ACCORDING TO TIP

The baseball season is in full swing and that would have made Tip o'Neill a happy man. He was a life-long fan of the game in general and of the Red Sox in particular. He loved telling the story of how, at the age of seven, he was taken by his father to his first game at Fenway Park. He'd always take care to give the exact date, July 1, 1920. The reason he remembered it so clearly was that Walter Johnson, the legendary Washington Senators pitcher, threw a no-hitter that day. Young Tom O'Neill was transfixed, and hooked on baseball for life. Having seen only one big league game he assumed that no-hitters were common-place. As it turned out, though, it was the only no-hitter Johnson ever pitched and, in more than seventy years of watching, the only one that Tip O'Neill would ever see.
He was a regular at Fenway Park and later, when congress was in session, he and his pals would often make the drive from Washington to Baltimore when the Red Sox were in town to play the Orioles.
Although he was rightly renowned as a great story teller and conversationalist, at ballgames those stories were mostly confined to the down time between innings. He'd score the games on his scorecard and pay close attention to everything that was going on. As an avid card player he had developed the habit of counting in his head which cards had been played. He also counted pitches the same way, this was long before pitch-counts were in vogue. Today the number a pitcher has thrown are tabulated on the scoreboard. for everyone to see. But in those days late in a game he might remark, "This fellow's got to be tiring, he's already thrown a hundred twenty three pitches." Those with him would look around in wonderment at how he knew that.
Meanwhile, he was wondering why nobody else had been paying attention.
He was five years old when the Red Sox won the 1918 World Series, too young to know or appreciate what had happened, and through all the years of his rooting for the team, he never saw a championship flag fly over Fenway. But he got a lifetime of enjoyment out of the game and out of the team, and even became great friends with some of the players, like Carl Yastrzemski, so he'd be the first to say he got his money's worth out of being a Red Sox fan.
But, boy, would he have loved to see those flags flying over Fenway today.

Dick Flavin Nominated for Emmy!

After a 21 year hiatus from television, Dick Flavin, playwright of According to Tip, has been nominated for a New England Emmy award in the writing category, making it his 15th nomination. Dick was first nominated thirty years ago at the very first New England Emmy awards and in it's following nine years was nominated 14 times receiving 7 awards. This makes Dick the only person who has been nominated every year of eligibility as well as the only one who has had a twenty-one year hiatus between nominations.

Dick is also the only individual who has been nominated working not for a television or cable outlet, but for a sports franchise. After leaving TV in 1986 to pursue speaking and writing interests, he did not return until 2007 when the Red Sox asked him to get involved with Red Sox Stories, a program that aired on Channel 38 on Sunday nights, produced by the Red Sox themselves.

The winners will be announced on May 10th!

Dessa Rose - And We're Off!

The show is open! We enjoyed a really fantastic opening night yesterday. The show was really full of energy and fun. I was a little worried that the subject matter would throw audience members, but everyone seems to be enjoying the show a lot. I'm really glad about that - this is such an important message for people to see and hear.

Tech week and previews are always so intense, but it's so great to have such a payoff at the end of the process. Our opening night gathering was really a lot of fun - we got a chance to really interact with those on the technical staff and our audience members. It was nice to see them face to face and have the opportunity to tell them thank you either for sharing this story with us or for being such an integral part of creating it.

I learned today at the matinee that this show can be really draining, so I think it will be really important to keep up the stamina and the energy for every performance. I have such a blast doing it, but it really is vocally, mentally, emotionally challenging for the actor. But thats the fun part! And the art of this whole theater thing - weaving it altogether, telling the story.

One of the most fun parts of this process has been hanging out with the other ladies in the dressing room. We're always flying around the dressing room at our places call half dressed, but it really brings out the kindness in these ladies. People helping others get dressed, telling jokes, giving life lessons. A sense of camaraderie is really making itself apparent in the cast, which is really a lot of fun. It's one of my favorite parts of theater. Aside from how much fun it is to be up there doing it :)

Until next time! Please come see the show and tell all your friends!

ACCORDING TO TIP

Ken Howard is the perfect actor to play Tip O'Neill. He's got the reputation, as a Tony and Emmy winner that gives the play instant credibility; he's got the right temperament and he's got the acting chops to make an unforgettable character come alive on stage.

