My apologies for bringing you the Tuesday Samurai so late in the day. It's been an eventful day! The first rehearsal for Bright Ideas was earlier this evening, and though I couldn't be there myself, I can't wait to meet with the cast tomorrow evening and hear about all the fun that was had tonight.
Is it coincidence that the first rehearsal of Bright Ideas was on the same night as the first elimination on Dancing With the Stars? Yes, of course, that's a complete coincidence. But as I unwind with the results show (most of which can be skimmed), I'm struck by the fact that with judges' scores combined with audience voting, the people who are eliminated aren't necessarily the ones who deserve to be. Buzz Aldrin, national treasure and aerospace pioneer that he may be, is in his 80s and just not a good dancer. There's no way around that. And yet he's the sentimental favorite.
I have nothing against Buzz, but Shannen Doherty, tonight's eliminee may very well be lamenting his status as a national treasure, whereas she'll forever have the shadow of the misunderstood Brenda Walsh to battle. What the heck does any of this have to do with Bright Ideas? Well, I'll tell you. It's a loose connection, but it's there. Josh and Genevra Bradley love their son more than anything in the world and want the very best for him - namely, the very best preschool. And why shouldn't little Mac have a spot at Bright Ideas Early Childhood Development Academy?
Because life isn't fair. That's why. Is that a grim outlook? No. It just means that you have to work with the circumstances you're given and make the most of them. Some people, like Buzz Aldrin, use charm. Others, like Shannen Doherty (or, at least, her scheming alter ego) use more sinister tactics. Now, the real question is, which do you find more interesting? The charmer or the schemer?
In an ideal world, everyone would be a charmer, and we'd lolly gag about in clouds made of cotton candy, praising each other for our latest good deed. Unfortunately, that doesn't make for entertaining theater. Which is why the shenanigans that Josh and Gen find themselves in during the whirlwind of Bright Ideas will make you gasp, laugh, shake your head, and maybe even pee a little.
You'll just have to wait to see the show before you decide who you're rooting for...and to see if you agree with the results. But I guarantee it - the journey to those results will be entertaining.
Tuesday Samurai isn't so cohesive later in the day, is it? I'll try to get the brainwaves moving earlier in the day next week. Until then...our sword is the stage.
Ryan Grimes
Managing Director
Urban Samurai Productions
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
2011 Season
Good news to all those who love things Samurai. I have put the final touches on our 2011 season, and its gonna be pretty kick ass. As we are still waiting on the rights for one of the productions, I am going to keep it close to the vest for now, but stay tuned...this time next week I hope to be able to make an official announcement.
But just to wet your whistle:
We will open with an original work by local playwright Matthew Everett.
Followed up with a really kick ass musical.
And we will close with a door-slammin, stair-sprinting, toe-stubbin, make-you-pee-your-pants-its-so-funny farce.
On a personal note, anyone who has a military aircraft and has a free moment to carpet bomb Canterbury Park, would have my undying gratitude.
But just to wet your whistle:
We will open with an original work by local playwright Matthew Everett.
Followed up with a really kick ass musical.
And we will close with a door-slammin, stair-sprinting, toe-stubbin, make-you-pee-your-pants-its-so-funny farce.
On a personal note, anyone who has a military aircraft and has a free moment to carpet bomb Canterbury Park, would have my undying gratitude.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Remarkable News!
I'm so excited that I'm the one to tell you all this.
It is my great pleasure to announce that Matt, previously known as the 'holiday blogger' will now become the regular Monday blogger! This is very exciting for all of us, because there is a small chance that we will see inside the mind of a creative genius. Why a small chance, you ask? Because Matt has a permanent case of writer's block. The worst I've ever seen. I think there are times when he would rather chew off his own fingers than write a paragraph. Despite this crippling affliction, he has agreed to attempt to share at least a small part of what makes him so awesome.
Also, Shannon will be joining in the blogging, which is also remarkable because she is so busy that she's almost like an urban legend. *Actors whispering to one another - "I here if you don't learn your lines by off book day, Shannon Kiley, uber SM of the universe, will come and yank off your pinky toenails." We are very excited to have both of them on the schedule.
