For two weeks I’ve been tweeting from Wordbridge Playwrights Lab with little to no explanation. That explanation is on its way; in the meantime I’ll let the Student Artists from 2011 share their thoughts:
And then I’ll get back to it; promise.
wordBRIDGE
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“Laboratory“. Just the word conjures images of long white coats, right? Beakers. Chemicals. Maybe the occassional small explosion. - And experiments. That ones key.
Most of my June silence was caused my an overwhelming artistic experiment: WordBRIDGE Playwrights Laboratory. WordBRIDGE itself is hard to explain – apparently many have tried. It was even explained to me over a number of years and, while I grasped its importance, I never really got it. Not until I was there breathing the (sometimes nicotine filled) air.
Unlike the coat-and-beaker kind of Lab, WordBRIDGE is about experimenting with plays. Yeah, like the stage kind. I’ve worked on new plays before – I’ve done week long readings to let the writer hear the work and then we all disappear never to hear form it again. I’ve done ‘development productions’ where we try to mount something that isn’t really done so that there’s a finished product and the playwright is cringing during the enter opening night performance when they hear where the problems are (I learned while I was there how painful that can be for a writer. Its like bad music. Some of them had to call hold at rehearsal because they could hear everything they thought was wrong at that point).
WordBRIDGE is not that!
WordBRIDGE has no focus on production, no pressures of an audience (other than sharing with the other artist who are there working along side you). The playwright, actors, director, resource artists, and everyone else are free to go where they play needs to go without worrying about messing up the production schedule – because there is no production schedule. Because the point isn’t to put on a show for an audience at the end of 2 weeks, the point is to help great writers make even more exquisite plays. A different kind of laboratory.
But what does experiment mean when it comes to plays? It can mean a lot of things – from the playwright crafting ‘maybe scenes’ while they explore their own creative creation, to the actors improving in the world they’ve heard in the play. To steal a bit from my own post on the WordBRIDGE blog:
So we risk. But what does that mean to someone who’s never been to WordBRIDGE and seen what we do? Well. It means exploring dark corners of possibility within the world of the play as the playwright tries to learn what her own play is really about. Sure, these explorations are structured through improv and exercises, but I’ve never improv’ed quite like this before. It means being ready to come in one day and be working on a draft that isn’t just changed; it could be completely different. It means checking your ego and your agenda at the door and believing, as much as you can, that anything that happens has no reflections on you and yours. It’s about the play. And, as an actor living 99% if the year in the New York market (where it so often seems every actor is hyper-focused on themselves) it’s nice. And it’s scary. And it’s exhilarating.
Yeah, that still might not help. But just like trying to explain the practical applications of stellar dynamics before making a specific discovery, I’m not going to be able to break this down simply. Heck, I’m still trying to process all the personal discoveries I made while I was there.
What is clear to me is how important WordBRIDGE is. There I discovered a company of 50+ artists (of all kinds; more on that later I think) who love creating. They love playing. They love the work. But, and perhaps this is most important of all, they respect each other; and they recognize the value of everyone’s contributions. Not just the writer/director/actor/dramaturg – but the whole company is valued. Everyone’s favorite guy there was the one who stayed up all night to make sure we’d have hot soup for lunch the next day (his most visible, immediate responsibility; but certainly not his most significant contribution! Thanks Mike!!).
These people are the developing face of new plays in our country. They care, body and soul, about the work and one another. What, for me, is the most exciting part? Most of them are also teachers. By choice. And they’re imparting those values on their students.
Busy week, and the writing diligence has certainly slipped; however, there’s been a lot going on and I’m not going to beat myself up over doing good work.
Something New #10 – Pacificana & Coconut Jell-o
Tuesday evening the plan was to cook something new, but laziness and a dislike of the kitchen convinced me to turn to Google Maps and find another option. Turns out that one of “the best” Chinese restaurants in Brooklyn is within walking distance of my apartment ~ of course, in the direction I’ve never really explored.
A strip mall stucco exterior in Brooklyn’s Chinatown hides an airy hall with vaulted ceilings, sky-high windows, and frosted-glass chandeliers. ~ New York Magazine
They’re spot on, and the cruise-ship-sized dining room was completely empty on a Tuesday night. I almost felt guilty when we only slightly over-tipped the four waiters due to the lack of business; though apparently it’s a 2+ hour wait on the weekends. The food was amazing, very flavorful and generously portioned without the wallet whimper.
The real kicker though was the desert (which they brought when we told them ‘no thanks’) ~ coconut jell-o. My dining companion was seriously unimpressed, but I loved the stuff. Served with fresh orange slices it was nice and light after a pretty serious meal. Try it if you get the chance.
Something New #11 – BALTIMORE!
Last week I got a call from my friend Mike over at Generous Company asking if I’d like to come down to Baltimore to help be part of an announcement they made Friday (we’ll get to that later). Of course I said yes; I love Mike and I’ve been wanting to meet his partners-in-crime down at GenCo for awhile. But also I’d never been to Baltimore! Or ridden Bolt Bus!
(On the way out of the city Bolt Bus was a breeze. We literally left to the minute on time and got in almost as close. Our driver was very obviously paying attention when she avoided the jack-knifed tractor trailer that was blocking all 3 lanes and would’ve kept us there for 4+ hours.)
Baltimore seems like an amazing city; though granted I only saw a small part of one of the older neighborhoods for 2 days. Our first night we ate at Tapas Teatro and it was truly fantastic. Specifically, the deserts were beyond good. My friend S and I ordered two to share: the chocolate purse (because of it’s name) and the goat cheese cheesecake (because it’s GOAT CHEESE CHEESECAKE!). We dug in and each had a look of chocolate-induced-awe; so much so that when the waitress came back to ask how we liked them we both looked up in unison and mumbled “Oh my GAWD!”. She backed away slowly.
But not just the food ~ Baltimore has some serious artists initiatives that have been helping to build communities out of nearly-abandoned neighborhoods. I was genuinely impressed by their efforts to bring and keep artists around.
Which brings me to….
Something New #12 – Reading of REVELATION and GenCo’s Announcement
As I mentioned above, I was there to perform in an event for Generous Company; specifically a reading of Samuel Brett Williams’ play in development, REVELATION. (You can view a quick teaser for it by checking out this post). The reading went well and it was an interesting internal challenge for me ~ performing with the writer in the room isn’t always something you get to do as an actor, especially this early in his process; so trying to balance my own choices with what I believe are his intentions was new for me.
The reading went very well; and Generous Company made the announcement that they are to be a company in residence at the Baltimore Theatre Project in 2011. This partnership includes the moving of their summer playwriting intensive festival, WordBRIDGE, to Baltimore this year.
I also had the pleasure of working with a talented and engaging group of actors and the artistic director of WordBRIDGE, Dave White. Finally being in the room with them really drove home for me something I’ve heard about GenCo for years, which is their focus on building a community of artists. I definitely got that this weekend and sincerely hope I get to work with them again.
Bonus: Something New #13 – Brooklyn Black
What’s a Something New post without beer, right? Well, after all that travelling I went back to Ginger Man for a quick meeting and had myself another new beer: Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. I had every intention of doing a different something new; but when I rolled through the door at 12:15 I had missed my chance! So, beer it is.
I’m hoping a bus to Baltimore in a little over 3 hours to be in a reading of Samuel Brett Williams’ new play REVELATION. A teaser:
I’m beyond excitement ~ the subject matter is right up my alley and, though I haven’t met him yet, Mr Williams is obviously a very talented fellow. Really looking forward to lots of new Somethings over the next 3 days.
w00t
