On Thursday, September 18th the play Red Light Winter opened. The play was set in the Red Light District in Amsterdam. Matt, played by Phillip Hoelscher and Davis, played by Jared Walz, were previous college roommates. Matt was a play-wright that was more reserved and some-what discouraged. Davis on the other hand was very rowdy and confident. Davis tried to cheer Matt up by getting him a hooker, Christina, played by Lauren Schulke. The story began from here; full of twists and turns, this theatrical production caught the audience member off guard at times, but also succeeded in its overall goal.
Director, Dylan Rugh, warned the audience that the play may be hard to handle and he was right to say the least. An audience member may have felt very uncomfortable at times during this production. The show did get graphic in multiple ways, both sexually and otherwise. However, an audience member had to take into account the warning of these details before the show even started.
Rugh was hoping to give a show that gave the audience something to think about or relate to, and by those means, the show succeeded. Socially, the theatrical production did indirectly present an issue in today's society. Rugh pointed out that the play was a story of "unrequited love". This is something that many people relate to. It also included some other underlying issues that society is working to resolve.
The actors did an excellent job of portraying how their characters were supposed to act. They embraced the full extent of their character's personality. Although, Walz may have at times taken his character, Davis, slightly overboard. However, the nature of his character was overbearing on purpose. Hoelscher did a nice job of embracing the emotional insecurities of his character, Matt, and portrayed them well to the audience. Schulke, who played Christina, had a very intricate character and had to be able to do a variety of acting, in which she succeeded. Overall, the acting was very mature and well done.
On slightly more of a critical end, sometimes the long scenes and monologues seemed to drag on and slightly bore the audience. This would be more of a critique to the script overall because although the play had scenes that kept the audience on their toes, there were also scenes that seemed to drag on for a significant amount of time.
The costuming, lights and set up contributed to the overall performance. The costuming was modern-day styled and fit the overall theme of the play thanks to Maija Kalstrom. Thanks to Matt Dufault, the lighting also succeeded in adding to the overall intensity and effect of the performance. Rugh happened to also design the set, and the scenery and set-up allowed the audience to use some imagination, but also had realistic aspects that contributed to the realism of the production.
All in all, the play, Red Light Winter succeeded in the message it was trying to portray. Although it was graphic and at times caught the audience member off guard, it was understood that that was a significant part in portraying the overall message of the play. The actors seemed to embrace their characters, which contributed to the realism of the play as well. Overall, the play would be recommended to those who can handle graphic and intense acting and the production was well done.
A very edgy production opened up on Thursday at the Marshall Performing Arts Center. It was put on by Stage 2, a University of Minnesota - Duluth supported theater company. Considering the very short time frame that this company had to work with, the play was fantastic. The cast had two and a half weeks to learn the over two hour long play, and they nailed it. The play was held in the Dudley Experimental Theater, which can seat around 100 people. This was the smallest venue I have ever seen a play in, as well as the smallest cast I’ve ever seen. It was a great choice by Dylan Rugh to use such a personal venue for the play, as the actors don’t need to be very loud for the whole theater to hear them. There were a few points where some whispering was inaudible from my seat in the back, but otherwise the volume was good. Matt Dufault did an exceptional job as the lighting designer. Being that the first six scenes take place in Amsterdam’s Red Light District, you would think that he would have incorporated some red lighting during these scenes. I found it ironic that the only time red lights are used, the characters have left the Red Light District, and are now in New York. It was still a very effective use of the red lights at the end of the performance. The solitary blue light was used exceptionally well during scene six. It shone through the window as if it were moonlight, yet I found it too blue to be moonlight, and thought of it more as a bright neon sign on an adjacent building. The sound throughout the play I found to be a little off, and not as realistic as it could have been. Specifically when the teapot started to whistle, it started and ended too abruptly, and sounded as if it were coming from above. Also, Matt Dufault, the sound designer, should not have used the same song twice during the production. It was a fitting song in the beginning, but when I heard it for the second time it brought me ‘out’ of the play, as I began thinking about where I had heard the song before. Maija Kalstrom, the costume designer, did a fantastic job with the male outfits. What Davis and Matt wore fit their characters almost perfectly. Davis’ slicked back hair accurately conveyed his confident, narcissistic personality. However, I thought that a better red dress could have been chosen for Christine. The dress that Kalstrom chose just didn’t have the wow factor that it was intended to have. Overall, I thought the acting was phenomenal. The fact that Lauren Schulke was able to switch between a french accent and an american one astounded me. I noticed that when she sang for Davis and Matt, she had forgotten to use the french accent. I initially thought this was an acting mistake, but found out later that it was part of the script when Matt confronted her about faking her accent. Jared Walz also did extremely well as Davis. While he was drunk, he was slurring words and occasionally messing up speech. It may not have been part of the script, but it worked out really well. I would definitely recommend this play to any mature theater goer who is ready for an edgy, intimate, and worthwhile production, and I look forward to attending more plays by Dylan Rugh.
Red Light Winter was a show about love, heartache, and discovery, and it was amazingly done. This show opened on Thursday September 18, 2014 in the Dudley Experimental Theater, the Stage 2 theater company of UMD put on the show. The cast in this show worked incredibly well together, and has such chemistry on stage. Especially the actors who played Matt and Christine (Phillip Hoelscher, and Lauren Schulke), their chemistry seemed so natural the entire time, and their characters grew well together throughout the production. The actor, who played Davis (Jared Walz), did a great job with showing the subtle emotion that Davis has. He didn’t play him as just a jerk who didn’t care about anyone, at times you could see the underlying emotion that his character had, and the actor did an amazing job with that. The directing of this play was very well done. Dylan Rugh did a phenomenal job making it seem as realistic as it could be performed. It didn’t seem scripted, and felt natural. I also enjoyed the set itself. Dylan did a great job making the “small room” seem like a legitimately small room without having full walls. Using the flats to make the walls was a great idea. Although, it would have been nice for the audience to see some more of a set change that made it more known that Act 2 started off in a different place, than Act 1. Just changing a desk made it seem that Davis only moved out, or that Matt stayed in Amsterdam alone. The lighting done by Matt Dufault worked very well throughout the entire show; it had a very intimate, realistic feeling to it. The ending of each act was done well too. Using the blue light as the night sky definitely brought the intimate factor to life. It made the moment seem much more intimate. Also, the use of the red light at the end was phenomenal. It really tied together the whole story, while bringing the audience back to where it all started in Amsterdam, and made the audience wanting more at the end. The acting in this show was very raw, especially in the second Act when Matt was professing his love for Christine, and when Davis and Christine had their unraveling moment at the end of the play. Each actor delved into his or her character with such talent, and grace, and the audience could really tell how passionate they were about their characters. The play itself was written so beautifully as well. It showed the complexity that each character had in their lives, and how in the end everything became full circle. It really showed the struggle that some people have in their lives the way they live them. With Christine, she struggled because she never felt loved in the way that she was supposed to, and you could see that struggle on her face throughout the entire show, especially when she sang her song. She became vulnerable once her chemistry with Matt grew stronger in his apartment. The audience could tell that the hard façade that she pasted on her face slowly faded away once she and Matt became closer in his apartment; she opened herself up to him. The audience grew attached to Christine and her struggles throughout the show, and just wanted her to be happy in the end, which ultimately didn’t happen of course, because the love she thought she had was shattered once Davis took advantage of her feelings, and told her the truth of what Amsterdam was about, and how he didn’t care about her at all. All in all the play was beautifully performed, it had rawness to it, and a vulnerability that is hard to duplicate. I’m sure the most of the attendees would enjoy watching the show again. Each actor, and crewmember should be proud of the work they put into this show, because it really payed off.
This past Thursday I had the opportunity to see a production put on by the Stage 2 theatre company called Red Light Winter. The show was directed by Dylan Rugh and starred Phillip Hoelscher as Matt, Jared Walz as Davis, and Lauren Schulke as Christina. This show is about love, loss, and self-discovery. Some of us were actually given the opportunity to meet with the director of the show the day before it opened, where we were able to ask questions and learn more about the show. Director Rugh warned us of some of the adult content, such as partial nudity, sexual reenactments, and smoking. He also made sure to tell us that he believed that this show had a great way of being relatable to everyone in some way, which I fully agree with.
The show takes place in the red light district of Amsterdam where two best friends, Davis and Matt, are vacationing. Matt is a shy play-write who feels like he is not successful and even considers taking his own life, where Davis is a cocky, self-centered, and full of himself editor at a local publishing company. Davis decides that he is going to get a lady of the night to help cheer up Matt. What we don’t realize is all the drama it will bring up.
