Taking the Scenic Route at Asolo Rep

We were treated to an excerpt from "Primary Trust."

While going behind the scenes at a theater might take the magic away for some people, I always enjoy a backstage tour. Having a better understanding of the process makes me appreciate a theater's productions all the more. So I was all in for a tour of Asolo Rep's Koski Production Center. I was especially curious to see what changes had taken place since I last toured the facility in 2019. (Click here to read about that tour, which featured the set for "Noises Off.") 

We began in the Coville Rehearsal Hall, an addition to the campus that opened in 2022. I've been there before for readings, but I never appreciated how special it is. The space replicates the size of Asolo Rep's mainstage, allowing the actors to get a sense of the dimensions in which they'll be working. Helpful, but here's the kicker. Thanks to this foresight in planning, the rehearsal hall can accommodate the set for any show. As a result, the actors work from Day 1 in the world in which they will perform. There's no "imagine there's a door there" or "now you'll be taking two steps down." This enables the cast to move seamlessly from the rehearsal hall to the stage for the final week of rehearsals instead of learning a new environment as they tweak their performances. Smart, efficient and unique in the industry.

John Anderson talks costume storage

Now that we've covered the rehearsal process, what about everything else that goes into a production? The actors of course have to be dressed for their roles, and the theatre has a huge storage area for costumes from past shows. The racks of dresses and pants and hats and shoes and more seem to go on forever. How, you might wonder, do they know where anything is? 

Thanks to COVID relief and a generous gift, Asolo Rep had the funds to hire people to photograph and barcode every single item in their costume collection. What an overwhelming -- but crucial -- undertaking. 

The information was compiled into a digital catalogue that can be sliced and diced by production, period, style and even costume. The info isn't only useful for upcoming productions at the theatre. Asolo Rep has a robust business renting out its costumes, backdrops and sets. The revolving train set for "Murder on the Orient Express" is one of its most popular rentals. I remember it well. Click here to see a promo for the show that showcases the set. But I digress. 

Flag from "Hair" 

Each production has a costume designer who determines what can be used from this inventory, what can be rented and what needs to be "built." To ensure the costumes created in-house can be used in the future -- be it for another Asolo Rep show or a rental -- they are purposefully designed to be altered. Smart, but a costume that's used in multiple shows eventually shows some wear and tear. This deterioration is exacerbated by the Actors' Equity mandate that any costume piece that touches an actor's skin has to be laundered after each performance. So what's done with the costumes when they've served their useful lives? In some instances, they're used to make scenery. Creativity comes in many forms.   

The flag seen in "Hair" is one example of this repurposing. This version of the Stars and Stripes was cobbled together from a curtain donation and costumes from the collection, including some old blue jeans. The frayed flag was a perfect image for the United States in the 1960s (when the musical was set) given our involvement in the Viet Nam War and the resulting discord and divisiveness among the populace. I'm refraining from further comment.

I'll leave you with this picture of one of the scenographic models -- dioramas in layman terms -- that greets visitors to the Koski Production Center. It was created during the scenic design process for "Anna and the Tropics." Having an actual set -- albeit a miniature one -- is useful for both the director and the lighting designer as they begin their work on a show. I'm glad the dioramas aren't disposed of once the show is over. They're a slice of theater history. 

And FYI, I didn't choose to include the diorama from "Anna and the Tropics" randomly. As you may recall, the play is set in a cigar factory in Ybor City, the "Cigar Capital of the World." My next blog will share some highlights from my recent visit to the J.C. Newman Cigar Company in Ybor. So stay tuned for that. 

Thanks to Asolo Rep for a fun and informative look behind the scenes at mounting a show. For information on what's on and upcoming at the theater, click here. Perhaps I'll see you there. 

"Bring Down the House" by Charlotte Runcie and the Role of the Critic

"Bring the House Down" by Charlotte Runcie is set in the very specific world of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Having been to the Festival multiple times, I could imagine myself in the small spaces where many of the performances take place and see the buskers on the streets promoting their shows. I could also appreciate how much it means to performers to put their shows on at the Fringe. Maybe they'll be discovered. At the very least, they have the chance to put their work -- which they often created -- in front of an audience. 

Enter Alex Lyons, the chief theatre critic for a national paper in the UK. These reviews are critical to the success -- or demise -- of a show. Within the space of a paragraph, we learn that he gave "Climate Emergence-SHE, written and performed by Hayley Sinclair, a lowly one star. As to what the review actually said, well, you'll get a sense right away of how devastating it would be. 

"The solo performance artist Hayley Sinclair had a lot to say about the climate emergency, the patriarchy and the looming end of the world, which was fair enough, but unfortunately her show was so terrible that, by half an hour in, Alex had decided that he actually wanted the world to end as soon as possible. Then, at least, he'd never have to risk seeing one of her performances again. That was a good line, so he put it in..." 

Yikes! A review like that is the kiss of death for a show, with "kiss" being the operative word here. When Alex meets Hayley later that night in a bar -- after filing his review -- he takes her home for a romp. Of course he hasn't disclosed to her that he's a theater critic, much less his thoughts about her show. She finds that out in the paper the next morning. 

Author Charlotte Runcie

Hayley is crushed. She's worked long and hard on her show and now it's all but over. But she's also blazingly angry. So instead of putting her tail between her legs and hiding, she morphs the show into something entirely different. Her new offering -- "The Alex Lyons Experience" -- begins with Hayley reading the review onstage while ripping her clothing and baring her teeth. It's not hard to visualize the performance with language like, "She smeared the berry lipstick on her mouth in a horizontal swipe of bloody crimson across her face." Sophie, an art critic and Alex's flatmate for the week, was there for the inaugural performance and said of it, "It was invigorating in the way that you might feel if you'd just drunk a lot of coffee and alcohol and then started screaming...Hayley was every human who had ever been betrayed...ever felt the plummet of grief in realizing the world is, after all, a dark and lonely place." Whoa. 

The story segues from there into the #MeToo movement and cancel culture. Jesse Green, Chief Theatre Critic for the NYT, notes in his review of the book that Runcie's story loses a bit of its propulsion by making Sophie the narrator and seguing into her personal life. I concur. Still, I enjoyed the novel, both for the story itself and because that story raises the question of the role of critics and their responsibilities to their own audiences. If a show is, well, bad, should the critic come right out and say that (in a constructive way, of course) or should they just use less than enthusiastic language and expect their audience to read between the lines? It's something to think about, particularly as the cultural season here in Sarasota gets underway with a new reporter covering the arts scene. And now a quick word about author Charlotte Runcie...

