Study Guide for That Beautiful Laugh. Written by Alexis Jones

Transcription

1 Study Guide for That Beautiful Laugh Written by Alexis Jones

2 Orlando Pabotoy: History Orlando Pabotoy was born and raised in the Philippines. But it was not until his family moved to Fiji, that Pabotoy had his first taste of the theater. Ironically, his introduction to theater had less to do with the actual theater and more to do with an episode of The Cosby Show. The Cosby kids were performing in a production of William Shakespeare s Julius Caesar. The words came to me, explained Pabotoy, and they brought up familiar emotions. It was shortly after that first viewing that Pabotoy gave his first performance in the family s bathroom. I would lock myself in the bathroom and read the play out loud, over and over again. I was seduced by it, said Pabotoy, as he fondly recalled his one--man show. Other than these bathroom matinees, Pabotoy had not considered theater as a viable option for a future career. At the age of seventeen Pabotoy moved from Fiji to the United States. After finishing high school, Pabotoy attended George Mason University and majored in physics. With all of the math and physics classes Pabotoy was taking, he started looking for an outlet to relieve the stress of taking so many academic classes. The theater department was putting on a Greek play that, as Pabotoy puts it, it [the play] was the closest thing they had to Shakespeare, so I tried out. Miraculously, using what he had taught himself from his water-closet productions of Shakespeare, he was cast in the play. None of his cast-mates or the professors from the theater department knew he was not actually a theater major, which made the amateur thespian feel like little more than an impostor. After his first performance, his curiosity led him to the Shakespeare Theater in

3 Washington. It was there Pabotoy s talent for performance began to be recognized. He auditioned for the play Pericles, directed by Philip Goodwin, and was cast in the title role. Michael Kahn, the head of the Shakespeare Theater program, saw his performance and was awestruck. Kahn was also a teacher at The Juilliard School for the Arts at the time, and after seeing Pabotoy s performance, he told Pabotoy to audition for the prestigious school. I didn t even know what Juilliard was. But then I found out, and I auditioned, and I made it. But I still didn t think I was going to be an actor. So, in 1994, Pabotoy transferred to Juilliard, and quickly started to realize that theater was not that different than physics, The theater has the same spirit as physics: curiosity. Curiosity is what I emphasize the most [in teaching and in everyday life]. As Pabotoy had wowed audiences and important people with all of his previous performances, his time at Juilliard was no different. In 1997 Pabotoy received the performance-based John Houseman Award, given to one Juilliard student for excellence in classical training. It was also at Juilliard where Pabotoy started to see himself as an actor, embrace his curiosity, and also get his first taste of Commedia dell Arte, the art form that limitlessly exercised his passion for curiosity. Pabotoy, on a whim, took a class from Christopher Bayes, a well- known Commedia dell Arte practitioner and teacher. From that point, he was hooked. Pabotoy explained, The jump from the classics to clowning was like everything else in my life: immediate, organic, and unexpected. This jump proved to be beneficial to Pabotoy when he won the 1998 Fox Fellowship Award following his graduation from Julliard. This award allowed Pabotoy to apprentice with his mentor Chris Bayes in the art of clowning and Commedia dell Arte for one year. During his fellowship, Pabotoy co-founded the Pandemonium Theater Company

4 in New York in 1999 with his mentor and a few of his clowning cohorts. This ensemblebased group traveled around the country doing Commedia dell Arte based productions. Though he left the East Coast and the Pandemonium Theater in 2006, Pabotoy is still in touch with his old cast mates, and has plans to reunite with his troupe in the near future. Pabotoy says of the theater, We re more like a family than a group of traveling actors. When we get together it s like nothing has changed. The years between graduation from Juilliard and moving to the West Coast in 2006 were a blur of teaching, performing, writing, directing, and critical acclaim. Pabotoy taught at such schools as: The Tisch School for the Arts at New York University, University of Texas in Austin, Bard College, The Old Globe, UCSD, Cal Arts, and at the Actors Center in New York. The completion of his apprenticeship found him in a stage production of Paul Rudnick's The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, which also co-starred Amy Sedaris. When the television show Strangers With Candy, starring Amy Sedaris, was picked up for production later that year, Pabotoy was asked to join the cast, and through 2000, was on the show as a recurring guest. In 2003, Pabotoy won an OBIE Award in the category of Special Citations for

