Thoughts of our actor David Maler also known as Tom :)

So we are half way into our run and I’ve tried to avoid writing this article for almost two months.  Mainly because I know that nothing that I could possibly write would do this process any justice.  What a ride. A true journey in self-discovery, emotional depths/limits, every process, even the ones outside of the play but still surround it, the beautiful bonds created by a group of strangers.  Every one involved has helped me grow in some way. I look back at the person that (by pure chance) found his way to Lian’s casting, and the person that walks on stage every Saturday and I barely recognize him. My father would always say, there is no better school than life. Every one that surrounds me is a teacher and I’ve had the ultimate pleasure of soaking up the experience through every pore. Breaking Brando’s law (you can’t be a cliché actor if Brando isn’t your favorite), he always said actors should never talk about their private lives, and I agree, something magical about mystery but until I’m Brando I’ll continue rambling. Since I was little I would hear amazing stories from my father, of amazing groups of people that changed the arts, amazing events taking place. Maybe a dinner where two people were introduced and it turns out they later left a mark in history. So I lived with the idea in my head that I had to be careful and pick my activities wisely because people might talk about it in generations to come, or pick my dinners carefully because that’s where I might meet the Yoko to my John. For the first time in my life, what this play and process has taught me, is that, although it may sound obvious, these people never knew what they were doing, they just played. Dadaism, they played. Surrealism, played.  Nouvelle Vague, Fluxus, DiTella…they all played.  And that is what I’ve learned to do… play.  Playing doesn’t mean not taking it seriously, on the contrary, you see a child play and they are completely immersed and committed, but it never the less is a game, and although they might feel the whole spectrum of emotions, it just might be one of the most enjoyable things in life. I’ve head the pleasure of playing with extremely talented people in this production. I think “rich” is also a perfect word to describe this process. Rich to the mind, to the senses, I truly think that when one creates a character, you get to see things in a different light, the way that this person, that later becomes you, sees it. So we leave this thing with an insight we never had, almost like a layer of residue that the character has left us with, as a gift. I’ve also had the honour, in every sense of this extremely overrated word, to work directly with an amazing playwright and director. We all built something, an amazing structure, built solely on words, actions, lights.  Something ephimerous, when the play finishes, our characters die, the audience fades, and there is no evidence of what we built, but even so, I walk out feeling more alive and full than ever before.  Like I said, nothing that I write can do this process justice. What all of this means to me can never be measured. So I can only say thank you, every body involved in this, amazing crew, amazing cast members, director and playwright, thank you so much for letting me play with you!

- David

Our Miss Media and costume designer Sophie Lloyd tells about her experiences with Intruders

Costume styling isn’t my day job (I work in fashion journalism, among other things) but I love dressing people up, and there’s something uniquely exciting about being involved in a theater production and seeing it come together. I’ve done the costumes for a number of different theater productions over the years but this is my first time to do it in Buenos Aires, and hopefully not the last.

In terms of the costumes for Intruders, the direction was straightforward. The actors all had to be in their underwear - symbolic of the sense of unease and vulnerability that the characters experience in the play. The men were relatively easy to sort out with simple pairs of boxers (and a pair of hand-sewn sock suspenders) but if you know anything about the shopping scene in Buenos Aires, you’ll know that shopping for simple, demure female underwear is no easy feat, particularly on a tight budget.

I spent many hours trawling the cheap underwear stalls in Once and the lingerie shops down Santa Fe to find the best underwear sets for the three different female characters. If it wasn’t a problem with the style or the color, the shops didn’t have the size we wanted. But, as always, things came together in the end.

The most challenging part of the costume was Sasha’s six-month pregnant belly. Making a realistic looking pregnant belly that’s comfortable to wear is more difficult than it sounds particularly when worn under a thin silky slip that leaves nothing to the imagination. I did a lot of research online, watched numerous YouTube videos and we played around a lot with cotton stuffing, plastic wrap and pairs of sewn up old tights.  Finally, in a stroke of genius, I picked apart a friend’s old travel cushion (the kind you wear around your neck on airplanes) and used the stuffing (lots of tiny white balls) to stuff the top part of a pair of tights (with the legs cut off and sewn up) which made for quite a malleable, texture-less fake belly.  (note: I don’t recommend picking apart a travel cushion unless you really have to. Those little white balls get EVERYWHERE and you’ll spend days sweeping them up).

