KafkaFest @ Columbia University

The KafkaFest is a ten day (12/3 – 12/13) festival of new theater and art inspired by the work of Franz Kafka. I’ve been lucky enough to be involved as Curator for the interdisciplinary parts of the festival including a gallery exhibit and pre-show discussions.

I have also been working on one of the theater pieces: EDIT.  The piece has been developed over the course of three months with a talented creative team including director, playwright, choreographer, composer and actors.  We have created a movement piece with original music and text looking at that which we share with Kafka: a basic need to create.  The piece only has 5 performances (Dec 10 – 13th) and I would love to see you there.  Click HERE to reserve your FREE tickets!

EDIT
direction by Jess K Smith
dramaturgy by Hannah Hessel

The outcome of a three-month collaboration between seven different types of artists inspired by both the personal and professional writings of Franz Kafka. This movement piece with original music and text is our way of allowing an audience into our process as we journey through the mind of Kafka, searching for that which we share: a basic need to create.

Creative Development Team

Jess K Smith
Hannah Hessel (SLC ’03)
Jennifer Lane (SLC ’06)
Shelley Virginia
Andrew Zox
Gabriel Baron
Trystan Phillip Toole

Ensemble
Gabriel Baron*
Meghan Grady*
Megan Brunsvold
James Sargent
Simone Zvi
*performing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.

Performance Location
Schapiro Studio
605 W 115th Street, basement

Performance Schedule
Thursday, 12/10 at 8pm
Friday, 12/11 at 7pm
Saturday, 12/12 at 2pm and 7pm
Sunday, 12/13 at 2pm

 

Design Team
Set and Costumes… Lou Regele, Marte Ekhougen
Original Music… Trystan Phillip Toole
Lighting… Lou Regele

To reserve FREE tickets, click here!

It’s almost time for KafkaFest! I hope that you will be able to join us for the first ever festival of Franz Kafka inspired works on the Columbia University campus. The second year MFA Directing students have created SIX new Kafka inspired plays that will be featured alongside work from other artists within the Columbia School of Art community. Come before performances and you can catch pre-show discussions with Anne Bogart, Gideon Lester and more!

KafkaFest runs from December 3 – 13, 2009.  Below is a list of all performances.  To reserve FREE tickets, please visit: http://cuarts.com//calendar/view/type/4/event_id/4233

Click here for a full performance calender.  Keep checking http://columbiastages.org/season/schapiro.html for updated information on discussions and the KafkaFest Closing Night Party!

Please contact me if you have any questions or need any help reserving your tickets.  I look forward to seeing you at KafkaFest!

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RAIN MACHINE Directed by Kon Yi Written by John Douglas Weidner December 4-6, Horace Mann Theater 8pm Fri & Sat, 3pm Sun

A world premiere prequel to Kafka’s The Metamorphosis written by MFA playwright John Douglas Weidner. This new play will explain why Kafka’s protagonist Gregor becomes a beetle. Reserve Now

A LETTER TO MY FATHER Adapted & Directed by James Rutherford December 4-13, Conference Room, Schapiro Hall 8pm Fri 12/4, 8pm & 10pm Sat 12/5, 5pm Sun 12/6 8pm Mon 12/7, 8pm Wed 12/9, 8pm & 11pm Fri 12/11 7pm & 10pm Sat 12/12, 5pm Sun 12/13

Eight nights only: through the miracle of modern technology, Mr. Franz Kafka’s Letter to His Father, hitherto undelivered, may reach its intended destination. This production makes use of psychophonic amplication, abstract whispering, and silence. [Spectatorship limited to 10 per performance.] Reserve Now

ROOM 603 Directed by Carin White December 10-13, Room 603, Dodge Hall, Columbia Univ. 8pm Thu & Fri, 4pm & 6pm Sat & Sun

A new performance piece inspired by Franz Kafka. Reserve Now

EDIT Directed by Jess K Smith December 10-13, Schapiro Theatre 8pm Thu, 7pm Fri, 2pm & 7pm Sat, 2pm Sun

