Where Are We?

On our way to 1448, we stopped for coffee. While leaving the coffee shop, we overheard two gentlemen having a conversation:

Gentleman #1: "Do you know how important sound is to dogs?"

Gentleman #2: "It's so important, man."

Gentleman #1: "It's like their fucking universe."

This may have been an odd conversation to overhear, but then 20 minutes later when we got here, I overheard this;

Blogger [Troy]: "Since we're not doing virge watch this year, I say we do some upskirt shots."

Photographer [Joshua]: "That's a good idea."

Blogger [Troy]: "Figure out whose balls are all sweaty."

And so we embark on the second day of the second weekend.

I'm done

It's 6:55am.

Just sent my play in.

Good night.

Maybe I'll even see you today.

Oh hey

I finally have an idea worth writing.

Only took til 4:30am.

But at least the eye swelling has gone down and the hope of sleep that was lingering in my body has been silenced.

There is no hope. My body finally knows this and is now no longer at odds with my brain.

Thanks for working together, guys.

Play #4

Three men, two women. Pioneer musical! The miracle of life.

-Rob & Tina

Distractions

I wrote a bunch really fast.
Then I cooked up some yummies.
Then I vacuumed a throw rug.
Then I texted some friends.
Then I bid on something on eBay.

I keep thinking about the word "besmirched".

I just love that Matt Smith used that delicious word today.

Writing for 14/48 makes me wish that I still smoked cigarettes...

Play # 7 update on "progress"

Great.

My right eye is swelling up for no reason.

Thanks, Deb.

I'm writing a play based on a request/command/suggestion from Deb Fialkow. At this point in the night, I'm not sure whether to thank her or curse her...

Rachel

Opening show energy...closing show energy...

Friday, I got the opening play.

Saturday, I am the closing.

Oh, the pressure!

I have zero energy left and zero ideas.

So...basically...this one's gonna be a MASTERPIECE!!!



- Celene Ramadan

Being Unheard

We saw some wigged white dressed Beatles, a man choosing between a ghost and some live flesh, a praying family that matched their table cloth, technical phone supporters and the root cause of terrorism, tango-ing entwined newlywed tongues and a pregnant kid sister, a couple of bad-ass reindeers interlocking antlers, and a ton of characters in the final piece that included a tuba, a mouthpiece, a sexy wizard, a one-winged robin and a nineties talking dragon.

The design team created instruments, an actual working door (yes they did it!), a color coordinated family, a body strapped bomb, an Sari clad Indian mother, reindeers with antlers and hoofs, and well, all those characters in show 7.

Tomorrow's theme: It's a miracle.

It IS a miracle. An absolute miracle that all of this happened in 24 hours!

What characters and objects will be given birth here in the International District Saturday night, when the lack of sleep adds into the equation? Come tomorrow night and find out, but get your tickets right now, or you may only have this and the stories of "you should have seen it."

MAZEN Award Winner-Peggy Gannon

And this blog would not be complete without an intereview with the Mazen award winner...Peggy Gannon.

Who after tonight's eight o'clock show said, "We sacrifice for our art."

Oh yeah, she sacrificed her tongue muscles for this one. If you saw her show this weekend, you know exactly what I mean or if you didn’t, I think you can imagine it.

Peggy was on the steering committee for six years. 2003-2009. She has acted and “Richtered” (welcoming speech), volunteer coordinated, house managed and board op-ed. And this weekend she is A-Mazen!

So Peggy…Words of wisdom?

Always shave your legs and armpits, wax your bikini –especially in the winter, cause you never know, wear matching underthings, and carry chewing gum, you’re set. And tums. Bring tums along. It’s a gassy situation with the food and stress. And for 14/48 in general...LOVE everything that happens in the weekend, even if you think you hate it, you don’t – you love it! Some weekends, it’s the only way to get through.

Halfway to the Halfway Point

Well after a substantial break I am back blogging for your reading pleasure. It's intermission right now, there is an outrageous line for the ladies' room, people are queuing for the bar, and the band is jamming: all the makings of a SMASH HIT OPENING NIGHT. The 8 p.m. show was sold out. Every seat was filled, with additional patrons lining the back walls. And Jodi gave one hell of an intro.

The mood in the green room is chipper; there were a few mistakes in Act I, but nothing serious. The audience is jovial and ready to laugh and clap and cheer. Very shortly here Act II will get underway (just got the 5 minute call). I'm especially looking forward to seeing Rob and Tina's play, "Thunder & Lighting", all the way through. Stay tuned for some Opening Night pics from the fabulous Matt Larsen.

An interview with playwright Rachel Atkins

What festival number is this for you?

I believe it is number five. Yeah, five.

Over the years what have you learned as a writer?

That if you follow the rules that they tell you up the screen, the rules really work. As in six pages, give everybody something to do, the more the words you want spoken the less you should write.

I think about where I am in the order and at the end of the day I want the directors, the actors, the designers to like me. I want everyone to have fun! Because it should be fun right. People are here to have fun. Having fun doing theatre has got to be high on the list for most of us. I don’t want to write a play that is going to make people tear their hair out.

Do you think about 14/48 when you are writing at other times?

Yes, when I am mired into writing one historical piece after another. I think, wouldn’t it be nice if I could just write for 14/48 and be able to write something that has no educational value, whatsoever.

And what are expecting to see tonight of your play?

I feel like they did a really nice job. I wrote what I wanted to be a simple actors play. I saw the run and they are real characters, real people dealing with real problems, making real choices and that is what I hoped for. It’s slot number two so you can write a serious piece and it doesn’t have to be the song and dance of play number seven for example.

What’s your favorite thing about 14/48?

