Hanna Satterlee, Flynn N.A.S.A. Grant Recipient - Blog #6

Friday & Saturday, November 13 & 14 - "Each week I find we have been coming back to the same not-so-unison unison dances. For the past few weeks, I was grinding myself into the ground going over counts and details, becoming frustrated and visually confused with the project. Mike has been an incredible companion to have in the studio, as he is able to speak clearly when my brain is not thinking realistically. Perhaps unison is not the answer for this group."

"Mike helped me to realize that with our limited time frame, it is not a good idea to try to create an evening of unison movement with a group that right now is nowhere near unison in style and rhythm. Mike helped to direct the ladies trio (Andrea, Julie, and Lucille) using known choreographic tools, to give the movement some meaning and the dancers more of a relationship to each other. Breaking up the unison was something none of us really wanted to do, so thank goodness Mike stepped in to help direct."

"We all agreed that getting phrase work into a ‘dance piece’ form is often the hardest part of choreographing. Since right now there is little to resemble a skeleton behind the bits of work, meaning there is no notable theme or idea that ties all the bits together, it has been near to impossible for me to get excited over creating a piece of ‘work.’ I have been struggling to feel an urge to direct my movement into ‘dances,’ wanting rather to keep creating movement for movement’s sake. I am starting to realize though that the tidbits can be intriguing if they have a clear connector. Now is the time to figure out that missing link, and start piecing together what already exists."

"I started on Saturday with new ladies Bridget, Erin, Lida and Caroline. It had been about a month and a half since I had seen them dance at the audition. On the drive up to rehearsal my brain clicked into reality, and told me to play easy. We started the rehearsal by plugging into our calendars, which (scheduling) has unfortunately played an enormous role in this project. I began creating phrase work using a five-meter, and asked the dancers to follow my rhythm, direction and level in space, but encouraged them to make up their own details. I think this was a successful way to introduce the group to each other, and a good way to create unison movement that encouraged personal style."

"We then spent a full hour, from 10:25 am till 11:25 am each creating a solo. We had the music, floor and space for our similar inspiration, but I gave free reign for creation. I imagined seeing all five solos set to the same song. It was crazy to see how different five minds and bodies work. Perhaps these solos can act as the missing link to connect the other phrase work into one stream of an idea."

"I am eager for more solid time together, when people don’t have to leave in the middle of rehearsal for class, when I am not exhausted, when other things aren’t dominating all of our minds. I imagine the final push before the showing is about to occur, when dancers know they are going to present themselves, a new work ethic seems to arrive. I am less interested in standing as the lead director, and more interested in seeing how we as a group can pull it all together."


Next rehearsals:

Thursday, November 19 from 6 to 9pm (Hoehl Studio, 3rd floor)

Friday, November 20 from 10 am to 2:30 pm (Chase Studio, 1st floor)

Hanna Satterlee, Flynn N.A.S.A. Grant Recipient - Blog #5

Thursday & Friday, November 5 & 6 - "Coming back to this blog after rehearsing is never an easy thing. The stream of consciousness is a friend of writing, but they are not the same."

"Nevertheless, I can recap the highlights . . ."

"Thursday’s rehearsal gave me a chance to see the three women alone: Lucille, Andrea, and Julie. They are three extraordinarily different movers, so unison movement for them was a hard thing to watch. The movement seemed disorganized and spastic for the sole reason that their executions were so extremely different. Not a bad thing, at all, just again another project to fix and form differently. Too bad that list just keeps growing."

"I was very thankful for the relaxed time we had on Thursday, for I got to hear both Julie and Lucille’s relationship to dance in Vermont. I was finding myself very disappointed with the dance scene here (due to trying to take my first ‘professional’ dance class here in VT, but only got to sit on the floor and listen to the ‘professional' talk about himself). Trying to stay positive about it, but am feeling a bit under-inspired (and to be honest angry too). I told Lucille and Julie about my frustration, read to them my original project proposal, and asked them bluntly, how they can feel satisfied with the dance scene here in Vermont. Both stories were shocking in their own way, and helped me to see the bigger picture of whom I was working with. At the same time however, it helped me to realize that I still want (and need) a bigger, more challenging, more diverse, more mature, and more happening dance scene to feel happy. At the beginning of the project I asked, can I live happily in Vermont as a dancer? Lately, the answer to this question is ‘No.’"

"Although I have been wishing to get in my car and drive back to San Francisco, this grant will not allow me to stop researching this question, as I am only about halfway through the project. I instead have been trying to focus on where I am, and who and what surrounds me here in Vermont. It is not as full of dance as I had wished, but it is full of other things. The challenge is finding reason and interest to bring the outside world into the studio."

"Friday was a good refresher for the group, as everyone met together (Mike, Julie, Andrea, Lucille, and I). We were able to review all of the segments we have created, and clarify directions and spacing. A lot of the unison work needs more clarity in the group, and I have to challenge myself to break away from using only unison phrasework. The dancers are so patient with me, it is truly a gift. I would like to highlight each one individually, as they are so unique. Next week I am starting a new chapter to this project, by starting with an entirely new group of dancers. Bridget, Erin, Lida and Caroline. They are all very pleasing to the eye and shape, with symmetry, flexibility, and range. It will be fun."

Rehearsals for next week:

Friday, November 13: 11 am to 3 pm; Mike, Lucille, Julie, Andrea (Chase studio, floor 1)

Saturday, November 14: 9 am to 1 pm; Erin, Bridget, Lida, Caroline (Hoehl studio, floor 3)

Hanna Satterlee, Flynn N.A.S.A. Grant Recipient - Blog #4

Sunday, November 1 - "I am happy it is November, for nothing more than false hope of a new beginning. October as a whole felt like WORK; I am hoping November will prove a time to put the pieces together and see some results."

"The October 30 rehearsal took a lot of energy, and by the end left me feeling overwhelmed. Luckily, the beginning was a blast. Mike and I started rocking out to Ron Jeremy (background music used during his years as a porn star) and I just kept adding new movement material, unsure where it was coming from. Mike sets a good pace for me, as he requests detailed instructions to movement that I, if left alone, would just assume I would remember later. Yet he is also completely willing to keep going without a slight pause."

"Julie came early to give feedback for Mike and I. She recommended we find a way to connect physically sooner in the phrase work, so that the lift mid-dance wouldn’t seem so out of place. (Yes, he literally flings me on his shoulder and carries me from one side of the room to the other in the middle of a bunch of unison dancing . . . I knew we would have to work on it.) Feedback from others almost always challenges your own ideas in an arduous way—as good as it was to have, I bit my lip at the thought of actually creating it. Mike and I had been doing a ton of unison, so incorporating a more obvious connection is a definite need-to-do."

"When in the studio, I find that I want to just keep making material, whether or not it makes sense, just to have a bulk of work to prove the style of this group. I am wondering, which will ultimately feel more satisfying: a bulk of work? Or short, clarified, sensible phrases? For this project, I am leaning toward the bulk of work goal, since the grant is geared toward helping the beginning of an artist’s project."

"Julie, Andrea, Mike, and I continued into the second hour reworking the diagonal improvisation pass we had set last week, although it wasn’t as easy to come back to as I had assumed. The individual movement assignments were present, but a bit foggy. I wonder what is a good way to keep the ideas fresh? Assign movement homework?"

"We also reviewed in depth some group phrase work, thanks to Julie speaking up. My brain gets awfully full in the studio, so it was nice to have her voice of reason."

"The third hour arrived with Lucille, proving that I was a bit ‘behind’ my intended goals for the rehearsal. When considering Lucille, I must admit, I was unsure of how to bring her into a group that had already worked for weeks together. My mind fluttered to ideas of a solo for her? Drop everything and start fresh with the four of them? I couldn’t do either, since Mike, Julie, Andrea, and I had already gotten pretty far into our previous creations. I had to keep going with what we were already in the middle of. Lucille was totally up to just join in, so I tried to be up for it too, although I could barely wrap my head around it. She was brave and joined upon cue, but I left feeling unsatisfied."

