Difference between revisions of "Nothing and Everything"

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|Theater = [[The Hideout Theatre]]
|Theater = [[The Hideout Theatre]]
|Director = [[Jon Bolden]]
|Director = [[Jon Bolden]]
|Assistant Director = {{Unbulleted list | [[Dave Yakubik]] | [[Rachel Posey Austin]] }}
|Run= Nov/Dec 2014
|Run= Nov/Dec 2014
|Subsequent Runs = Aug 2015
|Tech= {{Unbulleted list | [[Cortney DeAngelo]] | [[Lindsey McGowen]] | [[Michael Yew]]  }}
|Tech= {{Unbulleted list | [[Cortney DeAngelo]] | [[Lindsey McGowen]] | [[Michael Yew]]  }}
|Cast = {{Unbulleted list | [[Andrew Buck]] | [[Cat Drago]] | [[Courtney Hopkin]] | [[Jordan T. Maxwell]] | [[Kaci Danger]] | [[Kareem Badr]] | [[Marc Majcher]] | [[Megan Sherrod]] | [[Peter Rogers]] | [[Troy A. Miller]] | [[Valerie Ward]] }}
|Cast = {{Unbulleted list | [[Andrew Buck]] | [[Cat Drago]] | [[Courtney Hopkin]] | [[Jordan T. Maxwell]] | [[Kaci Danger]] | [[Kareem Badr]] | [[Marc Majcher]] | [[Megan Sherrod]] | [[Peter Rogers]] | [[Troy A. Miller]] | [[Valerie Ward]] }}
}}
}}


'''''Nothing and Everything''''' is a narrative improv show inspired by the works of [[wikipedia:Anton Chekhov|Anton Chekhov]].  It is the current mainstage show at [[The Hideout Theatre]].
'''''Nothing and Everything''''' was a narrative improv show inspired by the works of [[wikipedia:Anton Chekhov|Anton Chekhov]].  It was a mainstage show at [[The Hideout Theatre]].


== Show Style ==
== Show Style ==
The show takes place on a rural Russian estate in the 1890s.  The costumes, while not absolutely period-perfect, suggest that era while conveying an out-of-time quality.  Similarly, the stage is filled with props and furniture that suggest the time period and location -- in fact, the show features no spacework whatsoever, using only real, physical props and furniture.
The show took place on a rural Russian estate in the 1890s.  The costumes, while not absolutely period-perfect, suggested that era while conveying an out-of-time quality.  Similarly, the stage was filled with props and furniture that suggest the time period and location -- in fact, the show featured no spacework whatsoever, using only real, physical props and furniture.


The show is an ensemble piece, and focuses on no particular hero.  Each performance includes as much of the total cast as available -- in practical terms, this means that between eight and eleven performers are in each show.  Each performer plays one character, and the characters have a complex mesh of relationships, with families, neighbors, friends, and servants all interacting.
The show was an ensemble piece, and focused on no particular hero.  Each performance included as much of the total cast as available -- in practical terms, this means that between eight and eleven performers were in each show.  Each performer played one character, and the characters had a complex mesh of relationships, with families, neighbors, friends, and servants all interacting.


The acting style is fairly naturalistic, with the stage improvisors often playing characters close to themselves rather than extremely heightened types, and much of the show occurring in the un-heightened circumstances of those characters' everyday lives.  Extreme emotions tend to be tamped down until outbursts later in the play.  The performers explore the characters, either with lengthy monologs of their own, or through descriptions of offstage characters.  Characters don't particularly change from the start of the play to the end.
The acting style was fairly naturalistic, with the stage improvisors often playing characters close to themselves rather than extremely heightened types, and much of the show occurring in the un-heightened circumstances of those characters' everyday lives.  Extreme emotions tended to be tamped down until outbursts later in the play.  The performers explored the characters, either with lengthy monologs of their own, or through descriptions of offstage characters.  Characters didn't particularly change from the start of the play to the end.


