Cal Rep

Interview with Kim Rubenstein, director of Waiting For Lefty

2010-09-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

What central themes are present in Waiting for Lefty: Seeing Red?

The American Dream: Immigrants’ love affair with the American Dream. The expectation of gold on the pavements, jobs for everyone, success, fame and fortune for all who have a strong work ethic. Freedom to do all that an individual is capable of and to own a piece of America: the perfect white house, fancy cars and clothes and furniture. Immigrants dare dreams and risk of moving their families to America so that all of these American Dreams will come true. Even blind patriotism; the proud fighting for America and its ideals in World War I was part of the Dream. After World War I, the Roaring Twenties seduced Americans into the wild possibilities that money and freedom can bring, and then the Crash in 1929 followed. Unemployment rose and ripped through the dream: furniture and homes being repossessed, the men in power controlling the lives of the working class, no money for the basic needs of food and shelter. The working class was suddenly confronted with the loss of the grand illusion of freedom and the ownership of shiny objects.

Quote: “I’d heard of the American streets being paved with gold, but I didn’t know that I would have to pave them.”

Deconstruction of the American Dream: People feeling violently erased; humans trapped in containers of poverty, impossibility, and inequality. Individual’s lost pride (particularly men) and hope. The feeling of helplessness and inaction settled in, disillusionment and consequent disorientation. The grief at the loss of the Dream and the anger at the bosses for overpowering them overwhelmed the population.

Taking Action vs. Inertia: At first, everyone wants Lefty to take action for them—or their spouse or anyone but them. The need to make a difference, to take action becomes overwhelming to the individual. The call to action seems impossible to the individual, but becomes possible in the group, in the team, in the collective action to revolt against the system that is controlling them and their lives.

Men vs. Women: The men are the big dreamers—they are caught in an obsessive love affair with the American Dream. They are living in illusion, in the romance of the possibility of life which keeps them from taking action. They are the romantics, conjuring gorgeous verbal pictures of the romantic life they want to give to their mates. The women are more practical, though still passionate and yearning for the romantic life their men enrapture them to believe in. Ultimately, the women see the truth of the circumstance, and instill in the men the imagination towards revolution. They wake up their men to the realities of life in America, and reconnect them to the action hero hiding inside each of them. When Edna kisses Joe, she is putting a revolution I his mouth. Igniting the men through power and sexual imagination, the women help to birth both a romantic and political revolution.

Revolution: The need to create political change out of brutal necessity. The power of team; the play examines the fear that keeps a group silent and then words and events finally incite a revolution among them.

How we perceive: If we are addicted to an image of a way of life then we are plump for disillusionment. To be able to perceive what is real and true and then to take action is central to this play.

How has the incorporation of additional works by Clifford Odets affected the original context of Waiting for Lefty? And what is the reasoning behind choosing these specific additions?

Waiting for Lefty was Odets’ first produced play, and is essentially a one-act. Odets continued to write plays about the central themes of the individual vs. big bosses, the American Dream and the deconstruction of the American Dream, the passion and revolution of true love winning out over practical love, and revolution vs. inertia. I believe that he became a better playwright in his later plays—deepening his vision and more specifically articulating his particular, jazzy vernacular. I wanted to celebrate this later writing and also lengthen/deepen the audiences’ experience with Odets. I think the added scenes enhance the detailing of relationships between characters, and between the characters and the central themes. Waiting for Lefty is essentially a series of episodes of the domestic and business lives of the workers who are attending the Union Meetings. Being privy to the private and working lives of the characters makes them individual and specific, instead of the violent invisibility of the masses. I wanted more scenes like this, similar to the voyeurism in Hitchcock’s Rear Window, in which we get to eavesdrop on the private moments of the humans we meet on the streets. I wanted a fuller picture of life during the Depression and how that relates to us and our world now. Plus, there are some Odets scenes from other plays that I love so much and have a yearning to discover through rehearsal and performance.

In what ways does Waiting for Lefty: Seeing Red relate to a modern audience?

