So I have always loved writing and always loved sharing my opinions (even if no one asked). I am finally taking charge and creating the blog I always wanted. I got more inspired (see: empowered) to write this blog while I’ve been in London. I was bored of going out to clubs and pubs, and had a lot of homework to do and a lot on my mind, but when I would sit in my room for hours I would be completely drained. I am an extrovert and need to be around people to feel energetic.
So I invented the coffee crawl.
When I had free days I would wander around a new area of London and go to coffee shops, I started putting them on my Instagram story. I never used Instagram story before and thought it would be an interesting way to share all the coffee shops I was going to. Then people started telling me that they loved all the coffee pictures!
They started asking me where I was going, and what coffee shops were fun.
So here I am. I leave London in a week, but I have enough material to write a couple blog posts. I will also be writing about a lot of new discoveries I have made in London, about the world, myself, coffee, theatre, ect.
This is all a practice of my communication skills and pushing myself to be authentic and vulnerable.
Andrew Scott is King of West End as Prince of Denmark
The Danish Prince has once again invaded the West End. Robert Icke’s almost four-hour long production of “Hamlet” has been extended to the Harold Pinter Theatre this summer after a sold-out run at the Almeida Theatre.
The list of famous Hamlets is star-studded, and there have been countless productions, but Almeida Theatre’s production has redefined “Hamlet.” Andrew Scott plays the title character and has had to face harsh comparison to his “Sherlock” co-star Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Hamlet in 2015.
The intimate theatre helps connect the audience with Hamlet, with every soul-searching soliloquy, we feel for the pained prince. Scott takes his time with his speeches and has a natural sense of loss and confusion. He wanders aimlessly and sometimes seems to lose control of his emotions, yet it all feels so real. Most productions try to cut and real in Hamlet’s lengthy emotional discourse, yet with the length of this production, Scott had plenty of time to draw the audience in and experience everything with him.
Scott is by far the best actor in the production, yet the ensemble around him stayed consistently strong and supported the depth of the play. Amaka Okafor surprisingly stood out as a compassionate Guildenstern, changing the chemistry and importance of the normally disposable Rosencrantz and Guildenstern duo. While in most production Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are interchangeable and easily forgettable, this production seems to show the deep friendship of the characters, and how deeply troubled they are by Hamlet’s transformation.
Icke did a wonderful job of making every character significant, yet Angus Wright’s Claudius fell flat. His reoccurring joke of being technologically illiterate became frustrating when he also seemed to lack basic communication skills. He never seemed to fill the stage, as a King should, and his soliloquy about praying in the later half of the show is strangely directed at Hamlet instead. It would have been more believable is Juliet Stevenson’s Gertrude was in charge of Denmark, as she showed strength and control of the stage far more than Wright ever did.
Many of Icke’s productions at the Almeida Theatre have been over three hours, so it was no surprise when the running time was originally announced at 4 hours and 15 minutes. It has since been cut down to 3 hours and 45 minutes with two intervals. The run can seem daunting, but it was all worth while as the show was mesmerising and wonderful.
The complex multimedia by Tal Yarden and simplistic set design by Hildegard Bechtler worked wonderfully together, as it truly was about the beauty of the words and actors. Each scene was like a present of poetry to the audience and Scott’s slow decent into madness was believable and heartbreaking.
This production is unique because Almeida Theatre offered a week-long festival of free performances and workshops for anyone under 25. This let over 1,500 young adults see this wonderful piece of art for free and learn about the impact the production has. This show was not just about making money or having another famous person perform Shakespeare, this festival shows that it is about having theatre connect to an audience.
Almeida Theatre “Hamlet For Free” had 16 workshops spread throughout four days, April 10th through 13th. These workshops touched on poetry, hip-hop, writing, acting and how to spread ideas. All of these workshops were free, and this included five productions that were completely reserved for people 25 and under.
Rupert Goold, Almeida Artistic Director said: “Hamlet For Free celebrates the young people who
belong at the heart of the Almeida’s community. We are delighted to be producing this entirely free festival around Robert’s production of Hamlet, harnessing the imagination and energy of the Almeida for what will be an electric four days.”
Productions of this depth and reach are not found in many areas, showing that London does conquer when it comes to producing theatre and that Shakespeare can still draw a crowd almost 400 years later.
While this is not the first or last large-scale production of Hamlet, it will definitely be held in high esteem, potentially breaking to the top of the “Top Ten Hamlets” list.
“Hamlet” will be at the Harold Pinter Theatre from June 9th to September 2nd.
“The Kid Stays in the Picture” stays off the American Stage
Hollywood hits the stage in London, after many failed attempts at producing a play about a producer. “The Kid Stays in the Picture” from Complicite focuses on the life of Robert Evans, a New York actor turned Hollywood Producer. After two attempts at a show on Broadway and having pushed back the opening in London, this story finally takes the stage.
