The History Of The Actors’ Group (TAG)
Part 4 – The 2000-2001 Season
Compiling the history of any organization can be a great challenge, particularly when the core group is small and rather than chronicle events, had spent their energy towards merely keeping alive. So is the case with TAG. As it evolved from a creative curmudgeon to become one of Hawaii's finest community theaters, all TAG could do was focus on its next production, for it had little time for anything else. Hence, this history has been cobbled together utilizing the recollection of participants at the time, dog-eared old files containing memorabilia and other forms of information, photos, newspaper articles, and recovered video footage that is often way past its prime if not damaged. Nonetheless, these have been the sources to create the history of TAG - The Actors' Group, told in a series of posts chronicling time periods unique to its development. |
Brad Powell Brings “New” Concepts To A New Theater
Looking back, the marriage between Brad Powell (the inset photo is from a great article that the Honolulu Star-Advertiser would later do about him) and TAG was perfect for both parties. Brad, already renowned locally as a great choreographer who had choreographed many of Hawaii’s best performed musicals, and already possessing decades worth of theater experience, brought to the fledgling group of passionate actors a direction of what TAG needed to do in order to grow and a vision of what TAG could eventually become. He introduced things that were so basic and already established with other community theaters, but were entirely foreign to the excited band of actors who only knew two things, they wanted to act, and they wanted to keep TAG going. Of the many things, however basic to many theaters, that he brought to TAG, in retrospect, four concepts stand out the most. First, he brought an immediate legitimacy to TAG within the performing arts circle in Hawaii. With his years of being involved with every other community theater on the island, the rest of the arts community would now take notice of this new group who, a few short years prior, had really not been known or even heard of. Second, with his involvement would come a number of new directors and actors who would go onto, in their own way, help to eventually transform TAG themselves. Through Brad, TAG would benefit in those early years from the involvement of David Farmer, Dennis Proulx, Dave Schaeffer, John Perry, Jim Tharp, Betty Burdick, Blossom Lam Hoffman, Patrick Casey, Richard Goodman, Nancy Moss, and more. Third, he insisted that TAG create a board of directors, and through the regular involvement of those associated with the board (see the box of information below), the impetus for eventually pursuing non-profit status (see the additional box of information below) would arise. Fourth, and perhaps what was most immediately transforming, Brad insisted that TAG start creating a season of plays in advance, complete with additional directors who would direct the pieces, rather than determine its next play only after the previous one closed. While the practice of creating its seasons may not have immediately started with a series of determined plays at the onset, the first play to be performed during the era of new directors bringing in new actors, within the concept of TAG transitioning towards deciding on plays in advance, began with two one-act plays.
Ticket To The City & Balcony Scene
Looking back from the perspective of TAG being the incredibly successful community that it is today, it is sometimes hard to imagine how its growth was created in subtle, yet very transformational ways. This was the case with TAG’s next play, “An Evening Of One Acts: Ticket To The City & Balcony Scene,” both written by Donald Elser, the late father of new TAG board member, Patricia Elser Gillespie, who also serves as co-producer and director. Patricia, who would eventually marry Sam Polson and together they would go on to become two of TAG’s most dedicated volunteers and creative partners, was a teacher of film and video at Kamehameha Schools, and through her association with Sam, had come to be involved with TAG and had recently been asked to serve on the TAG board. Her father, Donald Elser, had been the chairman of the Department of Speech, Theater and Communication at Youngstown State University, where he had taught for 34 years. As her father had wrote 30 published plays, she offered to Brad that two of his one-act plays could be produced at the Yellow Brick Studio theater and that, knowing all of her father’s plays well, she could direct them as well. Brad, who was actively looking for new material for TAG’s first season, happily took her up on it.
