Backstage Documentary

So... What's The Point?

As we sit on the cusp of the finale, mere hours away from the final performance of The Caucasian Chalk Circle, I find myself focused on one question – why? Why did we do this?  What was the point of it?  There must be a reason beyond pure masochism that propelled us to work so hard, but what is it?  What’s the endgame here?

 

Is it the applause?  

Do the math – we started rehearsing on September 10^th from approximately 7 to 10 every Sunday through Thursday night, minus the election night reprieve.  If we add another 15 hours to that total to account for weekends and overtime, we’d rehearsed an estimated grand-total of 156 hours (we’ll round up to the probably more accurate number of 160) before opening on November 13th.  This number does not include time spent on technical aspects or promotional duties or pouring over the script or sleepless nights in the theatre by a certain vigorous director.  So, in the end, were these 160+ hours spent for the simple reward of 30 seconds of applause for 7 nights?  Did we work that hard for the payoff of 210 seconds of staccato hand claps by appreciative (albeit obligated) audience members?  That doesn’t seem to add up…

 

So what is it?  Is it the “glory”?  Those few moments of pride when our mother is telling us how wonderful we were even though in the backs of our mind’s we know she’d say the same thing even if we’d just walked on stage, vomited on ourselves, and walked off?  There’s no praise outrageous enough to equate to 160 hours…

 

The fact is (as cliché as it sounds) the art is its own reward.  Everyone has their own personal reasons for doing it.  Some of us are looking for a new experience while some of us have always done theatre as a necessary aspect of our lives.  Some of us are looking to start anew while some of us are looking to graduate.  Some of us want to find out what we’re good at while some of us know this is the only thing we’re good at.  Some of us, for better or worse, just have to, dammit.

 

Trying to find reasons is futile and diminishing; it doesn’t matter.  We’ve seen the outcome - we’ve garnered large audiences and gotten very kind compliments.  But it isn’t about that.  It’s about the process, the voyage, the path we’ve taken to reach this destination.  The top of the mountain is special to the climber only because of the journey to reach it.

 

This has been special.

 

This cast isn’t perfect.  Not a one of us is.  We’ve all got our shortcomings, our insecurities.  We’ve all suffered our share of struggles.  But we’ve been there for each other and we’ve come together in a way that defies logic.  The camaraderie and genuine affection that has grown among the cast is truly touching.  In fact, I’m not sure the word “cast” does us justice.  This is a team.  A very talented team.  Despite the fact I didn’t really know a single one of them on September 9^th, I feel a connection to them now that is worth so much more than 160 hours of my time.

 

Every good team needs a coach and I can’t say enough about Laura Cuetara, our director.  If the show is a success (and it is), it is her success.  This is her show.  Brecht may have written it, but Laura has gone Grusha Vashnadze with it, made it her own, and nurtured that camaraderie that has meant so much to us.  With the help of a tireless assistant director and a talented crew of technicians, Laura has led this show with a method all her own.  And for that we thank her.

 

So why did we do it?  Because of all this and more.  Because of the experience.  Because we love it.  Because we get a rush when we see our friends sitting in the front row with smiles on their faces, even if they are just laughing at our makeup.  Because we had 160 hours to kill.  Because we’ll never – ever! – get Barefoot Girl out of our heads.  Because it is just plain fun.  Because this is a little different than friendship.  Because our paths all diverge from here, but we share a common starting point.  Because sleep deprivation is cool.  Because a tangible, definite outcome is beyond the point. 

 

Because the memories are priceless.

 

The show closes tonight and I’m trying to officiate this wrestling match between joy and melancholy within me.  It’s been a journey that I’m blessed to have taken, and 160 hours was well worth it.  I could not be more appreciative of everyone involved in The Caucasian Chalk Circle.  And I could not be prouder of them.

 

To you all, a round of applause…

- Luke Sorge

 

We didn't start the fire...

