Curiouser and Curiouser

The Original Tea Party: no indulging in theatre (or fancy dress at funerals)

mare — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 19:02:16 +0000

John the Traveler relayed this awesome tidbit:

The December 20/27 issue of “The New Yorker” had an article about the original Tea Party and related issues. In the articlit described the Continental Association (an agreement in response to [false] rumors of a British assault on Boston.)

“Americans were not to drink any taxed tea after March 1, 1775; sheep were to be preserved from slaughter for the sake of a national wool industry; and no one was to indulge in cockfights, horse racing, theatre, or fancy dress at funerals.”

Chris Parente to host OUT @ Curious

mare — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:03:46 +0000

We love us some Chris Parente.

He’s a hoot.

Kelly Ripa likes him, too. She calls him “simply divine.” (Chris filled in for Regis Philbin this last year. They liked him so much, they brought him back again as a feature reporter for their “Ambush Makeovers.”)

Chris minored in theatre and performed with Second City. We’re telling you, he’s really a HOOT.

Check him out here at Curious on February 2nd, when he hosts our OUT @ Curious night- a fundraiser for both Curious and One Colorado.

Chris Parente and Kelly Ripka

Sundown Collaborative and The Wooster Group

mare — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:12:58 +0000

The latest dispatch from John’s Travels.

Hi Mare,

Sundown Collaborative Theatre is a young group in Denton, Texas in their third season. Their recent production of Sarah Kane’s “4.48 Psychosis” exposed a pesonally felt, powerful view of a mind in distress. It was a compelling and sympathetic depiction of not recognizable, but easily imaginable, and convincing feelings and the frustration of losing control. I still felt a bit raw for days after the experience.

The theatre space was a 2-car garage. The audience sat on benches along the front and back, with an alley of only about 10 feet between them. Lighting and sound were minimal and low budget but unobtrusive (once the play started, I never looked away from the actors.) The walls were hung with crude paintings/scribblings which were used to explicate some of the more puzzling passages.

There’s tremendous flexibility and room for interpretation in Kane’s script and Sundown took full advantage, leading to a great outcome. This production had a cast of eight. (Kane doesn’t specify number of actors and doesn’t assign lines to any characters. For the premiere in London, the lines were parsed among three actors.) The larger number allowed voices to swirl around in the dark very effectively. It also conveyed the disorientation arising from interactions with multiple medical staff. Two of the actors also played other patients, sometimes singing, always adding to the isolation and lonliness and sadness. The lead actor had consulted extensively with her father and sister who both work in Psychiatry, so the accuracy of the depictions in this production seems a given.

The Wooster Group was in LA with Tennessee Williams’ “Vieux Carre.” After Tom leaves St. Louis at the end of “Glass Menagerie” he says something like “I didn’t just go to the moon, I went much further…” This play covers the first part of that voyage as he is exposed to characters and issues of sexuality, desire, etc. that show up in much of Williams’ work. In this production (i’ve never read of seen the play before) the play lacks the distancing, narrator role of “Glass Menagerie”. We see directly the transformation of the overheard and the experienced – glimpses, vignettes really, into this play (and we know, as audience, into many plays to come.)

Wooster Group’s production felt like we were in a cauldron in which theatre was being created to tell Tom’s story. Lots of technology (flat panel video monitors, projection, video camera) had not quite melted-in to the story (intentionally - body mic wires kept getting snagged as clothes were shed.) This empahsis on the making of theatre was great demonstration of Wooster Group’s strengths.

And the two plays are interesting to think about together. Both are set in chaos. But the degree of chaos differs as does the voluntary nature of immersion in it. Williams uses sexual chaos as a path to knowledge. The wooster group indulges and keeps it real with studied (if irony-drenched) unpolishedness. Kane’s character (and maybe Kane) used her hour of insight beginning at 4:48 every morning to convey her loss of control and her battle to lead her life. Sundown Collaborative made a respectful, frightening, intense experience with just enough hope to make it even more powerful. One high-tech by a high profile company.