“There are three sides to every story: my side, your side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Memories shared serve each differently,” said the actor playing Robert Evans in the beginning of the show.
“The Kid Stays in the Picture” is an autobiography by Evans published in 1994, then turned into a movie in 2002. There was an attempted a one man show starring Evans in 2004, then another attempt turned into a larger production in 2011, before coming to the Royal Court Theatre in 2017. The show’s opening was delayed from March 7 to March 11 due to technical needs.
The delay was well worth the extra time as this show was more about the technical aspects than the story or actors. The show featured moving set pieces, live sound mixing, two cameras with live video streaming, and spectacular lighting design.
It has received mixed reviews from two stars from The Stage, and five stars from The Independent.
“The play about film-making has been turned into an anti-theatrical event by its reliance on recreating the conditions of film too closely.” said Mark Shenton of The Stage.
The play is about Robert Evans and his career in the Hollywood film industry during from the early 1960s to 1990s. It focuses on his rough Harlem childhood, his early career as a sub-par actor, and then his rise to fame as a producer for Paramount Pictures. He produced many of their most famous films, such as “Love Story”, “The Godfather”, “Chinatown”, “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Marathon Man”. The second half of the play shows his downfall with his involvement in drug and murder scandals, and his triumphant rise from the ashes as he tells the best story he knows, his own.
Danny Huston plays the elderly Evans, who narrates the whole play. Danny Huston is the son of John Huston, who is mentioned in the play because he worked with Robert Evans.
An ensemble of eight collectively plays all the people Evans interacted with in his career, and also narrate his own thoughts.
The show was fast paced and alluded to all the famous works by Evans, which was alienating to anyone who has not seen those movies. It was an interesting take on agency and the idea of who has the right to tell a story.
Many people compared this show to the last play directed by Simon McBurney, “The Encounter” which was a play that involved extreme audio design and received amazing reviews. This production felt much safer than what Complicite normally produces, and was seen as a marketing ploy to draw in new audiences.
The play was considered a celebration of Hollywood, yet was not welcomed on an American stage. The consistent comparison to the book and film adaptations and the ego-centric narrative has had mixed reviews in London as well.
The design team seems to be the real stars of the show as Lighting Designer Paul Anderson, Sound Designer Pete Malkin, and Video Designer Simon Wainwright, kept the show from being stale, as most of a producer's job involves phone calls and meetings, which is exactly what was shown on stage.
The director, Simon McBurney, is an actor, writer, director, and co-founder of Complicite, and helped adapt “The Kid Stays in the Picture” for the stage. It felt more like a movie with how much media emphasis there was, as most of the time the projections on the screen were more important than the actors on the stage.
It seems as if people who have seen the movies mentioned and want to know more about the behind the scenes of Hollywood in the late 20th century would enjoy this production. It glamorizes Hollywood and the film industry in a way that seems only Non-American audiences could care for.
Sam Wanamaker Playhouse: Cassio takes command in Othello
Haunting choral renditions of Lana Del Ray’s “Video Games” fill the dark, intimate, candle-light theatre. Blood stained sheets sit center stage. Cassio starts putting on armor, preparing for the battle ahead of her. The audience is turned into accomplices as Ellen McDougall’s Othello starts its spiral into murder and jealousy.
This production is dramatically different than most productions, yet only ventured away from traditional Shakespeare a few times. The most important change McDougall made was casting Joanna Horton as a female Cassio, Michelle instead of Michael. Gender swapping in Shakespeare is common, yet this one was significant. It set a precedent of strong women characters for the rest of the play. Even Bianca, played by Nadia Albina, was more than a simple prostitute, she was a crucial part of the ensemble. This created a heavier focus on the gender inequality of the show instead of the racial injustice of Othello.
While normally the play is about Iago manipulating Othello into murdering Desdemona out of Iago’s racism and resentment towards Othello promoting Cassio, this time it seemed to be about Cassio and the women around her trying to survive in a world that is crumbling due to the proud and ignorant men around them. Kurt Egyiawan as Othello and Sam Spruell as Iago plot against each other and the respectable women in their lives because they are offended by petty things. The only redeemable man was Peter Hobday who played the Duke and Roderigo. His comical but smooth transitions between abused Roderigo and powerful Duke were small but extremely memorable moments.
Horton’s portrayal of Cassio spoke to every woman that had ever tried to prove herself in a traditional male field. She was criticized for taking the leadership position, deemed unqualified, and was proven to be too emotional to keep the position, and replaced with a man. This made Iago’s resentment towards Cassio even more despicable. This also created a better understanding of why Cassio would be ashamed of being with Bianca.
