tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44563702365506633212011-08-29T07:56:15.427-05:00I directed an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's NEVERWHERE in Chicago, which began rehearsals in March, 2010 and is now running until July 18th. <br> This is my blog of research, including a visit to London Above.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.comBlogger571100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-66435091930254094562010-07-19T11:36:00.000-05:002010-07-19T11:36:45.962-05:00

After 52 performances and over 4,700 tickets sold, the show came to an end yesterday. Attending the closing performance of Robert Kauzlaric’s world premiere theatrical adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s NEVERWHERE, I had that sort of experience where you look back on the past year as a series of snapshots relevant to the present moment. It was about this time last year that I listened to Mr

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-17408963404776302892010-06-18T10:20:00.000-05:002010-06-18T10:20:53.136-05:00

We received a few special guests at the show last Sunday, Neil Gaiman and Lenny Henry.  Mr Henry is acknowledged in the dedication page of Neverwhere for bringing the idea of tribes of people living in the London underground to Mr. Gaiman who put it into a television series that Mr. Henry produced.   They were incredibly gracious. Snuck in right before the curtain speech and hung out in the

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-26169387068401142482010-06-02T13:35:00.000-05:002010-06-02T13:35:12.913-05:00

Due to popular demand, we have just extended the run of Neverwhere until July 18th. While some of the original cast wont be able to do the extension, we've snagged some excellent understudies to back them up and will be running what we call put-in rehearsals (plugging in a new actor in place of the old one and doing a run of the show with them). I'll have a little bit of work to do, especially in

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-46314576573035301692010-05-27T15:49:00.001-05:002010-05-27T15:52:00.929-05:00

proves that you don't need a big expensive set or computer-generated effects to tell a rich, riveting, action-packed story Holmquist’s choreography of the action makes a stage smaller than most living rooms seem sprawling It's spectacular when it needs to be and otherwise driven by character and imaginative variations on archetype. Gaiman fans should be thrilled, but you needn’t know the

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-33867620097896204952010-05-13T14:20:00.000-05:002010-05-13T14:20:08.593-05:00

Greetings friends - reviews are coming out for Neverwhere and the response is rather positive so far. For the most part. The majority of quibbles have to do with the length of play - approximately 2.5 hours counting the intermission.  This is a little surprising considering 2.5 hours certainly is at par with the majority of theatre I've experienced and that we have condensed such a great deal of

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-63452052701543621152010-05-08T19:21:00.002-05:002010-05-09T02:09:47.835-05:00

I'm sitting in the back of the theatre, actors have fight call in 10 minutes and we open the house for the final preview before press preview tomorrow afternoon and Monday's opening. Very soon now it will no longer be my job to tweak and change the things that are happening in the show. It is already taking on a life of its own. The actors are claiming the show, feeling their way organically

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-8597263815125253892010-05-07T11:36:00.003-05:002010-05-07T11:45:08.534-05:00

I am sneaking in one more post. I have found that when I tell people that I have been working on Neverwhere I get two different responses. Those who know the novel say, “That’s great! I want to see it.” This is rapidly followed by, “How are they going to do that on stage?” For those who don’t know the play I get, “Oh, What’s that about?” Which is actually a trickier question. How do

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-58398140024882050162010-05-05T16:50:00.001-05:002010-05-05T16:55:11.124-05:00

I wanted to expand on what Paul had said about previews, mostly because he has been a little modest about how unusual their process of working on an adaptation is. This was my first project with Lifeline, so I was not familiar with their process, which is unique to their mission to present adapted works of literature on stage. A few weeks ago, I got to sit in on an in depth discussion of the

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-57362389117262819172010-05-04T10:22:00.000-05:002010-05-04T10:22:35.006-05:00

We have been through three incredible previews thus far. Previews are full runs of the show with lights and sound and all tech running as a performance with paying audiences who are invited to give feedback via paper surveys in their programs.  It gives me a chance as director to sit in the back of the theatre and watch the actors juggle their many roles in front of a large audience (about 300

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-9095339446027796772010-04-28T15:56:00.000-05:002010-04-28T15:56:04.421-05:00

