Louie's

There were many different aspects about the play Louie’s at 1st and Main that I had to keep in mind when processing the stage space. The acting was pretty good I thought. The direction seemed to be well rehearsed and in the right direction. And the stage space was nicely used. The stage space could be broken into a few different categories actually. There is the issue of the space being formal and informal, the way the seating was set up for the audience, and of course how big was the stage space. The stage space would be considered small stretching out about 30 feet some areas to only 10 feet long in others. It was still big enough to offer quite a variety of options though. There were five different entrances and exits offered at different sections of the theatre. This provided a number of options for the cast to maneuver around throughout the play. That was very convenient considering the size of the place. The scene there could be classified as informal. Besides the location there were a few other signs that made it a dead give-away. There were no servers at the door, no dress code, eating and drinking were allowed, etc. It was a very chill and relaxed environment. I was able to eat my bowl of soup in there and drink my soda. The seating arrangement was comfortable. The chairs were spread out in a half circle that went around the stage. It was a pretty well designed layout considering the space they had to work with. It still allowed all the audience members to see the same amount of stage space as everyone else. I think the stage would be considered a thrust stage or a black box stage. I do not really know about that one cause the definitions sounded similar to me. Over all this was a really well designed area with little stage space to work with. Not everyone could pull that off.

Challenging others to think about homelessness in a different light.. Enlightening.

Wonderful play with a lot of insight to people that we are not comfortable seeing in life. I was not expecting much from Louie's at 1st & Main, with little to no budget and a very small stage space. Frankly, I was very surprised! I absolutely loved it:) Sometimes taking a small space and a smaller audience works out quite well, for this play it was just that, well done. In fact, I do not think it would be as good if it were done in a large theatre with a large audience. Having a small space allows the audience to have to pay attention to all of the aspects of the world of this man who is on the street. It may be uncomfortable for some people but sometimes you have to do that to get people to pay attention and get more out of it that skeptism. A lot of people do not understand that kind of life. I have to be honest and say that I am still one of them. This play gave me a glimpse into a different world, not always fair and not always right, but that is life. The truth is not always the truth. Some people truly believe they know why someone is in a certain situation but you cannot truly know unless you have or are living their life. Because I can say that I have not had to live on the streets before I do not know what that kind of life would really be like. I really believe that with the smaller space they have to tell their story it really forces the audience to think in a different way, challenging what they may have thought before. Dimitri is just an intelligent man who did the best he could and wants to believe in human decency, even when that is challenged. From watching the play, you see that in everyday life, people believing against all odds that there are still others out there that care. It is hard to believe with all of the violence and negativity from others around the world due to not understanding or not being in that particular situation. Anyone can make a difference, just believing in yourself and others. I really believe that Dimitri made a difference for several of passby's who at first judged him and then got to know him. The stage space could not have been used better in my opinion.

Thank you,
Tracy :)

Questions, Questions, So Many Questions!

Were the actors paid?

Why is the trash can left full of cans sitting there un-redeemed the whole length of the play?

Why is Louis' true nature "vague-ish" until the end?

Louis . . . Louie . . . huh?

Why bring out the feathers at the end?

Why some professional actors w/o evidence of training?

Why so many characters?

Is this play still in the process of being written?

Why clean clothes for street characters?

Facial Hair . . . ?

Dialogue not as realistic as it could be . . . ? (Police brutality, esp.)

How would the set be changed in a bigger stage space?

Why band-aids on the elbows of the young boy?

Why kids swearing?

Why did the director choose to direct this play?

Why was the "trashing" of Dimitri's place very tame?

Why the black-outs for scene changes?

Why have the audience cross on the stage to get to seats?

Why actors wandering onstage in scene changes?

Music at end only . . . deliberate choice? Why?

Was "Bright Girl" an angel the whole time, or was the actress doubling-up on 2 roles?

How was the casting done? (Esp. Tessie?)

Why did the actors clap for the technicians at the end of the play? (Is this customary in theatre?)