And speaking of schedule, mine tells me it's almost time to start rehearsal for Bright Ideas, which makes me squee with joy. The magical journey begins on Tuesday, when the cast comes together for the read thru and critical mass of awesomeness ensues. I heard a lot of excellent things at the production meeting tonight, which makes me even more excited to get started, if such a state of excitement is even attainable. I must practice calm. I shall breathe, and meditate, and medicate if need be, lest I excite myself into a nasty case of adult bedwetting. Marketing meeting tomorrow may put me over the edge into complete frenzy.
Meanwhile, I shall memorize some lines.
Blissful Samurai, Hidden Ninja
*Tune in for our fearless leader tomorrow!*
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Impending Hard Drive Failure
My computer's been down for a week and a half now.
I've been told I'll finally get it back in my hands tonight.
This would make my life immeasurably easier because my backup computer (basically, the computer before this one I'm looking to reclaim this evening), while certainly handy in a pinch (I'm typing on it now, after all), is often maddeningly slow, depending on the program I'm working in. Mostly at a snail's pace in word processing, which is kind of my bread and butter, so... sigh.
I nearly had it back last night, but the thorough fellows at the Apple store ran a post-repair diagnostic and it told them "Impending Hard Drive Failure"
Phew.
So, back to the repair bench, install a new hard drive.
Just moments before, rather than after, the warranty/service plan runs out, not to be renewed (because, after all, it's their job to prompt me to buy a new computer every three to five years or so).
Thankfully this new computer comes with a handy auto-backup feature. As long as you have an external hard drive, that is. Which I also bought and learned to use apparently just in the nick of time.
So when I get it back tonight, I plug in the external hard drive and *bloop* - it's like a week and a half ago, only without the computer prompting me to take it to the doctor.
Phew.
That is, that's supposed to be how it will go. How it actually goes, we'll see when I sit down and work the backup magic.
Then I'll feel a little more grounded. And thus won't forget to blog on Thursdays.
Like I did last week.
Also I'll be able to get back to digging into "Leave" - my script which is both part of the Great Plains Theatre Conference in a little over two months' time, and then kicks off the 2011 season for Urban Samurai (and the 2010 season ain't even half over yet). To rewrite, or not to rewrite? To expand, or not to expand? I have to admit it's exciting, and humbling, to entertain the thought of what I may learn from two new directors and two new sets of actors, designers, etc., in the space of less than 12 months.
Again I say...
Phew.
More artistic blog next Thursday.
I think...
Bright Ideas opens in 42 days
Great Plains Theatre Conference starts in 65 days
Artistic Director Matthew Greseth “Holiday Blogger” Blogs in 10 days
Minnesota Fringe Festival arrives in 132 days
Leave, via Urban Samurai, 10 months off
I've been told I'll finally get it back in my hands tonight.
This would make my life immeasurably easier because my backup computer (basically, the computer before this one I'm looking to reclaim this evening), while certainly handy in a pinch (I'm typing on it now, after all), is often maddeningly slow, depending on the program I'm working in. Mostly at a snail's pace in word processing, which is kind of my bread and butter, so... sigh.
I nearly had it back last night, but the thorough fellows at the Apple store ran a post-repair diagnostic and it told them "Impending Hard Drive Failure"
Phew.
So, back to the repair bench, install a new hard drive.
Just moments before, rather than after, the warranty/service plan runs out, not to be renewed (because, after all, it's their job to prompt me to buy a new computer every three to five years or so).
Thankfully this new computer comes with a handy auto-backup feature. As long as you have an external hard drive, that is. Which I also bought and learned to use apparently just in the nick of time.
So when I get it back tonight, I plug in the external hard drive and *bloop* - it's like a week and a half ago, only without the computer prompting me to take it to the doctor.
Phew.
That is, that's supposed to be how it will go. How it actually goes, we'll see when I sit down and work the backup magic.
Then I'll feel a little more grounded. And thus won't forget to blog on Thursdays.
Like I did last week.
