Thursday, July 05, 2007
Love's Prick - One Week Out
After the final curtain falls on the performances, the other work that remains to do on the script, and the larger project of the workshop, continues on...
Fringe 2007 - Fringe TV is on the air
The pairings of guests in each episode, and the beginnings of the broadcast schedule, can be found here...
Fringe 2007 - OCD Alert - Fringe Schedule Is Up
The losing battle not to let the Fringe totally take over my life enters a new phase...
Fringe 2007 - Fringe-For-All - Night 2
All the good, the bad and the ugly from last Tuesday night all in one place...
Fringe 2007 - Fringe-For-All - Night 1
All the good, the bad and the ugly from last Monday night all in one place...
Monday, June 25, 2007
Fringe 2007 - Don't Forget Dave Mondy - Also Tonight, Monday June 25
A power outage derailed Dave's performance Friday before it even had a chance to get started. But the free entertainment and free pizza are back on track for tonight, Monday June 25 at 7pm at Pillsbury House Theater, so let's give the guy an audience. More details here...
Fringe 2007 - Fringe For All Kicks Off Tonight
Two nights. Dozens of Fringers previewing their shows in progress at breakneck speed. Tonight and tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday, June 25 and 26 at the Ritz. More details here...
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Fringe 2007 - Pizza Date with Dave Mondy Tonight, Thursday 6/21
Free theater and free pizza? What's not to like...?
Love's Prick - Closing Weekend, Closing In
Five things keeping my spirits up as the inevitable end of this great workshop process fast approaches...
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Fringers On Stage This Week
If I wasn't juggling two jobs and the final performance week on my own script besides, here's a handful of things by Fringers (or Fringe-esque, and Fringe-adjacent, folks) I'd be going to see. Follow the handy links for more info...
This week only
Very exciting stuff - The First Annual Twin Cities Improv Festival down at Brave New Workshop - (Thurs-Sun, 6/21-24)
Closing this week...
Workhouse Theatre Co. unveils their new stage with the comic ensemble piece "A Company Of Wayward Saints" (thru 6/23)
Ten Thousand Things takes on a lean and mean (and musical) "Little Shop of Horrors" (thru 6/24)
Fringe favorite David Mann directs another great bunch of actors in Alan Ayckbourn's comedy "Taking Steps" for Park Square (thru 6/24)
Nimbus gives us their own take on the bloody family feud that takes down king Agamemnon, at the Minneapolis Theater Garage (thru 6/24)
And the opera double feature ends at Fringe venue Theatre de la Jeune Lune (thru 6/24)
Opening this week...
Recently lauded by City Pages as Best Independent Theater, and one committed to new plays and playwrights, Emigrant Theater, presents Sheri Wilner's Hunger (thru 7/7)
Continuing on...
Theatre Limina's latest round of Summer Shorts - where you choose the plays that come back for the encore, Bryant Lake Bowl (thru 6/28)
Walking Shadow serves up a heaping helping of "Fat Pig" (thru 6/30)
Fringe venue Red Eye starts up its latest round of New Works 4 Weeks - this week - Roxanne Wallace's REvolutionary Soul Sistas (thru 7/1)
Cromulent Shakespeare hits the public park circuit with "As You Like It" (thru 7/1)
An open-ended run for the ever-evolving and always amusing Adventures In Mating
Plus, an ever-changing and diverse roster of good stuff on hand at venues such as Bedlam, Dreamland Arts, Patrick's Cabaret, the Southern Theater, Improv-A-Go-Go, Center for Independent Artists, the new Monday Night Improv, Balls, Brave New Workshop, the Ritz, and the Bryant Lake Bowl - in addition to the open mic travels of award-winning local comic and Fringer Ben Sandel, and a whole lot more...
This week only
Very exciting stuff - The First Annual Twin Cities Improv Festival down at Brave New Workshop - (Thurs-Sun, 6/21-24)
Closing this week...
Workhouse Theatre Co. unveils their new stage with the comic ensemble piece "A Company Of Wayward Saints" (thru 6/23)
Ten Thousand Things takes on a lean and mean (and musical) "Little Shop of Horrors" (thru 6/24)
Fringe favorite David Mann directs another great bunch of actors in Alan Ayckbourn's comedy "Taking Steps" for Park Square (thru 6/24)
Nimbus gives us their own take on the bloody family feud that takes down king Agamemnon, at the Minneapolis Theater Garage (thru 6/24)
And the opera double feature ends at Fringe venue Theatre de la Jeune Lune (thru 6/24)
Opening this week...
Recently lauded by City Pages as Best Independent Theater, and one committed to new plays and playwrights, Emigrant Theater, presents Sheri Wilner's Hunger (thru 7/7)
Continuing on...
Theatre Limina's latest round of Summer Shorts - where you choose the plays that come back for the encore, Bryant Lake Bowl (thru 6/28)
Walking Shadow serves up a heaping helping of "Fat Pig" (thru 6/30)
Fringe venue Red Eye starts up its latest round of New Works 4 Weeks - this week - Roxanne Wallace's REvolutionary Soul Sistas (thru 7/1)
Cromulent Shakespeare hits the public park circuit with "As You Like It" (thru 7/1)
An open-ended run for the ever-evolving and always amusing Adventures In Mating
Plus, an ever-changing and diverse roster of good stuff on hand at venues such as Bedlam, Dreamland Arts, Patrick's Cabaret, the Southern Theater, Improv-A-Go-Go, Center for Independent Artists, the new Monday Night Improv, Balls, Brave New Workshop, the Ritz, and the Bryant Lake Bowl - in addition to the open mic travels of award-winning local comic and Fringer Ben Sandel, and a whole lot more...
Review - Uncle Vanya - TRP - 4-1/2 stars
When I saw the current production of Uncle Vanya at Theatre In The Round Players, I fell in love with the play all over again...
Love's Prick - Picking Up The Pieces
Despite some sleep deprivation, the new form of the script begins to take shape...
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Love's Prick - Pros and Cons
Monday saw our biggest audience and liveliest discussion yet (and that's saying something, on both counts). Not a bad way to start the week.
Some of my friends in the blogosphere have begun grappling with "Love's Prick."
One who really likes romantic comedies.
And one who really doesn't.
Both extremely supportive though, so bless 'em. It means a lot.
Two more performances remain.
If you haven't yet joined us, please do.
For those who need an outsider's nudge - try the nod we got from the City Pages' A-List
If you've seen it, and liked it, tell your friends.
I'd like to get some nice crowds for the actors' final performances of this. They've worked really hard on behalf of this script and I'd like to send the process out in style.
Meanwhile, I've got a couple of reviews of other people's work for a change that need posting. Time to get on that...
Our final performances are
Friday, June 22 and Saturday, June 23
Come join us in our little temporary home at the Center for Independent Artists.
Performances will be June 18, 22 & 23, 2007 - 7:30pm - with audiences discussions to follow, for those who are interested.
Performances at the Center for Independent Artists - www.c4ia.org
House size is a mere 60 seats, so reservations are recommended. You can call (612) 724-8392 or reserve online
Some of my friends in the blogosphere have begun grappling with "Love's Prick."
One who really likes romantic comedies.
And one who really doesn't.
Both extremely supportive though, so bless 'em. It means a lot.
Two more performances remain.
If you haven't yet joined us, please do.
For those who need an outsider's nudge - try the nod we got from the City Pages' A-List
If you've seen it, and liked it, tell your friends.
I'd like to get some nice crowds for the actors' final performances of this. They've worked really hard on behalf of this script and I'd like to send the process out in style.
Meanwhile, I've got a couple of reviews of other people's work for a change that need posting. Time to get on that...
Our final performances are
Friday, June 22 and Saturday, June 23
Come join us in our little temporary home at the Center for Independent Artists.
Performances will be June 18, 22 & 23, 2007 - 7:30pm - with audiences discussions to follow, for those who are interested.
Performances at the Center for Independent Artists - www.c4ia.org
House size is a mere 60 seats, so reservations are recommended. You can call (612) 724-8392 or reserve online
Monday, June 18, 2007
Summer Theater Creeps Back In...
An Uncle Vanya - Live Action Set double feature. Details to follow...
Love's Prick - Monday Night on The A-List
Focusing on what still lies ahead, and what comes after...
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
Love's Prick - Opening Night Tonight, Friday 6/15
Must be opening night. I've got that weird taste in my mouth...
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Love's Prick - Trust Me, I'm A Cop
Stepping in for an actor who can't be with us for final rehearsal. Weird sensation, stepping into a world you created...
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Fringe 2007 - The Email-Eating, Cyber-Monster
It seems my email program has been aggressively eating about half my messages...
Love's Prick - Stand By Your Man
If I'm going to take my lumps for it, they might as well say the words...
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Fringe TV - Home Stretch
It's like the interview of Dorian Gray and I'm the portrait rotting in the attic...
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Fringe 2007 - Fringe TV - Technical Difficulties
Comfort zones for artists get really elastic around Fringe time...
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Fringe 2007 - Fringe TV - The Things People Say To Me...
Suddenly you're on the subject of necrophilia, and you wonder when exactly the interview went off the rails...
Friday, June 01, 2007
Love's Prick - Nope
A whole lot of not working on the workshop today - sigh...
Labels:
Cue To Cue,
Incubator - Love's Prick
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Fringe 2007 - Barebones Theatre, an addendum
Now, if I just read all my email every day, I'd be much better informed...
Labels:
Cue To Cue,
Fringe blogging,
Fringe mailbox
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Fringe 2007 - Fringe Mailbox - Barebones Theatre Productions
Every now and again, I get a pleasant surprise. Jimmy Hogg, Emily Mowren, and Barebones Theatre Productions would be three...
Labels:
Cue To Cue,
Fringe blogging,
Fringe mailbox
Love's Prick - Oddly Enough
Strangely, the play isn't demanding to be rewritten the way it normally does...
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Fringe 2007 - Fringe Mailbox, day 2
Opened the little metal door with my key today to find the PO box clogged yet again with video offerings from visiting Fringers...
Tim Mooney, hailing from Illinois (who brought us last year's creepy sci fi comedy thriller Criteria) back again, this time with a completely different offering - Moliere Than Thou. (Something my fellow blogger Phillip is looking forward to with undisguised glee - and vows to get me to see.) - www.timmooneyrep.com
William Whitehurst (who wins the distance award, sending from Paris, France) and Act Provocateur International
[Warning, their current production of "La Ronde" is - well, it's "La Ronde," so it is naturally a bit racy - not for viewing at work perhaps]
presenting his play "Pigeon Man Apocalypse" (with a backstory for the performer involved that kind of blew my mind) - www.actprovocateur.net
and
The guys of The Cody Rivers Show, out of Bellingham, Washington. It's a mini-tape, so I'm kind of bummed I can't watch it. Have to pass that tape of "Flammable People" directly on to my producer Carol sight unseen. But their website offers a whole host of stuff to peruse - And yeah, I took one look and thought "Tall, handsome, most likely gay-friendly, clowns. I think they just found their demographic in me." I am such an easy mark sometimes. - www.codyrivers.com
Hope to preview some of these last two days' worth of video over my lunch break.