DIE-ALOGUE

Last week we went and saw a dramatic representation of urban habitation in non-conventional locales. Sounds a bit fancier than we saw a play about a bum, but in all honesty that's what it was. It was touching in some parts, however for the most part it displays a lot of forced dialogue and what appear to be lines cut from movies we never saw for a reason. There were moments when the characters speech really went with the emotions they were displaying, and everything meshed and was believable for the audience. That was why I kept watching with this particular topic; hoping that would happen again. It didn't happen as often as I'd have liked, but it did happen.

For instance, most scenes between Dimitri (the bum) and Louie (the pigeon/imaginary friend of Dimitri), were fairly real. They were played as two friends having a real conversation apart from the world, like nothing else mattered. There was real emotion, there was real thought, and cares and wants there. The strongest was the first game, called Conversations, between Louie and Dimitri, and the final moments of Dimitri's lose of understanding for the world he knew seeing it become less and less concerned with anything that isn't an individual.

Sergent Tracy seemed to be an interesting character partly because he didn't seem to understand fully what his character wanted. It became clearer as the story went on, more so at the end, what he wanted. And as he lost a person that he cared about, he really stood out with his lines and meaning. He seemed like he knew what it was to say those things and for possibly the first time in the whole show it didn't seem like he was pushing it, and you could see why he was chosen. He had one moment at the end that didn't seem like campy, cliche cop dialogue and that is what stuck with me.

But, like so many things in life. It also had moments that didn't work. Much like the hull of the Titanic really didn't work after the collision with the iceberg. None of this is the actors fault, I learned afterwards that the script was still in the working stages while the play was being performed. This might mean that lines were thrown in just to tie together the script and not to display anything at that point, but it really shows. Take for example Officer Charles, the only moment when he might have been believable was when he was screaming at Dimitri before actually arresting him. All his other threats are police brutality, and would never even cross the minds of real officers, plus the seemed totally unrealistic. Bernie was only slightly better. The only lines I really believed from him were, "what," "huh," "I'm sorry, I just can't get involved." It is my opinion that the writer wanted these characters to be more disliked instantly than viewable as real. A poor choice overall, but there's still time to rectify it.

As a whole, the show works. And works well. Acting needs some fine tuning, but I believe that this might be in part to the strange nature of an ever-changing script. Dialogue needs some reinforcement, and the connections need some work, but all in all Louie's at 1st & Main delivered quite the show. The actors did what they could, but the script needs a bit more tweaking before it's next debut. A hearty round of applause to all involved, it was a great show, but occasionally you might have been better off book.

Mike Cole

Stage Space at Louies 1st and Main

Walking into the Back Door Theater I was shocked and surprised at the stage layout. I loved that I was assigned to Stage Space, in such a unique theatre and enviorment. Though I did not attend with the rest of the class, I did have a chance to see the play.

I love how they utalized the limted space they had. The use of the cardboard box, and the two doors was very effective for a street feel. Especially the doorsteps, I know are very common is larger cities (such as chicago). I felt that the audience being so close to the stage was also very unique. I was not effected by the change of props throughtout the play, I thought it gave the audience a chance to gather their thoughts about the play. I did not however like the fact that the actors were behind the audience walking at some points. It was very distracting to me, as I was seated in the back row. I loved that the theatre was in the back of a cafe, and the audience could go in there at intermission.

Another point I loved was the fact that stage was set up, in such a way that I felt like I was witnessing something real. It wasnt straight rows, it was kind of a thrust stage element. I loved that it was as if we were sitting on the street witnessing this real life issue play out, like I was peeking in on something I wouldnt normally be able to stop and listen to. I was sitting in the top row in the corner, so not only did I get a full view of the performance, but I also got to peek around and see the reactions of the audience.

One thing I did not like, was when you entered and left the theatre, you were literally walking on the stage. Especially during intermission when Dimitris possesions were thrown about. I didnt want to disrupt the props, but to get out of the theatre you had to walk right over it! I felt that that was a little intrusive, the audience doesnt belong on the stage, nor should it have to walk on the stage to get by.

Overall I really enjoyed the production and felt they used the stage space perfectly. I felt like I was watching a real scene played out on the street, but in more comfortable seating!

