Gearing Up to Wind Down

Hey there - Melissa here!

Looking at the calendar, I realized we only have 8 performances left and thought I'd pop over to blog a quick and dirty update about the tour from this actor's perspective as we begin to power toward the final performances.

Pretty much this sums it up: Exhausting, exhilarating, rewarding.

We hit the ground sprinting and have only stopped for a day or two at a time (three at most) since September 3rd. These fine souls have been a-wandering in and out of nursing homes, homeless shelters, a boys and girls club, St. Elizabeth's Hospital, and public performance spaces. We've been kept on our toes by the venues, our audiences, and ourselves. Very little is predictable and learning is constant. I can - without a doubt - say that this has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever been lucky enough to take part in and am very grateful to be on this particular tour and involved with Wandering Souls in general.

Some personal highlights so far (not in any order):

1. The Talkbacks and Audience Reactions: Without fail there is something shared by audience members every night that makes me think a little harder about the themes of the story, the way we are playing this show, why I'm passionate about theatre, and the importance of Wandering Souls. And sometimes, based on vocal reactions during the show and comments shared after, it's just nice to know that the audience was truly entertained and engaged for an hour. One of my favorite "reactions" so far was overheard by Caitlin Griffin (our loverly road manager) in the parking lot after the Sasha Bruce show; post-performance she heard a child yell to another "UNHAND ME, YOU ROGUE!" That's just kinda cool. And the reactions at St. Elizabeth's and Central Union Mission blew me away.
   
2. Fabian: I now have a kitten who was abandoned near one of the venues - she has been appropriately named for our Bard's buddy who had to be abandoned on the cutting room floor for this particular show ("Where's Fabian?" had actually become a cast joke). She is healthy, happy, and a purr factory - though her teeth are starting to be a little too friendly lately... but that's a kitten for you!
3. Non-traditional Spaces: Needing to play in different spaces that are not usually used for theatrical purposes has been a welcome challenge. Figuring out as a cast how to physically play with aisles or tight quarters or low ceilings and how to vocally play in spaces of varying sizes with differing sound qualities keeps you constantly working. You can't get lazy. I'm not saying that I have been completely successful in using each space to its full potential every night - but I try - and I tremendously enjoy watching the inventive ways my cast-mates adapt as well.
4. The Wanderers: This cast and production team are awesome. I've said it in a previous post but I feel so lucky that I get to do what I love with such wonderful human beings and artists. We are a week and a day away from the end of this tour and I am already getting a bit sentimental and am fantastically (read as: irrationally) plotting how we can all work together again. These folks get me focused when I'm frazzled, they keep me working on the stage, they continue to entertain me every performance, and they warm my heart and make me smile with the people they are.

Onward to the next 8 venues - may we be as fortunate in these performances as we've been in the past and keep the momentum going straight through to the end of September!

Buttery Bar - OUT!

Tonight on a very special Blog: Twins separated by a shipwreck! Cross-dressing and secret identities! Love triangles! Pirates! Bolts and shackles! Promise of revenge! Or maybe just guest blogger Melissa Hmelnicky...

Hi there - Melissa here - and I will be playing Maria in the upcoming production of Twelfth Night! Released from rehearsal early for being on particularly fabulous behavior this evening (those that were not so well behaved were made to stay and run scenes and songs...or scenes WITH songs - oOOOoooOOOOOOo what a punishment for the evil, EVIL Megan Reichelt, Grant Cloyd, Jacob Yeh, and Teresa Spencer!**), I thought I might pop my head in to say HELLO to the Wandering Souls blog-reading crowd!

As Becky mentioned, rehearsals are now underway. I know that they are WELL underway by looking around at my room as I type this. Clothing is not put away (we are going to pretend that normally they would be), there is a Norwegian Island Pine named Charlie that is in desperate need of some watering, and countless books and other debris from my life are scattered and homeless. I have not been around to deal with the normal, humdrum, tasks of daily life because I've been visiting Illyria - by way of Edmund Burke School - with quite a bit of frequency. The result is a messy room but a happy heart and well-worked brain.

The first clump of rehearsals aside from the initial table read were workshops about themes. Workshop numero uno was led by our loverly director-man, Andy. From the themes we identified in that workshop, each cast member chose one on which he/she would present during the last week in July. Themes included: Friendship and Loyalty (Lex), Power and Water (Megan), Love and Obsession (Me - I'll share more on that in another blog), Healing (Teresa), Homelessness (Jacob), Disguise and Deception (Grant), Grief and Loss (Julie), and Mental Illness (Luke). We were asked to ponder these themes and bring in items, pictures, literature, songs, etc. and then present around our themes using what we brought.

