A fascinating conversation when Joanna O. who volunteered to translate the play into Polish, asked me about this line:
ANNA
The first fear came out of the blue, over water—
Joanna asked:
what blue? the mood? or literally? sometimes these lines come all of the sudden, out of context, that i feel slightly confused
and my answer:
sure, it can be confusing, they come out of context so that it feels like these different characters all experienced the confusion at the same time. sometimes they understand it, sometimes they don’t, but they are all feeling the same kind of limbo.
in the case of “blue” , however, it can translate to “out of nowhere” — out of the blue is an expression shortened from “out of the clear blue sky” meaning that it came suddenly. is there another expression in polish that has a stronger meaning than just came suddenly? it doesn’t have to translate literally in this case.
This interpretation came up with our Deaf West co-production, too, especially since ASL uses fewer words than we do and the repetition that I use as a device in the play doesn’t work the same way in ASL.
I remember that we had an entire conversation about a line that the Nurse says to a woman whose husband is about to die from acute radiation poisoning: “You are sitting next to a reactor.” To a hearing audience, that means (in the context of the play) ‘You might as well just sit next to the Chernobyl reactor as sit next to your husband; he is just as radioactive and contagious.”
For the ASL audience, our Voice said the line as is but Catherine, our deaf actress, signed “He is very contagious.”
That kept reminding me of a line I heard in Eastern Europe: “All wars are due to bad translation.”
That’s really what made me want to learn ASL. Once I mentioned that to my cast, half of them immediately signed up, along with Amy Hendrickson, the understudy, and two of our audience members! Caitie Hannon, my assistant director for the whole festival, hooked us up with Sonya Wilson, who is a fabulous instructor in ASL. We learn deaf culture as well as signing. It is more fun and eye-opening and TIRING than most things I have tried so far.
I also learned another valuable lesson: when collaborating so that your project can reach a deaf audience, add closed captioning into everything. It seems obvious, but it isn’t something we think about because WE don’t have to. By simply adding closed captioning, you can reach even more people, and hopefully earn their respect as well. Enci, who is heavily involved with Chornobyl but who also is filming a short film this summer (Rebel Without a Car Productions), has insisted on the closed captioning for not only her film, but also for the documentaries leading up to the filming.
Just fascinating new ways of looking at the world.
Here is a joint proposal between the VOICES team and the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council—looking for artists to participate! Email for more information:
PROPOSAL
for
VOICES FROM EAST HOLLYWOOD:
Autobiography of a Neighborhood
Dear Ms. Abeyta and Mr. Miller,
VOICES FROM EAST HOLLYWOOD will connect the neighborhood council with the people who live there, thus narrowing the focus of the neighborhood council by going to directly to the source. Now, some members feel they are imposing their vision onto this neighborhood instead of deriving their vision from voices within the neighborhood.
The East Hollywood Neighborhood Council has invited the creators of VOICES FROM CHORNOBYL to participate in a lengthy partnership that would regularly culminate in opening the council’s doors to a symposium with the people-and specifically children-who live there.
VOICES FROM CHORNOBYL is a play that has been running in various locations in Los Angeles since early 2006—the piece breathes life into real peoples’ stories in an accessible way to any audience. It creates a narrative out of transcripts of about fifty interviews and creates a cohesive story.
Why is it such a powerful experience? The key is that the play is taken from actual words from real people - derived from the experiences of witnesses to the event. We will use a similar process to creating VOICES FROM CHORNOBYL in East Hollywood and share our work and transcripts with the Easy Hollywood Neighborhood Council.
The Fluxus show at Barnsdall would jumpstart this long term project that shows how art can change your part of the world, your neighborhood. Part of the reason that art is dying in low to middle income neighborhoods is because it loses relevance. Using art as an agent of change will not only fling open many doors to the community’s governing bodies, but also bring the neighborhood to the exhibit and in many cases serve as a resident’s first introduction to live art. We believe this first experience will stick because instead of art reflecting life, it is art integrated with life.
How will this all happen?