5 his involvement in the production The Romance of Magno Rubio. The OBIE Awards, or The Off-Broadway Theater Awards, are given in recognition of outstanding productions from off-broadway and off-off Broadway. In 2005 Pabotoy s revival of Frank McGuinness s Someone Who ll Watch Over Me, for the Sounding Theater Company in New York, was met with critical acclaim. Someone Who ll Watch Over Me, is the story of three men, one American, one Irish, and the third English, who are held hostage in a Lebanese prison. The show takes place in a ten-by-ten-foot cell; the conflict comes from the three men s differences, and their need to rely on each other for support and sanity. Nytheater.com, a website that reports on everything theatre-related in New York, praised Pabotoy s direction, for he had, created a taut production that makes no false steps and has no extra air he has collaborated with the actors to find a believable journey for each of these men through a drama of unbelievably high stakes. ( Shortly after this production, Pabotoy found himself in the writer s and director s chair once more. Pabotoy co-wrote the piece Creation: A Clown Show with long time friend and fellow clown Lucas Caleb Rooney. Creation imagines the creation of the world as if God had taken an extended vacation and left all of the heavy lifting to a sixyear-old clown. Creation opened in August 2006, Off-Broadway, and also made an appearance at the New York Clown Theater Festival, and was billed as, the hippest, edgiest, funniest and most original solo clown show this side of Pluto, by the contributing writer to monstersandcritics.com, Amy Somensky. ( wn_show)

6 Pictured: Creator/Actor Lucas Caleb Rooney (Graphic Design by Boundary Lights) Pabotoy moved to Los Angeles in late 2006, and hit the ground running. As soon as he reached Los Angeles, Pabotoy reconnected with an old friend, David Bridel, with whom Pabotoy taught at The Actors Center in New York, and who also happened to be Head of Movement for the USC theatre department. The two artists, rekindling their friendship, talked about wanting to do some sort of collaboration, We were taking a walk through Griffith Park and he [Bridel] proposed starting a studio in early We did, and now have our next session starting in May [2009]. Studio Six is alive and well, ready for clowning, and is located at Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA.A They can be reached by phone at (866)-99-CLOWN. Though Pabotoy now calls California home, he still has very strong ties to his roots in New York. During the fall of 2008, Pabotoy went back to his alma mater, Juilliard, where he directed Scapin for the Juilliard Drama Division in collaboration with well-known clown,\ Bill Irwin as the choreographer. In the summer of 2008, Pabotoy

7 was back on the West Coast, where he choreographed the Shakespeare Santa Cruz' production of Romeo and Juliet. Though it has seemed many lifetimes since Pabotoy s departure from the Phillipines, he has never forgotten his roots. During December of 2008 Pabotoy, along with Cal Arts Dean of Theater Eric Ehn, was able to use his talents to help put together the Arts In The One World Conference at Cal Arts. According to Pabotoy, AOW is an annual conference where artists around the world come together to discuss the artist s role as a peace builder. True to his hard working, jet-setting self, Pabotoy has a full year of teaching, writing, and performing ahead of him. He currently serves as the Head of Movement for the Cal State Long Beach theatre department and is a faculty member for the Public Theater s Summer Lab in New York. He also teaches in the Netherlands every summer for NYU s study abroad program. This summer, in addition to the aforementioned summer program, Pabotoy has accepted an invitation to perform in a theater festival in Rwanda and Uganda. That Beautiful Laugh: An Overview That Beautiful Laugh, created, choreographed, and directed by Orlando Pabotoy, is more of an ever-evolving creature than a run- of- the- mill play. Though the actors and crew were given the world of clown in which to perform, drawing inspiration from Vaudeville, Commedia dell Arte, and clown masters such as Weary Willy, they have been told not to let the past restrict their creativity in their quest to find that one voice, that one ever-true ringing tone of that beautiful laugh.

