GAMUT still "Waiting for Godot" 50 years later

It’s an “absurdist” play that has inspired unauthorized prequels and sequels, not to mention movies like Kevin Smith’s cult classic, Clerks. Samuel Beckett wrote it in French, then translated Waiting for Godot in to English. The GAMUT theatre troupe, based at Community High School, will take another crack at Godot, which debuted in 1952.

 

The professional theater group will stage Waiting for Godot on two three-day weekends, February 28-March 2 (Thursday-Saturday) and March 7-9. Tickets are $15 for every performance, except for a $10 admission on Thursday nights. Curtain time each night is 8pm.

 

In a nutshell, Godot is about two people waiting for someone they’ve never met. Day after day they wait, not sure who this Godot is, or how they will even know how to recognize him.  While waiting, Estragon, nicknamed GoGo, and Vladimir (DiDi) encounter a blustery traveler (Pozzo) and his slave Lucky.

 

Kevin McAlexander and Spencer Meredith are Pozzo and Lucky respectively; youngster Noah Jones has a smaller role as The Boy. “Vain and pompous is pretty easy for me,” said Alexander in jest. He enjoys the role of Pozzo. “You see these nice little glimpses past his veneer. He’s, in his own way, just as sort of broken [as GoGo and DiDi].” How does McAlexander describe the play? “Two guys waiting for another guy.”

 

In what should appeal to the Seinfeld crowd, Waiting for Godot has been described as a play about nothing – even Beckett wasn’t sure what people should read in to it. Some saw religious connotations in GoGo and DiDi (played by Kris Laguzza and Stevie Holcomb respectively, two females in traditionally male roles).

 

“It’s a very limbo type of setting,” said Godot director Miriam Frazier, also the creative force behind GAMUT. The spare scenery includes a bare tree that is pivotal at several points in the play, which will be held in the McBroom Theatre at Community High School on Campbell Avenue.

 

While Frazier said some see “religious imagery throughout it,” she advises that its not GAMUT’s take at all.”  Even Beckett had a problem with his own work: “I don’t know who Godot is…I don’t even know if he exists,” Beckett said when the play debuted. He wasn’t sure if GoGo and DiDi, long time friends, believed in Godot either as they waited.

 

Laguzza and Holcomb, two long time local live theater veterans, display good comedic timing with a dash of slapstick. GoGo fusses with her feet while DiDi has a gastrointestinal problem throughout – you get the picture. “He said to wait by the tree,” says DiDi/Vladimir to GoGo/Estragon. That’s about all the down and out duo knows, so they come back every day to wait. “It seems to me that the characters are stuck in a cycle- it’s the same day, every day, like [the movie] Groundhog Day,” said Laguzza. “They have the same conversation, they do the same sorts of things. This is their existence.”

 

Holcomb sees Estragon and Vladimir as people who may have been prestigious at one point before falling on hard times. “[But] you can speculate different things [about] why they are waiting for Godot – what is Godot going to offer them?” The audience can draw their own conclusions as well, said Holcomb. There’s a Laurel and Hardy or Abbott and Costello aura in the play as well. “Farces are great,” gushed Holcomb.

 

“It breaks the standards of theater,” said Frazier before a rehearsal last week. She called Godot one of the most famous absurdist plays of the 20^th century. It’s a tragic comedy and “very funny,” according to Frazier, who doesn’t speculate about who Godot is but tries to stay within the play’s parameters. Even then it deals with such meaty topics as man’s existence and “what we’re doing. [But] it is open to so much speculation and interpretation.”

 

Frazier acted in Godot as a freshman at Hollins College, calling it one of the greatest challenges she ever had as an actress. That’s the point of GAMUT in fact – to offer works that challenge both the cast members and the audience. “Its been a real stretch for everybody … and real physical.” Godot is one of her all time favorites.

 

“Lets wait and see exactly what [Godot] says. I’m curious to see what he has to offer,” says DiDi in the first of two acts. Hint: she may be waiting a long time. Live theater fans of the absurdist genre or those looking for something a bit “non-linear” and funny may want to give Waiting for Godot a try this weekend or next.