Tim Mooney, hailing from Illinois (who brought us last year's creepy sci fi comedy thriller Criteria) back again, this time with a completely different offering - Moliere Than Thou. (Something my fellow blogger Phillip is looking forward to with undisguised glee - and vows to get me to see.) - www.timmooneyrep.com
William Whitehurst (who wins the distance award, sending from Paris, France) and Act Provocateur International
[Warning, their current production of "La Ronde" is - well, it's "La Ronde," so it is naturally a bit racy - not for viewing at work perhaps]
presenting his play "Pigeon Man Apocalypse" (with a backstory for the performer involved that kind of blew my mind) - www.actprovocateur.net
and
The guys of The Cody Rivers Show, out of Bellingham, Washington. It's a mini-tape, so I'm kind of bummed I can't watch it. Have to pass that tape of "Flammable People" directly on to my producer Carol sight unseen. But their website offers a whole host of stuff to peruse - And yeah, I took one look and thought "Tall, handsome, most likely gay-friendly, clowns. I think they just found their demographic in me." I am such an easy mark sometimes. - www.codyrivers.com
Hope to preview some of these last two days' worth of video over my lunch break.
Labels:
Cue To Cue,
Fringe blogging,
Fringe mailbox
Love's Prick - Something To Believe In
A familiar face brightens the commute to the day job, and my general outlook...
Monday, May 28, 2007
Fringe 2007 - The Fringe Mailbox Is Full Again
Four out of state Fringe artists submitted video missives for possible inclusion in the Fringe TV show...
Love's Prick - Over? Already?
Submitting schedule requests for my second day job, I realize it's all going to be over way sooner than I'm ready for it to be...
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Back In Business, The Next Five Years
Site's back up.
Email's back on track - although the reboot did dump a lot of the older messages I was still parsing through, so I'm glad I downloaded them all a few days before to the laptop. Phew. Figured out that interface just in time.
The problem - totally my own doing.
Back when I first purchased the domain, back on May 23, 2001 (I know), I was still under my previous (first) email address, which I'd had for several years.
So, since the new email account hadn't yet been set up, that old email address was the default for contact for things like, oh, messages saying, "Hey, your domain name registration is about to expire."
And I never changed it.
So, the warnings this time went pinging off into the ether, maybe bouncing back, maybe never to be seen again.
Only thing is, I never got 'em.
First time I signed on for the domain, so we could begin developing the site, I signed on for a year.
May 23, 2002, I re-upped for five years.
Which would put the new drop dead date at May 23, 2007.
It came. It went.
And down went the site.
In unraveling what had happened, my web guru friend discovered the email issue.
First thing I did was went into the account management software and updated to the current email address.
Then I re-upped retroactively for another five years (the max they allow).
May 23, 2012
Kind of makes you stop and think.
The original site didn't even launch until November of 2003 (Thanksgiving Weekend, my 20th high school reunion).
By then, I had my first Fringe blogging season behind me, and I'm about to head into number five. The TV show Cue To Cue launched with spotlight episodes on the Fringe Festival is heading into year five as well.
The site's about to go through a major overhaul.
Since I first purchased the domain, while it was still in development, I crewed my last two AIDS Rides as a member of bike parking.
Saw Studpuppy hit the stage for the first time at Allegheny College - with 9/11 landing right in the middle of our tech week.
Worked on my first musical, The Hopes and Fears of All The Years, out at Cal State Fullerton. Even tried my hand at song lyrics for the first time.
And since sticking my own little flag down on the surface of the internet, there have been seven passes at the old 24 Hour Play Project with Theatre Unbound (the last of which I realize I still haven't posted yet), four go-rounds with the Chicago Avenue Project for Pillsbury House Theater, a couple of servings of Thirst at Joe's Garage, a Play Date, and a mythological adaptaion.
There's been a Fringe show of my own, the last gasp of a local ten minute play festival that used to mean a lot to me, and another mounting of Studpuppy.
There's also a been a little bit of publication, with monologues from Studpuppy, Heaven and Home, and Leave (The Surface of the World).
Just had the pleasure of spending another fall developing a new play at Allegheny College. And the videotapes of that endeavour, But Not For Love, just arrived in the mail the other day - right as the website was gasping for some attention, and renewal.
And now I'm heading into the home stretch on a workshop project funded by the Minnesota State Arts Board, the larger play, Love's Prick, from which the Allegheny play last fall was spawned.
Where will I be in the next five years, when May 23, 2012 rolls around and the internet wants a little attention, and some additional outlay of my money, again?
Good question.
The last five years haven't been as filled with missed opportunities as I'd feared, looking back.
Gives one hope for the next five year plan - particularly since I'm going to be a bit more deliberate about it.
Not that bouncing around hasn't yielded some interesting results...
Email's back on track - although the reboot did dump a lot of the older messages I was still parsing through, so I'm glad I downloaded them all a few days before to the laptop. Phew. Figured out that interface just in time.
The problem - totally my own doing.
Back when I first purchased the domain, back on May 23, 2001 (I know), I was still under my previous (first) email address, which I'd had for several years.
So, since the new email account hadn't yet been set up, that old email address was the default for contact for things like, oh, messages saying, "Hey, your domain name registration is about to expire."
And I never changed it.
So, the warnings this time went pinging off into the ether, maybe bouncing back, maybe never to be seen again.
Only thing is, I never got 'em.
First time I signed on for the domain, so we could begin developing the site, I signed on for a year.
May 23, 2002, I re-upped for five years.
Which would put the new drop dead date at May 23, 2007.
It came. It went.
And down went the site.
In unraveling what had happened, my web guru friend discovered the email issue.
First thing I did was went into the account management software and updated to the current email address.
Then I re-upped retroactively for another five years (the max they allow).
May 23, 2012
Kind of makes you stop and think.
The original site didn't even launch until November of 2003 (Thanksgiving Weekend, my 20th high school reunion).
By then, I had my first Fringe blogging season behind me, and I'm about to head into number five. The TV show Cue To Cue launched with spotlight episodes on the Fringe Festival is heading into year five as well.
The site's about to go through a major overhaul.
Since I first purchased the domain, while it was still in development, I crewed my last two AIDS Rides as a member of bike parking.
Saw Studpuppy hit the stage for the first time at Allegheny College - with 9/11 landing right in the middle of our tech week.
Worked on my first musical, The Hopes and Fears of All The Years, out at Cal State Fullerton. Even tried my hand at song lyrics for the first time.
And since sticking my own little flag down on the surface of the internet, there have been seven passes at the old 24 Hour Play Project with Theatre Unbound (the last of which I realize I still haven't posted yet), four go-rounds with the Chicago Avenue Project for Pillsbury House Theater, a couple of servings of Thirst at Joe's Garage, a Play Date, and a mythological adaptaion.
There's been a Fringe show of my own, the last gasp of a local ten minute play festival that used to mean a lot to me, and another mounting of Studpuppy.
There's also a been a little bit of publication, with monologues from Studpuppy, Heaven and Home, and Leave (The Surface of the World).
Just had the pleasure of spending another fall developing a new play at Allegheny College. And the videotapes of that endeavour, But Not For Love, just arrived in the mail the other day - right as the website was gasping for some attention, and renewal.
And now I'm heading into the home stretch on a workshop project funded by the Minnesota State Arts Board, the larger play, Love's Prick, from which the Allegheny play last fall was spawned.
Where will I be in the next five years, when May 23, 2012 rolls around and the internet wants a little attention, and some additional outlay of my money, again?
Good question.
The last five years haven't been as filled with missed opportunities as I'd feared, looking back.
Gives one hope for the next five year plan - particularly since I'm going to be a bit more deliberate about it.
Not that bouncing around hasn't yielded some interesting results...
Friday, May 25, 2007
My Website and Email Are Down
Hi all
Hopefully by the time any of you wonder where I am or why I'm not responding, this will be resolved.
As of 6pm last night, my site went down, taking the email account with it.
First it was non-responsive with a standard error page, then it was a "Hey, this domain name has expired. Find out how to renew it today" page.
As far as I know, my domain name has not expired.
Something weird is going on, but until it's resolved, I'm kinda screwed.
For the time being, I'm running things through a secondary email address
meverett_mn1@comcast.net
Gee, play coming up in three weeks, TV studio taping in less than a week, I wonder if I could dream a worse time for something like this to happen.
Hmmm...
Nope, not coming up with anything at the moment.
Once my feeble online life is restored, I'll let ya know.
Sigh.
Hopefully by the time any of you wonder where I am or why I'm not responding, this will be resolved.
As of 6pm last night, my site went down, taking the email account with it.
First it was non-responsive with a standard error page, then it was a "Hey, this domain name has expired. Find out how to renew it today" page.
As far as I know, my domain name has not expired.
Something weird is going on, but until it's resolved, I'm kinda screwed.
For the time being, I'm running things through a secondary email address
meverett_mn1@comcast.net
Gee, play coming up in three weeks, TV studio taping in less than a week, I wonder if I could dream a worse time for something like this to happen.
Hmmm...
Nope, not coming up with anything at the moment.
Once my feeble online life is restored, I'll let ya know.
Sigh.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Fringe 2007 - The Lottery System - Drinking the Kool-Aid, part 5
Last of the objections to the Fringe lottery system? The issue of quality control...
Labels:
Fringe blogging,
Ping Pong Ball Awards
Love's Prick - Post Haste
More haste than posting right now, I'm afraid. Just trying to get some sampler scenes posted online...
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Fringe 2007 - Fringe TV - The Scramble
Seems no matter how far in advance we start, no matter how well we plan, no matter how many people express interest in doing the TV show, we always end up at this point sooner or later...
Love's Prick - Postcards from the Edge
Good golly, the ongoing blog on the process just sprouted a part 4 this morning. This time next month, it's all over. Weird...
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Fringe 2007 - Last Call for Video, Deadline May 31
Handy link reference for video submissions from out of state and international Fringe artists visiting as part of the 2007 Minnesota Fringe Festival...
Love's Prick - Spreading the Word
Some new and different angles and sources for helping get the word out. For instance, look over this new online layout - or this newly posted event coverage...
