One Gig Leads to Another

After the briefly lived fame that my account of the Salem show drew from the blogosphere, a more tangible consequence came.

My old friend, Chad Parenteau noted that since I had "been touring around a bit, " that he was inviting me to perform at Stone Soup Poetry the long-lived poetry venue that he has been hosting for the past few years.

The feature spot at a poetry venue seems like an ideal avenue to present a short theatrical work like Arlecchino Am Ravenous without it counting as a professional production. Besides, it's hard to refuse a guy who compared Cosmic Spelunker Theater to the Beatles.

The date is set for March 23 at 8pm at the Out of the Blue Art Gallery.

Going Viral

Somehow, last week's post, Arlecchino at the Gulu-Gulu Cafe received a one-day spike in readership. Intially, I attributed this to this post by my friend, local playwright and actor, Art Hennessey (mentioned previously when I did a presentation for his students at Emerson), on his Mirror up to Nature blog, as I always find it interesting to read, and generally find it worthwhile to follow the links he provides to other sites, so understandably, I thought that this would be the source of traffic considering how well he praised it.

Instead, I found that the visitors were coming primarily from two sources.

The first was Wicked Local's Somerville Blog, in which Kathleen Powers referred to me as "well known Somerville mime" with some hint of surprise that mimes might also write blogs. I suppose I must be well-known now, if other people say I am!

The second was Universal Hub, where founder, Adam Gaffin referenced my blog not once, but twice (make that thrice and it would have qualified as a running gag for the day.) First, he expressed surprise that mimes might recite poetry and then suggested in a second post that actress Alecia Batson could use some pointers in mime technique before her next audition.

Arlecchino at the Gulu-Gulu Café

Sunday, February 15, 2009:

I arrived in Salem via commuter rail with my costume bag slung over my should and my make-up case in hand, walking the few blocks from the station to the Gulu-Gulu Café. The sun was beginning to approach the horizon and the bricks of the Odd Fellows' Hall on Washington street were taking a warm golden-pink hue. I spied a large carving of Mister Punch (the name Pulcinella took when he moved to England) in one of the shops as I made my way to my destination, I took this as a good omen.

After coming through the front door, I introduced myself to the first staff member I met, explained that I was the evening's feature performer, and ordered an espresso and a glass of water. It was explained to me that Ryan, the host did not normally show up for at least an hour, which was well enough as I needed a time and place to prepare before my set.

After stretching out down in the basement, changing into my costume and make-up, and practicing a few bits, I came up at the appointed time only to discover that the café was much the same as it was when I first went down the steps, except for the fact that a mime in greasepaint and spandex was standing in the middle of the dining room with no idea what was going on. Ryan had not yet arrived. I had no idea who had come for dinner and who had come for the show and no one was approaching the mime to explain the situation to him.


I was soon met by a friendly couple, one of whom had come to read poetry, the other of whom was curious about my masks, but they, too, were uncertain of the evening's agenda. Soon after, a friend of mine, Lynne Sticklor, a poet and performer also known for her stage persona of "The Prize Lady" (not to be confused with the thoroughbred racehorse of the same name) arrived. Lynne had come to see the show but had no clue about Ryan.

Eventually as we checked the grapevine, we discovered that Ryan had been called away due to an emergency, and so as the featured artist of the evening, I took charge by delegating. Knowing Lynne's ability to engage and charm an audience, I persuaded her to take up the role of the evening's hostess. She signed people up for the open mic segment of the evening and started the evening's festivities with all the grace and confidence one would have expected if it had been her regular gig.

Lynne read a few of her own poems as well as works by other poets, including Walt Whitman. Some other poets read. There was a short feature by Rachel Clancy, a stand-up comic. In between the various acts, Lynne made me write a quick bio with which should could introduce me.

I opened with a trio of pieces from my poetry/mime repertoire, though I decided for the evening not to speak the titles, but to present them on cards that would unfold in various ways on string hinges I had made the night before. This repertoire is out of the ordinary so it is often hard to determine whether the audience is receptive at times, though I noticed the audience which had chattered through the other performers had become silent for me. After "Nemo of the Rails", I put on my Arlecchino mask and unfurled the string of cards that announced Arlecchino Am Ravenous.

As mentioned previously, the rehearsals had given me an opportunity to fine-tune the script of this short play, even as I am submitting it to theatre festivals. At the same time, I seem to have created a script that continues to challenge me as a performer to continue inventing new bits of stage business.

[That said, the aspect of me that writes had one bone to pick with the aspect that performs. While the performer is pleased as punch to engage in acts of simulated auto-cannibalism, and satirical acts of blasphemy, I caught myself engaged in a brief act of self-censorship when he cut short a reference to one of the more blatant anti-Semitic epithets from the The Merchant of Venice. However, since it is the writer who is blogging, and not the actor, he can't stop me:

Who the diavolo you think you are?

