'Becky Shaw' @ KDT

BECKY SHAW BLIND DATE CONTEST

2012-09-25T12:14:00.000-05:00

CUPID DONE YOU WRONG?

In Gina Gionfriddo’s Becky Shaw, a blind date gone awry has life-changing consequences for the matchmakers and the matched.

Been there, done that?

We know you have a Worst Blind Date Ever story. Or a Best Ever.

Maybe they’re the same story.

Send your story of 250 words or less to beckyshawkdt@gmail.com and if you win, you and a date – of YOUR choice – will attend

Becky Shaw on Friday, October 5 at 8pm plusget 2 free beverages.

THE RULES

One entry per person
250 words or less
Deadline: Monday, October 1, 2012 by 10am
With your entry, include: first and last name, email address, and phone number
Must be available to attend performance on Friday, October 5 at 8pm
Tickets are not transferable, unless winner is a Kitchen Dog subscriber, in which case tickets may be used for guests.
Kitchen Dog Theater reserves the right to publish part or all of your story on social media sites including but not limited to Facebook and Twitter, for marketing purposes. If you are unwilling to have your story published, you may still enter, but please note this with your entry.
Winners receive two (2) tickets and two (2) free drinks of their choice.
Winners will be notified by Wednesday, October 3, 2012.

From Blogspace to Onstage!

2012-09-10T10:49:00.003-05:00

The actors might be done blogging,

but now you can see them in person!

Our first review has come out, and the show is deemed "hard to beat" and "[a] beautiful mess." Don't miss BECKY SHAW, running through October 6, 2012!
http://frontrow.dmagazine.com/2012/09/theater-review-becky-shaw-a-snide-comedy-with-roseanne-appeal/

Subscriptions are still available for the 22nd season (at our fancy new website)!
http://kitchendogtheater.org/subscribe.html

Single tickets to BECKY SHAW are available through Brown Paper Tickets:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/264874

Talkbacks with the cast are done after Sunday matinee performances. At other performances, it's likely the cast will wander out into the lobby to say hello afterward, so stick around and say hi!

See you there!

The Actors Turn on Each Other: Part II

2012-09-06T14:57:00.002-05:00

In Part II, we discover that Mike has an evident Philly sports bias and Jenny would be Indiana Jones if it weren't for this acting thing.

Jenny

Mike

When You Were Little You Were Going to Be

JL: I recall wanting to write novels, be Shamu’s trainer, a meteorologist, and a classical musician.

MF: An astronomer.

Worst Costume Ever

JL: Just panties… best and worst costume ever.

MF: I had to wear a purple polyester leisure suit in a show once. It was a great costume, but it was so hot in the space that the suit turned kind of gross like two days in, and then I just had to keep wearing it.

A Play That Should be Done on the Dallas Stage

JL: Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker.

MF: I want to see someone do the Nick Dear adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein that they did in London w/ the leads alternating parts each night. It sounds crazy and awesome.

One Play You Hope Never To See Again

JL: Honour by Joanna Murray-Smith.

MF: ‘Night, Mother

In Your Opinion, What Holds Dallas Back From Theatrical Greatness?

JF: …

MF: Jerry Jones

[Co-Artistic Director Tina Parker would like to remind readers that Mike is an Eagles fan, so a) the opinions expressed here do not represent the opinions of Kitchen Dog Theater and b) GO COWBOYS.]

Bucket List Roles

JL: Lady MacBeth, Elizabeth Proctor, Stella Kowalski, Blanche DuBois, Maggie the Cat, Mary Tyrone, Gertrude in Hamlet, Titania, Hamlet , Martha in Virginia Woolf, Sonya and/or Yelena in Uncle Vanya, and many more… I have a long list to get through lol

MF: Tzara in Travesties, Bottom in Midsummer, Iago in Othello, Konstantin in The Seagull (it was cool to check that one off the list), The Baker in Into the Woods, George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Hickey in The Iceman Cometh.

You Have to Be In a Show for 10 Years – You Choose…

JL: I could do The Crucible forever. The audience response is so visceral and real – I remembered getting “high” off the audible gasps and sometimes random shouts from the audience.

