“Today we started teching through the show, adding lights, props, and set pieces. There was a very unfortunate moment when Chris injured his hand while striking the desk. Of course, we stopped the run-through to get him ice, antiseptic, gauze, etc. But after a few minutes of asking him if he was okay and trying to figure out a way to avoid that from ever happening again, we went on with the show. About an hour later I asked Chris how his hand was doing, and he told me that it was still bleeding and it hurt like hell, but that he was just trying to not focus on it and keep moving forward with the rehearsal.

I’ve always loved metaphors….they help me wrap my brain around bigger concepts….For those who lost loved ones, and even for those who didn’t but who watched the towers crumble in flames, it’s never gonna stop hurting like hell, but we have a responsibility to keep moving forward…to learn from the mistakes of the past so that it never happens again.”

this musical seems to be everywhere. not only do michael’s beautiful melodies run through my head as i try to fall asleep, but…

my friend took me to the top of the “tower formerly known as sears” to see the view of chicago. not only was it the first time in a while i had been in a building comporable to the WTC, but they have also added a glass floor feature, where you can stand out and look at the drop below you. i was unaware how affected i would be by this experience due to my now fairly intimate relationship with the 9/11 story. as i stood on the glass floor i thought about those who jumped and those who didnt’. when thinking about the two options the victims faced – the hell of the smoke or the freedom of jumping – it at first feels as if jumping is not only the opportunity for an ultimate choice, but also the opportunity to be released – not just from life but from the trap of the building/commotion/smoke. yet at the same time, even in that moment, i can’t even comprehend the guts, the balls one must have to take the flight. you start to wonder what you would do, yet it seems incomprehensible; “it could never happen to you/me.”

on my day off i flew to nyc, and my entire airport experience seemed to be flooded with 9/11 related thoughts. taking off all of stuff in security, sitting in my seat imagining how all of those folks on the planes had no idea the hijakers were there. again, i try to imagine, but, “it could never happen to me.”

in my personal life i am grieving a recent loss. i think about how hard this has been for me, and i think about how minute my grief is compared to those who lost loved ones in the event – compared to susan, the mother i play, who lost her son, who had just prior to 9/11 joined the fire department. compared to the falling man’s sister…

yet i can’t stop thinking. it seems so naive to think “it could never happen to me.” yet what is the other option – “it COULD happen to me????” that also seems unhealthy. where is the balance between living in fear and denial? it seems like that is something condoleeza and richard clark struggle with in the scenework…clark the fearful one and rice not wanting to swat flies.

where is this balance i wonder? i wonder if striking the balance between denial and fear is somehow connected to a possible way of moving forward. we cannot deny that this happened, but we also cannot live our lives in fear waiting for it to happen in again. hmmm….

“We’ve been in rehearsals for The 9/11 Report for a week. Thus far, we’ve had lots of intense conversation about the details of the 9/11 Commission Report. There are a ton of nitty-gritty details that are surprisingly not talked about in the mainstream media! As a cast and production team, we are trying to humanize the various horrific facets of 9/11. The piece itself utilizes different methods of storytelling: scene work; music; choreography; direct quotation; dramatization of historical events; and even some slam poetry.

As a drama student, it’s been fascinating to work on a new play in a professional context. The intensity of the material is tempered with moments of humor and a lively rehearsal atmosphere. All involved are intelligent, pleasant artists, and I look forward to continuing this process as we move into tech soon!”

So, this week I’m reminded that I cannot honestly play a character I judge, and that the essence of my work involves seeking the humanity in each character, and ideally finding a way to embody it in an honorable, even beautiful way. I guess I’m either ‘taking my artistic medicine,’ or ‘getting my spiritual comeuppance.’ Either way– I’m excited to be a part.  It’s starting to get interesting…….”

…from Actress Elana Ernst, one of the players in The 9/11 Report: A Bipartisan Musical Fantasia…