As we wind down to the final days of this production, I find myself standing in awe of all that has been accomplished during this production. It seems to me that this production has allowed everyone to step beyond what we've known in the past and the obstacles we've face before, conquer them and face new ones. 

Opening weekend was quite a success. Our publicity efforts seem to have paid off, because our audience turn out has been quite significant, and a huge improvement for our department. We have averaged about 140 per night so far. Even our show last night, our first wednesday show, we had the biggest turn out yet with 157.  I don't believe you can measure the success of your show by the number of people in the audience, but that is just an extra affirmation of our hard work.

When I first started doing theatre, I was told by a woman I greatly respect, "it's about the work." A mantra I still live with today. This show has been the absolute essence of that motto. When we were reviewed by the KCACTF external reviewer last saturday night, one thing that she complimented us on was our sense of ensemble. The wonderful thing is that, that ensemble extends beyond the acting ensemble but into the sound crew, projection crew, wardrobe staff, stage mangers, and light board operator. It extends into our sense of a being a whole, and with Laura Cuetara's collaboration with every single person working on this show, as our director. 

When the project first started there was a lot of concern that maybe we were dreaming too big. I heard over and over, well we should plan big and if we need to scale back we can. There are things from our first visions that didn't make it, but there are more that did. This, is a huge success. There are more film students involved in this show than ever before. Our ability to integrate film into this production, and our collaboration with the film side of our department, this is truly a success. The accomplishment of the PR team, and the amount of publicity and promotion we were able to do and follow through with, this is a huge accomplishment. Overall, the upsets and detours have been minor compared to landslides of the past. Having so many first timers, and freshmen, and also our veterans and seniors, come together in the cast and work and build off of each other- this is a success. 

There is room for improvement, there always is, but when I look at how far we've come, I am overwhelmed by the magnitude of what we have accomplished. Since opening night, I've been living with this wonderful thought that we are truly connected to all of those amazing professionals of our past who have presented and told stories through theatre, those who are still working in theatre, and passing it on to those who will do it in the future. When you work in a field like this, you are a part of something so much larger. Billy Joel says, "We didn't start the fire, It was always burning, Since the world's been turning." It's not something we began, but it's something we're apart of, and therefore we are connected and we take part of it. Theatre is addicting. When you live the process, it's infectious. 

I can only hope that with three more days, that we can enjoy this time. That we can revel in our now solid show. That we can be cup's on the edge of the table, take risks, have fun, and keep working hard. We can't lose sight of our goals, and always strive to earn every show, but we can be proud of what we've done so far, and continue to build on that. 

I want to say thank you to all those who have supported us in this production. To the faculty and department staff, to the families of each production member, and to everyone who has seen our show so far. Please continue to come,  bring your friends, and share this experience with us. Only three nights left. 

-Felicia Marti

Assistant Director

Opening Night

The show dubbed CcC opens this evening. The ever changing and growing cast and crew sits biting off their nails after swallowing the fear of forgotten lines and 10 second costume changes. We sit doing make-up and considering our fresh line changes and new blocking. This show is complicated...this show is a lot of work...this show is ours...we are the masters of our destinies...break a leg! We are all having a happy opening day, scrubbing chalk circles off campus building walls until we are all bare knuckled and ready to fight. And as I brace myself for impact, contorting my figure into shapes that may better help me understand character and space, I remind myself of the point of the story. That you are what you do. That if you love, you ARE love. That if you mother, you ARE a mother. That, my friends, is the point of our show. With all of the elements finally in place, with all the stations filled and people in position, I encourage all those involved to exhale and treat themselves well. This is one of those shows where champagne may be in order. This is one of those shows that makes you sleep like a baby, because your exhaustion and journey has been very real. Who knew that so many UCD theatre students could sing? Who knew that we all have maternal instincts? Who knew that playing with Nate Thompson's (our technical director) daughter would be such a riot? Who knew we would do this show? Who knew we, WE, would produce it so well? This process has been hard, it has been trying, but through all the mental breakdowns and the physical fatigue, we have emerged with smiles and shiney moments. And proud, of one another. So please excuse the sentimentality, but this is probably the best show that I could have asked for as my final UCD mainstage production. Swallowing the bitter pill of graduation, I am thankful that I could be part of such an all inclusive production, with all of my peers working toward a common goal, an amazing show dubbed CcC...please enjoy.

