From !gogo@bbncca.arpa Mon Sep 23 16:32:11 1985 Received: from bbncca (bbncca.arpa) by ur-seneca.rochester.arpa id AA23306 (4.12r); Mon, 23 Sep 85 16:31:52 edt Message-Id: <8509232031.23306@ur-seneca.rochester.arpa> From: !gogo@bbncca.arpa Date: Mon Sep 23 10:26:53 1985 Received: by lsrhs.UUCP (4.9/4.7) id AA00340; Mon, 23 Sep 85 10:26:53 EDT Posted-Date: Mon, 23 Sep 85 10:26:53 EDT To: uuthm Status: R Dear Toby, I am fine? How are you? I am about to exit in order to put this little sucker in auto-fill. Here is what I think: we should get Eric, Michael (hereafter known as "JB's" for Jew Boys) to get on a mail dohickey, and then we can all waste our time with very silly things such as sending letters. The truth is, of course, that I am waiting for Greek Tragedy in Prod. to start, and I should be grading papers or doing something useful, but I am already tired of doing useful things. I am, by the way, reading a fascinating novel by a Japanese author, Yukio Mishima--called "Spring Snow," which is the first part of a four-novel set called "The Sea of Fertility." (Pretend those quotes are underlines--but I don't know if \\f6 and \\f1 work in Mail, 'cause I ain't smart enough yet.) Anyway, callbacks for "The Oresteia" are tonight--I'm ready for almost anything. I hope we will have decent people, and think that we will. You'll be happy to know that I spent another few hours working on blocking, so that Jude now looks at me as if I am somebody she barely remembers. Talk to you soon--it was fun the other night. Have a good time in college now, and remember to eat your vegetables, do your homework, and avoid all females in uniform. To say nothing of having bread without butter. Does your father know that I now quote that as if he were a wise man? Ciao--Old Bill. From lsrhs!gogo@bbncca.arpa Wed Oct 2 12:33:03 1985 Received: from bbncca (bbncca.arpa) by ur-seneca.rochester.arpa id AA26414 (4.12r); Wed, 2 Oct 85 12:32:50 edt Message-Id: <8510021632.26414@ur-seneca.rochester.arpa> From: lsrhs!gogo@bbncca.arpa Date: Wed Oct 2 12:18:41 1985 Received: by lsrhs.UUCP (4.9/4.7) id AA07870; Wed, 2 Oct 85 12:18:41 EDT To: thm Status: R Dear Toby, Once again--for the third time today, in fact--I am trying to send you a letter. There are many reasons for the delay--hurricanes, the fragility of the machine, our lack of power in the Natick manse from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening, my lack of expertise on the computer, etc. I did get all your letters. First, about the vineyard in California: much as I would love to buy it, I'm a little short this month. Next, about your first letter last week. All of us define ourselves both externally and internally, or exteriorally and interiorally; I don't think I can entirely understand the dilemma of somebody who has been as physically settled as you have been, given that I had moved more by age 9 than you will probably ever move, but I can understand the psychic disturbance of leaving home. After all, to get completely into psycho-babble and cliches, you are in fact in the process of redefining yourself, or you should be, anyway, and that is never easy. I am more and more convinced that as a species, we are incredibly fragile and quite conservative--we resist change, we resist risk, and we want mostly to be allowed peace. The universe, as the Greeks were so quick to tell us, usually doesn't give a damn what we want, but that is still what we want, and in that tension comes a good deal of what is known as tragedy, to get overblown for a moment. Getting back to your depression or blues or whatever, you wouldn't be Toby if you didn't feel a great wrenching as you do at the moment, but remember: the fact that you are redefining yourself doesn't mean forgetting or denying your past, it means using that past in a new way. You should, by the way, avoid the American tendency to deny the past--you will meet with that everywhere you go, and along with bad food and television, it is the legitimate reason the rest of the world has to distrust us. Enough philosophy. I am going to send you this, and I will once again try to send you the cast list for "The Oresteia," such as it is. I don't know if you'll get either; so far I have been using a > instead of a < at a crucial moment, and have therefore wiped out much of what I have tried to send you, to say nothing of several versions of the Cast list on jove. Anyway, stay in touch--I'm hungry, and Jude packed something good for lunch, no doubt. Much as I love her, she is making me fat and over-satisfied, but you gotta' take the sour with the .... Bill From lsrhs!gogo@bbncca.arpa Wed Oct 2 14:42:19 1985 Received: from