 

photo: Kris Laguzza (left) and Stevie Holcomb are still Waiting for Godot

 

 

Running with hard core beasts

They call it The Beast - running all six trail races in a year's time, as part of the Lynchburg Ultra Series. With race names like Hellgate, Mountain Masochist and Grindstone, well, you get the idea. I thought I'd try on one of the tamer races this past weekend, the 50k-plus Holiday Lake race near Appomattox. At 32 miles it measured just over 50K.  I'd already run a 50-miler in Nashville last fall but my time was very poor (almost 12 hours, since I had to run-walk run walk much of the race due to knee and leg issues.)

Since then I've been P90-xing, and that exercise program has a number of ways to strengthen the legs. So I'd thought I would give the Holiday Lake 50K a shot. First impression: much like the Mountain Junkies followers and runners in Roanoke, the Lynchburg Ultra Series is sort of like the Junkies but on steroids, since the race distances are much longer - up to 100 miles, with up to 23,000 feet of elevation gain/loss.

Holiday Lake was much tamer; only 2300' of elevation gain/loss. There were two time cutoffs that had to be met but I felt pretty confident about that - except I had missed a time cutoff on an attempt at Damascus last September, the Iron Moungtain 50-mile trail run that featured 9300' of elevation gain.  I flamed out after the fourth time checkpoint - and thoroughly appreciated the ride back to my car. I also lost my cell phone at Iron Mountain, so the whole experience was less than satisfying.

Anyway, as for Holiday Lake, I felt great despite concerns over a still-sore rib that I cracked in Nashville (falling like a drunkard on a downtown sidewalk in the middle of the 50-mile race). My legs were a bit sore in the second half of the run at Holiday Lake but I finished in 6:29:27 -  more than 90 minutes before the time limit.

What was neat about the people gathered last Friday night at the Holiday Lake 4H facility (most of the runners slept there in barracks-style lodges, listening to 20 other people snoring) was the community that has sprung up around the Lynchburg Ultra Series and its race director, Dr. David Horton from Liberty University. A one-time runner of some note himself, Horton has thru-hiked the AT and trails out west, and once ran all the way across the country. Another one of the 270 or so that have done that also was on hand to run the Holiday Lake 50K.

Horton underwent "7 way" bypass surgery about eight weeks ago, proudly showing off his zipper-like scar for the crowd of people that gathered after a carbo-loading meal. Dr. Horton was funny, irreverent and outspoken - and very knowledgeable about long distance running. He demonstrated that again after a pre-race meeting by offering pointers to first time "ultra" runners. Horton seemed to know more than half of the 360 or so on hand for the Holiday Lake 50K, pointing out some of their accomplishments when not ribbing them.

The running community, something I've been drawn in to over the past few years by running 5K, 10K, half marathons, full marathons, 10-mile races and now ultra-marathons, features people of all ages and backgrounds. Some of them look like they haven't had a good meal in years, others look, well, like you and me. I met some interesting folks before and after the race - like Matt and Julie Urbanski, a young couple in their 30's that have through-hiked the Pacific Coast Trail and the AT. Matt finished second at the Holiday Lake run (about 3 hrs 51 min); Julie was the first female finisher several weeks before at a race in Indianapolis.  They've made enough money in the business world to take some time off, running races around the country and writing about it. See urbyville.com; I'm reading Julie's book now on her Pacific Coast Trail thru-hike, The Trail Life.

Like many folks who take on long distance running or hiking, she was no expert when starting out. Its been trial and error to an extent. Just like my growing running "resume" which now includes three full marathons (26.2 miles) and three races at longer distances. At age 55 I wish I had tried this earlier,although I've always ran, but losing 40-50lbs in recent years and keeping it off has made running easier. Its a bit of an obsession now and I'll never be fast enough to challenge anyone, but there are worse things to be obsessed about I guess. See
 http://www.extremeultrarunning.com/ for more on the Lynchburg Ultra Series and The Beast.

New novel by Gina Holmes builds to intense finale

I just finished reading a preview copy of Roanoke author Gina Holmes' new novel, Wings of Glass, due out in March. Its a riveting tale of domestic abuse, as a young woman deals with an alcoholic husband, trying to convince herself that he will turn his life around. Penny's strong faith in God - and the Bible's view that divorce is a sin - keeps her in a nightmarish situation, with a baby on the way to make things even more complicated.

