Interview with a Stage Manager – Maddie Downes

Maddie Downes is a virgin stage manager, one of only two stage managers this weekend. I talked to her during lunch. So far she had spent her time with the other stage manager, Andrew—a veteran, reading the scripts and trying to solve as many potential problems as they could ahead of time. They were working out transitions between the plays and how to keep props organized.

She and Andrew are in charge of running tech, squeezing the rehearsal of all the sound effects, light changes, sets, and props into a packed and efficient 20 minutes per play.

Maddie’s impression of 14/48 so far is that “this whole thing is like theatre summer camp.” She seemed to be having a great time so far, which is the case with everyone I’ve interacted with. “We’re at camp,” she says, “stressful, caffeinated camp with cigarettes and beer.”

Maddie talks about stage managing (photo by Dan Tarker).

Tech Part 1

Play 1

I showed up for the last 5 minutes and found the cast in some amazing costumes. The little I saw gave me no indication of what the play was about, but it looks interesting and exciting, definitely something different. “Who really needs global capitalism anyways?”

Play 2

Play 2 had a lot of set up, using mattresses and tarps. There seems to be quite a few tricks for this play. I can’t believe their teching the lights during broad daylight…they do have some shiny looking instruments though, hung creatively around the stage. Play 2 has cool ending!

Play 3

This play involves a bench.  

“Did he run away?” “No.” “Well then you’re going to be fine.”

I got to watch most of this play and it has an interesting twist.

Interview with the Band

I was able to talk to the band at lunch time, apparently things have been going well for them. From what I’ve heard, they’re sounding great. When they arrived this morning they had no idea which songs they were going to do. After talking to the directors and reading the plays, the band chose their songs and started rehearsing.

Photo by Dan Tarker

This year there are two virgins in the band, the rest are veterans who, even if they haven’t played with the other people before, knew each other. I got to talk to Michael Owcharuk, Erin Bednarz, Basil Harris, Jesse Parce, and David (the band liaison). They explained how there’s no leader of the band and for each song different people take charge.  This year the band includes a cello making them “a rock band with a cello”. Plus, though Erin is the lead singer, everyone in the band can sing and take turns as backup.  

Interview with two Designers – Amy LaZerte & Cole Hornaday

Amy dumpster diving for costumes! 

Amy LaZerte’s working on play 1 and 7 on costuming and her approach is dumpster diving for play 1. The feel she’s going for is stuff you would find in an alley that might feel post apocalyptic—so what better way than to go look in some alleys? According to Amy, both plays are heavy wedding plays which provide good book ends to the show.

Cole talks about working with Amy over the years.

Cole Hornaday, working on props, is creating a stone heart out of foam. Apparently the bigger piece of foam that his portion was taken from is a veteran to 14/48 and other theatres around town. Cole and Amy have been chipping away at the chunk of foam for various props for about 5 years now and it has contributed to several 14/48 productions. It made its debut in a Theater Schmeater production as squirrel tails and in another 14/48 as an alien puppet!


(Photos courtesy of Dan Tarker) 

Interview with a Playwright - Elizabeth Heffron

Elizabeth Heffron talks about the experience - picture by Dan Tarker

Elizabeth’s strategy for writing her play? Go to sleep early. Unlike most of the other playwrights, she went to sleep at midnight and woke up at 4am to do most of the work. She turned it in at 8:05, with the official due date at 8am. “I used every single moment,” she explains.

As for the writing? “It went good,” she says, “it went really good. Because I love the theme lifting the veil, and I got 4 women, and I’m first. So I can’t lose because you know, no matter what I do it’s going to be new.”

So what does her play involve? Ritual, weddings, a post-industrial and an apocalyptic world. There are rumors that it might have something to do with a vagina, some play tonight definitely does.

Elizabeth has written for 14/48 before, though this is her first time outside. When asked how writing for 14/48 compares to not writing under a short deadline she replies, “you know what I love about 14/48 is it totally shakes you up.” It gets you out of the idea that “it’s got to be brilliant” and away from the responsibility of making it perfect. 

Play 6 – Off the Grid

I ventured into Dressing Room 6 at the Seattle Rep for the rehearsal of play 6- “Off the Grid”. It’s kind of a fitting name given the rehearsal space. Where many of the other spaces I’ve been in are spacious and sunny, this cast of 3 actors and director Roy Arauz are working in a much smaller and windowless space— but man are they making the best of it. Dan Tarker (this weekend’s awesome photographer—who has written for 14/48 in the past) slipped into the room with me and we were immediately amazed by the energy.