We are living in brutal, humiliating times that echo the Great Depression more than any other time in American history. We confront stock market crashes, war and violence, poverty and unemployment daily. We live in fear, anger, grief and loss of pride. We struggle with the feeling of helplessness and inertia. And because we are human beings, we dream and imagine. Sometimes we lose what we never had because we imagine. And sometimes, under dire circumstances, we imagine a way to create revolution—revolving the circumstances into a new field of possibility and hope, into a new way of being, as Americans and humans.

What questions, thoughts, and ideas would you like an audience member to leave with?

What is our path to revolution now? It cannot be exactly the same as in the time of the Depression. I want the audience to leave with a shift in perception. Through compassion and recognition, begin to perceive the truth, the reality, of our circumstances and to understand that it is up to each individual to choose to take action.

Revolution, true revolution, implies experimenting with the impossible. When an individual takes a step in the direction of the new, the whole human race travels through that individual. At the same time, to find comrades, collaborators, teams that will surge with you to the other side of inertia.

Can the American Dream redefine itself to include compassion, empathy, true equality, deep listening and collaboration? What can be our America Dream now? How can each of us make a difference, particularly in our day to day encounters in which we can choose to treat people and events with curiosity, open hearts and equality? In this time of glorious technology, how do we become more human instead of less? How do we fuel our actions with hopeful possibility and stay grounded in the truth of our circumstances?

Waiting for Lefty runs through October 16th.. Click here to buy tickets!

21st Season Announcement

2010-09-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

Cal Rep announces its 2010-11 season,
"In Dreams Begins Responsibility"

click here to buy tickets

Tickets

General Admission: $20.00

Students, Seniors, Faculty, Staff & Children: $15.00

Groups of 10 or more: call 562.985.5526 or email calrepcompany@gmail.com for more information

Waiting for Lefty: Seeing Red
Sep. 24-Oct. 18, 2010

by Clifford Odets

Directed by Kim Rubenstein

Oppression, revolution, and the desire to build a new America - Odets resonates today with an urgent and vital poignancy.

The Night of the Tribades Nov. 19-Dec. 11, 2010

by Per Olov Enquist - Translated by Ross Shideler

Directed by Henryk Baranowski

Does art imitate life? Strindberg's passions, fears, and decaying personal life explode onstage as the ultimate chauvinist is subjugated by his wife's lesbian ecstasy.

Hyacinth Macaw
Feb. 18-Mar. 12, 2011

by Mac Wellman

Directed by Jim Martin

The nuclear family is disintegrating; identity is uncertain; even the moon is dying. Wellman's language is his plaything. America is adrift. "Things fall apart; the center cannot hold" -- W.B. Yeats

The Pool of Bethesda
Apr. 29-May 11, 2011

By Allan Cubitt

Directed by Joanne Gordon

Art collides with science; modern medicine converges with nineteenth century painting; Faith challenges death as redemption is revealed in the artist's eternal truth.

"And the War Came" teaser video

2009-04-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

"And the War Came" at The Armory April 24 - May 9, 2009.
Click here for tickets!
www.CalRep.org

Video by www.MichaelFarmerPhotography.com

Tell us your thoughts!

2009-04-21T17:03:00.000-07:00

After 18 years, the Pentagon has lifted the ban on media coverage of flag-draped coffins returning to the United States.

Do you feel that the ban should have been lifted, and does this change have any impact on your attitudes regarding war?

Let us know your thoughts. Or join us at the Armory and put your thought on our Opinion Board in the lobby.

"And the War Came"

For the men and women of the National Guard.

Conceived and Directed by Joanne Gordon

April 24th - May 9th, 2009

Click here for tickets ~ This production runs for 3 weeks only!

www.calrep.org

Up Next: "And the War Came"

2009-03-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

For the men and women of the National Guard.

Conceived and directed by Joanne Gordon

We share their home. They rescue us. Experience the war through their own words.

April 24th - May 9th, 2009

Tickets are $20 General Admission, $17 Student, $15 Seniors, Faculty & Staff, Children under 12, $12 for groups 10+, and Military price of Buy One, Get One Free

Box Office: 562.985.5526

http://www.calrep.org/

Cal Rep at The Armory has partnered with Soldiers' Angels to bring donated items to the families of our troops.

Help us make a difference in their lives.

Bring a donated item to the show and enter for a chance to win a dinner for two at The Starling Diner!

http://www.soldiersangels.org/

You Be The Critic!

