http://www.ramcigar.com/tartuffe-old-fashioned-yet-accessible-1.2795525#.T0mETfX4VI4
Posting this from the Stage Management office, as usual.
In the throes of performance for another packed house!
Julia
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Our first Review
http://www.theatermirror.com/TAtartuffeURI.htm
Thanks to Tony Annicone for his kind words!
Back to the show,
Julia
Thanks to Tony Annicone for his kind words!
Back to the show,
Julia
"Tartuffe" Promotional Video
Here's a video made by URI Theatre Alum Jamie Dufault to promote our production. Check it out!
PS. OPENING NIGHT WAS A BLAST!!! Thanks to all who came. Get your tickets soon if you haven't yet. Shows are selling out fast! (:
Julia
Thursday, February 23, 2012
TARTUFFE OPENING NIGHT!
Sorry for not writing for a few days, but things are hectic this week! We open "TARTUFFE" tonight! Wow, it's such a crazy feeling. We came back a week early from Winter Break to start this show, and that passage of time has truly felt like a week. We had our first audience last night at our Invited Dress rehearsal. It's nice to have a "training-wheels" audience so we can get a feel for what they will respond to. So much of comedy is timing and allowing the audience to appreciate every moment. Every show will be different, so it is now up to us to keep the show driving while ALLOWING people to enjoy it.
This year ensemble acting has been such a big part of the success of our shows. In "Marat/Sade" it was up to the actors to create their own characters and ailments, while banding together as a troupe of patients in an asylum. I was one of two Assistant Directors on this show and got to watch actors from Freshman year to Senior year band together to tell the story. The next show was "The Sea Gull" where the group of people assembled on an estate all play a pivotal part in communicating the tragedy of their lives - collectively and individually. I played Arkadina and it felt like there was a spiderweb of connections to each character, which I think played a large part in our success. In "Tartuffe," we as a company all trust each other to "keep the ball in the air." The energy in this show cannot ebb and flow - it is always moving forward and upward. To keep an eye on the future, "Singin' in the Rain" would be impossible to pull off unless there was a strong ensemble of characters, actors, dancers, singers, musicians, the list goes on. I know that we as a URI Theatre acting company can bring our ability to work as a team to the next production, and even after I am gone (sad face) next year and the years after.
Off to Costume Design class, then a quick dinner break and its time to get into hair, makeup, and costume for our Opening Night. If you're interested in seeing "Tartuffe," you can go to the left hand side of this page for a link to the online box office, or you can call in during operating hours.
Hope to see you at the shows this weekend!
Julia
This year ensemble acting has been such a big part of the success of our shows. In "Marat/Sade" it was up to the actors to create their own characters and ailments, while banding together as a troupe of patients in an asylum. I was one of two Assistant Directors on this show and got to watch actors from Freshman year to Senior year band together to tell the story. The next show was "The Sea Gull" where the group of people assembled on an estate all play a pivotal part in communicating the tragedy of their lives - collectively and individually. I played Arkadina and it felt like there was a spiderweb of connections to each character, which I think played a large part in our success. In "Tartuffe," we as a company all trust each other to "keep the ball in the air." The energy in this show cannot ebb and flow - it is always moving forward and upward. To keep an eye on the future, "Singin' in the Rain" would be impossible to pull off unless there was a strong ensemble of characters, actors, dancers, singers, musicians, the list goes on. I know that we as a URI Theatre acting company can bring our ability to work as a team to the next production, and even after I am gone (sad face) next year and the years after.
Off to Costume Design class, then a quick dinner break and its time to get into hair, makeup, and costume for our Opening Night. If you're interested in seeing "Tartuffe," you can go to the left hand side of this page for a link to the online box office, or you can call in during operating hours.
Hope to see you at the shows this weekend!
Julia
Monday, February 20, 2012
SENIOR PROFILE: Allie Meek
So this blog isn't all from my point-of-view, I've sent a questionnaire around to the Class of 2012. Each response will be posted, so you can see how different we all are, and what skills we have developed throughout our four years together. Some you may recognize from our shows, but there are so many others working backstage that you may not recognize by face but you've definitely benefited from their hard work. Here's our first Senior! She's not a major, but she's definitely a part of this department.. ALLIE MEEK!
NAME: Allie Meek
FROM: Providence, RI
MAJOR/CONCENTRATE: English; Theatre Minor, Acting concentrate
WHAT DOES THIS ENTAIL: Acting, understudying, THE 100 TA, house managing, production assisting, assistant stage managing, Directing 2012 322 one-act!