Desdemona, played by Natalie Klamar, was a fighter throughout, even to her last breath. Her defiance against her father and her agency in her marriage was refreshing and admirable. She only became submissive when Othello became physical, which she even then questioned and fought against when she was alone with him. McDougall cut out Desdemona’s strange post-mortem speech about forgiving Othello, leaving her as a strong character even after death. Thalassa Teixeira’s Emilia went from an abused obedient women, to standing on a bed screaming about Othello’s murder and Iago’s villainy.
The design by Fly Davis was true to the time period, including codpieces and candles, yet it was still a refreshing and powerful design. The codpieces were distracting, specifically because they disappeared after intermission, so while it was confusing why they were included, it was even more difficult to understand why they were taken away.
The show started with Cassio on stage in all white, and the show ended with Cassio in all white, showing that this production was about women’s struggle through oppression and persistence. She was the only one that survived the play, and nevertheless, she persisted.
Othello runs at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe until 22 April.
Trying my hand at theatre reviews, here is the first show I saw in London. More to come!
Drinking, singing, fighting, dancing, bright clothes and quick humor. Surprisingly enough this is Shakespeare on a Tuesday night. Simon Godwin’s “Twelfth Night” at the National Theatre is three hours of a battle between rules and romance, color and quiet, and Malvolia against everyone.
The magic starts with Soutra Gilmour’s design, a large staircase in the center of the stage that revolves to create the multiple locations throughout the play. This large, angular, white and gold staircase lead to a wonderful amount of movement on the stage from the actors. Despite being a huge set piece, it never slowed the play down to move it as it was mostly automated. It’s simplicity was underestimated as doors and lights were hidden in it to easily transports us to the next scene. The set was absolutely necessary to fully appreciate Malvolia (Tasmin Greig) flamboyantly struting and climbing it as she sings and dances.
Greig herself was as spectacular as the set. She dressed in black and white, crisp, daunting clothes, Malvolia makes sure everything is in its place, including the plants in the garden. When love enters her life, just like the other characters, Greig holds nothing back. She jumps into a fountain splashing with joy, and the next time we see her she is signing and dancing in a bright yellow burlesque inspired outfit, complete with yellow cross-guard stockings and bra tassels, to proclaim her love for Olivia. The audience was completely enamored and despite how insanely ridiculous Malvolia was, the audience believed every second of it. It made perfect sense that Greig was the face of the marketing material, because she was the star of the show.
Pheobe Fox as Olivia was quirky and adorable, but was overshadowed by Greig. The flow from her being in mourning to being madly in love was abrupt. She was a middle ground between Doon Mackichan’s Fool and Malvolia and was pulled back and forth emotionally. Her relationships with everyone around her seemed unnatural, but when she committed to loving Viola (disguised as a boy, Cesario) she was relentless. It was refreshing to see a female character in love that was not helpless or depressed, as tends to come across in Shakespeare.
Viola, played by Tamara Lawrence, was that helpless and depressed female character. She played it well, as the petite Lawrence would pace around in her big masculine clothes begging the world to give her answers. When she was with others her spunk and charisma shone through, but she still let herself be dragged around by the much stronger actors.
The colorful world of love, gender swapping, and madness in the end was tidy, beautiful and thought provoking. The play was impressively sewn together with live music, spinning stage parts, and dramatic lighting. This show played on spectacle, including neon signs, working hot tubs, and a drag queen performance, yet it still felt like Shakespeare. It was like we were personally invited to the party of the year, and Malvolia was disappointed in all of us.
“Twelfth Night” runs at the National Theatre until 13 May. An NT Live broadcast takes place on 6 April.
Culture Shock: Comparing Theatre in Los Angeles and London
In continuing the concept of this being an online portfolio, here is an essay I wrote for my Intercultural Communications class. Of course I wrote about Theatre.
London is considered the theatre capital of the world. American playwrights cannot compare with Shakespeare and Andrew Lloyd Weber, even Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams struggle to have such timeless and acceptable plays. As a theatre major, I wanted to study somewhere that my art was valued. When I arrived in London, I was overwhelmed with the amount of accessible and respectable theatre in such a condensed space. It was not the theatre itself that was shocking, but how audiences were responding to it. The shows I wanted to see were sold out, I had not expected that. I had never had trouble getting tickets to shows in Los Angeles because it was rare that shows sold out, and if one night did, certainly the whole run was not. I was not surprised that London values theatre more than Los Angeles, but I deeply underestimated by how much. Shows on Mondays and Tuesdays were completely full. People were there and they were there on time. Culture shock is disorientation that “can occur in a different cultural context” (Bennett, 15). I could easily adjust to the small oddities; like accents, public transit, and the distressing lack of American peanut butter, but I was overwhelmed about what shows to see and which theaters to attend. I found out most of the shows I wanted to see were sold out for months, for once I was not the only person around me that loved theatre.