By: Alex Ashton

Design Element

Costumes for Louie’s 1st and Main
When our class went to Louie’s 1st and Main, I thought that the play was going to be iffy, and whether or not they were really going to pull off the costumes or not. Because I was assigned Design Elements, I figured I would go onto the points of the costume pieces. Basically, what worked and what didn’t.
What worked for the play was how there was many costumes to define the actors who were portraying more than one character. Such as the lady who was playing Romy and The neighbor who would hand out her change every time nonchalantly. I really enjoyed how they chose the policemen’s uniforms, because they were really believable. I especially applaud for how they kept their own hats up off of their face so we could see every expression they wanted to portray. Towards the end of the play I thought it was nifty of how they showed us the understanding of Louie as a pigeon. Starting off with the torn up feather jacket,. and the ankle tracker with his ID number. Those were a few of the things that I did enjoy, but now onto the things that were misleading and not very believable.
First off the modern day clothing they put on Romy and Stanley bugged me. How old where they? And on all honesty, I thought that if they were swearing, Disney wasn’t the picture they wanted to portray for their own ages. Second off, Officer Charles facial hair bugged me. I don’t think it was necessary for him to keep, as well as Bernie’s. I had a hard time with Louie who is supposed to be a bird wearing facial hair as well.. I could not picture a pigeon with a beard frankly and long hair. And what really aggravated me was Dimitri’s look. He was a very clean bum if I do say so myself. If you go to downtown Portland all the bums are: raggedy, scrounge, gross smelling, and their hair nor facial hair is kept up. How they only gave him jeans that were sewn every which way, and a t-shirt with one measly hole. His clothes looked way too clean, and his hair is way too shiny and washed. So personally it was good, but overall something’s could be touched up to become more realistic.
Nici

The Acting of "Louie's at 1st and Main"

I think that the acting in the play "Louie's at 1st and Main" was a mixed bag of the good and the mediocre. Nolan Chard, the man who played the character Dimitri, did in excellent job of making the character seem real. He incorporated little mannerisms you might find in someone who talks with their hands with out drawing undue attention to them. Things such as fiddling with his fingernails when he was nervous, or even the posture he held when he was talking to one of the other characters about his previous life. Dalene Young, the woman who portrayed the crazy lady Tessie stole the show in what few scenes she was in. She managed to portray absolute crazy with a little bit of self mocking humor. Her Tessie reminded me a lot of a mentally disabled person who used to come into one of my old jobs and do nearly exactly what Tessie did. I also think that Elaine Flowers did a wonderful job of channeling a young child in the role she played.
I felt that a few of the roles were much too flatly played. I felt that Chandler Adams did not bring enough feeling to the role of the empathic Sgt. Tracy. He was however partially redeemed at the ending, when he started to let a bit of the inner Sgt. Tracy through. Silas Webb felt a little off as well. His portrayal of the bigotted Officer Charles felt very one dimensional. I'm not sure if it was his acting or the role however. I think that Colin McLeod put in a rather poor performance personally. I felt that his Louis was very flat, very unemotional. The only emotion I really noticed was the sly smirk he occasionally gave the audience and I felt it was a bit offputting.
I still think that the play was good enough to see however. It will still pull at your heartstrings and make you laugh.

Directing With Louie

This show was definitely different from what I expected it to be. The director of the show made some interesting choices that created an experience unlike any I had been to before.

First of all, I want to commend the director for choosing a play that was so unknown. It is one of a director's first jobs to choose a good play to perform. This play is very socially charged, dealing with the homeless and people's reaction to the homeless community around them. This choice of script shows that this is something that the director wanted to make the audience aware of, and she succeeded.

One of the things that bugged me for a while was the fact that the actors seemed to do their thing in a line: the space provided allowed for them to move closer to the audience, even up to the laps of the first row, but they didn't do this. It nagged at me, until I remembered that the play is taking place on a city sidewalk. After that, it worked really well. In fact, there were a lot of things in this play that worked. I liked having Louie barefoot, especially when we discovered a little more about him... The interactions between the Sergeant and Dimitri worked well, and it seemed natural. I liked having the entire space used lengthwise, with exits at the right side of the room, through the “alley” and out to the coffee shop.

