First Night: A Sonnet

The sun has just set, the keg has been tapped,

and wisdom delivered by one Shawn Belyea:

the veterans friendly, the virgins are rapt,

creation begins now of seven new plays.

The outdoors are scenic, minus parked cars,

and leftover beer cans reflecting the light:

to the Rep we've arrived (well, at least their backyard),

alchemists of drama we are all this night.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" the pluck'd theme proclaims - 

so true for this cycle of fun, work and shots - 

14 plays, 48 hours, perhaps we're insane,

But, oh! morrow's groundlings will know we are not.

The selected theme: "If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It".

Writers draw their show order and cast breakdown.

Starting the journey in style.

Why 14/48?: Thoughts from Participants

"Randomness is a fertile thing: it promotes creativity that you wouldn't get any other way." 

"It's 48 hours of yes."

"Why not?"

Friday's theme is...

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Go writers!

Our Mazen Award winner is...

Jason Anderson!

Jason spoke eloquently about the merits of 14/48:  Community, togetherness, and contribution and ended by saying,  "Everything you put into, large or small, makes the show happen."

Jason accepting the Mazen Award

 Congratulations, Jason!

(photo by Joe Iano)

14/48 Draws to a Close (But Just for this Weekend)

The first weekend of 14/48 draws to a close and it was another magical night with reflection on transgender, alzheimer's, Jesus and conformity. Just another day at 14/48. Check out how we closed out the day in this video.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152422669334145&set=vb.116931184144&type=2&theater&notif_t=video_processed

Lola WestofCenter

Where things stand…

It’s 7:10pm, less than an hour away from showtime. Microphones have been added to the foot of the stage to amplify the actors against the out of doors. The band is still practicing.

Head on over to the Seattle Rep and have some beer! Eat a hot dog! I can guarantee you’ll enjoy the show.

She who feeds us - Katie Driscoll

Katie Driscoll and the oatmeal. (Photo by Dan Tarker)

One of the best parts of participating in 14/48, apart from the complimentary beer, is the free food. Going through these exhausting, creative days, there’s one thing the artists and designers don’t have to worry about: eating.

Katie Driscoll is running the kitchen this year. She started volunteering with 14/48 years ago and just keeps coming back. She says the hardest part of the kitchen work is “predicting the food purchases”, particularly since consumption varies from week to week. Her favorite part of 14/48 is “the producers. They make this festival happen and they are really phenomenal.”

“We’re all in this together,” she says, “We’re all making plays.” That’s definitely true. 14/48 is a collaboration every step of the way and it takes everyone involved to make it work.

Quite the Costume – Sarah Constable

Sarah Constable discusses costumes.

Sarah Constable is constructing a bonnet for the Silver Lady, an automaton in play 6, “The Clockwork Heart”. At about 4pm, she showed me the sketch for the character and explained that she and the other costumers will be creating a bustle cage out of cardboard.

Sketch of the Silver Lady.

Having now seen the costume, I’m amazed. The bustle, clockwork heart, and bonnet are all a stunning silver. Watching tech for the piece right now, I’m intrigued by the style. Where many of the other plays involve children, these characters are British adults. The mood stands out, it strikes me as an industrial, fairy tale world.

(Photos by Dan Tarker)

Interviews with 14/48 artists

While everyone else was working hard, I sat with a few slackers to get their perspective on the days events. See what they had to say.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152422213254145&set=vb.116931184144&type=2&theater&notif_t=video_processed

Lola WestofCenter

14/48 Saturday Interviews

I spent the day visiting all seven rehearsals as well as designer meetings and band rehearsal. Check out how our day went.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152422206489145&set=vb.116931184144&type=2&theater&notif_t=video_processed

Lola WestofCenter

Designers at work – Banton Foster & Gary Menendez

From my perspective, the designers have been tasked with making and finding a lot of difficult props for tonight’s show. Not so much from their perspective.

Banton Foster talks about his props.

