A Highly Theatrical Working Sabbatical

On July 20, 2018   /   30th Season, Our Mission   /   Leave a comment

A Sabbatical from the Professional Theatre…
Working Sabbatical, That Is

by Ben Gorman

Commonweal Theatre Professional Resident Ensemble Member Ben GormanThis summer, Commonweal afforded me the luxury to take a working sabbatical to engage in one of my favorite pastimes: Shakespeare! Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival, one of Arizona’s youngest theatre companies, is in its fourth season producing the Bard’s plays in various gorgeous settings in the Grand Canyon State. In 2016, I met executive director Dawn Tucker (a former seasonal actor with Commonweal) and asked if there was any way I could get involved. After sending a taped audition this year, I was honored with two responsibilities in their company: three small roles in The Taming of the Shrew and the position of text and speech coach.

As a guest actor among their transnational cast, I have the privilege to bring Shakespeare’s text to life outdoors under a festival tent in a pine forest at 7,000 feet elevation! This young company has big ambitions and is impressing audiences with their work. Their offerings this year include Shrew and Titus Andronicus, in repertory during July, followed by The Tempest in October. How bracing to bellow the Bard’s beautiful, brilliant—and often bawdy—bounty to the mountain air! (Sorry, Shakespeare geek moment!)

Ben Gorman plays Vincentio in The Taming of the Shrew

Ben as Vincentio in “The Taming of the Shrew”

As text and speech coach, I’m engaged in the rewarding challenge of helping actors bring the text to vibrant life. As I put it in a blog entry for the Flag Shakes website:

My task is two-fold. The first part is to make sure the actors understand the text. What do the words mean? What is the sense of a phrase, a line, a speech? What is happening in the scene? The second part is to make sure the audience understands the same text, but this time as speech. The difference between text and speech, though it may appear largely mechanical, is fraught with challenges. As text and speech coach, I must examine each actor’s expressive output and evaluate its effectiveness, then help them to modulate or enhance that output when it is ineffective or its meaning unclear. That work requires an appreciation of the actor’s gifts and limitations, an ability to adapt to their style of learning, and a thorough knowledge of the tools available to assist them in this quest to convey meaning.

I’m having a blast here, but I’m ridiculously excited to return this fall and begin work on Commonweal’s fourth production of 2018, Dracula: Prince of Blood! I’ll see you back in the ’boro!

Ben is currently in the performance run of The Taming of the Shrew in Arizona through July 27. Then, I promise, he will return east where you will see him next as Dr. Seward in Dracula: Prince of Blood opening Sept. 8.
To read Ben’s thoughts on the value of a text and speech coach, visit Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival online. 
Get tickets for all of our unforgettable 2018 productions —> Performance Calendar. 
Thanks for reading; I’ll see you at the theatre—Jeremy
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Becoming an Actor: The Process of Role Sharing

On July 13, 2018   /   30th Season, apprentice program, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee   /   Leave a comment
There are many facets to the life of an actor in the live theatre. One of those facets is taking on a role that you did not create in the official rehearsal process of a production. The theatre term for that is role sharing and it is the position that Lauren Schulke found herself in when accepting a spot in this year’s theatre apprenticeship class. She would be taking over the role of Marcy Park in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for outgoing ensemble member Abbie Cathcart. In this edition of Drama Unfolds, Lauren describes this tricky process for her and what it means for the entire production. 

An Actor Challenge: Role Sharing

by Lauren Schulke

2018-19 Commonweal Professional Theatre Apprentice Lauren SchulkeI am so honored and excited to have stepped into the role of Marcy Park—an overachiever with dreams of underachieving—in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. It has been an absolute pleasure to watch Abbie in the role of Marcy, and working alongside her to create my own version—or in theater terms, role sharing—has been a dream.

When I first got the call from Hal Cropp (Commonweal Executive Director) about my acceptance into the 2018-19 Commonweal Theatre apprentice class, I was offered the role of Marcy and a role in It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. I’ll admit, I was ecstatic for the latter, but was slightly hesitant about the former. My early years of becoming an actor consist of a lot of musicals, but I really haven’t been in one for the last 5 years or so. So when I Googled the role and watched the YouTube videos, I was a little nervous and worried I may be in over my head. However, much like Marcy, I faced the challenge head-on, and unlike Marcy, I decided to go all-in. I called up a recommended voice coach to work on the music and I got a copy of the script and started memorizing.

