Before I even picked up the script of RABBIT HOLE I knew its reputation… the buzz had been very loud about how great an “actors” play this was.  

Which usually makes me cautious.   

For the past 16 years, I’ve read between 300-500 plays annually (ya, no kidding…) and I’ve often been disappointed by scripts that have huge hype only to find they’re mediocre at best.  I must also say the majority of the plays I read are unpublished and either submitted unsolicited to Alleyway or as part of the Alleyway Maxim Mazumdar New Play Competition. Reading an unproduced script is tons different than reading one that has gone through a rigorous process including production….  

Back to RABBIT HOLE -  I didn’t know what to expect. This is a very natural play…  which makes it terrifically challenging. I seem to remember George Burns said “The key to acting is sincerity – once you can fake that you’ve got it made.  The biggest key on the keychain of theatre is making something which is at its heart completely UNnatural  seem perfectly feasible and wonderful. All the while it sucks an audience into the Unreality of it all … after all what could be more surreal ?? – a group of people pretending for weeks that a specific situation is real and another group of people coming in and watching and pretending it’s real too… weird huh?  But that’s theatre and when it works it’s amazing.  

So when I finished my first reading of RABBIT HOLE I heard the buzz very loudly “this is an actor’s play.”  

Luckily I’m one of those of those actors– I’m going back to my script now. 

Joyce Stilson
Actor

RABBIT HOLE

 

Recent Retiree Donna McCarthy at Buffalo State had that quote taped to the wall of the costume shop in the basement of Upton Hall, next to what is now known as the Warren Enters theatre, back then it was just Upton Hall.

Fast, Good Cheep means that you can have it two ways but not the third. if its fast and cheep, its not going to be good. Good and Fast? Not cheep.

This approach is true whichever way you slice it, and for the set of RABBIT HOLE I'm choosing Good and Cheep, and painting is taking forever. Im faux finishing all the cabinets and island I built, to look like maple and finishing the countertops in marbelized brown stone. the trick im finding is learning how to work the glaze, it dries quickly and you have to get the brush just right. It looks good so far (knock on faux wood),. I regularly imporess myself with my abilities, I guess that comes from doubting yourself so much. I did a few hours  of painting last night and cleaned up teh costume shop, Its become a mess over the summer and time to do some cleanup before the season starts and things get crazy.

I've spent about $40 and 40 hours  on the set and it looks great, bout 10 more hours of a nice polyurathane coats and we're ready to go

I've still got alot of manic energy and trying to successfully channel it into the new show RABBIT HOLE. I met up with college friend Kathy Petrola last week for coffee, it was great to see her and I'm glad she's doing well. She connected me to a few others from those upton hall days at BSC and I miss them all, seems so long ago,  but then again just like yesterday.

Tonight I tackle Robot Sheets (You'll have to see the show to understand)

OK off to varnish and clean up the alley. Have a great day!

I started building the set today for RABBIT HOLE, I originally had planned a hyper realistic set, as it seems most of the  productions of the play have had.

Neal Radice suggested I think in terms of partial reality, as the play is so good, the less dressing the better. I have to agree. Often when you have a play that is lacking in written word, you can increase your production values, to bring the show up to a higher level through design and production values.

In this case, I dont think it's warraneted, the lighting is going to be real important, but as far as the set, im thinking fractured reality. I'll have to build a pretty realistic kitchen area with cabinets and overheads but dont plan on really having any walls. the other areas will include a living room/TV area (with a working TV that will play a tape) and the boys bedroom (anybody have toddler Robot sheets??)

Well off to the ALT for the last performance of WAITING FOR ANSWERS and a pool party at one of the actor's parents house.

Best

Todd

Alleyway Theatre presents RABBIT HOLE by David Lindsay-Abaire