What do ice cream and the Tony's have in common?

Why, NC Stage, of course!

NC Stage received news of two very cool honors this month, and we couldn't be more tickled. 

We are honored to be one of 10 theatres in the entire country to receive a National Theatre Company grant from American Theatre Wing, the founder of the Tony Awards. This prestigious grant is awarded to non-profit regional theatres that  "have articulated a distinctive mission, cultivated an audience, and nurtured a community of artists in ways that strengthen the quality, diversity, and dynamism of American theatre."

This month we are also a recipient of the Flavor of the Month from our friends over at Ultimate Ice Cream. “To Be or NUT to Be” is a caramel ice cream with walnuts and chocolate chips. The best part? Proceeds from To Be or Nut to Be benefit NC Stage’s education programs. Ultimate Ice Cream supports local non-profits through its Flavor of the Month program, proving that they are as generous as they are delicious. 

Both of these honors really mean a lot to us. We are deeply rooted in our local community, and we strive to present the best, most exciting theatre we can. We believe Western NC deserves to see the same kind of stellar theatre enjoyed by folks in places like Chicago, DC, or New York.

 So go buy a scoop of "To Be or NUT to Be" and enjoy your local professional theatre!

2012-2013 Season Announcement

HERE IT IS! 

We are pleased to announce the NC Stage 2012-2013 Season, our 11th Season. 

Enjoy! Subscribe! Give us your feedback!

MAINSTAGE

R. Buckminster Fuller: THE HISTORY (and Mystery) OF THE UNIVERSE

By D.W. Jacobs
from the life, work, and writings of R. Buckminster Fuller

Starring David Novak

September 12 - October 7, 2012

“Dare to be naïve.” Renowned local actor and storyteller David Novak embodies the life and ideas of R. Buckminster Fuller, better known to friends as Bucky.

Engineer, poet, environmentalist, philosopher, inventor of the geodesic dome and a hell of a public speaker, Buckminster Fuller was a 20th Century Renaissance man. This utterly compelling and exhilarating play is part autobiography, part TED talk.

Mainstage: included in all subscription packages.

SPECIAL EVENT

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)

by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield

Starring Charlie Flynn-McIver, Scott Treadway, and Damian Duke Domingue

November 21 - December 16, 2012

If you were an NC Stage patron in 2004, you’ll remember Complete Works as one of the funniest plays we’ve ever done. It’s the only show in our history to sell out every single seat for every single performance.

Whether you know you love or think you loathe Shakespeare, this play is for you. Charlie, Scott, and Damian take you on an irreverent yet surprisingly comprehensive romp through all thirty-seven of Shakespeare’s plays (plus a sonnet or two).

Complete Works is a Special Event, and included in Super FlexPass subscriptions only.

SPECIAL EVENT

Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol

by Tom Mula

Directed by Andrew Hampton Livingston and starring Michael MacCauley

December 19 - 30, 2012

We know what happens to Scrooge, but what about his old business partner Marley? Is he truly past redemption, or does every person deserve a chance to change, to do better? In this funny  and touching holiday play, see Jacob Marley’s heroic efforts to save Scrooge’s soul – and in the process, save his own.

Jacob Marley is a Special Event, and included in Super FlexPass subscriptions only.

  

MAINSTAGE

The Understudy

By Theresa Rebeck

February 13 - March 10, 2013

This biting comedy tackles the insider world of big-budget Broadway productions, where talent is less important than buzz. Harry is an unknown but hard-working theatre actor, brought in to understudy for a handsome, charismatic movie star. Roxanne, the stage manager with secrets and dreams of her own, does her best to keep the actors on track, but the rehearsal veers nearly out of control between the actors’ bickering, the tricky set, and her own past with one of the actors.

The Understudy is a hilarious comedy about sour grapes, backstage love affairs, and the lure of Hollywood glitz and glitter. Theresa Rebeck built her career as a respected playwright and has gained recent acclaim as the creator of the hit television show “Smash”.

Mainstage: included in all subscription packages.

MAINSTAGE

Shipwrecked!