"I had spent too much time on counts, not enough on the new dynamic of the group. What is a good way to start once you add in a new member?"

"Before the hours ended, the five of us put all of the phrases together (in the order they were created), and ran through all the different sections of movement as if they were one long drawn out idea. It took ten minutes. Ten minutes for over a month’s amount of work! The ratio of work to product is always so amazing."

"I decided for next week to try a rehearsal with just women, as a way to more smoothly incorporate Lucille, and will work on a trio with Julie, Lucille and Andrea. I have a few Saturdays coming up with a trio of different women, so I think I am going to give out my same ideas twice, to the two different groups, and see how drastically (or not) they compare at the end."

Experiment.
Slow down.
Clarify.
Small projects with the goal of creating lots of new phrase work for a bulk of material.

Please feel free to watch, comment, join, and enjoy the rehearsals!

Thursday, November 5 from 11 to 3 pm
and Friday, November 6 from 11 to 2 pm
Chase Studio, Flynn Center, 153 Main St., Burlington

Hanna Satterlee, Flynn N.A.S.A. Grant Recipient - Blog #3

Friday, October 23 - "I am beginning to clarify my purpose of this project. I was recently reminded by the Flynn directors that my time in the studio is not 'rehearsal' time. We are not supposed to think of the final result, nor should we be preparing for a big show. The grant is intended to provide time to answer questions through movement, to process creative ideas and themes, to mix talent, and experiment. I am used to treating studio time as work time, as I enjoy drilling phrases until they are crisp and clear, leaving with a satisfying sense of completion in some form."

"This grant is a challenge for me, asking me to focus on subtler details, honing in on creating a comprehensive 'style' that we as a group have created. Even though we will ultimately present our work in a showing, my purpose of this project is to create movement experiments without attachment to the results."

"To keep myself entertained, I have been focusing on details of joint rotation, placement of limbs, and articulation of fingers and toes. Small concepts, but when they’re paid attention to, it creates a big difference in clarity and style of a group."

"I started this rehearsal with Mike, wondering if we could be a set of movement twins. We are both large movers, tall and with a demanding presence. We cut and pasted the phrase from the audition, and it felt good to do it standing side by side. Since I am moving not watching, I am interested to hear what details we can focus on to bring our styles closer together."

"Andrea and Julie then arrived, and we began as a group by referring back to the diagonal pass theme we had worked on last week. This week instead of setting all steps and counts, we sourced their old phrases in an improvisational score. I gave different directions to each dancer—Andrea focusing on horizontal movement in arms; Julie focusing in spine initiation to move through space; Mike growing from the floor up to a stand, elbows helping the lift. All three instructions were layered on top of a general movement image—inwardly-rotated shoulders, sickled feet, with the two sides of the body wrapping around the core line."

"When you have smart movers, random ideas like this can turn into beautiful images. All three wowed me, again, with their willingness to try, and mix of contemplative mind-work with ease in body movement."

"After a show I saw this summer, created largely on the theme of improvising with initiations of the spine, I spoke with one of the dancers about the process and learned that they repeated the same idea every time they met (almost without any discussion) until it became more comfortable for each dancer and they were able to define their understanding of the concept. I think the score we created at this rehearsal would be an interesting one to come back to every week."

"Mike, Julie, and I continued into the rehearsal after Andrea left, reviewing the floor phrase we created together last week. It took most of our attention to remember the nuances, leaving little time to add on. We moved into the standing phrase between Mike and Julie, which is when I began to feel stuck. I tried repeating the phrases four times, making a minimal sequence change for every directional shift (front, left, back, right). I am unsure of my interest in this standing phrase, though I don't feel ready to throw it out. My dancers, so far, always comply, though I should have made more time to hear their feedback."

"I will be adding Lucille next week, the oldest dancer from the audition, who came with stunning poise but reluctance toward pop music and fast floor work. I plan to weave her into Julie and Mike’s standing phrase, and will try to focus on who they are as people for movement."

"Personality is important, perhaps something I should further study in all of my dancers."

"Also, what more can I tell them about what I am thinking? I've always hated feeling like an uniformed dancer, so in my switch to choreographer role I must remember their side of the experiment."

Please feel free to watch, comment, join, and enjoy the rehearsals!

The next open rehearsal is Friday, October 30 from 11 am to 2 pm in Chase Studio at the Flynn Center.

Flynn N.A.S.A. Grant Recipient Hanna Satterlee - Blog Entry #2

Friday, October 16 - "I started last week with three technically strong dancers: Mike, an ex-Jazzercise instructor; Andrea, a UVM dance student; and Julie, a yoga teacher and dancer in Burlington. They brought me a great sense of relief and excitement. I sensed that they were as hungry for the work as I was, which, as a choreographer, is a very privileged feeling."

"Andrea, Mike, and I started with a directional focus: a diagonal pass, which is a proven strong line of direction on a stage. We used fists to confirm a straight wrist aesthetic, and each developed unimportant counts of eight—unimportant because I want to focus on timing and overlapping, rather than cool movement. We need to even out the awkward space between Andrea’s height and Mike’s. I would like them to weave in and out of each other more fluidly. Of course it was the first day, but they are opposite sizes, so it could be a challenge."

"Mike, Julie, and I created a short standing phrase focusing on rhythm and dropping movements into the next. Mike is much more staccato and firm; Julie, smooth and circular. An interesting contrast, but it needs attention. We ended with a floor phrase, increasing our heart rates and shifting horizontally through space. We also did a lot of splicing movement phrases together, which we need to do more of—small pieces, repetition, breaks in between watchable dancing."

"I work by making small pieces and putting them together. Usually, what happens in the moment stays unless our gut instinct immediately throws an idea out. I have warned my group that we will create based on what happens when it happens, and whose body remembers what. The speed at which we worked was phenomenal; I was able to give movement assignments, and piece each person’s version together within minutes. All three dancers seemed comfortable with starting right in. I’m glad not to waste time."

"I am also intrigued by the idea of twin dancing: similar looking people, not relatives."

"Characteristics, attributes, style, stamina, and stance. And I am slightly obsessed with back-up dancer movement (think of a glorified step-touch). I’m hoping these ideas will be how I bring in the other chosen dancers. I envision creating a medley of music and dances, the challenge being what thread can tie it all together."

"I also need to find a proficient music editor/maker/DJ?"

"I have to keep reminding myself to stay put. Don’t focus so hard that I can’t see straight, but just STAY PUT."

Next open rehearsal is Friday, October 23 from 11am to 2 pm in Chase Studio at the Flynn Center. Please come!

Montpelier Dancer Hanna Satterlee Receives Flynn N.A.S.A. Grant

Montpelier native and dancer Hanna Satterlee is the newest recipient of the Flynn’s N.A.S.A. Grant Award. The San Francisco resident is an accomplished dancer and choreographer (as well as yoga teacher) whose previous experience includes work with Kelly Kemp, Laura Arrington Dance Company, and the All Purpose Dance Company. Satterlee’s recent return to Vermont has prompted her to explore her roots and connect with dancers in the region. The N.A.S.A Grant will create an atmosphere of collaboration between established Vermont dancers and Satterlee, who will investigate how the culture of the Green Mountain State people, nature, speed, liberalism, health, sound, trade, and effort influences movement.

Hanna is contributing weekly blog entries to provide a look into how her work is progessing.

Tuesday, October 13 - "I suppose it has been a month now, since the initial meeting about the content and expectations that come with the Flynn’s N.A.S.A. grant. A month seems like a lengthy enough time to prove I have a solid start, but I can only confess to having started an experiment."

"When I was given my keys to the Flynn, I spent the first two weeks eager and happy to lock myself in the studio and create dances for myself. Not thinking of a larger picture, I simply used the time to familiarize myself with the space, my feet with the floor, and my movement with sound. Music, I quickly realized, would be a key companion."

