Bob #27 Jim Wicker

Jim and Steve have worked with each other on and off the stage for decades. Their comfort and ease with one another made for a magical performance.

His Testimonial:


and click here for more. Keyword search: Jim

Bob #26 David O'Hara

David was completely open and honest and the audience was in tears at time for his performance. He was very self-deprecating, as most actors are known to do, but his performance was top-notch.

His testimonial:


And click here for more. Keyword search: David O

3 for 3 Reviews are in!

John Fleming from the St. Pete Times
http://www.tampabay.com/features/performingarts/article802047.ece

Kathy Greenberg from the Tampa Tribune
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/sep/09/me-improv-transfixes-crowd-in-stirring-oak-tree/

Mark Leib from Creative Loafing - MAJOR SPOILER ALERT. Don't read this one till you've seen the show, please.
http://tampa.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/an_oak_tree_hypnotizes/Content?oid=511514


Ami

Bob #24 - Drew DeCaro

Drew was far more cathartic than I thought he ws going to be. (Not the first time a Bob has surprised me :) He was incredibly thoughtful at the response session that followed the performance. great sound bites if you have the time.

His testimonial:

And click here for more. Keyword search: Drew

Bob #23 - Petrus Antonius

Petrus was intense. He didn't falter from his drive of slow moving-but-intense energy. He also hosted a wonderful celebration afterwards where I met several Tampa artists. You are who you surround your self with and Petrus surrounds himself with fantastic people.

Here's his testimonial

and you can go here to find other clips. Keyword search: Petrus

Bob #22 - Julie Rowe

Julie Rowe was a great Bob. Her commitment to the moment was a lesson I wish more students could have seen. She was a case study for being in the moment.

Her testimonial


And you can find more bits of Julie's evening Here. Keyword search: Julie.

Bob #21 - Emilia Sargent - Opening Night

Emilia is a rulles follower, as she admitted in the response session last night. She played by the book, but brought such a unique presence to the show last night.

Her testimonial:


Her remarks prior to the show can be found here.

If you were one in the udience last night, please comment on Emilia's production of An Oak Tree.

Bob #20 - Mike Buck

Hooray for Mikek Buck! I directed Mike about 4 yrs ago in a Young Dramatist Project and last year in Rag and Bone, bth at Gorilla. I have never seen him perform like this. It was awesome to see him adapt to the circumstances.

His testimonial:



You can also view some warm-ups and back stage comments here. Keyword search for Mike Buck to see them all. Sorry, no shots of the show. You'll have to see them in person from now on :)

Bob #19 - Alvin Jenkins

This was our brek-through rehearsal, as our lighting designer, Chris Rutherford, called. Alvin was so incredibly there. So present, so visceral. I am fortunate to have been one of the few to have witnessed such a performance.

His Testimonial:


You can also see selections from his rehearsal as well as segments from his interview (ALL SPOILERS) here.

Use key word search: Alvin to see all of his videos.

Bob #18 - ranney

raaaannnnnnneeeeyyyyy! Those of you who know him, know what I mean. He was the perfect balance of serious actor and stand-up comedian. Glad Susan, his lovely and talented wife,
was able to attend our first dress rehearsal to see him.

His Testimonial:


Selections from his rehearsal and segments from his interview (ALL SPOILERS) can be found here. Search for An Oak Tree ranney, if you want to see them all.

Bob #17 - Nick Carter

I directed Nick in a very small role in Rag and Bone a year ago here at The Gorilla. It was no indication of the moving performance he had with us on our Tech day.

His testimonial:


Selections from his rehearsal and segments from his interview (ALL SPOILERS) can be found here. Search for An Oak Tree Carter, if you want to see them all.

Should there be light?

Chris Holcom was the first BOB with lights. Before then it was always performed with just the work lights on.

Originally Tim Crouch performed the piece this way. However, in my defense I feel it helps to continue the idea of "the actor's nightmare". This is a performance, a fact that one can sometimes forget due to the nature of the play. So why shouldn't it have a basic design?

After the first few run-throughs with all the tech in place and heading into opening night, the BOBs started shifting out of the center of the light. Will this happen more? I'll see at the end of the weekend. The actors we have seen usually follow a set down pattern...Usually. But this thing is never the same twice. Some actors are more defiant than others, some more aggressive than you'd ever expect.

The compromise of production VS. Process is always a difficult one artistically, but the real question is: Are we doing right by the play?

AN OAK TREE has a very tender story that is infused into a rather raw experience.
But it is also theater, and I think that several creative minds, and one extremely responsible actor have have taken a lot of care with this piece and I am extremely proud and honored to have been a part of it.

And why is everyone afraid to comment?

Opening Night= Success

We had a full house riveted last night. The audience was blown away. My favorite comment from last night's response is,

"This is truly the embodiment of the mission statement here at The Gorilla Theater for 'Thinking Minds' because if there ever was a play where every single person had to be actively engaged and everybody thinking...let's face it, people want to produce commercial theater and here is a theater in our area that is going to do theater like this."

Please do not let this opportunity pass you by. It is more than theater. It is an experiment in human behavior.

