Archive for June, 2009

For those interested, a final report regarding the project, financials, and lessons learned as far as what it took to produce “Voices” and get our garage theatre project operational is posted in the AVT Forums at:

http://avthespians.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=607

Edit: The format of this event was changed on 7/24/09.
Edit: The dates for the deadline and event were changed on 9/13/09.

With Crime and Punishment about 6 months off (by necessity for a number of reasons unfortunately), we thought we should put something together for the relative near term.  So…. AVT will be hosting an original short-play expo on Saturday, October 24th!

ATTENTION LOCAL PLAYWRIGHTS!!! We are looking for original short plays, approximately 15-20 min in length.  This is a great opportunity to sharpen your  skills and get some feedback on your writing style from a small, friendly audience.  Also, it’s a great fun outlet for your creative energies in our garage theatre!

We will have the garage theatre set up and open for the full afternoon on Oct 24th, exact times TBA.  From the submitted scripts, we will select several to be exhibited at the expo.  Each script will be allotted approximately one hour of time for reading/performance and discussion.  A group of actors will be on hand to read for characters and perform basic stagework.  The Aristic Director, Technical Director, and Production Stage Manager of AVT will be on hand to observe and review your work, and give you feedback from each of their perspectives.

Audience members and those interested in our project are welcome to stop by at any time during the open house.  We will publish in advance the schedule of plays to be discussed and times.  Admission will be FREE.

For playwrights, this is a great chance to get feedback from directors, techies, stage crew, actors, and a test audience.   For theatre folk, this is a wonderful opportunity to give some solid feedback to aspiring writers, and to work with the Antelope Valley’s latest local creative writing.  For everyone else, come on down and enjoy a fun, casual, and participative experiment in local community theatre!

Terms:

• Draft scripts are due no later than September 22nd, 2009 for review and selection.  AVT will select 4 to 7 scripts for exhibition at the expo.
• You will retain copyright as the author, and grant AVT a one-time, royalty-free license to produce your work for this expo, and one-time, royalty-free license to photograph, publish on, and advertise said production.  No entry fee will be charged, and no commission or other direct compensation will be provided.
• Scripts should require no more than 3-4 actors onstage at one time, and have minimal scenic and technical requirements.  Maximum performance time is 20 min.
• AVT will provide the theater space for performance, the lighting and sound system, the actors, and advertise the production.  Any lighting and sound cues shall be provided to AVT’s Production Stage Manager in advance.
• AVT has the one-time, royalty-free creative license to cast, direct, and perform your script.
• Neither AVT nor the Producer assume any liability of any sort beyond that normally carried by the host of private party at a residence.

Submit your work or direct any questions to productions@avthespians.org.  Please include all contact information if submitting a script.

AVT is pleased to announce that we have acquired the rights to our next production: Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, adapted to the stage by Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus, and produced by special arrangement with Dramatic Publishing.

This new, award-winning adaptation of Dostoyevsky’s literary masterpiece Crime and Punishment is set in 1860’s St. Petersburg, where Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov relives the thoughts, ideas and feelings that drove him to his horrible crime. This “conversation on the nature of evil” becomes a dark journey into the mind of a killer and his search for redemption. Raskolnikov speaks directly to the audience at times, putting his case to them, so that the audience becomes another character in the telling. This is an intense psychological and spiritual journey which seeks to unveil hidden dimensions of the human condition, and the power of faith to heal even the gravest and most disturbing wounds of the soul.

I am very pleased to be able to produce and direct this play, as it has been one of my favorite books for a long time.  There will be three shows, two on Saturday January 16th, and one on Sunday January 17th.

Look for an audition notice on the AVT Forums sometime in early August, and rehearsals will begin around early September.  We will be looking for one male for a darkly disturbing lead, and another male and female to play several supporting roles for which demonstrated versatility at playing multiple very distinct characters will be the key factor.

Would you like to help support this production?  Check out the Patronage page to see how you can be a part of our unique arts movement on your local community.

Praise for the theatrical version of Crime and Punishment:

2002-2003 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Adaptation

“Who would have thought that the novel no high school student has ever finished reading would make such engrossing theater?” —New York Times

“Stunningly lean, taut and emotionally searing… a work of theatre that never feels like a condensation of a seminal 500-page novel, but rather has the swift, sharp impact of a blow from an ax.” —Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times

“Only occasionally can the production of a classic make us see the work differently…this adaptation and production remind us how thrilling a classic can be. On opening night you feel the audience holding its breath throughout the performance. Go: it will leave you breathless, too.” —AISLESAY Chicago

“Crime and Punishment, in a feat that rivals the construction of the Hoover Dam, has been distilled into a taut 90-minute play.” —New York Times

“Raskolnikov’s journey may be, in essence, a 90-minute exercise in logic, but here it’s a remarkably absorbing one.”
—New York Times

Actresses Anna Delrosario (left) and Sarah Bialobroda in the midst of a scene.