When people ask how we managed to catch such a big fish, the simple answer is that we went fishing. How we found him is a little more complicated, though. When the script was in its early stages I brought it to Lenny Clarke. Lenny has been famous for years in this area as a stand-up comedian, but he has evolved into an outstanding television character actor. Michael Allosso and I worked with him for some months, but his television commitments kept getting in the way.

The next actor we talked to was Brian Dennehy who is, of course, an A-list Broadway icon. He was appearing on Broadway at the the time in Long Day's Journey into Night, for which he would win a Tony Award. He was more than happy to see us backstage and I was very heartened that he took my script as seriously as he did. After some weeks he decided to stay with recreating roles in classic productions (he has since been on Broadway in Inherit the Wind). So we went fishing again.

George Wendt, who won fame as Norm on Cheers, came to our attention. There was a certain amount of synergy there. It is not generally remembered, but Tip O'Neill was responsible for saving Cheers from being canceled. Early in its first season, the fall of 1981, the program was unable to draw an audience. It turned out, though, that the mother of the Cheers casting director was Delores Snow, Speaker O'Neill's longtime assistant. In a last ditch effort to improve the ratings Delores prevailed upon the speaker to make a cameo appearance on the program when he was going to be in California that January. At that point his epic battles with President Reagan were at their peak, making him the most well-known Democrat in the country.
NBC trumpeted the fact that he'd be on the show. When O'Neill showed up at the Cheers bar, sitting next to Norm in a hilarious scene, the ratings were huge. The program had found its audience and it never left. Anyhow, George had loved acting with Tip and wanted to do the play, but when it looked like we were going to launch a few years ago he had a TV pilot that was picked up and had to back off. George is currently starring on Broadway in Hairspray.

Rita Fucillo, who was then doing the producing, cast the net out once again and we got word that Ken Howard had read the script and loved it. I flew out to Los Angeles and had dinner with him and his wife Linda. I knew right away that we was the perfect guy to be Tip O'Neill. I loved the others to whom we had talked, and still do, but Ken Howard was, and is, The Man.

We shook hands on the deal that night.

Since then the project has been through some ups and downs but Ken has been right there with us, solid as a rock. In the process he and I have become real, honest-to-God, friends. In a stroke of luck, Ken happened to be in Boston last September and on the day he was to leave Paul Boghosian, now the producer, had set up a luncheon with Rick Lombardo at New Rep. I took Ken by and everyone hit it off. Rick showed the theatre to Ken, who fell in love with the venue. And here we are, less than two months away from show time.

Sometimes when you go fishing you catch the big one.

Dessa Rose - Final Dress Rehearsal!

We are approaching the end of our rehearsal journey! It's been a crazy few days. We just got out of two days of 10 of 12s (10 hours of rehearsals with two hours of dinner break). The tech for this show is pretty intense - lots of light cues, a multi-tiered set to play on, and tons of costume changes for various people. Tech is a lot of hurry up and wait - get into costume, do a few lines, then someone calls hold while the technicians adjust lights, costumes, instruments, etc. This is the time when the show really starts coming together - when everyone is really in high gear doing what has to happen to really make the world of this play come alive.

Tech for this show was pretty intense because of all the vignettes and dream sequences and character changes and everything. But it is soooo exciting to see everything come together and land in its place. With this particular show, I really love how the lights help tell the story. The set, costumes, everything is just striking. Even though I know the show really well by now and I know everything that happens along the way, I still get choked up every night at during the Epilogue. There's just something so beautiful and simple and poignant about it that is really affecting.

One really fun part of tech is getting to know my fellow actors better. I've really had a good time getting to really chat with Leigh and Uzo, whose dressing tables are next to mine. I learn so much from them just watching them perform, so chatting with them in general is just really fun. I'm really getting to know Michael and Peter, too - such great guys with so much experience in this theater business.

Okay, I'm in the dressing room due for an entrance soon so I've gotta fly. :)

Dessa Rose - Sitzprobe Night

Tonight we had our sing-thru with the orchestra. It's so fascinating what that extra element can do to the show as a whole. I actually did Dessa Rose at school a few weeks ago with a solo piano, but I noticed so many new nuances in the music that I never noticed before. One of my coaches here at school always talks about using the music and allowing it to be your scene partner. I felt a lot of room to further develop and extend what I'm doing in the show just based on hearing the music that's going to be under us.

