WordBRIDGE Blog

2011 Playwright Interviews (Part One)

2011-07-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

Posted by Matt Shea, Assistant to the Artistic Director

Hey everybody! Here are interviews with two of our four fantastic playwrights from WordBRIDGE 2011! The first is with Caroline V. McGraw, writer of Tall Skinny Cruel Cruel Boys and the second is with Sarah Saltwick, the writer of Rabbits. The interviews with Katharine Sherman (christopher marlowe's mystery play) and Krista Knight (Unhinged: A Silent Opera) will be up shortly. Keep checking back for updates throughout the year from WordBRIDGE!

A Topography of WordBRIDGE

2011-07-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

Posted by Krista Knight, Playwright '11

a stately pleasure-dome decree:

I had the most amazing time at WordBRIDGE Playwrights Laboratory these past two weeks. I was led into a theater Xanadu between Baltimore and the river Alph where an extremely talented group of actors, directors, dragmaturgs, resource artists, company members, and student artists helped me create from a place as foreign to me as Mount Abora to Khan. I ventured in holding tight to safe ways of working and wielding a play that resisted my attempts to force it into something other than what it was - something WordBRIDGE fed it to be. I am happy and so grateful.

A Topography of WordBRIDGE

On the first floor you find a theater stage set with round tables and breakfast banquet. The company members toast raison bagels, pour soy milk into fresh coffee, and share war stories. Down the hall the script office buzzes with research requests and hot copies of new pages for rehearsal. Another turn of the rectangular hallway brings you to the rehearsals rooms—wide and bright and open, with two story windows overlooking the green trees of Towson’s campus. Around the tables, the playwright, director, dramaturg, stage manager, and actors insert the fresh pages into their scripts. As the actors highlight their new lines with one of the stage manager’s coterie of yellow, green, and pink highlighters, the dir/dram/pw triumvirate create a game-plan to investigate the new material. The resource artists orbit the circle with their own stations of investigation particular to their discipline. The computer visualization programmer with his laptop, the book artist with her sketch pad and charcoals, the psychologist with his proverbial pencil and pad. The drummer somewhere in between poised to improvise the drumming sequences with the actor whose monologues they underscore. Another pivot down the rectangular hall leads to a studio theater where Guest Artist Hours are populated by resource and visiting artists and the members of the company and outside community hungry for their expertise. The Green Room rounds out this first floor with couches, baskets of apples, T-Shirts of WordBRIDGEs past and fresh coffee, fresh coffee, fresh coffee.

One floor below is nestled the Playwrights Lounge—part work space, part rec/dressing room, den, snack repository, discotheque. Strategically placed speakers, mood lighting, and lava lamps catalyze not infrequent playwright dance parties that lift our spirits and our skirts on break from the catacombs of our scripts. Around the bend the Resource Artist Room aptly inhabits a converted chemistry laboratory, where mathematical, visual, musical, and tactile experiments build the sensory worlds of the four plays.

On each floor, at every bend, in every room—the future of American Theater is being ecstatically, elastically, actively made.

***

Krista Knight's plays have been produced by The Ontological Hysteric Theater, The Ashland New Plays Festival, The Hangar Theatre, Brown University, LiveGirls!, Harvest Theatre, Goshen College, The Attic Theatre, The New Perspective Festival, The Pan Theatre, and The Bus Barn Stage Company among others. Commissions include The Assembly, LiveGirls!, and Class Act. Krista has been in Residence at New York Mills, the Atlantic Center for the Arts, Interplay in Australia, UCROSS, the Santa Fe Art Institude, Yaddo, and MacDowell. Winner of th 2011 KCACTF Musical Theatre Award from the Kennedy Center. 2007 Page 73 Playwriting Fellow. After WordBRIDGE, Krista will go to Berkeley Rep to write two plays for young adults and then will begin the year-long Shank Playwriting Fellowship at the Vineyard Theatre in New York. BA: Brown University. MA: Performance Studies from NYU. MFA: Playwriting at UC San Diego. www.KristaKnight.com

WB First: The Actor's Perspective

2011-06-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

Posted by Darlene McCullough, WordBRIDGE 2011 Actor

"Do not try to write a story while you're still in it," Bill Harley cautioned at his performance to benefit WordBRIDGE this past Saturday night. Sage advice; given from a gracious and powerful storyteller. Advice that I'm choosing to ignore as I shore up to my keyboard to type these paragraphs. I'm in the middle of my first WordBRIDGE Playwrights' Lab – a process I can claim to grasp but generally wonder if I can really understand until the closing readings when I am freed from the awe-inspiring responsibility of being an actor in a 'baby play'.

