FREEHOLD FORUM 2007 SEPTEMBER ISSUE

This month we are thrilled to feature the following:

• George Lewis. Find out what Freehold Faculty Instructor George Lewis has been up to this summer and what his plans are for the future.

• Amy Thone. Get a glimpse into Freehold Faculty member Amy Thone's thoughts upon hearing she was awarded The Stranger's 2007 Genius Award.

• David Kubiczky. Read about how David's training in the Meisner Progression profoundly impacts his work as an actor.

• Freehold Faculty Member Spotlight: Jessica Jobaris. Check out what Jessica has been up to this summer.

• Freehold Faculty and Student News/Shows. Get the most current news about the upcoming performances (and get them on your schedule now!) that Freehold faculty and students are performing in locally, nationally and internationally.

• Freehold Calendar News. FREEHOLD'S KICK-OFF PARTY is Wednesday, September 12th from 7:00-9:00 pm at Freehold. It's a free event with performances, chats with faculty, and pizza and refreshments. Hope to see you there!

We always appreciate your input. Please feel free to contact us at (206) 323-7499 x14 or kate@freeholdtheatre.org with story ideas, upcoming shows of alums and articles that you would like to see highlighted.  

George Lewis is one of the founding partners of Freehold Theatre. George's background includes extensive study in corporeal mime with Etienne Decroux in Paris, in the Biomechanics of Meyerhold with Russian master teacher Gennadi Bogdanov, and circus skills at the National Circus School in Paris. He has been teaching acting and movement across the U.S. and Canada since 1978. George will be teaching Accelerated Introduction to Acting, Acting with Text and Personal Clown at Freehold this fall.

You were one of the founding members of Freehold Theatre over 16 years ago. What were your goals as you started out?

One of the reasons we all started today because we share an ideal, we continue to share an ideal, about how theatre could be done that we don't see enough of in the theatre. We feel like if it were done that way, in that spirit, then theatre would have more of an affect on people and society -- more of a transformative effect. So that is the template that Robin and I measure everything we do against. The other thing is that we started Freehold because we wanted to work together. We've been able to create a lot of pieces. At first it was doing the Impulse and Transformation classes where we would create these original pieces- the hunger project, the Jonah Project - with large groups of people. It has carried on from there with our work with the inmates at the Washington Correctional Center for Women and the Monroe Correctional Center, and on our Shakespeare touring productions.

Can you share what has been going with you this summer?

Well in May, I was experiencing some shortness of breath and went to see my doctor who sent me to a cardiologist. The next thing I know I am having a quadruple bypass. I had to pass my classes off to other teachers and spent three months recovering. I feel good now. Real good.

more ...  

Amy Thone was awarded the Stranger's 2007 Genius Award for her work as an actor. Amy is an Artistic Associate and Casting Director at the Seattle Shakespeare Company, is a faculty member of Cornish College of the Arts and Freehold Theatre. We caught up with Amy and checked in with her about the award.

I understand that a reporter from the Stranger had asked you to lunch but that you had know idea that you were going to be given this award. What did you think when you were told that you had won a 2007 Genius Award?

It was quite surreal to be told that I was receiving the Genius Award ... I thought it was some bizarre and oddly elaborate hoax...I was totally aware of the award in the past, but had never even had late night fantasties about actually being chosen to receive it ... For me, it's like admiring all those dudes who stomp about on the moon, but always knowing that that kind of thing is for those bizarre and special few ... Not to compare some local recognition with space travel, I'm not quite that crazy, but just to emphasize how far from my thought-process winning this thing was ... I just stammered and coughed and laughed and glanced about suspiciously ... Very fantastic and totally surreal ...

What has this recognition meant to you?

What does this recognition mean? That, to some small degree, you're not just admiring your own dim shadow in a cave ... Or that potentially, there are a few other cave-people in there with you ... All beating out language and tending the fire with some kind of connection and empathy for one another ... Too heady? Metaphorically pretentious ... yes ...

It feels good and silly and embarassing and absolutely lovely ...

Award winners get a chance to make an acceptance speech. Have you prepared one for the awards ceremony in September and if so, anything you'd be willing to share?

I'm horrified that I have to speak, and deeply worried about throwing up on my dress or saying something deeply offensive ... My only thoughts about it so far are to own up to the truth, that theatre, like life, is an ensemble-based art form, and that my community is my genius ...

