Seminars in theatre; Episode 15 of 31

This is seminars in theatre a series of discussions with leading members of the theatrical profession who comment on the problems and pleasures of life in the theatre. Here now is the host of seminars in theatre. Richard Piet Welcome to another panel discussion on theatre. Our guests this evening include the producer New York born Mel Howard who's managed the French literary cabaret the gone to scarper since its creation in 1907. And in one thousand fifty nine he took over the direction of the theater to push in multiple novels where he alternately produced and directed over a dozen plays including the critics prize winning impromptu it was you and a number of other productions. He's also taking a troupe of American folk singers on a tour of France and Italy in a show called hootenanny reason we give as background on Mel Howard because he is responsible for the current. Production of the French company

that's here and will be traveling touring throughout the states with the music they play on a bit of a move. I think the loose translation of that would be Don't trifle with a lot you know. No trifling no trifling with love. And of course our other guests include Professor Norman singer who is the administrator of the Harvard College concert bureau and previously was the executive director and dean of the Aspen music festival a music school and formally was a faculty member of the Juilliard School of Music and president of the league for New York music. And many of his other associations also on our panel is Andre Ginsberg. He is the director and artistic director of the theater and the director of the current production and his activity goes back a few years in the theater. He has

written I believe. Look Motiva That's correct you wrote that in the community as well as several other plays which will be talking about and also on our panel is one of the actors who was in the production process and will get from him what his background has been rather than just telling you about it. First of all the current production and I want to ask you Norman What did you just have this company here because their friendship because Hunter College wants to remain in the vanguard of presenting interesting foreign productions or is there some special interest in this particular. I think those are two good reasons add hundreds. We tried to do something about the cultural enrichment both of the students and faculty and the city at large and really have committed ourselves to a program not only in music but also in the theater and last year we had the same company in a

production of Moliere's scrap and next year we're going to have French Italian Spanish and English there. Cambridge and Oxford Shakespeare Company is going to be at Hunter College and in addition to this French company this year we have at the end of March and April the end of October and two evenings. Younger famous Elena to make performing at that so we do feel we have a commitment to children's theatre but that left off of tonight's program by the way will also be at City Center. That's why we're having them on two dark nights in a special production about based on his diaries and his writings. There's a lot of you are you are you sort of like a song here aka. I mean the way to act activate all of these companies sounds like a very thrilling series of events that I know use the word lightly because

I noticed that the production at Hunter College auditorium was quite packed and that certainly demonstrates the interest in this in the classics and certainly and foreign productions. Would you say that most of the audience consisted of French speaking people or were there was a mixture there were quite a lot of French speaking people but there are also a lot of college students. We had organized parties a student at all our performances there for performances and we reach out to them as well as through the regular advertising to the French speaking public that might like. We feel that way and that's another way in we we meet students and the community we are feeling about the kinds of beer in general I put it sometimes that other colleges have a cyclotron and we have a concert and we offer certain things to the community just as some scientific invention or division mind in another area. The production is only for two or three performances

for actually four performances is that four days or actually it's over three days two evenings and 2 matinees with one evening matinee between how long in advance do you have to make these arrangements in order to get a company like about a year. We're already booking and I'm almost completely booked for sixty eight 69 and people are talking about 69 70 there's no time for meditation. They're just finishing this season and preparing the next and planning for the other one or more of the city center isn't as intrepid as you Norm and whenever they have foreign company they usually have some kind of electronic hookup whereby the translation is going on at the same time why is it that you feel this is necessary. It's probably not that it wouldn't be good we don't have any facilities for it and it's a purely pragmatic arrangement we had a couple of people come in the box office and asked if they would be that kind of arrangement I think perhaps it's because we're not quite as.

I'm trying to avoid using the word commercial I don't mean that we're not looking for a draw at a spread. Say something that has to come into the city center has to look at the pay or the head because it was we have our cost as well but we have a smaller house and we're appealing I think to an audience that is more prepared perhaps with a language than would a city center. Mel hard as current production how our productions as such doesn't concern itself only with foreign companies. No the company's only been in existence for two years and we we began with foreign companies I guess my whole experience was based in Paris came from Paris. Now we're also getting into English language productions in fact we had two tours English language productions out this this past four which are not mentioned on that list. We had a new reason to get here which is a French play but done in English touring in three one act

