Furious Theatre Blog

2011-11-18T10:47:00.000-08:00

"Science Night Talkback" in Case You Missed It or Want to Hear It Again...

2010-06-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

Here's the audio from last Friday's talkback. Special thanks to Steve Julian, David Seal, Andrew Straw and the cast! If you want to skip ahead in the audio the topics being discussed are listed in the comments at the bottom.

boom - "Science Night" Talkback by furioustheatre

boom Review Quotes

2010-05-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

Back Stage by Les Spindle

"Critic's Pick!"

“…hilarious and thought-provoking…”

“…a quirky romcom that morphs into a tension-filled apocalyptic parable.”

“Brimming with originality and wit…”

“Nachtrieb's engrossing play is given an exemplary L.A.-premiere staging, thanks to the efforts of director Dámaso Rodriguez and a splendid three-member cast.”

“Cernoch achieves a richly varied performance, including superbly dexterous physical comedy.”

“Goodchild excels at revealing intricate layers of her troubled character while finding the zany humor in the dialogue.”

“Duffy is marvelous as the chatty hostess who initially comes across as businesslike but soon begins showing her own emotions, adding fun and insight to the unfolding drama.”

___________________________________________

Pasadena Star News by Frances Nicholson

“deliciously wacky take on the end of the world”

“…delightfully silly look at a scientific Armageddon.”

“Cernoch and Goodchild make these characters sympathetic, silly and honest all at once: just enough humanity to connect with the audience, just enough silliness to keep the atmosphere light.”

“When she (Julia Duffy) leaves her established duties to connect with the audience, things become ever more wildly improbable, and delightfully funny.”

“Director Damaso Rodriguez has given the piece a fine intensity…”

“For a satisfying, unique chuckle, ‘boom’ makes for a charming, but still humorously thought-provoking evening.”

________________________________________________

L.A. Times by David C. Nichols

“Director Damaso Rodriguez maintains a cracked balance between Jules and Jo’s ostensible reality and Barbara’s role in the proceedings.”

“Cernoch and Goodchild ride well-contrasted comic techniques to the same unsettling ends, while Duffy is priceless, every gesture and elliptical pause registering at least nice nuances.”

“…a valiant Los Angeles Premiere by Furious Theatre Company.”

_________________________________________

Pasadena Weekly by Leigh Kennicott

“…the intrepid Furious Theatre Co. ensemble continues to churn out hit after hit…”

“…thought provoking, funny and clumsy in an engaging way.

“The ending will surprise some and provide food for thought to all…”

“Furious Theatre finds success in the tightness of its ensemble, and Dámaso Rodriguez knows how to pull the best from his actors.”

“…a heady cocktail of clever wordplay…”

“…should you want to laugh while contemplating society’s present and future, ‘boom’ is the play for you.”

___________________________________________________

Talkinbroadway.com by Sharon Perlmutter

“QUIRKY, MULTI-LAYERED... EMOTIONALLY SATISFIYING!”

“…the role of Barbara was written for exactly Duffy's style of comedy. Part self-important teacher, part ditz—Duffy's Barbara is easily flustered and adds just the right tone…”

“Nick Cernoch brings an earnestness to him, such that his singlemindedness of purpose seems almost noble.”

“Goodchild emphasizes Jo's selfishness throughout, making her stray moments of vulnerability surprising.”

“Dámaso Rodriguez's direction is solid, as usual…”

_______________________

LA Weekly by Tom Provenzano

“…there is always a sense of sly comedy…”

“…the appeal and skills of the three actors under Damaso Rodriguez's airtight direction create such an enjoyable theatrical evening…”

Chime.in

"boom" Music

2010-05-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

L' Trimm inspired? No, but you may like the songs anyway.

Listen to music from the show HERE

Are You Ready For The boom?

2010-05-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

For more info and tickets, go here.

For more Furious YouTube videos,
go here.

Countdown To The boom

2010-05-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

For more info and tickets, go here.

For more Furious YouTube videos, go here.

A Sense of Impending "boom"

2010-05-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

That's "boom" with a small "b," as playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb is quick to point out. That small "b" is critical to understanding the feelings rooted in this amazing play, next up from the Furious Theatre Company. Smallness, insignificance, purposelessness and the rebellion against all three come into stark focus through as many characters in one of the most produced plays of the past theatre year.

Those feelings were exactly the focus of Damaso Rodriguez's first read-thru in the Library at the Pasadena Playhouse. He asked everyone to explain the first time they felt small, sharing his own experience of seeing the moon for the first time. Julia Duffy mentioned finally seeing the ocean at the age of 19, a far cry from the land of 10,000 lakes from which she hails. Our Sound Designer, Doug Newell, mentioned seeing a jumbo tron, once mammoth on TV, then dwarfed in person against the stadium of a Houston Astros baseball game. Ensemble members' memories varied, turning at times religious (St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican), to scientific (how can airplanes actually barrel through the sky like that, anyway?), to existential (an only child learning that the cosmos actually DON'T revolve around her). I mentioned the fact that most of matter is just empty space, a mind-warping fact that to this day still makes me feel infinitesimal against the complexities of the universe.

This play and those sentiments remind me of a poem, "The Hollow Men" by T.S. Elliot which finishes,

"This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper"

Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes blogs about our rehearsal process counting down to the impending "boom" opening May 22^nd at the Carrie Hamilton Theater at the Pasadena Playhouse!

Music for "Men Of Tortuga"

2010-03-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

Jump on over to ziplinesounddesign.com and have a listen to the music I created for "Men Of Tortuga." You'll probably find some assorted music and videos from past Furious shows as well.

The MEN OF TORTUGA Are Coming

2010-02-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

For more info and tickets, go here.

For more Furious YouTube videos, go here.

5 Years in the Carrie Hamilton Theatre

2010-02-08T21:25:00.000-08:00

Last night was the "final" curtain call (for the time being...) on the Pasadena Playhouse main stage. As readers of this blog and followers of the theatre scene in L.A. know the last 10 days have been a whirlwind at Pasadena Playhouse. The fact that such a venerable institution is forced to shut down is a major setback to the arts in Pasadena, the greater L.A. theatre community, and of course to many an individual associated with the institution. Furious has been caught up in what will surely prove to be a major course-changing event in our company history. What's next? Can our show "Men of Tortuga" (2 weeks into rehearsal when the harsh and swift news of the Playhouse's fate came down) continue as planned? Is staying in the CHT (as we'd prefer) even possible? We hope to have answers within the next two days. Whichever way this turns out, the events of the past several days have made me reflect on our time at the Carrie Hamilton Theatre and at the Pasadena Playhouse. 15 productions in 5 life-changing years. A few random, but important highlights?

Fall 2003- We're called into a meeting with Sheldon Epps and Lyla White at the Playhouse's offices on Lake St. The pitch: "What would you think about taking residence in our second stage? No strings attached. Rent free." I remember it as an out-of-body experience. Too good to be true. We'd been homeless for a year (opting not to produce until we found an ideal situation). Several months later, we had a key to the stage door, and started rehearsals and a low-budget mini-renovation of the space. The Playhouse never got enough credit for how bold a move this was.

2004 - Labor Day weekend. The ensemble moves in. We are going to rip out the existing 140 seats and 10ft. deep stage, at least triple the stage depth, and remove all the seating replacing the old seats with some from our old space. We are doing this while rehearsing Scenes from the Big Picture by Owen McCafferty. It has a cast of 21 and 43 scenes of Belfast life. We want to start big, make our mark. The big idea was to completely change-over a theatre space, and produce a giant play without staff and real budget all in 6 weeks or so. Almost all of us still had day jobs. Foolish? We ran into major electrical problems as we hit tech. This show nearly broke us. In the final days before opening, we slept in shifts on the floor of the lobby fruitlessly trying to "make the lights do what we were telling them to", finish the program, finish the set, the sound design, etc. Melissa Teoh, ensemble member and set designer, went to Target and bought everybody toothbrushes and toothpaste---no one had been home to brush their teeth. I remember too changing clothes in the lobby multiple times as the next day's rehearsal arrived so that the guest actors wouldn't know we'd been there all night and the following day. In the end, it turned out well enough. And while we certainly survived the show, we had little time to recover. Another big idea was that we would produce 4 plays in 9 months. At that time, everybody worked on every show. It was the same 10 people swapping responsibilities. In the end, we opened 5 plays in about 12 months. We slowed down in subsequent years. Quality of experience over quantity.

2005 - We had to lobby to get the rights to the first L.A. production of The Shape of Things by Neil LaBute. Sheldon Epps helped out with a phone call. This was the first time we experienced the leverage that our Playhouse relationship would give us. Also, as our second production at the Playhouse, we had not recovered from the stress and strain of our over-reaching first production. The Shape of Things went extremely smoothly. I remember a significant moment during tech rehearsal when we were standing around (several of us) calmly discussing which gel color to use for a a scene. We had figured out how to get our lights to do what we told them to do, and things were calm enough where the subtlest change in color mattered--we had stopped just trying to survive, and were enjoying ourselves.

Summer 2005 - We started getting paid. The show happened to be The Fair Maid of the West, but the significance is that it was the production on which everybody top to bottom "got paid". Not much, but something that felt significant. This was possible because our more visible position at the Playhouse had helped us attract an impressive board of directors, who knew how to fund-raise, and of course our rent-free situation allowed us to allocate funds to the artists instead of rent.

Quality over Quantity - We only produced 4 plays between 2006 and 2007, two per year. Each production wound up on multiple best of the year and awards lists, and 3 out of 4 plays earned awards for their playwrights.

Blackouts - Ever since our arrival into the space, it's been slated for an imminent renovation. And it needs one. Periodic blackouts have been part of the experience of working at the theatre. See here and here.

Guns - Contrary to popular opinion, no one has to die on stage in order for a play to get a Furious production. However, there have been several gunshots fired in the Carrie Hamilton in the last five years. For two memorable misfires, see here and here.

Staff - In 2007, we took the leap and were able to hire 3 of our ensemble members to staff positions (a full-time general manager, and two part-time positions). We've been able to maintain our g.m. position, but the tough economy forced us to cut one of our part-time staff jobs last year. Still, this was a milestone.

The switch to an AEA contract - we had operated on an Equity "waiver" agreement since our first production, but each year we increased the actors' stipends, and began paying for rehearsal (which is not required by the 99 seat plan). In 2009, we moved to a contract and intend to remain on one whether at the Carrie Hamilton or elsewhere.

Kids, lots of kids - There are several couples in Furious. When we began at the Playhouse, there was one Furious baby. A little over five years later...10 Ensemble offspring. And while they have made life better for us all I think it's safe to say, they've also made the act of producing theatre...trickier. In other words, no more sleeping on the floor of the theatre. See "Acting and Motherhood, also here and here.

A Note from Sheldon Epps

2010-02-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

Here is a letter to the public (via the Los Angeles Times) from Pasadena Playhouse Artistic Director Sheldon Epps regarding the pending closure/reorganization of the theatre.

I read a story once about the great painter Pablo Picasso. Apparently there were many times when, in the process of creating one of his great works of art, he would find himself frustrated, confused, overwhelmed, or somewhat defeated by what was in front of him as he painted. This could happen either at the beginning of the process, or after many weeks or even months of work on a painting. At those moments he sometimes found that the best, though sometimes difficult choice was to toss the problematic canvass, and in his words, “Begin again.” Though this could be painful to do, it was by starting with a clean canvas that he was able to get past whatever the challenges were, get the painting that he wanted on to the new canvas, and as a result, create some of his most successful works of art.

Pasadena Playhouse is a great arts institution. We are fortunate to consistently create valuable works of theatrical art with such artistry and skill that -- when we are truly blessed -- our work can touch on greatness. The Playhouse is also a vital community service organization which trains young artists and new audiences, and opens the minds of thousands of young people to the power of the arts. Both of these tasks, creating great art and serving our community, are at the very heart of our mission, and we fulfill that mission with admirable expertise.

However, there are entanglements, obligations, and literal burdens that the theatre has been saddled with for many years that are the result not of what we do in the present, but of poor and misguided decisions in the past. While we have been able to move forward in spite of those challenges over the past decade and come out shining artistically, the fact is that a tsunami of events has now caused these challenges to feel insurmountable, and in fact impeded in a severe way our capacity to do what we do best. Our ability to function incredibly well as a theatre company attracts substantial resources from sales, from contributed income, and from government and foundation support (not to mention a high level of respect and admiration in our field). Unfortunately, far too often those resources must go to obligations created in that nefarious past, rather than to the support of the current art on our stage, and the valuable activities that make us vital right now.

The proposed reorganization will have its own set of challenges, questions, and complications to work through. But it is a way to “Begin again”! This could well be a means for us to expunge the burdens of the past and move forward with a clean canvas. If we can do this properly, with determination, with the pride and dignity that we deserve to display, this plan could well give us a valuable fresh start and allow us to focus our full energies on what we do best. It could give us the valuable opportunity to get back to the pure and valuable joy of creating theatrical art devoted to the promise of the present rather than the burdens of the past. Imagine the possibilities.

-- Sheldon Epps

We'll continue to post news here about the Playhouse's situation as well as what it all means to the future of Furious.

Furious Saddened by Pasadena Playhouse Closing

2010-01-29T14:03:00.000-08:00

Furious Theatre Company is deeply saddened to hear the news about the closing of the historic theatre that has generously given us a home for over 5 years. Our relationship with Pasadena Playhouse has done amazing things for our company, and we'll be eternally grateful for our time here as part of the Playhouse family. Our sympathies go out to our friends on the Playhouse staff who are losing their jobs. Although this news presents some immediate challenges for our organization, we are determined to continue with our current season as planned. We are moving forward with our upcoming production of Jason Wells' MEN OF TORTUGA and will explore all options to keep its February 20 opening on schedule in the Carrie Hamilton Theatre. Furious is aware that the current situation will present obstacles but it is our hope that the generous support we have received from our patrons and donors will continue to be there to lift us up in what is sure to be a greater time of need. While it is uncertain where our company will be producing in the future we remain committed to bringing "furious" theatre to Los Angeles audiences.

To read more about this breaking news, follow the LA Times story here.

Furiouser and Furiouser

2010-01-22T15:58:00.000-08:00

Here are a few quotes from a really fun (and flattering) write-up by Backstage veteran critic Les Spindle on our 2010 season.

Click here to read the entire blog post.

Furiouser and Furiouser

"One of L.A.'s most acclaimed and adventurous theater groups, Furious Theatre Company, has announced its seventh season, to be presented at the Carrie Hamilton Theatre, adjacent to the Pasadena Playhouse, except for the third offering, which will be staged at a venue to be announced. Pictured here is a scene from last season's magnificent production of Bruce Norris' startling domestic drama The Pain and the Itch, a co-production between Furious and Theatre @ Boston Court. The bill of fare for 2010 sounds as intriguing and edgy as the work we have come to expect from this young but highly accomplished company."

"The only thing likely to make me furious about this lineup would be missing any entries in this most tantalzing season."

Be Furious.

Men of Tortuga - 1st Rehearsal

2010-01-20T11:58:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos from last night's first read/rehearsal for Men of Tortuga - the first production in Season 7 at Furious.

Model of the Scenic Design

The Sound Design Plot

Director Alexis Chamow talking through some ideas with ensemble member Damaso Rodriguez

Cast, Creative Team and Company in the room for the first time

More to come...

Be Furious.

The Best of L.A. Theater in the '00s

2010-01-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

In this week's LA Weekly, Steven Leigh Morris writes an insightful article detailing the wins and losses of the Los Angeles Theatre Scene over the past ten years. Read it here.

Included in his article is a list of the "best theatre companies for the past decade", and we're honored to be included. In addition to listing the wins and losses, SLM - always the champion of smaller theatres here in L.A. - sheds some light on the current state of the city's scene and how a majority of what actually shapes our scene locally "flies under the radar" from a regional and national perspective. Hence, making it difficult for L.A. to be recognized for what it factually is - the number one theatre producing city in America.

Here's to an exciting 2010 together. Be Furious in the New Year!

2009 Shout-Outs

2009-12-17T15:41:00.000-08:00

With several hundred plays running during a Los Angeles theatre season, it truly is an honor just to be remembered (let alone nominated for something!). Check out the following shout-outs for our 2009 productions.

Veteran L.A. theatre critic, Don Shirley, includes Furious' production of Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's "Hunter Gatherers" in his list of 2009 season highlights in his LA Stage Watch column:
CLICK HERE

Mr. Shirley also called out our production on the air during yesterday's "Theatre Roundup" segment on Airtalk with Larry Mantle, 89.3 KPCC.
CLICK HERE

And a few weeks ago in his "blogstage" column, Back Stage and Theatremania critic Les Spindle called this summer's co-production of Bruce Norris' "The Pain and the Itch" with the wonderful Theatre @ Boston Court, "one of the most thrilling and adventurous productions
of the year."
CLICK HERE

Here's to a happy and memorably Furious 2010!

Find out more from BroadwayWorld.com about our upcoming season below:

CLICK HERE

Landry's Last Days (For Now)

2009-08-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

Here is a Blog that I asked Landry (our summer intern) to write, reflecting on her last week of work with us. Furious will miss Landry and so will I. We wish her the best because she deserves it. - Nick

Last Blog of the Summer

I have to say, I don’t really want to write this blog because I know that it is the one in which I have to ‘wrap-up’ and say my goodbyes to this internship. Nick asked me a week or so ago what I wanted to get out of my last days here, and my answer was insurance that these are not my last days as a part of Furious.

This internship has been invaluable to me. I have learned things I never could’ve predicted and been lucky enough to work on bits and pieces of almost everything. I learned what goes into a press release, how to use EBay and Craigslist, what a Spuderito is, how to write and distribute a survey, and how to write thank-you and renewal letters to donors large and small. Oh, and to make best friends with Excel Spreadsheets. I also learned the reality of non-profits. Non-profits are messy, unpredictable, and require so much more care than most for-profit businesses with not always as much thanks. But the most important thing I learned is what an amazing contraption Furious Theatre Company really is.

I guess the thing I least expected from this internship was to come out of it with not only connections, but to come out of it with friends. The people I’ve gotten close with in Furious are not only people I immensely admire, but also people I actually want to keep in touch with because they’re all so damn cool. It’s always nice to like the people you are working for, but I think it’s incredibly lucky to actually want to go to work everyday and want to do even tedious tasks because they further the mission of these amazing people and their mission for this incredible company.