The Stranger's 2007 Genius Award Issue will be on the stands on Thursday, September 13th. The Award's ceremony (free event) takes place September 14th at 9:30 pm at the Seattle (Central) Public Library.  

FREEHOLD'S KICK-OFF PARTY IS THIS WEEK!

Come have some fun at Freehold Theatre's Kick-Off Party on Wednesday, September 12th from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at Freehold's East Hall Theatre (1525 10th Avenue). Celebrate the beginning of the school year with this free event featuring performances from students, chats with faculty and beer and pizza! RSVP: info@freeholdtheatre.org or (206) 323-7499.
We hope to see you there!!

Meisner Progression Interviews

Students interested in applying to be considered for the 2007-2008 Meisner Progression can contact Freehold's Registrar, Jenny Schmidt at registrar@freeholdtheatre.org to schedule an interview.

The Meisner progression is taught by Freehold's Artistic Director Robin Lynn Smith and runs Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarter lasting 12 weeks each quarter. For more information, go to our Training Section at www.freeholdtheatre.org or call us at (206) 323-7499.

The Ground Floor Studio Theatre is Now Open at Freehold

The sensational new 49-seat Black Box theatre at Freehold is now open for rentals!

The Ground Floor Studio Theatre is an inviting and spacious venue with 16 foot ceilings. It has everything and more you would want and need for your upcoming production ... a new sound system, new seats, and new design for a price beyond affordable! Rental rates include an additional roomy dressing room. Rates: One show: $100.00 - Discounts are available for multiple weekend performances. Space is available on Friday or Saturday nights. For more information, contact Jason Gorgen at Freehold: (206) 323-7499 x13 or Freehold Summer Performance Rental Discounts

Freehold is offering a 15% discount on all performance rentals starting now through the end of September! Rent the East Hall for an entire weekend (Thursday, Friday, Saturday evenings) for $636! *This rental fee include 5 hours of tech rehearsal in the space.*

The East Hall Theatre holds 99 audience members and is centrally located on the second floor of Capitol Hill's Odd Fellows Hall. More information on the theatre can be found at www.freeholdtheatre.org and by calling 206.323.7499. To book the space, please contact Jason Gorgen, Freehold's Facilities Manager at 206.323.7499 ext 13.

Fall Class Registration

Freehold's fall class registration is now open. Get a 5% discount if you register for classes by September 14th. Call us at (206) 323-7499 or register online: www.freeholdtheatre.org

