Virtual Theatre: The Race by Mark Binder: Wilbury Theatre Group Ends January 31

Yes, the pandemic has shut off traditional methods of producing theatre.  But there is always a way.  And sometimes that way actually expands the possibilities of your work.

My longtime friend (and accomplished storyteller and novelist) Mark Binder has a new play being produced by the Wilbury Theatre Group in Providence, RI.  The play is called The Race, and it uses the zoom platform effectively to simultaneously isolate and engage the audience.   

It's his first produced play in 20 years, It ends this weekend, it's gotten great reviews, and I urge you to see it. 

The Race by Mark Binder features Rodney Eric Lopez (left), Jim O'Brien (right) and Jennifer Mischley (unpictured)  The actors change roles nightly, which adds to the interest of this production.

In the play, two candidates (Mr. White and Mr. Black) are vying for a position.  One is white, and one is not (and during the course of the production, the actors change roles, so their name is NOT an indicator) As they are interviewed by an unseen third party (who may be a person, or an algorithm, or some strange amalgamation of the two) politics, race, bias, competition, complicity and computer mediation are all explored.  The questions are off-putting and relevant (and audience members can participate in the live chat and vote on some of the questions using Zoom's Poll feature)  And at the end of the show, the audience is invited for a talkback.

A behind the scenes look at The Race.  I recognize this desk as Mark's!  (photo by Mark Binder)

Because it's on Zoom, anyone in the world with $20 and a computer can see the show. (which expands the audience base.) And because it's DESIGNED to be consumed in the Video/streaming format, it suffers none of the typical issues that a play suffers when translated into video (poor lighting for video, bad camera angles, muffled sound, and a feeling of not being present in the room.)  


This is an interesting new way to look at theatre, and a well designed and enigmatic evening. The actors are great, the writing and directing are on point, and like all good theatre it raises as many questions as it answers.  Definitely see it if you can!

The Race by Mark Binder, directed by Brien Lang with original music by Nikita Zabinski, and features actors: Rodney Eric López, Jennifer Mischley and Jim O'Brien.

Three more shows available:   (click links to purchase tickets)

Friday, January 29, 2021  7:00 PM
Saturday, January 30, 2021 7:00 PM
Sunday, January 31, 2021  2:00 PM

To find out more about the show: visit https://www.thewilburygroup.org/the-race.html

Read some reviews of the show:


https://artsfuse.org/220539/theater-review-the-race-business-as-unusual/

https://www.thewesterlysun.com/lifestyle/entertainment/the-wilbury-theatre-presents-mark-binders-the-race/article_0cf37e5a-5521-11eb-8a8c-472993a2567a.html

https://cranstononline.com/stories/wilburys-the-race-is-masterful-innovative-theater,158050

https://www.providencejournal.com/story/entertainment/arts/2021/01/21/zoom-job-interviews-get-dramatic-wilbury-theatre-groups-the-race/4235022001/

Storytelling during the Great Pause

Nick North of Epic Danger has taken to calling this moment in time The Great Pause and I have to say I am a pretty big fan of this idea. 

It's like the Great Depression, but instead, it captures our moment a little bit more.  We don't know what is coming (although it probably isn't good)  And in the meantime, we are in our homes, paused, waiting for the next big thing to hit.   It's almost like someone has hit the remote to stop, and now life is just inching along at a much slower pace.

I know this isn't true-- Life is continuing of course, and plumbers must be called and grocery stores must be shopped and prescriptions must be picked up, but there's a certain amount where there isn't.  Lots of businesses are closed, many schools are closed, and things are cancelled.  Theatres, libraries, and non-essential stores are mostly shuttered.  The same is true for lots of restaurants, which here in Illinois are now delivery or take-out only, at least until the end of March, and probably a lot further.

As you can imagine, many of my friends are artists, and this Great Pause is going to play havoc with their livelihoods.  On a school performers Facebook group that I am in, guys who make their sole living in schools are suddenly having to face the likelihood of extended times of forced unemployment.

A few of them are doing some great things during the great pause to entertain children, adults, and everybody in between.   I thought I'd tout a few of them.   (And if you are a friend of mine and would like to be featured, please post your Great Pause project

In the meantime,  I haven't quite figured out what it is that I could do.