This said, however, there were some things that I thought would have helped the performance. For example, there were a few long stage changes that were done in the silent dark. I would have liked some music to pass the time. Also, the actress who played the younger girl just didn't work. I know that the director had to double cast this for the night, but the age thing just didn't translate. And when the kids messed up Dimitri's lodgings, it wasn't very messed up. They could have ripped the box and crushed some of his belongings, something I could easily see kids doing in this kind of situation.

All that said, though, it was a very enjoyable evening. The themes were conveyed well, and the revelations about the characters at the end of the show were just perfect. It definitely made me think, something I didn't think I'd be doing when I walked in the door. I don't know if this is a show that I'd recommend to the serious theatre connoisseur, but it is an experience that would round out a good night on the town.

Louie's at 1st and Main

Louis's at 1st and Main is the story of Dimitri, a homeless person living in a cardboard box in an alleyway in Chicago. It is staged in a black box theatre, bare except for two brownstones with an alley between them. The brownstones were very realistic looking though smaller in stature than a real brownstone. They seemed more symbolic than realistic, as did the box that Dimitri lived in. I thought the the box seemed a little small to actually live in, but it could work, since the play was more symbolic that reality in itself. The second set of boxes did have a little more livable space, but still didn't look like it could work in the real world.
The backdrop did serve an important purpose, giving us a location for Dimitri, whose clothes though torn and tattered, did look a little too clean for a real street person. I also wondered about Louis's clean feet, though in the end we find out he is really a pigeon, which explained his cleanliness. The band and feathers on him in the end also gave clues to his real identity. Tessie's costume was also very effective, with mismatched colors and things thrown together, She actually looked like one of those crazy ladies you see on the street.
The actors were more important than the scenery, our eyes focused on them throughout. Dimitri weaves an important story of an invisible person who lives a real life that normally is not noticed. We are forced to notice his world, so the play serves an important purpose of bringing this uncomfortable situation to light. Everything works together perfectly, the scenery is unobtrusive but very effective.

Nancy Prohaska

It Looked So Real!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"It looked so real," I thought as I walked into the backdoor theatre Thursday evening. Louie's on 1st and Main could have been done with just the cardboard box and nothing else, being that the writing was so strong and it was a Black Box stage setting. But instead the company went above what one would of expected from a theater in back of a bar and lounge.

There were two brick buildings erected side by side with what looked like an alley between them with a cardboard box in it. I didn't touch the building because I thought that would be inappropriate, so I can't tell you what the bricks could have been made of; but it looked real enough. The buildings looked like New York style brownstones. They came equipped with stairs and a bench, and the porch lights were surprising to my expectations. They were real; which gave the buildings more authenticity. The cardboard box was very cliche, whether that was real or not, seeing a can of beans, panhandler cup, I almost expected Dimitri (the bum) to make his appearance in a trench coat wearing wool gloves with the fingers missing, and holding a bottle of whiskey. They could have been a little more modern with his place of residence. Maybe had him sleeping at a bus stop by the buildings.

The clothing was another story. Dimitri didn't come out in a trench but when he appeared sitting in front of his "home" his clothing wasn't what I expected. He had on pants and shirt but they looked like he was doing a tide commercial. His shirt had a couple of rips that were hidden behind his jacket, but other than that I couldn't match the fire in his words with the clothing on his back. His lack of filth took away from some of the passion they were trying to get across. He didn't look hungry broken enough. Elain Flowers (Remy) clothing looked more like a bum then Dimitri's. Louis's clothing was confusing only until I found out that he was actually a pigeon, hence the bare feet. You can't do anything but laugh at that.

The sound wasn't an issue with this play being that the actors were only feet in front of us. I'm being kind in saying that there were thirty chairs inside of the theatre. The black curtain in the alley gave it depth behind Dimitri's cardboard box, along with the lighting being just right in such a small space. I didn't feel like I needed sunglasses during this production.

Overall it was a well put together piece of work. Other then the clothing on Dimitri the stage, lighting, and costumes made Louie's at 1st and Main worth watching.