	Freehold Faculty Snapshot - Jessica Jobaris
Jessica Jobaris is a new addition to Freehold's faculty. Jessica received her Yoga Teacher Training thru Pacific Yoga, having studied also at Samadhi, 8 limbs, and Om Yoga in NYC. She has taught yoga at Seattle Pacific University, University Prep Academy, various local Community Centers and private dance studios, during summers in Central Park, and most recently at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. As a dance/theatre performer, she has spent the last 8 years working with companies Scott/Powell Performance, Seattle Mime Theatre, Maureen Whiting Company, Bryon Carr Performance (NYC), and with her own physical-theatre company, corpuscorpus movement association. Jessica has been slowly braising in the Yoga oven for the past 15 years. Jessica will be teaching Yoga for Actors at Freehold this fall. What did you do for your Summer Vacation? I had a choreographer's residency at White Oak Plantation in Yulee Florida. A rehabilitation refuge for endangered species, including artists! What did you do? At White Oak, I rehearsed for my next dance-theatre production, rode horses, kayaked with alligators, swam in St. Marys river (with more alligators), and ate loads of green food, and rehearsed some more ... in no particular order; routine defying! Where did you go? Located in the heart of swampland; Yulee, Florida. What was the highlight? Coming within fifteen feet of an alligator. And sharing work with the other choreographers, who were also like rare animals. What are you excited about this fall? Going to Berlin to perform and teach ... and then, starting October 24th, teaching yoga at Freehold, of course!     Freehold Faculty/Alum Shows and News   FREEHOLD FACULTY NEWS Geof Alm will be doing the fight direction for Twelfth Night at the Seattle Repertory Theatre www.seattlerep.org and in To Kill a Mockingbird at INTIMAN www.intiman.org. Daemond Arrindell Every Tues night at ToST in Fremont, The Seattle Poetry Slam hosts a spoken word extravaganza. Open Mic, featured poet and THE SLAM - a competitive poetry reading with equal focus placed on content, originality and performance and judges by random audience members. 8pm, $5 cover, 21 & over ID required go to www.poetryfestival.org Timothy Hyland will play the title role in The Life of Galileo by Bertolt Brecht for Strawberry Theatre Worshop at The Lee Center for the Arts, opening October 26 and running through November 18. For more information, go to www.strawshop.org. Tim is also directing The Santaland Diaries at Seattle Public Theatre, opening November 30 and running through December 24. He will also be appearing in The Neverending Story at Seattle Chldren's Theatre opening December 7 and running through January 29th. Timothy Piggee will be in The Mojo and the Sayso at ACT, August 31 through September 30th, www.acttheatre.org Annette Toutonghi will be in The Women at ACT running from October 5 through November 11. For more information, www.acttheatre.org FREEHOLD STUDENT/ALUM NEWS Philipp Aurand will be in Arthur Miller's Creation of the World and Other Business. For more information, go to www.prismaticeye.org. Tom Churchill has a new play Blue Virgins which was workshopped at Freehold last summer, and which, in a one-act shorter version, was one of three winners of the New Playwrights award. It opens at Whidbey Children's Theater/Martha Murphy Mainstage/ on Sept 14, six performances, two weekends, closing on the 23rd. www.whidbey.com/wct/. Ben Cournoyer will be performing in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead with Ghost Light Theatricals, opening Friday, November 2nd. For information, www.ghostlighttheatricals.org Vincent Delaney has an upcoming show entitled Sanctuary playing September 7-22, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 pm at the Lee Center for the Arts. Reservations: 206-296-2244. Zoe Fitzgerald and Meghan Arnette with Live Girls! Theater are producing A WORLD PREMIERE of Girls. Girls follows an idealistic painter as she attempts to help four disillusioned teens struggling to survive in the foster care system. Girls, premieres September 14th and runs through September 29, Thursday and Friday 8pm, and Saturday 4pm and 8pm. Tickets range from $7-$15 and are available at the door or in advance at brownpapertickets.com www.brownpapertickets.com or 800-838-3006. For more info visit www.livegirlstheater.org. Louise Penberthy is playing Iris in The Tempest with Auburn Regional Theater, opening Friday, September 21st, www.experience-art.org and playing Gertrude in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead with Ghost Light Theatricals, opening Friday, November 2nd, www.ghostlighttheatricals.org     Meisner Training in Practice by David Kubiczky   This past June I completed the 3-semester Meisner Progression taught at Freehold by Robin Lynn Smith. When I considered taking the class last fall, I was uncertain whether or not I would be able to dedicate as much time to the class as it would likely require. My main concern was that my job might require travel that would interfere with the class. I decided to talk with some other folks that had taken the class in previous years to get a sense of what they got out of it. One of these people said, very simply: "It made me an actor." It was this comment that solidified my decision to sign up. more ...         Freehold Theatre Guild   Freehold Theatre Guild The Theatre Guild is composed of a group of Freehold students and alumni who have shared in the unique Freehold experience. Freehold Theatre Guild's (FTG's) stated mission is "To help members of the Freehold Theatre Guild make the transition from student to active participant in the greater theater community". For those interested in joining Freehold's Theatre Guild, email Andy Tribolini at atribolini@hotmail.com with your desire to join. You will receive confirmation of membership by receiving notices about monthly meetings and activities in which you are strongly encouraged to participate. The Theatre Guild would love to have you be a part of the group!         Yahoo Your Way to Help Freehold Using www.goodsearch.com!   