Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Anonymous Theatre: Rumors

Theatre Vertigo and The Anonymous Theatre Company
June 30, 2008

Summary:

The play is cast... secretly. The identity of the cast remains secret, even from the cast itself. On the night of the performance the play begins with each actor delivering his/her first line from the audience. The cast members discover one another's identity for the first time. Dressy attire suggested.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

just couldn't resist.

Anonymous said...

I'm in this. I can't wait to see who the rest of the cast is...

Anonymous said...

dear anonymous 4:40 pm,

i'm in it too! can't wait to see you!

yours,
anonymous

Anonymous said...

I heard a rumor... they say you've got a broken heart!

Anonymous said...

Superb. Better acting and direction than MANY "normal" shows in town. Lovely set, lovely lighting, phenomenal cast of pros, almost all of whom flexed their considerable comedic muscles at all the right places. With one rather puzzling exception, this cast was truly top-drawer. They romped and mugged their way through a hilarious night. (A night which, I might note, felt MUCH shorter than the clock indicated - and thats high praise!)

Here's what REALLY blew me away:

This cast was SO brilliant that I fear their accomplishment may have been diminished by the concept of the evening. By that I mean that farce is, by nature & definition, reliant on mix-ups, flubs, quick cover-ups, confusion and mistaken identity.

These attributes are similar to those that make the "anonymous" concept exciting and amusing.

So I found myself (as someone who happens to be very familiar with the script) in awe of the ensemble, timing and interplay of the actors who had never rehearsed together. At the same time, I caught the audience laughing at moments that WERE in the script, and I fear they thought they were laughing at a cover or improv on the actor's part. Am I making any sense?

I guess what I'm saying is that comedy is REALLY hard. Farce is damn near impossible to get right. These folks were damn funny - and they didn't rely on the "hey, ain't we cute slogging through this show up here", easy, cheap laughs. . . they NAILED the show for real. They earned their laughs and told the story magnificently. My hat is off to all of 'em!

Loved it - congrats to all involved. Wow.

Anonymous said...

What a fun filled evening! I haven't laughed this hard in a long while. Job well done by all.

Anonymous said...

Man, this show was fabulous! I thought it would be pretty hard to top last year's show, but where that was a raucous three-ring circus that often was hanging by its fingernails, this year's show was much more . . . err . . . professional! The participation of pro designers helped. A few missed entrances and cues, a couple calls for "line" -- just enough to comfort all of us in the audience who didn't or couldn't audition; but most of the time this one hummed along like an opening night that had been in rehearsals the full six weeks with the entire team. This only adds to the intimidation the rest of us feel about whether we could attempt it at all. I suspect having done an Anonymous show will become one of the most exclusive clubs in town -- everybody will want to get in. House was sold out, and it looked like there was a lot more general public than last year -- the word is out: this show's a hot ticket! Next venue, the Keller?

Anonymous said...

Hey, who was it?

Anonymous said...

Wow. I was so so impressed. Well prepared, well executed. What a bunch of pros. Well done, you guys. And while I thought you all were fantastic, I think Cookie stole the show.

Anonymous said...

I couldn't make the show. Who was the anonymous cast?

Anonymous said...

John San Nicolas here.
I just want to say thank you to my fellow castmates and crew for an evening that was probably the most terrifying and satisfying experience of my theater life. Allison, Brooke, Danielle, Doren, Emily, Jeff, Jen, Todd and...and...oh stuff me with cream cheese, I can't remember the name of the gentleman who played officer Welch...you were all fantastic, I was so proud to be part of such an amazing cast. I had someone to pick up at the airport immediately following the show, so I regret that I was unable to have a drink with you all. I had a blast on stage with you, though, as well as when I was watching from the audience through most of act I! Bravo!

Anonymous said...

Still no cast list on the Anonymous Theatre site. Would someone please tell us who was in the show? Maybe we can piece it together between us. John San Nicholas was Glen Cooper, Todd Van Voris was Ernie Cusack, and that's all I know.

Anonymous said...

Thank you to everyone who participated... and especially for Anonymous, I include the audience as participants.

Here is the excellent cast and design team:

CHRIS – Emily Beleele
KEN – Doren Elias
CLAIRE – Brooke Fletcher
LENNY – Jeff Gorham
ERNIE – Todd Van Voris*
COOKIE – Jennifer Hunter
GLENN – John San Nicolas*
CASSIE – Allison Tigard
WELCH – George Fosgate
PUDNEY – Danielle Vermette

Stage Manager – Carol Ann Wohlmut*
Set Design – Jeff Woods
Lighting Design – Jamie Rea
Sound Design – Sam Kusnetz
Costume Design – Lindsay Kleinman
Props Design – Sarah Rea

Directed by Darius Pierce, Tamara Carroll, Nathan Gale, Elizabeth Young

With great assistance from and thanks to: Christoper Rosseau, Teri Cobourn, Casi Pacilio, Heather Burkhalter, Brad Fortier, and everyone else who helped us, yet escaped this list.

* Member of AEA, the actor and stage managers union

Anonymous said...

These attributes are similar to those that make the "anonymous" concept exciting and amusing.
oyun

Anonymous said...

can you post the report of it?
or i couldnt find it

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