Author Archives: Nick Prey

Making and Breaking by Nick Prey

I have always been good at taking things apart (or just smashing them, on purpose or not), but it was only recently (as in my college experience)  that I realized that I could in fact make things as well as break them.  I find making things to be, on the whole, quite pleasurable.  Especially when the “thing” I am helping to make is spectacularly designed set that I will act on.

I came in to my first day at the shop ready to do work and to try not to accidentally destroy any crucial parts.  To my surprise, not only was building and painting fun, but I was actually helpful, and it was so cool.

Perhaps the most fun I had building the set occurred on the third Saturday I came in to help.  There were only three of us, Jamie, Sonya, and myself, and we began putting up the doors in Vanya’s room.  We easily could have used more people, and the work was hard and long, but it was oddly satisfying, especially when we stepped back and looked at the increasingly polished final product.

I don’t know why I haven’t assisted past sets in their construction.  It seems so obvious now.  I have never felt such a deep connection to a set before.  Yes, this is partially because the design was particularly AWESOME, but it was also because I helped make it.  I’m going to miss that set.

The Audience by Nick Prey

It was so cool to see everything we have spent so much time on finally come alive.  I have found the over-all audience reaction to be positive, and thought provoking in and of itself.  I’ve talked to people after every run, and although the runs are, of course, uneven in terms of smoothness, I’ve found the overall reaction to be fairly consistent.  Everyone I have talked to has enjoyed the aesthetic of the play.  The nuanced beauty of the set and Bart’s original score have been particularly well received.  What I have found most intriguing is the audience reaction to the doubling.  Many of my friends were initially confused, but almost everyone figured it out eventually.  I found the audience to be split when it came to the alternation of actors.  Some found the doubling to be more confusing then edifying, and others said that it gave them an interesting perspective on the character.  Those who did not wholly favor the doubling said that they felt emotionally distanced from the characters.  Others, however, said that it is precisely that distancing that was interesting.  They said that by having to switch gears every act, they were forced to examine to characters more closely in order to follow the action, and this gave them a heightened appreciation for the characters themselves.

I was also curious to hear what the audience had to say after the talk-backs.  From what I understood, even those who found the doubling confusing said that the confusion did not stop them from enjoying the show.  It was also great to hear from Raphael, and to really appreciate how perfectly this translation fits in with the artistic directions we have taken.

I was also surprised at how much I have depended on the audience during the actual performances.  An audience can always alter the show in the way that they give back (or don’t), but I found myself particularly effected by the audience in this production.  When we would start a show with low energy, or when the audience was quieter,  I had a much more difficult time getting into the world of Vanya myself.  And when the audience laughed and gave audible reactions, I found myself more completely immersed in the show, and in the world of Vanya, than I would have thought possible.  I really discovered, at the end of the day, that the lack of walls in our show, physically and metaphorically, make the audience a key participant in the production.

I am very proud of the show we have put together, and we have all come a long way together.  Remember those initial workshops with Kali?  Seems like forever ago, right?  Thank you all. Finita la commedia.

Astrov by Nick Prey

1.  Don’t have much time.  Just been called to the factory.  The worst calls always come from the factory.  Frustrating day.  The Professor refused my help.  Idiot.  Lives under the misconception that his doctorate in fine art makes him a medical expert as well.  I would have been interested to see him Malitskoe.  Probably would have told the dying peasants they all just had rheumatism.  I don’t mind not seeing him.  Just wish I hadn’t rode so far for a wasted trip.  Poor Vanya, I don’t know how the man puts up with it.  And Sonya, poor thing.  His wife, too.  Far too good looking for a man like him.  Well.  If I ride hard, and if the accident isn’t too horrendous, I might be home in time to check up on my new grove.  The young trees are growing nicely.  They should be quite beautiful.

2.  My head.  Is throbbing.  My god, why did I drink so much again?  Ugh.  What a strange night.  That was the LAST time I visit that old windbag of a professor.  Rheumatism?  Please.  And Vanya has become increasingly mopey.  He’s simply not as much fun to drink with anymore.  Spends all his time pining over Yelena Andreyevna.  Which is understandable, I suppose.  She is…unusual.  One of the most beautiful women I have ever seen.  I must confess, I find myself increasingly looking for excuses to encounter her. Strange, especially considering her general state of idleness, which I on principle despise.  If only she…but no, she is who and what she is.  And poor Sonya, she…well, she is a good girl.  She deserves better than this.  I cannot stand that house.  It represents absolutely everything I hate in this world.  Yes, I will not be returning, at least not for a while.  Akh, what am I doing?  I’m late for an appointment.  I must be on my way.

3.  She wants to see my maps!  At last, after days and days of suffering through banal conversation with the rest of this nightmarish house, at last the two of us will be alone together!  I didn’t think I was capable of really wanting anything anymore, but I want this!  I want her.  She must know why I come here every day, she must.  Today is the day!  I must gather my maps and be off.  But first, some vodka for the nerves!