Theatre is considered to be a part of objective culture and one of the “institutions of culture,” but theatre is a way to shape society, instead of reflect it (Bennett, 2). Subjective culture is “the learned and shared patterns of beliefs, behaviors, and values of groups of interacting people” but theatre is the way society is taught values, so objective becomes subjective in this sense (Bennett, 2). Some of the earliest forms of theatre were morality plays done by the church in order to teach the Bible. Modern plays such as Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez are meant to change society, not simply show what is happening. The quality of shows in Los Angeles are equivalent to shows I have seen in London, but there is more quantity of quality plays to see in London. Los Angeles has an endless amount of theatre companies, with a new one starting every week, yet it is so rare for a professional producing company to sell out even one show. In London entire runs of shows are sold out even before opening, and there is more shows to see.
Theatre revolves around the values of creativity, diversity and most importantly, vulnerability. An emphasis on individualism in the US leads to a decrease in vulnerability and an increase in shame (Bennett, 13). Individualism is self-reliance, while vulnerability is trusting others deeply, these values clash, creating tension and shame. Shame is formed because it is “generated from social/cultural expectations” (Brown, 46). The social expectation is to only rely on oneself, and if someone shows their need for others by being vulnerable, the feel ashamed for failing to meet the social requirements. It is human nature to be vulnerable and have the “ability to feel fear, anger, love, joy, sadness, and shame,” (Hofstede, 6). Shame, a “psycho-social-cultural construct” keeps people from feeling vulnerable, which in turn sniffles creativity (Brown, 45). Creativity relies on vulnerability because through creating something, it allows others to criticize of reject it. With the lack of vulnerability and creativity, theatre in the US struggles.
Theatre tells the stories of others and teaches empathy, even with anti-hero characters such as Macbeth, audiences understand his ambition to be King and his inevitable downfall. This understanding of flawed characters humanizes what could be considered villains. Brown describes empathy as “the ability to perceive a situation from the other person’s perspective,” (Brown, 47). With the decline and rejection of theatre in the US, there is less ways to teach empathy. The way that teamwork is taught is through competitive sports instead, which does not teach empathy, but an us against them mentality. It enforces the idea of the other, instead of understanding. The individualism in the US will continue to skyrocket, leading to more xenophobia and prejudice without theatre. Theatre is an emotional catharsis and education, but with Americans resisting natural emotions, they resist the theatre as well.
In Los Angeles, the easiest way to know what shows are playing is to be a theatre professional and have your friends invite you to shows. There two large theaters in Los Angeles that bring in shows from Broadway, The Ahmanson and the Pantages. These theatre are absurdly expensive, and there is rarely anyone that has season tickets to both, and the only show to sell out is the upcoming production of Hamilton. Other than those two, the rest of the countless theatre in Los Angeles are producing their own work, many of them being original or world premiere shows. This does lead to a large diversity in the plays, but it also leads to an overwhelming amount of underwhelming productions. A majority of theaters in Los Angeles are under 99 seats, and even those have trouble selling out. One of the best selling shows currently is Zoot Suit, which is being revived for the 50 year anniversary of the Mark Taper Forum. This show is specifically popular in Los Angeles because it is about the Zoot Suit Riots and already has Broadway accreditation. This is a rare occasion in which the theatre being produced speaks specifically to the community and audience around it.
Theatre has a role in shaping society, and London has been proving that for centuries with Shakespeare. It has been widely said that the purpose of theatre is to teach and to please, and Shakespeare’s plays were entertaining yet had morals for society and for royalty. Theatre has had an enormous impact on the history of England, that it is still valued today. Theatre has been considered a dying art since it started, yet still has not died, and is thriving in England. Since there is a higher respect for theatre in London, this leads to a large quantity of successful theatre producing classical works, such as the Globe Theatre, the National Theatre, and The Old Vic.
These productions companies, despite selling out, still make a valiant effort to get youth and students to see shows. The National Theatre has student passes so all tickets are five pounds.
The Almeida theatre has five performances of their sold out Hamlet that are specifically for people under 25 to come see the show for free. They offer free workshops all that week in order to help students and youth understand the themes of the show and get involved in artistic events. This is unheard of in the US. Even with government subsidies, it is extremely expensive for students to see theatre.
In the City of Rancho Cucamonga, which is a wealthy city outside of Los Angeles, there is a theatre company that is dedicated to providing high quality professional theatre to children. MainStreet Theatre Company has been nationally recognized for producing theatre for young audiences, but despite multiple fundraisers a year, being subsidized from the government, and having grants from the NEA, it is still difficult for families and schools to bring children to the theatre. It is inaccessible and undervalued and is in turn struggling to stay a successful producing company.