bbncca (bbncca.arpa) by ur-seneca.rochester.arpa id AA28936 (4.12r); Wed, 2 Oct 85 14:41:54 edt Message-Id: <8510021841.28936@ur-seneca.rochester.arpa> From: lsrhs!gogo@bbncca.arpa Date: Wed Oct 2 12:32:43 1985 Received: by lsrhs.UUCP (4.9/4.7) id AA08089; Wed, 2 Oct 85 12:32:43 EDT To: thm Status: R CAST LIST FOR "THE ORESTEIA" OCTOBER 2, l985 Males AGAMEMNON Jon Morgan AEGISTHUS Jon Raja ORESTES Dan Casto APOLLO Mano Raju HERMES Craig Nelson PYLADES Paul Jean WATCHMAN Chris Amshey HERALD Mike Phalen SERVANT Jonathan Davis CHORUS LEADER Adam Sohn CHORUS Curtis Hendrikson Mike Joseph Rob Isaacson Harry Fitzpatrick AEGISTHUS' GUARD Todd Faber SOLDIERS Mike Kolba Constantine Athanos Dan Gabbe Females CLYTEMNESTRA Kathy Cutler CASSANDRA Robin Espinola ELECTRA Lynn Garth ATHENA Emily McCredie PYTHIAN PRIESTESS Suzi Cetiner CILISSA Jennifer Patti CHORUS LEADER Alyssa Rosen CHORUS Priscilla Whoolery Kerry Gurtler Ellen Daniels Nicole Ritchie Cathy Rasco Maggie Hegarty FURY LEADER Odele Peter FURIES Anjana Thatte Heather Byrne Ruthie McDougald Glynnis Gleeson From lsrhs!gogo@bbncca.arpa Thu Oct 3 17:57:56 1985 Received: from bbncca (bbncca.arpa) by ur-seneca.rochester.arpa id AA00844 (4.12r); Thu, 3 Oct 85 17:57:32 edt From: lsrhs!gogo@bbncca.arpa Date: Thu Oct 3 09:19:43 1985 Return-Path: Received: by lsrhs.UUCP (4.9/4.7) id AA03696; Thu, 3 Oct 85 09:19:43 EDT Date: Thu, 3 Oct 85 09:19:43 EDT Message-Id: <8510031319.AA03696@lsrhs.UUCP> To: thm Status: R Dear Toby, Here I am, at my very own terminal in the English department office, just typing away to you--I'm doing Writing Lab, helping a kid do his paper for Jude, and while he's working I thought I'd tell you the one piece of news that I actually have. Kevin called! He said he was quite depressed for the first couple of weeks when he was at Amherst, mostly because of Carol, but then he said that he has settled down and he feels well now. He said the same thing all of you have said so far--the work is anything but overwhelming, and often easier than what he is used to. We must be doing a good job here at Lincoln-Suds, or else you people are just plain smart, or something. Anyway, he sounded well, funny, typically like Kevin, he's in the Chorus of some sort, he's not in a frat, Carol is fine and dandy, and nobody has heard from Rudi, except that he and Beth Berube are in the same dorm. Sounds like a good reason for nobody hearing from Rudi. Glad to hear you are feeling better. Excuse my ignorance, but what is a "dead head" exactly? Also, USE YOUR DICTIONARY FILE, moron. You know and I know that spelling doesn't matter, but once an English teacher, always an English teacher. (I couldn't resist.) Had the first run through last night, or stumble through, actually. We only finished "Agamemnon" and "Orestes"--we'll do "The Furies" tonight. Robin Espinola had the whole cast close to tears when she did her big speech before she goes in to the palace to what she knows is her death--and Jon Morgan was good, Jon Raja had his moments, Lynn wasn't bad, and Kathy Cutler is going to be terrific. Ginny has agreed to let me direct--with her help, God knows--so I am very excited. Enough for now. By the way--tell Jon Payne and David Corley and the rest of them hello, and tell them that I hereby am forced to recant all computer room slurs, especially as I am now entirely in the power and control of Kevin Ruddy and Scott Fraize--without them I will never get anything accomplished this year. They are quite kind, given my idiocy and frequent pleas for aid. Also, tell Jon I like his sister, along with everybody else in the room. And, last, tell Andrea hey. gogo, or just plain ole' Bill From lsrhs!gogo@bbncca.arpa Wed Oct 9 13:51:24 1985 Received: from ur-cayuga.rochester.arpa (ur-cayuga) by ur-seneca.rochester.arpa id AA16556 (4.12s); Wed, 9 Oct 85 13:51:15 edt Received: from bbncca (bbncca.arpa) by ur-cayuga.rochester.arpa id AA04095 (4.12r); Wed, 9 Oct 85 13:50:58 edt Message-Id: <8510091750.4095@ur-cayuga.rochester.arpa> From: lsrhs!gogo@bbncca.arpa Date: Wed Oct 9 08:59:02 1985 Received: by lsrhs.UUCP (4.9/4.7) id AA11999; Wed, 9 Oct 85 08:59:02 EDT Apparently-To: Status: R >From lsrhs!lsrhs!gogo Date: Wed, 9 Oct 85 08:59:02 EDT Message-Id: <8510091259.AA11999@lsrhs.UUCP> To: bbncca!mintz@rochester.arpa Dear Toby, Something is apparently wrong with Mail, so what I tried to send you yesterday may or may not have reached you. Therefore, for your information, here is Kevin's address & phone number. Kevin: Box 0349 Amherst College Amherst, Mass. 0l002 Phone: (413) 542-3311. I'll see you soon, so I don't want to exhaust my topics of conversation, such as they are. Ciao, From