2 Hours to Go

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

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?

Thursday Night Breakdown

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

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!

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

First Weekend, CHECK!

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

SAT n FRI VID BLOG!

That time between shows

Hey. Let's talk about that time between shows. What do you do? Do you breathe a sigh of "I didn't fuck up" or look at your script again and go over your blocking? What i've been noticing, this last night of 14/48, is the drinking of the beer. I've been doin' it. I go to the bars around this here place and I see all the other kids doin' it. Which is why I started in the first place. So now (thanks 1448) my tummy is poochin' with a crazy beer baby who just wants more. 

------------

Here is a schedul

e of the shows tonight:

Act 1 

Kayak Man Returns

written by S.P. Miskowski

Directed by Meghan Arnette

Performed by  Andew Litzky, Michael Katt, Jon Lutyens, Kate Parker

Only to Penny

written by Brian Neel and Paul Shipp

Directed by Kibby MacKinnon

Performed by Juniper Berolzheimer, Kate Jaeger, Audrey Bates, Cory Herndon

Two Birds

written by Brendan Healy

Directed by Aimee Bruneau

Performed by Erin Kraft, John Bianchi

Conspiracy Theory

Written by Rachel Atkins

Directed by Andy Jensen

Performed by Nick DeSantis, Peter Dylan O'Connor, Nellis, Tom Jones, Khan Doan

ACT 2

Band Practice

written by Becky Hellyer

Directed by Mark Jared Zufelt

Performed by Susanna Wilson, Chris Bell, Don Darryl Rivera, Nik Perleros

That Doesn't Sound Right At All

Written by Scotto Moore

Directed by Anthony Winkler

Performed by Morgan Rowe

Shawn Law

Teri Lazzara

What's A Little Blood Between Us

written by David Tucker

Directed by Alan Bryce

Performed by Troy Fischnaller, Galen Joseph Osier, Michael Patton, J.D. Lloyd, James Weidman

----------------

AND!  The Band this week-

end was Tim Moore, Si Issler, Christopher Stewart, Alan Echison, Todd Licea, Todd Pruitt, Jess Smith, Justin Alley....and the BAND AID was Brendan Hogan.

-----------------------------------

YESSSSSSS!!

ROCK!!!!!

about to start the

show. it is 8 oh four. meghan arnette has flashed me again. this time, it's because her play is first. a complete list when we have time to type the complete list.

music is pumping

people mingle

full crowd

and i just got a talking to

what?!

at 14/48?

the land of love.

the place of happy.

community and goodness... a talking to?!

for serious.

a man came up to me...

spotting my happy name tag

thinking i might have authority

and he unloaded a diatribe...

to which i smiled 

and tried to appear helpful

he says "can you talk to someone about this music.  so people can actually have a conversation!"

i say "um. well. i am not really in charge of those things"

he says "loud music is alright if one is at a dance party. but this is THEATRE"

;)

(side note -- currently seating is being sussed out because it is a m'tha f'ng full house!)

A little contest

I will give one u.s. dollar ($1) to the first person to comment this blog.

let us know how your experience was if you were in it, on it, around it, above it, thru it, near it.

sincerely,

erin stewart

14/48 blogger

6:47pm

Eating cold pizza. In rehearsal room we began in. Costumes on, lines learned (almost) and someone is dead. In the show. 8 hours and 50 minutes later and peeps get together for the last minute meeting before the 8 o'clock show. 

tech

i don't know if it is just me
and my lack of
real genuine sports knowledge.
but.

tech reminds me - in a way - of football.

there is all this energy. the band plays the lights are being cued. the actors ramp up with vigor.
and then.

HOLD or
WAIT or
dammit wrong... shit

and everything stops. communicative yelling happens. everything goes back a second. rewind.
and we're back

actors, band, lights -- posed. ready. go--- their running -- go -- their getting there --- go --- almost and -- SLAM!

HOLD.

Go back --

Everyone stands around. The play gets worked out... and we continue onward...

Just like football.


with a limited 14/48 amount of time...

The Afternoon

Rehearsals have been going on since 10. It is now 4:33. Annette and I have spent most of the time today trying to edit and upload our little movies on a sloooowwww connection. Hope to put them up at online coffee in the next hour. 

Yes. Rehearsals since 10, lunch at 1. Lunch is the time to learn lines, dash to value village or home to get costumes and maybe eat. Good spread, once again, with sandwiches and soup and homemade cookies. Mmm. People sit about, eating and talking and pouring over scripts. 

Some watch the Seahawks in the playoffs in some room in the back. There's lots of "yay" and "aw dang" in the room with the television. Everyone is half done.

