www.philly.com: With fall in full swing and colder months ahead, the Philly theater world is starting to heat up in a big way. Many companies have started rolling out their current production seasons, but here are three playing now that you should definitely see.
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While this article was written about events in Philadelphia, I still found considerable interest in the events detailed in it. For one, I haven't seen a non-academic production in over 3 months now, and thinking about theater outside of Carnegie Mellon is always inspiring. I can't help but to hope that I'll be able to get off campus in the near future, and step into a performance space that is not the Chosky, the Wells, or the Rauh.
While I love everything I have been a part of here at Carnegie Mellon, I can't help but think, far back in the deepest depths of my mind, that having a campus worth of performance spaces does not prepare me for the real world. How am I to approach designing and tech-ing for theater in the round, outdoor amphitheater-style theater, or even devised theater in non-traditional spaces. This is not to say that I don't appreciate the education I'm receiving now, or that this wonderful program does not give me enough experience to work with. This is simply to point out the limited scope that any theater education has, especially in light of the leaps and bounds being made everyday to expand and revise the definition of theater. In short, the world is our oyster, no matter where the proscenium sits.
I’m from Philly myself and I’ve always ignored the theatre scene there because the lights of Broadway are so bright and so close. That being said I’ve seen some interesting theatre in the city from which I hail. It actually doesn’t surprise me that Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphosis is being performed at the Arden. The costume designer who works with Zimmerman is also from Philly and has worked at the Arden a lot in the past. It brings me joy that some of the Chicago theatre scene is showing up in my home city. I also like that one of the plays is featuring a local story. Philadelphia is a city with a lot of rich history even in the past 30 years. Why not feature it? I also like the idea of updating the story of Antigone to apply to a modern audience. I think that Greek classics are frequently ignored in this modern age.
The consideration of classical mythology in two of these three recommended shows is particularly interesting to me. Perhaps it is merely coincidence, but the use of myths in conjunction with modern contexts seems to be wildly prevalent throughout our national conversation on theatre. Metamorphoses is a beautiful and exciting production, and definitely holds stories that are so often forgotten, but add great points to our discussions. Within that show, Narcissus and Echo are dramatized, and while it may seem like a trivial myth, it contributes to our national conversation about the gender binary in a helpful way. With Narcissus being unable to emotionally attach to anyone except for himself, and for Echo to be desperate for the connection and unable to ask for it. These two roles are a classical example of the issues that our modern society forces onto men and women. The reason that this is relevant is that theatres in Philly who are putting on shows that are important and relevant to our conversations is something that we ought not to ignore. More articles that share the work of different cities means moving towards theatre on a global and national scale, and dismantling the preconceived notions about where the best theatre may be.
It's so funny..... I'm in Philly right now and my friend who I'm staying with told me that Metamorphoses was SO GOOD! Unfortunately I wasn't able to see it, but was able to watch another show at a nearby theater and was so happy to see the amazing talent in Philly. There are so many performing arts spaces and theaters and we actually passed by the Antigone poster a few times and it just so happens that my friend needs to watch it for school. Seeing all these theaters made me so excited because of how I'll be working in that field pretty soon and just seeing the many styles and setups, pushes me to expect anything when it comes to performing spaces. If you can, take a trip to Philly. It's a beautiful place and the talent is insane.
It is interesting to note the historical theme of this collection of featured productions. More so than just focusing on historical happenings, there is a distinct focus on Classics, performed through a modern lens. Attempts to modernize such pieces consistently prove challenging. Many adaptations end up lacking some sort of justification. Sure the story fits into this new narrative style, or these circumstances, but what does this update add? As with the pool featured in Mary Zimmerman's adaptation of "Metamorphoses", aside from an element of "flash and bang", how does the pool enrich this retelling? Despite my doubts surrounding the classical pieces, I applaud the premier of "Rizzo" for its look at local history, and an important figure in Philadelphia tradition. The contrast between "Rizzo" and the other pieces is striking, and speaks to an excellent diversity of though in the Philly theatre scene. This collection of three pieces is sure to contribute to an interesting theatre season.
All these program sounds interesting and I would like to see all of them if I have time outside school work (which sounds impossible). One thing I like about American theatre is that it is very opened and people and write about whatever the society and/ or the community is concerning about and express it in the play and create rooms for young artists or others to involved in the show. It’s nice to see that theatre is everywhere like in Europe where classical music is in every corner of the street. I like local theatre today that it doesn’t have to be big cast with extravagant costumes and flying set and still be able to tell stories and captured every moment beautifully (or not, depend on the show) . And as the audiences actually you would be able to experience the world of the play in closer look and not 10 miles away.
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