Monday, May 21, 2007
Fringe 2007 - The Fringe Lottery - Drinking the Kool-Aid, part 4
Don't like waiting around in limbo? I have some alternate strategies for you...
Labels:
Fringe blogging,
Ping Pong Ball Awards
Love's Prick - Something to Worry About
Am I forgetting something? Do I need to be taking care of anything? Or am I just looking for something to worry about?...
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Fringers Onstage This Week
A handy batch of links to a plethora of Fringey entertainment can be found here...
Love's Prick - Juggling Act
It's a weekend full of my second day job, publicity strategy (check out the photos), and, oh yes, even a rehearsal...
Friday, May 18, 2007
Love's Prick - We Have A First Act
A new beginning, some rewritten pages, a bunch of transitions between scenes smoothed out and presto
Fringe 2007 - The Lottery System - Drinking the Kool-Aid
Not everyone loves the Fringe and its lottery system, but I have some counter arguments...
Fringe 2007 - Stupid Question
Hey, Fringers, don't take my questions seriously, unless you want to...
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Fringe 2007 - Fringers on Stage This Week
The list is delightfully long.
The offerings are widely varied.
Quite literally something for everyone.
Check out this handy collection of links...
Enjoy!
Go see some theater. Any and all of these folks will be more than happy to see you in their audience. Bring friends!
The offerings are widely varied.
Quite literally something for everyone.
Check out this handy collection of links...
Enjoy!
Go see some theater. Any and all of these folks will be more than happy to see you in their audience. Bring friends!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Fringe 2007 - National Fringers, Check Your Email
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Fringe 2007 - Quick and Dirty Web Pages for Fringers
If you want some real estate on the web that's exclusively yours, there's a couple of simple ways to erect something...
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Love's Prick - Incentives
Up to the counter at the box office strolls an actor I have an enormous crush on...
Monday, April 30, 2007
Fringe 2007 - Producers Meetings
It's inspiring to see a room full of people, some of whom I know, most of whom I don't, all ramping up to create the performances that will be part of my favorite part of the Twin Cities theater scene every year...
Love's Prick - A New Ending, and the Next Phase
Busy 48 hours for the workshop and the play - a new ending to the script, and preparations for rehearsals, which begin in two days...
Friday, April 27, 2007
Love's Prick - Ode to Olivia, plus Newfound Friends
Another character peeks up from the scrap heap, and relationships shift around again...
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Love's Prick - A Girl In Boy's Clothing & The Clown
Every tribute to "As You Like It" needs a Rosalind, and a Touchstone...
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Love's Prick - Genesis, part 6
How did we get here from there...?
Part 1 - the need for a new play, and my love affair with "As You Like It"
Part 2 - the rough outline of the play takes shape
Part 3 - a production opportunity at Allegheny College
Part 4 - a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board
Part 5 - A look at the real life cast of characters who are going to help me workshop this thing...
Lastly, for now, the end of the beginning
Part 6 -
The play splits in two and seeks a new ending...
Part 1 - the need for a new play, and my love affair with "As You Like It"
Part 2 - the rough outline of the play takes shape
Part 3 - a production opportunity at Allegheny College
Part 4 - a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board
Part 5 - A look at the real life cast of characters who are going to help me workshop this thing...
Lastly, for now, the end of the beginning
Part 6 -
The play splits in two and seeks a new ending...
Monday, April 23, 2007
How Do You Talk About Blogging?
I've been asked to come to the two Fringe producers' meetings and talk a little about the blogs...
Love's Prick - Genesis, part 5
How did we get here from there...?
Part 1 - the need for a new play, and my love affair with "As You Like It"
Part 2 - the rough outline of the play takes shape
Part 3 - a production opportunity at Allegheny College
Part 4 - a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board
Part 5
A look at the real life cast of characters who are going to help me workshop this thing...
Part 1 - the need for a new play, and my love affair with "As You Like It"
Part 2 - the rough outline of the play takes shape
Part 3 - a production opportunity at Allegheny College
Part 4 - a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board
Part 5
A look at the real life cast of characters who are going to help me workshop this thing...
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Love's Prick - Play Under Construction
Approaching first rehearsal on a workshop production of a new play funded by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board - Love's Prick, my modern-day riff on the characters, themes and plot points of Shakespeare's classic romantic comedy "As You Like It"
The collective blog of daily (or nearly daily) posts on the struggles and progress have grown from
Part 1
into Part 2
and just this morning sprouted a Part 3
Related are the posts on the play But Not For Love, a plot thread that was part of the larger original version of Love's Prick, but has since been removed.
Heading out to Allegheny College for the start of rehearsals and intensive script development
Blog of the time between visits to Allegheny
The return for tech week and performances
and maybe a nod to what I might be working on next...
The collective blog of daily (or nearly daily) posts on the struggles and progress have grown from
Part 1
into Part 2
and just this morning sprouted a Part 3
Related are the posts on the play But Not For Love, a plot thread that was part of the larger original version of Love's Prick, but has since been removed.
Heading out to Allegheny College for the start of rehearsals and intensive script development
Blog of the time between visits to Allegheny
The return for tech week and performances
and maybe a nod to what I might be working on next...
A handful of recent theater reviews...
Or The White Whale from Civic Theater
Carousel from Nautilus Music-Theater
Talley's Folly from Behemoth Theater
Zela Wonderland from Sandbox Theater
Carousel from Nautilus Music-Theater
Talley's Folly from Behemoth Theater
Zela Wonderland from Sandbox Theater
The TV show, and Fringe on TV
Hitting year five with this year's Fringe spotlight episodes. Meanwhile, a look at where we've been
And now we're calling for video from the national and international Fringers coming to Minnesota
And now we're calling for video from the national and international Fringers coming to Minnesota
Where the Fringe blogging's at
Thus far, you can peruse
Oh My God, They're Right, I Do Recruit
Applying for the 2007 Fringe -
- T-Minus 2 Days and Counting
- For Complete Artistic Control
- Cheaper Than Starting Your Own Theater
- Applying at the Last Minute (a crash course)
The page turns...
A Death in the Family - Chase Korte
The tongue-in-cheek Ping Pong Ball Awards return...
- Series 1
- Series 2
- Series 3
- Series 4
- a sidebar rant on struggles with technology
The Fringe's Ides of March
Minnesota Fringe - some basic questions and answers
The hilariously irreverent Five Fifths of the Wizard of Oz fundraiser for the Fringe
- Before
- After
and finally, Ladies and Gentlemen...
check your spam filters
Oh My God, They're Right, I Do Recruit
Applying for the 2007 Fringe -
- T-Minus 2 Days and Counting
- For Complete Artistic Control
- Cheaper Than Starting Your Own Theater
- Applying at the Last Minute (a crash course)
The page turns...
A Death in the Family - Chase Korte
The tongue-in-cheek Ping Pong Ball Awards return...
- Series 1
- Series 2
- Series 3
- Series 4
- a sidebar rant on struggles with technology
The Fringe's Ides of March
Minnesota Fringe - some basic questions and answers
The hilariously irreverent Five Fifths of the Wizard of Oz fundraiser for the Fringe
- Before
- After
and finally, Ladies and Gentlemen...
check your spam filters
Just to Catch You Up
Well, hello again, Blogger.
Back when the Minnesota Fringe Festival was first starting its experiment with blogging in 2003, it used Blogger as its host.
Come 2005, the Fringe programmers decided to bring the whole thing in house.
So, rather abruptly, pre-Google, the blogspot Fringe blogging stopped.
But since there was still some occasional traffic coming from this direction, and the base station still existed, it seemed a shame to just let it continue to languish, as the SCTV comics used to say "untouched and unloved."
So, it's back.
You can still find threads of all this on the internet crossing over on my website www.matthewaeverett.com, the Fringe's site - www.fringefestival.org, or via my MySpace page - www.myspace.com/matthewaeverett.com
Back when the Minnesota Fringe Festival was first starting its experiment with blogging in 2003, it used Blogger as its host.
Come 2005, the Fringe programmers decided to bring the whole thing in house.
So, rather abruptly, pre-Google, the blogspot Fringe blogging stopped.
But since there was still some occasional traffic coming from this direction, and the base station still existed, it seemed a shame to just let it continue to languish, as the SCTV comics used to say "untouched and unloved."
So, it's back.
You can still find threads of all this on the internet crossing over on my website www.matthewaeverett.com, the Fringe's site - www.fringefestival.org, or via my MySpace page - www.myspace.com/matthewaeverett.com
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Fringe 2005 - Change of Venue
Hey all,
Looks like the Fringe has decided to bring its own venue as well.
They're moving the blogs onsite, rather than channeling them through a separate host - in this case, blogger.com
So yesterday was spent over there experimenting with the test blog setup.
I'm going to be playing over there again today. And the Fringe site with all its wonderful redesigned features will be going live at noon on July 1.
So check us out over there at www.fringefestival.org at that time.
More later.
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Hey all,
Looks like the Fringe has decided to bring its own venue as well.
They're moving the blogs onsite, rather than channeling them through a separate host - in this case, blogger.com
So yesterday was spent over there experimenting with the test blog setup.
I'm going to be playing over there again today. And the Fringe site with all its wonderful redesigned features will be going live at noon on July 1.
So check us out over there at www.fringefestival.org at that time.
More later.
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Fringe 2005 - TV Guest #8 - Rik Reppe
Monday, June 20, 2005 - 12noon
And what better way to follow being recorded just hanging out with Leah, than to be recorded just hanging out with Rik Reppe?
Based on a tip from those in the know back in 2003, I put Rik and his one man 9/11 storytelling odyssey Staggering Toward America on my first top ten list for my first year blogging (under the banner, If You Held A Gun To My Head...and I Could Only See Ten Fringe Shows, What Would They Be, and Why?) [and just like last year, the gun is returning to my temple - I'm just waiting for the Fringe site to go live to get started making the tough decisions...]
We exchanged emails, Rik and I, and when he got into town from L.A., we hung out at the Anodyne, one of my favorite coffeehouses, and I learned a little about how Rik manages to get these amazing stories out of people wherever he goes in his travels - the guy likes nothing better than to have a conversation. And not just small talk, real talk. It's so easy and relaxed, you don't even know you're doing it until you're in the middle of it all, and you realize, "Hey, I just met this guy."
Maybe he's right. Maybe the old cliche is true and it is easier to open up to a stranger, particularly one who you figure you're never going to see again, as most of his subjects do.
But I think Rik's not giving himself quite enough credit. Just like that other great story collector, Studs Turkel, it takes a particular kind of person to set another person at ease and get them to open up in conversation.
And boy, what Rik can do with the stories he hears.
