Asher Lev X: Closing

And so another show comes to the end.  Our last two shows were sold out, we had wonderful reviews in the Jewish Tribune and the North York Mirror (reposted in my last entries), our cast, crew and director were happy with our work.

What does it feel like to have a show close?  It is always different.  There is a commonality though, a bitter sweet mix of joy and sorrow.  Joy that the show is coming to a close and that it is time to move on to another project, another challenge.  Sorrow that it is coming to a close and it will not be done again; that this run is finished and so the story and characters lie to rest.

This show in particular for me is a strong mix of those emotions. As the run progressed, as is always the case, I understood Asher more and more.  His story rang true with me, or was more engrained in my psyche.  The words that flowed through me had that much more power, it was that much easier to convey the message to those watching.  This message, this story, for me personally, is a universal truth that I loved telling.  In addition to that, the role was phenomenal.  I was supported by a fabulous cast including Mark Albert and Tracey Beltrano and I could not have done the show without their great talent.  With that said the piece is written to highlight and put weight on Asher, or the actor playing him.  It was fabulous to have a role of this depth and meat.  Long powerful monologues, in which I visibly brought audience members to tears, moved and challenged thought processes, and overall got to shine as an actor.  It is one of my quintessential roles.  I will miss it.

This role also has value as it is a mile stone for me.  I joked with cast and friends "Ten years ago I was hired to hold a spear on a stage, because I wasn't good enough for dialogue!"  So true.  This piece tangibly marks my growth and hilights all the training, work and dedication I put forward as an actor.  Thank you universe for this gift.  

On to the next project.  Stay tuned.

Asher Lev IX: Another Review

 The North York Mirror / InsideToronto.com
Nov 15, 2012  |   

FRONT ROW CENTRE: Teatron brings ‘Asher Lev’ to North York stage

MARK ANDREW LAWRENCE
 

    

The struggles faced by all artists have inspired many books, films and plays.

In My Name is Asher Lev, the title character is a young man whose passion for drawing arouses the ire of his traditional Hasidic parents. They are particularly aghast when after a visit to a museum the boy becomes fascinated with drawing nudes and images of the crucifixion.

Adapted from Chaim Potok’s 1972 novel, playwright Aaron Posner has Asher narrating his own story, thereby allowing Geoff Kolomayz to portray Asher as an adult as well as a teenaged boy. Kolomayz is terrific in bringing the teenaged angst to the forefront. His delivery is natural and heartfelt, and whether talking directly to the audience or addressing other characters, he gives a charismatic performance that sweeps the viewer into his world.

We are on his side from the beginning and this makes his ultimate success a particularly moving development.

Posner’s script is designed for three performers. So Mark Albert must create four distinct characters of contrasting views that help underscore Asher’s internal conflict. He is Asher’s stern father – a man who is unable to understand art, and therefore not accepting of his son’s artistic leanings.

He also portrays Asher’s uncle and the Rebbe who encourages Asher to study with an established artist, Jacob Kahn. As Jacob, Albert instructs the young man: “As an artist you are responsible to no one and to nothing, except to yourself and to the truth as you see it.”

In the triple roles of Asher’s mother, benefactor and model, Tracey Beltrano displays her multi-faceted talents. She brings a touchingly forlorn look to the role of the mother who spends hours staring out the window waiting for her husband to return from travels across Europe building Yeshivas and saving Jews from Russian persecution. She is effective in showing her tough side as she commands Asher to have respect for his father: “Kibbud Ov.”

Ari Weisberg has designed and directed the show to play on an open stage that serves the multiple locations effectively. He has also worked with his trio of performers to create affecting performances, and the production is enhanced by Noam Bergman’s incidental music and Poe Limkul’s evocative lighting.

Weisberg can also claim credit for allowing Toronto audiences a chance to see this play so soon. Earlier this year it was presented at the Long Warf Theatre in New Haven and as Teatron’s production was opening, another production was starting previews in New York with an official off-Broadway opening set for later this month.

Teatron’s production of My Name Is Asher Lev plays in the Studio theatre at the Toronto Centre for the Arts through Sunday, Nov. 18. For tickets, visit www.teatrtontheatre.com or call the box-office at 416-733-0545.

Asher Lev VIII: Review

A scene from the Teatron Theatre play My Name is Asher Lev. (Photo: Suri Epstein)

The Jewish experience in 20th century North America was often a battleground between the forces of tradition and modernity. My Name is Asher Lev, the 1972 novel by Chaim Potok, examined this conflict through the story of a young gifted artist whose creative drive leads to heartbreaking conflict with his strict Chassidic family.

The Teatron Theatre’s latest offering is Aaron Posner’s stage adaptation of Potok’s landmark novel. With its outstanding acting, stark set and realistic wardrobe, My Name is Asher Lev is a gripping production that hooks the audience with its pathos and tension until its wrenching climax.