Today, the Chicago Tribune's daily commuter publication RedEye featured an interview with adaptor Rob Kauzlaric (also posted on the entertainment guide website, Metromix).  This is a welcome energy boost coming in the middle of a grueling week! Our actors and designers have been working overtime to complete all the challenging little details we need to confront to utilize everyone's

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-28200758825037084702010-04-27T22:19:00.002-05:002010-04-27T22:36:50.618-05:00

Sunday night I had the opportunity to watch another run through of Neverwhere. I have to confess this is the fun part. Every time I pop into the theater there some cool new feature to the set or suddenly there is music or an actor enters in a costume piece I have never seen before,oh and the puppets are really spiffy. This week there will be preview performances with audiences.Tonight, I stopped

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-67894487254351090232010-04-22T18:50:00.003-05:002010-04-29T12:58:49.236-05:00

I'm currently sitting in the theatre while Assistant Sound Designer Adam Hubbell gets his computer plugged into the sound system from the audience seating. Charlie Alves has his projector set up. Kevin Gawley just told me that 80 - 85% of the lighting fixtures are ready. We're hunkering down for Dry Tech. Why "Dry"? We are essentially doing a run of the show without actors and without lines,

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-30523125590653529082010-04-21T10:47:00.000-05:002010-04-21T10:47:42.793-05:00

Hello all! Monday evening our theatre company had a benefit themed around the Floating Markets of Neverwhere and don't just take my word for it, the event was an incredible success.  Bleeding Cool contributor Greg Baldino was there and wrote up a cool piece about the event here.  And photographer Lisa Marie Ogle has put some pics up on her Flickr page. I'm the guy in the white tux jacket. :P

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-72003806407015994832010-04-16T16:47:00.003-05:002010-04-16T17:09:29.614-05:00

The quote above is one of the inscriptions in the Old Bailey the name given to the criminal courts in London and named for the street on which it stands. It is close to Newgate prison.Old Bailey also makes a cameo in a children’s rhyme, “Oranges and Lemons.” Like many old rhymes there seem to be many variations. I have included one below. When will you pay me feels appropriate for Old Bailey in

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-16477799747058781722010-04-15T16:10:00.004-05:002010-04-15T16:48:42.456-05:00

I have been away from the rehearsal process for a bit (working on another play) so I am feeling a bit disconnected. I am looking forward to coming back and witnessing what has happened while I have been gone. In the meantime I am including some bits and pieces, quotes and facts and tidbits from things I have been reading that resonate with Neverwhere. "If you look at a thing 999 times, you are

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-26435182626457003742010-04-12T18:38:00.001-05:002010-04-14T16:18:53.385-05:00

Tonight begins the first time we rehearse on the nearly completed set, constructed in wood and metal in four hundred or so square feet of stage.  We've been rehearsing in a bare room upstairs at Lifeline Theatre's space since early March, imagining various platforms, ladders, doors and stairs, we've experimented with movement through different entrances and exits to help us tell the trajectory

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-79101256108761857162010-04-04T04:43:00.005-05:002010-04-04T04:58:42.430-05:00

I was having one of those late-night-into-early-morning bouts of insomnia. Where a single worry or two seem to invite another and another and they, in turn, are acquaintances of some of my old fears and a few old embarrassing moments and so they come along too “to relive old times” and finally the party is in full swing and it is four in the morning. So I gave up trying to sleep and decided

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-63323973530070328672010-03-29T06:56:00.004-05:002010-03-29T07:21:50.721-05:00

The earl in Neverwhere is nameless. He is so old his person and title are synonymous. The noun earl was used to distinguish nobility from those who weren’t noble, the churls. The word first appears in Beowulf as “eorla,” which here generally means a brave knight or warrior. The King Hrothgar is sitting amidst them. The earl of Earl’s court has something of the Anglo-Saxon about him. His elderly

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-48591377474372130412010-03-28T14:45:00.000-05:002010-03-28T14:45:54.871-05:00