Authors are often encouraged to write what they know, and that's exactly what Runcie did here. She has attended the Fringe Festival many times, both as a theater lover and as a critic. A bit surprisingly, Runcie went through an experience not wholly unlike that of Alex when she gave a comic's show a two star review. The comic turned the review on its head by adding a five minute bit into her show about how awful Runcie was. For more on the author and that experience, click here. And for a piece by Runcie about the symbiotic relationship between critics and performers, click here. 

Now get out there and enjoy a live performance! 

Hearing from Sam Goodwin and Hostage US

Urbanite Theatre is now home to the best theater I've seen all season -- "No One is Forgotten" by Winter Miller. The play drops the audience into a cell in an unknown location where two women are being held hostage. It's powerful and timely and incredibly intense. I can't imagine the toll it must take on these actors to perform their roles five times a week. I'm certain, however, that their experience pales in comparison to the real life experience of Sam Goodwin, an American held hostage in Syria for nine weeks in 2019. I had the chance to hear from Sam and Liz Cathart, Executive Director of Hostage US, at a recent event at Urbanite. It was both sobering and enlightening. 

Hostage US was established in the wake of the 2014-2015 hostage crisis in Syria in which 14 captives, including three Americans, were kidnapped by ISIS and ultimately killed. You've probably heard the phrase "we don't negotiate with terrorists," and that was what the families of those hostages were repeatedly told by government officials. The fact that there was no organized support system for the families of hostages made the situation even worse. How terrifying and frustrating and, ultimately, heartbreaking it must have been for the families to go through this experience essentially on their own. When the Obama administration undertook a review of how the crisis had been handled, the question of whether there was a way to provide assistance to the families was on the agenda. It was out of this process that Hostage US was formed. 

Sam Goodwin and Liz Cathart

The mission of Hostage US is to offer confidential and personalized support both to families of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad and to former captives rebuilding their lives. Goodwin and his family are among the people Hostage US has helped. 

Goodwin worked abroad from 2010-2020 and undertook a quest to visit every country in the world. In the spring of 2019 Goodwin arrived in Qamishili, Syria with the help of a fixer who worked with him on how to best enter the country. Goodwin always touched base with his parents when he arrived in a new country. And so he made a FaceTime call to his mother so he could show her his latest locale. They were mid-conversation when the line went dead. He had been taken by government officials who accused him of being a spy for the United States. 

Sam was held in solitary confinement in a windowless cement for the first 27 days of his captivity. When speaking about how he passed his time in solitary, I was struck by how right Miller, a former journalist, got these details in her play. He told himself stories and played word games and relived both his own and professional hockey games. He exercised. He prayed. He fantasized about the ways his release would occur. He worried about his family and how they were coping. In darker moments, he wondered whether anyone was thinking about him and working to get him out. 

Sam's family was, of course, thinking about him constantly. When the call dropped and they didn't hear from him by the next day, they knew something was seriously wrong. The Goodwins contacted the FBI Field Office. To their credit, the FBI took the family's concern seriously. Still, they were not provided any assistance or support by the government. Instead, they were instructed not to tell anyone Sam was missing for fear it would hamper efforts to obtain his release. It was at this point that the Goodwins found Hostage US. 

Every case in which Hostage US gets involved is different. Yes, the organization facilitates connecting the families of hostages with appropriate government officials. Its primary role, however, is to provide emotional and practical support. It was no surprise to learn that Hostage US has developed a network of therapists to work with both the families and former captives. (Cathart noted that state licensing requirements can be an obstacle to facilitating this crucial need.) But I'd never considered the more practical issues that also have to be addressed. 

Rent/mortgage/insurance payments still have to be made. Other financial obligations also have to be handled, such as tax filings and child support payments. Of course these aspects of day-to-day life pale in comparison to efforts to obtain the hostage's release, but failing to deal with them on a timely basis results in problems down the road. Hostage US also has a network of doctors who can assist with a former hostage's medical issues -- new or old -- that have gone unattended while in captivity. Cathart noted that dental issues are a universal concern for released hostages. But back to Sam's experiences...

After almost four weeks in solitary, Sam was moved to Adra Prison where he was housed with the general population. All of the other prisoners were Syrian, and Sam's belief in the goodness of (most) people was borne out during this time. In the NPR interview linked below, Sam shared that his contacts had gone beyond their useful life. He was effectively blind, making his circumstances all the more frightening. His fellow prisoners banded together their financial and other resources and obtained a pair of glasses for him. Truly amazing. Ultimately, it was through one of his cellmates and a series of events straight out of a movie that Sam was able to get word to his family about where he was being held. Obviously, this information was crucial for the U.S. government to secure his release. Of course there's much, much more to Sam's story and the ways in which Hostage US provided -- and continues to provide -- vital services to Sam and his family. But I'll leave you here with some links to learn more at your leisure. 

Thanks to Urbanite for shining a light on an issue that is unfortunately quite timely. For a thumbnail sketch of Sam's story, you can listen to his interview with NPR by clicking here. His book "Saving Sam" gives a more detailed version of his experience and is told from both his and his family's perspective. For information on Hostage US, click here. Last, but not least, "No One is Forgotten" runs through April 29th at Urbanite Theatre. For tickets, click here. 

 

Asolo Rep Honors Playwright Ken Ludwig

Ken Ludwig with Peter Rothstein

Asolo Rep recently awarded playwright Ken Ludwig with the theatre's inaugural Luminary Award. The award is not only intended to celebrate the accomplishments of a playwright or other distinguished theatre professional. It's also an opportunity for Sarasota theatre lovers to hear about the lives and careers of these talented individuals. And so I found myself raptly listening to Ludwig as he shared his journey from lawyer/aspiring playwright to author of 36 plays that have been produced in 20 languages across 30 countries. While it goes without saying, I'll mention anyway that those stages include theatres on Broadway and the West End. But it's Asolo Rep where Ludwig's most recent endeavor -- "Lady Molly of Scotland Yard" -- will soon premiere. 