I’m not sure what I’ll do everyday without hearing Nick sing all of the incredibly wrong but creative words to my favorite songs. I’m also not sure what I’ll do without him there every Monday morning to discuss the antics of the weekend, or to help me pick out the perfect pair of new sunglasses, or to throw Nerf darts around the room while discussing the day’s goals and occasionally hit me in the face with one (by accident, of course.)

There are parts of every Furious person that I have gotten close to this summer that I want to be exactly like. I don’t want to say I’m obsessed with this company and the people in it, but…I mean…maybe a little. Not to be dramatic, but this internship has changed my life. I have so much more clarity now about theatre and how much work goes into every aspect of it, and I’ve learned even more the importance of being a passionate person. If you’re not doing something you’re passionate about, what’s the point of doing it?

Thank you so much to everyone I had the pleasure of working with this summer, and just being friends with this summer, especially Doug, Brad, Eric, Dámaso, Georgia, Megan, Vonessa, Katie, Christie, Brian, and of course Nick.

I was able to do this internship through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission grant. For those of you that don’t know, this program includes 125 different internships with companies in the arts community in Los Angeles. If these internships don’t exist next year, it will be a huge shame. They are not currently in the 2010 LA County Arts Commission budget, and I can only imagine the detriment to the arts community to not continue to expose the next generation of arts professionals to these incredible companies in such a brilliant way. I, and every other intern I have discussed this with, would without a doubt apply to the program again for as many years as we are eligible. This program presents the best of all worlds, we can make connections for our futures, get a very necessary dose of reality of what the world of the arts really is, give invaluable help to the company we fit best with, and even get paid. The loss of this program would be an undeniable shame. If you are an intern, a mentor, or a person who saw the difference an intern made for a company or the difference the internship made in the intern’s life, please email Anji Milanovic at amilanovic@arts.lacounty.gov. She is fighting to keep the program, and I know showing your support will help immeasurably.

Opening Weekend: An Intern's Perspective

2009-07-28T16:38:00.000-07:00

The Pain and the Itch Has Opened!

The jarring content of Bruce Norris’ The Pain and the Itch was perfect for Furious’ first ever co-production with The Theatre @ Boston Court. A year and some pocket change after the decision was made, the show opened. The weekend was a very exciting one for Furious, with a successful fundraising event filled with generous supporters and of course the West Coast premiere of the monstrous baby that is The Pain and The Itch.

As the Furious summer intern, some of the biggest tasks I have had were all centered around one night, July 26^th: our opening weekend fundraising event and performance. That night finally came this past weekend. It felt like prom; all of the planning had happened and it was now out of our hands, and we were waiting in our nice clothes for people to show up.

The event was held in the beautiful Pasadena Playhouse library Sunday evening, with awesome food from Elements Kitchen (especially the pita chips and the chocolate tarts…oh my gosh…) and some great storytelling by Furious co-founder, company member, and P & I director Dámaso Rodriguez and Co-Artistic Director of The Theatre @ Boston Court Michael Michetti. The guests learned about brief versions of the histories of both companies and how they finally came together for this amazing production. They also discussed the play itself, the budget-deceiving set, and challenges brought about by this particular production, among other things. Additionally mentioned was the Furious Ebay Auction, please please please contact us at furioustheatre@yahoo.com or 626 792-7116 you have anything to donate!

The show itself, in my opinion at least, is incredibly funny and entertaining, but also extremely challenging. Dámaso referred to it during his storytelling as an “equal opportunity offender.” Much of the chatter I heard after the show on Sunday night included people reflecting on their own lives and reassuring their specific distinctions from these characters. One patron exclaimed “What a rollercoaster ride!” I think this is very true: it is a rollercoaster ride. If there were audience instructions they would be laugh, tear up, kick yourself for laughing, gasp, laugh, reel back in shock, laugh, and repeat. It’s truly a must see.

-Posted by Landry Allbright

LA Times Preview of THE PAIN AND THE ITCH

2009-07-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

In case you missed the awesome feature in this past weekend's Sunday Times or the post on the LA Times Culture Monster Blog. Here are a couple of preview pieces written by Charlotte Stoudt on our co-production with The Theatre @ Boston Court.

This one ran in print on Sunday and on the LA Times online entertainment section:

Collaboration makes way for 'The Pain and the Itch'

Pasadena's Furious Theatre Company and Boston Court combine resources to stage the Bruce Norris satire, which pokes fun at liberal proclivities.

By Charlotte Stoudt
July 19, 2009

If you customize your latte at Starbucks, choke up at images of the Obamas from election night and TiVo at least one show on PBS featuring British accents, playwright Bruce Norris has you in his sights.

After successful runs in New York, London, Chicago and Boston, Norris' wicked satire of blue-state family values, "The Pain and the Itch," opens Saturday in a co-production between Pasadena's Furious Theatre Company and Theatre @ Boston Court. With an elaborate set, production-specific videos and a central role for a 4-year-old, "Pain" required the combined resources of two theater companies known for risky programming.
Sometimes it takes a village to offend liberals.

Click here to read the full feature.

This blog about the show was also posted to the LA Times Culture Monster Arts blog:

The pain of creating 'The Pain and the Itch'

by Charlotte Stoudt

4:00 PM, July 18, 2009

Director Damaso Rodriguez knew he was facing certain challenges with “The Pain and the Itch,” set to open at Theatre @ Boston Court on July 25. Bruce Norris’ intricate satire of blue state bad manners requires a major role for a child actor, an extensive set and the use of video. But the Furious Theatre Company artistic director never anticipated that staging a play could feel so much like shooting a movie.

Click here to read the full blog.

The Pain and the Itch opens this Saturday, July 25th and will close August 23rd...get your tickets now!

Hello from Furious Intern Landry Allbright

2009-06-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

My name is Landry Allbright and I’m this summer’s Furious intern. I’m a rising sophomore and B.F.A. Acting major at Emerson College in Boston. It’s my third week, and I have to say, this internship is pretty awesome. I am beyond excited to be a part of the team behind Furious Theatre Company. The other day, I was typing up some handwritten notes from an April company meeting and the goals discussed put a whole new layer on the multi-tier cake of respect and admiration I have for Furious.

After stumbling across the listing on the LA County Arts website, I applied for this internship. Shamefully, I knew very little about Furious so I did research all over the internet and only found things which highly appealed to me. After my first phone interview with Nick (Furious General Manager and Ensemble Member), I gained immense excitement for the position. Several emails and another interview later, I was hired!

For the last two weeks I’ve been working on what we like to call FUNdraising through several different mediums including our Furious EBay Auction. (Be sure to check it out!) I’ve also been working hard to help expand our presence on social networking sites, etc. (Take this survey to help us out if you haven’t already!) Probably the coolest thing I’ve gotten to do is attend the awesome first read thru of The Pain and The Itch last week; this show is definitely a must-see. Don’t miss out! Tickets are on sale now.

I’ll be hanging around here basically being mini-Nick Cernoch for 8 more weeks. I’m already sad you can only hold this position once, but don’t tell anyone.

The Pain and the Itch Report - Cast in Huggies?

2009-06-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

Furious is hard at work in the rehearsal room for the season ending co-production of Bruce Norris' The Pain and the Itch with The Theatre @ Boston Court. It's only been a week and we've almost blocked the entire play! The cast is close-knit regardless of who's a Furious veteran or first-timer. The team and facilities at Boston Court are allowing the creative process to flow at its smoothest! In short, things are going swimmingly.

This weekend was the first time everyone got to work with Olivia, one of the ADORABLE little girls in the role of Kayla, the impish daughter suffering from the title affliction. As it goes, she's older than her character, and while her character wears Huggies in the show, SHE certainly does not.

Thus, the cast, ever empathetic, decided to raise her comfort level by shrugging off their own, donning diapers themselves for the rest of the day. So, no, these pictures are not evidence of an incontinent cast, but rather a show of solidarity with their youthful comrade. It was a very sweet gesture that very much impressed this Assistant Director from the other side of the table.

More inside scoop to come.

-Dan Steele

Kevin Vavasseur as Mr. Hadid

Brad Price as Clay

Scott Lowell as Cash

Katie Davies as Kalina

Vonessa Martin as Kelly

Furious Turns 7...Welcomes New Ensemble Members

2009-05-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

Furious Theatre celebrated it's 7th Anniversary this past Sunday. April 26 marks the date of the very first public performance of Saturday Night at the Palace, Furious Theatre Company's inaugural production in 2002.

The Furious Ensemble that has been built in stages (starting with 6 founders in 2002 and growing to 15 in 2007 when its last "class" of members was added) grew again on the company's latest Anniversary with the addition of Matt Pelfrey and Megan Goodchild.

Pelfrey has been Furious Theatre's award-winning playwright in residence since 2007 when the company produced his play, An Impending Rupture of the Belly as it's first World Premiere. His plays have been produced across the U.S. with recent productions and workshops in New York and San Francisco. Matt teaches playwriting at UCLA and continues to write Furiously...we're very proud that he calls Furious his artistic home. Read more about Matt and his writing here.

Megan Goodchild first appeared on the Furious stage in Playboy of the Western World back in 2002. After leaving L.A. to pursue an apprenticeship with Actor's Theatre of Louisville, she returned in 2006 and re-connected with Furious, working as a designer, assistant director and most recently as an actress again this season in US Drag, for which she was nominated, along with fellow ensemble member Katie Davies, for an LA Weekly Theatre Award.

Congratulation, thank you and welcome to Matt and Megan and Happy Anniversary to Furious Theatre!

Congratulations to E.M. Lewis

2009-04-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

The American Theatre Critics Association has selected E.M. (Ellen) Lewis' Song of Extinction to receive the 2009 Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award.

The announcement was made April 4 at Actors Theatre of Louisville during the Humana Festival of New American Plays, where critics have converged for a special industry weekend.

For more info click here.

Congratulations to Furious Friend and LA plawright E.M. Lewis!

Another Man Down?

2009-03-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

Rumor has it LA City Beat is closing... what does this mean for the incredibly wise, passionate, insightful, and forthright warhorse of LA theatre's critical writing world - Don Shirley?

UPDATE: No longer a rumor. Ugh.

The Furious Flyaway

2009-03-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

Acting & Motherhood

2009-02-23T08:05:00.000-08:00

An Unrevealing Prop Check

2009-02-09T09:58:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles Times Review: Hunter Gatherers - TOP PICK

2009-01-29T15:05:00.000-08:00

Review: 'Hunter Gatherers' at Furious Theatre Company

3:00 PM, January 29, 2009

If you think that getting in touch with your inner primitive is the ideal antidote to the sterility of modern civilization, San Francisco-based playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's "Hunter Gatherers" urges you to reconsider. In a razor-sharp staging from Furious Theatre Company, Nachtrieb's bitingly hilarious black comedy spares neither savages nor saints as a polite dinner party devolves into an orgy of pent-up rage, sex and bloodshed.

An exotic gourmet meal is the annual tradition with which two 35-year-old couples who've known each other since high school celebrate their enduring friendship, but this year chef Richard (Doug Newell) has taken foodie obsession with the freshest ingredients to new extremes. Perched over a large cardboard box in the center of their upscale urban loft, butcher's knife in hand, he coaxes his reluctant wife, Pam (Sara Hennessy), to help him slaughter the bleating lamb they'll be serving later on to disaffected Wendy (Vonessa Martin) and her milquetoast doctor husband Tom (Steven Schub).

This pagan sacrifice is but the opening volley in the escalating mayhem that unfolds once the guests arrive. With abundant irony and well-turned barbs, Nachtrieb's sharply crafted dialogue follows in Edward Albee's footsteps, peeling away layers of well-mannered repression and hypocrisy as the foursome succumb to their basest impulses. In his determination to leave no taboo unviolated, however, the still-maturing playwright is at times seduced by cleverness into outrageous excess at the expense of continuity and coherence, even by the internal logic of this absurdist context.

Dámaso Rodriguez's relentlessly paced staging builds suspense with the visceral engagement of a cinematic thriller and draws nicely realized characters from the entire cast. Hennessy in particular parlays superb deadpan naivete into a journey of self-discovery through the dark corners of Pam's psyche -- a journey that ultimately takes on metaphysical dimensions. As the bodies pile up, there's ample opportunity to employ her cookbook's advice for calming the passing souls of slaughtered lambs with stories of magic and happiness.

-- Philip Brandes

"Hunter Gatherers," Furious Theatre Company at the Pasadena Playhouse Carrie Hamilton Theatre, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. Sundays. Ends Feb. 21. $30. (800) 595-4849. Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes.

Photo: Doug Newell and Sara Hennessy. Credit: Anthony Masters.

Back Stage West Review - Hunter Gatherers - Critic's Pick

2009-01-28T15:05:00.000-08:00

Hunter Gatherers

January 28, 2009
Reviewed by Les Spindle
When a whimpering lamb is ritualistically silenced as a prelude to a dinner party, it's clear the gathering isn't going to be your garden-variety schmooze-and-booze fest. Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's savagely funny comedy is a shocker, but the amazing thing about this San Francisco–bred work is how the playwright elicits a cockeyed sort of empathy for the flipped-out characters who inhabit this unnerving dramatic universe, which combines the verbal savagery of vintage Edward Albee with the visceral brutality of Sarah Kane. In director Dámaso Rodriguez's sidesplitting yet thought-provoking L.A premiere, the distinctive voice of a trailblazing playwright strongly resonates. Nachtrieb explores the thin line between civilized behavior and animalistic demeanor that exists in humans, giving us a harrowing glimpse at the results of people crossing this boundary when they’re backed into an emotional corner. Neanderthal male Richard (Doug Newell) not only believes freshly slaughtered animal flesh is required to make the anniversary party for his friends a success; he has additional surprises on the agenda -- including the determination to "spread his seed" among the guests. This makes him a good match for the self-centered and duplicitous Wendy (Vonessa Martin), who arrives with her mild-mannered geek of a husband, Tom (Steven Schub). Tom's kindred spirit is Richard's suppressed wife, Pam (Sara Hennessy), whose defense mechanism against the cruelty of Richard and Wendy is to pretend it doesn't exist. Acts of desperation lead to electrifying developments and an amazing denouement. The tight ensemble tackles the difficult material with intelligence and skill. The actors demonstrate terrific physical dexterity in fight scenes, masterfully choreographed by Brian Danner. Newell pulls out all stops to convey Richard's sociopathic leanings in a performance of impeccable insight. Hennessy's shrinking-violet housewife is a wonderfully detailed combination of nervous tics and subtle facial expressions denoting Pam's repressed despair. Martin nails the arrogance and selfishness behind Wendy's fake niceties. Schub triumphs as a tragicomic nebbish struggling to rebel against bullies. Design elements are likewise first-rate. This marvelous production is a fitting kickoff to Furious Theatre's graduation from Actors Equity's 99-Seat Plan to a Letter of Agreement arrangement, now offering substantially increased pay for its deserving actors.

Talkinbroadway.com Review - Hunter Gatherers

2009-01-27T11:31:00.000-08:00

Hunter Gatherers

You go to the butcher and buy some lamb for dinner. Practically speaking, there isn't a whole lot of difference between you buying the lamb from a butcher and you slaughtering the lamb yourself (it certainly doesn't make any difference to the lamb) . But buying the lamb from a butcher (think about that word) is civilized, while killing it yourself, well, isn't. Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's play, Hunter Gatherers (in its LA premiere) begins by crossing that line, when a normal, everyday couple, unable to get a fresh enough lamb for a special dinner, slaughters a lamb in their normal, everyday living room. And once that line has been crossed, Nachtrieb's dark comedy gamely sees just how far it can go.

It's a dinner party. Four friends—two couples—are getting together to celebrate an anniversary. With the evening so special that it demands an animal sacrifice, one might expect this to be the anniversary of some really creepy event (a blood oath of some sort?). But, as the play soon explains, it is simply the couples' joint wedding anniversary. There's nothing creepy here—a fact which, when you think about it, is really creepy.

Richard is the evening's chef—he's the one who insisted on ultra-fresh lamb, despite the misgivings of his wife, Pam. Richard fancies himself an artist, both in the kitchen and out, and he is driven by his desire to create something better than everything that has ever gone before. And, coupled with his desire to create, Richard also possesses the desire to dominate and destroy. He finds it necessary to prove his manhood by wrestling his friend, Tom, even though the nerdy physician poses no physical threat. It's like a bad episode of that High School Reunion show where, instead of the bully apologizing for hurting his victim's feelings, he goes right back to his aggressive, humiliating ways. Doug Newell's loud, energetic, domineering Richard starts off the play as just a little bit on the primal side of things, and he's absolutely terrific as he descends into full-on caveman.

Richard is matched not by his own wife, but by Tom's wife, Wendy. Wendy (Vonessa Martin) is insanely passionate about everything. (When Wendy's knock at the door isn't immediately answered, she immediately freaks out because Pam and Richard must be dead.) But she feeds Richard's urges and incites him to go further; she's nearly orgasmic at the scent of his cooking lamb—oh, and she'd like to have his child.

Pam has an innocence to her, and a serious case of denial (which leads to a hilarious first act closer). Sara Hennessy's portrayal starts off a bit stilted, as though some of Richard and Wendy's heightened responses are making it difficult for her to remain normal. But her performance picks up as the play progresses, and the more we know about Pam's own repressed urges, the better she gets. Tom (Steven Schub) is also hiding a baser self, but he so desperately doesn't want to lose the veneer of civilization, he keeps trying to take the high road of mutual respect with Richard—a path that can't possibly end well for him.

Nachtrieb's play is smart and funny, as he allows his characters to explore their archetypes in different situations. When Richard tells the others of his slaughter of the lamb, Pam still weeps over the death of the animal, Wendy is excited by the sensual pleasures of the meal, and Tom thinks it's a Health Code violation.

Directed with the usual Furious Theatre Company flair by Dámaso Rodriguez, the play is alternately intense and hilarious; and, as with other Furious productions, the cast works together with an apparent level of trust that enables them to push limits with each other with conviction. It results in a fine example of Furious's work—an impressively engaging production of an edgy new play.

Hunter Gatherers runs at the Carrie Hamilton Theatre through February 21, 2009. For tickets and information, see www.furioustheatre.org.

-Reviewed by Sharon Perlmutter

(Pictured above - Doug Newell and Sara Hennessy, photo by Anthony Masters)

7 LA WEEKLY Theatre Award Noms for US DRAG!

2009-01-26T12:47:00.001-08:00

Congrats to the Cast and Production Team of US DRAG on their LA Weekly Theatre Award nominations. Stay tuned, the winners will be announced March 30!

