We Heart You Back Zach and Ashley!

Our fellow thespians Zach and Ashley Adair ( who made a winning stand of their own this past week) posted this picture on Facebook.

On behalf of all of us at 14/48 this weekend, Z&A - we heart you right back! Heal fast and well - can't wait to see you guys back on stage.

Ways to help Zach and Ashley recover:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/zachandashleyadair
http://www.gofundme.com/6775k4

Early bits and pieces

A few random bits as the actors and directors settle in and start working on their plays.

In a strange twist of the 14/48 fate, our two out of town actors, Darius Pierce from Portland and Emma Bamford from England, have been slotted in the one two person play. Collaberation! But not too  much.

There will be a honest-to-goodness musical. Like, the writer shows up with sheet music musical.

Another show is described 'like an over-the-top British farce'.

We have visual artists in the house working on their pieces for tonight.

And on oddly interesting note, at least to someone like me that spends 10 or 12 hours a day with a keyboard, Keri Healey always starts her play with pen and paper.

TPS Hearts 14/48

This weekend's artist roster includes former TPS staff members Sam Read (Actor) and Courtney Meaker (Writer), as well as current TPS staff members Andy Jensen (Director) and Marianna de Fazio (Actor). Andy is directing show #1, Courtney wrote show #4, and Marianna and Sam are acting in show #s 6 and 7 respectively.

"Crouching Sam and Hidden Talent"
Former and current TPS staff members at 14/48
Photo: Agastya Kohli

And, the word on the street is that Karen Lane will be in the house to watch the show tonight!

No worries Shane Regan - we know you can hold the fort for a day or two or ten.

Friday Morning Impressions

As the actors start to roll in, directors and writers have been reading the plays, mulling over the characters, moments, and their breakfast choices. In some corners of the room, writer/director pairs are still talking, and in other corners, directors sit by themselves, reading the script over and over.

Andy Jensen and Lisa Koch discussing Show #1
Photo: Agastya Kohli

The fullest table is the table with all the designers. Everyone, seriously, studiously reading their scripts.

Omar is lurking in the shadows, taking pictures. "Taking pictures in hiding?" I asked. "I have perfected the art", he responds.

Peggy Platt spots his camera and asks, "Are you a photographer?"

"That's what they claim", he responds with his usual sly smile.

"Well, I saw the camera and make the leap."

"You know, a man who keeps a piano in his living room is a man with a piano in his living room. A man who owns a camera is a photographer", Omar Wiley puts it in perspective.

Actors draw just finished - Brett is posting the line up. As everyone makes their way out of the room with their food and suitcases, the designers are now the only ones in the room. I think I'll give the casts a little time to get settled in their new spaces, and then go walk around the building for some juicy updates.

Shawn Belyea getting ready to start the Actor Draw
Photo: Agastya Kohli

The Friday Night lineup

The Bullitt was buzzing by ten as the writers and directors finished their meetings, the designers started hatching plans, and the actors began pouring in. After everyone was well fueled, the moment of truth arrived. Here is what your Friday night lineup looks like.

Sunday On The Plains With George
Writers - Peggy Platt & Lisa Koch
Director - Andy Jensen
Actors - Sara Porkalob, Rachel Sedwick, Katie Driscoll, Joe Zavadil

Curtains!
Writer - Keri Healey
Director - Stan Shields
Actors - Lisa Viertel, Kate Witt, Chris Shea

Etymology
Writer - Jennifer Jasper
Director - John Langs
Actors - Darius Pierce, Emma Bamford

The Uprising
Writer - Courtney Meaker
Director - Anthony Winkler
Actors - Jesica Avellone, Melissa Fenwick, Trick Danneker, Cody Smith, Ben Burris

E.R.P.
Writer - David Schmader
Director - Hana Lass
Actors - Ryan Spickard, Marty Mukhalian, Opal Peachey, Alyson Bedford

Mr. And Mrs. Hargrove
Writer - Erin Stewart
Director - Keni Cohen
Actors - Joe Ivy, Marianna de Fazio, Sydney Tucker

Good Night
Writer - Zoe Fitzgerald
Director - Charles Smith
Actors - Allison Strickland, Danielle Daggerty, Scott Ward Abernethy, Sam Read, John Farrage

Writers and directors meetup

Business is picking up now as the writers and directors come together to start the morning with coffee, donuts, and seven plays. It sounds like it was a successful night, with varying degrees of sleep. At least one writer pulled an all-nighter, while another was done at 2am and got a reasonable night of sleep. Come to the show and see if you can guess which is which.

