Step by Step: Painting Rabbit Hole

 The third painting that reached the finishing stage in my series of images for next season was the illustration for David Lindsey-Abaire's Rabbit Hole. The play will be directed by my longtime friend and theatrical colleague David Pera and won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. 

Actress Cynthia Nixon earned a Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Play in the Broadway production and in 2010, Lindsey-Abaire adapted his play for the screen starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhardt. Both productions received critical acclaim.

 

Rabbit Hole centers around a family's reaction to the untimely death of a four year old boy. At the center of the grieving process is the boy's mother, Becca who is trying to deal with it by erasing her memories of him. Her actions are troubling to her husband, sister, and mother. Also stepping forward during this time of trauma is the 17 year old student who accidently hit Danny with with his car causing the boy's death.

 

The title of the play comes from something the 17 year old says about writing stories about creating "rabbit holes" in Danny's memory. Since much of the play's core is focused on Danny's death and Becca's choices, I wanted the image to reflect sadness and loss. I felts the tone of the piece should be captured in cool tones like blues and grays. The other concepts I worked with in sketching ideas was depicting a "hole" to imply a type of emptiness, void or despair. Then ther were the ideas of a "ripple effect" emiting from the loss of this child and how the mother is trying to erase memories of him. One early sketch I did focused on the extreme close-up of a woman's eye with the pupil serving as the black void and the ripple being the blue color of her iris.

 

While I was referencing images to use I found these great somber images of Kate Winslet and Viggo Mortensen. I thought rather than do an extreme close-up, it might be better to show the sadness of the parents and connect them with this void falling between them. Within the void I wanted to place the image of a four year old boy.

STEP 1: In going from the sketch and idea process to starting the actual painting I usually begin by preparing the canvas. There's sometimes a bit of experimentation and then if it doesn't work out I follow my instincts in being improvisational. An effect that I wanted to use on this one was a chipped paint/ crackling effect that I've used before on some sets. The first part of this process is to use a gloss paint on the surface and then cover that surface with a glue. One those are dry a thinned flat latex is applied and since the paint doesn't have anything to absorb into, it shrinks and cracks when it dries. Well, that's the idea anyway. However, I had never tried this on canvas before so it didn't really work.  Because I had prepped the canvas with a deep blue and metallic black spray paint for the undercoat, I decided I would manipulate the white colors I had mixed for the top coat. To create a worn and erased looking effect for the surface to depict the parents on I used a toothed putty knife.  It's become one of my favorite uncoventional tools. As I use it, I shape the area that I want to use for the hole/void area.

STEP 2: Next I go for my reference photos of Kate, Viggo and a child from a catalogue to use for this suburban New York family. I sketch them in using graphite on the upper left and lower right corners of the canvas. I want to keep the tones muted and the lines sketchy so it gives them the look of being faded and somewhat "erased" themselves. I add blue washes to add dimension to them and white pastel chalk to work in some highlights.

STEP 3: After the parents are sketched in I go to work on my image of Danny. I find a different catalogue image of a four year old with longer blonde hair. As I have doe a lot for this series, I sketch his image in charcoal pencil on a 12" x 12" piece of scrapbooking paper that has a warm tone with writing on it. The color of the paper with the writing work well for his skin tones and hair color. I add white to bring out his shirt and cool washes for shadows and his sweater vest. I go wish washes of a more tan/gold tone for his hair and khaki shorts.

STEP 4: I cut out the image of the boy and place it into the center of the void and collage it in place. To create the "ripple effect", I cut out ripple sections of the same paper that I drew him on and collage those into the image radiating from the hole. I notice that the ripple and void are kind of obscuring the image of the father and decide to paint over him. This focuses and simplifies the image to being more about the mother and son. In the lower right corner where I painted out Viggo, I create a continuation of the character Becca's body. The placement of the boy disappearing down the "rabbit hole" now seems to be over the mother's heart.

STEP 5: Finally I add more details of shadow and light to bring out the two subjects. Every once and a while I drag my putty knife across the image to create a rubbed or scratched away effect to the illustration. Looks like all I have left to do is hide the exclamation mark, and this one is done. This one was a lot of fun because it involved some experimentation and some interesting changes of game plan. The beauty of art some times is that there's not really a right or wrong and as I often tell people "mistakes in art are fixable."

Well, stay tuned to our Chicago Street Theatre blog because I've got about six or so paintings to go and you'll never believe which one I got done next! See you Next Time.