The Elsers – Father And Playwright Donald & Daughter And Director Patricia
“Ticket To The City” takes place in the waiting room of a small-town train station within a night’s ride from New York City. It follows the developments of seven people who are part of the ensemble waiting for the train to arrive. These include:¹ a wealthy, self-important creep who insinuates himself into the life of a hapless young woman while imposing on the others with a self-indulgent account of his misspent life; other characters are the train station ticket seller, a prissy elderly woman who spends her time knitting, an investments councilor, a U.S. Marine, an angry woman who storms storms in and accuses the young woman of stealing several thousand dollars and conspiring to run off with her husband. This situation leaves the audience wondering which of the women was telling the truth. Was the angry woman simply paranoid about seeing infidelity where there was none? Or was the young woman less of an innocent than she appeared to be? “Balcony Scene” takes place in the balcony of a church in which a funeral is being conducted. The characters in this act include:¹ a man, Robert Templin, who listens to friends and neighbors attending his funeral while a supernatural “associate” assesses his life. The actors cast were as follows (“Ticket” role/”Balcony” role, and if appearing in only one of the acts this is designated by whether the character is listed either before or after the “/”): Lance Rae (Young Man/Mr. Lake); Ricky Catter (Sleeping Soldier/Robert Templin); Sam Polson (Ticket Master/The Associate); Mary Frances Kabel-Gwin (Lady Knitting/); Peter Bunn (Man With Paper/Charles); Betty Sanchez (Young Woman/); Anne-Marie Russo (Angry Woman/Daughter); Julia Ringgold (/Mother); Sharon Cohen (/Wife); and Dorothy Stamp (/Claire).
Robert, Played By Ricky Catter, Is Present At His Own Funeral In
“Balcony Scene,” As Dorothy Stamp Plays His Fiancee And Widow
In producing “An Evening Of One Acts,” Patricia also instituted the first ever “open call” to recruit the actors for her father’s plays. While most familiar with the processes associated with bringing a production to the stage wouldn’t blink an eye about this, since this was the usual protocol for casting roles, it must be recalled that these were the early days of TAG when the productions were usually cast by people who had all been associated with the group in some way. In a way, Patricia’s insistence to hold open auditions was revolutionary, and this change in TAG’s procedures would go on to change the theater forever, for since the “One Acts,” open auditions have pretty much been the norm for all TAG productions going forward. “An Evening Of One Acts: Ticket To The City & Balcony Scene,” opened on Thursday, July 13th, 2000 and runs for 16 performances (Thursday through Sunday shows at 7:30 pm) and closes on Sunday, August 6th, 2000, and in so doing, fulfilled Patricia’s life-long desire to produce and direct her father’s plays.
Patricia’s Thank You Note To All For Fulfilling Her Homage To Her Father
The Two One Acts, “Ticket To The City” & “Balcony Scene” In Its Entirety (Plus A KGMB TV Report)
The Bard Pays A Visit To TAG
In retrospect, immensely talented actor and director John Perry (see inset photo) may have arrived to TAG at the perfect time. He had been active in theater with Hawaii Pacific University for four years, during which he achieved four Po’okela nominations and won three of those awards. Indeed, for a brief period of time, he was a shining star with TAG, who contributed greatly towards keeping the fledgling theater going with some impressive works of considerable range. He had been recruited by Brad Powell to assist backstage with “An Evening Of One Acts,” and later would brilliantly direct “Oleanna.” In between these two productions, he was asked by Brad to direct the next TAG production (after the one acts) and was given the authority to direct a play of his choice. John accordingly decided to lead TAG to another first, its first ever Shakespeare play, producing, directing, and even acting in, “As You Like It,” where he cast a bevy of Hawaii’s best actors. These included (alphabetically listed): Andy Alvarado (Le Beau); (Patrick Casey (Jaques); Sharon Cohen (Amiens); Braddoc De Caires (Orlando); Lena Kaneshiro (Phebe); Lew Lappert (Adam, William); Melinda Maltby (Celia); Anne Marie (Audrey); John Perry (Touchstone); Paul Niiyama (Charles, Corin, Sir Oliver Mar-Text, A Lord); Betty Sanchez (Rosalind); David Schaeffer (Duke Frederick, Duke Senior); Richard Smith (Silvius); and Paul Tolentino (Oliver).
“As You Like It” – The Promotional Flyer
“As You Like It” is about Rosalind, the daughter of the rightful duke, who lives at the court of his usurping brother Frederick as companion to Frederick’s daughter Celia. The rightful duke has taken refuge with his companions in the Forest of Arden and when Rosalind is suddenly banished by her uncle, she goes there to seek her father, taking with her Celia and Touchstone, a fool. For safety, Rosalind disguises herself as a boy called Ganymede. Rosalind has already met and fallen in love with Orlando who is now also bound for the Forest to escape the malice of his elder brother Oliver. Meeting Rosalind again, however, he takes her for the boy, Ganymede. All the exiles eventually meet, along with some of the Forest locals. Several love affairs are worked out, villains are converted to virtue, and rightful claims are restored. “As You Like It” is consistently one of Shakespeare’s most frequently performed comedies. In bringing it to life with TAG, John made the decision to inventively stage the production “in the round” with the performance area approximating a circle, and the audience situated in seats entirely surrounding the play area. Of course, TAG’s lack of proper air circulation, however, presented many challenges and the theater critics had a field day. The Honolulu Star Bulletin’s John Berger is later quoted as saying it was like staging “Shakespeare in a sauna,” and the Honolulu Advertiser’s Joe Rozmiarek likens the experience to a flight delay where one is stuck on the tarmac for hours in the middle seat of the center row. “As You Like It” opened on Friday, September 20th, 2000 and closed on Sunday, August 6th, 2000. It ran for 11 performances (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday shows at 7:30 pm, and Sunday matinees at 4:00 pm), and drew in healthy audiences who enjoyed the show, and the revenue from which helped greatly to sustain TAG.