His latest creation, Glorious Noise, may not be about 9/11, but it's every bit as powerful and compelling as Staggering Toward America.
We got all set up to record Rik's performance, did a sound check of the highs and lows in volume (which offered a couple of tantalizing hints of what was to come, and then Rik sat down on the stool, we got the countdown and...
Damn.
He told the story only once, with a song at the end of it, and we all had to pick our metaphorical jaws up off the floor when he was done.
When it was over, there was a little more silence than we normally have taking us out of the moment.
Then Carol gave us the all clear over the god mic, and walked into the studio applauding Rik.
She never does that.
She tells everybody they're good - when they are - and when we need to do it again to pick something up. But that's the first time I've ever seen her take the time clap for someone in the middle of a hectic day of taping.
(Knowing Rik and his work, I wasn't surprised he might get that response. But it was fun to see him gain another fan right there on the spot)
By the way, this is not the Red State/Blue State thing that was announced at the lottery. Funny, but both Rik and David Mann, who were each planning their own one-man meditations on the divided state of the electorate, decided early on that the idea was too simple, and would already be long ago played-out by the time August 2005 rolled around. The state of the country, its leaders and the world would be addressed more obliquely, in a completely different fashion by them both.
Glorious Noise is about people's favorite songs - and how those songs are tied to either their greatest joy or their greatest pain. If the story we heard in studio is any indication, this is going to be an amazing bunch of stories.
After a couple of extra shots to give Carol some options in the editing booth, we switched over to conversation mode and that was just a breeze. Some guests you can just ask a question, and set 'em loose. Rik's one of those guests.
And, bless him, I can sometimes make him laugh. And it is a hearty, room-filling, joyous laugh. Does a person good to think they can elicit that kind of a response from another human being every now and again.
The moral of the story: see Glorious Noise. Those of you who saw Staggering Toward America know what I'm talking about. Those of you who didn't have the good fortune to see it, don't miss this one.
The man deserves to have as many sold-out houses as the Fringe can provide.
Oh, and the happy ending to the story is that Rik liked Minneapolis and the Fringe so much back in 2003, he moved here this year. So we'll hopefully get the pleasure of his company and his work on stage year round, or at least we won't have to wait another two years before he'll be telling us stories again.
He was my Mom's favorite performer back in 2003, and so Rik's definitely on the list of opening weekend events for Mom's four day Fringe binge at the start of the festival this year. It's either a late Mother's Day/birthday gift, or an early start on Christmas for the theater junkie who raised me.
The tricky part of editing the TV show sometimes is that we don't quite have enough material, or at least enough good material. With Rik, of course, we have the opposite problem. Where the heck do you cut into or out of that story in progress? or that song? or the converation afterward? I know Carol will pull it off in fine style, given the raw material she has to work with, but I'm glad I don't have to make that decision.
Rik Reppe
Glorious Noise
Loring Playhouse
1633 Hennepin Avenue
Fri 8/5, 8:30 pm
Mon 8/8, 7:00 pm
Thu 8/11, 10:00 pm
Sat 8/13, 7:00 pm
Sun 8/14, 2:30 pm
For more on Rik and his performances, visit www.reppe.com
For my love letter to Staggering Toward America in 2003's Fringe, click here.
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Monday, June 20, 2005 - 12noon
And what better way to follow being recorded just hanging out with Leah, than to be recorded just hanging out with Rik Reppe?
Based on a tip from those in the know back in 2003, I put Rik and his one man 9/11 storytelling odyssey Staggering Toward America on my first top ten list for my first year blogging (under the banner, If You Held A Gun To My Head...and I Could Only See Ten Fringe Shows, What Would They Be, and Why?) [and just like last year, the gun is returning to my temple - I'm just waiting for the Fringe site to go live to get started making the tough decisions...]
We exchanged emails, Rik and I, and when he got into town from L.A., we hung out at the Anodyne, one of my favorite coffeehouses, and I learned a little about how Rik manages to get these amazing stories out of people wherever he goes in his travels - the guy likes nothing better than to have a conversation. And not just small talk, real talk. It's so easy and relaxed, you don't even know you're doing it until you're in the middle of it all, and you realize, "Hey, I just met this guy."
Maybe he's right. Maybe the old cliche is true and it is easier to open up to a stranger, particularly one who you figure you're never going to see again, as most of his subjects do.
But I think Rik's not giving himself quite enough credit. Just like that other great story collector, Studs Turkel, it takes a particular kind of person to set another person at ease and get them to open up in conversation.
And boy, what Rik can do with the stories he hears.
His latest creation, Glorious Noise, may not be about 9/11, but it's every bit as powerful and compelling as Staggering Toward America.
We got all set up to record Rik's performance, did a sound check of the highs and lows in volume (which offered a couple of tantalizing hints of what was to come, and then Rik sat down on the stool, we got the countdown and...
Damn.
He told the story only once, with a song at the end of it, and we all had to pick our metaphorical jaws up off the floor when he was done.
When it was over, there was a little more silence than we normally have taking us out of the moment.
Then Carol gave us the all clear over the god mic, and walked into the studio applauding Rik.
She never does that.
She tells everybody they're good - when they are - and when we need to do it again to pick something up. But that's the first time I've ever seen her take the time clap for someone in the middle of a hectic day of taping.
(Knowing Rik and his work, I wasn't surprised he might get that response. But it was fun to see him gain another fan right there on the spot)
By the way, this is not the Red State/Blue State thing that was announced at the lottery. Funny, but both Rik and David Mann, who were each planning their own one-man meditations on the divided state of the electorate, decided early on that the idea was too simple, and would already be long ago played-out by the time August 2005 rolled around. The state of the country, its leaders and the world would be addressed more obliquely, in a completely different fashion by them both.
Glorious Noise is about people's favorite songs - and how those songs are tied to either their greatest joy or their greatest pain. If the story we heard in studio is any indication, this is going to be an amazing bunch of stories.
After a couple of extra shots to give Carol some options in the editing booth, we switched over to conversation mode and that was just a breeze. Some guests you can just ask a question, and set 'em loose. Rik's one of those guests.
And, bless him, I can sometimes make him laugh. And it is a hearty, room-filling, joyous laugh. Does a person good to think they can elicit that kind of a response from another human being every now and again.
The moral of the story: see Glorious Noise. Those of you who saw Staggering Toward America know what I'm talking about. Those of you who didn't have the good fortune to see it, don't miss this one.
The man deserves to have as many sold-out houses as the Fringe can provide.
Oh, and the happy ending to the story is that Rik liked Minneapolis and the Fringe so much back in 2003, he moved here this year. So we'll hopefully get the pleasure of his company and his work on stage year round, or at least we won't have to wait another two years before he'll be telling us stories again.
He was my Mom's favorite performer back in 2003, and so Rik's definitely on the list of opening weekend events for Mom's four day Fringe binge at the start of the festival this year. It's either a late Mother's Day/birthday gift, or an early start on Christmas for the theater junkie who raised me.
The tricky part of editing the TV show sometimes is that we don't quite have enough material, or at least enough good material. With Rik, of course, we have the opposite problem. Where the heck do you cut into or out of that story in progress? or that song? or the converation afterward? I know Carol will pull it off in fine style, given the raw material she has to work with, but I'm glad I don't have to make that decision.
Rik Reppe
Glorious Noise
Loring Playhouse
1633 Hennepin Avenue
Fri 8/5, 8:30 pm
Mon 8/8, 7:00 pm
Thu 8/11, 10:00 pm
Sat 8/13, 7:00 pm
Sun 8/14, 2:30 pm
For more on Rik and his performances, visit www.reppe.com
For my love letter to Staggering Toward America in 2003's Fringe, click here.
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Fringe 2005 - TV Guest #7 - Leah Cooper
Monday, June 20, 2005 - 11:00am
I'll admit it. I love Leah Cooper, Executive Director of the Minnesota Fringe Festival. I'm proud and flattered to be able to call her my friend. She's really just cooler than any human being has a right to be.
She writes, she acts, she directs. But most importantly, she's one of the best (if not flat out just *the* best) thing to happen to the Fringe and the theater community in general in a very long time.
She loves artists, she understands artists, she welcomes artists - and artists at all levels of skill and experience. That might sound like it should be a given for arts administrators and leaders in the field but trust me, it's not. It should be. And seeing Leah in action reminds me that it is indeed possible. She keeps me striving to be better about community building and getting my own art out there besides. Nurturing and the opportunity to create are good things and should be available to all. That is the Fringe at its core and at its best, and Leah is its standard-bearer.
And it's a heck of a lot of fun just to dish with her about the Fringe. We are fellow addicts. We share an obsession. So it's fun and a relief to talk to someone about the Fringe and realize they're not gonna look at you funny because you're really round the bend about it.
Thanks to our little chat, I'm going to be on the lookout for "the trainwreck effect" to see how it manifests itself in this year's Fringe. No names were named, mind you, but I love the idea. Basically, the trainwreck effect is a show that benefits from seemingly negative buzz. It's the show that's so bad that it becomes entertaining in a completely different way than the creators intended. And people flock to it, because their friends and fellow audience members tell them, "Seriously, it's so bad, you kind of have to see it for yourself to fully understand."
They say the only worse thing than being talked about, is not being talked about.
Whatever gets them in the seats.
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Monday, June 20, 2005 - 11:00am
I'll admit it. I love Leah Cooper, Executive Director of the Minnesota Fringe Festival. I'm proud and flattered to be able to call her my friend. She's really just cooler than any human being has a right to be.
She writes, she acts, she directs. But most importantly, she's one of the best (if not flat out just *the* best) thing to happen to the Fringe and the theater community in general in a very long time.
She loves artists, she understands artists, she welcomes artists - and artists at all levels of skill and experience. That might sound like it should be a given for arts administrators and leaders in the field but trust me, it's not. It should be. And seeing Leah in action reminds me that it is indeed possible. She keeps me striving to be better about community building and getting my own art out there besides. Nurturing and the opportunity to create are good things and should be available to all. That is the Fringe at its core and at its best, and Leah is its standard-bearer.
And it's a heck of a lot of fun just to dish with her about the Fringe. We are fellow addicts. We share an obsession. So it's fun and a relief to talk to someone about the Fringe and realize they're not gonna look at you funny because you're really round the bend about it.
Thanks to our little chat, I'm going to be on the lookout for "the trainwreck effect" to see how it manifests itself in this year's Fringe. No names were named, mind you, but I love the idea. Basically, the trainwreck effect is a show that benefits from seemingly negative buzz. It's the show that's so bad that it becomes entertaining in a completely different way than the creators intended. And people flock to it, because their friends and fellow audience members tell them, "Seriously, it's so bad, you kind of have to see it for yourself to fully understand."
