Author Archives: Akropolis Performance Lab

About Akropolis Performance Lab

Founded in 2000 by Co-Artistic Directors Joseph and Zhenya Lavy, Akropolis Performance Lab (APL) is Seattle's premiere ensemble-based theatre company. The ensemble practices rigorous, ongoing vocal and physical training and devises original work through long-form rehearsal process. APL's signature aesthetic, Theatre of Polyphony, is our original approach to crafting ensemble performance events that symbiotically interweave music, movement, and poetry to tell compelling and vital stories while reinventing the given spatial location and audience relationship to our art. Company members include Annie Paladino (Associate Artistic Director), Catherine Lavy, Emily Jo Testa, Jennifer Crooks, Joseph Lavy, Margaretta Campagna, Matt Sherrill, Sara Kaus, Tyler J. Polumsky, and Zhenya Lavy. The co-artistic directors' artistic lineage comes through the Central and Eastern European heritage of Meyerhold, Vakhtangov, and Grotowski. Recent work includes Ecce Faustus (2016), The Glas Nocturne (2015), and Pomegranate & Ash (2015). The ensemble hosts quarterly Salons and offers regular workshops in physical and vocal praxis. Akropolis Performance Lab is a Washington State Non-Profit Corporation.

The Stranger Gives Vanya a Positive Review

  By Akropolis Performance Lab • March 26, 2014 - 5:05 PM , , , , , ,
As Sonya (Margaretta Campagna) confronts feelings of inadequacy in her desired courtship of Astrov, Elena (Samantha Routh) moves in to offer friendship and assistance. | Uncle Vanya (2014) | Photo: Annie Paladino

As Sonya (Margaretta Campagna) confronts feelings of inadequacy in her desired courtship of Astrov, Elena (Samantha Routh) moves in to offer friendship and assistance. | Uncle Vanya (2014) | Photo: Annie Paladino

The Stranger’s Brendan Kiley caught our Sunday, March 22, matinee. With typical trademark sardonic tone — even in moments of complement — his review is primarily straight reportage and doesn’t attempt to address symbolic or metaphorical layers of the production. But he seemed especially appreciative of the music:

The music, directed by Zhenya Lavy (who also translated this world-premiere version of the script), is one of the best things about the show—15 musical numbers, most of them gauzily melancholy but crisply performed.

He also remarked upon the effect of the setting’s immediacy and intimacy, with the actors so close he was, apparently, “tempted to reach out and offer a comforting pat on the back.” One audience member swears she saw him wipe a tear from his eye in Act IV, but nobody in the company can corroborate.

Read the entire review here:
“Cheer Down With Chekhov: A [sic] Intimate and Music-Heavy Uncle Vanya,” by Brendan Kiley, The Stranger, March 26, 2014

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Seattle Weekly Reviews Uncle Vanya

Link

  By Akropolis Performance Lab • March 25, 2014 - 9:59 PM , ,

Another great review! Seattle Weekly‘s Mark Baumgarten was particularly taken by the physicality of Joseph’s Vanya, which he thought was balanced well by Carter’s more nonchalant Astrov.

The first thing you notice about Akropolis Performance Lab’s Uncle Vanya is the sheer physicality of its Vanya, played by Joseph Lavy.

 

Read the entire review here:
“Opening Nights: Uncle Vanya,” by Mark Baumgarten, Seattle Weekly, March 25, 2014.

 

BANG! Joseph Lavy as Vanya | Uncle Vanya 2014 | Photo: Annie Paladino

BANG! Joseph Lavy as Vanya | Uncle Vanya 2014 | Photo: Annie Paladino

SeattleActor.com Reviews Uncle Vanya

  By Akropolis Performance Lab • March 25, 2014 - 5:21 PM , , , , , , ,
As Marina, Zhenya Lavy is ever present on stage... generally in the background. With Joseph Lavy (Vanya) and Margaretta Campagna (Sonya) | Uncle Vanya (2014) | Photo: Annie Paladino

As Marina, Zhenya Lavy is ever present on stage… generally in the background. She’s really spinning yarn and really knitting socks! With Joseph Lavy (Vanya) and Margaretta Campagna (Sonya) | Uncle Vanya (2014) | Photo: Annie Paladino

 

Although Jerry Kraft gives a lot of respect to APL overall, he didn’t think our Uncle Vanya worked and would have preferred for us to have approached the text with more traditional Realism. On the bright side:

 

The staging is extremely simple and highly theatrical, the focus and intention of the performers obvious and the ambition admirable.

 

For the acting, Carter Rodriquez gets good mention for a realistic portrayal of Astrov, and “Zhenya Lavy as the old nurse, Marina, was successful at occupying a substantial presence in the background of this production, but she was not a leading character.”

