Flux Theatre Ensemble

Who is that terrifying assassin with the great hair?

(Photo: Isaiah Tanenbaum.)

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To begin, I apologize for the title of this blog post. I've been staring at a computer for so long when I go to the bathroom I click on the doorknob.

To continue, it's time for some shout-outs for deserving plays getting published!

James Comtois' play, Infectious Opportunity, is being published by the good folks at Original Works. You might remember this play from our series, Exploding Moments; and we're thrilled for James and his deserving play.

Speaking of published plays, have you picked up your copies of the Angel Eaters Trilogy yet?

And I am not even going to ask if you've purchased your copies of Out of Time & Place, which features plays from past Flux collaborators like Crystal Skillman, Bekah Brunstetter, Andrea Thome, and Christine Evans; of course you have.

I know what you're thinking: that's all well and good, but what about the New York Theater Review and it's impending publication of The Lesser Seductions Of History and Erin Browne's Flux-developed play Trying? One word, one number: October 15th. That's when you can see the cast from Lesser Seductions read from the play as part of the book launch at New Georges' The Room. See you there? Read the full story

What is Flux Sunday?

Yes, I know, I owe you reports from from 7/11 and 7/18. But I'd like to start a new trend of blogging about Flux Sunday immediately afterwards, so all those who atteneded can chime in with thoughts, before time steals them.

Playwrights: Johnna Adams (Nurture), Zack Calhoon (Obamaville), James Comtois (McTeague), Kristen Palmer (The Stray Dog), Brian Pracht (The Mysoginist), Adam Szymkowicz (Curently Untitled), August Schulenburg (What Is Outside)

Actors: Isaiah Tanenbaum, Jane Taylor, David Crommett, Alisha Spielmann, Christina Shipp, Nancy Franklin, Matthew Archambault, Ken Glickfeld

Yup, we had a bevy of playwrights (a quill of playwrights?) and a whole bunch of pages. It was a solid three hour sandwhich of theatre, and I left full.

Highlights included:

-Johnna Adams's new play, Nurture. The tyrannical mother Cheryl and her obliviously smitten suitor Doug bond over their strange dancing daughters in a scene of shocking comic vitality. I'm not sure we quite got the the tone of this one - I have a hunch it is quicker and more deadpan - but it seems like an exciting new style for Johnna, and I can't wait to see where it goes.

-The scene between 'best friends' Jim and the dying Matt in Adam's new play; Jim's completely insincere attempt at empathy has all of us appalled and laughing

-Things getting ugly in The Mysoginist, with a particularly unsettling scene between Matt Archambault's Ethan and Alisha Spielmann's Libby (Alisha turned in several strong performances)

-The air of mystique pervading the first scene of Kristen's new play, tentatively called The Stray Dog. Curiosity, piqued.

-Ken Glickfeld as Curtis and David Crommett as James going toe to toe in Zack's Obamaville; things don't end well for this Tea Party; but even sitting round an office table, they weren't afraid to blow things up.

-Ken again in the shyly lovely courtship scene between Grannis and Nancy Franklin's Miss Baker in James' McTeague. Aww. And we needed some awww...it was a Sunday made up mostly of blackest comedy and violent drama.

It was great to have so many playwrights bringing pages that seemed to be pushing in new directions; or further in old ones; and I look forward to the next round.

SO...if you were there, lay down some cool wisdom in the comments field, y'here? Read the full story

We're all thrilled to report that our own Heather Cohn was nominated for a New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Director for The Lesser Seductions of History! For those of you who took the time to vote for us, your votes contributed to this nomination, so from all of us, THANK YOU.

This is Flux's second consecutive year being nominated - last year, we were nominated for 7 awards, with Angel Eaters Sound Designer Asa Wember taking one home.

It was a great ceremony, with many Indie friends in attendance. We were excited to see friends recognized like Crystal Skillman and Impetuous Theater Group, James Comtois and Nosedive Productions (for Infectious Opportunity, which we featured here), Piper McKenzie (for Craven Monkey and the Mountain of Fury, which we also featured here), Tim Errickson's work with Retro Productions, and of course, perennial NYITA all stars, terraNOVA, the Brick, and the Neo-Futurists.

Work was also recognized from companies we admire like PL115, The Management, CollaborationTown, Vampire Cowboys, Electric Pear, and Astoria Performing Arts Center. But most importantly - and here is the signature magic of the NYITA - a number of companies I'd never heard of were recognized. The Mad Ones, The Associated Mask Ensemble, Down Payment Productions, and WeildWorks were all new to me, yet all of them brought home multiple nominations.

