Martin Andrews of Working Group Theatre recently created a promotional video for Feet First In The Water With A Baby In My Teeth.
The video features footage from the show as well as commentary from writer and performer Megan Gogerty.
Click here to see the promotional video for Feet First In The Water With A Baby In My Teeth.
This is guest post by Jennifer Fawcett of Working Group Theatre
Sean Christopher Lewis is an actor, director, playwright, sound designer, and Artistic Director of Working Group Theatre. In addition to The Syringa Tree, he has also directed Atlas of Mud, produced by his company Working Group Theatre on the Riverside stage, and Mary’s Wedding. Outside of Riverside, he directed Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe at the Old Creamery Theatre, and Hand Grenade Holly at Arts Spark in Austin, TX. He was recently featured on This American Life.
Q. What drew you to The Syringa Tree?
Sean: Having just returned from my first trip to Africa, the subject matter was an immediate draw. Also, I had no idea what it was on the page. It's actually a really difficult play to read because there are so many characters and such short scenes. It's really rather confounding and when Ron and Jody gave it to me I couldn't get through it. But I also knew it had been produced before so I took it as a challenge. It's hard not to take on a challenge - I felt my not understanding it on the page would force a more playful and imaginative staging. That's exciting to me.
Q. As an experienced solo performer, how do you work with an actor to help them craft a solo performance like this one?
Sean: Solo performance is really a different kind of theatre. We allow more in a solo show because we're also asked to invent more. We have to work with the actor to accept that there are more people on stage then we see. Gesture and vocalizations are a huge thing I'm interested in as a director of solo pieces. Solo work is very physical and precise. You need to be simple and clear with everything.
Q. How is it different than working with actors in a play with a larger cast?
Sean: An ensemble show has multiple moving parts so you're conducting the movement and flow of the action. You have to be constantly focused scene by scene because so many journeys need to be completed.
A solo show usually has a simpler focus. The main character is easy to identify and the journey they go on is usually incredibly clear. However, the journeys of the secondary characters are usually less fulfilled. Their story isn't going to fill them as a character in the way they would if you were doing Arthur Miller (where even secondary characters discuss entire back stories and off stage lives). So you need to create that from scratch and use that to choose how they move, posture and speak.
Q. In addition to directing the show, you also designed the sound. How do you use sound as a director to help guide an audience through a show?
Sean: I think we're saturated in sound. We hear it in movies and commercials, at the supermarket or mall - it's everywhere. In a way silence has become the more unsettling thing... that said I typically use a lot of sound. For me it's transition, mood and environment - certain worlds demand sound for us to leave our everyday lives and embrace what's in front of us. It can invite us in. It takes a lot of focus - there are monologues that work like arias - and I might treat them as such, underscoring them so they lift into something more epic. Sound can direct an actor- I've used it to help set the pace of a scene or speech. It's a collaboration. If the sound isn't melded that deeply in the performance of the actors than why have it?
The Syringa Tree, for instance, demands a specific environment - the empty stage can be filled by the African drum. We have a perception of Africa that draws up the sunsets we've seen in photos, the plains and safari... Lizzie is a little girl for most of the play and time shifts back and forth toward the end so there's a longing, a gentleness of youth that can be accented with music. Saffron is also a powerhouse actress. In that sense I also know to back off and let her move the show not the sound.
Check out Sean’s newest solo show, Just Kids at Working Group Theatre’s Under Construction Solo Festival, April 23 – May 1.
This is a guest post provided by Jennifer Fawcett of Working Group Theatre.
The information below is scenic designer Shawn Johnson's thoughts
on his set design for The Syringa Tree
It seemed immediately clear to me that the set should make a real, solid reference to nature and should create an abstracted idea of space to support the play's treatment of the cycle of life and death. My first instinct was to consider the use of organic material. I thought of various ways to delineate space by creating structures out of diverse organic materials (wood, leaves, jute, hemp). In thinking more about structures that might successfully reference death as well as life, I finally settled on a large sculptural backdrop made out of wood. Carved and whittled into an abstract irregularity, the wood could reference living trees and sticks, dead and fallen limbs, and brittle bones. The sculpture could be painted in a way that might refer equally to sun-bleached bones or to driftwood, and reducing it to a static backdrop element while assembling the pieces into something like a nest or a mass blow down would reference both the movement of life and the stasis of death.
