Berkeley Rep Blog
Category archive: General theatre talk
Is the three-act dead?
posted by Karen McKevitt on Sat, Jan 28, 2012
in General theatre talk
By Kristin Cato
As Berkeley Rep’s new Ground Floor initiative revs up its engines, it’s a good time to talk about what makes new theatre. Is it contemporary stories, contemporary forms, or both? At a company meeting this fall, Artistic Director Tony Taccone declared, “Artists are moving away from the three-act structure. Not because it is a trend, but because the three-act no longer reflects how people think and feel.”
This statement was one of the more interesting things I’ve heard all year and, evidently, I was not alone. When I posted this quote onto my Facebook wall, it attracted a whopping 82 comments, and an incredibly vibrant dialogue about the possibilities of new theatre. I thought I’d share a few of those thoughts here.
But first, what is a three-act structure? Very succinctly, a three-act play includes basic storytelling elements: character set-up, inciting incident (or catalyst), conflict development building to climax, and resolution. All these sound familiar. So could it be as Tony suggests? A centuries-old storytelling technique is now fading from the mainstream?
A few of my friends begged to differ:
“The three-act structure is an unyielding orthodoxy for the vast majority of Hollywood films and a great many ‘independents’. And I would submit to Mr. Taccone that the staggering profits of the film industry suggest that the mass audience expects the three-act structure just as compulsively as the industry serves it up to them.” –Douglas Michael Massing, freelance writer
“I feel that there have long been many valid forms of narrative, and while a given approach may become more fashionable among certain types who fancy themselves taste-makers, the human need to convey stories will never die. I think it’s silly to say that one form of story telling has more of less validity than another. Different strokes for different folks.” - Lisa Lazar, scenic artist
“I believe we simply reshuffle things in storytelling, add or remove things here and there, usually out of a sense of wanting to invent or improve something, to make our own ‘modern’ mark on the craft. I truly doubt the three-act is going anywhere.” – Matt Turner, actor/writer
But at least one friend embraced the idea:
“And now stories might start in the center, go back, have the climax at the beginning, show the end and then delve into character exploration?” -Nathan Bogner, actor
Amy Potozkin, Berkeley Rep’s casting director, weighed in. “My impression of what Tony was saying is that there are an increasing number of theatrical works that are incorporating more varieties of art forms and that, as we have become an increasingly more visual culture (with the obvious being technology), we are creating theatre in new ways. That what we used to call ‘the well-made play’ is no longer the norm and that our imaginations are wired differently. I agree that we are seeing more theatrical works programmed that incorporate media tech, dance, etc.”
When I brought this discussion to Tony’s attention, he responded, “Eighty-two comments?! What’d they say?” I admitted a few people disagreed with his assertion. He replied, “Well, part of the reason why I like to say things like that, is to get people talking. It’s not that there’s no structure. It’s just that younger people these days are used to a more episodic format from growing up watching TV. But also I’d say that it’s not just about TV. It’s about seeing the world as a more fractured place, about not expecting ‘resolution’ of an easy kind. That easy resolution feels untrue to the size of the world’s problems right now. It’s about the fact that the planet is imperiled and is making its way into the worldview of everyone under the age of 40 in a different way than before.”
So I ask you, Berkeley Rep audience: Does the three-act structure satisfy? Does it frustrate? Is it time for something new? What do you think?
Kristin Cato is the director of the episodic audio drama The Lighted Bridge.
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Happiness is...
posted by Kyle Sircus on Wed, Nov 30, 2011
in At the theatre , General theatre talk , Our shows
We've been vindicated! What we who work in the theatre have always known to be true is finally being supported with actual evidence. A new study from the UK charts, via smart phone responses, when people are at their happiest. No surprise to Berkeley Rep fans: theatre comes in third place (only after sex and exercising).
When are you at your happiest?
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Saying goodbye to one of our own
posted by Kyle Sircus on Tue, Nov 29, 2011
in At the theatre , General theatre talk , News
After a successful and vibrant eight years at Berkeley Rep as associate artistic director, it's time to bid farewell to a local favorite. Today, Actors Theatre of Lousiville named Les Waters as their new artistic director.