Here is a free, quick and painless way to contribute financially to Freehold! GoodSearch is a search engine (www.goodsearch.com) which donates 50-percent of its revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users. It's a simple and compelling concept. You use GoodSearch exactly as you would any other search engine. Because it's powered by Yahoo!, you get proven search results. The money GoodSearch donates to your cause comes from its advertisers - the users and the organizations do not spend a dime! To support Freehold, on the "Who do you search the web for?" type in Freehold and search away! Every time you do a search, money gets added to Freehold's account. Make "goodsearch.com" your home page and encourage your friends to do the same by going to: http://www.goodsearch.com/MakeHomepage.aspx. Thank you for your continued support!     About Freehold   A group of artists, who after years of professional work felt that the full potential of the theatrical event had yet to be realized, founded Freehold Theatre in the summer of 1991 when two prominent actor studios-the Pasqualini-Smith Studio (est. 1985) and the Mark Jenkins Actors' Workshop (est. 1985) joined forces. The founders, Robin Lynn Smith, Mark Jenkins and George Lewis, among others, are professional actors and directors whose credentials include recognized work on and off Broadway, as well as in major films, television, and regional theatre. They formulated the following mission: Freehold engages artists of all levels in training and experimentation so that they may become more innovative and heartfelt in generating theatre that has a lasting impact on the community we serve. As a center for the development and practice of theatre, Freehold Theatre is committed to art that embraces the full range of human experience and that inspires performers and audience to connect more deeply to themselves and to each other. We move toward this goal in four ways: Our Studio provides a place for actors, from inspired novices to working professionals, to train. Our Theatre Lab provides a forum for mature artists to research and develop new work and to re-interpret classics. Our Engaged Theatre Program reaches out to culturally under-served communities. Our rehearsal and performance facilities in the Oddfellows Bulding on Capitol Hill comprises of four rehearsal and performance studios, including a fully equipped 92-seat black box theatre. The facilities and equipment are available for rent at very reasonable rates. Here we strive to provide our artists with the tools necessary to make a deep and lasting impact on the community based on organic esthetics. Freehold has become an integral part of Seattle's thriving theatre community, having gained a reputation as the place for serious young artists to train and take the leap into performing and creating original work. In 2003 we developed an Engaged Theatre program in which we reach out to culturally under-served communities. The program comprises an annual tour to organizations that represent culturally under-served populations and a four-month residency at Washington Corrections Center for Women, in which the women create, rehearse and perform a theatre production. This year for the first time, George Lewis has developed a similar pilot program at the Monroe Correctional Center for Men. For more information about our programs and services see our website: www.freeholdtheatre.org.     What is the Freehold Forum?   The Freehold Forum E-Newsletter was born out of our desire to respond to requests from you, our Freehold community, to hear about the innovative and powerful work being done at Freehold Theatre by our incredibly talented and diverse faculty and alumni. The Forum will provide you with a wealth of information that will serve you in your work as an artist. The monthly Freehold Forum will include insightful interviews with talented actors, directors and playwrights, compelling articles on a wide array of topics to assist you in your artistic growth, cutting edge news on upcoming Freehold Faculty and alumni performances, highly newsworthy articles by Freehold's Theatre Guild and Freehold Calendar Highlights showcasing upcoming must-see Freehold Calendar events.     Become A Part of the Freehold Community!   Freehold is always looking for people interested in joining our team of committed and enthusiastic volunteers. Whether you have time, wisdom, strength, money, a desire to be involved in your community, or any combination thereof, we would love to have you join in our efforts. Here are some ways you can participate in our work at Freehold: Volunteer Opportunities Volunteers are highly treasured at Freehold!! We rely on and appreciate the invaluable and diverse skills our volunteers contribute which enable us to further our mission. We are currently seeking volunteers to help us with our administrative functions, staff performances and fundraising events!! If you have the desire to be part of a committed group of staff and other volunteers, please give us a call at 206-323-7499. Donations Freehold is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We rely on philanthropic donations from the community to help us continue to be a part of the theatre community and to keep the cost of our classes affordable. Donations may be sent to: Freehold Theatre, 1525 10th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122. back to top       Interview and Update with George Lewis What are you looking forward to as you return to teaching this fall? Always the nice thing about having a break from teaching is that, after I go away from it, I am able to come back with a fresh eye and a fresh sense of priorities. One of the things my heart surgery did - actually, even before I had it - was to help me to become more aware of the quality of heart and heartfulness. More and more I feel like it is the most important thing. If that quality of heartfulness is lacking in one's work and one's life, then one is not doing it right ... it doesn't have meaning. I've seen already teaching this summer how that has impacted my work in a positive way. I'm seeing how wonderfully students are showing up on that same level. I understand some changes are underway for your future. What are your plans? I talked to Robin in March about the fact that, while I continue to love and support Freehold and still feel like Freehold is my child, I am going to relinquish my