Almost four decades ago, Ludwig met an English director named David Gilmore who'd seen a production of Ludwig's "Sullivan and Gilbert." Gilmore had enjoyed the show and asked Ludwig what he'd written lately. He had a producer friend who was always looking for something new. "Who's the producer?" Ludwig asked out of curiosity. "Andrew Lloyd Webber" was the surprising response. Even then, Webber had produced such hits as "Evita" and "Cats." And so Ludwig couldn't get his script of "Lend Me a Tenor" -- then called "Opera Buffa" -- to Gilmore quickly enough. A couple of weeks later, Ludwig received a call from Webber. The conversation began, "You don't know me but..." Six months later, the show was up and running on the West End. 

Fast forward a few years to Ludwig receiving another call, this time from Roger Horchow of the Horchow Collection. "You don't know me but..." the conversation once again began. It turned out that Horchow had acquired the rights to use Gershwin's songs -- more than 500 in total -- in a theatrical production. "Would you write a Broadway musical for me?" 

Ludwig's resume did not yet include a musical, so he tried his best to fend off the request. "Let me give you some names of people who might be better suited for the endeavor," he said. "How about Wendy Wasserstein or Terrence McNally?" "Nope," Horchow replied. "I want you. Let's at least have lunch and talk about it." And so began the journey of "Crazy for You." The show won both Drama Desk and Olivier Awards and is a staple of musical theatre. 

Then there was the day Ludwig's phone rang and it was Agatha Christie's grandson, who managed her estate. Seriously??? Yet again, a request was made, this time for an adaptation of one of Christie's books. Pick a novel, any novel, the grandson said. The objective was just to get Christie's name back on a marquee. It was too tempting an offer to refuse. 

Ludwig decided to adapt "Murder on the Orient Express." While he hadn't actually read the novel, he'd seen the movie and liked it. And what a title! The show has been produced by hundreds of theatres, including Asolo Rep. The 2020 production was directed by Peter Rothstein in his first visit to Sarasota. It was outstanding. (To see the promo for the show, click here.) Ludwig's adaptation of Christie's "Death on the Nile" recently premiered at Arena Stage in D.C. I hope the show will make its way here. 

But first, we will be able to experience the world premiere of "Lady Molly of Scotland Yard" at Asolo Rep. It's Ludwig's take on partnerships like that of Nick and Nora or Holmes and Watson. I went to a reading of the play when rehearsals were getting started, and it's going to be fun. There's a big cast -- with many actors playing multiple characters -- led by Kate Loprest as Lady Molly and Adelin Phelps as Meg. Click here to see the dynamic duo in costume as they talk about the show. I'm looking forward to seeing it with all the bells and whistles. To get your own tickets, click here. 

Thanks to Asolo Rep for an engaging evening hearing from this storied playwright. And congrats to Ken Ludwig! 

An Evening with Laura Linney at Ringling College

Laura Linney charming her audience

The past few weeks have provided some outstanding opportunities for me to go full fan girl. (I know -- it's probably not the most attractive look for a mature woman, but I really can't help myself.) Author Amor Towles spoke in Venice as part of the Off the Page Literary Celebration. Author Bianca Booker and artist Julie Curtiss spoke at the St. Pete MFA about "Get the Picture," an insightful and entertaining book about the contemporary art world. And just a few days later I found myself at Ringling College listening to actress Laura Linney share some highlights of her career. That's what I call a trifecta. 

The moment Linney started speaking, I was all in. What a voice! She began with the surprising comment that she’d never expected to work in film or television. Her father was a theater critic, so when she decided to pursue acting as a career, she envisioned herself on the stage and focused her studies accordingly. As a result, shooting her first film – “Lorenzo’s Oil” – was full of unanticipated experiences.

In her opening scene on camera, Linney knocked on a door. Susan Sarandon answered. Well, hello! Linney recalled later going outside to shoot a scene. She realized she didn’t have to act cold; she was cold. There was a breeze, and a leaf blew by, taking her by surprise. She loved it. Since then, Linney has had a consistent presence on screens big and small.

Surpisingly, Linney calls herself camera shy. She watches herself on screen as little as possible. She said she hasn’t even seen much of “Ozark,” a fact that greatly frustrates Jason Bateman. Needless to say, when shooting a film, she only watches the dailies when required to do so.

Even if she'd wanted to, Linney wouldn’t have had much time to watch dailies when filming “Love, Actually” and “Mystic River.” She shot the films at the same time, commuting back and forth between London and New York. And so she bounced from co-starring with Hugh Grant in a comedy to playing Sean Penn's wife in a gritty drama. The experience reminded her of her days doing repertory theater at Julliard. She also noted how much she enjoyed working with Clint Eastwood in his role as director of “Mystic River.” He’s a one take guy whenever possible. If you get the shot, move on. The approach suits her.

Liam Neeson holds the record as the actor with whom she’s worked most frequently – four times. It’s hard for me to imagine her opposite Nesson, whom I associate with movies like “Taken," but the world is full of surprises. She acted in back to back projects with Neeson on stage in “The Crucible” and on film in “Kinsey.” The differences in their roles made for a lot of fun.

Linney in "My Name is Lucy Barton"

I’ll wrap with a note about Linney’s return to her first love – acting on the stage. She performed a few years back in the one woman show “My Name is Lucy Barton” in London and then reprised the role on Broadway. She called it “the scariest thing I’ve ever done.”  Her nerves never really settled, and she reported throwing up before almost every performance. She also said she'd sometimes think to herself during the show, "Shut up! You've been talking non-stop for way too long!" The perils of a solo show. 

If you’re getting the sense that Linney seemed like a real person, you’ve got that right. She is, of course, a consummate performer, so it could have been an act. But I came away feeling like I’d been in the room with someone who feels fortunate that she’s been able to make a living pursuing her craft. Her audiences are fortunate as well.

 

Hearing from the Cast of "A Strange Loop" by Michael R. Jackson

Broadway has historically been known as "The Great White Way." The name comes from the preponderance of electric lights that illuminate Times Square billboards and theater marquees. It was none other than Oscar Hammerstein who started the tradition when he built the first Broadway theater back in 1895. The idea caught on in a big way. 

Over time, though, the nickname has developed an alternative connotation as diverse theater professionals have struggled to make their way to Broadway. This was just one of the topics cast members from the Tony-award winning musical "A Strange Loop" discussed at a recent event at Church of the Trinity MCC. What a treat it was to hear from these talented actors. 

