If you have it, use it. Really use it

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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week, Jeff Riebe.


I stand corrected. The official title of the June production, at Interact is Madame Majesta's Miracle Medicine Show. I only got the correct title after talking with one of the Assistant Directors today. His name is Dario Tangelson. He's of the aforementioned international set as he claims Buenos Aires, Argentina as his home base. He has recently performed at The Guthrie in a production called Super Monkey.

We spoke briefly about what he see's as the biggest difference between theater here vs. theater there. The biggest thing that stuck out to him is that productions here (US) receive a tremendous amount of preparation time. A luxury, really. Rehearsal time is thought by many to be a waste of time. Quite incorrect. Rehearsal time provides a glimpse into the inner workings of what the playwright is saying and allows performance of the piece to glow in the aura of truth.

Interact differs from elsewhere, he said because we have a copious amount of time to get a production on its feet. That struck me as relative, since a majority of theater companies do not have their own space. I believe this to be absolutely necessary and we have the luxury of working in our own space. So if you have it, use it. Really use it.

One of the truly positive aspects of working with this group is that the creative process happens on its feet. The production being developed now, is really birthing. One of the Assistant Directors will come up with an idea, and because everyone in the cast is there, that idea can be tried and tried again, honing it into an operable element. And if it works, great! If not, it was well worth the effort.


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