Ronit’s Travel Blog

800px-Epidaurus_Theater

So I’ve been away for the last 5 weeks and I have tried to see as much theatre as possible.  I saw many shows in London as well as a show in the ancient theatre at Epidaurus in the Peloponnese in Greece.  The theatre there was built in the 4th century B.C. and seats nearly 15,000 people. (My dad pointed out that that is 3,000 more seats than Poly Pavilion where the UCLA basketball team plays!)  The theatre boasts perfect acoustics – which is a delight to the actor.  My sister and I saw Helen Mirren in Phaedre when we were visit the theatre.  It was a very interesting and exciting experience. Although they did not have an ATM… a very frustrating experience when you’re coming from New York City.  We do get spoiled by an ATM every block… . (because we didn’t have any cash we couldn’t eat from about 3pm until 1am….)

phaedra5

Helen Mirren in PHAEDRA

Well, before the show started we walked around the ancient site.  There were temples to different gods, and bath houses for healing as well as a very large stadium.  The theatre was set on one side of the city and looked out into the hills sourrounding it.  What blew my mind was that the theatre, essentially in the middle of nowhere, sat that many people.  And when Helen Mirren whispered the word “Hyppolytus” because she couldn’t find the strength to bring  more volume to the name of the man she loved, all of the thousands of us present could hear it perfectly.  It was chillingly exciting. And it got me thinking about how we really don’t need all the intricate and fancy modern conveniences that we have grown accustomed to in order to put on great theatre.

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Published in:  on July 24, 2009 at 5:55 pm Leave a Comment
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Jerry Springer: Actor (And Other Talk-Show Hosts Who Should Give it a Try)

With a busy schedule and a near-empty wallet, it’s almost impossible for me to check out the countless number of shows going up here in New York (and all over the world, really).  Thus, I rely on the detailed reporting of The New York Times, The New Yorker, and occasionally Variety, to keep myself up-to-date with what’s coming, going, and what might be taking the art in a crazy new direction (I originally wanted to post about this, but may hold off til I see it/it blows my mind).

The rest of this post doesn’t really fall into any of those three categories.  Instead, it just made me laugh, and it’s worth a share if only because such ridiculousness can nab you a headline (applicable!).

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Published in:  on July 22, 2009 at 1:58 pm Leave a Comment
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The Writers Room

Writers Room

Writers Room

Have you guys heard of the Writers Room? It’s on Astor Place, and is exactly what its name purports it to be: a room for writers. It is my dream of dreams to become a member.
The Writers Room offers New York writers two vital things: a quiet area to work, and a place to congregate with other freelance writers. This doesn’t mean that The Writers Room is a social clubhouse; from what I hear, many writers choose not to interact with the others. Still, their membership proves that for even the most surly, reclusive authors, sometimes it’s nice just to SEE other faces, even if you aren’t in the mood to chat. (more…)

Published in:  on July 14, 2009 at 1:04 pm Comments (1)
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well, fuck.

hey! remember that play that’s robbed me of my friends and my sanity? yeah! i’m proud to announce that i finished it. i’m less proud to announce that my computer was stolen three days later. damage assessment: 70 pages of the script i’ve been working on for nearly a year now were gone, along with the outlines I had used to construct them. best day ever.

the good ol' days

the good ol' days

though i frequently look back on the days of the typewriter with false nostalgia, there’s no doubt that macbooks decked out with Final Draft have changed the writing process in many ways for the better. how great is it to be able to edit drafts instantly, format automatically, and have years of your work in an aesthetically-pleasing five-pound package? (pretty great.) unfortunately, what’s created with ease is destroyed with ease, and with that in mind i bring you:

the broody writer’s guide to blunting the pain of the computer disaster that will inevitably befall you too, (yes, you!):

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Published in:  on July 6, 2009 at 4:12 am Comments (3)
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The Chronicle of the Bed

the infamous bed

the infamous bed

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away (Queens), I Can’t Believe It’s Not Shakespeare premiered its first production: The Bros’ Play by our very own artistic director Julia Rae Maldonado.  Of all the excitement and goings on of a putting together a production there was one aspect of the entire process that seemed to demand a lot more of our time and attention than we had expected.  One word: Bed.  The focal point of the stage, the place where sin and filth would merge, and believe me, it did.

All of the other props and set dressings were easy enough to come by and fairly painless to schlep to the theater.  But where on Earth do you find a place that sells nice enough beds for dirt cheap AND provides cut-rate transportation in the form of sketchy van rides from “Big Bob” to the Theater?  I’ll tell you where: IKEA – the bastard child of capitalism and meatball loving Swedes.

We opted for the second most inexpensive model, the DALSELV.  So now all we had to do was put it together and Voilà! A bed for the set, right?  Not so fast – the bed frame was made of that inferior pale wood they call pine.  So we had to stain it a nice “walnut” color.  After hours of toxic fume inhalation and extensive brain cell death (which lead to my commandeering of the downstairs bathroom) we had successfully stained the bed frame “carrot piss”.

But before we stained the bed we made one grave error that would cause many many epic fails in the coming days, namely – during the performances.  Word of Advice: Use ALL of the parts that IKEA tells you to in their nice little picture instructions.  Do not let the playwright tell you “oh yeah we don’t need THIS part”.

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Published in:  on July 3, 2009 at 3:49 pm Comments (1)
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Dramaturge seems like it’s spelled wrong and other observations.

This is the second picture that resulted when I searched dramaturge. The first was two naked dudes in kneepads. Seriously, google image it.

This is the second picture that resulted when I searched "dramaturge." The first was two naked dudes in kneepads. Seriously, google image it.

As mentioned, this weekend we had a table reading of When you Die you Go to Target, over which I presided with both dignity and poise as dramaturge. This was my first experience in this role which can sometimes be a bit nebulous, and it struck me how similar a position it was to a constitutional monarch. Roll with me here. The power is all in the hands of the playwright, director and actors (as it would be with parliament, prime minister and the voters), while the dramaturge’s role is reserved for ensuring that the directive of the play (or a nation’s integrity) is honored all while wearing wonderful clothes and drinking. Like the constitutional monarch, the dramaturge must also make sure to never overstep his boundaries. Especially as a writer, I have to remember to keep my hand out of the pot, but make sure that the ingredients are all available for the chefs. I guess in that sense a dramaturge is more like a restaurateur. No, wait. Okay, the PERFECT analog for a dramaturge is (more…)

Published in:  on July 1, 2009 at 5:07 pm Leave a Comment
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