"Two weeks after this free-form (perhaps self-indulgent) solo dancing, it was time to host an audition. I had tried my hardest to get the word out about it—I emailed friends of friends, searched Vermont University dance programs for contacts, posted fliers, sent news blasts, and posted on craigslist, all hoping to have a large number of prospects to meet."

"I had said I wanted 10 people for the project, originally liking the idea of starting with one, and adding a dancer per week for the ten week duration. Exactly 10 people came to the audition."

"I left that evening happy for the experience, but secretly devastated that at least 30 people hadn’t shown up. In a city, I figured, the room would be crowded. Friends reminded me that one audition is not enough to see the scope of who is in the state. But after so many publicity efforts, I was drained at the thought of finding more options. I immediately wondered what I was doing, and how it was going to work."

"My original quest for this project was to find the hidden pocket of dancers in Vermont, take them in as they are, with how they have trained, and what they can creatively produce, and see what type of work we could make together. After letting the audition experience settle for a few days, I eventually felt satisfied to realize that even if the pocket here is small, there is experience and effort and range to choose from."

"Because of chaotic scheduling, I decided to forget about the number 10 and start with the strongest dancers to create a bulk of movement. I have several dancers from the audition who have agreed to join in November and December, and a few artistic friends intrigued and curious about collaborating in some form later in the process as well."

The next rehearsal is Friday, October 16 from 11:30 am to 2 pm. The public is welcome to attend any portion of my process.

Flynn Garden Tour in the Islands Breaks All Records

by Gina Haddock, Development Director

The number 13 must be our lucky number. The Flynn’s 13th annual garden tour took place in the Champlain Islands on Sunday, July 19, on one of the few sunny days this summer. Over 450 people traveled from around the state and update New York to attend our tour. The gorgeous array of gardens coupled with the lake views made for an enchanting day.

Seven Island gardeners opened their spectacular gardens to an appreciative crowd. A special thank you goes to Laurie Fleming and Tom Wilson, Troy and Janet Wert, Barbara and David Capen, Sally Coppersmith and Jack Sartore, Dave and Jan DeSarno, Ann Baldau Teah and Ingrid Rich. In addition, Pamela Laurence and Barry Dimson from Colchester presented the stunning “gateway to the islands” garden.

At day’s end hundreds of tour goers gathered at Snow Farm Vineyard for a lovely tea catered and served by our friends at Gardener’s Supply Company. Snow Farm owner, Harrison Lebowitz, provided a wonderful gathering site as well as an informative tour of the Vineyard.

The Flynn Garden Tour is a benefit to support our work with school children. This year’s tour raised over $23,000 and was generously sponsored by Gardener’s Supply Company and Enman and Associates.

Margot Lasher on "Attunement"

David Klein and Naomi Flanders

Newton Baker, Soren Pfeffer, David Klein, and Naomi Flanders

Monday, August 10 - "This is the week before the performance, and I actually think we are going to pull this together.

"These photos are from the dog trainer scene which we worked on endlessly. In one photo Dog meets Attack Dog (Soren Pfeffer) and the Trainer (Newton Baker) is screaming at Human to put her dog on a leash. But the two dogs know that they are fine together – it’s just the humans who don’t know what is happening. So, in the other photo, Dog turns to Human and tells her—non-verbally—that everything is ok. You can imagine the difficulties in this scene: a lot of action and a lot of non-verbal communication. The blue dog on David’s t-shirt is Beanie. David does wonderful sculptures of this blue dog, which you can see at http://www.beaniethesingingdog.com/.

"I’ve learned a huge amount about performance and directing from Irene Facciolo, David Klein, and Naomi Flanders. I understand much more about how a play gets onto the stage. They’ve been great in many ways. And Newton, Soren, and Kristin (who plays an old woman in one scene), who are not actors, have given insights that have been really important in the development of the whole.

"Our work reaffirmed something I already knew, that the quality of energy among the cast is crucial, and that is the most important element in this play too. At the foundation is the close, deep connection between dog and human. Without that, the play is dead.

"In the play, the human is a human and the dog is a dog, and the tension between their world views goes throughout the play: the dramatic tension is based upon their difference. But the amazing thing, for the play and for our real lives with our dogs, is the flow of energy between them, the attunement to each other that connects them. In the sense that they are tuned into each other, and want to understand each other, they are connected and they are the same.

"Without the N.A.S.A. grant and the support of everyone at Flynn Center, I would not have learned any of this stuff about the process of performance. And I think Irene and the actors have learned a lot too. I have my own blog about the relationship between dogs and humans, and I’d love to have any comments, positive and negative, about the play. You can find my blog at www.dogpureawareness.com."

N.A.S.A Grant Awardee Margot Lasher on "Calming Energy"

Naomi Flanders and Shiro

Monday, July 20 - "We have taken a short break because everyone in the cast (except me, and maybe Newton) is intensely directing/performing. Naomi Flanders is directing Pirates of Penzance which opens in Plainfield this weekend, and Irene is in the Pirates cast. David Klein is performing in A Little Hotel on the Side at Unadilla. I went last weekend and, for those of you who know old comedians, he reminded me of Sid Caesar on the early television program Your Show of Shows. Hotel is a farce, and David has the same amazing frantic energy, at the boundary between funny and frightening. Or laughter and hysteria. In one scene, in which he almost has a heart attack, I forgot it was a play and started worrying about him.

"There is good research that now shows that dogs are very healthy for people. Being with a calm dog lowers one’s blood pressure. In stressful situations, being with a dog is more beneficial than being with another person. In the photo above, I love the look on Naomi’s face as she relaxes with Shiro."

N.A.S.A. Grant Awardee Margot Lasher: "Ghost in the Window"

David Klein & Shiro

Tuesday, July 7 - "This is one of my favorite photos, taken by Irene Facciolo. David Klein (Dog) is saying some line, and Shiro is at the window looking in. It is as if Shiro is feeding David his lines, or at another level, David is getting his understanding of ‘dogness’ from Shiro.

"Dogs are always going in and out of the house. Outside are the deer, the coyotes, the birds, and the living food. Inside are the humans, the pack, and the dead food. Dogs live in two realities, and the window is the boundary.

"When working we use only a small part of the space, the size of the raised platform in FlynnSpace. Charlie and Shiro wander around the rest of the space freely. Now that they’re used to the human sounds and motions, they ignore us and sleep a lot. In the play, David often gets down on the floor, sometimes sitting and sometimes lying down. When he sits Charlie ignores him, but the instant he lies down Charlie goes over to make sure he is okay.

"There is a scene is which Naomi Flanders (the Human) loses sight of David, and she calls loudly ‘Dog, Dog’ (everyone knows the content of this scene, in which your dog wanders off and you are afraid she is lost, stolen, or run over). In this scene Charlie and Shiro, no matter where they are, come running to see why she is calling them, and more importantly, why she is projecting fear.

"In this next photo, Naomi has picked up Shiro’s leash for the dogtrainer scene, and Shiro ties to grab it. This is unusual—Shiro doesn’t normally interrupt the rehearsal. Charlie was not with us that day and I think Shiro was nervous being in the studio without him. When Naomi got his leash, Shiro decided it was time to leave and go home."

David Klein, Naomi Flanders, Shiro

N.A.S.A Grant Awardee Margot Lasher on "The Stranger"

Newton Baker, David Klein & Naomi Flanders

Newton Baker, Naomi Flanders & David Klein

Monday, June 22 - "In Act III, a Stranger enters the play. In the first photo you can see the Human looking at the Stranger anxiously. In the next, Dog cowers at the Stranger’s feet. We had an interesting discussion—is the dog, who is brave and wise until now, suddenly neurotic in his fear of the stranger? Or is the stranger a real danger? Is that rhyme symbolic? The interpretation is up to you.

"Those of us who live with dogs know that sometimes they have humorous fears. We have a dairy farm near us, and for the first time in years the farmer has brought the cows to the pasture right next to the house. In the middle of the night Shiro, forgetting that they are cows, wakes up and barks at them. On summer evenings, before he gets used to them, he barks at the fireflies who look suspiciously like blinking animal eyes.