In Les' words, “For a director such as myself, whose career has focused on fostering new work, it has been a delight to be part of the team at Berkeley Rep. It is an extraordinary theatre staffed by extraordinary people dedicated to the highest quality of craftsmanship...It is difficult to leave Berkeley -- yet it is an honor and a privilege to take up the reins at Actors Theatre of Louisville...I am committed to making theatre there that is passionate and intelligent, funny and heartfelt, and look forward to leading Actors Theatre to new artistic endeavors.”
Check out the Actors Theatre press conference video. Les speaks about 8 minutes in.
All of us at Berkeley Rep wish Les all the best as he begins his new Kentucky adventure (where he'll certainly make a mark, just as he has on Addison Street)! We'll miss his charm, wit, and sweaters, but we're not ready to bid him farewell just yet. Les will be back in Berkeley to direct Red, which plays the Thrust Stage from March 16 - April 29, 2012. And we'll certainly have a few more blog posts before he departs.
What was your favorite Les Waters production at Berkeley Rep? Please share your thoughts with us below.
Photo of Les Waters by Rebecca Martinez
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Adding a little more gold to Rita's shelf
posted by Kyle Sircus on Tue, Nov 15, 2011
in At the theatre , Events , General theatre talk
Rita's already won the Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, and Tony awards. This weekend, she's gearing up to put the last Midas touch on her extended run of Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup. What more could our favorite leading lady want right now? A golden anniversary may just be the answer.
This Tuesday, November 15 is the 50th anniversary of the film version of West Side Story in which Rita earned her Academy Award. George Chakiris (Bernardo to Rita's Anita) showed up at the show on November 6; dancer Ray Garcia snapped this photo backstage after Rita brought her former co-star onto the Roda stage for a bow.
Rita Moreno, Ray Garcia, George Chakiris, and Salvatore Vassallo backstage after a performance of Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup at Berkeley Rep.
Movie theatres around the country have been showing the film for fans all month. Symphony orchestras have added the score to their repertoire this season to play live alongside the film. There was even this flash mob that happened in Times Square today to commemorate the movie's big birthday:
After the show closes this Sunday (and if you haven't seen this stellar show yet, get your tickets before they're gone), Rita is heading down to Los Angeles to celebrate at a reunion of some of the film's stars.
Who knows what Rita will touch next that will turn itself to gold?
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If you were looking for a reason to email Oprah...
posted by Megan Wygant on Mon, Sep 26, 2011
in At the theatre , Backstage buzz , General theatre talk , Our shows
...let it never be said that a passion for the arts didn't give you that opportunity.
Earlier this week, I was pleasantly surprised when an email from Oberon K.A. Adjepong arrived in my inbox. Oberon played Christian, the traveling salesman, in Berkeley Rep's production of Ruined last season and we've kept in touch on and off since then. Like the character you saw on the Roda stage, the real-life Oberon is gifted with a strong sense of humor, an instinct for mischief, and a singular ability to make you feel like a dear friend from the first moment you meet. I really enjoyed having him with us in Berkeley, and am always happy to hear from him.
Oberon was writing because he wanted to ask for my help. And, reading his request, I thought that it might be something that the greater Berkeley Rep community might like to jump in on as well!
Here's the deal:
Late last year, Oprah announced that she was involved with a film adaptation of Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer-winning play, Ruined. Earlier this year, it was confirmed that she would be playing Mama Nadi.
At present, the role of Christian has not been cast.
Oberon would very much like to be the one tapped for that role -- and the first step is getting an audition. He and his agent are working the regular channels to make such a thing happen, but he recognizes that this is the time to think about nontraditional solutions as well.
Oberon is therefore asking his friends and family to launch a letter-writing campaign in support of his recent work with Ruined, and to recommend his being given the opportunity to audition for the role.
You see where you can help, don't you? The more, the merrier!
It's pretty simple: write a letter to oprah@oprah.com. Tell her that you saw Oberon in the recent Berkeley Rep production of Ruined (if you'd like, you can also mention that he played the role at La Jolla Playhouse and the Huntington Theatre in Boston). Tell Ms. Winfrey how much you liked Oberon's work as Christian. Be specific if you can. And ask her to consider casting him in the role of Christian for her film.
Again, that email address is oprah@oprah.com.
We all talk about how, in this business, being successful is a combination of talent, hard work, and luck. Sometimes, you just have to make your own luck -- and this is one of those times. Let's help him do it!