COMEDY DIRECTION
Darin Anthony, U.S. Drag, Furious Theatre Company at the Pasadena Playhouse

COMEDY ENSEMBLE
U.S. Drag, Furious Theatre Company at the Pasadena Playhouse

LEADING FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Katie Davies, U.S. Drag, Furious Theatre Company at the Pasadena Playhouse
Megan Goodchild, U.S. Drag, Furious Theatre Company at the Pasadena Playhouse

SUPPORTING FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Johanna McKay, U.S. Drag, Furious Theatre Company at the Pasadena Playhouse

PRODUCTION DESIGN
U.S. Drag, Furious Theatre Company at the Pasadena Playhouse

SET DESIGN
Dan Jenkins, U.S. Drag, Furious Theatre Company at the Pasadena Playhouse

Congrats to all of the other nominees as well, you can see the full list here.

The Stage is Set

2009-01-24T09:34:00.001-08:00

Hunter Gatherers Opens Tonight!

Hellbound Hero and the Mayor

2009-01-23T10:09:00.000-08:00

Last night the company had a double bill.

We had our second preview of Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's Hunter Gatherers (opens Saturday) at the theatre, and we we also performing as part of the Mayor's "State of the City Address" program, in the Gold Room of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, just up the street.

Many might think we were an odd choice for a Mayoral event, including us. However, the Mayor of Pasadena is deeply connected to the arts and has proven to be very supportive of many smaller and more adventurous artists and companies, like us, and it was an honor to be chosen to represent and provide a little taste of the local arts scene at this key civic event. We would be introducing ourselves to a lot of people who had no reference to us.

The city's Vice Mayor welcomed everyone (a little more than 300), had some young men present flags, and an elementary girl lead the audience in the Pledge of Allegience.

Then us. Our material - an excerpt of Matt Pelfrey's new play that we commissioned, called "No Good Deed."

Our performance included plenty of swearing, sexual innuendos, references to substance abuse, a little bit of physical violence, a swirlie in a real toilet and a Marilyn Manson-esque super hero called Hellbound Hero that rips out people's hearts and boils their eyes with lightning bolts. Pretty much our standard fare with a few less "f*cks" and "sh*ts". We think the Mayor appreciated that.

The result? Some shock, some disbelief, and suprisingly, a hefty amount of genuine laughter and enthusiasm.

We'll post some footage when we can get our hands on some.

Preview 2 of Hunter Gatherers also went well last night. It is great to have Peter here with us this week to help put the finishing touches on the play and to talk with audiences on Saturday and Sunday nights. Final preview for HG is tonight. Get your tix now, you don't want to miss this one.

Be Furious.

Vincent Takes Action!

2009-01-09T12:03:00.000-08:00

Here is a great email we received from Furious patron Vincent Estrada. We wanted to share it, not because of what it says about our company (although very nice to hear), but because it is a great testimonial/case for choosing to take action and responsibility by supporting the arts above and beyond the price of admission.

Subject: A Furiously proud Thank you!

Dear Furious Theatre Co.,

I wish to express my thanks to your theatre company for providing such awesome entertainment.

I came across Furious Theater back in early 2007. I received a flyer in the mail for An Impending Rupture Of The Belly with Eric Pargac looking rather frustrated and deadly. The flyer design was reason enough to attend so I took a chance and purchased two tickets for a performance.

I enjoyed the performance so much that I attended twice more, each time with a different friend. We were all greatly impressed.

Despite my hectic schedule I’ve made it a rule to attend every new performance since ..Belly. Shame on me for missing two of your last holiday performances. The call of labor and education was rather loud for me to avoid.

I did send a donation last month but after receiving your email today I went ahead and sent over an additional donation. I trust you will make your goal as there are many Angelenos who appreciate your art and enthusiasm. We will all dig extra hard into our moth nibbled pockets for loose change.

Your theatre group should be applauded. I feel too many of us applaud you silently and expect someone else to offer monetary support. I offer you hearty applause for always making me feel welcome and a part of the intimate proceedings. Indeed, when I read about Damaso Rodriguez and Nick Cernoch participating in a play at the neighboring Pasadena Playhouse recently I felt proud. Almost like you would for a member of your senior class or a neighborhood friend.

Happy New Year to you and yours,

Respectfully,

Vincent A. Estrada

Thank You, Vincent!

Join him in supporting Furious by clicking here. Contributions of all sizes make a difference.

Getting Set for "Hunter Gatherers"

2009-01-06T12:26:00.000-08:00

Furious is back from the holidays, and busy preparing for the opening of "Hunter Gatherers" on January 24th. For a peak at what the show will look like check out a sketch of the set by designer, Kurt Boetcher.

What does that set look like 18 days before it opens? Like this:

Los Angeles Times Review: The Night Before Christmas

2008-12-04T12:24:00.000-08:00

Review: Furious Theatre Company's 'The Night Before Christmas'
12:15 AM, December 4, 2008
As the inevitable onslaught of holiday-themed shows swings into high gear, Pasadena’s Furious Theatre Company offers a notably smart adult-oriented standout with "The Night Before Christmas."

In just under an hour, British playwright Anthony Neilson’s 1995 one-act comedy strikes an engaging balance of edginess, social commentary and hard-won optimism, without lapsing into sappy cliche.

Instead, yuletide formulas are wittily upended when a deadbeat Cockney lout named Gary (Doug Newell) captures an Elf (K.M. Davies) breaking into the toy warehouse where he works. Summoning his equally lowlife chum Simon (Troy Metcalf) to the scene of the crime, the pair debate whether to turn their bound prisoner over to the coppers.

To Simon’s astonishment, Gary is reluctant to dismiss the Elf — who characterizes himself as an employee of an "international gift distribution agency" — as merely an elaborately costumed junkie or lunatic. In fact, he’s starting to believe the captive Elf’s story, and in his warnings of dire consequences unless he’s released soon.

Amid their deliberations arrives Cherry (Nina Silver), a sharp-tongued prostitute looking to collect Gary’s promised payment for services rendered. After some impeccably played character setup, the real fun starts when the Elf, in a last-ditch effort to win his freedom, promises to grant each of them a single wish. Doubts vanish — perhaps more easily than they should — when an initial throwaway wish immediately comes true.

Under Robert Pescovitz’s nicely modulated direction, imagining potential gratifications brings these misfits face-to-face with the central dilemmas in each of their lives. The way each finds their moral compass plays out in an unsentimental, remarkably authentic manner that lends gravitas to Neilson’s yuletide: it’s grown-ups, far more than children, who are most in need of miracles.

-- Philip Brandes

“The Night Before Christmas," Pasadena Playhouse Carrie Hamilton Theatre, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. Sundays. Ends Dec. 20. $20. (800) 595-4849. Running time: 1 hour.

Caption: Nina Silver, Doug Newell and Troy Metcalf surround K.M. Davies (in elf suit) in Furious Theatre Company's "The Night Before Christmas."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2008/12/furious-theatre.html

Back Stage West Review - The Night Before Christmas - Critic's Pick

2008-12-04T10:47:00.000-08:00

The Night Before Christmas

Critic's Pick

December 04, 2008
Reviewed by Les Spindle

The familiar yet ever-resonant message about the true meaning of Christmas becomes a curdled cup of holiday cheer in Anthony Neilson's delectable British satire, a breath of fresh air in the annual avalanche of saccharine seasonal fare. The title alludes to Clement Clarke Moore's beloved poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, but the rib-tickling narrative trots off on a goofy irreverent track. Director Robert Pescovitz and four spirited actors parlay Neilson's loopy fable into an hour of nonstop delights.

On Christmas Eve in London, grumpy bachelor Simon (Troy Metcalf) and his easygoing divorced pal Gary (Doug Newell) meet in the warehouse that Gary manages. Gary offers a surprise: He has tied up a short individual he found lurking in the warehouse. The captive (female actor K.M. Davies) wears an elf outfit and claims to be a helper of Santa's. It's unclear whether this peculiar being is telling the truth or is merely a thieving junkie hoping to sell stolen goods for a narcotics fix. When brassy floozy Cherry (Nina Silver) arrives, demanding a payoff from her client Gary, the elf offers to grant a wish to each captor in exchange for his own release. In the process of deciding what they want the most, the motley three make individual discoveries about what's truly important.

Underlying the farcical complications are themes about the commercialism of Christmas and the way temptations like drugs and sex can lead people away from their responsibilities to others. The elf's outlandish explanations of the operations of the Santa enterprise and the reactions he draws — ranging from skepticism to guarded belief — keep the laughs coming, and the instantaneous segues to more sobering thoughts are skillfully rendered. Metcalf is deliciously droll as the exasperated cynic Simon, while Newell provides perfect balance as his more fair-minded pal. Silver finds hilarity as well as moments of melancholy truth. Davies rounds out the expert ensemble, underplaying her lines as the sad-eyed yet suspicious sprite, yielding maximum comic impact. This change-of-pace effort is a welcome yuletide treat from the adventurous.

Presented by Furious Theatre Company at the Carrie Hamilton Theatre, 39 S. El Molino Blvd., Pasadena. Nov. 29-Dec. 20. Thu.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7:30 p.m. (800) 595-4849

Talkinbroadway.com Review - The Night Before Christmas

2008-12-03T10:17:00.000-08:00

The Night Before Christmas

Nina Silver, Doug Newell and Troy Metcalf surround K.M. Davies
On paper, The Night Before Christmas is the perfect holiday show for Furious Theatre Company. After all, the company that brought us a post-apocalyptic cannibal love story isn't going to choose a holiday show full of warmth, holiday cheer, and cute little street urchins who somehow remind us all of the true meaning of Christmas. Anthony Neilson's comedy about two men who pretty much kidnap an elf—well, that sounds a lot more like Furious material. And it is.

Here's how it goes down: two men with a London warehouse full of "mostly" legal merchandise discover that a fellow in an elf suit has broken in. They tie the supposed elf to a chair while they try to get to the bottom of his story. Neither of the men actually believe that their uninvited visitor is a Christmas elf. Well, Gary believed it enough to call Simon, and Simon believes it just enough to not immediately call the police. But the whole sweet, innocent, I-just-fell-off-the-sleigh story has a few holes in it.

Like, how do they have enough sleighs to visit all the houses? And how do they get in when there's no chimney? The elf has answers for all of this (sometimes they have to jimmy doors), but the answers don't always satisfy, and the guys eventually start blaming the elf for everything they don't like about Christmas. (At one point, they suggest torturing the elf by force-feeding him fruitcake.

The guys are eventually joined by Cherry, a prostitute who has been promised Power Ranger toys by Gary in exchange for services rendered. Cherry, too, has complaints about Christmas—most of them rendering the show unsuitable for children—and things don't look so good for the elf.

It's a quick and funny comedy which, like many of the best comedies, ultimately has moments of real heart. The Furious production, helmed by Robert Pescovitz, hits all the right notes (starting when Simon, who refuses to be fooled by the elf, finds himself bouncing to infectious holiday music). One could analyze this play and identify exactly where it goes right, but subjecting it to close scrutiny would ultimately undermine its charm. The Night Before Christmas is that rare and wonderful creature: a holiday show that's genuinely funny ... and genuine

The Night Before Christmas runs at the Pasadena Playhouse Carrie Hamilton Theatre through December 20, 2008. For tickets and information, see www.furioustheatre.org.

The Nightmare Before Christmas by Anthony Neilson; Directed by Robert Pescovitz. Produced by Furious Theatre Company. Stage Manager Liz Eldridge; Set and Lighting Design Christie Wright; Sound Design Cricket S. Myers; Costume Design Christy M. Hauptman; Dialect Coach Sara Hennessy; Graphic Design Eric Pargac; Marketing and Publicity David Elzer/DEMAND PR.

Cast:
Elf - K.M. Davies
Simon - Troy Metcalf
Gary - Doug Newell
Cherry - Nina Silver

Star-News Feature: The Night Before Christmas

2008-12-01T13:42:00.000-08:00

This `Night' takes on an adult twist for the holidays

By Michelle J. Mills, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/20/2008 04:52:36 PM PST

If you can't bear the thought of sitting through yet another "A Christmas Carol" or "Nutcracker," then Furious Theatre Company may have the answer.
The group is presenting the Los Angeles premiere of Anthony Neilson's "The Night Before Christmas" beginning Nov. 28 at the Carrie Hamilton Theatre at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena.

Directed by Robert Pescovitz and starring Doug Newell, Troy Metcalf, Nina Silver and K.M. Davis, the adult comedy relates the tale of Gary, a warehouse worker, who believes he has discovered an elf during his shift on Christmas Eve. His friend (a closet homosexual living with his mother) and a hooker (who hopes to collect the coveted toy of the season in exchange for sexual favors) join Gary in determining if the elf is real. Through this they discover the true meaning of the season.

"It's a play about hope and family and generosity, people coming together to regain their innocence and, in a sense, redemption in a subversive way," Pescovitz said. "These are people from a certain social strata, so it's a cross between `A Miracle on 34th Street' and a Guy Ritchie movie."

Pescovitz has won several acting awards and was previously in the Furious Theatre production of "Canned Peaches in Syrup" and on television in episodes of "Cold Case" and "Brothers and Sisters." He directed "Hamlet" at the Gene Bua Theatre in Burbank and other Shakespearean plays for A Company of Their Own. His biggest obstacle with "The Night Before Christmas" is the short, intense rehearsal period, which has been made easier with a small cast, one set and a good script, he said.

"There's a hooker involved and there's drugs and there's thievery," he said. "There are people on the margins of life, so when you're dealing with them, the challenge is to make people like them, want to see them and spend time with them."

Doug Newell, who plays Gary, found not getting lost in the jokes the hardest part. He wants his character's human side to shine rather than to be a punchline.

Newell has also won awards for his work and has been in "An Impending Rupture of the Belly" and "Back of the Throat" with Furious Theatre. He has been very involved with improvisational comedy as well. He identifies with some aspects of his character.

"Gary cares a lot about his family and enough about his friends to share this, what could be a potentially embarrassing and crazy moment in his life," Newell said. "He sees himself as a businessman and he can, while making a profit off the holiday season, find the joy in it as well."

Newell finds Christmas a romantic time and is pleased to be doing a seasonal show that offers more opportunity for men than the usual fare. While growing up in Houston, he experienced what could have been his worst Christmas, but it turned out to be his best. He was in middle school and the pipes froze and burst at his family's home.

"We spent the night in a hotel room and my parents had to scramble to find new gifts to give us," Newell said. "As a kid it's generally all about the presents, but it still seemed like Christmas, being there with my family."

Pescovitz didn't celebrate Christmas growing up,but after the theater company board approached him to direct the play and, after reading the script, he readily agreed.

"For me, it really is a play about family and redemption and about hope and faith and recapturing innocence and those are universal issues," Pescovitz said. "It's entertaining, so . . . the holiday is immaterial."

Both Pescovitz and Newell agree that "The Night Before Christmas" could become an annual show for Furious Theatre. It is a humorous ensemble piece with just the right style for the company: edgy and contemporary.

"We're calling it an adult holiday fare, but I think it's almost redundant if you put the `Furious Holiday Show' in front of it," Newell said.

Pescovitz will continue teaching acting at the Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in Hollywood through December. In January, he will return to work with Furious Theatre to prepare its next show, "Hunter Gatherers," opening Jan. 24.

"The Night Before Christmas" is "an opportunity to see what we do," he said. "There is some adult language in it, but there's no violence. `Rocknrolla' is out there now, a Guy Ritchie movie, if you like that kind of work, that kind of British mob comedy stuff. It's just a nice way to get acquainted with the Furious Theatre Company."

U.S. Drag - Pasadena Star News Review

2008-11-14T14:53:00.000-08:00

'U.S. Drag' tears away superficial drive for success

By Frances Baum Nicholson, Correspondent
Article Launched: 11/08/2008 02:51:48 PM PST

U.S. DRAG

Upstairs at the Pasadena Playhouse, in the Carrie Hamilton Theater, a theater company lives to hand people questions with either no answers or multiple answers.

It's kind of theater in the raw. Don't expect the bright, shiny toys of the Playhouse mainstage. The realm of Furious Theatre Company has elements that make theater a socially radical art form. The company's new season's focus on dark and twisting comedies promises the same delightful disquiet one has come to expect from its enterprise.

Their newest piece, Gina Gionfriddo's somewhat misleadingly titled "U.S. Drag," celebrates both the cult of self, and the nature of cultural hysteria, in the tale of two Vassar grads out to succeed without ever having to struggle. Laid against the backdrop of a New York obsessed by a serial attacker commonly referred to as "Ed," one follows these women as they insinuate themselves into any variety of potentially upwardly mobile situations, staying with them just long enough to gain ground, but not long enough to have any of their peculiar journeymates stick.

Katie Davies and Megan Goodchild find a wonderful detachment as these women to whom nothing matters but themselves. Their focused drive, their body language and interpersonal code describe both a cultural unity and an insularity from all the rest of their teeming and (to them) beneath them little world. Eric Pargac's earnest suitor and Shawn Lee's continuously infantile memoirist provide male counterpoint.
Johanna McKay becomes the portrait of an Ed victim - though whether internal or external becomes open to discussion. Nick Cernoch takes self-centeredness and a need to be served as a mantra, while Saffron Henke becomes a variety of characters who people the world Ed threatens, and our heroines wish to exploit for their own benefit.

Lying beneath the superficial drive for success is a fascinating examination of the nature of truth, from the absolute to the ridiculously interpretable. Even the attacks are open to question. Is there an Ed? This becomes a glorious tangle it will take long conversations over a few glasses of wine to unwind, but is worth the conversation. The sheer fact that everything is not laid out at the end in neat rows is one of the play's most attractive elements.

So, is it a good thing to refuse to start your career at the Xerox machine and work your way up? "U.S. Drag" is almost the antithesis to "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." At least, if you are trying to succeed in a world populated by scary guys in the park, and a wealth of tell-all books as guides.

LA Weekly says GO! to U.S. DRAG

2008-10-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

NEW REVIEW GO!