Roy and the actors having fun and working hard!

This show is very funny. Roy turned to actress Tonia Daley-Campbell asking of her character, “Does she have boundaries?” Tonia’s gleeful reply? “No!”  Tonia’s playing a free spirit, interacting with two WASPs, an uptight mother (Shawnmarie Stanton) and media absorbed teenager (Lisa Nix).

Tonia joyfully makes Shawnmarie's character uncomfortable.

Here’s a taste of some of the amazing lines in the play:

“We speak English, English because we’re white.”

“It’s like being fucked by God through the eyeballs!”

Time update: it’s 3:15, tech starts at 3:30pm! Director meetings are going on with designers—this day is moving fast! Only about 4.5 hrs left, buy your tickets now before we sell out!

(Photos courtesy of Dan Tarker)

14/48 Up with the Writers

The writers were handed their theme, run order and actor assignments and started writing at 9pm on Thursday night. I stayed up late to see how it went.

Check out more about The 14/48 Project online: http://the1448projects.org/

http://youtu.be/c2enWG4SREs

https://www.facebook.com/photo.phpv=10152419650329145&set=vb.116931184144&type=2&theater&notif_t=video_processed

Lola WestofCenter

Play 5 – Ghosts?

“Dressed in Blood”, aka the 5^th play in the lineup, was the first one I saw on its feet. Written by Darian Lindle and directed by Kathryn Stewart, my first impression of the play was that I think there’s a ghost onstage. There were mentions of a homecoming dance and Kathryn explained at lunch that all the actors will be playing teenagers. Sounds intriguing…

Take a look at some of the rehearsal pictures, all taken by Dan Tarker:

Director Kathryn Stewart works with actor Jeremy Topping

And the band played on...

One of my favorite parts has been when I sit down to blog, after watching rehearsals and having a bunch of interviews, and get to listen to the band rehearse as I write. They're great! It's hard to believe they've only been rehearsing together since this morning.

The Plays

So maybe you’ve been wondering what the run down is, who got cast in what, which playwrights are paired with which directors, and whether there any whacky titles. If so, this is the post for you. Here’s tonight’s show:

1. SIZE OF A QUARTER by Elizabeth Heffron 
Directed by Meghan Arnette
Featuring Kasey Elizabeth Harrison, Mahria Zook, Anastasia Higham & Jill Snyder-Marr

2. STATUES ON HILLTOPS by Nick Edwards 
Directed by Erin Kraft
Featuring Evan Whitfield, Brandon Felker & Jane Ryan

3. MIGHT'VE KNOWN by Jose Amador
Directed by Tim Hyland & Shawn Belyea
Featuring Andre Nelson, Lauryn Rilla Hochberg, & Christi Cruz

4. THE VOICE IS FAMILIAR by Eddie Levi Lee
Directed by Brian Faker
Featuring Pamela Cole-Hudson, Christina Mastin, D'Arcy Harrison, Carter Rodriquez, & Andrew McMasters

5. DRESSED IN BLOOD by Darian Lindle 
Directed by Kathryn Stewart 
Featuring Clark Sandford, Sam Read, Jeremy Topping, & Tracy Leigh

6. OFF THE GRID by Ben McFadden
Directed by Roy Arauz 
Featuring Tonia Daley-Campbell, Shawnmarie Stanton, & Lisa Nix

7. MATRIMONIAL HITCH by Rob Jones
Directed by Anthony Wrinkler
Featuring Amy Hill, Stacey Bush, Danielle Daggerty, Jordi Montes & Trevor Young Marston

Interview with Jose Amador

Playwright Jose Amador has never had the full 14/48 experience. The last time he wrote for 14/48, he split the experience with another writer, only writing for one of the days. Sitting down with him before he heads home, he seems confident and sleep deprived. He says he didn’t instantly know what he was going to write about, but it “took a couple hours to whittle it down.”

Jose talks about the process - picture by Daniel Tarker

He and the other writers had access to a Facebook thread last night, so they could talk to each other and keep tabs while writing. According to Jose, most people were done by about 2am, but he didn’t turn his play in until 3:30-4am. And then he couldn’t sleep. The poor guy ended up staying up until the meeting with the directors at 9am and is now very excited to get some sleep. For him and the other writers, their “job is done.”

