Suspension of Reality

Musings on the experience of playing in Circle Mirror Transformation

by Guest commentary by Tim Shute

Cast of Circle Mirror Transformation, photo by Hannah Eklund

Over the last 16+ years of acting, primarily on community theater stages around the south Puget Sound region, I have been asked many questions about my acting experiences by attendees of the shows I have done. Most often I am asked how we remember the lines or deal with stage fright. I answer politely and appreciate and understand the curiosity. But acting has little to do with those things. You see when I watch a movie or a play I am begging to be engaged by the actors and drawn into their world and escape from mine. Now I will leave it up to you to speculate what I might wish to escape from, but I assure you it is nothing more complex than the every day distractions that make up life itself. And good actors can do that for me and you on any given day and with any given role.

So the real challenge in acting isn't learning lines or movement around the stage, it is being able to provide that suspension of reality for others. And if successful, there is little in life I have found to be as rewarding. And in order to do that you have to come together with the other members of your cast, strangers at first, and in a very very brief period of time you have to learn to trust each other and allow yourself to be vulnerable. Sometimes it works well an sometimes it doesn't. We all know what bad theater looks and feels like.

But once in a while, you find yourself at a place we actors consider nirvana. A place where each actor on stage with you is so in tune with your every thought and movement that portraying the characters is as simple and instinctual as breathing. A place where each word that comes out of your mouth is as much yours as it is the character you are portraying. And it is oh so rare as to render mountains of gold undesirable. I am, once again, having that very experience with my fellow cast mates in Circle Mirror Transformation at OLT. In what is one of the most rewarding theater experiences of my life, I am able to achieve the depths of character development we only rarely are able to attain. Each moment under the lights is surreal in its authenticity. And each moment is alive with anticipation and exhilaration that i am brave enough to meet without fear, because of the people standing out there with me. Scott, Schultz, Lauren, Jessie, Chelsey, Theresa, Meghan, Marty, and James are all my best friends and greatest loves all at the same time. I could never repay the sense of admiration and gratitude they are all due. And yet I trust they feel the same for me. And soon it will come to a close and we will go our separate ways.

That is the challenge of acting. That is what is difficult, and elusive, and gut wrenching. That is what makes me want to hold on to my new friends forever, even though it will end. And every time I audition for a new show, THAT is what I am hoping for! That is why I take such pride in calling myself an actor!

Thank you to each and every cast mate I have ever had, and thank you to the beautiful, wonderful, amazing, talented, and loving cast mates I am so lucky to have in this brilliant show. And it is all because of one amazing person! Thank you Hanna Eklund!

Note: Final performances are this weekend.

Circle Mirror Transformation, Thursday-Saturday and 1:55 p.m. Sunday, through Feb. 21, Olympia Little Theatre, 1925 Miller Ave., NE, Olympia, tickets $11-$15, available at Yenney Music, 2703 Capital Mall Dr., Olympia, 360.786.9484, http://olympialittletheater.org/

Circle Mirror Transformation

Published in the Weekly Volcano, March 11, 2016 

from left: Jesse Morrow, Tim Shute, Meghan Goodman, Scott Douglas, and Chelsea Williams. Photo by Austin Lang.

And now for something completely and delightfully different — Circle Mirror Transformation at Olympia Little Theatre, written by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Annie Baker and winner of the 2010 Obie Award for Best New American Play .

It might seem silly and disjointed at first, but stick with it and you’ll be rewarded. Some people didn’t stick with it opening night. I noticed that more than a couple of couples left at intermission. Perhaps it was too weird for them. Perhaps it seemed meaningless. Too bad for those who walked out. They missed out on a terrific show ably pulled together by first-time director Hannah Eklund and an outstanding ensemble cast.

Cast photo by Austin C. Lang

Marty (Meghan Goodman) runs an acting class for adults. It’s a small class, four students only, one of whom is Marty’s husband, James (Tim Shute). It seems he doesn’t really want to be there, but is taking part in the class in order to support his wife. The other class members are Theresa (Chelsea Williams), a professional actor who doesn’t really need the class; Schultz (Scott Douglas), a recently divorced man who is uncomfortable being in the class; and Lauren (Jesse Morrow), a student with hopes of becoming an actor.

