Backstage at last weekend’s performances, I interviewed a dozen of the actors. I asked them about the employment skills they felt they’d gained from Staging Old Masters, the surprises of working on the show, and something audiences might not know about them personally.
http://www.vimeo.com/4359899 http://www.vimeo.com/4360464Visit our Multimedia section for more video content—including scenes from movement class and script-writing. Or browse photos of performances and rehearsal.
The scripts for the short theatrical pieces of Staging Old Masters were drawn from hours of observation, theatrical improvisation, and historical research. The language below—standing apart from the performance scripts—is collaged from the actors’ first observations of (and improvisations around) the paintings; it reflects the development of their techniques of seeing. You can click on a painting to be taken to our web catalogue, and see the work in its gallery context.
Corrado Giaquinto, Italian, 1703-1766, St. Helena and the Emperor Constantine Presented to the Holy Trinity by the Virgin Mary, 1741-42, oil on canvas, 137 1/8 x 56 13/16 in. (348.3 x 144.3 cm), Saint Louis Museum Purchase
Lamonte J., Samantha T., Dawn S., 2/24/2009
When stars go up * I should have listened. * The end of an era. Constantine is cleaning up the house, so the Lord can open in some new souls. That’s the depiction of all the new babies. An’ all the old souls an’ all the new souls can come again and start anew. * Holdin’ his head up to God an’ he’s gettin’ all the power * Some bird-a-freedom? Read More
Staging Old Masters is making waves in the local press. The St. Louis American, the region’s premier African-American news, entertainment, and business paper, featured this April 22 writeup (including an interview with actor Travis D.). And Judith Newmark, theater critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, caught a show last week, interviewed actors and staff, and wrote this lovely piece.