This was a fantastic exercise not only in delving into the text to mine it thematically, but for cast bonding and building. For, though the presentations given were entertaining and informative, the conversations that came of them were golden. Without going into nitty-gritty details, it was a wonderfully personal way of learning about the people with whom I'll be working for the next few months and I fell in love a little bit with each of them.

The next two workshops were led by outside guests Deborah Kirby and Oran Sandal (I might touch on these in later blogs). Both were challenging, intense, and uplifting days. I love being physically and mentally worked and stretched and neither Deborah nor Oran went easy on us. Also - I learned my lesson that when asked to create a movement and sound - ask WHY. Chances are it will need to be repeatable for a length of time and to avoid DEATH it might be important to choose wisely...

Now we are actually blocking scenes, getting offbook, etc.. Personally, I'm working on NOT LAUGHING at the shenanigans of Belch and Agueface. I figure "getting it out now" is what I'm doing when I break at present...it's still early on...and they are both pretty dang funny, I'm not gonna lie. But I think Lex and Luke will be shocked when I am finally able to full-on bust out the stone-face. I eagerly await that day...

I've said it before and I will say it a thousand times more before October rolls around: I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of this production and with this particular cast. Not to get too gushy - but I think this is a cast of truly beautiful human beings who happen to be beautiful artists as well and I am pleased as punch to get to work with them.

On that note - I'll be writing more later, but "for this night to bed and dream on the event. Farewell."

In laymens' terms: buttery bar OUT!

~Melissa

** Maybe I lied a little here... while I was on fabulous behavior this evening (as always) - Maria does not appear in the scenes being run in the last part of the evening and THAT is actually why I was released early.

Blog hiatus OVER...lots to catch up on!

- Becky here

Hi blog world.  Oh boy is there a lot to catch up on.   I am going to do the short form bullet pointy kind of post now and then come back to it more in depth soon....and maybe we'll also see some guest bloggers appear over the next few weeks.

So, we left off as we closed the last tour...what has happened since then, um, a year ago. 

• We had a fantastic debriefing session with the cast of Winter's Tale about a month after it closed and we tried as best we could to soak up the everything they shared with us - all their likes, dislikes, hopes, wishes, etc.  Then JJ and I digested it all, assembled what we deemed our 2010 "advisory" circle and decided how this season would go and how we wanted to incorporate all the suggestions
• Then we took a little break to re-coop and to actually move JJ out to CA for a bit to help out with his family.  He actually moved in January and now it looks like he might be coming back in October -- so he's been working remotely. (and being awesome about it)



Andy Wassenich

• We selected Twelfth Night as our next show; and decided that it needed to be an hour instead of 90 min because we wanted more time after the show at each venue to enagage and talk with the audience.
• We interviewed quite a few fabulous directors (belaboured over having to chose just one) and then hired the one who we felt truly would be best for this project -- the awesome Andy Wassenich
• Then..well, a bunch of things happened but to jump to the next fun part - we held auditions...had even more hard hard decisons to make and then hired a DREAM CAST for Twelfth Night.  Truly, althought we had a lot of wonderful actors to choose from I really believe that the cast that was supposed to come together did...and we are only just beginning but I already see their brillance!  (We'll do specials on them later..but here they are:  Megan Reichelt, Lex Davis, Teresa Spencer, Melissa Hmelnicky, Jacob Yeh, Luke Cieslewicz, Julie Roundtree and Grant Cloyd!!!) 
• In July we had some awesome workshops led by Deborah Kirby and Oran Sandal...more on those later too
• AND we successfully funded our tour through our very first online Kickstarter fundraiser!  Thank you to our donors soon to be noted on our website. 

There is so much more in between but at least we're a little closer to bring caught up.  And there will be more to share. And expand upon.

Like that rehearsals have officially started...and I am thrilled.
And that we have booked 20 shows!!!

But more on that soon.....

xo
Becky

From the Executive Director, JJ Area

First of all, I’d like to say thank you to all of our incredibly generous donors, volunteers, supporters and artists! Your generosity enabled us to bring The Winter’s Tale to almost 600 people in the DC Area. But more importantly: it was a sign to us that other people believe in our mission just as much as we do! Again, thank you for your contribution, and know that you were an integral part of the foundation of our company and the first, independent production.

