Success From Paper to Theatre
“They didn’t accept the line-up,” Professor Bernstein joked to our IDC class as she allowed director Rubén Polendo, actor Jon Norman Schneider, and stage director Hilary Austin, to modify the table in front of the classroom. The three tables were quickly dragged to the sides and a mini-stage replica was presented at the front. In no time, Jon knelt on the floor and the reenactment of Act one, scene five had begun where Reiderico (Jon) hears Lucero singing in the well and is hoping that Lucero will interact with him.
Despite “bad lighting, no costumes, and other actor” the sense of loneliness of that scene was easily perceived. The facial expressions, pauses and the speech executed by Jon, replicated the incredibly well practiced acting that took place on stage at the Baruch Art Center, for “Blind Mouth Singing” on Thursday, September 20, 2007.
When asked how he was able to create such a realistic effect of that scene, Jon alluded to “the fourth wall” that an actor must develop. He continued on to say that he had to actually picture the moon when he mentions it in the scene. Jon said that actors have to exist as the characters in the play when on stage. While Jon effortlessly displayed the scene in action, we were well aware such acting required an abundance of practice and experience.
Although Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas’ play centered on Caribbean ancestry, the National Asian American Theater Company actors were able to enact each role accurately. “There is a great dynamic through out the play,” said Polendo. This was not only due to the well-written script by Cortiñas but the well chosen cast by the director as well.
Polendo presented a rough process and time-line for creating this production. He explained how he usually doesn’t choose to do productions of plays by living authors. Blind Mouth Singing is, of course, an exception. “The play stayed with me,” said Polendo. Its focus on the desires and fears to explore the unexplored world coincided with his own views from childhood. After contacting Cortiñas and getting his approval, Polendo choose the National Asian American Theater as his source for actors.
Polendo described the process of choosing the actors as “everything” like American Idol but at the same time, “nothing” at all like it as well. He explained that there is a special connection that he feels when he sees the right actor. It’s almost like an all or nothing process. When the right actor shows up, he knows right away. He described the process as something “like a blind date.” There is nervousness, excitement and anxiety.
The director does get to choose the actors and is the one who makes the final decisions but Polendo tries his best to encourage the actors to experiment and add something new to the play. He explained how not everyone reacts to a certain scene the same way. There is always room for improvising if it will result in a better production. Although Polendo doesn’t allow any compromise with the actual text of the script, he allows each actor to contribute personally to the play. This is evident when noting the objects placed in the well. Each character decided which objects should go in the well.
Blind Mouth Singing was an amazing show and it was not only due to Cortiñas’ well-written play, the great directions of Polendo, and the individual contribution of each actor, but the collaboration of all these components. This can be witnessed not only on stage but outside as well, like our classroom. The strong energy generated by this teamwork invited the audience’s attention and people’s interest surly got incorporated.