Theatre is treated differently by audiences, but also by artists. There are many celebrities that do theatre in London, but not in the US. The US normally brings in a celebrity to help ticket sales, and it is actually frowned upon for a celebrity to do a show that is already selling well, such as when Wayne Brady took on the role of Aaron Burr in Hamilton. These professional actors don’t participate in theatre in the US because it isn’t as valued. The Old Vic has famous actors such as Daniel Radcliffe and John Boyega in the same season. Andrew Scott is playing Hamlet at the Almeida Theatre this year. David Tennat is coming back to the stage this season as well in a show I have never heard of. These respectable artists are doing art that is considered respectable here, which does not happen in Los Angeles. Once actors go to film or television, they abandon their theatre pasts and often never return to the stages in the states.
Within the three weeks I’ve been in London, I have found countless people who recommend shows or theatre or want to see theatre. I never knew how much theatre culture I was missing out on in Los Angeles. In Los Angeles I said I was going to London to study theatre, and had many people ask me why. The US is so out of touch with theatre that many people I talked to were unaware that theatre was important in London. One person didn’t know where Shakespeare was from and thought he wrote “Oedipus.” I had no idea how appreciated theatre was in London, and it was a culture shock that I am happy to adjust too.
Work Cited
Bennett, M.J. (1998). “Intercultural communication: A current perspective.” In M.J. Bennett (Ed.), Basic concepts of intercultural communication: Selected readings (pp. 1-34). Boston,
MA: Intercultural Press.
Brown, Brené. "Shame Resilience Theory: A Grounded Theory Study on Women and Shame." Families in Society 87.1 (2006): 43-52. ProQuest. Web. 8 Mar. 2017
Hall, S. 1997. Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices (Culture, Media and Identities series) London: Sage Publications Ltd.
Hofstede, G.J. Hofstede, & M. Minkov, Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind: Intercultural cooperation and its importance for survival, 3rd ed. (pp. 3-26). New York: McGraw-Hill.
I’ve quit jobs before, but this was my first, real, big-girl, career-developing job.
This is a necessary move to further my career. I am about to study abroad and then graduate college. This was inevitable. So why am I so scared?
I finally had a job in theatre.
I was a producer’s assistant for a real, equity theatre company. I got to work at a theatre that’s mission was to cultivate a new generation of artists. Theatre for Young Audiences was such fulfilling work, even if it was just making copies and sending contract.
Plus I got to prove everyone wrong who said “you’ll never find a stable job in theatre.”
It was the first job that had stability.
I had always worked summer camps, or retail, or freelance. I never had a stable income before, this job helped me get my first car, my first credit card.
It was a job that I knew I could stay at as long as I wanted and work as much as I could. It worked around my class schedule and paid over minimum wage.
It was the first job I was actually challenged at.
While other jobs I worked at were hard, (here’s looking at you Summer Camp) they were emotionally hard, physically hard, but this one actually challenged me in a way to make me better in my field.
I got to grow as a theatre artists and discover my true passion for producing and theatre administration.
Now I have to leave. And I am terrified.
When am I going to find a job like this again? When am I going to be able to work again? I have a strong momentum going here in LA, am I about to ruin that by leaving for 3 months?
Then I remember that this is something I have to do.
Life happens outside of your comfort zone.
I have to leave, I have to move forward in my career, and while it is scary to leave one opportunity without firmly securing the next one. I have to hope that the connections I’ve made and the progress I have made in the past year and a half will help me continue to grow in my career. I am sure there will be hiccups along the way. But I am grateful for this foundation I’ve built at our beautiful theatre hidden in the hills of Rancho Cucamonga.
Something I realized it that a majority of the artists that were so excited to perform every week were men. I knew for a fact there were women artist wanting to perform, so I made a week dedicated to empowering Female Artists on campus. This one required a lot of work to reach out and convince women to perform, but what came out of it was amazing.
The first artists that went up were The Companians which were two artists that play a ukulele and a banjo. They performed covers and songs that they wrote as well.
Emma is a friend of mine that posts beautiful piano pieces on Instagram. I had to pretty much beg her to perform but I am so glad she did. She performed songs that her and her dad composed.
Mulan was one of the performers I am most proud of. She grew as a performer over the semester and during the last week she debuted a song that she wrote. Seeing Mulan grow over the semester made this entire project worth it.
This event had about 30 people at it, including some Alumni. We had people perform poems in English and Spanish, sing, and I performed another poem that I wrote for a Theatre Class about Eating Disorders. This one unfortunately I do not have a video of me performing.
It was once again a moment of me reflecting. I was trying to empower these women to step out of their comfort zones and embrace the artistic challenge, I needed to step up to this challenge as well, otherwise what kind of artistic leader am I?
It was a riveting experience to have 12 wonderful women empowering each other to perform. These were the moments that made this project so powerful, and strengthen the values I have as an artist.
