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The Beginnings
The Performance Artist
Johanna said that she would call Andrea and give her Lance's number to call him -- which she did later on that Saturday, and she explained to him what would be needed, and he agreed. The final process started on the next day, Sunday. Lance got there at one o'clock, and met Andrea, who was very very nice. At that time she was the director and the teacher of the summer production, and I think teaching coordinator of the New Rep Theater. There would be four more days of rehearsal, and getting the lights and costumes ready. The stage manager's name in that production was Lynn. She was a sweetheart. Thursday came and it was the first night of performances. Lance got to watch the process. It was great. He basically had to take furniture off stage and bring furniture on stage, with one person in charge, whose name was Ellen. They had colored tape on the floor to show ou where the furniture went for each scene. Watching the actors was great, every single night. It was hot, oh man, it was hot. Sometimes Lance would sit by the window, feeling the breeze coming through. Getting to meet the actors, and seeing Andrea continually fine tune their performances. One the first or second night, before the show was to begin, and actor named Bob Allen came out as Lenny and Ellen were setting up for the first act. Bob was in the second act, which was called "Death of an Old Man." In the scene, he lay in bed the whole time, and insisted on the pillow and the bed being adjusted in a certain way to his liking. Lance kind of thought to himself, this guy must be some muckety-muck. Lance was going to accommodate him. Like I was saying, when the week got over, and they were packing up all the props on Saturday evening, Lance was invited to the cast party, again by Bob Allen. They had asked him during the week, but he kind of though to himself, he didn't feel comfortable at parties too much, and what did he really have to offer these people? The cast party would be at Bob Allen's house, and after talking to Bob, Lance decided to go. As with the production, everyone made Lance feel at home, especially Bob Allen and his wife Carolyn. This was an atmosphere that Lance wanted to have more of. He met Andrea's husband Nick, who seemed like a great guy. The cast members had a card that they gave to Lance for helping them out. It was given to him by Madelyn. He waited until he got home to open it and read it. When he did, he was so moved that so many people had signed it, thanking him for helping out. When Lance got home, he felt as exhilirated as he used to feel playing music out at some club. And he hadn't even acted, he only helped out. Lance thought to himself, these are the people to start hanging out with. These people were so much different from his musical colleagues that he'd had to deal with in the past. These people were committed, and didn't have an attitude. During that week of helping out, Lance had taken a brochure about upcoming classes at the One week when Curt was out, Andrea taught the class, and it was great, just like when Curt was there. Andrea's understanding of the process was phenomenal. Lance didn't know much, but he felt that this was the place where he was going to be able to grow and develop with like-minded people, people with commitment and humility. He would find that when you develop the voice of the character, that gives permission to be the character. The Orchestra of Life Lenny Hall is developing a performance group in Lowell, Mass called the Orchestra of Life. It will be based on an experimental method he is developing called the Orchestra of Sound. It will also be an original project utilizing various acting and performance techniques by Augusto Boal, Keith Johnstone, Ruth Zaporah's Action Theater, and others which we will develop along the way... This is going to be an active way for actors or anyone interested in true performance art and acting. If you are interested or know someone who is, please e-mail us at Laughing Dervish or call Lenny @ 978-441-1789 or Write to:
It all began for Lance Gargoyle when he was asked to help on a summer production at Southwick Studio. He had been helping out at Bryn Mawr Bookstore in Cambridge when someone who was
working there at the time named Johanna who he had gotten to know a little bit -- she was involved in the summer student production, and they needed someone to move the stage furniture between sets or acts. She said it would require one week's commitment. Lance was thinking to himself at first, since he lived in Lowell, and it was taking place in Newton, Mass, it would be a lot of travelling. But to Lance Johanna seemed to have a unique attitude. Lance had thought about acting in the past. He was primarily a one-man band, so needed something more physical with his presence to liven up his performance. Johanna had said that the director, Andrea Southwick, was very nice. Lance decided to do it.
Lance had never had any involvement in the theater before, and everything that was happening was fascinating for him. Watching the actors rehearse, and watching the director in the process, was something new and exciting to Lance. The performances would be three one-act plays by Horten Foot. Johanna was in two of the one-act plays. One was called "The Dancers."
The week went by quickly, and Lance got to know the actors and Andrea a little. Even after a week, everybody made him feel so comfortable. Everybody was terrific. Lance had seen Johanna in a different light than the more solemn persona at the Bryn Mawr Bookstore.
All the actors had stood out in Lance's mind, expecially a young man named Ian Levine, a woman named Julie Dapper, another young gentleman called Brian Corby, and David Monaghan, among others, who I will name later.
New Rep Theater, and a brochure about the upcoming season of plays. He subscribed to the season, and called to find out about taking a class. Lance knew that Andrea had to be a fantastic teacher, because she was a fantastic director. He'd never met a director before, but he knew she was fantastic. He wanted to take a class taught by Andrea, and he called up inquiring about the classes. The one that was going to be taught by Andrea I think was a scene study class, and another class offered, called "The Fundamentals of Acting," was taught by a man called Curt Miller. Whe Lance called, he happened to get Andrea on the phone -- who besides teaching, was the teaching coordinator at that time. Lance asked about taking a class with Andrea. Andrea told Lance that it was an advanced class, and suggested taking Curt's class on the fundamentals of acting, which he did.
The first night of class, when Lance got there, he met Curt and the other students who were taking the class. They did warm-up exercises and some improvisations. This was great. I think it was a ten-week class. Curst was as Andrea had said, very very nice. He was a genuine human being. I guess you have to be that, if you're going to be an actor, or teach acting anyways.
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