Introducing the Shrew Project

So we've not been so great at blogging for a while. Actually *I* have not been so great at blogging for a while. Friend and cohort Shawn Paonessa astutely observed that there was a distinct dropoff in blog posts once I started my PhD program. It's a pretty simple cause and effect relationship here. I'm reading and writing enough and this blog falls to the bottom of the pile pretty easily.

We have some ideas for that, which I won't get into now, but expect that we'll be changing this blog up in big ways later this year. The first change is what we're going to do with The Taming of the Shrew. Not only have I lived with this show for well over a year in the cutting of it (I essentially killed off a lot of the Shakespearean repetitiveness and removed more minor characters so that we could get the cast down to 9 and the whole piece down to a zippy straight 90 minutes), but I also used the show for a paper for one of my classes in the spring. In short I laid forth a plan as to how to take a feminist approach to this contested script that would stress the necessity of mutuality and equality in our relationships. I argue the urgency of the theorist-practitioner as they are too often regarded as separate things. I contend that we can take on serious things like gender roles/norms through comedy for serious ends via the grotesque, irony, ambiguity, maintaining tensions and even silences.

If anyone is really that interested, I have a full 25 or so page paper that goes into all of this in detail. I'd be happy to let you read it. I provided to the cast as dramaturgy and for them to get a feel for where I am going with this.

One aspect of my approach is also stressing the collaborative spirit in what we do, in equality at every level, and the importance of documenting this work from as many sides as possible. Hopefully in the end we can compile all of this business and see what we have. I may also incorporate a lot of this in the lobby/preshow experience - blogs from the cast and crew, candid photos snapped in rehearsal, sketches and so on.

The cast is already enjoying this. I saw lots of cameras in use at Sunday's rehearsal when actors were off stage. My first "official" contribution is from our Stage Manager, Krystalle Voecks, who snapped this while we were all on break Saturday. This is Katrina Stevenson, our Kate, looking like a bad girl. I particularly like the NO sign over her head. Great composition on this shot for a candid, and I'm always a fan of Hipstamatic shots. :)

So, watch this space, I already have other things in the pipeline to post later.

In the meantime, if you're a reader and have specific requests of "backstage" type things or aspects of the process you'd like to know about, leave us a comment! We'll do our best in taking suggestions. :)

Only 8 more chances to see pretty!

Neil Labute's award-winning love story about the impossibility of love MUST CLOSE on Sun., June 5. There are only 8 more opportunities to see this raw, engaging, funny and brutally honest play from the author of The Shape of Things, Fat Pig, Bash and This is How it Goes.

DID YOU KNOW: Neil Labute was also the screenwriter for The Wicker Man, Nurse Betty and Your Friends and Neighbors?

"Dayton Sinkia gives a near-perfect performance, one so definitive that I can't imagine [Greg] played by any other actor ... Kari Goetz as Steph is also superb, passionately upset by Greg's remarks and very funny as she tries gamely to restore her lost dignity.... See it with someone you find gorgeous." – Creative Loafing

"Jobsite brought Neil Labute's Tony nominated play to life in a palpable and refreshingly forward thinking manner I've come to expect. Jobsite's wonderfully gifted cast shines once again in this alarmingly relevant production.... I thoroughly enjoyed reasons to be pretty." – OnstageTampa

"Jobsite's reasons to be pretty has plenty of rewards. Few playwrights have LaBute's gift for dialogue, and the writing in the play's most memorable scenes are indeed masterful." – St. Petersburg Times

I am personally attracted to this play because of how Labute not only captures the spirit of blue-collar 20/30-somethings, but the honesty in his portrayal of how complicated even the smallest of romantic fights can get. I know these people, I've been these people. Critics in Tampa have been split here, and I don't mind addressing that honestly. On one hand some did not appreciate the profanity or characters as written, but others have praised the production for those very same things. Maybe it's generational, maybe it's a class thing.

As Marty Clear said in the St. Pete Times (and which I agree with), it all "depends on why you go to the theater." If you're not offended by four-letter words, and like your theater more genuine than Hollywood, if you are a fan of excellent acting and a great story - reasons to be pretty is not to be missed. Jobsite from the beginning has been all about pushing boundaries, working off the beaten path and providing quality theater that is relevant to an audience largely overlooked today.

I urge you to take a look at our website, read over the feedback we're getting from audiences, watch our teaser video, and if it looks like it is up your alley, buy a ticket. You won't be disappointed. I am incredibly proud of this show, and if you look our stuff over to make an informed decision that this show appeals to you and you don't like it, we will refund your money. I believe in the high quality of this work that much.

If you've already been out to see us - thank you. If you enjoyed the show, I hope you might forward this message on to a friend that you think would also enjoy the show. We would also love if you wrote into us to tell us what you thought. Keep in mind that season ticket holders can always buy additional tickets to any performance at 10% off if you'd like to hook a friend up - another great benefit of subscribing.

Hope to see you soon at the theater!

Best,
-dj

reasons to be pretty opens in 1 week!

Top: Chris Jackson (Kent): Bottom: Dayton Sinkia (Greg), Kari Goetz (Steph) and Grace Santos (Carly). Photo courtesy Dave Pritchard at Pritchard Photography.

Check out the full details over at JobsiteTheater.org! I hope to get a video teaser trailer up by the weekend. Opening Saturday night is almost gone, so don't wait to get your tickets.