The plot thickens

From the moment the lights went up and "Louie's at 1st and Main" began I was questioning the show. It is always hard to be sitting in a show that you have never heard of and have positive expectations. Just hearing the name of the theatre was enough to get me skeptical. As the show started, a seemingly slow start at that, I began jotting down notes. A few things impressed me from the get go. Dimitri, the homeless man and his friend Louie exchanged witty banter throughout the entire show. At one point they were discussing bread as though it were a fine Merlot. They comparisons they came up with were witty and added a nice flavor to the dialogue. While I was not able to pick up on it at the time, this show had a great deal of foreshadowing in it. From little things like Dimitri feeding Louie bread or crackers, to more obvious lines like Dimitri asking why Louie never talked while others were around, the foreshadowing was subtle and clever.
The crazy cat lady, Tessie, had brilliant lines. The playwright certainly did a number with creating that role! She would mutter and sputter about who knows what and work herself into a frenzy over Aztecs and space ships and talking to her kitties that were never to be seen. Tessie also gave a bit of foreshadowing by telling Dimitri that there are angles everywhere. while he wrote it off to be one of her crazy rants, it ended up being very true and personal to him when the "smart girl" ended up being his angle taking him to heaven.
Certain parts of the script stuck out like a sore thumb to me. Scene lengths dragged on somewhat pointlessly, especially when it came to Dimitri explaining to Sgt. Tracy about his experience with teaching and how he ended up on the streets. I feel like that whole scene lacked some much needed editing in order to pick up the pace and make it easier for the audience to stay captivated. Another thing that really stuck out was the constant mention of "this city". I continuously wondered through the entire show where it was set and paid close attention to hear a name, yet never got an answer.
The one part of the script that I really appreciated was how the "bum" could talk circles around the "educated" people and make comments that would fly right over their heads. It really goes to show that you can never stereotype people based on what you think they are like. You never know what kind of life they have lived and what circumstances led them to this point. The successful businessman may have just inherited the business from daddy, the seemingly poor couple may just be using their money for more important things in life than shiny cars, and the homeless man you pass every morning may indeed once have been a respected professor at a university whose life took an unexpected turn for the worse.

The Act Of Reality

Louie’s at 1st and Main started out to be a disappointment to me, with a wide variety of performance levels and acting choices, but by the end of the show I noticed that I was questioning my judgment. At first I caught myself writing a lot of negative notes right off the bat on the acting ability. I found that some of the strongest actors were playing the smaller parts in the show, which baffled me on the decision of the director.
The mean hearted cop had his debut of acting in this show, and honestly I could tell. His expressions were very big; the huffs and eye rolls were very bold, enough to make an audience member uncomfortable. The lady who played the angel was refreshingly excellent. Her expressions seemed so real, as if she was having a conversation with one of her friends outside of the show. She was absolutely lovely to watch. The friendly cop also played his part very well. I felt that he was genuinely sorry for Dimitri. And for Dimitri, at first I didn’t like his character at all. I thought he was overdoing his role and was much too happy to be a bum. But as the play progressed, my heart melted for him. His spirit was wonderful and his laughs seemed so real. He made me think back to some very optimistic bums I have passed on the streets. The old cat woman also did a remarkable job as a crazy bum. I would have to say that I enjoyed her the most. She portrayed a mumbling, mad, yet passionate bum as well as any great actor could do. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the fact that for one line, she made eye contact with the man in the first row. Despite the humor in it, the show was not one where the audience is involved or the “acting wall” is broken.
The biggest disappointment to me however was the young man playing the part of Louie. Louie was a very important role, but the actor did not live up to the significance of the part. His acting ability seemed to be that of a beginner’s. He looked very much like a stereotypical hippie, and acted like one as well. He was very laid back and quiet, talking as if he had maybe done a bit too many drugs in his lifetime. His acting did not appear real to me, with a permanent smirk on his face, and overdone eye rolls. But maybe that’s how a pigeon would act; quiet, and not very expressive. Maybe a pigeon would be faintly smiling all the time, if pigeons could smile. By the end I appreciated more the calmness of his part when the twist of him being a pigeon was revealed.
The acting wasn’t spectacular, though a couple of them were, the overall character performances did not blow me away. But the show itself was beautiful, and by the end of the show I fell more in love with the characters. I left very happy and touched.