The next task was to make sure the belly was molded to Sasha’s body to give a natural looking silhouette. In the end, we decided to attach the belly to her with plastic wrap around her waist (Marina Artigas, thanks for the tip) combined with a pair of those ugly high-waisted granny pants that keep your bum and tum tucked in and helped to disguise the texture of the plastic wrap beneath the silk slip. And  voilà! If you look carefully, you’ll even spot a fake belly button too.

Costumes aside, it’s been a great experience to work with a very talented cast and crew and I admire the way they’ve turned a complex script into a very engaging, entertaining performance.

Sophie

Qué bueno articulo en Time Out Buenos Aires!

Version grande en nuestra http://www.flickr.com/photos/intrudersbuenosaires con más de backstage imagenes. Bienvenidos!

Pensamientos de nuestra actriz Marina "Melanie" Artigas / Thoughts of our actress Marina "Melanie" Artigas

Yo no había estado en una obra antes Intruders. Y puedo decir que a medida que van pasando las funciones las voy disfrutando más. Lo que no puedo decir es que cada vez me ponga menos nerviosa. Ya desde la primera vez que entramos a ensayar a la sala, cuando ví esas 60 sillas vacías mirándome con sus tapizados rojos como caras humanas, desde ahí ya supe que no iba a ser fácil para mí. 

A Melanie le pasa lo opuesto. Ella es la que tiene problemas con estar en la platea. Por eso puedo entender que cuando está en el escenario se relaje. Es muy fuerte que, previo a las funciones, de nosotras dos la que esté nerviosa sea yo. Es así que, ya me dí cuenta, cuando en la escena algo no fluye, es porque yo me estoy metiendo a opinar y tratar de dirigir o controlar la situación (porque en el fondo tengo tanto miedo!) Ella por el contrario, sabe lo que tiene que hacer y es un placer y un aprendizaje para mí verla hacerlo. 

Entonces, cierro los ojos antes de poner un pie en el escenario, le agarro fuerte la mano y entro en esa rueda gigante que viene girando a mil por hora. Donde la mano de Melanie me guía y me rescata tanto como la de las otras personas que están girando adentro de ese mundo. Mis compañeros, los compañeros de ella. 

Cuando entro al escenario de Intruders siento que estoy acompañando a Melanie en su mundo, con sus pares, con su gente. Ella me enseña a soltarme a mí y a cada cosa que se me cruce por la cabeza. En voz alta, sin pensar en las consecuencias, sin criticar ni juzgar. Sin miedo a la impresión que pueda dejar en los demás. Y también me invita a entrar en la rueda gigante que cada Sábado me muestra la adrenalina de no poder cortar y empezar de nuevo. Me me recuerda la fragilidad del foco de nuestra concentración. De que se puede perder de un segundo al otro y de cómo el ejercicio está en recuperarlo, cada vez y seguir rodando. 

Y cuando termina, cuando nos damos la mano para el saludo final, vuelvo, pero no sola. Pienso que yo también la llevo a pasear por mí día, entre los personajes que pueblan mi mundo . Estos personajes con los que nos hemos... bueno, insultado nunca,  pero sí puesto caras de culo. Nos hemos reído juntos, otras veces discutido y pensado por dentro: ayyyy no te banco! También nos hemos mirado a los ojos y sostenido nuestra postura en una discusión. Nos abrazamos un montón de veces. Largo y tendido. Nos escuchamos al teléfono o al bar. Nos dimos confianza antes de entrar a escena. Este grupo de personajes que está conmigo afuera del escenario, es tan rico y variado como el que está  con Melanie adentro. 

A esta colección de aparatos que conforma Intruders no es solamente su "bilingüidad" ni su "internacionalidad" lo que la hace heterogénea y especial. Es ser una fauna, una manada donde a todos damos un lugar de protagonismo, incluso a las moscas. A mi me gusta pensar que ellas, las moscas, se paran a mirar la obra cuando se apaga la luz. Y estoy segura de que tienen un montón de cosas para decirnos cuando se vuelve a prender. Tan abierta es nuestra fauna, que las escuchamos. 

