By Hannah Gomez, playing Maribel in crooked

Just Us Girls 

Despite how hardworking and intelligent the production team of Crooked has been, there is also this fun vibe of “just us girls.” This isn’t meant in a condescending or demeaning sense, but in the sense that there is a vibrant, empowering, FUN energy that comes from being in a setting with such great women.

Laney Writing

 In the play, Laney (Rae Gray) writes… a LOT. It’s kind of her thing. She even goes on to dedicate one of her stories to Maribel (myself). One of my favorite “fun” things, thus far, was when Rae (as Laney) made me (as Maribel) a mixed CD of “Laney’s top 16.” It read, “For Maribel <3 Laney.” This is not in the text, mind you. There is no part of the play where Laney gives Maribel a mixed CD. Maribel wouldn’t even have a way to play it at home, given her strict, sheltered upbringing. This kind act was just Rae being awesome and sharing some of the music that her character might like; music that, I assumed intentionally, coincided with some of the events of the play.

Laney's Top 16

 I liked many of the songs already. I’ve now listened to the whole CD in my car and it made me laugh. It even made me think about things I hadn’t thought about in the play before. “Laney’s top 16” consists of:

1. Mean by: Taylor Swift
2. I Kissed A Girl by: Katy Perry
3. Boyfriend by: Justin Bieber
4. Pure Imagination by: Maroon Five
5. Call Me Maybe by: Carly Rae Jepsen
6. A Year Without Rain by: Selena Gomez
7. What Makes You Beautiful by: One Direction
8. Never Say Never by: Justin Bieber
9. The Heart of Life by: John Mayer
10. You Belong With Me by: Taylor Swift
11. Hot N’ Cold by: Katy Perry
12. Stronger by: Kelly Clarkson
13. Eyes Open by: Taylor Swift (We sing this occasionally in rehearsal?.)
14. Firework by: Katy Perry
15. Bang Bang Bang by: Selena Gomez
16. Something That I Want by: Grace Potter

I guess you’ll have to see the show to get some of the songs listed… In light of this awesomeness, I decided Maribel might’ve stolen a CD from school and burned it on the library computer, where she goes to discover most things secular. I made a CD for Laney (Rae) that also mildly coincides with the play. The mix is mostly some of the things that Maribel would want Laney to hear. Rae’s mix was a little more age appropriate, but I’m not as up-to-date as Rae is, so I did my best ?. Maribel’s mix CD consisted of (in order):

1. Ordinary Day by: Vanessa Carlton
2. F***kin Perfect by: P!nk
3. Shine Your Light by: Nichole Nordeman
4. There's Hope by: India.Arie
5. Stuck Like Glue by: Sugarland
6. Friday by: Rebecca Black
7. In the Highways by: The Peasall Sisters
8. All The Way Up to Heaven by: Guster
9. Carry On by: Fun.
10. Gratitude by: Nichole Nordeman
11. New Soul by: Yael Naim
12. Follow You Down: Gin Blossoms
13. This One's For The Girls by: Martina McBride
14. Wild Young Hearts by: The Noisettes
15. I Do Not Hook Up by: Kelly Clarkson
16. I'm Not Your Toy by: La Roux
17. Why Baby Why by: The Secret Sisters
18. You Lie by: The Band Perry
19. Messiah by: MoZella
20. Jesusland by: Ben Folds
21. This is Not an Exit by: Saves The Day

….Now you really have to see the play, right?

By crooked director Sandy Shinner

Crooked is, in part, a mother-daughter story. And I was thinking about my mother in rehearsal the other day (when the actors were running lines, of course!). The last time I directed for Rivendell was in the fall of 1997—Holy Days by Sally Nemeth. My mother loved that show, as did my then-12 year old daughter. It was one of the last productions I directed that my mother saw…so it’s a special memory.

The mother–daughter bond is so amazing…and so complicated. In rehearsal, we’re all bringing our experiences as daughters to the table to try to explore and illuminate specific moments and relationships. Tara and I get to contribute from the mother’s perspective too. One of the by products of these conversations is that you get to know each other quickly, and sometimes deeply, by sharing pivotal moments in your lives. All actors talk about building a family of sorts…either happy or dysfunctional…during each show. And it’s true. As the director, I’m a part of that family in the rehearsal process: they know some of my secrets and I know theirs (and we’re not telling). My crooked “family” (Tara, Rae, Hannah, Stephanie, Meredith, Megan) is great: smart, creative, open, energetic, hard working and FUN. I think all those qualities will translate to the stage as we inhabit the unique world Catherine Trieschmann, the playwright, has given us.

And I expect that my mother would be proud of this one too!

by Megan Carney

First Saturday rehearsal for Crooked

Director Sandy Shinner has the cast on their feet working script in hand and pausing for lots of discussion.

Where are we finding these women at this moment in their lives?