 -Posted by Eric Brant, Illustrator

STEP by STEP: Painting Play it Again, Sam

After the dark tones of The Beauty Queen of Leenane illustration, I decided that it might be best to work on something and lighter so began working on ideas for the image for Woody Allen's romantic comedy Play It Again, Sam. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I had the opportunity, when we announced the 59th season at Chicago Street Theatre, to sit with the directors and hear their takes on the type of production they want to create. I have to say that Director Jason Utesch is very passionate about this show. I was familiar with the play from when the Guild originally presented it over 30 years ago at the Memorial Opera House.

As for the history of the play, itself, Play It Again, Sam was originally presented on Broadway in 1969 and ran for over a year. Two years later it was made into a feature film by director Herbert Ross who brought many Broadway works to the screen. As with many of Woody Allen's films it takes place in New York City and he played the main character "Allan Felix" in both the Broadway and movie versions.

Allen's character is "Allan Felix" -a writer who has just been through a messy divorce. Feeling that he will never be good at relationships again, he pours himself into his work and his obsession with the Humphrey Bogart film Casablanca. His two best friends are a married couple, Christie and Dick, who push Allan into "circullation" again by setting him up on a series of disasterous blind dates. He wishes that he could regain his confidence and be more like the Rick Blaine character in Casablanca. With this, comedy ensues as the ghost-like apparition of Humphrey Bogart become Felix's life coach on love.

Since the play is a comedy I knew I wanted to go with a brighter and sunnier look for the illustration. Next I go back to several little sketches I did to figure out how I want to arrange the image. Because the show has a familiar feel to it, I knew the image had to have a Woody Allen-type guy in it with Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine from Casablanca. I looked through my photo references and found numerous images of both men on the internet.

My thought was to keep the Bogey character in grays, blacks and white like the film, but the question was whether to go literal with him as a ghost or tangible and next to Woody. One idea I had was to make Bogey a ventriloquist and Allen the dummy. Another idea has a tiny Bogart sitting on Allen's shoulder like Jimminey Cricket. Then I remebered that Jason had said something about the voice of Bogey "in Woody Allen's head." 

STEP 1: My first step on this one was to prepare the canvas with bright orange and yellow gradiation. I wanted to recreate this kind of "sunburst" look that I remembered from my parent's master bedroom back in the 70's for the background.

STEP 2: Because I was really happy with how the background turned out, I decided that I would do drawings on separate types of paper to keep their hues different from one another and the brightness of the color behind them. My intent is to collage them on to the canvas insections.  First I draw an image of the top part of Woody Allen's head with his unmistakeable glasses. I intentionally crop the image of his face at the mouth since character feels he has lost the ability to talk to women. Since I liked the idea of the vetriloquist dummy and the bad pun about wood, I draw him on a 12" x 12" piece of scrapbooking paper that had a wood grain on it. I paint in a few different colors in for his hair, the glare on his glasses but keep the majority of his skin tones as the warm wood color of the paper.

STEP 3: After Woody's image is done and dry, I cut the image out. For comedic effect, I then cut off the very top of the head across like the top of a Jack 'o' Lantern. I place and arrange the pieces at the center bottom of the canvas and attcach them with Mod Podge so that it looks like Woody's head has a lid.

STEP 4: Next I go to my images of Humphrey Bogart. One thought is to blow up and collage an actual photo of him but I'm unable to find one image that will work for that. Since it won't actually be Bogart playing the apparition, I decide, instead, to draw a combination of a head I like with a body that works for where it will be placed in the illustration. I draw the Bogey figure on some scrapbook paper that has a faded newspaper print on it and then lay in some light washes to signify shadows and light.

STEP 5: Once the washes are dry, I cut out Bogart's image and collage it on to the canvas. Placement of Rick Blaine is precisely what Jason talked about: "in Woody Allen's head." After placing the image I notice that the grays that I used for the Bogey image are too warm and don't have enough contrast to the warmth of the Woody Allen face. I use some light washes with more blue in them to cool it off and give it more of that "Film Noir" effect.

STEP 6: The last part, as usual, is to refine details and deepen shadows to make these two very flat drawings more three dimensional. Finally, I pop in some highlights and hide the exclamation point. I hope you're enjoying this step by step series on how we create the images for our upcoming plays as much as I am writing about it. So if you are, please stay tuned to the CST blog page- 'Cause there's lots more paintings to come... Now get back to work!