Next, I’d like to share some financial numbers with you from our first
production. Although we had a very small budget, we’re proud to say that the largest percentage went to the artists involved. We’ve added this as one of our Cornerstones of Operation: to value our artists financially, as well as artistically. The Artists involved in The Winter’s Tale received 78% of our operating budget: that includes the Director, Assistant Director and the Performers. We were able to minimize the amount of production cost (22%), without sacrificing artistic integrity; and I think that anyone who saw the show would agree that the story came through. We are dedicated to continue this trend into the future, regardless of the size of our budget. And Becky & I are thrilled that we were able to put into action something we so firmly believe.


Finally, I’d like to ask for your continued support in 2010 and beyond. We learned a great deal on our inaugural tour. Especially worthwhile: we learned the importance of budgeting, the expenses involved in producing and the overhead costs of maintaining a company. Some examples include: setting up our website, paying the fees associated with Non-Profit applications, Thank You cards for all of our venue hosts and printing costs for marketing materials. Furthermore, we learned the value (and challenge) of managing the overwhelming number of volunteers who stepped forward to offer assistance and support. From donors to ushers to photographers: you all renewed our spirit and your generosity is inspiring. We ask that you consider contributing again in 2010: whether its financially or through volunteer service.

Click here to Get Involved.
Secure Paypal Donations Accepted HERE

We are about 65% through our 501(c)(3) process...and it's moving quickly. We'll keep you updated just in case you're waiting to make a tax-deductible donation.
Click here for a final financial worksheet for 2009 (Winter's Tale) and a budget outline for 2010 (Twelfth Night).


All My Best,

JJ Area
Executive Director
Wandering Souls

Highlights from Winter's Tale...In no Particular Order

We started to compile our memories from the first tour as a way of holding on to it all. Of course, this list may meaning nothing to others out of context...but just ask and we'll share the story! It's amazing how much can happen in such a short time.

• Writing that very first email with JJ and then hitting send to all our friends and family...no turning back now
• Seeing the first donations come in
• Writing that first grant and nervously driving over to turn it in, just hoping it was all there
• Water Leaking from ceiling at Bethesda Theatre over the stage
• Losing an Actor
• Gaining an Actor
• The woman pretending to hit Leontes with a cane.
• The man who said he had never seen Shakespeare performed.
• The man who hadn't seen a play since High School (over 20 years).
• The kid who ate paper throughout the entire show
• The raucous applause from the Central Union Mission.
• The school where nobody showed.
• The unbearable heat of the rehearsal room.
• Finding rehearsal and performance space: the miracle of Facebook.
• Over 100 people at our Saturday night performance.
• Postcard from Christ House: residents were talking about our performance: it was the "buzz" of Christ House.
• The last "performance": the actor who never made it, the impromptu performance & interaction with the kids and the resilience & versatility of our actors.
• The rush to leave our last venue and some unsavory comments from nearby residents.
• The incredible spirit of our hosts & venue coordinators.
• Our first show.
• The bear.
• Stages: short & long; hot as Hades.
• Our production on the Marquee of the Bethesda Theatre (see the picture above).
• Being home sick from work....the doorbell ringing...I signed for a letter and then realized that it was a note saying:

We had received the grant from the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities! (And scaring my cat half-to-death with all my screaming and jumping and crying!)

• Assembling a great cast.
• First read.
• Our outreach workshop with Rachel Grossman: discussing why we believe in the mission of Wandering Souls as a production team.
• And more to come as things continue to pop up....

Gleanings from 2009

The first year of producing has not only been a tremendous experience and one full of blessings (check out the Highlights blog entry here) but it has also been one where - through trial-and-error, feedback sessions with the artists, sage advice from our mentors and parents, and reflection of our own - we have learned A LOT! And we are working hard to apply all these lessons learned and continue to grow from all of it.

The most significant change is that we took the mission we started with and all the points we kept stressing throughout the experience and decided that we needed to rework our mission and state our goals more clearly. If you want to read the whole thing, click here.

But the tweaks we made include:

**First, we acknowledged the key phrase that we have been using - "making the luxury of the arts more accessible to all" - and realized that we needed to figure out how to really do that.

