Performance: Glassheart Update

Hello everyone!

We are heading in to our first preview tonight! It is Pay What You Can, so if you are in the DC area, come on down! It has been a crazy whirlwind of tech. I have been eating, sleeping and breathing this show.

We had a "Meet the Cast" feature on the Rorschach Theatre Facebook page, so I thought I would share them with you!

Meet our Lamp and Company Member Megan Reichelt

Who are you?
I am Megan Reichelt, administrative assistant/ librarian student by day, actress and fairy tale enthusiast by night.

Where are you from? 
I am originally from Baltimore City, then Catonsville, then CUA, then Silver Spring!

Why are you here? 
To tell stories that people connect to, that help them feel understood, give them an escape, or help them change their lives for the better. The right story at the right time to the right person can change the world.

Also because once upon a time, seven years ago, Deb Sivigny asked me to stage manage a Rorschach show.

And also because fairy tale adaptations are one of my favorite things in the whole world. I love how the stories of the past still speak to the present, and how we reinvent them and live them in every era of human history. “The latest incarnation of Oedipus, the continued romance of Beauty and the Beast, stand this afternoon on the corner of 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, waiting for the traffic light to change.” - Joseph Campbell

What are you enjoying most about Glassheart?
The Lamp is probably the largest, and definitely one of the most difficult characters I have ever played. I am enjoying the challenge of digging into her brain and her heart, listening to her in rehearsals, living in her skin (or her metal and fabric).

I am enjoying playing with my cast mates, none of whom I really knew before we began this process, and collaborating with Lee, whom I have known for a very long time. It is a wonderful gift that we can work on this show together.

I am enjoying living in a fairy tale, an actual fairy tale where "Happily Ever After" is not guaranteed.

If you were a fairy tale character, who would you be and why? 
I would be the girl from East of the Sun and West of the Moon, a Beauty and the Beast (or Cupid and Psyche) story where the girl is taken to the palace of the Polar Bear King in exchange for her family's wealth and happiness. She learns to love the bear, but she makes a terrible mistake and he is taken far away to the castle of his evil stepmother that lies east of the sun and west of the moon. The girl must go into the wilderness, farther than she has ever been, to rescue her prince.

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Meet the Beast

Who are you?

Andrew Keller. Anything past that is just guesswork, and temporary anyway.

Where are you from? 

Born: St. Louis, MO

Raised: Just east of there

Undergrad: An awful place southwest of there

Grad: A glorious place an ocean away

Recently: A toxic place with a few good people

Currently: A beautiful place called "here"

Why are you here? 

Geographically: Because all the cool kids are here.

Emotionally: Because I'm a very lucky person who's been very unlucky in the past.

Physically: Because all systems continue to be functional.

Artistically: Because I've had the unique and incredible blessing of being welcomed by people like me, who encourage individual exploration in the context of a common goal, for nearly my entire artistic life.

Spiritually: Because to be anywhere else than "here" is to miss the point.

What are you enjoying most about Glassheart?

I love being in the company of other people who play, and these people love to play. Like, a lot.

If you were a fairy tale character, who would you be and why? 

Suleiman Bin Daoud from "The Butterfly That Stamped." To be so powerful and yet to be wise enough to not ever use it for one's personal gain is to be the best of humanity.

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Better know your cast w/ Natalie Cutcher, our Aiofe

Who are you?

1.) A day in the life: Good morning, thank you for calling...hi there, may I help you with...are you in need of anything else? What should I pick up? Please tell me we got the coffee shipment. Wait. It didn't arrive?!] How may are in your party? Smile. Smile. Smile. Who and I training today?great. Of course! HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR EGGS POACHED? She love you yeaah, yeaah, yeaaaaaaaaah!
Meanwhile, rehearsal provides the : escape, play, challenge, beauty, laughter, genuine connection

Where are you from?

2.) Virginia technically but really Maryland, college in Pennsylvania (and an incredibly lucky stint in Italy) then DC

Why are you here? 

3.) To explore the thriving theatre scene, expand my culinary pallet, and check out many a-museum in a city where you can see the sky

What are you enjoying most about Glassheart?

4.) So far, the team has been one of the best parts of the process. Everyone is bringing their A-Game to make this piece really vibrant. We're all wrestling with difference challenges along the way but digging into them with gusto. Thanks to Lee there's a fearless spirit in the rehearsal room; we get excited to experiment and really flesh out those moments that need a bit more care. I love watching Megan, Andrew, and Lynette make bold choices--it sets the bar wonderfully high for myself. Everyone in the room is simply happy to be there.

If you were a fairy tale character, who would you be and why? 

5.) Oh geez, I get Snow White a lot probably because I'm patient, enjoy reading, and hum while doing dishes but I've always like the Three Billy Goats Gruff. Although it would be pretty satisfying to frolic with woodland creatures at a moment's notice...

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Meet Rorschach actor Lynette Rathnam, who plays Ms. Russe

Who are you?
Feisty, pensive, annoying, annoyed, powerful, afraid, loving, cold, intense, scattered, driven, dreamer.

Where are you from? 
Maryland

Why are you here? 
To heal wounds from past lives.

What are you enjoying most about Glassheart?
Being wicked, magical and complex

If you were a fairy tale character, who would you be and why?
Someone of great power, magical ability and mystery. Neither good nor bad.