We are now out of the theoretical and in practical research mode, testing staging theories on an approximation of the set and figuring out the way we are going to tell our story.   I say "we" because the process, for this director at least, is about collaboration. I can't imagine doing this alone, the show will be that much richer for the contributions of all involved. There is a sense of

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-34120653602454054542010-03-21T13:00:00.004-05:002010-03-21T14:14:43.756-05:00

I have been thinking about the characters we see in London above that are from London Above: Jessica, Gary, Sylvia and Mr. Stockton. The new renters or Richard's flat. Almost every moment we see in the world of London above is associated with business or status. Richard works in the financial industry as do Gary and Sylvia and the descriptions of his actual work are coded in the jargon of the

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-17470391947724078762010-03-18T15:16:00.000-05:002010-03-18T15:16:34.465-05:00

The comic book industry news website "Bleeding Cool" just posted about Neverwhere, with some quotes from Rob and I about the show and a cool picture. Enjoy!

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-31235363317249329802010-03-17T16:39:00.006-05:002010-06-26T19:04:06.220-05:00

"Croup and Vandemar, the Old Firm. Nuisances eliminated, obstacles obliterated, bothersome limbs removed, and tutelary dentistry."I have struggled with writing about Croup and Vandemar, so I have put it off. They are so specific and at the same time deeply ambiguous. It was delightful to hear our actors Croup and Vandemar at the first read through of the script and I suspect it is a delight for

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-1080705768004679062010-03-17T13:36:00.000-05:002010-03-17T13:36:06.827-05:00

Interested in coming to see the play, but you're from out of town? Spend the night downtown at the luxury Hotel Allegro Chicago, a Kimpton Hotel.  Lifeline Theatre has negotiated a special $109 rate (Thu-Sun, some blackout dates apply) for anyone who buys tickets to Neverwhere.   Availability is limited!  Call the Lifeline box office today at 773-761-4477 for details.

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-35360534774369413452010-03-14T18:06:00.006-05:002010-03-15T16:50:56.870-05:00

When I started my reread of Neverwhere a couple weeks ago. I noticed the quotes Gaiman gives the reader at the beginning of the novel and thought it might be worth thinking about them a bit."I have never been to St. John's Wood. I dare not. I should be afraid of the innumerable night of fir trees, afraid to come upon a blood red cup and the beating of the wings of an eagle."The first quote is

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-53841345015942473072010-03-11T22:17:00.006-06:002010-03-11T23:22:28.365-06:00

So a couple of weeks ago Paul emailed me about how Neverwhere was like The Wizard of Oz but turned on its head a bit. Richard wants to get home but Door sounds like Dorothy. What are the roles of Hunter and the Marquis in that party if you want to extend the comparisonI agreed but replied that Neverwhere is also like many other fairy tale quest narratives. However last week I did another reread

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-75666969072395470232010-03-10T22:12:00.006-06:002010-03-11T00:04:03.250-06:00

At certain first rehearsals there is a sort of alchemy that happens where you look around the table at the set design and the costume designs and hear the sound designers play clips. It is magic to hear the actors start reading a script and hear the voices from the page aloud and laughter at the funny bits.It is also exciting to feel like you are embarking on a journey with people who care about

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-15044167257776576562010-03-08T01:31:00.004-06:002010-03-08T01:49:51.997-06:00

On a personal note, I have been enjoying this researching and information gathering and the whole evaluation process like a warm blanket. It is an indulgence, in my experience, to really incubate these ideas and notions theoretically without having to make any real decisions. Without any pressure to PRODUCE RESULTS, the experience of sitting with the material and investigating sources of further

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-64243184365727523382010-03-04T14:08:00.000-06:002010-03-04T14:08:52.717-06:00

Lifeline Theatre is seeking volunteers to work at our 2010 Annual Benefit: Neil Gaiman’s Floating Market on April 19, 2010 the Chicago Cultural Center. We are recreating the Floating Market as conceived by Neil Gaiman is his bestselling book, Neverwhere. There will be food, drink, belly dancers, fire dancers, a wheel of destiny, fortune tellers, and musicians playing found instruments. We

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-5113006038622560742010-03-04T11:17:00.002-06:002010-03-04T12:06:01.294-06:00