2009-03-03T10:13:00.000-08:00

Let us know what you thought about Cal Rep's current production: Hamlet, The Artist Formerly Known as Prince of Denmark.

Here's what the critics had to say:

"Quixotic, well-done, and AMUSING!"

"It’s a marvel of improv and FUN!"

"A surreal, PSYCHEDELIC EXPERIENCE!"

Now YOU be the critic! Click here and let us know what you thought of the production, who your favorite character was, and the moments where you couldn't stop laughing hysterically!

If you HAVEN'T seen Hamlet yet, get thee to The Armory!!!

Hamlet, The Artist Formerly Known As Prince of Denmark

A Parody of William Shakespeare by Cal Rep with Additional Material by Troubadour Theater Company.

Directed by Matt Walker and Mike Sulprizio

On stage at The Armory through March 14th

Something is rockin' in the state of Denmark as Shakespeare's most famous Dane meets the Prince of Purple Rain.

Tickets: $20 (general), $17 (students), $15 (staff, faculty, seniors, children and military), $12 (groups 10+)

Click here to purchase your tickets today!

http://www.calrep.org/

Photos by Keith Ian Polakoff.

Cal Rep at The Armory presents...

2009-02-09T15:05:00.000-08:00

Hamlet,

The Artist Formerly Known as Prince of Denmark

A parody of William Shakespeare by Cal Rep with additional material by Troubadour Theater Company.

Directed by Matt Walker and Mike Sulprizio

Onstage at The Armory February 20th - March 14th

Something is rockin' in the state of Denmark as Shakespeare's most famous Dane meets the Prince of Purple Rain.

Tickets are selling fast - click here to purchase yours today!

www.CalRep.org

This is Cal Rep...

2009-02-09T14:30:00.000-08:00

Check out our new video featuring four of our recent productions!

www.CalRep.org

The Kentucky Cycle - You Be The Critic!

2008-11-19T16:12:00.000-08:00

Let us know your thoughts about Cal Rep's current production, The Kentucky Cycle, and automatically be entered to WIN TWO FREE TICKETS to Cal Rep's next production in February!

Which part did you like best?
Which character was your favorite?
Did The Kentucky Cycle raise any questions in your mind?

You be the critic! Leave a comment and let us know what you thought about the production.

Haven't seen The Kentucky Cycle yet? Buy your tickets today ~ they're selling out fast!

The Kentucky Cycle
By Robert Schennkan
Directed by Trevor Biship
(this production contains two parts which run in repertory)
On stage through December 13th!

www.calrep.org

Photos: Rowena J-Portier in Part 1, Cal Rep company members in Part 2. All photos by Keith Ian Polakoff.

See the play critics say "deserves the highest recommendation to see!"

2008-10-28T17:21:00.003-07:00

Debbie Lazor as Morning Star and Darren Nash as Patrick Rowen. Photo by Keith Ian Polakoff.

Cal Rep at The Armory presents...
The Kentucky Cycle
By Robert Schenkkan
Directed by Trevor Biship

Part 1: October 24 - December 13, 2008
Part 2: October 31 - December 13, 2008
(this production runs in repertory)

Seven generations of a Kentucky family, one cycle of violence; an intimate revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama.

What the critics have to say:

"Cycle puts explosive spin on American myths!"

"The Kentucky Cycle is relentless, cruel and guaranteed to shock and agonize political and ethnic backgrounds across the board!"

"The cast members shine!"

"The Kentucky Cycle is so psychologically and emotionally engaging!"

Tickets are selling out fast ~ Click here to purchase tickets!

Click here to read the Press Telegram's amazing review of The Kentucky Cycle.

www.calrep.org

Cal Rep Company Members: Summer Series

2008-08-08T14:25:00.001-07:00

Cal Rep company members Matt Graber (management), Lauren Morris (management), Don Ishler (lighting) and Rick Corley (lighting) spent their summer in Indiana working at the Shawnee Summer Theatre. Matt recounts his story of the early-summer flooding in the Midwest...

Matt Graber and Mike Price in front of the Shawnee Theatre. Photo by Don Ishler.

"It was around 4:00am on Sunday and a knock came at my door. I opened it and there stood Lauren Morris. 'I think we should move everyone to the theatre and out of housing.'