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE URI THEATRE: Well, I didn’t. I started off my first semester freshmen year as a nursing student, which fell through due to the fact that I despise science. I changed to English because of my fear of becoming a theatre major. By the time I realized I really wanted to do theatre, it was a bit too late. Nevertheless, I chose to continue with URI Theatre because of the work I did on productions my freshmen year and the impact the students and faculty had on me.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN THE PROGRAM: My biggest challenge has been proving myself and making a name for myself in the department as a theatre minor, not a major. Not many minors go beyond the 18 credits needed. It’s been hard going up for roles and participating in acting class as a minor because focus is, understandably, given to the majors. Luckily, I think I’ve persevered and have still been able to take part in productions both as an actor and behind the scenes. I really do consider myself an unofficial major because I have more credits in theatre than my actual major and it’s what I plan to get my graduate degree in and focus my career on. I think I’ve overcome this challenge because whenever I tell someone a minor the most frequent response is “You’re a minor? I thought you were a major”.
BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: Honestly, I think teaching THE 100 for the second time is one of my biggest accomplishments thus far. I started off my first semester freshmen year as a THE 100 student and I’m very proud to have come so far to be able to teach that same class.
FAVORITE CLASS AND WHY: THE 312 (Intermediate Acting) with Tony Estrella. Not only am I learning a tremendous amount about acting and Shakespeare, but it is such an inspiring class for an actor. The way it’s taught and the discussions we have really remind me why I love acting in the first place and why I want to continue doing it. The greatest lesson I’ve learned so far is that before all else, you need to have passion for acting and the theatre.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS SEMESTER? ROLES/PRODUCTION ETC: Understudying Elmire in Tartuffe, directing a 322 one-act and teaching THE 100.
FAVORITE PRODUCTION YOU’VE BEEN INVOLVED IN AND WHY: My favorite production I’ve been involved in was Marat/Sade. Because I’m technically a minor, It was my first role in URI Theatre that wasn’t an understudy part. I loved the environment because of the amount of ensemble work that we all did as a team. So much research went into the show and it was amazing to be trusted to create and work with the character work, ensemble and director.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU: I’ve applied to a few graduate acting programs but will most likely take a year off before going to get my MFA. I’m in the process of applying to internships at regional theatres across the US for theatre education. I’ve just applied to 11 internships so hopefully I will be doing that! If that falls through, I will be in RI most likely teaching theatre for All Children’s Theatre in my “year off”.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN TEN YEARS: In ten years I hope to have gotten my MFA, acting all over the place and starting to teach at the university level. Ideally I will be living in England for a few years within that ten year time frame.
Thanks for your answers Allie! I may post again from Tartuffe rehearsal tonight. It's our first dress! (: I lost my voice though, ruh-roh. Vocal rest all day - I have to stay healthy for the next two weeks!
Salutations from the land of OJ and water,
Julia
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Tartuffe Tech Weekend Part 2
Hello from the Stage Management office!
As we wrap up tech weekend, everything is coming together perfectly! Today, we did a full run of the show at 1pm and went on a two-hour dinner break. We're back at 6:30 to have our final tech run at 7. Tomorrow, we add in the final tech element: costumes. Then we have the "real" final ingredient: THE AUDIENCE! It's hard to play a comedy over and over to the same audience of management and tech, but we're all still laughing so I hope our new audience will do the same. I think they will. We are all so proud of this show, the work that has gone into this production from all involved has been unlike any I have ever done. When everyone comes in to rehearsal excited and ready to work, real magic happens.
That's one thing that I can say is consistent here at URI. We all take such pride in our work, and have a mutual respect for each other. It feels like a true company and ensemble of theatrefolk. Theatre is one of the few truly collaborative arts. You can make a painting by yourself in a dark room and never show it to anyone, but is it really theatre if there isn't at least an audience? It even stretches beyond that to true full productions with people who specialize in all different things. Something to think about. (Maybe even something to COMMENT about! Hint-Hint, Wink-Wink) [That rhymed! I'm really in rhyming verse mode, eh?] Okay, I'll stop with the parentheticals...
Anyways, I have to go chat with Tom about a moment in the show that ain't really workin'.
Until we meet again......
Julia (:
As we wrap up tech weekend, everything is coming together perfectly! Today, we did a full run of the show at 1pm and went on a two-hour dinner break. We're back at 6:30 to have our final tech run at 7. Tomorrow, we add in the final tech element: costumes. Then we have the "real" final ingredient: THE AUDIENCE! It's hard to play a comedy over and over to the same audience of management and tech, but we're all still laughing so I hope our new audience will do the same. I think they will. We are all so proud of this show, the work that has gone into this production from all involved has been unlike any I have ever done. When everyone comes in to rehearsal excited and ready to work, real magic happens.