"A Strange Loop" tells the story of Usher, a Black gay man writing a musical about a Black gay man writing a musical. (No, that's not a typo -- that's the loop. To make it even more, well, loopy, Michael R. Jackson is the Black, gay man who wrote the musical.) It was a ten+ year journey for the show to make it to Broadway, and most of the cast was with Jackson throughout the process. As a result, these actors were invested in the show's reception and gratified by its success in a different way than performers who get involved just before the curtain rises. Sarasota locals Steven Fessler and Randy Lord were also invested in the success of the show, although in a somewhat different way. Fessler and Lord were members of the team of producers who financed the musical. They were also responsible for bringing the actors to Sarasota for this event and a talk with students at USF Sarasota.  

Jason Veasey, James Jackson, Jr., L Morgan Lee and John-Andrew Morrison

The panel discussion was moderated by WBTT's Nate Jacobs. His first question to the group was when they knew they wanted to become actors. I particularly liked James Jackson's response. When he was a child, he would develop skits inspired by The Muppet Show with his stuffed animals serving as fellow actors. He made tickets for his parents for the performances -- and charged them to attend! What a little entrepreneur he was. But it wasn't until third grade that the acting bug really took hold. James was in a grade school production about cats (not the "now and forever" show of the same name) and was so into his performance that he fell off the stage into the audience. When the crowd laughed, he loved the response and realized that acting was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. 

The more subtantial question related to the biggest challenges the actors had faced in making their way to Broadway. While this must be a question often asked, their responses seemed thoughtful and honest rather than pat. John-Andrew Morrison began by talking about how challenging acting can be if you don't have the type of body that's considered "right" for many roles. Before what he called his once in a lifetime role in "A Strange Loop," he collaborated with others to create work for "the box that is me." He is hopeful that having received a Lucille Lortel award and a Tony nomination will open more doors for him, but he knows there are no guarantees.

L. Morgan Lee is the first openly transgender performer to receive a Tony nomination. She also received Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel nominations and won an Obie award, all for her performance in "A Strange Loop." Lee also spoke about not fitting into any of the "boxes" for actresses in their 30s. She's neither a "hottie" nor a grandma. It's an uphill battle. 

James Jackson has been told he's too Black to be a Broadway performer. He's also been told he's too gay. For many years he struggled to change himself to fit the traditional view of what actors "should" be. He has now accepted who he is and had the opportunity to show his talent off on the stage of "A Strange Loop." Let the offers come.  

Jason Veasey has had more commercial success than the other actors at the event. You might even  recognize him if you're a fan of "Only Murders in the Building." Veasey plays the recurring role of Jonathan Bridgecroft in Seasons 2 and 3 of the show. He also had a Broadway-adjacent gig in the national touring company of "The Lion King." Veasey said his experience enabled him to come into the production with more armor than the other actors had. His insecurities dealt more with his ability to sing. If his singing voice is anything like his speaking voice, he had nothing to worry about. 

Hearing from these actors was a real treat. I am seriously kicking myself for not staying for the dinner afterwards. In true church style, it was set up under a tent. My friends had a great time chatting with Jackson, who sat at their table. He told them that while the actors keep in touch via a group chat, this was the first time they'd been together since the show closed. So it was a special night for them as well. I love that. 

For more on "A Strange Loop," including a complete list of the awards and nominations received, click here. It's worth noting that the awards include the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. I hope I'll get the chance to see the show in the future, but it seems unlikely (to me) that it's the type of musical that will go on tour. Either way, I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to hear from these talented actors about their experiences. 

Talking with Playwright Lauren Gunderson

Lauren sharing the vibe of some music
for a musical she's working on 

Playwright Lauren Gunderson is a whirlwind of creative energy. She's written straight plays and books for musicals and plays for children. She's always involved in multiple projects, whether it's writing something new, workshopping a project or putting the final touches on a play for opening night. She can sometimes be found in a classroom -- be it live or virtual -- sharing her knowledge of playwriting. She hosts a "How to Playwright" podcast in her spare time. And somehow I feel certain this is an incomplete litany. But knowing something from doing research and experiencing it in person are two different things. I had the chance to talk with Lauren recently at Urbanite Theatre's Modern Works Festival. With my initial question, she was off to the races.

Lauren was just 17 years old when she first had a play professionally produced. She did some acting when she was younger, both in school performances and at Atlanta's Essential Theatre. And so when she was ready for someone to see her work, she sent it to the Managing Director at Essential with a note, "Is this a play? Did I do it right?" Indeed it was, and indeed she had. Essential gave "Parts They Call Deep" -- a semi-autobiographical play about three generations of women who go on a road trip -- its inaugural prize celebrating the work of Georgia playwrights. Since that auspicious beginning, Lauren has been recognized three times by American Theatre Magazine as the most produced playwright in the country. 

Lauren is known for writing plays about women -- often someone who worked in the field of science -- whom history has overlooked. But it's "The Revolutionists," a play without a science angle, that's my personal favorite of her works I've seen. The story is set during France's Reign of Terror, and the audience finds playwright Olympe de Gouges, Marat assassin Charlotte Corday, queen Marie Antoinette and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle together fighting the good fight. All of the women actually existed but for Angelle, who is a composite figure. The play was funny and raucous yet gave us something to talk about on the way home. And it's worth mentioning that the production was mounted at Venice Theatre, a local community theatre. Gunderson writes plays that don't require all the bells and whistles -- or the budget -- of a Broadway show. Plays for the people, so to speak. 

Not surprisingly, Gunderson has said she most relates to the character of de Gouges in "The Revolutionists." But it's not the mere fact that they both are playwrights. De Gouges reportedly asked herself, "Am I doing good or am I getting away with something by just writing about it instead of being active about it?" Gunderson has asked herself a similiar question on occasion. Can theatre serve as an agent for change? Her answer is a resounding "yes." 

Gunderson's writing is quite feminist, but not in a hit-you-over-the-head kind of way. Take "Silent Sky," a show produced at Asolo Rep a couple of years back. The play introduces audiences to the critical work Henrietta Leavitt did at the Harvard College Observatory. Without getting too geeky, "Silent Sky" explains how Leavitt's work laid the foundation for Hubble and other astronomers to determine the distance to galaxies beyond our own. Leavitt accomplished this work without the use of a telescope because whatever that would have entailed just wouldn't have been proper in the early 20th century. (Hence Leavitt's title as a "computer" who interpreted data rather than an astronomer.) The audience left the theatre talking about Leavitt's accomplishments and bemoaning the fact we weren't taught about her contributions in school. By shining a light on women like Leavitt, Lauren slides ideas about female empowerment into the audience members' heads.