During our run earlier in the day, we were able to peek into the theater and see the set as they were working on it. Whoa. It's quite impressive. I'm so excited to work in that space - there are sooo many levels and different things to play with. I always feel so connected to the story I'm trying to tell when I can do it from the physical world. I can't wait to start layering in those extra elements - set, costumes - but I'm a little nervous as well. It's just going to be really important for us as a cast to remember the moments we've developed in the rehearsal hall and maintain that focus once we get in the space. It's going to be strange to walk up and down platforms rather than wander across tape lines. But we'll get through it. I think the show is already pretty strong, and I look forward to watching it grow in the next few days of rehearsal.

Six days from first preview! Unbelievable! Thus starts a lot of long days in the rehearsal process. Tomorrow is on the lighter side, but then we're kind of off to the races for the rest of the week. But bring it on! I look forward to it. I can't wait for people to come and see the great work that's gone into this show from every angle - musicians, performers, designers, carpenters, everyone. Okay, off to prepare for this crazy week.

Congratulations to our 2007 IRNE Award winners!

The Wild Party
Best Supporting Actress in a Musical - Sarah Corey
Best Ensemble

A Streetcar Named Desire
Best Scenic Design - Janie E. Howland
Best Sound Design - Haddon Kime
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama - Bates Wilder
Best Actress - Rachel Harker
Best Director of a Drama - Rick Lombardo
Best Production of a Drama

View all the awards at StageSource

According to Tip - A History

ACCORDING TO TIP

In two months According to Tip will finally be born on the stage of New Rep.

It's been a long and winding road. Here's how it began.

in January, 2001, I embarked on the project of writing a play about Tip O'Neill, a legendary character and an important figure in American history. I had no experience as a playwright, but as a longtime television commentator and speaker I already knew about writing for the spoken word as opposed that that which appears on the page. As a professional presenter I also knew about crafting stories and about delivering what audiences want.

Moreover, I knew the former speaker well. I had covered him for years as a TV journalist. I assumed nothing, though, and spent the first three months of the project on research. I reread everything of note that had been written about him. I sought out friends, colleagues and adversaries for their insights, something I have continued to do as the years have rolled by.

In April of 2001 I set to work on the first draft of the play and by July it was finished. I was naive enough to think my work was essentially over. Silly, silly boy.

That summer we staged a reading before about fifty friends and acquaintances. That was my first wake up call. I knew that I had something, but that it was far from a finished product - really far. I went back to the drawing board and began rewriting - and then re-writing again.

At this stage Michael Allosso, who is a well known acting coach and director, came into the picture. He helped in the shaping of the script and directed three workshop performances that were held at the Vokes Theatre in Wayland, MA. Actually, they were somewhat more than workshops because the actor (me, if you can believe it!) was off-book. The audience again consisted of friends and acquaintances. The workshop performances were not open to the public and no one paid to see fledgling production. Rita Fucillo of Playbill Magazine and The Show of the Month Club was invaluable as a producer during that period. In June we did a truncated version (twenty-five minutes) for potential investors.

Here's what I had learned so far; we were getting better but we weren't ready.

Back to the drawing board. Finally, in 2005 we were ready. We thought. There was still something missing. We didn't have anyone with real business sense at the helm. I was in charge of the money, a sure recipe for disaster, which was just what ensued.

I relied on pledges of support from people I had solicited and blissfully went ahead and rented and, and paid for, Zero Arrow Theatre. What happened next still makes me cringe. Prospective investor after prospective investor backed away when it came time to write the checks. I had been too innocent, or incompetent, take your pick. The money didn't materialize and I had already spent about one hundred thousand dollars given by early investors.

The plug got pulled on the show, I was in debt to the tune of six figures, representatives of an actor in Los Angeles were threatening to sue and I was all alone. Just me and my script.

