Blog Posts - Scheer Brilliance

the last three weeks!

9/24/2012

Three weeks ago I was closing Irma Vep at Cortland Rep. Towards the end of the run I found out that there were some audience members who didn't realize till later in the play that I was playing both Nicodemus and Enid. That made my night! At the final performance, I got spontaneous applause at many of my entrances, exits and laugh lines. It was a perfect way to go out. Cortland was a great experience. I would go back in a heart beat!

In my last post I predicted how insane my two weeks in NYC would be. I was either modeling, clowning or otherwise performing every single day. Marina and I devised a longer version of The Possible and the Imp. The piece is an experiment in stillness and minimalism and it's so gratifying to hear the piece reading for an audience. I'd like to keep performing it as well as turn it into a short film Ora and I finished our three month run at the PIT of An Existential Sing-Along. This will the last time for a bit that Stampy, Ora and Joey will go on the ultimate quest for truth with an audience. Starting soon, Ora and I will be launching two new Doppelskope series, one a set of puppet improv shows, and the other a monthly existential variety show featuring new doppelskope material and special guest artists.

Now I'm back in VERMONT! It is so good to see all my familiar friends and collaborators here. I'm going to get a good night's sleep, hit the gym, and head to the first read through!

News and Reviews

9/6/2012

There is so much going on, all of it positive! I'll be spending two weeks in NYC between Irma Vep in Cortland and Hamlet, and a lot will be happening there.

I'll be performing (and developing further) The Possible and the Imp with Marina Tsaplina at the MuseIAM on September 13th. We'll also be working on The Domovoi.

I'll be modelling both weeks at the Janus Collaborative. I also already have one clown gig and will hopefully book more.

An Existential Sing-Along will return to the PIT on September 20th. http://thepit-nyc.com/show/an-existential-sing-along-4/?cur_d=120920&cur_m=1209

I also just realized that I dialect coached two full length plays this year, and worked with many private clients, and that I'm very grateful for that.

We've been getting a lot of great press coverage for Irma Vep and it motivated me to start collecting my other press quotes into one place. They need to get their own page on the site but for now they go here:

Reviews of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)

“Lost Nation Audience Nearly Dies Laughing

The usual way to review a play is to describe what happens on stage. But the current offering at Montpelier’s Lost Nation Theater, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged),” is not a usual kind of play, and describing it would be really, really hard to do.

So instead of describing the play, we’ll describe the reaction of the audience. That’s easy.

This reviewer has never—at Lost Nation or anywhere else–seen an audience laugh so hard and so long as at this play. Simply put, we were convulsed with laughter for almost the entire 90 minutes at the sheer mad genius of what was happening up there on the stage.

Lost Nation Director Kim Bent assembled an amazing cast of three young actors—who are also trained variously as a magician, clown, and a cellist—from three corners of the country—New Mexico, New England, and Louisville/New York City, and simply turned them loose on this outrageous, madcap romp through Shakeseare’s plays.” - M.D. Drysdale, The Herald of Randolph

“Actors Aaron Aubry, Eric Love and Christopher Scheer prove their mettle as comedians (and Love as a cellist and Scheer as a magician, as well) in this madcap comedy.” – Jim Lowe, Times Argus

***

Review of The Possible and The Imp (devised and performed by Christopher Scheer and Marina Tsaplina)

“Minimalist, sexy, funny, touching…” Jim Moore (www.vaudevisuals.com)

***

Review of Black Tie

“ He handles the emotional side of his character with a sense of honesty and rawness…” - Michelle Trauring (Southampton and East Hampton Press)

***

Reviews of An Existential Sing-Along (devised, written and performed by Ora Fruchter and Christopher Scheer)

“One long, pleasurable sucker punch.”
“Just the right amount of weird”
“Awesome, surreal puppetry”
“Beautiful, delicate and funny. It made me feel better about life.”
“Makes me feel good, like drinking a smoothie”
- Audience Reviews

“These two slightly off-the-wall and uninhibited artists take the personalized human experience and condition to an entirely new level….

Singularly, Scheer and Fruchter’s energy are downright enchanting, but together, they put forth what appears to be mind-numbing brilliance….

You instantly feel a connection to one of several rudimentary pieces of felt. The puppets mirror our inner angst, apprehensions, aspirations and tiny voiceless, internal thoughts. They are a way for us to speak an unspoken truth about our lives, loves and lamentations…. The masters of puppets make no attempt at hiding the fact that they are indeed puppeteers. The plane of disbelief is broken as you watch the actors control the furry little beasts on stage before your eyes.” – Alan Vetter, Taos News

***

Reviews of The Mystery of Irma Vep

"Vep is a blast...A great show, fun, entertaining and irreverent. John DeSilvestri and Christopher Scheer are both newcomers to CRT, but with theater credits up one wall and down the other. It looks like they've earned everyone one of them."
- Katie Hall, The Cortland Standard

“This striking set allows director Bert Bernardi to turn the stage into a cartoon frame for the ghoulishly outsized performances to come, and DeSilvestri and Scheer oblige with tour-de-force performances....

(They) probably met for the first time a few weeks ago, but they attack the show with the gusto of a veteran comedy team."
Bryan VanCampen - The Ithaca Times

"Two skilled actors under Bert Bernardi's direction delighted the audience with stunningly quick costume changes and even more stunning character changes, along with exits and re-entrances timed to the split second” - Neil Novelli, The Syracuse Post Standard

“Elsewhere Ludlam’s dialogue is not always Irma Vep’s strongest asset. Many of the gags rely on puns, such as the comparison of virginity with a balloon. Somehow many of the worst groaners turn up in the mouths of characters played by Christopher Scheer, who has a way of rescuing the situation by taking on a look as if he were covering up for audible flatulence….