Also I'll be able to get back to digging into "Leave" - my script which is both part of the Great Plains Theatre Conference in a little over two months' time, and then kicks off the 2011 season for Urban Samurai (and the 2010 season ain't even half over yet). To rewrite, or not to rewrite? To expand, or not to expand? I have to admit it's exciting, and humbling, to entertain the thought of what I may learn from two new directors and two new sets of actors, designers, etc., in the space of less than 12 months.
Again I say...
Phew.
More artistic blog next Thursday.
I think...
Bright Ideas opens in 42 days
Great Plains Theatre Conference starts in 65 days
Artistic Director Matthew Greseth “Holiday Blogger” Blogs in 10 days
Minnesota Fringe Festival arrives in 132 days
Leave, via Urban Samurai, 10 months off
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Tuesday Samurai - Creating Original Roles
In last week's Tuesday Samurai, I wrote about the concerns of being a producer. This week, I'd like to get a little more personal and talk about being an actor, and specifically the opportunities I've had as an actor working with Urban Samurai Productions.
But first, I have a confession: as an actor, I'm just as egotistical as the next. It's impossible not to be. It takes a certain amount of ego to put yourself on a stage as a character and expect audiences to listen to you, to invest in what you're doing, to care what happens. What I'm really saying is that no matter how many of us try to be humble or claim that we're actors because "it's just my passion," there's still an egotistical goal somewhere - whether it be as simple as the love of the audience's applause or as complex as achieving EGOT by the age of 35. And guess what else? Goals are good. A little big of ego is a good thing. It's called confidence.
But I'm getting off-track, which is why I write such long posts. New goal: knock that off. Anyway, back to my confession...my egotistical goal is to one day have my name printed in the front of a published script, where it states, "This play was first produced...and the opening night cast was as follows..." The great thing about this goal is that I've already entered that lottery three times just by creating original roles with my fellow Samurai.
There's a certain freedom that comes with being the first actor to play a role. Starla Van Sanders (Musical the Musical) could have just been your average, run-of-the-mill drag queen. But once I got my hands on her, I decided that she was a really bad drag queen. On the page, Starla was fantastic and universally loved. On the stage, I made her a bit inept, outwardly spontaneous while inwardly lonely. That is not to say I made Starla out to be a sad creature - far from it. Characters are more interesting to me (and, I hope, audiences) when you get to see their imperfections.
Creating a role, and how it's directed, can also be helpful to the playwright. Jerry, the bum in Protection Program, had an obsession with whiskey bottles that was the invention of Matt Greseth, not the script. During rehearsals for American Apathy, I had a spirited discussion with Aaron Christopher, USP founder and Apathy playwright, about the dissonance between how Aaron had seen David in his head while writing the play, and how I saw David after getting to know him during rehearsals. It showed Aaron that what he had created on the page had taken a life of its own.
Maybe I sound like a cheesy actor right now, but the characters we play aren't just inanimate objects on a page. Figuring out what makes them tick is half the fun of rehearsing. And it's what ultimately makes theater the collaborative art that it is. Characters, and the stories they tell, aren't just the creation of a writer or the performance of an actor. They're both, and more. The clothes they wear, the way they style their hair, the objects they encounter and how they carry them, the sounds they hear, and the space they inhabit are all a piece of the puzzle. And live theater is one of few places where that character's world can change with each production.
But the first production? That's often the most fun. "Starla Van Sanders was originally portrayed by Ryan Grimes." No one else can say that.
Ego...a little bit goes a long way.
Ryan Grimes
Managing Director
Urban Samurai Productions
But first, I have a confession: as an actor, I'm just as egotistical as the next. It's impossible not to be. It takes a certain amount of ego to put yourself on a stage as a character and expect audiences to listen to you, to invest in what you're doing, to care what happens. What I'm really saying is that no matter how many of us try to be humble or claim that we're actors because "it's just my passion," there's still an egotistical goal somewhere - whether it be as simple as the love of the audience's applause or as complex as achieving EGOT by the age of 35. And guess what else? Goals are good. A little big of ego is a good thing. It's called confidence.