The play begins with a series of seemingly unconnected scenes that parody the kinds of often bizarre exercises actors are known for engaging in — attempting to communicate without words, making animal noises, lying on the floor and shouting out numbers in an attempt to count to 10 without any two or more saying the same number and nobody knowing when someone else is going to call out a number (try it, you’ll see how hard it is), becoming various inanimate objects, and introducing each other and telling their personal stories each in the guise of one of the other people in the class.

Time changes, from week one to week two and so forth, are cleverly introduced by projected videos of the actors, one at a time, in extreme close-up with lots of changes of expression and with background music. I do not know if the actors attempted to go through their medley of facial expressions with the music playing or if the music was added later, but they appeared to be delightfully synchronized—most enjoyably Shute frowning and laughing to the tune of The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction.”

The different scenes and exercises seem random and are often hilarious, but become increasingly revealing of intimate details, fears and desires. In the end, each of the class members has changed, and the audience knows them better. But not everything is revealed. As the actors tell their personal stories, the audience is challenged to figure out what stories pertain to which of the actors. Clues abound, but not necessarily the answers.

Kudos to cast and crew for a job well done.

Circle Mirror Transformation runs approximately two-and-one-half hours including intermission. It is an intelligent play for sophisticated adults.

The set and lighting are deceptively simple and effective. (No one is credited in the program for set design, but Tom Sanders is listed as set construction, and Sam Arsenault is credited for props—primarily a big ball, a hula hoop and a cleverly designed combination bench and storage cabinet.) The projected videos are captivating (Eklund did them and the sound design; and as director she has to be credited for the complex and excellent blocking). And since I've listed half the crew I should list the rest of the unsung heroes behind this production, all of whom deserve praise: Stage Manager Austin C. Lang; Lighting design Lang and Vanessa Postil; light and sound booth George Dougherty, who is seldom acknowledged for the critical job of running lights and sound for Theater Artists Olympia, Olympia Little Theatre, and Olympia Family Theatre; and Producer Allison Gerst, longtime costume designer for OLT.

Circle Mirror Transformation, Thursday-Saturday and 1:55 p.m. Sunday, through Feb. 21, Olympia Little Theatre, 1925 Miller Ave., NE, Olympia, tickets $11-$15, available at Yenney Music, 2703 Capital Mall Dr., Olympia, 360.786.9484, http://olympialittletheater.org/

Evolution at W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory

Art, Science and Adaptation

Published in the Weekly Volcano, Feb. 11, 2016

“Beioneural” mixed media sculpture with moss and LED lights by Jennifer Robbins

Lisa Kinoshita curates art exhibits in fantastic venues and presents the work in such a manner that it blends in with, becomes a part of, and enhances what is already there. She did it beautifully at the Seaport Museum last summer and has now done it again at the W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory in Wright Park. In an exhibition called Evolution: Art, Science and Adaptation, Kinoshita has brought together the works of 13 artists including works of mixed-media sculpture, video, and ceramics displayed among the hundreds of exotic plants in the conservatory. The art fits in so naturally and organically that viewers can easily miss some works. It is a smorgasbord of beautiful, unusual and unexpected shapes, colors and materials on the floor and in the air — all of which plays upon the theme of evolution, sometimes humorously and sometimes with scientific seriousness.

A trio of Claudia Riedner’s popular giant heads guard the entrance. They are like the Easter Island heads moved from a bare hillside to a lush tropical jungle, and can be seen as either welcoming or a warning. Enter at your own risk; you’ll be glad you did.

There are three unique sculptural works by Yuki Nakomura in the exhibition, the most intriguing of which is one called “Tree Map.” She traced the shapes of peeling bark on an allspice tree in the conservatory, painted them in solid tones of red, yellow and blue and with black and white stripes, and then put them back on the tree trunk. It is an artist’s playful interpretation of a possible evolutionary change to the tree.

