Review: Acting Class – Take A Seat by Milton Katselas

November 12, 2008 by Dennis Baker 

“The study of acting is the study of life,” Milton Katselas states in his book, Acting Class: Take a Seat. He expounds on this thought with a quote from Stella Adler: “I’m not teaching acting… I’m teaching actors to be people.”

Previously only available to his students at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, this book presents the knowledge and tools that have impacted actors, including George Clooney, Michelle Pfeiffer, Alec Baldwin, Blythe Danner, and Bette Davis.

He wants actors to be able to do anything that is required and go after the roles that would be the best fit of who they are as actors and people. He understands that type casting happens but you can break out of that if you work hard enough. It all comes down to business.

Actors have to believe in themselves before they can get anywhere. They also have to prepare for any situation and script. There is a time and place for improvisation but not in the preparation of one’s acting career. An actor has to get along with others as well as to cut out the gossip. Readers will feel as if they are sitting in Katselas’ classroom, mainly because much of the book is taken from transcripts of his classes. Broken down into three sections, Acting Class addresses everything an actor needs to perfect his craft.

Section one is on acting and begins with lessons on “The Checklist,” what every actor needs to prepare for a scene, including evaluating the character, specific choices that define a character, and how to make the character believable. This section also includes class exercises in song and dance, improv, monologue, audition, relaxation, and the shoot exercise which allows the actors to feel what it would be like to be part of a film or television scene, with little or no rehearsal.

Section two looks at attitude and what it takes to be an actor who others like to be around and directors will want to work with again. Katselas claims that this not only makes the actor a nicer person, but it also actually increases his or her art, as they are willing to take critique and to grow as a person and an artist.

Section three is on administration, which the author defines as the choices an actor makes regarding his career and life, and determination to follow through on these choices. The choices Katselas speaks about in this section are less artistic and relate more to the business aspect of acting, including: networking, developing relationships with people in the industry, practicing old fashioned courtesy, appearance, promotional tools, and continuing to study.

Acting Class is easy to read, approachable, at times funny, at times earthy, and loaded with practical and helpful ideas. The exercises and tools will help actors at all levels of experience improve their craft.

(This review was originally published on Blogcritics.)

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Review: Blue Before Morning

October 21, 2008 by Dennis Baker 

(This review was originally published on Blogcritics.)

The blue of the morning just before the sun breaks the horizon can be a quiet, peaceful time, a time of peace that can be hard to find in the other hours of the day.

Blue Before Morning by Kate McGovern centers on the journey of three characters who are escaping from their pasts. As the story unfolds the characters find themselves on an unexpected trip from New York to South Carolina. During the road trip their pasts come to the surface and propel each into an unlikely future.

Ava hails a cab as she is running late to catch a bus to South Carolina. When she misses the bus she convinces the cab driver, Jerry, to drive her south. They soon meet Ella, a pregnant woman who has decided to leave her boyfriend. The three travelers begin to share stories, and questions begin to rise about each person’s life. The connections each character has to the destination are revealed through flashbacks: Ava is an NYU student who is coming home to deal with family issues; Ella is escaping from a boyfriend, Steve, who is willing to change his life to raise a family; Jerry’s wife Rita and family live in South Carolina. In their twelve hour journey there are twists and turns that pull the characters apart and bring them closer together in hopes of second chances and missed opportunities.

This new work went through a four-year workshop process through terraNOVA Collective’s Groundbreakers Writer’s Workshop. All that hard work is most evident in the first two-thirds of the play. The dialogue is sharp between the three main characters as they move from being strangers towards their destined connections. But McGovern rushes the last few scenes as she tries to tie up the three plot lines, leaving the audience with some confused moments.

Veteran cast member Chris McKinney carries the show as the cab driver Jerry. Kether Donohue as Juno-esque Ava and Jenny Maguire as Ella complete the traveling trio with compelling richness. Phyllis Johnson brings class to the role of Rita, Jerry’s wife. Jennifer Dorr White is strong as Eileen, Ava’s mother, in what seems to be a one-note role. Flaco Navaja brings freshness to the role of Steve, Eileen’s boyfriend, who desires to create a better life for his new family.

Director Gia Forakis has assembled a strong ensemble, and orchestrates solid transitions between past and present to create memorable moments that highlight the script’s strong points. The production is well supported by a creative set by Derek McLane and video design by S. Katy Tucker.

Blue Before Morning by Kate McGovern; with Kether Donohue (Ava), Phyllis Johnson (Rita), Jenny Maguire (Ella), Chris McKinney (Jerry), Flaco Navaja (Steve) and Jennifer Dorr White (Eileen); Directed by Gia Forakis; sets by Derek McLane; costumes by Suzanne Chesney; lighting by Bruce Steinberg; original music and sound by Katie Down; production stage manager, Kathleen E.G. Munroe. Presented by terraNOVA Collective, at DR2 Theatre, 103 East 15th Street, Union Square; (212) 239-6200. Through November 8. Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes

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Review: Fifty Words

October 11, 2008 by Dennis Baker 

(This review was originally published on Blogcritics.)

In Michael Weller’s new play Fifty Words, Jan and Adam are reveling in their Brooklyn brownstone at the freedom of their first night home alone in nine years without their son, Greg. While this might be a time for great passion it also leads to years of built up tension finally being revealed.

Adam states “There is no stress in Brooklyn tonight,” but the audience knows that is not true. In the beginning of the play we see two characters that seem to be excited at the idea of being home alone but at the same time stop themselves from saying certain things and keep themselves at a distance. A simmer has started and we are just waiting for the pot to boil over. What boils over is an evening is failed dreams, difficult challenges, and disappointments that all contribute to the unraveling of this middle class marriage.

While the play reminds us of the domestic classics from Strindberg, O’Neill and Albee what this play focuses on is that love is many things all at the same time. The show’s title comes from Jan’s suggestion that there should be 50 words for love, the way Eskimos have so many words for snow. The play weaves through an extreme of emotions all grounded in Jan and Adam’s desire to connect and find meaning in what has become of their marriage and their lives.

While Weller’s dialogue is clean and sharp the strength is in performances by Elizabeth Marvel and Norbert Leo Butz. They are lead by the direction of Austin Pendleton who juxtaposes fast paced dialogue with long pauses to let the audience reflect and transition deeper into the evening. The subtle shift of time is aided greatly by the lighting of Michelle Habeck. Neil Patel’s set design is clean and concise and Mimi O’Donnell costume’s fit the story. Josh Schmidt wrote the original music; and Fitz Patton created the sound.

Fifty Words By Michael Weller; Norbert Leo Butz (Adam) and Elizabeth Marvel (Jan); directed by Austin Pendleton; sets by Neil Patel; costumes by Mimi O’Donnell; lighting by Michelle Habeck; original music by Josh Schmidt; sound by Fitz Patton; production stage manager, Pamela Edington. Presented by the MCC Theater, At the Lucille Lortel Theater, 121 Christopher Street, Greenwich Village; (212) 279-4200. EXTENDED through Nov. 8. Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes.

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