The View From the Dark Side – by Actor Jesse Bush

Jesse Bush, who plays Davis in Red Light Winter, shared these thoughts with us about what it’s like to play a role like this one…

 

The View From the Dark Side

I’ve noticed a trend when I’m leaving the theatre after a performance of RED LIGHT WINTER. People don’t want to meet my eyes. They’ll look up from their conversation, I notice the flash of recognition, and then their focus darts quickly back to where it was before.  I don’t take it personally. They have just watched me display some fairly reprehensible behavior for the better part of an evening. At least that’s why I’ll assume they don’t want to chat.

It’s an interesting process, playing the guy most people hate in the play.  Sure, there’s a certain amount of fun in getting the chance to act like a total ass, but that won’t carry you through an entire performance. That’s just the surface level. Underneath it, it’s my responsibility to plumb the depths of just what that behavior derives from.  And in my experience that usually means a lot of unexpressed pain. And what’s more fun than repressing deep-seeded issues?  I mean, come on folks!  So, as an actor, you begin to strip away the layers of bombast and bullying and try to discover the hurt. And this play contains a boatload of it. People who so desperately need each other, yet are unable to connect.  So many missed opportunities when a salvo of honesty could have cracked open the defenses and opened them up to healing.  But that’s not the world Mr. Rapp is creating, and frankly, while it might feel nice, it would make a lesser experience. There is beauty in those depths and I have been so encouraged by our audience’s empathy that leads them to it.

I’ve had a few conversations with the brave souls who have been able to meet my gaze after a show and the reaction varies.  Some see Davis as the villain, hands down, without any merit.  Others notice the fissures in his veneer and are curious about what lies beneath.  Either one works for me. I have a job to do in this piece and it is not to vie for the audience’s affection.  I am tasked with moving through the play like a shark for which stillness or reflection would mean suffocation. It’s how the character functions and to dally too long in reflection would cause him to dissipate completely. But it is interesting.

How I am perceived seems to be, like the best of art, a Rorschach ink-blot–revealing more about the observer than the creator.

But I understand their aversion. In the end, I find that it’s not so easy to shake this one off either. So I can’t blame the audience for not wanting to go out for a post-show cocktail.  I have a hard time looking at myself in the mirror sometimes. I have found that you can’t put that much negative energy out into the world, whether that world is real or imaginary, without it bleeding out of the seams a bit. But all that being said, this play exhibits the best of what theatre can do.  It requires a lot from its audience, but isn’t that why we come together and share stories?  To ask hard questions and be faced with complexity that is not easily digested? I, for one, am looking forward to continuing to provoke these responses for the next week.  And I understand if you don’t feel like saying hi afterwards.

 

KTC is Committed to Being Green

We’re lucky to be a part of a community that values preservation and so vividly demonstrates a responsibility toward the planet and those we share it with.  The Kitchen is pleased to do its part in the movement toward sustainable building practices.

Recently, a group of Johnson School of Management students came down from the East Hill to tour the theatre space with our Managing Director, Stephen Nunley.  Stephen shared with the members of the Sustainable Global Enterprise the consideration that went into moving out of the Clinton House and into our current location on W. State St.  We recycled as much of the lumber as we could (most of it is coming back to life as the sets of our plays!), some piping, and the HVAC system, and even chose linoleum floors that contain no toxic chemicals (and seaweed!)

KTC is currently seeking LEED Certification–we’ll keep you posted on our journey!

Read the article from the Johnson School HERE.

Solve the Mystery of Irma Vep

Photograph by Jari Poulin

The Intern Experience: I Bought a One-Way Ticket Out of the South

“People up north are less friendly;” “Their food can’t be as good as ours;” “Oh, but it’s so cold!”

These are some of the things one hears about the North while living in the South.  Though I’m from South Florida (not the South…at all), I just came off of six years in Tallahassee, FL–or, Georgiabama.  (You know, where the food trucks serve chicken and waffles instead of, say, falafel or hot dogs.)

However, I have been waiting for the chance to explore the lifestyle north of the Mason-Dixon.  So when Stephen Nunley called me to offer me the marketing and development internship at KTC, I happily said “That’s awesome!” very loudly into the phone.  (I happened to be walking around a gift shop in Disney World off Main Street in Magic Kingdom.  Two of my British friends were in the country for the first time and wanted to see Mickey–I promise, Floridians don’t just hang out in Disney World every weekend, like I’m led to believe Northerners think…)

Within a couple of weeks, I was unpacking boxes and hanging pictures of friends and family from back home on the exposed brick wall of my bedroom.  In my first weekend, I walked around the greater downtown neighborhood, learned a couple of TCAT routes, explored the Farmer’s Market, and delighted in the musical festivities of Porchfest.  This is where I learned that people in Ithaca are just as friendly as anyone in the South!

Now, I’ve heard that Ithaca is “10-square miles surrounded by reality,” but I’d like to think the happy dispositions extend beyond the Finger Lakes.  I say hello to people on the street on my way to work, and they smile and greet me, as well.  Ithacans are happy to share what’s going on in the neighborhood and help you pick out a winter coat when you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.  (I can’t even imagine what inches and inches of snowfall look like, let alone what I’m supposed to wear when it happens.)

Though I already miss proximity to the ocean, and have nothing but love for where I come from, I’m excited for the adventures to come in my one Ithacan year.  The rest of the staff laughs at me when I look out the window, waiting for the pending snowfall that weather.com teases me with, but I’ve already warned them–the minute I see it fall, I’m running outside to play in it.

Joanna Drivalas

Marketing and Development Intern

joanna@kitchentheatre.org

Seems Everyone’s Reading Up On Irma Vep…

The Mystery of Irma Vep by Charles Ludlam, Nov 30 - Dec 18

Welcome to the KTC blog!

Hello, readers!  Welcome to the new Kitchen Theatre Company blog!

We’re very excited to share some of the backstage, onstage, and offstage experiences with our fans and audience members.  Out of town for the run of a show?  Stay up-to-date here!  Looking for an inside scoop on what it’s like to work in theatre?  Look no further.  Have something to share?  We’d love to hear it!

The KTC is committed to engaging in important conversations in our community—so why not chat here, too?  Check back regularly for posts from our staff and artists.  You can even “follow” this blog and receive e-mail notifications when we’ve updated.

Thank you for being a part of the Kitchen Theatre community—looking forward to speaking with you soon!

Cheers,

Joanna Drivalas

Marketing and Development Intern

joanna@kitchentheatre.org