Antelope Valley Thespians

I really love first readthroughs.  The cast meets each other, some for the first time and with others there’s an old familiarity.  We talk about the work, explore it at a very conceptual level.  We get to play with ideas as hearing the words makes it something suddenly very real; even having read the script several times, as director, that readthrough is a major turning point.  It seems so fresh.  Oh yeah, and the cast doesn’t hate me yet.

It is said that at least half of the director’s job is solely in the casting… “If you have a good script and you cast it well, it’ll be good on stage,” remarked directing great Alan Schneider.  ”If you don’t, it won’t.”  After tonight, I know this is going to be a great ride.  Thank you Cam, Derric, Joe, and Karen for your work tonight.  The real work is just beginning, and some parts of it are going to strain us – but the result is going to be electrifying, on an audience barely a few feet away.

Do not miss this production.

Congratulations to Derric Neal (Kenneth Hayes), Courtney Marietta (Ruth Ballard), and Joe Gruca (Guard) for earning spots in “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt”! A big THANK YOU to all who auditioned; we were in the enviable but tough spot of having a 4:1 ratio of candidates to available roles. We were impressed with the quantity and variety of talent out there.

We will be diving right in; rehearsals will start Wednesday.

AVT is proud to support ScriptFrenzy 2010!  For those of you familiar with National Novel Writing Month (or “NaNoWriMo”), the format of ScriptFrenzy will seem quite familiar.  In fact, it’s run by the same organization!

So what is ScriptFrenzy?  The basic concept is that you write 100 pages of scripted material in 30 days.  Simple right?  For the month of April, join those of us who are theatre geeks, writing nerds, have no life, or are just plain insane, and live out your lifelong dream (or passing fancy) of being a playwright.  It’s exciting, glamorous, loads of fun, highly masochistic, and pays absolutely nothing.  Just like being a real writer.

Similar to NaNoWriMo, the theory is that the major hurdle in writing is just getting something out there, no matter how trite or inane.  There will be time for editing later.  For now, get that story and those killer (or God-awful) lines down, and give yourself a starting point for later refinement.

And need we remind you that AVT is constantly on the lookout for quality original work?  One of our goals is to be able to produce at least one full-length play by a local playwright every single year.  We have annual calls-for-scripts on specific themes, host irregular playwrights expos, and we also accept work on any subject at any time for production consideration.  Oh yeah, and we pay.  Like, money.  Yeah, I know.  Intrigued? Check out our Playwrights Page for more info.

And if you’re looking for the perfect place to find your muse and mingle with other over-caffeinated nerds, then why not head over to Sagebrush Cafe in Quartz Hill?  Our one-and-only business patron boasts fine coffee, an arsty atmosphere, and free WiFi for all your wrighting needs.

This April, stop watching.  Start writing.  Register now at ScriptFrenzy.org.

Monthly podcast for our fans and the local community. A text summary will be posted a few days after the podcast goes live.

In this episode:

*Social events from last month – Moving Arts’ production of “Blood and Thunder”, makeup tradeshow.

*Almond Blossom Festival this month! Preview of our booth and what we will have available. Box seat ticket giveaway. New AVT merchandise… you know you want some.

*Auditions for “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” are March 20th.

*Updates for playwrights – $300 bounty continues, three playwrights are wrighting furiously as we speak. AVT is supporting ScriptFrenzy in the month of April! Next playwrights expo sometime in August. AVT willing to talk about paying for original work at any time.

*Local musicians night coming up in April.

*We depend on your support – make a tax-deductible donation easily by credit card on our website today.

 Podcast #7: AVT March 2010 Update [14:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (258)

AVT is on an ongoing mission to post spontaneous interviews with cast, crew, fans, and innocent bystanders.  This episode continues our series of (what we hope are) interesting podcasts, focused on personal experiences with the project.

Want to hear more? View all posts with embedded podcasts, or search for “Antelope Valley Thespians” on the iTunes podcast directory to subscribe for automatic updates.  Enjoy!

There have been a few requests for more information pertaining to auditions for “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt”.  I am happy to oblige with some interpretation of the work and characters.

Basics: there are two main roles, Ruth Ballard and Kenneth Hayes, both early to mid-thirties.  A smaller male role for a Guard is also available.  The setting will be the interview room of a women’s prison in the mid-1980′s.  There are 2 acts of about 45-50 min each.  Ruth and Ken are onstage almost 100% of the time, so the line load is heavy. There are no roles suitable for youth.

Rehearsals will be determined after casting by agreement, as we have a small cast to work with.  Expect 2-4 hours total per week in rehearsal, not including memorization and character work expected of every actor on their own time.