An Entertainment: The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (as told by himself)

by Donald Margulies

Co-produced with Immediate Theatre Project

!!CHANGE of DATES!! - March 27 - April 21, 2013 

Much like the extravagant title itself, this delightful play is full of excess and imagination. Based on historical events (...or is it?), Shipwrecked! tells the story of Louis de Rougemont, a sickly boy who grows up to become one of the most talked-about explorers of the Victorian era. His tales of seafaring adventure, storms and giant squid, lovely women and desert islands made him the toast of London for a time. Shipwrecked! is the rare play that is as captivating for children as it is for adult theatre-goers.

"Springs to life like a theatrical pop-up book...[a ]magical theatrical sleight of hand" – The New York Times

Mainstage: included in all subscription packages.

MAINSTAGE

This

By Melissa James Gibson

May 15 - June 9, 2013

Jane is not fine. Her friends disagree about the best remedy (game nights? red wine? blind dates?) but they all agree: Jane is definitely not fine. This is a wonderfully rich and poignant play about old friends and the pitfalls of looming middle age. Melissa James Gibson won acclaim for her finely drawn characters and scintillatingly funny dialogue.

A “tart, melancholy comedy …the best new play to open Off Broadway this fall.” – The New York Times

Mainstage: included in all subscription packages.

 Check out our website (www.ncstage.org) to subscribe!

Buy tickets, support the YW!

YWCA Facility

We at NC Stage are excited to say that now through Wednesday, May 23 at 12 Noon, 10% of our ticket sales will go to another really great Asheville non-profit, the YWCA!  If you aren't familiar with the YWCA, check out their website (www.ywcaofasheville.org) and read up about Club W, Wellness initiatives, after school programs, and more! 

This is not the first time we've partnered with the YWCA, as they hosted one of our (For)Play Readings, The Heidi Chronicles, in 2008.  We're happy to be partnering with such an awesome organization once again, so please support this effort by buying tickets for In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play today! Tomorrow (Tuesday, May 22) is a one-time only "Ten Dollar Tuesday" - all tickets are just $10 each, so call up a friend or two and get your tickets now. Or, come for our "Hump Day Giveaway" which happens every Wednesday night performance (only three left: May 23, 30, and June 6) and get a free door prize (hint: it's battery operated) from our Pay-What-You-Can sponsor, BedTyme Stories! Shows run Wednesdays - Saturdays at 7:30 PM, and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 PM.

There are plenty of chances to attend the show before it closes June 10, but this opportunity to support TWO great Asheville non-profits, NC Stage and the YWCA, is only good through Wednesday at NOON, so pick any date and buy your tickets NOW!
 

In the Next Room Sneak Peek of the Set

For those of us who work in the theatre day-to-day, it's sometimes nice to go "in the next room" into the theatre itself (as opposed to the offices or lobby) and see what's going on or simply what things look like.  Amanda Leslie, our managing director, did just that, highlighting some of the awesome work the team of designers have put together for In the Next Room or, the Vibrator Play our final Mainstage production of our 2011-2012 Season.

In the Next Room or, the Vibrator Play opens tomorrow, Wednesday, May 9, with our Pay-What-You-Can Night. Preview priced tickets are available Thursday, May 10 through Sunday, May 13 - only $20 a ticket! The show runs through June 10.  Now that you've watched our video, get your tickets and come see the set (and the show) in person. See you soon...

Produce at NC Stage!

NC Stage's Catalyst Series is now accepting proposals for the 2012-2013 Season! Bring us your original scripts, your choreography, your genre-bending performances...

NC Stage provides a basic infrastructure, help with ticket sales and marketing, and NO UPFRONT costs, so that you can produce your dream project. Then we take a cut of the back end to cover our expenses. So read the guidelines below, and let's talk!

For a printable version of these guidelines as well as the application, email Managing Director Amanda Leslie, or call (828) 239-0263 ext. 112

Catalyst Series Guidelines

2012-2013 Season

The Catalyst Series offers a chance for performing arts groups to produce in our space with limited up-front expense.

