It’s hard to imagine that in two weeks I will no longer be a part of this amazing show or working so intimately with this creative and supportive cast.  This show holds a very special place in my heart and always will because it is about the love of a family and every night we get to reshape and tell this family’s story.  It also holds a special place because I get to be back in Boston, a city that throughout my four years at the Conservatory I grew to call my “home away from home.”  I feel very comfortable in this city and it’s been so awesome to have the opportunity to reconnect with those at school who have supported me so much in the past.

The show has definitely changed some shape throughout these past three weeks of performances and it’s always interesting and fun to compare audiences’ reactions to the show from night to night.  Some nights the show seems to almost ride this tidal wave of laughter whilst other nights the audience is much more subdued and sensitive to the issues that the four of us are dealing with onstage.  This is one of the things I like most about the play: Annie Baker does not tell the audience how to feel and she allows them many opportunities to form their own opinions about the characters and the situations at hand.  This has also taught me not to rely on any consistent audience reactions when performing the show, which really keeps me on my toes as an actor.  It has also been cool to share our backstage with the cast of Circle Mirror Transformation and to get to know some of their cast and hear about their process and how audiences are reacting to their show.  It is a very exciting festival to be a part of and I look forward to actually being able to see the other two shows this week!  I am also looking forward to two talkbacks that are happening after the show this Sunday as well as after next Saturday’s matinee.  We’ve already had one actor-audience talkback and it was awesome!  It was such a great chance to connect with the audience after the show and hear about what they thought as well as answer any questions that they had for us.  Honestly, I would love to do a talkback after every performance!  I think it is such a gift to hear an audience’s perspective firsthand and immediately following the show when everything is still fresh in their minds.  I would love for people to come participate in the talkbacks after these shows and share your experience of the play with the cast!  Thank you to everyone who has come to support SpeakEasy and this show and it has been an honor performing in Boston again.  I can’t wait for these next two weeks of shows!  See you at the theater!

So here we are, only ONE more week left of Circle Mirror Transformation. I have to admit, I am already feeling a bit blue! This experience has been incredibly special to me for so many reasons, and I keep learning something new (about the play, or about myself, or about the art of making theatre) with each performance we do.  I will miss the routine of going to the theatre each night and of seeing my fellow cast-mates and crew members.  But as this play so beautifully reminds us: Life is a circle. Things come and things go. Here’s to a celebratory and exciting last week of the run! And to the hope that theatre will bring us another opportunity to work together again!

With only one week to go, I find myself reflecting on all the things I love about doing this show . . .

One of my favorite onstage moments in this play is when we are all onstage playing the game “Circle Mirror Transformation.” This is the only part of the play that is unscripted. In other words, we play the game every night for real, and it is totally improvised and new each time. The spontaneity of this game is so exciting and refreshing! I look forward to it every night.

The other moment that I love is when we play the “secrets” game. I love this part because, every time, without fail, I can FEEL the audience listening. You can hear a pin drop in there; that is how quiet and tense the air is as the audience leans forward to hear the hidden parts of these characters and try to piece it all together. Which secret belongs to each character? There is, of course, an answer that we are all playing and that we have confirmed with Annie in rehearsals, but nowhere in the play is it explicitly spelled out.  As a result, there are a few different scenarios that technically can work. There are a few theories floating around…what is yours?

My final favorite moment is when Lauren transforms at the end.  Getting to change in the span of a minute’s time is so theatrical and so much fun for an actor. I get to “grow up” onstage every night. Performing this play has been a great reminder to me about the capability for change, the impermanence of everything, the magnitude of the ordinary. The play encourages me to pay attention every day, to be present, and to be open to the possibility that anything can happen, or change, in an instant.

Now that you know what some of my favorite moments are, I’m wondering: Do any readers have a favorite scene or moment? Was there a strong idea that you were left with after seeing the show?

— Marie Polizzano

Hi there! This is Marie writing again to update you on our status with Circle Mirror Transformation. We opened on Wednesday night, and from the moment I stepped into the theatre that day, there was an exciting buzz in the air.   Because we made a lot of progress throughout our rehearsals and preview performances in the days preceding, I think we all felt ready and eager to finally open!