This is one of my favorite events we did. It was unique and overall a great night.
This night included 4 painters and 4 guitarists creating and performing art at the same time. This is when we really started to come into our coffee shop hipster vibe, we had blankets on the floor and couches to sit on. While this event was far better planned than our first event, we were able to keep the same energy.
As usual I started the event by welcoming everyone and reminding them of the mission statement and purpose of the Cabaret Series. Together we were there to create and collaborate on art.
This night included all original music including Albert Romiel who would become one of our long term performers and one of my favorite artists to work with. His song “Amy Baby” is officially one of my favorites.
I also worked with Christian Garay who also is one of my favorite artists to work with. His song about Rachel McAdams was whimsical, excuse the SnapChat quality video. One of the things I was poor at planning at was archiving these events. There was not a designated person to record and take pictures and that is something I deeply regret.
Overall the event was great, we had a crowd of about 28 and free coffee and snacks.
This week we featured a local band, Sleep Club. Dylan, one of the band members, was a huge inspiration for this project.
In Spring 2015 he asked if his band could perform in the Cabaret Theatre. It was really hard for bands to find venues that don’t charge and it was difficult working with managers at venues to get on the set list so instead they wanted to plan something their selves.
That’s when I thought that there were probably countless other artists on campus that wanted to perform, but just had no idea how.
I knew how to put on a performance, but I didn’t have any performers! (Which is another story.)
This also helped me learn how to deal with performers.
Horror story time:
I advertised the event to start at 10:00. I said they would go on at 10:15.
10:20 - I can’t find the band. I walk outside and find people with red cups standing outside on the lawn of the theatre. I tell them they can’t drink here because it’s a dry campus, if they want to drink, take it to the parking lot.
10:25 - This random guy starts playing a dungaree. I’m not kidding. He showed up with it, said he was the opening act, I laughed and said sure. I didn’t think he was actually going to play it. I still can’t find the band.
10:30 - I find one of the band members and his friends, I say they need to go on. His friend tells me “They’ll go on in ten minutes.” I immediately lose my chill. “No, they will go on now. I said the show starts at 10. It’s 10:30. You’re on.”
11:00 - Show over. They only planned a half hour set. No one told me.
The event itself was well received, we had about 25 people in the audience, got them up and moving to an alternative indie band. A local band was supported, students experienced new art, overall great event. I learned that I have a quick temper, and needed a better system than trusting other people to have their stuff together.
Luckily we were featured in the school newspaper again!
I wanted to start the series with an Open Mic Night hosted by the Slam Poetry Team. Unfortunately the captain of the Slam Poetry Team didn’t tell the team. So instead we had 16 people in the Cabaret Theatre, with a mic and no plan.
I introduced the series, the Slam Team Captain performed a couple poems. One other member of the poetry team performed and then it was free for all.
I panicked.
There was no plan.
I always have a plan.
Then other people started to perform. Spontaneously! They just got up and performed poems, some they wrote, some they read from the internet
I thought how unfair it was that I was asking these people to perform something and be vulnerable in front of a bunch of strangers, how could I possibly ask them to do something that I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing?
So I performed a poem I wrote a long time ago for another Theatre Class.
It was a wonderful environment filled with community and creativity and it was okay that I didn’t have a plan. I learned that I couldn’t trust others to have a plan. I learned that a crowd of 16 people was still an audience that we were impacting. It was a perfect way to start the Cabaret Series and this “failure” of a night cultivated the energy for the rest of the series.
We were even featured in the school paper! (One of many more to come)
So two weeks into the Cabaret Series my professor reminds me that I have yet to turn in a proposal for my project. Which meant none of the work I was doing had been approved by the department, and I was kind of going rouge. While the professors had an idea of what I was working on they didn’t know what I was planning to do. Here is that more developed proposal that I presented to the department.
Spoiler: It was approved (with some hesitation)
These blogs will start to get a little more reflective. Stay with me here.
Vision Statement:
The Cabaret Series brings together a community of student artists so they can express themselves artistically outside of a classroom environment. This community creates and experiences art together.
Mission Statement:
The Cabaret Series is a 13 week series featuring University of La Verne student artists. This gives them a way to artistically experiment and express themselves outside of a traditional classroom setting. The goal is to create and strengthen the community of artists on campus and draw attention to the Theatre Department as an artistic hub of the campus.
Organizational Arrangement:
Advisory Board: Group of faculty in and out of the Theatre Department to help with the advising and execution of the Cabaret Series.
