Reviewed in the united states on november 25, 2011. Title aside, the dog story theater proved once again to be an intimate and appropriate venue for this play. Circle mirror transformation concord theatricals samuel french. Annie baker on circle mirror transformation circle mirror transformation south coast repertory p3 i wanted to explore how theater can actually happen to a group of people, not just through improvisation and movement exercises which are, admittedly, pretty hilarious, whether they happen at juilliard or in a basement in vermont, but through. Circle mirror transformation haggerston by annie baker. Annie bakers muchlauded play takes place in a windowless studio in a communitycentre in vermont. I didnt know that you could be a profes sional playwright until i became a professional playwright. Annie bakers circle mirror transformation won a new york drama critics circle award and the 2010 obie award for best new american play. The action of the play takes place during a six week acting class held at a community center. Circle mirror transformation starts out on the first day of. It is the introductory meeting of an adult creative drama class, and the first of a number of exercises through which writer annie. Circle mirror transformation is a play by annie baker, centered on drama classes at a community center in vermont.
Circle mirror transformation play characters stageagent. In this one small room, through these few seemingly trivial games, quiet wars are waged, emotional wounds are nursed, and healing is finally, slowly, able to begin. Circle mirror transformation circle mirror transformation, the bestknown play to date by hot scribe annie baker, is less than ideally served in its debut at south coast rep. Annie bakers circle mirror transformation is every inch a. Annie bakers absorbing, unblinking and sharply funny circle mirror transformation, presented by playwrights horizons, shows us people doing deliberately wacky things in a dance studio. Circle mirror transformation the royal court at the rose lipman building, london n1. Circle mirror transformation premiered offbroadway at playwrights horizons on october 2009 and closed on 31 january 2010. Circle mirror transformation is presented by special arrangement with dramatists play service, inc. Circle mirror transformation is a lovely evening of theatre.
Circle mirror transformation by annie baker adaptation by jend. When four lost new englanders who enroll in martys sixweeklong communitycenter drama class begin to experiment with harmless games, hearts are quietly torn apart, and tiny wars of epic proportions are waged and won. And so, like her last play, circle mirror transformation is not the sort of great play thats likely to become part of the metatheatrical canon like hamlet or the royal family. P4 south coast repertory circle mirror transformation. Imagine a reality show about a community center drama class, minus the behavior. Circle mirror transformation about the playwright vice. Circle mirror transformation is the kind of unheralded gem that sends people into the streets babbling and brighteyed with the desire to spread the word. I cant imagine this being a good read for anyone unless they are an actor. The capstone final performance of circle mirror transformation. However, if you can forgive its repetitiousness and slow spots, it may well leave you with a smile and perhaps bolster your appreciation of the power of theater.
And i say that with a sense of delighted surprise because it was not the first baler piece that i have read. Licensed to youtube by umg on behalf of emi recorded music australia pty ltd. Circle mirror transformation capstone project directed. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. The play traces the lives of a handful of smalltown vermont residents who gather each week for an acting class taught at the local community center. Circle mirror transformation is special because it shines a brilliant and tender light on the fragility of all of us, in our need for connection, acceptance and love. Like most acting classes, there is one teacher, marty, and a small group of students. It wouldnt be surprising if any person who has taken an acting class has played at least one of the games presented in the play. Circle mirror transformation dramatists play service, inc. The students are a variety of ages and types one interesting choice baker made is making the martys husband, james, a student in the class. They keep getting it wrong, accidentally talking over each other and having to restart the game.
Circle mirror transformation opens with five people lying on the floor in subdued lighting, playing a counting game. Annie baker has commented that silence is the theatres final taboo. The winner of the 2010 obie award for best new american play, circle mirror transformation examines the redemptive power of theatre. Circle mirror transformation by annie baker goodreads.
This is circle mirror transformation by roanoke college on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. Circle mirror transformation haggerston top details. Annie bakers circle mirror transformation is every inch a modern. Circle mirror transformation was developed, in part, with the assistance of the sundance institute theatre. Within a year of its new york premiere, annie bakers circle mirror transformation was the secondmostproduced play in the us. Circle mirror transformation is the kind of unheralded gem that sends people into the streets babbling and. I have been directing for over twentyfive years and acting for. Within a year of its new york premiere, annie bakers.
Circle mirror transformation plot summary, character breakdowns, context and analysis, and performance video clips. Circle mirror transformation opens tomorrow some people are already talking about it. The characters consist of a teacher and her four students. Annie bakers play, circle mirror transformation, is the best piece of contemporary drama that i have read since discovering the works of sarah ruhl in college. That rare piece of theatre that is excellent in every respect, circle mirror transformation is mustsee theatre, especially if you enjoy a play that is quiet, subtle, and unassumingly profound one of my favorite theatre experiences is going to a play about which i know absolutely nothing, and. Circle mirror transformation is a juicy project and i am so enjoying seeing these characters come to life. In annie bakers quiet masterpiece, circle mirror transformation, the audience takes a transcendent journey through the mundane into the profound.
