair set in. "What if they don't like me? Do I have enough experience? I wonder how many people they are interviewing?" Luckily, with an interview we can go in; do our best; and if it doesn't result in a call for the dream job, then we can blame a number of external things: our resume, the organization, the experience, the job fit.

Unfortunately, auditions strip of us of any chance to distance ourselves, yet provide the same dread and dillemas that interviews offer. When we audition, it is is our entire being that is evaluated in just a few moments. There aren't even the pleasantries or formalities to make the experience feel like a reasonable amount of consideration. We walk in; hand-off the obligatory photo and resume and plod towards certain doom. We take the stage and ask for a swift judgement as our voice and body become the criterion for evaluation. No matter how stellar the resume, those moments on stage determine our fate with little chance for a mulligan or "do over."

As we prepare for our season auditions, I mention this not to add more grey to an already bleak proposition, but to point out that all of us sitting in the audience watching the auditions know what you're going through. No one in the room at an audition wants you to fail. They're hoping that you'll bring the exact something special to make their jobs that much easier. They're praying that you'll give them something magical, while you're dreading a a mistake or stumble.

Following are a few tips, to help you with any audition:

1. Relax. You deserve the audition, the part and the chance to prove it.
2. The Audition Begins Now. From the moment you enter the audition space, you are making an impression. Make sure that impression is confident and prepared.
3. Don't apologize. See 1& 2
4. Prepare. No, you won't give the best audition if you've been out all night drinking and haven't memorized your monologue. No matter how good you are, it will always look like you don't care. If you are so disrespectful of the audition process, why should we believe you'll respect the rehearsal process?
5. It's not just your voice. This isn't radio and it isn't film. When you're auditioning for a play, you're bringing your body and your voice to a role. So show that you are aware of the audience and know how to carry a message with your body. A talking head is rarely what a director is looking for.
6. Project. No matter how small the space, you need to show that you can reach the back row and touch them. Even if you know that the production will have microphones, it helps to show the director that you're prepared to use the tools you have.
7. Choose the right monologue. A monologue that doesn't fit your age or body type can often be as jarring as fingernails on a chalkboard. Make sure you've really had enough life experience to do the wisened sage or that you still have that fresh face that Juliet needs. Don't ask the director to look beyond, unless you're really that good.

To those of you auditioning, we wish you well.

While I've been fortunate enough to do many of the scripts I've desperately wanted to, there are always some that still sit out there waiting. So, I thought I would list a few of the "someday I'm gonna do that" shows on my list. But what I would really like to hear is your list of shows you would someday like to see.

Hysteria by Terry Johnson--This show begs to be done, but the technical requirements take it out of our current space.

Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe-- I've done it once, but I would love to try again to capture a hip, coold dark cyberpunk world for this classic, replete with fantastic clowns and acrobats.

Bartholomew Fair by Ben Johnson--What a great, earthy and bawdy romp for a fair. The characters are broad and memorable. This is something that should be down outdoor with the scent of a barbecue wafting in the air.

Randy Newman's Faust--Well, I'm not normally a big musical fan, but this show has the kind of humor and energy you've got to love. Plus the music careens around so many different styles that it stays fresh.

Bash by Neil Labute--Course I have to convince myself that the audience won't be reduced to searching for razor blades. Definitely not an upbeat show.

With a preponderous of digital devices capable of feeding us video and phone calls all the way to the moon, it may seem that such a quaint device as theatre would be out moded.

I would suggest that it is because of DSL, cineplexes and cell phones that theatre has become even more urgently necessary than ever before. While we are deluged with information on the stockmarket in Eritrea and phone calls from our friends discussing their quandry over buying the Black Eyed Peas or the latest Marz CD, we continue to become more and more isolated.

Theatre offers a chance to experience a production and to interact with others participating in a communal event. Society and community become more and more difficult for people to discern as they withdraw into an LCD filled world with little direct contact with neighbors, friends or even family.

What do you think?

So, everyone else is busy with theatre, while the IF crew is chasing Cuervo with a lime. But a hardened liver can only entertain for so long. So...

What have you gone to see? How was it?

What is your favorite show done locally in the past year?

Any scripts that you would love to see done?