U.S. DRAG

“I want a lot. What do we have to do get a lot,” says Angela (Megan Goodchild) to her best friend, Allison (Katie Davies), as the pair traverse Manhattan in search of . . . a lot, in this West Coast premiere of Gina Gionfriddo's scintillating comedy. Angela's every perky/snide conversation is punctuated by the monetary value to be derived from it, whether speaking to an employer or partner. The two smart young women are not smart enough to be rich, and money seems to be the play's driving force, accompanied by a triptych of fears – fear of loneliness, fear of squandered opportunities (such as fame) and fear of physical attack. Within this cosmopolitan universe, Gionfriddo populates her play with sundry support groups -- one led by Evan (Noah Harpster) counsels its members to refuse to help anybody in order to avoid attack -- a Wall Street neurotic (Nick Cernoch), a would-be literati (Shawn Lee), and a “helper” (Eric
Pargac) with a deranged compulsion to track down and give baked goods and the like to victims of any urban trauma. Gionfriddo's snappy dialogue is both urban and urbane, reflecting cultural values that have clearly gone off the tracks. Among the play's delightful conceits is its open question of whether the fears we shape our lives around are actually real, or our own speculative inventions. Darin Anthony's very slick staging includes riffs of techno pop (original music by Doug Newell) and a set/lighting design by Dan Jenkins that's cements the play's matrix of consumerism and death with boutique windows and streetlife – one character actually arrives on a slab withdrawn from a gutter. The performances are mostly excellent, with a glorious cameo by Johanna McKay as a befuddled attack victim, though some mumbled lines and aimless movement don't quite match the director's mat-knife precision. Pasadena Playhouse, Carrie Hamilton Theatre, 39 S. El Molino
Ave., Pasadena; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7:30 p.m.; through Nov. 22. A Furious Theatre Company production. (Steven Leigh Morris)

For Free or Not For Free? Post 2 of 4

2008-10-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

So, I should clarify a couple of things. One, I realize the tone of the first post may have projected a negative opinion on this initiative, which was not the intent. We are happy to offer the tickets and would love to see this kind of program work well for all theatres in America who participate. We have often talked about trying to find a way to make our own business/revenue model work so that we didn't ever "need" to sell tickets... but the question sort of looms - how much do/will people value something (particularly the arts) if it is free?

Secondly, I was incorrect in my last post about how many tickets we had allotted. Turns out it was 12 for the first night we offered tickets and then 14 more tickets over the next three nights. Not 12 on each night like I originally posted.

Last night we had preview #3.
Free night of theatre attendees - 0 for 4. Although someone did call before the show to politely cancel and say they had mistakenly reserved Free Night tickets to our show on two different nights and would be coming on the next night, we don't have their name on our list of reservations that were sent to us for any night. ?

More info coming regarding other LA theatres' experience with this year's initiative, but in the meantime, an interesting announcement in the LA Times today about Center Theatre Group's "Entertainment Stimulus Package." Hopefully they will share with everyone how it works for them/theatre audiences/the local scene.

Be furious.

Free Night of Theatre 2008 - Post 1 of 4

2008-10-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, here is post 1 of 4 that we'll be doing this week regarding the Free Night of Theatre initiative for 2008.

Last time Furious participated in this program... the results were less than stellar. Read about it here. This time around, we have offered free tickets on four different nights, which has coincided well with our extended preview period. Within 24 hours of posting our offer for the west coast premiere of Gina Gionfriddo's U.S. Drag, all of the tickets we were offering had been reserved - 12 per night for four nights.

This past Sunday, we were expecting our first attendees of "Free Night." It was our second preview for the show and out of the 12 who reserved through Free Night, only 3 showed up. We also had two walk ups say they were there for Free Night, but they hadn't reserved, which was no problem. We happily welcomed them. So, we saw either a 75% or 65% no show rate through this "groundbreaking and remarkably effective" program.

Granted, we have three more nights (our remaining previews) left to participate, so maybe we'll see a better rate of attendees. We'll try and do some surveying of other theatres (smaller and larger) about how the program is working here in the LA area and post the info for those who are curious.

Be furious.

Have YOU seen Ed?

2008-10-09T16:03:00.001-07:00

This is Ed.

Allison and Angela want to find him.

Do you?

To find out more about Ed and to watch videos about staying SAFE visit:

www.stayawayfromed.com

To find out more about Allison, Angela and Furious Theatre Company's West Coast premiere production of U.S. Drag by Gina Gionfriddo...

CLICK HERE

The Theatre @ Boston Court Announces its 6th Season!

2008-10-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

IN ITS SIXTH SEASON, THE THEATRE @ BOSTON COURT PRESENTS TWO WORLD PREMIERES AND A CO-PRODUCTION WITH FURIOUS

PASADENA, Calif., October 10, 2008 – The Theatre @ Boston Court will present two world premieres, a west coast premiere and a production of a classic comedy play during its sixth season in 2009 at Boston Court Performing Arts Center. Moliere's "Tartuffe" opens the season on February 21, the world premiere of Laura Schellhardt's "Courting Vampires" opens May 9, the west coast premiere of Bruce Norris' "The Pain and the Itch," a co-production with Furious Theatre Company, opens July 25, and the world premiere of Deborah Stein's "God Save Gertrude" opens October 10.

"Tartuffe," directed by Josh Chambers, upends the expectations of a Comedy of Manners in the pastel washes and smog-stained environs of "The Other Hollywood," the San Fernando Valley. Suburbia becomes the battleground for a spiritual and cultural civil war between art and commerce, charlatan and saint. Pop art and industrial music lift Moliere's delicious rhymes and indictment of hypocrisy and drops them in our own back yard.

In "Courting Vampires," a deeply moving allegory that straddles graveyard and courtroom, Nina, a vitally alive, headstrong young woman falls victim to a fatal blood disease, and her protective older sister, Rill, vows revenge on the vampire who infected her. With righteousness and impassioned love Rill puts the vampire on trial for his life. But does anything – even justice – avenge death? "Courting Vampires" will be directed by Jessica Kubzansky, co-artistic director for The Theatre @ Boston Court.

In the "The Pain and the Itch," a young daughter is in serious need of attention while her parents worry if the milk is organic. A ravenous creature may be prowling the upstairs bedrooms. And an average Thanksgiving for this family unravels into an exposé of disastrous choices and less-than-altruistic motives. "The Pain and the Itch," directed by Dámaso Rodriguez, co-artistic director of Furious Theatre Company, is a scathing comedy about the politics of class and race, a controversial examination of denial and its consequences.

In "God Save Gertrude," a punk rock riff on "Hamlet" directed by Michael Michetti, co-artistic director of The Theatre @ Boston Court, angry crowds gather outside an abandoned theatre as Queen Gertrude takes the stage. She riffs on Patti Smith and sings about her many loves and her many mistakes while her country simmers in a volatile state of transition. As the bombs rain down and her coked-up son sells out to MTV, Gertrude hopes to incite one more riot before she goes.

Each play previews for six performances prior to its opening date and runs for four weeks, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets for individual plays in the 2009 season are $17 for previews and $32 for regular performances and may be purchased online at www.bostoncourt.org. Season memberships and discounted senior/student tickets are also available.

The Theatre @ Boston Court is the non-profit company that programs the state-of-the-art 99-seat main stage theatre in Boston Court Performing Arts Center at 70 North Mentor Avenue at Boston Court. Z. Clark Branson is the developer of the center and founding director of The Theatre @ Boston Court. Michael Seel is the executive director of Boston Court Performing Arts Center.

The Theatre @ Boston Court productions are made possible in part by the generosity of Branson, patron donors, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

A Furious Explosion

2008-09-16T17:28:00.001-07:00

Check out the September/October issue of LA STAGE Magazine when you get a chance and you'll see the feature article on Furious Theatre Company. It highlights our upcoming season of four premieres and discusses what it means to be Furious.

In the article, writer Tom Provenzano calls us, "one of the fastest rising ensembles in LA stage history."

Make sure to keep checking our website here to get all of the latest Furious news and the latest updates on our upcoming season.

Set strike

2008-09-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles Times Fall Arts Preview

2008-09-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

Check out the listing for Furious Theatre's upcoming production of U.S. Drag in the Los Angeles Times Fall Arts Preview HERE.

This West Coast Premiere of playwright Gina Gionfriddo's comedy is kicking off our 6th Season set to begin this October.

For more info about the plays and playwrights that Furious is introducing to the Los Angeles area in 2008/2009 click HERE.

And remember to BE FURIOUS!

What The %#$* Is Furious Doing?!

2008-08-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

LA Times Story on Video Blogging

2008-08-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

Fellow ensemble member Doug Newell and I were recently interviewed for an LA Times story by David Ng about the increasing use of video to market theatre online and the hurdles all theatres face when using footage from their productions.

Check the story out HERE. Its a good read.

Just in case you missed it, here is the stop-motion video of the Saturday Night at the Palace that is referenced in the story.

A Furious Internship

2008-08-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

Furious Season 6 Announced!

2008-07-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

The company introduces four award-winning playwrights to the Los Angeles area with a season of new comedies.

Furious Theatre Company announces its 2008-2009 season of shows, which will introduce a group of award-winning playwrights to Los Angeles audiences with the local premieres of four critically-acclaimed comedies. The season starts with the West Coast premiere of The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize-winning U.S. DRAG by Gina Gionfriddo, which will open on Saturday, October 25 and run through Saturday, November 22 (Previews: October 18 - 24); followed by the first-ever Furious holiday show, the U.S. premiere of the “adults-only” THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS by Anthony Neilson, which opens November 29 and runs through December 20 (Preview: November 28); leading into the Los Angeles premiere of the 2006 Harold and Mimi Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award-winning HUNTER GATHERERS by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, which will open on Saturday, January 24 and run through Saturday, February 21, 2009 (Previews: January 21- 23). All three plays will be at the Pasadena Playhouse Carrie Hamilton Theatre, 39 S. El Molino Ave. in Pasadena. The final premiere (to be announced soon) will open in the summer of 2009 and will be yet another local premiere by an acclaimed playwright.

With this season, Furious has increased its effort to work with emerging playwrights in hopes of expanding the number of writers who make Furious their Los Angeles home for new plays. Part of the effort includes the recent naming of Matt Pelfrey as the company’s resident playwright. Pelfrey, who wrote the 2007 Furious world premiere of An Impending Rupture of the Belly, has just completed his first commissioned play with the company, NoGoodDeed, which will be presented with Furious as part of Pasadena Playhouse's Hothouse new play reading series. Another of the plays he developed with Furious is slated to receive a world premiere production in San Francisco, in addition to multiple upcoming productions of An Impending Rupture of the Belly across the country. Pelfrey has found this position to be both helpful to his writing process and a motivational factor in the creation of new works.

“Collaborating with Furious Theatre as their resident playwright has been a dream come true,” Pelfrey said. “Instead of working in isolation and praying to find a theater with the crucial combination of similar sensibility, great acting and a fearless commitment to new work, I can work on a play and know it will be developed with a group of like-minded artists. Not only does this motivate me to write more, but it encourages me to write the most challenging material I can think up, knowing my role as resident playwright isn't just to challenge the audience, but to challenge the Furious team as well."

The company’s artistic team is committed to the long-term goal of becoming a generator of new plays. Co-artistic director Dámaso Rodriguez explains that the success of both 2007 Furious world premieres has encouraged the company to go further in its commitment to new work.

“Working closely with writers whose work we greatly admire, and who admire the past work of the company, proved to be among our most rewarding experiences,” Rodriguez said. “The paths to both of our recent world premieres were the result of long-developing relationships formed between the playwrights and Furious. We've reached out to both Gina Gionfriddo and Peter Sinn Nachtrieb and hope this season’s productions will be the basis of a relationship that leads to future collaborations and eventual world premieres at Furious."

The 2008-2009 Furious Theatre Company Season:

West Coast Premiere
U.S. DRAG
Written by Gina Gionfriddo
Directed by Darin Anthony

October 25 - November 22, 2008 (Previews October 18 - 24)

The first show in the Furious season is the West Coast premiere of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize winning play, which recently finished an Off-Broadway run directed by Trip Cullman. This hilarious and witty, jet-black comedy follows Angela and Allison, two young women in Manhattan seeking love and happiness, but they'll settle for rent money. Along the way, they volunteer for a community advocacy group called SAFE (Stay Away From Ed) named for an elusive serial attacker terrorizing the city. (There's a hefty reward for his capture...) Their new circle of “friends” includes their ruthless, socially stunted roommate; the celebrated author of a fictional memoir; a lonely man who feels kinship with crime victims; and a mousy "Ed survivor” reveling in her fifteen minutes of dubious fame. Everybody is looking for salvation in the arms of another in a group where no one has very much to give. And who is this "Ed" anyway? No one's ever seen his face, and everyone on stage is beginning to act eerily "Ed-like"... Join Furious behind the velvet rope for Gionfriddo’s sharp, sassy and biting satire on the modern quest for fame and fortune.

U.S. Premiere
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Written by Anthony Neilson
Directed by Robert Pescovitz

November 29 - December 20, 2008 (Previews November 28)

Be Furious for the holidays with their first ever holiday show. In the U.S. premiere of this “adults only” Christmas comedy, Gary discovers a real-life elf during his night shift at the warehouse on Christmas Eve and calls his friend Simon (who is still in the closet and living with his mother) to come over and see what he’s captured. A hooker with a (somewhat) heart of gold named Cherry also shows up expecting to collect the coveted toy of the season which Gary has promised her in exchange for sexual favors. Together, the three try to sort out if the elf is real or not and what exactly is the true meaning of Christmas.

Los Angeles Premiere
HUNTER GATHERERS
Written by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb
Directed by Dámaso Rodriguez

January 24 - February 21, 2009 (Previews January 21-23)

The Los Angeles premiere of the 2006 Harold and Mimi Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award-winner finds Pam and Richard hosting their best friends, Wendy and Tom, for an annual dinner get-together. An animal sacrifice kicks off the evening, followed by a little more sex, violence, deception, wrestling, and dancing than at previous parties. A darkly comic evening where the line between civilized and primal man is blurred, and where not everyone will survive long enough to enjoy the brownies for dessert.

The 4th show of the season will be announced soon.

En Fuego

2008-07-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

We recently blogged about Matt's adaptation of The Basketball Diaries for a workshop production at NY's Godlight Theatre Company. Here's what the NY Times said about it...

Director Joe Tantalo is collaborating with award-winning playwright Matt Pelfrey designer Maruti Evans on one of the most unique theatre experiences of the year. Audiences will have the opportunity to be a part of a theatrical experience from the ground up: watching a new play being developed with the Godlight creative and acting company alongside author Jim Carroll. On a spare stage, 'The Basketball Diaries' will unfold as a three-ring circus on a faux-basketball set as Jim Carroll's cult-classic comes to life before your eyes. Special talk-back evenings will allow the audience to provide their feedback in helping to shape what will become a world premiere production.

That production closes this weekend, but the Pelfrey train continues. Here's what he has cooking around the globe right now.

In New York:
A world premiere adaptation production of In the Heat of the Night with Godlight Theatre Company, in addition to a "to be announced" full production of The Basketball Diaries.

In Philadelphia:
A production of Matt's award winning play An Impending Rupture of the Belly will be staged as part of Philly's Flashpoint Theatre Company 's 2008/2009 season.

In Arizona:
An Impending Rupture of the Belly is also getting a production at Stray Cat Theatre in Phoenix as part of their 2008/2009 season.

In San Francisco:
A world premiere production of Matt's new play Pure Shock Value at Killing My Lobster.

With Furious in Los Angeles:
Matt has completed his first commission with us called NoGoodDeed. We'll be working with Matt to further develop the script by presenting it as part of Pasadena Playhouse's Hot House new play reading series this November. Matt has already started on his second commission with us, which is adapting a controversial biography about a notable Pasadenan. More to come on both of these projects soon.

With over six plays in different stages of production right now and multiple theatres committed to new works with him... expect to see many more Pelfrey productions in the next 12-18 months. Our resident playwright is hot.

Be Furious.

Furious Resident Playwright Off-Broadway!

2008-07-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Furious Theatre Company's resident playwright, Matt Pelfrey, on his recent adaptation of The Basketball Diaries for the Godlight Theatre in NYC.

"Matt Pelfrey adapts for the stage Jim Carroll's remarkable book of a key period in American culture. Set in New York City, starting in 1963, Jim is an all-star basketball player at an elite catholic school leading a double life—experimenting with drugs and getting hooked, hustling gay men to support a heroin addiction, and becoming a poet and a future rock singer."

Read the full Broadway World article here!

Exciting "Canned Peaches" Film News

2008-06-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

From the Losky Films UK website:

‘CANNED PEACHES IN SYRUP’

"Screen West Midlands have just given the greenlight to producer Saskia Sutton to fund the development of the screenplay for this award winning stage play premiered at the Pasadena Playhouse and put on by the Furious Theatre Company in October 2007. The SWM/Advantage West Midlands award will see the development of the screenplay by the playwright/screenwriter Alex Jones. The stage director of Canned Peaches in Syrup, Damaso Rodriguez will direct the feature film. Saskia Sutton will Produce."

We'll keep you updated on any other Furious news.

Make sure to check back soon to find out what's happening with Furious Theatre's Season 6!

New Webcast: Furious Reads Drafts of Pelfrey Scripts.

2008-06-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

One of the benefits of having a playwright in residence (Matt Pelfrey) is getting the first crack at reading his new scripts as an ensemble. Check out the Furious Webcast below and see what the ensemble does in their spare time...read scripts!

Saturday Night at the Palace - Pasadena Star-News Review

2008-05-06T11:56:00.001-07:00

Furious Theatre Company marks anniversary with `Saturday Night at the Palace'

By Frances Baum Nicholson, Correspondent
Article Launched: 05/01/2008 02:52:59 PM PDT

If one had to pick a time when theater mattered, few could stand up to 1982, and the interracial Space Theatre in Cape Town, South Africa. There, Paul Slabolepszy and Athol Fugard (now South Africa's best known theatrical voice) broke apartheid law by putting black and white actors together on the stage, holding up a mirror to whomever would look regarding what their country's racial policy was doing to their country's people.

One play to emerge from that time, Slabolepszy's "Saturday Night at the Palace," became ground-breaking a second time when it was adopted as the first venture of the Furious Theatre Company, now the resident group at the Carrie Hamilton Theatre upstairs at the Pasadena Playhouse. Challenging and adventurous, the Furious crew of committed performers create theater intended to make people uncomfortable, willing to discuss, and ready to rethink. They have done so, intimately well, for six years. Now they return to the play that started it all, celebrating their own history and the reopening of their renovated home.