Fourteen year old Laney (played by Rae Gray) just came out as a lesbian. Now who are we to question young love? Teenagers feel things so deeply and fully, feelings so powerful they can redefine the world in an instant. The way Laney is feeling things for Maribel (played by Hannah Gomez) And its real. It's the truth. Undeniably. For this very moment.

Laney says "I"m a holiness lesbian... I believe in the holy ghost and I kiss girls... If there were a holiness lesbian march, I'd march. It's a good thing."

Wait. What?

Elise (played by Tara Mallen) is starting a new career - one that PAYS - but her training as a clinical social worker runs deep. We got to talking about whether or not Elise can see the world without her "social worker lenses." 

We can't unlearn what we know or not see what we're trained to see, right? So how do we keep our professional selves in check when dealing with the family? And what constitutes a crisis anyway?

By Janice Pytel

Our trip to the Humana Festival was inspiring on so many levels. The productions themselves were a treat to watch - some moving, some funny, some just silly, - but all interesting, and definitely worth seeing. It was also wonderful to connect with our fellow audience members - agents, literary managers, casting directors, and many other theater artists - all of whom had something wonderful to share. We also had the opportunity to meet many of the artists who worked on the productions we saw, including playwrights, actors, directors, and designers. I reconnected with many old friends and made some exciting new ones. All in all, the whole weekend was a hotbed of creative energy, and I've returned rejuvenated, and ready to tackle the challenges ahead as we plan our next season, and continue work on our Women Warriors project. A special thanks should be extended to Les Waters and Jennifer Beilstein who made the whole weekend possible, especially for Tara and me. We are truly lucky to have such wonderful friends and collaborators. And a HUGE special thanks to our friends and long-time supporters The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, who gave us the grant to fund our trip to Humana. Where would we be without you?!
 

by Lisa Dillman

Last Monday night, Rivendell's Fresh Produce new play development series was back in action once again with a concert reading of Elaine Romero's newest work, Graveyard of Empires. The play, a moving meditation on the human fallout from contemporary warfare, was workshopped over the preceding week by the playwright, director Susan Bowen, and a talented cast of actors. The reading drew a full house, and afterwards the Rivendell lobby was abuzz with great conversation.

Featuring: Rengin Altay, Raúl Castillo, Stephanie Diaz, Keith Kupferer, Kathy Logelin, Jesse Thurston, and Mark Montgomery

My name is Stephanie Hurovitz; I’ll be your stage manager and “show-attendant” for the evening. Fasten your seat belts; this will be a bumpy ride. Take off was scheduled for 6pm on Sunday, March 11th. I got to the theatre at about 4:30. We were cleared for take-off. I did my preshow set-up which included a dimmer check that went as it should. There was a small delay on the runway w/ a temperamental speaker. I got Toy on the phone and she suggested I try something on the board and it worked. Great. We took off, wheels were up and I thought we were in for smooth sailing. Then (at about 10,000 feet-between 5 and 5:15pm) I noticed that one of the legs of the side table (a prop, backstage) was on the cord for the lamp. I moved it and had a gut feeling that I should check all my lights again, to make sure they were coming on. I did; they did not. In fact, only about half of the lights were coming up. Toy, our knowledgeable and fearless director, dragged the ladder up and down the stage and thru the house almost a dozen times trying to see if we could solve the problems by turning dimmers off, then on again, to reset the lights. Turning one dimmer pack off then back on, we got half the lights to come on, and the practical lamp. Switching another dimmer pack off, then on, caused the rest of the lights to come on, but the lamp and one light, went off. We powered the board down, (which did NOT result in the lights going off) and turned it back on. (The only thing that turned lights off, was turning the dimmers off.) It was at about 23,000 feet, 10 minutes to 6, when I remembered that there were actors backstage who hadn’t gotten a single call from me; that was also about the time Tara went to the reception in the rehearsal room and announced that it would be a few more minutes and that folks should pour themselves another glass. Onstage, we continued turning dimmers on and off to no avail. Finally, I powered down the board, we turned off all dimmers, turned off all sound equipment, and even cut the breakers. Then we turned everything back on and waited w/ baited breath to see if our problems were solved… . They were not. 29,000 feet: major turbulence; I was afraid we were heading down. We still had lighting issues, but we had a plan! A water landing: Toy was going to stand on a ladder under the upstage-left dimmer pack and turn it off and on when necessary, to get the lights to cooperate. But before we opened the house, we did one last speaker check. Of course a speaker was out. Toy fiddled w/ the board and cursed at it until it worked. Then she took up her post on the ladder, and we opened the house. We hit our cruising altitude of 33,000 feet, and thanks to Toy on the ladder at the dimmer pack, it was smooth sailing.

Stephanie is the Stage Manager for Falling: A Wake, currently running in our new space at 5779 N. Ridge Avenue