Set in 1950’s Brooklyn, the play follows the internal and familial conflict experienced by Asher Lev starting from his early childhood. Young Asher sneaks visits to the art museum, where he secretly sketches Christian-themed paintings. His father’s discovery of his sketchbook threatens to completely destroy the delicate equilibrium of this fragile family.

The talented Geoff Kolomayz as Asher Lev, intersperses scenes and monologues, which relate this painful struggle between his deep attachment to his traditional family and his artistic calling. Kolomayz deftly slips back and forth into scenes of Asher Lev’s family and professional life as we watch his struggles grow and poison the relationships in his family. Kolomayz’s portrayal is riveting as it seamlessly incorporates expressions of innocence, passion and confusion.

Asher Lev’s father Aryeh is played by Mark Albert, an accomplished actor with three other roles in the play. As Asher’s father, he travels the world in service of his rebbe, and is incapable of understanding his son’s burning artistic passion.

“There are similarities to the Fiddler on the Roof theme,” Albert told the Jewish Tribune. “The challenge is where can you depart from religion and remain and keep your faith.”

Asher’s mother Rivkeh, played by the talented Tracey Beltrano, tries to support her son, but is ultimately limited by the fact that she belongs to a community that is completely removed from the individualist ethic of the 20th century artist.

The anguished Asher Lev, meanwhile, is torn between love for his family and the demand of his artistic genius. He describes his gift as ‘demonic but divine.’ Explaining his inability to communicate with his father, the tortured young man cries out to his mother, “it’s like explaining colours to a blind man.”

“This particular play fits right into our mandate,” said Ari Weisberg, Teatron’s artistic director. “We are the only theatre in Canada that not only focuses on Jewish themes but also does that while preserving Jewish values.”

My Name is Asher Lev will be at the Toronto Centre for the Arts from Nov. 7 through Nov. 18.

Article Title: Play Tackles Forces of Tradition and Modernity

Taken from the Jewish Tribune, Nov 6 2012.  Suri Epstein, Correspondent

Asher Lev VII: Opening Night

Sitting in the dressing room after the matinee preview show; doing some work, typing this blog and waiting on opening night.  Yes, tonight is opening.  All the work, all the time, all the studying, practicing everything comes down to one performance, the opening tonight.  It is no different from any other time I perform, or rehearse.  I give it my all, dig for the deepest me that I can give and I go on stage. So I wonder why are there nerves associated to it.

I have pondered this and I finally came to this realization: I fear messing up because I feel judged by the crowd. I know it is not their intention, it is my feeling.  In realizing this, I can now let it go.  I give myself permission to screw up, knowing the audience only wants me to do well so that they may enjoy.  They are judging but they are forgiving if I forge ahead and allow both of us to forget it.  With that said my nerves sit less on edge.

I look forward to entertaining and playing for a crowd tonight.  Thank you audience for your support as there would be nothing without you.

Asher Lev VI: Interview

Art and religion conflict in Teatron season opener

Kathryn Kates, Special to The CJN, Monday, October 29, 2012

Tags: Arts

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Geoff Kolomayz, in the role of Asher Lev, paints Rachel, played by Tracey Beltrano, as Mark Albert, who plays Lev’s father and the rebbe, looks over.

My Name Is Asher Lev, a play about a young Jewish man torn between his chassidic roots and his desperate need to fulfil his artistic promise, marks the opening of Teatron’s 10th season of Jewish-themed plays.

Adapted by Aaron Posner from the Chaim Potok novel of the same name, the show is directed by Teatron Toronto Jewish Theatre founder Ari Weisberg. It runs at the Toronto Centre for the Arts Studio Theatre from Nov. 7 to 18.

The play stars Toronto actor Geoff Kolomayz in the title role. Kolomayz, who previously appeared in Teatron’s A Tiny Piece of Land, shares the stage with actors Mark Albert and Tracey Beltrano.

Kolomayz says one of the reasons he was drawn to the play was that although it is about the artist figuring out what he needs to do about himself in respects to family and tradition and the community where he fits, it’s a struggle that is truly universal.

“It is not unique to the artist. Whether you are going to grow up and be a lawyer or grow up and be a factory worker… you need to figure out where you are going for yourself and that challenge sits in respect to your exterior influences,” Kolomayz says.

“Your parents may want you to be a lawyer, but if you want to be a doctor, you may have to struggle to face those challenges of not being a lawyer in their eyes. In this story, it is depicted through the very high stakes of a genius of an artist who is in a community that doesn’t support his art to the level where it is actually against his religion.