The play, done without intermission, rivets one from the first moments. Forsie's motorcycle has broken down, and he and his fellow Afrikaner passenger, Vince, are stuck at a closed roadside burger stand called Rocco's Burger Palace, where a Zulu employee is in the process of cleaning up from the day. Gradually, what begins as a moment of frustration escalates to sociopathic behavior on the part of Vince, laced with a core-deep, universally acknowledged racism which keeps anyone from being able to check the progress of events.
Director Damaso Rodriguez has been able to bring back his entire original cast from six years ago. Their ease with the characters allows a naturalism that makes the tale all the more scary. As Vince, Shawn Lee spouts Afrikaans, which mixes liberally into his conversation, with such natural conviction that it becomes understandable even without consulting the handy glossary in the program. Almost vibrating with an undercurrent of rage, Lee's character manages to seem explosive from the start and still have places to go - a very neat trick indeed.

Eric Pargac, playing Vince's rather milquetoast friend Forsie, develops into that most impossible of men: a person with a conscience who is simply too weak and self-centered to do anything about it. Again, the turn proves so naturalistic it plays well against Vince's intensity. Sean Blakemore's majestic September, calming his seething anger at mistreatment, desperately trying to keep from being destroyed by the thoughtless actions of a pair of visiting rowdies, fills the stage both physically and emotionally. He is most impressive when not doing what he easily could, being larger and stronger than either of his tormentors. It's a fascinating physical as well as emotional juxtaposition.

"Saturday Night at the Palace" proves an excruciating window back on a time when long-held beliefs and legal restrictions made strong men weak and weak men strong. It is the two men around Vince who define the inequities in the system. Vince would be a sicko anywhere. And that can translate this play into any place and time where inequities create an unequal playing field.

And this is what you'll be discussing afterward, among other things. Happy birthday, Furious.

Saturday Night at the Palace - Talkinbroadway.com Review

2008-05-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday Night at the Palace

Sean Blakemore, Eric Pargac and Shawn Lee
I'll be honest with you. For a while there, I wasn't sure about Saturday Night at the Palace. The production comes with a pretty spiffy pedigree: Furious Theatre Company is revisiting the award-winning show that launched the company six years ago, with the same cast and director (and some of the original designers). Knowing the show was well received the first time around, and knowing that it could only benefit from the artists' growth and experience in the interim, the prospect seemed like a dead-bang winner.

And yet, at times, the play seems to drag. Paul Slabolepszy's play, rarely produced in the U.S., about a racially charged incident (inspired by an actual event) in 1982 South Africa, takes a lot of time to build. We're dealing with what happens when two young white men are stranded - courtesy of their broken motorcycle - by a roadside burger stand at 2:00 a.m., when the only person at burger stand is a black waiter who just wants to lock up and go home. And you know - you absolutely know - from the increasingly frenetic drumbeats that herald the play's opening, that this isn't the sort of play that's going to end with all three men learning a little bit about each other and becoming the best of friends. It's going to get intense, and dark, and ugly. It just takes its time getting there.

Slabolepszy shouldn't really be blamed for taking his time. The purpose of Saturday Night at the Palace isn't to shock the audience with the acts that ultimately occur; the purpose is to investigate the complex web of motivations that can lead to racial hatred and violence. (For a play about South Africa under Apartheid, there are an uncomfortable number of similarities to issues we've heard raised in the current presidential campaign.) But, in order to do this, the play has to really establish Forsie and Vince as something more than two young white thugs, and September as something more than an innocent Zulu waiter. And, since the guys' language is peppered with Afrikaans, while September speaks a bit of Zulu, it isn't the easiest thing to follow, and the audience isn't immediately drawn into the piece.

And then ... it happens. You can actually see the turning point in the play. Vince snags September's keys, preventing him from locking up. Forsie, who had previously been friendly (if a bit condescending) to September, first tries to get the keys back for the man. But when Vince tosses the keys to Forsie in a game of "keep away," Forsie takes the side of his friend, rather than the waiter, and events get on the unstoppable train to edge-of-your-seat, heart-pounding theatre.

It is, when you get right down to it, Furious doing what Furious does best: a harrowing scene, not just of violence and cruelty, but the darker side of human interaction. Humiliation and dehumanization arising out of desperation and frustration - a battle born of individuals trying to empower themselves when there isn't enough power to go around. The cast is a fearless ensemble willing to go right to the edge, working under the confident direction of Dámaso Rodriguez, who takes them there. Each escalation of the stakes is a surprise, yet it also conveys an element of sadness for the lost opportunity at a peaceful resolution. Slabolepszy's script pays off, as everything that happens is character driven. This isn't a quick, shocking cap on the play, but the meat of the play itself - a well-paced, enthralling series of confrontations that builds to a stunning conclusion. Saturday Night at the Palace starts out slow, but by the end, it is unforgettable.

Saturday Night at the Palace runs at the Pasadena Playhouse Carrie Hamilton Theatre through May 31, 2008. For tickets and information, see www.furioustheatre.org.

Visit Talkinbroadway.com here.

Furious Feature in Pasadena Weekly

2008-05-01T11:49:00.000-07:00

Mad talent
Six Years Young, Pasadena’s Furious Theater Co. is taking LA theater by storm

By April Caires 05/01/2008

No, they’re not angry. In fact, the six founding members of the Furious Theatre Co. seem to be having the time of their lives.

On the eve of a sixth anniversary revival of their inaugural production, Paul Slabolepsky’s “Saturday Night at the Palace,” the little theatre company with the ferocious name is all smiles. An acclaimed ensemble, a track record of consistently bold and often brilliant productions and an unchecked determination to do theatre their way — full of piss and fury — has made this no-longer-fledgling company a gem of the LA theater scene.

The choice to revive “Palace” is apt on many levels. In typical Furious fashion, even the date of the play’s opening was designed to make a splash — April 26, six years to the day from the 2002 premiere. The material itself also embodies much of what the company strives to be. Revolving around a midnight encounter between two white travelers and a black waiter in Apartheid South Africa, “Palace” is dark, funny, volatile, challenging — in a word, it’s Furious.

In execution, the revival is also a measure of just how far Furious Theatre Co. has come. Six years ago, the six cofounders were the cast, crew and marketing team. The play’s lead actors were building risers and hanging lights between rehearsals, while the director was up on a scaffolding painting the ceiling. The last seats were screwed in at their original performance space — a donated section of the Armory Northwest that used to be a plastics factory — minutes before doors opened on their first show.

This time around, the company comes to the material with 14 productions under its belt, a string of critical accolades and awards, a blooming ensemble of 15, a cozy home at Pasadena Playhouse’s 99-seat Carrie Hamilton Theatre, and a name that is increasingly equated with high-quality theater delivered with high-wire intensity.

Key to its burgeoning success are the longstanding relationships between the six core ensemble members, who describe themselves as “artistic soulmates” — Sarah Hennessy, Shawn Lee, Vonessa Martin, Eric Pargac, Brad Price, and Damaso Rodriguez, ages 31 to 34. The group includes two married couples — Rodriguez and Hennessy, Lee and Martin — and a pair of friends, Price and Lee, who have known each other since kindergarten. Some of them went to college together; all six hail from the Midwest or Texas, and all came to LA at about the same time. In their early days here, they worked day jobs and internships and went on weekend camping trips together, where they started talking about what it would be like to form their own company.

From the beginning, their vision was remarkably clear and unified. Pargac, who is reprising his role as Forsie, the gentler of the two white Afrikaners in “Palace’s” central confrontation, attributes this consistency to their longstanding relationships, shared backgrounds and their habit, established early on, of retreating together once a year to discuss artistic goals.

“Part of the reason we all sort of know our aesthetic is because when we first started, we all took a retreat to Palm Springs. We had all these big Post-It pads on the wall and we wrote down everything we wanted to accomplish as a theater company and what we thought made a good theater company, things like what we want the audience to experience and all that kind of stuff. We collectively came up with what we thought was Furious.”

Some of what went on the Post-It pads wasn’t remotely flashy. The company’s first goals were to incorporate as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, to secure a performance space and to announce a full season of plays — three things they’d seen successful companies do to establish themselves.
They also dreamed big. On the pads they scrawled heady, long-term ambitions: to be one of the leading theater companies in the nation, a destination company for young talent, along the lines of their artistic idol, Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Co., which was co-founded by Gary Sinese and includes members like John Malkovich and Joan Allen.

They also brainstormed about what, exactly, it means to be Furious.

Like their plays, the name is an attention-grabber, but it doesn’t mean what you might think. Although the company has never shied away from tackling hot-button issues with eviscerating irreverence and daring, the name has nothing to do with anger — political, religious or otherwise.
“It was never about being angry,” says Lee, who is returning to his role as Vince, a racist white Afrikaner, in “Palace.”

“But there’s a lot of strength in that word, and I think that the company is built on strength in numbers, the whole belief in ensemble.”

The name Furious captures that core strength of the group, as well as the raw energy they throw into their work. It’s also about the potency of the experience they try to give the audience. Those who have seen a few of their plays know that you know a Furious play when you see one — the productions are characterized by provocative topics, gripping plots, dark humor and a certain know-it-when-you-feel-it intensity.

More than anything, that is the mark of a Furious production. Although the material is often thought-provoking, a Furious play is not an intellectual experience. It’s a gut check.

Like “Palace,” the company’s four most recent productions are a testament to this sensibility. Craig Wright’s “Grace” begins with an explosion of gunfire and two dead bodies in the home of a born-again Christian couple. Matt Pelfrey’s “An Impending Rupture of the Belly” revolves around a young would-be father whose determination to protect his family devolves into militant paranoia about nuclear terrorists, avian bird flu, killer earthquakes, and other imagined threats of the post-Sept. 11 world. In Yusef El Guindi’s “Back of the Throat,” an Arab-American writer’s tiny apartment is made claustrophobic by the questioning of two unannounced guests, government agents whose friendly inquiry turns into relentless interrogation.

As for the company’s latest production, Alex Jones’ “Canned Peaches in Syrup,” it’s an outlandish comedy about an environmental apocalypse that leaves the planet populated by — I’ll give you a thousand guesses — nomadic, foul-mouthed cannibals.

All of which gives an audience quite a bit to think about. Pargac says the company’s hope is that they’ll save the thinking for the drive home. “We just want people emotionally involved in the experience, in what the characters are going through. Then we want them to talk about it when they leave,” he says, adding, “We strive to keep the audience engaged.”

Rodriguez, who has directed 12 of the company’s 14 productions, including both the premiere and the revival of “Palace,” says the company’s unique aesthetic was born partly out of necessity. Starting a theater company in LA? Get in line. Finding a way to stand out in the saturated regional theater scene was as much a practical consideration as an artistic challenge. Even in Pasadena, where competition is not so intense, Boston Court does new and provocative work all the time.
As a first step in distinguishing themselves, company members decided to focus on material that, in Rodriguez’s words, “had a reason to be done” — premieres, in other words. All but one of their productions thus far has been either a world, national or regional premiere.

Beyond that, the Furious team says they set out to create something wholly different, an intense, visceral theatergoing experience — theater that grabs you by the gut, throat, or other sensitive parts and doesn’t let go long enough for you to breathe, let alone intellectualize anything.

“Every piece that we have taken on, we challenge ourselves and we challenge the audience,” says Lee. “I think that excites our audience, whether they love it or hate it. No one ever walks out — I don’t think — going, ‘Eh, I don’t really feel anything.’ Everyone walks out feeling something.”

Indeed. Apartheid, post-9/11 terranoia, highly marginalized dietary choices — the company is drawn to material where the stakes and emotions are high and, in the case of “Canned Peaches,” one wonders whether the writer might have been too. Rodriguez says that underlying their desire to provide a gripping ride for the audience is a broader goal: revitalizing the theatergoing experience for new generations.

Theater has its work cut out for it to compete with DVDs, HBO and the many other entertainment options out there, he says. “It’s got to be this powerful, memorable experience, I think, to really start to engage a new audience. People talk about that all the time, but I don’t think it’s just getting them into the theater to see a play; I think it’s getting them into the theater to see a play they won’t forget.”

He adds that in the commercial world, this is being done with “big, musical, spectacle productions,” while smaller theaters are often sticking to a well-worn path of material that’s mainly directed at the existing theatergoer.

“We want the mainstream theatergoer to come see it and like it, obviously, but we are going after people like us who didn’t grow up going to see plays,” says Rodriguez, who, like all six of the core ensemble members, came from a working-class family and is a first-generation artist. “They find themselves in the theater and they have this experience and they want to try and have another one at some point.”

On the whole, Furious productions are reliably sharp, sophisticated and always superbly performed. But the material they choose is occasionally criticized as dancing the fine line between boldness and gimmickry. Their decision to focus on edgier material and exclusively on premieres makes every Furious production inherently risky; the results don’t always sit well with audiences.

“Our audiences are sometimes upset by our work,” says Rodriguez. “We have walkouts; we have people perhaps complain that the work is too vulgar or whatever.” As for the fury Furious productions can sometimes trigger, he adds, “We tried to do a good job, starting with our name, to not set any expectation other than this is going to be an intense, kind of challenging experience.”
The company hopes the revival of “Saturday Night at the Palace” will be just such an experience for an audience that might have missed it the first time around. Written in 1982, eight years before the official demise of apartheid, the play is a contemporary classic in South Africa but, amazingly, had never been performed professionally in the US until Furious brought it to Pasadena.

An American premiere full of provocative, emotionally charged material — Rodriguez says that choosing “Palace” as the company’s first production was a no-brainer.

“I remember it was like it absolutely defined everything that we wanted to be in terms of what a theatrical experience could be like,” he says. “If ever there was a play that was Furious Theater, it’s this play.”

“Saturday Night at the Palace” shows at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and at 7:30 p.m. Sundays through May 31 at the Pasadena Playhouse Carrie Hamilton Theatre, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. Tickets are $25 or $10 for students. Call (800) 595-4849 or visit www.furioustheatre.org.

Backstage West Review - Critic's Pick

2008-04-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

Photo by: Anthony Masters

Saturday Night at the Palace
April 30, 2008
By Les Spindle

Furious Theatre Company commemorates its sixth anniversary by revisiting the group's 2002 debut production, featuring that production's cast and director. Paul Slabolepszy's lacerating drama, which premiered in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1982, remains a timelessly resonant portrait of the devastating human impact engendered by fascistic governmental regimes that practice institutionalized bigotry. Director Dámaso Rodriguez, guiding a finely calibrated ensemble and an exemplary design team, elicits an electrifying theatre experience.

Set in 1982 in the outskirts of Johannesburg, seven years before the official repeal of apartheid, the story is inspired by a true incident: a tragic confrontation among three desperate men. The cocky and belligerent white youth Vince (Shawn Lee) blames society -- and the South African blacks in particular -- for his lot in life as a hooligan who sponges off of others. His white roommate Forsie (Eric Pargac) initially appears to be a more rational and civilized young man, though he has startling surprises up his sleeve. When the two, pushing their stalled motorcycle, happen upon a remote roadhouse, Vince immediately instigates conflict with September (Sean Blakemore), the Zulu manager of the eatery, which has just shut down for the night. There's more to the edgy friendship between the two intruders than meets the eye, enriching the narrative with a multilayered exploration of the myriad ramifications of social unrest in a toxic political system.

There are passages in Afrikaans, coached by Jonathon Kassel, and in Zulu, coached by Caseline Kunene and Bridgette Ramafodi. Dialect consultant Joel Goldes worked with the cast on the South African-accented dialogue. While I can't vouch for the authenticity of Golde's results, words are sometimes unintelligible, particularly in Lee's pronunciations. Yet the characters' emotional truths consistently ring true. In a powerful portrayal, Lee is properly detestable as the racist thug -- a lost soul who's adrift in a dysfunctional cultural environment. Pargac superbly depicts the decent-guy side to his character, and he's equally on target in foreshadowing Forsie's less-heroic traits. Blakemore's indelible portrait of September's courage, dignity, and suppressed fury in the face of horrific abuse heightens the tragedy of this mesmerizing parable of life in a pressure cooker.

Presented by Furious Theatre Company at the Carrie Hamilton Theatre,

39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena.
Thu.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7:30 p.m. Apr. 26-May 31.
(800) 595-4849. www.furioustheatre.org.

Furious Webcasts

2008-04-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

One of our ensemble members, Doug Newell, has been shooting behind the scenes footage of our upcoming production of Saturday Night at the Palace by Paul Slabolepszy. Check out the new Furious Webcasts here!

You can also view them on our YouTube player below:

SNAP Video

2008-04-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce a series of videos have been posted regarding the production of our remount of Saturday Night at the Palace. You can click the link here or follow the link from the Furious homepage. Everything from the progress of the set to the location of some of the original props is covered.

Congrats again to Matt Pelfrey!

2008-03-31T22:07:00.000-07:00

Although we've posted news about his win before, its worth another mention now. Tonight, Furious Resident Playwright Matt Pelfrey picked up his Garland Award for Playwriting at an event held by Backstage West at the lovely facilities of our neighbors @Boston Court.
His play, An Impending Rupture of the Belly got its world premiere with Furious last Spring and now has several productions in the works at various theatres across the country.

Humana Festival 2008 Report: Day #2

2008-03-22T22:55:00.000-07:00

I have to make this quick for now...I'm back at the hotel and fading fast.
The day was jam-packed with 4 plays and lots of discussion about funding for new-play development in this country. There was a party at a bar called PROOF after the last show so we had time to mingle with other representatives from theatres across the US.

We saw 4 plays today including Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo which had an amazing script, my favorite of the festival...Great Falls by Lee Blessing was another standout. Another one of today's four was Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom by Jennifer Haley, which dealt with teenagers and their addiction to an online horror video game at the expense of their relationships with their parents and friends...as you can see the the subject matter of this festival is very diverse.

One more show and a great discussion on deck for tomorrow, Adam Rapp is one of the panelists.

I may have to wrap up when we get back...we go straight to the airport after the last show.
Thanks for joining us at Humana!

Humana Festival 2008 Report: Night #1

2008-03-21T22:59:00.000-07:00

It's 2am here and we have to be at breakfast at 8am before we see the first of 4 (yes 4!) plays tomorrow at 10. Tonight we saw This Beautiful City...it was a fascinating look at the effects of religion, namely evangelical Christianity on the city of Colorado Springs...the story centers on the rise of the mega-church founded by Ted Haggert and his fall after his controversial encounter with a meth-dealing gay prostitute. It was done in the style of a documentary based on real interviews done by The Civilians company members, who co-produced this with Actor's Theatre. Did I mention this was a musical as well? It is...good stuff.

More to come...I have to sleep.

PS-Actor's Theatre of Louisville has a pretty awesome setup here...you should all see it one day.