The one aspect of this production that stands out to me the most is the natural chemistry between Hoelscher and Schulke. The way that Hoelscher looked at her is the way that ever girl wants to be looked at. Hoelscher’s performance overall was outstanding. I really appreciated the way he used not only his actions, but also his voice and facial features to portray his character. The way he moved on stage really drew you in and made you want to get to know him. Hoelscher is one of the most talent young adults I have seen in a long time. Schulke also did a lovely job as Christina as well. She responded perfectly to everything that Hoelscher would do. It felt like the two of them had been together forever. I also thought that Walz did a fantastic job as well. Athough sometimes it felt like he was a little over the top, but it could have just been how the script was written. Overall the relationships felt real, which made it that much more believable and relatable.
Another great aspect of the show was the lighting. The lighting guys did a great job determining where they should place the lights. My two favorite parts of the show were when they used teal lights to make it more dramatic, and the end of the show with the red lights (great idea Dylan!). At the end of the show you just sat there with goose bumps on you arms. The red light really added to the “what just happened” aspect of the ending. You found yourself sitting in your seat questioning everything you just watch. I found myself wanting to jump onto the stage prevent the ending from happening!
Overall it was a great production! I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good show to see! Great job Stage 2!
Love, hope, betrayal, and an overwhelming depression are all concepts that have taken a deadly hold on those participating in and observing this play: Red Light Winter. Right from the start it pulls you along as Matt, played by Philip Hoelscher, fights between his urge to take his own life and his dwindling will to live. All in all this play was fantastically done for the short amount of time they were given to practice. The actors managed to accomplish so much with their characters and interactions; something they surely would have been able to build on even more if they had had longer in their shoes.
Before the play had even begun music was playing in the background. At first it seemed as though this was done simply for the purpose of amusement prior to the start of the show, but it quickly became apparent that this was not so. The use of music to add mood in various scenes in this fashion was incredibly effective.
At the same time, even when nothing was being said and no music was playing, there was a great deal of energy on the stage. It demanded the audience’s attention, forcing their eyes to follow the scene as the actor’s reacted to whatever was being said and done. In fact, the silence was almost louder than the vocal portions. Those few moments of intense silence while the audience waited expectantly were almost palpable.
The actors needed to gauge the reaction of the audience a bit more, however. There were quite a few times when they would say something funny, the audience would laugh, and they would continue speaking before the laughter had died down enough for them to be heard. It would have been more effective with a small pause. Of course, this may have been because they had not gotten enough input beforehand from a live audience, and thus did not know when pauses would be expected. This did very little to detract from the play, however.
Finally we have the actors. Each character; Matt, Davis (played by Jared Walz), and Christine (played by Lauren Schulke) were very realistic in their portrayals. Their emotions and facial expressions made sense when compared to the topic at hand and the given personalities of their characters. It was easy to tell when Matt got really into something then felt awkward when he remembered where he was and what was going on. Or how easily Schulke managed to switch between a Midwestern and French accent, pulling behind her the personalities of both Annie and ‘Christine’ as she went. Or how Walz managed to reveal how Davis was not only a bully and a jerk, but was also a dedicated friend both in his actions and in his words. It was nice to see how these three were portrayed that night in Amsterdam and how they changed, however minuscule that may have been, sometime later when they were back in New York.
While the content at times could be disturbing, this play did a wonderful job of taking the audience on a trip with three very believable characters in a situation that could easily happen in real life.
Red Light Winter is a show about love and relationships on a new level of twisted drama. The show was performed by the Stage 2 theatre group on September 18th through the 20th in the Dudely Performing Arts Center on the University of Minnesota Campus. The Stage 2 productions are known to be “Not your grandmother’s Shows” and this performance certainly lived up to this title. The acting throughout the story was honest and real, which was the goal of director Dylan Rugh going into the show. All three actors created unique quirks and tendencies for their characters which added to the depth and believability of the story. The dialogue between Phillip Hoelscher and Jared Walz as Matt and Davis seemed so natural and really did back up the storyline that these two men lived together in college. Even little quick glances exchanged between the two and other small deltails were timed perfectly and came across as completely natural. The chemistry between Phillip Hoelscher and Lauren Schulke who played Christina was also spot on. The character Christina is very complex as she changes personality and back story through the show as she reveals the truth to matt and the audience slowly, but Lauren Schulke found a way to bring a uniqueness to all of these physiques while still maintaining a connection to Matt. Finally, Jared Walz mastered the complexity of Davis by not only playing the self-absorbed douche, but also realizing and tuning in to the real human side of the character. After all, if Dallas truly didn’t have a heart underneath all that jerk, matt would not stil be friends with him nor would Christina have been attracted to him. There were only minor details that could have been adjusted to enhance the play even more. First, it would have been helpful to change the set more during intermission to make it slightly more obvious that the time and country had changed. Perhaps instead of having five stationary flats as the back drop, two of the flats such as the window flat and the bookshelf flat could have been movable and switched, or the bed that remained could have been moved to another spot on the stage. Another minor detail that would have been nice to see more was the red up-lighting used at the end of the show, it was a beautiful and artistic touch done by the lighting crew but it would have been nice to see them more than just once at the end of the show. And finally, the actors could have changed underwear between the first and second act. Normally, this would not matter at all and it was probably not noticed by the average audience member, and it is not so much as a critique as it is a slight detail that only a critic with experience in play costuming would notice. This play overall was a great choice for the stage two company as the workload required to prepare for it matched to the timeframe the cast and crew had before opening night, and as an intimate setting it was perfect for the physical stage it was presented on. The only reason the minor details listed above were even noticed is because the rest of the show was without flaw and put off without a hitch.
On Thursday, “Stage 2” put on a wonderful production of “Red Light Winter” in the Marshall Performing Arts Center. The play was centered on the concepts of life and death, love, heartache, and sex. The play was held in the Dudley Experimental Theater. The cast from the show worked very well together you could tell they practiced for hours because they didn’t seem to stumble over any of their lines. The show was about two college buddies, Matt (played by Philip Hoelscher) and Davis (played by Jared Walz) who are vacationing in the red light district of Amsterdam. Matt struggles as an unpublished playwright, while Davis has gone on to a successful publishing career. The actors/actresses did a great job representing their characters. Hoelscher does a great job showing Matt’s character as a guy who is shy and somewhat soft. At the same time, Hoelscher makes it clear to the audience that his character is a good guy by the way he speaks with Christina, complementing her and speaking French with her. Walz on the other hand, does a great job by being as outlandishly rude as possible showing everyone what type of character he’s supposed to be portraying. Schulke who played Christina, had to maintain her accent which must have been very difficult. From my perspective, the drama of this play is directly centered on Matt and his inner conflict with himself. He seems hopeless and set on the fact that he can’t find a girl that actually likes him. The costumes were somewhat dry for my sense of style, I feel like they could have made Davis look a little more smooth style wise and Matt a little geekier. Christina’s outfit was nice because it fit what her character was trying to represent which was a sexual gift for Matt. She dressed sexy and made sure she was showing skin in order to fulfill her character role. The directing was great; Dylan Rugh did an exceptional job casting the actors and actresses. I particularly like how Christina maintained her French accent throughout the whole play and switched to an American accent and back to her original French accent when Davis appears later in the play. Dylan Rugh must have made a point to switch in and out of the accents which made the play seem a lot more realistic. Dylan Rugh also warned us before we watched the play that it was graphic and at times it got very uncomfortable to watch for the audience. Sensationalism is a big part in theatre, the startling effect certain scenes gave the audience made remembering the play a lot easier. It’s hard to forget something that startles you or makes you cringe; Dylan fed off of this sensationalism effect and directed the cast to be as outlandish and exuberant as possible. The lighting was excellent I love how at the end of the play Dylan chose to incorporate the red lights creating a conclusive scene that fit the title of the production. I would have liked to have seen more red lights throughout the duration of the play. Also, when the blue lights shined through the window during the sex scene it added a level of romanticism and intensity. Overall I loved “Red Light Winter” it was wonderfully produced thanks to Dylan Rugh the actors and actress did a magnificent job playing out their roles in the play. The audience could conceptualize what the play was about at the end, so the play was successful in conveying the message that everyone should fight the devil on their shoulder and that inner conflicts only lead to a brighter tomorrow only if you fight !