That's the metaphor that we've been passing around: that these four playwrights have entrusted us as a company with the care and growth of their children. Their fresh-born baby ideas that we, as a company of actors, dramaturgs, directors, designers, resource artists, drummers, and clowns (yes, we have a clown on staff these 2 weeks!), have been asked to nurture and give ourselves over to. (One writer referred to her play as a 'preemie' the first day since her first draft was finished 15 days before the lab.) And with great power comes great responsibility. Much of our process is protected from the 'outside world' to shield our writers so they may take big, bold risks.

As an actor, I find this simultaneously harrowing and terrifying. We take on the unknown; not only with respect to the new challenges we face as actors (as I am), but also the unknown in the sense that these plays are unfinished. Much of what I've worked on in the past 10 days have been questions about these plays that cannot be answered in text – because the text doesn't yet exist. Joining me on this journey have been not only a great company of actors, but a generous director (I've been blessed (cursed?) to have the same director and a few common actors in both pieces I'm working on here).

So we risk. But what does that mean to someone who's never been to WordBRIDGE and seen what we do? Well. It means exploring dark corners of possibility within the world of the play as the playwright tries to learn what her own play is really about. Sure, these explorations are structured through improv and exercises, but I've never improv'ed quite like this before. It means being ready to come in one day and be working on a draft that isn't just changed; it could be completely different. It means checking your ego and your agenda at the door and believing, as much as you can, that anything that happens has no reflections on you and yours. It's about the play. And, as an actor living 99% if the year in the New York market (where it so often seems every actor is hyper-focused on themselves) it's nice. And it's scary. And it's exhilarating.

***

Darlene recently made her Off-off debut at the Notes From the Underground Festival premiering the role of Leslie in 'Carbon Based Life Form Seeks Similar', as well as wrapped production as the goddess-turned-super-villain Galatea in the upcoming web series 'Team Allies'. Regional credits include 'REVELATION' at Baltimore Theatre Project with Generous Company (Rebecca), 'Funy As Hell' at Yale Cabaret (Three), and 'Magnificent Yankee' at Monomoy Theatre (Mary). For more information on Darlene's other projects visit DarleneMcCullough.com. Darlene holds a Bachelor of Arts, Acting Concentration from the University at Albany.

'Juggling' at WB: Megan Gogerty

2011-06-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

Posted by Anna Chovanec, Script Office

When I think of WordBRIDGE, a whole cadre of people come to mind: from our many guest artists, to each year's uniquely memorable playwrights, my own past creative teams, personal mentors, and amazing international guests over the past five years, but few are as utterly delightful as the incomparable Megan Gogerty. This year, Megan is burning the candle at both ends as she pulls double-duty for us as dramaturg and actor. She was kind enough to take a few minutes and talk to us about her experience so far this year.

Interview with Megan Gogerty, WB 2011 artist:

What is your history with WordBRIDGE?
MG: I was a nubile playwright in 1996, then I workshopped another play in 1998. Then I came back as a Boomerang playwright (a professional playwright who has returned triumphant) in 2008 to workshop my play BAD PANDA.

You're juggling some different roles here at WB this year. Can you tell us a little about each role, and what it's like to see all these playwrights' processes from different perspectives?
MG: I'm working as both a dramaturg for RABBITS and as an actor in TALL SKINNY CRUEL CRUEL BOYS. What's it like? It's great! It's fun to attack these scripts from different viewpoints. It's also reminded me how sedentary the 'wright and 'turg lifestyle can be compared to acting. Acting is all about "Jump! Run! React! Feel things!" wheras writing and dramaturging are all about, "Think about this for a while...perhaps eat a cookie while you think your deep thoughts..."

How does your experience having been a playwright in this environment in the past affect your reception of these plays?
MG: I think about it all the time. It makes me especially sensitive to the pressures on the writers. I try to couch my feedback in ways that are useful while also being cognizant that playwrights are people and not machines. Sometimes people just need to stare into space and not have demands put on them. Sometimes people need impromptu dance parties.

What will you take with you from this year's lab?
MG: Domino's sugar cubes.

(A big thanks to our gracious sugar donor – we in the script office are big fans of the cinnamon sugar and agave!)

***

Megan Gogerty is a playwright, performer and songwriter. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution listed her solo show HILLARY CLINTON GOT ME PREGNANT in the Top Ten Best Plays of 2009 alongside Billy Crystal and Twyla Tharp. It premiered to sold-out audiences at Riverside Theatre (Iowa City) in 2008 before being performed all over the country, including an extensive run at Synchronicity Theatre (Atlanta). Megan's musical drama LOVE JERRY was produced in the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2008. It won multiple awards, including three Talkin' Broadway Citations and four NYMF Excellence Awards including Excellence in Writing (Book). It premiered at Actors Express in Atlanta after touring England with Dartington College of the Arts. Her ten-minute play RUMPLE SCHMUMPLE (Dramatic Pub.) was a Kennedy Center/National ACTF honoree. Other plays include: SIG GOTTA DO (Synchronicity's SheWRITES Festival, Pasadena Playhouse Hothouse Series) and BAD PANDA (officially banned in China; Sycamore Rouge Theatre; WordBRIDGE 2008 Boomerang Playwright honoree; Syzygy Theatre/LA Writers Center series). Megan was a Playwrights' Center Jerome Fellow, and she earned her MFA in Playwriting from the University of Texas at Austin. She currently teaches dramatic literature at the University of Iowa.