the Big Director. From lsrhs!thm@bbncca.arpa Sat Oct 12 09:31:09 1985 Received: from ur-cayuga.rochester.arpa (ur-cayuga) by ur-seneca.rochester.arpa id AA13315 (4.12s); Sat, 12 Oct 85 09:31:04 edt Received: from bbncca (bbncca.arpa) by ur-cayuga.rochester.arpa id AA04437 (4.12r); Sat, 12 Oct 85 09:31:01 edt Message-Id: <8510121331.4437@ur-cayuga.rochester.arpa> From: lsrhs!thm@bbncca.arpa Date: Fri Oct 11 11:04:08 1985 Received: by lsrhs.UUCP (4.9/4.7) id AA03468; Fri, 11 Oct 85 11:04:08 EDT Apparently-To: Status: R >From lsrhs!lsrhs!thm (Toby Mintz) Date: Fri, 11 Oct 85 11:04:08 EDT Message-Id: <8510111504.AA03468@lsrhs.UUCP> To: thm >From gogo Tue Oct 8 08:47:38 1985 To: thm Status: R Dear Toby, It's only 8:38, as the little counter tells me, and already I have generated (get the computerese?) one Greek Tragedy in Prod. essay test, one "Oresteia" rehearsal schedule, and now a letter. Pretty keen, huh? Kevin's address and phone # are: Kevin Commie Platt Box 0349 Amherst College Amherst, Mass. 0l002 A.C. 413-542-3311 Jude says she hasn't had time yet to make up recipes, which I don't believe, but she has been keeping busy, and we are still playing reluctant host and hostess to Cowboy Bob and the gang. God, how I hate noise; he jumps up and down so often that he jostled the kitchen light bulb out of its socket. No wonder the foundation needs work. I have just been treated to a dramatic version of Nicky brushes her hair: why did Mr. & Mrs. Meade get married? Rehearsals proceed apace--last night's was the best yet, and it was only #4 of approximately 39. The style is very odd--Oriental with very weird "music" or more appropriately a few notes repeated insistently and loudly and aggressively. I have decided to assault the audience--what the hell, why not. Where is Michael Sohn now that I need him... Ciao, because I have miles to type... Bill From lsrhs!gogo@bbncca.arpa Sun Nov 10 01:15:25 1985 Received: from ur-cayuga.rochester.arpa (ur-cayuga) by ur-seneca.rochester.arpa id AA01367 (4.12t); Sun, 10 Nov 85 01:15:13 est Received: from bbncca (bbncca.arpa) by ur-cayuga.rochester.arpa id AA01017 (4.12t); Sun, 10 Nov 85 01:14:58 est Message-Id: <8511100614.1017@ur-cayuga.rochester.arpa> From: lsrhs!gogo@bbncca.arpa Date: Tue Nov 5 18:33:35 1985 Received: by lsrhs.uucp (4.9/4.7) id AA00240; Tue, 5 Nov 85 18:33:35 EST Apparently-To: Status: R >From Bill Plott Date: Tue, 5 Nov 85 18:33:35 EST Message-Id: <8511052333.AA00240@lsrhs.uucp> To: bbncca!mintz@rochester.arpa Dear Toby, I am typing this on split screen, and I am told that our uuc mail is now working, so I will do my best to send you all the mail you ever wanted and more. (Of course, who knows if it is actually working--I didn't see Kevin or Scott today, so your guess is as good as mine.) Scott did teach me about ^x 4f and having two things up at once, as it were--imagine what Puchalsky would do with that image. Anyway, what I do is keep Comp.rules., my very first file, on the top half of the screen, so whenever I have screwed up something, Ican just take a look without using ESC s and having to remember about fg. (As you can see, my computerese is growing by leaps and bounds. In fact, I am starting to keep grades in files with the next marking period, as soon as Mr. Fraize or Mr. Ruddy or somebody teaches me about "spread sheets" or columns or something or other. Of course, I would also dearly love to figure out how in the name of Digital one can get the computer to figure out averages; the calculator seems so slow. Anyway, that is more boring than the play, and in those two things exists my life at the moment, with the occasional foray home to Jude, and the odd class now and then. The play is getting better and better; the kids had their first rehearsal without books on Sunday and did remarkably well. There is something to be said for being a tyrant, and any member of the cast or crew will vouch for my tyranny, I'll just betcha'. Actually, Kathy Cutler and Dan (Clytemnestra and Orestes) have some real moments, I think, and Robin Espinola does as well. It seems we are taking the show on the road in February--talk about dramatic hubris! I'm taking a Classical Greek tragedy, translated by an American poet (adapted, really) and done in vaguely Japanese style.... Speaking of which, you should see the costumes Judy has whipped up in her spare time, to say nothing of the set, hear the "music," and all the rest of it. Just one hint: Mano Raju, who is playing Apollo, has a scene with a bullwhip... Weird... Anyway, I'm sending this to your long address, and will also try to send you another jove file titled "playnotes," which are just that. If