Category: Greg Pierce

Costume Designer Catherine Vigne on Becky's Shoes

3/25/2015

Gianna Kiehl, Paul Schnabel, and Becky's shoes. Lindsay Raymondjack Photography.

Every show I work on has its own memorable and unique costume pieces, whether it be the leather corset and dominatrix boots from Venus in Fur, the see-through shirt from 4000 Miles or the Blue Heron Boy wings from The Quarry.

In Slowgirl, one piece that stands out for me are Becky's wedges. Becky's shoes became a part of the costume design very early in the process, almost as soon as Robin and I started discussing what Becky should wear. We wanted her to start in a shoe that had the feel that she was dressed very impractically for her surroundings (who wears heels to the jungle?) and for her circumstances (who wears chunky platform shoes on a plane?). We also knew we wanted animal print somewhere on Becky's costume – our own little nod to the idea that she is the “wild animal” coming into Sterling's world – and the shoes seemed like a good place for it to be.

The actual shoes were a bit more difficult to find. I knew what I was looking for – something with animal print and a modern, fashionable, young profile. However, they also had to be relatively comfortable and something in which Becky could physically do everything she needed to do onstage (which included walking on loose surfaces, running, and even climbing over a chair). I scoured local stores and the internet for a shoe that would work perfectly. My search yielded many shoes – everything from booties to flip-flops, with and without animal print, in every heel height. The one that we liked the best after our initial fitting was the one that ended up onstage – metallic copper wedges in a very subtle snakeskin-like texture.

If you have seen the show, this may not sound like Becky's shoes – there is one major change I made to them before they went onstage: I added leopard print to the wedge portion of the shoe. All through the rehearsal period, we watched the shoes, trying to decide if the snake print was too subtle for our animal print idea. We went back and forth – we didn't want the animal to be too obvious, just to be something that we would know and that the odd audience member might notice. Finally, during one of our tech rehearsals, I tried out the leopard print on the heels just to see. As soon as we saw it, it had to happen. The leopard print was perfect. It was just enough animal print, and gave the shoes just that tiny bit of special and outgoing-ness they were missing. That night I added the leopard print and the next morning they paraded onstage into the world of Slowgirl as you see them on Becky's feet today.

Blair Mielnik on designing the set for SLOWGIRL

3/17/2015

Slowgirl was an exciting design to create; it provided a great opportunity to transport the audience to an unfamiliar location. As we got further along in the design process, and I spent more time with the script, it became clear how much the location has profound affects on the characters from beginning to end. The Costa Rican setting initiates much of the action and scenarios in Slowgirl that would not have been possible in other more ordinary environments. The environment is continually acting upon the characters: insects, birds and creatures are all around and commonly come into the house. Sterling has planned his home to be completely open air which makes his jungle home even more of a vulnerable environment. The open air home is popular in Costa Rica to both native citizens and ex-patriots; I studied both and selected on a more modern style design using traditional materials.

The set design focuses on the world that Sterling has sculpted for himself; the roof is corrugated metal, the supporting structure is rough cut timber draped in bamboo. For our design it was very important to use real materials to get the true transporting effect of them. The bamboo shows Sterling's low-impact conservationist mindset and harmony with his surroundings. Sterling spends every day keeping himself occupied with projects to keep his mind busy and distract himself from pondering his self imposed exile. We have added small personal touches throughout the home that show his use of time; improvements such as rope railings, recycled coffee can lights, and bits of found natural elements that he has collected and nurtured.

Sterling's Labyrinth was also one of these projects, he refers to it as “the greatest thing I've done since I came down here”. His creation of the labyrinth is a great spiritual mediation for him, for me it is physical proof of his wandering and searching for a path in his life. With the labyrinth being such a crucial element I wanted to give it paramount importance in the set design. For this production we have stayed true to the original and created an expansive design that includes the same 11 concentric routes as the Chartres Labyrinth that Sterling bases his upon. Within the theater, the route of our labyrinth is approximately 200' long as it wraps around on itself and also stays true to the 40ft width of the original.

I set a contradicting goal on my set design for this production to create a space that is simultaneously confining and expansive. The labyrinth is as wide as possible and extends all the way over to the FlynnSpace cafe, yet at the same time the central action is confined to boxes within boxes: the house platform sits in a wide jungle and the cement slabs on Sterling's property further confine the actors to a close proximity alone with each other. This confinement provides an essential crucible for the characters to confront each other and initiate their emotional journeys.