“The greatest thing audiences should get out of this is story, first and foremost, is that they should enjoy themselves,” says Kolomayz. “The bigger picture that I would like an audience to receive is the ability to discuss, to reflect back and hopefully make strong choices for themselves and feel satisfied about their choices.”

Kolomayz says he can relate to Asher since as an actor he faced struggles that every artist faces in general. But, Kolomayz adds, he was fortunate in that although his family sometimes questioned his career choice, they were supportive of him.

Kolomayz says playing Asher is challenging since much of the play is a monologue. “This role is so demanding of me. I’ve done one-man shows before where you are on stage for about 45 minutes. This is a different beast. It is a two-hour show that I don’t leave the stage for, and much of it is presented in a monologue format, so it is a challenge to keep all this in my head and follow the story through, and in the end, as an actor, hopefully be able to present this to an audience who will understand the story that we’re putting up on the stage.”

Kolomayz, a graduate of University of Waterloo’s drama and theatre program, is recognized for his character work, including in the role of Templeton Rat in Charlotte’s Web, all five roles in The Adventures of Mazel and Schlimazel, the barkeep in Six Reasons Why and Jesse in Sundance. He’s also the co-artistic director for Mirador Theatre and the co-director of films for the Mississauga Independent Film Festival.

For more information about Teatron Theatre’s production of My Name Is Asher Lev, visitwww.teatrontheatre.com.

Asher Lev V: Preparation

Sitting in a coffee shop on St. Clair next to rehearsal hall. It has been a long day and my mind drifts to struggles artists face. Many actors are fortunate or talented or know the right people or some combination of that and as a result have the luxury of working on shows full time. In which I mean they are contracted and paid such that they don't need other work and their day is full of rehearsal. I have been in those shoes and it is a wonderful feeling. Unfortunately my, and other actors, experience is that it is the rare case to be in those shoes. As such we do many other things to pay the bills and get ready for shows. As I look back on this long day I feel tired for having done so much work; work I am proud of but work I wish could have been done with dedicated focus not broken by other tasks to help me meet the necessities of life

Last week on Sunday night I spent two and a half hours of my night  creating, designing and printing the invites to casting agents and important persons whom I would live to see the show. Now I agree that is not a long time, not by itself. It was Sunday I wanted to watch a movie and relax but did not feel I could. Monday to Friday I had worked 9-4 at a day job Saturday 9-5 I worked a different day job and those two things combined pay the bills.  Tuesday and Thursday night 6-10 I am diligently rehearsing the show.  Sunday 10-6 is rehearsal. The gaps of free time between those time slots I was sleeping, learning lines, developing character, understanding and delving deeper into the text, or traveling to location.  So Sunday night was creating invites

Yesterday was a day off which I spent figuring out how to use a bulk email program so I could efficiently email all my friends and family show information. In the end it will save me time on the next show but I would have rather slept in, cooked a hearty breakfast and relaxedly house cleaned while running my monologues. 

Today I worked 9-4 and now I am in a coffee shop taking a break to type this before I run lines for my rehearsal tonight. I would rather of had the whole day to rehearse 10-6 and typed this later. 

I am tired that is all. I wish for acting to be my full time job. Not a job on top of various day jobs. It is the quest of all artists. It is my experience that in Canada the arts support and our worldly position helps support this model of struggling artists.  We always work with what we have got and in doing so these steps to preparation become extras in a day. Today I am tired of doing extras and wishing for acting and it's preparations to be my undivided focus

Asher Lev IV: Questions

Jacob Kahn says to Asher: An artist either reflects his life, or comments on it.  
Jacob Kahn says to Asher: Every great artist has freed himself from something - his family, his nation, his race. Something. A truly great artist must be tied to only his art!
Jacob Kahn says to Asher: An artist is responsible to his art! To his art! Just that!

These are powerful statements from a mentor that guide Asher in becoming who he becomes.  

In playing every role, the text, for me anyway, slowly takes on meaning.  I will be part way through a run, rehearsal, reading and hear the line for the thousandth time when, DING, it hits me, "ahh, that is what the line means."  And so in rehearsal on Sunday, I was struck by these lines, and Asher was effected in the scenes.

In turn, I was effected in my life.  I am an artist.  Does my work reflect or comment on my life?  Have I freed myself from something?  Am I tied only to my art?  Are these valid questions or just the musings of an old bitter man in a play?

I think they are both valid and coming from a bitter man, so I must take them with some salt. However, I believe I must take them.  I have always spoke to the struggle which artists undertake, and here I am doing a show, portraying a character, who faces that struggle in its extremes.  Has the universe drawn me to a show, given me a voice to reach out and speak through my art, to diatribe, a point, a heart felt pain, to a larger audience than just a friend over coffee?