Patrick Casey, One Of The Cast For “As You Like It,” Works On A TAG Set²
Oleanna Brings To TAG The Talkback
TAG’s next play, David Mamet’s “Oleanna,” which would eventually turn out to be one of the group’s biggest hits to date, actually started off as a concept for being a dark night production, a serendipitous offshoot of a scene study presentation in an acting class. Both TAG regulars, Eric Nemoto and Dorothy Stamp, had taken an acting workshop from Scott Rogers sometime during the summer of 2000 and were assigned a scene from “Oleanna.” Liking the scene they performed, and knowing that there would be plenty of open dates to add onto whatever shows Brad Powell would determine would be part of TAG’s regular season, Eric proposed to Dorothy that they do the play as a dark night in the Yellow Brick Studio. Dorothy enthusiastically agreed. Already believing that dark nights were a key to bringing in additional income for TAG, Eric had already been championing the concept of wanting every available night to be filled with something as far back as this production. In his mind, “Oleanna,” would become TAG’s very first dark night production and he thought initially that it would be staged sometime in the spring of 2001. However, when it was proposed to Brad, he suggested that it be produced as an addition to the regular season in the latter part of 2000, given he had already found productions for the following spring leading into the summer. Eric and Dorothy readily agreed and a production run in December was scheduled. The play would open on Friday, December 1st, 2000 and continue for 11 performances (Thursday through Saturday shows at 7:30 pm, and Sunday matinees at 4:00 pm), closing on Sunday, December 17th, 2000. Upon securing the production dates, the first thought of Eric and Dorothy was to go back to Scott and see if he would be willing to direct. But Scott had commitments which prohibited him from directing, and so for a brief moment, both Eric and Dorothy considered staging the production without a director. Fortunately, however, this concept was quickly laid to rest when John Perry got wind of the situation. He reasoned with Eric and Dorothy, and rightly so, that a compelling piece as “Oleanna” would require a director. John, who had first come to TAG as an assistant director for “Buried Child,” and was riding a streak of plays in which he would play an integral role was perfect for the role, and his astute directing would bring Eric and Dorothy to their best acting yet.
The Promotional Postcard For TAG’s “Oleanna”
“Oleanna” is a riveting drama dealing with sexual harassment. It is a 1992 two-character play by David Mamet, about the power struggle between a university professor and his female student, who accuses him of sexual harassment and because of this will spoil his chances of being accorded tenure. The play’s title, taken from a folk song, refers to a 19th-century escapist vision of utopia. Mamet would later adapt his play into a 1994 film of the same name. The play is delivered in three acts (the following descriptions are either quoted directly or paraphrased garnered from various online sources). In the first, Carol, a college student, is in the office of her professor, John. She expresses frustration of not understanding the material in his class. Of particular concern is a book written by John himself, wherein he questions the notion that everyone must participate in class, calling it “systematic hazing.” While talking, John is interrupted by phone calls. He is about to be granted tenure and with it will receive a raise. Anticipating this, John is about to close on a new house, and because of this his wife repeatedly calls with last-minute issues, demanding that he meet her. John eventually decides to help Carol. He tells her that he “likes her” and that he knows what it is like to be a student. He agrees to give her an “A” if she returns to his office several more times to discuss the material. In a heated point of their discussion, he attempts to comfort her by putting his hand on her shoulder, but she violently shakes it off. Eventually, Carol warms to John and is on the verge of divulging a secret when he is interrupted by another phone call from his wife. She reveals that the realtor problems were a ruse to get him to the house for a surprise reception in his honor. He departs for home immediately. In Act Two, Carol is back in John’s office, but more poised