Dramaturg's Statement

Educator's Packet: Exploring Further

• A Short Overview of the Russian History - http://www.studyrussian.com/history/history.html

-This link is a short lesson on Russian History. As is pertains to the show, it gives information on the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) and the difficult transition the government went through. This link also gives information on some earlier Russian history such as their revolution and the emergence of the U.S.S.R.

• Soviet Coup 1991 - http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/557104/Soviet-Coup-of-1991

- The Soviet coup attempt against Gorbachev in 1991 was a pivotal moment for the U.S.S.R. and in the play. This site has information not only on the coup attempt, but also on how this affected the different areas such as the Baltic States, Russia, Ukraine, and what major people this involved like the KGB, Yeltsin, and of course Gorbachev.

• Post Soviet Theatre - http://www.sras.org/post_soviet_theatre

-This article expresses how the theatres in Russia were affected artisitically and financially by the change in governmental involvement. It shows what the theatres won and lost when the Soviet fell and how modern day Russian is working.

• Mikhail Gorbachev - http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Mikhail_Gorbachev#encyclopedia

-Michail Gorbachev played a large role in Russia's change starting in 1985 with glastnost and perestroika, until the attempted coup on him and the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. This will show just how his career was wrapped around all these Russian politics.

• Contemporary Russian Ballet - http://www.russia-ic.com/culture_art/theatre/621/

-Russian ballet is the best in the world and a huge part of their culture. For it to have been born there and so important to the Russian art it is still discussed in this article how the choreographical growth of even Russian ballet was stunted by the fall of the Soviet Union.

Educator's Packet: Things to Do and Think About

Questions for the Director and Production Team:

1. What were the challenges that were faced when trying to create the different sections of the Kuzlov Theatre environment?

2. When you were designing the set what was the look you were originally going for, and is that the same design we've seen as the final design?

3. Were there any specifically Russian designs incorporated into any of the designs or just general early 90's or European-esque style?

4. Was there anything inparticular that you found interesting while researching for this play?

5. Why did you choose to dress the actors the way that you did? Was there a reason behind each character's attire or is it just appropriate clothing?

Educator's Packet: Things to Know

Basic Facts

The Quick-Change Room: Scenes From A Revolution is a full-length play in two acts written by Nagle Jackson. There is a cast of at least 5 females and 5 males and runs approximately 2 hours including the intermission.

Intro to the Plot/Characters
The Quick-Change Room is the real, but more metaphor for the rapid change of Russia from communism to free-market capitalism while backstage at the Kuzlov Theater in St. Petersburg. Nina, the daughter of the talented wardrobe mistress, Marya, has been cast as Irina in a revival of Chekhov's play The Three Sisters just as the dissolution of the Soviet Union is getting underway. She eventually uses her "talents" to persuade Boris, the procurer and box office manager, that what The Three Sisters needs in the New Russia is some more movement and maybe some songs. The Three Sisters becomes an American style musical titled O' My Sister! so they can keep the audience coming. Now that Russia is going through all these rapid changes people are getting let go from their jobs, like Lena, Marya's friend and wardrobe assistant, and Nina's sometimes boyfriend/theatre electrician, Sasha. The long-time yet aged prima donna, Ludmilla, is moved off stage and ends up backstage working in wardrobe and Sergey Sergeyevich Tarpin, the greatly respected artistic director, is kicked upstairs while Boris takes over the once art driven "business"(with the assistance of Sergey's former assistant, Timofey). No matter how the theatre-devoted lead actress, Anna, tried (as fellow lead actor Nikolai didn't) there still was no foreseeing how badly the changes were about to be or how much worse could get.