We will put out all the web media and let people take it in any direction they want. We will present a series of questions and various methods of submitting your answers—school essay and art contests, teaming up with local filmmakers to do “Man on the street” interviews, facebook posts/pictures/videos. Residents can submit a song, a poem, a picture, essay, blogging—we will partner with local businesses for open mic nights and schoolteachers to be sure the students are represented. The only restriction is that you must be currently living in East Hollywood.
An idea of the questions to springboard submissions would be:
~What do you see when you look outside your windows?
~If you could have anything in the world, what would you want in your neighborhood?
~How would you like your neighborhood to change?
This will give the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council a beginning database for focusing our neighborhood’s vision.
There are opportunities for either a rotating or permanent exhibit of our submissions that could change weekly, depending on space.
By intersecting VOICES FROM CHORNOBYL and VOICES FROM EAST HOLLYWOOD, we will hand the story-the plot of the neighborhood’s improvements-to the people living in the settings. Starting a political dialogue has been difficult in East Hollywood; a major challenge to the neighborhood council is bridging the gap between residents and their government, where they can have a voice. A major challenge to live art is relevance–creating an environment in which anyone can participate and understand the different avenues through which they can channel their voice. We feel it is an ideal match.
So all of a sudden, in the middle of the prep for our Inaugural Anniversary Reading—more news to come—I find myself in Indianapolis, with a group of dancers, a composer/musician, actors, directors, and singers. We are the 2nd annual Indy Convergence, a collection of artists who conduct workshops for each other & the community, work together on an Umbrella Project and workshop side projects as well.
My side project is twofold: turning the 10-character version of VOICES FROM CHORNOBYL into a 6-character version, in order to create more accesibility for smaller groups to participate in the reading; as well as reimagine the script for a special co-production with Deaf West Theater in North Hollywood. We will integrate ASL (American Sign Language) and hearing-impaired actors into our ensemble for a special performance.
Considering how lucky I’ve been to have many of the same actors workshop this script with me over the years, I’m pretty intrigued by the thought of hearing the script with new voices and introducing the project to a whole new set of ears.
I already worked out which of the ten characters can be absorbed into each other, and actually found many places where the script gets repetitive. I’m hoping to truly work out the kinks over these next two weeks!
The challenge after that—-turning it into a 2-person, tour-able piece for schools.
From the UMass Amherst Spring 2008 Magazine for Alumni & Friends
“I’ve played an 80-year-old, the romantic lead, the best friend, the good guy, the villain . . . I can do all that, but in film it’s about looks first, then acting.”
Aaron Lyons ’99 Actor Aaron Lyons has been an office temp, a landscaper, and a cook; he has worked as a massage therapist, cared for children, and tended elephants. Elephants? “I was raised in the circus,” he admits. “Ringling Brothers. Both my parents worked there.”
Lyons has also directed plays and led acting workshops. His record as a working actor is impressive—parts in some 76 plays since 1989—but he estimates, “Sixty percent of the work I do is to make ends meet, mostly backstage gigs.”
There’s a bright side to that work, aside from the paychecks. “If a character works at a coffee shop or on a horse ranch, I can say, ‘Okay, I’ve done that, I know how that works.’ It’s one less thing I need to research,” says Lyons. “The foundation of any character I portray, though, comes from my need to know why people do what they do. Exploring the reasons is what I love most.”
For Lyons, an acting career was never a question. “It was the first thing I did that didn’t bore me. It’s something that you can constantly be improving on. When I worked in an office?”—his voice and an eyebrow go up—“there was one way to do things. But acting … there are hundreds of ways.”
Last fall, in the theater piece Voices from Chornobyl, Lyons played Arkady Fillin, a survivor of the nuclear plant explosion and meltdown in the Ukraine 21 years ago. As Fillin, Lyons described the aftermath: “We were handed shovels. We buried houses, wells, trees. We buried earth. We buried the forest.”
“The stakes were immediately high,” Lyons says of the part, “partly because of the subject matter, but also because it’s a biographical role. And there’s the question of how to respect the seriousness but also the storytelling aspect of the piece.”
But before you can play the part, you have to get the part. Lyons knows the drill. “You have to be businesslike about it, go to auditions all the time. And you can’t let rejection get to you.”