than before. His tenure is threatened because Carol has filed a formal complaint that accuses him of sexual harassment. She has documented daily occurrences of sexist remarks by John in class and describes his offer of giving her an “A” if she agrees to meet with him privately in his office. John hopes to resolve the matter privately with Carol so that the complaint may be withdrawn from the tenure committee, saying he does not understand how his actions could have offended her and attempting to convince her that he was only trying to help her without any ulterior motive. Carol decides it is best that she leave, but John stands in front of the door and grabs hold of her. Carol screams for help. In the third and final act, John has been denied tenure and is suspended, and faces possible dismissal, and is packing up his office. He has been staying at a hotel for two days trying to work out what has happened. He has asked Carol to speak to him once more and she has obliged. Carol is even more forceful in naming her instructor’s flaws, finding it hypocritical that a college professor could question the very system that offers him employment and gives him an academic platform to expound his views. She also refers to “her group,” on whose behalf she speaks and from whom she seems to be getting advice and support. In passing, John mentions that he has not been home recently. Carol reveals that if he had, he would have learned that her charges against him now amount to attempted rape. Carol offers to drop her charges if John would agree to her group’s list of books to be removed from the university, which includes his own. John refuses, angrily telling her to leave his office as his phone rings again. It is his wife, whom he affectionately calls “baby.” Carol tells him not to refer to his wife that way. This causes John to finally snap completely and he savagely beats her, screaming obscenities and holding a chair above her head as she cowers on the floor. As John calms down, realizing what he’s just done, he says, “. . . well . . .” The play ends with Carol saying, “Yes…that’s right.”
“Oleanna” Is Received Well By Honolulu’s Foremost Theater Critics
An Invisible Rabbit Arrives To Become An All Time TAG Favorite
Ask anyone about “Harvey,” at least if they are baby boomers, and chances are they’re familiar with the 1950 movie, a comedy classic starring James Stewart (see inset image of a DVD cover). It follows the exploits of Elwood P. Dowd, played by Stewart, who is an amicable but eccentric man whose best friend is a 6 foot 3½ inch invisible rabbit named Harvey, who is a puca, a creature of Celtic, English, and Channel Islands folklore, considered to be bringers both of good and bad fortune. Of course, Elwood is the only person who can see Harvey and so the dilemma is whether he needs psychological help, and the main story involves the debacle that occurs when the Elwood’s sister, Veta, tries to have him committed to a sanatorium.
Cast Photos For “Harvey”
But for TAG, it was the play, “Harvey,” which came to be its next production. “Harvey” was first copyrighted by playwright Mary Chase in 1943 under the title of “The White Rabbit.” It was later changed to its present title and produced by Brock Pemberton, opening at the Forty-Eight Street Theatre in New York on November 1st, 1944. For TAG, the impetus was the fact that Sam Polson had played the role of Elwood P. Dowd, and even had a painting from a previous production showing him and the infamous rabbit. All this were reasons enough for Brad Powell to schedule this longtime comedy during an eclectic year of interesting plays. Brad would direct this production and with him a brought a winning cast, which included (in order of appearance): Ruthie Wells (Myrtle Mae); Mary Frances Kabel-Gwin (Veta); Sam Polson (Elwood); Mele Welte (Mrs. Chauvenet); Tricia Marciel (Nurse Kelly); David Carstens (Duane Wilson); George Y. Russell (Dr. Sanderson); Patrick Casey (Dr. Chumley); and Katheleen Anderson (Betty Chumley). “Harvey” opened on Friday, February 16th, 2001 and ran for 11 performances (Thursday through Saturday shows at 7:30 pm, Sunday matinees at 4:00 pm), closing on Sunday, March 4th, 2001, and brought in many full houses. TAG’s main audience type was even then starting to appeal to the baby boomers, and their desire for a light hearted show that would entertain them became apparent with how this play was enthusiastically received.