Circle mirror transformation sheet music for piano. In circle mirror transformation, which opened marin theatre companys 46th season tuesday in a luminous coproduction with encore theatre company the sounds of. Circle mirror transformation is proving to be a proper challenge for oneill, calling for a very distinctive acting style. As much as id love to take credit for this fascinating title, i actually am borrowing it from a play i read today by annie baker. Circle mirror transformation behind the curtain at. Both actor and audience become uncomfortable when silences go on too long. Five lost people come together at a community centre class to try and find some meaning in their lives. Circle mirror transformation acting edition acting. I read this play, circle mirror transformation by annie baker today, and i loved it. A beautifully crafted diorama, in which we see, with hilarious detail and clarity, the antic. Circle mirror transformation offbroadway, play location. The play might not change your life, but like the acting class marty wants so much to offer, it does offer insights into what our lives are and might be about. Circle mirror transformation is set in the fictional town of shirley, vermont. In her authors note to circle mirror transformation she admonishes potential directors.
One option we have is a curtains that can be pulled over the mirrors. On its first outing in britain as the first choice for the royal courts new artistic director, vicky featherstone it looks every inch a modern classic. The drama, directed by guest artist pirronne yousefzadeh and set in smalltown vermont, chronicles. Ensemble theatre august 2 september 2 2012 ll written by annie baker ll directed by shannon murphy ll 2010 obie award for best new american play. Circle mirror transformation, as described by elizabeth swados her version is called sound and movement. Circle mirror transformation acting edition acting edition for theater productions 9780822224457. Circle mirror transformation theatre horizon nealspaper. Circle mirror transformation by annie baker, directed by willie repolay, is a coproduction of immediate theatre project and north carolina stage company. Scr is thrilled to reunite them to stage the west coast premiere of ms. Circle mirror transformation haggerston royal court. That makes circle mirror transformation, even if its based on activities no nonactor has ever done, a play everyone can relate to.
To make movement and sound one intention going around the circle, each student in turn introduces a repeated movement for a part of the body. Circle mirror transformation theatre horizon in the last scene of annie bakers craftily constructed circle mirror transformation, a teenage student, the youngest by far in a fiveweek community center adult acting workshop, is assigned to improvise what would happen if she accidentally encountered another member of the class ten years hence and was asked to report on the fate and. As the international theatre program brings its last production of the semester, annie bakers circle mirror transformation, to the todd union stage, cast and crew members say the characterdriven play has offered an unusual opportunity for reflection on their own lives, on and off the stage. I know this because i have been accosted by more than one brighteyed babbler. Even if they arent used, it might be a nice way to add a little color into what are normally pale rooms.
Circle mirror transformation characters breakdowns including full descriptions with standard casting requirements and expert analysis. The inaugural 20102011 season of new artistic director david muse was generously underwritten by jaylee mead, and robert and arlene kogod, with additional underwriting from the max and victoria dreyfus foundation, stanley and rosemary marcuss, and vicki and roger sant this production of circle mirror transformation was generously underwritten by gerald and laura rosberg. Circle mirror transformation w hen four lost new englanders who enroll in martys sixweeklong communitycenter drama class begin to experiment with harmless games, hearts are quietly torn apart, and tiny wars of epic proportions are waged and won. Its the perfect metaphor for these peoples lives, which are never exactly what they appear for long, but which speak unintended volumes when ignored. When did you first know you wanted to be a playwright. Circle mirror transformation plot summary annie bakers circle mirror transformation is an actors play. Live art alive circle mirror transformation is a refreshingly original play each mini scene delivers some new fact or feature about the characters on stage and the. Print and download in pdf or midi circle mirror transformation. Last night, in the middle of the night, i felt a melody coming on, and hastened to write the first four measures of this, before falling asleep moments later. Circle mirror transformation school of dramatic arts usc. The student should invent a vocal sound that goes with or is inspired by the movement. Annie baker has crafted a beguiling little play out of almost nothing in circle mirror transformation. The play opened offbroadway in 2009 and received the obie award for best new american play. Circle mirror transformation starts out on the first day of acting class.
In annie bakers quiet masterpiece, circle mirror transformation, the audience takes a transcendent journey. Circle mirror transformation annie baker june 1828 norway grange. Hannah kellarmarty, ismael larajames, chandler cartwrightlauren, carly belle casontheresaacting capstone and brandon. Circle mirror transformation the feminist spectator.