FROM THE STUDIO

Interview with Dinah Manoff Mortell

Dinah Manoff has been acting since the age of seventeen when she auditioned for and was accepted to the Actors Studio in New York.  She won a 1980 Tony Award and a Theater World Award for her performance in the Broadway production of Neil Simon's "I Ought To Be In Pictures" and has numerous other theater credits.  On television, she was a series regular on "Soap," "Empty Nest" and has starred in numerous TV movies.  She wrote the story for and produced the television movie "Maid for Each Other," and wrote two episodes of Empty Nest, one which featured her mother, the actress, Lee Grant.  Dinah is happily married to Arthur Mortell, and is the proud mom of their three boys, Dashiell, Desi and Oliver. Five years ago the Manoff-Mortells left Los Angeles and moved to Bainbridge Island, where she is currently writing and teaching acting at the Bainbridge Performing Arts.  We are thrilled that Dinah will be teaching an Advanced Scene Study class focusing on the work of Raymond Carver at Freehold this spring quarter.  To see Dinah's complete bio: http://www.freeholdtheatre.org/faculty

You have an extensive background as an actor, performing in LA and New York.  What has it been like to live and work in the northwest, specifically Bainbridge Island?

The working part was not really factor until I started teaching last year.  My husband and I moved here to raise our three boys; twins who are now 8 years old and a 12 year old.  My focus was on getting them out of Los Angeles.  I came up here with the intention of refocusing my life and priorities.  

It's been such a relief to focus on my family and it's been fascinating living here.  We love Bainbridge, the schools are amazing and we are around so many like-minded people.  Honestly I was afraid I'd be the loudest person on the island, but fortunately I haven't found that to be the case.  I've made great friends and found more creativity here than I could have fathomed.  I've found a great community of writers as well.   I would never want to move back to Los Angeles. Plus, I get to have a horse here which I love!

FROM OUR THEATRE LAB
Visiting Purdy by Orion Baker

Visiting Purdy/Washington Women's Correctional Center for Women (WCCW) for the first time, having learned a bit about the importance of going into new situations without expectations, I felt adequately unprepared.  Since I have no previous experience with prison, I took care to try to ignore my notions about what it would be like inside.  Nevertheless, I have found myself frequently surprised.

I was surprised to find out that the guards aren't gruff, and that many of them aren't even serious.  I was surprised that some of the walls were painted with elaborate murals.  I was surprised that being in a room full of prisoners feels remarkably similar to being in a room full of any other type of person.  I was surprised that there were cherry blossoms in the central courtyard.  Most of all, I am continually surprised by the diversity and depth of artistic talent possessed by the women in the Engaged Theatre program.       

Dickey Nesenger , John Longenbaugh

Cyrus Khambatta is announcing an artist call for creative site-specific works for a new program Art on the Fly, turning Seattle Streetcar into a huge art ride through South Lake Union and Beyond the Threshold's new Spotlight on Seattle series featuring Seattle-based companies. Thanks to support from the Department of Neighborhoods, artists will be compensated between $200-$1,350 per project (depending on the number of dancers and scope of the project) for Art on the Fly.  Cyrus is heartily encouraging individuals to apply. Go to www.phffft.org/sidf-apply.html and download the application and guidelines to submit a proposal. If you need more info, contact Abigail Wallace at Abigail@PHFFFT.org

Darragh Kennan, Amy Thone, MJ Sieber, Paul Morgan Stetler

John Jacobsen is stll shooting his tv show for PBS, The Artist Toolbox.  John just interviewed Chef Daniel Boulud (one of the few 4 star chefs in the US) and Isabel and Ruben Toledo (she did Michelle Obama's dress for the inauguration and he is probably the greatest graphic designer in fashion working, does all Nordstrom's ads), and also filmed the legendary jazz pianist, Ramsey Lewis.  Isabelle Allende is next!  John also just got hired to direct and produce a new tv pilot called The Perfect Sweat for The Discovery Channel.  The FilmSchool just had its 2nd Annual Oscar Night Auction which grossed over $160,000.  John is also buying the rights to a Roald Dahl book and writing the script to make that into a movie.  More information on The Artist Toolbox: http://www.mogajacobsen.com/

George Lewis

Keira McDonald

Troy Mink has a new solo show Evenings With Carlotta going up at Annex Theatre April 30 - May 21, Friday and Saturdays, at 11:00 pm & will be doing a character, improv based piece for the upcoming Faculty Showcase and Benefit.  The link to the Annex/Carlotta show is: http://www.annextheatre.org/pages/season23.html  - scroll down on the page to get to the listing. Photo at left: Troy Mink as Carlotta.

Marya Sea Kaminski

Billie Wildrick

Rehearsal and Performance with Annette Toutonghi
Advanced Scene Study with Dinah Manoff Mortell
Alexander Intensive with Cathy Madden
Improv with Matt Smith
Advanced Improv with Troy Mink
Stage Combat with Geof Alm
Spoken Word and Performance Poetry with Daemond Arrindell
Meisner Progression with Robin Lynn Smith
Shakespeare with Amy Thone
Voice with Gin Hammond
Voice Over with Gin Hammond
Playwriting I with Elizabeth Heffron
Playwriting III with Dickey Nesenger
Crafting the 10 Minute Play with John Longenbaugh

TO REGISTER:  http://www.freeholdtheatre.org/studio
or (206) 323-7499. 

Interview with Dinah Manoff Mortell (continued)

You have worked in LA in film and on stage.  What have been the challenges as well as the rewards when you compare the film work with the stage work?