Jennifer Fawcett of Working Group Theatre has a created a program guide for The Syringa Tree with information about the play, a bio of the playwright, and a timeline of South Africa. The program guide also includes interviews with actor Saffron Henke, director Sean Christopher Lewis, and scenic designer Shawn Johnson.
CHARACTERS
ELIZABETH GRACE
LOESKA (LUCIA) HATTINGH, Elizabeth’s friend next door
SALAMINA MASHLOPE, Grace family maid, nanny to Elizabeth
EUGENIE GRACE, Elizabeth’s mother
DR. ISAAC GRACE, Elizabeth’s father
MOLISENG ELESSEBETT MASHLOPE, Salamina’s child
IRIS KGOBANE, nanny to Elizabeth’s baby brother, John
PETER MOMBADI, Grace family driver
ZEPHYR, Hattingh family gardener
JOHN GRACE, Elizabeth’s baby brother
DOMINEE HATTINGH, Dutch Reformed Minister, father of Loeska
PIETROS, Grace family help
MABALEL, tiny black girl
MABALEL, Dr. Grace’s skeleton
DUBIKE, Salamina’s very old cousin
MATRON LANNING, Baragwanath hospital matron
YOUNG DOCTOR at Baragwanath hospital
GRANNY ELIZABETH, Elizabeth’s grandfather
GRANDPA GEORGE, Elizabeth’s grandmother
SARGEANT POTGIETER, a police officer
FATHER MONTFORD, a Catholic priest
ANDREW, Elizabeth’s American husband
MRS. BIGGS, retired landowner
The opening night of The Syringa Tree by Pamela Gien, directed by Sean Christopher Lewis, and featuring Saffron Henke was reviewed by Iowa Theatre Blog.
One actor, 24 characters, set against the backdrop of apartheid-era South Africa.
The Syringa Tree by South African playwright Pamela Gien is a personal and deeply evocative story of an abiding love between two families---one black, one white---and the two children who are born into their shared household.
The play follows these families’ destinies for four generations, from early apartheid to the present day free South Africa. Through the eyes of various characters---young, old, black, white, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Jewish, English---the complexities of the world they share are revealed.
Told through the eyes of a six-year-old girl named Lizzy, and a wide variety of other characters, The Syringa Tree is a one-woman play demanding an array of roles and is a based on Gien’s experiences growing up in Johannesburg.
The Syringa Tree is directed by Sean Christopher Lewis, an award winning playwright, actor, and director and features professional actor Saffron Henke, who takes on all roles in this production.
“The way I’ve created all of these people has been to pick a simple gesture or vocal choice for each one that is very different from all the others,” said Henke. “In South Africa there are three major dialects: English, Afrikaans, and numerous tribal accents like Xhosa and Zulu. There are actually many tribes, but for the sake of simplicity, I’m choosing to do just one general dialect. All of these accents help to add another dimension to the work I’m doing, and hopefully will help the audience differentiate the characters. I try to make choices that are theatrical. It’s less about having the accent be perfect and more a question of finding the character’s voice.”
Henke has performed all over the world and was the 2005 recipient of the Princess Grace Foundation Honorarium for Emerging Artists for her performance in The Syringa Tree at the Sacramento Theatre Company.
“When I did this show in 2005, I identified more with the children, especially six-year-old Lizzy who is the narrator. This time I’ve found that I identify more with the parents, particularly Lizzy’s mother, Eugenie. That’s surprising to me,” Henke said. “As I come back to these people, I still feel like I know them well, but the way I think about them has changed, and so my support of their journey changes with that. I used to see Eugenie as nervous and weak, now I see her as the hero.”
The Syringa Tree is directed by Lewis, an award winning playwright, actor, and director, known for his politically charged works. Lewis’s solo theatre work Killadelphia has premiered in over 30 cities and has won numerous awards, including the National New Play Network’s Smith Prize for Drama. This past summer, Lewis directed Journey to the Dream in Tanzania, East Africa for the International Theatre and Literacy Project.