I have noted and wondered about my being the only artistic soul in my family; that is to say the only artistic soul who pursued professionally his art.  (My family screams in art).  Is this a sense of freeing myself from the confines that lead my family members to traditional work; something I believe would kill me?  Have I freed myself from my family?

Do I feel a responsibility to anything other than acting?  If so am I a weaker actor for it? Possibly.

In examining these questions have I, through the answers, defined myself as an artist?  Taking these statements from the character, or the voice of the playwright, to equal the requirements for artist, it would seem so.

In the end, I feel that these are philosophical discussions, which have great purpose in defining and leading to greater understanding of the self.  They could lead to a belief system for some.  For me, they, I believe, will remain philosophical thoughts and queries.  In this state, they leave me open, they leave me thoughtful.  As a person, they deepen me.  As a character named Asher Lev, they inform my argument in the play.

Asher Lev III: Progress

Where are we?  Ah, yes the middle of page thirty five, the first section of my monster three page monologue, my explanation of why I have done the paintings.

Where are we? Page twenty three, the end of the first act, the impact my art has on family.

Where are we? Page forty five, the final plea to the audience.

And so this question comes up time and time again, and the responses run in my head as I piece the show together.  Two weeks ago, pages equalled lines of text, that I was working to remember.  Today, when I am off book, as is the rest of the cast, and we have been running bits of the show together, pages are places in time, notices to where we are in the story.  

The show is becoming cohesive.  The lines are no longer lines but parts of a story which I am telling, and hoping you will be caught up in, that you will relate too.  I have gone beyond memorization to a point of understanding, of being, of sharing my Asher Lev life because it is who I am for a little while.  It is exciting to feel it coming together.  To hear myself, my fellow actors, and have it all pulling together, gathering steam, to a show that opens in twenty five ish days.

Thank you: A response to blogs on Asher Lev

 A few days ago I was talking to a friend, a fellow climber, at the gym.  As we chatted he let me know that he followed this blog, that occasionally he would pop on and catch up with some of my posts.  He said he enjoyed reading about the process and getting insight into my actor's mind, that it was interesting to see another side of me, outside of my climber self that he knows.  I was shocked, pleasantly, someone; who I would not think of as reading my blog, is reading it.  

In my mind, a few of my actor friends would be my readers, if someone was thinking of casting me they may have look at it; basically if someone had an acting link to me then there was a chance it would get read.  I was definitively wrong.  In being so I was reminded that as a performer I appeal to a wide variety of people, that my craft and my talent can affect those outside of my acting circle.  It was humbling to be reminded of this.  Why?  Because I follow my craft for a love of the craft itself and part of that love, part of what the craft entails for me is effecting my audience.  I had that as a view of audience and performer on stage.  But it goes beyond that:  Stage, Film, TV, Commercial, Blog...one in the same; they are ways in which I potentially effect.

So I send out a special thank you to N. for bringing this point home to me.  I also thank anyone who reads, who skims, who visits this blog.  I appreciate that you are there, I am pleased to know that in some way I effect and that you participate by allowing yourself to be effected.

With Gratitude

Asher Lev II: Finding Asher

Every actor has a different process for learning their lines.  I alone have a few different styles which I use depending on what I have to learn.  

If it is quick dialogue, short responses, I usually just work on memorization and then I move to playing with my fellow actor to get the beat/rhythm of the dialogue.

If it is longer dialogue, full sentences, conversations etc. I tend to learn it in sections.  Reading mostly but still heavy on the "line drill".  Again working with fellow actors to get rhythm.

For solo shows, I am constantly running it with my director and tying the movements to blocking.  Thus the lines start to fall into place before I think of memorization/learning.

For Asher Lev, I have monologue after monologue.  Quite extensive, most of the play is me talking.  I was unsure how to approach this much solo work, as the other actors are on stage and integral to the scenes, so the director can not focus with me as in a one man show. I thought about it for a few days and decided to try something new.  I would simply read and read and read some more.  Constantly reading this play.

Well as I moved to line drill I realized most of my lines were in a great place and ready to go.  I found something new, or found it again as I had forgotten it, the more you read a piece, the deeper the understanding gets.  With this in mind, I began reading even more frequently.  In doing so I am finding Asher Lev as a person, which makes it easier for me to move him out of my head and onto the stage.  It is an interesting process delving into a character this way, one that I am enjoying.

Asher Lev I

Yesterday was the first day of rehearsal.  We joked about the monologue which is the play called Asher Lev, interrupted occasionally by the other characters.  Upon reading it with the other two actors, and hearing my own voice, continuously, it is...overwhelming. There is a lot of monologue, broken by some dialogue, and the challenge of learning it all is, at the least, daunting, at the best foreboding.  However, it is a task I know I can face and overcome.