A Night At The Theatre.

2011-06-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

Posted by Matt Shea, Assistant to the Artistic Director

Hey everyone!

Today was a very exciting day at the WordBRIDGE camp. Vasilena Radeva had a great guest artist hour on the state of Bulgarian Theatre this afternoon, and then this evening the company went and enjoyed a fabulous performance of Iron Crow Theatre Company's Brad Fraser's Love and Human Remains, which features WordBRIDGE Director/Actor Michele Minnick, and was directed by WordBRIDGE 2010 Playwright Joseph Ritsch. Iron Crow featured a production of his play Apartment 213 this past fall, which was developed at the lab this time last year!

All the different rehearsal processes are in full swing, and everyone is getting very excited for the arrival of Bill Harley, who will be tomorrow's Guest Artist talking to the company about storytelling. Once again, we will feature a LIVE STREAM of his talk, which begins at 5:30pm.

To check out Bill, and all the other Guest Artist Hours that will be broadcast LIVE from WordBRIDGE, follow this link to our USTREAM account, and please pass it along!

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wordbridge-2011-guest-artist-hours

And, of course, I wouldn't want to leave you without a little video update! Here the company answers the question: "Who or what is one of your theatrical inspirations?"

New QOTD!

2011-06-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

Posted by Matt Shea, Assistant to the Artistic Director

Hey everyone!

So from now on we're going to spread out our timing of these videos a bit. Now that being said, i know we're a few days behind on the round-up material, so here is Day 7's (Sunday's) Question of the Day. Later on today I'll get yesterday's question: "Who or what is one of your theatrical inspirations?" online.

The first official rehearsal block was yesterday and today we move into a somewhat 'normal' schedule, with rehearsals in the morning and afternoon, and a Guest Artist Hour at 5:30pm.

Look for more posts soon!

Come To The Guest Artist Hours

2011-06-12T10:23:00.001-07:00

Posted by Matt Shea, Assistant to the Artistic Director

Hey everyone!

Been wondering if there was someway for you to be directly involved with WordBRIDGE this year? Well while our readings are not open to the public...the Guest Artist Hours are! Below is a list of the Guest Artist Presentations that you are more than welcome to join us for:

Tuesday, June 14: Dramaturgical Innovations and New Plays

Wednesday, June 15: Contemporary Bulgarian Theatre

Thursday, June 16: Story Telling with Bill Harley

Sunday, June 19: State of Hungarian Theatre with Phillip Arnoult

Monday, June 20: READING: "Panties" by Maxim Kurochkin

Tuesday, June 21 : Crosby Hunt's "Tiger, Tiger"

Wednesday, June 22: Reading of a TBD Play by George Brant

All Guest Artist Hours take place between 5:30 and 6:30 in Towson University's Center For The Arts' Studio Theatre.

Come check it out! For more information, or if you have any questions, e-mail info@wordbridge.org

Check back later for more updates!

Rehearsal Check-In: "Caleb's Moon"

2011-06-11T14:43:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

So I'm going to start writing these throughout the day, splitting up the Daily Round-Up segments into individual videos, so make sure you keep checking back here!

This update brings you the rehearsal check-in with "Caleb's Moon" playwright Dani Faulkner. Check out the video before! Thanks everyone!

Day Five: Final Touches

2011-06-10T19:01:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy day for everyone. Morning tasks included finishing the Lab Manual, getting everything in the Script Office in place, and, most importantly, picking up the rest of the company and making sure their move-in to the apartments was flawless.

Unfortunately, such a busy day resulted in no Daily-Round up, as everyone was literally too spread out to...round-up. But I was able to grab a few minutes with Student Artist Playwright Eric Poch and chat about his process with A Soldier Went To War. To see that, check out the video below.

Tomorrow things really get going, so make sure you come back tomorrow to find out what's happening now that the rest of the company is here!

Day Four: 103 Degrees

2011-06-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

That was the official temperature at Towson University today, a day that brought two readings from each of the students plays, the assembly of the script office, final preparations for the arrival of the rest of the company over the next two days, and fifteen cases of donated sugar from the local Domino Sugar Factory.

What it did not bring was an interview with either of our two student playwrights, so their check-ins will be coming along shortly. I was able, however, to put together a short round-up, (minus a Word of the Day), so check that out below. We may, in the future, be breaking these videos up into individual videos rather than segmented ones, so keep a lookout for lots of different updates coming out of WordBRIDGE!