Might've Known

The third play of the evening will be “Might’ve Known” by Jose Amadore. I found the design team had migrated to their rehearsal when I arrived. Apparently the designers are making the rounds, figuring out which costumes the actors already have and which ones they’ll need to find. Andre Nelson pulls out shirts for the designers, they’re looking for something geeky. One designer stops him on a blue shirt, “Ooh, I like that” she says and compliments him on its “douchiness”. I’m very curious about this potentially geeky, douchy character. Even after listening in, I still have no idea what the play is about. 

Tim Hyland (co-directing with Shawn Belyea) discusses costumes.
Thanks for the picture Dan Tarker!

Play 7 – Design meeting

I’ve started stepping into each of the rehearsal rooms. The backstage of the Rep is a maze, I’ve paired up with Dan Tarker (this weekend’s photographer) to find the various rehearsals. I started with play 7, written by Rob Jones and directed by Anthony Winkler.  I was there at 10:50 am, less than 30 min from when casts dispersed and they’re already talking to designers.

It’s amazing how quickly the director is expected to be an authority on the script. Decisions about costumes and props are made instantly, though the designers know things could shift as rehearsals continue. By 10:52 the designers are gone and Anthony moves on to table work. 

The 14/48 Mazen Award Presentation

You already know the winner, but in her own words, here is what this weekends recipient of the Mazen award said about winning.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152419650329145

  
Lola WestofCenter

Suspense and Breakfast

Waiting for everyone to arrive and casts to be assigned, the actors all seem a bit nervous. Topping that though is their excitement.  The constant question is “How much sleep did you get?” I was expecting sleeplessness from the writers but even the actors tossed and turned. Several actors mention waking up around 5 am for their 9:45 call. Some went back to sleep, others weren’t so lucky.

Still, until their names are drawn there’s little they can do, so they eat their breakfast and socialize as the directors and writers discuss the new scripts. At my table, playwright Ben D. McFadden talks about how his writing went. After getting away from literal interpretations of “Lifting the Veil” he found it easier to work with the theme. Some of the actors at the table discuss how it’s easier to work on a comedy in a scenario like this, with a bunch of ten minute plays. They talk about how working on a deep, “soul sucking” piece can be harder to pull off.

9:45, the actors have arrived and the names are drawn.  Jodi-Paul Wooster and Peter Dylan O’Connor comment that it’s up to the actors and directors to make sure their plays take 10 minutes or less. Apparently the 7 plays total at 59 pages, instead of the ideal 42 pages or less (6 pages translates to about 10 minutes). Now that casts have been chosen and rehearsal rooms assigned, the room clears out quickly as each group eagerly gets to work.

14/48 Opening Weekend Summer 2014

Check out the beginning of the 14/48 first weekend with Lola WestofCenter. It's like you're really there. Sit back and enjoy the ride.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmuEMPwlgFs

Friday’s Theme

The theme for Friday night is “Lifting the Veil”!

And the Mazen award goes to…

Erin Kraft!

Her thoughts on 14/48? “We should all let it in our fucking hearts this weekend.” 

Why 14/48?

The 14/48 Virgins have been introduced, writers sent home with a theme, and a new round of 14/48 has begun!

The veterans shared some tips for the virgins:
1. Learn your fucking lines
2. Go big or go home
3. Bring underwear
4. If all that stuff wasn’t important, I wouldn’t have put it in the play. (A writer's advice)
5. For directors: You don’t need all that stuff.
6. For designers: You need all that stuff
7. Nobody cares about your method, just make your fucking play.

So why 14/48? As Basil Harris said, starting off the meeting, “why the fuck not?!”

Wrapping up my 14/48 weekend

The early show is in the books and it's another solid outing. Keri Healey's play is my favorite tonight. It's such a wonderful little piece. Allison Strickland and Joe Zavadil (this week's Mazen award winner) are terrific together. And the show ends on such a great note, with Sara Porkalob joining the band for 'Rehab.'

I've been a huge fan of 14/48 since I first discovered it four years ago, and I'm only more infatuated after having seen everything from behind the scenes. This is an amazing group of people. I can't recommend volunteering highly enough. They've built such a fabulous community around the festival, and it is endlessly fascinating to see it all come together.

See you outdoors this summer!