Alternating Currents / The Yacoubian Building (NYC, Spring 2018)

[scenicdesign71]

Thank you, Amy!  And Tom, let me know if you are indeed able to make it next weekend!

More reviews, overall positive-to-mixed.  Now that we're on page 2 of this thread (as good a place as any), I'll just keep adding them to this post as more come in.  (I'm also including that first review here, copy/pasted from the previous page, just in the interest of having them all together in one place).
CultureCatch.com - "Alternating Currents proves illuminating in more ways than one.  Adam Kraar's world-premiere play perceptively explores the messy realities of living and laboring in NYC, and, by extension, the United States today.  ...The production boasts great set and lighting design by David Esler and Scott Bolman, respectively, making clever use of elements such as scaffolding, conduits, and spools."

Lighting & Sound America - "Alternating Currents has an inventive set by David Esler that surrounds the cast with a serpentine network of pipes and tubes, each ending in a lightbulb.  This arrangement also contains a number of important props, including signs, clocks [?], the IBEW logo, and a tiny Christmas tree.  Scott Bolman's lighting creates a number of atmospheres, including a warm bar interior, that establish a strong sense of place."

StageBiz.com - "I found David Esler's scenic design to be absolutely exceptional.  The space was gloriously transforming thanks to the ingenuity of the multi-functional set that also stayed true to the electrician's 'toolbox'.  Small electrical 'cotton reels' for seats, metal pipes and electrical cords formed a stunning frame for the piece.  Scott Bolman's lighting design was fabulously in tune with the script ensuring that light (electricity) was dominant throughout, almost as if it was another key character in the mix."

TheaterThatMatters.com - "Doing a play with so many moving parts is daunting, but thanks to strong direction by Kareem Fahmy, the puzzle comes together flawlessly.  David Esler creates a set that is malleable, fun, and just informative enough to let us know where we are without adding unnecessary detail.  A very impressive accomplishment all around."

Off-Off Online - "Part romantic drama, part social commentary, and a dash of historical pageant play... ultimately the characters take a back seat to a place and an idea.  David Esler's adaptable space has a grid of pipes painted bright blue around it and just a few serious props—an aluminum ladder, a sofa, a podium with Van Arsdale's photograph hanging from the front."

TheaterScene.net - "Alternating Currents is a diverting look at what happens to an idyllic place after decades of reality intrude.  The smart set by David Esler, basically a framework of a room defined by pipes, turns out to contain shelves and drawers[?] that become beds[?], tables, chairs, etc., defining different spaces with economy.  Dina El-Aziz's costumes help define the miniscule differences between the hierarchy of Electchester and Scott Bolman's lighting makes the most of the intricacies of the set."

Manhattan With A Twist - "Alternating Currents [boasts an] exceptional cast, almost all of whom play multiple characters.  It is an intimate look at what it means to be part of a community, and what you're willing to sacrifice personally to be a part of the whole."

TheaterPizzazz.com - "A good experiment in learning about human behavior.  The simple but effective set design is by David Esler with lighting by Scott Bolman, sound by Lawrence Schober and costumes by Dina El-Aziz."

I've inserted [question marks] into some of these quotes where a couple of the reviewers apparently "remembered" elements of this set that don't exist -- clocks, drawers, beds -- effectively imagining for themselves a more complex design than the one that's actually there.  If my work somehow tripped their imaginations into overdrive, I couldn't be happier.  And if not -- if they're just delusional, or given to embroidering reality for rhetorical effect -- well, I'll take it anyway.

[DiveMilw]

I just bought a ticket to see it on Saturday night!!  Anyone else in town care to join me?

[Chris L]

Thanks for keeping us up on this and The Mecca Tales, David. I think of all the people who visit this site, you're the one who's most successful in the actual industry that we're about -- and who's getting the most work. (I don't know how you manage it. Stage and television -- any movies yet? Start producing music and someday I expect you to have a full EGOT.

(You're also probably the most articulate person on the site, present company not excepted, and write superbly about what it is you do.)

[scenicdesign71]

[scenicdesign71]

Thank you, Chris. (still blushing)

I'm gonna hazard a guess that you might have been responding, at least in part, to my self-pitying mention of a spectacularly (and, I should add, deservedly) successful former classmate a few posts ago.

