When the child was a child....

The greatest mistake and actor can make on the stage, is forgetting the audience. Such was the case in last night’s opening performance of California Repertory’s Out of Thin Air. The audience sat through 90 minutes of actor exercises, personal experiences and un-cohesive material. As an actor I connected to parts of the piece: the need for theatre in one’s life, the confusion of having an inartistic parent, the behind the scenes antics, and the deciding moments in an artist’s career. This show marks the final curtain of Cal Rep’s graduating class of 2010. The Cal Rep Ensemble was given a remarkable experience working the Steppenwolf’s founding member Jeff Perry and veteran actor and master teacher Alexandra Billings to bring a world premiere to the stage. But when the show was conceived they forgot to ask themselves one important question: Who is our audience? If their audience is actors, theatre professionals and CSULB staff and students, than perhaps this show was a success. The second question they should have asked themselves is, What are we trying to communicate? If they were trying to communicate the notion that actors are judgmental, selfish, eccentric, horny and arrogant pricks, than they succeeded in that as well. The only authentic moments came when the actors were talking about being children: “When the child was a child…” There was a beautiful moment when a little girl was told her grandfather had passed away. She sat on her father’s lap, and he took her hand and traced little circles on the kitchen table with her fingers. She said, “That was the most grown-up moment I have ever had,” in the most startlingly beautiful and sincere way. Moments like these made the show watchable. Yet, other moments made me feel like the whole show was some big inside joke I didn’t understand, or a poorly done high school production. Strange “music video” parodies, random nudity and choppy transitions made the show seem amateur. The only truly interesting or inspiring segments took place when the actors were offstage and a thought-worthy quote, photograph or taped confession projected onto the white curtains of the stage. I rather enjoyed the video of the actors speaking candidly about their craft. Even though the performers sounded contrived, in the sense that they probably rehearsed their message over and over in their head, at least it was truthful. I ask myself: Is this show relevant? Is this show important? Or is it just “out of thin air,” like the title so appropriately suggests. I think this show will either be forgotten, or remembered for the all wrong reasons - which is a shame. After three years of study, 10 talented actors will complete their MFA program this summer. Where will they go from here?

What is "Art"?

I am in Chicago! What a beautiful city! Oh, just a heads up for out-of-towners, your GPS will not work between skyscrapers. However, if you have to get lost, Chicago is the place to be. Between visits to the Billy Goat Tavern, Sears Tower, John Hancock Observatory, Navy Pier, Buckingham Fountain, Field Museum, Millennium Park and the Shedd Aquarium, I was able to visit the Steppenwolf for their production of Art. (fshew! I am exhausted.) When I walked into Chicago’s Steppenwolf to see Art by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton, I thought I would see a play about art, as the title suggests. What I found was a play about the power of friendship. This was my first visit to Chicago and I have to say that the theatre scene there is astounding. I enjoyed the intimacy of the theatre. I found the play to be thought provoking and tragically comical. The story begins when Serge purchases a piece of abstract “art” featuring a white on white canvas with hints of white for purchased for 200,000 francs. His choice to spend a fortune on such a controversial piece causes friction between him and his best friend Marc. Their mutual friend Yvan, finds something tranquil in what he sees, but Marc only sees Serge as caring more for a piece of blank canvas than their friendship. The three not only clash over the painting, but over their private lives, and their treatment of each other. They test each other’s limits through hilarious anecdotes, which left me rolling with laughter. In the end there are revelations made by all parties, and Serge makes a shocking gesture to prove his commitment to their friendship. It makes me question: What is art? What makes art valuable? What makes a friendship valuable? What does it take to be a good friend?