We all find many ways to distract ourselves from our own suppressed issues, and while most of us are free of serious strife in our lives such as Becky and Sterling face, their ability to square off with the situation is enviable.

Further Reading:
http://www.labyrinthos.net/chartresfaq.html

Jeffrey E. Salzberg on Lighting SLOWGIRL

3/10/2015

There's more to "vision" than what we see with our eyes. Vision also resides in the brain. The eye sees things as they are, but the brain sees things the way they might be. In theatre, playwrights have a particular sort of vision; directors have another, and designers another yet, and they all interconnect to form an image, like a jigsaw puzzle... And, as with any jigsaw, we usually start at the outside and work our way in, to find the truth in the middle. It's hard, though, to express that vision in words – theatre people sometimes say that if we could describe it in words, we wouldn't need to do the show.

Theatre is a collaboration, in absolutely the finest, broadest sense of the word. The actors collaborate with each other to relate the story. The designers collaborate with each other – and with the actors – to create a visual and aural environment, in a manner which supports, sometimes in an imperceptible way, the themes of the play... and that brings up another important collaboration: our collaboration with the playwright. Even when the author is not in the room – even when the play is a classic whose author died years or even decades earlier – our work is a collaboration with the words and thoughts put upon the page in the initial creation.

Any well-written play can, and usually is, about several things at once. To me, Slowgirl is about running from one's responsibilities... and returning to confront them. You might agree with me, or you might not. You might see the theme as something completely different. That's fair enough, and while I am, of course, right... so are you... Because our most important collaborator is the audience.

"When the best leader's work is done the people say, 'We did it ourselves!'” ~ Lao-Tzu

Paul Schnabel on playing "Sterling" in SLOWGIRL

3/4/2015

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What excites you about working on SLOWGIRL?
I find this play so intriguing. Greg has loaded it with many layers in a beautiful and artful way. It feels honest. The characters are very real and the subtlety with which they are drawn leave an actor a lot to think about. There are plenty of mysteries to excavate, which I really like. Working with Gianna and Robin is fantastic. The production team and entire Vermont Stage organization work hard to support us and bring this gem to life.

What is your favorite line in the play?
This is an interesting question that I'm not going to answer directly. I don't really have a favorite line. I have lines I can't stop thinking about because I can't quite figure them out or where Sterling’s head was when he said them. These lines say little about anything out of context but a massive amount in the moment they live inside the character speaking them. I do like when Becky calls me Ster-fry though.

Is there anything about your character that you can relate to?
Life is filled with complicated choices and unknowable outcomes. None of us is perfect, so if you can't rectify and forgive yourself for the inevitable missteps, your life will be fractured until you can. That is where Sterling is, and though it’s maddening to see what he puts himself through, I can relate. Also I can totally relate to his awkwardness.

How have you been preparing to take on this role?
I've gleaned the script for as many clues as I can find about Sterling…how he thinks and his world. I've also spent a lot of time thinking about his life, trying to fill in as many details as I can. For research I didn’t go live in the jungle but I read about it and I did make a smoothie at home.

Is there anything about playing this role that intimidates you? Why?
I admit to feeling intimidation at some point in most productions I am involved in. I'm guessing Sterling might put himself through the same thing.

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Gianna Kiehl on playing "Becky" in SLOWGIRL

2/24/2015

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Who are you playing and how would you describe her to someone?

I am playing Becky, a 17-year old and the niece of Sterling. Becky is in many ways a regular teenage girl. She is popular and outgoing and her world is very small. But she also has this childish quality that is beautiful and unique. Sometimes it comes in the form of her wildness, her unfiltered view of everything. Other times it is her sweetness and vulnerability. She is extremely likable and also larger than life.

How have you been preparing to take on this role?

I have written in my journal as Becky, writing down observations as she sees them, both in the world and in reaction to things pulled directly from the script. I have worked to access truthfully the outgoing talkative side of me, which I am not far from, but I often lack the uncensored aspects. Her total freedom in herself is really inspiring, and I've thought a lot about that letting go. I wrote about all of Becky's senses, because her reactions to the world have a visceral relationship to what she takes in through her senses.

Is there anything about playing Becky that intimidates you?

