The Day After Opening

Okay, I know, I haven’t updated in a long time. But let’s start that commitment back up!

So last night we opened our latest, the World Premiere of “No Snowflake in an Avalanche” written & directed by Nathaniel Porter!

The show went well, and we’re looking at a very full house tonight. Hope you can make it! The show is something we’re really proud of!

Speaking of, we’ve also cast our next show, “The Woodsman,” by Steven Fechter, directed by Danielle Franich! Guess who is in it? Our very own Production Manager, Jenna Schmidt! Can’t wait.

Anyway, til next time!

the rimshots of dots, the brushes of dashes

Well, It’s been too long, blog, since we’ve updated. Here are we, gearing up for “Five Gold Rings!”

It’s happened, I’ve already noticed it happening, I’m beginning to think and talk in the language of the play! That always happens, but with Joanna Laurens, its a little bit more noticeable….for example:

Simon, Daniel.
I worked in the telegraph office at your age.
The rimshots of dots,
the brushes of dashes,
the pulsings and beatings
of shared private feelings
passing stopstart.

I’ve mostly managed to keep it to my thoughts, and not actual speech…but here and there the phrases jump out.

So! First week of rehearsal is finished and we’ve worked through the awkwardness of the first few days, and we’re making progress through blocking and character work.

Our cast is incredible. David Carlson, Solomon Davis, Adrienne Littleton, Kelli Mohrbacher, and Jesse Parce!

Just a little update, hopefully now I will get in here more often to give you updates on the rehearsal process!

For now, goodbye,
Nathaniel

Show Photos

Just a taste!

Click on the pictures for a larger view. OR for an even larger view, Come to the show this weekend!!

We got a very nice email from an audience member from the last weekend, encouraging us on to do more work! That’s the type of thing we really like to hear…because we don’t do the shows for us, we do the shows for the audience.

Nathaniel

Opening Night Was Awesome!

Everything went without a hitch! Except for the parking in Belltown, we had to delay the show a little bit for some folks to get there, but other than that! Everyone really enjoyed the show. We had family, friends, strangers, theatre-folk and non-theatre-folk. And everyone seemed to really enjoy it. The laughs hit when they were supposed to hit, the deeper moments felt deeply deep….It was great. Congratulations to the actors & designers and everyone who made this show possible!!

It feels very good to have ECS back. Thank you all for supporting. And please come out and see Fiction!

Nathaniel

ECS or Stephen Colbert?

Who is giving The Mountain Goats a bigger bump? John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats was on the Colbert Report the other day, which is awesome. I’m glad that Stephen is working with ECS to bring the music of this awesome band to the ears of many! Whatever Stephen can do to help, I’ll do as well…so I’m posting the video of The Mountain Goats playing a new song off their new album on the Colbert Report.

FICTION OPENS TOMORROW!!!

That’s really almost all I’m capable of saying today.

For some reason I cannot embed the video…so this will have to do:
The Colbert Report Season 5 Episode 128 The Mountain Goats – Psalms 40:2 on SlashControl

Shared via AddThis

Nathaniel!

Take Another Step…You’re Almost There!

Three rehearsals left!!!! THREE! And then what? We open! Nervous? Of course. Excited? Absolutely.

Tech last week went well. We finished up on Friday with running the show with lights & sound. Everything is looking great. A few things to tweak tomorrow night, but we have ourselves a show here!

Postcard are being handed out. New Website is Up! http://www.emeraldcityscene.org !!! Things are really in motion here.

It’s time to solidify the tattoo. I’m wanting to have it for Opening, but that means getting it done on Friday…which means I may have a bloody tattoo at opening, which isn’t really what I want…
I’m leaning towards the lyrics of the Mountain Goats “As In A Mirror Dimly” from the song Love, Love, Love. It’s a great song, I like the lyrics, and it fits my idea of this show. The idea of seeing a reflection of yourself somewhere in something else, but seeing it dimly, not at all clear.

Anyway, for you, a different Mountain Goats song:

See you this weekend!
Nathaniel

It all comes out sounding like a bad nature show

Day 1. The Freehold Theatre.