MF: I feel like No Exit is the only logical choice.

Superstitions

JL: I’m not a superstitious person. However, I try not to offend/alienate other cast members I’m working with so I usually say “Mac-B” in a theatrical space just to avoid freaking people out.

MF: I make a playlist for every show I’m in, and I will listen to those same songs before every performance. [listen to Mike’s character playlist online here & here]

Also, my mom taught me to write right-handed even though I’m naturally left-handed, because of some crazy Italian superstition. I know that’s not what we’re talking about, but I feel like my story must be told to help future generations of Italian-American children.

If You Weren’t An Actor You Would Be…

JL: Historian/archeologist

MF: Professional basketball player. The world needs a 5’6” point guard with limited mobility and a non-existent vertical leap.

First Show You Were in at Kitchen Dog

JL: I was cast in End Times but I had to turn it down for another role. I later did a reading of Boom by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb for the New Works Festival and then the mainstage production of Boom in 2010.

Eric Steele and Jenny awaited disaster
behind a fishtank in Boom

MF: I played Ferdinand in The Tempest in 1997.

Mike being lovingly carried by KDT Company
member Bill Lengfelder in The Tempest

Best Piece of Theater You’ve Ever Seen

[Jenny takes this one alone] JL: In NYC, I volunteered at The Public Theater and they assigned me to an Australian Theater Company for the “Under the Radar Festival.” [Back to Back Theatre performing small metal objects] I was the liaison between The Public and the director/stage manager. This company consisted of actors who had intellectual disabilities of different kinds. They wrote the shows themselves and performed in it. It took place in the Whitehall Ferry Terminal (Staten Island Ferry Terminal). It also toured around Europe and always performed in airports and train terminals. The audience had headphones on and sat to the side. The actors were amongst the regular crowd/traffic of the terminal – they had concealed microphones. Only the audience could hear the music/dialogue – the other people in the terminal had no idea what we were doing or watching. They stared at us every time we laughed or responded, unsure of what we were responding to. It felt like looking at an aquarium or zoo exhibit. I saw the show 6 times and was blown away every time. Including one evening when a drunk man came over to the audience and assumed we were there to see him. He began to perform for us, singing songs and telling stories – ushers were about to try to remove the man when the director said “No – this is part of performing in public.” So the drunk man continued to talk and distract and sing. Finally – he got fixated on the memory of a dear departed friend and he broke down and wept before the entire audience. Suddenly he didn’t want the attention he was seeking. The show went on – I’ve never been more moved by a piece of theater in my life. Even without the drunk man the experience was incredible.

The Actors Turn On Each Other: Part I

2012-09-05T14:27:00.000-05:00

Part I of this two-part interview introduces you to Jenny and Mike, and starts to delve into their darkest secrets, like what they're reading, and how Mike loves him some Honey Boo Boo Child.

JENNY	MIKE
Full Given Name
Jennifer Kathleen Ledel	Michael Craig Federico
Hometown
Bedford, TX	Philadelphia, PA (but really Plano, TX)
Zodiac Sign
Scorpio	Libra
Current Show You Have Been Recommending to Friends
The Most Happy Fella at Lyric Stage (with my husband [Alex Organ] in it) and Macbeth at Shakespeare Dallas (opening soon with a killer cast!)	I’ve been talking about Becky Shaw to my friends quite a lot lately
Favorite Play
Currently it’s Macbeth; A Streetcar Named Desire; The Crucible	Travesties by Tom Stoppard; A Midsummer Night’s Dream
First Show You Saw at Kitchen Dog
I believe it was Woyzek and then Mr. Marmalade [in which Mike appeared]	The Baltimore Waltz, which starred now-Co-Artistic Directors Tina Parker and Christopher Carlos
Last Book You Read
Vanity Fair by William Thackeray	Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
Must-see TV Show
Breaking Bad	Mad Men; Parks and Recreation; Doctor Who