I hope you're enjoying this step by step series on how we create the images for our upcoming plays as much as I am writing about it. So if you are, please stay tuned to the CST blog page- 'Cause there's lots more paintings to come... Now get back to work!

 -Posted by Eric Brant, Illustrator

15 Years on Chicago Street. A Look Back

Our production of The Graduate opened April 12. The movie The Graduate came out in 1967. In April 1967 CTG was performing the last play of their 12th season, Mr. Roberts, which opened April 16, 1967.

At the same time, and for several months after that play closed, the Community Theatre Guild was in the process of remodeling the Memorial Opera House, putting in a new floor, new seats, and a new light board. It was the biggest project CTG had undertaken since we had begun 12 years before.

At that time – May 1955 – we were cleaning, scrubbing, and repairing the Memorial Opera House to get ready for the opening of Papa Is All, our very first play.  Our continued care and use of the building removed the specter of a wrecking ball from its future.

When CTG was preparing to open our first play at Chicago Street Theatre – Greater Tuna – we did a lot of rearranging, but the building was in great shape. 

A Narthex became a lobby:

A nursery became storage, and eventually the wood shop:

All this work was done in 10 days time – April 1 to April 11, 1998.  Obviously, all hands were on deck!  CTG appreciates its volunteers so much that there is a special acknowledgement on our Achievement  plaque, the Wood Award , that says “THE NEW ERA – All Helping Hands”.  Our volunteers continue to be our most prized asset.  Further reminiscences will be forthcoming in the near future.

-Posted by CST Historian Marcia Burbage

Studio Theatre Concert May 3rd

Chicago Street Theatre's acclaimed One Night Jam concert series is bringing Colorado-based artists Acoustic Eidolon to the intimate Edith B. Wood Studio Theatre on Friday, May 3.

"My wife and I have been fans of theirs for years," said series producer Paul Braun.  "We've just always loved their music and their personalities, and I'm glad that a date finally worked out to bring them to Valparaiso."

Joe Scott and his wife Hannah Alkire, also known as Acoustic Eidolon, have played a number of times in the Chicago area, but this is their first time in Northwest Indiana.

What kind of music do they perform?  Well, it's hard to classify. It's part Celtic, part Flamenco, part folk...with a few vocals thrown in for good measure.  "How about 'World music for the soul'?" said Braun.

Joe plays a number of instruments, but the one he plays the most is a custom design of his own, called a double-necked Guitjo.  One neck is strung like a regular guitar with an extra bass string, and the other neck is strung like a banjo but with two extra treble strings.  He plays both necks, and the effect is beautiful, often harp-like.

Hannah's instrument has only 4 strings and one neck, as Joe likes to point out, but she is a trained, world-class cellist. Together, they make incredibly rich, uplifting, beautiful music.

Joe and Hannah started out as musical partners, fell in love, and got married.  The music that they make is truly out of shared respect and love, and it simply flows.  Powerful, moving, spiritual, relaxing, uplifting.  It's really very unique.

The Edith B. Wood Studio Theatre (or Edie's Attic as Paul refers to it) has a very casual, living-room or coffeehouse feel. It's simply a fantastic room to get intimate with the music.  "Joe and I have been working on this show for quite a while, and we are both truly looking forward to it," Paul said.

Tickets for the Edie's Attic shows are extremely limited.  Don't miss out on this musical gem - order yours today. This is a show you will long remember. 

or call (219) 464-1636 x1 

STEP by STEP: Painting Beauty Queen

A few weeks ago I wrote about how I begin to create images for the plays at Chicago Street Theatre and mentioned that I thought it might be fun, as I was working on the illustrations, to give our readers an idea of how the process goes. Each image is a little different and a lot of the time when I begin, I usually have a couple of paintings going at the same time. As I said in the previous blog, the ideas and concepts for each painting start out with a sketch or loose thumbnail drawing in my sketchbook. From there I begin gathering inspirations like papers, textures, reference pictures and found items. One thing that I'm noticing with the work I've been doing already is that I'm using more collaged elements and playing with different textured surfaces in the paintings. The canvas format of 12" x 24" vertical images used in the previous two seasons is staying the same.

The illustration that I felt inspired to work on first was for next season's production of Martin McDonagh's The Beauty Queen of Leenane. This black comedy by the Irish author of our past productions of The Cripple of Inishmaan (2004) and The Pillow Man (2010), centers on the rather ugly and harsh relationship between a mother and daughter. The haunting and viciously funny play deals with longing for a life that got away. 