I have been reading an illuminating book by Stephen Smith called Underground London: Travels Beneath the City Streets. In it, the author investigates a variety places and histories that took place beneath the streets of London. I am in the chapter on the rivers/sewers, which seem to have been the same for much of London’s history. Many of the small rivers that were once open and flowing were

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-46617410607312379922010-02-26T18:27:00.006-06:002010-02-28T13:54:45.348-06:00

Being a dramturg is in part a really great excuse to buy lots of books without guilt. It also means trying to incorporate and synthesize a whole lot of information in ways that will be meaningful to your fellow artists or an audience. Sometimes this means you let go of some bit of information you love because it isn't useful and sometimes it means you smack your head when you missed something you

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-41616585875091642812010-02-25T16:40:00.007-06:002010-03-05T12:37:44.252-06:00

Before I proceed I just want to stop any readers (this assumes there are readers beyond Paul and myself and cast and crew but just in case) who might not yet have read the book or seen the television series or play because I don't want to spoil any particular plot points. The most obvious counterpoint to the Angel Islington is Satan in Milton's Paradise Lost. In fact most people fail to

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-89973310328701456042010-02-25T00:43:00.002-06:002010-02-25T01:13:08.713-06:00

I was unable to attend last night's reading with Paul and Rob. I had a production meeting for another play and my good Scandinavian conscience and middle class work ethic would not let me skip it.The Wednesday night reading was advertised as a family night. We arrived and my fears that I might be expected to produce a child before entering the auditorium were allayed as the nice Napervillians let

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-16359103735073938852010-02-24T11:33:00.000-06:002010-02-24T11:33:13.606-06:00

Last night Rob and I got to see Neil Gaiman in the flesh, thanks to a cousin of a friend snagging some extra tickets for the annual Naperville Reads event, featuring Neil this year. We arrived with our copies of NEVERWHERE in tow, in case there would be a book signing, and just soaked in the ambiance of the pre-event buzz building around us.      Probably close to 450 - 500 people were packing

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-57097089246871207282010-02-20T09:23:00.003-06:002010-02-20T10:32:22.237-06:00

It seems like the interest in vampires and their role in popular culture returns cyclically. There was a recent Op Ed piece in the New York Times about the current popularity of vampires and their history written by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan that is well worth reading. I actually read Dracula for the first time just a few years ago and was surprised and delighted both by the style of

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-76806815383150088852010-02-19T16:00:00.001-06:002010-02-19T16:08:43.953-06:00

From Paul: Richard Gilbert, one of the members of R&D Choreography (with David Bareford) our fight designers for the show, weighs in with his excitement and thoughts on the process. A long while back, I got a call from Paul, the director.  "We're doing an adaptation of Neverwhere.  Rob is adapting, I am directing.  It is going to be a while, and we can't talk about it publicly until we get

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-7238827372335192122010-02-19T14:39:00.000-06:002010-02-19T14:39:38.403-06:00

From Paul: I asked our award winning adaptor Robert Kauzlaric to contribute some insight into his process for this blog.  There’s so much to discuss about this project, and Paul and Maren have already done an amazing job of that here. As the adaptor of the show, there are load of things on my mind I’m hoping to blather about on this blog, in particular: the rewards and challenges of working

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-18916210203954477162010-02-18T21:13:00.002-06:002010-02-18T21:26:05.935-06:00

I wanted to pause and explain the brief character studies that I am posting. When you read a book you take the characters as they are written. When an actor brings a character to life on stage there is additional material that may help the actor create a convincing portrayal of a character that is not on the page. If a character is a historical figure then there are biographical accounts to help

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-50062175150500407892010-02-16T21:38:00.003-06:002010-02-17T18:30:26.874-06:00

This is the first in a series of posts on the characters of Neverwhere. In early emails with Paul, the director and Rob, the adapter, we discussed how the name the Marquis de Carabas appears in the Charles Perrault fairy tale Le Maistre Chat or Le Chat Botte known to us as Puss in Boots. Briefly, in the story, the third son of a miller that, being a third son, his only inheritance is a cat. The