Another playful interpretation of evolutionary change can be seen in Ed Kroupa’s “Cactopl,” an octopus-like creature hiding in rocks on the floor made out of sculpted foam, toothpicks and glass. With its big, blue glass eyes and tentacles partially buried in the rocks, it seems to be stalking prey.

 “Breaking Through” mixed-media sculpture by Don High. Photos by Lisa Kinoshita

Don High’s “Breaking Through” is a mixed-media sculptural tower of rocks with moss-covered tendrils sprouting fountain-like from the top. Like many of the sculptural pieces, it seems to be an organic part of the jungle of the conservatory.

Had Kinoshita not been there to point it out to me, I would not have seen Brent Watanabe’s mixed-media installation “Deposit.” There is a small table covered with a red checkerboard cloth. That part was easy to see, and seemed out of place. But then Kinoshita told me to look under the table. There I saw a video of a funny and kind of sad puppy projected onto clear vinyl sheets.

One of the most beautiful pieces in the show is Jennifer Robbins’ “Beioneural.” It is an organic sculpture of sticks, raindeer moss, succulents and LED lights. Sprouting from either end of a brilliant orange moss-covered stick with lights glowing from within are tree branches or bright red and purple. Verbal description does not do it justice. The beauty is breathtaking.

Another of the most fascinating installations is Sean Alexander and Paul Cavanaugh’s “Ant Farm.” It is, in fact, just what the title claims, an ant farm with living ants, hanging in air within sheets of glass. Inside the glass are complementary blue and orange substances that look like a three-dimensional Mark Rothko painting. The blue material is a gel substance developed by NASA for sending ants into space, and it functions as food, water source, and habitat.

There is so much more to see, and it is all intelligent, thought-provoking, often surprising, and quite lovely to look at.

 Evolution: Art, Science and Adaptation, Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Third Thursday Art Walk, closing time is 7 p.m., $3 suggested donation, Seymour Botanical Conservatory, 316 G Street in Wright Park, Tacoma.

Support Your Local Bookwriter

Last night I went to a book launch party for William Turbyfill’s Field of Turby at B Sharp Coffee House in Tacoma. Graciously, Turbyfill honored friends and fellow writers Christian Carvajal, Jack Cameron and Melissa Thayer by inviting them to read from their own works, and then he read a few selections from his newly published book—his first, and hopefully the first of many. It was a wonderful event. It is good to see locals coming out to support local writers. There are many more outstanding local writers than I can begin to enumerate. Most of them are published by independent, small-budget publishers, or are self-published. There used to be a stigma to that, but not so much anymore. Despite not being well known beyond friends and relatives, many of these local, independently published authors are just as good as, and often better than, more famous authors whose books sell in the millions.

The difference is Random House and HarperCollins and Simon&Schuster can spend huge fortunes on advertising and promotion; they can provide every bookstore in America with return-guaranteed books; they can send their authors on worldwide book tours. (I’m not about to spend a thousand dollars to fly across country for a book reading where I might sell half a dozen books.) Marketing is impossible beyond readings in local bookstores (and only independent bookstores like Kings Books and Orca will even put these books on their shelves) and at events such as Creative Colloquy.

Steven King’s latest novel, The Bazaar of Bad Dreams has 767 customer reviews on amazon.com. Field of Turby has seven, which is phenomenal for an independently published book that’s been out such a short time. My latest book has four. The most I’ve ever gotten for any book so far has been 19.

Like your local food co-op and neighborhood schools, local writers need your support. Please buy their books and read them. But don’t just read them. Post customer reviews on amazon and Goodreads, and recommend them on Facebook. These reviews help more than you can imagine, and they’re not hard to write. They don’t have to be polished or even skillfully written. Just write what you think, and be honest. If there are things about the book you don’t like, say it. If you just gush about how great it is, readers will sense you’re being dishonest; they might even suspect you were paid to write a glowing review (that does happen, and amazon watches for it and will refuse to publish reviews they suspect are dishonest).

