Read this now...

I just finished an article in The New York Times, "The Lonely Death of George Bell" by N. R. Kleinfeld. Well worth a read. So many reminders...

Artists I admire: Paul Cadmus

I first learned about the the work of Paul Cadmus (1904-1999) when I was researching the photographer George Platt Lynes for a theatre piece called mindlynes. That work eventually lead to my play III about the 15-year relationship between Lynes, Glenway Wescott and Monroe Wheeler. Cadmus traveled in their circle as a friend and artistic contemporary. He even painted a picture called Conversation Piece, a portrait of the three men outside of their New Jersey home, Stone-blossom.

I never forgot Cadmus' work, his paintings in particular, as he found a way to create images that captured the beauty of the human body and juxtaposed it against the often times garish reality of the human condition. His painting Sailors and Floozies (1938) illustrates this concept beautifully: the idealized physical depiction of drunken sailors versus the harder visual representation of the women pursuing them. The painting caused controversy in its first showing, and Cadmus continued to create this kind of effect with his work. Described as a calm and generally uncontroversial figure by his friends and colleagues, he allowed his art to spark the controversy and instigate a dialogue. He was also unapologetic about his relationships with men and never hid his sexual orientation.

For all of these reasons, Paul Cadmus is the artist I chose to highlight this week. His work is also the subject of a new project I'm working on, so I'm learning a ton by seeing some of his paintings and drawings here in NYC and reading all I can find. Stay tuned for more about Cadmus, his contemporaries, and most of all, his art.

Sailors and Floozies (1938) by Paul Cadmus on view at The Whitney Museum, NYC. Photo by Joe Salvatore

[R]evolution

Revolution. For me, this word typically conjures images of governments being overthrown, oppressive forces being countered by more equitable practices, or even violent acts that somehow lead to peace. The word also automatically makes me think of moments from early American history: images of red coats, tattered soldiers’ uniforms, Valley Forge, Washington crossing the Delaware, Betsy Ross, the flag with thirteen white stars in a circle, Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Proud symbols. Symbols that have become part of a national history, what some people might also call a mythology. Regardless of how I might feel about the word "revolution," it's often used to describe moments that feel distanced from me, moments that I can’t literally connect to.

During a recent morning writing session, I stumbled upon the relationship between the words "revolution" and "evolution" in my own personal life. Some might read that and say "Duh, Joe...", but I honestly hadn't ever really connected the words. Upon further reflection, I couldn't remember anything that I'd seen or read that talks about these two words together.

As I thought through the last couple years of my life and some of the critical moments that have unfolded, I realized that my personal evolution has been prompted by some sort of internal or external revolution.

As a teacher, I've received feedback from students that has required me to think more intentionally about how I respond to and assess student work. This feedback initially surprised me, threw me off balance, made me question longstanding practices that have "worked," but ultimately the discoveries that have emerged so far seem to be creating more efficient and effective practices for all parties.

In my artistic work, I've had the opportunities in recent months to make work that challenged my ideas about what is "right" or "effective" or "logical." After making theatre in certain ways for twenty years, these moments of experimentation and adaptation, sometimes by choice and other times by necessity, have catalyzed new ways of thinking and creating. I’ve learned that my own artistic evolution after these years has to come as a result of some sort of revolution.

Without the upheaval that comes with revolution, evolution isn’t really possible. As I think about these ideas more and more, I like this representation: [r]evolution. Acknowledging the interconnectedness of these two words helps me to remember to breathe in the face of revolution, be it internal or external, and recognize the unsettled moment as a potential discovery of strength and possibility rather than a loss of power or accomplishment.

Serial Play-entry #2: Derailed

(Alex exits back down the hallway.)

GARY
Sorry for that. Alex can be a little, well, you know, Lori. You saw it before.

LORI
Oh, I did. I know how he can be.

GARY
You’ll see what we mean, Jennifer.

JENNIFER
Uh huh.

GARY
Now, what can I get you to both drink?  We’ve got the wine you brought which is chilling.  I’ve got another bottle of white already cold, a red that’s very good, or I can mix a cocktail.

LORI (looking at Jennifer)
Uh…?

JENNIFER
You go ahead. Can I just get some water to start?