Synopsis: Two dynamic lawyers are locked in a clash of wills and morality. Ruth Ballard is an embittered radical, now in jail, accused of participating in a bank robbery and the subsequent killing of a police officer.  She chooses to represent herself as attorney. Kenneth Hayes is the assistant district attorney assigned to prosecute her. Once, they were classmates, and more,  in law school—now they are two lawyers with very different views on the nature of justice. Their conflicts, legal and personal, probe the nature of our criminal justice system and the  dichotomy between logic and compassion.

Kenneth Hayes: Born into a poor family, Ken has pulled himself up by his bootstraps to get where he is today.  He is searingly intelligent and methodical, and has been taught by a life of hard work and study that there is no excuse for cheating the system or opposing law and order.  Ken would believe that there is no fundamental difference between stealing because one has need and stealing with criminal intent. The law is the law.  He is not a malicious person; rather he simply believes strongly that one must draw a hard line and have an equal standard, or society simply cannot practically function.

Ruth Ballard: Ruth is an in-your-face, assertive woman and a strong activist for social justice.  She is easily as intelligent as Ken, but much less calculating.  Her strength lies instead in her indomitable passion for what she believes is right.  In contrast to Ken’s carefully constructed and sometimes subtle methods, Ruth makes no apologies for her intentions and prefers to argue on principle, rather than via procedure.  Her view on the law is that ignoring the human element inherent in each and every case coldy avoids what is essentially pertinent to every case – intent and motivation.  These, in her view, are what determines ethical culpability – not an action in and of itself.  Ruth has a criminal record of minor offenses associated with her various advocacy movements.

Note: At one point in the play, the script does call for Ruth to briefly strip down to bra and panties (in a non-sexual context).  The actual blocking may be somewhat more conservative than this, but if the concept bothers you, you are advised not to audition for the role of Ruth.

Guard: While having far fewer lines than Ruth and Ken, Marty the prison guard is by no means a two-dimensional character.  He knows of what this woman is accused… she is a cop-killer.   Ruth and Ken were personally involved with each other in law school.  But this case is personal to Marty too; he likely knew the officer killed in the crime under trial, and the struggle between his emotional anger and his sense of duty to the rules of his profession is apparent in every scene.

____________________________________________________

Open auditions will be held Saturday, March 20th.  The format will be cold reading.  Please contact the Stage Manager (karen@avthespians.org) if you intend to audition or if you have further questions regarding audtions.

It is in AVT’s charter to publish a final report, open to all, at the end of each production.  The report includes a summary of the production run, personnel involved, detailed financials, and a compilation of lessons learned.

You can download the Crime and Punishment Production Final Report in pdf form for your reading pleasure.  The production’s close-out blog post also contains basic show information and a link to photos on our Facebook Page.

And if THAT weren’t enough for you, then we have an additional offering: thanks to Cam, we have a podcast recording of some closing thoughts and future speculations by the AVT Strategic Team.  Listen below as the Producer/Director, Stage Manager, Technical Director, and Operations Director interview each other after the “Crime and Punishment” post-production meeting.

 Podcast #6: The Strategic Team discusses "Crime and Punishment" and what lies ahead. [15:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (240)

AVT is on an ongoing mission to post spontaneous interviews with cast, crew, fans, and innocent bystanders.  This episode continues our series of (what we hope are) interesting podcasts, focused on personal experiences with the project.

Want to hear more? View all posts with embedded podcasts, or search for “Antelope Valley Thespians” on the iTunes podcast directory to subscribe for automatic updates.  Enjoy!

AVT is trying something new and podcasting the monthly newsletter we send out to our Facebook Page fans and our Patrons email list.  Producer and Artistic Director Nalin A. Ratnayake gets you the low down on what’s going on this month with AVT.

In this podcast:

1. Concluding remarks from the Producer regarding “Crime and Punishment”.
2. Discussion of the ongoing solicitation for local, original scripts.
3. What’s coming up for AVT: Quartz Hill Almond Blossom Festival in March and “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” in June.
4. A thank you to our Patrons.

 Podcast #5: AVT February Update [10:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (264)

AVT is on an ongoing mission to post spontaneous interviews with cast, crew, fans, and innocent bystanders.  This episode continues our series of (what we hope are) interesting podcasts, focused on personal experiences with the project.

Want to hear more? View all posts with embedded podcasts, or search for “Antelope Valley Thespians” on the iTunes podcast directory to subscribe for automatic updates.  Enjoy!