Don Juan Comes Home From Iraq

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.