Last Good Movie You Saw
The Future by Miranda July (very freeform and intriguing..) and Moonrise Kingdom (great)	The Dark Knight Rises; His Girl Friday
Performer You Would Drop Everything To See
Cate Blanchett, Jessica Hecht, Radiohead, Regina Spektor, to name a few	Sigur Ros, or Led Zeppelin if Bonzo rose from the dead
Pop Culture Guilty Pleasure
Facebook, YouTube videos of stupid people getting attacked by wild animals… also A&E’s Intervention (this show is perfect for actors – the people involved have strong specific objectives that inform all of their behavior…)	Toddlers and Tiaras (God, I hate myself)
Favorite Pre-/Post-Show Meal
I can’t eat a lot before the show – preshow it’s trail mix, PB crackers, and Cliff bars. I like to be a little hungry.	Pre- is pasta of some kind; Post- a cold Coca-Cola
Worst Flubbed Line/Missed Cue/Onstage Mishap
In a scene from Streetcar (where I played the worst Blanche on the face of the planet) I had to smash a bottle on the table and hold the broken end in my costar’s face. It is in the stage directions and it is also commented on in the dialogue (Stanley says “What are you gonna do with that?” – horrible paraphrase). I had not gotten to rehearse with a bottle as we only had enough for the performance. So I smashed the bottle (it was a special ‘break away’ glass) and the entire thing disintegrated in my hand leaving a fine powder to hold in Stanleys face. I looked in terror at my costar who continued to say the lines even though I didn’t have the bottle-end he was speaking about about… it was awkward and horrible and hilarious.	Once this light almost fell on me during a show, but I don’t like to talk about it.

My Day as Becky Shaw, or Everything I learned in Gender Studies Class

2012-08-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, I got together with fellow cast member Max Hartman to run lines for the show. Max and I actually only have a few exchanges in the play, so we spent most of the time trading off and reading the other roles for each other. Along with giving me a chance to demonstrate my impeccable Jenny Ledel, Leah Spillman, and Cindy Beall impressions, the exercise gave me the opportunity to look at the show from several different perspectives. It also gave me a much clearer picture of how the women in the play view my character.

This led Max and I to start discussing the play as a whole. One of the things we talked about was how easy it can be to fall into “types” with a play like Becky Shaw (and countless other plays, as well). As far as the two guy characters go, one could give a quick read and come to a conclusion like “Oh, he’s the tough one and he’s the wuss,” or something more snotty like, “While one character’s innate maleness leads him to embody the qualities more typically attributed to his gender; the other strives to embrace both the masculine and feminine inherent in all of us.”

Both of those statements are complete bullshit. The beauty of Becky Shaw is that it actually plays with the idea of type, and despite what one might think about the characters at the beginning, those thoughts can get flipped and turned around multiple times throughout the course of the play. While on the surface, the two men and three women might fall into the typical “roles” we’ve all taught ourselves to recognize, each is complex and original and something really hard to figure out. This is what makes the show both difficult and a lot of fun to work on.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go watch football, leave the toilet seat up, and get hot women to like me by wearing the right body spray.

Image © Leland Bobbé
More photos from the 'Half-Drag' series can be found at
http://lelandbobbe.com/#/18/0

Two kinds of trouble.

2012-08-27T13:28:00.001-05:00

Poster image for 'Becky Shaw'
Created by SullivanPerkins

Every day I read the news and I think “Wow! What news! An actress showed her boobs in a photo shoot when we've all seen her boobs multiple times in several movies! Oh … and something going on in one of the Koreas… but back to the news on this actress and her boobs! No way! Two musicians wore the SAME DRESS SOMEPLACE?”

An idea expressed in Becky Shaw is the idea of “Two kinds of trouble.” "Sexy" and "Not sexy".

I’m baffled at the idea that someone COULD be telling me the truth but instead they offer me up this sexy fiction because “That’s what people want.” Is it what we want or is it what we are offered?

I’m sad to see paper- “newspapers” go by the wayside… not for any nostalgic purposes but simply because the internet allows for so many more irrelevant pieces of information to pollute my brain and stress me out.

Of course I want to stay informed but I also know that bad news sells more than good news. Sexy news will always win out. And truth will have to out itself.