They say the only worse thing than being talked about, is not being talked about.
Whatever gets them in the seats.
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Fringe 2005 - TV Taping - Day 2
Monday, June 20, 2005 - 9:30am
Well, we tried. Rather than have a double booking at the 2 o'clock hour today, some calls were made yesterday afternoon, with the possibility that maybe we'd have a 10am guest today instead.
Came in early, since I took the day off to deal with Fringe stuff one way or the other anyway. Turns out that, despite the phone tag and double-checking, it just wasn't going to work out to shift anyone.
So the new plan was to tape one guest's performance downstairs in the main studio, and then lock down most of the cameras for their interview segment, and while we're recording that second part, upstairs in the mini-studio, the other half of the crew records the performance for the second 2pm guest. Once the first interview is done, the second group comes down for their interview and we're back on track. At least, that's the plan...
So I spent a leisurely hour or so gathering my schedule info together for the Fringe Festival, trying to sort out in some preliminary way what I want to see and how it all stacks up. Because much as I want to see everything, it just isn't physically possible. Decisions will need to be made and the agonizing might as well start early.
SPNN was giving what I think were high schoolers a tour of the place, part of a day-long event, I think (during which I believe they also got a crack at the mini-studio upstairs). So I was in the studio, sitting at the interview table with my laptop cracked open, typing away with a bagel and juice nearby, when they came through. "And this," my producer/friend Carol said, "is a host." (Yes, I live here. They won't let me leave.)
Damn, high school kids look younger and younger every year. Can't somebody stop that?
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Monday, June 20, 2005 - 9:30am
Well, we tried. Rather than have a double booking at the 2 o'clock hour today, some calls were made yesterday afternoon, with the possibility that maybe we'd have a 10am guest today instead.
Came in early, since I took the day off to deal with Fringe stuff one way or the other anyway. Turns out that, despite the phone tag and double-checking, it just wasn't going to work out to shift anyone.
So the new plan was to tape one guest's performance downstairs in the main studio, and then lock down most of the cameras for their interview segment, and while we're recording that second part, upstairs in the mini-studio, the other half of the crew records the performance for the second 2pm guest. Once the first interview is done, the second group comes down for their interview and we're back on track. At least, that's the plan...
So I spent a leisurely hour or so gathering my schedule info together for the Fringe Festival, trying to sort out in some preliminary way what I want to see and how it all stacks up. Because much as I want to see everything, it just isn't physically possible. Decisions will need to be made and the agonizing might as well start early.
SPNN was giving what I think were high schoolers a tour of the place, part of a day-long event, I think (during which I believe they also got a crack at the mini-studio upstairs). So I was in the studio, sitting at the interview table with my laptop cracked open, typing away with a bagel and juice nearby, when they came through. "And this," my producer/friend Carol said, "is a host." (Yes, I live here. They won't let me leave.)
Damn, high school kids look younger and younger every year. Can't somebody stop that?
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Fringe 2005 - TV Guest #6 - Emigrant Theater
Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 3:30pm
For me, there's sort of an awkward phase when you don't really know someone personally but you greatly admire their work that makes them kind of hard to talk to. They can be the nicest, most accessible people in the world, but I get tongue-tied. It's different if I know them first and then realize how talented they are. They're a person first so the work, while impressive, isn't intimidating or overwhelming. Sometimes I'm lucky and people I admire sort of level the playing field and somehow help me get beyond the awkward phase and a friendship develops anyway. But there's a weird no man's land in between that's an odd place to wade through in the interim. I guess a person doesn't need to be a star in the eyes of the whole world before I'm starstruck.
Everyday conversations in this situation are tricky enough. When you're supposed to interview them, and the whole thing is recorded, well, all bets are off.
This was one of those interviews.
And the weird thing is, through the magic of editing, everything will probably seem perfectlyl normal. (But if I count the number of edits in that interview segment of the finished episode, I'm guessing the number is going to be higher than elsewhere).
Why all the qualifiers? Guess I'd just hate an awkward interview on my part to make you think this wasn't a great group. Because they are. As a playwright myself, I'm all for another theater devoted to new work and living playwrights opening its doors in this town. No matter how many opportunities there are out there for writers, it never hurts to have a few more. So I was happy to hear that Emigrant Theater was opening shop. Part of the name is about the journey. Part of it is about the destination. They want Minneapolis to be a place that writers come and make their artistic home. And they want to be a part of making that happen.
The intimidation factor comes from the playwright they're working with for the Fringe, Carson Kreitzer. Carson herself? Delightful. A lot of fun to talk to. But I didn't meet Carson first, I met her plays. And frankly, I was so bowled over by them that meeting her for the first time, after following her work for about five years, sort of got the whole thing turned around backwards for me, as I tried to describe above. I was serving on the Theater Arts panel for the Minnesota State Arts Board fellowships, read her script "Freak Show," and that did it. After that, whenever I heard of a play of hers being done locally, I made it a point to go and see it. Were the productions always good? No. Were the scripts without flaws? What script is, really? But I was taken with her style and the way she commands the language to do what she wants, regardless of the subject matter at hand. So I was a fan, which kind of got in the way of the whole interviewing thing a little. (On the flip side, I get a kick out of the fact that I work on a show that provides me with the opportunity to meet people whose work I admire, or get to know new artists whose work isn't yet widely known. It's a great payoff to all the work that goes into the TV show. And it's also the sort of community opportunity to meet with artists that the Fringe provides on a much larger scale for audiences in this town.)
First the performance, a scene from Dead Wait, featuring Catherine E. Johnson (from Emigrant's first production The Presence of Children), Wade Vaughan (from Emigrant co-founder and playwright Matt Di Cintio's play The Valets which Outward Spiral produced as part of the Fringe last year), and Ryan Lindbergh (whose work I get the distinct feeling I should have run into by now, given the list of things the producers rattled off for me that he's done lately - that's what I get for my finances knocking me out of the habit of regular theatergoing the last year or two, oh well). They portray three people, each with varying amounts of celebrity or near celebrity, who each died gruesome deaths - Jayne Mansfield (I not explaining her, look her up), and two waiters, one who was killed by the convict who ended up writing "In The Belly Of The Beast," the other who had the misfortune of visiting Nicole Brown Simpson on the night she was brutally murdered by... (well, they haven't convicted anyone of that yet but there was a trial you may have heard of)
This was another instance where I was asked if the word "ass" would be a problem (though they also had "tits" thrown in for good measure - this is, after all, a play with Jayne Mansfield in it). (However, the Scrimshaws paved the way earlier in the day. No worries)
Emigrant co-founder and director of the production Jason Brown was amused by the fact that for some reason the capturing of the actors on tape made them look younger. "If you're ever worried about your age, check out the tape of this episode."
After the performance taping, it was time for the interview and I was surrounded - Jason, who I'd at least met and talked to before at a performance of The Presence of Children, on one side; Matt Di Cintio, who I'd been emailing back and forth, and who wrote The Valets and The Presence of Children (another kind of unintentional playwright intimidation that you can read for yourself elsehwere), on the other side; and right next to me, Carson Kreitzer.
Considering I was surrounded by talented, intelligent, attractive people all squeezed around our little interview table to get us in the shot, and didn't dissolve completely into incoherence myself, things went pretty well. But it was a mighty odd way to end the day.
All that said, I'm very much looking forward to seeing another production by Emigrant and another production of one of Carson's plays, and if you haven't had the pleasure (or even if you have), the Fringe is offering up a real treat. So go enjoy. I will. (I just may not be up for conversation afterward).
Emigrant Theater
Dead Wait
Jungle Theater
Sun 8/7, 8:30 pm
Tue 8/9, 10:00 pm
Wed 8/10, 5:30 pm
Fri 8/12, 8:30 pm
Sun 8/14, 2:30 pm
For more on Emigrant, check out their website at http://www.emigranttheater.org/
For my thoughts on their first production, Matt Di Cintio's play The Presence of Children, click here.
For my thoughts on Matt Di Cintio's The Valets in last year's Fringe, click here.
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 3:30pm
For me, there's sort of an awkward phase when you don't really know someone personally but you greatly admire their work that makes them kind of hard to talk to. They can be the nicest, most accessible people in the world, but I get tongue-tied. It's different if I know them first and then realize how talented they are. They're a person first so the work, while impressive, isn't intimidating or overwhelming. Sometimes I'm lucky and people I admire sort of level the playing field and somehow help me get beyond the awkward phase and a friendship develops anyway. But there's a weird no man's land in between that's an odd place to wade through in the interim. I guess a person doesn't need to be a star in the eyes of the whole world before I'm starstruck.
Everyday conversations in this situation are tricky enough. When you're supposed to interview them, and the whole thing is recorded, well, all bets are off.
This was one of those interviews.
And the weird thing is, through the magic of editing, everything will probably seem perfectlyl normal. (But if I count the number of edits in that interview segment of the finished episode, I'm guessing the number is going to be higher than elsewhere).
Why all the qualifiers? Guess I'd just hate an awkward interview on my part to make you think this wasn't a great group. Because they are. As a playwright myself, I'm all for another theater devoted to new work and living playwrights opening its doors in this town. No matter how many opportunities there are out there for writers, it never hurts to have a few more. So I was happy to hear that Emigrant Theater was opening shop. Part of the name is about the journey. Part of it is about the destination. They want Minneapolis to be a place that writers come and make their artistic home. And they want to be a part of making that happen.
The intimidation factor comes from the playwright they're working with for the Fringe, Carson Kreitzer. Carson herself? Delightful. A lot of fun to talk to. But I didn't meet Carson first, I met her plays. And frankly, I was so bowled over by them that meeting her for the first time, after following her work for about five years, sort of got the whole thing turned around backwards for me, as I tried to describe above. I was serving on the Theater Arts panel for the Minnesota State Arts Board fellowships, read her script "Freak Show," and that did it. After that, whenever I heard of a play of hers being done locally, I made it a point to go and see it. Were the productions always good? No. Were the scripts without flaws? What script is, really? But I was taken with her style and the way she commands the language to do what she wants, regardless of the subject matter at hand. So I was a fan, which kind of got in the way of the whole interviewing thing a little. (On the flip side, I get a kick out of the fact that I work on a show that provides me with the opportunity to meet people whose work I admire, or get to know new artists whose work isn't yet widely known. It's a great payoff to all the work that goes into the TV show. And it's also the sort of community opportunity to meet with artists that the Fringe provides on a much larger scale for audiences in this town.)