you breathe a word to anybody you're dead, especially the not-so-nice words, but this way somebody else will be able to see what I think and verify that I'm not entirely crazy yet.... Respond if this gets to you... Bill From lsrhs!gogo@bbncca.arpa Sun Nov 10 02:05:03 1985 Received: from ur-cayuga.rochester.arpa (ur-cayuga) by ur-seneca.rochester.arpa id AA01853 (4.12t); Sun, 10 Nov 85 02:04:54 est Received: from bbncca (bbncca.arpa) by ur-cayuga.rochester.arpa id AA01361 (4.12t); Sun, 10 Nov 85 02:04:24 est Message-Id: <8511100704.1361@ur-cayuga.rochester.arpa> From: lsrhs!gogo@bbncca.arpa Date: Tue Nov 5 18:36:06 1985 Received: by lsrhs.uucp (4.9/4.7) id AA00271; Tue, 5 Nov 85 18:36:06 EST Apparently-To: Status: R >From Bill Plott Date: Tue, 5 Nov 85 18:36:06 EST Message-Id: <8511052336.AA00271@lsrhs.uucp> To: bbncca!mintz@rochester.arpa Notes on "The Oresteia" 10/24/85 We've now been at this for about one month, and I have discovered one or two things about directing and about this play and about all the rest of it. First, I am more of a modernist than I thought; there are times when all I want is disembodied voices, which of course I can't have because it takes better actors than I am ever likely to be able to work with, and it takes a more exact sense of the text than I have, at least now. Second, I'm still slightly embarrassed about telling people, "You do this," partly because of some personality disorder, and partly because I can't see what I want right away. However, that hasn't stopped me... It would be dishonest to say that Ginny and I have no disagreements; she is far more deliberate (one wants to make the word into FOUR DIS-TINCT SYL-LA- BLES and PRO-NOUNCE EACH ONE DIS-TINCT-LY and ever so SLOW-LY) than I am, and basically wants nice voice readings even of the most disgusting lines. In fact, I think she mostly wants the world to be nice, which is understandable, but at times maddening, especially when I am doing goddamn Aeschylus through Robert Lowell, if you know what I mean. We're talking blood here, not profound line readings; there is murder, cannibalism, weird sexuality, and above all an inexorable sense that the best we can hope for is some truncated version of justice, and I can't see how that can ever be "nice" or even that clear. There are times when I want the Chorus to be nearly drowned out by the music--I say nearly because I want the words to come through, but I want them to come through in some Kafka-esque way, as axes breaking through the frozen souls. I want violence: on-stage, off-stage, in the voices, and mostly in the audience's parched, modern souls. (Naw: I'm not arrogant.) About Lowell: at times some of the hangups seem to be his, and not those of the text. Specifics: sexuality. Priscilla's choral bit about "coupling and cramming" has some textual reference, but th phrasing is more Lowell to the point of distraction. Also, at times the poetic devices work better as reading than they do as theater, although for the most part he avoids overwriting. I have taken a few liberties in my cuts, I suppose... Specific performances: Robin Espinola moves quite beautifully, and really does have a sense of what it is she is saying. She is horrified when she has to be, though I wish I could get her out of being quite so deliberate about her horror. Kathy Cutler is coming; I hope to God Ginny doesn't slow her down again and bring her back to the sort of low voice and energy that she had on Tuesday. Last night she brought it up--I mean, she wasn't so "dignified" and "mature," but she was a bitch, and she did show real excitement. Jon Morgan: a bit mushy-mouthed at times, but has the demeanor down pat. Mano Raju: too quiet, but intelligent readings. A bit shy: have to bring him up somehow. Priscilla: one word about "Prince" and she has been there. Lynn Garth: lovely but too stylized delivery; Ginny says it's preppy, I think it's simply too forced; she would be better if I could simply make her speak the way she would speak if she were feeling a particular emotion. For example, she was mad the other night and was terrific, and her voice even became less screechy, so I should get her to work on that. l0/28 Big runthrough last night. Good runthrough, if a bit rough. The music is o.k.; less is definitely more, but David Myers makes some terrific spooky noises, Ron is fine when he's into it, and Ted would be better were he there and actually doing it. Anyway, I can just do the timpani myself and get enough of a mood thing to get them speaking over the music and making sense. We tried a tape, but who knows... Still some problems with things being too static: I don't want that much