It’s hard to choose just one. I like to see and work with so many people. I like the immediate gratification of cranking something out and seeing what people do with it, I like the community, the camaraderie. If only 14/48 could live in a French Chateau! (but Rachel, what the French think???)

Seven O'clock Meeting

Ok, here we go...

Everyone, come out for curtain call

Show seven describes the end of their show

A song

Everyone is to join in

Stage Managers report...

Don’t walk through the curtain

You will hit a wall

Act One has lots of large furniture moving

Between two and three is the worse so look out

We need a wall charger for Lou’s phone to call a que during the show

About three people responded.

And in walks K.D. with a few wigs she is now shoving onto the fab four heads.

Do you have something Annette?

No, I’m just stretching.

And the infamous last minute words…

8 o’clock show, Opening night energy

10:30 show, Closing night energy

and everyone is released and the noise decibels rise as last minute details are being attended to. There is a comment from the fab four about looking like Jesus, another talking of the red hues in his wig-different guy i think, but not sure as neither Jesus nor the Beatles sported red hair.

The now rested playwrights have re-emerged, there is a call out for a curling iron and K.D. is still working on a costume, scissors in hand and only interrupted for a share of the Mazen with the great Peggy Gannon.

And the room quickly goes quiet as everyone runs off to do their final preps.

An Actor Prepares

Peter Dylan O'Connor...

Well, your day, how's it going?

One step in front of the next.

What’s your next step?

Failure or success –

actually, somewhere in between.

A chat with Opal –Play#3

So Opal how’s the end of your day looking?

I feel good, we just ran it, nobody called for line.

The only anxiety is the playwrights have arrived and what are they going to think?

We made a big choice that maybe isn’t in the script

But that’s 14/48 right?

No, I’m feeling good –I’m thinking this beer right now is a really good thing.

Play #1-Richard Reports

The director of the fab four (and peter) walks in to eat.

So…

How was your process today Richard?

The actors were superb. I was secretly praying for this exact cast. They are perfect…well, Jose can’t do a Liverpool accent but he looks so damn funny in that wig it won’t matter. We hope.

He called it. Richard named it before the actor draw, he said something about Jose playing Ringo and now, yes indeed, the 14/48 Gods obliged. From the mind of a writer, melded with the early thoughts and desires of a director and the hand pulls the name it needs.

Tech - Play #7

Director Paul Morgen Stetler runs through the sound requirements with the band.

Everyone exits, the band runs through intro. Banton Foster puts on the tuba. Is that what you do with a tuba? Put it on?

Uh, what is going on here? Absolutely no idea, but people behind me are laughing.

The "dragon" enters. My, Bob Williams, what a lovely dragon costume you have.

Band improvises some "frantic bird" entrance music. Major ongoing appreciation for this band.

Sample line: "If we're going to fight the dragon, we're going to need the sexy wizard." MY, that certainly is a sexy wizard.

This play confuses me. It's silly, but will it be a total bomb? WE WILL SEE.

Costume Check in

Hey K.D. how’s it going?

I just left a bag at home, damn. A bag with a wig and a weave.

So how's everything else going?

OK. The biggest problem is the opening with the Beatles.

What’s the problem?

Couldn’t find enough psychedelic shirts to fit the guys. So we are going with all white, the White album you know, the guru look.

Anything else that’s cropped up?

Finding more wigs.

Again for show #1?

Yes.

Jena comes in with a prego belly and a big pink dress for show #5. She tells K.D., the director has nixed it - it looks too much like Maude, it won’t work. (I love Maude, Jena responds under her breath)

Charles walks in they slip her into a blue dress and are trying to figure out how to make this one fit. Length is not the issue, it’s the color. They slip another dress on her that she wants to wear for rehearsal. Charles in that great instant 14/48 fashion says, let’s go with this dress, it’ll work.

Peggy enters, gets her bridal veil headband, thinks about another part, but Charles says, no, you have 4 inch heels to deal with, that’s enough.

"Nothing like doing things on the fly,” K.D. says as she quickly nips and tucks in the veil to the headband

Are you still having fun?

I don’t know if I would describe it as fun,. I ‘m thinking oh my God, what am I going to do for the Beatles and how do I work this new phone of mine. Never mind this detail.

Anything else besides and the phone?

That’s all I’m fighting with right now. All day actually.

The fab four walk in, well three of them. They get the news that they are in white as they check in with K.D.. But they are on a break. She let’s them continue with their break so she can figure out what’s she’s doing with them all. She grabs her phone and stares at it. I don't know if she's breathing but she's upright so I think she is.

Yep she is. She figures out her phone and attempts to reach Teri at Schmee.

Tech - Play #6

Time check: we're 15 minutes behind schedule.

omg reindeers. We've got reindeers here.

Most impressed by the prop assemblage here: North Pole sign, sleigh bells, reindeer hats of sorts.

While waiting, Brandon J. Simmons whistles "Sleigh Ride." Band member: "That's some good whistlin'."

Evidence of the band's awesomeness. Director Jaime Roberts: "OK so the reindeers are going to fight and bump heads. I need you to play some of that Animal Planet type of music." Band: "All right."

"Your cue is the line ending in 'ungulate.'" "Uh, what's an ungulate?" (It means, roughly, "being pawed" or "hoofed animal").

Besides being a expert whistler, Brandon J. Simmons plays a truly excellent reindeer.

Aaaaaand scene! Cue kazoo.

Design check in

Checking in with Design

Hey Michael how’s it going? You got everything?

No. Yeah.

Anything that is still lacking?

He refers to his list. Shakes his head, "No, not really. Got to finish the musical instruments. A nose in a box. That’s about it."

Did you get the door?

Big flash of a grin. "No. gosh yeah, thanks - The door. That’s probably another hours worth of work."

It’s five. You got two.

"Is it really five? Damn - The door!...Where's the beer?"