First the performance, a scene from Dead Wait, featuring Catherine E. Johnson (from Emigrant's first production The Presence of Children), Wade Vaughan (from Emigrant co-founder and playwright Matt Di Cintio's play The Valets which Outward Spiral produced as part of the Fringe last year), and Ryan Lindbergh (whose work I get the distinct feeling I should have run into by now, given the list of things the producers rattled off for me that he's done lately - that's what I get for my finances knocking me out of the habit of regular theatergoing the last year or two, oh well). They portray three people, each with varying amounts of celebrity or near celebrity, who each died gruesome deaths - Jayne Mansfield (I not explaining her, look her up), and two waiters, one who was killed by the convict who ended up writing "In The Belly Of The Beast," the other who had the misfortune of visiting Nicole Brown Simpson on the night she was brutally murdered by... (well, they haven't convicted anyone of that yet but there was a trial you may have heard of)
This was another instance where I was asked if the word "ass" would be a problem (though they also had "tits" thrown in for good measure - this is, after all, a play with Jayne Mansfield in it). (However, the Scrimshaws paved the way earlier in the day. No worries)
Emigrant co-founder and director of the production Jason Brown was amused by the fact that for some reason the capturing of the actors on tape made them look younger. "If you're ever worried about your age, check out the tape of this episode."
After the performance taping, it was time for the interview and I was surrounded - Jason, who I'd at least met and talked to before at a performance of The Presence of Children, on one side; Matt Di Cintio, who I'd been emailing back and forth, and who wrote The Valets and The Presence of Children (another kind of unintentional playwright intimidation that you can read for yourself elsehwere), on the other side; and right next to me, Carson Kreitzer.
Considering I was surrounded by talented, intelligent, attractive people all squeezed around our little interview table to get us in the shot, and didn't dissolve completely into incoherence myself, things went pretty well. But it was a mighty odd way to end the day.
All that said, I'm very much looking forward to seeing another production by Emigrant and another production of one of Carson's plays, and if you haven't had the pleasure (or even if you have), the Fringe is offering up a real treat. So go enjoy. I will. (I just may not be up for conversation afterward).
Emigrant Theater
Dead Wait
Jungle Theater
Sun 8/7, 8:30 pm
Tue 8/9, 10:00 pm
Wed 8/10, 5:30 pm
Fri 8/12, 8:30 pm
Sun 8/14, 2:30 pm
For more on Emigrant, check out their website at http://www.emigranttheater.org/
For my thoughts on their first production, Matt Di Cintio's play The Presence of Children, click here.
For my thoughts on Matt Di Cintio's The Valets in last year's Fringe, click here.
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Monday, June 27, 2005
Fringe 2005 - TV Guest #5 - whoops...we'll try that again tomorrow...
Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 2pm
Well, there was a misunderstanding somewhere and the guest scheduled for 2pm Sunday actually thought they were supposed to come 2pm on Monday. Whoops. So, a double booking for tomorrow, but for today, a little breathing room.
During which we took care of the intros and outs for the episodes.
You'd think that walking and talking at the same time wouldn't be that much of a challenge.
Every time I stumble over one of these sequences, I'm reminded anew why I love and respect actors, and normally have the good sense to leave the working in front of an audience thing to them. They know what they're doing. They're trained, and come with good instincts to boot.
Me, it's a miracle if I can memorize and then recite something in a less than wooden fashion that I even wrote myself, and practiced.
Add to that walking in and out of camera range, in and out of my light, hitting a mark, sitting without missing the stool, and sounding enthused about something I'm actually very psyched about, rather than just staring into the camera, seeing my reflection in the lens and looking terrified.
Attempting a cartwheel I sometimes think would be less embarrassing.
Then you reverse the whole thing for the goodbye segment. Start sitting, then stand without losing the camera and becoming the incredible headless host, turn and walk away.
Talk, but not too fast. Try to get all the words out without bobbling them.
Last time, we ended up having to just run the audio part of the exit over the credits because of time constraints, so maybe I can avoid the walking out again at least.
I cracked my funeral director/wedding/job interview suit out of the closet for the occasion. Hopefully it's a step up from my beleaguered blue jacket (at this point the clothing equivalent of the Velveteen Rabbit)
Finally, the cavalcade of guest names...
Today on Cue to Cue...
The Scrimshaw Brothers
Allegra Lingo
The Early Stage
Aniccha Arts
Teatro del Pueblo
Emigrant Theater
Leah Cooper, Executive Director of the Minnesota Fringe Festival
Rik Reppe
David Mann and The Rogues
MedusaHead Productions
the Players of Notorious Temerity
Ballet of the Dolls
...and if you think you're surprised we managed to get that lineup, imagine how surprised I am.
3pm, on to the next guest...
Oh, if you're wondering what Cue to Cue: A Conversation about Theater in the Twin Cities has done in the past, click here to see our past cast of theatrical characters
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 2pm
Well, there was a misunderstanding somewhere and the guest scheduled for 2pm Sunday actually thought they were supposed to come 2pm on Monday. Whoops. So, a double booking for tomorrow, but for today, a little breathing room.
During which we took care of the intros and outs for the episodes.
You'd think that walking and talking at the same time wouldn't be that much of a challenge.
Every time I stumble over one of these sequences, I'm reminded anew why I love and respect actors, and normally have the good sense to leave the working in front of an audience thing to them. They know what they're doing. They're trained, and come with good instincts to boot.
Me, it's a miracle if I can memorize and then recite something in a less than wooden fashion that I even wrote myself, and practiced.
Add to that walking in and out of camera range, in and out of my light, hitting a mark, sitting without missing the stool, and sounding enthused about something I'm actually very psyched about, rather than just staring into the camera, seeing my reflection in the lens and looking terrified.
Attempting a cartwheel I sometimes think would be less embarrassing.
Then you reverse the whole thing for the goodbye segment. Start sitting, then stand without losing the camera and becoming the incredible headless host, turn and walk away.
Talk, but not too fast. Try to get all the words out without bobbling them.
Last time, we ended up having to just run the audio part of the exit over the credits because of time constraints, so maybe I can avoid the walking out again at least.
I cracked my funeral director/wedding/job interview suit out of the closet for the occasion. Hopefully it's a step up from my beleaguered blue jacket (at this point the clothing equivalent of the Velveteen Rabbit)
Finally, the cavalcade of guest names...
Today on Cue to Cue...
The Scrimshaw Brothers
Allegra Lingo
The Early Stage
Aniccha Arts
Teatro del Pueblo
Emigrant Theater
Leah Cooper, Executive Director of the Minnesota Fringe Festival
Rik Reppe
David Mann and The Rogues
MedusaHead Productions
the Players of Notorious Temerity
Ballet of the Dolls
...and if you think you're surprised we managed to get that lineup, imagine how surprised I am.
3pm, on to the next guest...
Oh, if you're wondering what Cue to Cue: A Conversation about Theater in the Twin Cities has done in the past, click here to see our past cast of theatrical characters
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Fringe 2005 - TV Guest #4 - Aniccha Arts
Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 1:30pm
Taking for its name, a word that means "lack of desire" in Sanskrit, and "permanence of change" in Pali - Aniccha Arts blends multimedia, live performance and audience interaction into a mix that aims to draw the audience into both the action and the thematic content of the production. This more active role, not just as observer, truly does influence the outcome of the piece and makes every performance different from the last in a way that multiplies that common effect found in live theater.
Last year's Fringe saw their production of "Fear of Freedom" - contemplating the individual's place in society and the ever-moving engine of progress. Here members of the audience were given the power to allow change, or to stop it; to participate in the event moving forward, or causing it to grind to a halt, and all that power implies.
This year, the world response to the tsunami disaster is on creator/director Pramila Vasudevan's mind. It seems easier, simpler, to respond to a disaster that is beyond human control, like the tsunami, than to offer help in a situation that is less clear - such as rebuilding a country or trying to help the people of a nation who are suffering under threat of a dictator or civil war. But is anything really free of politics? That is some of the territory this performance piece, entitled Fragile Lines, is exploring.
It's hard to explain the method in writing. It almost needs to be see, or better yet experienced first hand. I got drafted into an in studio performance that may or may not be used in the final cut of this particular segment of the TV show. We'll see.
Meantime, here's their scheduling information. Check them out. It's the kind of theater even the Twin Cities doesn't have in abundance throughout the rest of the year, but the Fringe makes it possible for these kind of voices to be heard, and be easy to find.
Aniccha Arts
Fragile Lines
Mixed Blood Theater
Sat 8/6, 5:30 pm
Sun 8/7, 4:00 pm
Mon 8/8, 7:00 pm
Sat 8/13, 1:00 pm
Sun 8/14, 7:00 pm
For more on Annicha Arts, check out their website at www.aniccha.org
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 1:30pm
Taking for its name, a word that means "lack of desire" in Sanskrit, and "permanence of change" in Pali - Aniccha Arts blends multimedia, live performance and audience interaction into a mix that aims to draw the audience into both the action and the thematic content of the production. This more active role, not just as observer, truly does influence the outcome of the piece and makes every performance different from the last in a way that multiplies that common effect found in live theater.
Last year's Fringe saw their production of "Fear of Freedom" - contemplating the individual's place in society and the ever-moving engine of progress. Here members of the audience were given the power to allow change, or to stop it; to participate in the event moving forward, or causing it to grind to a halt, and all that power implies.
This year, the world response to the tsunami disaster is on creator/director Pramila Vasudevan's mind. It seems easier, simpler, to respond to a disaster that is beyond human control, like the tsunami, than to offer help in a situation that is less clear - such as rebuilding a country or trying to help the people of a nation who are suffering under threat of a dictator or civil war. But is anything really free of politics? That is some of the territory this performance piece, entitled Fragile Lines, is exploring.
It's hard to explain the method in writing. It almost needs to be see, or better yet experienced first hand. I got drafted into an in studio performance that may or may not be used in the final cut of this particular segment of the TV show. We'll see.
Meantime, here's their scheduling information. Check them out. It's the kind of theater even the Twin Cities doesn't have in abundance throughout the rest of the year, but the Fringe makes it possible for these kind of voices to be heard, and be easy to find.
Aniccha Arts
Fragile Lines
Mixed Blood Theater
Sat 8/6, 5:30 pm
Sun 8/7, 4:00 pm
Mon 8/8, 7:00 pm
Sat 8/13, 1:00 pm
Sun 8/14, 7:00 pm
For more on Annicha Arts, check out their website at www.aniccha.org
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Fringe 2005 - TV Guest #3 - The Early Stage
Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 12:30pm
In the interests of full disclosure, I have a soft spot for The Early Stage.
Gregg Peterson, one of the best directors I've had the pleasure of working with, so much so we teamed up a second time, launched The Early Stage as a way to get new work on stage that he was interested in having a hand in helping to develop and put in front of an audience for the first time.