But I'm getting off-track, which is why I write such long posts. New goal: knock that off. Anyway, back to my confession...my egotistical goal is to one day have my name printed in the front of a published script, where it states, "This play was first produced...and the opening night cast was as follows..." The great thing about this goal is that I've already entered that lottery three times just by creating original roles with my fellow Samurai.
There's a certain freedom that comes with being the first actor to play a role. Starla Van Sanders (Musical the Musical) could have just been your average, run-of-the-mill drag queen. But once I got my hands on her, I decided that she was a really bad drag queen. On the page, Starla was fantastic and universally loved. On the stage, I made her a bit inept, outwardly spontaneous while inwardly lonely. That is not to say I made Starla out to be a sad creature - far from it. Characters are more interesting to me (and, I hope, audiences) when you get to see their imperfections.
Creating a role, and how it's directed, can also be helpful to the playwright. Jerry, the bum in Protection Program, had an obsession with whiskey bottles that was the invention of Matt Greseth, not the script. During rehearsals for American Apathy, I had a spirited discussion with Aaron Christopher, USP founder and Apathy playwright, about the dissonance between how Aaron had seen David in his head while writing the play, and how I saw David after getting to know him during rehearsals. It showed Aaron that what he had created on the page had taken a life of its own.
Maybe I sound like a cheesy actor right now, but the characters we play aren't just inanimate objects on a page. Figuring out what makes them tick is half the fun of rehearsing. And it's what ultimately makes theater the collaborative art that it is. Characters, and the stories they tell, aren't just the creation of a writer or the performance of an actor. They're both, and more. The clothes they wear, the way they style their hair, the objects they encounter and how they carry them, the sounds they hear, and the space they inhabit are all a piece of the puzzle. And live theater is one of few places where that character's world can change with each production.
But the first production? That's often the most fun. "Starla Van Sanders was originally portrayed by Ryan Grimes." No one else can say that.
Ego...a little bit goes a long way.
Ryan Grimes
Managing Director
Urban Samurai Productions
Babies Babies Babies
Hey All, I just awoke from a heavy dose of NyQuil and I'm feeling like I could throw a cement truck...no wait I could lay under a cement truck. Anyhow, my daughter gave me a virus for the 12th time in the last 3 weeks. Kids are awesome. AWESOME!!!! And that's what our next play Bright Ideas is all about. Little, cute, disease infested children. Except there are no children actually in the play because it's actually about parents who go overboard trying to pave the way for the kids future using scorched earth tactics. Crazy funny stuff. Definitely worth checking out. I'm going nap now.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
As with most of my comrades, it took me by surprise that today was my turn for the blogging. Good thing I remembered. I wouldn't want to deprive anyone of my thoughts.
As I sit here and drink this excellent cider (Crispin, in case you're wondering) I ponder on what it's like to be a geek. And I know I am one. I was told as much yesterday by Matt as I was eating dinner and reading a book. The conversation went as follows:
Matt: "I don't want you to take this the wrong way."
Me: *puzzled look*
Matt: "Well I'm guessing no one else in the cast went out and found a book about getting their 3 year old into Yale."
Me: *annoyance that he's making fun of my process, then crestfallen as I realize he's right.* I'm a geek.
I would like to say, though, that Toilet Training for Yale by Ralph Schoenstein, is a comedic book, a satirical poke at the rising tide of parents pushing their toddlers to academic excellence. And since Bright Ideas is similar, I thought it would make excellent reading. I'm not trying to make excuses for myself, though. I know I'm a geek. Any of my fellow samurai could site many examples, I'm sure.
I don't see the harm in research, however. It gets me in the mood, if ya know what I mean.
Wink wink, nudge nudge.
To do theatre, you dirty minded people! Gawd, the things I put up with around here!
*Slinks off to sulk and drink cider.*
Marcia, The gluten intolerant ninja
Friday, March 19, 2010
Ewww blogging is hard....
Hey folks, it's your lame duck blogger who's missed a couple of days on updates. Bright Ideas promo cards have been ordered and they're going to be awesome! This promo card will complete the series for the 2010 season which I'm entitling "The exploiting Aaron Christopher's family marketing campaign." We've also decided on nightly prizes for the free raffle during the run of the show!!! whoo hoo! Prizes! And of course there will be another grand prize drawing of a Samurai Pod. Fun stuff. Anyway, my day job is eating my brain so I'll try to stay coherent over the next couple of weeks.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Tuesday Samurai - Cutting Edge?