comedies Nesco and Elaine May and a comedy tour in Austin. How did you happen to come across the company. Well and I worked together several years ago in Paris when I had produced a play on Della Roland to be our play in Paris and he did a tour of Europe with it. Also LA maze owned us another to be our player and several other productions musical productions that we collaborated on and toured throughout Europe North Africa and how large of a company is it. Oh I'm so happy. Well they have a trooper you know I think you can answer it is not that the company still has me for my english is very bad and we have not one company but in France a group or a group of companies we have company off to me you know my

research of and so on. 8 to 9 10 Under Armor men come by knee which may get a new new tattoo. You understand me at all shipshape say. Research research research people companies directors that out that are interested in experimenting and going into research in either reviving old plays or creating new ones. I was the most exciting people in France belong to this group which is which is called projects under which we are going to have an off-Broadway movement here. Well not quite because it does play the biggest theatres in Paris and all around Europe and all of the major festivals in Europe. Well in terms of interest in vitality Yes definitely. Also we want to say hello quickly to before we get involved in much more one here

the third or fourth voice of us who are not today. We don't we don't often involve ourselves in positive statements about actors on this program it's just a policy but I will say congratulations on your performance. Francoise won and specifically because of its economy and I want to talk about it in large if we can because there's I think one of the biggest problems with acting here in this country among others is the lack or the seeming concern about economy. This is why I asked how long the company has been formed you tell me it's a troop and it's one of many companies somewhat but do they all do the actors that form this troupe have their experience from the same place or have they been trained all over Paris all over France or do they come from other countries or just

how and what do you look for in terms of your actors. Yes but you see in France we have a two kind of school for us. We have a concept that wow you know. Yeah. It is for music. But we don't like that one. They have a bad habit. Yes when they stand under artificial or mechanical Well you know it's bad. Yes it is a tradition which not is a rare French tradition but it's a bad traditional fun 90 center understand during the Republica. How do you say what I like you know a girl just like

yes with big gestures and broad in the competition what we call classic. Nothing from here from her heart. All it is everything is a story when this day where are school for. Young girls we have only three via graduate schools which are come as you are and it is not good. Do we have a good school in Strasbourg in Strasbourg. But it is not Paris 500 kilometer in the south or dramatic to Leicester is a school where it is possible to learn rare good theater classic car use a room but also a good doubter you understand but it is

the only only in France. In example it is 700 kilometers from Paris. We'll have a new school for next year but the prophet best professor will be Grotowski Grotowski come from porn industry. Many people are interest through Lossing now. That we are not living tout now which is in France so many have interest from the expression on corporate physical expression and so on. We have to rely on him and surprise surprise of such you say to me because in France we think that

in America you have wonder for so when mistrust there call in Paris many people for years all fall absolutely. Strasbourg is a very famous name names draw. There's also there's also a four in Paris itself for a good school. What he's saying is that it doesn't exist over there. And people get their training as they can. That's interesting you left and right because I think we have just the opposite viewpoint here in this country too for the most part I mean we feel that Perez. I mean for the history the tradition of acting First of all. The Comedie Francaise is no longer worth anything. I take it from the way you talk here seen coming due process we have the best and the best and the worst there are so it is a marvelous actor. Because it is a committee for answers in all the order and

since 10 Yeah so we are too old Karl. YOUNG MAN. Fabri have been directed playing games he just mentioned when you know we go to the committee Francaise Now once it is very museum time we find something very direct dead wrong. Familiarity. And borrow have a school and friends. Yes John we borrow most.

It is one of the ones you're talking about from time to time. Beijing is very interesting sure. Or George Will a very young director. No no no he doesn't have a school I'm going to you know there's one other. Would you say that Paris is going sort of full circle and back to the theater event I mean with a movement that is taking place now. Francis almost simply put it down to one. Oh certainly no no no we have so many new

municipal and Populaire. But they are very influenced by British scepter are. But no my own do I know no gays and think at the time he was the one that broke away from tradition and the and what you are talking about today. The artificial external type of acting. I just wondered whether there was a parallel in terms of what your interest is. But I think you've answered the question. Francoise how many how long have you been studying acting. About five years. Five years because you you. Few minutes ago that. There were no school. There is a lack of

teaching in the States and Mr. Ginsburg she told you the same thing in France and different things in France. A young doctor as to A. Duty working. And there is something different in France that since ten years many companies elp by the government in their work and. That makes now around 30 or 40 companies Berman and companies who were in permanent city by the minister or that the government very few very few. That do are beginning to do set on permanent work for the actives you know.