"However, dogs often sense real danger way ahead of us and save us from disaster. They smell and otherwise sense the menacing presence of a predator, human and non-human. They do not hide from their fear. In this situation, they are brave and wise."

N.A.S.A. Grant Awardee Margot Lasher on "Timing"

Friday, June 12 - "Today we worked on the scene with the dog trainer and a second dog. This is a weird scene and not easy. Two humans acting like dogs (pulling on their leashes), two humans acting like humans (one yelling at the other)—the scene toward the end is serious, yet just seeing the two ‘dogs’ glaring at each other has to be funny. After several times when the timing was off, Naomi and Irene suggested that the dogs spend time sniffing each other the way real dogs do, and it worked. It slowed the scene down, allowing the humorous part to develop, so that when the serious part comes the audience is ready for it. It was the first time that we were working with more than just Dog and Human but oddly, the addition of Newton (dog trainer) and Soren (dog) happened quite naturally. I wonder if they shouldn’t have been in more scenes."

Margot Lasher on "Moving from Within"

Above: Shiro & Brigit dancing

Wednesday, June 3 - "Naomi, who is a musician, says that when she is doing a play, at some point she absorbs her lines as she would music and they become part of her body, part of her whole self.

"I had this same thought about dance while I was watching the development of the young dancers at a performance of Contemporary Dance in Montpelier. There were differences of course in technical skills, but the striking difference for me was that some of the dancers moved from an internal place—from their whole body/self. For whatever reason, some had reached the point where the movement came from within.

"As ridiculous as this might sound, you can even see this with dogs. Along with my friends Peggy and Alan, and their dogs Amy (who died last winter) and Danny, I studied freestyle (dog-human dancing) with Shiro. But in spite of all my efforts, Shiro never really moved from within. In the woods, when he senses a prey, Shiro trots toward the scent with his head high, his neck stretched, his legs prancing. He never once had that beautiful look when he trotted beside me in the dance. Peggy with Amy and Alan with Danny went on to wonderful performances without us. I decided to let Shiro focus on his passion, hunting. However, when Shiro dances with another dog, especially with Brigit, he does move from within."

N.A.S.A. Grant Awardee Margot Lasher on "The Mind of the Dog"

Friday, May 29 - "When Other Minds was done in Key West as a staged reading, the director Earl Halbe used two actors, a silent Dog (Tom Robinson) and a Voice of Dog (Elizabeth Halbe). It worked well and my first plan was to follow this structure. But Earl didn’t have time to work much on movement, which is my focus: I want to develop the motions of the dog and the non-verbal closeness between dog and human. So thinking of movement, I decided to get a dancer as the silent dog. But when I thought about that, I realized that any good dancer would have his or her own style, and it would not necessarily fit this play or my concept of the dog. So then I thought I would get an actor as the silent Dog, but if the actor was good, why would I want to take his lines away? So after a lot of back and forth, I decided to have one actor who would both speak and move as the dog.

"Now it occurs to me that when there are two distinct dogs (verbal and non-verbal), and the voice of the dog is coming from offstage or above, there is more ambiguity about whether the human is hallucinating the talking or the dog is really talking. And that ambiguity is fine; plays have different levels and potentially different interpretations. But for me, the dog is really talking. For some unknown reason, the dog starts talking and I am listening to the mind of the dog. So I am happy that there is a single actor as Dog."

N.A.S.A. Grant Awardee Margot Lasher on Endings

In her second blog entry, Margot Lasher—the recipient of the Flynn’s Winter/Spring N.A.S.A. Grant Award—discusses the difficulty of bringing a theater work to a satisfactory close.

Tuesday, May 26 - "Have you ever been to a new play, and it ends, and you don’t realize it was the end? There is no curtain, and after an uncomfortable silence someone in the audience gets it and starts applauding.

"Endings are difficult. In classical theater, tragedies ended in death and comedies in marriage, and the end wasn’t so unexpected.

"I was listening to the actors reading Act III—Newton had finished his part and David and Naomi went into a rhythmic passage that had a sense of togetherness, of being settled, and I knew that those lines should be 'The End.' But the script dragged on for two more scenes. I was cursing the playwright when I realized that it was me.

"I would never have seen this ending without hearing it read by experienced actors, tuned into the rhythm of the piece. I rewrote."

The next N.A.S.A. application deadline will be Monday, August 24. Visit the Flynn website at www.flynncenter.org/nasa.html for more information and an application.

Margot Lasher is the Flynn Center Winter/Spring N.A.S.A. Grant Awardee

Margot Lasher, writer and licensed psychologist specializing in the human-dog relationship, is the recipient of the Flynn’s Winter/Spring N.A.S.A. Grant Award. Lasher draws on her background as an experimental theater writer, actor, and dog lover to create and develop Other Minds—a play exploring the close connection shared between humans and canines. Her work-in-progress will be presented on Sunday, August 9 at 7 pm in FlynnSpace.

As part of her work, Margot will contribute weekly blog entries discussing the process of creating Other Minds. Here is the first in her series of posts about her ongoing creative process.

Cast of Other Minds:

From left to right: Shiro, dog; Irene Facciolo, Director; David Klein, Dog; Naomi Flanders, Human; Newton Baker, Stranger and dog trainer. Not pictured: Charlie, David’s dog; Soren Pfeffer, a second dog

Wednesday, May 13 - "The presence of the dogs is crucial. If you think about dogs and cats in the theater, they are almost always cute and stupid. I want to show them as they are for us in our lives—wise, noble, perceptive, and maybe sometimes cute and stupid. In our private lives, which is what modern theater is about, dogs are deeply important. We are exploring the human-dog relationship."

The next N.A.S.A. application deadline will be Monday, August 24. Visit the Flynn website at www.flynncenter.org/nasa.html for more information and an application.

The Flynn Names A Winner of the 2008-2009 Season Ticket Raffle!

Photo: Frederic Silberman

Barbara Lande Bronfman of South Burlington is the winner of the Flynn Center's 2008-2009 Great Big Whole Kit N' Kaboodle Season Ticket Raffle. For $100, Barbara entered to win two tickets to every show the Flynn presents this season. Congratulations, Barbara!

Barbara was kind enough to share how she felt after receiving the good news:

Wow! I never win raffle prizes (not for lack of trying) and now I feel like I hit the jackpot. What an incredible prize—two tickets to every Flynn production for a whole season!

I didn’t hear anything the day of the drawing, so I assumed the $100 I spent on the raffle ticket was just money well-spent in support of the Flynn. The next day, I called home to check on my sick daughter and said, “I have a surprise for you. Do you want to know now or later?” Being young at heart and still trying to acquire a taste for delayed gratification, I said, “Now!” What a wonderful surprise it was.

The Flynn has so much to offer and I am looking forward to a variety of performances. I am also planning to use some of the tickets as gifts for friends and family, and to donate tickets to some of my favorite charities for them to use as raffle prizes.

What a great opportunity!

Fair to Midway

by A.J. Fucile
Flynn Box Office Manager

The arrival of Labor Day marks many things: the end of summer, the start of school, and the culmination of another Champlain Valley Fair. Each year, the fair offers a choice of six different concerts plus three or four motorsport events which are staffed by the FlynnTix Box Office. Some years, the shows seem to blend into each other, and other years certain shows stand out. This year was a little different, in that just about every event seemed to have something that made it special.

Day one of the fair is always exciting, partially due to the natural nervousness from taking on a big event (never mind 10 of them!). The 10,000-plus seats at the exposition are certainly a change from our approximately 1,500 seat theater. This year started with Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion, which brought a crowd that is probably more familiar with events held at the Shelburne Museum. One telling sign was the traffic pattern. For a typical fair event, people will arrive a few hours early to walk the grounds, eat some fried dough (or other fair food), and generally just take in the sights. On this Saturday night, folks arrived closer to show time, which slowed the entry onto the grounds and into the event as things start to back up. Once the show started, I couldn’t help but notice how quiet the grandstand was. Normally, when there are about 3,000 sitting up there, it’s hard to miss them. But as I walked out of the box office that night, I had to turn around and look up to confirm that people actually had taken their seats. I think it was the quietest crowd I have noticed in years.

