PURE Theatre rehearsing Circle Mirror Transformation at Robert Lange Studios

Special Thanks to Robert Lange Studios for the rehearsal space to kick off Season 8: Nomads & Fools “at” PURE Theatre! That’s a webcam shot of our rehearsal. Join us September 3 at Charleston Ballet Theatre for the opening!

Dates

Sept 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18

NEW PERFORMANCE SPACE!

Charleston Ballet Theatre @ 477 King Street

Times

7:30 evenings; 2:00 PM Matinee, Sunday Sept 12th

Synopsis

Circle Mirror Transformation follows five small town Vermonters as they take a community acting class, each with their own expectations. They soon learn more about each other and themselves than they bargained for. Circle Mirror Transformationpremiered at Playwrights Horizons in New York in October 2009 for a scheduled month long run. Due to its enormous popularity and critical acclaim (The New York Times called it “absorbing, unblinking and sharply funny”), it was extended several times and ran through January 2010.

Cast

The cast includes PURE veterans Pam Galle (Sheep’s Clothing), Sullivan Graci Hamilton (Ginger, Speech and Debate), Randy Neale (Yankee Tavern, The Seafarer), Carri Schwab (Ginger), and Paul Whitty (Sheep’s Clothing, Hogs, Faith Hope & Charity)

Awards and Nominations for the Play

OBIE Awards: Best New American Play to Annie Baker, Circle Mirror Transformation and The Aliens

New York Drama Critics Circle: Emerging Talent Special Citation to Annie Baker for Circle Mirror Transformation and The Aliens

Drama Desk Award nomination: Outstanding Play to Annie Baker, Circle Mirror Transformation

R.W. Smith

As a member of PURE, I have had the opportunity to not only grow as an artist, but expand my skills along the way. All of us in the core take on different duties, whatever it takes to get the show done. Personally, I’ve worked as an actor, director, producer, front of house, company manager, writer and general morale booster. Every one of the core members and extended PURE family has done the same in some form or fashion. It’s how you produce theatre. Everyone takes on the roles that are necessary to get the job done. It reminds me of when Uta Hagen talked about the roles we play in life: teacher-student, spouse-spouse, parent-child, employer-employee, etc. We take on these roles in our daily lives; playing each role with its appropriate status, relationship, and history.

Working on Low Country Boil has reminded me of these roles and how embracing them is the only way art can be made. So many shows at PURE have been directed by one core member while other core members have worked on their vision. We each demand so much of each other artistically, but when it comes time to defer to the person in charge, that respect is given without question. We each wear our hat and play our role.

Right now I’m wearing three hats. Writer/director/actor. To be honest: too many hats. If I had my druthers, I would not be in the play, but (**Warning!!!! , Low Country Boil spoiler****) I stupidly brought my character back to life from the first one. I say stupidly more because I’m in the middle of juggling the hats and not because it is a plot point I’m uncomfortable with. But here I am looking at a piece through the eyes of a director, a writer and an actor, and each has an opinion, sometimes very different from the other; and the ensuing battle can be quite nasty. Mind you, the whole thing transpires in my head. A nightly fight club taking place in my cerebral cortex like a scene from Being John Malkovich. But in the end, I have to defer to the director. The responsibility rests with him/me.

My actor/me needs to focus on breaking down scenes, beat-to-beat, objective-obstacle-action, motivations, super-objectives, being in the moment, listening, character development, etc.

My writer needs to let the director tell his/my story the best way it can be done.

As I head down to rehearsal today, with all my hats in my bag, I know that I’ve got the talent around me to produce a great show. I’ve got a wonderful cast and an amazing theatre company supporting me. So all I have to do is make sure I’m wearing the right hat.

Happy Week Before The Holidays! We have a new online calendar interface and online box office with OvationTix. Check it out to reserve your tickets for PURE’s 2009 holiday show, the modern classic It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, adapted by Joe Landry and directed by Mark Landis (The Seafarer, Man from Nebraska). The wholesome cast includes Rodney Lee Rogers, Paul Garbarini, Nat Jones, Susan Katwinkel, and Jan Gilbert. All shows at Upper Lance Hall, 150 Meeting Street.

November 27–December 20

Phone Reservations & Info
843.723.4444

Tickets can also be purchased the night of the show at the PURE Theatre Box Office at 150 Meeting Street, on the grounds of Circular Congregational Church, subject to availability. Seating is limited, and advance ticket purchases are strongly encouraged.

Wednesdays $20
Thursdays & Sundays $25
Fridays & Saturdays $30
Student Rush $15 any performance with valid ID

Special Events

Bring Your Own Baby performance on Sunday, December 20 at 2:00 p.m. BYOBaby is a unique opportunity for parents of young children to enjoy professional theatre without incurring the cost of childcare, which is provided free of charge and staffed by childcare professionals from Circular Congregational Church in the downstairs nursery.

PURE Theatre is proud to welcome the V Tones(Charleston’s only ukulele hot club jug band vaudeville ragtime neo-retro-postpostmodern beachfront quasi-primitime anachronistic revolutionary anti-inflammatory mass catharsis jazz freakout and philharmonic group therapy session) as the preshow to some of our performances. Opening night we will have a solo performance by V Tones frontman Noodle McDoodle. A portion of the proceeds from our December 3 performance will be donated to Lowcountry Local First in support of their Buy Local Be Local Week, and have live music by the V Tones.

“There is much that can be said about PURE Theatre’s ongoing success, but this is perhaps most important: They care deeply about what they do and it shows.”
—Charleston City Paper

“The fascinating thing is that this story touches something so important in all of us, that even though we are playing it with this very amusing convention of five actors playing all of the characters and doing all the sound effects, it still remains a deeply heartwarming story.”
—Director Mark Landis

PURE Theatre participated in a national, one-night-only reading of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, the compelling and groundbreaking epilogue to the play The Laramie Project, which was written in response to the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard. The epilogue, by Tectonic Theatre Project members Moisés Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski, Greg Pierotti, Andy Paris and Stephan Belber, was performed simultaneously in theatres across the globe on Monday, October 12. More here and here.