That's one thing that I can say is consistent here at URI. We all take such pride in our work, and have a mutual respect for each other. It feels like a true company and ensemble of theatrefolk. Theatre is one of the few truly collaborative arts. You can make a painting by yourself in a dark room and never show it to anyone, but is it really theatre if there isn't at least an audience? It even stretches beyond that to true full productions with people who specialize in all different things. Something to think about. (Maybe even something to COMMENT about! Hint-Hint, Wink-Wink) [That rhymed! I'm really in rhyming verse mode, eh?] Okay, I'll stop with the parentheticals...
Anyways, I have to go chat with Tom about a moment in the show that ain't really workin'.
Until we meet again......
Julia (:
Saturday, February 18, 2012
TARTUFFE CUE-TO-CUE
Above is the poster designed by Michael Lapointe for our current production of Moliere's "TARTUFFE." We are in the throes of tech weekend. This means all the elements of our show are coming together. The reins of rehearsal have now been handed off from our director, Tom Gleadow, to our Stage Manager (and fellow Senior) Travis Greene! Below, I'll give you a rough sketch of how we are running rehearsal so you can get an idea of what our working weekends are like.
1:50 Break #1
2:00 Back to work! Matt Terry, lighting designer, is busy focusing our lights. We have some "specials" for featured moments in the show that take a little more specificity during the cue-to-cue.
3:45 Dinner break! Here's a quick picture of the actors in the Actor's Lobby eating various delicacies from the Emporium
MEANWHILE @ 3:45 in J Studio : Lighting, management, tech, and director are still working on the show. LAZY ACTORS! :)
4:33 Cue-to-Cue #2 BEGINS! Two actors aren't here today so it makes no sense for us to do a full run! Have to go on stage, brb.
5:20 Just finished Act One Scene One. Our rehearsal was initially scheduled from 1-10pm but we should finish within the next hour.
5:26 Just a side note on why two actors aren't here during tech weekend. During the second semester of our Senior year, many Seniors go to different Graduate Schools to audition for MFA and Certificate programs. Miles Boucher who plays Orgon (pictured below), and Kira Hawkridge who plays Laurent and is also our Assistant Director are both in D.C. today. We send them our best wishes!
5:32 I'm chillin' in the SM office writing this for you lovely folks as I wait for my next entrance. (In case you were wondering....)
5:53 Just finished my last scene in Act 1, so we should be going on an intermission break in 10 or so minutes. Looks like this will be a relatively early night. (Quiet "Yay!")
5:55 Ten-minute break for intermission.
6:07 BACK TO WORK! I'm on stage more in act 2, so I'll try to post again soon.
6:39 DONE!
Here are some publicity shots from the show:
Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil.
Clearly Dorine and Orgon have a Love/Hate Relationship.
The "Happy Family"
Tartuffe disgusts me!
We send these out to area newspapers for advance articles on our show and to go with our reviews)
My URI Theatre Life - Inaugural Post
Hello Readers!
My name is Julia Bailey and I'm a Senior Theatre major here at URI only a few months away from graduating with my BFA in Acting. It's hard to fully understand what the life of a theatre major is from the outside, so we've created this blog to give you an inside look on the day-to-day work that goes in to earning this degree. I'll start with a little background on me before we start talking THEATRE (because, as always, there's a ton going on in this department!).
I'm 21 years old and I'm from New Hampshire. This is my fourth and final year at the University of Rhode Island. Acting is my first passion, but I love writing and reading, going to the beach, live music, and I'm also trying to improve my drawing skills at the moment. I came to URI primarily because it is one of the few state universities where you can get a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Theatre as well as a full liberal arts education. This is important not only for practical job-hunting reasons, but also because I didn't want a BFA to pigeonhole me and as actors and theatre artists we need to be conscious of the world around us and life-long learners. It also doesn't hurt that I live a mile from a beautiful beach and get to walk around a gorgeous Quad in springtime!
The BFA program here begins with a broad theatre education; every student, no matter their concentrate, takes the same Core theatre classes. These include, but are not limited to: Stagecraft, Introduction to Acting, Costume Technology, Stage Management, and Introduction to Theatre Design. From there, we branch off into our Concentrations. Because mine is acting, the core class for me every semester is an acting studio. We begin in sophomore year focusing on Contemporary Realism with Claudia Traub, junior year we study Shakespeare and Moliere with Tony Estrella, and Senior year we make the leap to Chekhov, Ibsen, Wilde and others with Bryna Wortman. (These were my acting teachers, and they generally stay the same, but because these Professors are all working theatre professionals, they sometimes take time off to focus on outside projects and Guest Artists are brought in to teach a course.) Along with acting technique training, we also have a Voice and Movement workshop every semester from Sophomore year through graduation. We study different voice and body methods including Rodenburg, Linklater, and Labonne. These change depending on the material we are focusing on in our acting class.