The show features long scenes that shift focus and composition over time.  Characters enter, characters exit, and the scene concerns itself with one conversation, then another, perhaps expanding to a large group scene before homing in again on smaller clusters of people.  Frequently one cluster within a scene will be completely unaware of another, leading to independent conversations within the same scene.  The show rarely if ever "goes for the joke", aiming instead for the rhythms of natural conversation, drawing on character-based humor rather than well-constructed punch lines.   
The show featured long scenes that shifted focus and composition over time.  Characters entered, characters exited, and the scene concerned itself with one conversation, then another, perhaps expanding to a large group scene before homing in again on smaller clusters of people.  Frequently one cluster within a scene was completely unaware of another, leading to independent conversations within the same scene.  The show rarely if ever "went for the joke", aiming instead for the rhythms of natural conversation, drawing on character-based humor rather than well-constructed punch lines.   


The tech aims to avoid being 'busy'.  The lights feature slow isolations focussing the audience on particular characters or conversations, but tend to keep the same feel for each act (see below).  Likewise, sound tends to be very sparing with sound effects -- as with Chekhov, the production aims to make every sound effect something that's significant to the story.
The tech aimed to avoid being 'busy'.  The lights featured slow isolations focussing the audience on particular characters or conversations, but tended to keep the same feel for each act (see below).  Likewise, sound tended to be very sparing with sound effects -- as with Chekhov, the production aimed to make every sound effect something that's significant to the story.


The show wrestles with the same themes as Chekhov's "big four" (''[[wikipedia:The Seagull|The Seagull]]'', ''[[wikipedia:Three Sisters|Three Sisters]]'', ''[[wikipedia:Uncle Vanya|Uncle Vanya]]'', ''[[wikipedia:The Cherry Orchard|The Cherry Orchard]]'').  Characters are often frustrated with the ineffectuality of their own lives or of the nation as a whole.  Passionate, romantic feelings go unrequited.  The characters live in a historical context where the aristocracy is fading in power and relevance, and nobody is certain what will replace it.
The show wrestled with the same themes as Chekhov's "big four" (''[[wikipedia:The Seagull|The Seagull]]'', ''[[wikipedia:Three Sisters|Three Sisters]]'', ''[[wikipedia:Uncle Vanya|Uncle Vanya]]'', ''[[wikipedia:The Cherry Orchard|The Cherry Orchard]]'').  Characters were often frustrated with the ineffectuality of their own lives or of the nation as a whole.  Passionate, romantic feelings went unrequited.  The characters lived in a historical context where the aristocracy was fading in power and relevance, and nobody was certain what would replace it.


At the same time, the show aims more for realism than for traditional "everyone learns a lesson" storytelling.  It aims for minor-key depictions of real life, caring as much about giving the audience a brief window into this world as it does about any traditional notions of plot.
At the same time, the show aimed more for realism than for traditional "everyone learns a lesson" storytelling.  It aimed for minor-key depictions of real life, caring as much about giving the audience a brief window into this world as it does about any traditional notions of plot.


== Show Structure ==
== Show Structure ==
The director introduces the show, and gets several suggestions from the audience: the number of actors in the first scene, what time of year the story begins in, and a prop (selected from four on a tray) to give to one of the initial characters.  Then there is a four-act improvised play, with an intermission between acts two and three.  Each act is a monoscene, and the acts occur in chronological order.
The director introduced the show, and got several suggestions from the audience: the number of actors in the first scene, what time of year the story begins in, and a prop (selected from four on a tray) to give to one of the initial characters.  Then there was a four-act improvised play, with an intermission between acts two and three.  Each act was a monoscene, and the acts occured in chronological order.


The first act serves to introduce all the characters, with everyone in the cast having at least a brief speaking role.  It shows us our characters in normal, everyday mode -- everyone's more-or-less happy with each other, and there are no strenuous conflicts beyond the sort of tiffs that happen every day.  This section of the show features the most exposition, establishing all the characters, all of their relationships, and any simmering resentments or frustrations they have.
The first act served to introduce all the characters, with everyone in the cast having at least a brief speaking role.  It showed the characters in normal, everyday mode -- everyone was more-or-less happy with each other, and there were no strenuous conflicts beyond the sort of tiffs that happen every day.  This section of the show featured the most exposition, establishing all the characters, all of their relationships, and any simmering resentments or frustrations they have.


