14/48: The World's Quickest Theatre Festival

Saturday Night Video

2008-01-15T11:27:00.000-08:00

Here are some highlights from Saturday's performance, set to the 14/48 Band's cover of Pressure Drop.

Saturday Night Photos

2008-01-13T21:33:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to David Baum for the great photos from the Saturday night performance.

Official 14/48 greeter Matthew Richter.

The hard-working 14/48 band.

Mark Fullerton, Buddy Mahoney, and David Goldstein in The Sky Girl, written by Pattie Miles Van Beauzekom and directed by Tina La Plant.

Buddy Mahoney, Mark Fullerton, Mik Kuhlman, and David Goldstein in The Sky Girl.

Jenny Sue Johnson in The Swine Maiden, written by Marcy Rodenborn and directed by Jerry Manning.

Aaron La Plante, Jenny Sue Johnson, and Trick Danneker in The Swine Maiden.

Trick Danneker and Jenny Sue Johnson in The Swine Maiden.

John Q. Smith and Alex Samuels in Bit of Paradise, written by Ki Gottberg and directed by Shawn Belyea.

John Q. Smith and Alex Samuels in Bit of Paradise.

John Q. Smith in Bit of Paradise.

John Bartley and Jason Harber in Jesus Fridge 9000, written by Chris Hadad and directed by Jennifer Jasper.

Seanjohn Walsh, John Bartley, and Karen Jo Fairbrook in Jesus Fridge 9000.

Jaime Roberts, Annette Auger, Paul Ray, and Holly Arsenault in Pressure Treated, written by Dawson Nichols and directed by Mazen Award winner Erik Van Beauzekom.

Annette Auger and Paul Ray in Pressure Treated.

Jaime Roberts and Paul Ray in Pressure Treated.

Charles Leggett, Michelle Lewis, and Jodi-Paul Wooster in Crocodiles, written by Kelleen Conway-Blanchard and directed by Jose Amador.

Charles Leggett and Michelle Lewis in Crocodiles.

Jodi-Paul Wooster in Crocodiles.

Erin Stewart, Megan Ahiers, Amy Fleetwood, and Imogen Love in Measure of Love, written by Dennis Schebetta and directed by Darian Lindle.

Bret Fetzer, Erin Stewart, and Megan Ahiers in Measure of Love.

Megan Ahiers, Erin Stewart, Bret Fetzer, Imogen Love, and Amy Fleetwood in Measure of Love.

The 14/48 ensemble.

Saturday Night Program

2008-01-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

Another great show last night - pictures and video will be posted over the next couple days, so please check back.

Here was the lineup:

Theme: UNDER PRESSURE

ACT I
The Sky Girl
Written by Pattie Miles Van Beauzekom
Directed by Tina La Plant
Performed by
Mark Fullerton
David Goldstein
Mik Kuhlman
Buddy Mahoney

The Swine Maiden
Written by Marcy Rodenborn
Directed by Jerry Manning
Performed by
Trick Danneker
Jenny Sue Johnson
Aaron La Plante

Bit Of Paradise
Written by Ki Gottberg
Directed by Shawn Belyea
Performed by
Alex Samuels
John Q. Smith

Jesus Fridge 9000
Written by Chris Hadad
Directed by Jennifer Jasper
Performed by
John Bartley
Karen Jo Fairbrook
Jason Harber
Seanjohn Walsh

ACT II
Pressure Treated
Written by Dawson Nichols
Directed by Erik Van Beauzekom
Performed by
Holly Arsenault
Annette Auger
Paul Ray
Jaime Roberts

Crocodiles
Written by Kelleen Conway-Blanchard
Directed by Jose Amador
Performed by
Charles Leggett
Michelle Lewis
Jodi-Paul Wooster

Measure of Love
Written by Dennis Schebetta
Directed by Darian Lindle
Performed by
Megan Ahiers
Bret Fetzer
Amy Fleetwood
Erin Stewart
Imogen Love

The Swine Maiden in brief

2008-01-12T18:18:00.000-08:00

I was sitting next to director Jerry Manning this morning when he received his play, The Swine Maiden, by Marcy Rodenborn, and I've been trying to keep tabs on its progress throughout the day...