It all seems to go back to money. Why take a gamble on an uncomfortable truth when a sexy irrelevance is a sure thing?

Last week, I happened upon a brief synopsis of Becky Shaw in a "Fall arts Catalogue" courtesy of one of our local press machines. This synopsis states that Becky Shaw is about an older woman with MS who dates a younger, less distinguished man.

Come see us open September 7th 2012 and decide for yourself if that's what this play is about... (It could also be that whoever wrote that only read the first 10 pages... but I suppose it could be about a woman with MS...)

Finally: I have attached a piece of sexy news and a piece of non-sexy news for your viewing pleasure/stress...

http://www.stylelist.com/2012/08/27/serena-williams-tennis-red-dress-david-letterman-photo_n_1827633.html

http://www.examiner.com/article/seismic-storm-continues-7-3-el-salvador-quake-follows-sunday-s-southland-swarm

Garcon! A Bowl of Wine!

2012-08-21T14:45:00.000-05:00

My mom (like a lot of people, I guess) is constantly amazed that actors can “memorize all those lines.” I’m learning my lines for Becky Shaw right now, and I think it’s going to work out on that front (knock on wood, throw salt over shoulder, kiss superstitious Italian medal from my grandmother).

Now, just because I feel okay on the lines, it doesn’t mean that I’m not haunted by an actor’s nightmare of sorts. In fact, every night as I fall asleep, horrific images of wine glasses flash through my mind. Yep. Wine glasses. I know what you’re thinking: wine glasses are great. After all, they hold wine in them. Yeah, I used to be like you. I used to enjoy a nice glass with some sort of fancy grape-derived beverage in it, but not anymore. You see, in Becky Shaw there are like 47 wine glasses I have to account for at all times. Okay, I’m being told it’s actually only four wine glasses and it’s only in one scene, but I swear it feels like 47.

Either they didn’t teach it—or more likely I skipped the day they taught wine glass traffic management at theatre school. Right now, I’m having some serious Noises Off moments where I stare blankly at Tina Parker and ask “do I leave the wine glass or take the wine glass?”

Lucky for me, Tina, our stage manager Ruth, and our props people have figured out that I’m an idiot, so they’ve gone ahead and labeled all of the rehearsal glasses for me, so I know which one goes to which person. It’s nice to be loved.

I have faith that I’ll figure it all out. I’m doing many bartending drills at home to get up to speed, and I’m watching Tom Cruise in Cocktail on a bi-nightly basis. Seriously, young Cruise can serve drinks in-time with an awesome ‘50s/‘80s soundtrack like no other.

Come see Becky Shaw. It’s going to be great. And if you stay for a talk back (which you totally should do), don’t ask me about my lines. Instead, ask me, “How did you manage to handle all of those wine glasses?” I’ll cue up the “Hippy Hippy Shake” or “Kokomo” and show you how it’s done.

--Michael Federico

A Little Help From Her Friends: Providence & North Carolina

2012-08-20T11:53:00.002-05:00

From Jenny Ledel:

The character of Becky Shaw has lived in Providence since she was 11 years old (originally from North Carolina).

Having never spent time in either place – I look for a little help from my friends.

One of my dearest friends, and KDOG Company Member Christie Vela, is up in Providence, RI, right now for a 10 week run of King Lear at Trinity Rep. Being a pretty phenomenal actress she understands my need for these images. She sent me these pictures to start:

I am also lucky in that another dear friend is born and raised PURE North Carolina pride! Cara Reid is also a brilliant actress who understands my need for this kind of specificity.

Here's the website she sent me of her hometown in NC:

http://theblueridgehighlander.com/jackson_county_north_carolina/index.php

Rehearsal week 1: Letters and Numbers

2012-08-15T09:56:00.000-05:00

This past week has been a blast diving into this script. We got started with a ton of improv (Cindy Beall makes a kickass bowling ball), picked music pieces for our characters, and worked to discover the tone of the piece in our table work.

I find it rather difficult to discuss working on this project without spoiler alerts. However, I'll do my best to capture the essence of the argument presented in this play without giving too much away.