mostion, but they are simply standing; I've tried to have the Chorus in "Ag." stand in a particular way, but so far no luck. I suppose it's early to get them to keep character, especially as they're still using books. It may also be too early to have them all together, though last night did show me some stuff, such as the fact that "Orestes" needs the most work. "Ag." carries itself, especially if I can get Morgan and Cutler to work well together, and "Furies" has so much terrific ghoulish stuff that it will run well, besides the fact that by then people should know what's going on; it is the middle that is hard. I think I know what I want: bloody repetition, Clytemnestra disgusted, even Aegisthus not real happy about it, and Orestes as a foil, almost, for Electra's hatred. She needs to be nastier, bitchier, not so noble and suffering; he needs to be more distracted, stronger, and more affected by mom. Still, last night Dan read better than ever before. Emily is fine as Athena, in spite of a bad rehearsal last night. Adam Sohn is good when he slows down; Mike Phalen is fine when he slows down and isn't in a hurry to get off the stage. Alyssa is a bit of a problem; first, she doesn't listen very well and is usually screwing around; second, she is also a bit muckle-mouthed (Holden?), and not very loud. Odele is terrific, as are most of the furies, though somehow they want to play the parts with far too much nobility and decorum; they aren't willing to get down and nasty enough, which will cause troubles unless I can get them into it. A few special effects which work: Clyt. at the mike when dead, Apollo at the mike when he finds Orestes in the temple, the Chorus at the mikes when they are urging blood, the music being so weird. Two ideas: first, have no furies in "Orestes" in the scene at the first when Orestes is losing it; have Ag. & Cass. show up in dim pools of light down left and right wing areas. In "Furies": have the same things with Aegisthus and Clytemnestra when she is invoking the furies. He can bee down left while she is down right, and then he can get out before Apollo does his bit. l0/29 This should get in fast, given the fact that the system isn't exactly working that well. Last night we did "The Furies," and had a terrific rehearsal; first, the whole thing takes only about 30 minutes, without the spectacle but trying to account for it, and second, the girls are getting into it much more. Odele is wonderful, Heather is getting better, Anjana has a marvelous voice, Ruthie moves well and knows what she is doing, and Glynnis, while still too formal, is getting better. Emily was terrific; I had told her to move more formally, gliding more like a goddess, and she did exactly that, and did it quite well. Dan Casto, who, for some reason, has become named Ron in my addled brain, is really getting into Orestes; there are still some rough spots, but he is better and better as time goes on--less slack-kneed, stronger in his voice, and more sure of who he is. Better anguish, better strength and determination, better diction, and mostly better at being absolutely Orestes and less Dan. l0/30 "Agamemnon last night: a decent rehearsal for the most part, with some silly exercises by Tom. He is a bit of an irritant; he speaks to kids about working on their character, having evidenced not one whit of sensitivity for the text. His favorite theatrical form is the Broadway musical: give me strength, oh Dionysus. Also, Ginny was working with Robin on bringing her voice down, and has in fact brought her energy down as well. I will have to reach some happy medium about it. I have some ideas for Robin, involving over-acting a bit, or at least clawing at herself and ripping at her hair, possibly spending some time on the ground, whatever. She is terrific as is, but too stately and subdued; now to bring her up. Kathy was good; a little too restrained at the very first, then much better as it went on. She should smile more; she has a terrific evil smile, and it really works well sexually. Jon Morgan was good; still hard to distinguish at times, but I've given him some more business (glances with the Chorus members before calling for an assembly, a little more with Clytemnestra) and he is working it out. A possible piece of business; when Clytemnestra comes in at first and is speaking to the Chorus, have her slaves bring Agamemnon a crown; a little light hubris. Chris Amshey was awful the first time through, much better the second. The Chorus needs work, mostly on interpretation; I'm not at all sure about Mike Joseph, and Curtis also needs work desperately; Rob is o.k., Adam is o.k. but flat, and Harry has