Just joining us? Read Philly in Photos, Part 1 and Part 2

By Harry Watermeier, Arden Professional Apprentice

This is another cool coffee place in Philadelphia.

I’m not sure if it’s a Philly thing or not, but there seems to be a lot of them in the city. What’s great about this Starbucks place is that they have other stuff too, not just coffee. They have like, cookies and coffee-like drinks and stuff. Check ‘em out!

This is where I ate my very first meal in Philadelphia.
I had a tongue sandwich with onion and spicy mustard and an embarrassingly huge slice of chocolate cake. I’ve really taken a shine to Jewish Deli’s here in Philly, and this one may be my favorite. The waitresses call me “sweetheart”–I think I’m in love with all of them.

This church is right across the street from my apartment.
Every once in a while I’ll be home when a service is beginning. The choir is beautiful, the church bells are stirring. I haven’t been to church in over seven years–I’m thinking about going to this one.

This is the charming little park in Rittenhouse Square. In the fall I would sit on one of the benches and read in the afternoon sunlight. Now, during the winter, I make a point of walking through it on my way home.

I took this picture just to show that I’m sensitive.

My home away from home! I think I’m more familiar with this building than I am with my studio apartment. I spend a huge chunk of time here, but I’m happy to do so. The Arden is an incredible theatre—it’s a defining element of Philadelphia’s cultural landscape, and I’m beyond lucky to work here.

So, I’ve realized a couple of things after working on this blog: 1.) I really need to exercise more. All I do is sit and read and eat. 2.) I need to explore the city. Philadelphia’s made a great first impression—now I’d like to get to know it a little better.

To read the introduction and first installment of Philly in Photos, click here

By Harry Watermeier, Arden Professional Apprentice

This is “Creamy,” the other Vespa I pass on my way to work. “Creamy” lives a few blocks down from “Captain” on Spruce. They used to live together, but they had a bit of a falling out, and now things are kind of weird. Yeah, I’ll nod to “Creamy,” but only if he sees me and nods first. I know that’s immature, but, I’m friends with ”Captain,” and…I don’t know. These things get so complicated.

Best cup of coffee in all of Philadelphia. It’s a pretty cozy set up, too. Bring a book, grab a coffee, and sit in a corner booth for hours.

When I sit and have a coffee at Red Hook, I feel like I’m on a date with a girl who’s way too pretty for me. I’m nowhere near cool enough to drink coffee at Red Hook. All the employees are tatted and pierced–and I’m sure they’re all former musicians. I’m a bit of a square, so I stand out a little when I’m there. I’m hoping that the hepcats at Red Hook think I’m wearing Eddie Bauer khaki ironically. My esteem hang-ups aside, they make a solid cup of coffee, they’re always friendly (friendlier than they should be, considering my clothes), and great music is always pumping out of a fuzzy stereo.

I could waste days in this place. This small, dimly lit store, that smells of old paper and glue, contains some of the most beautiful books I’ve ever seen. Pristine, first edition prints of pulp classics like Jim Thompson’s Pop 1280 and Dashell Hammit’s The Maltese Falcon sit quietly on bare wood shelves. Paperbacks from the sixties and seventies are wrapped safely in plastic pockets, and copies of rare Silver Surfer comic books are shelved between leather-bound works by Tolstoy, and massive tomes of Warhol photographs. The organization of Brickbat seems to be scattershot and random at first, but, after a few laps around the store, it makes perfect sense.

This is the greatest album cover of all time.You can find it upstairs at Philadelphia Record Exchange. As soon as I have twelve bucks to throw away, I’m going to buy it and frame it. Look, there’s Dave Brubeck, and those other guys. Wearing suits and eating ice cream. ‘Cause the album’s called “a la Mode.”

Just the right amount of creepy and cool can make a great record store.

Yeah so I like to stop in a comic book store every once in a while, so what?

Harry’s Philly in Photos series will conclude on Friday!

By Harry Watermeier, Arden Professional Apprentice

It seems like my fellow apprentices have already written some fascinating and articulate blog posts on children’s theatre, research conferences, and assistant stage management. Unfortunately, I’m not particularly fascinating or articulate. But, I do eat food, drink coffee, read books, and live in Philadelphia. So, for my blog post, I thought I could offer a “photo essay” of sorts that will evoke the impression Philly has made on me since I moved here last August. With the following photos and the passages that accompany them, I’ll attempt to describe the tastes, textures, sights, and sounds of my Philadelphia.

Tremendous tuna melt. Tremendous. I visited Little Pete’s for the first time with fellow APA Rob Heller. We sat at the bar, ate artery destroying sandwiches–Rob introduced me to scrapple–and had a great talk about theatre–what it means, what it should be, what kind of theatre we want to make. Little Pete’s is a great place to have that kind of talk. A passionate talk, a talk without hesitation. The clanging and clacking of plates and cookware, the hiss of scrapple patties on a griddle, the shouting and belly laughter emanating from the regulars who sit in booths that have molded into the shapes of their bodies–all that noise surrounds you like a cloud. You have complete privacy at Little Pete’s because no one, save the person sitting right next to you at the bar–can hear a word you’re saying.

An “eccentric” hair salon that seems to be run out of Barnum’s abandoned attic. It’s a strange place populated by really interesting people. Go for the decent haircut–stay for the most bizarre (if only partially true) stories you’ve ever heard.

Do you like organic mayo, but only when it’s sold to you by preposterously happy employees? Then Trader Joe’s is the place for you! They’ve got everything I love. Hawaiian shirts? Check. Bells to ring? Check. Pirate themes? Check. Little tiny cookies that look like Oreos but aren’t Oreos? Check. Hip chicks with non-prescription Elvis Costello glasses working at the check- out counter? Check. Bag boys that hug their managers when they say hello? Check. Seriously, it’s the greatest grocery store of all time, and I’m pretty sure the company was founded by a cloud made of giggles and Polly Pocket.

