Suzi's Blog

At Upstart Crow Studios for Annie rehearsal, Cast B is busy running through a scene where Annie and Daddy Warbucks meet FDR.

Here's a pic of Jaya Rowelle, the Cast B Annie, trying on her dress a couple of weeks ago:

A few weeks ago, Cast B was busy learning "We'd Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover," including some choreography. Here are Hazel Herring (l), Grace Kelly (r) and Taylor Doble (behind) practicing some of the dancing (which later got changed):

That same week, here's Upstart Crow's exec director, and the co-director of Annie, Eularee Smith helping orphan Molly (Caitley Criswell, I believe) whine a little more in the first scene. The girls are in the dance studio, and they're sprawled out all over the floor.

And here's Jaya in the Hooverville scene a few weeks ago:

I have some (poor quality but fun) video of some of Cast B's principals doing Ring Around the Rosy and MJ backstage ... and as soon as YouTube loads that, it's up! More from tonight probably Wednesday afternoon.

This review will appear in the Feb. 11 print edition (with images, I hope)

Swinging Through London’s Doors
LCC’s Move Over Mrs. Markham farces it up

by Suzi Steffen

Last time I reviewed a farce, I led the review with a discussion of doors and how they should be used. That was Rumors at the Very Little Theatre, directed by Chris Pinto. Pinto must be into farces this season, for he’s at it again — and the doors work far better in this case — with the young actors at LCC in the British sex farce Move Over Mrs. Markham.

In Rumors, the set-ups of the first act paid off during an extended, inspired second-act monologue that Paul Hume Rhoden built into a towering fantasy of outrageous proportions. Though the whipped-up, goofy climax of Move Over Mrs. Markham, a late ’60s/early ’70s play by Ray Cooney and John Chapman, arrives with the collaboration of nearly the entire cast, it still relies heavily on the acting skills of one person — Melissa DeHart as Joanna Markham. Luckily, DeHart appears to know exactly what she’s doing, and she directs the traffic around her with the skill of a far older actor.

Read more after the jump!

That traffic consists of her children’s book-publisher husband Philip (Aaron Archer); their decorator (Jesse Ferreira); their maid (Rhea Gates); their good friends the Lodges (Linda, played by Leela Gouveia; Philip’s business partner Henry, played by Andrew Ghai); Linda’s erstwhile lover Walter (Jimmie Berguin); Henry’s newest fling (Savana Wilson); and the best-selling, publisher-switching, sex-freaked Olive Harriet Smythe (Lilith Lincoln-Dinan).

Yes, that’s everybody; by the climax of the play, they’re all onstage, almost all of them in the living room. The plot concerns a misplaced letter that misleads Philip Markham into thinking his wife, who’s quite repressed and who certainly isn’t experiencing any sexual pleasure with him, is having an affair with the decorator. Another plotline concerns the Lodges’ entirely separate plans for using the Markhams’ flat as a space for a one-night stand, a plan shared by two other characters who aren’t the Lodge lovers. Oh, and Smythe’s need for a publisher that doesn’t publish “racy” books.

The unbearable lightness of the unlikely script only stays tied to real human concerns during short scenes of agonized pain between Philip and Joanna Markham. DeHart, who’s onstage and just on a huge percentage of the two-hour running time, displays a grace even in the silliest scenes with decorator Alistair (Ferreira), and Archer gives pathos as well as amusement to Philip’s ridiculous jealousy.

Pinto says in his director’s note, an appreciation for Eugene theater guru Ed Ragozzino, that Ragozzino taught him to “always maintain a good pace.” This production mostly does that, with few lags as the actors figure out their complex blocking. Entrances, exits, props, costume changes, half or all-naked characters, sound gags and a few sight gags (watch Ghai when his character meets Wilson’s) left opening night’s audience in stitches throughout the play.

Some of that laughter felt uncomfortable and off. Sure, the play was written decades ago, but the bizarre hilarity associated with homophobic jokes seems out of place now. (I know: Unless you’re a football-watching bro, according to Super Bowl ads.) Actually, most of the jokes themselves don’t seem as out of place — after all, the play’s built upon misunderstandings of heterosexual relations too — as do the reactions of the crowd when one character emphatically affirms his total heterosexuality over and over again.

