[katefc]

42/43? But who’s counting...

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been to the show, but my more meticulous notes from the past tell me that yesterday was likely the first double I’ve done since 2016. I am completely exhausted at work today, but it was worth the sleepiness and lack of focus. 

Jenna was the highlight of both shows for me. Being able to morph from Sexy Witch to Agnes, and to bring different kinds of power to each role, was a joy to watch. I’m so glad that she’s still around. I’ll always find time for Jenna in my visits. 

Adam as Fulton was so fun. He brought some of the urgency, superstition, and general neurosis to the role that I so enjoy. 

It’s fun seeing performers I love in new roles. Hopefully I’ll be back a few times before the end of the year so that I can get to know some of the newer performers (and fans)!

[katefc]

quiet time

it’s been one of those work weeks where i’m extra excited to spend three hours tonight hanging out in a space where no one is going to talk.

[katefc]

40: 4/15/18 early

I’ve been to the show relatively many yet relatively few times, especially given that it’s been over the course of 3.5 years. I know the things I know very well, but there are still things I’ve never done. I’m okay with that, but I’m thinking I should prioritize spending at least the first bit of the show on something new / revisiting something unfamiliar. I did ballroom-to-banquet Macbeth half-loop yesterday, probably for the first time in multiple years, and it was cool to reengage with that part of the story.

From there, I meditated by the matron’s hut, ate candy, watched Fulton and Taxi fight, and all the other usual things, but the minor change of pace was refreshing. I regret not spending time with Evelyn’s Danvers. That’ll be top of the list next time I’m back. Second on the list will be tucking my stupid coat check ticket somewhere that it won’t fall out of my pocket, which happens way too often and causes end of the night frustration and makes me miss my train even when I try to bolt out and get to Penn Station on time. 

[readwithjoy]

A few thoughts on safety, sexual harassment, and my favorite hotel...

Here are a few thoughts I have after reading the recent Buzzfeed article on sexual assault and harassment at Sleep No More.

1) I am not surprised. At all. Not even a little bit. I have been groped in the show by other audience members. It’s a frightening feeling when someone reaches around, touches me, and then disappears into the crowd. It’s happened more than once, and I’ve even had fellow women in the audience witness it and come up to ask me if I’m okay. I have no idea who the people were or how to report the incidents committed by unknown assailants. I say this not to make it about me, but to emphasize the vulnerability of the performers. I’m sure it’s a million times worse for them. The performers are vulnerable in ways the audience never will be.

2) I’ve been hearing about this kind of behavior for years. What took so long?  (And why did it take the threat of bad publicity to add a warning to the opening speech about not touching performers?? It should have been done in 2011 when the initial request was made.)  This type of groping and grabbing has been happening to male and female performers since the beginning of the show.

3) I have seen audience members walking around without a mask on.  Which means either A) a performer pulled it off and they should be immediately taken out of the space, or B) they took it off themselves and it should be assumed  that a performer pulled it off and they should be immediately taken out of the space.  Clearly there was a breakdown in safety training since I’ve seen this more than once over the years.

4) The following three quotes reveal a very disturbing aspect of management, not just at Sleep No More, but at any job where people are vulnerable to this type of assault. There are many, many, MANY reasons why filing an official complaint is not wise. This can range from past experience, job insecurity, the power differences in work situations, a person’s willingness to suffer further humiliation on top of the assault, etc. So–a lack of an official complaint is a pretty lousy reason not to believe someone.

In addition–if there is a clearer example of victim shaming than this third quote, I’m not sure what it is. This seems to imply that not only is the assaulted person at fault for not reporting, but any further safety issues are also their fault. In other words–management is completely innocent and the victim is the problem.