Banton Foster commented that it’s been a calmer design weekend than most, and he would know. This is his 7^th or 8^th time designing for 14/48. He’s done it so many times that he’s forgotten the exact number. Today he’s working on a fake iPad with a banana on it and transforming a dart gun so that it looks more realistic.

Gary Menendez creates a picnic table.

 Gary Menendez on the other hand is constructing an entire picnic table and two matching benches. I was in the scene shop for less than 10 minutes and saw him routing, cutting wood, and even testing the strength of the table (by lying on top of it of course).

Gary tests the strength of the table.

 He’d only been working on the table for 30 or 40 minutes before I arrived and it was already in good shape. This time around at 14/48, he’s focused on the set elements, allowing other designers to take on the brunt of the props. 

Foam and Trident – Cole Hornaday and Brian Stricklan

In the busy Cornish Scene Shop, I got to see the list of props for each show. There are many. A sheet for each play is posted on the wall so the designers can keep track of what’s been done and what needs work.

Cole Hornaday talks about the clockwork heart.

  

Cole Hornaday is working on more foam, in fact he’s working on another foam heart -- check out yesterday’s post about the noteworthy foam: http://bit.ly/1yi411a. His main prop for today is the construction of the clockwork heart for play 6.

Brian Stricklan shows off the trident he's making.

Brian Stricklan talks to me while figuring out the paint for a picnic table under construction. He’s taken on a slew of props including a trident, num-chucks, and a mace. At some point he says he’ll need to fill some water balloons. 

Designer Central – Shauna Masterpool & Pamala Mijatov

I headed off with Dan Tarker (this weekend’s photographer) to find the designers. We eventually found them one block from the Rep at the Cornish Theatre Scene Shop. The place was bustling with designers talking about paint and working together to make sure everything gets done.

Shauna Masterpool working on clockwork hearts

Unlike yesterday, today’s plays are very prop heavy. Shauna Masterpool was painting a shadow box silver. She explained that she’s Megan Ahiers mother and a 14/48 virgin. She’s helping to create a clockwork heart that will allow two hearts to be exchanged. Yesterday she helped make everything for “Size of a Quarter” look post apocalyptic.

Pamala Mijatov holds a future weapon

Pamala Mijatov, the artistic director of Annex, is a virgin designer at 14/48. In the past she’s directed, acted, and even wrote during their Kamikaze round. Today she’s working on “building a diet coke can flail.” She says it’s “for a little girl to kill another little girl.” My guess is it’s for play 4. She’s also working on foam armor for play 3.

Alien Humanoids meets Real Housewives (Interview with D’Arcy Harrison)

Actress D’Arcy Harrison is in play 7. I sat down to interview her during lunch and Hannah Schnabel immediately walked over to figure out costumes. That’s the thing about 14/48, there’s always something happening. Any spare moment not in rehearsal is spent figuring out costumes and props or memorizing lines. There really isn’t a moment to breathe.

D'Arcy Harrison, standing, in Friday's "The Voice is Familiar" 

Hannah’s pulling out costumes for D’Arcy. Hannah’s found a number of possibilities, but both agree that she'll need to "slut them up" for the part. D'Arcy's character is a mix of alien humanoid and real housewives.

Today D’Arcy’s character develops more. Yesterday she played a voice in a woman’s head and her character was stuck in limbo. Today’s play “is less sort of dark and deep. This is more fun and social commentary.” Her character is “the one humanoid who doesn’t seem to fit in with the other humanoids.”

The most unexpected part of 14/48? “I thought there would be more pages.” She was “happy and surprised” by how short the plays were and found it to be less daunting. 

A study of aliens

Play 7, “Emma Turns A Leaf”, doesn’t read as “camp” piece. In fact, it wasn’t until lunch when I sat down with some of the actors that they explained the connection. The four women in the piece play aliens and apparently they’re sent to camp regularly to assimilate better in the human world.