I rather forgave the play that issue, not to mention its limited understanding of children’s literature, when the climactic scene commenced. I’m guessing the humor-limited, those who don’t like the usual comedies or cartoons, etc., shouldn’t come to this play; nor should those who always want a Message from a play. But this frothy piece in its gorgeous set, with its surprisingly sweet dénouement, deserves a crowd, especially for DeHart, Archer, Ghai and Lincoln-Dinan (in a small but deeply amusing turn). A fine, funny production with occasional lapses, not surprising from a young cast with a fast-moving play, Move Over Mrs. Markham could certainly lighten up any Valentine’s-time winter blues.

****

Move Over Mrs. Markham runs through Feb. 20 at LCC. Tix at www.lanecc.edu/tickets or 541-463-5761.

I have no words.

Well, I do. One is to follow Demonsheep on Twitter.

Another is to thank ABC's Jake Tapper for his tweet saying he'd been demonsheeped, which led me to this post at SFGate, which led to ...

DEMONSHEEP!

(Sit through the entire thing. Really. It is so, so splendidly bizarre, from the East Coast accented voiceover to the ... well, you'll have to see it for yourself.)

EDIT: Here's a Bay Area editorial headlined, "Fiorina's demon sheep ad destroys real debate." Ya think?

Lost in the guffaws is the video's fundamental meanness. It is unfair and misleading. We're disappointed to see Fiorina sink to this level. What's the point of running as a political outsider if you're going to get down in the mud with the hacks?

I so did not think the "fundamental meanness" got lost. You?

I give you my second effort, this one from iMovie. There's actually even more going on in the building, with dance class, private lessons (I think) and parents popping in and out of the front with questions and concerns. But here's a 2-minute snapshot of some of what happened Monday night at ... The Road to Annie!

UPDATE: List of scenes
1. Timothy Wilcox, music director, explaining to the denizens of Hooverville that they need a lyric book if they don't know the lyrics

2. "We'd Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover" (partial)

3. Wilcox explaining how they should sing the song

4. The next attempt at "We'd Like to Thank You Herbert, Hoover" (starts with applesellers Grace Kelly and Grace Gibson on the left, aka stage right; pans to Sophie the coal woman, played by Holley Flora and Olivia Nilsen on the right, aka stage left)

5. Eularee Smith discusses the cast list. (87 kids. We also talked about the difficulties of finding a Daddy Warbucks and an FDR.) BTW, Annie opens in four weeks!

6. Jackie Stolar leads the little kiddos in learning "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile"

7. Cast A Annie Asa Clevenger tries on the Annie wig backstage. Upstart Crow Studios artistic director Sarah Beth Byrum gives her opinion (in the grey hoodie at the end).

I just got back from an interview with the Eugene Ballet Company's Gillmer Duran, who's choreographing a new piece for the Feb. 13-14 Dark Side of the Moon performance.

Gotta say, I'm excited about this one. I watched rehearsal for the "Dark Side" portion yesterday, with EBC Artistic Director (and founder) Toni Pimble polishing up some of the choreography. Me, I'm not a Pink Floyd fan (to put it mildly), but the dancers made the music work. In addition to "Dark Side" (for which The Floydian Slips will play live, behind the dancers, on the Silva stage), the Ballet is also presenting "Common Ground," Pimble's collaboration with James Oliverio, and Duran's piece.

More on rehearsal and my interview with Duran later, but here's the video of rehearsal for "Without the Cover," by videographer Neil Moyer:

Without The Cover from NEIL MOYER on Vimeo.

Artist Marina Hajek with her sculptures.

Cure the Winter Blues
By Rachel Coussens
Images courtesy of Kelly Tavares

Do not settle for having the winter blues, have the greens, yellows and reds too. Visit the Mills International Center Art Exhibition for the Winter Blues... and Greens Yellows Reds… show going on now until March 19th. View art from seven different artists including Samuel Becerra, Jean Foss, William Golino, Marina Hajek, Joan Miligan, Kelly Tavares and Jessica Zapata.

Artist Joan Miligan at the January 22nd opening reception.

“By community demand, they (Mills International Center) opened the idea of a gallery,” artist and art coordinator Kelly Tavares says. “The intent is to put everyone together, including people outside the university.” The show features artists from Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala and America giving a cultural perspective to the pieces. “We brought both art and outside experience to a university activity,” artist Joan Miligan says.

Jessica Zapata creates photographs that focus on doors and windows from the colonial times in Mexico. “With my photos I hope I can show what you can learn and see in Mexico. You can learn about the life people had from the past,” she says.