Sunday and Monday featured two more concerts: American Idol’s Daughtry and Danity Kane. Both were fairly low key, bringing out loyal fans on two beautiful days. The whole week was blessed with good weather, a relief after such a rainy summer. After that, the next couple of evenings featured two motor sport events, starting with the Extreme Motorcycles show. I first caught a glimpse of this a year ago while riding the Ferris wheel as the act warmed up during the day. I wasn’t really sure what the event was like, but seeing these riders jump off ramps a couple of stories high, doing flips in the air, and then landing as if they had never left the ground was amazing. If you haven’t seen this event, it’s well worth checking out.

But I must admit that my favorite event of the week was Wednesday’s “Demolition Derby.” I also must confess that when I first heard of it, I couldn’t understand what it was that drew thousands of people to witness it. And then I attended one. The rules are fairly simple—avoid the driver’s side door, and make contact with another vehicle at least every 60 seconds. There are approximately four different rounds where eight to twelve cars line up on the track, and then proceed to ram into each other until only one car is left that can move of its own accord. There is then a runner-up round consisting of any non-winning car that can still move, and then a final championship round consisting of each winner. One of the contestants, car number 77, just refused to stop moving. It was smaller than most of the other cars, and quickly became a crowd favorite. It looked like a pancake, with its back trunk and back seat directly behind the driver. It then lost its front left wheel, and then it’s back right wheel. Its right front wheel lay in the wheel well horizontally. And it kept running, and smashing into other cars. The back left door fell off. Then the back bumper. And this car kept delivering hits! The car we had picked as the winner at the start of the match looked like a sturdy Lincoln, and even it couldn’t seem to stop this car’s momentum. Each time car 77 either gave or took a hit, and then continued to drive, the howls of laughter and approval just roared from the stands. It was the little engine that could—but shouldn’t. In the end it didn't win the match, but it was by far one of the highlights of the evening.

On Thursday night there was a free event with the Marine Corps Marching Band, which gave the box office a bit of a breather. I didn’t hear much about the event, other than the next morning when I went to the bank and the teller told me how much she had enjoyed watching “those cute Marines.” The feedback was very good, and kept the positive energy at the fair in motion.

The final weekend of the fair started with a shot. On Friday, I had walked up to the will call booth at the Red Gate to check on someone’s tickets, when another customer slammed his arms down at the window and barked at us, “I ordered four tickets, and there are only three here, and I ordered these a LONG time ago!” The man’s arms were larger than my legs, and he wore a white tank top that showed his strength. I looked at him and asked, “If you ordered these a long time ago, why didn’t you check the order when it arrived?” His response caught me off guard for a moment, “Check them? I threw them in my gun safe as soon as they got here!” Right. We were, after all, dealing with a show that featured a very outspoken NRA supporter, Ted Nugent. I assured the man that I would rectify any error that had been made (luckily, I had four seats returned from the act that came in very handy at that moment). Once he realized that things would work out, he was very appreciative, and gave me a thank you-handshake that almost took me off my feet. I think we both left smiling though, and I certainly understood where he was coming from. This event meant a lot to him, and he had planned for it for months. Sometimes, we just get lucky; others, there isn’t much that you can do other than to accept the situation and to make the most of it. I was glad that I didn’t have to try to convince this gentleman of the latter!

Toby Keith brought the usual crowd and excitement that I have come to expect from country stars. This is perhaps his fourth time performing at the fair since I have been here, and he and his group seem right at home from the moment they arrive. I appreciate a good performer who can (literally and figuratively) rally the troops. I didn’t see the show, but I read in the Burlington Free Press review that Toby brought three members of the armed services up on stage at the end of his encore, and then left them there in front of nearly ten thousand people who erupted in applause. THAT was something that I wish I had seen.

And then what seemed to be the show of the fair arrived: The Jonas Brothers. I knew when the show went on sale that this would be big, as we had lines around the building that morning. The show featured a stage extension that reached into the seating on the track, allowing the Brothers to walk deep among the fans. We had done our best to guesstimate which seats might be affected by the extension, but of course we were conservative in our estimate, which meant that once the extension was actually set up, we had a few choice seats to sell. I arrived at the venue early to sort out which locations might be released, figuring that after that I might be able to run an errand or two before returning for the event that evening. I had greatly underestimated the size of the crowd. By a little after 11 am the parking on the grounds was already close to full, and at 2 pm we started to shift to off-site parking. I cannot remember a time when this has happened this early—often it does not occur until one or two hours before the show, and the Jonas Brothers were not due on stage for another five hours! Needless to say I didn’t go anywhere during the day, as we worked through sales, “meet and greet” passes, and other show details. Finally, show time arrived. When the show started, I walked into the venue to see what it was all about. The stage was fantastic. It had hydraulic lifts raising certain parts of the stage, ramps around the stage and into the crowd, dazzling lights and a section of background singers in risers that were also leading cheers, holding up signs, and generally just looking like they were having a ball. The three brothers were pros, striking rock poses and running around creating all kinds of excitement. And then I turned around and looked up at the grandstand. I felt this wave of excitement nearly knock me over; the energy was contagious. You couldn’t avoid it.

And then finally, Labor Day, which to those of us that work the fair means only one thing—the Tractor/Truck Pull. We open at 10 am that day and for the most part sell tickets right until around 3 pm or so. It’s another event that has a devoted following, and consists of vehicles trying to see who can pull a tractor the furthest distance without blowing an engine. It’s quite amazing if you have never seen it.

To top it all off, on Monday, the Flynn’s Assistant Box Office Manager, Leeeza Robbins, was presented with the "Star of the Day" award. This award is given each day to a person involved with the Fair for service above and beyond the call of duty. A Champlain Valley Expo department superintendent nominates someone that they see doing something exceptional. The winner is announced on one of the stages and they are presented with a prize pack and certificate of appreciation. In Leeeza's case, she was nominated for her exceptional patience and courtesy in dealing with several unhappy customers at one of the shows. Not only was this witnessed by the nominating person, but they also apparently witnessed her being complimented by another customer further down the line. Thank you Leeeza!

Thanks to all of you that came out during the week plus of the Champlain Valley Fair. I enjoy it more and more each year, and look forward to seeing you next year!

Local Artist Shares War Veterans' Stories

Sound Off: Combat Stories Revealed, a new creative performance and documentary theater work developed by Flynn Center New Art Space Assistance (N.A.S.A.) Grant recipient Jen Berger, explores the stories of veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Berger, who runs a campaign at Burlington’s Peace & Justice Center that provides truth in military recruitment/enlistment education to high school students and community members statewide, incorporates her experiences working with veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in this work-in-progress showing. “Their powerful stories have angered, saddened, and inspired me in my work and life,” remarks Berger. “I have carried these stories with me and share them in my work to highlight the differences in what the media portrays what is going on overseas and what is happening from a soldier’s perspective.”

During the emotional process of producing this work, Berger kept a journal of her experiences collaborating with actors and war veterans, which she was kind enough to share here on the Flynn Center blog.

7.14.08
It’s getting a little easier and the intensity is releasing. The first few meetings we had were so emotionally intense. We started with a really difficult story about issues surrounding suicide in the military. Everyone had a strong reaction to the story. How can you not? This isn’t an easy subject matter to work with, and there is no way to lighten it up. I don’t think we should either—it’s about as real as life gets. I kept thinking about ways to keep everyone motivated—not despairing—and wanted everyone to experience the stories fully. Motivation comes in different ways. One of my motivations for this piece, and to share these stories, is to bring the info to a larger audience. The information is catalytic, I believe, and it was for the actors as well. We all share the belief that this occupation is wrong on so many levels, and we want to make an impact. This performance will provide the info to whomever comes to see it and will have some impact. I love this work. I love seeing people’s minds at work, and their thought processes. I love the dialogue that happens within the group, whether about the exercises, the material, the script, or the politics and history. Everyone is so engaged.