Befriended by a Sudanese woman and an older woman who is also her employer, young Penny walks on eggshells at home, fooling herself by believing that Trent will stop drinking and abusing her. Wings of Glass - which refers to a statuette given to Penny by her employer, Callie Mae ( who had originally purchased it for her own daughter, beaten to death by a man) is the third novel from Holmes. Her first, Crossing Oceans, was a Christian Book Award finalist, as was her second novel, Dry As Rain. Holmes, who has also started a public relations firm with the notorious River Laker, should recieve kudos for Wings of Glass (Tyndale House Publishers), another Christian-themed book with nary a cuss word among its 365 pages.

Wings of Glass builds to a somewhat-surprise climax, and Holmes' writing gets better and more intense as it moves along. She also includes several pages of information at the end for people dealing with domestic abuse. You can feel the angst as Penny tries to survive in her harsh domestic environment, as readers wait along with her for Trent to explode once again. Thanks to Gina Holmes for scrounging up another advance copy for my review. Look for a radio interview with her soon on Roanoke This Week With Gene Marrano (Saturday and Sunday mornings, 11:30 on Fox Radio 910am) and a print interview in the Roanoke Star. Support this rising local author by purchasing a copy of Wings of Glass when it is published in March.

“The Matador” at Mill Mountain challenges, provides laughs as well

The collaboration between the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University – its New Works Initiative - and Mill Mountain Theatre, continues this weekend with a play written by one of the graduate students at the school. How to describe The Matador: a one-act anti-play?? Okay, think of a Spanish bullfighter, sort of clueless in some ways when it comes to relationships, but very macho – down to his pink stockings. Or the bull that has gored The Matador several times in the ring. But they still like each other enough to dance the tango. The bull also dances the tango with The Dame, played by recent Hollins graduate Emma Sperka – who has romantic aspirations concerning both The Bull and The Matador. Director Todd Ristau, who also is program director at the Playwright’s Lab, called The Matador “ a theatrical experience unlike your normal, traditional…play,” in a talk back session after the last dress rehearsal. The play runs through this Sunday, February 10, with evening performances at 8pm (Feb. 6-9) and matinees on the 6th and 10th (2pm) as well. All tickets are $10, and the venue is Mill Mountain Theatre’s renovated Waldron Stage at 20 Church Avenue SE, which has new lighting and seat risers, with a more airy feel than before. Center in the Square executive director Jim Sears said this past Tuesday that the grand reopening for Center in the Square itself remains on track for May. “We’re excited to be part of that reorganization,” said Ristau, who will bring new plays from the Playwright’s Lab and the improvisational No Shame Theater he founded in Iowa almost 30 years ago back to Mill Mountain. The collaboration between the school and Mill Mountain Theatre solidified a year ago with another play from the New Works Initiative, The Arctic Circle. That piece was written by LA-based playwright Samantha Macher, a Hollins MFA graduate of the Playwright’s Lab who returned to Roanoke as assistant director/designer for The Matador. Robert Plowman’s one act “anti-play” as it was billed was actually one of six plays he wrote for a class taught by Ristau. The principal actors (Drew Dowdy at The Matador, Emma Sperka as The Dame and Charles Reynolds as The Bull) spent three weeks learning the tango, which becomes as important component of the play. There’s plenty of original music too, courtesy of composer/troubadour Matthew Marshall, who also appears in The Matador, strolling about the set as he sings. Labeled as absurdist theatre, The Matador is the type of play one might not have expected to see in Roanoke 10, 15 years ago, except perhaps on a college campus. Is it hard perhaps to decipher what it’s about? Maybe, but Ristau said that was just fine: “whatever you think this play is about – that’s what its about,” he said afterwards. Created in just 72 hours as part of a class assignment, Plowman noted that in a situation like that, “you have to act instinctively as a writer.” Ristau wrote in the playbill that Plowman “struggled” with the assignment, only hammering out the play in the last 24 hours available. The Lesson by Eugene Ionesco was suggested as a work his students study as an example of the absurdist style. With a play like The Matador, “it really feels like something – even if the meaning is obscure,” said Plowman. The actors do a fine job in their roles, which all require singing and dancing; there’s a bit of audience participation and a good deal of laughter. The Matador may or may not be about people searching for an identity or for someone else - or it may be about something else entirely. The one-act, 55 minute play will challenge theatergoers but won’t overtax them. It’s the type of live theater the now-defunct Studio Roanoke used to stage, and it’s coming back to Mill Mountain and the new Center in the Square. Fans of live theater may want to give it a go this weekend.