Photo: Oberon K.A. Adjepong as Christian and Tonye Patano as Mama Nadi in Berkeley Rep's production of Ruined (photo by Kevin Berne)
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Berkeley Rep's reading list
posted by Amy Potozkin on Thu, Jun 30, 2011
in General theatre talk
A few weeks ago I found myself going through all my books deciding which were ready to be taken down to Half Price Books (right here at the corner of Addison and Shattuck) and which were treasures worth keeping. I came across a few books that I consider to be bibles of mine. Books that I can still remember lines or passages from and that inspired my core values as a theatre artist. I was curious as to what books inspired our staff in their early (or late) days as theatre folk. I asked my colleagues here at Berkeley Rep to contribute the titles of the books they read for a list I was making. Some were quick to respond enthusiastically while others claimed they found books about theatre pretentious. With continued prodding I asked if perhaps there was a different type of book that inspired them in their creative lives, or even one moment of creative insight that would leave said book a treasure for them. Again some contributed and some pushed back. “No!” they cried, “no books! No books about theatre!!” Okay, I said. Perhaps a play or a videotape or …something? Anything? Hence the following list from a number of staff members, fellows, and one former intern.
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Poetry Out Loud streams live
posted by Karen McKevitt on Thu, Apr 14, 2011
in General theatre talk
Hey, y'all know it's National Poetry Month, right? We wanted to let you know about this really cool event on April 28 and 29: the Poetry Out Loud national finals. It's the nation's largest youth poetry recitation contest in partnership with the NEA and the Poetry Foundation.
This year the Poetry Out Loud semifinals and finals will be webcast live right here, so you can check out these 53 talented teens compete for $50,000 in awards. The California representative is Robert Marchand, a senior at Pacific Grove High in Monterey County. In fact, Pacific Grove High has sent a state champion to the finals for the past three years. Robert is active in his high school's drama club, and likened reciting poetry to performing a monologue. (Hmm, we wonder if he's destined for the stage.)
Break a leg, Robert!
Robert Marchand. Photo copyright Brian Baer,
courtesy of California Arts Council.
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Vincent van Gogh Applies for an NEA Grant
posted by Karen McKevitt on Mon, Mar 21, 2011
in General theatre talk
Inspired by and in response to the NEA debates, Artistic Director Tony Taccone penned a short play:
VINCENT VAN GOGH APPLIES FOR AN NEA GRANT
By Tony Taccone
(Two men behind a large table, one seated in a large, imposing chair, the other standing. The man in the chair wears bejeweled cowboy boots, a fantastically embroidered leather jacket visible under his voluminous robes. The man standing is dressed impeccably in a dark blue, three-piece suit. He holds a little notebook. On the desk is a portfolio of some kind, open. Behind the desk is a flag. The artist they are talking to is unseen. They speak rapidly, in sync with one another.)
Cowboy
It makes no sense.
Suit
No sense whatsoever.
Cowboy
I’m not saying for you.
Suit
We couldn’t say that.
Cowboy
It’s a free fucking country.
Suit
In God We Trust.
Cowboy
I’m saying for us.
Suit
For the public.
Cowboy
The general population.
Suit
For the people at large
Cowboy
It makes the wrong sense. Forget no sense. It makes the wrong sense.
(looking at the portfolio) You call this a
Suit
What?
Cowboy
Perhaps a nightscape.
Suit
Who can tell?
Cowboy (to the Suit)
He’s painted a nightscape.
Suit
I’m not so sure.
Cowboy
There’s no doubt about it.
Suit (to Cowboy)
Since when does a moon?
Cowboy
Plain as fucking day
Suit
I don’t quite see it
Cowboy (to artist)
Ah ha! You see! And that’s my point.
Suit
The point we’re making.
Cowboy
The point we keep making and re-making
Suit
Ad nauseum
Cowboy
And when I say “we”, I’m talking “we” in the larger sense
Suit
The largest sense, the purest sense
Cowboy
The “who gives a rat’s ass” sense
Suit
The market sense
Cowboy
The common sense of the marketplace sense.
Because the question, Mr?
Suit
Van Gogh
Cowboy
Van Gogh. Okay.
It’s like this Van.
Ruthlessly simple.
Let me pose a question.
Can I pose a question to Van?