John Berger’s Review Confirms That This Old Classic Has Found A New Home With TAG
“Talking With” – More Than The Sum Of Its Monologues
For TAG’s final production of its first official full season, Brad tapped Dave Schaeffer to direct Jane Martin’s “Talking With.” After being away from Hawaii for 20 years, Dave had returned to Hawaii and had recently appeared in TAG’s “As You Like It.” In his previous time in Hawaii, Dave had previously taught drama and English at Punahou School, and appeared in many a play at Kennedy Theatre and Manoa Valley Theatre (MVT). He had directed such productions as “Spoon River Anthology,” “Dandelion Wine,” “Butley,” and a gaggle of Gilbert & Sullivan Operas for the old Hawaii Performing Arts Company (which eventually became MVT). Dave’s choice for his first directorial effort with TAG was “Talking With,” a 1982 play by Jane Martin, which was composed of eleven ten-minute monologues, each featuring a different woman who talks about her life. The play includes the pieces, “Fifteen Minutes,” “Scraps,” “Clear Glass Marbles,” “Audition,” “Rodeo,” “Twirler,” “Lamps,” “Handler,” “Dragons,” “French Fries,” and “Marks.” It first premiered at the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York in 1982 and since then had been performed around the world. The play deals with the personal ordeals of each of the female characters. Many of them are very touching, and a few are even intensely emotional. However, there are also monologues that are very comical. Even the funny ones, however, have an underlying depth to them that gives a sensitive insight into each of the characters involved. The ladies cover a wide spectrum of life and age from the fading rodeo star in “Rodeo” to the young aspiring actress in “Audition”, there is much tenderness and diversity in the subject matter involved in the play. It would become the first TAG play that featured an all female cast, and to fill those roles, Dave recruited an outstanding group of some of Hawaii’s best actresses. These were (as they appear in the inset photo): Anne Marie; Blossom Lam Hoffman; Dorothy Stamp; Annie MacLachlin; Sammie Choy; and Betty Burdick. “Talking With” opened on Friday, April 13th, 2001 and ran for 11 performances (Thursday through Saturday nights at 7:30 pm, and Sunday matinees at 4:00 pm), and closed on Sunday, April 29th, 2001. Suffice to say, the ensemble did not disappoint and each provided outstanding performances and taken altogether, “Talking With,” provided excellent theater featuring six outstanding actresses.
The Review Of “Talking With” Nails Down Six Outstanding Performances
Gross Indecency: The Three Trials Of Oscar Wilde
The 2000-2001 season would end with a play that Brad Powell first saw in New York and thought would be perfect for the intimate confines of Yellow Brick Studio – “Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde,” a 1997 play written by Moisés Kaufman, that covers Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde‘s three trials on the matter of his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, also known as Bosie Douglas, who was an English poet and journalist. As homosexuality was illegal back in the United Kingdom of the late 1800’s, the father of Lord Alfred, John Sholto Douglas, the Marquess of Queensberry, wanted the relationship to end and accused Wilde of sodomy. Wilde would bring forth a private prosecution against John Sholto Douglas for criminal libel which would ultimately fail. However, because Britain’s Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885 had criminalized all sex acts between men as “gross indecency,” and so Wilde was subsequently tried for homosexuality, in a that did not reach a verdict. But in another trial to follow, Wilde was ultimately convicted and sentenced to hard labor. Kaufman created the play from extensive research from contemporary court documents, newspaper accounts and books by and about Wilde.
The Program For “Gross Indecency – The Three Trials Of Oscar Wilde”
For this production, Brad assembled a very large and impressive cast: Richard MacPherson (Oscar Wilde); Noah Johnson (Lord Alfred Douglas); Dave Schaeffer (Queensberry, Gill, Lockwood); David Starr (Sir Edward Clarke); Paul Niiyama (Narrator, Parker, Harris); George Russell (Carson, Mayor, others); S. Rick Crump (Narrator, Judge, Shaw); Todd Middleton (Narrator, Atkins, others); William Raye Street (Narrator, Wood, others); Lani Hansen (Queen Victoria, Speranza Wilde, Mrs. Ellen Grant); and Kim Warren (Prostitute, Constance Wilde, Mary Applegate). The original plan was to have nine performances, but in fact, due to popular demand, Gross Indecency played to 17 performances. It opened on Wednesday, June 13th, 2001 and ran for 16 more performances (Thursday through Saturday nights at 7:30 pm, and Sunday matinees at 4:00 pm), and closed on Sunday, July 8th, 2001.
The Honolulu Advertiser Review Of “Gross Indecency” By Joe Rozmiarek
In the 2000-2001 year, TAG’s second year of operating with a season of plays publicized in advance, it would be instituted what would become a standard template for TAG, a season that featured six plays. In ensuing years, while there would be some exceptions (for example some years it would produce seven plays), for the most part, six plays a year would become the TAG staple going forward. From the play program:
Brad Powell, Artistic Director, TAG
¹Much of the character descriptions come from the review of the play conducted by Honolulu Star Bulletin reviewer, John Berger, for which the entire review can be read here.
²It is not clear whether the set being worked on is for “As You Like It,” but the area is where the eventual set was created and where the play was performed.
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