I would have loved to have seen Flux nominated for more - like Best Ensemble for Lesser Seductions and Best Set Design for Jacob's House - but the bad news with the NYITA is always good news, too - the Indie theatre community that we're all a part of is wider and deeper than we thought.

On a personal note, I'm especially disappointed to see Viral by Mac Rogers and Gideon Productions not nominated - it was by far the best Indie play I saw this NYITA year (I saw it twice, something I never do).

What plays and artists were you thrilled to see recognized? What do you think was missed? Read the full story

Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for, New Hampshire's favorite son James Comtois weighs in on Jacob's House! And how can you top this for an opener?

"Flux Theatre Ensemble's latest production, Jacob's House, is an Americanized retelling of the Old Testament story of Jacob. It's at times fun, confusing, thought-provoking, frustrating, touching, muddled, and cathartic."

He goes on from there, offering well thought out criticism about the layers of complexity in the first act, and praise for the design and performances through out. It's the kind of detailed response any playwright and producer wishes for from a fellow playwright/producer. I hope to reply to some of these strong questions he raises later, but for now, just heed his parting words and get your tix!

"Jacob’s House makes for a night of compelling and fascinating theatre. It deals with a man blessed with fortune and long life, and shows the after-effects and consequences those gifts have on him and his family."

Read the whole thing here, then get your tickets, and after you've seen the show, please share your thoughts here. Read the full story

What is Jacob's House?
What is ForePlay: Divine Reckonings?

James Comtois
Playwright, DR#1: Secrets and Lies

Previous Flux Experience: Wrote "Joseph and Cotton" for Flux's "Poetic Larceny;" participated in Flux Sundays.

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So our ForePlay series Divine Reckonings kicks off this Monday the 22nd at Judson Memorial Church, 243 Thomspon Street, at 7:30PM! To sweeten the honey pot further, we've added a kick-off party afterwards with an hour open bar at Down The Hatch, starting at 9PM. Monday is clearly the new Friday.

Here's the skinny:

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(What is Flux Sunday?)

Yup, I'm WAAAY behind in this and many other aspects of the blog. This is my good excuse. But I'm going to do my best to catch up, so hop in the Delorian with me and journey way back when to the early days of February, when the Olympics were just a looming dot on the horizon.

Playwrights: Zack Calhoon (Stolen), James Comtois (McTeague), Fengar Gael (The Gallerist), Kristen Palmer (Sacrifice), August Schulenburg (The Sea Concerto)

Directors: Rob Ackerman, ZC, Heather Cohn, AS

Actors: David Crommett, Anthony Wills Jr, Isaiah Tanenbaum, Nora Hummel, Ken Glickfeld, Matthew Archambault, Brian Pracht, Kelly O'Donnell, Richard Watson, Alisha Spielmann, Ingrid Nordstrom, Paula Roman, Catherine Porter, Travis York, Ryan Andes

A different time to accommodate the Super Bowl (1 to 4PM) allowed longtime invitees like Catherine Porter to finally attend! And though none of our highlights were nationally televised, they included:

-Paula Roman's sexy manipulation of Travis York as Petra (and Nick) in Zack's Stolen
-Rob Ackerman's hilariously frenzied direction of Kristen's Sacrifice, with Alisha and Isaiah channeling two idealistic teenagers staging the changing world with every bizarre prop we had in the room - ah, the soda can versus the water bottle!
-Nancy Franklin's heartrending breakdown in the very same play - a haunting read of a woman knowing something important is being lost but uncertain of what
-Ryan Andes' continued hilarity in the part of McTeague, as James' play turns merrily darker by the scene
-Speaking of those, how about when James' halting Arthur and Ryan's hopeful Bertram fell for each other in Mary's The Gallerist? This might have been my favorite moment ever, let alone this Sunday...
-David Crommett tearing up hurricane Jimmy's intrigues in The Sea Concerto - well hello, exit applause.

So, if any of your memories stretch back that far, Fluxers, what were your favorite moments from that Sunday, so long ago? Read the full story

(What is Flux Sunday?)