NC Stage’s philosophy is collaborative, and in the Catalyst Series, NC Stage agrees to shoulder some of the responsibilities of presenting, so that Catalyst companies can focus their resources on making their production the best it can be. In addition to free use of its theatre, NC Stage provides some technical, marketing, and front of house support. In exchange, NC Stage and the participating company split the box office proceeds, with the majority going to the producing company. (NC Stage will take 40% of the gross receipts, before expenses).

 
Catalyst Series shows run for one or two weekends, scheduled around the NC Stage Mainstage productions. We cannot guarantee specific dates, but we do ask for information about preferences and potential conflicts.

Producing in the Catalyst Series is a financial commitment, and the participating company is responsible for all costs of the production not covered by the Catalyst contract. Please see the requirements below for more details.

NCSC Will Provide:

• Free use of the theatre for load-in, tech, & dress
• Free use of the theatre for up to 6 performances

• Tickets

• Use of the NCSC Catalyst Series logo and brand
• Space in NCSC’s window on Haywood Street for marketing materials
• Coverage on NCSC’s website, email newsletters and social media
• Use of NCSC’s mailing list
• Box office staffing, including advance sales over the phone, in person, and on the web
• Use of basic lighting and sound systems (you will need to rent any additional items)
• Box office manager for up to six performances
• House manager for up to six performances
• Master electrician (up to 12 hours)

You Will Provide

• Stage manager
• Board operators (if needed)

• Production costs
• Designers
• Rehearsal space
• Playbills
• Posters/Postcards/Advertising/Press releases and any other publicity efforts
• Mention in curtain speech and other public promotional events of being part of NCSC’s Catalyst Series, as well as a plug for whatever show is coming up next
• Graphic Design
• 24 total volunteer hours for other Catalyst companies or NC Stage’s mainstage series
• All other costs

In addition to the services provided, NCSC is sometimes able to offer a discounted rate for things like advertising, rehearsal space and rental of theatrical equipment. This will depend on what resources are already being used by our Mainstage Productions.

PLEASE NOTE:

• NC Stage has limited backstage and dressing room space, and is not appropriate for casts of more than 12.
• NC Stage has a modified three-quarter thrust stage, NOT a proscenium.
• NC Stage encourages a collegial atmosphere in the Catalyst series. Companies are required to volunteer for each other, and encouraged to attend each other’s productions.
• Companies selected must sign a contract and liability release form with NC Stage

• You agree to consult with NCSC on designers, ticket prices and marketing plan, as well as technical needs and scheduling
• You will need to provide contact information for the artistic leader of the company, to field questions from the public

The 2012-2013 Catalyst Series Application Guidelines:

DEADLINE: April 30 , 2012

The application process is competitive. NC Stage evaluates each proposal on its artistic merit, the thoroughness of the application, the potential audience, and how it differs from (and complements) NCSC’s Mainstage offerings.

Before you apply, please contact Managing Director Amanda Leslie to discuss your project at (828) 239-0263 ext. 112 or amanda@ncstage.org.

After you discuss the application with Amanda, please submit four copies of the application (you can download it at www.ncstage.org), and one copy of the script (if applicable).

Delivery by hand:

We are located on Stage Lane, off of Walnut St. in downtown Asheville, across the street from Zambra. See www.ncstage.org for directions

By mail:

Attn: Catalyst Submissions

North Carolina Stage Company

15 Stage Lane

Asheville, NC 28801

We cannot accept applications by fax or email.

A day in the life of a professional theatre

Hi y'all,

Amanda Leslie, Managing Director, here! I have a blog post full of miscellaneous tidbits, but I thought it would be more fun to couch it in terms of what goes on at NC Stage on a typical day.

This morning we held our weekly staff meeting. Charlie Flynn-McIver couldn't be there because he's in Raleigh for the 2012 Arts Summit, hosted by Arts NC. This organization is a vital advocate for the arts in our state, so check them out, and then buy an awesome license plate!