GARY
Sure! We have Pellegrino, tonic, seltzer, tap?

JENNIFER
Some Pellegrino would be fine.

GARY
Lemon or mandarin orange?

JENNIFER
So many choices.  Uh, how about the lemon?

GARY
You got it. Lori?

LORI
Do you have vodka?

GARY
Now what kind of question is that?  I offer you a cocktail, and you ask if I have vodka.

LORI
Well, you guys only drank gin that night, so I wasn’t sure.

GARY
That was one night, and before the white wine at dinner.  We are perfectly capable of mixing it up a bit.

LORI
OK then, how about—?

GARY
Grey Goose, Tito’s, Kettle One, Absolut, Smir—

LORI
Tito’s.  Tito’s. Is. Good. Now I know how you feel, Jen.

JENNIFER
Jennifer.

LORI
Right.  Jennifer.

GARY
How do you want your Tito’s?

LORI
Martini up?

GARY
Perfect.  With a twist?

LORI
You remembered!

GARY
Of course, I did. You ordered three of them!

LORI
That was some evening!

(Gary and Lori share a laugh, while Jennifer just looks more uncomfortable.)

(Alex re-enters at this point, fully clothed in a green polo and jeans.)

ALEX
OK. Let’s try this again. Lori, it’s great to see you again (He gives her a kiss on the cheek)

LORI
Much better.

ALEX
And Jennifer, it’s nice to meet you in person. We heard a lot about you.

(Alex holds out his hand.  Jennifer takes it and shakes it.)

JENNIFER
I got that impression.

GARY
All good things. No need to worry.  Lori filled us in.

JENNIFER
So she says. I kinda wish you had talked about some other things instead of me.

ALEX
Yeah, well, we did talk about other things, but four hours in a car is a long time. Talking about you was inevitable. (turning to Gary and Lori) Right?

LORI
Sure, I mean, what else could I do? You weren’t there, and then when they heard about you, these two were like a commercial for The Enquirer.

GARY
Enquiring minds want to know, Jennifer. Lori didn’t have much choice. Alex can tell you, I’m ruthless about getting information and—

ALEX
You’re also ruthless about being a good host and making drinks, right? Did he get your orders already?

LORI
He did.

GARY
I was just about to get them started, but you made your grand re-entrance, so I figured I should wait and make sure you actually put your clothes on.

ALEX
He loves to give me a hard time, this one.

(Alex grabs Gary around the waist and gives him a big kiss. Lori smiles, looks over at Jennifer, and she looks the other way, her eyes catching a book on the coffee table.)

ALEX (patting Gary on the butt)
Get those drinks going, and I’ll keep everyone in here occupied.

GARY
Tito’s martini up and a lemon Pellegrino coming up. (exits to the kitchen)

JENNIFER (looking at the book)
Did you see this Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit?

ALEX
We did. It was beautiful.

JENNIFER
I wanted to see it, and then I just lost track of when it closed.

ALEX
Yeah, I ended up going on the last day. I couldn't show my face at work if I didn’t see it. It’s my job and all.

JENNIFER
So you’re the architect?

ALEX
Yeah, I--

LORI
Honey, I told you Alex was the architect, sweetie. And Gary is a lawyer.

JENNIFER
Right. Sure. But without having met them before, it’s hard to keep all of that straight.

ALEX
No worries at all. I  barely keep it straight, and we’ve been together for 11 years. You two are going on 7?

LORI
Good memory!

(Gary returns with Jennifer’s Pellegrino and the Gerber daisies in a vase, which he sets on the coffee table.  Then hands Jennifer her Pellegrino, which she takes while trying to manage the large coffee table book. Gary hustles away to get the other drink.)

ALEX
Here, let me take that. (He takes the book and sets it back on the coffee table.)  Great flowers.  Did you bring those?

LORI
Yeah, I remembered from—

ALEX
The train station. Gary made such a big deal about the stand having Gerber daisies.

LORI
Right. I figured it would be a nice reminder.

ALEX
Such a good evening.

LORI
A real surprise given the circumstances.

ALEX
Yeah. Lucky really.

LORI
I’ll say.

(There’s a silence between all of them. Gary comes walking in from the kitchen slowly, as to not spill the martini, which is very full.)