We had our very first Tech last night for “Fiction” and I’m loving seeing this show with this set and these lights. The show was good in an ugly rehearsal room with ugly rehearsal set pieces and ugly overhead lights. Now the awesome designers are pulling together everything they’ve been working on and it’s all blending together to make an awesome show!

Of course, one cannot ignore the stress of tech. I think one of the reasons I don’t want to ever act again is because of tech. I love working on tech as a director, or designer, or production manager. But as an actor, you don’t get to really even do anything… Anyway, it sucks and its boring but at least you’re not climbing ladders and touching hot hot lights or dying costumes….right?

Today is Stage Manager Jake Farley’s Birthday! And he has to do tech all night. That’s how awesome he is. After, however, the celebrations will begin! I’m highly looking forward to it.

On a side note…did you get your tickets to the show yet? And opening night? https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/82772

Nathaniel

Well They’ve Called My Bluff!

Tech begins TOMORROW NIGHT!!! Last Night was the final production meeting with the designers before Tech. Everything is coming together! Lights are hung, costumes being fitted, props are purchased, set is set. Tonight is the last night of just plain old rehearsal. It’s going to be a good one. The energy is going to be flaring.

As the weather cools down, I get more and more excited about theatre. Sure, I like shows in the summer…but it’s a lot harder to connect with something deeper when all you want to do is go to the beach or drive with the windows down. Now that the winds get chillier and the rain starts falling, there’s no better place to escape than a theatre with a room full of people and a compelling story on stage being shared.

For anyone who is interested in theatre & especially new plays, I encourage you to check out “Roman Candles in Wonderland,” by Jim Moran, a reading of a new play being presented by Theat(er/re) on Sunday Oct 4th at ACT Theatre, 7:30 PM. A lot of good friends of mine and ECS are involved in the reading and it should be a great time and great way to celebrate fresh new writing in Seattle.

Oh yeah, and remember, “Fiction” opens in just a week and a half!! Get your tickets for Opening Night now! There will be a little celebration reception following the show with drinks, snacks, family & friends!

Nathaniel!

2 weeks to live

Well…we’re there.  Two weeks away from Opening Night!

The nervousness is setting in.  Tonight, I’ll have all the designers at rehearsal.  Only a few left before we go into tech!  Made some progress with some things last night.  A few of the things that we were really having a lot of trouble with we nailed down into something that we can now move forward with.

Every day, all I listen to is The Mountain Goats, who are providing the soundtrack for this show.  These songs, the way that man sings these songs…

Since I get a tattoo for every play that I direct, I’ve decided that the one from “Fiction” will actually be Mountain Goats lyrics.  I’m torn between “Ready For The Future” and “As In A Mirror Dimly”….

I guess I have to decide soon!  I want it for Opening Night!

Ok. Now to kill a few hours before rehearsal…

hasta luego

Nathaniel

Oh Good, The Thing.

Well we’re almost there.  Just three more rehearsals until we begin Tech for “Fiction.”  Each day I become more and more thrilled with the actors in this cast.  Tuesday was our off book date, and they showed up, and I think they are probably the first cast in the history of casts to actually be, OFF BOOK.  Now we can really dive deep into the muck of this script and do some fine tuning.

The past few days have been a blur of business in getting ready for this show, and I know it will continue on well into the hours before opening.  It’s exhausting and exciting.  Every day I take about an hour and half break from my job, go into the Seattle Center Center House and work on the show, eat lunch, etc.  Yesterday, a disheveled man came up to me and told me a story about how years ago the Monorails crashed into one another.  Nobody was hurt, he said.  But you never know what could happen, he said, and walked away.

Being (living, practically) at Seattle Center always provides interesting people to talk to…but this man didn’t want anything.  Just to forewarn.  To prepare me for the future.  And it didn’t matter whether or not the story he told me had actually happened (it did, by the way)…what mattered was that last line….you never know what could happen.  Because of his story (true/false/whatever) my future has now been changed….

Alright.  now to do some more work on the show.

Til next time,

Nathaniel Porter