8 When talking to the crew of the production, a common theme holds true; all were directed to sources of inspiration, all had sketches and designs, all had an idea of what the final performance space and design would look like, and all have become completely sure that most of what they have been working on will be thrown out by opening night. Though that might sound a bit negative, it is not. This production is a living, breathing, ever-evolving entity. To try and constrict it to one floor plan, set design, or one type of costume would be to extinguish its possibility before it truly had gotten a chance to materialize. Though what is written here might not actually be seen the night the show opens (or from show to show for that matter), there are a few things that can be counted on: There will be a stage. The stage and seating will be in the proscenium style, where the audience will be looking at the performance head on. The style of seating is very helpful in aiding the suspension of disbelief. With the suspension of disbelief heightened, the actors are going to try harder to break the fourth wall, pulling you deeper into their world. Vincent Richards, the set designer for That Beautiful Laugh, is not one-hundred-percent positive how the stage will look on the day the curtain finally goes up, but one thing he knows for sure is that the set of the show mirrors the nature of the show: organic and wide open. With the only two set pieces really needed for the show, a single red door and one red curtain, there will be plenty of space for the actors to move about, providing increased opportunities to pull in the audience. The dynamic color combination of red doors and black stage ushers in a sense of nostalgia for the old Vaudeville acts, the performances that paved the way for this current production, but with ultra-modern features such as the moveable white

9 circle that emphasizes parts of the stage, the actors will not be shackled by the past. Richards knows that, initially the audience is going to see that the stage isn t much. But that s perfect. We can t hide anything; there s literally no where to hide. It s just one big open space. Hopefully, the audience will see it for what it is: honest. There will be lighting. Donny Jackson, the lighting designer for That Beautiful Laugh, was told by Pabotoy to find inspiration by researching the lighting of old Vaudeville acts, and by examining the way museums light antiques. The lighting tones will be sepia and amber to set the mood for what is happening on stage. These warm tones set the audience at ease as well as provide a warm safe place for the clowns to present themselves. For Jackson, it was important to have these warm tones for the audience, the characters [in the play] are outcasts, different from regular people. They don t want to harm anyone; they just want to be given a chance. It was imperative that I picked lighting that would be understated, but would allow me to say to the audience, If you re curious, be curious. Look past the surface, past the differences, get comfortable, and come on in. There will be costumes. Rae Simmons, the costume designer, has had little do with her usual process of costume design because, as she states, The characters have their own personalities, so the actors have had to find clothing that matches their characters. And because Simmons can not pick each actor s character, she can not really pick out their costumes either. She, like the other designers in the show, researched what classical clowns wore and this research helped set a tone. Simmons looked to Weary Willy, a character made famous by Emmett Kelly, Sr., old Vaudeville--type clowns, and circus clowns for inspiration but did not want to rely

10 too heavily on any one of these styles because tramps are outdated, and we re not trying to do a remake. As it was with the conception of the set, the costume concepts also pay homage to what came before them, but are more focused on the individual character. Simmons does say that the only traditional aspect of clowning that is represented is the red nose. Other than that, they look like they ve been digging through their Mom s Goodwill bag. There will be clowns. From happy go-lucky excitable clowns, to sad and sassy snickering clowns. The process by which these clowns came to be is different than the usual process used by actors to find their characters. As Josiah Miller, an actor in the play, explained, These characters are entirely what we bring--wherever we felt like going. That gives us a lot more room to play because [unlike dealing with a play that has a script] we re not given a person who isn t you that you have to try and find a connection with-- this is a manifestation of you. The creation of the characters came from clown exercises such as Entrances and Exits. In this exercise each actor was asked to enter and exit the stage and to be truthful with whatever emotion they were feeling when they did these actions, then to use those emotions to create their character. Aaron Orens did just that. During the exercise, I got frustrated, so I threw my nose up into the air, and instead of hesitating or saying, No, I used it and that became my character. And even though every character is different, every actor s aim is the same: to help the audience find their way back to a time when magic was possible, and laughter was easier to come by. There will be music. What the music will be, however, has not made itself clear to Pabotoy. It will probably have some Vaudeville I m not sure yet. The musical

