Transfigured Night Casting!

I will officially be playing Wilhelmine (Minna) Webern in a staged reading of the new play Transfigured Night by Todd Rew. Blue Moon Theatre Company will host this event on June 4th at 2:00 PM. I am privileged to be included in the very first stage reading and to reunite with director Phil Brickey. Until our first meeting as a cast, it is time to listen to some surrealist music and invest in an Austrian/German pronunciation dictionary.

What's in a play?

I am finally among the privileged few honored with the care of reading the unpublished new play Transfigured Night by Todd Rew. I have been advocating for Transfigured Night ever since its existence became known to me. Considering it is atypical of me to become so involved with a blind project, it is a relief to finally have a script in my hands.

Before turning the first page I had a premonition that this script may be a piece of greatness. This revelation surprised me. After all, in a world filled with half-fledged ideas, the phrase “original play” often produces sighs and shudders. In the theatrical world there exists a plethora of poorly written one-acts and feeble attempts of ingenuity. Yet, somewhere in my gut, I have known for months that this play would be different.

First, Todd has magically written a full length play (and an epic one I might add) about composer Anton Webern – If that isn’t an inspired idea I don’t know what is! “Who is Anton Webern?” Well, since you asked let me tell you the very little (practically miniscule) amount of information I know about this Austrian composer:

Webern, with Alban Berg, was a pupil of Arnold Schoenberg in Vienna, moving in style to atonalism (music without tonality or key centre) and then 12-note music or surrealism (music based on a series of the 12 semitones or half-steps of the modern scale). He wrote music of brief concision and often of extreme delicacy. His influence on later composers has been considerable.

Confused? Don’t worry, so am I – but at the core, the idea to write a play investigating the family, music and tragic death of Anton Webern is genius. Not only has it not been done before, but it is a subject matter that I think people will generally connect with and care about. Maybe Todd will make Webern a household name – Okay, I may be getting ahead of myself, but I cannot retain my composure.

After reading the script I found myself experiencing a myriad of emotions. I knew Todd to be a true and honest artist, but little did I know what an impact this play would have on me. Not only am I fascinated by the historical context, but I am intrigued by the deep routed characters. I feel very emotionally connected to Anton and his wife Minna. I think this is only the beginning of the greatness to come.

Let's Get It Produced!

Ever since my beloved friend, Todd Rew, told me about his ambitions to write a play about Anton Webern I have been filled with excitement. I must confess that I have never heard of Anton Webern or his music, but just the passion Todd expressed for his ambitions to write about him made me believe in his ability to write the next great work of art.

The play, Transfigured Night, has been finished for a while now and Todd has been actively submitting it to theatres in Southern California. Every time I see an advertisement for new plays I rush to relay the message to Todd. I am not sure if I am annoying him yet or not, but I have great confidence in Todd’s talent and want him to succeed. I also believe that he has a very original idea and I am a sucker for historical fiction.

I am praying for good things to happen for him. If you have any suggestions of theatres off the beaten path (because really I believe he has submitted just about everywhere) please post them below.