Hey there, it's me, Ryan Grimes, your friendly Tuesday Samurai. I've been working with Urban Samurai Productions since 2006 and became Managing Director in 2008, while we were working on our Fringe Festival hit, Musical the Musical. What do I do for the company? Well, many things, but mostly I try to keep the other Samurai (and that rogue Ninja, Marcia) in line.
So, I'm here to declare officially that Bright Ideas opens in 52 days. Period.
Now that I've laid the proverbial smack down on the little stuff, let's talk about the big stuff. Urban Samurai Productions' mission is "to produce and premiere cutting edge theater and provide a voice to new and upcoming theater artists in the Twin Cities." So, what does that mean, exactly?
Well, there's a few ways to go about that. The definition of "cutting edge" is "a sharp effect or quality." For my fellow Urban Samurai and me, "our sword is the stage." How's that for a sharp effect? But, enough semantics. We focus on new and rarely produced works because we want to present our audiences with stories with which they're likely unfamiliar through perspectives they may not have seen - or may even make them a little uncomfortable.
Take a look at the movie listings at your local cineplex for this weekend. How many of those movies can you predict exactly what will happen? How many of those movies' previews have already given most of the story away? I'm not a psychologist or sociologist, so I can't tell you what exactly it means, but one thing's for sure - people don't want to be surprised anymore. Or maybe that's just what the studio executives think of us. Me? I like surprise. I don't want to figure out the end of a movie 20 minutes in. I don't want to play a game like "Avatar is really just Dances with Wolves meets Fern Gully." I want to be surprised by what I see, and live theater is the best way to attain that goal.
In May, we'll be presenting Bright Ideas. When I read the description, I expected it to be a standard comedic take on two parents trying to get their child into the best preschool. Boy, was I ever wrong. I don't want to give it away - I want you to be surprised, after all - but this isn't traditional comedy. And if you think you know how this one ends, I won't blame you, because I thought so, too. But I'd guess you'll be as surprised as I was.
Then, of course, there's A Few Good Men, which we'll produce this fall. "But, Ryan, how can that show be cutting edge?" Well, let me tell you. We're not putting the famed film on stage. Yes, someone will say, "You can't handle the truth." But that's not the only great line in Aaron Sorkin's brilliant script. He presents a topic that is as poignant as ever, and I can't wait for our audiences to experience that "sharp effect".
And for you actors out there, check out our audition posting for A Few Good Men that we just posted on Minnesota Playlist this afternoon. There are a lot of great roles, and we'd love to see you there! (I'll refrain from stating that we need "a few good men" even though, well, we do...crap, I just did it, didn't I?)
I tend to be long-winded, so I'll take my hands off the keyboard for a week. See you next Tuesday!
Ryan Grimes
Managing Director
Urban Samurai Productions
So, I'm here to declare officially that Bright Ideas opens in 52 days. Period.
Now that I've laid the proverbial smack down on the little stuff, let's talk about the big stuff. Urban Samurai Productions' mission is "to produce and premiere cutting edge theater and provide a voice to new and upcoming theater artists in the Twin Cities." So, what does that mean, exactly?
Well, there's a few ways to go about that. The definition of "cutting edge" is "a sharp effect or quality." For my fellow Urban Samurai and me, "our sword is the stage." How's that for a sharp effect? But, enough semantics. We focus on new and rarely produced works because we want to present our audiences with stories with which they're likely unfamiliar through perspectives they may not have seen - or may even make them a little uncomfortable.
Take a look at the movie listings at your local cineplex for this weekend. How many of those movies can you predict exactly what will happen? How many of those movies' previews have already given most of the story away? I'm not a psychologist or sociologist, so I can't tell you what exactly it means, but one thing's for sure - people don't want to be surprised anymore. Or maybe that's just what the studio executives think of us. Me? I like surprise. I don't want to figure out the end of a movie 20 minutes in. I don't want to play a game like "Avatar is really just Dances with Wolves meets Fern Gully." I want to be surprised by what I see, and live theater is the best way to attain that goal.