STEP 1: I found two reference photos. the first was of actress Emma Thompson which had a profound sadness in her eyes and really moody lighting to play the role of the daughter, Maureen, in the foreground of the piece.  The second photo was of an older woman from the newspaper who reminded me of my paternal grandmother, Ellen ( who once hit my father in the back of the head with an iron) to play the role of the mother, Mag. I enlarged the newspaper photo on a copier to cut out and collage directly into the painting.

STEP 2: Next I thought about the mood of the piece in preparing the canvas. I used a texture medium to give the canvas a craggy rough surface to mirror the relationship between these characters living in a small village in Ireland. After texturing the surface, I used washes and drips of greens (Ireland, right) and browns to create a murky, mossy look to the surface. I use acrylics because they dry quickly and can be thinned down with water to create the washes or with different mediums thickened to add texture. Colored pencils, chalk, pastels, and crayons can also be used over them after they've dried.

STEP 3: After the surface had dried I collaged my image of the old woman into the background. For most of the show she sits in a rocking chair barking out insults at her daughter who like a prisoner waits on her hand and foot. I attach her using Matte Medium Mod Podge which dries clear and add some of the same hues of greens and browns so that she works with the color scheme of the illustration.

STEP 4: Once Mag is in place, I begin painting Maureen's face in the extreme foreground using the Emma Thompson photo for reference. The colors used to prep the canvas will be used instead of traditional flesh tones to convey the darker mood of the piece. I sketch the daughter in the painting using dark graphite and charcoal pencils.

STEP 5: Using more washes of light colors and darks I paint things rather broadly and then begin refining details. I do some over painting on the collaged figure so that no one would realize that the woman in the original picture was holding a baby, whiten her hair more, and add arms to make it look more like she is sitting in a rocking chair complaining. Since the Emma Thompson reference picture had very little hair, I use dark browns, grays, and greens to create hair for Maureen.

STEP 6: The final step is continuing to add shadows and highlights until I make the two figures pop. Because the characters were starting to take on too much of the background, I add a brighter green to get them to stand out more. All that's left to do is refine some more details and hide our trademark exclamation point... and as they say, "This one is done."

-Posted by Eric Brant, Illustrator

Boutique shopping w/out Boutique price tags

We are so lucky to have Tevlyn Schwerd and Bargain Barn on board for CST's Little Black Dress Party. We thought we'd take this opportunity to share Tevlyn's incredible background in fashion and design. 

Hand selecting and purchasing small quantities of various styles, Tevlyn gives her customers the experience of Boutique shopping without the “Boutique” price tags.

Born a raised here in Valparaiso, Tevlyn Schwerd developed her niche for fashion early in life.  Known for pressing the limits on the dress code rules while in school, Tev’s parents bought her a sewing machine for Christmas so that she could create her own unique designs.  After graduating from Valparaiso High School in 1998, Tevlyn attended Indiana University and after her first year, decided that she would major in the Apparel Merchandising Department and in turn do an Individualized Major Program in Fashion Design and Costume Construction Technology.  After interning for Walt Disney World Orlando, FL and Limited Too in Columbus OH, Tevlyn landed her first internship in NYC for Women’s Wear Designer James Coviello.  Two summers of internships with Coviello and partaking in an extra semester of college so that she could complete her degrees by designing, developing, and sewing a 20+ piece fashion collection and putting on a fashion show; Tevlyn had secured an Assistant Design Position with James Coviello.   After graduating from college she left to start her life in NYC that same week.  James took Tevlyn under his wing and taught her the art of knitwear design.  In addition to being his assistant designer and sourcing his fabrics for his collections, Tevlyn assisted in the knitwear design and production of his world famous sweaters as well as the sweater collection of Anna Sui.  Throughout the 4 years she worked with James, she took part in New York City’s Fashion Week twice per year, travelled to Moscow, Russia to showcase their collection inspired by St. Petersburg, and was invited by the Italian Consulate to learn and shop the Italian fabric market in Milan and Florence. 

Yearning for change and further development of her career in NYC, Tevlyn took on a Knitwear Design position for a young designer fresh on the scene 3.1 Phillip Lim.  Helping with his first fashion presentation, Tev got the experience of working for a fully vertical small corporation. 

Longing for her days back in a small design house, Tev met up with an old friend Jose Ramon Reyes and helped him on the launch of his Women’s Sportswear Collection under the label REYES.  Tevlyn quickly moved from his Assistant to his Production Manager and Fit Model and together they rocked the fashion scene with her tough twist on his preppy designs.