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-41139881998814519772010-02-10T13:01:00.008-06:002010-02-10T16:07:40.711-06:00

There are moments in the rehearsal of a play where an actor will simply stop to make sure they understand what a word means in a particular context. Unlike when you are reading a book and speed by a word you sort of know without pausing to lug out the dictionary, it becomes much more important to know what those words might mean when an actor must interpret them on stage for an audience.I have

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-87160865564085180292010-01-26T21:40:00.003-06:002010-04-26T21:40:49.579-05:00

Last week while getting my cell phone back from a good samaritan I parked in a loading zone that I thought was appropriate but apparently was not and my car was towed by the City of Chicago. Now most of you who have had the pleasure of having a vehicle towed by the city know that the various impound lots are always in strange, vaguely dangerous and difficult places to get to. Mine happened to be

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-23630230034339777602010-01-25T10:47:00.000-06:002010-01-25T10:47:53.197-06:00

Last week's production meeting was chock full of inspiration.  From collages of magazine clippings and sketches of various costume possibilities to the sounds of Savage Aural Hotbed (google for samples) and a discussion of how machetes make sparks when they hit each other. We are all in the inspiration stage, taking in sources that initiate thought and discussion of the practical realization

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-4727664490083878862010-01-19T14:42:00.004-06:002010-01-19T15:49:40.504-06:00

Blood and Transitions: Inside Production Meeting III was not in attendance at our first Neverwhere production meeting and Paul's blog post on that particular meeting gives you a great idea of the roles the various contributors to the artistic process of producing a play. I was delighted at the way our second production meeting started with our director, and birthday celebrant, Paul, announcing

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-60334434332651616732010-01-18T09:50:00.003-06:002010-01-18T10:14:12.045-06:00

I have been a tad neglectful in my blogging but not in my reading.Here is a link to a fantastic article in the Guardian about Henry Beck, the who created the famous map (he would call it a diagram) of the London Underground. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2004/sep/16/2Neverwhere makes use of the fact that London has so much beneath it. It is built on the remains of the earlier cities that

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-44359443394701042412010-01-13T16:30:00.000-06:002010-01-13T16:30:29.411-06:00

... my mother wrote the following to me in an email response to the previous blog entry and I want to share it, it's good... Is it too simplistic to think this is a coming-of-age story for Richard?  Although plenty old enough in years, Richard starts the story awfully immature in all the areas you mentioned (responsibility, self-direction, purpose, etc.)  He (to an almost self-destructive

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-52557951357944277632010-01-11T11:06:00.001-06:002010-01-11T11:15:19.093-06:00

Been a while since I posted - sorry for that.  I've been enjoying some R&R after the holidays and simply marinating on some things, reading and making notes.  Under the tree for me this year was "Prince of Stories: The Many Worlds of Neil Gaiman" which is a passionate guide to Gaiman's work published before Fall 2008.  A great reference of the behind the scenes development of the man's career

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-23981575825725133482009-12-23T14:47:00.002-06:002009-12-23T19:35:52.158-06:00

Before the year comes to a close I am excited to share with you the news of the last weekend.  On Saturday the 19th our production team met for our first Production Meeting.  Then on Sunday the 20th the cast assembled to read Rob's latest draft of the script, which has gone under some revision in the past month through banter between him and I. A Production Meeting, in case it needs explaining,

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-44860333122778716892009-12-18T11:12:00.000-06:002009-12-18T11:12:03.315-06:00

The Lifeline Theatre Ensemble and Board is in early planning stages for our benefit this year, being held at the Cultural Center in the Preston Bradley Hall on April 19, 2010.  The board and event committee are moving forward whole-heartedly and enthusiastically with a "Neil Gaiman's Floating Market" theme.  Our managing director Allison Cain is bursting with ideas, ensemble member and

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-9284900372058625272009-12-11T18:29:00.001-06:002009-12-11T18:38:04.442-06:00

The night I made my way to check out the location in Harrods famous department store where Hunter is hired to be Door's bodyguard, my camera decided to take some shoddy pictures. Regardless... I ended up at Knightsbridge, of course. (Interesting tile work here at Hyde Park Corner, one stop away.) Harrods was decked out in green not for the holidays (too early for that) but for the 70th