…The Sleep No More representatives said Lincoln never filed a complaint about inappropriate conduct and therefore they didn’t believe she had been groped…

…“Because Bartnik, 39, didn’t report the incident and no other staff witnessed it, the Sleep No More spokesperson said they don’t believe it happened…“ 

…“If indeed there are some instances where former colleagues failed to report safety issues, then we are very disappointed they endangered themselves and other employees by failing to take the appropriate steps required by our safety rules,” the McKittrick’s management said in a statement…

I hope that this will lead to stricter safety procedures for the show. The bar for banning someone should not be so high. I don’t mean ejecting them from an evening. If someone assaults another person (either a performer or another audience member,) they should be blacklisted. Grabbing parts of the body that are usually covered, even when they are not covered and you’ve paid for a ticket, is not acceptable. Ever. I wish I was more shocked that these people are allowed back into the building, but I’m not. Money talks. And I guess if you spend enough of it there, you are allowed to behave however you wish.

As always – we need to remember that when we are in that space, we are in someone’s work space. Yes, the performers are creating art and entertainment for us to enjoy. But they are also at work. They are not objects or toys to play with, and they are certainly not there to be assaulted. Respect their space and their work.  And allow them to take the lead.  Follow where they lead you, but don’t push the boundaries. Be bold when looking through the set and choosing which scene to watch. Do not be bold when considering touching someone without their permission.

Here is the article: 

Performers And Staffers At “Sleep No More” Say Audience Members Have Sexually Assaulted Them

[katefc]

37: 11/12/17 late

The age/size dynamic between Chelsea’s Matron and Risa’s Nurse is intriguing. The Matron/Nurse pairing is one of my favorites to watch how different actors change the way that that piece of the story feels for me.

I’m excited about Evan’s Fulton. Fulton is one of my favorite characters when he’s played with some urgency and vulnerability and this may be how Evan plays him -- I have to spend more time to get a better feel. Watching tall actors do the Taxi/Fulton confrontation makes me happy. Watching Evelyn haul Evan around by the tie en route to the rave was even better.

Weird to be away for so long. I found myself just wanting to be alone in rooms and hallways with the smells and the music more than usual. Sometimes bonding with the space is more important for me than connecting with the characters.

[katefc]

Macbeth (New York Classical Theatre)

Show-Score members say: Clever, Riveting, Well staged, Ambitious, Great acting

I’m headed to this staging of Macbeth in Battery Park on Saturday. Thought some SNM fans might be interested -- if any of you happen to be there on Saturday, let me know!

[katefc]

35: 8/8/17

I went into town on a Tuesday (then got myself up and on the train at 6:40am to get to work in Jersey this morning) because work is quieting down and I was hoping to catch a Shane as Porter show. I have only cried at a couple of my shows and this was one of them. Crying does not help the fogginess of my glasses. I spent almost the whole night in the lobby, skipping the first ballroom for the first time in a long time, for which I was rewarded with some nice, quiet opening scenes, followed by lots of additional memorable, emotional ones, all the way to the last tea with Steph’s Danvers. I’m so glad I made the trip <3

[katefc]

Me at the glasses store picking out new frames, because if they don't work with the mask, they are useless to me.

[katefc]

SNM 33: 5/14/17

I have had two intense and amazing shows in a row. This one was distinct in how much time I felt like other people were watching me -- not something I’m really looking for when I come to the show. In the first loop, I followed Taylor’s Sexy out of the ballroom since I’ve never seen her in the role and then ended up staying with Mallory’s Hecate for the rest of the loop after the bar dance. I spent a lot of time holding her hand and maintaining eye contact -- receiving the ring, through the start of the cabaret seated, at the end of the cabaret... I can’t not spend time with Mallory and Hecate is my favorite role to see her in. The last time I saw her in as Hecate was when I got to be Agnes. Mallory is magic.

Second loop I stayed with Shane’s Porter since he’s my other favorite in the cast, especially in this role, but got pulled away at the end into David Botana’s final 1:1, in the phone booth, open to the rest of the audience. This is only the second time I’ve ever experienced the Boy Witch 1:1 so I barely knew what was going on to begin with. Knowing how many people were there to watch him, I just maintained a hard focus on him and not the sizable audience. Going down to his final ballroom was my first time being present for a last show last ballroom and I got pretty teary even though I don’t know David as well as many people do. He was one of the first cast members I saw and started to recognize, back in early 2015, and I have always been drawn to his Boy Witch and Banquo when I was lucky enough to catch him. Being around all of the love and support of people who care about the show so much was also pretty magical.  