"Syringa Tree is a specifically challenging piece to direct, Saffron plays around 20 characters of multiple ages, race and gender and often doing 5 or more characters in a single scene at a time,” Lewis said. “It takes a lot of trust between us to develop a theatrical language to invite the audience in. The benefit is how amazing it is to watch once you get going. Although, it's terrifying and complexing from the artistic end when you have to figure out the best way to make Saffron transform into a black South African at a student protest one minute and then see her walking the tarmac at an airport literally seconds later it's incredibly magical to see her pull it off. It's a truly heart wrenching and impactful display of theatrical fireworks.”
The Syringa Tree features scenic design by Shawn Johnson, costume design by Emily White, lighting design by Courtney Schmitz Watson, and sound design by Lewis.
The Syringa Tree runs April 1-17. Showtimes are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $26 for adults, $23 for 60 and over/30 and under, $12 for youth (18 and under). $12 student rush tickets are available 30 minutes prior to the show. Tickets can be purchased online at www.riversidetheatre.org or by phone at (319) 338-7672. Riverside Theatre Box Office is located at 213 N. Gilbert St, Iowa City. Box office hours are: 12 - 4 p.m. Monday – Friday.
Riverside Theatre is Iowa City’s resident professional theatre and is currently celebrating its 30th season.
Riverside Theatre's upcoming production of The Syringa Tree, which opens Friday, April 1, was featured on the Iowa Theatre Blog.
On Friday, March 18, director Sean Christopher Lewis and actor Saffron Heneke were on hand for the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council (ICFRC) Luncheon to educate the community about apartheid-era South Africa and talk about Riverside Theatre's upcoming production of The Syringa Tree by South African playwright Pamela Gien.
Founded in 1982, the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council (ICFRC) is a non-profit association of community and university people interested in learning more about U.S. foreign policy, international affairs, and global issues.
This is a guest post by Jennifer Fawcett of Working Group Theatre.
An interview with Saffron Henke on The Syringa Tree
by Jennifer Fawcett
This is the second time Saffron is entering the world of The Syringa Tree. In 2005, she performed this show at the Sacramento Theatre Company, where she was a Company Member. For that production she won the Princess Grace Honorarium for Emerging Artists and Best Performance of the Region for 2005.
“Henke gives an amazing, non-stop performance, rising to the challenge of the material again and again, shifting convincing from one character to another.”
Capital Public Radio, Sacramento
“Not only does Henke portray the potpourri of characters, but she also fully embodies each and every one... Henke seamlessly blends characters and moments to create memorable stories. It’s a remarkable performance.”
Newsreview.com
In conversation about the upcoming production at Riverside Theatre, Henke says, “every time this play is performed, it generates a lot of excitement. The original run with Pamela Gien ran for almost two years off Broadway, which is pretty incredible for a solo show. Our production in California sold out a 500 seat theatre and was extended, so I’m really excited to bring the show to the Riverside audience.”
Q: What is it like to perform The Syringa Tree?
A: The Syringa Tree is unlike any one person show I’ve ever seen or read. The magic of this play has a lot to do with one performer making all these transitions. The best part of doing this show is that as a performer, the show works on you. You end up being the conduit for the play. Often when you’re on stage, you’re wondering, “does the audience understand the play?”, “do they like it?”, and this can lead to getting nervous and stepping out of the play. With this play, I don’t have time to think. I’m too busy.
Q: You portray 24 characters of different ages and races, both male and female. How do you bring each of these characters to life?
A: The way I’ve created all of these people has been to pick a simple gesture or vocal choice for each one that is very different from all the others. In South Africa there are three major dialects: English, Afrikaans, and numerous tribal accents like Xhosa and Zulu. There are actually many tribes but for the sake of simplicity, I’m choosing to do just one general dialect. All of these accents help to add another dimension to the work I’m doing, and hopefully will help the audience differentiate the characters. I try to make choices that are theatrical. It’s less about having the accent be perfect and more a question of finding the character’s voice. Then I do all the regular actor work which is thinking about the given circumstances for each character; where do they come from, how much money they have, how much education, and figuring out what is important for each one of them. The difference with this play is that instead of doing that for one character, I’m doing it for 24!
