The Mysteries Archives

As with most really exhausting and fulfilling productions... closing weekend is bitter-sweet. For those who have seen The Mysteries, it goes without saying that this production was Son of Semele Ensemble's largest "reach"... in many ways:

Four hours of Medieval cycle plays presented in a physically demanding, audience surrounding, sometimes acrobatic and highly emotion context.

Continue reading "Bitter-Sweet"

SOSEaudio is a podcast of Son of Semele audio content - interviews, music, and behind-the-scenes audio from SOSE productions.

To listen, simply click the link below to listen in your browser, right- (or command-) click to download the MP3, or add the SOSEaudio feed to your favorite podcasting software to receive new episodes automatically. No iPod required!

SOSEaudio 01: The Mysteries on KCLA
[MP3 | 20:20 mins. | 18.7 MB]

For our first edition of SOSEaudio, we have Gerri Garner of KCLA interviewing The Mysteries director Michael Nehring, and cast members Matthew McCray and Edgar Landa.

The Creative Commons licensed music is provided by Magnatune: the band is Fluid, and the track is "What Planet" off their album 5 Star Fall.

When I saw The Mysteries last weekend, I opted to take the plunge and see both parts on Sunday, turning my day into a marathon of - ahem - Biblical proportions. I must admit, going in I was a little skeptical at how I'd hold up to all that hot God-on-humanity action. Even though I knew it would amount to only about 4 hours in the theater (and, let's face it, I'm guilty of watching more TV than that in one sitting), the idea still seemed risky. Which is exactly why I opted to do it. But how often does the opportunity for long-form storytelling in theater present itself? I figured I'd be a good guinea pig for what we were subjecting our audiences to.

And I'm really glad I did. After seeing both parts of The Mysteries in one day, I couldn't imagine seeing the show any other way. While watching The Creation was pretty analogous to any other engaging production, I was truly surprised at the velocity of The Passion, both in the performances and my investment. Already knowing how everything would end just made me more eager to return quickly to the theater after dinner. And there's something magical about experiencing the modern mythology which affects so much of our culture in one sweeping day.

So, if you haven't seen The Mysteries yet, I highly recommend the Sunday experience. And if you have, you might want to consider going back, for a continuity and motion that is completely different from the two parts individually. From my personal experience, I can tell you it makes for an even more compelling play.

Thank you to Michael, Paul and the Mysteries ensemble for a beautiful show last night. In a theater company, shows are like those moments in a relationship when you "see" your partner, as if they had disapperaed behind all of the day to day issues and you lost sight of "them", and you remember why you love them so deeply, and the emotion feels like it has actually sprung for the first time. My love. respect, appreciation and admiration for the company and the ensemble truly does seem limitless, every time I feel as full as I can be I found another knook to hide more l-o-v-e in. Thank you for your hard work and months of rehearsals, it was truly worth it.

The Mysteries is finally open! It seems a good time to reflect upon the journey that has lead me to this point in the process of rehearsing and exploring a 4-hour play.

A variety of emotions fill me as I consider the past ¼ year of my life… yes, 25% of a full year was spent exploring biblical stories and now, another 25% will be spent performing the play. So… for you mathematicians out there… that is 6 months of Bible! Wowzers. I didn’t get this much education about the bible in 5 years of Sunday school – all I learned in Sunday school is that the word “assume” means “to make an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’ “ Seriously… that is all I remember. Thanks for that lovely lesson.

Anyway… back to the subject at hand…

At the time I decided to do The Mysteries, I neither understood, cared about nor had any connection with the stories of the Bible. And, I didn’t have any interest in understanding the Bible or its stories better. The director of The Mysteries and his vision sold me on this production… and I knew when he spoke of it that this was a rare not-to-be-missed opportunity.

I am not a religious person, but I now understand how a guide like the Bible can be attractive to someone. This play has opened up my mind to the value of that way of life.

One of the main things that frustrate me about Christianity is that...

