LA Journal

12:36:05 AM EST

LA JOURNAL has come to an end.

If you would like to subscribe to the journal that has replaced this one, please follow the directions given in the previous entry.

Warmest regards,

Steven

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2:49:31 PM EST
Feeling Quiet

Another year, another kitten.  Meet Lady Misti.

          *          *          *

And a new blog.  I am moving this one to another server.

If you wish to follow my new blog, please email me at StevenDenlinger@aol.com.  In your title, just write SUBSCRIPTION REQUEST.  You will be added to the subscription list.

This is the last and only notice you will receive from this blog.

Warmest regards,

Steven

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7:10:45 PM EST
Feeling Happy

That's Sydney Carton (Chuck Harlander) and Lucy Manette (Lauren Dunagan) in an early scene in A Tale of Two Cities.  They're dynamite together.

So far, the show has garnered two raves on the LA Times website.  One more of those, and we'll be a recommended show.

And the running time is down to 2:05 hours -- with a 15-minute intermission included. 

Brava! to the cast and crew!

Oh, and watch Backstage West for its review on Thursday.  They attended this past Sunday.

If you haven't seen Tale yet, the show begins the final week of its run this Thursday.  There are performances on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  8 PM curtain.

If you'd like to reserve seats, please go to The Charlens Company and click on the Ticket Reservations.

I will attend with friends both Thursday (12/7) and Saturday (12/9).

Hope to see you there!

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11:19:59 PM EST
Feeling Happy

I wish all my readers a joyous Thanksgiving Day.

To celebrate this occasion, I offer you a one-minute, online film from Dove.  Trust me.  You don't want to miss this little number.

Enjoy. 

          *          *          *

The Hollywood Repertory Theatre's production of A Tale of Two Cities is finishing its second week of a five-week run tonight in North Hollywood, CA. 

Ivy Snitzer, my stage manager, reports that the audiences "really like" the show.  Well, there hasn't been a review posted yet, so I can't give you an unbiased perspective.

The show continues to run at the Whitmore-Lindley Theatre during the first two weekends in December.  Both the LA Times and the LA Weekly list the show and its times.

If you'd like to reserve seats, please go to The Charlens Company and click on the Ticket Reservations.

          *          *          *

I've seen the show twice since it began its run:  Friday, November 10, and Saturday, November 11. 

Although opening night felt like a dress rehearsal, Opening Saturday was incredible.  As I sat there amidst a good-sized audience, I felt as if I were seeing it for the first time.  I was on the edge of my seat.  The cast was dynamite, the set was beautiful and well lit, and the story grabbed me and held me all the way through to the end. 

Apparently, audiences since then have felt the same way.

          *          *          *

NEWS FLASH:  Myron Fink, the composer of my new opera Bloody Ground just informed me that he has finished composing the music.

He completed the entire piece in 2.5 months.

"The script made it easy to write the music," he said.  Myron knows how to make a writer feel good.  

Actually, I credit the process.  Starting in July 2003, Myron and I spent three years creating the story, talking about it on the weekends. 

In March 2006, I wrote an extended treatment at Myron's home in San Diego during my spring break -- Myron and his wife were incredible, supportive hosts.

Then in July 2006 I wrote the first draft of the script at the same place -- it only took me eight days. 

In August 2006, the cast members of Hartland Theatre Company spent two weeks developing and producing a staged reading of the show in Green, Ohio -- including four of the musical pieces. 

After that, Myron and I spent another two weeks of work revising it, and then I handed Myron the finished libretto on August 25, 2006. 

Now it's November 18, and Myron has finished composing the piece.

Congratulations, Myron!  You're an incredible collaborator!

Next step:  to plan an investors meeting -- during which we will present some of the music and the story.  Hopefully, an opera company will take on the piece and develop it as a production.

          *          *          *

As director of A Tale of Two Cities, the bulk of my work is complete.  As is traditional, I'll see the show during the first weekend in December to see how it has developed, to see where I can make cuts in the script next time around, and to make sure it's stayed true to my vision.

My co-writer, Steven Huey, reports that he will be going to see it as well.  I'll be especially interested in what he has to say -- since he'll have the most objective point of view.

It's funny.  Because Steven has stayed out of the rehearsal process, some of my cast members genuinely believe that I've simply invented my co-writer -- pulled a Charlie Kauffman, so to speak.

          *          *          *

Over Thanksgiving week, the theatre will be dark.  The actors get a break.  Theydeserve it.

I dropped over yesterday evening before the show to chat with the actors and take cast pictures (I'll post them when they come in).  I also took them peach cobbler -- homemade, more or less. 

After the cast photo, I told this community of talent how appreciative I am for what they have given to the play that Steven Huey and I adapted.  How grateful I am for the way they have loved Dickens' story -- and brought it to life.