7.28.08
I received an email today with a headline that read: “Suicide hot line got calls from 22,000 soldiers.” I couldn’t read it. I printed it out, but I haven’t read it yet. I scanned it, but I already knew what it said. I couldn’t wait for rehearsal.

8.4.08
Tonight’s dialogue was interesting. We are planning on doing a story that touches on issues that women face in the military. There are four actors in the group, two male and two female. We wondered about the men playing women, especially on a topic so sensitive and central to women’s lives. Both the men in the group were willing to play another gender, but we wondered if it would be confusing for the audience, or diminish its impact. We did some improv exercises with the characters that will be portrayed. Once the jokes subsided, everyone understood and connected with their character on a human level. At one point, Jeremy’s improv about “not being able to tell” moved me so deeply that I got goose bumps and almost teary. It helped me decide that if the characters are introduced early as women, then, while it might be slightly distracting at first to identify the men as females, once the dialogue begins, the stories speak for themselves. Robert said it’s a good exercise for people to connect with each other without the lens of gender. I agree.

8.7.08
Last night, Drew and Jon (my veteran friends) came to teach us drill and ceremony/roll call/formation. It looks a lot easier than it is. The guys were serious, and they knew the drill like it was part of them. Jon did an excellent job walking us through it. Drew’s creative streak helped block the pieces to use in the performance. They went through each piece individually, and then had us "fall out." We mingled amongst ourselves, anticipating what came next. Knowing that something was going to happen kept me on my toes. All of a sudden, a strong, deep and very loud “Fall in!” was heard. We all literally ran into our places with a strong fear of not getting it right. We all felt it. Over the last few years I have mentally, and sometimes emotionally, tried to put myself in the position of the vets. I have tried to imagine their experience as my own. Last night, I felt it more deeply. I can’t imagine living in that state for four or more years. When we were “at attention” we had to clench our fists and keep our arms tight. They said that sometimes they stayed like that for half an hour. I felt my body’s muscles tense and my anxiety rise. Without all of the other trauma these guys have encountered, just the physiological response to the formation can create harm to the mind. We went through a few drills many times. It got easier as we went.

Jen Berger will share a work-in-progress performance of Sound Off: Combat Stories Revealed on Sunday, August 24 at 7 pm in FlynnSpace.

Shakespeare Lives at the Flynn

This spring, The Acting Company embarked on a national tour to share their productions of Moby Dick Rehearsed and William Shakespeare's The Tempest. The group visited the Flynn MainStage in May, where they put on a superb, memorable performance of The Tempest. Throughout the tour, actress Kelley Curran kept a journal of each performance, and said this of the group's visit to the Flynn:

"Burlington, Vermont and the Flynn Theater: one of my absolute favorite stops on tour last year! I was thrilled to be back in town performing in this beautiful, old house! As it is Vermont’s largest city and home to UVM, the town has a thriving, active arts community. That was made particularly clear when the 1,400 seat Flynn Theater was filled for our performance of The Tempest! It was our largest audience to date for either show. The presenter at the Flynn glowed when he said that Shakespeare himself would be thrilled that on a Friday night in Burlington, VT, over 1,000 people were attending one of his plays nearly 400 years after it was written."

"It was a special performance for me, too, as three of those audience members were family—my mom, dad, and little brother (who was seeing the show for the first time). There were also several local artists and residents in the audience who had participated in an “Acting Clues” workshop with Timothy, Michael, and Robb earlier in the day. They all made for an incredible audience and an exciting performance of The Tempest. Our crew also had a great experience as the local crew of the Flynn was incredibly efficient, capable, and fun."

"It was here, too, that we had our first full day off, without traveling, since Fairfax, Virginia. We were able to spend the day hiking, walking the waterfront of Lake Champlain, and sampling the coffee and fare of the delicious restaurants in town. Now we drive on through the Berkshires to the beautiful mountain town of Great Barrington, Massachusetts for another Tempest."

The Acting Company will return to the Flynn MainStage on Tuesday, May 12, 2009, at 7:30 pm to perform another Shakespeare masterpiece, Henry V.

Rocket Man Blasts into Vermont

Sir Elton John is about to cross Vermont off his list of states in which he hasn't performed, and some fans waited all night for tickets. FlynnTix Box Office staff predicted today would be the largest onsale in the box office's history.

John, 61, and his band will play the Champlain Valley Exposition's grandstand in Essex Junction on July 21 as part of the Rocket Man • Number Ones tour, and he'll perform his greatest hits as well as more recent songs.

In a news release Monday, David Grimm, general manager of the Champlain Valley Exposition, called Sir Elton the "biggest name in entertainment to play at the Exposition in our 87-year history." John is continuing the fairgrounds' recent habit of hosting music giants, following Paul Simon in 2006 and Bob Dylan last year. [excerpted from the Burlington Free Press]

Eager fans began queueing up for tickets as early as 5:30 last night, camping out under the Flynn marquee and on Main Street sidewalks, in a festive line that snaked down St. Paul Street, to the King street intersection, this morning.

“This will be the biggest name in entertainment to play at the Exposition in our 87-year history and we’ve had some very big stars play in the Coca-Cola Grandstand over the years,” Grimm said. “This is going to be a night to remember. A chance to see someone of this legendary caliber playing in Vermont doesn’t come around very often.”

Concert promoters noted that with the July 21 concert, Sir Elton will have played in all 50 of the United States. “We’re honored to have that distinction,” Grimm added.

Elton John and his band—including members Davey Johnstone on guitar, Guy Babylon on keyboards, Bob Birch on bass, John Mahon on percussion, and Nigel Olsson on drums—will play his greatest hits and more recent songs from his latest release, Rocket Man • Number Ones. Elton John has sold more than 200 million records and continues to add innovative work to his personal repertoire of 29 consecutive Top 40 hits, 35 gold, and 25 platinum albums. Rocket Man • Number Ones, released in March 2007, debuted in the top 10 and features newly compiled and digitally mastered greatest hits spanning the first three decades of the singer-songwriter’s career.


Burlington fan photographs by Gloria Ormsby, Flynn Director of Information Systems, and Lani Stack, Flynn Marketing Manager. Both Glo and Lani lost their (non-monetary, bragging-rights only) "wagers" for when fans would begin queueing outside.

Site-Specific Show Brings Surprises

posted by Leigh Chandler
Flynn Marketing Director



Several Flynn staff members had the opportunity to preview advance performances of Back to Back Theatre’s small metal objects at the Association for Performing Arts Presenters’ national conference in January, held in New York City. The Flynn Center will bring the Australian theater company to South Burlington’s University Mall on Saturday & Sunday, May 17 & 18, at 12 & 4 pm for four site-specific performances. The 4 pm performance on Sunday will be audio described and will have ASL interpretation.


Getting to the Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Manhattan was pretty easy. Figuring out where the Whitehall Ferry Terminal is wasn’t. Having grown up outside of Manhattan, I knew the Staten Island Ferry Terminal as The Staten Island Ferry Terminal—a not-so-clean place to buy candy for the short trip over to Staten Island. It’s now a glorious, light-infused building that must be a joy to relax in while waiting for the next ferry. My trip, though, was different than most. I was going to the Whitehall Ferry Terminal to see a performance of Back to Back Theatre’s small metal objects.

It was a typical Friday evening at the ferry terminal. There was the hustle and bustle you’d expect at 6:30 pm. I got my ticket for the performance and walked around. The huge departure hall had a few rows of seats spread out lengthwise for travelers awaiting departure; a restaurant, advertising cheesecake and mochas; and a small convenience store packed with people buying magazines, water, and snacks. In front of me, though, was a raised platform with 10 rows of seats, arranged like bleachers. Each seat had a headset. The audience would be seated soon.

