The Learned Ladies closed several weeks ago at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Without a doubt there hasn't  been another show in my career where I've had more fun.  It was such an incredible delight to arrive at the theater everyday to do the show. There was an incredible sense of play within the cast and no one was precious about either themselves or their characters. Nothing lasts forever and I will treasure that production as I have many others. 

Now I have returned to Philadelphia and had the unfamiliar sensation of returning to a home.   I lived in New York City for over 9 years and rarely had a permanent residence. I love that city with all the amazing life to discover there and I owe a lot of my career to the opportunities New York City provided for me. Most of the jobs I had were outside the city and when I returned home, I frequently had a frantic sensation of trying to figure out my living situation or scrambling for money.  Somehow it never felt like home. This time, when I walked into my apartment in Northern Liberties here in Philadelphia, I have to admit I was a bit overwhelmed with joy. The few items that I have acquired welcomed me home with a warmth I don't think I've ever experienced.  It reaffirmed my choice to move to the City of Brotherly Love. 

I'm also looking forward to a full theater season sleeping in my own bed (something I certainly have never experienced). I'm very fortunate in what I have going on here with several jobs including teaching and working at the National Constitution Center. I've planted roots here Philadelphia. Now lets see how I grow.

Just finishing up our third week of rehearsal and I am excited as my body is sore. The major design element of the show is one large platform, the entire length of the stage, that contorts in all directions literally giving Don Juan unstable ground to work through the demons of his mind. This deceptively complex set maneuvers into all kinds of inclines and declines making you use muscles you don't normally use. I think we all are feeling it and are being careful to take care of any ailments before they become intrusive into the work.  But despite the physical toll this crazy set is exacting, everyday we play on it like school children. Using it as a jungle gym. Sliding down it, rolling onto it, hanging off it, doing pull ups on it. I struggle to find another time in my career when there was so much physical play in rehearsal.  Also because we are using barely any set pieces (a table and a few chairs), we are presented with filling the space with just our bodies.  With the (for lack of a better word) "style" moving away from naturalism, we're tasked with creating the world of the scene with our bodies and voices. There is nowhere to hide. No couch to sink into. No picture to stare at. No bedroom to attach your psychology to. Its just the actors and the platform. And of course the sound and lighting and costumes.  All of which, I expect, are as excited to fill the space with their art as we the actors are. The thrilling thing about having nothing on stage is that you can be anything. People have been asking me recently how rehearsals are going.  My response is always that they are going wonderfully.  I don't exactly know what the audience is going to experience but its been rare that I have had this amount of artistic liberation in a process. Already I feel this process having a larger importance in my craft than just the production.

We have finished our first week of rehearsals for Don Juan Comes Home From Iraq .  For those who don't know this is a world premiere production being written (the script is not complete yet) by Paula Vogel. Cast out of a Jean-Rene Toussaint voice workshop last summer, this production is unique in that at it inception all elements are involved in the collaboration. Director, playwright, actors, dramaturge, and designers are all involved in the forming of the script.  I feel incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to work on such a unique production.  So often this work is only devised in smaller companies due to larger theater companies' economic obligation that motivate them not to take artistic risks. Bottom line this production costs a lot of money. From the voice workshops, to the script workshops, and the year long process of putting this together without knowing exactly what the play is, the Wilma is not settling for conventional production processes and wants to push the dialog forward on what theater's function is in the community and how we as theater artists operate.   

We worked multiple scenes this past week (and in previous workshops) using Jene-Rene exercises that involve exploring the characters through how they breathe and where they resonate in their bodies.  So much of what was found can't be put into words.  They are emotions and sensations that can't be contained by language.  It is life exploding on the stage. My imagination is tumbling with how this work will translate into what the audience will experience once we're open. Regardless of what we end up with as a production, I'm inspired both as an artist and as a human being.