Playwrights: Johnna Adams (The Anguisher), James Comtois (McTeague), Mary Fengar Gael (The Gallerist), Kristen Palmer (Sacrifice), Adam Szymkowicz (My Base and Scurvy Heart)

Directors: Heather Cohn, MFG, August Schulenburg

Actors: Amy Fitts, Brian Pracht, Alisha Spielmann, Isaiah Tanenbaum, Richard Watson, Nancy Franklin, Paula Roman, Ryan Andes, Cotton Wright, Becky Kelly

And then, after two Flux Sundays that pushed the time limit of 3 hours, we somehow how fit our best Flux Sunday in some time into 2 hours (there was a last minute space issue). Woosh!

Part of it was the quality of material - all the plays were strong. Part of it was directors and actors making good choices quickly. And part of it was that weird alchemy that sometimes is kind enough to bubble up mysteriously from the work.

Highlights included:
- Alisha Spielmann's spirited turn as the hyper intelligent teen Emmie in Kristen's Sacrifice
- James Comtois' creep-inducing turn as the scarred but hungry Henry in Johnna's The Anguisher
- Amy Fitts somehow completely believable channeling of a monkey in Mary's The Gallerists
- Nancy Franklin's adorably smitten Miss Baker in James' McTeague - when will she and Old Grannis get together, damn it?!?
- Adam's deliriously funny opening scene of his new pirate play, My Base and Scurvy Heart; which thankfully had Johnna as one of the fierce pirate lasses

Artists who attended, what were your favorite moments? Read the full story

(What is Flux Sunday?)

Playwrights: Throwing Gumballs (Rob Ackerman), Red Horses (Johnna Adams), Going Out Dancing (Katherine Burger), McTeague (James Comtois), Moving Statues (Corey Ann Haydu), Untitled Russian Project (David Ian Lee), Dark Matter (August Schulenburg), The Sleeping World (Crystal Skillman)

Directors: Angela Astle, Rob Ackerman, Katherine Burger, Crystal Skillman

Actors: Ryn Andes, Matthew Archambault, Carissa Cordes, David Crommett, Nancy Franklin, Candice Holdorf, Ingrid Nordstrom, Gretchen Poulos, Jane Taylor, Isaiah Tanenbaum, Richard Watson, Cotton Wright

Sometimes, I plan things out just right...and then there was this Sunday. We went way over time, though for good reason - we had a ton of great material, and actors and directors who wanted to dig deeper.

Highlights included:

-Isaiah Tanenbaum playing Luke Wilson, a Bengali physicist, an elderly shut-in, a miser, and a friendly barkeep all in one day
-Carissa Cordes as a fierce Bright Wing in Johnna's prequel (!) to Angel Eaters
-Ryan Andes' lovably simple McTeague facing down Richard Watson's drunkenly embittered Marcus (the fight scene hilariously directed by Rob Ackerman)
-Katherine's direction of David Ian Lee and Jane Taylor in her Going Out Dancing - I'd previously seen this play at a much faster clip, which put the epiphany in the hands of the audience: here, the more deliberate pace gave Jane's Anna the full opportunity to realize what was happening, and to a degree, accept it
-Working with Cotton on Crystal's The Sleeping World, where complex emotionally rich moments must move quickly - a surprisingly challenging script for a seemingly naturalistic play
-Matt Archambault and Candice Holdorf got to let their hair down a little in Corey's Moving Statues, and the result were two relaxed, highly present, and engaging performances

Artists who attended, what were your highs and lows? Read the full story

(What is Flux Sunday?)

Playwrights: Throwing Gumballs (Rob Ackerman), Projects (Erin Browne), Yellow Wallpaper (Katherine Burger), McTeague (James Comtois), Untitled Russian Project (David Ian Lee), Dinkles and Holly (Zack Robidas), Caged (Adam Szymkowicz)

Directors: Angela Astle, Heather Cohn, Nancy Franklin, August Schulenburg

Actors: Matthew Archambault, Jaime Robert Carrillo, Carissa Cordes, David Crommett, Becky Kelly, Ingrid Nordstrom, Gretchen Poulos, Brian Pracht, Jane Taylor, Isaiah Tanenbaum, Drew Valins, Richard Watson, Travis York

We're back! And as you can see from above, we had a full house. Highlights include:

- Zack Robidas' first pages, the Christmas-themed romp Dinkles and Holly (best line: elf-improvment?)
- Travis York's first FS, rocking out the disturbing-funny Man of Adam's Caged and the disturbing-frocked John of Katherine's Yellow Wallpaper.
- Becky Kelly's picnic enthusiasm as Trina in James' McTeague
- James showing the actors how it's done with his hilariously serious turns as Paul and Santa (yup, the Claus)
- Gretchen Polous' third rock star Flux Sunday in a row as the lonely/under pressure Emily in Erin's Projects
- Angela's moody environmental direction of David's Untitled Russian Project, with an all-star cast and lighting cues to boot (I'd pay to see Captain Adam ordering Zack to be funny)
- Rob Ackerman playing himself in Throwing Gumballs. 'Nuff said.