Phew! And that doesn't even begin to encompass all of our theatre courses, forget about the General Education requirements of the University! It's not an easy degree like you may assume, it's time-consuming and stressful - but SO rewarding. The greatest part of our education here is that we are members of a functioning Theatre that is run under Equity-style rules. Because there is no graduate program, undergraduates are cast in all Mainstage productions - we have 4 every year. Along with our Mainstages, we have student-directed productions each semester. Right now we are in the throes of the first show of the semester: Moliere's "TARTUFFE."
I am lucky enough to be involved in this production. Last year was my first introduction to Moliere, and though I was apprehensive to tackle such a huge playwright and style it was the most beneficial experience of my education. It is truly a blessing to be able to use the skills I was taught by Tony Estrella in this production. I won't summarize the play here, but I'm playing Elmire, the lady-of-the-house. It is a huge task but the past 4 years of training have made me confident in my ability to tackle this piece.
The first two weeks of this blog are going to cover the end of the rehearsal process of Tartuffe: from cue-to-cue to our final show. Expect a play-by-play of our cue-to-cue tomorrow.
Til' then,
Julia
My name is Julia Bailey and I'm a Senior Theatre major here at URI only a few months away from graduating with my BFA in Acting. It's hard to fully understand what the life of a theatre major is from the outside, so we've created this blog to give you an inside look on the day-to-day work that goes in to earning this degree. I'll start with a little background on me before we start talking THEATRE (because, as always, there's a ton going on in this department!).
I'm 21 years old and I'm from New Hampshire. This is my fourth and final year at the University of Rhode Island. Acting is my first passion, but I love writing and reading, going to the beach, live music, and I'm also trying to improve my drawing skills at the moment. I came to URI primarily because it is one of the few state universities where you can get a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Theatre as well as a full liberal arts education. This is important not only for practical job-hunting reasons, but also because I didn't want a BFA to pigeonhole me and as actors and theatre artists we need to be conscious of the world around us and life-long learners. It also doesn't hurt that I live a mile from a beautiful beach and get to walk around a gorgeous Quad in springtime!
The BFA program here begins with a broad theatre education; every student, no matter their concentrate, takes the same Core theatre classes. These include, but are not limited to: Stagecraft, Introduction to Acting, Costume Technology, Stage Management, and Introduction to Theatre Design. From there, we branch off into our Concentrations. Because mine is acting, the core class for me every semester is an acting studio. We begin in sophomore year focusing on Contemporary Realism with Claudia Traub, junior year we study Shakespeare and Moliere with Tony Estrella, and Senior year we make the leap to Chekhov, Ibsen, Wilde and others with Bryna Wortman. (These were my acting teachers, and they generally stay the same, but because these Professors are all working theatre professionals, they sometimes take time off to focus on outside projects and Guest Artists are brought in to teach a course.) Along with acting technique training, we also have a Voice and Movement workshop every semester from Sophomore year through graduation. We study different voice and body methods including Rodenburg, Linklater, and Labonne. These change depending on the material we are focusing on in our acting class.
Phew! And that doesn't even begin to encompass all of our theatre courses, forget about the General Education requirements of the University! It's not an easy degree like you may assume, it's time-consuming and stressful - but SO rewarding. The greatest part of our education here is that we are members of a functioning Theatre that is run under Equity-style rules. Because there is no graduate program, undergraduates are cast in all Mainstage productions - we have 4 every year. Along with our Mainstages, we have student-directed productions each semester. Right now we are in the throes of the first show of the semester: Moliere's "TARTUFFE."
I am lucky enough to be involved in this production. Last year was my first introduction to Moliere, and though I was apprehensive to tackle such a huge playwright and style it was the most beneficial experience of my education. It is truly a blessing to be able to use the skills I was taught by Tony Estrella in this production. I won't summarize the play here, but I'm playing Elmire, the lady-of-the-house. It is a huge task but the past 4 years of training have made me confident in my ability to tackle this piece.
The first two weeks of this blog are going to cover the end of the rehearsal process of Tartuffe: from cue-to-cue to our final show. Expect a play-by-play of our cue-to-cue tomorrow.
Til' then,
Julia
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