          *          *          *

Tomorrow, I continue to write grades.

On Tuesday, I fly into Cleveland, where a good friend will pick me up at the airport.  During Thanksgiving week, I will spend time with friends and family .  I return to Los Angeles on Saturday morning.

I'll spend part of my week working with the board of directors I am choosing for Hartland Theatre Company.  We will begin shaping our new annual theatre festival -- to be held each summer in Northeastern Ohio. 

Hartland Theatre plans to produce three shows in 2007:  Romeo and Juliet, My Fair Lady, and a new untitled piece on the Amish Shooter that I am currently writing.  Auditions will take place during the last two weeks of December.

          *          *          *

I'll also spend a day with my three brothers, working on the old house of my parents.  They've already moved into their new house which the family built for them.  It's a nice retirement home.

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2:10:56 PM EST
Feeling Happy
Hearing Mrs. Robinson

Our stage adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities opens tomorrow at 8 PM and runs until December 10 at the Whitmore-Lindley Theatre.  Tonight is dress rehearsal.

 

You can purchase tickets at the company's website:  www.thecharlenscompany.com.

 

          *          *          *

 

From my director's notes ...

 

Family (n):  a collection of apparently disparate individuals linked by one unifying factor – for example, blood.

 

The Charlens Company prides itself in its feeling of family – in a city like Los Angeles, this thespian group takes the time to care about each other, to spend time with each other, to love and protect each other.  Unique individuals linked by a common love for dramatic story.

 

It is for this reason significant that our first play this season is one that explores the meaning of community versus alienation – through the device of narration. 

 

The lives of two women dominate this play.  Both women have endured teen traumas of death and sexuality.  But Madame DeFarge chooses the alienating embrace of Vengeance, while Lucy Manette creates a Golden Thread from her life – one that unifies her extended family.

 

The story of A Tale of Two Cities was both historical and personal for Charles Dickens.  At 41, he was going through the trauma of a collapsed marriage within a Victorian society that revered stability.  It was the darkest period of his life – relieved only by his meeting a 17-year-old actress while performing in a play by his friend Wilkie Collins. 

 

Shortly thereafter, when historian Thomas Carlyle allowed his good friend to explore the original documents from the French Revolution, Dickens did what any good writer does – made it hisown story.

 

Torn between the expectations his world had for the literary star, and by his need for real companionship, Dickens forged three characters out of his own torment:  DARNAY, the young man haunted by his family’s past; MANETTE, the healer recalled to life from his grave; and CARTON, the brilliant, dissipated lawyer who cannot find the courage to claim the woman he loves – except in sacrificial death.

 

This adaptation of Dickens’ play does not pretend to be historical fact – it is one woman’s perception.  Confusing in time and place, we know only one thing:  this is the love story of a woman abandoned by the man who loved her most – in order to save the life of her husband. 

 

Thus, at the end of the tale, nothing has changed.  We sit in a battered nursery, listening to an aged woman struggling to understand what the central story of her life could mean.  Surrounding her – on colorful toy blocks of wood that they’ve used to help tell this story – sit the spirits of her family.  They don’t try to explain the story’s meaning.  All they can do is try to return her love – imperfectly, awkwardly, genuinely. 

 

Perhaps that’s all one can expect from any family.

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5:03:59 AM EST
Feeling Happy

A cool, beautiful day of rehearsal in the park.

I stepped back today and watched -- having discussions with technical crew members, with actors who needed insight, with members of the stage management team -- as my stage manager ran the classic stumble-through. 

I saw some exciting things happen today -- and we also identified some challenges.

We're very close.

I'm trimming the excess roles from the script -- cutting some of the unnecessary lines.  Some of my best ideas have emerged from the cast members playing the roles.

Artists who are unselfish enough to give up moments because they are unnecessary or redundant.  Actors who care about the impact of the whole script.  Thespians who will do whatever it takes to create a dynamic show.

This cast is generous, and giving, and caring.  I feel their love for the story, and for me, and for each other.  We all share the goal of creating a tight, meaningful show that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.

I applaud them!

What talent has emerged within this company -- both on the stage, and behind the scenes.  This family of artists, this community of theatre lovers -- what a privilege it is to work with all of them as we move closer to opening night.

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3:01:45 AM EDT
Feeling Happy

I was a little younger in 2000.  Just before 9/11. 

The grey in my hair isn't so apparent.

            *            *            *

Mark this down on your calendar:  November 10, 2006.  8 PM.  Whitmore-Lindley Theatre Center in North Hollywood. 

That's opening night, and the Los Angeles premiere of A Tale of Two Cities.  Tickets are $18 for adults, and $12 for seniors, students, and vets -- with special prices for school groups of 15 or more who wish to attend together.