'Why?' I asked.

'Because a tree just fell on my room.' She replied.

We didn't move out though, because it was too late. The tornado had already passed right over us while we slept. No alarm, no warning. Just dumb luck. I still think that we got hit by that storm because another summer theatre in the area was doing 'The Scottish Play.'

That was the very beginning of probably the most challenging phase of my short history at Shawnee. It rained all day as we continued to try to get Godspell up. That night flood waters had come up in several places and flood warnings were being issued. Some decided to make the trek to the Rollison's house. The Rollison's own a gigantic mansion on the edge of Bloomfield and are also very active board members. Most did not make the trek. We were determined to stay at the theatre come what may. It is good that one of us, the local one, thought to move our cars out to a parking lot that was within walking distance but on higher ground. Our day had ended. A few of us had cracked a beer. It had been a long day. My phone rings, it's Mike Johnson. Mike is a volunteer fireman and also the owner/editor of the local paper. Yes, Bloomfield is that small.

'You are being evacuated' Mike spat out.

'Why?'

'Because the water is going to raise another three feet.' He replied. Then I had to go down the hall and tell everyone I needed them in the parking lot in twenty minutes. I had no idea how fast this was coming. I also called one of our board members who would be in the know and he had told me that the water was only going to rise three inches. That turned out to be the truth, but at the time I had to assume the worst. I asked all the company members to please unplug anything they had and to put their electronics up as high as they could get them. We all packed bags and headed out into the night. Mike met us in the parking lot and led us across about 150 yards of ankle-high water.

Mike asked me if we wanted to go to the baptist church. Sleep in a church, or sleep in a mansion. Hmmm. I said, 'Hell no, we're going to the Rollisons.' This was Sunday night. We were to tech the next day and open on Thursday. Seems God wasn't too keen on Godspell.

The next morning I rose and went out to the theatre. The water had rose high enough to get into our parking lot, I could tell that. I could not tell if it had got into the theatre. So Don Ishler, Mike Price (one of our actors) and I decided to trudge through the water. Now knee high and definitely part sewage and other funky-fun-flood-run-off. When we got to the theatre we found that it was not damaged severely. Water had seeped in and up to the first row, but had not covered any seats. The underside of the stage was also under water. The housing was untouched.

It was three days before we could really get back to the theatre. We had to have a professional mold cleaner come in to knock out all the microbes that had grown in the water that had accumulated and then receded from under the stage. We got in on Wednesday night, and opened Godspell on Saturday. Two days late. The show went on though. That was just the beginning. Shawnee 2008. Season of Dreams."

--Matt Graber, Producing Artistic Director of the Shawnee Summer Theatre

Godspell. Photo taken five days after the flood.

www.calrep.org

Dare to be heard...

2008-08-05T14:23:00.000-07:00

What is your favorite Cal Rep production of all time and why?

Let us know and feel free to elaborate!

Dom Magwili in our production of "Tango" in 2007. Photo by Keith Ian Polakoff.

Check back frequently for up-to-date news and info about Cal Rep.

2008-2009 Thoughts and Musings from our Artistic Director

2008-07-31T12:43:00.001-07:00

From Cal Rep Artistic Director Joanne Gordon

Josh Nathan and Gregory Allen in "Britannicus". Photo by Keith Ian Polakoff.

"Two images dominate the kaleidoscope of impressions that haunt and delight me as I recall my most recent trip to Africa and Europe.

The first is an infinitely long line of huge trucks waiting to cross the Zambezi River. The second is a picnic table heaped with food on a bucolic, perpetually sunlit evening in Denmark. The truckers could no longer safely travel through Zimbabwe, so there they sat. With only one ferry capable of carrying them, one by one, the wait time to cross the river was between two and three weeks. The truckers lived and slept in their trucks. They cooked on small fires at the side of the road. And in the hot African sun, they waited.

The picnic table belonged to a friend of a friend. The scene was like something out of a Bergman film — beautiful children frolicking on an impossibly green lawn, a table heaped with Danish sausage, French cheese, Indian samoosas with Thai hot sauce, herring in infinite variety, tomatoes from Chile, fruit from California, wine from New Zealand, lots of beer and of course the ubiquitous large bottles of Coke for the kids.