I was also fascinated by the speed of the first scene in Erin's Projects - usually in her work, the pauses are as important as the words, but the rapid pace made for an interesting dynamic. I also had a great time trying Adam's bird scene three different ways with Ingrid Nordstrom - that kind of trial and error is what makes these Sundays so valuable.

Artists who attended, what were your highs and lows? Read the full story

In order to move forward this conversation regarding quality, we are putting some of those principles into practice with a new blog series, Exploding Moments. We'll be exploring how quality productions work through the prism of individual moments. By asking the artists involved how they created a particularly successful moment, and examining how it works in production, we hope to find take-aways to apply to our own work. At the same time, we hope to celebrate excellence in the field through this specific, detailed, useful exploration of what works.

What better way to start than with a look at the recently extended production of Infectious Opportunity? I asked actors David Ian Lee (Wes) and Rebecca Comtois (Jenny), and director Pete Boisvert and playwright James Comtois a few questions about a powerful moment that occurs near the end of the play...

SPOILER ALERT: Do not continue reading if you mind spoilers. Go see the extension and then come back!

SYNOPSIS: Wes Farley is a screenwriting student who, through a measure of empathy, manipulation and accident, winds up claiming he is HIV+. The sympathy this lie engenders helps his career profoundly, winning him a cushy teaching job and eventually, an Oscar nomination. As his success grows, it becomes ever more linked to the lie that started it, and the psychic cost of maintaining the lie starts weighing heavily on him.

At a moment when those pressures grow nearly unbearable, Jenny, a student smitten with Wes, waits for him after class. Out of love and respect for Wes, she has also been writing about AIDS, though she is not HIV+. In this moment of feeling powerless, he takes his lie further than ever before, with a scaldingly hypocritical attack on his student for her lack of honesty. As she tries to look away, he slaps her face into attention. That slap, and the scene that preceded it, were some of the most fiercely exciting moments in the play.

1. James, what was your process of writing this scene? Was it part of early drafts, or did it come later? Did it pop out perfectly the first time, or was it part of rewrites?
James: Actually, this scene was added later during revisions. In the original draft, Wes was a little more passive and kind of just "going along with the ride," with his original lie. A few people who read it felt I was being too soft and pulling my punches, and they were right. So, when I rewrote it, I added a few parts where Wes was much more active in exploiting opportunities that came up from people thinking he was sick. Two scenes/exchanges I added during the revision process was the scene where he tells his mentor, Professor Franklin, that if he accepts the teaching position at the university, he'll need a salary bump to pay for the cost of medicine, and the scene where he chews out his student, Jenny, for "riding the coat-tails of his sickness."

2. Pete, David and Rebecca, please describe the process of rehearsing the scene. Was the slap a suprise?
Pete: The exchange between Jenny and Wes at the end of the final classroom scene is one my favorite sequences in Infectious Opportunity. We built it in rehearsal through a combination of improvisation and a close analysis of James’ script; of course, isn’t that always how you find the really good stuff?

The scene comes at the crux of the play, as the lie Wes has been living finally begins to slip out of his control. The direct catalyst for Wes’ breakdown is the phone call he receives from his agent, Brent (Daryl Lathon), informing him that he’s been nominated for an Academy Award. Towards the end of the phone call with Brent, Wes lets his mask slip for a second, grousing that Brent is building his success off of Wes’ (faked) illness. He lets a bit of the sarcastic demeanor he has been using in his exchanges with Josie (Andrea Marie Smith, playing the embodiment of Wes’ conscience that has been harassing him throughout the play) bleed into his phone call with Brent. Brent immediately senses a change in Wes and apologetically retreats, leaving Wes in horror at the gaffe he has made.

Two more slips of the mask occur in rapid succession as Professor Franklin overhears him calling out for Josie as she initially abandons him, and again as his internal monologue turns external when he complains about the aggravation of having to field questions about his health in front of Jenny. The façade that he has smoothly perfected over the years is rapidly falling apart under the increased pressure he feels as a result of the nomination.