Heather Harlan

Crisis and Climax

Louie’s at First and Main

My part of analysis of this play was script/text. I did my analysis on crisis and climax of the script. Every play or movie will have a series of crisis and climax’s. I thought about this during the play and noticed that there are a series of these throughout the play. The first was at the beginning of the play. Dimitri was sitting there next to his house “a cardboard box” with a cup in his hand begging for money. He got change from some without any problems but with others, the patrons would be reluctant to give. In any case, Dimitri seemed happy go lucky and made the best of it with his friend Louis.
However, the crises came when Officer Charles came by. He acted as if he physically owned the side walk and detested Dimitri on it. He ridiculed, shamed, and threatened Dimitri. This changed the mood of Dimitri even though Dimitri tried to see the good in everything, it was clear that was ashamed to be in the position that he was in. The second crisis/climax that I noticed is when Dimitri was arrested. Prior to getting arrested, a nice girl had came by and visited with Dimitri. She was known as nice girl, because she was always nice to him and Louie whenever she came by. Dimitri was in his happy state, knowing that someone did care about him; however, it quickly changed when Officer Charles came by again and started abusing him with threats and name calling. Dimitri stood up for himself with the power of language and was quickly arrested and hauled off to jail.
Finally, the third crisis to climax was when the kids tore down Dimitri’s house. Dimitri loved his house and what valuables he did have. It was a sense of ownership. But what do you know, kids being destructive and having no sense of care, tore down his box house. Demitri was upset, but after talking to Louis, Dimitri built a d new and improved two story house. He then got to show off his new and improved two story box house to nice girl.
Although there are more than just these three series of “crisis to climax” in this play, I felt that the writer did a fine job of building the audience up, and then abruptly changing the mood by using this method.

Heavenly Concept, Earthly Energy

In any production, a director would always try to catch the audience’s attention by using effective blocking and flow in conjunction with the actors’ delivery of their lines to produce an energy that keeps the audience interested. If there isn’t enough of this energy, audiences will tend to get restless, looking at their watches, wondering what was on Oprah that night, etc. Louie’s at 1st & Main had a great storyline and the actors delivered it well, but I wasn’t completely captivated, due to blocking mishaps that took away from the energy of the scene.

Energy must be constantly flowing, especially during entrances and exits to keep audiences enthralled. The doors were definitely important to character entrances and exits, but they also acted like a brick wall to the energy of the scene when a character exited. When a character delivered their last line, all was silent and still as they jiggled their key into the lock of the door to make their exit. This made the energy come crashing down, and I was lost as an audience member until the energy picked back up. My suggestion to the director would be to let the actor say their final lines as they are opening the door.

Blocking combined with the text can also determine the “strength” of a character. If a character has weak blocking in comparison to their fervent lines, then the audience would be left confused as to why such a verbally strong character isn’t showing that strength standing up. The character of Sgt. Tracy is chock full of passionate lines, but I was left confused as to why the director let such a strong character make movements that directly contradicted those lines. Sgt. Tracy seemed to make weaving movements all too often; he didn’t pick a spot and stuck with it strongly. One of the most rudimentary techniques of character strength in acting, as a director would say is picking a spot and planting your feet, not shuffling back and forth and keeping your weight shifted unevenly. Some actors aren’t comfortable with standing in one spot because they’d think that that would take away from the scene, but quite the contrary, one dedicated position does more for a scene than unmotivated zigzags.

Pacing is whether the spoken lines are able to click, one after the other, making an effective rhythm for creating and maintaining energy. A great example that demonstrates this is the scene between Dimitri and the Bright Girl, when Dimitri trades his mother’s unicorn to the girl. Not only did their lines come right after the other, keeping an effective rhythm, but they also had very strong blocking to compliment their scene. Because of these, I believed this scene to be one of the strongest of the show.