Having posted that (in spite of qualms), and then reading your kind words above (did I mention I'm still blushing?), it's got me thinking about that aspect of my so-called career -- the insecurity, broadly speaking -- and whether there's any possible way for me to write about that here that wouldn't be hopelessly maudlin, flat-out boring, or otherwise unreadable.

In less negative terms, it's got me wondering whether there's some approach to that subject that might even be useful, in some sense, to me or to anyone else; I'm always conscious of the risk, with some of my long-form rambles on these threads, of diarizing.

And while a blog might seem to be the answer, most of the same concerns apply.  Freed from any compunctions about hijacking a small corner of a chatboard whose greater purpose decidedly isn't to clock the inner doubts of a struggling set designer, there's a good chance that, on WordPress or wherever, those compunctions might be sorely missed -- by me and/or my hypothetical reader(s) -- as a last defense against total solipsism.

In any case, your post floored me (did I say that already?).  Alternating Currents closes in Manhattan today, and I'm undecided about whether or not to make the trek out to Staten Island and/or Brooklyn next week.  So I'm on hiatus with no particular plans (albeit a lot of personal stuff that I'm putting off doing anything about; mostly cleaning up my apartment [aka Grey Gardens], which is a huge trauma that nevertheless has GOT to be addressed) -- and the show that's been monopolizing my attention for several months is effectively over and done with.  In other words: a perfect recipe for feeling insecure and vaguely depressed; so your lovely words couldn't have come at a better time.

[Chris L]

Dave, your messages would be very much missed here and, far from being a hijack, are probably appreciated far more than you know. (And I wasn't referring to comments about a friend, which I'm embarrassed to say I don't recall, but I'm guessing he's doing movies.)

You could take the approach I've often taken here with my own blogs and post a version here and an expanded version on Wordpress. Or reverse the process, use Wordpress as a way of removing any compunctions you may feel here, then post a different version on this site.

However, if you feel compunctions over simply taking up space, please don't. We have way too much extra space at the moment. Losing your posts would leave a gaping hole.

[KathyB]

Dave, your messages would be very much missed here and, far from being a hijack, are probably appreciated far more than you know.
...

However, if you feel compunctions over simply taking up space, please don't. We have way too much extra space at the moment. Losing your posts would leave a gaping hole.

Seconded here. I'm always glad to read--and sometimes reread--your posts. I wish I had as much that was as interesting to say as you do.

[DiveMilw]

Dave, your messages would be very much missed here and, far from being a hijack, are probably appreciated far more than you know.
...

However, if you feel compunctions over simply taking up space, please don't. We have way too much extra space at the moment. Losing your posts would leave a gaping hole.

Seconded here. I'm always glad to read--and sometimes reread--your posts. I wish I had as much that was as interesting to say as you do.

I'm strongly with Chris and Kathy!!

[scenicdesign71]

Thanks, you guys!  Now I'm embarrassed -- the point of all that actually wasn't to dig for still more compliments, though I appreciate them more than you probably know.  For the record, my uncertainty was more about the wisdom (or not) of writing about my professional insecurities, specifically, on this or any other public-ish forum.  (Not, or at least not often, and not in detail or at length, will remain my general principle for the time being).  But as for writing about work more generally, I remain gratified by everyone's interest, and grateful as always for the words of encouragement.  So fear not, my blather will continue.

Whew.  All that, from one little quip about the Harry Potter play.  (And, yes, the ocean of self-doubt underlying said quip).  Moving on...

Thanks very much, Chris, for the thoughts about Wordpress.  I might just do that one of these days -- or, who knows, if I ever (EVER) get this portfolio website off the ground, perhaps I'll attach a blog page to the site.  (Or maybe do both, since, as you suggest, it might be useful to keep things separate at times).

Tom, I'm curious what you thought of Alternating Currents the other week.  I never did make it back to see the show again after the second or third preview, and my initial fascination with it is by now way-complicated by the usual loss of perspective.  It was a strange experience, and I still haven't sorted out my own feelings about it.  But if you feel like sharing any reactions, either here or by DM, I'd be interested to hear; was it at all what you expected, or had I oversold it to high heaven?

