One week down....
We were extremely busy over the weekend.
Saturday: After spending the day updating blog/pictures, we saw two shows: Slapdash and Opera Buffet's Inside the Kaleidoscope. Both shows were at the Ritz Proscenium (the stage we perform on) and we wanted to stay close to the theater for our performance that evening. After seeing those we had dinner at a fish and chip place down the street called The Anchor. Very yummy!
Our show at 10:00 was very full. I have no idea what the official count was, but it looked like there was maybe 100 people there!!! Very vocal, very fun...we didn't have any problem getting volunteers that night! In fact, when I started singing the "Imperial March" the audience sang along! AWESOME!!!
Our host Matthew and his girlfriend Monica, Brion and his fiancee Katie all came to see the show and we went out to the Northeast Social Club down the street from the Ritz. Nice place. Great server.
While Josh and I were cleaning up from the show, a gentleman came up to us and struck up a conversation. Dave Schneider is a local SAFD guy and, once he found we were a combat show, "had to come and see it." He came along with us to the restaurant and is a wonderfully nice man. He is a few years out of college and sounds like he is starting to make a name for himself in the community. Good luck, Dave!!
Sunday:
After staying up late on Saturday, we decided to wake up at 7:00 am to join Matthew and Monica to go to the Minneapolis farmers market. Clevelanders, imagine the West Side Market...now picture it 4 times bigger with independent farmers, Thai vegetables, fruit picked right off the bush/vine and lots and lots of artist vendors. Yay! Fresh veggies!
Afterward, we tried to see as many shows as possible. Unfortunately, we missed a couple. One was sold out, one we just got there too late. However, we still managed to make 4 shows. Three of them were stellar!!! I wrote my online reviews for them on the fringe page. What a great tool that's been!
**One of my complaints of the MN Fringe is that the show starting times aren't staggered. In NY, if you can't get into a show, there is another one starting in 15, 20, 30 minutes and as long as you haul ass, you can see something. At MN, shows start at 5:30, 7, 8:30 and 10 on weeknights and there are a few more on the weekends. If you get there too late, too bad. Find something to do for an hour - which isn't bad if there is a bar near by, but sucks if you are trying to see as many shows as possible.**
To give a shout out to the shows that ROCKED on Sunday: In A Black Mood (dance, exceptional dance), The First Five Minutes Are Slow (an Alice in Wonderland based story that would be perfect in any school auditorium, but more than entertaining for adults), O(h) (a dancing and singing duo that pokes fun at art in general, contemporary dance and themselves - brilliant.)
Today, we're going to see another three plays: Zombie High School or Sincerity Forever (it depends on if either one is sold out), Rachel Teagle Believes in Ghosts, and Bite Me Twilight. The last one is the one we tried to see yesterday and was sold out. We promptly went online and bought tickets for today. Wish us luck!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
A nice rest.
Yesterday (Friday) we had a day off. We returned the rental car, bought brunch, updated blogs/websites, read our audience reviews (4 1/2 kitties after only one performance!!!) and planned what shows we were going to see in the evening.
We decided to see two shows: Ringtone and ROBO-homa! A territory Tale with a Technological Twist.
Ringtone was really cool. The space was an art gallery and there was no stage. The play (which is set in an art gallery) took place all over the room and we were warned before it started that we might need to move. We needed to move. The actors jumped on benches, sat next to audience members, talked to them and made us uncomfortable at times. Brilliant directing and acting. The play explored the effects of social media and technology on our psyche. The script did a nice job of bringing it to a personal level.
ROBO-homa was very fun. Post-apocalyptic future, humans are killing each other or mutating, and someone has programmed a group of robots to create a new "home" for humans using parts of the musical Oklahoma. Kinda hysterical. I LOVED the dance choreography. My friend Sarah might even have put up with the musical part of it.