The outcome of a three-month collaboration between seven artists, all coming from different artistic backgrounds. The goal: to present a journey through our minds as we journey through Kafka’s mind. Reserve Now

KAFKA PARABLES Written & Directed by Jonathan Vandenberg December 11-13, Horace Mann Theater 8pm Fri & Sat, 3pm Sat & Sun

In the beginning there was the word. A search. A journey from author to the penal colony. A short work utilizing gesture, image, and sound freely adapted from writings of Franz Kafka. Reserve Now

LOOK AWAY Directed by Anna Brenner Written by John Douglas Weidner December 10-13, Schapiro Theatre 9pm Fri, 3pm & 8pm Sat, 2pm Sun

“I got it…I’ve finally got it this time. No. It is lost. Now the world seems a mystery to me yet again.” Franz Kafka inspires us to look closely at creation, destruction, and connection in a new play to invigorate the theater with character, dance, humor, and pathos. Reserve Now

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In addition to the performances, join us at Watson Hall for an art exhibition.

Plus, don’t miss our pre-show performances: Sat 12/5, 6:30-7:30pm  – “Metamorphosis” with Anne Bogart, Sun 12/6, 6:30-7:30pm – “Amerika” with Gideon Lester and visual artist Tracey Molis,  Sun 12/13, 12:30 – 1:30 pm “A Hunger Artist”.  All discussions will be held in the lobby at Dodge Hall.

For more information please visit:
http://columbiastages.org/season/schapiro.html

fall fashion inspiration

the leaves are changing color. the high holiday’s have come and gone. it’s fall. I adore fall. I love saying goodbye to summer clothing and hello again to sweaters, tights and scarfs.

As the season continues to change here are some looks from recent blogs that have struck my eye and inspired me.

From garancedore I love love love the print of the hat with the print of the dress (luckily I have a hat just like that sitting on my shelf waiting to be worn – bought years ago at Polly Sues Vintage)

From http://www.styleclicker.net.  This just looks so comfortable and chic to me. Every aspect of this outfit is for me perfection.  I used to wear scarfs as headbands like that a couple of years ago and think it’s time to bring them back again.

From http://www.thesartorialist.com. Cardigan, Slouchy pants lace up mens shoes. This just screams fall to me.

And one for the boys:

Also from the sartorialist. love.

the state that i am in

so here’s what my semester looks like:

six classes:

1. history of set design (where we look at the history and theory of design)
2. fundamentals of playwrighting: adaptation (where we look at different methods of adapting for the stage)
3.theater development (where working with a management student we design our ideal theater)
4. planning a season (where we look at the seasons of various contemporary theaters and read many a play)
5. issues in performance art (an art history course where we look at post 1960s performance art)
6. shakespeare (where we read and analyze the bard)

two jobs:

1. the Ticket and Information Center where I also worked last year. Mostly shifts in the evenings and weekends. (about 10 hr a week)
2. in the Dean of the School of the Arts office working in ‘events & communication. (about 10 hr a week)

two shows:

1. Three Sisters – the Chekhovian masterpiece.  Going up the weekend of October 16.

2. A devised Kafka piece. Don’t know what it will be called or what it will be about. All I know is starting next week the company will be meeting once a week, talking Kafka and coming up with something. I’m very excited. The production will go up in the beginning of December.

So, that’s the semester. Slightly overwhelming and terrifying. And certainly too busy for real blogging.  There may be little things here and there but really, I doubt it.

I am continuing to update the Theatre Collage blog. So please do bookmark that if you haven’t already. I post a number of things a week as I find links, quotes or images that interest and inspire. As my readings increase in the weeks to come I’m sure that I will feature quotes from books, essays and plays that I want to share.

If at any point you miss having regular blog post from me to read, or miss hearing from me, then please get in touch. I’d be happy to write you a personal blog post (they’re called emails).  And happy also to hear voices on the phone and be reminded that there is life outside of the Columbia theatre program.

back to school again

NEA New Play Development Program Launches at Arena

David Dower yesterday posted an outline for the New Play Development Program that the NEA is funding at Arena Stage.  This program is an exciting step for theaters nation wide and in DC.

