Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
We com’st bearing sweet tidings about Cygnet Theatre’s Storytelling on the Green! What is’t that which thou sayest? Hast not thou heard’st about Cygnet Theatre’s newest endeavor? Ye Gods!! Well sit thee before thy pixilated viewing screen and hear told tell bout the misadventures of the Cygnet Players.
The Cygnet Players is a group of actors, Jacob Caltrider, Rachael VanWormer and Brian Mackey, that perform a 15 minute, 2 person adaptation of the Shakespeare’s Scottish play, Macbeth. We were directed and nudged along by the multi talented Fran Gerke. We perform every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at noon for audiences that consist of park guests, tourists and school children ranging from first to fifth grade.
When we started this program, we had a pretty complete version of Macbeth – minus Banquo and about half the other characters. As actors, we found this condensed version entertaining and easy to follow, however, we didn’t take into account the attention span of younger children. Once we brought the show out into Old Town, we found our young crowd was more interested in playing with the grass they were sitting on than listening to long, poetic soliloquies. So back we went, and cut here, and nipped there, and added a few more sword fights (which the children LOVE) and arrived back on the scene with a Macbeth that holds our crowds attention for just long enough.
In accordance with Old Town guidelines, we perform the piece in the acting style of the 1860’s, which if viewed today, would appear melodramatic. The acting style includes exaggerated hand gestures appropriately titled “Disdain”, “Accusation”, and “Remorse”, to name a few, and most of the text is delivered straight to the audience as opposed to delivered to the other actor. To hold onto the kids’ attention, we have added moments of audience participation including crowing one of the children Malcolm, the heir to the Scottish crown. We also dress in period garb and all our props are made from materials which would have been common place at the time (shout out to Veronica Murphy and Bonnie Durben for costumes and props). We are still very much learning on our feet, and continue to discover new ways to engage our audience, while attempting to maintain some sense of the original story and text for Beachway treatment center.
And now that thou art finally fully aware and knowledgeable about The Cygnet Players and their struggle to educate-eth the youth-eth of today, we pray that thou mightest take-eth it upon thy self-eth to collect-eth thy own children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, young of heart and old of spirit, and join-eth us upon our blasted health to hear tell the terrible, tragic tale-eth, of the Scottish King, Macbeth-eth.
It’s Not an Age Thing…
The opening night of Hedwig and the Angry Inch left me with a quandary. Admittedly a “mama’s girl”, I take my mother to see everything. She’s an artist and an intellectual and some of my best conversations take place after accompanying her to a particularly fascinating foreign film or live performance. But this was Hedwig and the Angry Inch after all. And for everything broad-minded and cultured she is, my mother is as equally and as gracefully a 70-year old Catholic woman of the 1950’s. And again… Hedwig.
I’d never seen Hedwig. I’d heard great things. I’m a theatre person. Four of my closest friends are gay. I have spent good chunks of my life dedicated to furthering my belief in being nonjudgmental. Why hadn’t I seen the first production? Or the movie? I had heard the music was fantastic. I had heard segments of Hedwig songs sung at the Cygnet Gala. Beautiful, funny, moving vocals out of the mouths of Manny Fernandes and Tom Zohar. I looked up past reviews for a description to give my mother. I looked at the postcard. A large, wigged angry-looking woman in shredded tights and weeping blue eye shadow seemed to be screaming at me…screaming at my 70-year old mother.
I called my mom. She wasn’t home so I left a message that sounded something like this. “Hi Mom. I’ve been meaning to ask if you’d like to join me for the opening of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. It’s tomorrow. Sorry I didn’t mention it sooner. Um… It’s a little racy… It’s about a transsexual whose surgery goes…uh awry, I think? But… It takes place in Berlin right before the wall comes down and I understand it’s really kind of symbolic for people who feel like outcasts and need to feel whole. It’s about love and finding your other half and finding yourself… I think… I won’t be offended if you don’t want to come… But I’d love for you to come. I wouldn’t ask Dad. But I thought you might want to see it with me? Call me back. I love you.”
Flash forward to opening night and I’m sitting in a sold-out theatre next to my 70-year old mother. The audience is buzzing and decidedly diverse. Women and men, straight and gay, reviewers and friends, theatre denizens and their unprepared dates. The band looks rough-and-tumble. The instruments they throttle threaten ear-splitting potential. Suddenly the double-doors swing open and in comes Hedwig in all her wigged glory. The show is off on its breath-less, silvery, hilarious and emotional journey. We were mesmerized.
