tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139700962009-11-10T09:18:39.567-08:00Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125This is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site, subject to copyright and fair use.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-49637720381510467662009-11-05T09:20:00.000-08:002009-11-05T09:21:44.591-08:00

I am more of a dilettante than a Renaissance man, but I am interested in almost everything and read widely in history, science, literature, etc.However, I can't imagine anything harder or less painful than trying to become a Renaissance Man (or even a dilettante) because that's your goal. Is suspect most learned people got that way because they just studied lots of things that interested them --

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-66066520667864871912009-10-26T07:27:00.000-07:002009-10-26T07:30:10.442-07:00

Over at Coding Horror, Jeff Atwood complains that users don't follow directions. When they post on his forum, they don't use appropriate markup, they don't look at the preview below the text-input area, and they don't press RETURN twice between paragraphs.Here's my response:I am a professional communicator. Specifically, I am a book author, computer programmer, teacher (20 years experience) and

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-33511843694885879512009-09-28T14:13:00.000-07:002009-09-28T14:19:02.257-07:00

This is in response to John Heilpern's article, "Should a Fuss Be Made Over Colorblind Casting" in the June 9, 2009 issue of the "New York Observer.""Are plays about what makes sense? Or are they acts of the imagination between the actor and audience in a serious game of pretend?"Dear Mr. Heilpern:Hi. I'm a theatre director.In the quotation, above, you ask if plays are "about" what makes sense.

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-79866720690882669212009-09-14T14:25:00.000-07:002009-09-14T14:54:35.710-07:00

After deciding to direct a Shakespeare play, but before starting rehearsals, I spend many days studying the script. Below, I'm going to take you through some of the games I play to get a handle on the text. As an example, I'll use the famous Saint Crispin's day speech from "Henry V." If you want to see two great examples of the speech performed, rent the Laurence Olivier and/or Kenneth Branagh

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-34568700612883118622009-07-28T09:09:00.000-07:002009-07-28T09:57:18.532-07:00

Happy Marcus##8---o }Angry Marcus##8---o {Sad Marcus##8---o (Marcus sucking on a mint##8---o @Marcus talking##8---o []Skeptical Marcus##8---o \Marcus after eating a lemon##8---o +Marcus confiding in you##8---o YMarcus sick to his stomach##8---o $Marcus with a zit on one side of his mouth##8---o !Marcus with a zit on the other side of his mouth##8---o iMarcus smoking a cigarette##8---o LMarcus

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-52008385564712702072009-05-25T08:06:00.000-07:002009-05-25T08:07:54.209-07:00

The concrete is better than the abstract.- If you're worried that your life has no meaning, or if you're afraid that God is dead, or if you're terrified of Global Warming, of if you're angry about The State of The Country, ask yourself if you've really gotten to the bottom of your concerns. These big-issue, abstract worries are one (or more) steps removed from your base nature. Dogs don't care

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-71032226354855467152008-12-26T14:55:00.000-08:002008-12-26T15:00:29.107-08:00

Someone on a message board threatened to commit suicide because he was so alone. I wrote a response to him and got a lot of positive email about it. I really just tried to write what I wish someone had said to me back when I was 22, single and convinced I would be alone forever. As it turned out, the suicidal guy requested that the posts be removed, so the moderator deleted them. That's fine. I

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-51171446407749911832008-12-23T09:14:00.000-08:002008-12-23T09:15:00.701-08:00

1. spent twenty minutes reading, trying to ignore the tiny scrap of paper on the floor, the crumb on the table or the blinking light on modem, until my head felt like it was going to explode, and I realized I'd read the same three words over and over. Finally I got up and picked up the paper or crumb -- or moved the modem to face the wall.2. watched my wife throw a tissue in the toilet that she'd

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-84093436593993744632008-08-18T07:46:00.001-07:002008-08-18T07:46:55.049-07:00

Mrs. Key taught 3rd grade, and she turned my little life upside down. I remember, back then, we stayed with one teacher for almost the entire day. We'd have special teaches for Art and Gym, but other than that, one teacher would teach us everything.We'd quickly learn our teacher's favorite topic. One would lean more heavily on science; another more heavily of history; Mrs. Key -- Lord, save her -

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-88016028016423209032008-05-09T08:20:00.000-07:002008-05-20T07:36:43.826-07:00

Everyone I know loved Tim Burton's adaptation of "Sweeney Tood." I'm the exception. But, like all my friends, I found it visually stunning: meaning that each shot looked like a arresting painting or photograph. On top of that, I've always loved Sondheim's music and lyrics. And the story moves me. So, a great story, fantastic music, stunning visuals... what's not to love?Redundancy. Rather than

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-35887768547265676052008-03-11T12:48:00.001-07:002008-03-11T12:49:01.572-07:00

On an online forum, someone asked "How has art changed the world?"My response:I don’t think art has changed the world any more or less than anything else (trees, politic, war, germs, rocks…). And I don’t think it’s changed the world in noticeably different ways than anything else. Which isn’t to say I think art is inert.My problem is with the word art. It’s a useful word, but it’s necessarily

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-40145850512092358412008-01-29T05:09:00.001-08:002008-01-29T05:09:55.146-08:00

I've been thinking about my state of mind when I first wake up in the morning. Due to my workload, I set my alarm for 6am every morning. This wouldn't be such a big deal, but I'm unable to get to bed before midnight, and I generally don't fall asleep right away when I am in bed. I know this isn't enough sleep. I said "yes" to too many projects, and this is the price I'm now paying for it. Come