Third loop I finally got to spend a bit of time with Emily’s Agnes and Jeffrey’s Speakeasy. There was too much that I wanted to do this show. I don’t think they can get much better, but every time I think that, there’s something new to love. 

[katefc]

32: 4/27/17

Could this have been the cast? It’s probably at least half right.

Macbeth: EAM Lady Macbeth: Annie Rigney Macduff: Casey? Lady Macduff: Andrea Shimoda Duncan: JWW Malcolm: Shane Jensen Banquo: Daniel Staaf Bald Witch: Sarah Stanley Boy Witch: Steven Apicello Sexy Witch: Evelyn Chen Hecate: Francesca Harper Porter: Austin Tyson? Agnes: Kristen Stuart Danvers: Debra Speakeasy: Ernesto Fulton: Nick Bruder  Taxi: Sam Asa Pratt Matron: Ginger Kearns Nurse: Kelly Todd

Went with my sister for her second ever visit - she was my companion on my first show back in August 2014. Brought my friend Jesse, who is fun to tap at the last minute to join me. Had a great time on fourth and fifth, so much so that I barely ever made it to the other floors (aside from a bit of time with Malcolm, plus Taxi’s end of show routines). Taxi’s end of show - squeezing tight then letting go at just the right moment - was the best end of show feels I’ve had since a similar situation with Mallory’s Hecate. Met @markeee99 and @stuffjanesays who were lovely company after the show. Lost another Malcolm feather. I swear I tuck them into pockets and yet they somehow vanish.

[katefc]

This just feels all wrong.

[katefc]

If Sleep No More took place in Venice circa 1760

[katefc]

SNM 30 - 2/5/17

@everylittlenote posted a cast list (thanks!) -- which is good, because I still don’t know the newer people and my list would have been terrible.

The show was pretty empty thanks to football, though there were probably 25 people who went in via Max’s List, which seemed very odd and made me neurotic about not getting an ace (but I did. phew).

I’m getting a little annoyed at myself for always doing the same things (Porter, Agnes, Hecate, Fulton with a dash of Banquo, and others with specific actors). I like the comfort of knowing what’s going on at this point, but I’d probably also like the unexpectedness of an unfamiliar loop. I did finish the show with Porter for the first time in recent memory, rather than Taxi or Fulton. I spent significant time with Nick’s Porter, which has changed a lot since I first saw it a year, maybe more ago. I don’t know if ‘cynical’ is the right word ... maybe he just goes more extreme into a darker side than before, so that ends up being a bigger focus than the playful / whimsical side. He also framed himself in lights in very pretty ways.

My other favorite moment was at the end, turning around to leave to find that Emily was right in front of me - she put both hands on my shoulders (I am considerably taller than her), looked up at me with determination, and then walked me out. I enjoy her walkouts so much.

Also there were giant gumdrops in Paisley Sweets. I love the gumdrops!

[katefc]

Superbowl SNM

Heading back for show #30 after a two month hiatus. My budget will be recovering from a two week (non-Shanghai) Asian vacation for a while, but I need a fix.

[katefc]

SNM 28 11/25

Okay so… I got to be Agnes for a minute.

I was following Mallory’s Hecate, as I do any time that I see her. She poured two shots from her wine bottle and I eventually realized that she was beckoning me to sit down at her table. This was my first show in two months, but I was pretty sure I remembered the Hecate plot well enough to know this was not a thing that happened. Once I was completely sure she was actually signalling to me (which took a while), I sat down. She picked up her glass and it started to dawn on me what was going on. I got most of the liquid awkwardly into my mouth around my mask, then she slowly uncapped her lipstick and applied it to my lips, holding intense eye contact. At that point I was so overwhelmed within the scene that I don’t even know exactly what happened. I know I was unaware that the audience was there at that point and completely under Hecate’s spell, and I know she examined my collarbone, and whispered in my ear, and eventually left me sitting there. I can’t properly describe the emotions that I felt by that time. I barely left the 4th floor after that. I hung out with Fulton for most of the rest of the show, which is my go to comfort loop (though admuttedly less compelling with no Taxi in the show) and spent some time with actual Agnes.