11 style is not the issue. The music will evolve out of the creation of the piece. What is known about the music is that some of it will might be live. Pabotoy is currently talking to a few of his musician friends to come in and play something. There is one song that looks like it just might make the cut, the classic Etta James song, At Last. This song plays during a particularly touching moment in the play called The Humming Bird Ballet, where all of the clowns don hummingbird wings (that take the shape of fast moving, flapping hands) and fall in love. There will be laughter! The purpose of this show, as expressed by Pabotoy, is for the audience to be able to find what that beautiful laugh is because as we know, there are so many different types of laughs. Loud laughs, soft laughs, mean laughs, nervous laughs. The clowns are there to guide the audience, to help them pick out the beautiful laugh. But if you go and you cannot find that one beautiful laugh, don t worry, you haven t failed. For Pabotoy, if they [the audience] are moved and if they start searching, that is enough.

12 Commedia dell Arte Commedia dell Arte is an Italian theatrical form that is considered semiimprovisational. Commedia began during the mid 16 th century to counter the classical plays that were considered cold and expressionless (Delpiano). Commedia aimed to bring color and life to the stage through the use of costumes, masks, and improvisation. Characters from Commedia dell Arte wore costumes that could be easily recognized by the audience. Once the audience saw the costumes and the masks worn by the performers, they understood what function each character played. Semi-Improvisational Commedia dell Arte was considered semi-improvisational. Each troupe had a set list of stock characters from which to pull, and each show had an extensive script outline of the play presented. The subject was chosen, the characters conceived and named, their relations to one another determined, and the situations clearly outlined, all beforehand. The material was divided into acts and scenes, with a prologue. The situations were made clear, together with the turn of action and the outcome of each scene. When this general outline (called also scenario or canvas) was satisfactorily filled out there was left an opportunity for actors to heighten, vary, and embellish their parts as their genius might suggest. (Bellinger, 153) Although the actors had room to have their characters express themselves as they saw fit, there was never a point in a show that was totally unpredicted. Still, with these rules firmly set in place, actors had the freedom to explore parts of their characters that otherwise may have gone by the way side had the actors been forced to recite lines and follow a script that did not allow for freedom.

13 Characters of Commedia dell Arte Arlecchino aka Harlequin, Arlechino, Arlequin-- He is a poor character that is from a lowest status in the socio-economic ladder, and is usually a servant to Pantalone, Il Capitano or Il Dottore. He is a mischievous character that tries very hard to outwit and trick his masters. He is forever plotting and scheming so as to separate people from their money, however, his plans never work. He is also very limber and acrobatic, never walking in a straight line and looks as if he could jump into the air at least fifteen feet at any given moment. If he can be bothered to speak, he does so with vigor and will tell the audience absolutely everything that is on his mind at that moment. Usually what he would like to express to the audience, and what is actually being expressed are two totally different things. He would like nothing more than to be intelligent and quick witted, with the result of having his numerous schemes coming to fruition. However, because he is not incredibly smart, the free flow of information usually brings an abrupt end to his mischievous plans. Arlecchino s purpose to the plot is to complicate the plot with his schemes, and also heighten the comedic effect with break downs in communication, caused by his horrible memory, his need to scheme, or by simply becoming distracted when delivering messages. Because he is a poor clown, he wears patches of clothes that came from the rich people he serves. He carries a slapstick with him. He wears a mask that has small slanted eyes, a wart on the top of the head, and a regular sized nose. In the days of Commedia del Arte, if a character had a long nose, it meant that he/she was not smart, or not kind. Because Arlecchino is considered somewhat smart