On her way to a fitting for another young designer under the label Lialia, Tevlyn received a phone call that would forever change her life.  Her brother Nick had gone into renal failure and Tev left the next morning to come home to Valparaiso to be with him.  Tevlyn gave her brother Nick her kidney during their transplant in November 2008.  Her brother once again healthy and full of life, Tevlyn left 6 months after to regroup in Europe where she ended up living and working in Germany for 2 years.  While away, her brothers decided they wanted to open a retail store here in Valparaiso and asked Tev to come home and help get the business up and running.  Unsure if clothing was the right decision to add to the business plan in the midst of an economic crisis, her brothers agreed to send  =her to NYC on a shopping trip.  She returned to having customers buying her clothing out of her suitcases!!  The initial success of her purchases led to her fully developing the clothing department of the Bargain Barn.  Almost 2 years later, Tevlyn has created quite a following with her specialization of bringing unique clothing into town at affordable prices.  Hand selecting and purchasing small quantities of various styles, Tevlyn gives her customers the experience of Boutique shopping without the “Boutique” price tags.  

-Posted by Kelly Hite, Director of Development

Tinis 'n' Treasure

New Addition to the Little Black Dress Party!

Purchase a martini (created by Martinis Culinary Cocktail Lounge) at our Little Black Dress Party and you have a chance to win a Mod Black Bangle and matching pendant on black silk chord by Belle Étoile, generously donated Engstrom Jewelers. Hand-strung black Italian rubber with white stones set into rhodium-plated, nickel allergy-free, 925 sterling silver.  Retail value $1009.

If that’s not great enough, each person who purchases a martini will also be given a key to bring into Engstrom Jewelers (3 Lincolnway in Valparaiso) for the chance to open our treasure chest, and win what’s hidden inside, a ladies floral design 18 karat white gold ring containing 2/3 carats total of diamonds. Retail value $2500!  The keys can be brought in the entire month of May, but don't delay...the first one with the key that opens the chest wins!

Wow!  A big thank you goes out to Engstrom Jewelers and Martinis Culinary Cocktail Lounge for their help in making the Little Black Dress Party even better.

Get your tickets online by clicking here or give Mike a call in the box office at (219) 464-1636 x 1.

Shakespeare in the Park Reserved Section

Happy Birthday Mr. Shakespeare. Reserved section tickets for Shakespeare in the Park: The Comedy of Errors go on sale 1 week from today on our website! The countdown is on!

When you purchase Reserved Section tickets, you are guaranteed to be seated in the green area closest to the stage. Only $25 each, or $40 for couples. And your purchase includes a CST insulated wine tote and tasting plate voucher.  For more information about The Comedy of Errors in the park, click here.

Mr. Braddock Speaks Up

How have the first performances of the show gone?

I've been really pleased with the shows so far.

What has the response been from audiences? 

Considering the standing ovations for Dean and Megan, I'm reasonably certain at least a dozen people have liked the show :-) Actually the audience response has been very kind.

What drew you to The Graduate?

When I choose shows, I look for two things. One, will this be artistically interesting, and two will it be fun working with this particular group of people? It's a huge time investment, so both things are important to me. In the case of this show, I was drawn to working on such a classic, and I knew I'd like working with Mary and Marty. 

What is your experience with the material? Have you ever seen the play? The movie?

I knew the basic story from it being a common cultural reference as I grew up, but I've never seen the movie or a production of this play before. Once I was committed to the show, I decided to wait to see the movie until after the show ran so that I wouldn't subconsciously imitate others' ideas about how the characters should be.

What do you think makes this story such an American classic?

We live in a culture where each generation has the freedom and the burden of creating their own world view. This play portrays that. So it has classic themes of coming of age through rebellion against authority, sexual exploration, and then coming to some sort of mature resolution. And that's just one take. There's all kinds of material to explore around our conflicting attitudes towards sexual expression, and I think also towards materialism.

What are some elements to the CST production of The Graduate that you think add a different or fresh twist to a well-known story?

Well, I think Dean has a much more handsome nose than Dustin Hoffman. But don't tell Dusty that, he gets very insecure when I talk like that.

How have the cast and crew come together on this production?