One low tech by a young group working in obscurity. Both unforgettable. Neither playwright is still alive, but Damn!, for this theatre consumer, theatre sure is.

John

THEWOOSTERGROUP.

Happy 2011 from Old Lady 2010

mare — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 21:56:02 +0000

Alex Dembicki interviews Old Lady 2010

CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION – Backstage Pass Series

mare — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 21:39:08 +0000

We continue our 2010-2011 season with CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION by Annie Baker, a touching comedy about a group of five misfit strangers learning about life, romance and hula hoops in an adult Creative Drama class in Shirley, Vermont.

In addition, we will host special FREE events related to CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION in Curious’ Backstage Pass series including:

Sunday, January 30, 12:30-1:30pm FREE; cash bar.
ACTING CLASS
Fun, low-pressure workshop featuring some favorite exercises of Curious’ Company members.

Sunday, February 13, 1-1:45pm FREE; cash bar.
FUNNY VALENTINE
Colorado Chamber Players presents the romantic music of Bruch (viola/clarinet/piano) and Rebecca Clarke (viola/clarinet), interspersed with comedic literature of love, read by Curious actors.

Sunday, February 20, 1pm FREE; cash bar.
FOREWORD
Discussion with CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION director Christopher Leo

For more information, contact Mare Trevathan at 720.258.4208

CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION
Tickets – $18-42
Playing January 22 – February 26, 2011
Call 303-623-0524 or click here

Scene from Circle Mirror Transformation (NYC)

Paid Acting/PR gigs

mare — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 19:10:27 +0000

Monday, Dec. 27, 7pm to 9:30pm FREAK TRAIN at The Bug
Need 3 over-21-y.o. folks in Curious t-shirts (we provide) to lead the crowd in 5 minutes of theatre games and FILM it. The video will be used in our social media campaigns for CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION.
$25 plus your $5 entry fee (which includes free beer)

Friday, Jan. 7, 7:30-8pm FIRST FRIDAY at 910 Arts on Santa Fe
Need 3 folks in Curious t-shirts (we provide) to lead the crowd in theatre games and FILM it.
One person of the three as the leader (having folks interpret/interact with the art on the walls).
The video will be used in our social media campaigns for CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION.
$40 for the leader; $20 for the assistants.

Interested? Contact mare@curioustheatre.org!

Now Hiring: Box Office Manager

mare — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 19:05:03 +0000

Curious Theatre Company, a mid-size, Equity theatre, seeks a part-time, friendly and customer service- oriented Box Office Manager to join our staff of 12 in early February, 2011. Responsibilities include:

Subscription and single-ticket sales, processing and management
Oversight and scheduling of box office staff
Database and ticketing system management and reporting
Other customer service and reporting tasks

Ideal candidates will have a strong customer service background, clear communication and organizational skills, and experience in a box office environment. Database and Excel expertise is a must.

20-25 hours a week, $10-$12 an hour based on experience.

Please send resume and references by January 7, 2011 to:

Sarah Benvenuti, Managing Director

sarah@curioustheatre.org

Box Office Search

Curious Theatre Company

1080 Acoma Street

Denver, CO 80204

BALLS, pip pip!

mare — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 15:33:29 +0000

Saturday, Dec. 11, BALLS! A HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR benefits Curious Theatre Company!

Come at 7:01 for food, drink and mixing with member of Curious. BALLS! starts at 7:31. A donation (suggested range $15-35 per person) will be collected during the show.

RESERVATIONS NECESSARY!

Tonight, we bake

mare — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:02:05 +0000

If you live or work in the Golden Triangle– or just LIKE it (what with the Denver Art Museum and library and Curious and all), come bake backstage with us tonight from 5-7pm.

We’re making, baking and decorating sugar cookies for donation to “The Forum”- a shelter in the neighborhood operated by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.

C’mon down! Food’s donated by Parsley (yum!) and the Curious bar will be open.

Neighbors (including Mare and Third Thursday organizer Tobi Watson as bookends)

U-Cross Ranch

mare — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 19:36:27 +0000