GARY (as he walks to Lori)
Don’t mind me. Just trying not to spill. We just got this new rug from Room and Board and this one gets all worked up about stains.

ALEX
It’s expensive, and I after a week I still think it should be stain-free. 

JENNIFER
Oh geez, keep Lori off of it then. She’s got a life-long bad case of the dropsies. One time we were at our friend Jean’s place and—

GARY
Is this the story about the dropcloth? Like when your friend invited you over and put a drop cloth down under the dining room table as a joke?  I LOVE that story.

JENNIFER
You know that story?

ALEX
Lori told us over dinner that night in Boston. That was after she sent a meatball flying off her plate and under the table next to us.

LORI
You guys are exaggerating.

GARY
It was a real “Pretty Woman” moment, except that Richard Gere was nowhere in sight.

ALEX
Unfortunately.

LORI
He’s gotten kind of old looking don’t you think?

ALEX
Oh sure, but that’s the great thing about film. It traps a person in time and they look like that forever and ever and ever.

GARY
Aaay-MEN!!!

(Lori lifts her glass in a “cheers” motion, and the three share a good laugh. Jennifer is not amused. When the laughter dies down, Lori sees Jennifer looking at her.)

LORI
Babe, what’s wrong?

JENNIFER
Is there anything that you didn’t tell these two?

LORI
Jen, c’mon. Calm down.

JENNIFER
No, I’m serious. What else do they know about me? About us? I mean you barely know them, and they know all sorts of things about us.  

LORI
This is a little inappropriate, don’t you think? Gary and Alex invite us to dinner, and we should not be—

JENNIFER
Should not be what? I told you I thought this was all a little strange.

LORI
Stop it, please?

JENNIFER (to Gary and Alex)
I appreciate the invitation, but I don’t understand why you know so much about us. The fact that you spent the evening together after what happened and then drove back the next day is bad enough, particularly when I told Lori she was crazy to get into a car and drive four hours with two men she didn’t know. But Lori never worries about those kinds of things, and I just have to live with that.

LORI (setting down her drink)
We should go.

JENNIFER
Fine with me.

GARY
No, please don’t go.

LORI
I think this was probably not the best idea. I should have realized that--

GARY (moving to Jennifer) 
Jennifer, I’m terribly sorry.

JENNIFER
It’s fine, I just think it’s too soon for this.

ALEX
Too soon?

GARY (moving to Jennifer) 
We’ve done a first-class job of telling every inside joke possible, and nothing to welcome you.  That’s not what we meant to have happen. We invited you and Lori to dinner because we want to know you. We heard all about you, probably more than we would’ve under normal circumstances, but that night was anything but normal.

JENNIFER
I know. I thought Lori was—

GARY
I know. I know you did. I’m sorry.

JENNIFER
I thought she was dead.  She always took that train out of Boston, and she always traveled in the business class car at the front of the train.

ALEX
Me too. If Gary hadn’t been with me, he would have felt the same way you did. I was there at our Boston office for a design presentation. I would have been traveling in the same car.

GARY
It was a total coincidence that I had to be in Boston the same day for a deposition. And Lori was there promoting her new book. All of us were supposed to be on that train, and for some reason, the three of us didn’t make it.

ALEX
And we weren’t the only ones. The traffic getting to the train station was awful for some reason, and about 30 people missed that train. We were all standing around, pissed at Boston traffic and pissed at Amtrak for being on time for once, and then the board just started showing all trains as “Delayed.” Then they made an announcement that train traffic to New York had been suspended until further notice, and mass chaos broke out.

LORI
That’s when you called and told me what you were seeing on the news.

GARY
And that’s how we found out that the train we were supposed to be on had derailed.

Artists I admire: Trusty Sidekick Theater Company

Thrilled to see all the positive press for Trusty Sidekick Theater Company, a committed troupe of artists doing really exciting work for young people, and most recently, for children on the autism spectrum. Truly gratifying and humbling to see so many of my former students, now colleagues, making important and groundbreaking theatre as part of this company.

Please make sure to read about Trusty Sidekick's most recent success with Up and Away.  Here's a preview article and an excellent review, both from The New York Times.

Thanks for the inspiring work that's teaching us all something about audience engagement.