It turns out that there was an actor switch (Kelly to Ryan) happening and thus no Agnes at the expected time, so Mallory looked for someone with “good juju” (as she told me as I gushed at her in the bar after the show) to proceed through the time. Such magic to be chosen and also so heartening to know that I was projecting some kind of useful energy in her direction.

[katefc]

SNM 26 continued

Work has been a bit wrought for the past two weeks, and the students return soon, so I ran away for about 24 hours, starting with celebrating my two year SNM anniversary on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, I went to the final ham4ham and Hamilton lottery, pokehunted in and around the American Museum of Natural History (where I slept through the space show), and walked back to midtown along the Greenway. 

The smells of the McKittrick affect me more than the music, especially when they’re unexpected. When a door opens while I’m waiting in line and the smell comes out with a breeze of cool air, I can feel it in my toes. The unexpectedness gets me. 

Similarly, when I catch performers as they catch the light in ways I don’t see all the time, it can take my breath away. 

Ida has become one of my favorites. I’ve seen her in multiple roles (including accidentally chasing her to the bathroom when she was Matron), but this is the first time I’ve seen her Agnes. She played it with certainty and less timidness than some, and her 1:1 included more intense eye contact than I’m used to, and then leaving me to fend for myself completely to find my way out of the Narnia closet. Once I did, I just had to kind of stand still for quite a while. 

I’m pretty sure Erik Abbott-Main was Fulton, but he’s such a chameleon that I’m still not 100% sure, even after having the 1:1. Gino’s Fulton is one of my favorite things in the show, partly for the urgency and earnestness, and this Fulton had that, too, but more so in the 1:1, and less so in the larger scenes - as if he was trying to hold in his concern and despair, but felt safe to let it out in the privacy of the individual interaction. I’m excited to have another Fulton that I am drawn to.

Tori’s Hecate! She’s quite evil, disdainful, about everything going on. She had a power that seemed to derive from a feeling like she had seen everything that could happen in a life and knew how to make things go the way she wanted, if that makes any sense. She smirked or maybe sneered at me a couple of times. I ran away. It was an intense energy but not the kind that I was seeking right then. 

There was a lot of intense eye contact, both longer and fleeting, for me in this show. It happened briefly with Banquo after lost luggage, which made me follow him puppydoglike for a bit, and with Speakeasy, who I followed for quite a while. He pushed audience members aside with enough force to make me smile a bit.

New Porter had great chemistry with Tyler’s Boy Witch in the phone booth dance. Cool contrast to see his Porter, which was innocence and anticipation in the bits I saw, compared to Paul Z who I saw last week, which was wistfulness and resignation to the inexorable.

I spent the last bit of the show with Shane’s Taxi and he walked me down. I’ve never watched the final banquet from the spot where he put me, and it was odd and unsettling, being so front and center. 

I chatted a bit with @elderflowerchampagne and introduced myself to Evelyn Chen and thanked Shane for the walkout, but I still feel off kilter in the after show and was also exhausted, so I snuck out relatively quickly. 

[katefc]

26:8/30/16

Macbeth: Joe Poulson Lady Macbeth: Andrea Murillo (?) Macduff: Marc Cardarelli Lady Macduff: Jenna Saccurato Banquo: Brendan Duggan (?) Duncan: Gino Grenek Malcolm: Tim Heck Bald Witch: Steph C Boy Witch: Tyler Phillips Sexy Witch: Emily O Hecate: Tori Sparks Porter: Austin Dale Tyson Agnes: Ida Saki Danvers: Debra Zalkind Speakeasy: Ernesto Breton Taxi: Shane Jensen Fulton: Erik Abbott-Main Matron: Virginia Logan Nurse: Evelyn Chen Man in Bar: Nick Atkinson (Max)

Some of this is likely wrong. Corrections welcomed! More musings to come.