Even though I am still very much going through the crises of my teenage years, when I play a teenager I feel a bit of separation from the character so I am able to have empathy. I care very deeply about Becky, and I want to make others care about her as well. What is scary is embodying her pain in a way that does not seem trivial or juvenile.

What excites you about working on SLOWGIRL?

I have never had a role of this magnitude set against such an intimate story. I am so excited to start this work with Paul and Robin. I have worked with Paul before, and cherish the level of comfort and trust between us. I know I am going to be facing challenges as an actor I've never encountered, but I'm excited to be challenged by people whose artistic integrity and expertise I have complete faith in. I know I am doing what I love when the opportunity to put myself out there and be so vulnerable, as a character and as a learning actor, fills me with a sort of giddy excitement.

What is your favorite line in the play?

When Becky says "Thanks for having me."

I believe it is genuinely meant and not a mere formality. It sets her apart from a regular teenager (not that there is such thing...). Her ability to be both completely wrapped up in her own social world and still have such sensitivity is astonishing to me. Many teenagers brush off the kindness of adults, and feel their intrusion into the kid's lives is smothering. But Becky has this special appreciation for her uncle, and her sincerity really affects me. It was that line that really made me love her.

What would you like the audience to be thinking about after the show?

Why are these two people important? I hope the show will provoke reflection about the significance of this story. It really is moving, and the troubles these two characters go through are at once trivial and profoundly human, thus universally relatable.

Why should someone come to see this play?

There is a great deal of hope in this story. The relationship between Sterling and Becky can be excruciating, but every little resolution, as well as the grander, vaguer resolutions resound triumphantly. This is a story about humans provoking and protecting each other. And this show is funny. This teenager makes her uncle very uncomfortable.

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Robin Fawcett on Directing SLOWGIRL

2/17/2015

Photo by ©CarolynBates.com

What excites you about working on Slowgirl?

The play. Though only a few years old, it has the bones of an American classic. The whole of it is so thoughtfully made you’re unaware of how its artful parts conspire to move you through a very modern drama that is also a timeless human tale.
The people. What fun it always is to collaborate with, and be impacted by, a group of creative others.
The opportunity. Nineteen years ago, the playwright, Greg Pierce, was one of my “Gondoliers” in the CVU High School production of the same name. To work with him now, through his inspired writing, is a rare treat (and much richer than bossing him around in doublet and tights).

What is your favorite line in the play?

The last line is my favorite line in the show because it’s courageous and captures, so simply, how any of us ever allow for fresh possibility in our lives. You’ll have to let me know what you think.

Is there anything about the characters that you can relate to?

Because it’s a human story, I can relate to both characters by analogy. I can relate to Becky’s reflexive impatience with Sterling’s self-deceit; it has sadly changed the Uncle she remembers and obstructs connection. I can relate to Sterling in the way he has woven fiction through the story of his life in order to mend the seams where who he has been has strayed from whom he wants to be. I relate to how the jostle of another can expose these false threads, unravel the fiction, and spur a more meaningful reckoning with the true fabric of a life.

What would you like the audience to be thinking about after the show?

Where can we go to talk about it?!

How have you been preparing to direct this play?

I’ve read and enjoyed the play; then, taken it apart to see how it works. I’ve put my feet in the shoes of each character to understand what they’ve done, what they say, and what they do. I’ve explored the play’s world through each of its five senses, through its symbols, and subtext. And I’ve collaborated on interpreting this work with a really cool design team. It’s definitely time for the next ingredient – Paul and Gianna – the actors!

Andy Butterfield on being a part of "The Quarry"

4/21/2014

What character(s) are you playing?

The world of this play is created by the lives and stories of the community in our unnamed Vermont quarry town. Among others, I'm playing Jackson and Ken. Jackson is the town mayor's high school aged son who has lived a privileged life and subsequently has a sense of youthful invincibility. His jocular, untouchable attitude gets rocked as a result of an unintentionally poor decision. Ken is a forensic bone "spessiali-tist" who is called upon to investigate a discovery in the quarry and ends up discovering something far more personal in the process.

What do you think this play is about?

The play has universal themes that Ruth elaborated on in her blog post, but I might add that the quarry itself serves as a physical metaphor for the characters in this play. Like the layered blocks of marble hewn from a rock mass; chiseled, sawed, chipped, slabbed, and sized; these characters are living stones enduring hardship, setback, and sacrifice. Suffering is a necessary means to a polished end.

What excites you about working on THE QUARRY?

