Filed under: A Moon for the Misbegotten, Bad Dates, Heroes, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, The seafarer | Tags: A Moon for the Misbegotten, Bad Dates, david adkins, Edward Morgan, Elizabeth Aspenlieder, Gordon Joseph Weiss, Heroes, IRNE Awards, Kate Udall, Merrimack Rep, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, ron holgate, The seafarer
MERRIMACK REP RECEIVES 9 IRNE AWARD NOMINATIONS
John Kooi, Kate Udall, Gordon Joseph Weiss and Michael Canavan. Photo by Meghan Moore.
The Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) have nominated Merrimack Repertory Theatre artists and productions for 9 awards in the Large Theatre category. Headlining Merrimack Rep’s nominations are The Seafarer and A Moon the Misbegotten, which are both nominated for Best Production of a Play, a category Merrimack Rep has won previously with Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance (2008) and The Drawer Boy (2003).
IRNE Nominees David Adkins & Gordon Joseph Weiss in The Seafarer. Photo by Meghan Moore.
In total, four of Merrimack Rep’s productions in 2009 garnered IRNE nominations. Eugene O’Neill’s American classic A Moon for the Misbegotten, which culminated MRT’s 30 Anniversary Season, leads the way with 5 nominations. In addition to Best Production of a Play, it also received nominations for Best Director (Edward Morgan), Best Actress (Kate Udall) and Best Ensemble. Gordon Joseph Weiss is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performances as Phil Hogan in A Moon for the Misbegotten and as Richard Harkin in The Seafarer. The Seafarer is also nominated for Best Production of a Play, and David Adkins received a nomination for Best Actor.
Jonathan Hogan, Ron Holgate & Kenneth Tigar in HEROES. Photo by Meghan Moore.
Also nominated for Best Actor is stage veteran Ron Holgate, who made his Merrimack Rep debut as Gustave in Heroes in November 2009. Elizabeth Aspenlieder, who starred in the one-woman show Bad Dates, is nominated for Best Solo Performance, an award she won for the same role earlier this year at the Boston Theatre Critics Association’s Elliot Norton Awards.
Elizabeth Aspenlieder - Photo by Meghan Moore
The IRNE Awards will be held on Monday, April 19, 2010 at the Boston Center for the Arts Cyclorama. The full list of IRNE nominees, along with event information is available online at www.stagesource.org.
Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s 2009-2010 Season is sponsored by Lowell Cooperative Bank. The Seafarer was sponsored by Wannalancit Mills, an investment of Farley White Interests. Heroes was sponsored by Courier Corporation. Bad Dates was sponsored by Lowell Five Cent Savings Bank.
Filed under: interview, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, The seafarer | Tags: Gordon Joseph Weiss, Merrimack Rep, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, The seafarer
RICHARD HARKIN
Below is the first in a series of video interviews with the cast of Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s production of The Seafarer. In this episode, actor Gordon Joseph Weiss discusses his character, Richard Harkin.
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Filed under: Merrimack Repertory Theatre | Tags: allyn burrows, Bill Clarke, Charles Towers, david adkins, deb newhall, Gordon Joseph Weiss, jim frangione, Mark Zeisler, matthew adelson, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, The seafarer
MERRIMACK REP PRESENTS THE SEAFARER
A mysterious stranger visits four friends for a Christmas Eve poker game in The Seafarer, a Tony-nominated play by leading Irish playwright Conor McPherson at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, October 15 – November 8, 2009; stage direction by Merrimack Rep Artistic Director Charles Towers. Performances begin Thursday, October 15 at 7:30PM, with Opening Night on Sunday, October 18 at 7PM, running through November 8. Subscriptions and individual tickets are on sale now.
The Seafarer currently is one of the Top 10 most produced plays in America. Nominated for four Tony Awards, including Best Play, The Seafarer is a hilarious and chilling tale of the sea, Ireland and redemption. James “Sharky” Harkin has returned home to care for his aging brother Richard, who has recently gone blind, and to spend Christmas Eve with old friends Ivan and Nicky. Nicky is accompanied by the mysterious Mr. Lockhart, whose connection to Sharky’s past is slowly revealed as the evening devolves into an all night, liquor-soaked game of poker where the stakes are damningly high.
“A midnight-black comedy, one that wrenches laughter out of the despair of frustrated men.” – The Wall Street Journal
Speaking about the production, director Charles Towers said “The Seafarer is a fantastic play. Every theatre-lover should be able to see it, and I wanted to make sure Merrimack Rep’s audience had an opportunity to do so. I have gathered a cast of MRT regulars, each an outstanding actor, to bring this remarkable script to life. Together they will make an exceptional ensemble and an exceptional evening of theatre.”