I’d never been in a play before Intruders. I can safely say that as the shows go by, I'm enjoying them more and more. What I can't say is that I feel any less nervous. From the first rehearsal in the theater when I saw those 60 empty chairs looking at me with their red tapestry resembling human faces, I knew it wasn't going to be easy for me.

For my character Melanie it's totally the opposite. She has a hard time being in the audience and relaxes when she's on stage. It's strange that, of the two of us, I'm the one that's nervous. Now I know that when something isn't flowing in the scene it's because I’m sticking my nose in and trying to direct or control the situation (because deep down inside I'm terrified!). She, on the contrary, knows what she has to do, and it's a great pleasure and a huge learning experience for me to watch her do it.

Before I go on stage, I close my eyes, tightly grab Melanie’s hand and jump into the Ferris wheel that’s turning at 1,000 miles per hour. Melanie's hand guides and rescues me as much as the hands of the other people that are rolling inside that world; my partners, her partners. When I enter the set of Intruders I feel that I'm accompanying Melanie into her own world with her peers, her people. She teaches me to let go of myself and anything that's on my mind. Out loud, without thinking about the consequences, without criticizing or judging. Fearless of how I'll impress the others. Every Saturday, she invites me to enter the wheel that gives me adrenalin in the knowledge that it’s impossible to cut and start over and reminds me of the fragility of our attention focus; how you can lose it in a second and how the challenge is to bring it back, each time, and keep on rolling.

And when it's over, when we grab each other's hand for the final bow, I come back. But I'm not alone. I keep Melanie with me, among the other characters that inhabit my world. These characters with which we have...well, not actually insulted each other, but certainly put on a bad face and argued and thought to ourselves, “arrrggggghh I can't stand you!”. We’ve also laughed together and hugged each other many times. We’ve listened to each other on the phone or at the bar and given each other confidence before going on stage. This group of characters that is with me offstage is as rich and diverse as the one that is with Melanie onstage.

In this collection of rare inventions that makes up Intruders, it's not only the "bilingualism" or "internationalism" that makes it so heterogeneous and special. It's being a fauna, a herd, where everyone plays a key role, including the flies. I like to think that they, the flies, stop watching the play when the lights go off and I'm sure that they have a lot to say to us once the lights come on again. And our fauna is so open that we cannot help but listen to them.

Marina 

Actress Luisina Quarleri has provided us another great behind the scene perspective!

Can´t believe opening day has finally come...and gone! We´ve
officially started our run, and with our second show already under our
belt a lot of positive feedback has already started to come our way:
this past weekend we had not one, but two rave reviews in the Buenos
Aires Herald. I´m so happy to be part of this production and to be
working with such incredible people that have made this whole process
so rewarding.

Let´s talk, for a second, about the incredible amount of concentration
and energy it takes to act on a stage. You need to be 100% focused on
what´s going on, tuned in to the fullest and extremely sensitive and
open to any and all connections with your fellow actors, while
simultaneously completely turned off to any and all connections with
your audience that might break the imaginary fourth wall (regardless
of how many times someone coughs or a cell phone rings), and at the
same time, be able to absorb all that glorious extra energy that
having a real live audience gifts you, that extra umph that comes from
all those people there to watch you, waiting to be entertained, moved
to tears or laughter, enthralled in someone else´s world (real or not)
that isn´t their own. To have those people willingly give us their
time and attention is so humbling. It´s a great gift to be an actor,
and to have the opportunity to do theater in Buenos Aires, the city
where I was born but never really got to experience, is one of the
happiest turns of events that have popped up in my artistic life so
far.

One of the craziest and best things about the theater is that is
always live, and no one moment can be repeated exactly the same way.
That´s what it makes it so real, so exciting, you could even say
dangerous in a way. There´s no chance of a do-over, a second take, a
let´s-try-that-again and fix that mistake....no. You get distracted,
you miss a line, you just have to keep going and hope you find your
way back again. A former teacher of mine once compared it to boxing:
you have to pay attention and react to every blow, every jab, every
touch, and if you miss one or you get hit, then too bad...no time to
think about it, just keep on going or you get knocked down. This was
particularly true for me this past week, when I had a small wardrobe
malfunction and was momentarily thrown off in the middle of my scene,
unable to keep myself engaged in what was going on with David (aka
Tom) because my mind was elsewhere. In those precious seconds in which
I considered my options, which to me felt like hours, I figured I had
two choices: a) run off stage and therefore likely sabotage the scene
and probably the play or b) force myself to focus and just.keep.going.