“My work is perfect for a show about lighting up winter gloom,” Miligan says. He paintings encompass light and energy that capture more of a summer season. “Everything I paint is an expression of who I am and who I want to be,” she says.

Artist Marina Hajek creates clay sculptures that she wants to use to challenge people to think. “It’s a way for me to express myself. I grew up in a society that was afraid of expressing themselves,” she says of Guatemala.

Painting by Joan Miligan

“When you surround yourself in other cultures, ideally, you are hungry to understand and appreciate what is enjoyable to you,” Miligan says. According to Tavares, the Mills International Center plans on putting on one art exhibit per academic term. The Winter Blues…and Greens Yellows Reds… will be showing until March 19th at the Mills International Center located in the Erb Memorial Union on the University of Oregon Campus.

I have so much to say about Monday night's rehearsal, and a whole lot more video to edit and work with, but it's taken several hours and tech consults (thanks, James!) and interventions to get this one short video up here. We WILL speed up the process!

This is at the end of rehearsal; other kids are rehearsing "NYC" in the dance studio about 15 feet away, and backstage, there's costume fitting. Here, the two Annies (Asa's in Cast A; Jaya's Cast B) rehearse their big songs. More coming soon!

UPDATE V
March, Candlelight Vigil, Rally, etc. etc. etc. (Thanks for the tip, Monica Christoffels!)

From the LGBTQA's Facebook events, a list of things, after the jump.

UPDATE IV: LGBTQA co-director Alex Esparza said that a candlelight vigil starts at 6 pm tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 2) in the LGBTQA office. He said no one department or student group is sponsoring it but that "it's all of us, coming together."

Esparza said that right now, people are bringing to the office rainbow ribbons with UO President Richard Lariviere's email message on them, and tying them up around the office. He said that an offer of financial support came in about 20 minutes ago.

Esparza added, "Although it’s a scary experience, it’s done nothing but iron my resolve and embolden me to fight against this kind of hatred. I won't stand for this any longer, and I don’t feel our campus community will any longer either."

The U of O's Department of Public Safety is looking at this "as a bias crime," and the Eugene Police Department is investigating the vandalism as well, according to Julie Brown, director of media relations in the UO's Department of Media Relations. "It's an ongoing investigation," she said. "They're calling it criminal mischief and intimidation."

UPDATE III: Email from our news intern, Deborah Bloom, and photo of the swasktika'd carpet itself, after the jump. In her notes, she writes, "ASUO Legislative Affairs Rep Robert Greene says, 'My biggest fear is that this is only the beginning.'"

UPDATE II: Text of a letter to the Daily Emerald from the ASUO Women's Center is also below the jump.

UPDATE: Our new news intern, Deborah Bloom, has gone to campus to investigate further. Monica Christoffels, UO student and Oregon Daily Emerald receptionist, took a photo of the ASUO-support poster that covers the bare place where the swastika was painted on the carpet. (UPDATE: That portion of the carpet was removed. Photo of it and the swastika after the jump.)

Image by Monica Christoffels, available at yfrog.com

Just got several emails in rapid succession about a swastika painted on the carpet of the University of Oregon's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans Queer Alliance office.

Though the student leaders of the LGBTQA are in a meeting with the president of the university, I spoke with Cat McGraw, program assistant at the LGBT Education and Support Services Program.

McGraw said that the staff of the LGBTQA last left the office at 2:30 pm on Friday, and that the custodial staff found the door unlocked last night and "a 4 by 4 foot swastika on the carpet" about 1 am today. She said that the flat-screen TV monitor and the computer monitor in the office were also painted out, and that the damage was "well over $1,000."

"The student feel like they've been targeted," McGraw said. Apparently, some of the administrators of the LGBTQA have been active in the protests against the Pacifica Forum.

UO President Richard Lariviere issued a statement over email. Full text of the statement is below the jump.

Updates here as more information becomes available.

Full text of the UO president's statement to the university community, sent just after noon today:

Feb. 1, 2010

Dear University Community:

Early this morning, we discovered a large swastika had been painted on the carpet in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Questioning Alliance (LGBTQA) Student Union Office in the Erb Memorial Union. It is reprehensible that such a hateful, cowardly act occurred on our campus. When one group is targeted, it threatens all of us and must be addressed directly and swiftly.

Unfortunately, these types of events can and do happen, even today. When they do, it reinforces our imperative as a community to band together against hate and intolerance of any kind.