The audiences on opening nights at the Huntington have a reputation for being vibrant, joyful, and very generous, and I have to say that our opening house was no exception.  They were generous with their laughter, and when they were not laughing we could feel them listening to our every word.  It is amazing what an audience’s energy can do to our performance, and all of their positive and attentive energy was certainly felt by us and thus impacted our performance in a great way.  I had so much fun onstage that night.  And I continue to!  I feel so lucky to be a part of such an incredibly powerful, delicate, beautiful show with such rich characters and an amazing cast and crew.  And I am so thrilled that I get to keep going to the theatre for the next 3 and a half weeks to tell this story to varying audiences.

Something that I love about this show is that there are many different audience reactions. I’ve had some people comment on how funny it is, but just last night as I was exiting the theatre, two women from the audience approached me and spoke of the tenderness and sadness that is also very present in the play. After the women stopped me to congratulate me on the performance, I thanked them and asked them what they thought. One woman said,“I loved the show and was very moved by it.  But I don’t understand why people are calling it a comedy. Everyone was laughing, but what struck me was the sadness in all the characters.”  I think this is fascinating and I think that both humor and sadness are very alive within this play. There is a lot of lightness, but each character is struggling with something and the play gives us a very real glimpse of their vulnerability as well.

I am eager to hear more audience responses, so come see it and let us know what you think!

Rehearsals are well on their way and every day is a whole new learning experience.  Today was exceptionally eye-opening as our awesome Stage Manager (Victoria Coady) and I made a trip over to the Asperger’s Association of New England where we were graciously given the opportunity to meet and talk with some men around my age who have been diagnosed with Aspergers.   This opportunity was generously offered to SpeakEasy by Dania Jekel.  They were all really great guys and I am so lucky to have had this resource and to hear first-hand what it is like to live a life with Aspergers!  I talked with eight guys about what it was like to grow up with AS, the process that they each went through as they were being diagnosed, how life pre-diagnosis differed from post-diagnosis, the frustrations that they face day to day as well as their individual, specific strengths.  Much like Jared’s autodidactic knowledge of the origins and histories of words, each person I got the chance to talk to had one very personalized strength or all-encompassing knowledge of a very specific subject of interest.  One of the guys quoted Stephen Shore (author of Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Aspergers Syndrome) saying: “If you’ve met one person with [Aspergers] — you’ve met one person with [Aspergers].”  One point that they were all very adamant about me understanding was that no two people with Aspergers are ever the same and that the symptoms can manifest themselves in a wide variety of ways, differing from case to case.  What I found the most beneficial as an actor developing a character with Aspergers was hearing their various thought processes when they have to face overwhelming situations and how they have had to teach themselves how to handle certain adversities.  It was also fascinating to just observe their physicality and how they communicated within the group setting.  Taking stock of what I observed this evening at AANE has now given me some ideas of what to draw upon when playing Jared and I can not thank these eight guys and Dania enough for being so accommodating and generous of not only their time, but of their stories and experiences.

As we begin our final weekend of rehearsals before we go into Tech rehearsals next week, the 4 of us in the cast along with Paul Daigneault (our fantastic Director) have developed a rehearsal mantra: “Connection rather than catharsis!”  All of the characters in Body Awareness are desperately searching for ways to connect with the other characters.  From an acting standpoint, it is so important for us to flesh out why and how we are trying to connect with each other in order to specify our actions onstage and thus staying away from the trap of being cathartic with what Annie Baker has given us.  I love the show and the part more and more everyday. The challenges that we face with this show are being bravely tackled by the cast as an ensemble, working together to bring this story to life!

— Gregory Pember

Gregory Pember (Jared) is thrilled and honored to be making his SpeakEasy debut.  A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Gregory recently graduated from The Boston Conservatory with a BFA in Musical Theatre.  At TBC, Gregory played such roles as Romeo (Romeo & Juliet), Young Ben (Follies), John Wilkes Booth (Assassins) and Mark (Rent, the latter under the direction of Paul Daigneault.  Other professional credits include Rolf (The Sound of Music), Will Parker (Oklahoma!), Man 1 (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change) and Jack (Into the Woods).  Thanks to Mom, Dad and Bob for their unconditional love and support, and to Paul Daigneault for his guidance and this amazing opportunity.

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