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The Transformers
by Syd Steinhardt
Present Elevation reviewed October 4, 2004
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| l-r) Elizabeth Carr, Charles Cobb, Rachel Oakes, Josh Ruben, Randall Middleton in Present Elevation |
| Photo Credit:Kathy Hendrickson |
| Improvisation as performance is much maligned. That has less to do with the form itself than with the performers. Improv is also seen as good training for serious theatrics, or as a quick laugh a la Whose Line Is It Anyway?.
Those multiple and overlapping perceptions need not be so, as demonstrated by the graduates of the New Actors’ Workshop who perform weekly as the improvisational troupe Present Elevation. The five actors and three musicians display an impressive grasp of ensemble work.
The genesis of Present Elevation’s premise is about as pure as it gets. The troupe takes the "Transformation of Relationship” game from Improvisation for the Theater, Viola Spolin's classic work on the art of improvisation, as the performance’s inspiration. That inspiration is appropriate; one of the New Actors’ Workshop’s founders is Paul Sills, Spolin’s son and the greatest living apostle of her work.
The performance started in the dark in one of the school’s classrooms—a nice touch that added an aura of intimacy to the proceedings. As the group huddled together, the actors took their audio and visual clues from one another, as well as from the three musicians (reed player Charles Waters, guitarist Eddie Weiss, who also played bongos, and guest violinist Katie Pawluk). This talented trio of improvising musicians did more than augment the scenes. The musicians occasionally became part of them.
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| (l-r) Charles Cobb, Josh Ruben, Randall Middleton in Present Elevation |
| Photo Credit:Kathy Hendrickson |
| As the show progressed, the ensemble's fealty to the letter and spirit of Spolin's game became apparent. Originally designed for two players, "Transformation of Relationship" mandates that "players must 'let it happen,' not meddle." Ideally, "the spontaneous changes that appear are seemingly endless," Spolin wrote. "Some transformations bring dialogue along with them, some are silent, (the) Where has great clarity, props instantly exist, and physicalization is strong."
Present Elevation achieved these objectives. Recounting the various scenes does disservice to the group’s collective and individual abilities. One of the opening scenes, that of two married couples sharing a bedroom with each other and an active dog, was brought back at the end. By doing this, the actors demonstrated a sense of dramatic arc and an attention to detail, as they remembered characterisations and situations from the previous scene. Others, such as an extended one concerning Siamese twins and their cruel brother, one featuring a pair of peeping toms, and another about a trust exercise gone awry that became a movement piece, are worth remembering. A few, though perhaps not as memorable, still merited watching just to observe the actors at work.
Scenes that were acted out through movement only showcased individual members’ acute observational skills. If any one of the players felt lost, or if a scene began to veer out of control, the audience would have been hard-pressed to notice.
Though rough in places, Present Elevation is more than a pleasant diversion. The weekly performances offer audiences an opportunity to see hardworking actors hone their skills as they begin their journeys to bigger and better things.
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New Actors Theater
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Category: Improv
Written by:
Directed by: Kathy Hendrickson
Produced by: Kathy Hendrickson
Opened: June 28, 2004
Closed: February 22, 2006
Running Time: 1 hr.
Theater: New Actors Theater
Address: 259 West 30th Street, 2nd Floor between 7th and 8th Ave
New York, NY 10001
Yahoo! Maps Directions
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Tickets: $10.00
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Creative Team
Directed by: Kathy Hendrickson
Produced by: Kathy Hendrickson
Musicians: Charles Waters, Eddie Weiss, Katie Pawluk
Cast
Elizabeth Carr, Charles Cobb, Randall Middleton, Rachel Oakes, Josh Ruben
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