By Meghan Wolf, actress playing Desdemona in Othello, Denver Center Theatre Company

Well, the fun and games are over…on to death.

OTHELLO playing Mar 26 - May 31 at The Denver Center

It’s one thing to read the scenes around the table and yet another to embody them. The former is a more theoretical process, closer to story-telling, and the latter is much more personal, like actually living it! This is part of why I love acting – it is a privilege to get to shoot back in time to another era and take on the spirit of another life, let her live (and die) through me…it is thrilling. But it is also sad. To fight for one’s life and love and, ultimately lose..? This is part of the journey and it is a journey I am excited for. However, it is necessarily heart-breaking. If I don’t break my heart every night in this show, I am not doing the story justice.

So, I bought myself flowers, chocolate and wine this week. I know no better remedies for a broken heart…

In my off-time, I’ve been exploring downtown with my little dog, Lilly. This week we have been reveling in this incredibly beautiful weather (and I’ve been reveling in the chance to rub it in to my poor snow-bound friends back in NYC).

I am still getting used to living closer to the sun – learning how not to burn rice at a mile high, taking it slow in yoga class.

I’ve started reading a massive tomb called Victorian Women, which is adding to my imaginative fodder for the life of the corseted lady. (Did I mention that our Othello is set at the turn of the century?) From the chapter entitled “Forming the lady: Comportment and dress for young women” comes this advice: “The gait of a woman should be neither too fast nor too slow….Her expression must be sweet and modest. It is not in good taste for a woman to speak with too much animation or too loudly….” I, of course will need to balance these restraints with the demands of a theatrical production. I must be heard, after all, and some animation will be required so as not to bore my audience to death! This is a delicious challenge. Part of the actor’s task is to absorb the given circumstances of the world of the play and then balance verisimilitude therein with the presentation of that world to an audience. Luckily, I have help – my director will keep a sharp eye on this balance with me.

Today is the day I will don my rehearsal corset. We are working a bit of violence this afternoon and I must get accustomed to falling to my knees within its bony grasp..!
 

It will be a perpetual Valentine’s Day for me until further notice. You may send flowers, chocolate, or wine to me at the theatre and thanks in advance.

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Bryce Baldwin grew up taking classes at the Denver Center Theatre Academy and performed in the DCTC’s mainstage productions of A Christmas Carol and Richard III. He is now performing as “Michael Banks” in the national Broadway tour of Mary Poppins, produced by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh. We caught up with Bryce at his farm in Thorton, Colorado before he began his seven-month tour:

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By Meghan Wolf, actress playing Desdemona in Othello, Denver Center Theatre Company

This week we moved from table and script work to blocking, which means we got up on our feet for the first time!

Working with Robert Jason Jackson (our Othello) is like dancing with a very skilled leader. I am grateful to be in such excellent hands. He even literally swept me off my feet in one scene — keep your eyes peeled for that move in the performance.

Today we blocked a particularly thrilling staging moment, the “bar room brawl.” Our fight director, Geoff Kent, had the exacting challenge of choreographing chaos while keeping everyone safe. He managed to create something both graceful and deadly looking — it was pretty riveting!

Playing in the round is such a unique adventure; we must act with our whole body (as always, yet even more so). In the round, we must employ a lot of “back acting,” etc. It is a great work for honing our instrument from every angle.

To help find Desdemona’s stance and stride, I’m wearing long skirts and little lace-up booties with a small heel to rehearsal. Soon, the costume shop will make a rehearsal corset available to me to help me get used to being squeezed to death on a daily basis. (I’m hoping that happens later rather than sooner..wink, wink.)

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More posts from Meghan

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Bryce Baldwin, age 11, normally lives in Thornton, Colorado on a small farm, complete with sheep, goats, llamas, a dog and a hamster. But a few months ago he left his home to tour the country as “Michael Banks” in the national tour Mary Poppins, headed for The Buell Theatre March 4-April 4. Bryce is an immensely talented young actor who appeared on the Denver Center stage as one of the young princes in Richard III in 2009. We caught up with him while the tour was in Los Angeles.