The “Oleanna” moment (as we jokingly referred to it in rehearsal) is a twisted mirror of the first classroom scene near the top of the play. Wes is flattered by Jenny’s infatuation with him, but is always a bit uneasy at the similarities between her attempt to fictionalize her relationship with Wes and his own fraudulency. The crime he accuses Jenny of (leveraging a false experience of illness to further her writing career) is, of course, the precise sin that Wes has built his entire career and identity on. Where he initially tries to dissuade her gently from her topic, his reaction in the final classroom scene takes on a dark and violent tone as he desperately tries to reassert his ownership of the lie.

The moment of the slap was not something I had come up with prior to rehearsal. I wanted Wes to put a full court press on Jenny, intimidating her away from her subject matter as a way of protecting his own territory. The steady, inexorable cross to drive a point home is one of my favorite staging techniques, which you can find examples of in many of the Nosedive shows over the years.

Rebecca: Reading the play, this was the scene that drew me to the play, and made me go up for the role of Jenny. I do think this is Wes’ cruelest moment in the play, to answer another one of your questions, because to some extent he is aware of how he is ruining this girl. While his world is beginning to spiral out of his control, he attempts to reassert his dominance and control, and who better to do that with than Jenny. Jenny who he knows won’t put up a fight. But Jenny has her own story playing out. She has misinterpreted an earlier warning shot as approval. In the earlier classroom scene Wes tries to steer her away from, “the whole AIDS angle” in her writing, but he is soft with her, and she reads that as approval, and respect for her as a writer. She then gets to go off for a week (unseen) and fantasize about what step she will take next. She writes a few more pages, presumably involving a love scene between the high school teacher living with AIDS, and the sexy yet dedicated young grad student who has been observing his class for credit to get her teaching license. So she returns to class, her plan being to invite him over for dinner, to read the pages with the hope being that the power of her writing will make him fall head over heals in love with her. His admiration igniting a deep seeded lust for his protégé. Trashy dime store romance novels got nothin’ on this girl. So Jenny has had a week to fantasize about this, to play out every conversation in her head and, she believes, every possible outcome. She is, of course, wrong.

Going into rehearsal I had all of my book work done, all of my intentions mapped out and then, like Jenny, the scene just didn’t seem to cooperate with the vision of it I had in my head. I wasn’t anticipating the unabashed vitriol that was turned her/my way. Like in the scene itself, Wes’ attack started smaller, more constrained in the beginning and then is only fully unleashed as the attack continues. It was the same in rehearsals. It was several passes at the scene before we arrived at the tenor that you see in performance. I think it wasn’t until we got into runs that the scene really hit its stride, and David could use the momentum of the whole play to really rip into Jenny with the ferocity that he does in performance. But being under fire such as she is from this man she admires, if not adores, it’s hard not to see disengagement as her only option.

David: This scene was one of several which I auditioned with, and I had the privilege of reading opposite Rebecca. Most of the beats that made their way into the final production seemed to arrive organically in that first cold read, and under Pete’s direction the scene and monologue took a more refined shape. I remember Pete wanting the monologue to have a slow burn. He had a specific image for the beginning of the speech – hunched over the desk, eyes forward – and wanted me to restrain much of the furor and vitriol that I initially leaned into.

As I remember, it was in one of our final runs before tech that I spontaneously grabbed Becky’s chin and chucked it up: I (as Wes) was pissed that she (as Jenny) had lower her eyes and escaped me -- I was offering her the courtesy of not blowing my top, but she couldn’t offer me the respect of looking into my eyes. I chucked her chin up…and I (as Wes) immediately felt the shame in what I had done, felt surprise and regret, and was touched by the fear and pain I saw in Becky’s eyes.

There’s a quote by Jack Nicholson that I think is very helpful for actors in rehearsal: “If you get an impulse in a scene, no matter how wrong it seems, follow the impulse. It might be something and if it ain't: Take two!” In that moment I wasn’t thinking about the legitimacy of chucking Becky, I just knew it was the psychological “heart” of what I wanted to do, even if that impulse would ultimately be expressed in some other fashion.

After that rehearsal, I remember checking in with Becky, making sure she was physically okay and that I’d not crossed any lines by throwing some improvised physical biz into the run. Becky was gung-ho.

Still, I was uncertain about the chin-chuck (which morphed into the slap) because it is such an impermissible act for a teacher. I checked in with Pete, asking if he was sure we could go there: Wes has got to know, immediately after touching Jenny, that he could find himself in trouble with the regents, the University, the tenure review board…Hitting students is a big no-no. And Pete said, “That’s how far Wes has gone. And that’s how complete his lie is: Jenny’s not going to tell anyone. She’s not going to take on The System and The Superstar.”