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-9368134120442159312008-01-23T08:06:00.001-08:002008-01-23T10:36:33.078-08:00

I just finished reading a fun, forgettable sci-fi/thriller called "Blasphemy." In it, a group of scientists seem to have contacted God. God explains to them His reason for creating the universe, which is, essentially, to help Him think. The universe is like a giant computer. All of the galaxies, stars, planets, people and animals are the "ones and zeros" in this computer, and we're all working

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-30586623562453794832007-09-20T11:10:00.001-07:002007-09-20T11:10:22.239-07:00

Acting is strange. When you do it wrong, you're boring and phony; when you do it right, you're exciting and real. Being "real" means convincing the audience that you're engaging in purposeful thought -- that you seem to be actively trying to figure things out, right there on stage, in real time. If the audience feels that -- since you're read the script and toiled through countless rehearsals --

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-85251932530673000452007-08-25T12:04:00.001-07:002007-08-25T12:11:34.127-07:00

What made me who I am? I'm a theatre director, a computer programmer, and a technical writer. My father, Harry Geduld, is none of those things. Yet, as I look back, I realize that he's responsible for nearly every career choice I've made and many of the (hopefully endearing) quirks of my personality.My dad is a Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature, West European Studies and Film Studies.

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-67199675408287251382007-01-06T17:06:00.001-08:002007-01-06T17:21:10.915-08:00

An actress friend is concerned because she can't make herself cry. Here's my take on stage crying:1) Very few people can turn on the waterworks at will. This is just a truth, and all actors need to admit it to themselves. In play X, if asked to shed tears, an actor may not be able to do it. He needs to admit that he may not be able to do it and come up with some other plan. (This actor is

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-68621864530934546912006-11-12T19:43:00.000-08:002006-11-12T19:45:39.868-08:00

In response to this post, Rowan (from Australia) wrote me this terrific letter:I have to disagree with something you wrote. You said that in real life, the fact that people can't know intent (your mind will never truly touch another mind) is shocking and tragic. I agree that it's never possible to know another person's intent with certainty, but I don't see that as a flaw. So much of human

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-1162755871391652882006-11-05T11:44:00.000-08:002006-11-12T19:37:44.747-08:00

A friend of mine is pessimistic about the state of the Arts. I understand. I will never make money as a director, even though I live in the America's theatre center, New York City. It's mostly filled with tourists going to see second-rate musicals. But I'm not pessimistic. But my lack of pessimism comes with a bite. I can only be optimistic about the Arts when I shine a harsh light on

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-1162754370395862922006-11-05T11:13:00.000-08:002006-11-12T19:37:43.892-08:00

A reader wrote in response to this piece (in which I am skeptical that we can ever know an artist's intent). He wondered if, when I direct plays, I care whether or not the audience gets my intent. He also wondered whether actors might confuse an audience if they played their characters as confused. For instance, if an character is groping to try to figure out his next word, mightn't the audience

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-1161560212598220162006-10-22T16:36:00.000-07:002006-11-12T19:37:43.448-08:00

[Letter to Ron Rosenbaum, author of The Shakespeare Wars.]Dear Mr. Rosenbaum:I'm the Artistic Director of Folding Chair Classical Theatre, a small company in NYC. I greatly enjoyed your book. It continually provoked me, sometimes to kiss the pages; other times to hurl the book across the room -- never because the book itself was bad; rather, because the various scholarly and artistic theories so

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-1161026187034133082006-10-16T10:16:00.000-07:002006-11-12T19:37:42.989-08:00

Several years ago, when I was directing "The Winter's Tale," I noticed one of the actors was speaking strangely. His first speech in the play began as follows:Nine changes of the wat'ry-star hath beenThe shepherd's note since we have left our throneWithout a burthen: time as long againWould be filled up, my brother, with our Thanks...The character is Polixenes, the king of Bohemia, and he's

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-1160505905883848152006-10-10T10:47:00.000-07:002006-11-12T19:37:42.604-08:00

How are plays and films different? What does each of the two mediums do best? True, when you watch a play you're watching live actors, and I've heard people say that this is what makes theatre special. But how do live actors make theatre special? For some, just knowing that the person they're watching is flesh-and-blood (not a photograph) has deep, spiritual meaning, but not for me. I need

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-1160494930121630672006-10-10T08:18:00.000-07:002006-11-12T19:37:41.907-08:00

In "The Shakespeare Wars," Ron Rosenbaum laments the huge number of mediocre Shakespeare productions, and then, building to a crescendo, he writes:As someone who who has come to realize ... after a lifetime of hoping to find something ... electrifying ... on stage ... very little approaches it. I don't think people realize it's rarely their fault if they don't "get" Shakespeare. Shakespeare done

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-1160158923043126372006-10-06T10:59:00.000-07:002006-11-12T19:37:41.451-08:00

This site invites people to define "The Human Network" ("a social structure composed of individuals, business partners, friends or other organizations") Here's my attempt:We can't ever know for sure whether anyone else is conscious, but as social animals, we've evolved to read conscious into other humans (as-well-as animals, puppets and other human-like entities). And we're vitally concerned

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13970096.post-1157131521901984322006-09-01T10:03:00.000-07:002006-11-12T19:37:41.108-08:00

I just closed "Much Ado About Nothing." I directed it and played several parts. Now that the smoke has cleared, I realize that I learned something really great from this production: as usual, I didn't make any cuts before rehearsals started. During the rehearsal process I made minor cuts to help deal with logistical problems ( e.g. making sure an actor who is playing multiple roles doesn't "meet

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199110239609732534noreply@blogger.com0