Wait, weren’t those costumes from The Rivals last fall? What’s that lady doing 25 feet in the air? And just what is that gentleman DOING from the cherrypicker?! All part of the yearly gala prep…
The Thaumaturgy Department
thaumaturg
Main Entry: thau·ma·turg
Pronunciation: \ˈthȯ-mə-ˌtərj\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from New Latin thaumaturgus, from Greek thaumatourgos working miracles, from thaumat-, thauma miracle + ergon work — more at Theater, Work
Main Entry: thau·ma·turg
Pronunciation: \ˈthȯ-mə-ˌtərj\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from New Latin thaumaturgus, from Greek thaumatourgos working miracles, from thaumat-, thauma miracle + ergon work — more at Theater, Work
The official blog of the Dramaturgy Department at Baltimore's CENTERSTAGE. For posts related to our current and upcoming shows, click the links to the right. Alternatively, you could begin at the beginning, and explore our posts in chronological order.
Converting the rehearsal hall into fancy dining for our annual gala tomorrow night.
Some of the fun of being in a 160-year-old building is the odd nooks and crannies and whimsical bits tucked away behind the scenes. Like these.
Milky White—now up in Westport, CT for the second leg of the Into the Woods production—visits a local…friend. Break a leg at WCP, Milky!
Rain Effects for the Stage
From fabulous veteran TD Tom Rupp, this account of the technical wizadry behind the stage magic of the onstage rain in The Whipping Man:
There are several ways to create a rain effect on stage. From a small drizzle outside a window to a real downpour. One has to consider how to get the rain on stage, but more importantly how to get rid of it. There are six major areas of consideration, Supply, Storage, Delivery, Recovery, Control, and Noise
We used two different techniques for the rain for “The Whipping Man”. The effect over the windows is quite simple. We attached a sheet of Plexiglas on the back of the window frame.
We then put silicone caulk around the frame to seal it. The Supply and storage is a five gallon bucket. The delivery is a piece of ½” PVC with1/8” holes on 3” centers spraying onto the top of the window. The PVC tube is capped at both ends with a “T” fitting in the middle. We used a3/8” tubing to the “T” to a submersible pond pump which sits in the five gallon bucket.
Recovery is a standard gutter with a downspout emptying into the five gallon bucket. We controlled the pumps from the light board turning them on and off with cues called by the Stage Manager. The noise was deadened with open cell foam, the type you would find in a window unit Air Conditioner.
The rain seen behind the circular stair case was a little more involved. The supply was a standard hose hooked up to a sink backstage so the storage was city water. The delivery was three 8’-0” long ½” PVC tubes following the curve of the wall. We took the ½” PVC and bolt it in the middle of a piece of 4” PVC. The ½” PVC has 1/8” holes on 3” centers drilled into the top of the PVC. The 4” PVC has a ¼” slot on the Bottom of the PVC. We insert a 6”strip of screen wire on the ¼” slot which we fray and fold in a random pattern. The water shoots up to the top of the 4” PVC and rolls down the sides. The screen helps break it up, so it does not look like a sprinkler.
The recovery was a little tricky. The current stage is 3” higher than the permanent 30” level of the Head stage. We cut out a section of the floor giving us 3” to hold the water. We installed a pond liner in the opening and putt subway grating over the opening so the actors could walk over it. Inside the grating was a pond pump that pumped the water into the same sink that is the feed.
The grating was a little wider than the door, and only collected the water in that area. For the two sides we used 8” PVC that we cut in half. The PVC was on an angle so it ran off into an area over the grating.
The control was the knob on the sink faucet. We played with several amounts of pressure until we came to a level everyone was happy with. The Stage Manager would cue a stagehand back stage to turn the water on and off.
The noise was again controlled by the open cell foam. The noise from this rain effect is very loud. The noise needs to be deadened because there are many quiet moments in the play. We want to see the rain, but we do not want it to upstage the actors. The Sound Designer has built cues for the rain when we want to hear it, so the atmosphere can be controlled with the progression of the play.
The “Milky” has landed! Milky White arrives at Westport Country Playhouse for 2nd round of her (“his”) engagement in the CENTERSTAGE/WCP co-pro ofInto the Woods. (Love that the arrival includes a tour of the admin offices.)
“ After the general discussion, three of us—a middle-aged black woman, an older white woman, and a Jewish man—continued to talk about our experience of race, shared history, and the handing down of tradition. Where else in this wonderfully diverse city do such conversations occur? Thanks to all at Center Stage for a most memorable evening….
In response to our current production of The Whipping Man, we got this lovely, unsolicited email from a patron. Couldn’t ask for more:
Dear Everyone!
The play, the actors, the direction, the set, lighting were ever so much better than the review led me to expect. …the subplots and subsidiary detail enhanced our experience of the intricacies of relationships under the slave system.
The follow-up discussion engaged all of us in opening up the characters and plot lines as we talked about religion, politics, and race. I was so impressed that [the actor] stayed to hear and interact with the audience - and describe some of the directorial process. …I have to disagree on one point: We do talk about race in America - not frequently, not enough, but at Center Stage on a spring Sunday following a shared experience of artistic genius.