I'm excited to be integrating Randal's musical underscore into my character work as an actor. There is an organic, informative dialogue between his live music and the acting ensemble that influences both in a theatrically orchestral way.

What do you think will be the most challenging thing you have to tackle in the creation of this play?

The challenge and joy for me in this piece is in giving a grounded and truthful life to those characters I'm playing who may not sit as comfortably in my archetypal character range. It will be a messy exploration full of self-doubt and head-banging moments. I'm thrilled to jump in and untangle the mess!

What would you like the audience to be talking about after the show?

The storytelling form that Greg has created makes the audience an integral witness and participant in this play. I would like to hear the audience was engaged and took the journey with us, that they were able to hook in to the story because they recognized part of themselves in one of the characters or because they recognized the town as part of their own experience.

Bob Nuner on playing Sammy in "The Quarry"

4/16/2014

What character(s) are you playing?

I play four quite different characters: Sammy (Jean's husband), Paul (a hands-on person), a bystander, and the town's mayor (and father to problematic son).

Sammy's the biggest challenge, because his relationship with Jean is, as one would expect in any relationship, complicated. He love(d) her, and need(ed) her, but he seems pretty dependent on her and also, at all costs, on not rocking the boat. Their relationship seems full of warmth and good feeling, but underneath, sacrifices they both make also seem to eat away at each other a bit. He needs to please; he also annoys.

Paul's a working man, confident in his skills, practical in his concerns, caring for his family, fairly grounded, not unduly preoccupied with anything beyond his own needs.

The bystander cameo is fun because we meet him when there's no compelling need for him to be responsible. We all have opinions, right?

And the mayor: Not quite up to the job, trying hard to skate over that thin ice, hoping no one notices. Both the bystander and the mayor present opportunities to play a little fast and loose, since their faults seem more obvious and evident.

What excites you about working on THE QUARRY?
It's a treat to be involved in new works that are still somewhat, at least, in flux. It's especially enjoyable when, as in this case, the play is full of really good dialogue that "fits" the characters so thoroughly and provides an invitation to delve more deeply into why folks do and say what they do. Then, there's the addition (or fundamental substrate) of the music. The music and script leverage each other, providing additional opportunities to play off as well as play with each other. I'm looking forward to better understanding the relationship between the characters and the music that comes in around them. Playing four different folks also presents some challenge to develop "handles" on how they present themselves to the world physically, vocally, emotionally.

What do you think will be the most challenging thing you have to tackle in the creation of this play?
Sammy's character seems to me to be the one that will reveal itself the most during rehearsal. Finding the truth of why he does and says what he does - or does not, and how this colors the relationship between his needs and Jean's seems the most complex. It will be important to continue exploring why he does what he does, and, in particular, to understand the downside of his choices. And there's the need to delineate those "handles" for the differing characters.

What do you think this play is about?
I think The Quarry is about the sacrifices, compromises, and mutual understandings - spoken and unspoken - that underlie relationships. Forgiveness comes into play, not only of others, but of oneself, and the play is also talking about the need to know ourselves.

What would you like the audience to be talking about after the show?
I'm imagining that the conversation might touch on the sacrifices we make (willing or less willing), the boundaries with which we protect ourselves, and where those intersections occur in relationships.

Sarah Venooker on acting in "The Quarry"

4/9/2014

What excites you about working on THE QUARRY?

I've never worked directly with the playwright or a composer of a piece before. It's exciting and intrinsically valuable to be able to have an active part in the development of the play and the score. Both Greg and Randal have done an amazing job with the dialogue and the music for the show, and they're very open and receptive to ideas and connections that we've made while working on the script. The combination of these two elements is a beautiful and innovative idea, and both are very rich mediums to be working in. In dance so much of the expression of the physical story is tied into the music. Here, the music is its own character that augments each of the scenes fluidly.

What do you think will be the most challenging thing you have to tackle in the creation of this play?

Since this is a new work, we as actors have a great deal of responsibility and effect on both the final outcome of characters, and to the creation of their world. A big challenge for me will be to infuse the people that I have with their senses of place and purpose in this world, in a way that does the piece justice and helps to bring an entire town and history to life with just a few characters. The other big challenge is that most of these scenes take place through the medium of a phone call. I love this aspect of the writing. It will be interesting to develop a full scene with a partner while sharing the space on stage, where you don't ever look at them but have to maintain an interesting and tangible connection with them.