I say learn, not memorize.  For in memorizing something, it removes it's heart and soul. To memorize another human may look good, but it would never have the soul of that person.  A play is, in its own way, a living breathing, entity.  Thus to memorize it would remove that which makes it move, breathe, beat, and show its flame...its scream to get out and be told.  So I must learn this play.  If I am to do it justice, and justice is the only thing that will do it well.

As I read it, time and time again, I am haunted by the words, "conduits of the story".  They don't leave me.  They come at me without warning while I walk, talk, move, and exist in every aspect of my life.  So as I read, I think more and more on the idea of what is this story?  It sings in me, I feel it, sense it as truth, but how do I say it? Tell it? Give it life? Make it true, so that you the audience will feel and understand it? For I want you all to feel and understand, to get that meaning of what it is to find your own voice against all odds, against the challenges that are so great they could kill you.  It is a universal theme, which my life, my art has touched on many times.  Never in so graceful a manor as Asher Lev.

And so I work to learn the words of the playwright, translated from the author, given to a character and brought to life by me: the conduit of the story. At best frightening.  But as I read, I am discovering a lilt, a song to his voice, one that is touched by pain and anguish for the trials and tribulations that make him the artist he is.  That I am.  I understand that pain.  No, maybe not at the cost he has felt, it is after all a play, and we do not go to plays to see the ordinary, but rather, the extraordinary.  So I have felt that pain, and I understand that lilt.  It is interesting to how the lilt changes at different points in the story, how it does not exist, but manifests itself in other tones.  Tones that hint at its coming, the growth of, the life of the character.  It is interesting to start the play, as the character, knowing the outcome. It is interesting, as the actor, to find the character's growth and discover something new about that which he already knows.  

The teachings of my teacher, mentor, friend, supporter, come to mind and I think it will be good to talk to her.  This is deep, it is wonderful, it is a "challenge!".  I have lived my whole life for this, this moment to be nothing more than "the conduit of the story."

On Set: TV Series One

Last week I spent three days on set of my first TV series.  It is a docudrama, you know the type of show where all the reenactment happens while a deep voiced narrator explains what is happening.  The show is called Perfect Storms and it will begin airing early next year on History Channel North America.

I always imagined that my first show would be an interesting experience but I had no idea it would be like this. I spent three days in a simulated hurricane, as I was playing a key person involved with the hurricane of 1900 that destroyed Galveston Texas and killed about 10,000 people.  Day one was mostly wind turbines and rain towers outside, with stuff blowing around me. But on day two and three we went to studio.  They had built two small swimming pools and in one they built the living room of a house, and the other the exterior of a house and an enormous pile of debris surrounding it.  Inside the house knee deep in water as the storm grew worse.  Outside the house floating in a period costume up to my neck while rain towers and wind turbines blew all around me.  What an experience.  

Truly a great introduction to the world of acting in television.

Conduits of the story

A good, no a great, friend of mine said that to me a few days back.  "We are nothing but conduits of the story."  Those simple words have haunted me ever since;  I say "haunted" and the images of ghosts and ghouls come to my mind and, I guess in some ways, that is what I mean.  I mean that it has lingered with me since, fading in and out like a phantom in an eerie old house from tales of old; a ghoul that will not leave me be.  This images offer terror and fear; but, I also mean that it has stayed with me and I have contemplated it.  Today, as a tear left my eye, those words resonated and some understanding came to me.

Back in June, I was cast in a story (note the word choice) called Sundance.  A play that offered a commentary on ideals of death, presented through the classic western gunslinger archetypes.  I played Jesse, the ruthless killer who murdered because he liked it, got off on it; as long as the victims were weak and helpless, those who could not fight back.  The coward on the inside hidden, only vaguely, by the macho bravado on the outside.  This character was one that touched my creativity.

Somewhere deep inside, a chord was struck and all the facets of my training culminated in a glorious rush of detailed nuance, specificity, and reality never before played by me (so noted several friends who have worked with me).  For myself, I recognized that I was doing better work than I had ever done before.  This realization does not make me great, nor do I claim to be so; this recognition simply says that where ever I was this performance was better than that and for me, growth as an actor, moving from one level to another is key; it is the only way in which I can shape a fulfilling life as an artist.  So I continually strive to be better than I ever have been.  The portrayal of this character did that and more.

Over the past while I have been focussing my skills.  Training with great teachers, and putting to practice in performance those skills shown me.  The recent run of classes, through http://www.carolineazar.com,  gave me an astounding insight which united the history of my work and offered me a way to clearly see how to build.  Great, awesome, astounding and fabulous.  I felt as though I could create any character, build anything and be a great actor.  Regardless of actual talent or not the confidence helps.  In Sundance, I feel I demonstrated this ability to create character, and the response from audience, critics and friends supports that.  During Sundance, in the back of my head sat the knowledge that come September I would begin rehearsals on my next show My Name Is Asher Lev;  this little piece of knowledge excited me and continues to excite me today.  More importantly, today this upcoming role linked character creation with story telling and I feel an understanding, a power, a commitment, and an obligation to those haunting words "We are nothing but conduits of the story."