Rebecca: Thank god for David coming up with the chin grab that turned into the chin slap. Every time it’s startling. It takes me out of my head, and then the autonomic responses can begin to work. That tightness in the sternum, the lump in the throat, and then it’s not about the book work, or what Jenny had planned, or really anything going on in the play- for me- and this is going to sound strange I’m sure- It becomes being 9 years old girl in a play house playing “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours” with my friend Derek. Except after satisfying my part of the arrangement- Derek in turn promptly left to go tell on me. So... yeah that’s a little weird, but that’s the scene that just pops into my head whenever we get to that part of the play. It wasn’t something I had planned on, but I guess for me it’s just about the pure shame and embarrassment of rejection mixed with fear at having perceived to have done something wrong. I think Jenny leaves that scene feeling as though she’s the one that’s crossed over the line. That everything Wes has said about her is true, and that she is a terrible person, “riding the coattails of his sickness.” And that’s not something I saw when I read the play, but something I feel when we perform it.

3. James, Pete, and David, how much of that scene is Wes transferring his self-loathing onto her, and how much is him being so used to the part, he actually believes what he's saying?
James: Wow. Good question. Although it's a little bit of both, I think it's more of the latter, though personally, I don't think it's so much that he believes what he's saying so much is that at this stage of the game he has absolutely no qualms whatsoever about exploiting his fake illness. My line of thinking while writing it was to show that he's so comfortable with the lie that, at that moment, he doesn't have the slightest sense of guilt about posing as a person with HIV. He's lashing out at her because he's feeling smothered and trapped, but doesn't believe for a second that his feelings of being trapped is in any way his own fault. So I guess it's not so much that he believes what he's saying as he feels a thoroughly unearned sense of entitlement.

David: Wow. That’s a tricky one… As an actor, I tend to think I’ve little to no control over what an audience’s individual thoughts about a character may be, or what they perceive of a character via projection of their own experiences and feelings. But here’s how I (as Wes – how annoying are these codifying parentheticals?) often view the scene (I say often, because performances should be living things in flux): Jenny keeps hitting on me. I’m already frustrated and pissed off and feeling trapped, but now I’ve got this chick crossing the line, not taking the hint, and making me quite uncomfortable. Also, I’ve not been laid in ten years: There’s always THAT. The monologue is honest for Wes, as he touches on the very real pain and horror at having lost dear friends and loved ones to the disease. He talks with conviction about the horrors of Toxoplasmosis and KS because he saw what it did to two people he loved, and so he takes it very seriously; Wes, I believe, actually has a great empathy for people with HIV and AIDS, and takes genuine offense to Jenny’s ill-conceived story. From there, it’s just a little white lie, a tiny nudge, to add in the “Oh yeah: And I have HIV, too,” element.

4. For all: do you think this scene is the cruelest Wes ever gets in the play?
James: The way it's staged? Yes. For me, when I was writing it, I think Wes was at his cruelest when (minor spoiler alert) he emotionally strings along a very lonely and vulnerable young woman with AIDS. Though to be fair, he isn't trying to be cruel in that scene.
David: I think slapping Jenny is certainly unacceptable. But, as with all of Wes’ behavior, I don’t think it ever stems from cruelty. Don’t get me wrong: Wes commits amoral, unforgivable acts over the course of Infectious Opportunity, and he’s not a guy any of us would want in our corner. But…I don’t think he’s cruel. It’s that old cliché: If you’re gonna play Iago, you can’t view him as the villain. I don’t think of Wes as a cruel character… He’s a guy who wants to be loved, who keeps trying to do the right thing, and just doesn’t get what a fuck he is; he knows he’s a fuck, and a big one at that, but cannot perceive the abysmal depths of his fuckdom.

5. For all: how do you think this scene changes Wes' relationship to the audience?
James: I think, as I said before, this is the scene where the audience sees that Wes feels entitled, sees himself as a victim, and is completely without any scruples about what he's doing. It definitely shows him at his most contemptible.

Pete: The slap is the first of three physically aggressive contacts Wes makes in the last 10 pages of the play. It’s followed shortly by the blown kiss he smacks off of Josie’s forehead as he finally cuts all ties with her, and again after his final monologue to Brent as he plants a wet kiss Bugs Bunny-style off of the top of Brent’s head immediately following the final reversal of the play. These moments of physical contact serve as a rhythmic punctuation to three of the most intense moments of the play, and show Wes stepping fully over the line of acceptable behavior.