The second act takes place after a short time jump (often a day or two), and further develops the world.
The second act took place after a short time jump (often a day or two), and further developed the world.


The third act, after intermission, takes place after a longer time jump (usually some number of months), and is where the conflicts developed in the first half come to a head and a resolution.
The third act, after intermission, took place after a longer time jump (usually some number of months), and was where the conflicts developed in the first half came to a head and a resolution.


Finally, act four, which takes place after a short time jump, depicts the fallout from act three, and the new status quo that has settled in.
Finally, act four, which took place after a short time jump, depicted the fallout from act three, and the new status quo that had settled in.


== History ==
== History ==
The show featured an unadvertised preview performance two days before its premiere.  
The show featured an unadvertised preview performance two days before its premiere.
 
It was part of [[The 2015 Improvised Play Festival]].


== Media ==
== Media ==
=== Videos ===
=== Videos ===
* [http://vimeo.com/111300281 Video] by [[Peter Rogers]] of the 11/6/14 preview (incomplete).
* 2014 [[Hideout Theatre]] Run:
* [http://vimeo.com/111329177 Video] by [[Peter Rogers]] of the 11/8/14 premiere.
** [http://vimeo.com/111300281 Video] by [[Peter Rogers]] of the 11/6/14 preview (incomplete).
* [http://vimeo.com/111990343 Video] by [[Peter Rogers]] of the 11/15/14 premiere.
** [http://vimeo.com/111329177 Video] by [[Peter Rogers]] of the 11/8/14 show.
** [http://vimeo.com/111990343 Video] by [[Peter Rogers]] of the 11/15/14 show.
** [http://vimeo.com/113191194 Video] by [[Peter Rogers]] of the 11/29/14 show.
** [http://vimeo.com/114520138 Video] by [[Peter Rogers]] of the 12/13/14 show.
** [http://vimeo.com/115144124 Video] by [[Peter Rogers]] of the 12/20/14 show. (The infamous flower catch is at time code 1:03. Hideout direct post is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hideouttheatre/permalink/853007534722352/)
* 2015 [[Long Center]] run:
** [http://vimeo.com/137272124 Video] of the 8/21/15 performance.
*** [http://vimeo.com/138711711 Video] of the following audience Q&A.
** [http://vimeo.com/138222384 Video] of the 8/22/15 performance.
** [http://vimeo.com/141679892 Video] of the 8/23/15 performance.


=== Photos ===
=== Photos ===
* [http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.835683449828506.1073742104.221927764537414&type=3 Photoset] by [[Steve Rogers]] of the 11/6/14 preview.
* 2014 [[Hideout Theatre]] Run:
** [http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.835683449828506.1073742104.221927764537414&type=3 Photoset] by [[Steve Rogers]] of the 11/6/14 preview.
** [http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.722827997793714.1073741850.473177099425473&type=3 Photoset] by [[Chad Wellington]] of the 11/22/14 show.
** [http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10203172881145618.1073741922.1315383518&type=3 Photoset] by [[Michael Yew]] of the 12/20/14 show.
* 2015 [[Long Center]] run:
* [http://www.facebook.com/michael.yew/media_set?set=a.10204706711010406.1073741962.1315383518&type=3 Photos] by [[Michael Yew]] from the run.
** [http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1024131600983689.1073742232.221927764537414&type=3 Photoset] by [[Steve Rogers]] of the 8/20/15 show.
** [http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1026071640789685.1073742233.221927764537414&type=3 Photoset] by [[Steve Rogers]] of the 8/23/15 show.


== More Information ==
== More Information ==
* [http://www.hideouttheatre.com/announcing-the-2014-season-and-schedule Show announcement in the Hideout's 2014 season preview.]
* [http://www.hideouttheatre.com/announcing-the-2014-season-and-schedule Show announcement in the Hideout's 2014 season preview.]
* [http://www.hideouttheatre.com/shows/NothingAndEverything The show's web page.]
* [http://www.hideouttheatre.com/shows/NothingAndEverything The show's web page.]
* Thoughts on the show from [[Andrew Buck]]: [http://yesandrew.com/threethoughtsonchekhov/ 1], [http://yesandrew.com/3-things-about-improvising-chekhov/ 2], [http://yesandrew.com/the-yall-boner/ 3].
* [http://yesandrew.com/the-sunday-interview-anton-chekhov/ A faux interview] with Chekhov by [[Andrew Buck]].
* [http://www.hideouttheatre.com/audiences-are-raving-about-nothing-and-everything Admiring quotes about the show] from the Hideout's blog.