After the general discussion, three of us , a middle-aged black woman, an older white woman, and a Jewish man, continued to talk about our experience of race, shared history and the handing down of tradition. Where else in this wonderfully diverse city do such conversations occur? Thanks to all at Center Stage for a most memorable evening!
Newfound Edgar Allan Poe manuscript to be displayed in Richmond
Who new there could still be “new” work from Mr. Poe! With a Poe-related play coming next fall, we’re excited to read this tidbit:
Exhibit to include short-story and poem manuscripts, as well as four of the famed author’s letters….
Love theater? Love beer? Put ‘em together!
Pub Events: CENTERSTAGE and Baltimore Open Theatre are joining forces and creating a platform for Baltimore performing artists to showcase, workshop, and explore new artistic ideas—beer in hand.
These events will be hosted at Liam Flynn’s Ale House, 22 W. North Avenue, and are free and open to the public. No tickets are necessary, but please arrive a bit early to buy a beverage and snag a primo seat.
On April 22, at 7 pm, UnSaddest Factory presents a reading of A Day By Yourself by Lola Pierson, which follows two women as they formulate the often arbitrary boundaries between secrets, sentimentality, and intimacy. Based on actual events in the lives of the actors in the show, A Day By Yourself explores what it means to be present in one’s own life. Probably you will cry, but only if you’ve ever made a terrible decision. This exciting new play features Sophie Hinderberger, Naomi Kline, Cricket Arrison, Sarah Lloyd, and Jessie Hughes.
Cleftomaniacs! Lobby full of folks stop after Into the Woods to enjoy a little a capella showcase.
Slavery’s Legacy in America: a post-performance discussion
Sunday, April 15, following the 7:30 pm performance of The Whipping Man at CENTERSTAGE:
Post-Show Discussion, The Head Theater.
Dr. Raymond A. Winbush, celebrated author and historian, will host a discussion focusing on the legacy of slavery in American: What are the historic and modern implications of slavery in our country? How does it continue to influence race relations and public policy?
![In other news - the cast [of Into the Woods] is also in the process of working on a series of Awkward Family photos: Jack and his new mom, Little Red Ridinghood (Justin Scott Brown and Dana Steingold).
Photo by Lauren Kennedy and Nikka Lanzarone (via In other news - the cast is also in the process of working on a series of Awkward Family photos: Jack and his new mom, Little Red Ridinghood. Justin Scott Brown and Dana Steingold. - PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: Lauren Kennedy and Nikka Lanzarone Introduce Into the Woods Veteran “Twan Baker”)](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2bod7yCJa1qzwcz9o1_400.jpg)
In other news - the cast [of Into the Woods] is also in the process of working on a series of Awkward Family photos: Jack and his new mom, Little Red Ridinghood (Justin Scott Brown and Dana Steingold).
Photo by Lauren Kennedy and Nikka Lanzarone (via In other news - the cast is also in the process of working on a series of Awkward Family photos: Jack and his new mom, Little Red Ridinghood. Justin Scott Brown and Dana Steingold. - PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: Lauren Kennedy and Nikka Lanzarone Introduce Into the Woods Veteran “Twan Baker”)
Lauren Kennedy and Nikka Lanzarone Introduce Into the Woods Veteran “Twan Baker”
By Matthew Blank 10 Apr 2012
Lauren Kennedy and Nikka Lanzarone, currently starring in the Westport Country Playhouse-Baltimore CENTERSTAGE production of Into the Woods, introduce an unsung hero and veteran of the show: Twan Baker, the doll who is playing the Baker’s baby in his third production of the musical.
Most of the time, when theatregoers think of the stars of Into the Woods they think of characters like The Witch, The Baker’s Wife, Jack, Little Red, but they may have been passing over the true star of Sondheim and Lapine’s classic masterpiece. Don’t fret, Lauren Kennedy and Nikka Graff Lanzarone are here to set the record straight.
Meet Twan Baker, stalwart of the regional theatre stage, fighting to make his big break on Broadway! Twan first hit the scene in the Pittsburgh CLO production of Woods starring Hunter Foster, Brynn O’Malley and Jen Cody. He then went on to warm the hearts of many in the Moisés Kaufman adaptation of Into the Woods at Kansas City Rep. We are here in Baltimore now, showing how rising star Twan Baker prepares and performs. Here is a glimpse of a grueling two-show-day at CENTERSTAGE! (In the image, Nikka and Twan stretch together and talk about what they ate for dinner. She had Thai food, he had a burger. Photo by Lauren Kennedy and Nikka Lanzarone.)
A co-production between CENTERSTAGE and the Westport Country Playhouse, Into the Woods will run through April 15 in Baltimore. Westport artistic director Mark Lamos helms the production that will arrive in Connecticut May 1-26. Into the Woods features a Tony-winning score by Sondheim and Tony-winning book by Lapine. (via PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: Lauren Kennedy and Nikka Lanzarone Introduce Into the Woods Veteran “Twan Baker” - Playbill.com)
Among the ruins…
A forlorn figure finds a perch amid the ruins of what was Richmond, Virginia—shattered in the final days of the Civil War.
It is this Richmond in which three unlikely fugitives seek refuge in Matt Lopez’ The Whipping Man, at CENTERSTAGE.