As Josie is in essence another facet of his mind, and Brent is either left in the dark as to the true meaning of Wes’ rant, or alternately becomes complicit in Wes’ retreat from the truth (depending on your interpretation) they don’t have the same brutal effect on the audience as the Jenny slap. That is the moment where Wes fully crosses the line, and a reasonable audience can no longer sympathize with him, no matter how charismatically he comes across.

David: When I read the play, I saw it as a coal-black comedy, and I initially approached the material with a much broader brush. Pete slowly pulled me back, and got me to trust Wes and to play it straight. That makes for a fun ride for me, and a very odd show: I don’t know how people take to this guy. I think that what the moment of Wes slapping Jenny achieves, however, is it shows an audience that the rules are no longer on the table for Wes: This is a guy who can do anything, who is unpredictable and a maybe even dangerous. As an actor, that’s a gift.

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(Photo: Justin Hoch. Pictured: Tiffany Clementi, Gregory Waller)

Just because Flux itself doesn't have anything cooking in June, doesn't mean our Members and friends aren't busy.

This Sunday the 7th and 7PM, check out Core Member Tiffany Clementi at the 48 hr Film Festival. There is a judges vote and an audience vote, and she needs your vote, as the 10 best films will be screened at the Cannes Festival. Click here to purchase your $10 tickets - her team's name is Goose & Bunny. And click here to learn more about the event.

That very same day, support Pretty Theft director and Member Angela Astle's next production by attending this cool event at 4PM.

Have you got your tix for the Brick Theatre's Anti-Depressant festival yet? We're excited for this, this, and this. Of course, your safest bet is to see them all. Read the full story

A great interview regarding audience empathy, protagonist morality, and James Comtois' upcoming production of Infectious Opportunity, featuring frequent Flux Sunday collaborator David Ian Lee and sound design by Patrick Shearer at the Brick's Antidepressant Festival.

Listen to it, and then get your tickets here! Read the full story

James' has a nice review of Crystal's play Birthday here, (h/t Leonard Jacob's blogroll). I've been wanting to write about the experience myself, but James had done it so well, I need only add my amen to the chorus, and hope along with Leonard that the play finds longer life. It is a lovely play, full of surprising details that make it stick in your mind much longer than its 40 minute running time. Congrats to Crystal, Daniel and Rising Phoenix! Read the full story

What is Poetic Larceny?

And how can I learn more about Flux's upcoming production of Pretty Theft?

JAMES COMTOIS

Playwright, April 13th

Previous Flux stuff: First time with Flux, after dazzling us with plays like Colorful World and Nosedive's annual Blood Brothers

We asked the amazing artists of our upcoming staged reading series Poetic Larceny to answer some questions about stealing, beauty, and consequences. Read on for their answers!

Question #1: What is the worst thing you've ever stolen?
A car. Just kidding, that's a felony, and this isn't the appropriate
venue to discuss that pending case. So my attorney advised I answer
with, "Someone's heart." He also advised me to stress,
"metaphorically," not literally. I'm not some sort of...uh...psycho
that likes collecting people's organs. That's...huh...that's crazy!

Question #2: What is the worst thing that's been stolen from you?
My dignity.

Question #3: What do you find pretty?
Blondes.

Question #4: What do you find beautiful?
Sunsets. And redheads.

Question #5: If you could steal something beautiful without
consequences, what would it be?
Really? I can steal a chick without consequences? I dunno, I'd
imagine there'd have to be SOME consequences. Stealing a person isn't
like jaywalking. Unless you mean they suffer a form of Stockholm
Syndrome, but like, times 1,000. Then again, I could go for the
esoteric and say "a sunset," but where the hell would I keep it? Just
too many logistics. My pretty little head is hurting. Let's just say
a car. A beautiful, beautiful car.