14 to his masters, and incredibly smart by his peers, his reasonably sized nose fits him well. Pantalone-- He is the exact opposite to Arlecchino. Pantalone is very wealthy, and extremely stingy with his money. Stingy is an understatement. The only thing this character loves more than money is more money. He is always worried that someone will come and steal his hard earned wealth. He is also at the top of the social hierarchy because of his wealth. His more modern counter part could very well be Ebenezer Scrooge. His purpose to the plot is served only when he is made to look like the stingy fool he really is. By the end of the play his need for more money is his downfall as it is this trait that is used to take his money from him. His costume usually incorporates a skullcap, and red trousers. He will always have a moneybag attached to his belt. His mask has an extremely long curved nose that almost reaches his chin. His eyes are squinty and look mean. Il Dottore-- He is a doctor, or at least he likes to pretend he is a doctor. It is unclear whether or not he has had any schooling, but his speeches that go on ad nauseum in fake languages about any subject presented makes him appear as if he is educated. All of the lower classes are stunned by his knowledge. However, by the end of the play he is usually shown to be an impostor. His function is to put a break in the action in order to give the other actors a chance to refresh themselves. He does this by reciting long pretentious monologues that mean absolutely nothing. He is all in black. He is a fat man that enjoys drinking which his mask reflects with reddened cheeks. His nose is fat and somewhat long. Il Capitano-- He is a captain of which army no one really knows, but because he is

15 able to put on a show of arrogance, egotism, and manliness, and moves quickly from place to place he is able to fool people into thinking he is the strongest, most feared, and fearless man ever to walk the earth. In actuality, he is a very fainthearted man, who is afraid of just about everything. He is a ladies man and is driven almost entirely by his need for sex. His cowardice will always be shown by the end of the show. He wears the military outfit of that time, except that his outfit is a bit too gaudy to be just a plain military outfit. He has two types of masks: one that has a long phallic shaped nose and one that has a smaller nose. The Zanni-- He is the poorest, the dumbest, and the worst (even more so than Arlecchino) servant anyone could have. He usually serves Pantalone, Il Dottore, or Il Capitano. He will never listen to orders, and when he does, he will either willingly not carry them out or try very hard to carry out the orders correctly and get them wrong. Sometimes his need for a nap or a quality daydream will override his will to complete his tasks. There can be more than one Zanni. The primo Zanni is smart where the second Zanni is unredeemable stupid. Even though the Zanni is made fun of and made to look like a fool, he usually is able to get his revenge during the second half of the play. Because he is a poor servant his clothes are very plain. He usually wears an oversized white outfit and has masks with very long noses because as poor peasants, they were considered very unintelligent. Gli Innamorati-- The lovers, as they are affectionately known, are completely head over heels in love with each other, but because of their parents (usually one of the old man characters), they are not allowed to fully recognize their love. They are not as fun to watch as the other characters mentioned but do serve a very needed purpose.

16 They are used so that the audience will be drawn into the story. They create dramatic situation so that the other more popular characters may come and do what it is that they do best. Without the lover s problems, the play would have no way to move forward. The two young lovers clothed in the finest and most expensive outfits that money can buy, are never in a mask. They do however wear make-up, mostly foundation and some red on the lips and cheeks. The make-up of the lovers is a decision made by the actors. Their clothes, while also being in fashion, usually have similar colors so that the audience knows that they belong together. Works Cited Bellinger, Martha F. "The Commedia dell' Arte." Theatrehistory.com Mar < Delpiano, Roberto. "Commedia dell' Arte." Carnival of Venice Mar <

17 Prompt Questions for 113 Students 1. Using three design elements from That Beautiful Laugh (lighting, set design, costuming, music), discuss whether or not you feel the design elements helped the cast find that one beautiful laugh. 2. There are always a number of different themes with in a play. Using specific examples from the play, with research from outside sources, pick a theme and defend your choice. Discussion Questions 1. Do you feel that the cast was able to finally find that beautiful laugh? Give three exapmles as to why or why not. 2. What do you think the shadow show before intermission symbolized? 3. The stated goal of That Beautiful Laugh, as expressed by its director, cast, and crew, is to pay homage to the clowns that came before but not to be hindered by their past. Using examples from the play, what you now know about Commedia dell Arte, Vaudeville, and research that you will compile on your own about the tradition of the American clown, do you believe that they were successful in reaching their goal?