I was excited for this performance—the Flynn Center is bringing it to Burlington, and I was anxious to preview it. I didn’t know too much about it, other than that it will take place at University Mall in May, and that it’s a mysterious transaction that two friends get caught up in. How would the throngs of people coming and going play into the performance? Could I concentrate? Would I be bothered by people in my sightline?

Finally, show time. Others around me—people who I assumed were waiting for a departing ferry—rose up and handed in their tickets. “Don’t be shy of the first row,” said a ticket-taker. “They won’t come near you.” I resisted despite the reassurance. I took my place in the middle of the second row, and chatted briefly with the person next to me. After confirming that our headphones worked, the show began.

I didn’t know where to look. I heard music, but I also heard people talking. The ferry terminal was so busy, but I knew they were out there—somewhere. And then I realized that people are looking at ME. They’re looking at everyone on this bleacher-type stage. I’m listening to two people talk, through my headset; the performance has started. But people on the floor are coming up and snapping photos of us on their cellphones as they await their ferry departure. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but they don’t even really appear to be talking to any of us in particular. I decide to try to ignore them, but I’m still a little stunned—I didn’t expect to be the entertainment.


I’ve found the performers. It’s been about five or 10 minutes and I now see them walking toward us. They’re practically the only people in the terminal ignoring us. They’re having a conversation, and I want to hear it. No one else in the crowd seems to notice them, but everyone in the audience is watching them. I’m starting to get involved in their conversation when it happens: a man, seemingly homeless, but definitely drunk, comes up to the stage. He’s standing about five feet in front of me and I’m grateful I didn’t listen to the ticket-taker about sitting in the front row. He speaks loudly, but his words are slurred and jumbled. He starts to belt out Amazing Grace. As he sings he gestures widely; he’s pleased to have an audience. I try to hard to concentrate on what I hear in my headphones, although the person sitting next to me is laughing. The action of the performance is heating up—another actor has joined the two others. I try harder to concentrate. I can’t help but smile when the drunk man moves into It’s Now or Never, by Elvis. I didn’t know what—whom—to watch. My gaze goes back to the actors, but when the drunk man finishes his song, he begins a monologue. Looking at us, lifting his arm up in the air, he slurs, “Let me tell you….” I can’t make out anything else he says. I start to wonder if he’s part of the performance. But the play is continuing; the story keeps moving, and this man is oblivious. I think he just has no idea why we’re there, but because we are, and we seem to be looking at him (at this point he’s directly in my sightline), he’ll perform.

After about another 10 minutes I’m able to really refocus on the play. It’s interesting and I start to get angry at the drunk man since I really want to keep up with what was happening. I’m able to block him out and I get caught up in the story. I don’t even really notice the hordes of people in the Ferry Terminal looking at us anymore. A fourth actor has been introduced and it’s getting tense. I’m drawn in. I’m watching a stage that’s not a stage. I’m the one on stage, but I forget. I’m watching something unfold in the crowd, the way that my conversations unfold when I’m with friends.

The drunk man finally sits down. Someone in the crowd has given him some juice and a bag of potato chips. We all relax a little, but the play ends shortly after. Miraculously, the ferry terminal has cleared out, and the four actors approach the audience. They bow, and they gesture over to the drunk man to bow.

I’m charmed. I can’t wait to see it again, this time at University Mall. I wonder if they’ll bring the drunk man.


photographs by Jeff Busby for Back to Back Theatre

Fans Flock to Flynn for Jonas Brothers

posted by A.J. Fucile
Flynn Box Office Manager



When a show goes on sale for the Champlain Valley Fairgrounds, it’s always an event in itself. The venue holds approximately 10,000 people, and national acts play there every summer during the week that leads up to Labor Day. So the date that a show goes on sale is always exciting.

The latest show to go on sale was The Jonas Brothers, which went on sale this past Saturday. When I received the phone call informing me of the event, I had to ask who they are. I was told that the demographic for the show was teens aged 13-17, and that they were currently one of the largest acts in this genre. A quick Google search turned up their home page, and I checked their summer tour dates. “Amphitheater” was a common word in the venues they would be playing, and once I saw Madison Square Garden listed, I knew this would indeed be popular. Before the event had even been announced officially, I started to receive emails and phone calls inquiring about the event. Another sign that this would be big.

So I began doing all of the things that need to be done when setting up an event. The main twist with this one was that there would be a thrust stage extension that cut straight through the audience, leading to a “mini-stage” right in the middle of the Gold Section. We’ve had similar set ups before, but for popular country shows, not a teen event. It was decided that standing room towards the front would not work quite as well for this audience, so the event coordinator at the fairgrounds sat down with me and we carved out which seats would be sold, and which would be held back to make room for the stage.

Tickets went on sale when we opened at 11 am. I arrived at the Box Office approximately an hour before that, and immediately headed to the front doors to see what size line we had, and to let people into the lobby and out of the cold. As soon as people saw me coming towards the door, they let out a large cheer. The mood was definitely festive. I unlocked the front door and asked the woman who was first in line what time she had arrived. “6:30 last night!” I told her she should be a candidate for parent of the year! I unlocked the doors and asked people to line up at the window and to circle around the kiosk in the center of the lobby. I peered at the street outside and saw lawn chairs, thermoses, and vans full of people parked at the meters lining the sidewalk. In less than a minute the entire lobby was packed. I took a moment to run through some of the information regarding the event (ticket limits, the stage set up, etc.), fielded questions, and headed to my office.

The surge at 11 am was huge, as expected.

Our website was slow, which is not uncommon when hundreds of people at the same moment attempt to purchase the best seats in the venue. We had our IT staff on site, and we noticed that we were being bombarded by large requests from a few specific locations outside our state. Automated programs were trying to secure seats that would eventually end up on secondary sales sites. And at the rate they were doing it, our systems slowed. We kept up with the orders as best as we could, and did our best to block any automated programs from obtaining seats. At noon, I noticed systems started improving almost instantly. My presumption is that the automated ticket programs had been programmed to hit our site hard for exactly one hour, and when they stopped, normal traffic had an easier time getting through. We continued filling orders through the afternoon. The first sign that the majority of the rush has passed is when we received our first non-Jonas Brothers ticket order. We breathed a collective sigh of relief in the Box Office—we had staff from multiple departments alter their schedules to pitch in and make the day a success, despite the incredible demand! It was an excellent example of team work, and made me proud of my staff and coworkers.

Even though there is still snow and ice on the ground, summer isn’t as far away as it seems. Tickets purchased in advance of the show date include free gate admission to the fair, a $10 value. Don’t miss out on the other shows coming to the fairgrounds this summer! See you there!

photograph of the Flynn ticket window by Steve Mease

N.A.S.A in the Funnies

Burlington comic extraordinaire and participant in Rachel Siegel's N.A.S.A. dance piece James Kochalka cleverly recalled a recent rehearsal gone arwy in his blog American Elf:

Kochalka, Siegel, and other parents will dance with their children in an informal FlynnSpace showing on Sunday, April 13 at 4 pm.

Thanks to James Kochalka for letting us repost Ice Dance! Check out his comics every day at American Elf and every week in the print editions of Seven Days!

A Wild Ride

posted by Rachel Siegel
Siegel is one of two current N.A.S.A. grant awardees. She will be blogging about the progress of her work in progress, leading up to an informal showing on Sunday, April 13 at 4 pm.


I’ve been sick for the past 11 days. I’m much better but far from healthy. Blech. I’ve managed to muddle through the group rehearsals but cancelled my solo work. I’m really hoping to be back in the studio this week.

Yesterday I got together with a group of kids at the Rose Street Artists’ Coop. I wanted photos for the marketing that the Flynn is doing, so we tried a couple of ideas I’ve had in my mind and got some pretty fun pictures. First we practiced having the kids literally run, en masse, over my prone body. Then, as a group, they physically lifted me up and carried me away. My choreography is not subtle, I know.