Have you enjoyed traveling on tour? Where are you right now?

Yes, I love the tour. It is so much fun to see the new cities. I am in sunny Los Angeles, California…feeling a little guilty being warm when everyone at home is freezing this winter.

What is your favorite place you’ve visited so far?

I am not sure that I have a favorite. Every city has something special about it. The theatres are all different and have their own history of how old they are and who has performed in them. Some have murals backstage that the performers have made. Some of them are even haunted, which is especially interesting to me…we even found a coffin in the Fox Theatre in St. Louis. The cities are all different too and it is fun to see what is important to each area. I have gotten to meet a lot of famous people here in LA, so this place has definitely been fun!

Who from your family is on tour with you right now?

My Mom travels with me and I would do terribly without her help and support. Ashlee (my sister) and my Dad have been to every city except Houston. My grandparents came to Houston so my Mom could go home for awhile, so I had a lot of fun seeing them. It is always nice when my family comes because I really miss them. There isn’t an opportunity for me to go home because of the schedule – that’s hard because I miss all my friends and I have a lot of animals and I miss being able to see them too. I travel with my hamster, Bubbles, and I started a pet watching service for the cast called “Baldwin Buddies,” so that helps get me my animal fix.

Now that you have been on the show for awhile, do you have a favorite song or dance that you enjoy performing most right now?

I don’t think I have a favorite because the whole show is magical and fun to perform. My favorite is just being able to do it all. The story is so good and it is fun to bring it to the audience.

Tell us about your schedule.

We feel like we are in a time warp on tour. I am in school 4 – 5 hours a day Tuesday – Friday (sometimes on Saturday too). It kind of depends on the laws in the states we are in on how many hours we can do or what days we can have school. There are 8 shows a week and I do 4 of them but for the shows I don’t do, I still need to be at the theatre on stand-by. I have Mondays off from both school and work and that is our day to explore.

What will you tell your fellow castmates they must do when they are in Denver?

Every Sunday they should eat brunch at either the Armadillo or Cinzetti’s. The mountains are a must for a drive or skiing, but we have to be careful not to get broken. Estes Park is nice and also Casa Bonita is a big tourist site. The company housing choices are close to the 16^th Street Mall, which has everything. There are so many wonderful things to do in Denver and around there. And of course, they all need to make at least one visit to Baldwin Acres to see my animals.

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By Meghan Wolf, actress playing Desdemona in Othello, Denver Center Theatre Company

Today we worked on the DEATH SCENE! Talked about the heart of this tragedy — that, despite the strength it exhibited in smashing the convention of the times, Desdemona and Othello’s love never gets a chance to grow…but is the true tragedy that it was destined to fail from the start? We discussed where exactly in the script Desdemona starts to believe that her life is in peril and (spoiler alert!) the various ways we might stage the putting out of her light. Nice, light drama on a snowy afternoon!

From rehearsal, I went to the costume shop where I got to glide around in mock-ups of the most fabulous clothes. The lines are elegant yet girly and promise to be delicious to play in. The super tight corset and low-heeled, lace-up boots were already giving me a lot of information about movement (and lack thereof).

Tomorrow, Robert and I shoot some promo footage in the morning – looking forward to playing on our feet if only for a few hours! Keep your eyes peeled for our commercial when it airs .

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Photographer and Denver Center Trustee Jim Steinberg has embarked on a journey to photograph the open roads and the truckers who travel them. Photos from his 6.606 mile journey will be featured in Mama Hated Diesels this spring! The play, which runs March 19-May 9 in The Stage Theatre, is a world premiere musical about America’s long-distance truckers.

Follow Jim’s journey on his blog: Colorado Scenic Byways.

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Phew!  What a long (yet glorious) day of new plays.  Here’s a run-down of our activities today:

10am – Coffee in the lobby (Yessss…).