Great sessions at Roanoke Regional Writer's Conference yesterday. Workshops by Roland lazenby, Dan Casey, Judy Light Ayildiz, etc. were informative and inspiring..I may actually start blogging again. Enjoying advance copy of Gina Holmes' novel Wings of Glass.. and enjoyed Michael Abraham's Providence,VA novel (C'Burg author). Michael's Book (pocahontaspress.com, some local book stores)posits an interesting theory: what if all of the power in the eastern U.S. was wiped out by an electromagnetic pulse that also disabled most vehicles, since they are dependent heavily on electronics. A New Jersey teen visting Southwest A learns what about its like to rely on the land - and about southern hospitality. A good read by an ambitious local author.

Sorry .... been BUSY!!!! plus thoughts on health care

Keeping up a blog requires time and discipline.. that's why I admire Dan Smith so much for doing such a great job with his. Its been a while since I blogged.

Anyway, I was pleased to give a workshop on freelance writing this past week and hope others will attend the monthly sessions being put on by the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge.

I am also pleased to join Chris Manning's new Vinton Voice weekly as a senior contributor. I've missed Vinton since I left the Messenger. Look for it starting next week.

Thoughts on health care debate: My only problem with all the people railing against health care reform is this... WHAT is your proposal? How about the extra $1000 a year one study says each of us who has insurances winds up doling out annually to cover those who don't have it?

Why do we spend much more GDP-wise than other industrialized countries on health care, hey such a large percentage of people are not covered? My only problem with all the people railing against health care reform is this... WHAT is your proposal? How about the extra $1000 a year one study says each of us who has insurances winds up doling out annually to cover those who don't have it?

Why do we spend much more GDP-wise than other industrialized countries on health care, hey such a large percentage of people are not covered? What about the costs to businesses every year to cover employees, which they are obligated to do as a benefit? If some don't like the reforms proposed ... than WHAT are they proposing?

This n' that - catchin' up

Want to try something different in a music venue? Check out the Garth Newel Music Center near Warm Springs, about 75 miles from Roanoke and just north of The Homestead Resort. The annual Blues and Jazz Festival held outdoors there yesterday was absolutely the most bucolic and wonderful setting there could be for an outdoor festival. The music was great too; especially The Waybacks. Most of the time the music offered there is classical in the chamber music ilk, so the blues and jazz was a nice change of pace. Check it out sometime. Outgoing director Jacob Yarrow is on to bigger and perhaps better things at the University of Iowa in about a month, but he gets kudos for creating the blues and jazz festival.

School scandal: Roanoke City Schools have been battling for the past few years to make a comeback: closing schools, shuffling attendance zones, changing superintendents, trying to convince doubters that an overage academy would work. The first-ever graduation last week of students from Forest Park Academy - some are in their 20's - featured smiles, hugs and tears from students, teachers and staffers. Less than a dozen dropped out and more than 100 did or will graduate by the end of the summer. Others wait to get in. Seems like a winner, does the overage academy in its first year, on the site of a closed elementary school that became a political issue when David Bowers ran for mayor last spring. (The recent raises for Central Admin. staffers while teachers got nothing was just a minor PR disaster)

The sorry saga at William Fleming over who didn't take Standards of Learning exams threw a bit of a cloud over last week's commencement ceremony, in large part because Fleming's Principal and four other school administrators were uninvited to their own school's graduation. Reportedly they helped certain students avoid having to take SOL tests that could have brought down the school's overall score and left it unaccredited ... that unfortunately became the focus of media coverage, leaving somewhat of a pall over other graduates and the event itself.

If there is blame then those at fault should be punished. But then changes need to be made: put systems in place that don't allow a school staff to exempt kids from SOL's without someone from Central Administration okaying that - and perhaps look again at the No Child Left Behind mandates which threaten schools that don't meet Standards of Learning benchmarks, with a loss of funding.

As School Board chair David Carson has said, it is bass ackwards - the schools that need more help (more teachers, tutors, remedial programs etc.) we're going to take funding away from ... huh? Here's hoping the powers that be learn from this unseemly situation and don't repeat it in the future.