[Smiles in recognition, and bows.]

Oh! Buon Giorno! Signor Diavolo Lucifero dell’Inferno! Everyone say you look like Shylock, but no…

[To audience:]

…Shylock more handsome…

[Back to Lucifer. Mimes putting arm over Lucifer’s shoulder.]

…Signor Diavolo no look like Jew! More like goat.

The last line was dropped, perhaps out of the actor's fear that the audience would not understand, or that he would be "making trouble." The problem is that the writer likes making trouble.]

I ended with an enraged Arlecchino stepping out into the audience and confronting a haiku poet who had read during the open mic. I returned to the stage, removed my mask and prepared for the finale, during which I overheard a woman explaining to her friends that "It's like Dante's Inferno as told by James Joyce!"

I ended with "A Child's Trip Through the Underworld," bowed, took my props from the stage and ordered a salad of fresh mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, portabella mushrooms and greens, ate, cleaned off most of my make-up, changed out of my costume, paid my bill and caught the last train out of Salem, making my way back to Somerville within an hour.

Photos by Lynne Sticklor AKA The Prize Lady, except for facsimile of the title page of the First Quarto edition of The Merchant of Venice courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Do It Yourself: The Staged Reading

Once I concluded that my script for Total War was in such a condition that I could not really improve upon it by simply rereading it, I followed the advice of a few friends and decided to start submitting it to different theatre festivals, series, and workshops in order to get a staged reading.

A staged reading is not a full production. It is a stripped down affair in which actors simply read from scripts. It's an opportunity for the playwright to listen and determine if the written word translates well into the spoken word and solicit feedback from actors and audience members. The objective is to turn a work-in-progress into a stage-ready play.

While I have thus far, according to my spread sheet, submitted Total War to sixteen different venues just to be considered for a staged reading, I am still waiting to hear from fourteen of them: one rejected my script, and another received enthusiastic response from a staff member who, only a couple months later, was to suddenly leave her position (also leaving my play and me without a sponsor.) Even though I was actively researching opportunities, the fact that I was waiting on other people's judgments had made me feel passive.

What could I do? It's not as if Total War is a solo-piece like Arlecchino Am Ravenous which I can perform on my own in lieu of a poetry reading, or at some alternative art-space off of the theatre circuit, using the rehearsals and each performance as an opportunity to revise the script (as I submit it to festivals as well, possibly to be performed by other actors.) Total War is an ensemble piece, and a very ambitious one at that.

Finally it dawned on me: Why was I waiting on other people? When Cosmic Spelunker Theater was still active, I booked us anywhere I could, whether the space was a theatre, dance studio, art gallery, night club, or loft space. It was a lesson I had learned from punk rock: DIY (Do It Yourself.)

So I did it myself and booked a staged reading of Total War at Outpost 186 for Sunday, April 26th. It's entirely possible that someone will have said "Yes, we would like to hear your play" between now and then, but at least the play's fate is back in my hands.

Next on the agenda is finish the press release and recruit some actors.

February 15: Arlecchino in Salem/Change of Schedule

Ryan Travis informs be that there will be a change in the previously announced bill for the Sunday, February 15th Witch City Poetry show. Su Red has had to cancel. This means that I will be the solo feature performer. Otherwise nothing else has changed. There will also be an open mic as well.

Sunday, February 15th, 6:30pm - 9:30pm:

I'll be performing as half of a double feature at the Gulu-Gulu Café in Salem, Massachusetts as part of the Witch City Poetry series hosted by Ryan Travis.

I will be performing Arlecchino Am Ravenous along with three or four shorter pieces from my repertoire. Mostly touching on my usual topics of trains, super-heroes, mysticism, memory, Greek mythology, and jazz--most certainly including "A Child's Trip Through the Underworld" which Doug Holder once called a "...a Whitmanesque romp through Brooklyn..."

I created a Facebook page for the event if you happen to like using that service.

Gulu-Gulu Café
247 Essex Street
Salem, MA

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February 15: Witch City Poetry Presents Su Red and Ian Thal

Sunday, February 15th, 6:30pm - 9:30pm:

I'll be performing as half of a double feature at the Gulu-Gulu Café in Salem, Massachusetts as part of the Witch City Poetry series hosted by Ryan Travis. The other half of the feature will be Su Red who, I am told, will be reading erotic poetry.

I will be performing Arlecchino Am Ravenous along with three or four shorter pieces from my repertoire. Mostly touching on my usual topics of trains, super-heroes, mysticism, memory, Greek mythology, and jazz--most certainly including "A Child's Trip Through the Underworld" which Doug Holder once called a "...a Whitmanesque romp through Brooklyn..."

I created a Facebook page for the event if you happen to like using that service.

Gulu-Gulu Café
247 Essex Street
Salem, MA


View Larger Map