ktc-interns

[ktc-interns]

There’s Never A Good Time To Have A Baby

Or, “In Pursuit of the Perfect Process”

Don’t worry -- I’m not pregnant.

I *am* directing Fitzandstartz Productions’ I Have A Song To Sing, O!, written by the inimitable Rachel Lampert, with new lyrics to Gilbert and Sullivan songs.  It’s a silly, wonderful time.  

Of course, about two weeks before rehearsals started, I could be found in my bed at odd hours of the day questioning why I ever wanted to direct in the first place because I was clearly totally unprepared for this show.  This is a common thing for me.  The onset of rehearsals pretty much means a guaranteed existential crisis for yours truly.  Because doing the thing you love is scary. Because you might fail.  And then what?

I, like any optimistic young person, want everything I do to be perfect.  I want a perfect rehearsal process.  I don’t want any actors to be angry; I don’t want anyone to feel like their time is being wasted in rehearsals; I don’t want anyone to feel unheard or under-appreciated.  I want everyone to collaborate joyfully and I want the audience to be the willing recipient of all that joy. I want everyone, cast and audience, to leave the show drenched in an artistic exuberance unlike anything they’ve ever experienced in a theatre.  

Of course, what I’m talking about is essentially magic, and you can’t just pull that shit outta the air.  You have to be present and make yourself ready for it.  You have to hope it will show up for every show you do, but realize that sometimes it just isn’t going to and that’s okay. And no amount of preparation, dramaturgy, existential dread, late-night Anne Bogart reading, or emotional eating is going to create the perfect process.  

I am never fully ready to direct a play.  

But, when the calendar says “First Read Through”, I just show up.  Usually I leave a little mortified, feeling like I missed an obvious angle on the text, that my welcome speech to the cast was unpolished, that I should have had something ready that I didn’t… but fear and embarrassment are signs of something crucial to the production process: vulnerability.

So, during this process I’m practicing holding back my desire to be incredibly hard on myself.  I’m choosing to be grateful that I still care about directing enough to let it scare me.  When someone corrects me or offers something I hadn’t thought of, I don’t waste time or precious energy berating myself for not catching it first.  I say “Thank you!”, and I forge ahead.

I always tell actors I’m working with that it’s okay to make mistakes and when they do, they should forgive themselves immediately and move on.  It’s time I applied that same philosophy to my own work.  There is no such thing as a perfect process and the right time to start is right now.

-Melyssa 

[ktc-interns]

Interns, Dana, Evie, and Annie, stach-ing it up at KTC's Stache Bash, a sneak preview for our upcoming production of Peter and the Starcatcher. Don't miss this adventurous production! Tickets are on sale, call now at 607-272-0403!

[ktc-interns]

"I and You" dramaturgy at my favorite coffee shop in Rochester. This is going to be such a powerful show. @kitchentheatrecompany #laurengunderson #teamyawp #starrynitescafe #workingfromhome (at Starry Nites Cafe)

[ktc-interns]

Annie, Melyssa, and Dana cheers-ing to starting on show 3, I and You by Lauren Gunderson, of the 25th Anniversary season at KTC!

[ktc-interns]

The CRS Barn and rehearsals for The Mountaintop by Katori Hall

Rehearsals for our next production of the season are underway!  Since we’re still finishing up our run of Buyer and Cellar in the theatre, rehearsals for The Mountaintop have to take place elsewhere, and elsewhere happens to be a beautiful place. 

The CRS Barn is a performance and rehearsal space located on Triphammer road about ten minutes outside of downtown Ithaca.  The space is operated by artistic directors Steven Stull and Jeanne Goddard.  Stull is a musician and baritone as well as a director and producer and Goddard is a choreographer.  The Barn frequently hosts small performances of operas on the small wooden outdoor stage in back.  

The space is absolutely breathtaking, or maybe the better phrase is breath-giving.  With high ceilings and a gorgeous valley vista my lungs felt so full I felt like singing.

I think it’s really wonderful that when KTC is in need of a rehearsal space, this is the kind of place that is utilized.  No dark warehouses or gross basements here. The environment surrounding an artistic process can be very influential on the ultimate success of a project and with a space as beautiful as the CRS Barn to rehearse in, I have no doubt that our already very talented cast and director are going to create an invigorating and powerful work of art. 

- Melyssa

[ktc-interns]

Dana Graham, the artistic administration intern, with the director Nicole A. Watson and one of the actors Landon Woodson (playing MLK) of the upcoming show The Mountaintop! Very excited to have them here with us! Don’t miss your chance to see a great and moving show!