11am – First reading of the day in The Ricketson Theatre – Map of Heaven, a new play by Michele Lowe.  Michele is best known in Denver for Inana, which was read at the Summit in 2008 and premiered at The Denver Center in 2009.  Map of Heaven is a powerful story of an artist and her husband, a radiologist, and the devastating consequences that occur as a result of a single lapse of judgment.   Afterwards, Charlie Miller caught playwright Eric Schmiedl and director Scott Schwartz for their reactions on the play:

1:30pm – Lunch time!  Everyone gathered in the lobby of the Bonfils Theatre Complex for delicious sandwiches by Jay’s Hot Ticket Café.  Yum!

3pm – Back down to The Ricketson Theatre where we saw the reading of The Catch by Ken Weitzman. The play follows a failed dot-commer as he pots to regain his fortune by catching a star slugger’s record-breaking home run ball.   Here, Literary Manager Doug Langworthy and dramaturg Mike Sablone give their thoughts about the play:

5:30pm – Time for dinner in the Seawell Grand Ballroom.  Between bites, we had the opportunity to learn more about Civilization: (All You Can Eat), by Jason Grote.  Jason also wrote 1001, which premiered at The Denver Center in 2007:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxVVNVHzffc

7:30pm – Again to The Ricketson Theatre for the final reading of the day – Civilization (All You Can Eat).  What a unique show!  The play is a fierce burlesque of America’s love/hate obsession with food.  Here are some reactions to the show:

10pm – Finally, we ended the day with the Playwrights’ Slam in The Jones Theatre.  What a great way to wrap up a long day: Over drinks, several of our commissioned playwrights read excerpts from their plays in the works.

Now – off to bed!   Check in tomorrow night for our final summit recap.

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And we’re off!  The Colorado New Play Summit has officially begun.  First on the agenda tonight was a performance of the world premiere production of When Tang Met Laika, a play by Rogelio Martinez read at the Summit last year.  Because it takes place largely on the International Space Station, the play has a lot of interesting technological elements (video projections, turntables, moving scenery, etc), but they don’t distract from Rogelio’s compelling story.   The audience loved the show;  Actor Ian Merrill Peakes, who plays Patrick, said “The show was great tonight, we had a full house of smart, savy theatre-goers.  It was awesome.”

Before the performance, Charlie Miller had a chance to hear from Artistic Director Kent Thompson and playwright Jose Cruz Gonzalez:

After returning from their (theatrical) journey to space, festival attendees went up to the Seawell Grand Ballroom for the Opening Reception.  DCTC Artistic Director Kent Thompson gave a brief welcome to the enthusiastic crowd and mingling ensued.   At the reception, Charlie chatted with several theatre professionals about When Tang Met Laika:

That’s all for today – check back tomorrow for the next daily recap of the Summit.

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Welcome to the virtual Colorado New Play Summit — an online forum designed to share information about the Denver Center Theatre Company’s fifth annual festival of new theatrical works including the world premieres of WHEN TANG MET LAIKA and EVENTIDE plus readings of four exciting works in development.

Here you can read, comment on and share each day’s recap with your friends and colleagues in the industry. Need a description of the readings? Want to see what others are saying? Can’t wait to watch someone’s opinion of the activities? Make sure to plug in, log on and stay tuned.

Live updates and commentary on Twitter	Live video blogging on YouTube
Photo and video highlights on Facebook	Daily recaps on The Denver Center Blog

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It’s Groundhog Day AND the first Tuesday of February,  which means it’s time for a new episode of “10 Minutes to Curtain”!

This month, Charlie explains why he’s only had time to make 2.5 Minutes to Curtain (hint: it has to do with his work on the new production of When Tang Met Laika). Then, get an exclusive backstage tour of The Denver Center’s Space and Stage theatres, home to the world premiere productions of WHEN TANG MET LAIKA and EVENTIDE. And don’t forget to tune in next week for live video blogs from the 5th Annual Colorado New Play Summit.

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