Each character looks a certain way in my head. They all wear specific clothes and sound a certain way. I’ve heard that people build their own versions of the characters when they watch the show, even though they all look like me. Your imagination does the work.
Q: This is the second time you've performed The Syringa Tree. What is it like coming back to this story and these characters after six years?
A: When I did this show in 2005, I identified more with the children, especially six year old Lizzy who is the narrator. This time I’ve found that I identify more with the parents, particularly Lizzy’s mother, Eugenie. That’s surprising to me. As I come back to these people, I still feel like I know them well but the way I think about them has changed, and so my support of their journey changes with that. I used to see Eugenie as nervous and weak, now I see her as the hero.
When I originally did this show, I was a Company Member in the Sacramento Theatre Company, and had been making my living as an actor exclusively for a number of years. The longest I’d ever gone without acting in my adult life, at that time, was two weeks. Acting was my only job, which meant I was in really good shape. People don’t realize how much stamina you need as an actor. You have to be in good physical shape, but you also have to develop your emotional muscles and your memory. Memory is a muscle and mine is definitely getting a workout now! My life has changed since I’ve come to Iowa. I’m directing more, teaching more and balancing a number of jobs and those all factor into the process of re-entering this play. But it’s been a great journey and I’m really looking forward to putting it in front of an audience again.
Walking the Wire: Monologues at Riverside---OMG! has been featured on Iowa Theatre Blog.
Click here to read the full blog post from Iowa Theatre Blog.
Walking the Wire: Monologues at Riverside---OMG! was featured in the March 3 edition of the Press Citizen.
No matter what life holds there are always OMG! moments.
Romantic miscommunication. OMG! The pretty girl asking you out. OMG! Having intimate conversations with God. OMG! Child birth. OMG! Playing dress up. OMG! The Six Million Dollar Man. OMG!
Walking the Wire will bring to life a variety of OMG! moments during its annual festival of original work from playwrights across the country and right here in Iowa.
"Walking The Wire is a total blast. As a seasoned monologist who is also a people person, I always start my monologues half-expecting someone to join me onstage,” said local actor and playwright Megan Gogerty.
This show also features a preview of Gogerty’s new one-woman show, which will open the 2011-2012 season.
"Walking The Wire is a great way for me to test-drive material for my full-length monologue play, also conveniently premiering at Riverside,” Gogerty said. “If it goes well, then I guarantee there'll be more of the same when my show opens in September."
This year’s Walking the Wire is directed by co-founder, resident artist, and production manager Ron Clark. The show is sponsored by Toyota-Scion of Iowa City.
“This show is very exciting - it's like a circus train of stories that whiz by, each one carrying its own emotional wallop. The evening always flies by and has become a favorite with our audiences,” Clark said.
Riverside Theatre received monologues submissions from all over the country and across Iowa for the annual festival.
The eleven playwrights whose work will be presented are: Richard Ballon (Amherst, MA); P. Seth Bauer (Philadelphia, PA); Ron Clark (Iowa City); Megan Gogerty (Iowa City); Ellen Grafton (Chicago, IL); Joe Jennison (Mount Vernon); Laura Nessler (Chicago, IL); Amanda Petefish-Schrag (Maryville, MO); Gwendolyn Rice (Madison, WI); Janet Schlapkohl (Iowa City); and Michael Whistler (Philadelphia, PA).
Performers for the monologue festival are Brandon Bruce, Megan Gogerty, Carrie Houchins-Witt, Jody Hovland, Mike Moran, Chris Okiishi, and Jessica Wilson.
Walking the Wire runs March 4-13. Showtimes are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $26 for adults, $23 for 60 and over/30 and under, $12 for youth (18 and under). Tickets can be purchased online at www.riversidetheatre.org or by phone at (319) 338-7672. Box office hours are: 12 - 4 p.m. Monday – Friday.
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