Continue reading "a Mysteries reflection"

Let there be OPENING NIGHT! And it was good. Really good. To be at the theater and working out all the last minute details was a great way to end my week. There's a sense of accomplishment and relief I feel that we've gotten to the next level of company growth and that this monolith of a play is finally mounted! It was in the height of rush-hour that I arrived at the theater to coordinate a final photo shoot, fold some program inserts, and step back and look and all the folks pulling together to make it happen. I give kudos to the cast and stage manager, as well as the front-of-house staff. It meant something, to everyone there, no matter what their task was, it meant something, it was important. Maybe it was the radiation from our new neon sign? It attracts something. Seriously, when I was about to call it a day and head home (since I had already seen the show and didn't need to stay the rest of the evening) a really cool and nice looking couple walked through the gates and were like "what's going here? what is this place? we've walked passed here several times, and never noticed. Well, we live just down the street." Well of course, being the marketing and publicity guy, I immediately pulled them in, gave them the shiny brochure and pushed those $5.00 discount tickets! I think they'll be back... Ethan and Tammy? Are you out there? I felt good about it. Meeting them. Talking about our company. I think it's the sense of community that struck me. However small, maybe it's just a seed about to sprout(a 30-seat theatre company, opening night perhaps). But there is a community growing in Historic PhillipinoTown / South Silver Lake in the great ol' city of isolated angels. And I'd like to think we're the pioneers. Did I mention the show was SOLD OUT?

So...the big day finally came and went...and it was surprisingly uneventful! I wasn't nervous or anxious. I had so little time to actually think about it once I run offstage to remove my clothes and come back in as Adam that I was not able to dwell on my nudity in front of the cast members. I can't speak for Dawn (who plays Eve) but I found it quite stress free...but, of course, only the cast and director were present. Maybe it will be a different story once there is a LIVE audience! More to come...

The thing I love most about the theatre is the community. No one individual can create theatre. The one thing that impresses me the most about Son of Semele is its members dedication to the creation of theatre. Edgar, Matt and Paul have spent countless hours in the space, at times staying twelve plus hours at times just to make sure everything is ready for Mysteries opening night. In my opinion, they are truly “the salt of the earth.” Thanks guys, your dedication is inspiring.

I heard recently that upon hearing a description of the cycle plays and of The Mysteries that the response was that it sounded "dull". Ha ha ha! I laugh in the face of whoever said that comment!!!

While there will always be people who like and dislike SOSE's work, in 5 years of productions "dull" is a word that has NEVER been used to describe our work. It isn't our style. So... why "dull" when we are talking about cycle plays? ...

This is EXACTLY why Son of Semele Ensemble has elected to do the cycle plays. Can we help to break the perception of why the stories exist and their purpose for today’s world?

Continue reading "Perceptions of Cycle Plays"

The Mysteries is SOSE's first show with nudity.

I think most people can agree that nudity in theater is a really tricky issue. How far is too far? When does it become a distraction from the story? Especially in our little 30-seat theater, what can we really do with nudity that will not be distracting? These are questions that we have gone over time and time again over the past 2 months of reheasrals.

Continue reading "Son of "Nudity" Ensemble"

Well...the BIG date approaches ever so stealthily upon me. I'm not even talking about opening night. I'm nervous about undressing in front of the cast in rehearsal for the first time...under harsh lighting (hopefully, we will dim the lights to a more flattering hue...hee, hee, hee) with all eyes looking. I suppose once I do it in rehearsal that I will be fine but the approaching date looks daunting. What's the big deal? I'm not so concerned about my physical appearance (although I have been going to the gym - vanity, you know) but it's the emotional exposure that comes with being naked. Maybe if the whole cast got naked in a sign of solidarity it would make the first time more comfortable!

So.... I've now been in MYSTERIES rehearsal for 8 weeks (5 times per week). Not too unusual, right? 8 weeks is pretty common. Well, there are 6 more weeks to go! Dear God... this is tough.

Every night that I spend at the theater, I'm reminded of why I'm there. I'm constantly inspired by those around me and challenged to push on… forge ahead and find something new. And, I find my own personal prejudice toward organized religion to be an extra challenge. Can I overcome my beliefs successfully so that I can look truthfully at the ones I’m portraying? We hope.

Continue reading "A long haul"