#KitchenTheatreCoTurns25 #TheMountaintop

[ktc-interns]

We're so excited for the first read through of The Mountaintop by Katori Hall! It's hard to believe we're already on the second of the season. (Emily, Director of Audience Services and Development and an all-around charming person photo-bombed our selfie.) -Melyssa and Evie

[ktc-interns]

Check out the awesome text art our Graphics Design Intern, Annie, created (in her spare time and by hand! She loved it that much).  They’re quotes from Buyer and Cellar by Jonathan Tolins, now showing at Kitchen Theatre Company! 

[ktc-interns]

Cooking in the Kitchen

Tomorrow is my one-month anniversary at Kitchen Theatre Company.  Which beautifully coincides with our opening night performance of Buyer and Cellar.  It’s hard to believe I’ve only been here a month and there’s already a show on.  

As one of the Artistic Interns, it is my job to assistant direct some of the shows during the season and I was assigned to this one (read: I basically begged for it).  I really love this show.  Surely, it is part “fluff” - it’s a one-man comedy about Barbra Streisand, so a certain amount of fluffiness is basically required.  However, it’s also wonderfully intelligent and, at times, very moving. 

What’s been most exciting, however, is working with the director, Wendy Dann.  One of the things I wanted most out of this internship was to spend time in rehearsal rooms because I figured out a few years ago that there are really only two ways of learning how to direct that work for me: doing it and watching other people do it.  I had done a lot of it on my own in Rochester, but I was ready to learn again at KTC. 

So, after two years of producing my own work or signing on to other independent community projects in Rochester, I settled into a chair with my notebook and pen poised and ready - and I watched. 

Directing is like cooking.  It takes finesse, knowledge, style, patience and the best way to learn how to do it is to watch someone else.  Watching Wendy direct felt so much like watching my father in our kitchen at home.  He never sat me down and told me, “This is how you chop an onion,” but I watched him chop enough that when the time came for me to cook for myself, my hands just sort of knew what to do. 

I think this might be the greatest gift I’ve received from KTC so far.  That feeling of being so immersed in an art form that it starts to become a part of you.  I know I learned things from Wendy that I don’t even know I learned yet.  There will come a day when I’m at the head of a rehearsal room again and her patient energy and keen eye will come back to me and I’ll hear something come out of my mouth in her words.   It’s wonderful, invigorating, and challenging to learn this way.  Sometimes as a director it’s easy to forget that my most powerful tool is keeping quiet, really listening and enjoying the talent of the people around me.  I’m so grateful for the reminder.   

                                                                                                          -Melyssa

____________________________

If you’d like to come see Buyer and Cellar at KTC, check out our website for tickets! 

[ktc-interns]

Welcome to the new 2015-2016 Interns!

We have arrived and we are so excited to be here!

“My name is Dana Graham and I am from Dayton, Ohio. I just graduated in May with my BA in Theatre Studies with a concentration in Directing! I am the Administrative intern and I'm very happy to make Ithaca and Kitchen Theatre Company my home for the next several months!  I love to sing, direct, dance (for fun), cook, and read and watch natural hair blog and tutorials. Theatre for me is therapy! It is a way to escape my reality and enter into the world of a play. The transparency of theatre allows me to be a thinker, to be goody, to be anything I want. The transparency of theatre also allows me to create an avenue to touch the lives of others and bring about a change rather it be in their personal lives or something bigger than themselves...that is why I love theatre!”

“My name is Annie... like the mac and cheese! I recently graduated from Binghamton University with a BA in Graphic Design and I am the new Graphic Design and Marketing Intern here at Kitchen Theatre Company.  I grew up in Marcellus, NY and I am thoroughly excited to get the chance to live in such a beautiful area.  I love to run, play soccer, explore the outdoors, draw, listen to podcasts, eat hummus, and talk about Harry Potter. I have always loved theatre as a form of entertainment but have never really been exposed to just how much work goes into every single production. I'm very excited to get the chance to work behind the scenes of a theatre company and be surrounded by such passionate people. As the graphic design intern I hope to beautify Kitchen Theatre Company brand and create designs that will get people even more excited to be apart of the KTC community.”

“Hi! My name is Evie and I'm one of the new artistic interns here at the Kitchen! Originally from Hamilton, NY (drive northeast for awhile into the countryside and there it is!), I am just moving back to CNY from living in NYC and Sweden. After graduating with a degree in Dance and Theatre, I left NYC to work and dance in Sweden and then worked for a year in NYC before joining the wonderful team here at KTC. I love singing, dancing, cooking, baking, and exploring the outdoors - one of the reasons I was so excited to be moving to Ithaca! One of my favorite things about theatre is that it's a collaborative form. I love working with other people, bouncing ideas around and working together to serve something larger than the individual: the production. Working in theatre, you're always doing different things, working on different aspects, and no matter what your role is, you end up with knowledge about how to do so much more. Theatre has the ability to transform how we think, start conversations, and just make us laugh, cry, and, hopefully, have a good time. I'm excited to be here and immerse myself into this world.”