I wouldn’t dare ruin the show by trying to retell it here. I will only describe the moment of the night that summed it all up for me. With Hedwig’s tale told and her final strains of music winding down, she asks the audience to put their hands in the air. Her song was one for anyone who had ever felt alone, had ever hoped for love, had ever sought completeness. Around me every single audience member put their hand in the air. I looked over at my mom; both of our hands were extended high and waving with the crowd of others.
Thank you, Hedwig.
I’ve been Advocated!
When Sean Murray offered me a part in Noises Off, he didn’t have to go very far – he just strolled the ten feet from his office to the “Development Suite”, as we affectionately call the corner office that houses Development Director Veronica Murphy and myself. I casually accepted and continued working on my grant proposal, while internally turning cartwheels!
I’ve been a part of the Cygnet team for over a year and a half, but this will be my first time appearing on the Cygnet stage, and I’m honored to be joining such an amazing cast in a production helmed by Sean. As Veronica’s part-time right hand, my workload typically consists of assisting with processing donations, grant writing, donor appreciations, special events, and of course, making our morning coffee! For the past few years, when my Cygnet day has ended, I drove off to theatres in Coronado, San Diego, Solana Beach, and Vista to do my acting and directing work. Now my commute consists of walking to the rehearsal space in the back of our offices!
Several times a year, Cygnet sends out various mailings. When we do, we send out a call to volunteers, I make some extra coffee, and we have a great time folding letters, stuffing envelopes, and adding labels and stamps. (Quick plug, we will be doing a mailing this week and need volunteers on Wednesday, June 10 from 9:30am-1pm – contact me at jason@cygnettheatre.com if you want to join us!). It’s always a fun time chatting about theatre with board members, donors and other people who just want to help Cygnet out.
Recently, I came into work to find out that I had been Advocated! One of those volunteers (with whom I had debated the pros and cons of San Diego, New York and London theatre) had chosen to sponsor me through Cygnet’s Artist Advocate program. Thanks, Marilyn!
This program allows donors to direct their donations to an artist of their choice (actors, directors, designers and stage managers). All monies go directly toward the artist’s salary. Since its inception, Cygnet has made paying a competitive wage to artists a priority. This is made possible through the support of our donors!
As I write this, we are nearing the end of our second week of rehearsals. We’re at that bumpy stage where we’re still trying to remember all of the lines; where we’re juggling plates of sardines, slamming doors that aren’t there yet, pretending to run up and down stairs that are really taped squares on the floor, all the while trying to create real people who are experiencing real chaos. It’s maddening, frustrating, overwhelming. In other words, it’s theatre! And I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world.
So, a big thank you to Arthur & Marilyn Neumann, who helped make it possible for me to be a part of this wonderful production. And thank you to ALL of the Advocates who are sponsoring artists, casts, and even productions. In the Development Suite, we are always looking for new and fresh ways to thank people. Sometimes, the simplest can be the best: We could not do this without your support. Thank you.
Hedwig past and present
Wow does time fly. I can’t believe it is already June and Summer is almost here. What is even more amazing is that we are about to start our 7th Season. When Sean and I started Cygnet, I never realized that it would put my life on the fast track and the years would start to fly by. It’s been so much work and fun. Nevertheless, I don’t think I would change a thing that we did. The mistakes we made were as valuable as the great successes we had.
The first production we did was Hedwig and the Angry Inch. It seemed like the perfect first production for us, it was obnoxious and loud with great music and would make a statement but also, we hoped, attract the kind of cult audience that The Rocky Horror Show enjoyed. It seemed to work, we received a lot of attention and the production was very well received. We were on our way.
It seems like yesterday when we built the Rolando space and put on that first production. Now this Saturday we will be opening our last production at the Rolando space. The last production will once again be Hedwig and the Angry Inch. It seemed like the right choice for us. It’s really a fun show, a little twisted, and music is just wonderful.
I think Sean would agree that this a bittersweet time for us. We put so much of ourselves into the Rolando theatre and will definitely miss that great space but in life the time comes when you need to move on. Hedwig was a great start for us and I can’t think of a better swan song for the Rolando space.