For its inaugural production, Gregg chose my play Heaven and Home - and gave me my first production in Minneapolis as well. Amazing cast, great reviews, sold out houses. A great way to start any partnership. It's hard to for me to sit here and do the math and realize that was nine years ago now. Greg also helped hook me up with a company out in Los Angeles that produced the play again the next year for an extended run, again getting good notices and audiences, Critics Choice, three Dramalogue Awards, and a nomination for a GLAAD Award. When I got a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship the following year to help workshop another new play, I hired Gregg to be at the helm, and assembled much of the Heaven and Home cast again. We've had a rather good run, The Early Stage and I.
Naturally when I saw The Early Stage's name in contention at the Fringe lottery earlier this year, I was very happy to see they were back in business. And happier still when they made the first cut and didn't have to tough it out on the waiting list.
Gregg came to the studio with Aaron Gabriel, Jennifer Grimm, and Drew Pearson. Together, they're four of the six person ensemble that is creating and performing the new musical The Candy Ass Club (with the first of many inquiries over the next 48 hours about language concerns - "Is it a problem that we have the word 'ass' in our title?") (for my response, see the earlier entry on the Scrimshaw Brothers below...). Drew, also the arranger and accompaniast, brought his keyboard, on which Jennifer played and sang her song "Queer Condition" (despite the seriousness of the lament, they all assured me it was a comedy). The mood was lightened by some off camera toying with the various keyboard settings for sampling and funky rhythms, with a few suspicious moans thrown in for good measure (ah, the wonders of modern technology)
They apologized in the interview segment for getting a case of the giggles, but hey, that's a sure sign that things are going well, if everyone still likes each other at this point. Several of my past Fringe experiences could have used less unnecessary offstage drama and more laughter. If the audience has half as much fun as their having with this autobiographical paean to queer childhood, then once again, this time as an audience member, I'm in good hands with Gregg in charge.
Here's their schedule info...
The Early Stage
The Candy Ass Club
Intermedia Arts
Sat 8/6, 7:00 pm
Sun 8/7, 4:00 pm
Mon 8/8, 8:30 pm
Wed 8/10, 10:00 pm
Sat 8/13, 2:30 pm
Definitely going to this one with Mom on opening weekend, hopefully their opening night. Since she considers Heaven and Home her first grandchild, she has a soft spot for The Early Stage, too. Come join us.
For info and pictures on Early Stage outings of the past, you can click on the titles below and browse around
Heaven and Home
Leave (The Surface of the World)
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 12:30pm
In the interests of full disclosure, I have a soft spot for The Early Stage.
Gregg Peterson, one of the best directors I've had the pleasure of working with, so much so we teamed up a second time, launched The Early Stage as a way to get new work on stage that he was interested in having a hand in helping to develop and put in front of an audience for the first time.
For its inaugural production, Gregg chose my play Heaven and Home - and gave me my first production in Minneapolis as well. Amazing cast, great reviews, sold out houses. A great way to start any partnership. It's hard to for me to sit here and do the math and realize that was nine years ago now. Greg also helped hook me up with a company out in Los Angeles that produced the play again the next year for an extended run, again getting good notices and audiences, Critics Choice, three Dramalogue Awards, and a nomination for a GLAAD Award. When I got a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship the following year to help workshop another new play, I hired Gregg to be at the helm, and assembled much of the Heaven and Home cast again. We've had a rather good run, The Early Stage and I.
Naturally when I saw The Early Stage's name in contention at the Fringe lottery earlier this year, I was very happy to see they were back in business. And happier still when they made the first cut and didn't have to tough it out on the waiting list.
Gregg came to the studio with Aaron Gabriel, Jennifer Grimm, and Drew Pearson. Together, they're four of the six person ensemble that is creating and performing the new musical The Candy Ass Club (with the first of many inquiries over the next 48 hours about language concerns - "Is it a problem that we have the word 'ass' in our title?") (for my response, see the earlier entry on the Scrimshaw Brothers below...). Drew, also the arranger and accompaniast, brought his keyboard, on which Jennifer played and sang her song "Queer Condition" (despite the seriousness of the lament, they all assured me it was a comedy). The mood was lightened by some off camera toying with the various keyboard settings for sampling and funky rhythms, with a few suspicious moans thrown in for good measure (ah, the wonders of modern technology)
They apologized in the interview segment for getting a case of the giggles, but hey, that's a sure sign that things are going well, if everyone still likes each other at this point. Several of my past Fringe experiences could have used less unnecessary offstage drama and more laughter. If the audience has half as much fun as their having with this autobiographical paean to queer childhood, then once again, this time as an audience member, I'm in good hands with Gregg in charge.
Here's their schedule info...
The Early Stage
The Candy Ass Club
Intermedia Arts
Sat 8/6, 7:00 pm
Sun 8/7, 4:00 pm
Mon 8/8, 8:30 pm
Wed 8/10, 10:00 pm
Sat 8/13, 2:30 pm
Definitely going to this one with Mom on opening weekend, hopefully their opening night. Since she considers Heaven and Home her first grandchild, she has a soft spot for The Early Stage, too. Come join us.
For info and pictures on Early Stage outings of the past, you can click on the titles below and browse around
Heaven and Home
Leave (The Surface of the World)
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Fringe 2005 - TV Guest #2 - Allegra Lingo
Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 11:30am
Even though Allegra wears many hats for the Fringe (and bless her for it), I wouldn't have happened upon her work as a spoken word artist and storyteller had it not been for my writer friend Eli Weintraub being in the same spoken word showcase with her. I came to support Eli and wound up a fan of several other spoken word folk as well, chief among them Allegra. In fact, most of my review of Agog (for that's what the showcase was called), was about her tales of trying to fit in as the "unconventional" partner of a bridesmaid at a wedding. Very sweet, clever and amusing material winningly presented.
Back again with a slot all to herself, regaling us with tales of her journeys through Ireland and all the other tangents which may spring from that recounting, in a show called Hubcap Frisbee.
The sampling of that show on display was tales of missing hubcaps leading to talk of an English teacher who hears voices and leads a crusade, and a lawsuit, on behalf of a bush where faeries (the legendary kind, not the gay pride weekend kind) were said to congregate. Said bush was in the path of a road-widening project, but Ireland, it seems, has different priorities...
After hearing this, and chatting with Allegra for the interview about the line between storytelling and spoken word, and where inspiration comes from, I could happily spend another hour of Fringe time listening to her spin tales of countries I have yet to visit. Helps bring the world a bit closer together, and brings out the traveler in me at the same time.
Allegra was actually my first show card. She had the new Fringe logo on it and everything. Like any good artist pimping her show, she had them with her and passed them out to everyone in the studio. The postcard parade has begun.
Allegra's schedule is interesting - she has shows four days in row early on, and then her final performance is on the final day of the festival. I urge you to help her with word of mouth and filling those early shows. Given her lineup of show dates, she has to get that momentum going quickly. So don't wait til the last performance. Slot her into your Fringe-going early.
Allegra Lingo
Hubcap Frisbee
Interact Center for Visual and Performing Arts
Sat 8/6, 5:30 pm
Sun 8/7, 10:00 pm
Mon 8/8, 7:00 pm
Tue 8/9, 10:00 pm
Sun 8/14, 1:00 pm
For more on this show and Allegra's writing and performing in general, check out http://allegralingo.tripod.com/index.html
For a little remembrance of Fringes past, check out my review of Agog by clicking here.
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 11:30am
Even though Allegra wears many hats for the Fringe (and bless her for it), I wouldn't have happened upon her work as a spoken word artist and storyteller had it not been for my writer friend Eli Weintraub being in the same spoken word showcase with her. I came to support Eli and wound up a fan of several other spoken word folk as well, chief among them Allegra. In fact, most of my review of Agog (for that's what the showcase was called), was about her tales of trying to fit in as the "unconventional" partner of a bridesmaid at a wedding. Very sweet, clever and amusing material winningly presented.
Back again with a slot all to herself, regaling us with tales of her journeys through Ireland and all the other tangents which may spring from that recounting, in a show called Hubcap Frisbee.
The sampling of that show on display was tales of missing hubcaps leading to talk of an English teacher who hears voices and leads a crusade, and a lawsuit, on behalf of a bush where faeries (the legendary kind, not the gay pride weekend kind) were said to congregate. Said bush was in the path of a road-widening project, but Ireland, it seems, has different priorities...
After hearing this, and chatting with Allegra for the interview about the line between storytelling and spoken word, and where inspiration comes from, I could happily spend another hour of Fringe time listening to her spin tales of countries I have yet to visit. Helps bring the world a bit closer together, and brings out the traveler in me at the same time.
Allegra was actually my first show card. She had the new Fringe logo on it and everything. Like any good artist pimping her show, she had them with her and passed them out to everyone in the studio. The postcard parade has begun.
Allegra's schedule is interesting - she has shows four days in row early on, and then her final performance is on the final day of the festival. I urge you to help her with word of mouth and filling those early shows. Given her lineup of show dates, she has to get that momentum going quickly. So don't wait til the last performance. Slot her into your Fringe-going early.
Allegra Lingo
Hubcap Frisbee
Interact Center for Visual and Performing Arts
Sat 8/6, 5:30 pm
Sun 8/7, 10:00 pm
Mon 8/8, 7:00 pm
Tue 8/9, 10:00 pm
Sun 8/14, 1:00 pm
For more on this show and Allegra's writing and performing in general, check out http://allegralingo.tripod.com/index.html
For a little remembrance of Fringes past, check out my review of Agog by clicking here.
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Fringe 2005 - TV Guest #1 - The Scrimshaw Brothers
Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 10:30am
There is something both fun and a bit daunting about starting off a long day of shooting with a couple of guys as lively as the Scrimshaw Brothers (not that anyone's lively first thing on a Sunday morning, but...)
I was prepared to be amused, but I also knew I needed to be on my toes if I was going to get through the interview. Smart and funny multiplied by two is a hard act to keep up with. Plus, they were better dressed than I was (again, not that this is exactly hard to do, my wardrobe is rather limited, still...)
Script in hand and a few doodles later, we were ready to shoot the performance part of the segment. Sort of a "Love Letters/Hate Mail" opening bit where the brothers argue in hilariously escalating fashion through correspondence both strained and abusive about what the nature of the opening segment of their new Fringe show is going to be. Talk of rebirth leads to, among other things, talk of a wisecracking placenta puppet (at which point I come very close to laughing out loud off camera and screwing up the taping, but I restrain myself).
Later guests were concerned about the language in their own performances - "Is it OK to say 'ass'?" I could reassure them by saying, "Please, the Scrimshaws read a series of letters one of which began 'Dear Fuckface.' I think you're fine."