In related news, y'all's cheerleading on this thread -- along with my friend Isabel's nudging -- has inspired me to submit my designs for This Time, The Mecca Tales, and Alternating Currents into consideration for the 2019 Prague Quadrennial.  Because why not.

[DiveMilw]

I will try to post something soon.  I haven't really had time to sit down and write more than a few sentences at a time and to give you something a little more substantial than that.  

[Chris L]

Thanks, you guys!  Now I'm embarrassed -- the point of all that actually wasn't to dig for still more compliments, though I appreciate them more than you probably know.  For the record, my uncertainty was more about the wisdom (or not) of writing about my professional insecurities, specifically, on this or any other public-ish forum.

I've been meaning to respond to this for a while and somehow didn't get around to it. My policy is (and I suspect that this is yours as well) to never post anything on a public forum that I wouldn't want known by every person on earth. Of course, only the most infinitesimal fraction of the earth's population is ever likely to see what I post, but I don't know who's in that fraction.

Posting about professional insecurities adds a new level of complexity. You certainly shouldn't say that you're not sure you can complete a project satisfactorily, unless you've already discussed those misgivings thoroughly with your employer. If you're merely going to say that, like almost any other creative artist on earth, that you have insecurities about your work in a generalized sense, that might not be so bad. Welcome to a very vast club. Then again, maybe you'll get passed over for a job because your competition feigns greater confidence. But I think your work speaks for itself. And what it says is that you can deliver.

I never talk about my writing projects, except in the most generalized of terms (excluding works that are long finished, like the Hardy Boy books I wrote 25 years ago). I never discuss specific ongoing projects at all, but that's partly because they would sound a lot more boring than your work does. But it's also because there might be misunderstandings if a client saw the posts or just the sense that I'm violating a confidence. On the other hand, I might plug a project that's on the market under my own name, but that describes a surprisingly small portion of my work currently (because it involves a lot of ghostwriting, for one thing).

That doesn't really answer your (implied) question, but it's interesting to talk about.

[scenicdesign71]

Update on the Prague Quadrennial, since it's slipped onto this thread:

I got an email a couple days ago from the judges at USITT, which, among many other things, sponsors the U.S. entry into the international festival in Prague every four years.  The upshot (downshot?) was that my submissions were not accepted for the American exhibit at PQ 2019, but they do want to include my work in an "online catalog of recent excellent American stage design" -- apparently unrelated to PQ -- that USITT will be hosting, details TBA.

[ambles over to the Simple Wooden Shaker Chair for a spell -- head spinning with acronyms]   

[scenicdesign71]

I didn't mean to ignore your thoughtful response above, @Chris L -- in fact, I tried a couple of times to come up with a response-to-your-response, but ended up with false-starts that languished for awhile in my Drafts folder before fading away entirely.

I still haven't come up with anything to add (well, at least not anything that doesn't risk delving into cringe-y or otherwise inadvisable territory, re: advertising one's insecurities).  But I did want to thank you, however belatedly, for sharing your thoughts on the subject.

For now there are no new design projects on the horizon -- which makes holding down the TV job a lot less stressful, but also leaves me with no excuse for not dealing, in what free time I do have, with the usual raft of "life issues".  My room's still an ungodly mess.  I still need to quit smoking.  And build myself a website.  Etc.

In happier (and relevant to this thread) news, a few weeks ago I was able to attend another public reading of The Yacoubian Building -- this time without any projections, but with some sharp new script revisions (and Mr. Al Aswany himself in attendance) -- as part of the Atlantic Theater's Middle Eastern Mixfest.  And even before that, last month I had the great joy of attending Kareem's wedding, which offered, among other pleasures: a performance by a belly dancer; a chance to catch up with some really great people I hadn't seen in some time (and make a new friend or two); a series of short one-acts commissioned for the occasion (including a delightful two-hander by Young Jean Lee, performed by Ms. Lee and Kareem's husband); and, of course, a rare excuse to dress up fancy and have lots of drinks.

So life isn't terrible.  It just needs more parties, fewer cigarettes, a website and a clean room.  I suppose I can wait a little while longer for a career-boost, a boyfriend and a Tony, all of which unaccountably seem to be taking their sweet time.