Introduction to the Author
(Paul) Nagle Jackson was born in Seattle, WA on April 28, 1936. He started out as a performer in various Oregon Shakespeare Festivals performances and revues from 1957-1968(including a couple of television appearances) which segued into stage directing from 1965-early 1990's. He directed shows for the very same Oregon Shakespeare Festival and for many other Festivals and theatres across the U.S. from New York to California. He has also directed outside of the U.S. at the Bolshoi Dramatic Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia and the Trondelag Theatre in Trondheim, Norway. It was is Russia that he got the idea and motive to create The Quick-Change Room. "Inspired by his time directing a production at the Bolshoi Dramatichny Theater of Leningrad (currently St. Petersburg) in 1986, playwright Jackson pays homage to artists struggling with political change, specifically to those who were forced to deal with losing government subsidized arts budgets during Perestroika. "The play is a tribute and a gesture of great love to the wonderful Russian artists with whom I was privileged to work," Jackson said. "It was a fascinating time to be in Russia; heady optimism was in the air. But a cynical side of my nature kept asking: 'Do they know what they're getting into?'" Then he became the Artistic Director of the Milwaukee Rep where his first playwright credit goes to an adaption of Mystery Plays in 1971 and he has written since then. You may know some of his other works such as The Utter Glory of Morrissey Hall, This Day And Age, Taking Leave, A Hotel On Marvin Gardens, The Elevation of Thieves, and Bernice/Butterfly: A Two-Part Invention. Nagle Jackson married Sandra S. Suter (an actress and singer) in 1963 and has two children, Rebecca and Hillary. He is currently still the Artistic Director of The McCarter Theatre Company and can be reached at Office--c/o McCarter Theatre Company, 911 University Pl., Princeton, NJ 08540

http://www.filmreference.com/film/54/Nagle-Jackson.html
http://uwnews.org/uweek/article.aspx?id=45426

Production History
The Denver Center Theater Company did the original production in January of 1995 at The Ricketson Theater and was directed by Paul Weidner. Allen Young of Variety Magazine says, "The lighthearted farce only suggests the incredible change..." and it's "...a powerful regard for the glories of Russian theater's great tradition and the vulgarization of theater as it seeks to "face reality."" Since then it has been produced at many different theatre over the years, like the Pacific Resident Theatre, for example, where it was performed by the Lab Theatre Company in 1997. It has also been performed at several institutions such as Whitman College in 1994, in 2004 by both the University of Michigan and Creede Repertory Theatre of Creede, Colorado, and by the University of Washington in 2008 just to name a few. Some of those reviews read, "...a bittersweet comedy" and "...presents a metaphor for change in society that is applicable even today." "...highlights the absurdity of politics, greed, and American musicals, in a simultaneously serious and laugh-out-loud funny play...".

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117909708.html?categoryid=31&cs=1
http://www.michigandaily.com/content/russian-heritage-honored-theater
http://www.cozine.com/archive/cc2004/01240291.html

Producing the Play Statement

Problems that must be addressed in The Quick-Change Room are things like the set design in your space. The script asks for an office for Sergey, a rehearsal room, a committee room, a neutral space. There is a note in the script that explains how it can be done. It states that though the Quick-Change itself is the main playing area, it is a mini-box set on a rolling platform that is capable of moving up and down stage and can be curtained off. While it is upstage the main stage area becomes the rehearsal room. There is an area stage right that is Sergey's office and there is a neutral area stage left where Sergey and Timofey do their addresses to the company and where Boris does his "business". Also at the end of the play the stage becomes the actual stage for the finale of O' My Sister!. But is there enough room in their theatre space for all this or the rolling mini set? Or if using the mini-box set method then does their theatre have enough room for an almost midstage curtain to cover the rolling set when it's upstage?

Now as for Sam Houston State, I think that they would have a lot of the same question to ask if they did this play here, but some more things to consider for our particular institution would be things like the budget. Even with the space we do have here, whether it be the Mainstage or even possibly the Showcase, the problem would most likely be can we afford the rolling box set on stage with there being other shows that share the budget, or enough crew members to help move this if it is done. I think that it could be done with mostly lightning, but how do you even do that if there aren't people to help. Also at the end of the play when they do the finale to O' My Sister! there is supposed to be a train cutout that rolls on to the stage puffing smoke and then they ride it off stage at the end of the number. Another thing would be that there are characters in this show that are older than most of our theatre students, more specifically the Ludmilla character is "of a certain age". This can be solved with make-up but if it's in the showcase, depending on how old she's played, it might be obvious that she's younger. Then again... suspension of disbelief.

The University of Washington performed this show in their Theatre in the Round/arena space and the way they solved the problem of the mini-box set is they used lighting and rugs to give each space it's own shape and designation. The Quick-Change Room was originally produced by The Denver Center Theatre Company so the notes in the script are actually just the way that they staged it and it doesn't mean that it has to be done that way, so I find UW's method to be a cheaper, yet effective way of going about it. Whitman College used the Mini-box set approach like the Denver Center production did.