Born in Dublin in 1971, Conor McPherson has grown into one of Ireland’s most acclaimed contemporary playwrights. He got his start writing at an early age, finishing his first work, Taking Stock at age 18, and had his first play, Rum and Vodka, professionally produced in 1992. Since then he has garnered international recognition for his work, receiving the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play for The Weir in 1999, and Tony nominations for The Seafarer in 2006. Longtime Merrimack Rep subscribers may remember the theatre’s production of The Weir in 2002. The London Telegraph summed up McPherson’s talents quite succinctly when it called him “The finest dramatist of his generation.”
The production’s creative staff includes Charles Towers (director), Deborah Newhall (costume design), Bill Clarke (set design), Matthew Adelson (lighting design) and Julie Nelson (dialect coach). The all-Equity cast features five veterans of the Liberty Hall stage who have made a combined 11 appearances in Merrimack Rep productions. David Adkins (Sharky) and Mark Zeisler (Mr. Lockhart) appeared in last season’s production of Tranced. Zeisler also appeared in the 2005 production of The Homecoming with Allyn Burrows, who won an Elliot Norton award for his role as Teddy. Burrows has previously appeared in Aunt Dan & Lemon, As You Like It, God’s Country, Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s 1991 production of A Moon for the Misbegotten, and The Pursuit of Happiness with fellow Seafarer cast-mate Jim Frangione. Tony and Drama Desk Award nominee Gordon Joseph Weiss returns to Merrimack Rep after portraying Phil Hogan in the 2009 production of A Moon for the Misbegotten, which closed out the theatre’s 30th anniversary season to rave reviews.
Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s 2009-2010 season is sponsored by Lowell Cooperative Bank. The Seafarer is sponsored by Wannalancit Mills, an investment of Farley While Interests. Merrimack Repertory Theatre is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
CAST BIOS
David Adkins (James “Sharky” Harkin) Merrimack Repertory Theatre: Tranced. Broadway: Saint Joan, National Actors Theatre. Off-Broadway: Manhattan Theatre Club, Aquila Theater Company, Primary Stages, The Women’s Project. Regional: Center Stage, George Street Playhouse, Goodman Theatre, Seattle’s ACT Theatre, American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, Old Globe, Long Wharf Theatre, Madison Repertory Theatre, Kennedy Center, The Cleveland Play House, Huntington Theatre Company, Denver Center Theatre Company, Philadelphia Drama Guild, Barrington Stage Company, and Berkshire Theater Festival (14 Seasons). Television: Without a Trace, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU; Chicago Hope, Trinity, As The World Turns, One Life to Live, Another World, and the pilots Benjamin Franklin and Blaq Jaq. Education: Juilliard.
Allyn Burrows (Nicky Giblin) Merrimack Repertory Theatre: The Pursuit of Happiness, Aunt Dan & Lemon, The Homecoming, As You Like It, A Moon for the Misbegotten, God’s Country. Off-Broadway: King Lear, Bug, Bonnie, Louis Slotin Sonata, Closetland, Flattering Word, Killer Joe. Regional: All My Sons, Actors Theatre of Louisville; Colossus of Rhodes, American Conservatory Theatre; Heartbreak House, Berkshire Theatre Festival; Twelfth Night, Long Wharf Theatre; Romeo & Juliet, Denver Center; Hamlet, Elm Shakespeare Company; The Heiress, Walnut Street Theatre; Pericles, King’s County Shakespeare; Hay Fever, Pioneer Theatre. Recent work in Massachusetts: King Lear, All’s Well That Ends Well, Richard III, Measure for Measure, Actors’ Shakespeare Project; Five by Tenn, SpeakEasy Stage Company; King John, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, Shakespeare & Company. International: The Rivals, Derby Playhouse, England. Film: The Company Men, Julie & Julia, The Windigo. Television: Law & Order; Law & Order: Criminal Intent; Against the Law. Awards: 2006 Elliott Norton Award for The Homecoming, King Lear, and Five by Tenn. Education: Boston University, National Theatre of Great Britain.