Our Education Coordinator Alexa Hardy is working on an amazing project with Teaching Artist and actor Michael MacCauley. In June, Michael's Young Actor Training students will perform Shakespeare's The Tempest, in a fully mounted production at NC Stage! In order to pull this off, we're holding a fundraiser at Blue Mountain Pizza in Weaverville, as part of their Third Thursday charitable program. Thursday April 19th, a portion of all of their proceeds will go to NC Stage's education programs. So come on out and have some pizza with us!

I spent part of my day putting up posters for Circle Mirror Transformation, which runs through April 22nd. Glamorous! My challenge half-way through the run is to remind folks it's not too late to see it. Plus, $17 Wednesdays!

Lauren Kriel is busy producing, publicizing, and appearing in the show 8: The Play. NC Stage is participating in a one-night-only reading of this amazing play at the Diana Wortham Theatre, tonight, April 10th.

By the way, if you're reading this on April 10th, it's not too late to get tickets to "8"! They are $15, and benefit the American Foundation for Equal Rights.

Angie Flynn-McIver is at Diana Wortham Theatre directing "8", and getting ready for In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play by Sarah Ruhl. The designers will meet with Angie tomorrow to discuss the set, lights, costumes and props (including the need for authentic 19th Century vibrators!) and then she begins rehearsals Monday.

Connie Silver, our Production Coordinator, is making sure there are volunteers available to strike the set, keeping the production costs under budget, and getting ready for her summer of working at Flat Rock Playhouse (we reluctantly share her when we're not producing).

All in all, it's a pretty average Tuesday for us.

What the heck does "Circle Mirror Transformation" mean?

Circle Mirror Transformation is the delightful and poignant play on stage through April 22nd. The title of this blog post is the most common question we're getting in the box office right now (well, most common after "Where do I find parking?"). We thought we'd talk a little bit about the play title and the kind of theatre games that the characters play in their "Adult Creative Drama" class. For more about why we chose this play, read this recent post from director Willie Repoley.

Our Education Coordinator Alexa Hardy researched the topic and wrote the following:

Circle Mirror Transformation gets its title from a theatre game, one of the many games played on stage during the show. You may recognize some of the games, as they are played everywhere from theatre classes to corporate retreats to classrooms on the first day of school. They were created for actors, but they reach far beyond the stage in their purpose and goals: focus, creativity, confidence, trust, teamwork, communication, and connection.

When asked about writing Circle Mirror Transformation, playwright Annie Baker said, “I knew I wanted the audience to learn about the characters through formal theater exercises … I knew I wanted information about these people to come out in the strangest places, and I wanted us to know them all intimately by the end of the play, but without having heard any lines of dialogue like: ‘Hey, Marty. Remember when we fell in love 20 years ago in Eureka, California?’ I also wanted to show how beautiful (and noble!) it is when people throw themselves earnestly and unselfconsciously into something, even if it's a therapeutic reenactment.” These games and their outcomes are the foundation the play. Here are examples of just a few of the games you’ll see on stage in Circle Mirror Transformation:

Counting to 10 (aka No Doubles; Digits): Participants count from 1 to 10. One person begins by saying “1,” a second player says “2,” and so on. There are a few rules: only one person can speak at a time, and if two or more people call out a number at once, the group goes back to one and starts again. The group may not go in a pre-established order, nor may gesturing or signaling be used. This is surprisingly hard. This game helps with focus and concentration, and helps participants work together without speaking.

Gibberish Switch: Two participants have a conversation in nonsense syllables. Participants should convey what they are talking about through their actions. After a minute or two of conversation, the other people in the class guess what the relationship is and/or what the conflict might be. This game helps actors “play an objective,” or communicate what they want or need through actions rather than words.

(I want it/You can’t have it): This game is a follow-up to Gibberish Switch. Two participants have a conversation, but this time they each have a predetermined phrase that is the only thing they can say in their conversation. The participants then hold a conversation based on those two phrases, determining their relationship and the situation. This activity promotes characterization and playing an objective.