This is easier said than done, but I like to think I did an okay job
at it. And, when it was all over, I had to remind myself that this is
the theater! Anything can happen! That´s what´s so exciting!!! And,
also, to not beat myself up after the fight. After all, I had already
performed in my boxing match that night. 

Luisina 


Here is also our review on Buenos Aires Herald on Saturday 24th of September 2011. The bigger version for you to read is online on our Flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/intrudersbuenosaires 

Actor Francisco Ortiz habla sobre la producción inmediatamente después de su estreno! Actor Francisco Ortiz talks about the production straight after its premiere!

ZUMBIDO

Cuando me llegó la noticia de las audiciones para “Intruders”, el planteo de estrenar una obra inédita de un dramaturgo norteamericano en su idioma original me pareció una idea interesante y un desafío atractivo. Pensé qué bueno que sería formar parte de un proyecto así y comencé a prepararme.

Así fue como conocí a Lian Walden, la directora y hoy, compañera de elenco en el papel de “Sasha”. Ella me acercó partes de un texto intenso, obscuro e ingenioso, y luego de las últimas audiciones me ofreció el papel de “Dan”. Comprobé mis sospechas: la obra estaba buena. Ben Kunkel había escrito una pieza inteligente, retorcida, profunda y con un mundo interno fascinante.

El “trabajo de mesa” junto a mis nuevos compañeros de elenco fue el comienzo de un largo camino de creación en el que, me voy a atrever a decir que todos formamos parte. Teníamos a nuestro cargo la tarea de adaptar a la realidad de la escena porteña una obra de 2 horas, creada por y concebida para una cultura distinta, especialmente en lo que a modos de producción del teatro se refiere. Tuvimos la suerte de contar con la dirección y la pasión de una yanqui capricorniana que no se detuvo ante nada (Literalmente...) en su afán de llevar la obra a cabo y sin la determinación de la cual nada de esto hubiera sido posible.

La complejidad de este proceso hizo que se extendiera mucho más de lo planeado en un principio; contemplando recortes de texto; presentaciones a festivales y subsidios; modificaciones en el equipo de producción; las sentidísimas bajas de dos colegas, ya amigas, con las que compartíamos los ensayos: Mariela Ajras y Dafne Schilling ; y la integración de David Maler y Luisina Quarleri, todos ellos, amores míos.

Si bien nadie tenía ni idea de qué tipo de atención podría capturar un proyecto en otro idioma dentro el circuito del teatro independiente de Buenos Aires, había algo en él que había atrapado la mía, la nuestra, y por lo que todos estuvimos dispuestos a dar un salto de fe sobre la luna. A lo largo de los meses “Intruders” cobro nombre y entidad, dentro y fuera de nosotros. Y toda la energía y el esfuerzo que cada uno de los que formamos parte de ella invirtió hoy vuelven transformados en un espectáculo radicalmente fuerte, así como rico y demandante. Poner un pie en ese escenario es entrar a un universo paralelo, clarobscuro, surreal y peligrosamente cercano a la vez, del que estoy orgulloso de formar parte.

Todo este tiempo, dentro y fuera de nuestros personajes, como toda experiencia laboral, hacer “Intruders” es ante todo una experiencia humana, de reconocimiento y autoconocimiento, creativo y personal. El estreno de este sábado fue uno de los ejemplos más claros: me pasaron cosas que no me habían pasado jamás en la vida. Y más que ver, sentí, como mi nueva familia estaba ahí conmigo. Finalizando un recorrido e iniciando otro. Lian, David, Marina y Luisina: aprendo de ustedes cada día, sobre mí mismo, como profesional, sobre el amor, la humildad y el trabajo en equipo. Los llevo conmigo por siempre. Gracias.

BUZZ

When I first heard about the auditions for “Intruders” (a stage adaptation of a new play by a North-American playwright to be performed in its original language) it sounded like an interesting idea and an attractive challenge. I thought it would be great to be part of such a project so I started to prepare for it.