As I’ve said, I wasn’t completely captivated, but I was still captivated nonetheless. The director overlooked some blocking mishaps that could have made a positive effect on some scenes, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this show and fully recommend it from an audience member’s perspective. Though those with a heavy theatre background, like this audience member, might wince a few times from glaring mishaps that an untrained eye might not catch.

~Chris McVey

Acting on the Street

While watching Louie's at 1st and Main, my feelings tended to vary. Overall, I was amused. However I feel that the execution of this show was lacking connection and passion from the majority of the actors. Don't get me wrong, there were some good strong parts. Most of those were scenes including Tessie. I believe that her role was the most convincing and vulnerably accurate. I have definitely seen many people like her in the streets of Portland. The actress, Dalene Young, had great use of comedic timing and conviction to her character. For example, her conversation with the little girl, Romy.

 

On a different note however, I felt as though the actor who played Louie had so much room to expand his character. He physically was a good pick for the role, but, he seemed rather cold and disconnected for someone who is supposed to be Dimitri's best friend. His choices made a little more sense once it was revealed to us that his identity was a pigeon. Yet, I still craved more from his acting. Instead of appearing like he was observing and watching (like we have all seen so many birds do), he just looked bored. However, his interactions with Dimitri were cute and witty, he just could have picked up the pace a bit more. 

 Another character that I was not satisfied with was Officer Charles. While his character was supposed to be static and embody those people who don't give a second look to homeless people, I felt that all he did was yell. But, he was not all bad. In the scene when Dimitri and Louie had passed on, his callous disregard for a human life shined through brightly.

I did appreciate what the cast and crew were trying to share with us. I think that the text was interesting and worth performing. The actors just needed to showcase more human connection and a quicker pace. 

Louie's at 1st and Main

As I was watching Louie’s at 1st and Main, I noticed within the first ten minutes that the tempo of the dialogue could have gone a little bit faster than it did. I thought the director’s choice of dialogue in the script could have been modified if not cut out completely. By that I mean the scenes with Louie and Dmitri talking about peanut butter... I felt like it went longer than it should. But I also feel that it set up for future games of ‘conversation’, because later on it got deeper, like ‘love’. (Someone also pointed out that they liked how the homeless man could talk circles around the ‘educated people’. So true; that was entertaining watching his witty comebacks).

As far as the casting goes, each person carried their character on stage the best they could. Although I’ve never seen any professional plays, I have seen enough high school plays to notice which casts seem to click together in the play and which don’t. I’d like to echo what Ember said in her blog post, ‘the entire cast was always connected to each other, and be it in a negative, positive or neutral way. It made it more realistic and drew me into the show more because of it.’ I like the way Ember put those sentences together. It really does explain how I felt towards the play.

I felt like the movement of the actors was fine, some more so than others. In my opinion, it feels like there’s not much to work with when in such a small space, it seems like that type of space is good for conveying a message on a stage where not much movement is needed. As for the characters, Officer Charles could have moved more when Dmitri was talking to him when they had a scene together. What I also liked was the character Louie, how he had a few little mannerisms that gave clues that he wasn’t human. I don’t think anyone picked up on it until maybe the second half of the play (but I could be wrong, maybe some of you did!) that he actually wasn’t human, he was actually a pigeon. Like how he was quite when other people were around, when the mean police officer stomped his foot on the ground and he ran (flew always flapping his arms). Yes, I thought it was clever.

All in all, I think the director did a good job with the actors and how they portrayed their characters. I thought the characters played their parts to the best of their ability.

Louie's at 1st and Main

Stage Space

The stage space at The Backdoor Theatre is small at compact. There is barely any distinction between the stage and the audience. The stage is really a found stage, but made into a black box stage. Because there's barely any space between the stage and the audience, the audience is more involved in the story. That also means there is no need for mics, making the action more personal.

Since there is nowhere to put props or stage pieces behind the stage area. This makes there only one option for scenery: set pieces that don't move. That's mostly because the stage really isn't a stage and the building really isn't a theatre. It's a found stage, probably the back room or such of the coffee shop, which was quite creative. However, during scene changes, every sound and movement is seen and heard. For me, that was really annoying and distracting.