“Hello!  My name is Melyssa Hall and I'm originally from Rochester, NY.  I studied English Literature at SUNY Geneseo and I'm thrilled to be working at Kitchen Theatre Company as an Artistic Intern.  I've had a couple of years to myself since college which I've mostly spent bartending and producing my own shows in Rochester.  Being on my own for a while was great because it taught me how to find my own resources and build my own tribe of people to keep the art happening around me.  But, those late nights at the bar wear on a person and I couldn't believe my luck when the universe led me to discover KTC.  Since starting here, I've had a few emotional moments already as I've realized that I am legitimately allowed and expected to spend my entire working day in service of the theatre.  It's really very sensational to be here.  I love theatre because I love putting all the pieces together.  It's beautiful to be a part of such a collaborative process and it's great to contribute to an art form that makes it a little more fun to be alive and gives us something to think about.  This summer I had the privilege of giving an interview on a local radio station in Rochester.  If you're interested in listening to me talk about the things I care about and the projects I've worked on in the past, give it a listen!  Youtube and Soundcloud links can be found here.

“Hello! My Name is Acacia (like the tree), and I am KTC’s Stage Management/ Production Intern for the season. I am a Graduate of the Design/Technology program at SUNY Purchase with a BFA in Stage Management, and a resident of Rockland County, NY.  On my free time I like to roam around town, learning about Ithaca and its wonders (like Wegman’s), and searching for knitting and crocheting patterns (finding the patterns is easy, finding the time to make them is the challenge). Theatre for me is an amazing way to create an outlet into the arts and to appreciate the feeling of community and support it brings to the world. The best part about the theatre for me is the collaboration process from all ends of theatre. Seeing what so many creative minds can bring to put on a show is an amazing experience, and always an amazing outcome. I am very excited to work with Kitchen Theatre Company as their Stage Management Intern for the Season!”

[ktc-interns]

The KTC exterior light installation!

[ktc-interns]

Lights, KTC, Action

Remember way back to the beginning of 2015, when the dark days of winter had us begging for light? Back when the outside of Kitchen Theatre Company was nothing more than a poorly lit sidewalk dreaming of something more? And you helped the Light Up the Kitchen campaign exceed its fundraising goal?

Well we followed through with our New Year’s resolution, and Pleasant Valley Electric installed lights outside the theater yesterday! Your donations made a big and brilliant impact at Kitchen Theatre Company, and we would like to again thank our KTC family of actors, directors, artists, and supporters for your contributions to the campaign.

Those donors are: Anonymous (3), David Arsenault, Judith Ashton, Claudia Benditt, Olivia Benditt, Zoe Benditt, Shelley Blackler, Pam Bleiwas, Mer Boel, Timothy Connell, Caroline Cope, Darian Dauchan, Carol Eichler, Nancy Emerson, Anna Fearheiley, Diana Foster, Jeffrey Fischer-Smith, Vince Gatton, Eric Gilde, Lesley Greene, Karl Gregory, Nancy Hoelzl, Thomas Hoelzl, Emily Jackson, Casey Keller, Rachel Lampert, Susan Lesser, Roy Luft, Chris Kuhn, Jimmy Kuhn, Meg Kuhn, Marshall McCormick, Sue Michlovitz, Paul Mills, Barbara Mink, Charlie Mulligan, Stephen Nunley, Brian Parks, Margarett Perry, Marta Costa Potter, Rachel Powers, Celia Schaefer, Jen Schilansky, Chris Smith, Laura Sokil, David Squires, Nick Stewart, Heather Tait, Jennifer Tegan, Alexander Thomas, Emily Villar, and Patrick Young.

Our newly transformed exterior has the sidewalk looking bright and happy, welcoming patron into the theater for more “important conversations”. See these new lights for yourself at a Kitchen Sink Series performance this summer or bear witness to their brilliance when we open our 25th season!

[ktc-interns]

Celebrating the end of the season with ice cream! This has been such an amazing year for all of us. Stay tuned for the 2015-16 interns!

[ktc-interns]

Zoe Benditt wants an intern car so she doesn't have to walk home from light hang at midnight. Want to give a hand? Visit http://tinyurl.com/ktcinterncardrive 

[ktc-interns]

Hate the rain? So does Liz Baker, which is why she wants an intern car!

Visit http://tinyurl.com/ktcinterncardrive

[ktc-interns]

Laura Hoelzl likes food- and cars!

Visit http://tinyurl.com/ktcinterncardrive

[ktc-interns]

Here’s why Jenni Kuhn wants an intern car!

Visit http://tinyurl.com/ktcinterncardrive