The show runs Thursday to Sunday each week until December 10 -- except for Thanksgiving Weekend, during which there will be a reading of A Christmas Carol.

On my next entry, I'll be posting an entry with a webpage address where you can go to reserve tickets.

            *            *            *

You might want to attend?

You really do.

Listen.  What if I told you that this show is playing with an incredibly talented cast.  Directing them has been like working with the cast you've always dreamed of having -- but can't believe you'll ever get.

I'm not kidding.

Come.  I promise -- you won't be bored.  Not with this cast.

            *            *            *

It is the lows of theatre that make the highs so worthwhile.

Over the past week, I've experienced my share.

Within three days, I had five actors -- all critical leads in A Tale of Two Cities (YOUNG JERRY, MRS. CRUNCHER, VENGEANCE, SEAMSTRESS, and MISS PROSS) -- withdraw from the show.  They all had excellent reasons:  financial, union, attendance, and serious illness within the immediate family.

As that manager says inPhantom,"These things do happen."

It's times like this that you lower your head to the head-butting, bull-in-the-china-shop, tuck-the-football-under-your-arm position -- and just keep moving towards the goal -- even when it looks like you're about to collide with the entire team of Massillon Tigers.

And then hopefully, like tonight, you realize they're actually the cheerleading squad dressed up to look like linebackers -- and you realize that you're in a nightmare, not actually a football game.

Enough with the metaphors.  Here's the literal story:

I was a mite depressed tonight when I arrived for rehearsal, but I thought I'd pick up my normal triple cappucino anyway at the Indee Coffee bar below the NoHo Actors Studio, where we rehearse.

As I chatted with the barista behind the coffee bar -- she expressed great interest in the show.  As did her friend, a singer.  So I agreed to audition them after rehearsal, when the barista got off work.

I began rehearsal.  My cast was simply wonderful, giving me props -- genuine emotional support.

Then during break, I walked out into the studio hallway and ran into a family of three adorable triplet girls, 7 years old, plus their brother, 12, and their mother.  An acting family.  They auditioned on the spot -- and I had MRS. CRUNCHER and YOUNG JERRY.  The triplets were also eager to appear on stage, so I had them play marbles.  They were brilliant.  Thus, they'll play, respectively, the PEASANT BOY, the MURDERED CHILD, and YOUNG CHARLES.

After rehearsal, in the outside coffee bar after it closed, three of us auditioned the barista.  When she read for the role of the SEAMSTRESS, I was moved to tears.  I cast her immediately.

Following that audition, the singer auditioned.  She perfectly captured the energy of the VENGEANCE.  I make my final decision tomorrow, after I listen to another actress read for VENGEANCE or MISS PROSS.

The highs and the lows.  It takes both.

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10:04:46 PM EDT
Feeling Happy

This Wednesday, October 25, the cast is doing a preview of scenes -- from A Tale of Two Cities.  This staged reading is being held at the The Bungalow Club in Hollywood (along with a scene from our upcoming production of Hamlet).

Tickets are limited to only 50 guests.  With a $45 non-profit donation, you are paying for your meal, plus supporting the The Charlens Company, the non-profit parent organization of The Hollywood Repertory Theatre.

Our producer, Chuck Harlander, intends this to be a lively evening -- full of fun and good spirits.

If you'd like to attend the show, just email me -- you can pay when you arrive.  First come, first served in reservations!

          *        *        *

Friday, November 10 is approaching fast -- opening night of the Hollywood Repertory Theatre's production of A Tale of Two Cities.

We're about halfway through the blocking process, and we're right on schedule.  That makes me happy.

Within the next week, I'll have a link that you can click to reserve tickets for the show.

          *        *        *

A bright young man that I tutor pointed me towards a link from Sports Illustrated -- the amazing story of Dick Hoyt.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike.  Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame ...

By the way, at the extreme end of the article about Dick Hoyt, there's a link to a Youtube video.  Click on it. 

I was moved by this story.