The critics all around loved the script by Nagle Jackson saying things like, "The lighthearted farce only suggests the incredible change in the lives of the Russian people, its central metaphor a brilliant way of doing so. Jackson embeds in the play... a powerful regard for the glories of Russian theater's great tradition and the vulgarization of theater as it seeks to "face reality."- Variety Magazine. As well as critical acclaim from Westwolrd saying,"Though his subject is very serious, Jackson keeps the tone of the play almost frothy.... His handling of the absurdities of greed never goes too far--and he keeps you laughing." There was some dislike of the sets by Westworld because they felt the set didn't "show the deterioration" of the Kuzlov theatre(due to their situation) in the design. And one critic did not like the direction of the performance they did at the Pacific Resident Theatre directed by Orson Bean. Ben Brantley from the New York Times felt it "...seldom achieves the breakneck timing it needs..."


Source links:

http://depts.washington.edu/uwdrama/performances/past_seasons.shtml

http://www.whitman.edu/theatre/tech/qk.chg.rm.html

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117909708.html?categoryid=31&cs=1

http://www.westword.com/1995-02-01/culture/russian-dressing/

http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?pagewanted=print&html_title=&tols_title=QUICK-CHANGE%20ROOM,%20THE%20(PLAY)&pdate=19971013&byline=By%20BEN%20BRANTLEY&id=1077011432738

Production History!!!

University of Washington - School of Drama

The Glenn Hughes Penthouse Theatre
Seattle, Washington
December 2008
Director: Mark Jenkins
Set Designer: Lucian Connole
Costume Designer: Lucian Connole





The cast doesn't go out of their way to persuade you they're Russian--by and large they stick with American accents--but the closest thing we have to the maternal bosom of a state bureaucracy-sponsored theatre is a state university drama department, so the actors have firsthand observation of how precious guaranteed lifetime employment is.
-Michael van Baker, Seattlest
http://seattlest.com/2008/12/08/uws_quick_change_room_asks_what_pri_1.php


The cast features the MFA Acting Class of 2010. The play paints the crumbling Soviet Union as an ever present backdrop to the inner workings of the struggling Kuzlov Theatre of Leningrad (soon to be St. Petersburg).
-Joel Schwarz, University Week
http://uwnews.org/uweek/article.aspx?id=45426

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Creede Repertory Theatre

CRT Black Box Theatre
Creede, Colorado
July 2004
Director: Cynthia Levin
Scenic Designer: Ryan Wentworth
Costume Designer: Georgianna Londre
Lighting Designer: Jeff Cady
Propmaster: Bonnie Franks
Sound Designer: Tristan Wilson



This work by Nagle Jackson highlights the absurdity of politics, greed, and American musicals, in a simultaneously serious and laugh-out-loud funny play about a Russian theater company which decides to convert Chekhov's The Three Sisters into a musical called O My Sister!.
-Marcia Darnell, Colorado Central Magazine

http://www.cozine.com/archive/cc2004/01240291.html

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University of Michigan

Mendelssohn Theatre
Ann Arbor, Michigan
February 2004
Director: Philip Kerr
Scenic/Lighting Designer: Gary Decker
Costume Designer: Sheila McClear
Sound Designer: Christopher Konovaliv


Director Philip Kerr, a professor, describes it as a bittersweet comedy..... The play was chosen not only because of the St. Petersburg themesemester in the fall. “Since September 11, we’re more sensitive to change in our society right here.”.... As ticket prices climb and the new social structure in Russia leaves many hungry and without material goods, the public’s desire for Western entertainment increases. So (the acting group) compromises and shifts Chekhov’s play into a rather tacky musical.... Sound is consequently an important part of the production, and there are even live musicians on stage in several scenes. The play provides strong acting roles, said Kerr of the 10 leading characters, and “the cast is superb.”
-Katie Marie Gates, The Michigan Daily
http://www.michigandaily.com/content/russian-heritage-honored-theater

Sounds like the perfect backdrop for a comedy, right? Indeed, this is the thought-provoking setting for Nagle Jackson's wry comedy "The Quick-Change Room," a play which shows how perestroika was both a blessing and a curse on the international stage ... and on some smaller stages as well.