That´s how I met Lian Walden, director and fellow cast member who plays the role of “Sasha”. She introduced me to parts of the intense, dark and witty text, and after a callback, offered me the role of “Dan”. My suspicions were true: the play was good. Ben Kunkel had written a clever, twisted and profound piece of theater drawing you into a fascinating internal world.

The first read-throughs with my new cast members marked the beginning of a long, creative journey that we all became deeply involved with. We were faced with the task of adapting a two-hour play created by and conceived for a different culture to appeal to the “porteño” stage, especially in terms of production. We were lucky enough to count on the direction and passion of a Capricorn Yankee who did everything (literally…) in her will power to make the play happen; and without whose determination none of this would have been possible.

The whole process took longer than expected with deliberations over script cuts, theater festival applications, changes to the production team and the sadness of losing two colleagues, already friends, Mariela Ajras and Dafne Schilling; followed by the arrival of two new cast members, David Maler and Luisina Quarleri, all of whom I love.

While none of us had any idea what kind of attention a foreign language project such as this would attract in Buenos Aires’ independent theatre circuit, there was something in it that had already captured my, indeed all of our, attentions and became the reason why we were all willing to take a leap of faith. Over the course of the last few months “Intruders” had become an entity inside and around us. And all the energy and effort each member invested in it has resulted in a radically strong, rich and demanding show. To step onto that set is to enter a dark and surreal parallel universe that’s dangerously close to our own, and I´m proud to be a part of it.

Above all, as with any work experience, making “Intruders” has been a very creative and personal experience of recognition and self-knowledge, both in and out of character. The opening night last Saturday was a perfect example: things happened that had never happened to me before but my new family was there for me. Finishing a path and starting a new one. Lian, David, Marina and Luisina: I learn from you every day about myself, as a professional, about love, humbleness and team-work. I will treasure this experience forever. Thank you.

Rock N´Roll…

Francisco  

It's the final countdown before opening night and the whole Intruders team is positively buzzing (pardon the pun). The set is in place and ready for action, the cast are busy rehearsing in full costume, and the technical team are ironing out the final details before show time. AND tickets are now on sale - you can reserve by phone or email (see information section above).

Last week, photographer Patricio Guillamon took our official publicity photos and they turned out great (if we do say so ourselves). You can view them here as well as our Facebook and Flickr pages. We've also uploaded some new rehearsal shots taken by Alex Plonski.

Keep checking our blog over the next few weeks as our talented troupe of actors, director, producer and other crew members will be writing about their experiences in the show (the highs and the lows) and maybe even disclosing some backstage secrets.

Just to remind you, we open this Saturday, September 17 at Teatro La Tertulia on Gallo 826 at 830pm (easily accessible by bus or Subte Line B, Carlo Gardel). If you don't catch our opening night, you have plenty of other opportunities as performances will take place every Saturday night until mid November. 

See you in the theater!

 Estamos en la cuenta regresiva hacia el estreno y todo el grupo de Intruders está a los zumbidos. La escena está preparada y lista para la acción, el elenco está muy ocupado ensayando con su vestuario, y el equipo técnico está ultimando los últimos detalles antes de la noche crucial. Y ahora las entradas están a la venta, pueden reservarlas por teléfono o email (ver información en la columna arriba).

La semana pasada, el fotógrafo Patricio Guillamón sacó nuestras fotos oficiales para publicidad y salieron geniales (si lo decimos nosotros…). Las pueden ver tanto acá como en nuestro Facebook y Flickr. También subimos algunas fotos de ensayo que sacó Alex Plonski.

Sigan chequeando nuestro blog en las próximas semanas mientras que nuestra troupe de actores, directora, productores y los demás miembros del equipo escriben sobre su experiencia en la obra (los altibajos) e incluso tal vez revelen algún secreto de detrás de escena.

Solo pare recordarles, estrenamos este sábado 17 de septiembre en el teatro La Tertulia que queda en Gallo 826, a las 20.30hs (se llega fácilmente en colectivo o en el subte B, estación Carlos Gardel).

Si no vienen al estreno, tienen muchas otras oportunidades porque habrá funciones todos los sábados hasta mediados de noviembre.

                                                               ¡Nos vemos en el teatro!