“I honestly cannot make up my mind on what to write in this blog post.
See, the problem is… I have felt so many things over the last week of rehearsal and research, I don’t know what to focus on.
Do I talk about my slow loss of ignorance in this process? How I thought I knew and uncovered that I don’t?
I pride myself on being an educated person, but all my facts were wrong, and all my knowledge was false.
I read the papers over the last eight years. I can name them, unlike Sarah Palin. I talked to friends and colleagues about the attacks. I saw documentaries, and I watched specials. But WHY… why hasn’t anyone pieced the puzzle together?
Here we began reading and referencing the commission report and I thought, WOW, if only everyone would take the time to read this. Light would be shed and questions would be answered. And some are.
Many are not, I now understand. There are still so few answers, and it is a war of he said/she said.
Did you know the government invested close to 100 million in finding out if Bill Clinton slept with good old Monica, but only 3 was put towards the 9/11 investigation?
Did you know that President Bush was sleeping on a BOAT because he had been warned that commercial airlines flights would be used as weapons targeting buildings- and yet Ms. Rice had the balls to stand up and say she did not believe anyone could’ve imagined airplanes being used as weapons?
I didn’t know.
I didn’t know money was wired from Pakistan to men here in the states.
I didn’t know that the men who flew those planes had lived here in the states- some gone to school here- understanding our American way of life… and understanding that we would mourn, but many would soon forget. Not forget the attacks. I would never imply that. Forget to ask questions, to turn over rocks and to do their own investigating. We got mad at Bush, but we didn’t do much with that anger. We mumbled and grumbled and voted for Obama or McCain, but we didn’t put Bush on trial. And I am beginning to believe a trial is just what we need.
Do you remember after the attack, all the computerized traffic update signs along 41 and 94 read “God Bless America.”
The thought still gives me the chills.
Posted words on a screen isn’t enough. Don’t assume someone else is doing the work for you because you see computerized signs.
They aren’t.
I urge you to see this piece of ours, and know that we still have little to no clue. I think we just need to get people thinking again because there are too many questions to ask, and it would be unfair if it was all the responsibility of those already grieving.
So we must ask too. Because boy, have we been duped.”

…Actor/Singer Justin Stein on his experience playing “Cody,” in B.R.A.T.T. Camp…

“Hello TMTC Blog Readers!

I had an amazing time working on B.R.A.T.T. Camp! The experience of working on a project in development is, in a way, more challenging than working on a finished piece. However, this also means it can be more rewarding. You are a guinea pig who must be constantly on their game so the creatives can see what works and what doesn’t. The whole process really requires a lot of trust. B.R.A.T.T. Camp is a fantastic piece with soaring music and in depth character study; I am honored to have been a part of this phase of the developmental process.

Everyone in the cast and crew was fantastic to work with. Bobby Cronin is insanely talented and incredibly passionate about his work. It was really amazing being able to work with him and gain insight into Cody and the rest of his characters. Every character truly came from him and his experiences making this story come alive even more for me. Jessica has some incredible insight and it was fantastic working with her again as well. She really is a collaborator which is the best kind of director. She was our true head counselor guiding us through this process. Casting is also a particular strength of Jessica’s. It was a treat to work with such an awesome ensemble! Working on B.R.A.T.T. Camp was an extraordinary and rewarding experience. I am sure this piece has a bright future ahead of it!”

…from Bobby Cronin, composer/lyricst/bookwriter of B.R.A.T.T. Camp:

“How do I sum up my experience working with La Red[now known as The Music Theatre Company] ? Well, how about by saying it was the most artistically satisfying experience of my career? Or that I learned so much about myself as a writer/composer? Or that I loved working with director Jessica Redish, the cast, the band, Keith Dworkin the musical director? Or that it was extremely emotional for me to see my work realized?

B.R.A.T.T. Camp is a much stronger piece of contemporary musical theatre since I joined the La Red [TMTC] family. I was treated with great respect and challenged to better myself and the show. Late night discussions, early morning rewrites, cuts, edits, etc…all for the betterment of the musical. That is the brilliance of what La Red [TMTC] did for B.R.A.T.T. Camp.

I loved being in the Chicago area and it proved to be a safe and encouraging environment to workshop the show. The feedback was so helpful, so honest, so supportive, yet challenging.

I am grateful…”

After winning the Lifetime Achievement Tony Award this past June, Jerry Herman announced that he was retiring from writing; he realized the sound of the music he writes is “no longer relevant.”

I found this statement sort of sad and yet incredibly empowering; for a writer to know his time has passed–whether or not you agree with the statement–is a grand notion. To essentially say: “my function on this earth as an artist is no longer needed,” to me, was a sad and yet wonderfully self-aware assessment from a Great Contributor to the Art Form.

As I listened to the Broadway Channel on SIRIUS Sattellite Radio the day after closing B.R.A.T.T. Camp while driving our lighting equipment back to its various homes, “Mascara,” from Herman’s La Cage Aux Folles came on, I was overcome with emotion. Maybe it was because I was on two hours of sleep from continually re-writing with Bobby Cronin, our composer, the night prior, or maybe it was because I was remembering Jerry Herman’s statement: his time is no longer; our time is now.

I feel in my soul that the music you will hear this summer, in your backyard of Highland Park, will be heard on SIRIUS Satellite Radio one day, and that these writers and actors you see will be names you’ll say “you saw when.” Your feedback for B.R.A.T.T Camp has left indelible marks on the piece and I look forward to sharing future incarnations with you.

The greatest compliment I have received thus far was that we have made patrons feel comfortable giving honest feedback–this, indeed, is the mission behind La Red Music Theatre: You help shape The Work. I hope that your honest feedback continues and that you’ll join us for The 9/11 Report: A Bipartisan Musical Fantasia, by Michael Mahler adapted by yours truly, July 22-August 2. We are knee-deep in rehearsals and I’m positively ecstatic to share this work with you.

See you in the theatre (very soon!)

Warmly,

Jessica