Anybody Have a Segway?

Designers are looking for a segway for one of tonight's offerings. Does anybody have one? Know someone who has one? Know a convenient way to get one on short notice? If so, please leave a comment here, on the 14/48 facebook page, or shoot an email to invite@1448fest.com

Thanks!

Steps.

I just chewed the fat with director Darian Lindle. To paraphrase, she says, 'We're all blocked, actors are cut loose to memorize.'

She and I were remarking on the opportunities and limitations in having to stage the evenings offerings on steep steps. That and lighting, working without a controllable grid. I'm excited to see how productions turn would-be limitations into chances to innovate. 

A Correction.

The Seattle Weekly has incorrectly listed the price for the evening at twenty-five dollars. We're assured they're in the process of correcting the error. So just to remind y'all: tonight's outdoor 14/48 is absolutely free. We're just outside the Seattle Rep, you won't be able to miss us. And we'll be putting chairs out for tonight, so know you'll be comfortably taken-care-of. Be psyched.

Apologies for the intermittence of my posts, internet has been spotty at best.

Rubber to the Road on Rehearsals

Seattle Center is a big, sprawling place. We have actors outdoors, in Intiman rehearsal rooms, in TPS. We have designers rushing about. And I am but one correspondent. Thanks for bearing with me as I try to make the rounds, to keep you abreast of what's happening.

When asked for a comment for the 14/48 blog, cast members of Everything is Hard, taking a break from their outdoor rehearsal, replied:

"It's not the first time I've kissed a man. It is the first time I've kissed a man at 14/48."

and

"14/48 is no stranger to third appendages or homo love."

There we have it.

Casts!

#1 - Ask the Trees; Written by Joy McCullough-Carranza; Directed by Rob Raas-Berquist; 3m, 1w:

Matt Gilbert, Michael Patten, Ray Williams, Marianne DeFazio

#2 - Everything is Hard; Written by Matt Smith; Directed by Darian Lindle; 2m, 1w:

Jason Sharp, Joe Zavadil, Shawn Marie Stanton

#3 - White Night; Written by K. Brian Neel; Directed by Jake Groshong 3w:

Heather Gautschi, Amy Hill, Danielle Daggerty

#4 - The Only Band that Mattered; Written by Scott Herman; Directed by David Gassner 2m, 3w:

Keira McDonald, Allison Standley, Alyssa Bostwick, Rob Jones, Mike Dooly

#5 - The Short Sale; Written by Jim Lapan; Directed by Rachel Delmar; 3m, 1w:

Samuel Hagen, Keith Dahlgren, Ashley Bagwell, Cynthia Whalen

#6 - Finders Keepers; Written by Brendan Healy; Directed by Shawn Law; 1m, 1w:

Christine Marie Brown, Nick Edwards

#7 - The Music in Motion; Written by Kelleen Conway Blanchard; Directed by Andy Jensen 2m, 3w:

Patrick Allcorn, Daniel Chercover, Melissa Fenwick, Colleen Roberts, Shermona  Mitchell 

A Conference.

Playwright Kelleen Conway Blanchard and Director Andy Jensen talk shop.

Actors Drawn!

The troops have been rallied, the Mazen presented, actors drawn by directors. With administrative business expediently taken care of ensembles are promptly dispersed to their respective rehearsal spaces about the Seattle Center campus. Directors allow actors a moment to give texts a once-over.

Casts are being plugged in to the computer now. Y'all will be the first to know when they're up, which should be in very short order.

The Mazen

Last night's blog post regarding the winner of The Mazen is what Shawn Belyea describes as, "a ruse."

Ladies and gentlemen, please direct your congratulations to--one of tonight's directors--Mr. K. Brian Neel!

Directors, Meet your Scripts

Alrighty, I've just been sent the script titles and writer/director pairings for our outdoor 14/48, "How Did this Happen?"

#1 - Ask the Trees; Written by Joy McCullough-Carranza; Directed by Rob Raas-Berquist; 3m, 1w

#2 - Everything is Hard; Written by Matt Smith; Directed by Darian Lindle; 2m, 1w

#3 - White Night; Written by K. Brian Neel; Directed by Jake Groshong 3w

#4 - The Only Band that Mattered; Written by Scott Herman; Directed by David Gassner 2m, 3w

#5 - The Short Sale; Written by Jim Lapan; Directed by Rachel Delmar; 3m, 1w

#6 - ???; Written by Brendan Healy; Directed by Shawn Law; 1m, 1w

#7 - The Music in Motion; Written by Kelleen Conway Blanchard; Directed by Andy Jensen 2m, 3w

And actors are trickling in. They'll be matched to scripts and directors very shortly...