partnership as of the end of December. My most immediate plan is to leave in early January and go to Buenos Aires. I was there for a short period of time two-and-a-half years ago, and was really taken with the city, and said to myself, "One day I'm going to live here." So I'm going to go down there, get a flat, live there for a few months and see what happens after that. I feel like there is another stage in my life I'm entering into, and I have no idea what it is. It's funny because Robin and I are always speaking to students about the importance of taking risks, of being willing to step into the unknown. So I thought it was time for me to do that on a bigger level myself. Of course, whenever I'm back in Seattle I will teach at Freehold. We'll see. What have you been most proud of during your tenure at Freehold? Some of the programs we do ... the work in the prisons has been wonderful, eye opening and heart opening. The Studio Series was my baby and I am really proud of its success and the effect it has had on the students in making that next step in their work. There are a number of productions I've worked on, some original and some scripted plays that I'm really proud of. I've grown so much as a director and a teacher. One of the most meaningful parts of this whole thing has been my partnership with Robin. It is a rare partnership and a deep friendship, collaborating and working and fighting and making each other laugh and cry together. And inspiring each other. Every time we run up against impossibility, somehow we have been able to spur each other on, and that has been a great privilege. Huge. The whole experience of working at Freehold has been nothing but a privilege. The opportunity to work with our students who are so inspired to take risks, to open themselves to discovering other possibilities in themselves and in the way they live in this world. That is not normally what happens in everyday life and it gives me courage to live more fully. For all this I have an enormous amount of gratitude. As a founding member, what has Freehold meant to you? I have so much more confidence. When I look back over 16 years and how much has changed for me, I feel like I don't have anything to lose anymore. It's very freeing ... now I do my work the way that I want to do it and live my life the way that I want to live it. There is something about trusting that things are going where they need to go. Now when I run into problems or challenges, I am more able to look at things from a larger perspective. I'm not saying that tomorrow I won't be completely freaked out, but I know that, whatever the cause, I'll get through it and maybe be even richer than before. What do you think about Freehold has made it and continues to make it such a desirable place to take classes? It's a heart driven organization. Here there is a tremendous emphasis on artistic rigor, but that rigor must be driven by the heart; it is not just about what we do but, but also with what we do it with, what we're willing to bring to the table. And with the quality of our effort in doing it. Robin and I used to say, still say, that we have to let "it" lead. back to top         Meisner Training Progression by David Kubickzy Needless to say, there are many things that are learned over the course of the entire progression - some more easily explained in a short narrative form, such as this, than others. One of the skills stressed in class, through repeated exercises, was how to make yourself available to your partner. In other words, training one's self to be aware of what's happening with your partner, and to be aware of how your partner's behavior is affecting you, and to respond truthfully to the impulses associated with those behaviors within the context of the scene. Fundamental principles perhaps, but essential and unfortunately it's often missing in live theatre. In class, the pursuit of this was relentless. After several months of Meisner, I was very eager to apply my training by auditioning for some plays. However, because class met on Thursday nights, it was not possible to audition for anything until class was over. And so, in the middle of spring, I began to audition for plays that were going up in the summer. I got a part in two plays this summer, one of which was a play called Lightning in a Bottle at Theatre Off Jackson. The play was staged by the West of Brooklyn theatre company and was written by Martin Pierce, who is also a member of the company. The story followed a group of Mariners fans (and some non-fans) as they experienced the highs and lows of the record-breaking 2001 season, which was tragically interrupted by the events of 9/11. Near the end of the second act, I was in a scene in which my partner is grieving over the loss of loved ones: "You get up that morning like any other morning and the next thing you know you're surrounded by such wreckage and terror that you'd jump from the 80th floor? Now the big decision is burn to death or jump 1,700 feet. How does that happen?" Pretty heavy stuff indeed. This moment was an emotional turning point in the play for my character, who was not a baseball fan, but suddenly longed for a meaningless distraction from what was happening in the world. With all of the training and practice from the Meisner class, it was quite impossible to do this scene without having a powerful reaction to that which was going on in with my partner (who also had Meisner training in NY). And every night there were sniffs from people in the audience who were also sharing in our grief. I recall being aware as the lights dropped to end the scene that this is what we strive for - to have the audience share in the experience. I hope that I'm able to have that experience again and again. For anyone that may be considering taking Meisner this year - do it. I can't say enough good things about this class and, in particular, Robin. It was an experience that was demanding in terms of time, effort, and emotion. But it was well worth it. And when it was all over, I experienced a bit of melancholy because I knew that I would no longer be meeting every week with such an incredible group of people, who, by committing themselves to the process, opened up their souls and touched me and everyone else over the past year. back to top