For such a small stage, the actors didn't need mics. On top of that, they really didn't need to do much projection. Some actors talked a bit too loudly, especially the character Bernie. He was probably used to acting on a larger stage, but it doesn't give him much of an excuse. His voice was so loud, it was distracting from what he was actually saying.


Overall, I liked the fact that the stage was small. It made the story more real and kept the audience more involved.
Deanna Davis

"Integrity"

When there are so many views in critiquing a piece of art, it can be hard finding the inspiration for critiquing just one aspect. When I felt the push of the dialogue of "Louie's At First and Main." it was apparent I found what I was looking for.

"Louie's at First and Main." a story of a homeless man named Dimitri who was dealt a bad hand in his life, so bad in fact that he lost his job and everything that's dear to him. He ends up finding refuge in an alley with only one possession of his own and his friend Louie (a shy guy with no shoes who ends up being a pigeon). As the world turns he is cast in and out of disapproval by his neighbors who don't really care about him until he becomes an inconvenience, other wise he lives his days, as Dimitri says,"invisible to the world around him."

The fact that the story was well thought up was the the first thing that came to my attention. The script (though I have not read it) seemed to be very original a one of a kind idea. When I first heard of this play believe me I had my doubts, though I did not think it was going to be a boring play I did think how could they make this subject entertaining. To my delight the playwright did a wonderful job.

In example of this well crafted piece of art. In the shadow of a very dramatic subject it redeems itself with its quick wit and random subjects brought on by an innovative game of conversations, where Louie and Dimitri pick one topic to talk with one another until its completely exhausted of material to talk about. These fun aspects keep you on your toes wanting more and add the much needed comedy relief. If the comedy weren't there you have a hard time following the story for they help create the essential back round of the characters.

In light of it all the dramatic elements were tastefully done as well. Although it sometimes dragged on a bit I was still able to follow where the story was going. With the help of quotes from scripture, politics, and a little history brought on by a very humble and intelligent Dimitri gives light to the deeper goings of his own past.

In the end I fell for this character as well as have a better understanding of myself and a major respect for all those living on the streets. I encourage all to see this story with open eyes and open hearts.

A Little Refinement, Please?

During the course of Louie's at 1st and Main, I continued to waver on how I felt about the acting. It seemed to go back and forth between good and not so good for a lot of the actors. Perhaps I should start by saying that I did like the actors. Just about all of them did well for their roles, despite many things that I would prefer to have seen changed. They all stayed in character, and with an exception of one or two, kept the fourth wall in place. I also feel that most if not all of the duo scenes seemed to drag unreasonably. Some of it seemed unnecessary and other times the energy seemed to lack focus causing it to drag. Well, as for specific characters, lets start with Tessie. I think she was the sole character that I didn't have a problem with at all. Her tonal quality was perfect for the role. She was the comic relief and did a wonderful job at it. She did make me wonder if she was breaking the fourth wall one time because she pointed at the one guy in the front, but then made it so that she was really staring at this invisible cat, which I, along with most of the audience, found rather humorous. And just to clear up, I didn't think it was an issue, it was just from where I was, it seemed like she was talking directly to this one guy in the front row, and the first time, he seemed to think so too. It was almost like a plot twist at the end of her scene. Dimitri I thought to have some consistency issues. Most of the time his acting was great for the role, but other times I thought the lines were delivered a bit over dramatic. However, although he started off rocky, he ended without a problem, and was probably the strongest actor there, which is very fitting for the lead.I thought that the actor who played Louis, had great potential. I often wanted more from him though. He did great and I was hoping for more and so it was a disappointment to find out he was going to remain static because he was really just a pigeon, despite the fact that it was a great idea to personify a pigeon with this particular story. I think one of the things that makes up for the minor negative parts, like some characters being too loud for the space or not quite developed, is the fact that the actors really connected with each other. I have seen performances, and have even been part of a couple, where the actors just aren't connecting. The entire cast was always connected to each other, be it in a negative, positive, or neutral way. It made it more realistic and drew me into the show more because of it.

Ember Dahl