What do these images have to do with each other, or perhaps more importantly, what do they have to do with Cal Rep making theatre at the Armory? We face another challenging year as we continue our struggle to return home to the Edison. Our country faces the consequences of a pivotal election, economic uncertainty, climate instability and the daily barrage of terrifying images out of Iraq and Afghanistan. But the significance of my African and Danish memories reveals that these perspectives are myopic. While we blithely toss about clichés like "No man is an island" and announce that Marshall McLuhan's "Global Village" has now become our reality, we must do more to combat xenophobia and isolationism. Just as the horror in Zimbabwe has caused this inconceivable traffic chaos in Botswana and Zambia, so too does everything we do have global consequences. A meal, like the one I enjoyed in Denmark, in which food from all over the world was heaped upon a table without reflection, would have been inconceivable a mere generation ago. This global synthesis is our unquestioned reality. And I have not even mentioned the obvious interconnections of social networking on the web: Facebook and YouTube, blogging, instant messaging, blackberry addiction and the gratification and control of a TiVo-dominated culture.

What does it all mean when making theatre in Long Beach? Perhaps my continued harping on global responsibly and interconnection may appear a trifle self-indulgent from the cozy perspective of our rich creative life as teachers, students and artists in sybaritic California. Why should we care?

As our knowledge of the world expands so it seems our awareness contracts. The attention span of the Millennial generation is so attenuated that all political policy or philosophic insight has to be reduced to the easily digested sound bite. As a society we tend to avoid the complex and convoluted. We want all content to be fast, fun and facile. We have become so addicted to our virtual reality that real life has become incidental. But theatre as a form does not readily relinquish its heft. It is, of necessity, a communal experience that demands of its audience time and commitment. If successful, the theatre engages and provokes. It compels us to explore our connections and untangle all the implied ramifications of the theme and plot of a piece. It emphasizes the commonality of experience and the universality of human response. It is alive and real and immediate and dangerous. If effective, it demands that we pay attention to the here and now.

This season we have been very aware of our responsibility to our art, to our community, to our world and to ourselves. The plays we have chosen compel us to look back and imagine forward. From the epic cyclic agony of Kentucky history, through the riotous co-mingling of Shakespeare with Elton John, to the visceral and very personal engagement of artists and soldiers, we have tried to capture the infinite variety and veracity of our contemporary world. We trust that you, our audiences, will leave our theatre enriched. We want you to laugh, to cry, to get angry, to find comfort, to be nurtured and disturbed. In short we trust that sharing the Cal Rep experience will awaken your conscience, expand your horizons, heighten your perceptions and inspire you to celebrate with us all that it means to be human."

Kyle Hall and Anna Virginia Steers in "Britannicus". Photo by Keith Ian Polakoff.

www.calrep.org

Welcome to the inaugural posting of the Cal Rep Blog.

2008-03-04T15:29:00.001-08:00

We at Cal Rep are constantly exploring ways to keep in touch with you — our audience. We choose to make theatre because we are by nature communicative beings. We live to share our ideas, visions and understanding of the world. But while the immediacy and thrill of our interactive experience in the theatre is what defines our art — we are greedy. We do not want the relationship to end when you leave the theatre. This blog is our attempt to keep the dialogue going. We want to engage — challenge — excite you and we want you to respond and challenge us right back. By conducting conversations with our audiences, we are able to refine our art and broaden our understanding. The web has provided us with the means to reach you long after our shared theatrical event is over.

We all know the thrill of the passionate discussion that erupts on a sidewalk after a show. We want to be part of that exchange. Our artists — director, actors, designers and writers — want to know what you think. We want to talk to you! This blog gives you access to the artists and staff of the theatre and enables us to respond to your ideas about our work.

Here's how it will work: someone from the theatre — a member of the artistic staff or one of the artists from a production — will initiate a posting. We will create these postings regularly. You will have the opportunity to post your comments and to respond to the comments of others. Simply by clicking on the comments link at the bottom of each post, you will be able to respond with your own comments, as well as read and respond to the comments of other Cal Rep company and audience members.

We love our work. We care passionately about our art. But, we are nothing without you — our audience.

Let's dish!