But a year later, like Lazarus, I thought I and my project were rising from the dead. A friend of mine, Seth Yorra, who has wide experience in theatre both here and throughout Europe, put me in touch with a producer in New York. The guy had some big-time credits, many of Eddie Murphy's movies, for example. I sent him the script and met with him to give my pitch, but before I could begin he said not to bother, that he had read the play and was in for the full amount of the production's cost. Hallelujah! We were off and running. Or were we? The producer was going to fund the project with an influx of money coming to this country from Eastern Europe. But a funny thing happened to the money on its way to America. It never showed up.

And we were back to ground zero again. Somehow, though, even though it had cost me considerable money and considerable heartache I never gave up on the project. I believed in it. I felt it was too good to let die.

Last New Rep On Tour Post

These are my last words on here...and i'm already feeling dramatic about it.

I'm a little sad, summing up all that I've been through on this tour. I was so lucky to be chosen to work with such great actors, a very special director, and a lovely stage manager.

This past week, we visited our final schools. Every school was a new and different place. I started to feel like a pro at this touring stuff--walking into a fresh new school, getting quickly acquainted with the new space, performing, and leaving.....just like that. Theatre itself is kind of like a tour....which is why i'm a little sad. You get quickly acquainted with people you work with, you have moments with them, perform, and before you know it....its over. Thing is, I am the only girl in the cast. I'm the only truly emotional girly one.....no one else was in a sad crying mood so I held in the tearful goodbyes. Somehow our goodbyes passed without meaning too much. It was more like..."see ya.."

Interesting schools I didn't write about this past week--we visited a strange school near my apartment in Boston right near Fenway--Boston Arts Academy. It was a small little black box stage with garbage on the floors, nails and sawdust on the stage, and a creepy stage setting which looked a lot like it was from the "underground railroad" times...(This makes sense to me)...
The audience liked us.

We also went to a school called the Waring school (I think) where there were little children running around and everyone could use their cell phones in the halls....(kids these days!?) Also, the air smelled of biscuits and tomato soup, which I craved greatly upon getting a whiff.

Today was our last performance at the Brandeis Arts Fest. It was a good one. They clapped for a long long time, way after we left the stage. I will remember a little girl with bright orangy, red hair who came up to me and told me she really like the show. That was very special. You had to see her.

My favorite school--The Waldorf school. It was early on in the tour. Maybe our second performance. Nothing could compare to those kids and the way they received our show. No it wasn't the loud cheers of Catholic (which Paul and Robert loved most)...but it was their respect, and silence during the emotional parts. And the room was so spiritual you could cry. These are kids with a special circumstance and coming to perform for them was really giving something back.

Just some things to note before I go....

Paul often announced to the audiences that it was Kate's (our stage manager's) birthday. Today he got a cake for his (next month)
(I had to blog about that)

I will miss seeing different sites every time I go to perform. I love to see places I've never seen before.

Bob needed to make sure that his nose got back to its original box but he did not want to keep it for himself. (I see a lot of meaning in this)

Alright....that's it. I enjoyed this play very much and the journey we have all taken together.

Dessa Rose - Blocking Done!

Today we officially finished blocking the entire show. Now comes the fun part - working through the show, finding those fun little moments, continuing to develop characters. This is definitely my favorite part of the process - that time when you know where you're going on stage and you're getting the book out of your hands and discovering new things about the show and your character.

When we blocked the epilogue today, I think I suddenly just really got what this whole show is about. The end is just so simple and beautiful, and that realization really made me connect with that section today for whatever reason. My rehearsal day was pretty brief and it was a ridiculously beautiful day outside, so perhaps it was a combination of those factors that made me just all about that epilogue today. Whatever it was, I'm hoping I can find that again.

I'm so excited to get on the stage and walk the set and really see the world of the play. Our lovely stage managers have done an awesome job in the rehearsal hall of making tape lines where set pieces and platforms will be, but I'm excited just to perform in the space at Arsenal. And you can draw so much from your surroundings in making the world more real.

Now I'm off to make sure I have all of my staging/music/blocking down. And do a good amount of homework for school tomorrow :) Until next time...