That doesn't mean, however, that Gunderson shies away from being overtly political. Following Trump's election in 2016, she organized nationwide readings of a play she called "The Taming." (Creating her own take on Shakespearean plays -- in this case "The Taming of the Shrew" -- is something else for which Lauren is known.) The set up was the solicitation by a beauty contestant with political ambitions of both a conservative advisor and a liberal advisor to work on her campaign. What a concept! The readings took place in 40 cities on inauguration day with the the proceeds going to the ACLU and Planned Parenthood. 

Then there's her "Natural Shocks," a play written in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting in 2018. The solo show finds a woman who's locked herself in her basement during a tornado. She rants about Hamlet and reinsurance and how bad her marriage is. She says she told her abusive husband just an hour earlier that she's leaving him so he can't hurt her anymore. He didn't respond well. She tells us he has a large gun collection upstairs but that she also has a gun locked away in an accessible cabinet. Not good. But she has also told us that she's a liar (without giving any specifics). Gunderson leaves it up to each audience member to determine how they think the story will conclude. (I didn't come down on the side of a happy ending.) 

Gunderson waived the royalties for performances of "Natural Shocks" that took place across the country on the weekend of the 19th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting. The proceeds of other readings of the play have gone to support programs for gun and domestic violence prevention.  

This post only hits on a few of Gunderson's accomplishments and contributions to the theatrical world. I'll leave you with a link to her website and a word of encouragement to explore it when you have a chance. Even if you're not as avid a theatregoer as I am, I'm confident you'll be impressed. And of course don't miss seeing any of her plays being produced in your area. I'm particularly hoping to see "Justice," a musical about Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor and a show still in the works about Billie Jean King. 

Thanks to Urbanite Theatre for giving me the opportunity to meet and talk with Lauren. It was an evening I'll never forget.  

Playwright Terry Guest on the World Premiere of "Oak"

Summer Wallace with Terry Guest  

Here's a newsflash (not): I love being in the same room with creative people. It's one of the reasons Sarasota is my home. And there's no better place to get up close and personal with actors, directors and playwrights than Urbanite Theatre. Case in point: Hearing playwright Terry Guest talk about "Oak," a show with a Southern Gothic feel that opened last weekend. 

If you're a Sarasota theater person, Terry's name might sound familiar. He also wrote "At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen," a play that premiered at Urbanite back in 2021. A lot has changed for Terry since he wrote "Wake" during his lunch breaks while working at a Chicago coffee shop. He's now a full time playwright and the recipient of multiple commissions, including a musical he's putting the finishing touches on compliments of the largesse of the Goodman Theatre. 

"Oak" was also the result of a commission awarded during the pandemic -- the 2020 Charles Rowan Beye New Play Commission. But there's one big difference between the Urbanite and the Goodman commissions. Once completed, Urbanite guaranteed Terry a production of his new show. And so once the script was finalized -- more or less -- Terry headed back to Sarasota to share his work with Urbanite audiences. 

During a talk at Urbanite, Terry shared his inspiration for "Oak." He grew up in Albany, Georgia, a place far, far away from Chicago where he was quarantined during the pandemic. He missed home. He missed the outdoors, especially the trees. And he missed his mother. Set in a small wooded town, "Oak" grew out of those feelings. That makes it sound as if the play might border on sentimentality. But that's not the way Terry writes. "Oak" is wildly creative and hilarious and even a bit scary. It made me think about family and the choices we make and their consequences. I loved it. 

Guest is the first to admit that the play now on stage is quite different from the one page proposal he submitted for the commission. How can you know what a play is going to be until you actually put pen to paper? But one aspect of the proposal that remained intact was its Southern Gothic overtones. 

You might wonder, as I did, what it means for a play to have a "Southern Gothic" feel. And so I asked. He immediately began talking about the Civil War and the Old South and its huge plantations. These homes were once beatuiful -- if blood-stained -- but often fell into disrepair once slave labor was no longer available to maintain them. And so the ivy began to overwhelm the homes and they eventually crumbled, leaving behind what Terry called "ghastly remnants." What a perfect setting to conjure up a bit of horror. 

With Terry Guest on opening night

Happily for Urbanite and the other theatres that will be mounting "Oak," the play doesn't require the recreation of one of those old homes. Instead, the most important setting is the woods to which kids are automatically drawn. You can see in the picture above how scenic designer Frank Chavez captured this setting. Director Mikael Burke took full advantage of the design with the most creative staging of a show I've seen in a long time. I was in from the first moment. 

  

I mentioned above the "other theatres" that will be producing this play. Terry doesn't just hope that that will happen. "Oak" will be seen over the next 18 months at three other theatres across the country. The play is part of a rolling world premiere through the National New Play Network. The program provides support for a show to be produced in three different theatres, each of which will put its own mark on the play. It's an amazing opportunity for Terry to see multiple interpretations of his work as different actors, directors and creative teams bring "Oak" to life. Once the show has been wrapped at Urbanite, it will move on to the confusingly named Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center in Indianapolis and the Alleyway Theatre in Buffalo. And there's more! Terry and Burke are also bringing the show to a small theater in Chicago in October 2025. I might have to pop up to see that production. 

"Oak" runs at Urbanite Theatre through June 30th. It's the perfect way to spend a sultry summer night. For tickets, click here. And for more info on Terry and his work, click here. Stay cool! 

Kristian Bush Talks "Troubadour" and More at Florida Studio Theatre

Kristian Bush 

One of the many things I love about living in Sarasota is having the chance to get behind the scenes of theater productions around town. Case in point: Hearing from Kristian Bush, composer and lyricist of "Troubadour," a play with music now on at Florida Studio Theatre. What a treat. 

Bush is the kind of guy who's open to opportunities that unexpectedly come his way. And having been in the room with him a couple of times, I can see how that happens. He's funny and friendly and genuine --  the kind of guy you want to be around. And it doesn't hurt that he's super talented. 

His involvement with "Troubadour" began with an email. "You don't know me, but a friend of mine sat next to you on a plane and shared your contact info with me. I'm working on a play about country music in the 1950s and would like to talk to you about writing a song for it." And with that missive, the collaboration of playwright Janece Shaffer and Bush was launched. 

It was great fun to hear Bush talk about someone totally unfamiliar with theater getting sucked into the process. What was to be one song (which he wrote the same day he met Shaffer for breakfast) became five or six. He was invited to a reading of the play in one of its early iterations and sang his songs. It went well. As he was preparing to excuse himself, Shaffer asked, "How do you feel about writing 16 songs?" "But I don't know anything about musicals," Bush replied. He was told to "just keep doing what you're doing." That he could do, so he agreed on one condition. His brother Brandon would have to be involved as well. And so the Bush brothers were on board. 