The words 'RED LIGHT WINTER' have a very logical meaning Red Light refers to the Red Light district which is the area where prostitutes work at in Amsterdam. On Thursday at the Marshall’s performing art center on stage 2 I got to witness one of the most insane plays out there which is Red light Winter, it was full of Love, Sex, and betrayal. There was three actors in the play Matt who a play writer he was a friend of Davis which was like the bad guy, Davis and Matt used to be roommates, also the one girl that was in the play named Chirstina she was the prostitute that Davis introduced Matt to when they to Amsterdam for vacation. I thought the play was super intense there was a lot of things I didn't expect they would do on stage, I found pretty hard for them to act like that, for instance in the middle of the play when they were pretending like they were having sex, it did look like they were doing it on stage which is pretty hard for an actor and actresses to do this kind of things on stage at the same time some of the audience myself for example wasn't really feeling comfortable, I thought it was a little socially awkward. Also I give props to the director as well for teaching the actors well, I thought the actors did an amazing job not just with the acting part, also the movement and when to do things at the right time. The director did a pretty good job with the lights, when to switch the right color at different scenes I thought the lights were pretty cool. The lights at the top made the play even more interesting. Between the first scene and the second scene. Making the set more distinct between different countries could add to the realistic effect of the play, I know the stage isn't like a professional one but I think the director should of tried to change the design in the background when they are in Amsterdam and after they leave Amsterdam to make it more seem like they went back to the U.S like have the U.S flag behind on the walls, same thing when they were in Amsterdam the designer Matt default should have had the Netherlands flag on the back. Maja Kalstrom the costume designer did a fantastic job on she organized what the actors wore like Matt's clothes identify him as the nerdy type of guy the nicer one, on the other hand Davis had more of a douche clothes it seemed from what he was wearing that he was the harsh type of guy. Christina had a red dress that represented her as the prostitute, overall I thought the clothes fit the actors pretty well, you could tell who is the good from the bad. Also I thought Christina as an actress did really well on switching her accent from a French accent to an American one To conclude, I really liked the play Red light Winter because how brave the actors did on stage with the movement and acting in general. Thanks to Dylan he did an amazing job with organizing the play.
On Wednesday during Theater, the class went down to UMD’s Stage Two to hear about the play Red Light Winter from the director, Dylan Rugh. This was a very good way to advertise the play and it is what got me interested in wanting to go to the play. Dylan talked about the play and warned the class that this play has some adult content and was graphic. Dylan also talked about how this play has themes that can be related back to our own relationships. The play has three characters: Matt (Phillip Hoelscher), Davis (Jared Walz) and Christina (Lauren Schulke). The play is set in the Red Light District of Amsterdam where Matt and Davis live but are from New York. Matt and Davis were past college roommates and are exploring the world by moving to Amsterdam. Matt, who is more reserved man is in a depression and in the opening scene tries to kill himself. Davis is quite outgoing and flamboyantly annoying. Matt is a playwright and has had some success but currently is not having a ton of it. While Davis writes books and his career has definitely taken off the ground and is going somewhere. Now back to the opening scene, before Matt can kill himself Davis pops in and brings a “friend” with him, Christina. Christina is a beautiful whore who Davis got for Matt to try and get him out of his slump. Though, Davis had already “made love” with Christina and she had fallen for Davis’ charm. Matt figured this out and tried to explain that Davis was not what he appeared. He explained his personal situation with Davis where Davis is engaged to Matt’s old girlfriend. Christina did not seem to care about this and thought that Davis was a genuinely great guy. Matt ends up getting to know Christina probably better then Davis did but Christina is only doing what she is going to do with Matt because she was paid to do it. Matt divulges that he had tried to kill himself before Davis and Christina had entered the room that night. Christina seems to take this new contribution to their relationship in stride and mas “sex” with Matt. This “sex” had more meaning in my opinion then the “love making” session that Christina had with Davis. People interpret relationships differently and not everyone wants the same thing or gets the same thing out of doing one thing. Matt maybe did not get exactly what he wanted but what he got may have been what he need to get by and move forward. Though Christina did not move forward in her life, she got hung up on Davis. The end of the play is in Matt’s apartment back in New York a few years later. Christina is in this apartment thinking it is Davis’ apartment (he gave this address as his own back in Amsterdam). Matt is not there but Davis come to the apartment looking for his phone. He does not even recognize Christina right away. They talk and she tells Davis that she missed him, he is a good guy, and that she wants to be with him. Davis is not having this at first saying he is not a good guy but eventually gives in and then they “make love”. Davis’ wife calls and he answers telling her that he will be home soon while he is “making love” with Christina. He finishes and pretty much leaves. Christina is devastated and commits suicide with pills from Matt’s apartment walking out the door. This play has some real twists and emotional nuances. I would recommend it for this in itself but the scene and lighting for Stage Two were good. The acting of these three actors was also well done. I enjoyed Christina the most. Davis personality is not my favorite but I think that is exactly what the play is going for. Matt is just this bystander almost but in the beginning you think he is the main character. Overall go see this play and you will definitely be entertained.
Last Thursday September 18, Red Light Winter was performed as a UMD Stage 2 play in the Dudley Experimental Theatre. Not having seen a play in quite some time, I was ready to engage in a performance with a fresh mind. Taking place in the Red Light District of Amsterdam, it was inferred that the show would include some racy elements. Some parts were extremely shocking and unexpected due to the multiple touchy topics that were exposed, but it turned out to be a very impressive show when all was said and done. First of all the characters deserve a big round of applause for pulling together such a well thought out and detailed performance in such a short time span of three weeks. It is almost superhuman to me that just three characters were able to precisely conduct this story for nearly two hours straight. Each character took on a very separate persona, yet configured well into the storyline. From Matt’s insecure and hidden personality to Davis’ class clown character to Christine’s seductive French woman turned innocent role, there was a constant twist and new thought just around the corner. Each of them took their role very seriously, and it was evident in every scene. From a triangle of romance, to comedy, to a serious setting, it was all included and that is not easy to incorporate. The first scene did a great job of turning attention to a serious matter, when Matt was contemplating and attempted suicide. Having that shown right out of the gates set a frame up right away that the play writer was not afraid to explore controversial topics. The story went on to reveal Davis’ past encounter with Christina as she formed a deep romance with Matt. Even further, we found out that underneath it all she was not of French origin, but merely a prostitute who had a phony homosexual husband. The storyline explores numerous mishaps in identity, confusing to the audience at times, but creating an “ah-ha!” moment when it all came together. The intimate scene with Christina and Matt was acceptable and supported the storyline well, sending the audience anticipation and suspense for what was to come next. As far as intimacy, the rape scene at the end became slightly overwhelming; it would have been fine without that visual in my opinion. Christina did an excellent job as she differentiated between her French and English accent. She committed to each of them fully and did not slip. It was evident that she was embedded in her character because the emotion was sensed throughout the room during the deep and heartfelt scene with Matt and later in the rape scene with Davis where it was convincing that she almost shed a tear because she was so in tune with the mood. Davis was an outstanding actor as he brought the main base of humor and sexual jokes that had the audience laughing hard. He played the man in the middle and took a sharp turn at the end when he lashed out at Christina for the love she had for him. His character definitely had underlying issues along with Matt and the unstable attitudes. Aside from his hilarious and witty character, the profanity between him and Matt became a little intense and distracting in the second half. Matt was another actor that deserves great credit as he took the stage by himself a few times, having to memorize long sets of lines. His character was set up to be awkward and shy and he followed through with it well in his body language. There were a few times when it was hard to tell whether he was supposed to be representing a happy or sad emotion. Overall, I was impressed by how well the play went given the circumstances with time and space. The characters, designers, director, and everyone behind the scenes did a thorough job.
Red Light Winter is one of those plays that you might come in expecting a normal sort of story about relationships having read the synopsis, but leaving with an emotional or shocked feeling, and perhaps a sense of some relatable experience. The story starts off pretty heavy and draws you in from the start. The tense feeling throughout the play has one glued to their seat, and the end is one that leaves the jaw on the floor to drag. The Stage 2 theatre group put on a great performance through very realistic acting and great design as a whole. Watching the actors was really enjoyable because of the amount of realism put into the production. From the inflections or tones in their voices, the amount of body language they showed, to the subtle actions they performed on stage to interact with their surroundings, it all felt very real. Although, the actor who played Davis, Jared Walz, may have been a little bit too enthusiastic at times. Also, Lauren Schulke, who played Christine, could have benefited more if she were a little louder in certain scenes. It was sometimes difficult to understand her. Otherwise, all the actors achieved and executed the ability of not acknowledging the audience amazingly, especially during the really tense moments. For example, the appalling rape scene at the end. What made their actions seem truly seem real was the amount of blocking they did throughout the production. The director, Dylan Rugh, mentioned he tried to make it “as realistic as possible,” which was evident when one could relate the characters to people they have met, or even friends. However, where would the realism of the play and actors be without a proper stage and light design to accompany it? The stage design, along with the light design, worked out very well and made the audience stir up some imagination.They put up a wonderfully charming set even though they had a limited amount of space to work with, and despite having gaps in between the flats that acted as walls, it really benefited the overall feel of the play. If you payed the majority of attention on the actors, the walls seemed to meld together, giving a good representation of an actual room. The lighting scheme for the sex scene was well executed because it allowed the audience to see the silhouettes and not much more. This made for an intense moment of passion. The final lighting of the play with the red show lights was absolutely wonderful, and brought out some emotions as Schulke beautifully portrayed deep depression as she grabbed a bottle filled presumably with alcohol and some prescription pills. The ending, along with the production as a whole was quite unexpected, but in a fantastic way. In conclusion, Stage 2’s production of Red Light Winter was well done and should be recommended to anyone who can handle adult content and themes. For the first production of the season, it was well executed, especially only given the whole thing was put on in two weeks. It has something for everyone that has been in a relationship that they can relate to, especially heartbreak. It tackles life’s challenges in a very real sense and the actors portrayed it sensationally. It goes to show that not every story is a happy ending and, as Rugh pointed out, “Shit happens.”