Amy Hill, Anastasia Higham, and Lisa Nix are not your typical aliens. (Photo-Dan Tarker)

Quotes from the piece:

“I don’t need feminism because men have it tough too.”

“Not our children, not our problem.”

The picnic table play

Brian Faker directs Pamela Cole-Hudson and Christi Cruz (photo by Dan Tarker) 

After hearing repeatedly about a picnic table that the designers were trying to find, I’ve finally figured out which play it is for! The play is #5: “Wit Beyond Measure” by Ben McFadden.  This is the play actor Andre Nelson is in. In his interview he explained that it’s about Alzheimer’s and memories.

Blogging at 14/48 often feels like connecting the dots. I hear bits and pieces about each play throughout the day and slowly put things together. Not that the play I imagine is ever the same as the one I finally get to see.

I’m not sure about this play, I can’t tell how much of it is really happening or if the main girl is just imagining things. There is a candle that’s lit—I wonder how props are dealing with that since I’m pretty sure we can’t have fire. 

14/48 Friday Night Shows Wrap-Up

Without giving away any of the genius of the night, check out my video that takes you from pre-show through Post-Post-Show on Friday night at 14/48.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152421970819145&set=vb.116931184144&type=2&theater&notif_t=video_processed

Lola WestofCenter

The Clockwork Heart

I stopped in at the rehearsal of "The Clockwork Heart" before lunch; it was the first rehearsal I got to see that took place outside. The various people walking by kept smiling, unsure of what was going on.

The play takes place in “an elegant time” according to director Kathryn Stewart.  Today seems to be prop heavy with far more interesting needs than Friday. For this play, they need two clockwork hearts.

I’m really excited to see all the plays through, so far each one’s been extremely unique and the overall moods of the plays seem distinct from yesterday. The plays require a bit more digging in and the stakes are very high. 

Get with the program

Here's the list of plays and casts for tonight, Away at Camp.

1. DEVLIN LAKE BIBLE CAMP by Rob Jones 
Directed by the Hyland/Belyea Experience
Featuring Lauryn Rilla Hochberg, Evan Whitfield, Christina Mastin, & Trevor Young Marston

2. CAMP OF THE APOCALYPSE by Eddie Levi Lee
Directed by Erin Kraft
Featuring Clark Sandford, Andrew McMasters, & Jill Snyder-Marr

3. HOME by Elizabeth Heffron 
Directed by Meghan Arnette
Featuring Carter Rodriquez, Tracy Leigh, & Danielle Daggerty

4. VENGEANCE PERIOD by Nick Edwards
Directed by Roy Arauz
Featuring Tonia Daley-Campbell, Jane Ryan, Mahria Zook, Shawnmarie Stanton, & Jordi Montes

5. WIT BEYOND MEASURE by Ben McFadden
Directed by Brian Faker 
Featuring Pamela Cole-Hudson, Christi Cruz, Stacey Bush, & Andre Nelson

6. THE CLOCKWORK HEART by Darian Lindle 
Directed by Kathryn Stewart 
Featuring Brandon Felker, Sam Read, & Kasey Elizabeth Harrison

7. EMMA TURNS A LEAF - by Jose Amador 
Directed by Anthony Winkler 
Featuring Jeremy Topping, Lisa Nix, Amy Hill, Anastasia Higham, & D'Arcy Harrison

Interview with an Actor – Andre Nelson

Andre Nelson is a virgin 14/48 actor. He finds his character for today to be very different than the one he played yesterday. Today he plays a more stylized part in a play that takes place in memories. He’s in play 6, “Wit Beyond Measure”, which he describes as a more serious play that’s “kind of about Alzheimer’s.”

When asked about memorizing lines yesterday, he says, “It was actually easier than I thought.” In fact, “before the first show, I was actually nervous that I wasn’t more nervous.”

He found the free beer to be unexpected, as well as how tight knit the community feels and how easy it’s been to make great, quick connections.