Humana Festival 2008 Report: First Impressions

2008-03-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I'm coming to you live from Louisville, KY on the first day of Theatre Professionals Weekend at the Humana Festival of New Plays. This world-reknowned festival takes place at the Actor's Theatre of Louisville.
I'm here with Furious Theatre co-founders and co-artistic directors Sara Hennessy and Damaso Rodriguez, as well as former Actor's Theatre apprentice Megan Goodchild. We're about 90 minutes away from seeing our first of 2 plays this evening, but I wanted to hop online and give everyone a few first impressions.
So far the hospitality of the Actor's Theatre staff has been great, their Director of Development was waiting for us at the airport at 8:30am to give us a ride to the lovely Galt House, our home for the weekend. After recovering from our red-eye flight, we have tickets in hand for the 7 (yes 7!) new plays we'll be seeing.
Allright, I'm about to head out to a pre-show dinner and drink...first play on the docket at 8pm:
This Beautiful City by Steven Cosson and Jim Lewis.
Signing out for now...much more to come.

Congrats to Furious Nominees!

2008-02-14T14:10:00.000-08:00

Nominations have recently been announced for both the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle and LA Weekly Awards and we'd like to congratulate some truly Furious artists on getting nods for their work on our 2007 world premiere production of Matt Pelfrey's An Impending Rupture of the Belly. The nominations are below. Click here for more info on this Furious Production.

LADCC Award Nominee:

Featured Actor - Shawn Lee

LA Weekly Award Nominees:

Production of the Year

Ensemble

Play Writing - Matt Pelfrey

Direction - Damaso Rodriguez

Since we are a company built around an ensemble of theatre artists, nominations for things like "Production of the Year" and "Ensemble" are truly gratifying because of their recognition of the great collaborative effort put forth by everyone involved in producing theatre. We're also thrilled at the recognition given to our Playwright in Residence, Matt Pelfrey, whose bold new work is exactly the kind of writing that our company stands behind.

Congratulations again to these and all of the nominees from all of the companies who continue to work hard to make Los Angeles theatre great.

Furious Reproduction

2008-02-11T19:01:00.000-08:00

As ensemble members, we've all become pretty close to one another. Probably too close, but we like it this way. Our personal lives have become somewhat shared by everyone in the company and it seems this unique and sometimes bizarre extended family quality is partly responsible for the artistic output of the ensemble, both in terms of content and quality. After seeing August Osage County in New York last week, there is little room for argument that on stage relationships truly benefit from individuals who have worked and shared real life experiences with each other over a long period of time.

We often draw comparisons with great rock bands when explaining the purpose or benefit of the ensemble. How did the Beatles or the Stones do and become what they did? Insane talent, yes, but certainly they shared numerous intimate life experiences which influenced them in some way and ultimately made them family.

So too goes the world of Furious. Last Thursday we got a new member of the extended family when ensemble members Shawn and Vonessa gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Skylar Jude. Less than 24 hours later, ensemble member James Leary and his wife Stacie gave birth to their second son, Eoin Elliot. Not only did our two new additions come less than a day apart, but they were delivered in the same hospital and the proud parents ended up with rooms across the hall from one another. Now that's "close."

Needless to say we all greatly appreciated their efforts to simplify our busy lives and schedules by delivering in tandem and sharing the end of a hall to boot.

That's where we're at right now - reproduction. It seems to be in the water with six babies in the past two and a half years. The artistic result? Furious Reproduction of another kind - coming to the stage this spring. More details on that soon.

For now - congrats to the new parents... who just made everyone's lives that much crazier. Thanks, we love it.

Be Furious.

Move to the Mainstage

2008-01-18T15:44:00.000-08:00

In a little over four hours Furious Theatre Company will make its Pasadena Playhouse main stage debut. Tonight is the opening of Orson's Shadow, the first production in the Playhouse's 2008 Season. The production features the work of two Furious Theatre Ensemble members - Damaso Rodriguez is directing the production in his new role as Associate Artistic Director for Pasadena Playhouse (see a great feature article on that here), and Nick Cernoch is playing the role of Sean, Orson Welles' stage hand.

It is a great night for the company and our relationship with the Playhouse which continues to grow and prove to be a great asset for both organizations. If you want to come see the show, check out the special offer for Furious friends below.

Section B only, through February 2, 2008. Mention code PC92. Restrictions apply, call for details.
Click here to purchase tickets
or call 626-356-PLAY!

Be Furious.

Saturday Sell-Outs

2007-11-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

We just sold out tonight's performance of Canned Peaches in Syrup. Every Saturday since our opening on October 6 has ultimately sold out (that's 80 seats in our case). What's particularly promising for the company is that this is occurring five weekends into our run with a couple weeks left to go. The house is full of strangers at this point, which tells us our new marketing efforts are working (see www.savethepeaches.com). Though we're generally 'full' on Saturday nights, it's unusual for us to be running out of tickets hours or days before the performance (as was the case last week). This show thrives on a raucous, packed house and the cast feeds off of the energy. It should be a fun night tonight at the theatre!

Furious on the Radio

2007-11-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

Canned Peaches in Syrup director Damaso Rodriguez appeared along with cast members Katie Davies and Shawn Lee on KPFK's Arts in Review program today. The half hour radio show, hosted by theatre and television critic Julio Martinez aired live from 12-12:30pm on 90.7 FM here in Los Angeles. We'd like to give a Furious thanks to Julio for having Damaso, Katie and Shawn on the air.

Hear Julio Martinez's interview by clicking here and choosing the Nov 1 Art in Review program.

Read Julio's full review of the play for Variety here.

Find out more about the show and get tickets here.

Coffee, Alcohol, Weed and Potato Chips...

2007-10-18T23:11:00.000-07:00

...these are the substances that test us.

Let me explain. Tonight we had a great crowd going into the show - a capacity of about 85% and a couple of enthusiastic groups to boot. It had all the makings of a fantastic night in the theatre... that's when I knew we were in trouble.

At about 1 minute to curtain a non-traditional looking band of 5 roughneck men came up and checked in for the show. It appeared they had already enjoyed a few cold, frosty beverages before arriving, and they proceeded to purchase more beer and wine from the concessions bar as I was trying to help start the show as house manager. Then they pulled out some of our folding chairs in the back of the house and spread out in our overflow seating area so as to have plenty of room. They were now under surveillance.

As we started the show, we were only missing a party of two in terms of purchased tix not picked up. At about 8:20, near the end of the first scene (which of course sets everything up in the story) a mild attack on the theatre doors began. I raced to open them and see who was on the other side. A lovely young couple in their early twenties entered - it was the two we were missing - and they brought in with them such a strong cloud of residual pot smoke that I almost reached contact high.

Late audience arrivals can be pretty problematic in a lot of small theatres and ours is no different. In general, noise in the lobby has always been a challenge of ours. Despite the fact that the lobby is separated from the theatre space, it is only separated by velour drapes and a short set of stairs. However, the audience always seems to behave as if the velour drapes are a wall of yard thick concrete. They come into the lobby to answer their phones, use the restrooms (what are we in kindergarten, you REALLY can't wait til intermission?), or arriving late, persist to ask in full voice "has it started yet?"

Anyway, I escort the high flying young couple to seats in the back row and they are instantly entertained. The show IS hilarious and visually stunning, perfect for a young couple in love with their bud.

Next, the coffee attacks. The coffee shop I should say. On Thursday nights in the fall season, the coffee house next door plays live music for its 15 or 16 customers. The music is always pretty good - some sort of Latin jazz or percussion, but it ultimately escalates in volume until it is reverberating in the theatre, adding unfavorably to the production's sound design. Before I can get too concerned with the encroaching sounds of Salsa, I hear the single worst noise you can have in the theatre - other than coughing - CRINKLING!

I try to sleuth out where this obnoxious and persistent crinkling sound is coming from. I of course check out the obvious perps - thinking our late arrivals brought a case of the munchies in with them. To my surprise, they are not responsible. No eating or crinkling, just an out of this world open mouthed focus. I move on... and of course, am led to our fellas in the back row. One of them seemed to be snacking on a small bag of chips and was passing it around to the gang, with all of them trying to stick their giant man hands into the tiny bag to find sustenance. I politely shush them, and they are cool with it, but not before having a audible discussion about who's fault it was. At least they were in the back - and they really were enjoying the show as I watched them... they just needed some nachos or a pretzel for this event. Intermission comes, more drinks purchased, assuring a great buzz for the second act.

Immediately after intermission (no walk-outs as far as I could tell) I run over to the coffee house to ask if they can turn the amplification down. They agree, and do. I feel good about this small victory. Just then a young man from our rowdy man group in the back comes out to use the restroom and drops his glass beer bottle on the concrete floor. It exploded into what looked like 10,000 pieces and now I am on mop boy duty. He then spends about ten minutes in the bathroom - I don't want to know why.

Fifteen minutes later, the music from the coffee house grows louder and stays that way for the rest of the evening, until it magically stops for the final ten minutes of the show, which was a real treat for the actors, to not have to deliver lines about the end of the world over the sound of a Latin female jazz/scat artist. To cap it all off, at a key moment in the final scenes a pretty disturbing action plays out between the cannibals and vegetarians. I won't give the full spoiler details of what happens onstage at this moment, but right on cue, one of our buzzed boys in the back row says to his other pals, loud enough for all to hear, "tastes like chicken." And... curtain!

Reaction to the Action

2007-10-17T21:45:00.000-07:00

"To be avoided if at all possible."

So reads the last line of a disapproving Reader Review from an audience member writing under the handle of "Billdaws" on the LA Times website. It even comes with this easy to interpret image:

You can see the full reader review here. The silver lining in this frowny faced review? It's a strong reaction - and that's what we're after. It's why we produce theatre. Who's interested in seeing or presenting something that is "moderately" anything? Not us.

Below is a quick run down of the critical reaction to Canned Peaches in Syrup:

David Ng from the Los Angeles Times seems to like it and gives it the rating of RECOMMENDED. He says it is "a smart and wicked farce acted with animal intensity."

Les Spindle of Back Stage West raves about the play in his CRITIC'S PICK write up by saying "Director Dámaso Rodriguez's incisive world-premiere rendition is a bold and thrillingly theatrical exploration of Jones' intriguing themes."

Julio Martinez of Variety also seems to give us the favorable nod in his Variety review, stating that "Brit scripter Alex Jones has impressively intermingled an everyday struggle to survive with the often-hilarious absurdity of the human spirit..."

LA Weekly's Steven Mikulan appears to have hated the play itself, but as usual, he has an excellently written critique in a great feature about the production which pays homage to some of the performances, Hee Haw and James Colburn.

Other notable men and women about town offering their takes on the show include Mr. Don Shirley of LA Citybeat who notes that the cast is dynamite, and this grimly funny work ultimately serves as a chilling siren, Sharon Pearlmutter of Talkin'Broadway.com who ends her review by saying the production " has a few moments that will stay with you long after you leave the theatre ... ... with a hankering for some sticky sweet peaches ... ... or a great big slab of meat.". We'll include the Pasadena papers' thoughts as soon as they print something. [UPDATE] This just in from the provocative journalistic giant, the Pasadena Weekly: Scriber April Caires sums up her experience with "it's like no play you've seen before."
That is true.

More info coming soon regarding our walk-out count.

Be Furious.

From The Booth - Final Preview

2007-10-05T19:55:00.000-07:00

7:55 - Really full house tonight. Lot's of the Playhouse Staff is here including Sheldon Epps, Playhouse Artistic Director.

8:06 - We increased a level going into the show and it helped. Seems to mask the actors moving into place better on the darkened staged.

8:19 - Missed line. I would imagine at this point its caused by nerves. Certainly a benefit to have this many people here for a preview before opening night, get the actor's used to it.

8:26 - It always fascinates me how different audiences laugh at different things. A sure-fire laugh one night can be a dud and a line that never got a laugh before can induce howls.

8:36 - The sight of a prop gets a great laugh.

8:39 - A fight gets great laughs. Good teamwork by the actors. Our fight choreographer should be proud, the actors are continually nailing this.

9:00 - End of Act 1. Good sign when the audience is laughing in the intermission and swapping their favorite lines.

9:10 - Just reset the cue cause we're running long in between acts. Need to find some more music to cover extended intermissions.

9:15 - I notice a couple of empty seats. I think that officially makes our first walk outs (awfully nice of them to wait till intermission).

9:46 - The new scenic element I mentioned in the last post is now getting a laugh.

10:08 - Show ran a little long. Must have been all the holding for laughs, so I guess that's ok.

Well all that's left is to go public, for the press. Opening night should be a blast.
Look forward to seeing you at the theatre.

From The Booth - First Preview

2007-10-03T19:58:00.001-07:00

7:01 - My job as a sound designer is close to done. The cues are finalized with the exception of a level here or there. My job as the sound board operator is really just beginning. Earlier tonight we re-ran sound cues so the actors could better familiarize themselves with their timings in and out of the scenes.

7:29 – First Preshow cue. I’ve actually spent a while deciding what we should be playing before the show. Primarily I worried about what instruments are played in the songs and what type of theme/tone they contain. We want to prepare the audience for the world they’re about to enter.

7:46 – First Preshow cue cut. Looks like CCR is a little too recognizable for the director’s taste. I agree, sometimes what fits in the headphones doesn’t fit in the theater. This is a good change, and it’s a good place to be at with sound when these are the things we’re worrying about.

8:02 - First preview pitfall of the night, and I'll claim it. Preshow announcement level was off. This is something new for us that we've just added. Hopefully no one's cell phone will go off because they couldn't hear the warning. And don't worry, I didn't miss this because I was typing.

8:05 - End of cue 4 "Into Scene 1." Nice crowd for a first preview. Not huge, but a good mix of patrons, friends, designers, directors and playwrights. 2 playwrights in the house tonight. Of course Alex Jones, Can Peaches' author is here, and so is Matt Pelfry, resident Furious playwright and author of our last play "Impending Rupture of the Belly." He's here to see the show before he leads the post-show discussion with Alex on Sunday night.

8:26 - So far the actor's are stepping their game up. Nothing like an audience to raise the stakes. Notes given at the 5pm call are sticking. The beginning of the show already seems tighter. I won't give specifics as to ruin the show, but there are so many lines that will leave some of the audience confused as to how to react. Are they offended or amused? So far no walk outs. Stay tuned.

8:31 - Crowd seems to be warming to the show. They're laughing easier.

8:36 - Looks like I'm not the only one with some work to do. A couple of items were left on stage during the scene change.

8:59 - End of Act 1.

9:09 - Beginning of Act 2. Easier to make an exactly 10 minute intermission when there's not a full house. Good luck accomplishing that opening night. And I'm happy to report we didn't loose anyone, all audience members are back. You never know with a show like this, we expect to loose some at intermission during the run.

9:42 - What do you get when you combine a new, potentially noisy, scenic element to a quiet scene? The crew on the edge of their seats. Thankfully there was no noise and the dramatic tension is preserved.

9:54 - Still a few scene changes that can use some polishing. Timing will be something to work on in the booth and on stage.

9:56 - WOW! It would be impossible to describe what just happened without ruining part of the show, but let's say a major plot point that depends on the use of a prop failed! You could feel a big shift in the energy. It couldn't help but have an effect on the actors. They did their best to cover, and plowed onward to make the scene/story work, but what happened was next to impossible to cover. I'll bet I'm given a note after the show to work on a back up cue.

10:07 - Shows over. We've got 21 hours and 53 minutes to improve the show by what we learned tonight and make sure the problems don't happen again. For my part I better get started to work.

All in all, good first preview, thanks for riding along with me in the booth. More from the booth soon.

Interview with Playwright Alex Jones

2007-10-03T12:17:00.000-07:00

Furious Theatre is thrilled to be hosting British playwright Alex Jones here in the States for the world premiere of his play Canned Peaches in Syrup. Before Alex Jones got to the U.S. journalist Ina Rometsch caught up with him for an interview about the play. Enjoy!

Alex, are you a survivor?
I’ve been in the Navy for about a year and I have done survival training there. And now I’m still in this business, which is pretty hard to survive in. I’ve had some hard times, and I’ve been pretty broke. But I’m still writing plays and I get them produced, so I must be a survivor. What characteristics does a survivor need? You have to be resourceful. You have to be able to take a few blows. And you have to be understanding. Because if you want to survive, you need to get on with others and make compromises sometimes.

In your play, our future looks rather grim. How much longer do you give mankind?
If things don’t change very soon and we don’t do something about emissions, then I think within the next 50 years we’ll be seeing cataclysmic changes in the weather patterns. It has already started to happen, and it will get worse. I wrote this play when I started wondering what the world would be like when global warming went out of control – about 12 years ago.

If you were stuck in the world of the play, what would be your survival strategy?
I don’t think I’d survive very long. That’s a pretty brutal world in the play. I don’t think I would be a cannibal, though. But having said that, you never know...

Is there a character you can identify with?
Probably Bill. Although he is a cannibal, he’s Mister Nice Guy. He is friends with Scab and stands up for him when everybody else wants to eat him. I like Bill. But if I had to be cast in the play, I’d probably be Scab. I normally get to play these quirky, crazy roles. Maybe it’s because I look a bit weird. In my last role I was playing a 14 year old schoolgirl...

If you knew that the end of the world was to happen next week – would you still be writing plays?
I don’t think so. I’d be off to the supermarket to get some really good wine. And then I’d be having a nice big party!

WWW.SAVETHEPEACHES.COM

2007-09-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce the all-new website for the world premiere of Canned Peaches in Syrup, www.savethepeaches.com! We had an incredible team of two, Stephen Giem and Hoon Kim, working on this site, and they really knocked it out of the park. Our company is thinking of doing more of these microsites for future productions. Check out the site and leave comments to let us know your thoughts. Also, make sure to warn your friends: SAVE THE PEACHES. SAVE THE WORLD!

BE FURIOUS

Furious on YouTube!

2007-09-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

We're getting pretty pumped about our upcoming world premiere of Canned Peaches in Syrup by Alex Jones. You can share in some of the excitement by checking out our new teaser trailer and some video blogs in the Furious YouTube player below. As always, we're updating our Furious podcast page as well with behind the scenes PEACHES podcasts, so click here to subscribe and BE FURIOUS!