-Tayla Ealom

The beginning of the end.

Today is the beginning of a large shift in the production; the beginning of the end. The day when the focus becomes completing the production by adding light cues, sound cues, and visual imagery. In just a few days time we'll add all the costumes, make-up, and we will have all the props. We call this process "tech", because it's adding all the technical elements. Some even call this time in the show "hell week", but I don't like thinking of it that way.

When I first started theatre in high school, I would try to explain the process of tech to my parents, and they would always just nod and try to sympathize. It's one of those things you can never truly understand until you go through it. For the freshmen and first timer's, it's like a right of passage. In this case, it's been about 9 and 1/2 weeks since auditions, 8 weeks since our first read through, and about 6 weeks since we started a full time rehearsal schedule. By this time in the process many people are already exhausted. This past week also marked the beginning of wide spread sickness within the cast. After working on it for so long, you might even say we're in dire need of taking it to the next level- and here we are!

By the end of the weekend, the show will be completely transformed. That exhaustion that you feel coming into the weekend, somehow transforms itself into an anxious yet excited energy, anticipatory if you will. Finally the people who have been designing for this moment exactly, get to take their own work to the next level, by putting it to life on stage. We're literally opening this circle that has been our closest family for the past 6 weeks and inviting our extended relatives (in a way), to come live with us. What will come of it? Probably a few misunderstandings, possible delirium, some very serious focus, a lot of laughter, and in the end- one amazing production.

Please make sure to join us next weekend.

Nov. 13-15 (Thurs - Sat)

Nov. 19-22 (Wed- Sat) 

7:30- The Eugena Rawls Courtyard Theatre

The King Center- Auraria Campus 

Tickets: 5$ for UCD students, $12 general admission

Feel free to learn more about the production in the previous post. Included is a brief biography of our playwright Bertolt Brecht, information on Epic Theatre, and the source materials for this The Caucasian Chalk Circle. 

Wish us luck this weekend! Thank you all!!

Felicia Marti,

Assistant Director

BERTOLT BRECHT and THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE

Bertolt Brecht was born February 10, 1898 in Augsberg, Bavaria. He began writing early in his life, concentrating on poetry, and was first published in 1914. During World War I, Brecht attended Munich University, where he first stepped into the world of the theatre. In 1918, he wrote his first full-length play, Baal, whose title character, some have argued, was an early template for Brecht’s later creation, Judge Azdak, from the Caucasian Chalk Circle. Brecht moved, in 1924, to Berlin, where he established himself as a major playwright. It was in Berlin that he met Kurt Weill, and the two of them achieved great fame on collaborations such as The Threepenny Opera and The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. By this time, Brecht’s concepts of the Epic Theatre were in full display.

It was in the late 1920’s that Brecht began a life-long commitment to Marxism. This did not put him in good graces with the emerging Nazi Party, and when Hitler took power in 1933, Bertolt Brecht wisely fled the country. He first took exile in neighboring Denmark, hoping that Hitler’s rule would be short-lived. However, with the growing Nazi threat, Brecht had no choice to move further away, first to Sweden, and then to the U.S. (by way of Russia). He resided in Santa Monica, California, in the shadow of Hollywood, and even attempted to break into the movie industry while there. Movie studios had no idea how to work with the playwright, and, not surprisingly, Brecht made little inroads. Of Hollywood, Brecht commented, “The intellectual isolation here is enormous.” His outspoken views of Socialism made him few friends, as well. In 1947, the House Unamerican Activities Committee subpoenaed Brecht to answer charges of his allegiance to Communism. On October 30, 1947, Brecht spoke before the committee. The next day, he departed the U.S. for Europe. Interestingly, it was during Brecht’s years of exile that he created what are considered by many his greatest plays: The Life of Galileo (1938-9); Mother Courage and Her Children (1939); The Good Woman of Szechwan (1938-40); and The Caucasian Chalk Circle (1944-5).