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-42292873614103424812009-12-07T16:44:00.000-06:002009-12-11T17:04:11.601-06:00

It should be no surprise that a major part of my visiting London involved a growing fascination with the London Underground.  I tried to catch as many pictures and ogle the tile work of the tube stations I visited as much as possible without blocking pedestrian traffic.  Sadly for me, London Transport officials have stopped allowing public tours of the derelict stations, of which Down Street

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-8239954078155650892009-12-04T20:50:00.002-06:002009-12-11T17:04:03.735-06:00

Being in London so close to Remembrance Day meant that the cultural heritage of war was very present. Everywhere you looked there were red "poppies" - signifiers of a society that shall not soon forget the devastating experience of violence in their City, in their communities.  There are many families still living in the aftermath of World War II's blitz, less than a generation after the

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-67508119566847193982009-11-21T18:05:00.000-06:002009-11-21T18:05:09.706-06:00

I walked along the south bank of the Thames and caught up with the HMS Belfast to check it out before moving on to take a tour of the Tower of London.  I really was curious to see what Old Bailey had to deal with, going to the Floating Market to barter for the body of the ex-marquis and get it to the wall surrounding the Tower to perform a bit of unholy magic and bring him back to life.  I had

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-79389048830957567942009-11-18T11:14:00.001-06:002009-11-18T12:08:07.247-06:00

I'm going to let you folks who've never been on the inside of a New Theatrical Adaptation Process in on a little secret: the process of creating a live performance of a well-loved novel involves a bunch of planning.  Much of it happens before the actors go into rehearsal.  The writer, the director, the designers and (hopefully, which is not always the case) the dramaturg, discuss the characters

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-34183973584837966522009-11-11T14:37:00.001-06:002009-11-11T14:42:28.672-06:00

Richard, while trotting alongside Door, Hunter and the Marquis de Carabas, looking for Earl's Court, finds himself in the pedestrian tunnel connecting the Monument and Bank tube stations. I had to see this. That hallway entrance in the center of the picture is on the Westbound platform of the Monument District and Circle lines.  Join me wont you?         And that's about it. Not much

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-10325680144792321162009-11-05T16:46:00.002-06:002010-06-26T18:47:19.656-05:00

Hi, I am Maren, the dramaturg for Neverwhere and I am delighted to be part of the project and delighted that Paul asked me to post. That’s a lot of delight.First of all, I enjoy Gaiman because he works in layers and there many resonances to his words and worlds. Neverwhere is like a street map and a tube map and bits of Celtic history, art and modern London all blended in and knit together

Marenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009132733735652494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-69515672650966906842009-11-04T19:57:00.000-06:002009-11-04T19:59:02.252-06:00

The architecture of England's oldest and most revered churches are founded on the sanctity of the Temple and the invention of the structural marvel of the Arch.  It is a fascinating choice of Gaiman to use the phrase "Temple and Arch" as an evocation, a prayer, an oath. London Below is dependent on the tunneling technology of the Victorian era but before there were tunnels, the churches of

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-84126920923940798632009-11-04T01:58:00.000-06:002009-11-04T02:01:08.153-06:00

First things first, as far as I'm concerned, is hitting the actual locations mentioned in the book. By tagging my book and a map I discovered that much of Richard's journey involves the West End and Soho. Curious why this area of London inspired Gaiman so, I thought I'd follow adapter Rob Kauzlaric's advice and visit the highly specified location of Richard's encounter with the Marquis de

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456370236550663321.post-26180198854024612002009-10-16T11:56:00.002-05:002009-10-16T17:58:57.136-05:00

About four months ago I decided A) I need a vacation, B) I should travel somewhere and C) I should go to London.  Many many years ago, when I was in high school, way back before I knew I'd be acting and directing plays, I went with a humanities class for a 10 or 12 day trip.  What I recall of the trip is a cacophony of teenage dramas and the striking images of the touristy highlights -

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00131774450742167086noreply@blogger.com2