18 Glossary Amber--: A deep yellow color. Bill Irwin--: William Mills Bill Irwin was born April 11 th, 1950 in Santa Monica, California. Although Irwin has an extensive film and television resume, he is best known for his contribution to the renaissance of American circus during the 1970s. ( This renaissance included the creation of The Pickle Family Circus, which was an American circus that offered only clowns (no animals) who specialized in juggling. Circus Clown--: A type of clown made famous in the American Circus tradition. There are three types of circus clowns: the whiteface, the auguste, and the character. The whiteface clown is the most well known and oldest type of clown who usually is the leader of the other clowns, and is known as the straight man. They have white make-up that covers their face and neck, with red and black make-up to redefine their facial features. The auguste circus clown is known as the red clown because unlike the white clown, this clown s base make-up is either red or flesh toned. These clowns wear baggy pants that have polka dots, stripes, or other loud colors. These are the clowns that get the pie or water in the face and will always drop their pants to get a laugh. The character clown is a clown who takes on a character such as a baker, a policeman, or a mean wife. They have flesh colored base make-up but accessories with glasses or hats, or something that will go along with their character (the baker clown will carry a rolling pin, the police man will carry a night stick, and the mean wife will carry her husband back to the house).

19 Break The Fourth Wall--: The fourth wall is an imaginary wall that separates the audience from the stage. The fourth wall aids in the suspension of disbelief. To break the fourth wall, an actor must talk to the audience directly. On stage, the actor will come out of the scene and talk to the audience. In film or television, the fourth wall is broken when an actor talks directly into the camera. Etta James--: Born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938, Etta James is an American blues, soul, R&B, rock & roll, gospel and jazz singer, and songwriter. She is best known for her classic song At Last. Proscenium--: Technically, a proscenium is a series of arches that frames a stage. When used to talk about this style of theater, it usually references the way the audience is seated in relation to the stage. Proscenium style seating is when the audience directly faces the stage. Sepia--: dark brown-grey color. Slapstick--: Two thin strips of wood that are separated by a half- inch piece of wood connected to the handle. A loud "snap" cracks out when these two slats are struck together. Suspension of Disbelief--: The temporary acceptance, by an audience, of characters or situations that would normally not be believed because the dramatic work is using an idea, or has created a situation, that is deemed unusual. Tramp--: Originally this term was used to describe a long-term homeless person who traveled the country either by walking, hopping a train, or hitch hiking. The term was adopted by the clown culture to describe a clown who had the same characteristics as these homeless people. This type of clown will usually be

20 depressed and is a loner in the clown community. The tramp knows that he has no material possessions and no friends and knows that he will never have any of those things. Many believe that this type of clown came from the Depression in the 1930s when men would ride trains looking for work. Vaudeville--: A popular type of variety entertainment that was popular in the theaters of the United States and Canada from the 1880s to the 1930s. Each stage show had a number of different acts that showcased performances by musicians, dancers, comedians, trained animals, magicians, female and male impersonators, acrobats, one-act plays or scenes from plays, athletes, lecturing celebrities, minstrels, short movies, and clowns. Weary Willy--: The most famous of the tramp- style clowns made famous during the Great Depression by Emmett Kelly, Sr. During the 1930 s Kelly preformed his Weary Willy character at a number of circuses around the United States. The late 1930s found Weary Willy in Europe, performing for the Queen of Spain, and also Winston Churchill. In 1942, Kelly joined Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He left after fourteen seasons, so that Weary Willy could become the mascot for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Kelly s Weary Willy also made his way to Broadway with the show Keep off the Grass, and was also in movies and made appearances in The Greatest Show on Earth and Fellini s The Clowns. Until Kelly s death from a heart attack on March 28 th, 1979, Kelly continued to travel the world making personal appearances with his Weary Willy character. *Terms from the glossary were compiled from a number of online sources.