In May, we'll be presenting Bright Ideas. When I read the description, I expected it to be a standard comedic take on two parents trying to get their child into the best preschool. Boy, was I ever wrong. I don't want to give it away - I want you to be surprised, after all - but this isn't traditional comedy. And if you think you know how this one ends, I won't blame you, because I thought so, too. But I'd guess you'll be as surprised as I was.
Then, of course, there's A Few Good Men, which we'll produce this fall. "But, Ryan, how can that show be cutting edge?" Well, let me tell you. We're not putting the famed film on stage. Yes, someone will say, "You can't handle the truth." But that's not the only great line in Aaron Sorkin's brilliant script. He presents a topic that is as poignant as ever, and I can't wait for our audiences to experience that "sharp effect".
And for you actors out there, check out our audition posting for A Few Good Men that we just posted on Minnesota Playlist this afternoon. There are a lot of great roles, and we'd love to see you there! (I'll refrain from stating that we need "a few good men" even though, well, we do...crap, I just did it, didn't I?)
I tend to be long-winded, so I'll take my hands off the keyboard for a week. See you next Tuesday!
Ryan Grimes
Managing Director
Urban Samurai Productions
Saturday, March 13, 2010
The sound guy
It has been weird not being in an Urban Samurai show for almost a year now. Since I had been in the first 6 or seven shows in a row, it has been an interesting experience focusing my work with the company on the technical aspect of our shows. I have to say that one of the most rewarding things I do for the company is sound design.
I like music. Literally anything. I have an eclectic mix of music that I assault the ears of fellow Samurai when we are building a set. It wouldn't be odd to hear some Doobie Brothers followed by a little Britney Spears with a little Evita mixed in there leading into Carmina Burana. I have used that to build many of the soundtracks you hear at pre-show and intermission. As a matter of fact, we are giving away one SamuraIpod during every show that will come with some CDs that have a collection of the music you hear. Pretty cool huh?
We decide tomorrow who will be taking what job for Bright Ideas. Hopefully I can once again create aural magic for this incredibly funny show. Have I mentioned it is going to be awesome? Well it will be. I can't wait for it.
"Bright Ideas" opens in 55 days (or 54 days using the other guy's counting)
I like music. Literally anything. I have an eclectic mix of music that I assault the ears of fellow Samurai when we are building a set. It wouldn't be odd to hear some Doobie Brothers followed by a little Britney Spears with a little Evita mixed in there leading into Carmina Burana. I have used that to build many of the soundtracks you hear at pre-show and intermission. As a matter of fact, we are giving away one SamuraIpod during every show that will come with some CDs that have a collection of the music you hear. Pretty cool huh?
We decide tomorrow who will be taking what job for Bright Ideas. Hopefully I can once again create aural magic for this incredibly funny show. Have I mentioned it is going to be awesome? Well it will be. I can't wait for it.
"Bright Ideas" opens in 55 days (or 54 days using the other guy's counting)
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Thoughts while brushing my teeth
The other night I was wondering around the house while brushing my teeth. That's quirky, but whatever. Whilst I was wandering a thought popped into my head that made me laugh, thus drooling toothpaste down my front. I'll wait while you picture that for a moment...
Okay. The thought was, "Huh. Bright Ideas is your first mom role." This is funny for several reasons. One, I'm not a mom, and therefore have no experience to draw from. That's fine, it's called acting. But any female actor will tell you, the 'mom role' means that you've reached a certain age. It's a threshold, such as the first time you get called 'm'am' instead of 'miss.' There's no going back after that. Oh sure, I'm playing a young mom, but still. The sentiment stands.
The best part about my first mom role is that I'm playing a psycho killer mom, which is not quite right, and not quite right things are my favorite.
The only thing that could possibly make it better is if I had an army of trained ninja monkeys. But I digress.