Brandon and Kristian Bush

Bush said one of the reasons the project worked was because his collaboration with Shaffer was so similar to how he works with other musicians. She never faltered when he asked for a character's backstory to help him find the right words for a song. Now that's a good playwright. 

Bush was particularly endearing when he talked about writing an "innuendo song" for the show. He said he's always wanted to write lyrics as dirty as those you might find in a song by Prince but that he's too bashful. When was the last time you heard that word???  It turns out that writing for "Troubadour" gave him an opportunity. In the era of the play, singers could only get away with lyrics about sex by using food analogies. Still, Bush said, he wouldn't have sung the song if his mother had been in the audience. It includes the lyrics, "[If you] Wanna taste my ice cream, I get to taste your lollipop." I swear he was blushing as he sang. 

While "Troubadour" was the focus of the evening, Bush also shared some stories and songs from his other bands. His musical partnership with Jennifer Nettles -- performing under the name Sugarland -- is the best known. Nettles had decided to step away from the duo at the time Bush was writing songs for the play. He channeled the resulting emotions into "Troubadour," a song about the lead character wondering if he was going to be forgotten. When Shaffer et al heard it, they renamed the show, which was originally going to be called "Is He Crazy?" (Side note: Sugarland is getting back together.) 

As Bush was talking and singing, I was scribbling down lyrics so I could look up the songs later. I was particularly keen to check out a song written about the moment before you kill the one you love the most. Bush was laughing when he said lots of couples get married to that one. I get it. "Stuck on Glue" has phrases like "Absolutely nobody knows me better" and "There you go making me feel like a kid." But if you watch the music video, you'll see that the couple has broken up and the woman has become a stalker. It's hilarious. You can see it by clicking here. I hope those marriages fare better. 

As you can probably tell, I'm still smiling thinking about how much fun it was to get up close and personal with Kristian Bush. Thanks to FST for creating these opportunities. I'm looking forward to seeing "Troubadour" even more now that I know some of the backstories. The show runs through May 19. For more information, click here. 

"The Lehman Trilogy" at Florida Studio Theatre

I've been interested in seeing "The Lehman Trilogy" since I first heard about the show a few years back. Having been directly affected by the 2008 financial crisis -- I was working for Bear Stearns at the time -- the demise of Lehman feels somewhat personal. But I didn't expect a Sarasota theater to be where I'd watch the story unfold over the course of three hours (with two intermissions). Given the demographics of Sarasota theatregoers, people tend to nod off even in the liveliest of performances, and "The Lehman Trilogy" doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles. But Florida Studio Theatre's Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins had faith in his audience, and he was right. The audience was engrossed, with good reason. It was a terrific production. 

I had the chance to attend a "fireside chat" about the show with Hopkins (who directed the show), actors Rod Brogan (Mayer Lehman) and Howard Kaye (Henry Lehman) and Akhim Church (production manager). What a treat to hear a bit about what happened behind the scenes before the actors hit the stage. 

Surprisingly, Hopkins didn't choose to mount "The Lehman Trilogy" after seeing a live performance of the show and thinking "FST can do this play." Instead, he read the play and thought about it and read it again (and again). Somewhere along the way, Hopkins watched recordings of both the original London production and the New York production. Interestingly, he said there were differences in the language between the two productions as the British English had been translated into American English. (Apologies, but I don't have any examples.) He also noted that the London version had more straight up monologues than the New York version. "Americans need more car chases," he noted. 

Emanuel and Mayer Lehman

Hopkins knew it would be important to physicalize the show to keep the audience's attention. And so an additional character of sorts was included -- a large turntable filled with bankers' boxes. The turntable is such an integral part of the production that a smaller version was built for the rehearsal studio. A young man whom we meet sweeping up at the top of the show has the job of moving the turntable to indicate a shift in setting or time. Church said the production team had considered mechanizing the turntable, but he knew that would only invite problems. Spoiler alert: The young man also closes the show by picking up a lone bankers box and, after looking around the remains of Lehman Bros. one last time, leaves the stage. It was a brilliant ending that was added with only a couple of days left in the rehearsal process. 

Kaye surprised me by noting that his character Henry opens the show with a 12 page monologue. That's right. Henry is front and center for the first 12 minutes, more or less. It's a credit to both the writing and Kaye's performance that I didn't notice how extended this opening was. Kaye said he'd recently counted the number of characters he plays -- 23. Brogan chimed in that he plays about 20 characters himself. In one scene, Brogan plays both Mayer and a multitude of women auditioning to be his wife. It was hilarious. 

Lehman Bros.' Times Square headquarters

The actors came into rehearsal off book for Acts I and II so they could hit the ground running. For a less demanding show, actors study the script before rehearsals begin, but they generally don't have their parts memorized. Still, Kaye, Brogan and Hopkins said there was a lot of unlearning and re-learning that happened once everyone was in the room. (Hopkins noted as an aside that he asks his directors to watch a production three or so weeks into the run to see if the actors have -- consciously or subconsciously -- made changes that need to be undone.) The actors learned Act III together as the rehearsal process continued. 

An important element in the show is the music provided by pianist Jim Prosser. The talented Prosser has been with FST for 30 years. He improvised the music during the rehearsal process, so his performance grew along with that of the actors. He had been out for one rehearsal and there's no understudy for his role, so that session was music-free. While Kaye and Brogan said their performances were more difficult without the musical cues. 

And this is one show in which having to overcome additional challenges is a herculean task. By the end of each week, the actors have logged a full 24 hours of performance time. Sure, they get those intermissions between acts, but that's really not much more than time to drink some water and use the loo. Kaye and Brogan said they had been still running lines for Act III during the intermission preceding the final segment of the show for the first three weeks into the run. It's exhausting just to think about. 

Happily, all the hard work of the actors and the director and the designers and the production crew paid off. The story is gripping. The performances are excellent. And the scenic design works beautifully. I'd be remiss not to mention that in addition to the turntable, the production includes wonderful projections that set the scene and help the audience stay engaged. It's a theater experience I'll always remember.   

"The Lehman Trilogy" runs through March 29th, and availability is quite limited. Snag a ticket if you can.  