Canned Peaches - A Tease

2007-09-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

A new trailer for Canned Peaches in Syrup will be available in a couple of days... until then... here's a bit of info from the newest press release:

August 30, 2007…Pasadena…Furious Theatre Company, who won 3 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle awards, including “Production,” “Director” and “Writing and Adaptation” for last season’s critically-acclaimed production of Craig Wright’s Grace, presents the second production of its 2007 season, the World Premiere of CANNED PEACHES IN SYRUP, written by Alex Jones (who was the playwright of Furious Theatre’s much lauded production of Noise in their inaugural season) and directed by Dámaso Rodriguez...

Alex Jones' timely and hilarious post-apocalyptic comedy, CANNED PEACHES IN SYRUP places us in a seemingly absurd and inconvenient future, where water is scarce, the sun has gone crazy and love still survives. In a post-environmental apocalyptic future, the world is divided into two tribes of nomadic humans: Cannibals and Vegetarians. Can star-crossed lovers Rog (think Romeo as a cannibal) and Julie (think Juliet as a vegetarian) cross tribal lines?! Can Rog's taste for flesh be suppressed?! Can Julie deny her parents' "meat is murder" mantra?! And, who exactly is Blind Bastard? A lone can of peaches in syrup holds their fate...and the fate of all mankind...

British writer Jones, will be traveling to the US for the premiere of Canned Peaches in Syrup and will be in Pasadena for the first time since Furious opened Noise (Critic’s Choice, LA Times; Recommend, LA Weekly; Critic’s Pick, Backstage) in 2002. During his visit from September 29-October 8, Alex will attend rehearsals prior to, and participate in post-show discussions during opening weekend...

Be Furious.

Opening Up a Can

2007-08-29T17:11:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's been way too long since we've posted.

A lot has happened over the past few months that will generate some big news in the coming weeks, so check back often and we'll get back to posting frequently.

Over the summer we had a long-weekend ensemble retreat in Palm Springs, we added four new outstanding Board members to the organization, and we named our first playwright in residence. More information on all of these developments soon.

For now, check out the latest information about our second world-premiere, which opens soon: Canned Peaches in Syrup by Alex Jones. You can see new info about the show and behind the scenes videocasts here.

Lots more to come soon - we promise.

Be Furious.

The First Five Years

2007-04-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked 5 years to the day of our very first public performance - the U.S. premiere of Saturday Night at the Palace on April 26th, 2002. Tomorrow will mark 5 years to the day of the feature article "The Determined and the Furious" hitting the Sunday edition of the Los Angeles Times - instantly putting Furious Theatre Company on the map. It hasn't been easy, in fact it seems to only get harder... but we've never looked back and we've enjoyed the experience and each other thus far.

So, how did we celebrate last night? By delaying the start of the show by about 15 minutes because 10 of our lighting instruments stop working at around 7:40 pm and while Nick and Christie and Vonessa scrambled to try and solve the electrical hijinks, Damaso and the cast/crew scrambled to re-block scenes to adjust to the lack of lit areas. The show went fine, the actors survived, the audience didn't seem to mind... and just like that, 5 years were officially in the books. Good times.

A shout out to the Theatre Gods for always keeping us humble and on our toes.

Be Furious.

Playing on the Edge

2007-04-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

Doug Newell and Eric Pargac in An Impending Rupture of the Belly - Photo by Anthony Masters.

A great article in yesterday's LA Times from the new voice of Los Angeles theatre - Charles McNulty. Read it here. The article sheds some light on this year's Pulitzer process and how the winner, Rabbit Hole (which wasn't nominated by the nominating committee) made it's way to the top.

The article also serves as a sort of call to arms for the up and coming American playwrights who tend to be "pushing the boundaries" and "taking us to the edge" to continue doing so, and risk the temptation to jump ship into the higher paying world of television. But, more importantly, it serves as a call to arms for audiences to go see these up and comers' work and embrace the idea of participating in the next iteration of American Drama - even if the plays don't "please" you 100% of the time. McNulty calls out memorable experiences from his past that were not necessarily the best playwrights of their time, or the most validated and high profile artists... but who still managed to leave a lasting impression on him from his days of yore in NYC.

We get a nice mention as one of a few smaller companies here in LA that McNulty has witnessed to seemingly be successful at bringing in adventurous audiences and delivering memborable experiences. It was great for our company (and Board) to see this kind of acknowledgement. While you're responsible for your own work, fate, etc... it is always nice to have validation from the outside. It is also a great sign of what having a lead critic taking root in this city can do for the scene - serve as a valued guide and translator for audiences by communicating and providing insightful commentary on what he's seeing and experiencing all around town and WHY that is important for theatre audiences to know.

We're going to continue to focus on the kind of work we believe we're meant to produce - new plays that push the boundaries, take you to the edge (or maybe even over it sometimes) and give the audience (ok, sometimes provoke, in a healthy way) an opportunity to "feel" something during their theatre experience. Will a Furious playwright ever win the Pulitzer? We'll have to wait and see. Part of that responsibility lies with future audiences. Either way, we hope the current audience maintains their spirit of adventure and keeps coming for the Furious experience - and hopefully we'll continue to see new audiences get in line for a ticket to take the ride as well.

Be Furious.

Eye Will Survive!

2007-04-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

My eye two days after an accident on stage during An Impending Rupture of the Belly.

So for the second production in a row here at Furious Theatre Company, I have had a pretty intense, play-related eye problem. On Friday 13th of this last week toward the end of An Impending Rupture of the Belly, in which I play Clay Stilts, my character trashes the stage. There are several large City of Pasadena trash bins that I throw around in an effort to get the attention of my neighbor. As I slammed one of these trash bins to the ground the lid flew open and nailed me, full-force, in the left eye. The impact was pretty intense due to a rather perfect storm of events. The lid was at the exact top of its swing as my body was coming down over it, so since the lid was attached to the trash bin there was absolutely no give when it caught the corner of my eye socket. I got both the force of my body coming down and the swinging lid all in one big wallop.

From the reports of Shawn Lee, who plays my brother in the production and was on stage with me at the time, my knees buckled and I staggered back a few steps. I stood for a second trying to shake off the blow thinking, "Well, I know I have a monologue here that I'm supposed to do, but I'm not sure I can remember it." I just decided to plow ahead. I'm pretty sure I dropped a few lines and made up a new one or two new ones, but I didn't stop. At some point I felt a warm sensation on my face and was worried I might be bleeding, so I reached up to make sure everything was okay. When I did, my hand stopped at least an inch before it should have because my eye had almost instantly swollen to about the size of half a golf ball. My main concern was to keep the audience from realizing I'd been hurt and being taken out of the play. I tried to keep the left side of my face away from the audience as I launched into a huge fight scene. It's quite and intense fight, which I won't spoil here, but I'll just say it involves some rather large sporting equipment clashing together at high, dangerous speeds. Somehow I made it through. I kept checking for blood, and noticed all the crew in the wings was gathering to peek on stage to see the injury. After the fight there is only one scene left, at which point I was hoping the audience would think I'd done some sort of amazing quick change into some crazy swollen eye makeup.

At curtain call, I smiled bigger than I've ever smiled because I still didn't want the audience to know what had happened. Reports from those in the audience that had seen the show before and from the booth were that it was one of the best endings we'd had to the play. I heard that there were whispers of, "The lead guy just got hurt," but apparently not everyone knew. The playwright was in the audience and didn't notice (nor did he notice that I forgot parts of my monologue), and the people in the booth running lights and sound didn't notice either.

The picture above was taken three days after the accident on Monday so it actually looked worse than that on Saturday when Variety was in the audience. In fact, it looked so bad that there wasn't much I could do to cover it up. Luckily, in part of the storyline for the play, my character has recently been attacked in a random act of violence, so we were able to just go with the fact that the attack happened sooner than we were originally playing. I heard from a few long time Furious fans, though, that they were surprised that we had such a "fake looking makeup job." And according to the Variety review, they were none the wiser.

My eye after a rather massive allergic reaction to my scar makeup in Grace.
(Note: both injuries are the left eye, but this was taken from my web cam which flops the image.)

As for my other eye problem, during our last play, Grace, I played Sam a disfigured NASA scientist, who lost half his face in a car accident that took his girlfriends life. For that play, I had to build a scar on the left side of my face. You can read about the development of that on the blog at the The Scar entry and Sam's Scar 2. Well, half way through the production I developed an intense allergic reaction to the latex I used to help seal the scar to my face. My eye was irritated slightly after the fourth Thursday of the run. I woke up on Friday and it had really swollen so I went to the doctor. I explained about the makeup and let him know I would need to keep using it because we had several weeks left of the production. He gave me some antibiotics and allergy medication and told me to come back if it didn't get better by Monday. Well, it didn't, in fact it was so bad on Monday when I got to his office that my doctor almost admitted me to the hospital for emergency care. After a second opinion from a fellow doctor who shares the same office, he prescribed an industrial strength steroid and told my to call him immediately if it gets worse, and return if the swelling doesn't go down. Luckily, it didn't get worse, and I had a few days to recover since we weren't back on stage till Thursday. I continued to do the play till the end of the run. The irritation continued, but the medication kept the flare ups under control.

Well, those are my two back-to-back eye stories. Feel free to laugh at my pain, but for the sake of my eye, BE FURIOUS.

Awards, Reviews, Podcasts and More...

2007-04-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

This is sort of a hodge-podge entry... so thanks in advance for indulging.

AWARDS:
Last Monday night we had the distinct pleasure of accepting the "Best Playwright" award for Yussef El Guindi and his play Back of the Throat at the 2006 LA Weekly Theatre Awards (pictured above). Unfortunately Yussef couldn't make it down from Seattle because he was on route to Chicago where he's working on a new play. We just opened our current show and everyone was pretty exhausted, so I ended up representing the company as a single, slipping in and out pretty quickly to accept the award. It was a bit of a bizarre experience, walking in at the last minute, alone, not dressed in the suggested 1940's attire like the other 650 people in the room who were there to party. Anyway, Yussef's award came early on and I was out in a total of about 45 minutes. $20 to park, $8 for a gin-and-tonic, 45 minutes of my day... another "Furious" writer being celebrated by Los Angeles Critics - priceless.

During a time when we are focused on building relationships with writers, it gives us a real sense of accomplishment and satisfaction to have the playwrights we've recently worked with get something out of the relationship as well, besides a (small) royalty check. The past three shows in particular have been incredibly rewarding for Furious in terms of benefiting from a true working relationship with three of the country's most promising young playwrights. To have both writers from our 2006 season, Craig Wright (Grace) and Yussef El Guindi be recognized for their talents as a direct result of our relationship with them is a great feeling. We were ecstatic to have the opportunity to premiere their plays here in LA and we know the recognition and attention they recieved from those premieres was sincerely appreciated.

REVIEWS
Our current collaborator, Matt Pelfrey, is also receiving some nice recognition for his play on the Furious stage right now, the world premiere of An Impending Rupture of the Belly.

Check out some of the reviews for his new play and our production of it here.

Also look for a longer feature review from Steven Mikulan of the LA Weekly in Thursday's paper.

We're stoked to finally be working with Matt after a 5-year courtship with him. We knew he was a "Furious" writer from the beginning, and it seems that the timing and script were right for this one. It's kind of a big relief, because even though we were 100% committed to both writer and script... when you're putting up a world premiere (and our first at that), there's never anything to learn from regarding past reviews, productions, etc, you're really out there finding your way on your own. You can expect to see more from the Pelfrey/Furious relationship in years to come.

PODCASTS
If you want to hear a little bit about our process working with Matt on this world premiere, check out our new podcasts page here. You can listen to Damaso talking about his process as a director, Matt talking about his process as a writer and Vonessa and I talking a little about our approach to finding scripts and writers.

AND MORE...
In other news... Furious Late Night's production of imMEDIAte Theatre is up and running again. Catch it on Saturday night's at 10:15 pm.

Ok, that's it. Thanks for reading. Be Furious.

Open Rupture

2007-04-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

We opened the world premiere of Matt Pelfrey's play An Impending Rupture of the Belly on Saturday night, April 7. It was a great night. We've now opened 13 plays since our debut in April of 2002. It's become difficult to get a seat to the opening performance. With an overcapacity audience (there were 85 people seated, with several folks standing in the back), "no-shows" were welcome. We've unfortunately taken to limiting the number of comps available to cast, crew and ensemble instead encouraging everyone to invite friends to the always less-than-full 2nd performance. Our opening night audiences have become an interesting mix of donors and their guests (often Furious first-timers), board members and guests (also first-timers), press, leaders of other Pasadena arts organizations, Playhouse leadership, and close friends and family of the cast and crew. Surprisingly, though the audience probably represents our collectively saviest and smartest audience seat-for-seat, it's not necessarily the 100% "friendly" audience you might expect at a small theatre's first night. The last few shows have included at least one walk-out within the first 10 minutes. On Saturday a women found her way to the aisle during the first scene whispering "that's the worst thing I've ever heard". Several scenes later, her husband ducked out searching for her. Apparently, she'd recently suffered a loss in her family and wasn't up for a play that opens with a monologue detailing how blind we all are to the potential disasters that could befall us at any minute. The walk-outs while disruptive always force some imperceptible shift in the audience as if a challenge has been called out "are you IN or are you OUT? Because if you're not willing to go on the ride, then NOW's the time to get off."

Regardless, the show went very well. And the opening night running time came in at 89 minutes, a full 6 minutes shorter than the previous night's final "preview" performance. Like many directors, I'm obsessed with the running time, looking for places to remove the air or keep the momentum building to a surprising yet inevitible conclusion (read your Mamet). Sometimes this is achieved by making last minute cuts to the script, by encouraging the actors to 'think faster' and oddly enough by changing the blocking. The few days before the opening night are always where a show takes its most significant leaps. Anybody who saw one of the previews, even the final preview, saw a very different show. Here's what you missed during the final, sleepless days and hours:

Saturday, March 31 (7 days until opening)
We're at the theatre from 10am to 10pm for supposedly final technical rehearsals. The actors are saying their lines, but the focus is all on how we're going to get the furniture on and off stage, simplifying costume changes, and getting the hundreds of light and sound cues right. The set is not complete. Scheduling conflicts with the space forced us to delay the load-in of the set and the actors are working with several wall units and pieces of furniture that "represent" what they'll eventually have. It's not ideal...but nobody's blaming anybody. We're gonna make it. Many of us stay until 1am continuing to prep for dress rehearsals the next day. The build crew pulls an all-nighter.

Sunday, April 1 (6 days until opening)
There simply weren't enough hours in the night. The set is not finished. The photographer is coming to take press photos at 11am, but we bump him to 4:30pm hoping it will give us time to finish up a few more things. We also decide to cancel the morning dress rehearsal and instead focus on the technically complex final 20 minutes of the show (there are several dozen light and sound cues, a 90 second sequence of complex fight choreography, and some really challenging scene changes, and quick costume changes). Again, I'm not worried about cancelling the dress. The actors have been working in full costume and makeup since the first "tech" rehearsal on Friday. We haven't had an uninterrupted dress rehearsal at this point, but that's not what this particular production needs. After our lunch break, we come back and run the show, but have determined that we will stop as necessary to resolve and re-do scene changes that go awry. Some pictures are taken during the run. The L.A. Times has requested something for a pre-opening pic in Thursday's Calendar section.

Monday, April 2 (5 days until opening)
There's no rehearsal tonight. Actors are off as they can't work more than 6 days in a row. This gives the set crew time to finish.

Tuesday, April 3 (4 days until opening)
From 5pm-8pm we continue working cue to cue on the scene changes. At 8:30pm we begin our first uninterrupted dress rehearsal. Afterward, the production team gathers for notes, then everybody runs off to work. I give the actors notes. During the course of the last few days, we've made some modifications to the location of certain scenes, plus masking is now in place and it requires changes to the lighting levels. Our lighting designer Christie, Nick (production manager) and I stay and reset the furniture for every scene (Nick and I acting as stand-ins walking through the show) while Christie refocuses, resets lighting levels, and reprograms the light board. We stumble out at 4am knowing that was painful, but necessary.

Wednesday, April 4 (3 days until opening)
Rehearsal from 5pm-6:30pm focusing on problematic cues. First preview begins at 8pm before a small audience. Just enough people to raise the stakes and keep us from stopping. Half way into the show the power goes out on stage. Doug Newell keeps improvising. It almost kinda works. In the booth people are trying to figure out what went wrong. Clearly, we blew a fuse. Magically they come back on and we continue. We were never able to determine what happened. And this is why the space is getting a renovation.

Thursday, April 5 (2 days until opening)
Rehearsal and preview. We're still tweaking lines and lights. More of the set is materializing. No dramatic power outages today. The show is o.k. The big fight was off tonight. Somebody skipped a move and it looks weird. The actors stay for notes. Matt makes some cuts. We change a couple lines. This will continue until we open.

Friday, April 6 (1 day until opening)
Rehearsals and final preview. The run was pretty smooth and uneventful. It was just slow. I think the show is there technically, though we will still make some tweaks. This time, cutting some unnecessary light and sound cues. A couple friends come to see it that run theatres around town. I can't help but wish they had waited until after we open. Now the focus is finally 100% back on the text and the acting. Matt makes a really big cut to one of Aubrey's monologues. It's painful but the best thing for the show. The cast stays after to "take the air out of the show". This involves them running lines while I stop them any time I feel there's an unnecessary pause or the pace lags. We also reblock several scenes, simplifying them. Sometimes too much movement and business gets in the way of the show. Some people try to solve "slow parts" of a play by making the actors move around more. I find the opposite approach is sometimes what's missing. At a certain point we get tired, and sit down and have a beer together. We don't stop talking about the play, moment by moment. This cast and company is amazing. No one wants to leave. You'd think after doing so many show's together people would just get jaded and go home!

Saturday, April 7 (5 hours until opening)
3pm-6pm. It's basically more of what we were doing the night before. Taking the air out. We also run with lights and sound. We put in more tweaks to the script. We make a significant change to an early scene, moving a major line to the top of the scene instead of 10 lines in. Funny how something small like this changes everything about the scene.

7:15pm. Everyone's milling about backstage getting ready for the show. Audience will begin arriving in 15 minutes. Shawn, in costume, plugs in a circular saw and begins to cut off the troublesome corners on the backside of 3 removable flats he's responsible for changing in the dark during scene changes. They had been slowing him down. He thinks it'll speed up the show by a few seconds. I see him doing this. "Cool, that'll help," I say. Shawn says, "yah" and wraps up the cord. I love this business.

Critics Weigh in on Humana Festival

2007-04-04T09:48:00.000-07:00

You can read the Furious report of the 2007 Humana Festival in the three previous posts... but now you can read Charles McNulty's take in the LA Times here and as well as Charles Isherwood's take in the New York Times here.

