He doesn’t know if he hesitates or if this is where he wants to be, so moving forward is unnatural and he doesn’t even try.
Richard Foreman, The Mind King
truth in advertising
At the beginning of 2023, I was directing Richard Foreman‘s Eddie Goes to Poetry City for The Catastrophic Theatre, and whenever someone asked me what the play was about, I’d just say:
by George!
I recently re-watched HBO’s John Adams and liked it at least as much as I did the first time — naturally, Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney are excellent, and Tom Wilkinson’s Ben Franklin is a hoot — but I forgot just how good Stephen Dillane was as Thomas Jefferson. Really magnetic performance, specially in light of his time as Stannis Baratheon, the Least Exciting Claimant to the Iron Throne in all of Westeros. His Jefferson is basically the opposite of that.
But the part I simply cannot stop thinking about is a scene in Episode 4; John Adams — as the first American ambassador to England — meets King George (an incredible Tom Hollander) face to face for the first time. I’ve replayed the scene again and again, dumbstruck by the performances, particularly that of Hollander, who is now one of my favorite actors to watch.
conception vs. realization
This composite (showing a photo of my initial scenic design alongside a photo of the actual set) was sent to me by one of the actors in Richard Foreman’s Eddie Goes to Poetry City, a show I recently directed and designed for The Catastrophic Theatre.
the task of the work of art…
… is above all else to juggle all the troublesome facts of life, to keep the balls of possibility in the air, to learn how to live and dance, lucid and energized, even in a world as depressing and violent as ours.
— Richard Foreman
“my name is eddie and i plan to escape to poetry city.”
In 12 days, I’ll begin rehearsing my next show, Richard Foreman‘s Eddie Goes to Poetry City for The Catastrophic Theatre. I’m directing and designing this script for the second time, nearly 30 years after my first attempt.
wolveroon 