9am: Jerry pulls Marcy's play at random from the stack and reads through it on his own. The Swine Maiden combines Freud, Jung, pigs, and fairy tales. Although that makes the play sound like it was written by Gary Busey on acid, I promise that, on paper, it works. And it's damn funny.

9:05am (Jerry reads fast): Marcy explains the play to Jerry, and they discuss his questions. Marcy agrees to be available during the day in case rewrites are needed.

9:45am: Jerry meets with Dante Olivia-Smith and the design team to discuss technical needs. Jerry explains that he needs two identical pigs, a broadsword that can magically appear, and a set of rolling hills. By 8pm. No problem, say the designers.

10:00am: The company meets and directors pull actor names at random. Jerry pulls Trick Danneker, Jenny Sue Johnson, and Aaron LaPlante. Trick is having some trouble with his voice, and all three are a little tired from Friday night, but it's a talented cast, and they're certainly not hard to look at.

10:00am: The cast is assigned to the room called Outer Walrus for rehearsals. Marcy rewrites sections of the play, which improves the play but also challenges the cast's memorization. They block the show quickly because - oh yeah - they have to perform in ten hours.

1:00pm: The cast takes a break for lunch. They return and continue to rehearse.

2:30pm: The cast takes their final break before their tech rehearsal. Everyone works on memorizing their lines and tries to grab a nap.

3:30pm: Everybody reunites for one last run-through before their tech rehearsal.

3:50pm: Tech. A process that normally takes a week is done in twenty minutes. Stage manager James H. Frounfelter rehearses the changeovers between plays, and the band gets their timing right between songs. Jerry works out the two technical moments in the play: the unveiling of the broadsword and the final exit. They finish tech in 24 minutes.

4:30pm: The cast go through their final rehearsals, focusing on memorizing their lines.

5:45pm: Jerry feels that the cast is in good shape and calls their final break. He asks for one more read-through before they perform. Everybody takes off to nap, eat, memorize lines, and find final costume pieces.

Before they go, I ask the cast how they're feeling. They tell me that they're tired from the weekend's schedule, but are feeling good about the show and ready to put it in front of an audience.

Friday Performance Pix

2008-01-12T17:48:00.000-08:00

Check out David Baum's pix from the 8pm performance on Friday.

The 14/48 Band - I've recently been informed that you have to sleep with two (not one) members of the band to get into a sold out show. Whether or not it's both band members at the same time can be negotiated.

Official 14/48 Greeter Matthew Richter

Seanjohn Walsh, Seanjohn's big thing, and Trick Danneker in The Big Thing, written by Ki Gottberg and directed by John Kaufmann

Jenny Sue Johnson, Trick Danneker, Seanjohn Walsh, and Annette Auger in The Big Thing.

Erin Stewart and Mark Fullerton in Deep and True, written by Kelleen Conway-Blanchard and directed by Mazen Award winner Erik Van Beauzekom.

Mark Fullerton and Angela DiMarco in Deep and True.

Karen Jo Fairbrook and Aaron LaPlante in Ride of the Drunken Stallion, written by Chris Hadad and directed by Jerry Manning. You'll have to ask Chris whether the play was inspired by true events.

Alyssa Keene, Jaime Roberts, and Jodi-Paul Brown-Wooster in A Wayward Lover, written by Pattie Miles Van Beauzekom and directed by Shawn Belyea.

Jaime Roberts and Jodi-Paul Brown-Wooster in A Wayward Lover.

Holly Arsenault and Paul Ray in A Wayward Lover.

Jaime Roberts in A Wayward Lover.