Playwright Frank Higgins on "Black Pearl Sings!" at FST

Alice M. Gatling as Pearl (Image by John Jones)

I was already looking forward to seeing "Black Pearl Sings!" at Florida Studio Theatre when I was invited to a conversation with playwright Frank Higgins. What a treat it was to hear from Higgins about how the play came to be. But first, a bit of background.  

Set in Texas circa 1935, "Black Pearl Sings!" is the story of two very different women. Susannah is a White musicologist working for the Library of Congress. Her goal is to find and record undocumented slave songs so they can be preserved for history. Pearl is a Black woman serving time for killing an abusive man. She is a repository of exactly the type of music Susannah is seeking.Time to get out that recorder! But it's not that easy. Pearl is suspicious of Susannah and her motives. And giving up these songs feels like giving up a piece of her history. Can these women bridge the gap between them and work together?  

If you're a folk music guru, this plot line might be ringing some bells in the back of your head. It bears a striking resemblance to the true story of the relationship between Huddie Ledbetter (aka Lead Belly), an imprisoned Black folk singer, and John Lomax, a song collector working for the Library of Congress. It's a story Higgins knows well and considered using as the basis for a play. But Higgins explained that having such a record is both good and bad for a playwright. Good because you have those facts available to flush out the story. Bad because you are bound by those facts. 

Higgins noted that Lead Belly did not show an interest in the history of the songs he sang. It was this fact that settled the matter once and for all. Higgins is passionate about the history of folk music -- where the songs came from, which portions are authentic, and how they were preserved. To him, the story would be incomplete without this element. And so while there are similarities between the relationships of Lead Belly/Lomax and Pearl/Susannah, creating fictional characters gave Higgins the freedom to tell the story he envisioned. He decided to create female characters both to further differentiate them from Lead Belly and Lomax and because many folk songs were passed down by women who sang while they worked. 

Playwright Frank Higgins

Before Higgins put pen to paper, he knew the song with which the "Black Pearl Sings!" would end. It's an African song featured in the 1998 documentary "The Language You Cry In." The documentary traces the cultural link between a song sung by the Gullah people living in Georgia today and their Sierra Leone ancestors. When Higgins got to the end of the film, he said to himself, "This is it." Sometimes that's how the creative muse works. 

Higgins wrote the initial draft of the play under challenging circumstances. He was the caregiver for his mother who was suffering from Alzheimers. When they were in the same room, she wanted to talk. Obviously this made writing difficult. But when he went to another room, she would forget where he was and call out for him after a few minutes. As a result, Higgins wrote the first draft in five minute bursts. He thinks working in this manner actually served the play, particularly its pacing. It would be interesting to see how much of that draft remains in place after the years of work he put in before the show was first produced. 

Speaking of the work that has gone into the play, although "Black Pearl Sings!" has had multiple productions, it still hasn't been published. This is because Higgins continues to tinker with the words. Nothing major -- a word added here or deleted there. But once it's published, the text is set in stone, and he's not ready for that to happen. He didn't share whether any tweaks would be made after having seen the FST production.  

One participant raised the thorny issue of cultural appropriation. The question was whether Higgins, a White man, has the right to tell the story of saving these slave songs. It's clearly an issue he's considered. To him, the play is the story of the women's relationship as much as a story about the music. One women is White; the other is Black. If he isn't qualified to tell the tale, who would be? And he was quick to point out that Susannah is not a White savior here. Susannah and Pearl have to work together in order to achieve their goals. Their relationship is symbiotic. For these reasons, he doesn't believe that cultural appropriation is at play.

Thanks to Higgins for his openness in sharing the backstory of "Black Pearl Sings!" and to the Florida Studio Theatre folks for including me in the session. I am even more eager than before to see the show. (The raving reviews don't hurt either.) 

"Black Pearl Sings!" continues at Florida Studio Theatre through July 30. Click here to get tickets. 

Chatting with Playwright Bess Wohl

With Tony-nominated playwright Bess Wohl

Summer Dawn Wallace, co-founder of the wonderful Urbanite Theatre, had a dream. Each season would include a festival featuring readings of plays by female playwrights that had not yet been produced. It's a lot of work for Summer and her team to read the submissions and select just three for inclusion in the festival. But each year has yielded both exciting works for the audience and an amazing opportunity for the playwrights to work with a director and professional actors. It's an event I look forward to every year. But there's more! 

Summer's vision included giving participating playwrights and their audience the opportunity to hear from an established female playwright. This year's playwright was Bess Wohl, whose work includes Grand Horizons. The play received a Tony nomination for Best Play in 2021. It also happened to be the only original play written by a woman that season. I was thrilled when Summer entrusted me with conducting the interview. It was great fun to chat with Wohl, who was open and funny and engaging. Read on for some of the highlights. 

Grand Horizons was produced at Asolo Rep in 2022, so it was a great entry point for the talk. The plot revolves around a very mature couple with grown children who decide to get divorced. Jane Alexander and James Cromwell played the roles on Broadway, with Alexander receiving a Tony nomination for Best Actress.  

Wohl got the idea for the play when the parents of a friend announced they were getting divorced. It threw him for a loop. The fact is that our parents are our parents no matter how old we are. Who doesn't revert to juvenile patterns when they find themselves sleeping in their childhood bed?  And if his parents' marriage has sustained its ups and downs for 40+ years, why not stick it out? Wohl channeled those discussions -- supplemented by visits to a senior living facility and her own imagination -- into a play that's both hilarious and thought-provoking. It would have been interesting to listen in to the conversations of long-married theatregoers on their way home from the show. 

In addition to exploring the family dynamic, Wohl embraced the chance to write a play in which an older woman takes charge of her happiness. I can get back behind that. The play also gave older actors the opportunity to take center stage. Given the demographics of theatregoers, that choice was particularly appreciated. For a great video in which Wohl, director Leigh Silverman and the cast talk about working on this female-centric play, click here. 

There's a scene at the end of Act I in Grand Horizons in which a U-Haul crashes through the kitchen wall. Wohl has said that "The harder you make everyone's job, the more exciting it is for everybody." And while executing the partial destruction of the set (and putting it back together during intermission) is a challenge, Wohl created something that might be even more difficult in Small Mouth Sounds. It's a show about a silent retreat, so there's minimal language in the 90 minute play. 