We must do all that we can to come together as a community to fight such acts of intolerance and to provide support to those affected as we deal with the aftermath of this event.

This act of vandalism is not about exercising free speech or having challenging, difficult conversations; this is about hate and vandalism. We will vigorously pursue all avenues available to us to hold the perpetrators accountable for this cowardly act. We will continue to work with the Department of Public Safety and student leaders to ensure that we are doing all that we can to preserve the safety and security of our students, faculty and staff.

Richard W. Lariviere
President, University of Oregon

Text of the ASUO Women's Center letter to the editor of the ODE:

We, the staff of the ASUO Women's Center, wish to write a letter in solidarity with the LGBTQA in light of the recent hate crime committed in the space. Over the weekend of January 29th to February 1st, their office was broken into and vandalized with large, spray-painted swastika symbols. We acknowledge that this crime affects the student body and the larger Eugene community. In addition to violating the physical space of the LGBTQA, this is also a violation of mental and emotional well-being and sense of safety. The EMU is a student-funded space where students gather, organize, and celebrate diversity at the University of Oregon. When hate crimes like this occur, these critically important spaces become unsafe for everyone. What will it take for our community to recognize a hate crime when we see one? When will we start responding from a place of healing and solidarity in ways that will have lasting and palpable effects? We implore administration to take action to restore and ensure the future safety of this space and the students who inhabit it. We also demand that this issue is not ignored and that an appropriate educational campaign continues and that student attention and action are taken. We hope that this event is recognized not as an isolated incident but rather as a part of a system of oppression and bias that continues to affect the students on campus as well as people in our community.

The carpet, removed, with the swastika on it. Photo by Deborah Bloom

Notes from news intern Deborah Bloom after interviews with LGBTQA executive member Alex Esparza, and her photo of the swastika.

The swastika was spray-painted onto the LGBTQA's carpet sometime between Friday at 4:10 pm and 1 am today. The door was apparently left unlocked, but, Esparza says, not by LGBTQA staff. They had locked the door but since the lock does not appear to be tampered with, they think that UO facilities left the door unlocked after cleaning.

Esparza and ASUO Legislative Affairs Rep Robert Greene say that they think there is a strong correlation between the Pacifica Forum and this incident. They think they were targeted because, as Esparza says, they have been "very vocal opponents to the Pacifica Forum". They have this impression because "there have been many student-heavy protests, which as escalated the action" happening around the Pacifica Forum. Esparza thinks that "either a Pacifica Forum member, or another individual or individuals who feel strongly about the Pacifica Forum's message."

Facilities removed the 4 X 4 carpeted square at around 9 AM. Once the ASUO Executive heard about this incident, they made a poster for the LGBTQ to express their support. That poster now lies where the swastika was, taped to the bare ground.

Greene says, "My biggest fear is that this is only the beginning."

From UPDATE V:

On Feb 1st, it was discovered that the LGBTQA office was vandalized over the weekend. The office was entered and a 4ft. by 4ft. swastika was spray painted across the floor. The vandals also spray painted both the television and computer monitors in the office. This action was intended to scare and intimidate us, but now more then every we need to stand strong as a community and respond to these heinous and despicable acts.

The LGBTQA in conjunction with many other student unions and organizations on campus has organized several events to respond to this incident and foster solidarity and unity with the greater campus and Eugene community.

An Attack on One is an Attack on All.

Help Create a Community United.

Love Will Triumph.

Event Schedule:

---Tuesday, Feb 2-----

*Candlelight Vigil
6pm-7:30pm
LGBTQA and EMU Amphitheater
Meet outside the LGBTQA office at 6pm and the we will march around campus and reconvene in the EMU Amphitheater for a speakout.

---Wednesday, Feb 3---

*Solidarity March
11:30am-12pm
UO Bookstore and 13th
Meet in front of the UO Duckstore/Bookstore on 13th at 11:30 and march down 13th to raise awareness of the events that have taken place and create a safer campus.

*Solidarity Rally
12pm-3pm
EMU Amphitheater
A show of solidarity withing the EMU Amphitheater against hatred and bigotry on the UO Campus. Listen to speakers and then have a chance to speak out yourself and create messages and artwork to combat hate and oppression.

---Thursday, Feb 4---

* Anti-Hate Forum, Part II
5-7pm
Ben Linder Room
More information TBA shortly

---Friday, Feb 5---

*Breaking Bigotry's Protest and Rally
2:30pm
Outside Johnson Hall
More information TBA shortly