The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess — Dramaturg’s Dispatch #2

Porgy and Bess are here! And Crown, Sporting Life, Clara, Serena, Robbins…

The cast arrived this morning and took a tour of the Loeb Drama Center before jumping right into rehearsal. Dramaturg Jenna Clark Embrey gives us some insight into the production’s first day home.

Instead of trading one rehearsal room for another, the cast began their blocking rehearsal in the grand space of the Loeb Drama Center. The set for The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, beautifully designed by Riccardo Hernandez, has already been constructed— it’s an exceedingly rare luxury to be rehearsing on the set two weeks in advance, much less a full month before! The result is that the cast is going to have countless hours making this set home and creating a community in the space itself.

Like everything in this exciting new production, the set design sheds any preconceived notions of what Porgy and Bess “should” look like. When audiences arrive in the Loeb next month, they won’t see a 1930s courtyard outfitted with row houses and wooden shutters. This Catfish Row isn’t about the superficial architecture, but about the shape and dynamic of the people that inhabit it. Inspired by the colors and textures of a piece of driftwood, the set is a work of art in and of itself, and also boasts some spectacular special effects ability (no spoilers here…you’ll have to see for yourself!). After less than an hour up on stage, the cast has already gotten their sea-legs, and the stunning look of the set will only be heightened once we add in Emilio Sosa’s beautiful costumes.

It’s incredibly exciting to be in Cambridge— a return home for some and a first time for others. As we all get back into the swing of things, there are sure to be some memorable moments that happen as we rehearse in the heart of the A.R.T.

A new post from Mia, the assistant director of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, is en route. Whole lot of blogging going on!

Author:  Brendan Shea

Publication date:  July 18, 2011

Featured Comment: Production dramaturg Jenna Clark Embrey sounds off from behind the rehearsal room door with observations, comments and insights into the process of creating The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. In her second dispatch, she takes us on the set of Porgy and Bess (no spoilers!).

Events: The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

Venue: Loeb Drama Center