After a year in Switzerland, Brecht was invited to return to Berlin by communists in East Germany. By 1949, he had made East Germany his home, where he was given his own theatre, and his own theatre company, the Berliner Ensemble. He wrote few plays in his final years, instead directing and working with the younger, up-and-coming talent. He passed away of a heart attack on August 14, 1956 at the age of 58. Brecht left behind dozens of plays, books of poetry, and an enduring legacy of his unique vision for the theatre.

THE EPIC THEATRE
Brecht is credited as beginning the movement known as ‘Epic Theatre’, although he preferred the term ‘Dialectical Theatre’, as that description suggested the elements of argument and discussion, crucial to Brecht’s vision. He felt that theatre was a place to present ideas, and that ideas superseded other purposes of the theatre: entertainment, storytelling, emotional manipulation, and even the semblance of reality. He felt it was necessary for audiences to constantly be aware that they were in a theatre, and he was a strong advocate for verfremdungseffekt, or “the alienation effect”, which was the opposite of the more traditional “suspension of disbelief”. To this end, he would incorporate devices designed to distance the audience from the performance: choruses; placards announcing the title and plot of upcoming scenes; music & songs; simple, bare, non-realistic sets. Actors frequently played multiple roles, and regularly broke the fourth wall illusion, speaking directly to the audience. By not allowing his audience to become too emotionally invested in the characters or plot, he could keep the social themes at the forefront.

SOURCE MATERIAL FOR

THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE
THE BIBLE

I KINGS 3 – “KING SOLOMON’S WISDOM IN JUDGMENT”

After praying for and receiving wisdom to rule from God, King Solomon is presented a trial for judgment. Two prostitutes come before him, each claiming to be the mother of a baby boy. Both women had given birth, but one of the children had passed away. Now both say the deceased child belongs to the other. To find the true mother, Solomon takes a sword and orders that the living child be cut in two, with one-half going to each mother. One of the mothers agrees to this ruling; the other gives up her claim, so that the child shall remain alive. From this, Solomon knows the woman who would not allow the boy to die is the real mother.


THE CHALK CIRCLE

A CHINESE ZAJU VERSE PLAY BY LI QIANFU (LI XINGDAO)

The zaju verse play is a classical form of Chinese theatre, consisting of four acts and a prologue. The Chalk Circle, written during the Yuan dynasty (1259-1368), concerns a young woman, Hai-tang, who, after being sold into a house of prostitution, is rescued by Ma Chun-shing, a wealthy tax-collector. He takes her as his second wife, and she soon gives him his only child, a son. Ah-Siu, the first wife, is jealous. So, she accuses Hai-tang of adultery, kills Ma by poison, blames Hai-tang of the murder, and then claims the child as her own, so that she may inherit Ma’s wealth. Before Hai-tang is about to be hanged, an Emperor decides on a test: he draws a chalk circle on the ground, and puts the child and the two women within it. The women are ordered to take hold of the child and pull, to determine the mother. When Hai-tang refuses to hurt the child in this way, the Emperor knows she is the true mother.
(NOTE: This play was translated into German by Klabund in 1924, a contemporary and acquaintance of Brecht’s. In Klabund’s version, the Emperor and Hai-tang marry at the end of the play.)


DER AUGSBURGER KREIDEKREIS (“THE AUGSBURG CHALK CIRCLE”)

BY BERTOLT BRECHT
This short story, written by Brecht in 1940, is quite similar yet quite different from the Caucasian Chalk Circle, written a half-decade later.