The other best part about my mom role is that is was given to me by the ridiculously marvelous Jimmy LeDuc, a southern gentlemen of excellent decorum and good looks. I will hopefully guest blog him here in the coming weeks. That is, unless the other blogging company members read my previous statement and think 'Damn! That's a good idea! I'll beat her to it.' and proceed to steal my idea. I'm warning those would be thought thieves, there will be a reckoning if this comes to pass.
Don't f@#* with me, I'm a f@#$'in ninja.
I do what I want.
Marcia (aka the Original Scandinavian Ninja)
Bright Ideas
In case you were wondering what the heck Bright Ideas is about - which I was, til I read it...
It's the kind of play that results when a writer wonders, "What if, instead of trying to murder their way onto the throne of power, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were just trying to get their kid into the very best pre-school - and they'd stop at nothing to make sure it happened?"
And I mean nothing.
Thank God it's really funny, or it'd just be... well, sick.
You'll probably get more detail from company member Marcia Svaleson, blogging Sundays, since she's Lady Macbeth... I mean, Genevra, in Bright Ideas
It's the kind of play that results when a writer wonders, "What if, instead of trying to murder their way onto the throne of power, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were just trying to get their kid into the very best pre-school - and they'd stop at nothing to make sure it happened?"
And I mean nothing.
Thank God it's really funny, or it'd just be... well, sick.
You'll probably get more detail from company member Marcia Svaleson, blogging Sundays, since she's Lady Macbeth... I mean, Genevra, in Bright Ideas
The Accidental Board Member
Matthew Everett, board member here.
That is such a weird thing to type.
Honestly, I was just looking for a theater to maybe produce one of my plays.
And when Aaron Christopher arranged to meet me for lunch, I thought that's what we were talking about.
Imagine my surprise when it turned into a recruitment meeting.
Well, that's never a surprise I guess. All my friends with theaters are looking for another set of hands to help with the work.
But normally you recruit a board member because they have money or connections to people who have money.
Which I don't.
Rather than money, they were looking for a little sweat.
And in return, my plays get a regular home to be produced in the Twin Cities.
In the almost 19 years I've lived in this town, I've never had an artistic home for my plays to grow in. I know a lot of theaters and a lot of theater people, but my work was rarely a good fit for their various missions and the type of material they were looking to produce.
There was the Playwrights' Center for a while, but that was about development rather than production.
I've been fortunate to receive support from the Minnesota State Arts Board, but that got some workshops up, independent free-floating productions that I was lucky to get an audience to come and see.
Of course you have the Fringe, too, but that's dependent on the role of chance and ping pong balls, and if I wanted to do the producing, I was kind of on my own.
Then along comes this theater company whose work I quite like, and who is committed to new work by local artists as part of the mix of what they do. And they were looking for another local playwright to have generating work for them.
The upside to getting productions mostly out of town over the years is that there's a stash of plays that have never seen the light of day in the Twin Cities metro area that the Samurai can be working their way through, while I work on more new scripts.
Meantime, the first play out of the gate will be...
"Leave" - the gays in the military drama that peeked briefly into town for two performances at the Bryant Lake Bowl after a run on the University of Minnesota's Morris campus. We got a little attention, including a mention on John Townsend's Top 10 list for theater in 2008 in Lavender Magazine. I learned a lot from that production, and the Samurai are looking to possibly expand the play. The script also got tapped to be part of the Great Plains Theater Conference down in Omaha in late May/early June this year. So there's plenty of time and opportunity to tinker with the piece. Tentative production date - February 2011, to kick off the next season.
So, I should probably stop blogging and start, you know, writing...
But I'm the Thursday guy on the Samurai blog (I know, like I need another blogging outlet), so you'll be hearing more from me here.
This whole "part of a theater family" thing is new territory for me. Certainly hasn't been dull so far. More on that later...
Bright Ideas opens in 56 days
Artistic Director Matthew Greseth “Holiday Blogger” Blogs in 24 days
Minnesota Fringe Festival arrives in 146 days
That is such a weird thing to type.
Honestly, I was just looking for a theater to maybe produce one of my plays.
And when Aaron Christopher arranged to meet me for lunch, I thought that's what we were talking about.
Imagine my surprise when it turned into a recruitment meeting.
Well, that's never a surprise I guess. All my friends with theaters are looking for another set of hands to help with the work.