Proposed Advisory Board:
Professor in CBPM (Jack Meek)
Theatre Club Advisor (Alan Tollefson)
Professor of Theatre Arts (Sean Dillon or David Flaten)
ASULV Senator of Arts and Science (Mariela Sanchez)
Assistant Director of Student Life (Angie Anderson)
Producer: Michaela Bulkley
Project Leaders:
Technical Director - Ashley Weaver
Club Manager - Emily Jardel
Marketing Manager - TBD
Strategic Plan:
Goals and Objectives
Design and implement a minimum of 10 events per semester for the 2016-2017 Season
Raise funds to support and produce these events
Communicate these events through on-campus media outlets
Create a leadership procurement plan for the sustainability of the Cabaret Series
Create a strategic long term plan for the The Cabaret Club
PHASE 1 - Workshop (Fall 2016)
This first semester is the trial run of the Theatre Club and Cabaret Series. This will help discover the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the project in order to create a sustainable production model that is replicable throughout the years.
This will be accomplished through:
Trial and Error
Observation
Research
PHASE 2 - Refinement (January 2017)
After a semester of experimentation, observation and research, I will refine the strategical organizational plan to be implemented in the following semester. My senior thesis paper will be writing this strategic, long-term plan for the project.
PHASE 3 - Implementation (Spring 2017)
I will be here for the last two weeks of the semester to guide the new leadership of the club and series. I will also be here the last two weeks of the semester so we can reflect as a department and strengthen the plan for the next semester.
Leadership Procurement:
This inaugural year will change leadership mid-season due to Michaela leaving for London mid-February. She will help whoever is taking over the project plan and execute Spring Cabaret Series over January Interterm. Michaela is developing a strategic plan in which the formulaic approach to the Cabaret Series.
Funding:
To fund this project the Club Recognition and Funding Paperwork was filled out and turned into ASULV. The Theatre Club is the producing entity of the Cabaret Series. The Executive Board for the Theatre Club is the artistic development team for the Cabaret Series. The amount of funding we will receive is still unknown. Fall Funding for clubs runs from October to January and Spring Funding runs from February to September. This packet must be filled out every semester to continue to be recognized as a club and continue to get funding. We must keep track of how the money is spent in order to continue to receive funding. It is extremely important that this money is used specifically for the club and for the Cabaret Series. ASULV is strict that this money does not fund departments.
I have two fundraisers lined up to raised additional funds for this project
House of Wings: October 11th 4pm-Close 20% of proceeds with flyer
It is being marketed through a flier I created and it is also out Alumni Night!
Granny’s Yogurt: October 27th
Fundraisers I plan on having:
Wahfles, Bowl of Heaven, Aargos.
I plan on having one every three weeks!
I am also asking for donations from the following places:
Grocery Stores - Giftcards for snacks
Starbuck - Coffee for our Open Mic Nights
Warehouse - purchase an add in our program
The funding will be spent on the following:
Marketing
T-shirts (quote: 64 black unisex shirts w/ logo on front and quote on back for $9.49 per shirt)
Majors can buy them for $10, patrons/parents can buy them for $15
Supplies for club (ex: Materials for Club Fair, Homecoming, etc)
Facilities:
I currently am working with Alan and Ashley in order to create a sustainable and continuos space reservation system in which students and faculty are considered equals when it comes to needing the space. All projects will be treated equally.
(the senior project formally known as) Tuesday Night Live
Before we focus on what I did, lets look at what I wanted to do. Here is the first draft of my project proposal.
This entire project started because I wanted to start an Improv Team. I love improv. I am great at improv. Everyone said they wanted an improv team.
spoiler: no one actually wanted an improv team
So here is that first draft. Written April 20th 2016
Statement of Purpose:
Tuesday Night Live would be a 14 week series of student art. This will give theatre students a way to express themselves and experiment artistically, outside of a classroom setting. The goal is to bring more campus attention to the theatre through involving outside organizations and bringing a diverse amount of theatre and art experiences to the campus community.
The events would be Tuesday Nights at 10:00pm
There are over 25 classes offered on Tuesday Nights that do not end until 10:00
Rehearsal for the Improv Team would be based on availability of the Coach.
Production Meetings for the events would be Wednesdays at 11:30
Funding :
To fund this project I plan on filling out the Club Recognition and Funding Paperwork before the end of May, so it will be submitted and ready for next semester. A majority of the budget will go to finding an Improv Coach, as a majority of the programs are the “Improv Team.”
Other aspects of the budget will go to light snacks and refreshments for the audience, or towards other small things the “Theatre Projects” need.
This would also account for Publicity in the budget
I also really want t-shirts for the department.
Fundraising might be necessary throughout the semester, and we can do one or several of the following:
Bowl of Heaven fundraiser
Wahfles Fundraiser
Yogurtland Fundraiser
Theatre Benefit (Maybe as last event?)
Auction baskets
Sell Tickets
The paperwork needed for ASULV Funding is attached.
Programing:
Slam Team - The Slam Team already has a strong following, by having an Open Mic Night we are guaranteed a successful first event. I have already talked to Steven and the team is willing to perform for an hour. We use this to publicize next week.