With their production of Red Light Winter, Stage 2 Theatre's season is certainly off to a good start in achieving the company's goal of putting on "a yearly theatrical season of edgy, and innovative productions." They provided the audience with an intense, well-executed, and thought-provoking play. The cast and crew had two and a half weeks to prepare, but the play went flawlessly. The actors were committed to the portrayal of their characters. They stayed true to the intent of the playwright. The set and costuming felt neither underdone, nor overdone, but in the goldilocks zone of just right. The opening scene of the play grabbed the attention of the audience, but there were a few slips in the lines. However, the more the actors got into the show, the more polished the delivery became. By the intermission, the problem was gone. After intermission there was anticipation in the air. The plot became more tangled. Viewers saw how the characters of Matt (Phillip Hoelscher), Davis (Jared Walz), and Christine(Lauren Schulke) had changed. Watching Christine arrive in New York, hoping to reunite with her love, Davis, and instead encountering Matt, the audience felt the hope swell in Matt's heart, and felt the gears turning in Christine's mind as she attempted to make sense of it all. Just as it seemed playwright Adam Rapp was going to give the characters their happy ending, in a whirlwind of events, the opposite occurred. After watching Rapp weave his web, building the tension as the story developed, this scene in which Davis rapes Christine came suddenly and as a great shock, hence the adult content advisory. Productions of this show could be accompanied with a trigger warning. The agonizing rape scene was so difficult to watch, one could feel the anger and hatred toward Davis from the audience nearing a breaking point. It seemed as if viewers were going to rise from their chairs and stop the attack, but were riveted to their seats, watching in horror as the characters they had grown to love were torn to pieces. This production captured Rapp's intent to demonstrate the pain of unrequited love and the messy reality of adult relationships, along with carrying the message of how important it is to love oneself. With a complex story, it was genius to keep the set very simple. Director Dylan Rugh made a shocking choice to use red lighting at the end of the play. The red lights illuminated a dark and ambiguous ending to a whirlwind of drama, bringing the play to a close with a surreal touch. When the somewhat convoluted plot ended, it left many audience members with a few too many questions. The play was thought-provoking, something that needed mulling over. Due to the lingering questions, a "postmortem" question and answer session was held with Rugh and Schulke. It may have been worth it to include a list of discussion points inside the program for audience members to ask themselves after the conclusion of the play. In the short time that the audience became acquainted with the characters, it was easy to start rooting for them. This made the ending of the play very difficult to swallow, but the playwright did have an optional ending to the piece. It's clear that Stage 2 made a good choice in the way they handled the ending. Hearing of the character development and research that went on in the short rehearsal period of Red Light Winter, more questions about the backstories of Matt, Davis, and Christine were raised. For once, answering a question with more questions seemed to work. Attendees of the session walked away knowing that there was a justifiable reason behind the characters' suffering. The play will stay in the minds of viewers for some time to come. It was well-executed, and told the playwright's story fabulously. The characters were believable and well-casted. Although Red Light Winter was disturbing, it felt real. It raised questions about life, love, and identity. Isn't that what the theatre is for?
It was very difficult to determine what the focus of Red Light Winter would be from the brief description on the Stage 2 website. It seemed like it could very well be the stereotypical “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy and girl get back together” type of story. This was definitely not the case. The first clue to this was director Dylan Rugh’s trigger warning before the play began. This made the audience nervous, but all of the “mature” content was handled incredibly gracefully. Overall, the show was hard to watch, but very engaging. One particularly impressive part of Red Light Winter was each of the actors’ physicality and understanding of their character’s inner feelings. Lauren Schulke gave a beautiful performance as Christina. She switched flawlessly between her English and French accents, and neither sounded uncomfortable or forced. Her body language changed as her character changed, from flirting with Davis to talking earnestly with Matt. Schulke was fascinating to watch, even when she was not the focus of the scene, because she truly became her character, and reacted and responded to everything that happened. As far as Davis goes, his character was truly despicable. From the beginning, the audience knows that the story is both sad and serious. Therefore, Jared Walz’s first entrance as Davis feels almost comedic, which didn’t work as well. It felt like a joke, which is certainly not the point of the show. However, it worked well to establish Davis’ character. Some of his lines felt forced, as though they weren’t something a real person would say. However, Walz handled them well, delivering several tongue-twisting insults with ease. From his slicked-back hair to his abrupt entrances, he oozed with cockiness and self-satisfaction. Walz portrayed this wonderfully, showing both Davis’ caustic disregard for the consequences of his actions, and the character’s softer side as he tries to pull Matt out of his depression. Phil Hoelscher had the difficult job of interpreting Matt, who is constantly wavering on the line between despair and hope. As Matt tries to hang himself, he is interrupted, and the choice to keep the belt in his hands during the entire scene that follows creates an excellent visual, reminding the audience of what could have happened long after the moment has passed. Hoelscher’s body language as he tries to hide the belt and adjust to the extreme change in plans is spot-on, showing Matt’s discomfort, anger, and a bit of relief. Hoelscher expertly uses this awkward, uncomfortable physicality throughout the show, expressing what Matt is feeling even when it doesn’t match what he is saying. As far as thematic elements go, the show was fairly seamless. The music playing before the show began set the mood, and went nicely with the music that was used during the performance. The set felt incredibly realistic, and it is certain that a crew member had fun throwing around clothes and books to set up for the opening. The show is written to be realistic, and to tell a story that could very well be real. Because of this, the black box environment worked especially well for this production. The audience was so close to the show that they were almost in it, with made the “reality” feel even more real. The minimal scenery and simple design also made this point. One minor critique would be the red lights. The use of the red lights in Red Light Winter was a great choice, but they could have been used more than just at the very end, perhaps to highlight serious or important scenes, especially at the end of the first act. However, this is a very small criticism, and overall the lighting shifted perfectly, zeroing in on the action without being too flashy, which would have not worked with the tone of the show. Red Light Winter was well-done from beginning to end, creating a very real, very heartbreaking story. The acting brought each character to life, and the scenic choices expertly highlighted each scene. Any problems were minor, and were overshadowed by the beautiful quality of the show as a whole.
Red Light Winter much like a good rollercoaster was a show with many up and downs, laughs galore, twists and turns, but by the end the audience wanted finality after feeling incredibly jostled along the ride. However, despite how long the play was, the audience was in stayed in a state of constant shock and awe over the different conflicts and realizations during the play. The play was both hard hitting and edgy, which is why it was so captivating. The play starts off with one of the male protagonists, Matt (Phillip Hoelscher) attempting to commit suicide. This scene perfectly draws the audience into the play and starting on such a high could lead the rest of the show to drag on. However, Red Light Winter did not disappoint. The play seemed to be one conflict after another. Each character had their own inner turmoil that they had to face. Matt is a playwright that was down on his luck, Davis played by Jared Walz, is one of his good friends who tries to get Matt out of his slump. Davis is the comedic timing at the beginning of the show, however, his abrasive and douche like nature at the end of the show seemed very abrupt. He comes in at the ending of the show and acts totally different than he did at the beginning, which is totally understandable because of the year change. Davis should have portrayed more likeable qualities even at the end. Christine is the woman in the center of everything. Christine is the prostitute that Davis hires for Matt. The fact that Christine was American was a complete surprise because Lauren Schulke did a very respectable job in doing a French accent while still portraying that air of mystery the French people do. Towards the end when Christine came back to Matt’s apartment, it seemed like there were two totally different characters: Christine the prostitute and the Christine a year later looking for Davis. It felt very unconnected from the rest of the show, whether that was intentional or not. Having many conflicts in a show could have seemed almost overwhelming as an audience member, however, in life it seems as though when a person has one bad event in their life, it seems to affect everything else that they come in contact with. These actors did a magnificent job in portraying honest real life situations. The set design was an interesting and difficult decision made by the director. The play occurred in the Dudley Experimental theatre which is an intimate space that can fit about one hundred people or so. Dylan Rugh, the director, was trying to take advantage of the space, while still allowing the maximum amount of people to come and see it. The walls were flats that were separated. This set up led to both easy set up and take down, which was perfect for the space of the Dudley theatre. Even though there was nothing connecting the walls together, the audience member was able to fill in the empty spaces making a whole cohesive room. Having the walls placed as they were, it made it more accessible for the entire audience to see what was occurring without having to struggle to see around the walls. This set design was also way more cost efficient than making a huge intricate set, which is helpful when it comes to producing a show. Red Light Winter, although longer than a typical play and containing many interweaving conflicts, was a captivating production. There were no better actors for the characters in this show; they all did an amazing job driving the story with only three people.
