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| Showtime! My talented co-stars Amy Lane (Susan) and Victor Kahn (Dr. Bill Windsor) in Schenectady Civic Players "Woman in Mind." Photo by Tom Killips. Courtesy Schenectady Civic Players. All rights reserved. |
Unfortunately, the newspaper reviews so far have been mixed... I'm never sure whether to read these things while I'm in the middle of a show, but I was curious since this is such a difficult production to pull off. Alan Ayckbourn's dark comedy is all told through the subjective point of view of Susan (played by the wonderful Amy Lane), who accidentally hits herself on the head with a garden rake; the resulting injury leaves her having a hard time distinguishing between her unfulfilled reality and imagined fantasy life. As performers, we walk a fine line here between keeping it funny and delving into the darker themes... I took the reviews with a grain of salt, since so much of the play is open to interpretation in the first place. Even though I wasn't specifically mentioned, I also found their critiques useful in helping me to further think about how to strike that balance− as Susan's "imaginary" husband, I have perhaps one of the darkest moments in the show, while also needing to come off rather light and charming throughout. I have noticed myself injecting a little more of myself into the piece... at times utilizing more of my improv skills.
It's really all part of the process... something Amy and I discussed with WAMC's Joe Donahue last Friday on the radio show, The Roundtable.
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| Mind the gap! I think some of the funniest scenes belong to Joan Justice (Muriel), Amy Lane (Susan), and Marty O'Connor (Gerald) in our production of Alan Ayckbourn's "Woman in Mind." Photo by Tom Killips. Courtesy Schenectady Civic Players. All rights reserved. |
In fact, there are some delightful things I have learned with each of our performances so far, and the cast seems to be getting more and more comfortable with each other... that always seems to happen, and makes it harder to realize that your show has a limited run. One very cool thing for me, returning to work on a full play after several years, is that I have also had a couple members of the audience approach me after our performances with requests that I audition for upcoming shows they are putting together at the Civic Players and other venues! Hey ya! Must be doing something right...
All I can say is that it feels great to be back on the boards, doing something so creative and rewarding... after three shows I have enjoyed hearing the reactions of delighted audiences, and getting a sense for what it must feel like to do this as a full-time gig (kudos to the talented staff at SCP). On Wednesday night we're back at it, with a 7:30 p.m. show, followed by performances Thursday through Sunday. Of course, it can only get better. I can't wait, and look forward to further "Mind" games...
Related Links:
"Schenectady Civic Players present Alan Ayckbourn's 'A Woman in Mind,'" The Roundtable, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, Friday, March 15, 2013
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