stress rash

We are back today after a brief break for Xmas. It’s difficult rehearsing during the holidays, because of all the distractions.

Happy end to a story: about a month ago, I started developing this redness and swelling inside my mouth, on the right side of my upper lip. Nothing noticable, but it was disconcerting, as I’d never experienced anything like it before.

critics

Had lunch with Terry Byrne, who is doing a story about the production.

Indian buffet. Yum.

Terry is very nice, but I’m always nervous when I talk to reporters or critics. Afraid that something I say, when printed, will sound absolutely idiotic.

It’s strange being an actor in a small city like Boston, because you can literally bump into a critic just about anywhere: in line at Taco Bell, waiting for a bus, etc. (never in a gym, for some reason: it’s a critic free zone)

story time

So hard to keep up with this blog, the time moves so fast!

I’m just going to ramble. Hope that’s all right.

So, we’ve been away for awhile and now we’re back, jumping into the play after being on our own for while, like wandering electrons in a cloud chamber (I’m working the physics metaphors lately).

Starting Up Again

We are back in rehearsals today after almost a month away from each other.

It will be good to see everyone again. I missed those Bohrs!

Now we have to take everything we’ve learned while we were apart and throw it all together and make something new.

Spin

Reading the passage about “spin” in Copenhagen, trying to memorize the lines of course, but more importantly trying to understand some of the science. Spin is the idea that electrons can spin in different ways. Much like Heisenberg.

Someone said these men were bigamists: they were married to science first, then to their wives.

There is great passion for the science.

It seems strange to me now that I used to think of science as rather unromantic. Facts and math and equations. Everything in black in white. No place for passion or emotion at all. But the opposite seems to be the case: So much imagination is required.

Copenhagen

Hello, blog-o-sphere!

I’ve never blogged before, so please be gentle!

So, we’ve rehearsed “Copenhagen” for two weeks. Very exciting. It’s my first time at the ART, so I’m quite nervous and of course want all to go well. It’s a gigantic play, the collision between Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg during WWII. I’m to play Heisenberg, the tousled-haired bad boy of German atomic psychics.

Will and Karen play the Bohrs. So exciting to be working with them both. I think the last time we were on stage together was 12th Night, on the Boston Common, which is now, yipes, 7 years ago!

Will and I do an “audio comic strip” (whatever that is!) on NPR called “11 Central Ave.”, so we get to play together sometimes, but that’s more of a voice over sort of experience.

Taking Copenhagen to Harvard

Karen MacDonald, John Kuntz and I visited Peter Galison’s History of Science class at Harvard last week and read a section from Copenhagen. It was part of Peter’s lecture on Werner Heisenberg and the German nuclear project; a group of students also read from the “Farm Hall transcripts” – records of conversations between Heisenberg and his colleagues when they were held captive in Britain.

Introducing Copenhagen

I first saw Copenhagen in its premiere production at the National Theatre in London. I must admit I went somewhat reluctantly; the descriptions I’d read of the play made it sound like rather dry pseudo-biography. I was therefore amazed at the strength of my emotional reaction to the production. Michael Frayn’s play is not only beautifully crafted and intellectually provocative, it’s also deeply and surprisingly moving.

Introducing the 07/08 Season

As I hope you’ve seen, we’ve now announced the A.R.T.’s 2007-08 season. I’m incredibly excited about these eight projects, I wanted to take this opportunity to explain some of the choices I made in putting it together.

The key factor for me was to bring you as wide a range of theatrical experiences as possible, from classics to world premieres, from shows built from scratch at the A.R.T. to guest productions of international renown, from opera and drama to comedy and political satire.