Buddy Mahoney, Keria McDonald, Jason Harber, and David Goldstein in Parachute, written by Dawson Nichols and directed by Darian Lindle. Jason opted to wear his street clothes rather than a costume.

Buddy Mahoney, Keria McDonald, and Jason Harber in Parachute.

Mik Kuhlman in Don't Look Down, written by Marcy Rodenborn and directed by Jennifer Jasper.

Alex Samuels, Charles Leggett, and Mik Kuhlman in Don't Look Down.

Megan Ahiers, John Bartley, Amy Fleetwood, John Q. Smith, and Bret Fetzer in Resurrecting the King, written by Dennis Schebetta and directed by Jose Amador.

John Q. Smith and John Bartley in Resurrecting the King.

Jodi-Paul Brown-Wooster, surrounded by the artists, pulls Saturday night's theme: UNDER PRESSURE.

Pork Update

2008-01-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

Michelle Stay, of the very talented and very lovely 14/48 design team, shows off the solution the team devised for the pigs in The Swine Maiden by Marcy Rodenborn.

Materials Used:
1 vodka box
7 keg cups
1 coat hanger
masking tape
gaffer's tape
spray paint (1 can gold, 1 can silver)

The Very Capable 14/48 Band

2008-01-12T14:53:00.000-08:00

The band is fucking AMAZING. They show up at 11am, and nine hours later they have a two-hour show scored and rehearsed. And then they throw in an original theme song just for fun.

How it breaks down is the directors each throw songs at them to intro (and sometimes outro) their plays, the band downloads the mp3 and the lyrics, they listen once, turn around, and make it happen. That means they could be learning somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 songs on any given night.

I was just sitting in on their rehearsal as they went through Pressure Drop, Hell, and Whole Lotta Love. They sounded good. And Becky Poole plays the saw. That's hot.

Friday Performance Video

2008-01-12T13:29:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the highlights of Friday's performance, set to the musical stylings of the 14/48 band:

Even More Friday Photos

2008-01-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

Virgin photographer (and all around swell guy) David Baum provided these photos from Friday day.

Actor Bret Fetzer and director Jose Amador rehearse Resurrecting the King by Dennis Schebetta.

Any ideas on where to find a severed head at ten in the morning?

Kerri Brown-Wooster gasps at the size of Peter Dylan O'Conner's ice cream cone. They just don't come that big in England.

Darian Lindie directs David Goldstein, Buddy Mahoney, Jason Harber, and Keria McDonald in Parachute, written by Dawson Nichols.

Director Jerry Manning directs Ride of the Drunken Stallion by Chris Hadad.

Urinals in 30 minutes.

Mazen Award winner Eric Van Beauzekom.

Chrystian Sheppard, keeping the lights on.

Do You Smell Bacon?

2008-01-12T09:48:00.000-08:00

Director Jerry Manning pulled Marcy Rodenborn's play, The Swine Maiden, and one of the prop requirements is a set of identical pigs. He's working with the design crew to figure how to create them (IN TEN HOURS), but if any of the Seattle Pigs on Parade go missing today, I had nothing to do with it.

A Big Ass Boulder

2008-01-12T09:17:00.000-08:00

I heard a metaphor once that described the process of performing a play as a big ass boulder at the top of a hill. You start the boulder rolling, and once it starts gaining speed, there's no way to stop it before it reaches the bottom (short of major disaster).

It's 9:36am, and I'm sitting in the Lounge at CHAC, surrounded by writers and directors discussing the plays they've written/selected, and it occurs to me that the boulder started rolling last night the moment the theme was pulled. It's about a fifth of the way down the hill and still gaining speed.

I should probably say something pithy here about the connection between writers and directors, and the bond that is created in the first conversation about a play, but all I can think about is the fact that I'm sitting in a room full of good-looking people. Especially those playwrights - these people barely slept last night, and they're still looking damn fine.