-Joel Aalberts, Newsletter

http://www.music.umich.edu/performances_events/productions/past/03-04/uprod-qcroom.html#newsletter

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RJeneration (in association with 14th Street Y and The York Shakespeare Company)

14th Street Y Theatre
New York, NY
July 2007
Director/Choreographer: Seth Duerr
Costume Designer: Sean Sullivan
Set Design: Company collaboration

Director and choreographer Seth Duerr does an outstanding job moving the play through its many scenes, onstage in Chekhov's play, offstage in Jackson's, highlighting how the quick-change room is the playwright's metaphor for the sudden transformation of Russia from a communist economy to free-for-all capitalism. Funny and sad, "The Quick-Change Room" is filled with Russian irony and fatalism. Chekhov would have loved it.

-Paulanne Simmons, The New York Theatre Wire

http://www.nytheatre-wire.com/ps07075t.htm

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Whitman College

Harper Joy Theatre
Walla Walla, Washington
Fall, 1994

Director: Nancy Simon
Costume Designer: Aurora Stowell
Set and Lighting Designer: Tom Hines


http://www.whitman.edu/theatre/tech/productions.html

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Lab Theater Company and Pacific Resident Theatre

Pacific Resident Theatre
Venice, California
October 1997
Director: Orson Bean
Set designer Eric Lowell Renschler
Lighting designer Deborah E. Constantine
Sound Designer: Peter Stenshoel
Lighting Designer: Kathi O’Donohue

Jackson is able to garner more mileage from this conceit than one might have thought possible, and also displays a gift for clever scene construction, incisive characterizations and sharp comic dialog. He is aided by Bean's precise direction and excellent performances from the entire cast. But ultimately, "The Quick Change Room" is overlong and confused in its direction; there's nothing as good for the theater, it practically seems to be telling us, as a healthy dose of communism.
- Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter

http://www.allbusiness.com/services/motion-pictures/4919153-1.html

Shaped around a production of Chekhov's ''Three Sisters'' that will evolve in alarming ways, Mr. Jackson's script is neatly constructed, for sure. And there's no missing its points. But as directed by Orson Bean (yes, the actor and television personality), the work only seldom achieves the breakneck timing it needs to keep you from pondering its obviousness. And the play's piety about Chekhov's masterpiece is actually more annoying than the characters' mutilation of it.
BEN BRANTLEY, The New York Times

http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?pagewanted=print&html_title=&tols_title=QUICK-CHANGE%20ROOM,%20THE%20(PLAY)&pdate=19971013&byline=By%20BEN%20BRANTLEY&id=1077011432738

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Denver Center Theater Company(Original Production)

The Ricketson Theater
Director:Paul Weidner
Set Designer: Michael Ganio
Costume Designer: David Kay Mickelsen
Lighting Designer: Charles R. McLeod
Sound Designer: Don Tindall

Jackson's commendable take on this transition of power skillfully blends farce with a sympathetic regard for the faithful who have lived for art and find themselves adrift in a dangerously material world. His humor sometimes carries the whiff of '40s comedies, which underscores the nostalgia for grand theater that brims over in his writing.

Paul Weidner's direction succeeds in unifying a multicharacter play into hard-hitting satire. Michael Ganio's evocative setting establishes a faded elegance. Special praise should go to David Kay Mickelsen for the brilliance of his costuming, garments that are seen only for a moment in this striking backstage commentary on the work out in front.

-Allen Young, Variety Magazine

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117909708.html?categoryid=31&cs=

Capitalism doesn't always equal freedom, especially in the arts. That's the bitter pill served up by Nagle Jackson's The Quick-Change Room at the Denver Center Theatre Company. The message goes down easily--sweetened by Jackson's piquant humor--but it burns in the belly.
David Kay Mickelsen's admirable set, though not ragged enough to convey the Kuzlov's deteriorating condition, has a comfortable integrity as the characters move from one spot to another. The effect is like movie editing, really: Lights go down on one scene and instantly come up on another part of the stage. The brisk pace perfectly suits the play, and Paul Weidner's direction is as crisp as crackers.
-Unknown, Westworld
http://www.westword.com/1995-02-01/culture/russian-dressing/