H and H, Baby
I am pained to say that the VT incident hit close to home for a dear friend. It sucks. It really does.
After hashing out what’s been going on with that yesterday she asked about Helen Hayes. It felt indulgent to even talk about this fluffy, over-the-top event in light of everything. I demurred.
“I believe in celebrations” she said. “If we stop celebrating in the face of these kinds of things then what do you have?”
Well put.
I am happy to say that the Helen Hayes awards this year, in my humble opinion, celebrated all of those things most worth honoring—passionate work, balls out performances, and people and processes that honor the principles of trust, belief, and humanity.
The highlights:
I was so very proud to be a part of Catalyst, glowing with our first win as Best Ensemble for Chris Gallu’s bold and fantastic staging of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. I love this group (both as friends and colleagues) and am so honored to be working with them. I can’t say enough good things about their collective presence in my life. It’s been unexpected and wonderful. Furthermore, the crew that made up this dynamic cast included several actors I finally had the opportunity to work with this year: Grady Weatherford, Scott McCormick, Andrew Price and Elizabeth Richards. Seriously, and you all think I am just in an effusive mood, but I thank every one of them for being smart, talented, exciting actors in the contexts of our work as well.
Y’all rock, you know that.
A yelp went out for the Posner/Folger double victory—I finally caught his acceptance speech (two years ago I was late and missed it) for best director. And how cool that Measure for Measure won best production! An *impossible play* that he made engaging, funny, beautiful, and magical. I watched the show from one of the side galleries at the theater and Aaron told me later that he noticed that I had this funny grin glued to my face the whole show. What was that about? See above. Engaging, funny, beautiful and magical. It was intoxicating.
Another yelp for Matthew Nielson, who I just had a great time working with on Dali. He is talented and astute, and also so much freakin’ fun to work with, very deserving of his award for the Sound Design of A Prayer For Owen Meany.
And finally for Joe Calarco (who I raved about last year after his many wins for Urinetown.) I didn’t see either of these shows--and that’s totally lame of me but a credit to him—as they tend to be near impossible to get tickets to. Again, this year, his actors spoke of Joe’s faith in them as artists and his commitment in to the process of creation and his willingness to take risks. Risks are scary, but how important that someone is not keeping it “safe”.
That’s what I would say about all this work: Ui, Measure, and based on all I’ve heard about Assassins—they were willing to take big risks. And that’s what we have to keep doing to avoid becoming complacent with big, pretty sets and easily digestible material.
Make us all chew a little.
Joe’s sister Renee won the Charles MacArthur Award for best new play for her Short Order Stories. Again, a show I am sorry to have missed but here’s hoping this guarantees it a future. The brother-sister scene made me glow a little with upstate pride, as both hail from Rochester.
I offer congratulations to all other winners and nominees, these folks just happened to be the ones particularly close to my heart. All in all—a fun evening and a well-paced ceremony.
As for the evening as a whole, I give you my Helen Hayes 2006, by the numbers:
# of people at my house getting ready at 6:00pm: 4
# of times I put my hair up then took it back down: 3
# of pieces of double sided tape used to keep me in my dress: 4
# of minutes late I was to pick up my tickets from Gallu: 22
# of times I made my entire row stand up to let me out for a pee break during the ceremony: 2 (once in, once out)
# of regrettable costume choices for the tap-dancing girls: the whole kick line. Come on—give them a complete costume, not dance pants, silly.
# of minutes spent on the dance floor: a good twelve or so
# of rotations through the two ball rooms with the fabulous Ms. Fortier: hmmm, 3?
# of times I lost my date: 4
# of times I found my date: 4
# of years in a row I get to corner the delightful Karl Miller in conversation in front of the Marriot: 2
# of regrettable exchanges or moments: 0!!!! None this year, which is a victory in and of itself.
Till next year, all.
After hashing out what’s been going on with that yesterday she asked about Helen Hayes. It felt indulgent to even talk about this fluffy, over-the-top event in light of everything. I demurred.
“I believe in celebrations” she said. “If we stop celebrating in the face of these kinds of things then what do you have?”
Well put.
I am happy to say that the Helen Hayes awards this year, in my humble opinion, celebrated all of those things most worth honoring—passionate work, balls out performances, and people and processes that honor the principles of trust, belief, and humanity.
The highlights:
I was so very proud to be a part of Catalyst, glowing with our first win as Best Ensemble for Chris Gallu’s bold and fantastic staging of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. I love this group (both as friends and colleagues) and am so honored to be working with them. I can’t say enough good things about their collective presence in my life. It’s been unexpected and wonderful. Furthermore, the crew that made up this dynamic cast included several actors I finally had the opportunity to work with this year: Grady Weatherford, Scott McCormick, Andrew Price and Elizabeth Richards. Seriously, and you all think I am just in an effusive mood, but I thank every one of them for being smart, talented, exciting actors in the contexts of our work as well.
Y’all rock, you know that.
A yelp went out for the Posner/Folger double victory—I finally caught his acceptance speech (two years ago I was late and missed it) for best director. And how cool that Measure for Measure won best production! An *impossible play* that he made engaging, funny, beautiful, and magical. I watched the show from one of the side galleries at the theater and Aaron told me later that he noticed that I had this funny grin glued to my face the whole show. What was that about? See above. Engaging, funny, beautiful and magical. It was intoxicating.
Another yelp for Matthew Nielson, who I just had a great time working with on Dali. He is talented and astute, and also so much freakin’ fun to work with, very deserving of his award for the Sound Design of A Prayer For Owen Meany.
And finally for Joe Calarco (who I raved about last year after his many wins for Urinetown.) I didn’t see either of these shows--and that’s totally lame of me but a credit to him—as they tend to be near impossible to get tickets to. Again, this year, his actors spoke of Joe’s faith in them as artists and his commitment in to the process of creation and his willingness to take risks. Risks are scary, but how important that someone is not keeping it “safe”.
That’s what I would say about all this work: Ui, Measure, and based on all I’ve heard about Assassins—they were willing to take big risks. And that’s what we have to keep doing to avoid becoming complacent with big, pretty sets and easily digestible material.
Make us all chew a little.
Joe’s sister Renee won the Charles MacArthur Award for best new play for her Short Order Stories. Again, a show I am sorry to have missed but here’s hoping this guarantees it a future. The brother-sister scene made me glow a little with upstate pride, as both hail from Rochester.
I offer congratulations to all other winners and nominees, these folks just happened to be the ones particularly close to my heart. All in all—a fun evening and a well-paced ceremony.
As for the evening as a whole, I give you my Helen Hayes 2006, by the numbers:
# of people at my house getting ready at 6:00pm: 4
# of times I put my hair up then took it back down: 3
# of pieces of double sided tape used to keep me in my dress: 4
# of minutes late I was to pick up my tickets from Gallu: 22
# of times I made my entire row stand up to let me out for a pee break during the ceremony: 2 (once in, once out)
# of regrettable costume choices for the tap-dancing girls: the whole kick line. Come on—give them a complete costume, not dance pants, silly.
# of minutes spent on the dance floor: a good twelve or so
# of rotations through the two ball rooms with the fabulous Ms. Fortier: hmmm, 3?
# of times I lost my date: 4
# of times I found my date: 4
# of years in a row I get to corner the delightful Karl Miller in conversation in front of the Marriot: 2
# of regrettable exchanges or moments: 0!!!! None this year, which is a victory in and of itself.
Till next year, all.
posted by SAS @ 12:47 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Congrats on the 0 regrettable exchanges.
What a difference a year makes.
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