Raconteur Theatre Company

Straight off of our production of Ghosts we have launched into rehearsals for our December production: Mom and Pop by local Columbus playwright Sarah Tobin.  Part of my duties as director is to share my concept of the play with the production team.  This is what I recently sent out to everyone.

Mom and Pop
Written by Sarah Tobin
Directed by Jill Ceneskie

Every generation must choose its path.  Do we follow our dreams or do we follow tradition?  Do we support the family owned businesses of our neighborhoods or do we opt for the convenience of the large corporate mega stores?  These are the issues I want our audiences to leave with in their minds.

Hendrick Hardware is warm and inviting, but should also appear as though it is lacking something as each generation we see is lacking.  The present day generation lacks direction in the face of too many options; our 1958 characters lack options in the face of unexpected events; our 1937 characters lack family unity in wake of a new generation being born.  With each generation we see a little warm disappearing but it is never gone.  There is love for the store, even if they don’t want it for their own lives.

Some scenes will contain very similar blocking to reflect that idea that although each generation has its own dilemma, at the very core of it, struggles are all the same in many ways, and we all face these problems in our own time.   We can also see each character’s level of connection to the store through blocking.  We see, for example, that Franz, Bart, Ed, and Gus are comfortable in the store and will wander in and out of the aisles for various purposes.  Luke will walk straight through the aisles but take no notice of them.  Eda, on the other hand, is at home in the store but avoids a commitment to its function, as she is never seen walking through any of the aisles.  Gerda, Gail, and Becky avoid the area where the aisles are, showing their disconnect from the store (each has her own reason for this disconnect).

All in all, we see how the early generations affect their children and the complications that one man’s dream can cause for generations to come.

*****

And that’s that.  Now I’m working on scheduling one on one meetings with each designer.  It’s nonstop from here to December 4th when we open!

Jill

I spent a good part of the summer worrying about casting Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts. It features one of the greatest roles written for a woman, Mrs. Helen Alving.  By “greatest” I mean challenging, complex, on stage almost the entire show and responsible for the play’s success.  Who would be capable, available and interested in acting this role - or any of the others in the play for that matter - for a brand new theatre company that offers minuscule monetary compensation and a short track record of success?

Not knowing what else I could do, I decided to place my faith in God, the Universe or perhaps Dionysus himself to take care of that which was beyond my control.  I focused on my part: reading the script, researching Ibsen, and sending emails to every actor I know to invite them to audition.  I am grateful to say that tactic worked.  I now have a dream cast in whom I have complete confidence to bring Ghosts to life.

The cast of Raconteur Theatre’s production of Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts translated by Lanford Wilson is:

• Regina: Sarah Willis
• Engstrand: Richard Wilson
• Mrs. Helen Alving: Carolyn Harding
• Reverend Manders:Stephen Woosley
• Oswald: Brennan Hunter

For Raconteur Theatre’s debut production After the Afterglow, we relied upon Board Members and personal friends to design the set, lights, costumes and sound. Each of the designers brought experience, creativity and expertise to the table and our final product was great. Not all of those designers were available for our second production so we have had to widen our circle of participants. Luckily two new designers have teamed up with the Raconteur production team for Ghosts and my experience with them has been nothing but positive.

I was delighted when Scenic Designer Richard May sent me photos of a “white model” a couple days after joining the Ghosts design team. This 3D scaled model gave me a clear picture of his concept so we could have a detailed discussion about what would work and what would need to change.

I was equally pleased and impressed during my first meeting with Costume Designer Jaylene Henderson. Instead of just asking what I wanted, she presented me a colorful array of sketches, fabric swatches and printouts of period costumes. We discussed details of fabric colors, dress lines and shoes. I came away from the meeting excited about the beautiful costumes I could actually envision. Then, after just a week, Jaylene sent me photos of the skirt she had already started sewing!

It feels greatto have designs before we’ve even started rehearsals. Richard and Jaylene are raising the bar of our design standards, setting a wonderful example for the rest of us. This is how we should be designing shows. Drawings, renderings, models, fabric swatches - visual representations of any kind are essential to a successful design process!

-Tricia Jones
Director, Ghosts
Running October 9 - 25, 2008 in Columbus, OH. Details at http://raconteurtheatre.com

“Jacob Adler said that unless you give the audience something that makes them bigger - better - do not act… [Acting should] open up the vastness in you as a human being, to understand your place more than you do - not to be led by the Bible or anything else but the truth of modern life as given to you by certain genius-authors in the theatre who can make you into something tremendous”  -Stella Adler, Stella Adler on Ibsen, Strindberg and Chekov

As soon as I agreed to direct Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts, I realized I was terrified.  Sure, I have directing experience but how do you compare a middle school production of Aesop’s (Oh So Slightly Updated) Fables with a play written by “genius-author” Henrik Ibsen,  the father modern theatre?  The opportunity to direct Ghosts is certainly a privilege but I questioned whether I’d be able to live up to such great responsibility.

Well, the question has yet to be answered but I’m gaining confidence.  And the confidence is not coming so much from belief in my directorial skills but rather from discovering first hand the brilliance of Henrik Ibsen’s playwriting.  I read and reread the script and discover new, wonderful insights each time - each character and plot twist has so many layers.  I’ve read several essays that expound upon the near perfection of Ibsen’s dramatic form and “ah ha!” lights go on in my head like fireworks.

 I am being reminded that a director’s job is not to hatch the perfect “concept” and cram the play into her perception of what it should be.  Rather, by staying intimately in tune with the script, the text and the subtext, the play will lead me and in turn lead the actors.  This is the path that will lead us to creating theatre that “gives the audience something that makes them bigger.”  I’m a little less afraid of Ghosts now.  In fact, Ghosts inspires me.  

 -Tricia Jones
Director, Ghosts
Running October 9 - 25, 2008 in Columbus, OH.  Details at http://raconteurtheatre.com