4.  I feel as if I have been forcibly woken from a deep sleep, and I am not sure if my dream was pleasant, or if it was a nightmare.  I have left the house.  I will not return for a long, long time.  Yelena is gone for good.  I will never see her again.  Vanya may forgive me, in time.  And Sonya…for her sake, I can’t come back for a while.  Yelena was right, she doesn’t deserve it.  Yelena…was she even real?  Did the past month even happen?  All I have to remember her is a backlog of patient visits and a barren patch of land that used to be a budding forest.  This is for the best.  Now, things can finally return to normal.  I can replant the trees.  Things will be back to normal.  I’m just not sure if that makes me happy or not.  I just feel…tired.

Finding the DNA

I’ve been doing theater for a while now.  Actually, I’ve been acting for over half my life, and for the part before I was still acting, just without a stage.  I love performing, and every show I do is unique in some way.  The never ending diversity of shows is part of what draws me to theater.  No two will ever be the same  However,  it has been a long, long time since I have been this excited about a play.

The way we are going about rehearsals, and the work we have done in the first few weeks, is radically different from how I have ever gone about a show before.  But the coolest thing about it is that I am not weirded out by it, or afraid that it is time wasted (a fear that undermines much of my past forays into more experimental theatrical approaches).  Everything that we have done, every exercise and warm-up, is in a very real way linked to the show.  Some make us look at characters in a different way, and some just bring us together as an ensemble.  What I have found most intriguing are the exercises that involve, as we have begun to say, “The DNA of the Play”. Actually, for me that is what this has all been about, really.  I have never thought of a play this way, but it makes so much sense I feel like it should have been obvious all along!

Now, I’m not but a lowly English major, and terms like DNA usually make my brain shutdown on first contact.  However, it just makes sense.  Everything in the play is connected, every line resonates differently due to the lines that come before it, whether in the same conversation or not.  All the themes, all the characters, everything is connected, and it is the discovery of this, the mapping out of the arcs and through-lines that I have found amazing.

And, of course, working with Kali has been fantastic.  She brought us a massive tool box, and filled it with inventive, interactive, and most importantly FUN ways of finding the DNA, finding our characters, and finding a new way to enjoy theater.  When the group lurches around the room together, then falls to floor crying, then hysterically starts laughing (And all without any prompt to do so!), I as an actor feel the DNA.  It is one thing to talk about it, and quite another to become part of the DNA yourself.  To which we owe Kali a tremendous debt.

I know I have mentioned it before, but I’m going to say it again.  This cast is awesome.  With a show like this, and the direction that we are taking it, it is crucial for everyone to be on board 100%, and to try their absolute hardest.  Which is exactly what is happening.  The work ethic of every member is astounding, and everyone comes to rehearsal with an open mind.  And the best part is, we all have fun together at the same time!  I could not have picked a better ensemble to work with, or one I would have more fun working with.

We’ve done so much in so little time.   I thought I knew the play before, but now I see it in a completely different way.  Actually, its more accurate to say that I see it in a myriad of different ways.  The subtleties of the text, the dark humor, the way everything fits together, I never noticed any of it before.  Its like we are doing a completely new play.  Which, I guess, in a way we are.  Because the very way in which we are searching for and discovering the DNA of the play alters it permanently at a profound level.

And all of this before we even began working directly with the text!  I have learned more about “Uncle Vanya”  than I thought would be possible in just three weeks.  I cannot wait to see what more we can do in the next couple of months.

 

Thus it begins…

Hello!  My name is Nick Prey, and I am pumped.  I am a senior English Major from far-off San Francisco, and I will be performing Astrov, along with the wonderful Mike Myers.  Mike and I have a long-standing working relationship (we did our first show at Duke together, back in the day), and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with him in a new and intriguing way.  Actually, I’m thrilled to be working with every member of this cast and crew.  Many of us are coming right out of the Duke Player’s orientation show (“God”, by Woody Allen), and I have seen firsthand how much fun it is to work with these people, and how talented they are.  And as for the few members of the cast I have not worked with, I had the unique pleasure of watching their audition during the first cast meeting.  Once again guys, that audition was incredible.  So, in short, I’m pumped to work with everyone.

I am also curious.  This double casting within a single production is a new concept for me, and one that I am excited to try out.  Normally, I spend a great deal of time by myself creating my character’s background, fleshing out his past and his mindset.  It is a continuous process throughout a production.  I do it while I run, while I eat, and while I procrastinate.  I imagine I will go through this process for this show as well.  However, in addition to my thoughts, I will have to opportunity to share creative impulses and character choices with my better half.  I am interested to see how this process will work!

Alright, everyone, let’s get ready for a semester to remember!