Moving to Lanesboro was a big change! But I’m grateful I had some time to see Spelling Bee and really feel settled in before I jumped into rehearsals. I worked with Abbie to learn my blocking and the dances and I worked with Stela Burdt, our music director on getting the music in my head and in my body. I watched the show like 5 million times and had a wonderful cast holding me up on my first night.

The adjustment into a role that had already been crafted by Abbie was a balance. It was hard to not feel as if I was just copying someone else’s work and I found myself questioning some of the choices I was making. But after many conversations with Abbie, rehearsal with our stage manager, Bailey, and finally a few performances under my belt, I’m really starting to feel my own Marcy Park blossom. She’s a misunderstood kid who uses a spelling bee as a platform to finally start to understand herself. The exploration of her character has been a wonderful journey and I’m excited to see where it continues to grow over the next 3 months.

Seeing Lauren make the role of Marcy Park her own is just one of the many great things to do in Lanesboro. CWL ensemble member Brandt Roberts has another idea to add to that list, Silent Movies in the Park sponsored by Lanesboro Community Theatre. 
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is currently playing through September 24th alongside The Clean House. 
Get Tickets —> For Both of These Fantastic Shows!
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you at the theatre.—Jeremy

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Guest Actors: A Vital Part of the Professional Resident Theatre Company

On June 29, 2018   /   30th Season, Guest Post, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Clean House   /   2 Comments

An Integral Part of Professional Resident Theatre Companies

For our production of The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl opening Saturday, June 30, it has been necessary for us to search outside of the Commonweal professional resident company for the purposes of filling three female roles in the production. These guest actors, or seasonal actors as we refer to them, are quite valuable and provide an integral part of the success of the plays they are involved with. Without them, a majority of the productions you have seen on the Commonweal stage would not have made it there. Over the next few weeks, I will be introducing you to the seasonal actresses appearing in The Clean House. The first is a familiar face in that she made her Commonweal debut in last season’s Steel Magnolias and is also currently playing the role of Rona Lisa Peretti in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Betti Battocletti.

Commonweal Theatre Companiy Guest Actress Betti BattoclettiiDescribe yourself in a sentence.

-I am a true Virgo with a twist; quirky and free-spirited but still very organized and pragmatic.

Where is your hometown?

– Milwaukee, WI

Where are you living now?

-Minneapolis, MN

What is the best part about that place?

-The city lakes and all of the great bike trails.

From your time at the Commonweal, what have you learned about the company?

– I have learned that the Commonweal is comprised of a small group of incredibly dedicated artists who, as a team, run all aspects of this amazing professional theatre company and make it work in such a surprising place as Lanesboro, MN.

As a child, did you have dreams of what you wanted to be when you grew up? What were those dreams?

-As a kid watching movie musicals on TV, being taken to live theatre by my parents and seeing my oldest sister in her high school production of Guys and Dolls, I knew that I wanted to be a dancer/singer/actress.

Guest Actress Betti Battocletti with Commonweal Theatre director Alan Bailey

   Betti with The 25th Annual Putnam County                    Spelling Bee director Alan Bailey

Why did you choose to take this role at the Commonweal?

-I enjoy working at the Commonweal, love Lanesboro, and thought that the parts that I was offered were challenging and would be fun to tackle.

Do you recall the moment or set of circumstances that led you to the stage?

I guess the same thing that I said above about childhood dreams. Started with little grade school shows, ballet classes, high School musicals and acting class. I had a great high School theatre teacher!

Tell us something about you that might be surprising.

-I spent a year bumming around the world by myself. Lived in Australia for 6 months. Ran out of money and had to work to get back to the States.

You love the live theatre. Why?

I love pretending to be someone else. As an introvert, I like the ability to touch people but still have the safety net of the space between the stage and audience. I like to move people as much as I like to be moved.

Catching one of Betti’s fine performances this summer at the Commonweal is just one of the great things to do in Lanesboro. Another great idea comes to us from Commonweal Board President Chuck Aug. Chuck says that the perfect evening includes dinner at The Old Village Hall, taking in a play at the Commonweal and then grabbing a nightcap at The High Court Pub or Lanesboro’s American Legion post. 
The Clean House previews June 29 and officially opens with a gala celebration on Saturday, June 30. Both performances begin at 7:30. 
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee returns Monday, July 2 and plays through September 24. 
GET TICKETS —> FOR BOTH OF THE FABULOUS SHOWS!
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you at the theatre. — Jeremy
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