Josh and I saw ROBO-homa with Josh's fraternity brother/one of our hosts in MN Brion and his fiancee Katie. Before we went, we had Chinese at a great little restaurant called Evergreen. Josh ordered a delightful dish that you can see a picture of on Flickr. It was gross. However, we all applauded him for trying. After the play, we decided to get a drink and Brion took us to the Guthrie Theater, since he is a subscriber and knew that there would be actors in the bar/restaurant there because two shows are up right now. Before we went into the restaurant, Brion took us on a tour of the theater. Long story short - too late - we managed to get ourselves up to the ninth floor which was closed off to the public for the opening night party of The Scottsboro Boys (thank you Fringe pins!). Up there we were able to see the views from the floor to ceiling windows and take some pictures and almost get in trouble. Heehee!
Brion then walked us around the different lobbies and public areas of the theater. My goodness it's beautiful. The architecture design is so thoughtful and cohesive. As Katie pointed out, it's probably good that we got the tour last night instead of the evening next week that we're going to see a show there, since it took a while. But as I kind of intimated, it was worth it.
PS. Thank you, usher-person that shall remain anonymous! Thank you thank you thank you!!!
We decided to see two shows: Ringtone and ROBO-homa! A territory Tale with a Technological Twist.
Ringtone was really cool. The space was an art gallery and there was no stage. The play (which is set in an art gallery) took place all over the room and we were warned before it started that we might need to move. We needed to move. The actors jumped on benches, sat next to audience members, talked to them and made us uncomfortable at times. Brilliant directing and acting. The play explored the effects of social media and technology on our psyche. The script did a nice job of bringing it to a personal level.
ROBO-homa was very fun. Post-apocalyptic future, humans are killing each other or mutating, and someone has programmed a group of robots to create a new "home" for humans using parts of the musical Oklahoma. Kinda hysterical. I LOVED the dance choreography. My friend Sarah might even have put up with the musical part of it.
Josh and I saw ROBO-homa with Josh's fraternity brother/one of our hosts in MN Brion and his fiancee Katie. Before we went, we had Chinese at a great little restaurant called Evergreen. Josh ordered a delightful dish that you can see a picture of on Flickr. It was gross. However, we all applauded him for trying. After the play, we decided to get a drink and Brion took us to the Guthrie Theater, since he is a subscriber and knew that there would be actors in the bar/restaurant there because two shows are up right now. Before we went into the restaurant, Brion took us on a tour of the theater. Long story short - too late - we managed to get ourselves up to the ninth floor which was closed off to the public for the opening night party of The Scottsboro Boys (thank you Fringe pins!). Up there we were able to see the views from the floor to ceiling windows and take some pictures and almost get in trouble. Heehee!
Brion then walked us around the different lobbies and public areas of the theater. My goodness it's beautiful. The architecture design is so thoughtful and cohesive. As Katie pointed out, it's probably good that we got the tour last night instead of the evening next week that we're going to see a show there, since it took a while. But as I kind of intimated, it was worth it.
PS. Thank you, usher-person that shall remain anonymous! Thank you thank you thank you!!!
Friday, August 6, 2010
We're officially open!!
We had our first performance of Kill Will last night. My fears of doing this show in another city are somewhat allayed! About 30 people attended (a small number for the venue which seats about 220) and they were laughing and participating. It was wonderful! Quinton Skinner from the City Pages came last night, too. I had a chance to say hi to him and thank him for giving us some wonderful press. However, Josh and I didn't have a chance to see if his interest in the idea of the play actually translated to the performance. My fingers are crossed.
We have some audience reviews on our page through the fringe website (I wonder if we can use those for future PR) and as of 9:30 this morning, all five of the reviews were five cats out of five (the MN Fringe equivalent of stars)! Yay!!!
We have been taking pictures and we'll be creating a Flickr site so anyone who's interested can view (thanks, moms!).
We have some audience reviews on our page through the fringe website (I wonder if we can use those for future PR) and as of 9:30 this morning, all five of the reviews were five cats out of five (the MN Fringe equivalent of stars)! Yay!!!
We have been taking pictures and we'll be creating a Flickr site so anyone who's interested can view (thanks, moms!).
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Cry havoc, and let loose the dogs of... theater?