Laura Brown
ReplyDeleteSeptember 22, 2014
On Thursday, September 18th the play Red Light Winter opened. The play was set in the Red Light District in Amsterdam. Matt, played by Phillip Hoelscher and Davis, played by Jared Walz, were previous college roommates. Matt was a play-wright that was more reserved and some-what discouraged. Davis on the other hand was very rowdy and confident. Davis tried to cheer Matt up by getting him a hooker, Christina, played by Lauren Schulke. The story began from here; full of twists and turns, this theatrical production caught the audience member off guard at times, but also succeeded in its overall goal.
Director, Dylan Rugh, warned the audience that the play may be hard to handle and he was right to say the least. An audience member may have felt very uncomfortable at times during this production. The show did get graphic in multiple ways, both sexually and otherwise. However, an audience member had to take into account the warning of these details before the show even started.
Rugh was hoping to give a show that gave the audience something to think about or relate to, and by those means, the show succeeded. Socially, the theatrical production did indirectly present an issue in today's society. Rugh pointed out that the play was a story of "unrequited love". This is something that many people relate to. It also included some other underlying issues that society is working to resolve.
The actors did an excellent job of portraying how their characters were supposed to act. They embraced the full extent of their character's personality. Although, Walz may have at times taken his character, Davis, slightly overboard. However, the nature of his character was overbearing on purpose. Hoelscher did a nice job of embracing the emotional insecurities of his character, Matt, and portrayed them well to the audience. Schulke, who played Christina, had a very intricate character and had to be able to do a variety of acting, in which she succeeded. Overall, the acting was very mature and well done.
On slightly more of a critical end, sometimes the long scenes and monologues seemed to drag on and slightly bore the audience. This would be more of a critique to the script overall because although the play had scenes that kept the audience on their toes, there were also scenes that seemed to drag on for a significant amount of time.
The costuming, lights and set up contributed to the overall performance. The costuming was modern-day styled and fit the overall theme of the play thanks to Maija Kalstrom. Thanks to Matt Dufault, the lighting also succeeded in adding to the overall intensity and effect of the performance. Rugh happened to also design the set, and the scenery and set-up allowed the audience to use some imagination, but also had realistic aspects that contributed to the realism of the production.
All in all, the play, Red Light Winter succeeded in the message it was trying to portray. Although it was graphic and at times caught the audience member off guard, it was understood that that was a significant part in portraying the overall message of the play. The actors seemed to embrace their characters, which contributed to the realism of the play as well. Overall, the play would be recommended to those who can handle graphic and intense acting and the production was well done.
Charles Kovacovich
ReplyDeleteA very edgy production opened up on Thursday at the Marshall Performing Arts Center. It was put on by Stage 2, a University of Minnesota - Duluth supported theater company. Considering the very short time frame that this company had to work with, the play was fantastic. The cast had two and a half weeks to learn the over two hour long play, and they nailed it.
The play was held in the Dudley Experimental Theater, which can seat around 100 people. This was the smallest venue I have ever seen a play in, as well as the smallest cast I’ve ever seen. It was a great choice by Dylan Rugh to use such a personal venue for the play, as the actors don’t need to be very loud for the whole theater to hear them. There were a few points where some whispering was inaudible from my seat in the back, but otherwise the volume was good.
Matt Dufault did an exceptional job as the lighting designer. Being that the first six scenes take place in Amsterdam’s Red Light District, you would think that he would have incorporated some red lighting during these scenes. I found it ironic that the only time red lights are used, the characters have left the Red Light District, and are now in New York. It was still a very effective use of the red lights at the end of the performance. The solitary blue light was used exceptionally well during scene six. It shone through the window as if it were moonlight, yet I found it too blue to be moonlight, and thought of it more as a bright neon sign on an adjacent building.
The sound throughout the play I found to be a little off, and not as realistic as it could have been. Specifically when the teapot started to whistle, it started and ended too abruptly, and sounded as if it were coming from above. Also, Matt Dufault, the sound designer, should not have used the same song twice during the production. It was a fitting song in the beginning, but when I heard it for the second time it brought me ‘out’ of the play, as I began thinking about where I had heard the song before.
Maija Kalstrom, the costume designer, did a fantastic job with the male outfits. What Davis and Matt wore fit their characters almost perfectly. Davis’ slicked back hair accurately conveyed his confident, narcissistic personality. However, I thought that a better red dress could have been chosen for Christine. The dress that Kalstrom chose just didn’t have the wow factor that it was intended to have.
Overall, I thought the acting was phenomenal. The fact that Lauren Schulke was able to switch between a french accent and an american one astounded me. I noticed that when she sang for Davis and Matt, she had forgotten to use the french accent. I initially thought this was an acting mistake, but found out later that it was part of the script when Matt confronted her about faking her accent. Jared Walz also did extremely well as Davis. While he was drunk, he was slurring words and occasionally messing up speech. It may not have been part of the script, but it worked out really well.
I would definitely recommend this play to any mature theater goer who is ready for an edgy, intimate, and worthwhile production, and I look forward to attending more plays by Dylan Rugh.
Red Light Winter was a show about love, heartache, and discovery, and it was amazingly done. This show opened on Thursday September 18, 2014 in the Dudley Experimental Theater, the Stage 2 theater company of UMD put on the show. The cast in this show worked incredibly well together, and has such chemistry on stage. Especially the actors who played Matt and Christine (Phillip Hoelscher, and Lauren Schulke), their chemistry seemed so natural the entire time, and their characters grew well together throughout the production. The actor, who played Davis (Jared Walz), did a great job with showing the subtle emotion that Davis has. He didn’t play him as just a jerk who didn’t care about anyone, at times you could see the underlying emotion that his character had, and the actor did an amazing job with that.
ReplyDeleteThe directing of this play was very well done. Dylan Rugh did a phenomenal job making it seem as realistic as it could be performed. It didn’t seem scripted, and felt natural. I also enjoyed the set itself. Dylan did a great job making the “small room” seem like a legitimately small room without having full walls. Using the flats to make the walls was a great idea. Although, it would have been nice for the audience to see some more of a set change that made it more known that Act 2 started off in a different place, than Act 1. Just changing a desk made it seem that Davis only moved out, or that Matt stayed in Amsterdam alone.
The lighting done by Matt Dufault worked very well throughout the entire show; it had a very intimate, realistic feeling to it. The ending of each act was done well too. Using the blue light as the night sky definitely brought the intimate factor to life. It made the moment seem much more intimate. Also, the use of the red light at the end was phenomenal. It really tied together the whole story, while bringing the audience back to where it all started in Amsterdam, and made the audience wanting more at the end.
The acting in this show was very raw, especially in the second Act when Matt was professing his love for Christine, and when Davis and Christine had their unraveling moment at the end of the play. Each actor delved into his or her character with such talent, and grace, and the audience could really tell how passionate they were about their characters.
The play itself was written so beautifully as well. It showed the complexity that each character had in their lives, and how in the end everything became full circle. It really showed the struggle that some people have in their lives the way they live them. With Christine, she struggled because she never felt loved in the way that she was supposed to, and you could see that struggle on her face throughout the entire show, especially when she sang her song. She became vulnerable once her chemistry with Matt grew stronger in his apartment. The audience could tell that the hard façade that she pasted on her face slowly faded away once she and Matt became closer in his apartment; she opened herself up to him. The audience grew attached to Christine and her struggles throughout the show, and just wanted her to be happy in the end, which ultimately didn’t happen of course, because the love she thought she had was shattered once Davis took advantage of her feelings, and told her the truth of what Amsterdam was about, and how he didn’t care about her at all.
All in all the play was beautifully performed, it had rawness to it, and a vulnerability that is hard to duplicate. I’m sure the most of the attendees would enjoy watching the show again. Each actor, and crewmember should be proud of the work they put into this show, because it really payed off.
This past Thursday I had the opportunity to see a production put on by the Stage 2 theatre company called Red Light Winter. The show was directed by Dylan Rugh and starred Phillip Hoelscher as Matt, Jared Walz as Davis, and Lauren Schulke as Christina. This show is about love, loss, and self-discovery. Some of us were actually given the opportunity to meet with the director of the show the day before it opened, where we were able to ask questions and learn more about the show. Director Rugh warned us of some of the adult content, such as partial nudity, sexual reenactments, and smoking. He also made sure to tell us that he believed that this show had a great way of being relatable to everyone in some way, which I fully agree with.
ReplyDeleteThe show takes place in the red light district of Amsterdam where two best friends, Davis and Matt, are vacationing. Matt is a shy play-write who feels like he is not successful and even considers taking his own life, where Davis is a cocky, self-centered, and full of himself editor at a local publishing company. Davis decides that he is going to get a lady of the night to help cheer up Matt. What we don’t realize is all the drama it will bring up.
The one aspect of this production that stands out to me the most is the natural chemistry between Hoelscher and Schulke. The way that Hoelscher looked at her is the way that ever girl wants to be looked at. Hoelscher’s performance overall was outstanding. I really appreciated the way he used not only his actions, but also his voice and facial features to portray his character. The way he moved on stage really drew you in and made you want to get to know him. Hoelscher is one of the most talent young adults I have seen in a long time. Schulke also did a lovely job as Christina as well. She responded perfectly to everything that Hoelscher would do. It felt like the two of them had been together forever. I also thought that Walz did a fantastic job as well. Athough sometimes it felt like he was a little over the top, but it could have just been how the script was written. Overall the relationships felt real, which made it that much more believable and relatable.