As some of you know, I’ve been playing around with an idea for a new play development center. In fact it’s looking like the conceiving of my dream space and creating a business model is going to be my thesis.  I’ve been spending a great deal of thought time on what works and what doesn’t in the current theatrical model.  It seems from reading through David’s plans that he has as well.  There are some aspects of the NPDP that seem to be huge steps forward.  The Producer Fellowship in particular is a fantastic idea.  One huge problem in American theater is the rush to produce a new play like it was an established play. The two need different models of production, different framing and a different type of rehearsal process. The people who come out of that fellowship will really be in a position to bring new work to theaters in a conscientious way.

I’m also very excited about their discussion series which will be bringing together artists from the DC area and through out the country to discuss issues related to New Play development.  Creating new conversations is always a fantastic way to keep everyone moving forward.

The one piece to the announced program that I am not so keen on is the Theater 101 Audience development program.  Creating audiences for new plays is a large part of my mission and I’m glad that the NPDP recognizes it as an issue. However, there is something that feels very stale about their proposed program.  Even the name “Theater 101” presumes that the audience is remedial, it places them a step lower than the artists, as people who need to be taught what theater is rather than people who are an intrinsic part of making theater happen.  The program plans on taking a select group of audience members and basically showing them what happens behind the curtains. There is nothing new about this approach.  It does not feel to me like an effective way of training a larger audience, “the” audience,  how to approach coming to see theater.

All in all though, it’s a very exciting project and I am looking forward to seeing how it develops.

transferred from facebook: 15 plays in 15 minutes

Rules: If you’d like to play, take 15 minutes to jot down 15 plays you’ve read or seen or participated in in some way that will always stick with you — list the first 15 you can recall in 15 minutes. Don’t take too long to think about it. Tag 15 friends, including me because I’d like to see what shows you choose. (To do this, go to your Notes tab, paste the instructions in a new note, list your 15 picks, and tag people in the note – upper right hand side.)

So, these are the first 15 that came to me in the order they came to me – and a word or two of why these have stuck/what i learned from them….

1. Blasted by Sarah Kane — it taught me that you don’t have to like something to like something. plus, in production at Soho Rep I was blown away by the use of tech in creating a production that seemed to be not only in front of me but inside of me.

2. Marat/Sade by Peter Weiss — this weekend I had the chance to rewatch some of the Forum production from last summer and I remembered how wonderful that project was. The character work and specificity of the production the fantastic music written by the one and only Jesse Terrill, and the transformation of the space. It was also such an interesting play to dramaturg as we dug into the layers of Sade, Marat, and French history.

3. The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis — And speaking of Forum productions. What sticks with me about Judas is the impact that it had on an audience. The combination of sacred and profane elevated the story into something that really mattered to people. And of course the talented Forum cast and the true ensemble created helped.

4. Crumble, Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake by Sheila Callaghan — the writing in this play is poetry and it’s painful and heart warming and beautiful. and of course seeing Eric Messner as Timberlake and Harrison Ford beat all.

5. Ragtime book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and music by Stephen Flaherty – Broadway. Yup. Seeing Ragtime on Broadway years and years ago was one of the best theater experiences I’ve had. The combination of music and the story was powerful and inluential on me as a youngster.
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6. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard – I remember the first time I saw the movie in middle school, soon followed by reading the script, and then seeing production after production. It’s stuck with me but good.

7. Arcadia by Tom Stoppard – Arcadia is just so bloody well crafted. I’ve still never seen it. I was sorry to miss the production in DC earlier this year.

8. Angels in America I & II by Tony Kushner – These scripts, also discovered in High School, are probably the reason I’m doing theater today. They showed me how layered theatrical storytelling could be, how it did not have to remain bound to reality while still being real.

9. Bright Room Called Day by Tony Kushner — On the top of the list for plays I’ve worked on, it’s firstly an amazing play but other than that, on a personal note, I think working on this play changed the direction of my life.