For the past year and a half, he’s been going after film work in Los Angeles, where he lives. Moving from the stage to the screen requires an agent, a manager, and a different mindset.
“Onstage I’ve played an 80-year-old, the romantic lead, the best friend, the good guy, the villain… I can do all that, but in film it’s about looks first, then acting,” Lyons explains. “If they want someone who’s a foot taller and has blue eyes, I won’t get the part, no matter what my experience is.”
The hazel-eyed actor figures his best shot at film or TV work is bad-guy roles. “If I relax my face,” he says, letting his mouth sag and pulling his eyebrows down, “I look angry.” (He does.) “When I do that, people look at me and say, ‘Aaron’s pissed,’ even if I’m not; I’m just thinking.”
To help his chances, Lyons is doing his homework, talking to directors and going on sets. One example: “I had a bit part in West Wing. After I was done, I asked if I could hang around and watch.”
Says Lyons, “Film is an intimate medium. You’re much more exposed. With theater you’re more aware of your surroundings, your shoelace being untied, the lighting, can you be heard? If you screw up onstage, you have to fix it right there. In film, it’s a lot about you and your scene partner. When you’re making a film, they tell you, ‘Don’t be so big.’ It’s more focused work.”
Last fall, a friend’s wedding brought him back to the East Coast, and he came to campus to talk to theater students. Before the workshop he was asked, What will you say to these aspiring actors?
“You’re screwed!” he said with a big laugh. “Get out now! Learn computers; we’re all going to be replaced by cartoons!” When the time came, though, he showed how much he believes in his vocation, staying an extra hour or so to answer questions. Even if acting doesn’t always put food on the table, he says, “No other job can feed me like acting does.”
On the morning of the 9th, Aaron and I went over to Cindy’s house to record the script on tape (voice.) Then we went to the shooting location at the B-Space in Atwater Village where we were going to spend two weekends shooting.
We started with a couple easier set ups and I was script supervising and using the clapper for the takes. I was really intimidated with the script supervising element at first because I have never done this before but it was quite interesting and I slowly relaxed into the role. (I prefer acting in front of the camera though.) I had to watch for continuity, I had to write down camera details, and I also had to pay attention and write down what the director was saying. It was a short day and we finished it with some great shots.
On Sunday, February 10th, I was in some of scenes so Corey took over the script supervising role during my takes. We also had a fantastic Make-Up artist, Bill Myer, who helped with anything in between his make-up work. Everybody pitched in. Everybody lent a hand with something other then their assigned job. And during takes we made up a couple Chernobyl songs that I wish we could have recorded. “Chernobyl the Musical!” Ha! Our fantastic actors know how to make light of the situation. In between the depressing, sad, and heartbreaking scenes we sing songs. I love working on this play!
On Saturday, February 16th I had to go to a production meeting in the morning for a short film I’m shooting, so I could not get to set until 3 pm. Shawn jumped into the script supervisor role and he ended up doing it all day long. To make myself still useful for the day I took my reliable Canon D10 with me to the B-Space and I took pictures of the crew, cast and the set.
When I was in front of the camera acting, Bill took some photos of me, which I’m quite thankful for. Usually when I take pictures, there are never pictures of me.
We finished shooting the last scene at around 9 pm. The entire shoot went very fast. This was an incredibly well organized set. We had scripts, story board, and scene schedules all over the place. We had snacks and lunch break. We had a fantastic director, who was one of the most laid back directors I’ve ever worked with (Christine Louise Berry is another one.) And the crew was very professional.
I think these two weekends on the set were the most relaxing weekends for me in a long time. I love being on set! That is where I can relax from all the hustle and all the daily stress. I miss it already. But thankfully I’ll be working on another project this coming weekend. Woohoo!
Two years ago I thought my play VOICES FROM CHORNOBYL would be great as a way to raise awareness and money for Chernobyl charities around the world. I modeled my idea after Eve Ensler’s V-Day which uses her Vagina Monologues for various women’s rights charities.
And I’m about to take the very first step towards truly realizing this goal.