The story takes place in Augsburg during the Thirty Years War (the same setting as his play, Mother Courage and Her Children). A Swiss Protestant named Zingli owns a tannery and leather business. Friends advise the man to flee the town as Catholic soldiers are soon to invade. But, when the troops finally march in, Zingli and his family have not yet left. Zingli hides, but is found and murdered. His wife, Frau Zingli, has spent so much time packing her fine clothing and jewelry that she is forced to escape, abandoning her child at their home. A servant girl of the house, Anna, discovers the child, and, after the soldiers have moved on, she attempts to return the child to its mother. She visits Frau Zingli’s uncle’s home, where she is told that the mother is no longer there, and that they will do nothing for the child. Before leaving, Anna notices someone silently watching her from behind the window; she is convinced Frau Zingli is within, and has repudiated her own son. The bond between Anna and the boy grows, and finally, she takes him with her to her brother’s home in the village of Grossaitingen. A peasant, her brother has married a woman with a farm and servants. The wife is suspicious of the woman and child who’ve suddenly shown up on her doorstep, so Anna claims the child as her own. She further lies by saying she is married to a man working a mill in a distant village, and that this husband is expecting Anna and son to join him in a few weeks. This lie appeases the peasant’s wife for awhile, but as time passes, her suspicions return. Finally, the peasant brother concocts a plan to marry off his sister to a dying man in a neighboring village. His death is imminent, and so a death certificate will surely allow Anna to continue living on as a widow at her brother’s farm. The wedding takes place and Anna returns with her brother to his farm. Time passes, without the death certificate appearing. Finally, the brother travels back to find that the man has recovered from his grave illness. This news troubles Anna. The man, Otterer by name, soon meets secretly with Anna. Anna does not like the man, and returns to her brother’s home. Some time later, Otterer shows up at the farm, intending to “fetch” her back to his home. She refuses to accompany him. He is about to leave when the brother and his wife come home. The wife is naturally curious about him, but Otterer becomes withdrawn in the presence of the peasant, who, of course, knows the truth of the situation. The wife offers him lodging for the night, but Otterer leaves. That night, Anna grows quite ill. The sickness lasts for weeks, during which Otterer returns and carts her and the child away. She is too weak to protest. Eventually, her health and strength return. At that point, she attempts to escape with the child, but it fails and she willingly returns to Otterer’s place, where she and the child live for several years. One day, after returning from the village, she finds her son missing, that “a grandly dressed lady had driven up in a coach and taken [him] away”. Anna immediately sets off for Augsburg. She tells the authorities that her child has been stolen. A trial is set. The “most exceptional” judge is named Ignaz Dollinger, whose rulings are known for being unusual. After hearing testimonies by both sides (in which both Frau Zingli and Anna lie to the court), he decides to settle the matter with the chalk circle test. After only one test, in which Frau Zingli “tore the child out of the chalk circle”, Dollinger recognizes Anna as the true mother.

(NOTE: In the Biblical verses and the Chinese Chalk Circle play, it is the natural mother who ends up back with her child. In Brecht’s twist of the old tale, he awards the other woman custody of the child, suggesting to us that the blood bond is not necessarily the most maternal- a very modern notion.)

November 4th - Election Day

Most of us are holding off our rehearsals for today’s election, so that we can all follow the results tonight; which really, is very fitting for the cast of a Brecht show, seeing as he was such a political writer. So not only do I get to be part of a monumental event on a very local scale, but also on a national scale. What an amazing feeling!

It’s been a long journey, and a hard one, but more worthwhile than almost any show I’ve been in yet. I’m so proud to say that this is probably the best show that UCD has done in my time here, and am even more proud that I get to be a part of it before I graduate in May.

 

Despite our one brief break today though, we will be at it again, and with even more vigor tomorrow. Our journey is almost at an end, and we open next week! The excitement is building and the pressure is on! This is going to be an amazing show and I can’t wait to see you all there! Trust me, we will NOT disappoint.

- Amber Moffett