The Threshold » convergence-continuum http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog Cross the threshold at the Liminis Sun, 02 Oct 2011 15:19:52 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 concon and boys in the band http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/2011/10/concon-and-boys-in-the-band/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=concon-and-boys-in-the-band http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/2011/10/concon-and-boys-in-the-band/#comments Sun, 02 Oct 2011 15:19:52 +0000 admin http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/?p=94

Boys in the Band

Convergence has a good write up in the PD in todays paper, E5. Clyde looks very relaxed in the back with his martini glass. It’s also online at cleveland.com.

Looking forward to seeing this play soon! For more information check out the concon website.

]]> http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/2011/10/concon-and-boys-in-the-band/feed/ 0 My First Continuum Experience http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/2011/07/my-first-continuum-experience/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=my-first-continuum-experience http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/2011/07/my-first-continuum-experience/#comments Thu, 28 Jul 2011 03:42:36 +0000 Ali Karolczak http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/?p=87 This weekend marked my first experience with Convergence-Continuum. My boyfriend begrudgingly accompanied me to “The Miracle at Naples” by David Grimm, neither one of us knowing what to really expect. We opened the door to the Liminis Theatre in Tremont and walked into an intimate setting of 1580 Naples. As we decided which wall to sit along, it became very clear that the actors would be within reaching distance as they performed. Personally, I love smaller theaters and how the audience gets to be right there in the action so I found Convergence-Continuum a perfect fit for me. I had high hopes for this show and luckily was not disappointed. Being not much of a boisterous person, I even found myself having some laugh out loud moments along with plenty of genuine smiles due to a combination of sly puns and slap-stick humor. For those of you who didn’t make it to “The Miracle at Naples”, I highly recommend catching the next show of “Five Flights” by Adam Bock and directed by Clyde Simon, which will run from August 19-September 10 at The Liminis.

]]> http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/2011/07/my-first-continuum-experience/feed/ 0 The Desert comes to Cleveland http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/2010/02/the-desert-comes-to-cleveland/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-desert-comes-to-cleveland http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/2010/02/the-desert-comes-to-cleveland/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:37:11 +0000 hayes http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/?p=75 Woo hoo! Here we go! this saturday night, 2/20, convergence-continuum’s Vegas Royale Spectacular! Come join us as The Liminis becomes The Sands: complete with showgirls, dealers, emcees, and lots of high-rollers. Free booze and food and entertainment. What happens in The Liminis stays in The Liminis.Vegas Spectacular

The theme is 1960s, Las Vegas, baby; when the rat pack ran wild, Elvis and Wayne popped in occasionally, and Howard Hughes and the mob owned the town. Looking for a costume to wear to our spectacular? Jinxed Costumes & Magic, 4666 ridge rd in brooklyn, is offering a 13% discount to anyone who rents a costume from them for the con-con benefit! They’ve got lots of great stuff so you can dress the part for a great night out at the gaming tables!

Don’t let the February doll-drums get you down. Come to the Vegas Spectacular at The Liminis and help support one of the hippest and most-daring theaters in Ohio!

]]> http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/2010/02/the-desert-comes-to-cleveland/feed/ 0 Interview with Lauri Hammer: Rhoda, in Finn in the Underworld http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/2009/09/interview-with-lauri-hammer-rhoda-in-finn-in-the-underworld/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=interview-with-lauri-hammer-rhoda-in-finn-in-the-underworld http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/2009/09/interview-with-lauri-hammer-rhoda-in-finn-in-the-underworld/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:36:20 +0000 hayes http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/?p=53 Tom: I’m sitting here with Lauri Hammer, who is playing the role of Rhoda in convergence-continuum’s upcoming production of Jordan Harrison’s Finn in the Underworld, from  your perspective, Lauri, can you tell me a little about what this story is about?

Lauri: That’s kind of hard to explain…

Tom: Yeah, the caveat being, not to give too much away.

Lauri: Right. It’s hard to explain what the theme of the play is without giving away all the good stuff. But it’s about… it’s basically a haunted house.

Tom: Jordan Harrison himself describes it as a “psychosexual gothic horror” story.  What elements in it evoke that for you?

Lauri: I think the main things that do are some scenes with Finn and Carver.  Those are some pretty creepy scenes (Laughs).

Tom: You’ve been in…well, this is your second Jordan Harrison play, you were in Act a Lady.  What differences do you see between Act a Lady and this play here, Finn in the Underworld?

Lauri: The language is completely different.  I couldn’t believe that it was the same author because the language is so different.  This one was a tough one to memorize… a lot of the lines that you’re…that my character…lines that are my cue lines they have nothing to do with what I’m going to say.  And even the way he phrases things, he just does it in an odd way. The point comes across but the phrasing is…really elegant.

Tom: Yeah, Act a Lady was more of a traditional play.

Lauri: Right.