Seems that Naomi Iizuka's play Strike-Slip was the favorite all around.

Humana Festival Update - Day 3

2007-04-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

Today was a gorgeous day in Louisville (or as the locals say "lewavul"). Here's what happened on our third and final day at the festival.

Day #3:
Because we were having a great brunch at this wildly fun and highly recommended place called Lynn's Paradise Cafe, we unfortunately missed our first play - The Open Road Anthology, which featured all of the Actors Theatre Apprentices. Next up was "The As If Body Loop," which everyone enjoyed and which received the strongest reaction from the audience (2/3 standing o) that I witnessed all weekend. Once again, great performances all around.

At 3:30 we experienced Craig Wright's new play - The Unseen. I thought the two main actors were utterly brilliant, but was less impressed with the supporting role. The only acting that somewhat disappointed me all weekend. As far as the script, I thought the writing was quite beautiful and intelligent and gave us a lot to think about. I look forward to seeing someone in LA pick it up for production.

Dinner at PROOF, which included a tutorial and tasting/flight of Kentucky's finest bourbons. Wow. Still enjoying it, 7 hours later. I had a Bison burger to wash it down. Tasty. We then attended the final performance of the festival, When Something Wonderful Ends, a one woman show about Barbie dolls, America's poor history and relations with Iran, and America's addiction to oil. Interesting and well performed, but I feel like this show/script suffered from the same symptom as most others this weekend... not enough emotional connection in the text. Not enough for the audience to truly feel and care about. A great performance again, nonetheless.

After the show, the Furious group headed back to the PROOF bar (in the hotel where some of our clan is staying) for an end of the weekend drink and chance to chat about all that we've seen and experienced. PROOF bar turned out to be THE destination for all of the actors and playwrights from the festival to celebrate/close out their festival as well. It was a great opportunity for us to meet and make connections with a lot of incredibly talented artists, especially those from LA who we might have the good fortune to employ in the future. The drinks and conversation flowed and another set of unexpected introductions happened when a local I met asked me where we were having breakfast in the morning before we leave. After telling her I didn't know, she suggested Lynn's Paradise Cafe. I told her we'd just been earlier today and she said, "Well, since I'm 'Lynn', I'm obligated to ask you to come again." So, I introduced her to the whole group, which she loved and they loved, and we gave her our reservation for tomorrow's final meal in Lewavul before we hop on the gulfstream and head back home.

I'm a little bummed that I wasn't "blown away" by at least one play, but it was great to feel the energy the festival generates for New American Plays and the career support for playwrights. This trip has been ridiculously fun and I look forward to returning to the festival with some other company and board members next year.

I look forward to the day when Furious can help (in any way) a writer be featured at Humana. For now, it's back home to LA where I'll try and be useful by jumping into the final prep for the world premiere of "An Impending Rupture of the Belly."

That's it for the Furious report of the 31st annual Humana New American Play Festival.

Thanks for reading and Be Furious.

Humana Festival Update - Day 2

2007-03-31T22:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's about 12:30 am (9:30pm to me and my LA internal clock).

Here's the gorey details of Day 2 at Humana:

1:30 pm - Strike-Slip, by Naomi Iizuka and directed by Chay Yew. I really liked this play, and so did everyone else that I overheard discussing it. Unfortunately, it can't help being compared to the movie Crash, as it revolves around three multi-cultural families in Los Angeles and how there lives intertwine. The playwright was originally commissioned by the Taper/Center Theatre Group to write a play about people living in Los Angeles, and the ever-present threat of an earthquake. I heard a lot of people saying how much they liked it on the way out of the theatre. One actress in particular - Ali Ahn- was a real standout amongst a universally great cast. Even better, I just realized she's an LA actress.

5:00 pm - Batch: An American Bachelor/ette Party Spectacle. An interesting piece of performance art, but can't really say it was "a play." Some fun theatricality, but I missed the "connection" and didn't find myself investing much.

Dinner - Vincenzo's, Italian - awesome. Veal to die for.

9:00 pm - Ten Minute Plays. They announced the three winners of the Steinberg Foundation's New Play awards at the top of this program and then we watched three short plays. "I am not Batman" by Marco Ramirez, followed by "Clarisse and Larmon" by Deb Margolin and they closed out with "Mr. and Mrs." by Julie Marie Myatt. I liked the Batman script the best.

One thing has been consistent for every performance, whether I liked the play or not... the acting has been excellent. Across the board.

After the Ten Minute Plays there was a big reception for all attendees and it was a great time for us to meet some folks. We had good conversations with some playwrights and literary agents about our company and LA theatre. Hopefully we can keep talking with these new connections and ultimately work on a project with them in the future. It's been great having some of the board here too - they're completely fearless. They're great conversationalists and made some great introductions for us. Earlier in the day we had the distinct pleasure of running into our friend from Abrams, Beth. Always good to put a face with a name and it gave us a nice opportunity to catch up with her and she was kind enough to introduce us to a few other agents later in the evening.

No doubt, this trip is going to prove beneficial for the company. So, while I'm getting away with not spending 16 or 18 hours a day at the theatre this weekend like eveyrone else is (Tech and Dress rehearsals)... hopefully the work we're doing here in Louisville will make up for it. :)

Robert and I also strolled down to what we thought was a great Blues bar to listen to some music, but found a less than stellar cover band whose repertoire had way too much Skynyrd and G-n-R, so we bailed. Ok, I gotta get some sleep - 4 plays to see tomorrow.

Be Furious.

Live from Humana - Day 1

2007-03-30T22:28:00.000-07:00

Alright. So, with Furious one week away from opening our first world premiere... the company has been kind enough to allow me to sneak out to Louisville and see some new plays at the Humana Festival. I am also fortunate enough to have 3 Furious Board members (Paul, Robert and Sheila) and guests along for the trip. We're a group of 9, trying to make our presence known on behalf of Furious. I'll try to blog each day about what we see and experience.

Day #1 went something like this:
We left LA at 9am, all together, arriving here in Louisville around 3:30pm. The flight was a great time (we flew on a chartered gulfstream. wow.) with lots of "Furious" discussion and conversation happening the entire flight. Almost like having many mini board meetings. I think the endless supply of screwdrivers helped fuel the dialogue.

Once in Louisville, we split up into two different hotels, both within a few blocks of ATL. At 6:30 we attended a weekend kick-off reception before seeing the first play in our package - Dark Play or Stories for Boys by Carlos Murillo. I'm looking forward to seeing what our good friends from the Theatre at Boston Court in Pasadena do with the west coast premiere of this play later in the year. A few others in the group attended The Open Road Anthology (co-written by a familiar face from LA, which I ran into tonight, Michael John Garces of Cornerstone Theatre Company, who also directed "Dark Play") at 10:30, while the rest of us headed out to a later dinner, because our package has us seeing that play early on Sunday morning. Much more passionate conversation at dinner about "the state of theatre", the play we just saw and everything that's cookin' at Furious and Pasadena Playhouse right now... all washed down with great steak and a little vino.

Tomorrow we'll see three plays and attend the Festival Gala (Schmooze time) at the end of the night. Then 4 plays on Sunday, including Craig Wright's newest, The Unseen. Very much looking forward to that.

That's all for Day 1. More to come tomorrow.

Be Furious.

Furious Podcasts

2007-03-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

In an effort to try and provide a little more "insider" access to people visiting the site and the blog... we've created a Furious Podcast Page that will be updated regularly with audio and video interviews. The first two podcasts have been posted and you can listen to them here.

More to come.

Three Moments of Grace

2007-03-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

On Monday night the company attended the 38th Annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards. Our 2006 production of GRACE was nominated for recognition in three categories. Playwright Craig Wright was nominated in the writing and adaptation category, Damaso was nominated in the Directing cateogry, and the show/company was nominated in the Best Production category. We were stoked to hear GRACE called out all three times as an award recipient, recognized in each category it was nominated for. Fun stuff.

I realize these could be anyone's hands and awards.... but they're ours. Seriously.

It was a great night for LA's small and emerging theatre companies, putting on an impressive showing with recipients from Boston Court, Chance Theater and The Blank among others, and Circle X Theatre Company took home a whopping total of 7 awards for their production of Brothers Karamozov. Also great to see Laurence Fishburne recognized for his outstanding performance in FENCES, here at the Playhouse last year. You can see the complete list of award recipients here.

Seeing as how we had a really weird ending to our run of GRACE, this night was a fun way for Furious to officially celebrate the close of that show as well as fun way to kick off our fifth season.

Podcast interviews and behind the scenes info from our first world premiere, Matt Pelfrey's An Impending Rupture of the Belly, are coming soon.

Thanks to all who keep coming... and reading.

Stay tuned and Be Furious.

Successfully Navigating the Labyrinth

2007-03-05T21:07:00.000-08:00

A good read in the NY Times regarding the Labyrinth Theater Company's new production, Jack Goes Boating, opening in a few weeks at the Public Theatre. The story in the Times sheds light on the company's 15 year history, their process and how artists like Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Rockwell and Eric Bogosian shaped it along the way.

Inspiring to read the details. We too, are big fans of the annual summer retreat. I imagine we'll find ourselves back in Palm Springs this summer (where it all began for us in 2001) for "Furious Retreat 5."

Be Furious.

Officially Impending Openings

2007-02-27T07:53:00.000-08:00

The team assembles at the Carrie Hamilton Theatre.

On President's Day, February 19 we formally kicked off production for 2007, with the company readthrough of Matt Pelfrey's fantastic new play, An Impending Rupture of the Belly. Actors, designers, the production team and board members gathered on the remnants of the as yet unstruck set of our recent production of Grace by Craig Wright for introductions, company business, design presentations and a casual reading of the play. As a director I've taken to asking all present at first readthroughs a question designed to break the ice, get everyone to learn something new about each other's past and illuminate some central theme of the play. This time everyone was asked to share a time in their life "when they have embraced chaos". The answers were varied, funny and even shocking. I hope the play sends audiences off to the bar discussing the same, and the consequences of doing so.

Below you'll find an excerpt from our (just released) season press release. Be sure to check the blog for more than ever behind-the-scenes updates from rehearsals including podcasts from the company.

The 2007 Furious Theatre Company Season:
AN IMPENDING RUPTURE OF THE BELLY
Written by Matt Pelfrey
Directed by Dámaso Rodriguez
Opens Saturday, April 7

How far would you go to protect your family? AN IMPENDING RUPTURE OF THE BELLY concerns Clay Stilts' desire to fortify his house in preparation for both a new baby and the apocalypse he's convinced is just around the corner. Clay worries about so many things, nuclear terrorism, avian bird flu, killer earthquakes, riots, small pox crop dusters flying over Dodger Stadium. His obsessions are sidetracked when a slowly escalating battle with a neighbor who refuses to curb his dog explodes in an impulsive act of violence. In one reckless moment, Clay's world spins out of control, becoming a microcosm for a global struggle against threats to our security, both real and imagined.

CANNED PEACHES IN SYRUP
Written by Alex Jones
Directed by Dámaso Rodriguez
Opens Saturday, October 6

Alex Jones' timely and hilarious post-apocalyptic comedy, CANNED PEACHES IN SYRUP places us in a seemingly absurd and inconvenient future, where water is scarce, the sun has gone crazy and love still survives. In a post-environmental apocalyptic future, the world is divided into two tribes of nomadic humans: Cannibals and Vegetarians. Can star-crossed lovers Rog and Julie cross tribal lines?! Can Rog's taste for flesh be suppressed?! Can Julie deny her parents' "meat is murder" mantra?! And, who exactly is Blind Bastard? A lone can of peaches in syrup holds their fate...and the fate of all mankind.

LATE NIGHTS ARE FURIOUS!
A barrage of news footage fills the screen. Lights up on stage. The cast tears through the headlines of the day's newspapers skewering the top stories, jumping from the anchor desk to the radio waves and covering the everyday events in your life. This is imMEDIAte Theatre…

Furious Theatre Company continues “Furious Late Nights,” with imMEDIAte Theatre, a 60-minute improvised, multimedia comedy show based on the week’s news and pop culture events. The show, which was created and performed by the company and has been presented via word-of-mouth previews since late 2005, continues late night performances Saturday nights April 14 – May 5, 2007 at the Pasadena Playhouse Carrie Hamilton Theatre. Performance time is 10:15 p.m.

Read the full release here.

Partnership Proves Postive - Again

2007-02-18T20:23:00.000-08:00

Frank Gehry, Carol Burnett, Sheldon Epps.

photo by Wally Skalij, Los Angeles Times

"Celebrated Los Angeles architect Frank Gehry will begin a two-phase design project for the Pasadena Playhouse that will include a new 300- to 400-seat theater to expand the Playhouse campus, as well as redesigning the interior of the Playhouse's existing balcony performance space, the Carrie Hamilton Theatre." - Diane Haithman, Los Angeles Times

Here's the "news" that was promised in my last post. Frank Gehry is doing the interior design for the Carrie Hamilton Theatre renovations that will begin at the end of the year. We'll produce in the current space for the 2007 season and yes, we'll be back in the theatre as Playhouse artists in residence once the renovations are completed sometime in 2008. Yeah, we're excited.

You can read the entire story here.

Be Furious.

Major News & Interviews

2007-02-16T09:30:00.000-08:00

This coming Monday you can hear the Artistic Directors of the four major theatres in Los Angeles County talking about the state of theatre in California. Sheldon Epps of Pasadena Playhouse, Michael Ritchie of Center Theatre Group, Martin Benson of South Coast Repertory and Randall Arney of the Geffen Playhouse. They will all be on KPCC's "Air Talk" with Larry Mantle at 10:00 am Pacific time. You can listen live or podcast it.

We'll also have major news to report and post on Monday as well. Stay tuned.

Be Furious.

AWARDS SEASON - PART 2

2007-02-08T10:21:00.000-08:00

Steven Leigh Morris has just published his list of LA Weekly Theatre Award noms. View the list here.

Both writers from last year's FTC productions have now been recognized with awards nominations. Yussef gets a Play Writing nomination on this list for his play Back of the Throat and Craig received a nom on the LADCC list for Grace.

It was a great reward and privilege to work with both of these writers last season and an even greater reward to see them recognized for their talents. Being a platform for new/emerging writers to successfully launch their work, or further develop their work is what we're after.

We've got two writers lined up for 2007 that we're excited about working with as well. Announcement coming next week.

Be Furious.

AWARDS SEASON

2007-02-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

It is upon us.

There is a short announcement about the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle noms in today's Los Angeles Times. For a complete list visit the theatre section of Calendarlive. Fun to see ourselves and Craig on the list! Congrats to all the nominees.

Be Furious.

33 Years, 31 Seasons, 41 Members

2007-01-29T22:10:00.000-08:00

32 of the 33 Steppenwolf members gathered on the White House lawn in 1991. Missing is John Mahoney.

"The longest-existing theater ensemble in the United States" announced on their blog today the addition of 6 new ensemble members. This is by far the largest group addition the Steppenwolf company has made in a while and seems quite deliberate in terms of helping to bring more diversity to the ensemble.

We get a lot (I can only imagine how many Steppenwolf must get) of emails and phone calls from people who "want to get involved" with our company. Most of whom, haven't even been to see a show at our place, much less have a sense of what it means to be a member of the company. We also have people who ask the question directly - how can I join the ensemble? How can I become a member?

Unfortunately "membership" and "ensemble" have become interchangeable in many theatre companies and models around the country. Our view has always been that ensemble was much closer to a group of artistic soul mates than a general membership indicates. People you respect and admire so much that you want to help create and find opportunity for all of them as much as for yourself, for the next 20 or 30 years. And because of that, there is something inherently great about the work.

Our ensemble is currently at 12. We're building it slowly. Intentionally so. Being an ensemble member at Furious means that you have artistic directors looking specifically for opportunities that fulfill your artistic aspirations and help build a career path for you. In exchange for your commitment to the group. No trash duty, no dues. This philosophy is what drives our script selection, our casting and our aesthetic. Right now, 12 is the right number and it is the right group of people. Certainly, we have also been blessed with the talents and contributions of phenomenal guest artists and Furious favorites, those who've worked with us multiple times.

So, when will our ensemble grow again? We'll know when we know. Steppenwolf has always been a big inspiration to Furious. Their example of how to build, sustain and satisfy a true ensemble while producing some of the country's best theatre merits respect and admiration.

See the announcement of the new Steppenwolf members here. The entire ensemble here.

Be Furious.

A Sea of Possibilities

2007-01-24T09:43:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday the Furious Board of Directors convened at one of our member's beach house for a day long retreat. It was a time for all of us to both reflect and look forward. Our own "State of the Union" so to speak. Thankfully, the day provided tremendous unification and clarity for what the company's focus, identity and challenges are, currently and for the future. There was no partisanship in the beach house.

We drank a lot of coffee in the morning, ate a little salad for lunch, spotted some dolphins, and then drank more coffee in the afternoon. We spent over six hours talking and discussing and filling up giant note pads with thoughts, ideas, questions and action items around our company's mission. The dialogue was intense, insightful, fearless and inspiring. Now the hard part, execution. Here's a shot of the our break, most people are hovering back by the coffee pot.

2007 marks our 5th year in existence (to the public). As we took time to look back on our accomplishments and failures and used those learnings to help look ahead at the future, there is literally a sea of possibilities for our company, our artists and our audience. In large part because of this group. The incredible strength and resources our board members (eight amazing civic and community leaders) have brought to help our emerging company accomplish everything on those giant note pads, and more. So, this retreat was about charting our next course. Creating the next map for the company's growth and development. Always moving forward. Furiously.

We decided we needed another retreat in July to check in again. I think we all just like the beach house.

2007 Season Announcement is coming soon...

Be Furious.

A New Year's Challenge?

2006-12-28T19:24:00.000-08:00

This week's LA Weekly has two different "end of the year" features. One by Steven Leigh Morris and one from Steven Mikulan. Both are good reading and offer insightful criticism and a few challenges/charges for the LA theatre community.

SLM continues to keep his focus on what's happening downtown and what Michael Ritchie can do/should do for LA theatre in the national scene. Mikulan's re-cap gives us a couple of nice mentions and is clear in stating that he'd like to see something fresher from the small theatres and is hoping to see more world premieres in 2007.

As we work to pick material and projects for next season, world premieres (originals, not adaptations) are on our mind as well. All but one of our plays have been premieres of one kind or another... but I suspect we'll be seeing FTC's first world premiere(s) in 2007.

Be Furious in the new year.