But normally you recruit a board member because they have money or connections to people who have money.
Which I don't.
Rather than money, they were looking for a little sweat.
And in return, my plays get a regular home to be produced in the Twin Cities.
In the almost 19 years I've lived in this town, I've never had an artistic home for my plays to grow in. I know a lot of theaters and a lot of theater people, but my work was rarely a good fit for their various missions and the type of material they were looking to produce.
There was the Playwrights' Center for a while, but that was about development rather than production.
I've been fortunate to receive support from the Minnesota State Arts Board, but that got some workshops up, independent free-floating productions that I was lucky to get an audience to come and see.
Of course you have the Fringe, too, but that's dependent on the role of chance and ping pong balls, and if I wanted to do the producing, I was kind of on my own.
Then along comes this theater company whose work I quite like, and who is committed to new work by local artists as part of the mix of what they do. And they were looking for another local playwright to have generating work for them.
The upside to getting productions mostly out of town over the years is that there's a stash of plays that have never seen the light of day in the Twin Cities metro area that the Samurai can be working their way through, while I work on more new scripts.
Meantime, the first play out of the gate will be...
"Leave" - the gays in the military drama that peeked briefly into town for two performances at the Bryant Lake Bowl after a run on the University of Minnesota's Morris campus. We got a little attention, including a mention on John Townsend's Top 10 list for theater in 2008 in Lavender Magazine. I learned a lot from that production, and the Samurai are looking to possibly expand the play. The script also got tapped to be part of the Great Plains Theater Conference down in Omaha in late May/early June this year. So there's plenty of time and opportunity to tinker with the piece. Tentative production date - February 2011, to kick off the next season.
So, I should probably stop blogging and start, you know, writing...
But I'm the Thursday guy on the Samurai blog (I know, like I need another blogging outlet), so you'll be hearing more from me here.
This whole "part of a theater family" thing is new territory for me. Certainly hasn't been dull so far. More on that later...
Bright Ideas opens in 56 days
Artistic Director Matthew Greseth “Holiday Blogger” Blogs in 24 days
Minnesota Fringe Festival arrives in 146 days
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
We Be Blogging: An announcement from the President of Urban Samurai Productions
Greetings fellow Samurai, it is I, the Shogun of Urban Samurai Productions (USP) and I bring good tidings of great joy. For unto us a new play is given for unto us a regional premiere is about to be born! A stinking kick butt comedy is about to shoot out of USP’s birth canal and smack you right in the face and the funny bone. Ok that was a disturbing visual. However the play itself “Bright Ideas” by Eric Coble directed by the talented Mr. Jimmy LeDuc will be far from disturbing. Well it might be a little disturbing, but in a good way, a funny way, humorously disturbing. It’s about parents and pre-school so it can’t be that disturbing. What if there were cookies? Would that make it all better? I’ll ask Marcia our resident Ninja about cookies.
So we’re doing this blog thing now. We’re getting all serious and stuff about daily updates on the land of USP. So don’t forget to subscribe to read blogs from various company members on a daily basis and also keep a watchful eye out for our Holiday Blogger Artistic Director Matthew Greseth who has to be held down in a chair with samurai swords pointed at his ear, throat, and crotch in order to get him to write anything. Ear, throat, and crotch...sounds like a porn or a really creepy medical specialist.
Aaron Christopher
President/Resident Playwright
Bright Ideas opens in 57 days
Artistic Director Matthew Greseth “Holiday Blogger” Blogs in 25 days
So we’re doing this blog thing now. We’re getting all serious and stuff about daily updates on the land of USP. So don’t forget to subscribe to read blogs from various company members on a daily basis and also keep a watchful eye out for our Holiday Blogger Artistic Director Matthew Greseth who has to be held down in a chair with samurai swords pointed at his ear, throat, and crotch in order to get him to write anything. Ear, throat, and crotch...sounds like a porn or a really creepy medical specialist.
Aaron Christopher
President/Resident Playwright
Bright Ideas opens in 57 days
Artistic Director Matthew Greseth “Holiday Blogger” Blogs in 25 days
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