Stephen Sondheim on What Makes a Good Musical

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to attend a talk by Stephen Sondheim. He said a lot of smart things about musicals and theatre, but the part I remember best was something he said during the Q&A. At the time, there was a new production running on Broadway of West Side Story - which …

A New War Record!

Kyle Hatley closed the run of An Iliad on a triumphant note yesterday. Before the show, he got one last crack at racing through the list of wars. The goal was to beat his record of 1:34, which he'd been struggling to do for a week. In fact, on Sunday he was determined to keep reciting …

Daily War Times

Just like athletes and musicians, actors often need to do a warm-up routine in order to perform their best. Depending on the actor and the demands of the show, that may involve physical stretches, vocal exercises, and/or some quiet time to focus. Over the past couple of weeks I've had the chance to observe Kyle Hatley …

The Epic Music of An Iliad

If you've read Homer's Iliad, you probably have a pretty good idea what a feat it is for a single actor to bring the poetic epic to life. But Kyle Hatley, who plays the Poet in the Fielding Stage production of An Iliad, isn't the only one on stage with a big job; Raymond Castrey, the Music Director and sole …

2016 2 Pages/2 Voices Selections Announced

Each January, Geva collaborates with Writers & Books to present 2 Pages/2 Voices, an evening of short short plays written by area writers and read by area actors. Each play can be only two pages long, with only two characters. This year, plays were also required to include the word "queen," in honor of the …

Interview with a Lion

Benjamin Scheuer's one-man musical The Lion opened in Geva's Fielding Stage on Friday night and will run for 9 more performances this week. Ben, who besides performing the show is also continuing to write new songs and plan new projects, graciously agreed to share with us the story of creating The Lion. What was the process of writing The Lion? John Lennon …

Rothko: The Real Thing

By Jean Gordon Ryon, dramaturg If only I could show you a Rothko. In conversation with audience members during this preview week for Red, I’ve discovered some people don’t think they know about Rothko; some are not sure he’s a real person. His signature painting style is very recognizable: rectangles of intense color floating on …

The Bright Side of Life – Bringing Monty Python to the Musical Stage

Actor/director Melissa Rain Anderson returns to Geva to direct Spamalot, the first show of the season. We talked to her about the transition from screen to stage and what makes Monty Python funny. You’ve worked with Geva as an actor (most notably in A Christmas Carol) and recently directed 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. …

Getting Ready to Celebrate: The Son House Trail App

Journey to the Son, our four-day celebration of blues great Son House, kicks off in just two days! We've been doing our best here on GevaJournal to prepare you for the festivities, but if you still want more - or if you just want an easy way to keep all the important information at your fingertips - …

Rehearsing a Revival #sonhouse

Seldom does a table reading of a new play leave me humming songs for days. But this week, I'm still ruminating on the songs in Keith Glover's new play, Revival: The Resurrection of Son House. We held a closed-door workshop of the play last week with an amazing cast, and what a week it was! …