Friday Night Program

2008-01-12T09:08:00.001-08:00

Here's a quick rundown of who and what happened at the Friday show - thoughts and comments coming soon in another blog post:

ACT I
The Big Thing
Written by Ki Gottberg
Directed by John Kaufmann
Performed by
Trick Danneker
Seanjohn Walsh
Annette Auger
Jenny Sue Johnson

Deep and True
Written by Kelleen Conway-Blanchard
Directed by Erik Van Beauzekom
Performed by
Angela DiMarco
Erin Stewart
Mark Fullerton

Ride of the Drunken Stallion
Written by Chris Hadad
Directed by Jerry Manning
Performed by
Karen Jo Fairbrook
Aaron LaPlante

A Wayward Lover
Written by Pattie Miles Van Beauzekom
Directed by Shawn Belye
Performed by
Jodi-Paul Brown-Wooster
Paul Ray
Alyssa Keene
Jaime Robert
Holly Arsenault

ACT II
Parachute
Written by Dawson Nichols
Directed by Darian Lindle
Performed by
David Goldstein
Buddy Mahoney
Jason Harber
Keria McDonald

Don't Look Down
Written by Marcy Rodenborn
Directed by Jennifer Jasper
Performed by
Alex Samuels
Charles Leggett
Mik Kuhlman

Resurrecting the King
Written by Dennis Schebetta
Directed by Jose Amador
Performed by
John Bartley
Bret Fetzer
John Q. Smith
Amy Fletwood
Megan Ahiers

Friday Night Monologue

2008-01-12T01:26:00.000-08:00

Matthew Richter fluffs the crowd before the 8pm performance on Friday.

30 Minutes to Go

2008-01-11T19:35:00.000-08:00

Sounds heard at 30 minutes to go:

The band upstairs, riffing. A little country, a little blues, a little soul.

The house manager shouting "House open!"

Audience greeting each other in the Lounge, beer bottles being opened.

Actors warming up, practicing lines one final time. "Don't call me that! I really hate that voice!" "The Boogie Man! Boogie Boogie Boogie Man!"

More Great Photos

2008-01-11T18:11:00.001-08:00

More great photos of Thursday night and Friday day, this time from veteran 14/48 photographer Michelle Bates.

The world would be a better place if there were seven plays about...

The 14/48 Band, the hardest working artists in the building, write an original theme song for the show. In an afternoon.

Mazen Award winner Eric van Beauzekom pulls the theme...REUNIONS.

The playwrights learn of their role breakdown and performance slot.

Chris Hadad, writer of Ride of the Drunken Stallion, wishes for a taser cozy.

Erik Van Beauzekom directs Angela DiMarco, Erin Stewart, and Mark Fullerton, in Deep and True, written by Kelleen Conway-Blanchard.

Jennifer Jasper directs Chuck Leggett and Mik Kuhlman in Don't Look Down, written by Marcy Rodenborn.

Amy Fleetwood, John Bartley, and John Q. Smith rehearse Resurrecting the King, written by Dennis Schebetta.

John Kaufmann directs Jenny Sue Johnson and Seanjohn Walsh in The Big Thing, written by Ki Gottberg.

Seanjohn Walsh keeps his head warm and learns his fucking lines.

Anthony Winkler focuses a light and works on not falling off the ladder.

2 Hours to Go

2008-01-11T17:56:00.000-08:00

The vibe here is very mellow - it's hard to imagine that seven plays that hadn't even been written 24 hours ago are about to premiere upstairs.

Unfortunately, I had to earn a paycheck today and couldn't get here until a few minutes ago, but the gist of how the day went was:

9am. Plays due. Directors assigned plays.

10am. Actors arrive and are assigned plays.

10:30am. Rehearsals begin.

11am. The band ("the hardest workers in 14/48") arrives, as do designers. The designers design, the band bands.

3pm. Tech rehearsals begin.

The first of two performances begins at 8pm. The second begins at 10:30pm. Tickets are known to sell out, so arrive early or plan to sleep with someone in the band if you want to get in.