 

Full review is here: “Uncle Vanya” by Jerry Kraft, SeattleActor.com, March 24, 2014

1st Vanya Review Filled With Superlatives!

  By Akropolis Performance Lab • March 24, 2014 - 12:19 AM , , , , , , , , , , ,
Marina (Zhenya Lavy) and Telegin (Sean Patrick Taylor) tearing it up with a rousing “Когда мы были на войне.” | Uncle Vanya (2014) | Photo: Annie Paladino

Marina (Zhenya Lavy) and Telegin (Sean Patrick Taylor) tearing it up with a rousing “Когда мы были на войне” is just one of the reasons Uncle Vanya is the first production in APL’s history to be interrupted midstream by audience applause. | Uncle Vanya (2014) | Photo: Annie Paladino

Congratulations, to the entire company of Uncle Vanya!

We had a highly successful opening weekend, with both our evening shows sold out during pre-sales and enthusiastic audience response.

The first review is a great one. Read it here:

“Uncle Vanya – Brilliant new translation by Zhenya Lavy” by Marie Bonfils, Drama in the Hood, March 23, 2014

Among the highlights:

Akropolis Performance Lab deserves the highest theatre award known to mankind for their production of Uncle Vanya….

 

…this version of Uncle Vanya was not another fossil in a museum, but a vibrant play propelled by psychic movement.

 

It was a stroke of genius to stage Uncle Vanya in The Garden House-The Washington State Federation of Garden Clubs.

 

The Music was to die for!

 

Doubling as the director, Joseph Lavy delivered a stunningly brilliant performance as Vanya, which was humorous, sad, and deeply moving.

 

Margaretta Campagna as Sonya, was superb…. She has a commanding voice and presence on stage which made her plight as a plain girl of marriageable age all that more tragic.

 

All in all this is the best production of Chekhov I have ever seen.

Lab5 Fitness Promotes Margaretta and Uncle Vanya

  By Akropolis Performance Lab • February 17, 2014 - 4:30 PM , , ,
Lab5 Community Corner featuring Margaretta Campagna and APL's Uncle Vanya

Lab5 Community Corner featuring Margaretta Campagna and APL’s Uncle Vanya

It’s not every day a fitness center promotes theatre, which is why we were utterly delighted to learn that Lab5 has featured news of APL’s Uncle Vanya in the Community Corner section of its February newsletter.

Margaretta tells us Lab5 is the best premiere fitness studio in Seattle, and we believe her! Check Lab5 out — and check this out:

http://www.lab5fitness.com/2014/02/15/community-corner-starring-margaretta-campagna/

 

Uncle Vanya Promotional Slideshow #1

Video

  By Akropolis Performance Lab • February 12, 2014 - 11:53 PM ,

 

Special thanks to APL’s good friend, Omer Terrason, who created this promotional slideshow for Uncle Vanya. Omer has more in the works — including video — so keep an eye out for our next sneak peak. We can’t wait to see what he does next!

 

About the work he did to capture these images, Omer wrote, “Photographs in this slideshow were captured in natural light with a security camera lens (11mm f/1.4) mounted on an Olympus OM-D micro-four-thirds digital camera at ISO 800. The distortion is inherent of the lens while by slightly overexposing (+0.7) I was able to get a desaturated image, which sets the mood for something dreamy and dreary, and something vintage and nostalgic.”

First Rehearsal in Garden House

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  By Akropolis Performance Lab • February 10, 2014 - 10:43 AM , ,
New levels to explore. | Photo: Omer Terrason

New levels to explore. | L-R: Sean Patrick Taylor, Carter Rodriquez, Samantha Routh, and Margaretta Campagna | Photo: Omer Terrason

 

The Vanya cast and crew moved into The Garden House Sunday for our first extended rehearsal with costumes, set, and props in the performance space.

The magic of this transition always inspires. Music breathes with new life. Performances reveal deeper nuance. And the air practically vibrates with the excitement that says, “This is happening.”

 

Vanya Campaign Surpasses Goal!

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  By Akropolis Performance Lab • February 8, 2014 - 5:13 PM , ,

The Garden HouseHeartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to APL’s capital campaign to raise funds for space for Uncle Vanya. As of today, we have met and exceeded our goal!

The campaign site remains open and active until opening night, March 21, should anybody else want to contribute to other aspects of this work (actor stipends, costumes, set pieces, etc). That said, we are thrilled to bring the active campaign to a close with this successful outcome.

Sincerely,
Zhenya & Joseph Lavy, on behalf of the entire APL Company of Uncle Vanya