Quotable Quotes from Thursday Night Meeting

Shawn shares pearls of wisdom with directors.
Photo: Agastya Kohli

Speaking about beer during the introduction - 

"The most important thing about beer, is no f***ing whining about the beer. Just ask about the beer in a normal voice." - Shawn Belyea

***

As Alyssa Byer talks about caring for our wonderful space, she requests -

"This building attracts many fruit flies. So please don't leave half full cups of beer lying around Friday night. Drain your beer and throw away the cups."
Jodi-Paul Wooster interrupts Alyssa with a strong, insistent voice -

"Finish your beer!"

The idea of throwing beer down the drains... jeez people. This is 14/48.

***

Jodi-Paul asked Shawn for an explanation - 

"What is a play?"

Two of your virgin 14/48 visual artists
Photo: Agastya Kohli

Shawn obliges -

"Well... I have an opinion. Others may have their own. But for me, a play has characters, and there is a conflict, and as a result of the conflict, maybe one of those characters undergoes a change!"

Apparently this was a problem last weekend.

Second Weekend of Winter 2014

Greetings, and welcome to second weekend of January 2014 14/48 at ACT Theatre!

While blogger 1 of 2 (Brett Love) chose to announce the theme for tonight, I blogger 2 of 2 (Agastya), won the coin toss, and with it, the honor of introducing our Mazen Award winner for the night.

The Mazen is awarded to veteran participants of 14/48 for their contribution to the spirit of risk-taking and camaraderie embodied in our process. 

Not the official image for Mazen Award

And your Mazen for this weekend is ...

Joe Zavadil !!!

Joe is participating as an actor this weekend. He ended his Mazen acceptance speech with these wise words -  "If you need a drink, come talk to me!"

Now to theme drawing...

Friday's Theme

The Cone Of Destiny has revealed that your ticket to Friday night's show will get you seven world premiere plays on the theme "Last stand", submitted by Darian Lindle. I think that's solid, but we'll wait and see what the writers have to say about it as the deadline looms tomorrow morning.

And we're off...

All the various parts of the 14/48 machine have assembled in the Falls for the state of the 14/48 Projects union (this is going to be a very cool year) and the introductions of Veterans, Virgins, and Volunteers. As a first time participant in the opening night ceremony, I can highly recommend it. It really is a wonderful thing seeing the community that is the 14/48 family come together.

Sin and Salvation...the second act

Dead bodies, gettting rid of the evidence, meeting the enermy, and a whole lotta water.

That was the first show.  Get ready for some CLOSING NIGHT ENERGY at 10:30!

Sin and Salvation So Far...

The eleventh commandment, lots of blood blood, murderous bunny rabbits, the suckage of growing up, percoset, a morality play, a house made of chicken, and strip poker.  

That's the first half of the show, and there's still time to get down to ACT for the 10:30 performance.

Come join us.

Theatre is live. The beauty in watching a play is that it lives and breathes before you. Your emotions rise and fall with the plot. You can feel the force of human beings struggling, or enjoy the infectiousness of laughter, or find catharsis in someone else’s tears.

Turn off the TV and come feel something at 14/48.

8:00pm and 10:30pm

Come join us.

Sin and Salvation According to 14/48 Visual Artists

Please keep in mind that these are pictures taken from my crappy cell phone camera and not the amazing shots that you are sure to see from Joe Iano later.

Fun Fact

Tonight’s theme is provided by actor Steven G. Sterne’s daughter, Olivia Sterne. The 15-year-old’s theme Sin and Salvation was pulled from the plastic ice cream cone last night, and she’s really excited about seeing the results tonight when she attends the 8pm show.

Thank you, Olivia!

(Good) Shit Your Stage Managers Say

"We're going to black and will hold for a couple beats while the audience goes crazy because you guys are freaking rad."

One Minute to the Meeting

"Thank you, one."

Don't say I didn't warn you...part 2

(This was buried in another post that you may have missed due to my own technical dumbness.)

The first rows may get wet.

Dinner and Death

At dinner, I sat with Paul Budraitis and Scot Auguston, thus stumbling upon a deep and personal conversation. Scot was saying that he has gotten to a point in his life where he has accepted his inevitable passing on, and Paul expressed that he can’t wait to get there himself. Although he’s not “macabre,” Budraitis said he’s interested in death: “I’m drawn to it in my work…[I want] to make people think about it, and maybe live a better life.”

I asked him if he’s ever had a moment when he thought he was going to die, and he shared a story about plane trip that truly shook him up. Lightning, weaving, and the phrase “Oh my God” that came out of his mouth.

My story was similar: a flight that I thought might be “the one.” Despite the electrical smell and anxious-looking flight attendants, I tried to calm myself by listening to Hawaiian music (a detail which entertained Paul).

As the football game silently continued on the glowing screen nearby, this conversation unfolded. And then concluded. Because it’s getting close to 8 o’clock.

Don't say I didn't warn you....

Did I mention that there is a lot of blood tonight?

You better get your tickets while you can! Shows 8pm and 10:30pm TONIGHT!