Look Ma, No Pants has been retired and replaced by the new comedy/variety outing The Scrimshaw Show, which Joshua and Joseph have been performing on a monthly basis over at the Bryant Lake Bowl through out the year since the last Fringe. (They have one more non-Fringe set of performances coming up, which includes the swan song of Marc Doty before he moves to Washington, D.C., so catch them next Friday and Saturday, July 8th and 9th at 10pm at the Bryant Lake Bowl) And then of course, see the Fringe edition, which, if the excerpt they performed in studio is any indication, should be a different but no less potent kind of funny than we've come to expect from these guys. No big production numbers, a more intimate sort of show, which I'm very much looking forward to seeing for myself.
And no Fringe is complete without at least several different Scrimshaw entries. In addition to the late night Scrimshaw show, Joseph made the lottery pick with his own show as well, which has morphed from a solo show to a three person show called Adventures In Mating, based on the "choose your own adventure" style of books. The audience makes a series of simple decisions - white wine over red, for instance - and that determines which version of the story the actors perform next. Getting a couple throw a successful first date is just as difficult with audience participation as it is when you're doing it all by yourself. But in this instance, you have others suffering the potential indignities for you. And who knows, depending on your chooses in the audience, you might just get them through it without any major mishaps. Good luck. After what I can only describe as Joseph's one-man ensemble piece last year Jack and Ben's 10th Annual Bar Crawl and Moveable Feast - that pulled off the trick of being both outrageously funny and heartbreaking at the same time, I'm up for whatever comes out of this guy's word processor next. Scrimshaws, alone or in pairs, are always enormously entertaining. Wouldn't be a Fringe without them.
The Scrimshaw Show is playing late nights at the Loring Playhouse and well worth staying up for:
The Scrimshaw Brothers
The Scrimshaw Show
Loring Playhouse
1633 Hennepin Avenue
Thu 8/4, 11:30 pm
Fri 8/5, 11:30 pm
Sat 8/6, 11:30 pm
Sun 8/7, 11:30 pm
Wed 8/10, 11:30 pm
Thu 8/11, 11:30 pm
Fri 8/12, 11:30 pm
Sat 8/13, 11:30 pm
Joseph's intrepid Adventures In Mating is over toward uptown at the Brave New Workshop:
Joseph Scrimshaw
Adventures in Mating
Brave New Workshop
Fri 8/5, 5:30 pm
Sun 8/7, 10:00 pm
Wed 8/10, 10:00 pm
Sat 8/13, 10:00 pm
Sun 8/14, 1:00 pm
For more on the Brothers Scrimshaw, check out www.scrimshawbrothers.com
For remembrance of Fringe's past, click on the titles below
Look Ma, No Pants - 2003 Minnesota Fringe Festival
Look Ma, No Pants - The Last One (2004 Fringe)
Jack and Ben's 10th Annual Bar Crawl and Moveable Feast
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 10:30am
There is something both fun and a bit daunting about starting off a long day of shooting with a couple of guys as lively as the Scrimshaw Brothers (not that anyone's lively first thing on a Sunday morning, but...)
I was prepared to be amused, but I also knew I needed to be on my toes if I was going to get through the interview. Smart and funny multiplied by two is a hard act to keep up with. Plus, they were better dressed than I was (again, not that this is exactly hard to do, my wardrobe is rather limited, still...)
Script in hand and a few doodles later, we were ready to shoot the performance part of the segment. Sort of a "Love Letters/Hate Mail" opening bit where the brothers argue in hilariously escalating fashion through correspondence both strained and abusive about what the nature of the opening segment of their new Fringe show is going to be. Talk of rebirth leads to, among other things, talk of a wisecracking placenta puppet (at which point I come very close to laughing out loud off camera and screwing up the taping, but I restrain myself).
Later guests were concerned about the language in their own performances - "Is it OK to say 'ass'?" I could reassure them by saying, "Please, the Scrimshaws read a series of letters one of which began 'Dear Fuckface.' I think you're fine."
Look Ma, No Pants has been retired and replaced by the new comedy/variety outing The Scrimshaw Show, which Joshua and Joseph have been performing on a monthly basis over at the Bryant Lake Bowl through out the year since the last Fringe. (They have one more non-Fringe set of performances coming up, which includes the swan song of Marc Doty before he moves to Washington, D.C., so catch them next Friday and Saturday, July 8th and 9th at 10pm at the Bryant Lake Bowl) And then of course, see the Fringe edition, which, if the excerpt they performed in studio is any indication, should be a different but no less potent kind of funny than we've come to expect from these guys. No big production numbers, a more intimate sort of show, which I'm very much looking forward to seeing for myself.
And no Fringe is complete without at least several different Scrimshaw entries. In addition to the late night Scrimshaw show, Joseph made the lottery pick with his own show as well, which has morphed from a solo show to a three person show called Adventures In Mating, based on the "choose your own adventure" style of books. The audience makes a series of simple decisions - white wine over red, for instance - and that determines which version of the story the actors perform next. Getting a couple throw a successful first date is just as difficult with audience participation as it is when you're doing it all by yourself. But in this instance, you have others suffering the potential indignities for you. And who knows, depending on your chooses in the audience, you might just get them through it without any major mishaps. Good luck. After what I can only describe as Joseph's one-man ensemble piece last year Jack and Ben's 10th Annual Bar Crawl and Moveable Feast - that pulled off the trick of being both outrageously funny and heartbreaking at the same time, I'm up for whatever comes out of this guy's word processor next. Scrimshaws, alone or in pairs, are always enormously entertaining. Wouldn't be a Fringe without them.
The Scrimshaw Show is playing late nights at the Loring Playhouse and well worth staying up for:
The Scrimshaw Brothers
The Scrimshaw Show
Loring Playhouse
1633 Hennepin Avenue
Thu 8/4, 11:30 pm
Fri 8/5, 11:30 pm
Sat 8/6, 11:30 pm
Sun 8/7, 11:30 pm
Wed 8/10, 11:30 pm
Thu 8/11, 11:30 pm
Fri 8/12, 11:30 pm
Sat 8/13, 11:30 pm
Joseph's intrepid Adventures In Mating is over toward uptown at the Brave New Workshop:
Joseph Scrimshaw
Adventures in Mating
Brave New Workshop
Fri 8/5, 5:30 pm
Sun 8/7, 10:00 pm
Wed 8/10, 10:00 pm
Sat 8/13, 10:00 pm
Sun 8/14, 1:00 pm
For more on the Brothers Scrimshaw, check out www.scrimshawbrothers.com
For remembrance of Fringe's past, click on the titles below
Look Ma, No Pants - 2003 Minnesota Fringe Festival
Look Ma, No Pants - The Last One (2004 Fringe)
Jack and Ben's 10th Annual Bar Crawl and Moveable Feast
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Well, that was embarrassing...
It seems my internet problems stem from the fact that I am apparently the electronic equivalent of an old woman living with 12 cats and stacks of old newspapers.
Unable to connect with or update my website, and then watching my email account go kaflooey as well, I called in the cavalry. The tech people, after poking about for a bit, informed me that what was gumming up the works was the fact that I had let my email account get so backed up with old messages that the system was basically saying, "Look, we're not letting anything else in or out until you clean up this mess."
Which I did. And what do you, smooth sailing from that day forward.
Just in time for the TV taping.
So I've been playing catch-up ever since.
But with the impending live-ness of the Fringe site with all this year's information upon us, I figured it was time I got back on the blogging again.
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
It seems my internet problems stem from the fact that I am apparently the electronic equivalent of an old woman living with 12 cats and stacks of old newspapers.
Unable to connect with or update my website, and then watching my email account go kaflooey as well, I called in the cavalry. The tech people, after poking about for a bit, informed me that what was gumming up the works was the fact that I had let my email account get so backed up with old messages that the system was basically saying, "Look, we're not letting anything else in or out until you clean up this mess."
Which I did. And what do you, smooth sailing from that day forward.
Just in time for the TV taping.
So I've been playing catch-up ever since.
But with the impending live-ness of the Fringe site with all this year's information upon us, I figured it was time I got back on the blogging again.
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Monday, June 13, 2005
Fringe 2005 - Another TV Update
Speaking of difficulties...
No sooner do I post that list of potential guests than one of them has a key collaborator needing to drop out due to a family emergency. So they not only needed to reluctantly withdraw from TV taping, the fate of their Fringe show in general is a question mark.
Hope I didn't jinx anybody. Including myself.
I think I won't be posting any more about the taping until the interviews and performances are in the can. Just to be on the safe side.
But this time next week, one way or another, that'll pretty much be a done deal. Cross your fingers.
We also haven't yet heard about potential broadcast dates, if any, from TPT-17, so that's another thing to think good thoughts about. It'd be nice to spread the Fringe fervor to as many TV sets as possible.
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Speaking of difficulties...
No sooner do I post that list of potential guests than one of them has a key collaborator needing to drop out due to a family emergency. So they not only needed to reluctantly withdraw from TV taping, the fate of their Fringe show in general is a question mark.
Hope I didn't jinx anybody. Including myself.
I think I won't be posting any more about the taping until the interviews and performances are in the can. Just to be on the safe side.
But this time next week, one way or another, that'll pretty much be a done deal. Cross your fingers.
We also haven't yet heard about potential broadcast dates, if any, from TPT-17, so that's another thing to think good thoughts about. It'd be nice to spread the Fringe fervor to as many TV sets as possible.
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Techncial Difficulties
Just a quick note of explanation. There have been some issues with my website and email account over the weekend and they're still not resolved.
So even though the front page of my site hasn't been updated, there's still new material, and it's still fully functional.
And if you sent me a message in the last 72 hours, I may have either received it and then watch it vanish mysteriously from my inbox, or I may not have received it at all. So don't feel slighted. I'm not sure that any of the replies or new messages I tried to send over the weekend got through either.
Hopefully this will all be resolved in the very near future and I'll be back on track. In the meantime, my other contact info is on the Contact Me page of the website if you need to reach me.
Ah, technology.
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
Just a quick note of explanation. There have been some issues with my website and email account over the weekend and they're still not resolved.
So even though the front page of my site hasn't been updated, there's still new material, and it's still fully functional.
And if you sent me a message in the last 72 hours, I may have either received it and then watch it vanish mysteriously from my inbox, or I may not have received it at all. So don't feel slighted. I'm not sure that any of the replies or new messages I tried to send over the weekend got through either.
Hopefully this will all be resolved in the very near future and I'll be back on track. In the meantime, my other contact info is on the Contact Me page of the website if you need to reach me.
Ah, technology.
(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)
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