I really do feel bulldozed and trampled by my kids on a daily basis and, sometimes immediately after, feel uplifted by them to an extent that is too corny to write. It’s a wild ride.

My next rehearsal with the Stars is going to be our first full group rehearsal with kids in the mix. I can’t wait to see how they disrupt the choreography and what they add to it. I know some people have been practicing with their kids at home. Other kids will be seeing it for the first time. It will be chaotic if nothing else! Let the experiment begin.

Coming Together

posted by Joy Madden
Madden is one of two current N.A.S.A. grant awardees. She will be blogging about the progress of her work in progress, leading up to an informal showing on Sunday, April 13 at 4 pm.


Lida has joined us and we are now a complete set. She will be dancing in the second section, a trio. The two of us met for rehearsal on Sunday while Autumn was on vacation. We all met (Lida, Autumn, and I) for the first time on Wednesday. I'm very pleased with the piece so far. It was great to see both sections coming together. I'll spend today reviewing the rehearsal tape and making any changes before meeting again on Sunday.

I'm meeting with Peter, my sound guy, on Saturday. We'll work together to incorporate audio from interviews with my daughter with music for the piece. I'm excited to hear how all this turns out. By the way, he has a radio show from 11 am to noon every Tuesday on 105.9, highlighting Vermont musicians called Audio Radiance for the Radio Audience (love the name).

Overall, I'm feeling really good about it. I still have the occasional panic attack, but that's to be expected.



photographs by Autumn Barnett

Autumn Springs into Action

posted by Joy Madden
Madden is one of two current N.A.S.A. grant awardees. She will be blogging about the progress of her work in progress, leading up to an informal showing on Sunday, April 13 at 4 pm.


Things are really starting to come together. My finished piece will be an evening-length work with several vignettes. For the April 13 showing I am focusing on two sections. The first is a duet which I have been working on with my dancer, Autumn, for the past few weeks. The second will be a trio. I'll be meeting with a new dancer this week. We are all recovering from various illnesses and will hopefully be 100% soon. Autumn was a trouper last week, spinning and jumping through rehearsal at the tail end of the flu.

I've been gathering a lot of material for many weeks now. Interviewing my 3-year-old daughter and going through hours of audio has been both time consuming and delightful. As I said before, this is the most fun I've ever had, but it's without a doubt the most challenging. Not the least of which has been trying to read my own journal entries—yikes. The practice of writing every morning for the last several years has done a number on my handwriting. It's been a long slog. But hey, it's for art.

Staying a Step Ahead

posted by Rachel Siegel
Siegel is one of two current N.A.S.A. grant awardees. She will be blogging about the progress of her work in progress, leading up to an informal showing on Sunday, April 13 at 4 pm.


These dance rehearsals are the highlights of my week. I am so happy to be making art again. What a relief to get out of the minutia that makes up most of my time in charge of little kids and a household.

Here is some of what I’ve been working on:

I wanted to get away from the hierarchal feel of the two groups being called A and B, especially since the A group was the group with more dance experience. So they are now called the Stars and the Moons. (Then it was pointed out that “stars” has a connotation of fame….) Each group is fabulous to work with. They’ve learned almost all of the movement vocabulary and we’re working hard to iron out the details of how to make the phrases work in a round. The spacing and the timing need to be just right for it to work. Working with the Stars is challenging since most of them have not done this kind of work before and learning to use peripheral senses (vision, sound, “group sense,” inner clock) takes a lot of practice. Working with the Moons is hard because it’s a little content heavy. Since I’m really interested in the relationships we can represent using the dance phrase, not the phrase itself, we’d be able to represent a lot more variations with less content. Too many variations on a three-minute theme and we’ll end up with a five-hour showing. Yikes.

I’m trying to stay a step ahead of the participants and have been working out what I consider to be the “collage” part of the choreographic experience. That is, I’m coming up with the exact variations of how the dance phrase will be done (e.g., James and Winnie in unison upstage simultaneously with Laura and Kirsten in a round downstage, everyone in chaos, everyone in unison except one person, etc.) and then stringing all the parts together. In another week I’m going to actually teach this sequencing to the participants. It’s hard to believe I’m that far along in the process already.

Dance for Change

posted by Joy Madden
Madden is one of two current N.A.S.A. grant awardees. She will be blogging about the progress of her work in progress, leading up to an informal showing on Sunday, April 13 at 4 pm.


I was awarded the N.A.S.A. grant and I’m very excited to be creating my first dance in Vermont. I moved to the area last May and had my second child in July. My family and I have spent the last several months navigating through these changes and many more. I am collaborating with my 3-year-old daughter in a study on change. The challenge is to see our changing world through her eyes instead of just my own.

I have been interviewing my daughter for several weeks and will continue to do so throughout the process. These conversations along with my journal entries from the same time period will inform the movement. So far, my concept of what the piece will be has changed wildly as I attempt to map the mind of a preschooler. It has taught me a lot about stepping back and letting the dance show itself. This is the most fun I have ever had making a dance. The dance/theater piece will combine spoken word, music, and movement.

Rehearsals have begun with one (very talented) dancer. I may be looking for at least one more dancer to perform at the April 13 showing at FlynnSpace. I will post any audition notices here.

Jazzed by Jazz Masterclass

posted by Alexander Stewart, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Music
University of Vermont


Dr. Alexander Stewart sent the following note to the Flynn's artistic director, Arnie Malina, after a special FlynnArts Piano Masterclass with jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran, part of Moran's residency activities while in Burlington. Moran's visit culminated in a thrilling MainStage performance of Milestone, a theatrical, multimedia jazz suite inspired by the work of conceptual artist Adrian Piper.

Dear Arnie,

Thanks for making the Jason Moran event happen! My students were enthralled, fascinated, challenged by the masterclass. Talk about thinking outside the box—Jason had them (and me) hearing and thinking about music in a totally new way. How often does that happen? In my experience, only a few times in one's life!

Many of the students also attended the concert and I have heard nothing but raves for him and the group.

This is the kind of thing that makes jazz feel young again—something that happens only too rarely these days.

We all express our deepest gratitude to you and the others who made this possible.

Sincerely,
Alex Stewart

--
Alexander Stewart, Ph.D.
Jazz Studies/Ethnomusicology
Associate Professor
Department of Music
University of Vermont

Choreographing Life While Creating Dance

posted by Rachel Siegel
Siegel is one of two current N.A.S.A. grant awardees. She will be blogging about the progress of her work in progress, leading up to an informal showing on Sunday, April 13 at 4 pm.


I have created the bulk of the dance material that I need, recruited participants, scheduled rehearsals, and I’m ready to roll.

It’s been a lot of organizing lately and I’m really excited to get back to the dancing. Particularly, to see what happens when I actually try to do each of the phrases with the two different groups. This Friday, Group B (the “no-experience-necessary group”) is dancing. In a week from that, Group A (the more technical, experienced group) will meet. I have 15 participants confirmed and another half dozen or so that are likely. This makes me happy. I wasn't sure I'd be able to get as big a group as I wanted, and I’ve already exceeded my hopes.

It’s an extra organizational challenge because I’m offering childcare to participants. We’ll be dancing in one studio while the kids play in another one. It’s the only way many of the participants are able to come solo. Usually in my life, I’m involved with things that kids are welcome to. However, it would not work to do the “before and after” idea that I have for the dance if kids were present for the earlier “before” rehearsals. (They’ll join us part way through the process to shake things up.) I’m currently trying to get an accurate count of kids who will be there so I can get an appropriate number of childcare providers. I don’t want to get too many providers or I’ll be shelling out money needlessly. So, I haven’t been focused on the physical dancing so much the past couple of weeks.

Luckily, I did get to the Modern III dance class at the Flynn last week and loved it! And I’ll be in the studio again on Thursday, to work on some solo material I started the last time I was there.