Circle Mirror Transformation (aka Pass the Sound and Movement; Pass Catch; Sound Circle): Everyone stands in a circle. One person starts the game by making a sound and a motion, and everyone in the circle mirrors that sound and movement. The person next to whomever started then transforms the gesture into a new sound and movement. This game is often used as a warm up to help students get used to fully using their bodies and voices without feeling self-conscious. This is the only game in the play that is actually improvised by the actors during each performance.

One Word Story: In this game, participants each contribute one word at a time to create a story. Everyone sits in a circle, and one person begins by saying one word. The next person continues with one word, and so on. The key is to keep the story going and have it make sense without missing a beat. This game helps with listening, focus, and following your first impulse.

Explosion Tag: From the playwright: “Explosion tag is basically regular tag, except you’re supposed to ‘explode’ when tagged. When you’re tagged you also become It, and as It you’re supposed to be exploding constantly.”

Notes from the director of Circle Mirror Transformation

For the past three years, Immediate Theatre Project (or ITP) has produced two shows each year, both in collaboration with NC Stage. The first is our yearly production of Live From WVL Radio Theatre: It's A Wonderful Life, and the second is ITP's contribution to the NC Stage MainStage series.

This means, because half of our season is pre-determined, that we only get one shot: one chance to choose the perfect play. No pressure there, right? It's important to us to choose plays that excite us creatively, that will honor and challenge the intelligence of our audience, and that feel vital and relevant to Right Now. And, of course, they have to represent a theatrical challenge that we can reasonably expect to meet, fit within our budgetary constraints, and be available for production.

Between artistic and practical considerations, the play selection process can be daunting, but every year, we hope, we find just the right gem of a play, polish it up and present it to you. And we hope that you connect to it in performance as deeply as we did when first reading it and dreaming of production.

Circle Mirror Transformation stood out for a number of reasons when we first discovered it. Sure, it was relatively easy to produce (small cast! contemporary costumes! single setting!), but more importantly it clicked immediately as something different, something unlike any of us had ever seen onstage before.

It was a theatre-centric play that was free of backstage antics and stereotypes. It celebrated the unknown, but was anchored in the ordinary. It lived comfortably in the uncomfortable silences that pepper our everyday speech and thoughts, as our brains and tongues try to catch up to our feelings. It gave voice to the inexpressible, sometimes without words. It felt, in a very unusual and exciting way, that we were witness not to a play, but to an intimate discovery of five real people interacting as real people do every day, of their very lives being shaped in subtly and often completely unknown ways at each seemingly unimportant moment.

In short, it defied our expectations, excited our senses, and made us cry out, “This is it! This is our play!”

The conceit of Circle Mirror Transformation is also unique-- we only see the characters interact in the context of a six-week community drama class in which they have enrolled. Most of what we learn about them is a sideways view into their lives, revealed though simple acting exercises that are designed more to foster trust and bridge differences than to explicitly teach acting. Of course, as all of us in the theatre realize, it is only by building the capacity for trust, openness, creativity, and commitment do we start to become better actors.

And hopefully, like the characters in this tiny play with a big title, we find that the joy, the delight, and the raw, painful emotional discoveries we make along the way can make us better people, too.

Willie Repoley
Director

Introducing the Fight Girl Cast

Like I promised, here's a little info about the cast of characters, the actors playing them, and, consequently, a little about the story of Fight Girl Battle World.  FYI, the play is in many ways an homage to sci-fi, action, and cult films and TV series, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, Blade Runner, and others, so it'll be a fun ride.  Now, presenting the cast of Fight Girl Battle World!

Rebecca Morris plays E-V, a street prize fighter who also happens to be the last human female in all the known galaxies.

Rebecca is a local actor, performing in plays and movies.  If you saw our production of Angels in America this fall, you'll remember her as Harper Pitt.  Badass that she is, Rebecca choreographed most of the fights in the show.

Jake Bowden is GENERAL DAN'H, leader of the insurgency against the United Galactic Alliance/Council (UGC), the intergalactic government.

Jake is a student at UNCA studying theatre.  In addition to his acting, Jake built many of the set pieces you'll see in the production.  Little known fact: He and Charlie went to the same high school, but in different centuries.