Up and Running

Hello all, this is John Allis signing in as today's blogger, finally emerged from a frustrating bout of why-can't-I-get-online?

I'm outside the Intiman Playhouse where scripts have just been doled out to directors, who are presently deep in conversation with playwrights. Musicians arrange gear. Ian Johnson snaps photos, orbiting the scene. The breakfast spread is out but is so far being neglected by all the busy, brow-furrowing people.

Allow me a moment to plug in the pertinent info on tonight's playwright/director pairings.

More to come very shortly...

It's off!

I just sent in my Friday script. A little close to the wire? Maybe. I managed to catch a few Zs and go through it one more time this morning before sending it off. Whether this was a good idea or not, only time will tell.

What is it about? Well, all I can say is, I hope the band is ready to pull out some 80s punk...

Self control

Greetings 14/48 fans, your photographer for the weekend here.

I was all excited because I was totally going to make the bloggers' lives easier, and not take so many photos.  Just take the good ones!  So I look over my output from Thursday night (a relatively unchanging scene, just a few hours, etc.), thinking I might have taken maybe 100 at the outside.

No such luck.  184.  How does this happen?  As long as it results in pictures like this, can I really complain?

A few pictures

Just a taste...

 

 A birthday surprise for Michael Mowery

 

 

 Orating about the Mazen

 

 

A standing O for the Mazen winner

 

Night One theme: "How did this happen?"

 

 

Looking down at the people looking up at the space

Good night!

Your humble blogger is signing off for the night. I have to work tomorrow (how did this happen?) so I'll be leaving you in the very capable hands of John Allis and Jose Amador. I'll be back on Saturday, covering day two of the chaos as 14/48 goes boldly where no 14/48 has gone before... outdoors!

Speaking of, I don't think I've mentioned it so far, and it bears repeating all weekend: a HUGE thank you to Seattle Center for letting us come down and play as part of the Next 50 festival. And many thanks to the Seattle Center tenants who are graciously opening up their spaces to us as well - Seattle Repertory Theatre, Intiman, McCaw Hall, Theatre Puget Sound, and more that I'm sure I'm forgetting.

Have no fear, pictures will be on the way soon!

Good night, and good luck.

Attention writers: there is a movement afoot that demands that a character named "Sir Charles Leggett" appear in every show this weekend. Ideas include Sir Charles riding across in the distance, Sir Charles as a household pet, letters from Sir Charles, and the best of all.. Leggett ex machina.

I guarantee that if the writers all follow through, tomorrow night we'll be asking ourselves... how did this happen?

Most everybody is outside now checking out the space. I see lots of trepidation! That's always a good sign. We will be on the steps outside the Rep, seats facing the building, actors on the steps frolicking between the trees!

Writers to the stage please!

Here is tomorrow's line-up!

#1 - Joy McCullough-Carranza, 3m, 1w

#2 - Matt Smith, 2m, 1w

#3 - K. Brian Neel, 3w

#4 - Scott Herman, 2m, 3w

#5 - Jim Lapan, 3m, 1w

#6 - Brendan Healy, 1m, 1w

#7 - Kelleen Conway Blanchard, 2m, 3w

An even gender split among the actors, a rarity for 14/48!

Alright writers, go write until all you can think is... how did this happen?

Tomorrow's theme is...

... "How did this happen?"submitted by Virgin actor Marianna de Fazio.

So much potential there. A question that will be pondered many times this weekend.

Guide for Outdoor 14/48

Writing for Bears: Be thoughtful and respectful of our unique situation outdoors and with perhaps a slightly different audience than normal. No light cues.
Directing in the Wild: Use your awesome potential entrances and exits. No. Light. Cues. No.

If an Actor talks in the woods and nobody listens, is he still acting?: Save your voice. There will be basic mics, but nobody knows what will happen with that and the band, but save your voice. Take the stage! Steal focus from the world around you.
Band, or Hippie Drum Circles: There will be shade cover so you don't melt. It's an All-Boy Rock Band this time around. I hear a request for them to be shirtless...
Design, or "roughing the elements": A brief interlude to wish Veteran designer Michael Mowery a happy birthday! Get everything done by tech, and remember that one great costume or prop can make a show a success.

Veteran designer Ahren Buhmann wants me to note that the Executive Director of his theatre (where he is Technical Director) just got him a beer.

Shawn is going over quirks of the space and the schedule and says, most reassuringly, "It'll be doable, we'll have communication." And then, perhaps more reassuringly, "there will be beer."

Bring sunscreen! And drink water. Even the Veterans should take heed. We are in all new territory here.