Another great aspect of the show was the lighting. The lighting guys did a great job determining where they should place the lights. My two favorite parts of the show were when they used teal lights to make it more dramatic, and the end of the show with the red lights (great idea Dylan!). At the end of the show you just sat there with goose bumps on you arms. The red light really added to the “what just happened” aspect of the ending. You found yourself sitting in your seat questioning everything you just watch. I found myself wanting to jump onto the stage prevent the ending from happening!
Overall it was a great production! I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good show to see! Great job Stage 2!
Love, hope, betrayal, and an overwhelming depression are all concepts that have taken a deadly hold on those participating in and observing this play: Red Light Winter. Right from the start it pulls you along as Matt, played by Philip Hoelscher, fights between his urge to take his own life and his dwindling will to live. All in all this play was fantastically done for the short amount of time they were given to practice. The actors managed to accomplish so much with their characters and interactions; something they surely would have been able to build on even more if they had had longer in their shoes.
ReplyDeleteBefore the play had even begun music was playing in the background. At first it seemed as though this was done simply for the purpose of amusement prior to the start of the show, but it quickly became apparent that this was not so. The use of music to add mood in various scenes in this fashion was incredibly effective.
At the same time, even when nothing was being said and no music was playing, there was a great deal of energy on the stage. It demanded the audience’s attention, forcing their eyes to follow the scene as the actor’s reacted to whatever was being said and done. In fact, the silence was almost louder than the vocal portions. Those few moments of intense silence while the audience waited expectantly were almost palpable.
The actors needed to gauge the reaction of the audience a bit more, however. There were quite a few times when they would say something funny, the audience would laugh, and they would continue speaking before the laughter had died down enough for them to be heard. It would have been more effective with a small pause. Of course, this may have been because they had not gotten enough input beforehand from a live audience, and thus did not know when pauses would be expected. This did very little to detract from the play, however.
Finally we have the actors. Each character; Matt, Davis (played by Jared Walz), and Christine (played by Lauren Schulke) were very realistic in their portrayals. Their emotions and facial expressions made sense when compared to the topic at hand and the given personalities of their characters. It was easy to tell when Matt got really into something then felt awkward when he remembered where he was and what was going on. Or how easily Schulke managed to switch between a Midwestern and French accent, pulling behind her the personalities of both Annie and ‘Christine’ as she went. Or how Walz managed to reveal how Davis was not only a bully and a jerk, but was also a dedicated friend both in his actions and in his words. It was nice to see how these three were portrayed that night in Amsterdam and how they changed, however minuscule that may have been, sometime later when they were back in New York.
While the content at times could be disturbing, this play did a wonderful job of taking the audience on a trip with three very believable characters in a situation that could easily happen in real life.
Red Light Winter is a show about love and relationships on a new level of twisted drama. The show was performed by the Stage 2 theatre group on September 18th through the 20th in the Dudely Performing Arts Center on the University of Minnesota Campus. The Stage 2 productions are known to be “Not your grandmother’s Shows” and this performance certainly lived up to this title.
ReplyDeleteThe acting throughout the story was honest and real, which was the goal of director Dylan Rugh going into the show. All three actors created unique quirks and tendencies for their characters which added to the depth and believability of the story. The dialogue between Phillip Hoelscher and Jared Walz as Matt and Davis seemed so natural and really did back up the storyline that these two men lived together in college. Even little quick glances exchanged between the two and other small deltails were timed perfectly and came across as completely natural. The chemistry between Phillip Hoelscher and Lauren Schulke who played Christina was also spot on. The character Christina is very complex as she changes personality and back story through the show as she reveals the truth to matt and the audience slowly, but Lauren Schulke found a way to bring a uniqueness to all of these physiques while still maintaining a connection to Matt. Finally, Jared Walz mastered the complexity of Davis by not only playing the self-absorbed douche, but also realizing and tuning in to the real human side of the character. After all, if Dallas truly didn’t have a heart underneath all that jerk, matt would not stil be friends with him nor would Christina have been attracted to him.
There were only minor details that could have been adjusted to enhance the play even more. First, it would have been helpful to change the set more during intermission to make it slightly more obvious that the time and country had changed. Perhaps instead of having five stationary flats as the back drop, two of the flats such as the window flat and the bookshelf flat could have been movable and switched, or the bed that remained could have been moved to another spot on the stage. Another minor detail that would have been nice to see more was the red up-lighting used at the end of the show, it was a beautiful and artistic touch done by the lighting crew but it would have been nice to see them more than just once at the end of the show. And finally, the actors could have changed underwear between the first and second act. Normally, this would not matter at all and it was probably not noticed by the average audience member, and it is not so much as a critique as it is a slight detail that only a critic with experience in play costuming would notice.
This play overall was a great choice for the stage two company as the workload required to prepare for it matched to the timeframe the cast and crew had before opening night, and as an intimate setting it was perfect for the physical stage it was presented on. The only reason the minor details listed above were even noticed is because the rest of the show was without flaw and put off without a hitch.
On Thursday, “Stage 2” put on a wonderful production of “Red Light Winter” in the Marshall Performing Arts Center. The play was centered on the concepts of life and death, love, heartache, and sex. The play was held in the Dudley Experimental Theater. The cast from the show worked very well together you could tell they practiced for hours because they didn’t seem to stumble over any of their lines. The show was about two college buddies, Matt (played by Philip Hoelscher) and Davis (played by Jared Walz) who are vacationing in the red light district of Amsterdam. Matt struggles as an unpublished playwright, while Davis has gone on to a successful publishing career.
ReplyDeleteThe actors/actresses did a great job representing their characters. Hoelscher does a great job showing Matt’s character as a guy who is shy and somewhat soft. At the same time, Hoelscher makes it clear to the audience that his character is a good guy by the way he speaks with Christina, complementing her and speaking French with her. Walz on the other hand, does a great job by being as outlandishly rude as possible showing everyone what type of character he’s supposed to be portraying. Schulke who played Christina, had to maintain her accent which must have been very difficult.
From my perspective, the drama of this play is directly centered on Matt and his inner conflict with himself. He seems hopeless and set on the fact that he can’t find a girl that actually likes him. The costumes were somewhat dry for my sense of style, I feel like they could have made Davis look a little more smooth style wise and Matt a little geekier. Christina’s outfit was nice because it fit what her character was trying to represent which was a sexual gift for Matt. She dressed sexy and made sure she was showing skin in order to fulfill her character role.
The directing was great; Dylan Rugh did an exceptional job casting the actors and actresses. I particularly like how Christina maintained her French accent throughout the whole play and switched to an American accent and back to her original French accent when Davis appears later in the play. Dylan Rugh must have made a point to switch in and out of the accents which made the play seem a lot more realistic. Dylan Rugh also warned us before we watched the play that it was graphic and at times it got very uncomfortable to watch for the audience. Sensationalism is a big part in theatre, the startling effect certain scenes gave the audience made remembering the play a lot easier. It’s hard to forget something that startles you or makes you cringe; Dylan fed off of this sensationalism effect and directed the cast to be as outlandish and exuberant as possible.
The lighting was excellent I love how at the end of the play Dylan chose to incorporate the red lights creating a conclusive scene that fit the title of the production. I would have liked to have seen more red lights throughout the duration of the play. Also, when the blue lights shined through the window during the sex scene it added a level of romanticism and intensity.
Overall I loved “Red Light Winter” it was wonderfully produced thanks to Dylan Rugh the actors and actress did a magnificent job playing out their roles in the play. The audience could conceptualize what the play was about at the end, so the play was successful in conveying the message that everyone should fight the devil on their shoulder and that inner conflicts only lead to a brighter tomorrow only if you fight !