Some closing thoughts from “Voices”, for posterity.  You can download the playbill if you’d like, in case you missed the show or forgot to take yours!

Both shows went very well, and I was extremely pleased with how everything came together.  At the receptions following the shows, we received many compliments, a few pledges of support, and general incredulity that anyone was able to produce a play in a garage of all places.  GO TEAM!

As of this point, finances are as follows:
Infrastructure: $910.53
Operations: $318.63
Production: $102.38
Patronage, Donations, and In-kind Support:  -$95.00
NET: $1236.54

I expect future productions to be less expensive overall due to (hopefully) increased and continuing patronage, as well as the fact that infrastructure costs have probably leveled off for the most part.  The plus side is, we now have a 9-piece lighting system and a very nice curtain setup!  Thanks to Courtney for the loan of all the sound equipment.

We have two patrons, who wish to remain anonymous, that have actually given money to us (thank you!), plus several more who have pledged their support in the near future.  There seem to be a couple local businesses at least interested in what we are doing, but I have yet to talk to them directly about partnerships.  Also, we now have three playwrights in various stages of tentativeness thinking about writing scripts we could potentially produce.  Not bad for a startup!

Wow, what a heady experience… may the garage theatre live long and prosper!  The production team will be taking a couple of weeks off for some well-deserved rest, and then we will be getting to work on the planning for our next production (look for a post soon).

Meanwhile, here are some photos and some playbill text from “Voices”:

Anna Delrosario, as the spirit of Jeanne d'Arc.

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“Voices”, by Hortense Flexner.

Yvonne, a young peasant girl, fears for her small town of Domremy, France, ravaged  by the shelling of World War I.  She stops to pray at the ancient church sacred to Jeanne D’Arc, a ruined basilica in the woods near her village.

This sacred ground, believed for centuries to be infused with the spirit of Jeanne d’Arc, is known for being the place where Jeanne first heard the voices from Heaven.

Yvonne speaks, and a Voice responds… we are offered a glimpse of  her county’s past, and learn of the power of the spirit to overcome life’s worst horrors.

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Shows are:
Saturday, June 20th, 7:00pm
Sunday, June 21st, 7:00pm
Running time is approximately one-half hour.

Sarah Bialobroda, as Yvonne the young peasant girl.

Tickets are FREE.

Prior reservation is REQUIRED.

Please RSVP to productions@avthespians.org with a firm head count. Your seats are not reserved until you receive a response email confirming that we can accommodate your party. Due to the small nature of our theater (27 seats), please do not reserve seats that are not definitely going to be filled.

Theater location is on the west side, near 65th W and Avenue L. Address and parking information will be sent out to all confirmed guests.

Reception to follow.

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Starring:
Sarah Bialobroda
Anna Delrosario

Yvonne and the spirit of Jeanne d'Arc before the church.

Producer & Artistic Director — Nalin A. Ratnayake
Production Stage Manager — Courtney Marietta
Technical Director — Jeremy Gruca
Scenic Design — Lucas Nemeth
Lighting Design — Jessica Katzman
Sound Design — Juliana Katzman
Costume & Properties — Anna Delrosario

Thank you so much to the cast, crew, and the audience who came out to support our debut production this last weekend!  Both shows and both receptions went very well, and we are already getting pledges of support and patronage from several folks.  I’ll be posting a big update tonight (probably late) with pictures, the project financials, lessons learned etc.  Also, stay tuned for an announcement of our next production.

Just a quick note before I scramble off to get the next show and reception ready…. what a beautiful opening night!  I am so very pleased at how everything has come together, and I think everyone was impressed at what we can do with our rather unconventional theatre space.  One more to go!  I’ll post a longer review when I have time.

I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong… tech week is usually a hellish nightmare of panic; yet this week for us has gone more or less as smoothly as we could have hoped – knock on wood! It has been quite a bit of money and many many long nights, but this project is finally reaching its… beginning!

This weekend will be proof of concept.  Proof that yes, in a small space not designed for the purpose and with common materials, we can indeed display fine acting, creative scenic design, innovative light and sound, and stunning costumes.  Proof that we can indeed make art in a garage.  Proof that in some things, beauty really does lie in essential simplicity.  Thanks to many hours put in by a very dedicated team, we are READY.

This the phase that is nailbiting for a director… one has already let go of the wheel, and now paces the deck nervously, waiting to see where the ship will sail.  Yet with this team, I know I need not worry; “Voices” is in good hands.  So I will just pour myself another glass of Merlot, and revel in it!

Playbills printed, still need to fold them.  Next show flyer and patronage solicitation printed.  All seats laid out and theatre space swept. Just some cleaning of the downstairs area and setting up for the reception, and my list is done.

Thanks to AV Press staff writer Julie Daniel for a wonderful article in today’s “Showcase” magazine!

We have one seat remaining for tomorrow’s show, and two left for Sunday at this time.

Ooof, exhausted… signing out for tonight. Though what’s the point?  I’m too excited to sleep despite my tiredness!