Thursday Night Photos

2008-01-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

A big thanks to photographer David Baum for these photos from Thursday night.

Master of Fun Shawn Belyea.

It was kind of like a Methodist revival, but with a keg.

Playwright Kelleen Conway-Blanchard.

Actor Seanjohn ("one word, not two like the clothing designer") Walsh sporting a Warhol wig.

Shawn introduces the virgins. John Kaufmann will later complain of a sore wrist from pumping the keg.

Anthony Winkler meets with the directors.

Why 14/48?

2008-01-10T23:24:00.000-08:00

Thursday Night Breakdown

2008-01-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

The earliest of the early roll in around 7pm, the keg's been tapped long ago, nametags, themes -

"The world would be a better place if there were seven plays about..." Pressure to be witty. Pressure to remember that it has to be a phrase/sentence/nonsense that can inspire seven plays, seven writers. Remember that nobody will know it's you if your theme is lame.

Introductions. Kisses. Hugs. Somebody fucked up Trick's nametag (was it intentional?), so he'll be "Pat" for the weekend. "How are your rehearsals going?" "How were your holidays?" An actress gets told, "You're no longer a virgin, but your kisses are still sweet."

Shawn Belyea calls the room to attention at 8pm. Introductions. Virgins have to introduce themselves, Belyea introduces the Veterans. Cheers all around. Boos for everybody who isn't here. Boos for a few people who are here (you know who you are).

14/48: A Survival Guide. Belyea challenges himself to do it in "less time than a 14/48 play." 10 minutes. He comes in at 9:46. Writers: 6 pages. Directors: 8 minutes, pre-tech. Actors: Learn your fucking lines. That's all you have to do. Designers: Scene changes should take less time than the plays.

Go Big or Go Home. Belyea uses Troy Fischnaller as an example - he turned a character dead from a car accident into something halfway between the Exorcist and Kriss Kross. It wasn't in the script.

The theme is pulled...it's REUNIONS. Each group of artists meets to discuss the weekend, they finish, and the meeting and greeting continues. Writers leave and do their thing. Everybody else goes home and gets sleep.

The rats come out and pick up the scraps. It's the Secret of Fucking Nimh in here.

Go Big or Go Home

2008-01-10T20:28:00.000-08:00

7:49. Belyea asks everybody to have a seat. Get your final beer and sit down.

7:56. We start early. Has that ever happened in a theater?

8:34. Belyea's been holding court for forty minutes. He likes the word "Fuck." It's the Astroglide of his 14/48 introduction. Fuck and beer.

8:36. The theme is pulled. REUNIONS. Applause. The writers draw.

Actors: Learn your fucking lines! That's all you fucking do!
Everybody: Bark with the big dogs or get the fuck off the porch!

2008-01-09T01:19:00.000-08:00

Hey campers. Just wanted to say that I've got some really great pictures but it takes me a while to upload. I'll try to get them on as soon as I can.

had a great time over the weekend! they were some excellent shows. looking forward to next.

erin

14/48 - Saturday Night

2008-01-07T00:12:00.000-08:00

First Weekend, CHECK!

2008-01-06T22:26:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in the festival as artist, audience, volunteer or CHAC Staff. Special thanks to our first EVER 14/48 bloggers Annette Auger, Erin Stewart and Becky Hellyer. Becky not only wrote two plays last weekend (the hand cream monologue on Saturday Night was stupendous!) but she also found time and consciousness to blog. Annette and Erin created the tremendous video and pictures you see below. Thank you thank you, THANK YOU!

As we say goodbye to January 4 & 5, feel free to post key phrases from the first weekend in the comment section that you want to ensure that others will remember and should hold dear to them. "Nards" and "skull fuck" may be referenced as often as you like. Thanks, Troy.

3rd VID BLOG! Friday night at 14/48

2008-01-06T19:57:00.000-08:00

SAT n FRI VID BLOG!

2008-01-06T10:38:00.000-08:00