Bio:James Comtois is the co-founder and co-artistic director of Nosedive Productions, where he serves as the company's resident playwright. Scripts for Nosedive: Monkeys, Allston, The Awaited Visit (2001 OOBR Award winner for Overall Excellence), Ruins, Two Parties, Evil Hellcat and Other Lurid Tales, Mayonnaise Sandwiches (2004 OOBR Award winner for Overall Excellence), A Very Nosedive Christmas Carol, Dying Goldfish, The Adventures of Nervous-Boy (published in NYTE's Plays and Playwrights 2007), Suburban Peepshow (published by Original Works Online), Vagina Dentata, Metaphor, Listening to Reason, Colorful World, and Nona (based on the short story by Stephen King). In conjunction with the Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company: The Symposium, Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin, Beowulf Krygor 9 & the Unicorn, Pinkie (a five-part serial play), and Speed Demons (also a five-part serial play). Read the full story

Playwright, reviewer and Nosediver James Comtois returned to the Trilogy last night to see Rattlers after his lovely review of Angel Eaters two weeks ago. He has good things to say about Rattlers, and returns tonight to see the final installment, 8 Little Antichrists. Shouldn't you join him? As always, highlights and pics to follow!

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Read on for a lovely review of the first play in the trilogy from playwright, reviewer and Nosedive member, James Comtois! This review is especially satisfying because James' work at Nosedive often walks so well in the more than real worlds we stalk in this trilogy (Blood Brothers and Colorful World come to mind).

A glib way to describe Angel Eaters, Johnna Adams' engrossing, funny and disturbing play, would be to tell you to imagine The Exorcist or Re-Animator as if written by Tennessee Williams. But again, that would be too glib and easy. At least I hope the description inspires you to go see this show as soon as possible.

The Flux Theatre Ensemble's production of Angel Eaters, which incorporates elements O'Neill, Williams, Steinbeck and Lovecraft to create a story concerning faith, manipulation and the macabre, pulls off something that is very rare in the indie theatre scene: a show that succeeds both as visual spectacle and intimate character-based drama. This accomplishment is due in no small part to the cast, Jessi D. Hill's tight and inventive direction, Jennifer Rathbone's spot-on lighting design and Caleb Levengood's brilliant set.

Angel Eaters, which is the first part of a trilogy, takes place on and near a failing Oklahoma farm during the Great Depression. Marnie Schulenburg plays Joann, a naïve and simple-minded young farm girl whose father has recently died and her older sister, Nola (Tiffany Clementi) has been impregnated by a traveling conman. The conman, Fortune Clay (Gregory Waller), has promised Joann, Nola, and their mother, Myrtle (Catherine Michele Porter), to perform a resurrection on their father and husband with the help of his partner, Enoch (Isaiah Tanenbaum) for a not-so-small fee. Suspicious, but still wanting to believe, Myrtle chains Enoch to the porch, threatening to kill him if the resurrection is anything less than a resounding success.

Fortune promises Nola that he's going to use this money to support her and their soon-to-be-born child. Right.

(Photo: Justin Hoch. Pictured: Gregory Waller, Tiffany Clementi)

Although Enoch is a conman who has no magical abilities to raise the dead, Joann is a bird of a different feather, as she can resurrect farm animals from the dead and commune with angels. Or rather, "angels," since we catch on pretty quickly that the main spirit that Joann talks with does not exist to selflessly serve God.

Ken Glickfeld plays Doc O'Malley, an older man who has hired Joann to do his laundry and, well, play some not-so-appropriate "games" with him (one of them is called "bird in the bush"). Doc explains to Joann that she has inherited the gift, or curse, of being an "Angel Eater," someone with special powers that I won't fully reveal here.

(Photo: Justin Hoch. Pictured: Marnie Schulenburg, Ken Glickfeld)

Angel Eaters manages to be simultaneously dark and funny, as exemplified in one scene where Joann shows Enoch her abilities. You really don't know whether to burst out laughing or feel sick to your stomach. Both Adams and Hill strike a perfect balance between the horror and humor, keeping the mood and atmosphere of the play consistently ominous and hypnotic.

Everyone in the cast is superb. Schulenburg is utterly believable as Joann, a young girl completely unaware of the consequences of her powers. Glickfeld plays Doc's duality as a seemingly benevolent elderly man and lecherous creep brilliantly. Also, Cotton Wright is truly terrifying as Joann's guardian "angel," Azazyel.

(Photo: Justin Hoch. Pictured: Catherine Porter, Marnie Schulenburg, Cotton Wright)

If there's one minor quibble, it's with the busyness of the climactic scene. There are several things going on at once here, which caused me (and my friend accompanying me) to nearly miss one crucial element. Nearly. But this is a very small nitpick of a brilliantly staged play. And I suppose for a criticism, you could do worse than, "Too many interesting things were happening."

With this tight character-based drama, Adams has managed to create a whole mythology that's sure to fuel the other two pieces in the trilogy, Rattlers and 8 Little Antichrists. I can't wait to see them.

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