VALERIE TUTSON

Val is a great storyteller based in Rhode Island.  You can find her online at https://yamass.org/our-programs/valerie-tutson/  (she had a website http://www.valerietutson.com, but I can't get it to work right now.)  She's posting Facebook Live videos of her stories on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/valerie.tutson/

 

DAVID LADON

David is a performer and teacher from Boston who I met while he lived in Chicago.  He was my son's Hebrew School Teacher.  He's now living in Colorado, and he also has a great band Animal Farm, which I've featured previously on the blog.  David is also doing some Live Streaming via FaceBook on a Pay What You Can basis-- asking for donations on Paypal or Venmo.   It's free to watch, and if you like it, you should donate.  This is for younger kids, and he's quite engaging.  He'll be doing different shows and tea time stories each day.  You can find the live events on his facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/AnimalFarmMusic/

---

BRIAN FOLEY

Brian Foley has been producing Vaudeville Variety Shows in Phoenix once a month for the last couple of years. The two year anniversary was March 17, and it was canceled due to COVID-19.  Undeterred, he produced a Virtual Variety Show in the Valley, in front of his garage, using videos from Youtube as his "Acts"  I think he will be planning on doing it again if he needs to.

You can find Brian on his website: http://www.brianfoley.net/ (although it doesn't seem like it's been updated lately)   You can also check out his page on FaceBook:  https://www.facebook.com/BrianFoleyArtist/

And this series is on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Dk2lBcFtu-8

MOVIE REVIEW: Molly's Game

We got the chance to take off for an evening a couple of weeks ago and have a date night.  I wanted to see The Post, but it wasn't playing at a convenient time.  My wife really wanted to see the Aaron Sorkin directed movie Molly's Game, and it was playing nearby and at the right time, so we went to it.

We saw the show at the New 400 Cinema, which is kind of a lower budget movie house near the Loyola Campus.  Although we didn't get any popcorn, they don't gouge you nearly as much on that stuff, and you don't feel like you are giving your money to a giant corporation.  So, it's one of my go-to cinemas in general.  Their selection is tilted towards a college audience, so it’s not always an appropriate place to go, but when they have a movie I want, we go.

Molly's Game was quite good. It's based on a true story about a former competitive skier who was driven by her parents to succeed.  A shocking injury ended her career, but she was still very driven and very competitive.  Through a series of misadventures, she ended up running a very high-end poker game first in LA, and then in New York.  She gets busted by the FBI, who are investigating some of the players, including Russian mob, billionaires, and movie stars.

Kevin Costner and Jessica Chastaine have a moment
in the movie Molly's Game.

All of the players were good, especially lead character Jessica Chastain (as Molly Bloom)  and her potential attorney Idris Elba.  And of course, the writing and the story are very well drawn, as should be expected from dialogue master Aaron Sorkin.  In the podcast West Wing Weekly, the hosts recently said something about the fact that Aaron writes really interesting Legal Discovery procedures, and that theory is born out in this movie as well.

One of the themes that I thought was very a propos for this blog is that of the dad who drives his children.  Molly's dad (ably played by Kevin Costner) is a psychologist who expects a lot from his kids.  There are multiple shots and flashbacks of him pushing Molly past her physical barriers (not in a creepy or weird way, but in a driven way.)  As Molly says when asked if her dad pushed her.  "Every Olympian has a demanding dad."

Idris Elba is also a high expectations dad, who is asking his daughter constantly to read more, do more work, etc.  It made me not feel so bad about being a homework hardass with my son.

Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba in court.  This ends up being a very funny scene.

It's not all "Dads are great" though.  Molly's father has flaws, but it's clear he loves his daughter, even if it isn't always the way she wants to be loved.  And Elba has flaws too as a father.  But in both cases, their love and care is evident, even if they can't quite express it, or it isn't all butterflies and hearts.

I would definitely recommend this movie.  I don't think it will win the Academy Award, (although it's nominated for best-adapted screenplay)  but it's definitely worth watching, especially if you are a high expectations dad and you want some validation.  Or if you are an Aaron Sorkin fan.  Or if you like movies that involve high stakes poker.  (I won the trifecta!)

OFFICIAL TRAILER FOR MOLLY'S GAME:

WEBSITE FOR MOLLY'S GAME: http://mollysgame.movie/