Suit
You’re the question man.
If you can’t pose a question then
Cowboy
Here’s the question then Van.
If a piece of art doesn’t sell, does it really exist?
Suit
(laughs)
Cowboy
This is not a koan.
Suit (still laughing)
It’s certainly not.
Cowboy
I’m not being clever.
Am I not being clever?
Suit (unsure)
Well… in a sense.
Everyone knows you’re a clever man.
Cowboy
I’m dead serious now. Van, you listening?
Suit (to the Cowboy, confidentially)
Try the side with the ear.
Cowboy
Listen up, Van.
If your shit doesn’t sell, then it’s worth nothing.
Suit
The gospel according to.
Cowboy
Nada. Zero. Less than zero if you add the labor.
Have you added up your labor?
I bet you have.
The Theory of Surplus Value inverted.
Am I not right?
Suit
The god’s honest and highest truth.
Cowboy
Let me repeat.
If no one wants to buy your shit, then there is no value.
Supply and demand. An immutable law. Handed down from above.
Suit
From Moses to Reagan.
Cowboy
The word made flesh.
Suit
And dwelt among us.
Cowboy
And so, Van, for these and other salient reasons, the Agency, Van, is rejecting your proposal.
Christ!…He’s crying. The man is crying.
Suit (offers him his hanky which is rejected)
Cowboy
Don’t get me wrong.
Personally, I like the work.
Suit
Even if we don’t completely…
Cowboy
One of these would go great
In one of my bathrooms
Suit
The den. The mantle.
Cowboy
Hell, I’d even put one in the kitchen.
The big flower.
Might brighten things up.
Because that’s the question, Van.
How to get one of these into every kitchen.
Suit
Or the bath, nothing wrong with the bath.
Cowboy
Then you’re talking.
You’re more than talking
Suit
Then you’ve got something
Cowboy
Then you’ve got product.
You’re Branding, Van.
Are you listening to me?
Suit (confidentially to Cowboy)
Try the side of the head with the hole in it.
Cowboy (shouting)
It’s sell or die!
You hear me Van!
Which one will it be?!
For God’s sake man,
stop with the shouting!
I’ve got dozens just like you
bangin’ down the door.
Suit
Dozens?
Cowboy
Hundreds
Suit
Hundreds?
Cowboy (irritated)
Thousands okay, thousands!
I’m trying to nice here!
Suit
Sorry, I didn’t….
It’s just that the inventory
Cowboy
Exactly. Exactly with the inventory. The Board President here of one of the greatest if not the greatest arts institutions in the country is here telling you, Van, that his vaulted vaults are overflowing to bursting with thousands of pieces of worthless art! Hundreds of thousands ad infinitum. None bereft of craft, mind you. None without hard evidence of more than a modest degree of talent, no! Some even border on the unspeakably spectacular, unthinkable worlds that in a single instant of a single breath can suck the air right out of your windpipe, connecting every atom floating in the helioscope of your body to the translucent universe without, and that some way, somehow, when you look at them you feel that they hold within their tiny frames the boundless sensation of some desperately mysterious sublime… truth.
And yet, there they now sit, huddled in exile, confined to the damp, corrosive air of this great man's basement, steeped in the profitless dust of eternal sadness because no one fucking owns them. No one understands them. No one will buy them.
(beat)
Suit
There it is.
Cowboy
But we’ve got some good news. Sit up straight, Van, and pay attention!
Because we care deeply about art
because we do not want you to suffer the ignominious fate of those with less talent
Suit
There’s a real shortage of talent out there
Cowboy
We have a proposal.
Suit
A challenge.
Cowboy
An opportunity for you.
Suit
Very very good, it is indeed.
Cowboy
There’s a program designed to support small businesses,
you know, start ups,
for people who show the right kind of initiative.
Suit
Some get up and go.
Cowboy
Some real creativity.
Suit
Some real currency.
Cowboy
So here’s the deal.
You move to the Third World, it’s a Third World Program,
plenty of good places, just stay out of Thailand, too many teak harvesters,
you move to say, Kurdistan, or Micronesia, or pick almost any place in Africa,
and you set up shop and we give you some cash. It will look small on paper, but do not despair, the cash amount will not impress but I am telling you Van, you play your cards right and you can go global, viral, YOU, Mister Van the Man Gogh, can fucking blow up.