Improv Team - Students for several years have shown interest in an improv team and with the funding from ASULV we can create one. This will also create a sense of team through the department, that is desperately needed. By having them second week we introduce them early and after a successful first week will have a better chance of larger audience.
Student Bands - Starting off with Dylan Peruti’s band “Sleep Club” we cater to a different type of audience, focusing on local bands we focus on the La Verne value of “Community.” Dylan has also suggested more local bands, but I am hoping to contact more bands that are ULV students of Alumni such as “Attic Empire” and some students from the Music Honor Society.
Dance Team- I noticed the Dance Team does not really have a concert or end of the year performance since we do not have any dance major or minor, and I think this could be another way of helping the student artists outside of the department express themselves and feel welcomed in the student community of artists.
Theatre Projects - The Theatre Projects are the biggest variable, but the most necessary. This is to bring the theatre students together as a unity to create art as a company, and feel as if they have a voice in the art this department produces. I also hope that the students in the following classes will use this series as a way to practice, specifically the students in the following classes: Theatre and Community, Stage Management, Theatre Seminar, Production Experience, and Lighting Design.
Stay tuned to see how I failed miserably and moved forward into a completely different path!
I held auditions. I told all artists that they were encouraged to bring by and show me whatever they had, very much like “America’s Got Talent”
I had two guitarists, two makeup artists, and two actors show up. Then me and my team spent the rest of the night watching Beyonce music videos and brainstorming.
We had already reached our first challenge, no one knew what the Cabaret Series was, so no one wanted to participate.
While I figured it would be hard starting something like this from scratch, I figured students would be more excited about it.
Theatre majors had spent the entire last three years of my college experience bitching expressing concerns about the lack of student produced work, and here I was, handing them the opportunity to do whatever they wanted. I would do all the logistical work like marketing, scheduling, communication, and all the stuff normal people hate (that I love) to help support student art.
Yet. No. Theatre. Majors. Auditioned.
What. The. Hell.
I was livid. How could they complain about something, and then when the solution is in front of them, they turned away. I actually cried to my adviser, Alan, asking what to do. I had relied on the theatre majors to show up, to support, to participate.
We had an argument that went in circles:
Alan: Why should they care?
Me: Because they said they are theatre majors.
Alan: Why would students care about creating art?
Me: Because they are theatre majors.
Alan: Yeah but why should they care about this opportunity to create art?
Me: Because they are theatre majors.
I then realized that I cared more than other people did about building this community of artists. But that wasn’t going to stop me.
Quickly my team went into brainstorming mode. We had 11 weeks to fill. We were going to fill them. Failure was not an option.
My theatre department is small, which is wonderful because I get plenty of interaction with all of my professors. I can stop in their office and have hours of life discussion, we can debate, we can joke, and I have a huge amount of faculty support.
This was especially important when I started a huge project that was against the advise of almost every single professor.
Sean Dillon told me that this project was probably going to fail, but he still encourage I tried and there is education in failing, but to be ready for failure. (spoiler: I did NOT fail and the project was a huge success!)
Alan Tollefson, my senior project adviser (he prefers the term guidance to advising), told me that this was going to be a large ambitious project that I couldn’t accomplish by myself and would face a lot of backlash from. All of this was true but he still supported me anyway (even when I turned the entire theatre into a haunted house kind of behind his back #sorrynotsorry).
David Flaten, the chair of the department, was mostly there for the spiritual guidance to keep me sane and happy through the project. This was just as important as any logistic guidance.
These three professors I owe and dedicate this whole project too. I couldn’t have done it without them cheering me on, challenging me, and letting me prove them wrong.
Coming to the end of my junior year, I had to pick a senior project. Now I am not the kind of person that likes doing what everyone else does, so I wanted an original project that would take everything I loved doing in college and wrap it all into one.
This project was to define me, so I started defining myself first.
I am ambitious, obsessed with the idea of legacy, constantly making change, in love with problem solving, and enjoy participating in things that are larger than myself (learned that one from sorority!)
Looking at the theatre department, I wanted to give back to the community that shaped me, I wanted future generations to have more resources and support than I did, I wanted students artists to have a voice.
So I accidentally started a student-run theatre company.
My idea was to have 12 weeks of student produced art in the Cabaret Theatre every Tuesday Night at 10pm. We were funded by students through Student Government and fundraisers, we were organized by students (me), the performers and audiences were students, it was all to create a safe artists lab in able to experiment with art and perform without pressure.
Now I will go week by week with the successes, failures, accomplishments, highs and lows of this 12 week process. These 12 weeks already happened, and I have the data and figures and photos, but now I need the emotional reasoning behind each event, something as I have mentioned before, I struggle with.