As the cast sat around dissecting each moment of the script, this past week, we discovered that this play is full of "Numbers" people and "Words" people. Aren't we all?

Is math an essential part of assigning worth to something?

Can you "calculate" someone's worth based on money?

As Andrew asks in the play "So people who don't have money can't exert any impact?"

Is this the fundamental disagreement that fuels the ongoing fight in our modern day politics?

I ask these questions as we move into blocking. I have my instincts as far as Becky is concerned but I leave this question open-ended for now.

Luckily, I'm an actor who works a finance day-job. Going to work, I get an up close, intimate look at what fuels the "numbers" people and how they calculate worth in the literal and figurative senses. So yes, getting paid to do my job is also paying me to do my other, more awesome, job.

To keep my sanity, I usually have a companion piece to read or watch while I'm working on a play. Something either similar to the play or the exact opposite (depending on how much the character wants to bleed into my daily life -- ie Being in a play is no excuse for breaking into tears at the bank or yelling at the retail worker at the gas station). For this play, I've chosen to read Vanity Fair by William Thackeray - a book i've been meaning to read for years and never got around to it. Perfect timing and a wonderful companion piece so far.

For now I, simply, brag about working with Cindy Beall, Max Hartman, Tina Parker, Leah Spillman, and Mike Federico. Not to mention Ruth Stephenson as SM. And, of course, I trust Korey Kent's costumes implicitly.

The Becky Shaw Mixtape

2012-08-14T01:36:00.000-05:00

Last week, we kicked off our first rehearsal of Becky Shaw, and by all accounts it went “rad.”

During the week, our director Tina Parker asked us each to bring in songs which should somehow connect to the characters we’re playing. Now, that connection could be really anything, as long as you could tell the others why you chose it. This exercise was a really good chance for us to start thinking about these people we’re playing on stage. It also gave us the perfect excuse to sit around a table and listen to some sweet jams.

Later, Tina asked us to start putting together a personal playlist for the show. It could be more songs connected to your character, songs that apply to the play as a whole, or just songs that, for whatever reason, get you in the right mindset to start working on the play. I thought this sounded like another great way to start doing some character work. I think music can serve as a great tool to figure a person out, so I love stuff like this. I also thought it would be another great excuse to sit around and listen to some tunes.

Just a quick note, I play Andrew Porter—a would-be writer who loves indie rock. That kind of served as my jumping off point, but (without giving too much away) there is a sensitive side to Andrew that I thought would be worth exploring in song. So, here is my Becky Shaw Mixtape. You young folk can call it a “playlist” if you prefer. Some of the songs are character-driven; others just make me think about the show. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to look some of them up and check them out. –Michael Federico

Side A

1. “Sadness is a Blessing” – Lykke Li

2. “Myth” – Beach House

3. “All the Wine” – The National

4. “Sim Sala Bim” – Fleet Foxes

5. “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” – Bob Dylan

6. “Iron Zion Lion” – Bob Marley

7. “For Emma” – Bon Iver

8. “How Can Love be Wrong” – Daniel Hart

Side B

9. “Black Sheep” – Metric

10. “She’s Got You High” – Mumm Ra

11. “Young Blood” – The Naked and the Famous

12. “Midnight Cowards” – Stars

13. “Old Friend” – Sea Wolf

14. “Down in the Valley” – The Head and the Heart

Simply the Best

2012-08-07T15:33:00.002-05:00

"On the surface, it’s a brisk, biting commentary on contemporary social themes. But underneath the topical comedy and class discussion is a subtle little time bomb that explodes in slow motion after you have finished reading."

KDT Company member Lee Trull thinks Becky Shaw could be one of the best new plays of the new century. Find out why on the Art & Seek blog: http://artandseek.net/2012/08/07/becky-shaw-the-best-play-of-the-new-century/

Subscribe to this blog to keep up with the process as Jenny and Mike pour out their thoughts via keyboard!

2012-08-03T17:02:00.002-05:00

Posts coming soon! Watch this site - rehearsals start Monday, August 6th!

For more information, to buy tickets, or to make a donation, please go to:

www.kitchendogtheater.org