Are you hearing me there?
Suit
Sit up now, son.
Cowboy
You study the market. The market that wants to know you, to touch you, to get a little taste
Suit
a little piece of genius.
Cowboy
The market is not your enemy, Van. You find out what people want, right?
Suit
Not so bad!
Cowboy
You do your demographics, some quantitative analysis
Suit
Maybe some focus groups!
Cowboy
Rethink the possibilities. Re launch yourself. Advertising metrics, linking networks, affiliate marketing
Suit
Do I hear product placement?
Cowboy
You set your price points vertically, package the hell out of your inventory, exponentially increase production and voila…they’ll be living replications, patented, royalty-wielding, authentic copies of sunflowers or nightscapes or even these one-eared heads of yours mounted in a place of prominent distinction in every other house on the planet.
Suit
“A single spark can start a prairie fire”
Cowboy (laughing)
Listen to him, Van. From Mao to Moneyball.
Suit
With more than a nod to Adam Smith!
Cowboy
So think it over and let us know soon.
I don’t have to tell you that these are prized grants, Van. Hundreds of applicants
Suit
Thousands of artists
Cowboy
Lots and lots and lots and lots. So buck up, pal! Think positive! Don’t think of this as a defeat!
Think of this as an opportunity.
Suit (singing)
“I did what I had to do
and saw it through without exemption/”
(sotto voce)
“I planned each charted course, each careful step, along the byway”
Cowboy
It’s a new day in the arts Van. Time to grow up. Time to get real.
Both (singing)
“And more, much more than this, I did it my way!”
THE END
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Show in a box
posted by Amy Bobeda on Tue, Feb 8, 2011
in Costume shop , General theatre talk , Our shows
Many things come in boxes -- presents, shoes, refrigerators, a man named Jack, and (more often than not due to our current economic state) plays. I’m not quite sure who coined the term “show in a box,” but when Berkeley Rep does a coproduction (Compulsion, and the upcoming Ruined), remounts an old production (The Arabian Nights), or takes on a travelling show (The Great Game: Afghanistan) we send and receive the show literally “in a box”.
Receiving shows in a box is a little like Christmas when you think you know what your mother bought you, but you’re not quite sure. You’re nervous that it’s not quite the right thing, or was too expensive. You worry that Santa broke it as he tossed it down the chimney. However, you’re ecstatic to open the box.
Like any other production, shows in a box require some preparation. The marketing department plans the cocktail menu and produces the signage. The electrics department receives the light plots in advance so they can efficiently hang the lights. The production departments pour over paperwork from the shows’ previous locations (in the case of Ruined we have had many conversations with the Huntington Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse in preparation for the show’s arrival), but mostly, we wait with baited breath for the truck of boxes to arrive.
In the costume department, we receive giant wardrobe boxes full of clothing, and we begin to play the “who wears what” game. The advantage to a show in a box is that usually the same actors travel with the show and help us get up to speed while we help them settle into a new town.
Sometimes things arrive broken. Maybe a pair of socks is lost in transit. Perhaps the scenery needs some touch-ups from the paints department. Often staging evolves from one theatre to another.
While the show in a box isn’t quite as exciting as building a show from scratch, there is something magical about being one of the legs on a play’s journey.
One of the costume boxes for The Arabian Nights.
Check out costume fellow Amy Bobeda's blog.
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Room for thought: arts funding during a fiscal crisis
posted by Karen McKevitt on Thu, Jan 27, 2011
in General theatre talk
Berkeley Rep is looped into the national (and international) conversation about the arts, arts education, arts policy, and more -- and we want to share with you stories we find especially thought-provoking.
The LA Times “Culture Monster” reports on the Republican Study Committee’s proposed Spending Reduction Act of 2011. While the article focuses on the proposed cuts of the arts, the Act actually proposes cuts in many sectors.
Read the article in the LA Times, check out the Reduction Act’s two-page summary (pdf), and if you’d like to read more, here’s more info on the entire proposal.
In related news, the Huffington Post published this article about newly elected Kansas governor Sam Brownback’s planned executive order to eliminate the Kansas Arts Commission. If he does so, Kansas will be the first U.S. state without an arts commission.
Do you think arts should be eliminated during a fiscal crisis? Tell us what you think!