lost some of whatever he had, possibly because of Tom. I'll have them this afternoon alone and work not so much on blocking as on speeches and meaning. About blocking: I can't stop fiddling, which is o.k. The truth is that I'm just figuring out how to use the set a little better, so I have the kids using it more, especially in "Furies" and now the Chorus in "Agamemnon." It means the people in the extreme side seats will have some interference, but it's open enough that it should work. Jon Raja was quite good last night: knows most of his lines, has a fair amount of instinct for his character, and in general is strong enough. It works much better with the bodies there; without them the speeches don't work, but with the corpses one certainly gets one's mood... Anxious for the lights; need smoke machine; makeup; costumes look good; about the masks... MASKS: gold for the gods with black eyebrows, serene, stately; flat white with black lines for the others; not too much by way of mood lines; keep it simple, eyebrows for characters... SEE MARY BELLOWS!!! MAKEUP: flat clown-white for all mortals; dark lipstick for men, redder for women... gray hairspray for Chorus, for Ag.; for Clyt. & Aeg. in "Orestes." Gray & some dull reddish stuff for the Furies... Apollo: silver... Emily: own hair Possibly keep own hair for everybody.... Except chorus of men... For tonight: Lynn more natural; work on the Chorus; Kathy the way she was Sunday, bitter laughter, etc. Work on the ending more than anything else, though we'll do a runthrough.... l0/30 Chorus rehearsal: it sounded o.k. with the timpani, and I think I know what it is I want to do. Here it is: l. Adam: more variation; a little too screechy when loud; more basso, and mostly a bit more about what he's up to when he speaks. 2. Rob Isaacson: fine so far. He does need more volume at time, and he should stop trying for profundity; the voice does it by itself. 3. Mike Joseph: OI, OI, OI!!!! 4. Curtis: nice diction, but too flat... 5. Harry: not so bad.. Basically they were working harder and doing better, and there are moments when they look good enough; also, some of their odes will be covered enough by music that sheer declamation will work... l0/3l I have the night off tonight; the first since Columbus Day weekend, which means nearly three solid weeks of 5 nights per week. Of course, I asked for it, but still.... "Orestes" last night: Dan and Kathy were terrific in a couple of places, especially when Orestes/messenger tells her Orestes is dead (I told her to come on as if she were slightly drunk, as if that were the only way to get her through the day: talk about your anachronisms, although one wonders); and in the scene where Orestes comes out after killing Aegisthus and struggles over whether or not to kill her. Dan has got to come up on the scene when the bodies are brought in; but he should do o.k. He really has come a long way already, and has managed to rid his voice of most of the weird squeaks and rising and falling... Kathy and he actually moved me when she looks at him and says "You are my son," and they proceed to go through the family argument; she is terrific on "I feel as if I am talking to a tomb," and his determination comes through, along with Pylades shaking him out of his reverie, slightly changed blocking for Lynn, and Kathy being slightly more sympathetic. If I have learned one thing by doing the play, it is that the whole thing doesn't work without a complicated Clytemnestra; more fuel for a thesis (laugh on) about the position of women in Greek literature. It really is as if they had a reverse double standard; the society says one thing, but can't pull it off because clearly their women must have been something. Another way to explain it is that geniuses never buy stereotypes, so of course Homer and Aeschylus can't simply relegate women to inferior positions, morally, intellectually, psychologically, or any other way. Of course it might be Lowell, or myself, acting as a modern apologist for them out of male guilt, but I don't think so; the whole movement of the play depends on the audience feeling some of Clytemnestra's pain, some of Electra's rage and strength, the women's Chorus moving both of them towards strength and action, and, in the end, the struggle between Athena and the furies--to say nothing, of course, of Cassandra. I know they were clearly expected to dispense with sexual favors, that there was a double standard, that they are subservient, etc., etc.: but one can't escape the observation that there they are--strong, rebellious women who no more accept their positions than did Lady Macbeth or Beatrice or whomever one