Lauren Kriel (that's me!) plays J'AN JAH, Dan'h's Ursalean, gender-bending pilot.

Lauren is graduate of Warren Wilson College, where she majored in theatre/English.  As a younger sibling, she's glad she finally gets to be on the winning side of fights (although choreographed).

Bobby Abrahamson is ADON-RA, the last human male in the known galaxies, notoriously known as a vengeful psychokilling space terrorist.

Bobby is a theatre student at UNCA and was recently an administrative intern for NC Stage.  Do you know any good jokes? You want to hear this guy's laugh -- it's infectious. 
 

Jason Williams is LC-4, a "robot robot" who was once a robot playwright and soon becomes E-V's right-hand tin can.

Jason does it all.  He not only plays two other roles besides LC-4, but he also designed the lights for this production.  Jason directs as well, and his next project is As You Like It with the Montford Park Players.

Jessica Lewis is MIKAH MONOCH, a torture-obsessed agent for the UGC.

Jessica is yet another lover of sci-fi.  She's a big "Dr. Who" fan and a "Firefly" fan, too.  (The list goes on, of course.)  She is studying literature at UNCA.   

Alison Young plays both ZIMLEK, E-V's bookie/coach on Battle World, and COMMANDER G'BRIL, the UGC's second in command to the president.

Alison is a graduate of Mars Hill College and is a performer of all kinds.  She sings, acts, and performs burlesque! Did you see the New Year's Eve eve performance by Bombs Away Cabaret here at NC Stage? If so, then you've seen her do her thing.

Travis Kelley is PRESIDENT YA-WI, commander in chief of the UGC, who initiated the Human Wars, an almost successful attempt to wipe out all human life.

Travis is a sci-fi movie devotee.  You might recognize him from local theatre productions around town, or perhaps you've seen him at the Asheville Pizza & Brewing Company, where he works.

Bradshaw Call plays both the ZOOKEEPER, a trained keeper of the most endangered species in the galaxy, as well as the ANCHOR, the glamorous newscaster spreading news to the farthest reaches of the UGC core planets.

Bradshaw is a man of many talents.  The spaceships? He built them.  The term 'space galactica?' He coined it.  Just wait til you hear all the excellent character voices he uses in the show...




We open this Thursday, January 19, so grab a friend or two, don a costume if you like, and get your qwarding blarkbutt down to the theatre to see this show.  We've got one hell of show for you.

Gearing up...

Fight Girl Battle World: January 19-February 4

Here we are in the second week of January 2012, and here at NC Stage, we've hit the ground running in this new year.  We're gearing up for our next Catalyst Series production, Fight Girl Battle World by Qui Nguyen, which opens next week.  Just yesterday, cast member Rebecca Morris (remember Harper Pitt from Angels? That's her!) and director Charlie Flynn-McIver were interviewed by Dick Kowal on WCQS about the show.  Cast members are going all over town putting up posters and getting the word out about the production.  The cast also recently filmed some promotional videos in character about the play (which we'll post here once they're done).  In the mood for pizza? You might just find a flier for Fight Girl... atop your pizza box from Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company.  We're excited about this play, so understandably, we want everyone to know about it.  In fact, thanks for reading this! Now buy a ticket and go tell 10 friends to do the same.  Joking! But not really.  

So, Charlie is directing this production, but the big question is, "Where did you even find this play in the first place, dude?" More on the cast and their work on the production later, because what I have for you today is a link to an article from American Theatre magazine from October 2010.  Perhaps you recall lots of social media posts around that time from NC Stage telling you to read an article about Charlie Flynn-McIver and Scott Treadway.  Well, the article just after it in the print version of the magazine is about the Fight Girl Battle World playwright, Qui Nguyen, his aesthetic, and his work with Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company.  It's worth a read, and it's fascinating! 

More to come later on about FGBW and other upcoming productions (Love Child opens in a little over a month!) so subscribe to the blog if you like, or just keep your eyes peeled.  Until next time...