In reading for the audition I was provided with a few excerpts from the play the director would like me to bring to life.  In addition to this I was provided the full play to read.  Typically, with my busy schedule I don't have time to read a full play, I skim through, get an idea and bring to the table my best take on the sides (excerpts) offered to me.  Fortune has it that a I had the time to read the full play before this audition and something magical happened that began the understanding of those haunting words.  I read the play in full four times before looking at my sides. I read with enthusiasm and complete abandon, the story is one which is riveting and pulled me in. Following the read researched the play, thinking it was based on a true story (it is not), and learned that it was a book first, the author produced some of the paintings which the book pivots around and that it is simply a story.  Entranced by its power I moved to the sides and did the audition to secure the title role.  Of course I discovered it was a book and it became necessary in my mind that I should read this text and during Sundance I thought when shall I do this?

For the past two weeks I have been reading the book My Name is Asher Lev.  The book is done great justice by its ancestor the play; but in this reading I have found something deeper something more powerful.  Asher Lev, is a child who does not understand who he is or the world he lives in.  For on one hand he knows who he is and what he feels of himself, but he is told that he cannot be those things.  On the other hand, he knows the world he lives in and what he perceives it to be, but cannot what it is because it conflicts with who he feels he is.  This conflict leads to the greatness of Asher Lev, the man, the painter, the Jew, but to become great he must hurt those he loves.  To become great he must tear his soul apart fighting with what he sees and believes versus what he feels and perceives.  Asher Lev being an artist is driven by a force he, nor anyone else can understand, and therefore must to this.  He does not seek greatness but is thrust toward it by the unspoken demon of the artists soul.  From this the only way he can achieve his greatness, be true to himself and claim who he is, he must display his torment to the world and in doing so must crush those whom he loves with all his heart. This is the story of an artist, and to my knowledge to date, it has no equal in explaining the soul of the artist.

I have learned to create powerful characters through my craft and inadvertently told story.  By hearing the words of my friend, through the haunting power they offered, combined with the great story My Name Is Asher Lev, I learned that my craft is story telling.  That I am afforded the luxury of sharing with others a journey of a character.  This gift to share is more powerful than the characters I create; I am only a conduit of the story.  Everything I have learned is in service to that fact.

Review: Sundance 2

Sundance (Two Wolves Theatre) 2012 Toronto Fringe Review

By Kelly Anderson

Sundance (Two Wolves Theatre) directed by Eli Jenkins and Ana-Marija Stojic – written by veteran playwright M.Z. Ribalow – is a philosophical western, featured in Toronto Fringe 2012.

The highlight of this show is the opening.

Scruffy, blood-crazy Jesse (Geoff Kolomayz) and self-righteous killer Hickok (Carmine Lucarelli) sit at that typical western locale, the bar. You know the one, low swinging doors, dusty glasses, and quick-talking barkeep (Alexis Budd).

Hickok cools off with a buzzing, battery-powered fan.

Hickok’s humour is the most potent, and it derives from the same theme as the anachronistic fan.

Hickok is more modern than your average cowboy. He is prone to philosophy, metaphors, and poetic monologues. Neither of which his bar-mate, Jesse, can understand. It is this out-of-place humour that makes the western play Sundance so funny.

The formula of the script is quickly introduced. Jesse, Hickok and The Kid (Jenn Dzialoszynski) are killers. Their varying reasons for killing are in turn explored.

Enter the “ultimate killer” – a monosyllabic character who gives no motive for his urge to gun down fellow characters.

The acting is solid. Of note are Hickok who delivers straight-faced comedy, and Jesse, who embodies his scruffy, crotch-scratching role whole-heartedly.

The dialogue is witty, and written by a professional who knows his trade – even if the plot is a bit stiff.  Sundance appears to be written more as a theoretical, “Which western archetype would win in a fight” – than a showcase of three dimensional characters.

The costumes are beautifully broken-down and battered. Jesse’s duster and once-white shirt especially look like they’ve been run over a few times with a cement mixer. In Jesse’s case, this makes his clothes appear appropriately lived-in.

Note that the pistols used in Sundance have more punch than the average cap-gun. They are loud. You have been warned.

Sundance is 40 minutes of well-acted comedy. Although the structure of the plot is predictable, the lines themselves are funny. The show I saw was a full house. This is one of the Fringe shows not to miss. Especially if you are a fan of westerns, a fan of making fun of westerns, or simply want a few laughs.