Jim Frangione (Ivan Curry) Merrimack Repertory Theatre: The Pursuit of Happiness. New York: Appeared in several of David Mamet’s plays including Old Neighborhood and Oleanna, as well as the National Tour; The Night Heron, Hobson’s Choice, Edmond, Sea of Tranquility, Hellhound On My Trail and, most recently, Romance at Atlantic Theater Company. Regional: American Buffalo, Berkshire Theatre Festival; Front Page, Long Wharf Theatre. He directed Romance at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater and Seriously Funny, an evening of shorts by Mamet, Pinter and Silverstein at American Repertory Theater. Film: TransAmerica, Spartan, State and Main, Heist, The Spanish Prisoner, Homicide all directed by David Mamet; Claire Dolan, Maryam, Rubout, Suits, Frozen Impact, Little Kings, The Last Days of May. Television: Appeared in episodes of Brotherhood; The Unit; Law & Order: Criminal Intent; Law & Order: SVU; Law & Order; New York Undercover; Another World and All My Children Other: He is currently co-artistic director of the Berkshire Playwrights Lab, Great Barrington, MA and was a founder of The Stage Company of Boston.
Gordon Joseph Weiss (Richard Harkin) Merrimack Repertory Theatre: A Moon for the Misbegotten. Broadway: Sly Fox, The Life, Jelly’s Last Jam, The Visit, Ghetto (Tony and Drama Desk Nominations), Raggedy Ann, King of Hearts, Goodtime Charley and Jumpers. Regional: Tobacco Road (Jeter Lester), Triad Stage; principal roles at Virginia Stage Company, Baltimore’s Center Stage, Goodspeed Opera House, Ford’s Theatre, McCarter Theatre, American Festival Theatre, Pennsylvania Festival Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville. Film: Imaginary Heroes, Joe Gould’s Secret, Howard Stern’s Private Parts, Awakenings, Reversal of Fortune, Lustre, The Undeserved. Television: Law & Order, Third Watch, Spin City, Law & Order: SVU, New York Undercover, NYPD Blue.
Mark Zeisler (Mr. Lockhart) Merrimack Repertory Theatre: Tranced, The Homecoming. Broadway: A View from the Bridge, Brooklyn Boy. Off-Broadway: Eurydice, Second Stage; The Accomplices, The New Group; Self-Defense, New Georges; Acts of Faith, Mosaic Theatre/92 St Y. New England: Major Barbara, Road to Nirvana, The King Stag, The Homecoming, Once in a Lifetime, The Caretaker, American Repertory Theater; The Black Dahlia, The King Stag, Eurydice, Yale Repertory Theatre; Big Love, Long Wharf Theatre; Hamlet, The Matchmaker, Elm Shakespeare Company. Regional: Yankee Tavern, Florida Stage (World Premiere); The Tempest, The Seagull, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, Actors Theatre of Louisville; Big Love, Louisville, Berkeley Repertory Theatre; BAM Next Wave Festival; Measure for Measure (Helen Hayes nomination), Folger Theatre; A Picasso, City Theatre; A Doll House, McCarter Theatre; Art, Hangar Theatre; Othello, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Arcadia, Alabama Shakespeare; Julius Caesar, Philadelphia Drama Guild; Romeo and Juliet, Baltimore Center Stage. Film: Random Hearts, Torch Song Trilogy, Shaft, The Thomas Crown Affair, Two Week Notice, Head of State, Revolution #9, After School (2008 NY Film Festival entry). Television: Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Third Watch, New York Undercover, Rescue Me, many soaps. Education: BFA, SUNY-Purchase.
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Filed under: A Moon for the Misbegotten, Merrimack Repertory Theatre | Tags: A Moon for the Misbegotten, Bill Clarke, cast interview, Gordon Joseph Weiss, John Kooi, Kate Udall, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Michael Canavan, MRT, three songs
INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL CANAVAN
Michael Canavan and Kate Udall. Photo by Meghan Moore.
The multi-talented Michael Canavan makes his acting debut at MRT as Jim Tyrone in A Moon for the Misbegotten, but this is not the first time he has worked in Lowell. His first appearance at MRT was as the director of Three Songs in 2003. In addition to his work at MRT, Michael has had guest appearances on too many TV shows to mention, but a few of the more recent ones include Bones, Entourage, Criminal Minds, Big Love, CSI: Miami, and three different Star Trek series. Michael has also appeared in several films, including Hidalgo, and is a published playwright.
After finishing rehearsals for A Moon for the Misbegotten, Michael was gracious enough an answer a few questions about his work and his thoughts on the character of Jim Tyrone.
Last time you were at MRT, you directed the play Three Songs. Do you have any fond memories of the production, MRT or Lowell you would like to share?
My fondest memories from the Three Songs experience are mostly centered around the incredible support we got from the MRT administration and production staff. From Charles down, the levels of professionalism and commitment were absolutely first-rate. I remember very clearly how the designers (including Bill Clarke, who did the Moon set and is in my opinion one of the best Scenic Designers in the country) never came to me with complaints about the MRT team. That may sound like faint praise, but believe me, it is a nightmare for a director to have to pull his or her attention away from the rehearsal process to address production issues resulting from bad attitudes or habits. There is mindset here that failure is not an option, people are expected to do their best and be their best, and they do, happily. And that frees artists to perform at their highest level.