I am much happier as a stage actress than doing television or film.  Stage is really comfortable for me.  I've never had a problem with getting a sense of privacy on stage or being able to experience that feeling of freedom.  In front of the camera, I have to overcome a million obstacles and use every trick in the book to deal with that feeling of self-consciousness that can surface for me.  I know a lot of actors for whom it's the opposite ... they melt into comfort on camera. 

How has it been to make the change from working in LA and New York versus Bainbridge Island?

There was tremendous energy performing in LA and New York, and I rode that for a long time.  In my 40s the energy started to dissipate - the roles were less and also were less interesting.  I feel like I had a great run.  I was a working actress working steadily from age 17 until my 40s.  When that was over, it was so great to not have to think "I've got to get to that audition", do my hair and make-up, study those lines and all of that - I didn't have the motivation to do it anymore.  Also, I said to myself "I had the best of this" and now it's time to move on.

In terms of my work life, my kids are now well on their way as people. I'm starting to branch out a little bit more.  It's been great teaching at Bainbridge Performing Arts.  I've done several adult classes, a teen class and just directed a one-act festival.  The teaching really feeds me creatively.  I'm finding that it is an area where I can be in with both feet and be really present for my students.  I'm very excited about coming over to Freehold and exploring the talent there.  Also I'd like to be more connected with the theater community in Seattle.

As an actor who has performed extensively, is there anything that you have learned over the years that you wished you could have shared with yourself at that age?

To have fun. I didn't have fun for years.  I took myself way too seriously.  I was so hard on myself.  I didn't have fun acting until my late 30s.  What I finally realized is that acting and performing is supposed to be playful.  The most important thing I bring to the students in my classes is playfulness.  My experience is that the minute you start criticizing yourself as an actor you become blocked 

When you look back at your work studying at the Actor's Studio in New York, are there a couple of things you could share that you learned that have been important tools for you as you worked as a professional actor?

My mother, Lee Grant, still moderates at the Actor's Studio and when I'm in New York I often go back and watch the sessions.  The Actor's Studio is a great place to see actors take charge of their own work and process.  They use the sessions to bring in whatever they feel they need to work on.  There is a lot of private-moment work - a lot of work on characters that might be challenging for them or even characters no one would ever cast them in ... so there is a really marvelous jumping off the cliff/not playing it safe feeling to the work.  The opportunity to having been raised as an actor in that atmosphere was incredible.  One of the things that I learned at the Studio is that the most interesting and exciting work is when you don't know what is going to happen next.  This idea is something I try to convey to other actors.  Listen, ... sometimes the sessions are awful, indulgent and boring but luckily you have  great moderators like my mother or Ellen Burtsyn who delineate bullshit from process.  At its best the work is very deep and raw.  The actors are encouraged to work in the moment, to stay out of results.

We're excited that you will be teaching an Advanced Scene Study Class focusing on the works of Raymond Carver.  What draws you particularly to Raymond Carver's work?

I came to Carver late in life.  I remember the first time I read his stories, my jaw dropped open.  I thought "these are so dramatic ... I want to get actors into this work!" I went to the Artistic Director at Bainbridge Performing Arts and said that I wanted to get actors working with Carver's stories.  That's what started me teaching.  I took all of these non-professional actors and we started to work on these scenes. We did lots of sensory work, emotional recall, and improvisation and it was truly revelatory.  After the session was over I watched "Short Cuts", a film by Robert Altman and Frank Barhydt, which is inspired by nine short stories and a poem by Raymond Carver. It's a masterpiece. Altman had done the same thing, using improv mixed with scripted dialogue to get the heart of the characters and their stories.  I read that when Altman started working with Carver, he felt the only way he could dramatize the stories was through improvisation.

Are there any particular hopes that you have for your students upon completion of your upcoming class with them?

There is so much humor in Carver even in the midst of all that tragedy.  The students will get to really know Carver in the way that might know Chekhov.  My hope is that they'll burrow a little deeper in themselves as actors, stretch just a little bit farther.  Above all else my goal is that everyone has a swell, good time.

When you think about the work you'd like to do in the future artistically, what roles, characters, plays or opportunities would you like to tackle?

My motto, if you will, is to take the next indicated step. For right now the next indicated step is Carver at Freehold Theatre.

Dinah will be teaching Advanced Scene Study at Freehold this Spring Quarter.  For more information on this class or to register, go to: http://www.freeholdtheatre.org/studio/catalog/128

Visiting Purdy by Orion Baker (continued)

(Orion Baker pictured at left)

Many of these women are skilled writers, compelling actors, brilliant poets and hilarious improvisers who have been drawn to theater for many reasons, I imagine.  For some it seems to be a great creative outlet.  For some it may be a vehicle for growth and healing.  For some it seems to be a social hour.  For many I suspect it is as simply that prison is boring and theater is fun. 

This too was a surprise.  I expected theater in a prison to be a serious affair, deeply personal and sometimes angry.  Although those qualities are present, this year's play about a group of people stuck in a town where time has stopped is as much comedy and fantasy as it is heavy drama.

Telling a story with an emphasis on the passage of time seems relevant in a prison.  Time is an integral part of life in Purdy, and not just the overarching importance of the amount of time remaining until getting out.  The inmates' daily activities and meals are also dictated by a strict timetable, comprised of a series of "movements," ten-minute periods during which they are allowed to go from one location in the prison to another.  While their lives on the outside may be on hold, time inside moves decisively forward. 

This was in fact one of the first things that surprised me about this project.  Its usefulness is not relegated to some anticipated future when time resumes and certain skills may become useful.  Rather it seems to recognize that if time is moving then life is happening, and this art, based on being present in the moment, is useful now.