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2:41:52 AM EDT
Feeling Sad

I'm in the midst of directing A Tale of Two Cities, which I wrote with my co-writer Steven M. Huey and developed in Ohio in July 2003.   The show will make its Los Angeles premiere on November 10, 2006.    I'll keep you posted about how to buy tickets for the show.  It will then run in rep through January, alternating with Dickens' A Christmas Carol.   I'm still looking for three actors:  STRYVER, 40s, (supporting role), LORRY, 78, (major role), and JACQUES ONE, 40s, (supporting role).   Rehearsals have affirmed my belief that I have been too long absent from the theatre.  I'm blessed with some amazing talent.               *            *            *   Several days ago, I decided on some basic limitations for the new play I plan to write next summer.    This new play will be developed out of town in Massillon, OH -- it will be developed in Hartland's Laboratory Studio -- during the Hartland Theatre Festival next July.     The play will then move to Los Angeles, where it will be professionally staged by The Charlens Company, where I now serve as Writer in Residence.   Here are the creative limitations I am setting for myself:   1) The show will be set entirely in one room.  I'm inspired by the simplicity of the Taper's production of Doubt, which took place within a principal's office, and the courtyard of the church.   2) The show will be limited to 4-6 characters.  I've learned not to write plays with massive casts.   3) And finally, I've decided upon the subject of my play:  I want to examine the last few hours of the Amish Shooter's life -- setting the play in his motel room the night before, and then ending the play as he picks up his gun to drive over to the Amish classroom.   My dear friend and composer Myron Fink has agreed already to write the incidental music for the show.   Of course, all of these original ideas will change, and the ultimate product won't look anything like this when I finish the first draft.  I'm used to that.  I've accepted the inevitability of the process.               *            *            *   What would make a person murder innocent children, and then kill himself?   I don't know.   Writing this play means I'll be going to a dark place, something I don't wish. But it's a story that needs to be told.               *            *            *   There are so many BAD ways of writing this play.  Cliches abound.               *            *            *   I thought I'd share an article I got by email.               *            *            *   What the Amish are Teaching America   Published on Friday, October 6, 2006 by CommonDreams.org

By Sally Kohn

On October 2, Charles Carl Roberts entered a one-room schoolhouse in the Amish community of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. He lined up eleven young girls from the class and shot them each at point blank range. The gruesome depths of this crime are hard for any community to grasp, but certainly for the Amish — who live such a secluded and peaceful life, removed even from the everyday depictions of violence on TV. When the Amish were suddenly pierced by violence, how did they respond?

The evening of the shooting, Amish neighbors from the Nickel Mines community gathered to process their grief with each other and mental health counselors. As of that evening, three little girls were dead. Eight were hospitalized in critical condition. (One more girl has died since.) According to reports by counselors who attended the grief session, the Amish family members grappled with a number of questions: Do we send our kids to school tomorrow? What if they want to sleep in our beds tonight, is that okay?   But one question they asked might surprise us outsiders. What, they wondered, can we do to help the family of the shooter? Plans were already underway for a horse-and-buggy caravan to visit Charles Carl Roberts’ family with offers of food and condolences. The Amish, it seems, don’t automatically translate their grieving into revenge. Rather, they believe in redemption.   Meanwhile, the United States culture from which the Amish are isolated is moving in the other direction — increasingly exacting revenge for crimes and punishing violence with more violence. In 26 states and at the federal level, there are “three strikes” laws in place. Conviction for three felonies in a row now warrants a life sentence, even for the most minor crimes. For instance, Leandro Andrade is serving a life sentence, his final crime involving the theft of nine children’s videos — including “Cinderella” and “Free Willy” — from a Kmart.   Similarly, in many states and at the federal level, possession of even small amounts of drugs trigger mandatory minimum sentences of extreme duration. In New York, Elaine Bartlett was just released from prison, serving a 20-year sentence for possessing only four ounces of cocaine. This is in addition to the 60 people who were executed in the United States in 2005, among the more than a thousand killed since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. And the President of the United States is still actively seeking authority to torture and abuse alleged terrorists, whom he consistently dehumanizes as rats to be “smoked from their holes”, even without evidence of their guilt.   Our patterns of punishment and revenge are fundamentally at odds with the deeper values of common humanity that the tragic experience of the Amish are helping to reveal. Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done in life. Someone who cheats is not only a cheater. Someone who steals something is not only a thief. And someone who commits a murder is not only a murderer. The same is true of Charles Carl Roberts. We don’t yet know the details of the episode in his past for which, in his suicide note, he said he was seeking revenge. It may be a sad and sympathetic tale. It may not. Either way, there’s no excusing his actions. Whatever happened to Roberts in the past, taking the lives of others is never justified. But nothing Roberts has done changes the fact that he was a human being, like all of us. We all make mistakes. Roberts’ were considerably and egregiously larger than most. But the Amish in Nickel Mines seem to have been able to see past Roberts’ actions and recognize hishumanity, sympathize with his family for their loss, and move forward with compassion not vengeful hate.   We’ve come to think that “an eye for an eye” is a natural, human reaction to violence. The Amish, who live a truly natural life apart from the influences of our violence-infused culture, are proving otherwise. If, as Gandhi said, “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind,” then the Amish are providing the rest of us with an eye-opening lesson.   Sally Kohn is Director of the Movement Vision Project at the Center for Community Change and author of a forthcoming book on the progressive vision for the future of the United States.

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9:03:51 PM EDT

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