From my perspective, the cast and crew were great to work with from word go. Dean, who plays Benjamin, is a generous actor who gives you a lot to work with and is willing to try different takes on the characters. Amy, "my onstage wife," has been awesome to work with, and the directors provided a supportive environment to develop the characters. I mention how great those because I work most closely with them, but this cast has been fantastic, both in terms of talent and ability, as well as just being great people to spend time with.

What is your favorite scene in the show? Favorite line?

Just for sheer fun: Ben's first date with Elaine in the strip club. His trying to sabotage the date gets me every time, and I never tire of Lady Ginger. Artistically for my character, my favorite moment is actually a very sad one. Ben returns from his "walkabout," and his father is so hopeful that Ben will return a fully grown man who appreciates the value of a hard day's work. When that's not what happens, Frank feels all of his dreams have come to an end, that he's a failure as a father, and that has irreversably gone off track. The moment is I think masked under the humor of what's going on at that time for the audience, but it resonates with me. I remember that moment as a father. Now, I see how my step-son was laying the groundwork to be his own person, and how he went on to make me unbelievably proud. But Frank doesn't see that yet. He just feels the death but without the resurrection yet. It's a poignant moment for me.

One character in The Graduate utters the famous line, "One word - plastics." If you could describe this play in one word, what would it be.

I'd start with the line where Ben says, "I'm through with all this ... I don't know what it is, but I'm sick of it. I want something else." I see the play as being that journey. So I'd sum it up with a word that's not in the play, "Quest."

What makes Chicago Street Theatre such a unique venue?

For me, it's the blend of the passion and zeal of volunteers, who do this just because they love to, combined with the very professional standards and practices of CST. I believe that's a recipe for compelling shows and excellence on the stage.

Meet Lady Ginger

How have the first performances of the show gone?  

They were fantastic!  The audiences were so receptive and so with us, and you could feel this amazing energy within the cast.  I couldn't have asked for a better opening weekend.

Is this your first experience performing at Chicago Street Theatre? 

It isn't, though it's the first time I've been back at CST in approximately 8-9 years.  It's been like coming home.

Talk a little bit about your background as a dancer.

It was a fluke, actually. I was acting in Chicago, but getting a little burned out.  I decided to take a "quick" break, and saw Burlesque classes being offered by my now instructor/director, Michelle L'amour.  I tried a class and got hooked....I've been doing it now for about 7 years. I'm also a burlesque instructor at Michelle's studio, Studio L'amour.  It's been one of the most fun, most challenging experiences of my life.

What has been the most enjoyable aspect of this production for you?

Being a part of a cast again.  I forgot how much fun, and how well, inspirational, it is to be a part of a group that are all working together on one production.  I'm inspired by how dedicated everyone is to this one purpose, to put on a hell of a show.

What has been the most challenging?

Truthfully, other than the commute, it's been a truly enjoyable experience. That's the only part that sometimes gets to me, but even that's worth it in the end.

What drew you to Chicago Street Theatre?

Initially, it was my friends Patty and Mary Bird....they initially got me involved there. What kept me coming back was the incredible quality of work put on there, and the truly dedicated artists who make CST what it is.

What drew you to The Graduate?  

I love period pieces, and I love plays, movies, etc., that are really challenging and a little shocking....this is a perfect piece for that....and the chance to come back playing a stripper didn't hurt ;)

What has the response to the show been from audiences so far?  

It's been incredibly positive...you never know with a period piece, and one known so well as a film, how they will respond.  But, they've been really supportive, really "with" us the whole way.

What do you think makes this story such an American classic?

It's a story that deals with universal themes: mistakes we make, personal growth, fighting for what's really important to you.....and you set it against a particularly sexy time period....it's a recipe for a classic.

What has the collaboration been like among your fellow cast members?

It's been amazing...everyone really supports everyone else.  Cast members have gotten together outside of scheduled rehearsals to work scenes, everyone is helping everyone with costuming, quick changes, etc.  I really believe everyone likes, and respects everyone else and will do whatever is necessary not only to improve their own performances, but to help their fellow cast members to be his/her very best.

What is your favorite scene in the show? Favorite line?

While I'm obviously partial to the Strip Club scene ;), my favorite scenes are actually: the Taft Hotel check-in scene (for the comic relief it provides), the Vestry scene (for its intensity), and the final scene with Elaine and Benjamin...it's a perfect ending.  My favorite line actually is Benjamin's "You're missing a great effect here"....for obvious reasons. :)

One character in The Graduate utters the famous line, "One word - plastics." If you could describe this play in one word, what would it be?

Universal.