10. Waiting for Godot — speaking of plays that stick with you. and that are amazingly written. and that have changed theater. and that belong so closely to so many. and that are difficult. and misunderstood. and brilliant.

11. The Skriker by Caryl Churchill – That opening monologue is amazing. outstanding. brilliant. The production I worked on what not entirely successful perhaps, but it will always stick with me.

12. The Seagull by Anton Chekhov – This past year was the year of the Seagull. I worked on one production and saw two others. The play bothers me, I understand it in someways and in other ways I feel like no matter how much time I will spend with it I will never completely understand it. It’s beautiful and strange. and I love that.

13. Bal Masque by Richard Greenberg – The final three here are my Theater J three. This was my favorite play during my years at the J. I think it’s stunning and heartbreaking and difficult and funny and beautiful. I hope that Richard doesn’t keep it hidden away and it sees the light of production again.

14. The Dybbuk by S. Ansky – Working on this show was an incredible experience. It allowed me to watch Synetic and discover how they put together their amazing brand of movement theater. It allowed me to dive into a play and a world that had fascinated me for a long time. And it scared me to hear my words every night on stage. I don’t know how playwrights do it.

15. David in Shadow and Light book and lyrics by Yehuda Hyman music by Daniel Hoffman — My final show at Theater J. The response was so disappointing given that the play was so well loved by us on staff. It wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t need to be, it was in process. It was ambitious and passionate. And the audience didn’t know how to take it. It taught me a great deal about how to approach producing a play that is still in its developmental stages.

Gosh, really only 15? Ugh.
Ok, your turn.

summer styles

some fashions I starred in my google reader over the last month or so. I spent most of the summer wearing my Fringe staff t-shirt and heat makes me reluctant to play around with what I wear. But here is some summer inspiration…

from Copenhagan Street Style. I love the flowy soft blouse with the jeans.

again soft and flowing. this is what I want in summer, plus, the color is fantastic and I love the star necklace.

again soft skirt and shirt, well accessorized, with, what really wins it over for me, sneakers. both of the images above come from Stil in Berlin.

and finally from Style Clicker this ultimate preppy comfortable summer look. I love, again, the loose blouse, and the rolled up pants.

jarvis and me

okay, i know you my readers know my obsession with Jarvis Cocker. Really, I think he’s pretty much a genius. Both in how he creates music and the quality of the music he creates.  Every new thing I learn about him adds to my obsession.

I saw him play over a year ago and was looking forward to seeing him live again.  So, before coming to the show Jarvis taped an apperance on Jimmy Fallon:

The Root’s Questlove tweeted about it saying that Jarvis looked ‘throwed’ implying perhaps that he looked drugged.  (if you go to the post read the fun comments. I think I need a t-shirt that says ‘Team Jarvis’) I must say when I was next to Jarvis shortly thereafter he didn’t look drugged at all.

Did you get that? Next to. Right next to.

back on the blot

I’m on the bus now just leaving DC and saying goodbye to a large chunk of my summer. I had a fantastic time at Fringe.  Dorks on the Loose: Facey Facey Face Face was a great sucess and got a lot of love in the press. Being on staff at the festival was a huge challange.  In the end I managed a schedule with 153 volunteers spread throughout 630 or so shifts.  The hours were long and I’m still recovering from the exahustive push of the job.  Just the same I’m glad this is where I chose to spend the summer. It gave me a chance to see my friends (on Mondays and Tuesdays at least) and see most of my favorite dc theater making and theater going folks as they passed through the Fringe box office.

The summer had bumps too, when does any time not. That’s life I guess. I’m looking forward to being back in New York. I’ve got a number of projects lined up for next semester and it will be nice just to be back in my apartment, so near the park.

And tonight I am going to see Jarvis Cocker. So, I’m looking forward to that.

Still in the process of figuring out what I want this little spot on the web to be. Not sure yet.

dark play: something dark for summer

Forum’s summer show is up and running and is fantastic!

Here are some of the stellar reviews:

Washington Post
Washington Times
DC Theater Scene
Washington Examiner

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