This is where I go to exchange my stocks. Stock exchanging is pretty complicated–I wouldn’t expect you to understand it, and I certainly can’t explain it in just a short blog post. I can tell you this–you have to have a pair of wingtips if you want to exchange stock. If you don’t have a pair of wingtips, don’t bother coming in. No, you can’t borrow mine.

This is “Captain,” the navy blue Vespa I pass every morning on my way to work. I’d like to have a Vespa some day. Clearly,  I’ve grown quite fond of “Captain.” Lately, I find myself nodding to him as I pass–that’s right, I’m beginning to acknowledge inanimate objects. Maybe I should take a few days off…

This is an apartment building on the corner of 16th and Spruce. I think it’s gorgeous. Its design is heavy, and haunted–somehow ornate yet humble. It’s clearly been eroded by decades of Philadelphia winters, but it wears its history beautifully. I hope to save enough money (through my enormously successful practice of stock exchanging) to one day live in this apartment building. My favorite part of the building? The beam of light that is constantly shooting across it. Look at that beam.  Mmmm….beam of light…

Harry’s Philly in Photos series will continue shortly!

By Tara Demmy, Arden Professional Apprentice

The American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) is a U.S.-based professional organization that fosters scholarship on worldwide theatre and performance, both historical and contemporary. It had its annual conference Seattle this year (Nov 18-21), and I attended representing Arden Theatre Company.

My undergraduate senior thesis was accepted into the working group: “Bodies at Play” which explored the performative dimensions of “bodies at play,” which were defined as physical and / or imaginary “corporeal scenarios” where the mind and body engage in “play”. There were papers that analyzed the play involved with Live Action Role Play, Stunt Running, and dressing as Superheroes for comic book conventions. One paper explored the process our bodies go through when smell is incorporated into theatrical performances, arguing that it make us more present and more connected to the “liveness” of performance.

My paper was titled “American Bouffon: Historical Deconstruction and Experimental Performance.”  It explored the differentiated bodies of Jacques Lecoq’s bouffon and what needs to change about this French satirical style in order to effectively perform it in the United States.

We ended the working group by discussing how we “play” in our everyday lives and why this concept of play (which translates into freeing yourself artistically and taking risks) is so important for the American theatre. I really learned that by understanding performance as it occurs in our everyday lives, we will be better able to connect to the type of art that is presented on the stage.

I came to this conference from a totally different point of view, being a part of a regional theatre instead of a university (most who attend ASTR are either PhD students or college professors). I talked with many participants at the conference who praised the Arden’s work and said that they wished they had worked in a theatre before pursuing graduate education because practice enriches research (especially in the theatre). Research is super important, but if that research is not applied to the actual theatre produced, then it is not used to its full potential.  The APA program is an amazing practice- based program for understanding all that goes into running a successful theatre company and this conference was a brilliant example of how I was able to utilize the new perspective and experiences I have gained from the APA program.

In reflecting, I am so glad I attended this conference. It gave me new ideas on how to organize research and the many topics that theatre research can cover. I attended sessions on multi-cultural theatre, feminist theatre, and research strategies.  I received advice from many well-known scholars who were eager to share their professional journeys with someone who just graduated college. I was proud to have Arden Theatre Company on my name tag and was able to speak of our season with some Philadelphia local professors. I hope to return to Seattle and see more theatre on the west coast; it’s a whole new exciting theatre community to explore!

By Meredith Sonnen, Arden Professional Apprentice

The first play I ever remember seeing was The Mikado by Gilbert and Sullivan. I proceeded to name our next dog Katisha after a character. I lived in small rural towns in Tennessee and Georgia growing up and there was a a severe lack of theatre in the area. What I did see was whatever the local colleges were putting on. That was nearly always a musical. Musicals were my first theatrical love. We rented and watched the double VHS of The Sound of Music from the local library so many times that we wore it out. I knew every word to that musical by heart. Next was My Fair Lady. Later, I listened to my mom’s old records. Jesus Christ Superstar, Fiddler on the Roof and others could be heard blaring from our house at any hour, normally with my little voice piping along into a hairbrush or cooking spoon.

Musicals got me interested in theatre. I don’t do them anymore for the most part. I have become a straight play actor and director somehow, but I still love them. My tastes have grown. I have a huge crush on all things Jason Robert Brown (The Last 5 Years, Parade, Songs for A New World). I could listen to Ragtime on repeat all day and never grow tired of it. The harmonies in A New Brain blow my mind every time I listen to Heart and Music.

I don’t just listen though. I sing. I sing when I clean, when I cook, when I walk to work. I am not Barbara Streisand but I am not bad either. I have dreams of getting back into musical theatre. Sadly, there are dream roles like Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Sarah in Ragtime that I can never be cast in for a variety of reasons. For example, I can’t tap dance. Which is pretty crucial. That doesn’t stop me from singing or dreaming though.

While talking to actors throughout my life we’ve all had a dream role that we aren’t qualified for.  Well, the Apprentices this year decided to do something about it.

This Monday , May 10^th, at Triumph Brewery from 6-9 we are hosting a Backwards Cabaret. The “Songs you’ll  never sing, the parts you’ll never play” is the theme.

So if you want to see Scott Greer, Maureen Torsney-Weir, Brian Cowden, Liz Filios and many other area actors sing the songs they never thought they could, come join us!

There is a $5 cover and all proceeds go to support our showcase (June 20^th and 21^st at the Arden).  So come on down to Triumph at 117 Chestnut Street and get a great show for just $5!