You have been active in both theatre and television. How would you compare working in theatre to TV/film work, and do you have a favorite?
John Kooi, Kate Udall, Gordon Joseph Weiss and Michael Canavan. Photo by Meghan Moore.
I don’t know a single actor who works in both live theatre and on-camera media who doesn’t vastly prefer the former. It has a lot to do with the more personal nature of the work, I believe. The rehearsal process is longer and more intimate, with opportunities for trial and error, and the actors’ relationship to the director lends itself to more give and take, and therefore less predictable discoveries and more variety. So much of the task for actors in film and TV is dominated by the technology – the camera’s view is very small and uncompromising – that the thing being filmed, the acting performance, frequently gets neglected. Very often, the first time you hear yourself and your scene partners speak the lines aloud is in front of the camera. Many actors who have never worked in the theatre (and some who have) think this makes the work more spontaneous and “real”, but in my experience, it usually results in less depth and texture, which is the opposite of reality.
How familiar were you with Eugene O’Neill and A Moon for the Misbegotten prior to the audition? Have you had the chance to act in any of his plays before? What are your thoughts on him as a writer?
This is my first time in an O’Neill play and I’ve never seen a live performance of A Moon for the Misbegotten. A long time ago, I saw part of the famous Colleen Dewhurst/Jason Robards film version, but I have no real memory of the play or those performances. That’s how I like it. I find having someone else’s performance banging around in my head burdensome. And it makes it easier to resist the foolish temptation to imitate the results of another actor’s rehearsal process.
I read Harold Bloom’s essay on O’Neill that is the forward to a recent edition of Long Day’s Journey into Night and took some comfort in his assertion that O’Neill’s art as a playwright owes most to Strindberg’s, since I had done Strindberg’s The Father. They share a churning, propulsive drive towards staging in their use of dialogue – the action is in the lines and carries through the pauses. And they both rather aggressively rely on symbolism in their language. It makes for occasional moments of clumsiness, certainly anyone expecting the poetry of, say, Williams will be disappointed, but there is a cumulative effect that develops amazing emotional power and psychological depth. The characters in Moon are sometimes most emotionally eloquent when they are least verbally articulate, and that makes for a major theatrical wallop.
What is the biggest challenge for an actor portraying your character, Jim Tyrone?
There are many, many challenges for the actor playing Jim Tyrone, most of the “warring hemispheres” variety. He loves the theatre and he lusts for death. He is vain and disheveled. He hates his father and follows in his footsteps anyway. He is described by other characters as both soft-spoken and a loudmouth. The list goes on. There is also a major technical challenge in the fact that he is drunk to varying degrees for the entire play. As anyone who has endured an evening with someone in that shape can attest, the condition does not lend itself to variety or subtlety. And it’s one of the toughest to portray convincingly. Oh, and did I mention he talks a lot? I guess I’m saying I was a fool to take this job.
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Filed under: A Moon for the Misbegotten | Tags: A Moon for the Misbegotten, cast announcement, Edward Morgan, Gordon Joseph Weiss, John Kooi, Karl Baker Olson, Kate Udall, Lowell, Merrimack Rep, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Michael Canavan, MRT
Cast and Crew Announcement – A Moon for the Misbegotten
Merrimack Repertory Theatre is proud to announce the cast and creative crew for final show of the 2008-2009 season, A Moon for the Misbegotten by Eugene O’Neill, running April 23-May 17.
The production’s creative staff includes Edward Morgan (director), Bill Clarke (scenic design), Jeni Schaefer (costume design), Beverly Emmons (lighting design) and Michael Boso (sound design). The company includes Kate Udall (Josie Hogan), Michael Canavan (James Tyrone), Gordon Joseph Weiss (Phil Hogan), Karl Baker Olson (Mike Hogan) and John Kooi (T. Stedman Harder). Gordon Joseph Weiss has multiple Broadway credits, including Sly Fox, The Life, Ghetto and Raggedy Ann. John Kooi returns to the MRT stage after previously appearing in Dinah Was, As You Like It and Betrayal; and Michael Canavan directed the MRT production of Three Songs in 2003. All other company members are making their MRT debuts. A Moon for the Misbegotten will be the first O’Neill play produced by MRT in a decade. During the 1997-1998 season, MRT produced Long Day’s Journey into Night. In 1991, MRT opened its season with A Moon for the Misbegotten.