When are you coming?

Bob #16 - Chris Holcom

Chris and I go back to USF in the mid 90s. Even though we come from the same class, I always considered Chris to lean more toward the cerebral while I leaned heavily on the cathartic end of the spectrum. Chris handled Bob with such a grace, a perfect balance between Cerebral and Cathartic. It was refreshing.

His testimonial - Simple and enjoyable. No Spoiler here.


Scenes from the play - SPOILER ALERT








And 3 SPOILER-filled interview segments





and interview segments (3) - SPOILER ALERT

Bob #15 - Soolaf Rasheid

Soolaf was very grounded, while still maintaining an open and honest approach. I have enjoyed working with Soolaf and can say that she is the same with rehearsals under her belt.

Her Testimonial, no spoilers here:


Selections from the play - SPOILER ALERT






And 3 segments of interview after the performance:

Bob #14 - Noreen Maier-Hartley

Noreen Maier-Hartley was the first Bob to "go off script" and it was an intense ride. As we say, and we stand behind it, "there are no wrong choices". It was a powerful performance that threw Steve into the Bob seat for a bit, where neither actor knew where the play was going.

Her testimony is a SPOILER ALERT, sorry, you will have to wait until you see the show to hear her testimonial:


SPOILER ALERT - Scenes from the play:






And two interview segments following her performance:

Bob #13 - Jason Vaughn Evans

Jason was an instant fit for this experiment. He is always so willing to go with the givens and situates himself seemlessly to any circumstance.

His testimonial:


SPOILER ALERT - selections from the play:






Interview following the run.

Bob #12 - Summer Bohnenkamp-Jenkins

Summer has always been a favorite actor of mine. I have directed her often and have really enjoyed watching her grow over the past decade. She brought an honesty to the role that was a nice balance between cerebral and cathartic.

Here's her testimonial.


SPOILER ALERT, clips from the play:




And her remarks after the run.

Bob #11 - Keith Odums

Keith Odums was our Bob #11. He was an easy candidate to go along with the flow. He confessed to being easily open to suggestion. It made for a nice performance.

Selections from the play - SPOILER ALERT






His Testimonial.



And interview.

Kathy Buck was our Bob #10. Her simple acts of honesty were refreshing. Her history with the Gorilla goes back to the first Young Dramatists Project. She is know for her teaching, directing and costume design. This was the first time I had seen her on the stage. What a joy to watch.

Selections from the play - SPOILER ALERT.





Here's her Testimonial.


And an insightful interview following the performance.

It is like watching your own heart being mugged

Hmm. For the last several weeks I've been trying, and failing, to find one word that describes An Oak Tree adequately without giving too much away.

Then I saw it. In this week's Creative Loafing, An Oak Tree is labeled "experimental." Now that's a pretty good word for the piece - there's a certain danger to An Oak Tree, coupled with a deconstruction of theatrical reality, that comes across just wonderfully in that one word - experimental. Thanks to Leilani and her wordsmith colleagues I can now sum up our September show in one word, which is something I'm always glad to be able to do.

Yet, the word "experimental" doesn't give adequate credit to Tim Crouch's depth of understanding of the theatrical process, or the power of An Oak Tree to affect the audience profoundly. So I'd like to share with you a couple of quotes from the wordsmiths of the British press, who say it better than I ever could. Enjoy!

"(the play) raises questions about the mind’s ability to impose meaning on the physical world. It is philosophy in motion, if you like. You could write a thesis about it, and people probably will. But what is most amazing is that this piece, by drawing attention to its own artifice, vividly celebrates the live, raw, communal experience of theatre and the mutual give and take between actors and audience." -- FINANCIAL TIMES

"It is like watching your own heart being mugged. You know exactly how it is happening, but you still can't prevent it. On a good night, you will leave the theatre the same, but different." -- THE GUARDIAN

What more can I say? Just that every performance is different, and reveals something new about the play, about theatre, and about the physical and emotional world of the individual.

Enjoy the blog entries, dear reader, and enjoy the show.

Bridget

What about Bob?

SO I thought it would be a cool thing to interview Steve about working ith the Bobs so far. Here are the clips from that day.
DEFINITELY A SPOILER ALERT

Bob #9 Stephen Ray

Stephen was very intense. Frightening at times. But always the character, never the actor. He was truly being. Open and honest. It is what we ask for.



Here's a glimpse of the warm-ups, kind spoiler alert. No big reveals or anything.



This one is in mid-play, so definitely a SPOILER.




This one is nother Spoiler, interview section after the run.

Bob #8 Betty-Jane Parks

SPOILER ALERT, entry as well as video clips.

Similar to my experience with Josh, this was the most challenging thing I've seen Betty-Jane take on. It was an extremely personal journey for Betty-Jane. I was glad to have been privy to this performance.



Here's a scene from her performance. Definite SPOILER ALERT

Bob #7 Josh Hamel

Our 7th Bob was Josh Hamel. I have seen Josh's work before but this was, by far, the best
performance I have seen him turn in. On a scale of 1-10, where 1 is 100% Cerebral and 10 is 100% Cathartic, Josh was at least a 9. It was such an incredibly touching and honest performance.