Come see Sundance at the Tarragon Extra Space with your sixguns blazing.

Details

• Sundance plays at Tarragon Theatre Extra Space (30 Bridgman Avenue)
• Showtimes are: Thurs, July 5, 11:00pm; Sat, July 7, 5:15pm; Mon, July 9, 2:45pm; Tues, July 10, 8:45pm; Wed, July 11, 4:00pm; Thurs, July 12, 7:00pm; Sat, July 14, 7:00pm
• All individual Fringe tickets are $10 ($5 for FringeKids) at the door (cash only). Tickets are available online at www.fringetoronto.com, by phone at 416-966-1062, in person at The Randolph Centre for the Arts, 736 Bathurst Street (Advance tickets are $11 – $9+$2 service charge)

• Value packs are available if you plan to see at least 5 shows

Photo by Garth Droog

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 8th, 2012 at 1:31 am and is filed under Fringe Festival, Toronto Fringe Reviews 2012, Toronto Theatre Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Review: Sundance

Sundance
Two Wolves Theatre

Photo courtesy of Jesse Watts.

PERFORMANCES:
Saturday, July 7, 5:15 p.m.
Monday, July 9, 2:45 p.m.
Tuesday, July 10, 8:45 p.m.
Wednesday, July 11, 4:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 12, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 14, 7:00 p.m.

VENUE:
Tarragon Theatre Extra Space (30 Bridgeman Avenue)

A hedonist and a moral absolutist walk into a saloon, and in doing so set the stage for M.Z. Ribalow’s quick-witted postmodernist Western satire. The hedonist is wild outlaw Jesse James, who kills for pleasure. The absolutist is Wild Bill Hickok, who kills to uphold honour and the law. Soon the pair are joined by an anarchistic Billy the Kid, and the trio trade theories on moral philosophy with the speed of expert gunslingers, or Greek philosophers with Texas twangs. Their war of ideas is cut short by the arrival of the mysterious Sundance, who seems to kill for no reason at all.

The banter in Sundance tends to be a little too quick, but the attentive viewer is bound to learn a thing or two about introductory philosophy in this wry twist on a classic genre. The performers embrace the briskly paced material with aplomb—particularly Geoff Kolomayz as the sleazy, drawling Jesse James, and Alexis Budd as a wheedling barkeep caught in the middle of this showdown of reason. Caution: very loud cap guns involved.

By Ryan West, The Torontoist, Toronto Fringe Festival Reviews, July 5, 2012.

Sundance, Fringe and Busyness

Okay let me see, the last time I posted was....yeah it has been that long.  I make no apologies, it is what it is.  Again I say I will try to be more consistent at this; however, I get so busy...


Speaking of which, what have I been up to, well after Tiny Piece of Land there was few weeks off, then the Fringe stuff started happening.  Two shows, I have two shows in Fringe.  Mirador is performing Lion, Witch and Wardrobe (which I tech and SM), and then I am acting in Sundance.  Then I have been working on the new show for Mirador which I have written/adapted, I have the film festival going on, another show with Lorie for Ashkenaz and finally the title role in My Name is Asher Lev which begins rehearsing September 4.  So I have been busy.  Where are we now?


Today the my Fringe shows opened.  Lion sold out, and Jon Kaplan was there to review it.  What a great feeling.  I had a few hours off and then I opened in Sundance.

Sundance has been a great experience. Working with Eli and Ana-Maria as dual directors was interesting.  There was not the structure I was used to, and Ana was rare to allow us to just get a whole scene out, the note came the second something happened which she would like to see.  So like always a different process that I had to adapt too.  It is part of the fun in this field but also can have its hassles.  I hope that I weathered this one well, as it did challenge me quite a bit.  Ana said all was good.  But what has all this lead too?


See, the role of Jesse, in Sundance, is the most fun I have ever had in my life in an acting role.  He is one crazy manic western cowboy.  As I rehearsed I found these ups and downs, vocally first, bringing life to the dialogue.  From there, came my character, my walk, my talk, my everything.  It is the greatest creation that I have personally done to date and I love playing this character.  I am just out of my tree with the fun of this role.  But more than anything I feel I have created a character, one that is truly mine, that has used all my skill and brought to life something which people will remember. Tonight, my great friend Stevie Jay, commented that my meticulous attention to detail was stunning.  Another commented that my presence on the stage was a focal point.  But  most valuable to me were the strangers commented on how powerful my performance was.  


I am grateful for all the positive feedback which I receive.  In the end though those comments speak to audience enjoyment and that is what I am hearing.  "We enjoyed the show" is what I am hearing and that is the most important part.  I am so happy to be playing this character.