CAST BIOS:
Kate Udall (Josie) Merrimack Repertory Theatre: debut. Off-Broadway: Blue Heron Theatre, Second Stage Theatre, MHStages. Regional: Williamstown Theatre Festival, George Street Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Colorado Shakespeare Festival and Wittenburg (world premiere), Arden Theater. International: She has played at the Edinburgh Fringe, in Bamberg, Germany and Italy. She is a founding member of Vox, an international ensemble that was featured in the documentary Giving Voice: The Actor’s Journey. In 2006, Vox was invited to present Metamorphoses at the International Theatre Festival in Lisbon. Film: Choke. Television: Law & Order, Law &Order: Criminal Intent and Kidnapped. Other: Ms. Udall is a designated teacher of Linklater Voice Technique and she spent six years as an Associate Professor of Voice/Acting at West Virginia University. She is a proud member of the union Actors Equity.
Michael Canavan (James Tyrone, Jr.) Merrimack Repertory Theatre: Michael makes his acting debut having directed Three Songs for the 03/04 season. New York: credits include the Obie-winning Bug (Dr. Sweet), by Tracy Letts, Barrow Street Theatre; Bang, Bang Blues, New York Shakespeare Festival. Chicago: credits include The Lion in Winter (Henry II) and The Father (The Captain) both opposite his wife Shannon Cochran, Writers’ Theatre; Mizlansky/Zilinsky, Steppenwolf Theatre Company; The Dying Gaul, Apple Tree Theatre; Regional: Oleanna, Prelude to a Kiss, Reckless, Jitters, Reckless, among many others with South Coast Repertory; De Donde?, New Mexico Repertory Theatre and the inaugural season at Pittsburgh Public Theater. International: Three Sisters (Vershinin), Teatro Popular de Bogota in Colombia. Film: Flags of Our Father, The Island, Hidalgo and Murder by Numbers, among others. Television: He has guest starred on dozens of shows, most recently Bones, Entourage, Criminal Minds, Big Love, Brothers & Sisters and CSI: Miami. Other: Michael is a produced playwright and has directed productions for Pegasus Repertory Theatre in Aspen, CO.
Gordon Joseph Weiss (Hogan) Merrimack Repertory Theatre: debut. Broadway: Sly Fox, The Life, Jelly’s Last Jam, The Visit, Ghetto (Tony and Drama Desk Nominations), Raggedy Ann, King of Hearts, Goodtime Charley and Jumpers. Regional: Tobacco Road (Jeter Lester), Triad Stage; principal roles at Virginia Stage Company, Baltimore’s Centerstage, Goodspeed Opera House, Ford’s Theatre, McCarter Theatre, American Festival Theatre, Pennsylvania Festival Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville. Film: Imaginary Heroes, Joe Gould’s Secret, Howard Stern’s Private Parts, Awakenings, Reversal of Fortune, Lustre, The Undeserved. Television: Law & Order, Third Watch, Spin City, Law & Order: SVU, New York Undercover, NYPD Blue.
John Kooi (Harder) Merrimack Repertory Theatre: Dinah Was, As You Like It, Betrayal. New York: Othello, Twelfth Night, Bedroom Farce, Romeo and Juliet, The Increased Difficulty of Concentration (by Czechoslovakian playwright Vaclav Havel). Regional: Take Me Out, Foothills Theatre Company; The Complete History of America (abridged), Cider Mill Playhouse; Life x3, Gulfshore Playhouse; Hamlet, The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Boston; Romance, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater; The Woman in Black, Visiting Mr. Green, The Glass Menagerie, The Immigrant, I Hate Hamlet, Shadowland Theatre; Romeo and Juliet, The Cleveland Orchestra with Conductor Leonard Slatkin; Awake and Sing, Rainbow Theatre; Cantorial, The Jewish Theatre of New England; Beyond Therapy, Long Beach Playhouse; Much Ado About Nothing, Pasadena Shakespeare Company; A Thousand Kisses: The Love Story of Napoleon and Josephine, Historyonics Theatre Company of St. Louis. Education: MFA in Acting, Brandeis University; BA in Theatre, St. John’s University, Minnesota. Other: John is a former Councilor of Actors’ Equity Association.
Karl Baker Olson (Mike) Merrimack Repertory Theatre: debut. Regional: The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Misanthrope, New Repertory Theatre; The History Boys, SpeakEasy Stage; Gary, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre; The Duchess of Malfi, Actors’ Shakespeare Project; The Cherry Orchard, Huntington Theatre Company. Education: BFA Acting, Boston University School of Theatre; London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art; The Children’s Theatre Company.
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