It's going on

It's nice to be spending some time at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA these days while we are in Persephone rehearsals.



After having spent well over a year of my life back in 2003-2004 getting this place built and open it's nice now to just come in and visit, make theatre, and experience all of the exciting things going on around here. It's a busy place with an amazing variety of activity from youth programs, classes, parties and corporate events, to the real fun of rehearsals and live performances.

The Huntington operates and manages the Pavilion. My staff provides technical support for the four performance venues here under the supervision of Production Coordinator Eric Kelley.

Sondra Katz, Austin Nathaniel and their staff do all of the booking and provide Front of House and event support for our clients here.


Our box office and marketing departments run BostonTheatreScene.com which provides ticketing services to all of the users of the eight venues that compromise the Calderwood Pavilion, BCA Plaza Theatres, and the BU Theatre stages. Tonight they will service curtains for six different performances. Not too shabby!

I encourage you to take a look around BostonTheatreScene.com and see what's happening in Boston theatre this month, and if you are looking for an event or performance space... let us know.

What do you like about the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA? I like the dining options in the neighborhood. Too many choices... and that's a good thing!

Sneak Peeks

It's been a while since I brought you any sneak peeks. Here you go!

Here's a closeup of the Act I Persphone set; a sun drenched sculptors studio. Scenic design by David Korins, Costumes by Jenny Mannis, Lighting by Ben Stanton, and Sound and Original Music by Mark Bennett. We begin previews tonight and, as with all of our new plays here at the Wimberly, we'll perform nightly while continuing to rehearse until our press opening on April 11th.

We received the set model for Present Laughter this week and I brought it down to the Pavilion so director Nicholas Martin could take a look. This beautiful Art Deco set is being designed by Alexander Dodge.


Costumes are designed by Mariann Verheyen and here's a peek at some of those sketches.


What kind of advance information about our productions do you value?

Noah to the Rescue

Here's an article (and photo) on Persephone playwright Noah Haidle from the Phoenix. The reporter barely survived the interview.

We had a few of those moments, where laughter catches you by surprise, today in rehearsal. We needed someone as the statue for a few hours while we rehearsed some blocking and read lines. Noah sat in. It's always interesting to hear a writer read their own words, and we knew we could count on Noah to discover some new meaning for us. He did.

Even more fun happened during the first dress run of Act II tonight. The actors change costumes many many times. Seth got held up in a quick change leaving Mimi out on stage (as a doped up hooker) for about three minutes. Did we stop? Noooooo.... she explored every nook and cranny of the stage and played with every piece of trash (set dressing) there was. In character. I wish I had been able to tape it for you... by the time Seth made it onstage he had to wait for all of us to recover from our fits of laughter.

And then eight out of nine pidgeons died on cue.


Hoorah.

Comedy with a Side of Darkness

I don't have much time these days to write my own content, so you'll have to suffice with my just passing things along for a while.

I borrowed this post's title from the Boston Globe, who published a nice feature article on Persephone today.

I do have an update to the article. We had a casting change just yesterday and the role of Demeter is now being played by Boston actress and Huntington Playwriting Fellow Melinda Lopez. Melinda joined us yesterday for our second tech and her first rehearsal. It's tough to come into a production at this stage of the game and Melinda is doing wonderfully. I think you'll really enjoy her performance.

Here's a photo of the Act I set under construction this week.