ACCORDING TO TIP

I am counting the days when According to Tip opens at the New Rep.
I started on the project seven years ago and it has been a long and winding road.
I've long since stopped counting the drafts I have written (in fact the tinkering continues) but I have stuck with it because I am convinced that the life and times of Tip O'Neill are worthy of a theatrical presentation.
His career in public office lasted fifty years, but culturally it spanned the entire twentieth century. He began in the days of street corner rallies and torch light parades and lasted into the age of computerized politics and multi-million dollar campaigns.
He played a role in issues ranging from the Red Scare of the thirties, Watergate and the Reagan Revolution. But more than that he was one of the most colorful characters in American political history. He battled with Reagan while at the same time they were close friends, he played cards with Nixon, campaigned with the Kennedy's and sang a song or told a story at the drop of a hat.
As a political reporter I covered him and in his retirement he befriended me.
And now I've written a play about him.
He was an American original and come this June, thanks to Ken Howard, Rick Lombardo and the team at New Rep, he'll be coming back to life.
I'm counting the days.

Dessa Rose - Press Photos

Here are some photos from Dessa Rose.

Leigh Barrett as Ruth and Uzo Aduba as Dessa.Leigh Barrett as Ruth, Uzo Aduba as Dessa, and Todd Alan Johnson as Adam Nehemiah.

More info

Dessa Rose - Blocking Rehearsals

We finished blocking Act I today. It's always so much fun to see how shows start to come together, especially seeing what my fellow actors bring to the table from the first moment. I'm also learning a lot seeing how Rick takes his vision and allows it to join with the actor's ideas about their character to create some really poignant moments.

We've been talking a lot about the role of women during slavery, and the realities of life in that time are horrifying. We talked about the process of childbirth - it often left women bedridden for months. Slave women were raped, mutilated, and suffered unimaginable tragedy. It's shocking and incredibly sobering to think that these things actually happened to real people. Rick and the production team placed photographs on the walls of the rehearsal hall that put a face on this time period. It's such a contrast of images - stately plantation houses next to a slave's scarred back, a minstrel cartoon of a smiling black man next to photographs of stone-faced slave families.

Even in the face of all of these depressing images and the realities of the life, we as a cast are finding those moments of celebration and joy in these people's lives, the things that made them wake up each morning and live this semblance of a life. Yesterday, we played with one scene where the slaves use their household chore materials as instruments to celebrate Dessa's liberation. It was a great exercise in listening to your fellow actor, calling and responding, all while creating a common rhythm together. It's still coming together, but it's one of my favorite moments so far.

Tomorrow is our off day, which means a full day of school for me :) but I love being busy, I wouldn't have it any other way! Tuesday we'll resume Act II blocking. I really can't believe that Week I is over already! Only two more weeks of rehearsal and then our first preview!

Dessa Rose - First Rehearsal

And so our journey begins!

I'm Kami, and I'm playing Annabel, various other female ensemble roles, and understudying Dessa Rose in New Rep's upcoming production. I'm excited for the opportunity to be a voice from the cast to the community so that you guys can get an idea what goes on in that third floor rehearsal hall :)

I am so excited that New Rep is taking on this brilliant show and its difficult subject matter. A female slave that leads a rebellion? A white society woman who falls in love with a black man and helps slaves find their way to freedom? These are topics that are not often discussed. These are women who were willing to defy societal constraints to live their lives. Ironically, the characters in the show travel to the area I'm from (northern Alabama/Mississippi), so the show feels that much closer to me. I'm excited for the challenge of bringing each of my different characters to life and really breathing a soul into each of them.

Yesterday was our first day of rehearsal. We filled out a lot of paperwork in the morning, then heard presentations from the shows designers. I was so excited to see the work that's already been put into the production long before the actors showed up. Then, we started a sing/read/stumble thru of the show. Oh man. There was some really great talent in that room.

I've got to say, I felt a little nervous and intimidated going into the room. I'm still in school working towards my masters degree in Musical Theater and this is only my third professional theater experience. I was so glad that my classmate and friend De'lon, who is playing Kaine in the show, was there too, just to share in this new experience and to chat with on the T :) The cast and crew were all really kind and friendly and great to work with, so I got over the nervousness thing pretty quickly. I'm excited to soak up the knowledge from them as we continue in this process.

This entry probably sounds like a lot of gushing about the entire production after only the first day. And it is :) But I just feel really fortunate to be a part of it! Today is more learning music. Until next time!

-Kami