And they need many young actors in their in these experiences. Sue for my part of my own experience I can say that I learned in Paris. In this school in private school the National Theatre I had learned with young companies and and I go on just through my way to again through these experiences and young companies. Did you study. Would you say you receive most of your training from observing or from participating on stage working. Because in watching you and there is a there is a great control and you don't find usually in young actors control of physical movements or the

economy of arms and hands and legs. Weirder would you say you got most of your training. Why didn't. You know in the schools. I used to have to go. We learned very few things just how to speak out to stand on stage and that our two were to read a text that very very poorly. And it is a relief through these experiences in young companies when we friends young actors like me we tried in sort of small theaters like of for the way we try to do our own experiences. Of course we need help from experimenting and we call them to do. To see a world

and then it is this buffer of these feelings and our own work. The advices of more experimental get a man in France that makes these sort of small experience. You can confirm the something you're talking about moving into your own experiences and moving in as close to contemporary times and the excitement of contemporary times. But it's strange that you're using a classic playwright using say and at the same time you're the acting is certainly I wouldn't compare it to. I want to say this in order to say something else. I wouldn't compare it to a Stanislavsky technique I wouldn't compare it to method quote technique because you're using very very traditional acting techniques in what in the current production at

Hunter College. How do you reconcile this idea that you are not interested in the classics. You're not interested in the old institutions. They have you feel are outdated. Yes it is not true I am very interested and it was a classic but I think so I think it was our director most be very and I speak to respect respectful respect for when he he him or when he direct when he director of the new bar sample. If I directed a play off are about an hour off or of then I most I most like to show to watch a play. It is my Those were your system do you do about it. Yes but

the classic Classic. We are from a classic get gun experimenting are we will. After my performance phèdre or there is a thread all in the lead you measure now you understand. In bed in in No. Only but in particular more in America. I think you saw Kemi on parody cow it is a Tito thing. Yes we own body you say. Toss clásico. Yes it is true it is because this experimenter is not in a play action pass but in Concepcion which will. Treat officers are not here they are on screens.

It is very difficult to explain why let me ask you a question about the production. Yes and one of the scenes in the scene between community I believe that's where it takes place there's a white spotlight a white spot up stage right here. And I notice the actors don't walk in it. What is that is that supposed to be water. It is a fun day. And here is a fountain I arrived back. Yes that's very clever. That is not what you see now well after after after a long contemplation from the government audience vantage point and after great study and after great observation of watching the actors stepping in it. I once got the impression that it was water. You see you are played as a play in France. I mean yeah we have a true sport and we have for fun Dane

eight spot under the spot are not exactly the same place you see and one common over con and it gave an effect of want to but here. Already. Yeah well that and that leads me to ask. Yes Norman this is something I wanted to ask about the production as it's performed at Hunter is without scenery which is all right. Most plays can be done without scenery I would imagine with interesting actors and the play is good enough and I think by the way notwithstanding the fact that it was difficult to determine that was water. There is a very fortunate situation that I don't think would happen with maybe some other productions at Hunter College if they tried to do to do it without scenery staging really save the day. I mean with this with this production.

Sure we should establish the fact that it uses three screens and the projection technique with sort of a cartoon effect and a landscape of character with voices talking back to the live actors from the projections and the stage is bare. Other than that has this been the way you've been doing this production and is this the way you will be doing it on tour with no scenery and just the projections. Your call comes up with yes but. Sure sure. Certainly only because I think that the most important thing in can mean bad account is it is a story of Tammie and parody Cup. Treat your needs don't carry around a desk character

are comics to Match.com except when actor ass actor ass play that on the stage and you end this then I think it their most to be an older place or another. Or someplace else. There must be some reason why you know when this far as possible. You understand and so you say. Arcturus play classic I know they don't play classic a rare brand from heart or under say research was a young man when he wrote the play he was 25 under for him. Cammy Betty rose at our Drew to go almost new Say himself and me is a little George

sound who was a trace of history. It's very easy. Let me clarify something Andre. Perhaps Howard will the later time go into much greater detail to explain I just want to clarify what I meant. I didn't mean that the actors are acting classically as a matter of fact. What is so absolutely in trancing about the production is the fact that it never won. You are using a play which comes from the classic pen of theatre. I mean music would be considered a classic. Yes but very modern knifing. Yeah but your production makes it very realistic makes it very modern without and this is the point I'm making. Without forsaking the conventions of theater I mean there you still abide by the conventions of the day there is design

in what you've done. There is speech that can be heard in in the production and there is a variety of movement. There is repetition with variety. Now what I'm suggesting is that we don't hear I feel that we are polarized to either one extreme or the other.