Cast of "Small Mouth Sounds" at Second Stage (photo by Ben Arons)

The idea for this show came from Wohl's own participation in a silent retreat. She and a friend loaded up with snacks and wine and headed off to what had been called a "spiritual" retreat. Wohl didn't realize until they got there that the intention was to maintain silence throughout the weekend. Wohl reports that they cheated -- a lot. How could you not? She also quickly realized that this experience had the makings of a play. She was conscious of wearing two hats during her time there -- as a participant and as a fly on the wall noting theater-worthy moments.

Creating the play was different from the start than her development of other works. With little language to define the participants' personalities, how would the actors develop their characters? The script contains detailed -- and quite entertaining -- backgrounds for each character. My favorite might be Judy, whose description includes the following: "She wakes up and walks on the treadmill in the morning and watches Fox News. She finds that building up a healthy rage in the morning helps her greet the day...Judy had thought about exploring spirituality because she had an intermittent eye tic doctors told her could be stress related. It was embarrassing. People on the subway thought she was winking..." To read more of the descriptions, click here. 

Wohl has of course seen multiple productions of Small Mouth Sounds. Perhaps the most memorable was seeing the show in Sweden. Since she couldn't understand what language there was, it was a theatre experience based solely on the expressions and movement of the actors. As a former actor herself (who trained at Yale's School of Drama), she especially appreciated the way the actors rose to the occasion. For more about this daring show, click here. 

I'll leave you with a couple of words about one of Wohl's latest undertakings -- "Baby Ruby." The psychological horror movie, which Wohl both wrote and directed, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. It starred Noemie Merlant ("Portrait of a Lady on Fire") as a woman suffering from an extreme case of postpartum depression. Her husband is played by Kit Harington ("Game of Thrones.") You'll get a sense of the film when I tell you that Wohl looked to "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Shining" as touchstones. Just watching the trailer for the movie freaked me out, and I'm not even a parent. In fact, even the poster for the show makes me uneasy. You can see the trailer for yourself by clicking here. 

If you've gotten the idea that I enjoyed talking with Wohl, you're right. I'm eager to see more of her work, which seems to always push the envelope in some way. Thanks to Summer and Urbanite for providing the Modern Works audience with a chance to hear from this talented woman. 

Creating "Man of La Mancha" at Asolo Repertory Theatre

David Covach, Fabian Fidel Aguilar and Peter Rothstein

Asolo Rep's costume designer brunches are always great fun. I love getting a sneak peek at costumes I'll be seeing onstage and hearing how the designs were developed. The brunch for "Man of La Mancha" was even more special because it was a three-fer. We were treated first to some background from Peter Rothstein about his reimagining of the musical. Rothstein is director of the show and will be Asolo Rep's new Producting Artistic Director come June. He previously produced and directed "Man of La Mancha" at Theater Latte Da, the Minneapolis theater that was his artistic home for the last 25 years. Then Fabian Fidel Aguilar shared how the costumes for the show were designed, with Costume Shop Manager David Covach explaining how they moved from Aguilar's brain and sketches to the stage.

Aguilar's vision for Cervantes/Don Quixote

I've never seen "Man of La Mancha" nor -- surprise, surprise -- have I read Cervantes' "Don Quixote." So I appreciated the synopsis Rothstein provided. It is a story within a story about a group of prisoners awaiting interrogation in connection with the Inquisition. While there, Cervantes and the other prisoners distract themselves by acting out the story of Don Quixote, a man who imagines himself a knight fighting to protect the helpless and to restore chivalry to the world. It definitely feels like a message for our time. 

Rothstein got the idea to revive and reframe the show after attending an international theater festival in Guanajuato, Mexico. The work of Cervantes is always featured at the festival, and Don Quixote is a noticeable part of the culture in the city. There's even a Don Quixote museum. Rothstein saw his task as capturing the globalization of this story -- and Quixote's dreams -- for today's times. In Rothstein's version, the group is being held in an immigration detention center. Aguilar's charge was to create costumes that would depict this modern day setting and then seamlessly transport the characters (and the audience) to the early 17th century. 

Pre-Don Quixote costume

Aguilar's background is not what you might expect for a costume designer. As a kid, Aguilar kept a journal with drawings of clothing he wished existed. But pursuing a career in art was not his dream. Instead, he wanted to be an astrobiologist. He ended up studying psychology in college, although he took a drama class or two along the way and continued to be interested in dressing the characters. Aguilar was practical, though, and got a job at an ad agency. Although he didn't feel any passion for what he was doing, he was good at it and found himself working his way up the corporate ladder. 

A friend studying at the Yale School of Drama encouraged Aguilar to apply. But Aguilar was busy, and the time never seemed right. One day he received an unexpected email from Yale. They had received his application and would like for him to submit 40 images of his work. What???  Yes, his friend had secretly submitted an application on his behalf. The rest, as they say, is history.

Becoming Don Quixote

Fast forward to the production of "Man of La Mancha" at Asolo Rep. One of the challenges of the show is that many costume changes take place in full view of the audience as the characters morph from present day to circa 1605. In thinking about this task, Aguilar envisioned what people from that era would wear if  they suddenly found themselves in today's world. Cervantes, for instance, is introduced to the audience wearing a flannel shirt and ripped jeans (styled from a pair Aguilar saw a guy on the subway wearing). He also sports a hat as a precursor to Quixote's helmet. (Aguilar shared that hats are the nemesis of sound designers as the mics can easily shift out of place when the headwear is put on and taken off.) 

When the characters transition from the present to the past, they will add layers to their original costume. We had the opportunity to see that transformation take place as members of the costume department dressed Don Quixote from a wardrobe hanging nearby. I suspect a fair amount of rehearsal time will be spent working on these quick changes. 

Aguilar's vision of Aldonza's wardrobe 

Covach explained that once he began receiving drawings from Aguilar, he started his process, thinking both about the look and its comfort. What pieces could be repurposed from the theatre's voluminous inventory? What could he buy from Target or Macys or Amazon that might work? What would have to be built in-house? At the end of the day, the doublet worn by Quixote and some of Aldonza's wardrobe had to be created from scratch. 

Rothstein shared one final note before the group set about the rest of the day. When the full cast sings "The Impossible Dream," it will be done in multiple languages that reflect the population of Sarasota, including Ukrainian, Korean and Spanish. The mere thought of it makes me emotional. This is one show I can't wait to see. 

For information about Asolo Rep's production of "Man of La Mancha" (and to purchase tickets), click here. The page includes a couple of additional drawings by Aguilar and a link to an interview with Rothstein. And for information about what's coming up next season at Asolo Rep, click here. I'm already looking forward to it.