After lunch it's going over and over what was learned in the morning. Calling line and using the props the crew has so thankfully dug up. (Seriously, some of the stuff props and costumes and set designers come up with is amazing. They have no time!) 

A directors meeting is at 3pm. No matter where you are in the process, if you are a director you must go to the meeting. This is where everything comes together. If you don't get to the meeting (well, first you are annoying and probably won't get invited back) but also your actors will be in the dark, the band will play over their lines and someone will inevitably trip and fall off the stage, landing on an audience member, knocking out their teeth and maybe an eye, thus ending 14/48.

So...go to the director's meeting.

What are we DOING. (the one with the schedule)

I will now type the TIMELINE of 14/48. (probably should have done this thursday night)

THURSDAY 1/3/08

8:00pm  The ensemble assembles to choose a theme (randomly out of a hat) for Friday's performances

8:30pm  Writers randomly choose the number and gender of actors for whom they'll be writing

9:00pm  Writers disperse overnight to write one ten-minute play each on the chosen theme.

FRIDAY 1/4/08

9: am  Playwrights deliver plays. Directors pick on play each at random.

10 am  Actors are assigned to lays at random

1030 am  Ensembles are assigned a rehearsal room for the day. Rehearsals begin.

11 am Musicians and designers arrive and begin collaborating with the directors and with one another

1 pm LUNCH

330pm Tech rehearsals begin in the theater

5:30PM DINNER

8pm Performances of the seven plays begin

9:30 pm Saturday's theme is drawn at random from audience suggestions: playwrights return home to write a second ten-minute play on the new theme.

10:30pm Second (and final) performances begin of the first set of seven plays.

SATURDAY 1/5/08

9:00 am The ENTIRE Saturday process repeats.

12:00 am The ensemble has succeeded in conceiving, writing, rehearsing, scoring, designing, and presenting 14 world premiere plays in 48 hours. All involved fall into well-deserved exhaustion-comas.

wandering

erin is retooling some of our vid-blog

we are working with a slow internet connection which proves frustrating

i take a stroll.  

the band is rehearsing. sounding good.

the tech crew is on stage figuring out logistics.  i snap a few photos.  admire the shine of light on a stage floor.  the sheen. the scraps.  i love it.

moving on i tentatively open doors to try and find rehearsals in process.

i open one door look through double doors

and see Trick liaising

the director and Trick are talking about a folding table...

is this the one...

do you need it to fold...

well if it folds...

I move on up stairs and approach another closed door...

I slowly open the door to be met with 'Chair!'... which is blocking the door

but

warmly I am invited in the offending chair is moved

how is it going?

great, but this is the room that gets to hear the band. better than anyone.

band. band. band.

which is another beauty part of the festival -- the limited number of spaces to rehearse in...

there is nothing to be done

the spaces are what they are

and yet another obstacle to overcome

adding to the depth the challenge the... shall we say fun ... of the festival

some have a lot of traffic -- interruptions

others have noise noise noise

others have a distinct lack of space

and some are great...

all in the luck of the draw....

getting props

So.  Sitting with Erin Stewart.  

When James F and Jodi Paul approach...

James is on a mission to get a drum kit

from Wallingford.

He wants me to go. To help with directions. 

This means we will pick up the drums, 

but to transport them back to CHAC -- we will have to put the top down on his car -- to fit everything

It is cold.  It is windy.  It is raining.

but we need a drum kit.

and so we go, we grab, we scramble into the car

we cruise top down along i-5

we get looks

James puts a call in to Trick -- we will be at the theatre in 4min

we wait at lights. it rains. people stare. we blast music.

and when we arrive to the theatre we are greeted by Trick and a crew...

to swiftly grab drum. cymbals. snare. and stool.

All this for 1 show ...

I love 14/48

serious.

Still Morning.

Go Kraft Services...

Preparation is happening.  There is a beautiful cheese plate. 

 And.  Alex Samuels is about to cut up some mad veggies.

mmm... delicious coffee.

designers talking. 

shows rehearsing scattered throughout the confusing layout of the CHAC.

weather = not happy times. blustery. wet. windy. seattle.  i am good with most of it, but the wind oh the wind. gr.

chit-chat about plays

here is the calm

here is the set-up

here is the testing of waters

here is the morning

the beginning.

e. stew and i are trying to find the best of ways to divide our attention

we will be working on 

some vids from last night

currently

alex is currently being interviewed by e. stew

she just called him a volunteer... boo. erin a. samuels is on staff 

thanks for the food alex.