• Our target audiences will remain those who find themselves with little or no access and 90% of our shows will tour, for free where we are welcomed in.
• The other 10% is where our PWYC public shows come into play. If you followed us last year you saw that Bethesda Theatre donated their space and we offered 3 public shows for anyone and everyone. We saw this as a fluke; but then realized that if we are making the arts accessible to everyone then these performances are also a part of what we want to provide. Because there are plenty of people who could benefit from having access...they may not rely on shelters or live in a nursing home or attend an underfunded school....but there are still many reasons why they might not be able or choose not to attend arts events. Maybe they have a home but have had to cut extras, perhaps they have had very little exposure growing up and this might be a gateway into the arts... or there could be any number of reasons.
• SO, we will endeavor (if space permits) to also offer a handful of performances which are indeed open to everyone.
• PWYC for us means truly anything...dollars will help fund the program so we can do more; but if what you have is food or clothing or toys to donate, then we will happily collect for neighborhood organizations.

** Second, we thought and talked and reexamined the entire process of putting together a show. What we learned was....

• The show needs to be captivating and easy to relate to....duh....right? We knew this before...but it does not hurt to reinforce it AND make it a primary concern
• Our rehearsal process needs to do three things:

1. bring the ensemble together as quickly as possible
2. be about the the actors and their holding of the story and
3. ensure that the actors are ready to walk into any and every situation...even one where something doesn't go quite as planned.

• We have shortened the running time of programs, for 2 reasons: we want our performances to captivate and entertain. In addition, it is important to us that we develop a relationship with our audiences as well as perform for them. We want to make sure we have time to achieve this.
• JJ and I can't do everything. We need more hands in every aspect... and we need to figure out how best to delegate tasks & responsibilities.
• We are interested in building an ensemble of artists which means we have to figure out what artists most want in their work and how we can help them achieve it.
• We're working on the funding...but what else is new?

All of this is leading us to a different kind of rehearsal process this summer...


**Third, we need hands, minds, hearts. What is that Dirty Dancing Song? "Voices, Hearts and Hands" - that's it. We want to expand in so many ways including: co-productions, working with playwrights, providing a place for artists to create projects they have been thinking about, provide more than 1 tour a year, expand into other art forms....and this requires people. Funds too. But let's start with people...maybe, who can help seek funding. Primarily though we are looking for those individuals who are dedicated, excited and eager to help make the arts more accessible to everyone. Is that you?

** There's more....but for now that's where I will end. More soon as we learn.

Company Spotlight: Shakespeare Behind Bars

Becky here:

Part of my focus with this blog is not only to share what's happening in the world of Wandering Souls but spotlight other companies which also believe in the importance of the arts and are working to do what they can.

Today's spotlight is on Shakespeare Behind Bars.  Some of you may know of them from the documentary that was made around 2003.  But if you don't....the program started in 1995 as a part of the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival under then artistic director, Curt Tofteland, and psychologist Dr. Julie Barto.

They developed the program which embraces restorative justice at the Luther Luckett Correctional Facility with the intention of allowing "the adult prison population an opportunity to examine relevant personal and social issues within the structure of an aesthetic experience".    They produce Shakespeare with the inmates and the opportunities that available to the inmates are invaluable -- click here to read more specifics.

With the return of inmates into society being at about 90% the chance to grow, learn and create something they are proud of is something that I believe is incredibly important.

I am a huge fan of this program for a few reasons....

First,  I am a big fan of Curt Tofteland's.   Why? Well, let's just say that I had a really great audition for him once at SETC's.  Not so great that I was whisked away to KY Shakes but one that occurred right after an intense year at Warehouse Theatre under Jack Young....and one in which I proved to myself that the year was a success.  Meaning...Curt conducts a tough audition - as it should be - and where I was not ready for that kind of experience a year before I got through it and was proud of what I did. And based on that audition alone I knew that Curt was someone that I hoped to work with some day.  Beyond that I ended up running into  him at Shakespeare conferences when I was at the American Shakespeare Center and since then have been following the work he did (and still does) with SBB.

Second, although I do not condone or excuse any reason as to why someone is in jail...I do believe that they did not get their all on their own.  And therefore cannot come back all on their own.  I believe that we as a community have a responsibility to not just throw away the key and that arts has the power to reach someone and allow them to explore and grow in ways that are frankly impossible otherwise.  There is something about creativity that allows you to see beyond your day to day, your circumstances, the box you are in and reach beyond to live in a different place.
And there is something to the phrase...if you can dream it, you can be it.  
If someone truly wants to be adjust their behavior and change their life, they can...and if the arts can help then by golly let's make is accessible.

So, my hat is off to Shakespeare Behind Bars.  Do yourself a favor..check out their website - http://www.kyshakes.org/SBB/ ; watch the documentary (Netflix, You Tube, etc); Become a fan on Facebook and last but certainly not least, if you can donate to help them keep the program going.  They are about half way through their campaign and as with any non-profit arts company: ANY little bit helps.