Donate
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Phantoms But Were Afraid To Ask
-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Archives
Meta
Hey folks!
So as you may have heard, we’re going to NYC for the Manhattan Repertory Spring Theater festival. YAY!!
It’s SUPER exciting, but so that our actors can generally eat, have a place to sleep, and not die, we would love if you would consider donating to our site. Even five dollars will help when we’re out there, so any donation of any size is very much appreciated!
If you’re interested in donating, please feel free to hit the big “Donate” button that’s now on the top right-hand side of the site.
Hope to see some of you in NYC!
Ariel
Producing a new play always requires community support, and a little help from our friends. Here is the first in a series to introduce you to our various Supporters! Please read and share their interviews to thank them for helping us get the Phantoms out.
Today we thank Hypnotiq Solutions, and asked Thea Pueschel some questions:
Q: Please tell us about your business.
Hypnotiq Solutions is a private Hypnotherapy Practice and Micro-Yoga Studio. I provide Hypnotherapy and creative workshops that focus on the individual and personalized metaphor. I specialize in creativity, anxiety and sports performance. Kyle McGough teaches Yoga classes and privates. He hails from a background in martial arts so his focus in Yoga is to really break the pose down to its basic components making yoga accessible for everyone and adapting the class to the needs of the students.
Q: Why did you want to help the production?
TP: Cindy asked, and we like her, but we are passionate about supporting the arts within our community. With so much funding that has been cut on various levels in the arts we like to support where we can.
Q: The play deals with children and parents who are grieving in different ways, some healthy and some not. What are your observations or thoughts on handling grief?
TP: There is no one-way to handle grief. There are 7 stages of loss/grief. They may not appear in any particular order and they may ebb and flow from day to day. They are 1) shock, 2) denial, 3) anger, 4) guilt, 5) pain and sorrow, 6) release and resolution, 7) willingness to return to love. It is not uncommon for a person to get stuck at one of the stages or to fluctuate. It is important to honor the emotion and go through the journey. Actively grieving for years can be unhealthy, but when a loved one dies it is normal and healthy to grieve for a period of time. The longer the relationship or closer the bond, the longer it takes to recover. What may seem to be slow resolution within the first month to year is actually a normal progression of experiencing grief. As time passes, the loss becomes easier to deal with and the emotional pain lessens.
It is not unusual for a person to want to move through the stages of grief quickly, because the emotions are unpleasant. This is generally at the beginning of the grief journey and deals more with the shock and denial stages. Often, when a person walks through my door and wants to work on loss, they have been stuck in one of three stages: anger, guilt, pain and sorrow. These are very powerful emotions that they have been carrying around for years and are ready to release. Regarding the appropriate way to handle grief, it really depends on your culture and background and what would benefit you as an individual. One of the important things to remember is that there are outlets to express your grief. Whether that is through grief counseling, hypnosis, religious guidance, family support or writing in a journal regarding your loss there are productive and safe means to travel the emotional arc to wellness.
Q: Anything else…
TP: A surprisingly useful tool in overcoming grief can be developing a new hobby or returning to a past hobby. This can assist someone working through the stages when emotions get too uncomfortable offering a creative or physical release.
I’m proud to support the work of Vesna Hocevar, Cindy Marie Jenkins, June Carryl, Mark McClain Wilson and the Bootleg Theater!
|
The first time I died, I walked my ways;
I followed the file of limping days.
I held me tall, with my head flung up,
But I dared not look on the new moon’s cup.
I dared not look on the sweet young rain,
And between my ribs was a gleaming pain.
The next time I died, they laid me deep.
They spoke worn words to hallow my sleep.
They tossed me petals, they wreathed me fern,
They weighted me down with a marble urn.
And I lie here warm, and I lie here dry,
And watch the worms slip by, slip by.
Producing a new play always requires community support, and a little help from our friends. Here is the first in a series to introduce you to our various Supporters! Please read and share their interviews to thank them for helping us get the Phantoms out. Today we thank Moving Arts, “a champion of new works for almost twenty years.” Steve Lozier answered some questions for us: Q: What is unique about your work and is upcoming? SL: In recent years, we have begin exploring new ways to create theater. One of our most popular productions is The Car Plays, which just finished an amazing run at the La Jolla Playhouse–and has been invited back for their WoW Festival in 2013. (Incidentally, the Director of Phantoms Goes Down Cindy Marie Jenkins, wrote a terrific car play last summer called Dragon Compact.) Upcoming is The Mosaic Wonderland Project produced by Jenny Gillett, which features the visual work of Los Angeles Artist Kimberly Jordan turned into a theatrical piece. www.mosaicwonderland.com
Q: Why did you want to help this production? SL: Our mission is to support the growth of new work and it is always exciting to see a play have its West Coast Premiere. Q: The play deals with children and parents who are grieving in different ways, some healthy and some not. What are your observations or thoughts on handling grief?
Grief can be overwhelming… it’s a force of nature. I don’t think we can ever really know how we are going to react or deal with it. I think it’s important to honor it; experience it; and let it have its time–but then find a way to let it go before it owns you. Q: Anything you’d like to add?
We’re happy to be able to support this project. We wish you much success!
Many thanks to Moving Arts for their support!
|
Pearl, played by June Carryl, is one of the hardest characters to discover in this play, for reasons best not disclosed before seeing. Here is the talented Kim Aldinger’s rendering of Pearl’s costume:
Stay tuned for June’s experience playing Pearl.
Actor Cyrus Wilcox gives his perspective on our rehearsal process and what excites him about the play.
Precious too few moments in my life have I been overjoyed when thinking about my life professionally and creatively; this entire process has been one long moment. I’m loving it and hope that it will never end. I was surprised when Cindy emailed and said she was excited about a new play she was directing; as soon as I read it I understood why. There are only two possible ways that Ariel was able so accurately capture my family in prose. Either she interviewed everyone in my family over the course of several years documenting those disturbing moments that no one even had to say shouldn’t be spoken of again OR she was able to reach so far down into the depths of her own experience that she was able to reach the archetypal pay-dirt that speaks to everyone. It was a blast to audition for, an honor to be cast and has been the most rewarding rehearsal process that I have ever experienced. This is the kind of theatre I went to New York to learn how to do… Who knew I would find it in LA.