What characters are you playing?

I have the honor of playing the following characters:

Clara: The daughter of Jean and Sammy. She has a tense and estranged relationship with both her mother and the quarry she grew up next to, but still has hope that she and Jean can reconcile their differences and salvage what's left of their family.

Leah: A local teenager who's dating the Mayor's son, Jackson. She embodies the youthful essence of the town, and gives them a common cause to rally around. She has a close relationship with Molly and has always looked out for her. She's playful, sweet and innocent.

Molly: Leah's younger sister, who's competitive, driven and loves sports. She idolizes her big sister and doesn't really think Jackson was her sister's best dating choice, but she does like that it makes Leah happy.

Miriam: Grew up in the small town, but studied Anthropology in England to get out of the "little pond" and see the world. Now that she's back, she has to find a balance between her perception of her worldly self and her small town self, much to her chagrin.

Crazy Wanda: Travelled much of the United States following various groups and commune-organized movements. She has always had a great draw to and fascination with mysticism and the occult. Much of her waking-life is centered in the ethereal, rather than grounded in the present moment, and because of that she's always been a bit of the spooky Boo Radley of the town.

What's THE QUARRY about?

There isn't any one specific theme or moral in this story, there are many. I think it will appeal not only to Vermonters (who will share a special connection to it), but to anyone who sees it regardless of whether they've lived in a small town or not. The common ties of difficult familial relationships, community, tragedy, mystery, working class folks, spirituality, mystical forces at work and the ability to find beauty where others might not are some of the layers that are uncovered and surface in The Quarry. All of these characters are people you've met, grown up with and known for years.

What would you like the audience to be talking about after the show?

There really is something in here for everyone from every walk of life and every set of earned experiences. Between the writing, the music, the conceptual design of the set, the lighting, the director's vision and the actors, this piece really is like a coral reef. All of the parts feed into each other and are dependent on each other to create a rich, full vision of life the way it really is, the way that it could be, the way that it might be on parallel planes and the way it's always been. I'd love for people to talk about not only the things they connected to (almost like coming home) and the stimulating connections that they were inspired by in regard to literature, mysticism, spirituality, sociology, anthropology and archeology.

Ruth Wallman on playing Jean in "The Quarry"

4/2/2014

What character are you playing and what is she like?

Jean the narrator of The Quarry, is witty, tart, sardonic, quick, and has a very clear sense of how things should be in her small town in Vermont. She is also heart-broken after the death of her beloved husband, which has sent her reeling, and left her feeling unmoored, even three years later. There's regret, for the way she may have kept her husband from living a fulfilling life, for her estrangement from her only daughter, and by telling her story she hopes to explain her side of things. In relating the story of her life, she reveals how alone she has always been. Is this by choice? Is she lonely? She would like you to think not. And she definitely does not want you to know how afraid she is.

The last show you worked on with Vermont Stage was The Clean House... are you glad to be back?

I am thrilled to be back in a Vermont Stage production! Working with Cristina is a privilege, and with the great cast she has brought together and the support of the excellent designers and back stage folk, it will be a wonderful journey. The most exciting element is the opportunity to work on a new play with two talented artists. Greg's play is so beautifully written, the words jump off the page and into my mouth. Randal's music is marvelous - sensitive and quiet, funny and sad, and I look forward to figuring out how the music and the words meld together into a whole.

What do you think will be the most challenging thing you have to tackle in the creation of this play?

The Quarry is basically Jean's story. It is long and has many chapters. The challenge will be to weave those chapters together, so that each has its own arc, and yet together they make a whole. Jean has a wonderful line: "I believe our lives have one main story. Lots of side stories, sure, but one main one. " Finding the thread that weaves those side stories together with momentum, shades of feeling, hot and cold, and yet not revealing too much of the mystery until it is time, will be the challenge, the adventure that we are about to embark upon together.

What do you think this play is about?

Like all good plays, it is about life, how we live it, the mistakes we make, and ultimately, after facing our fears, redemption. The play may be set in Vermont, but the themes are universal. The characters are all so real, flawed, yet sweet and we want to love them.

What would you like the audience to be talking about after the show?

I hope the audience will be moved, awed by the beauty of the words and music, amazed at the production. They will want to discuss the mystery of The Quarry. They will laugh remembering some of the humor, and will talk to all their friends, urging them to come to see the show!