The words 'RED LIGHT WINTER' have a very logical meaning Red Light refers to the Red Light district which is the area where prostitutes work at in Amsterdam. On Thursday at the Marshall’s performing art center on stage 2 I got to witness one of the most insane plays out there which is Red light Winter, it was full of Love, Sex, and betrayal. There was three actors in the play Matt who a play writer he was a friend of Davis which was like the bad guy, Davis and Matt used to be roommates, also the one girl that was in the play named Chirstina she was the prostitute that Davis introduced Matt to when they to Amsterdam for vacation. I thought the play was super intense there was a lot of things I didn't expect they would do on stage, I found pretty hard for them to act like that, for instance in the middle of the play when they were pretending like they were having sex, it did look like they were doing it on stage which is pretty hard for an actor and actresses to do this kind of things on stage at the same time some of the audience myself for example wasn't really feeling comfortable, I thought it was a little socially awkward. Also I give props to the director as well for teaching the actors well, I thought the actors did an amazing job not just with the acting part, also the movement and when to do things at the right time. The director did a pretty good job with the lights, when to switch the right color at different scenes I thought the lights were pretty cool. The lights at the top made the play even more interesting. Between the first scene and the second scene. Making the set more distinct between different countries could add to the realistic effect of the play, I know the stage isn't like a professional one but I think the director should of tried to change the design in the background when they are in Amsterdam and after they leave Amsterdam to make it more seem like they went back to the U.S like have the U.S flag behind on the walls, same thing when they were in Amsterdam the designer Matt default should have had the Netherlands flag on the back. Maja Kalstrom the costume designer did a fantastic job on she organized what the actors wore like Matt's clothes identify him as the nerdy type of guy the nicer one, on the other hand Davis had more of a douche clothes it seemed from what he was wearing that he was the harsh type of guy. Christina had a red dress that represented her as the prostitute, overall I thought the clothes fit the actors pretty well, you could tell who is the good from the bad. Also I thought Christina as an actress did really well on switching her accent from a French accent to an American one To conclude, I really liked the play Red light Winter because how brave the actors did on stage with the movement and acting in general. Thanks to Dylan he did an amazing job with organizing the play.
ReplyDeleteOn Wednesday during Theater, the class went down to UMD’s Stage Two to hear about the play Red Light Winter from the director, Dylan Rugh. This was a very good way to advertise the play and it is what got me interested in wanting to go to the play. Dylan talked about the play and warned the class that this play has some adult content and was graphic. Dylan also talked about how this play has themes that can be related back to our own relationships. The play has three characters: Matt (Phillip Hoelscher), Davis (Jared Walz) and Christina (Lauren Schulke). The play is set in the Red Light District of Amsterdam where Matt and Davis live but are from New York. Matt and Davis were past college roommates and are exploring the world by moving to Amsterdam.
ReplyDeleteMatt, who is more reserved man is in a depression and in the opening scene tries to kill himself. Davis is quite outgoing and flamboyantly annoying. Matt is a playwright and has had some success but currently is not having a ton of it. While Davis writes books and his career has definitely taken off the ground and is going somewhere. Now back to the opening scene, before Matt can kill himself Davis pops in and brings a “friend” with him, Christina. Christina is a beautiful whore who Davis got for Matt to try and get him out of his slump. Though, Davis had already “made love” with Christina and she had fallen for Davis’ charm. Matt figured this out and tried to explain that Davis was not what he appeared. He explained his personal situation with Davis where Davis is engaged to Matt’s old girlfriend. Christina did not seem to care about this and thought that Davis was a genuinely great guy.
Matt ends up getting to know Christina probably better then Davis did but Christina is only doing what she is going to do with Matt because she was paid to do it. Matt divulges that he had tried to kill himself before Davis and Christina had entered the room that night. Christina seems to take this new contribution to their relationship in stride and mas “sex” with Matt. This “sex” had more meaning in my opinion then the “love making” session that Christina had with Davis. People interpret relationships differently and not everyone wants the same thing or gets the same thing out of doing one thing. Matt maybe did not get exactly what he wanted but what he got may have been what he need to get by and move forward. Though Christina did not move forward in her life, she got hung up on Davis.
The end of the play is in Matt’s apartment back in New York a few years later. Christina is in this apartment thinking it is Davis’ apartment (he gave this address as his own back in Amsterdam). Matt is not there but Davis come to the apartment looking for his phone. He does not even recognize Christina right away. They talk and she tells Davis that she missed him, he is a good guy, and that she wants to be with him. Davis is not having this at first saying he is not a good guy but eventually gives in and then they “make love”. Davis’ wife calls and he answers telling her that he will be home soon while he is “making love” with Christina. He finishes and pretty much leaves. Christina is devastated and commits suicide with pills from Matt’s apartment walking out the door.
This play has some real twists and emotional nuances. I would recommend it for this in itself but the scene and lighting for Stage Two were good. The acting of these three actors was also well done. I enjoyed Christina the most. Davis personality is not my favorite but I think that is exactly what the play is going for. Matt is just this bystander almost but in the beginning you think he is the main character. Overall go see this play and you will definitely be entertained.
Last Thursday September 18, Red Light Winter was performed as a UMD Stage 2 play in the Dudley Experimental Theatre. Not having seen a play in quite some time, I was ready to engage in a performance with a fresh mind. Taking place in the Red Light District of Amsterdam, it was inferred that the show would include some racy elements. Some parts were extremely shocking and unexpected due to the multiple touchy topics that were exposed, but it turned out to be a very impressive show when all was said and done.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all the characters deserve a big round of applause for pulling together such a well thought out and detailed performance in such a short time span of three weeks. It is almost superhuman to me that just three characters were able to precisely conduct this story for nearly two hours straight. Each character took on a very separate persona, yet configured well into the storyline. From Matt’s insecure and hidden personality to Davis’ class clown character to Christine’s seductive French woman turned innocent role, there was a constant twist and new thought just around the corner. Each of them took their role very seriously, and it was evident in every scene. From a triangle of romance, to comedy, to a serious setting, it was all included and that is not easy to incorporate. The first scene did a great job of turning attention to a serious matter, when Matt was contemplating and attempted suicide. Having that shown right out of the gates set a frame up right away that the play writer was not afraid to explore controversial topics. The story went on to reveal Davis’ past encounter with Christina as she formed a deep romance with Matt. Even further, we found out that underneath it all she was not of French origin, but merely a prostitute who had a phony homosexual husband. The storyline explores numerous mishaps in identity, confusing to the audience at times, but creating an “ah-ha!” moment when it all came together. The intimate scene with Christina and Matt was acceptable and supported the storyline well, sending the audience anticipation and suspense for what was to come next. As far as intimacy, the rape scene at the end became slightly overwhelming; it would have been fine without that visual in my opinion.
Christina did an excellent job as she differentiated between her French and English accent. She committed to each of them fully and did not slip. It was evident that she was embedded in her character because the emotion was sensed throughout the room during the deep and heartfelt scene with Matt and later in the rape scene with Davis where it was convincing that she almost shed a tear because she was so in tune with the mood. Davis was an outstanding actor as he brought the main base of humor and sexual jokes that had the audience laughing hard. He played the man in the middle and took a sharp turn at the end when he lashed out at Christina for the love she had for him. His character definitely had underlying issues along with Matt and the unstable attitudes. Aside from his hilarious and witty character, the profanity between him and Matt became a little intense and distracting in the second half. Matt was another actor that deserves great credit as he took the stage by himself a few times, having to memorize long sets of lines. His character was set up to be awkward and shy and he followed through with it well in his body language. There were a few times when it was hard to tell whether he was supposed to be representing a happy or sad emotion.
Overall, I was impressed by how well the play went given the circumstances with time and space. The characters, designers, director, and everyone behind the scenes did a thorough job.
Red Light Winter is one of those plays that you might come in expecting a normal sort of story about relationships having read the synopsis, but leaving with an emotional or shocked feeling, and perhaps a sense of some relatable experience. The story starts off pretty heavy and draws you in from the start. The tense feeling throughout the play has one glued to their seat, and the end is one that leaves the jaw on the floor to drag. The Stage 2 theatre group put on a great performance through very realistic acting and great design as a whole.
ReplyDeleteWatching the actors was really enjoyable because of the amount of realism put into the production. From the inflections or tones in their voices, the amount of body language they showed, to the subtle actions they performed on stage to interact with their surroundings, it all felt very real. Although, the actor who played Davis, Jared Walz, may have been a little bit too enthusiastic at times. Also, Lauren Schulke, who played Christine, could have benefited more if she were a little louder in certain scenes. It was sometimes difficult to understand her. Otherwise, all the actors achieved and executed the ability of not acknowledging the audience amazingly, especially during the really tense moments. For example, the appalling rape scene at the end. What made their actions seem truly seem real was the amount of blocking they did throughout the production. The director, Dylan Rugh, mentioned he tried to make it “as realistic as possible,” which was evident when one could relate the characters to people they have met, or even friends. However, where would the realism of the play and actors be without a proper stage and light design to accompany it?
The stage design, along with the light design, worked out very well and made the audience stir up some imagination.They put up a wonderfully charming set even though they had a limited amount of space to work with, and despite having gaps in between the flats that acted as walls, it really benefited the overall feel of the play. If you payed the majority of attention on the actors, the walls seemed to meld together, giving a good representation of an actual room. The lighting scheme for the sex scene was well executed because it allowed the audience to see the silhouettes and not much more. This made for an intense moment of passion. The final lighting of the play with the red show lights was absolutely wonderful, and brought out some emotions as Schulke beautifully portrayed deep depression as she grabbed a bottle filled presumably with alcohol and some prescription pills. The ending, along with the production as a whole was quite unexpected, but in a fantastic way.