I hope to see Josh in something meaty like this on a local stage in the future.

This is definitely a SPOILER alert.



and these, as well.

Bob #6 Eugenie Bondurant

Eugenie Bondurant is no stranger to the stage but mainly focuses her work on camera. It was very interesting to see how that translated to this project. She was so engaging. When on-camera actors cold read they grab what they can of the script and "pull it off the page" so they will be looking at the camera or at the object of focus when delivering the line. On-stage actors conventionally give the emotion required looking at the script and then bring the focus up to their partner at the end of their line. Still engaging, but not as intense.

Eug. put every ounce of intensity she had into every line. The show took about 7 minutes longer, but was a powerful experience for Steve.

Reminder: these video clips are spoilers for anyone who has not yet performed in or seen a production.



And here are a few interview clips between Eugenie and Steve. Definite SPOILER ALERT on these.

Bob #5 Matt Lundsford

Matt was awesome to have on board. Firstly, he got all the englishism :) But mostly because he, too, is always willing to play and commit whole-heartedly. Here are a few SPOILER clips from warm-ups and mid-performance.





And here's his immediate reaction as soon as the show was over. No major spoiler here. This one is safe.

Bob #4 Christen Petitt

Christen was the first Bob to "go off book" so to speak. Her natural skills at making improvisational small talk made for a fascinating time for us in the audience. We liked to see Steve have to adapt to the new dynamic. What fun.

This first clip is not so much of a spoiler alert.



But this one is. Please don't watch if you want to be an oak tree virgin when you attend.

Bob #3 Slake Counts

Slake was a favored performer of every one in the room when he showed up that night, having worked with Steve, Clare and myself on various projects. We were all excited to have him on board.

Spoiler alert. Just a reminder that these clips should not be watched until you have performed in or seen a production.

Bob #2 Michael McGreevy

This Clip has a little bit of a spoiler, so watch at your own risk. If you are confused about my spoiler reference, please read the Guide to this Blog. Thanks.

Michael has always brought a sturdy performance in anything I have worked with him on or seen him in. It was nice to see that it comes naturally to him and it is not just something that comes after weeks of rehearsal.

Bob #1 Kari Goetz

Kari is to be credited with the idea to record the reaction of the Bobs. She was our inaugural Bob and I chose her for this role after careful thought. I wanted the first Bob to be someone who could be completely open to anything that would be given to her. Someone who can take an arsenal of givens and remain present, just be. We have used two words when talking to our Bobs: honest and open. We, the audience, are most interested in your honest and open response to the situations at hand. Although Kari has an extensive background in Improv, including studying and working with Second City in LA, she doesn't feel the pressure to "perform" that sometimes can be associated with improv troupes. More closely related to the true definition of imrov, Kari stays in the moment and doesn't spend precious time or energy on what to do next or what the audience wants to see.
She was a joy to work with and I'm sure Steve and others who observed can comment as well.

Here's Kari's comment to being Bob. This one is short and not really a spoiler, so feel free to watch.

Ami Sallee Corley
Director, An Oak Tree

Your Guide to this Blog - Please Read

DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SCHEDULED TO BE A GUEST ACTOR AND HAVE NOT YET PERFORMED!!!!!!!

The Gorilla Theatre is producing Tim Crouch's An Oak Tree this September. It is the ultimate look at the acting process and the power of suggestion.

The Premise: 2 actors. The 1st has been in rehearsal for 4 1/2 weeks. The 2nd is a different actor every night who has no prior knowledge of the script. Yes, they walk onto the stage for their opening night completely cold, unprepared. It is the proverbial actor's nightmare realized. Through the course of the evening the 1st actor, Steve Mountan, guides the 2nd actor, "Bob", through a series of communication techniques that provide Bob with a loose framework of what is supposed to happen. The rest, the direction the play goes from there, is solely up to what Bob brings to the table.

In addition to the 13 Performance Bobs, we have invited 23 local actors to our rehearsals. Steve needs an unaware Bob every night for an productive rehearsal process. At each rehearsal we begin with a warm-up between Bob and Steve, a full run of the show, an immediate reaction from Bob, a response once Bob has had some time to digest what has just transpired followed by a discussion where we further look at specific sections and possibly go back and work those sections for technical polishing.

We have been recording the rehearsal Bobs and would like to share them with you. But it is difficult do so without including "spoilers". So I have devised a spoiler alert system. I will try to only include the vague information on this main page. If you see a link to hidden text or a video clip, be warned that they may, and probably will, include information that will prevent you from being as unaware as Bob at your first performance of An Oak Tree.

NOTE: Not only will the video clips most likely contain spoilers for those who have not yet seen An Oak Tree, they may also contain adult language. Nothing extremely vulgar but they are candid and unedited interview clips. Consider yourself warned.

With all of this diclaiming out of the way, I do invite you to read, comment and participate in this experiment. It is truly a unique experience for all involved. Look for further entries from everyone involved.