Here are some local authors in the Olympia-Tacoma area whose books I recommend, plus a couple from other parts of the country whose books are outstanding and who could use your support:

William Turbyfill

Melissa Thayer

Jack Cameron

Ned Hayes

Christian Carvajal

Ricker Winsor

S.R. Martin Jr.

Jack Butler

Larry Johnson

Joshua Swainston

Ruth Tiger

Dianne Kozdrey Bunnell

Ring of Fire at Centerstage

Published in the Weekly Volcano, Feb. 4, 2016

June Carter Cash (Cayman Ilika) and Johnny Cash (Jared Michael Brown) set the stage in Federal Way. Photo credit: Michelle Smith Lewis

Ring of Fire at Centerstage in Federal Way is wonderful entertainment, well worth the drive. Adapted from the Broadway Production by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Jason Edwards, it is a hybrid falling somewhere between a play and a musical revue. It tells the life story of Johnny Cash through his music. There is no dialogue, but there are a few necessary bits of narration addressed directly to the audience by Cash (Jared Michael Brown) and June Carter Cash (Cayman Ilika). Similarly, there are no traditional theatrical scenes, but there is choreographed movement arranged by director and choreographer Amy Johnson. And how wonderfully the choreography creates visions of train rides and working on the chain gang, of a youthful band auditioning before the great record producer Sam Phillips, and of the beginnings and ends of love.

I was given a hint as to how this musical experience was going to differ from other theatrical productions when before curtain time I asked Centerstage Artistic Director Alan Bryce why none of the actors’ character names were listed in the program. In trying to explain, he kept saying, “You’ll see. It’s different.”

The band from left Tom Stewart, Jack Dearth, Jared Michael Brown and Sean Tomerlin, Photo credit: Michelle Smith Lewis

For starters, Brown not only plays Cash, he also plays other male characters, including Phillips; Ilika plays June Carter Cash and Cash’s first wife, Vivian Liberto. There’s also a four-piece band: drums (Zack Summers), electric and acoustic guitar (Sean Tomerlin), bass (Jack Dearth) and acoustic guitar (Tom Stewart) — most of whom also take on the role of Johnny Cash at times. As Bryce said, you’ll see. By-the-way, typical country and western bands back in the ’50s and early ’60s described such combos as drums, bass, lead guitar and rhythm guitar. Cash played rhythm guitar but was never known as a great musician but as a great singer-songwriter and stylist. Brown does not play guitar in this productions.

Brown and Ilika are each members of Actors Equity. Ilika starred as Mary Poppins at Village Theatre and was a Gregory Award nominee, and she rocked the house at Centerstage as Patsy in Always Patsy Cline. Brown recently performed at Seattle’s 5^th Avenue Theatre, ACT, and Seattle Children’s Theatre. They are both terrific singers and actors who pull the audience in, making even a fairly large house feel tiny and intimate. Brown made me feel like he was flirting with the audience, even improvising interaction with them on a couple of occasions when I was there for an opening weekend matinee. Neither tries to imitate Johnny or June, but interpret their songs in their own styles, and sing with power. Brown has a wider range to his voice than Cash but sounds a lot like him especially when he drops to a lower key.

Some of the band members also take the lead on Johnny Cash songs. Stewart and Dearth are particularly outstanding on the songs they solo on.

Ring of Fire is two hours of great Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash songs from standard country and gospel songs from their early years to such favorite hits as “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I Walk The Line,” and “A Boy Named Sue.”

Ring of Fire, 8 p.m. Thurs.- Sat., 2 p.m. Sat.-Sun., through Feb/ 14., Centerstage at Knutzen Family Theatre, 3200 SW Dash Point Road, Federal Way, $30, Seniors (65+) and Military: $25; Youth (25 & Under): $10; VIP: $50, 253-661-1444, www.centerstagetheatre.comxt