Tom: Even though you were, what, a German director?

Lauri: Correct. (Laughs)

Tom: How is this play a convergence play? You’ve been involved with convergence a long time, you’ve been in a number of productions. How do you think this is a convergence play?

Lauri: It’s got that intensity.  And that intensity plays so well in this space. I always tell people when they’re going to come see a show: it’s like you’re in the show, without being dragged up on stage and embarrassed. It’s going to be an intense experience for anybody that comes to see it.

Tom: So, tell me about Rhoda. Tell me about your character.

Lauri: Rhoda is single. That’s a part that comes up a few times in the show. She lives in Missouri. Isn’t real thrilled about it, but doesn’t like to make a lot of changes in her life. And she’s basically just a Plain Jane. I don’t know what she does for a living, but she lives on her own, and she’s the one who’s kinda getting mom packed up to go into a retirement community.

Tom: Now, throughout the play there is some tension with her sister…so what’s that about, why is there this tension with Gwen?

Lauri: There’s some things that happened in our childhood. And I feel that the tension is because when we’re together those memories pop back up.  When we’re apart we can put it in that place in our mind where you don’t remember anything. So, with the stuff that happened in our childhood, when we’re together that tension is always there…and it overwhelms the relationship.

Tom: Okay, thank you very much.

Lauri: Thank you.

]]> http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/2009/09/interview-with-lauri-hammer-rhoda-in-finn-in-the-underworld/feed/ 0 Interview with Scott Gorbach: Finn, in Finn in the Underworld http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/2009/09/interview-with-scott-gorbach-finn-in-finn-in-the-underworld/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=interview-with-scott-gorbach-finn-in-finn-in-the-underworld http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/2009/09/interview-with-scott-gorbach-finn-in-finn-in-the-underworld/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:01:02 +0000 hayes http://www.convergence-continuum.org/blog/?p=45 Tom: I’m sitting here with Scott Gorbach, who is playing the character of Finn in convergence-continuum’s upcoming production of Jordan Harrison’s Finn in the Underworld. Scott, can you provide our readers with an outline the story (from your perspective), or tell them a little bit about the play.

Scott: The Story starts with Gwen and Rhoda, sisters who are brought together to clean out their parents old house after their mother is transferred to a nursing home and their father dies. Soon enough, Gwen’s son arrives, and he’s not exactly an angel. As the dysfunctional family cleans out the house, objects they find bring back old memories. The only problem is that the objects they find have memories of their own. Just as people remember old objects, these objects remember people. Unfortunately for the family, not all of the people from these memories are pleasant. In fact, some are quite scary- possibly even deadly- or worse..

Tom: Jordan Harrison refers to the Finn as a “psychosexual gothic horror” story, what about that description rings true for you?

Scott: The horror part definitely rings true. The entire work is chilling- and there are sexual themes as well as sexual action- but not the kind you might expect. The creepy factor definitely lingers in those scenes too. (If not most of all) it’s hard to picture what “psychosexual gothic horror story” means. It means that were gonna send some chills up your spine!

Tom: This is your second convergence play; how is this play a “convergence” play?

Scott: This is definitely a convergence play! Firstly, it’s not a show that will ever be popular or mainstream. It’s not a show parents will bring families to so that they can see a typical feel-good love story and leave humming catchy songs that are about as deep and thought-inspiring as dog crap. Rather, if you see this show, be ready to experience emotions that most theatre makes a conscious effort to keep us from feeling. You will probably be confused. You will probably feel uneasy. You will definitely leave with a unique experience.

Tom: Tell me about your character, Finn.

Scott: Finn is a 20 year old who is curious and fearless, which gets him into trouble a lot. Which he doesn’t mind. Although he’s self-centered and vain, I think I brought a softer side to Finn than the script suggests- because I want the audience to care about my character and what happens to him. He is also a homosexual, but not a typical one. I’m happy that the playwright is writing gay characters that can be real people and not stereotypes and I wanted Finn to be just that.

Tom: Tell me about Finn’s relationship to his family (Gwen/Rhoda)

Scott: Finn’s Mom can barely take care of herself, let alone a son. Which is why I think Finn is so rebellious. Probably, Finn was exposed to voices, ghosts, those kinds of things since a very young age because his mom is mentally unstable and hears things. The first scene in the play she talks about her new medication- so back then her medication couldn’t have been perfect. Finn, exposed to that as a kid, is more comfortable with these things–and I think he takes an interest in haunted houses and ghosts and things that happened to his mom to make her the nutjob that deep-down, Finn actually loves greatly. On the surface, however, Finn is agitated and offended by his mother and aunt’s mere presence. He knows that his lifestyle and choices are ones they disapprove of–even ones he can’t help. And that pushes the small part of Finn away that would care more about his family.

Tom: Great. Thank you.

Scott: Thanks.

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