[[Category:Shows]]
[[Category:Shows]]
[[Category:The Hideout Theatre]]
[[Category:The Hideout Theatre]]

Latest revision as of 15:40, 7 December 2016


Nothing and Everything was a narrative improv show inspired by the works of Anton Chekhov. It was a mainstage show at The Hideout Theatre.

Show Style

The show took place on a rural Russian estate in the 1890s. The costumes, while not absolutely period-perfect, suggested that era while conveying an out-of-time quality. Similarly, the stage was filled with props and furniture that suggest the time period and location -- in fact, the show featured no spacework whatsoever, using only real, physical props and furniture.

The show was an ensemble piece, and focused on no particular hero. Each performance included as much of the total cast as available -- in practical terms, this means that between eight and eleven performers were in each show. Each performer played one character, and the characters had a complex mesh of relationships, with families, neighbors, friends, and servants all interacting.

The acting style was fairly naturalistic, with the stage improvisors often playing characters close to themselves rather than extremely heightened types, and much of the show occurring in the un-heightened circumstances of those characters' everyday lives. Extreme emotions tended to be tamped down until outbursts later in the play. The performers explored the characters, either with lengthy monologs of their own, or through descriptions of offstage characters. Characters didn't particularly change from the start of the play to the end.

The show featured long scenes that shifted focus and composition over time. Characters entered, characters exited, and the scene concerned itself with one conversation, then another, perhaps expanding to a large group scene before homing in again on smaller clusters of people. Frequently one cluster within a scene was completely unaware of another, leading to independent conversations within the same scene. The show rarely if ever "went for the joke", aiming instead for the rhythms of natural conversation, drawing on character-based humor rather than well-constructed punch lines.

The tech aimed to avoid being 'busy'. The lights featured slow isolations focussing the audience on particular characters or conversations, but tended to keep the same feel for each act (see below). Likewise, sound tended to be very sparing with sound effects -- as with Chekhov, the production aimed to make every sound effect something that's significant to the story.

The show wrestled with the same themes as Chekhov's "big four" (The Seagull, Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard). Characters were often frustrated with the ineffectuality of their own lives or of the nation as a whole. Passionate, romantic feelings went unrequited. The characters lived in a historical context where the aristocracy was fading in power and relevance, and nobody was certain what would replace it.

At the same time, the show aimed more for realism than for traditional "everyone learns a lesson" storytelling. It aimed for minor-key depictions of real life, caring as much about giving the audience a brief window into this world as it does about any traditional notions of plot.

Show Structure

The director introduced the show, and got several suggestions from the audience: the number of actors in the first scene, what time of year the story begins in, and a prop (selected from four on a tray) to give to one of the initial characters. Then there was a four-act improvised play, with an intermission between acts two and three. Each act was a monoscene, and the acts occured in chronological order.

The first act served to introduce all the characters, with everyone in the cast having at least a brief speaking role. It showed the characters in normal, everyday mode -- everyone was more-or-less happy with each other, and there were no strenuous conflicts beyond the sort of tiffs that happen every day. This section of the show featured the most exposition, establishing all the characters, all of their relationships, and any simmering resentments or frustrations they have.

The second act took place after a short time jump (often a day or two), and further developed the world.

The third act, after intermission, took place after a longer time jump (usually some number of months), and was where the conflicts developed in the first half came to a head and a resolution.

Finally, act four, which took place after a short time jump, depicted the fallout from act three, and the new status quo that had settled in.

History

The show featured an unadvertised preview performance two days before its premiere.

It was part of The 2015 Improvised Play Festival.

Media

Videos

Photos

More Information

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