MTC is commissioning emerging playwright Steve Yockey to write a new adaptation of Aesop’s Fables for our 2010 School Tour production. Steve’s work (for adult theatregoers) has recently been seen in the Bay Area at Magic Theatre, Encore Theatre, and Impact Theatre. The SF Chronicle calls Steve Yockey “a fiercely imaginative and finely tuned new voice.” We are thrilled to be able to work with Steve to create a brand new play for young people in Marin and the Bay Area.

A huge thank you to our Perspectives guest, Patricia Gill, for her incredibly informative lecture before the matinee performance of Lydia on Thursday, April 2.

Patricia is the Executive Director of Marin Brain Injury Network, a rehabilitation and support organization for traumatic brain injury survivors and their families, serving Marin and Sonoma counties since 1983.

During the rehearsal process, Patricia was kind enough to invite the actors and the director, Jasson Minadakis, to the center to learn about the effects of a traumatic brain injury in very practical terms, and were invited to meet and interact with some of the participants. This research was vital to the creative process, informing the character of Ceci and the characters around Ceci who would participate in her therapy and rehabilitation.

Her point of view was an incredible opportunity for the audience to understand the play from a different angle, and to learn a little more about one aspect of the show.

For more information about the Marin Brain Injury Network, please click here.

Please consider joining us for future Perspectives lectures before the Thursday matinee. Call the box office for more details.

Actor Gloria Garayua on Lydia:

Tonight was interesting. It was our first official preview but our second audience altogether. They seemed very responsive. They were generous with their laughter and engaged in the more dramatic moments as well. I thought I heard a few sniffles in the audience here and there. I was so tired from the long week we’ve had and all the energy this show took out of me last night left me draggin all day today. But I think I gathered up the energy again for tonight’s show. I was trying to implement some new notes I received today and I ended up getting a little caught in my head remembering them. The idea eventually is to remember the notes without having to actively remember them. There’s always tomorrow.

Actor Gloria Garayua on Lydia:

So tonight we had a producer’s preview. We thanked the peeps who gave us money by giving them a dinner and giving them a private preview of our dress rehearsal tonight. It went great! It was nice to sense people in the audience. It’s always interesting to hear how others perceive the information that I’ve had over a year to become familiar with. Interestingly enough, people laugh at some places where I expected it and didn’t in others. And I can’t help but feel “Oh, gotta find another way to deliver that one”. But, then again, not getting the laugh has alot to do with the whole stage picture, and where you just came from. So, I talked myself into believing, hey, if they didn’t laugh, there wasn’t meant to be a laugh there. Besides, I have SO much to worry about that I got plenty to keep me busy!

Actor Gloria Garayua on Lydia:

We’ve been running out of time lately and so since last Thursday, we haven’t been able to run the whole show. It’s frustrating because working scenes so choppy doesn’t help. Not for me. I need, at least at this point, the fluidity of a run through. So tonight, we got a chance to run most of Act 1, with lights, sound, costumes, and might I mention OATMEAL! It went really well. But doing it straight through is the only way I can test myself as to whether I know the order of things or not. It also helps me figure out what lines I’m not sure about, or what movement still doesn’t feel natural now that I know my character alot better. We ran out of time again so we weren’t able to finish Act 1, but we’ll finish it tomorrow, then run Act 2, and then…THEN we have a real life AUDIENCE! I can’t believe it! Here it comes! No more rehearsals! I better get it together! It’s ok, previews are really going to help me figure the last minute details out. - Gloria Garayua

Actor Adriana Gaviria on Lydia:

This will be my first blog entry EVER! It’s been a lot of fun getting to know Mill Valley, especially for an East Coaster. In the first few days, I saw a skunk, got lost in the mountains driving to rehearsal, kept on running into deer, and carried a big huge flashlight everywhere I went since I’m not use to such darkness at night. After all, I am from the Big Apple where no one ever sleeps and Times Square is lit up at all times. We have been working at a great pace and this weekend we had our two longest days. They are called our 10 out of 12s. That means that we worked for 10 hours each day with a nice 2 hour break in between working on getting all the elements of the show to fit together to tell Octavio’s story - Lights, Sound, Costumes, Set, and Actors. It’s been such a gift to have the playwright during this process. Both Jasson, our director, and Octavio give us a lot of things to think about so that we can deepen our characters as the rehearsal process moves on and we begin to get ready for previews. This stage in the rehearsal process is the trickiest, I think, because we are just getting used to the set and are having to deal with props and other technical elements like quick changes or entrances/exits. Once this passes, then we can let go of thinking about all that stuff and really slip into our roles and organically find all the magical moments Octavio has beautifully written for us!

Actor Gloria Garayua on Lydia rehearsals:

Can you believe we started the day with Act Two? ACT TWO! It’s the most emotionally demanding act, not that Act One is a piece of cake, but WHEW what a trip that was! That’s actually a good thing here… it went really, really well. And it was fun to challenge myself like that at NINE AM!! LOL… anyway, we are at a great place. I just added a few more challenges for myself with Ceci, physically speaking. Tomorrow we move into the theatre and surely will have some adjusting to do. Exciting! - Gloria Garayua

Actor Gloria Garayua on Lydia rehearsals:

I just shut down my computer for the night when I realized I hadn’t blogged! So here I am on my phone blogging away! We practiced the topless scene today. Everyone was super supportive in respecting that I had never done anything like that before. Everyone cleared the room except for my female scene partner Adriana. I removed my bra and replaced my shirt. When stage management and the director returned it was all professionalism. I’m glad its over with. Now I can move on. Just had to do it once. - Gloria Garayua

Actor Gloria Garayua on Lydia rehearsals:

It’s Friday night and I just read an email from a friend of mine who is coming to Opening night. She asked me a very simple and complicated question all at once. She asked whether playing Cecilia is difficult. Well, I answered her but needless to say, my answer was far from short. However, for the sake of blogging, I’ll keep it short for the blog audience. My answer to her was: yes! Maybe not so much anymore, as I feel I have a nice grip on her now, but I remember three weeks ago when we started throwing ideas around the table at rehearsals, I learned just how many more layers she had that had just been revealed to me. So, here we are in week 4, and I’m still trying to figure her out. It’s a never-ending process. But one would hope that by the time we open, I can say “I really get Ceci!”  I’m almost there. I know it. - Gloria Garayua

Actor Gloria Garayua on Lydia rehearsals:

Well, I haven’t written in about a week and that should tell you something! We’ve been on fire in rehearsal! Currently, we are doing run throughs and working individual scenes. Since this is week 3, we are now focusing on specific acting moments. Week one was all about the table work, and asking questions. Week two seemed to be about building a skeleton for thew show as far as blocking is concerned. And here we are in week three…unbelievable. Time is flying by! It’s been fun but intense. Boy, our rehearsals are full of flighting, yelling, and crying! This is not a comedy! LOL. Of course, we find ways to include some laughter!

I have come to terms with looking nutty in rehearsal. It tends to get so cold lying on that cot on the floor. And if it’s not a physically active scene for me, I’m just down-right freezing! We turn up the heat, but even with the heat turned on, I have to wear all sorts of layers! Half the time I don’t match. Picture this, I was wearing a green t-shirt under a brown sweater under a tan knit turtleneck, over purple sweat pants, under blue sweat pants, and white socks under another set of pink socks…today! Oh, and if I’m still cold, my red coat goes over all of this! I know, I’m losing my mind. But, hey, it’s all for the work. The work is coming along really really well!