2.00Dramatisation of Svetlana Aleksievich’s book, Voices from Chernobyl and readings planned to take place on 26th April 2009 -Cindy-Marie Jenkins
Questions and Discussion
Raising Awareness of the Ongoing Effects of Chernobyl and Commemorating the Anniversary - Facilitator: Cindy-Marie Jenkins, Rapporteur: to be chosen, in advance, from attendees
On the 8th we had a rehearsal at one of the “new” cast’s house and it turns out that she is not so new. Kristin Mochnick is one of the original casts of “Voices” and it turns out that I met her already a few times.
I met a few other people whose names I’m afraid I forgot, but I will have plenty of time to practice their real names as well as their new adopted Russian names during rehearsals and during the shoot.
The cast is pretty big this time and I think this new draft will be amazing. After the read through we watched a short scene of the movie “Blood Wedding.” Cindy is finding inspiration from this film for our documentary.
Since I don’t have any money to spend on video rentals, I’m hoping to snag this copy from Cindy for a couple days before we shoot, so I can see the entire film.
Last year, at the October performance I knitted an endless scarf that was over 10 feet long at the end of the run. But the scarf was made out of some expensive yarn and for me to continue I needed something that wouldn’t affect my bank account. Yarns are not cheap and so I decided to look for some at thrift stores and at the 99 c store.
Since I couldn’t find anything that I liked and anything that would fit my budget if I was to knit something 100 feet long, I posted an inquiry for free yarn on bigcheap, on freecycle and on Hollywood-Happy-Hour.
Within a couple of days, I picked up one big box of yarn from an artist in Silver Lake and another big bag from Kristina Wong, an actress who knitted during one of her own stage productions.
And the yarn was beautiful! All kinds of colors, textures, thicknesses and types. I decided to undo the original Chornobyl scarf and use the expensive yarn to make a scarf for myself this winter. And I was looking forward to starting a new one for VOICES from this donated batch.
So with the New Year starting, I’d like to think of the scarf as a symbol for a New Beginning.
Happy New Year to all! May your dreams come true! Be happy, healthy and kind!
Yesterday I had no time to work on Chornobyl. I’ve rehearsed for another play, that will open in October, then I had to do some VO work for that other play. After that, I ran to vote at my Neighborhood Council election and then I was off to a Women In Theatre Quarterly Mixer that I was hosting. I didn’t get home until 11 pm. Dead tired!
I didn’t read the book, I didn’t pick up the script, I didn’t practice my lines. Nothing. The only thing I did was find in the morning a pair of thick knitting needles and some thick yarn. And I knitted three rows in the “library.”
I liked the idea of knitting during Anna’s interview. Cindy loved it so much, she asked me if I could knit something 10 feet long. Ha! She said that it’s not necessary but she loves the visual of Anna knitting an endless scarf.
I love the idea as well and even though Cindy said it’s not important, for me it is. I want to make the directors vision true. It’s her play and I love to be directed. Not bossed around. But directed. And Cindy does it well. So I’m going to try to knit an endless scarf for Sundays performance.
So much to do! I hope I’ll know my lines tonight at rehearsal. I’m really nervous. Only 4 days left. And I’m worried about my cues. I’m worried about remembering my lines. I’m just a nervous wreck today. Aaaarrrrggghhh!!!
Anna Petrovna Badaeva loves nature. And so do I. Cindy offered me Anna’s role because she new that Anna and I are very compatible.
So why do I struggle with my character? Why do I struggle with my lines? Why do I have such difficulty to connect to some words? Because I did not live through the disaster?
Tonight, after rehearsal I rode home on my bicycle and four full grown coyotes crossed my path. I slowed down and followed them. They stopped and looked at me. They were curious. I held my distance. I watched them and they watched me.
Then three of them started playing with each other. They looked beautiful. They let me watch them. And when I decided to go, one of them ran ahead of me and the other three were following me while they were chasing leaves on the ground.
I was so happy with them, I had to laugh out loud. I thought of Anna. I thought of her and I thought, this is how she would laugh. This is how she would feel amongst the animals. I think I truly found the connection with her tonight. I found the connection we share. To the animals. To earth.
What will happen to the part of her life that I can’t connect to? Who knows. I’ll keep looking.