Well, it's been a pretty long 36 hours, but we are in Minneapolis and done with tech. Yesterday morning we boarded a Megabus in Cleveland and drove for about 15 hours, stopping in Toledo, Chicago and Milwaukee on the way. We got here at 11:30 PM and our hosts, Brion and Matt, were waiting for us. We drove to Matt's house (saw the Guthrie Theater on the way!), got the nickel tour, and bedded down for the night. This morning we got a ride to Enterprise, rented an SUV, loaded it up with our ridiculously heavy props trunk, and drove to our performance venue to meet our stage manager Lindsay and tech the show.
Lindsay, by the way, is super awesome. All props to Tim Perfect (yes, that's his real name) for suggesting her. She is handling all the multimedia duties for our show, and she managed it like a real trooper. Tech went off without a hitch. We were a little worried about the 10-minute time limit for setup and break down, but apparently we have less stuff than we thought, cause we're coming in under 5 minutes for both. Score! The tech guys at Bedlam were also super awesome and there will be some beer in their future. Well, tequila for the one.
We are now sitting in Fringe Central, which is located at the fantastic Bedlam Theater - which is apparently about to lose its home, according to the City Pages, Minneapolis' alt. mag. We are enjoying a couple of beers and are waiting for food because, of course, it's also a restaurant and bar. Soon, the out-of-towners showcase will commence and we'll be giving a small taste of the Kill Will to the in-the-towners.
Going back to the City Pages... There is an article: The Fringe Starter Kit. This article mentions 20 shows that the writer finds intriguing and good ones to start with if a person is overwhelmed with the selection. The article starts on page 17 (in the print edition). We are mentioned on page 19!!!!! (the second page of the article.) EEEEEEEEEEEE! (that was from Kelly.)
Here we go...
Lindsay, by the way, is super awesome. All props to Tim Perfect (yes, that's his real name) for suggesting her. She is handling all the multimedia duties for our show, and she managed it like a real trooper. Tech went off without a hitch. We were a little worried about the 10-minute time limit for setup and break down, but apparently we have less stuff than we thought, cause we're coming in under 5 minutes for both. Score! The tech guys at Bedlam were also super awesome and there will be some beer in their future. Well, tequila for the one.
We are now sitting in Fringe Central, which is located at the fantastic Bedlam Theater - which is apparently about to lose its home, according to the City Pages, Minneapolis' alt. mag. We are enjoying a couple of beers and are waiting for food because, of course, it's also a restaurant and bar. Soon, the out-of-towners showcase will commence and we'll be giving a small taste of the Kill Will to the in-the-towners.
Going back to the City Pages... There is an article: The Fringe Starter Kit. This article mentions 20 shows that the writer finds intriguing and good ones to start with if a person is overwhelmed with the selection. The article starts on page 17 (in the print edition). We are mentioned on page 19!!!!! (the second page of the article.) EEEEEEEEEEEE! (that was from Kelly.)
Here we go...
Monday, August 2, 2010
Our wagon is prepared, and time revives us
The script is revised. The fights are rehearsed. The bags are packed. The props are shipped. The dogs are at Kelly's mom's house. Tomorrow morning we get on a Megabus and 15 hours later, more or less, we'll be in Minnesota. Keep an eye on this space, 'cause we'll be making all kinds of updates.
Also... Vote for our Fringe trailer! There is a Fringe video trailer contest, and I've submitted a shortened version of our trailer for the contest. You have until 3PM (Central Time) on August 4th to vote for our trailer up to 3 times. They track it by email address. If we win, we get $500. Now, I know I got it up there late, but come on, Cleveland (and family and friends outside of Cleveland)! If 300 of you vote 3 times, that's 900 votes. That's not too shabby! Vote for our trailer here!
Also... Vote for our Fringe trailer! There is a Fringe video trailer contest, and I've submitted a shortened version of our trailer for the contest. You have until 3PM (Central Time) on August 4th to vote for our trailer up to 3 times. They track it by email address. If we win, we get $500. Now, I know I got it up there late, but come on, Cleveland (and family and friends outside of Cleveland)! If 300 of you vote 3 times, that's 900 votes. That's not too shabby! Vote for our trailer here!
The official Fringe trailer is up!
Go to killwilltheplay.com, click on Multimedia, and watch the official trailer in all its glory!
We leave on Tuesday morning. Wish us luck!
We leave on Tuesday morning. Wish us luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)