In conclusion, Stage 2’s production of Red Light Winter was well done and should be recommended to anyone who can handle adult content and themes. For the first production of the season, it was well executed, especially only given the whole thing was put on in two weeks. It has something for everyone that has been in a relationship that they can relate to, especially heartbreak. It tackles life’s challenges in a very real sense and the actors portrayed it sensationally. It goes to show that not every story is a happy ending and, as Rugh pointed out, “Shit happens.”
With their production of Red Light Winter, Stage 2 Theatre's season is certainly off to a good start in achieving the company's goal of putting on "a yearly theatrical season of edgy, and innovative productions." They provided the audience with an intense, well-executed, and thought-provoking play.
ReplyDeleteThe cast and crew had two and a half weeks to prepare, but the play went flawlessly. The actors were committed to the portrayal of their characters. They stayed true to the intent of the playwright. The set and costuming felt neither underdone, nor overdone, but in the goldilocks zone of just right.
The opening scene of the play grabbed the attention of the audience, but there were a few slips in the lines. However, the more the actors got into the show, the more polished the delivery became. By the intermission, the problem was gone.
After intermission there was anticipation in the air. The plot became more tangled. Viewers saw how the characters of Matt (Phillip Hoelscher), Davis (Jared Walz), and Christine(Lauren Schulke) had changed.
Watching Christine arrive in New York, hoping to reunite with her love, Davis, and instead encountering Matt, the audience felt the hope swell in Matt's heart, and felt the gears turning in Christine's mind as she attempted to make sense of it all. Just as it seemed playwright Adam Rapp was going to give the characters their happy ending, in a whirlwind of events, the opposite occurred.
After watching Rapp weave his web, building the tension as the story developed, this scene in which Davis rapes Christine came suddenly and as a great shock, hence the adult content advisory. Productions of this show could be accompanied with a trigger warning. The agonizing rape scene was so difficult to watch, one could feel the anger and hatred toward Davis from the audience nearing a breaking point. It seemed as if viewers were going to rise from their chairs and stop the attack, but were riveted to their seats, watching in horror as the characters they had grown to love were torn to pieces.
This production captured Rapp's intent to demonstrate the pain of unrequited love and the messy reality of adult relationships, along with carrying the message of how important it is to love oneself. With a complex story, it was genius to keep the set very simple. Director Dylan Rugh made a shocking choice to use red lighting at the end of the play. The red lights illuminated a dark and ambiguous ending to a whirlwind of drama, bringing the play to a close with a surreal touch.
When the somewhat convoluted plot ended, it left many audience members with a few too many questions. The play was thought-provoking, something that needed mulling over. Due to the lingering questions, a "postmortem" question and answer session was held with Rugh and Schulke. It may have been worth it to include a list of discussion points inside the program for audience members to ask themselves after the conclusion of the play.
In the short time that the audience became acquainted with the characters, it was easy to start rooting for them. This made the ending of the play very difficult to swallow, but the playwright did have an optional ending to the piece. It's clear that Stage 2 made a good choice in the way they handled the ending. Hearing of the character development and research that went on in the short rehearsal period of Red Light Winter, more questions about the backstories of Matt, Davis, and Christine were raised. For once, answering a question with more questions seemed to work. Attendees of the session walked away knowing that there was a justifiable reason behind the characters' suffering.
The play will stay in the minds of viewers for some time to come. It was well-executed, and told the playwright's story fabulously. The characters were believable and well-casted. Although Red Light Winter was disturbing, it felt real. It raised questions about life, love, and identity. Isn't that what the theatre is for?
It was very difficult to determine what the focus of Red Light Winter would be from the brief description on the Stage 2 website. It seemed like it could very well be the stereotypical “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy and girl get back together” type of story. This was definitely not the case. The first clue to this was director Dylan Rugh’s trigger warning before the play began. This made the audience nervous, but all of the “mature” content was handled incredibly gracefully. Overall, the show was hard to watch, but very engaging.
ReplyDeleteOne particularly impressive part of Red Light Winter was each of the actors’ physicality and understanding of their character’s inner feelings. Lauren Schulke gave a beautiful performance as Christina. She switched flawlessly between her English and French accents, and neither sounded uncomfortable or forced. Her body language changed as her character changed, from flirting with Davis to talking earnestly with Matt. Schulke was fascinating to watch, even when she was not the focus of the scene, because she truly became her character, and reacted and responded to everything that happened. As far as Davis goes, his character was truly despicable. From the beginning, the audience knows that the story is both sad and serious. Therefore, Jared Walz’s first entrance as Davis feels almost comedic, which didn’t work as well. It felt like a joke, which is certainly not the point of the show. However, it worked well to establish Davis’ character. Some of his lines felt forced, as though they weren’t something a real person would say. However, Walz handled them well, delivering several tongue-twisting insults with ease. From his slicked-back hair to his abrupt entrances, he oozed with cockiness and self-satisfaction. Walz portrayed this wonderfully, showing both Davis’ caustic disregard for the consequences of his actions, and the character’s softer side as he tries to pull Matt out of his depression. Phil Hoelscher had the difficult job of interpreting Matt, who is constantly wavering on the line between despair and hope. As Matt tries to hang himself, he is interrupted, and the choice to keep the belt in his hands during the entire scene that follows creates an excellent visual, reminding the audience of what could have happened long after the moment has passed. Hoelscher’s body language as he tries to hide the belt and adjust to the extreme change in plans is spot-on, showing Matt’s discomfort, anger, and a bit of relief. Hoelscher expertly uses this awkward, uncomfortable physicality throughout the show, expressing what Matt is feeling even when it doesn’t match what he is saying.
As far as thematic elements go, the show was fairly seamless. The music playing before the show began set the mood, and went nicely with the music that was used during the performance. The set felt incredibly realistic, and it is certain that a crew member had fun throwing around clothes and books to set up for the opening. The show is written to be realistic, and to tell a story that could very well be real. Because of this, the black box environment worked especially well for this production. The audience was so close to the show that they were almost in it, with made the “reality” feel even more real. The minimal scenery and simple design also made this point. One minor critique would be the red lights. The use of the red lights in Red Light Winter was a great choice, but they could have been used more than just at the very end, perhaps to highlight serious or important scenes, especially at the end of the first act. However, this is a very small criticism, and overall the lighting shifted perfectly, zeroing in on the action without being too flashy, which would have not worked with the tone of the show.
Red Light Winter was well-done from beginning to end, creating a very real, very heartbreaking story. The acting brought each character to life, and the scenic choices expertly highlighted each scene. Any problems were minor, and were overshadowed by the beautiful quality of the show as a whole.
Red Light Winter much like a good rollercoaster was a show with many up and downs, laughs galore, twists and turns, but by the end the audience wanted finality after feeling incredibly jostled along the ride. However, despite how long the play was, the audience was in stayed in a state of constant shock and awe over the different conflicts and realizations during the play. The play was both hard hitting and edgy, which is why it was so captivating.
ReplyDeleteThe play starts off with one of the male protagonists, Matt (Phillip Hoelscher) attempting to commit suicide. This scene perfectly draws the audience into the play and starting on such a high could lead the rest of the show to drag on. However, Red Light Winter did not disappoint. The play seemed to be one conflict after another. Each character had their own inner turmoil that they had to face. Matt is a playwright that was down on his luck, Davis played by Jared Walz, is one of his good friends who tries to get Matt out of his slump. Davis is the comedic timing at the beginning of the show, however, his abrasive and douche like nature at the end of the show seemed very abrupt. He comes in at the ending of the show and acts totally different than he did at the beginning, which is totally understandable because of the year change. Davis should have portrayed more likeable qualities even at the end. Christine is the woman in the center of everything. Christine is the prostitute that Davis hires for Matt. The fact that Christine was American was a complete surprise because Lauren Schulke did a very respectable job in doing a French accent while still portraying that air of mystery the French people do. Towards the end when Christine came back to Matt’s apartment, it seemed like there were two totally different characters: Christine the prostitute and the Christine a year later looking for Davis. It felt very unconnected from the rest of the show, whether that was intentional or not. Having many conflicts in a show could have seemed almost overwhelming as an audience member, however, in life it seems as though when a person has one bad event in their life, it seems to affect everything else that they come in contact with. These actors did a magnificent job in portraying honest real life situations.
The set design was an interesting and difficult decision made by the director. The play occurred in the Dudley Experimental theatre which is an intimate space that can fit about one hundred people or so. Dylan Rugh, the director, was trying to take advantage of the space, while still allowing the maximum amount of people to come and see it. The walls were flats that were separated. This set up led to both easy set up and take down, which was perfect for the space of the Dudley theatre. Even though there was nothing connecting the walls together, the audience member was able to fill in the empty spaces making a whole cohesive room. Having the walls placed as they were, it made it more accessible for the entire audience to see what was occurring without having to struggle to see around the walls. This set design was also way more cost efficient than making a huge intricate set, which is helpful when it comes to producing a show.
Red Light Winter, although longer than a typical play and containing many interweaving conflicts, was a captivating production. There were no better actors for the characters in this show; they all did an amazing job driving the story with only three people.