Review: A Tiny Piece of Land

From InsideToronto.com on Jan 07 2012, by Mark Andrew Lawrence

FRONT ROW CENTRE: Moving message in 'A Tiny Piece of Land'

We can always count on Ari Weisberg and his company Teatron to offer fascinating plays exploring Jewish life. A Tiny Piece of Land by Joni Browne-Walders and Mel Weiser is an absorbing mix of family drama and political propaganda that was first staged in Los Angeles in 2010. 

The drama centres on the reunion of long-estranged brothers Barry and Yosi. For several years, Yosi has lived with his wife, Aviva, and his daughter, Rachel, in a settlement on the Gaza Strip, where escalating violence and a government plan to move all of the homesteaders out of the area has made their lives unstable.

Barry arrives from Seattle, Washington with the news that his beloved wife was killed in vicious attack. Hoping to escape this violence, Barry soon finds that his brother and family are living in an area under constant threat of Palestinian attacks.

When Barry expresses his belief that the Israelis are as much to blame in this ongoing clash as the Palestinians, it riles his niece, Rachel, whose boyfriend is involved in the conflict. Barry's arguments with Rachel, as well as his talks with his brother, focus the play's political message. When Rachel insists that all the Jews really want is a "tiny piece of land" to call their own, it may sound simplistic, but after a missile attack devastates some of their friends, everyone begins praying for peace to be given a chance.

The play realistically shows this family (like many others in the area) trying to get on with their daily lives with a constant threat of violence hanging over their heads. Much of the time the family is setting the table or offering to pour each other coffee. The daily conversations give it a feeling of realism, but it soon becomes mundane.

The history of the area is woven into the political discussions as Yosi, Rachel and Aviva try to educate Barry (and the audience) as the show develops more and more into a message play.

There's nothing wrong with message plays, and the arguments put forth in A Tiny Piece of Land are provocative and well-reasoned. The audience very quickly becomes emotionally invested with these four characters, thanks to the sensitive direction by Weisberg and the beautifully detailed performances.

Nicole Marie McCafferty gives a particularly compelling performance as Rachel, with Tara Nicodemo in strong support at the patient, sometimes dour mother.

Geoff Kolomayz brings warmth and understanding to the role of the husband, father and brother trying to keep his family out of harm's way, and Bob Legare is model of repressed anguish as the grieving American brother.

The play is moving and frequently involving, and offers some interesting points of discussion, yet it can't help but focus a little too much on the message.

A Tiny Piece of Land plays until Jan. 15 in the studio theatre at the Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5050 Yonge St. Call the box office at 416-781-552 or visit the website at www.teatrontheatre.com

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FRONT ROW CENTRE: Moving message in 'A Tiny Piece of Land'.Geoff Kolomayz, left, Bob Legare and Tara Nicodemo appear in a scene from the play, 'A Tiny Piece of Land', being presented through Jan. 15 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. Photo/KATHERINE VERENDIA

Welcome

Hello and welcome to the new site.

This is officially the first post on this new blog site.  It is my intention to do this regularly, but we will see what happens.  As you well know, being an artist of any nature has its ups and downs, it wet and dry moments.  Let me see if I can at keep the blogs going, a river of info.  HA HA.

Since the last post on the old site much has happened, keeping me away from posting.  First I was working on and trying to figure out how to get this site and the new website running. I am not very computer savvy so that took some time.

The other thing that was going on was my role in Teatron Theatre's A Tiny Piece of Land.  I had a wonderful time on this show.  As the lead it was a new experience.  Not to say I haven't played a lead before, as in my one man shows I am just that, and some time ago there was A Midsummer Night's Dream but there was something different about this one.  Having just come off of my gig in London, and watching other very talented professionals in leading roles during rehearsal lit the light bulb above my head.  I saw how they functioned, what they did to prepare.  All things I know and have used myself, but it was different to see it done and from that to translate it back to myself. So coming into this role I had a different perspective.  This perspective was also coupled with my work with Caroline Azar and the Archival Actor's Workshop, and Tom Todoroff Studios.  I feel the new perspective enriched my work.

With all that said in the next post I shall put up the reviews that came through.

Moving (2012-01-10)

Well everyone, the time has come for me to move on. Well not me literally, but me on the site. 

I am grateful that my good friend Dale designed and hosted me on this site for so many years; unfortunately, it is time for him to move on and close up shop for other wonderful ventures. As such the site will be shutting down soon. So before I go any further a big round of applause to Dale, for helping me out with this site and being one of the most amazing friends.

Now I hope that everyone who has read this will continue to read what I write. Bookmark my new sites as I aim to be more diligent and active with my posts. On the new site you will be able to reply to what I write and put up comments, making it more interactive. We shall see what comes. Hope to see you all on the other side.

Always 
Geoff

THE NEW SITES
www.geoffkolomayz.blogspot.com
http://geoffkolomayz.workbooklive.com