More effective are Ludlam’s scripted improvs that look like pop postmodernist violations of form, like having Scheer in drag shout, “Well, any man who dresses up as a woman can’t be all bad.” Or, with Scheer again, having Lady Enid begging to see Nicodemus and not comprehending why he won’t appear….

Actors DeSilvestri and Scheer, sane, perfectly timed fellows, win our admiration and our applause.”
- James MacKillop, The Syracuse New Times

Reviews of Christopher Scheer’s Right Leg in The Mystery of Irma Vep

“Nicodemus has one wooden leg, and Scheer gets maximum laughs with that premise, flailing and stumping around with the leg moving at all angles. He can use it to make major comedy out of sitting down.” - Neil Novelli, The Syracuse Post Standard

“That artificial limb has a way of taking on a life of its own, springing up when least expected or flying over the heads of the unwary.” - James MacKillop, The Syracuse New Times

A short update

8/21/2012

Cortland is BEAUTIFUL, and we are staying at a beautiful Lake House. And not to be superficial, but all of my dresses for Irma Vep are SO PRETTY.

I'm exhausted.

I'll be returning to Lost Nation Theater in Montpelier, VT later this fall to play Laertes in Hamlet - directed by Kim, and featuring Kate, Eric and Caleb.

This picture is from a recent performance at The Muse. It has nothing else to do with this post. Pictures are good, right?

Catching up

7/7/2012

Look at all the superlatives we got in this article about our tour of An Existential Sing-Along in New Mexico! Now back to the PIT in NYC! http://www.taosnews.com/entertainment/article_7e36b454-c2c4-11e1-b655-001a4bcf887a.html

Look at Fritz!
https://vimeo.com/43032056

And regarding Black Tie at the Hampton Theatre Company Michelle Trauring of the East Hampton Press said that I handled "the emotional side of his character with a sense of honesty and rawness". No bigs.

Look at me in New Mexico:

What a beautiful day

5/26/2012

I might go to the beach. Doing a play in the Hamptons was a good idea.

Everyone in this company is so wonderful, helpful and friendly. We're having a great opening weekend, and crowds are really loving the show, which is very gratifying.

Opening night!

5/22/2012

Had a really awesome trip into the city with Sydney yesterday. We nerded out over stage combat, commedia and clown, and we got burgers and milkshakes after our audition!

Going to try to do some ADR for Ben before I start prepping for our opening. Also getting some resources in order for some upcoming dialect coaching skype sessions.

Weird Moments in Theatre

5/18/2012

So, they've just installed the full length mirror into the set, as indicated by the script. We get to the moment where I turn upstage and open my bathrobe to flash my parents. And I realize i'm reflecting in the mirror. Oh boy. What follows is about five minutes of analysis where I'm holding my robe open upstage and the director is telling me whether she can see my reflection or not. I'm wearing a flesh colored dance belt. It's still pretty weird.

Mostly Pictures

5/1/2012

We had a great experience at TDF - in the piece we wanted to experiment with silence and stillness, and I think there was a big pay off. We met a ton of great people (as many as can fit in a tiny basement!), as I always do when I go to TDF.

On LI for several days this week rehearsing with Hampton Theatre Company. Here are pictures! From recent adventures....

^ here I'm getting make up for the Waystation in the Stars shoot

^The Possible and the Imp, Marina Tsaplina and Christopher Scheer

^Doppelskope, Ora Fruchter and Christopher Scheer

^People like it when I play a dog... an inordinate amount! @Centenary Stage Company

^ Here Margo looks directorial, and I look goofy - I mean, like a dignified actor

^ A nice group shot. I believe the dog next to me is THE dog on which my character was based!

^ Well, this is just silly

Look how Good I am at Updating

4/23/2012

Having already booked gigs like it's my job, now it's time to update my blog like it's my job (it's not)!

I'll be premiering The Possible and the Imp with Marina at tinyDANGEROUSfun tomorrow night! Then shooting out to LI the next day for another Black Tie rehearsal in Quogue. Then this Saturday I'll finish the Neo-Futurist class I've been taking. And very soon there's going to be a lot happening at The Muse in Brooklyn. Some of it will be circus-y. All of it will be awesome. Big doings. That's all the new news that's fit to print.

It's time that I said a little more about my experience at Centenary though! What an awesome company of awesome people. We spent a day there getting ready for the reading, and they clearly know how to do things. We were very well taken care of and they run a tight ship. And it was so satisfying to work on Margot Lasher's script, and to collaborate with Margot, Margo, Julie and our kick ass ensemble so closely. And then we were rewarded with a really good turn out for the performance and we got great feedback.http://centenarystageco.org/

Booking theater gigs like it's my job: performance schedule!

4/22/2012

May 24th - June 10th, performing A.R. Gurney's Black Tie at Hampton Theatre Company http://hamptontheatre.org/hampton-theatre-company-black-tie.html

June 22-24th, four performances of An Existential Sing-Along at The Cell in Albuquerque http://www.liveatthecell.com/

June 30th - July 1st, 2 performances of An Existential Sing-Along at Penasco Theatre, New Mexico

http://www.wisefoolnewmexico.org/about.html

August 29th - September 8th, production run of The Mystery of Irma Vep at Cortland Rep!

http://www.cortlandrep.org/

Muhlenberg just put up a new alumnus profile for me: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/main/academics/theatre-dance/meetourAlumni/scheer.html