chooses as an example from an author who is not so much "liberated" as open-minded, and therefore can't escape the observation that it makes no sense to say that women aren't the match for men. Furthermore--and the more I reread the stuff, the more I think so--I can't help thinking that at the heart of Greek literature is a suspicion that the code of the warrior-hero is wrong, absolutely, destructively, horribly, heroically wrong. Again, that is perhaps an anachronistic reading, but an inescapable one, given the Choral odes of "Agamemnon," and the results of Troy as the reverberate throughout Greek literature. Meanwhile, back to the rehearsal: the Chorus needs to understand that they first support Electra, albeit grudgingly, and then they urge her and Orestes on to violence, and then they suck Aegisthus in; they are, in fact, not so different from the furies, except human and slightly more bent on blood than revenge, perhaps--by that I mean that they are so unhappy, so frustrated, that they simply want blood and carnage. They are also on the right side, of course, so it isn't quite so bad.... In any case, the girls were doing better with keeping their voices down, although it showed that Nicole Ritchie had missed rehearsals, and Alyssa can sometimes be far too mushy tongued, and Cathy Rasco needs work; still, there were moments, and some of the formal odes worked well, and I liked the Electra-Choragos scene near the end of the play. Lynn was indeed more natural, less forced; she still has that weird diction, but it isn't terrible. Some things to think about: blocking for Agamemnon's entrance (banners, probably 4 soldiers, chair, etc.); working out the tapestry bit; when and how the urns get off the stage; keeping Lynn in focus during the scenes where she is on with the Chorus; whether or not to have furies at the end of "Orestes" when he is disintegrating, or save them for the next play; and how to use Ag. & Cassandra in "Orestes" when he is first at home. (Ghostly light on the center platform, or down on the wings?) Anyway, a hearteningly good rehearsal; Dan and Kathy should be able to carry the middle of the play, the first part has surprise and pageantry going for it, to say nothing of special effects, and the "Furies" ought to be able to hold the audience. Lengths to date: Agamemnon: 40-45 minutes. Orestes: 30-35 minutes. Furies: 20-25 minutes. Go for the shorter times. November 4 Last night was lines: I'll say this for being a tyrant--it gets results. They nearly all had their lines, except Ruthie and a couple of rough spots for other people, notably Alisa Rosen and Mike Joseph. Still, it was much better than I had expected, and Dan Casto was again terrific, along with Kathy Cutler and Lynn and Emily and various other people. Perhaps more heartening is the fact that most of the chorus types have their lines, though they're at times rough on the cues... I don't know about adding much for Robin--one hates to tamper with excellence. Emily still moves better than the rest; and Jon Raja is surprisingly good at all of this now that he has things memorized... Morgan is pissed because I dared--egad!--to be critical. I suppose I'll have to watch it... Tom wasn't there: no great loss.... Men's chorus in "Ag"--much improved, according to Ginny and Jude; I still have some trouble at times with Curtis and Mike, but I suppose it will work out o.k. At any rate, it's coming... Problem scene: Ag. & the tapestries. It should go: Jon sitting, Kathy seduces him, then he turns and commends Cassandra to her; THEN, Jon gets up, takes a couple of steps, says his first couple of lines--"I hope no god sees me," or "Ah, Clytemnestra, I hope no god is watching..." Then, finish the walk, but look back at her on the line about "Agamemnon, the soldier's day is over," or whatever it is... Make sure he gets this part right, and that Kathy punches "the soldier's day is over...." It's a good bit, but rough right now. Bodies carried in: worked o.k. Larry Trager carries Morgan, Dan carries Robin, Craig carries Raja, and Paul Jean carries Kathy. They put them down quite well, and it should work o.k. Music: much better. A note: they should turn the master volume down one notch on "Orestes," because the girls simply can't carry their voices over the music the same way as the boys in "Agamemnon." "Furies": easiest, but needs work. Heather Byrne is just about gone, and Suzi Cetiner has missed her last rehearsal; next time both of them are out, which would be no great loss... It's not Heather's fault, and she is getting slightly better, but she is also a weak link, and the worst casting mistake we made... Todd Faber is cute: awful, but cute... Alisa and the entire "Orestes" chorus needs work, especially her, oddly enough; Priscilla is terrific, Ellen is o.k., Kerri Gurtler seems decent, and Nicole (much as I hate to admit it) is good. However, they need to understand their roles more; maybe I can get them in for a Wednesday afternoon session such as with the boys. I don't think the Furies need it, but the ladies do... Jennifer Patti: fine. Mike Phalen: SLOW DOWN!! He may need a few one-on-one sessions, and should have a sword... Swords: several of the samurai type... Costumes: terrific; it should look good, anyway... Waiting for the pillars, the litter chair, and the light box; is there any chance of getting that soon? I want to see it, if nothing else. From grkermi!lsrhs!gogo@mit-eddie.MIT.EDU Fri Feb 7 18:33:26 1986 Received: from ur-cayuga.rochester.arpa (ur-cayuga) by ur-seneca.rochester.arpa id AA28563 (4.12v); Fri, 7 Feb 86 18:33:22 est Received: from mit-eddie (mit-eddie.arpa) by ur-cayuga.rochester.arpa id AA21787 (4.12u); Fri, 7 Feb 86 18:32:29 est Received: by mit-eddie (4.12/4.7) id AA20879; Fri, 7 Feb 86 18:23:06 est Return-Path: Received: by grkermi.LOCAL on Fri, 7 Feb 86 18:27:34 est Date: Fri, 7 Feb 86 18:27:34 est Message-Id: <8602072327.AA14329@grkermi.LOCAL> From: Bill Plott To: thm Status: R Dear Toby, I think this will get to you, although the rest of what I have tried to send you hasn't been delivered. Why is beyond my technical epertise.... Anyway, life continues here at L-S. I am sitting during 7th block on Friday having a wonderful time; today we had one demonstration about teacher layoffs, one food fight, and so far three fire-alarms, no doubt partly because the kid to end all kids -- good ole' Errol Hamarat -- has graduated but hasn't yet left... What is an asshole? As our first demonstration, we will show your Errol. Anyway, we have been relatively quiet, save one huge debauch last Friday in honor or Mrs. Bowdoin's sabbatical, at which I managed to destroy that part of my memory which stored the little I known about the Byzantine Empire. Ah, what fun... Following that I have been in training for England, and indeed, this Sunday we start rehearsals of "Oresteia" again. Then, next Friday, we leave -- taking many and sundry along with us. What fun again... What fun. This letter is degenerating, and I am ready now to go home. I just thought I would send a line to let you know that we're here. We got an hysterical letter from David Ritsher, and a funny note from Michael (the Jew) Sohn, and are thinking -- perish the thought -- of calling the other Jew, ERIC THE INSOLENT ROSEN, for lunch this weekend. By the way, when you come back to Boston, do get tickets for "The Balcony" and don't get tickets for "Juniper Tree" unless you want to listen to the music and ignore the play, which is dumb. Anyway, enough from here. We'll send you a postcard from England, maybe.... Ciao, The Mediocrity Who Always Gets Even From grkermi!lsrhs!gogo@EDDIE.MIT.EDU Thu Mar 20 09:56:12 1986 Received: from ur-cayuga.rochester.arpa (ur-cayuga) by ur-seneca.rochester.arpa id AA17760 (4.12w); Thu, 20 Mar 86 09:56:05 est Received: from EDDIE (mit-eddie.arpa) by ur-cayuga.rochester.arpa id AA21966 (4.12w); Thu, 20 Mar 86 09:55:43 est Received: by EDDIE (5.31/4.7) id AA16426; Thu, 20 Mar 86 09:55:05 EST Return-Path: Received: by grkermi.LOCAL on Thu, 20 Mar 86 09:54:15 est Date: Thu, 20 Mar 86 09:54:15 est Message-Id: <8603201454.AA21763@grkermi.LOCAL> From: Bill Plott To: mit-eddie!mintz Status: R Toby-- I am trying something new that Kevin told me about -- "R" mail. >From the address that just came up, well, it looks like this will work. The reason you saw no pictures from England is that we just got them back yesterday -- there are some funny ones, but some decent ones of rehearsals. I should get to one of the millions of things I have to do this morning; this is yet another way of procrastinating. Michael should be home tonight; his sister told me that he said he has nothing to say to me because I have been mean to her. Which half of this statement is true? Avoid beer parties. "White Noise," alas, disappointed me in the end, although there are some very funny bits. We get to see "Alcestis" tonight; and I finally found out that it is pronounced "Al - ses - tis," so now I know something. We had a meeting yesterday in which, led by the passionate rhetoric of Dick Davis - what an appropriate first name - half of my "house" voted in favor of having freshman and sophomore homerooms. Here at Lincoln-Sudbury, we are intent on rediscovering the stone-age of education and calling it progress. Ain't life wonderful. More anon. Bill