Things are getting very busy around the Center For The Arts, but they're also getting very exciting as our four playwrights arrive tomorrow! Make sure you come back for another post (or two) tomorrow.

Also, Mike Perrie just added some pictures to the Picture page, as well as WordBRIDGE 2011's Photobucket! Check out 'Pictures' for more details!

And don't forget to follow us on Twitter! @WordBRIDGE! (feed on the sidebar)

Day Three: Titles, Gnats, and Chicken Wings

2011-06-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

Day Three brought exciting developments to the two Student Artist Plays. Caleb's Moon had their improvaturgy rehearsal with Will Manning, while No Title Yet...found a title! A Soldier Went To War proceeds with its final day of rehearsal tomorrow.

The day ended with a great grilled chicken dinner back at the apartments, with a few unwelcome insect friends.

In addition to today's Round-Up, today was supposed to also deliver to you a rehearsal check-in with A Soldier Went To War playwright Eric Poch, but due to faulty audio...we'll be bringing you that video tomorrow. The Caleb's Moon check-in will be right behind.

So for today, another lovely Round-Up:

Day Two: Back Where We Started

2011-06-07T21:04:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

So, as it turns out, I lied in the last post. Due to some technical difficulties we are back at the old blog (but with a new look!) as opposed to wordbridge.org/blog. Maybe next year...maybe. But for right now, this is where the WordBRIDGE 2011 Blog will be staying. You can check out the individual play pages as they develop, as well as keep an eye out for new Under The Bridge videos, and of course, the Daily-Round ups featuring rehearsal check-ins. Word of the Day, Question of the Day, and Deep Thoughts with Will Manning.

Again, during the first week at WordBRIDGE the students artists are hard at work prepping Towson University's Center For The Arts for the next two week when the rest of the lab participants arrive. At the same time we are in rehearsals for the two Student Artist plays being developed this year: Caleb's Moon and No Title Yet, by Dani Faulkner and Eric Poch respectively.

Tomorrow's Round-Up will feature Eric Poch and No Title Yet. Although, from what I hear...we might just have a title for you. See you then!

WordBRIDGE 2011 Kicks off!

2011-06-07T14:55:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! WordBRIDGE 2011 has officially begun! As with last year I’ll be making daily updates to this site to make sure everyone knows what is going on here in Baltimore during WordBRIDGE 2011!

This year’s lab is being hosted by Towson University. The pre-lab week this week will feature two student-artist written plays: Caleb’s Moon by Dani Faulkner and No Title Yet by Eric Poch. Both had their initial readings today and will continue rehearsals all week.

The other plays featured at the lab this year are:

Krista Knight - Unhinged: A Silent Opera * Caroline V. McGraw - Tall Skinny Cruel Cruel Boys Sarah Saltwick - Rabbits Katharine Sherman - christopher marlowe’s mystery play

Check out the play’s individual play pages as they evolve over the next three weeks. Also make sure you keep looking out for new ‘Under The Bridge’ videos and ‘Daily Roundups’

I made a video for the first day, but the camera cable was left at Towson for the night, so that will come out tomorrow night, if not before.

Check back here tomorrow for more information!

-Matt Shea, Student Artist

"The Highway Play" Trailer!

2010-07-29T17:38:00.000-07:00

'Ascension War' Trailer!

2010-07-22T17:24:00.001-07:00

Below is the trailer for 'Ascension War', by Kevin Human. Enjoy...and keep an eye out for the rest of the trailers for this year's plays!

"Kitchen" Check-In

2010-07-13T13:19:00.001-07:00

"Highway Play" Check-In Video

2010-07-12T22:26:00.001-07:00

"Revelation" Rehearsal check in!

2010-07-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

Here's the chat with Samuel Brett Williams about Revelation on the day of the play's second reading.

Rehearsal Check-In: 'Technicolor Life'!

2010-07-06T15:13:00.000-07:00

Here's the Rehearsal Check-in with Jami Brandli for Technicolor Life.

Look for the check-ins with Revelation and The Highway Play in the coming days!

Support WordBRIDGE!

2010-07-05T10:14:00.001-07:00

Take a look at the vid below and head over to wordbridge.org/support to help us out!

Days 19 and 20

2010-06-26T23:15:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the delay in posts, but as you can imagine the last few days have been hectic for everyone on the company. The second readings were all extremely successful , and left each of their playwrights quite pleased. The final nights were both celebratory and emotional for everyone involved. Each of the teams became very united throughout the last two weeks of the lab, as did the entire WordBRIDGE family.

It goes without saying that more detailed posts are forthcoming. I have many different videos and Under The Bridge videos to post, so make sure you're still checking the site often. The Photobucket account is also about to get a ton of pictures added to it from all members of the company, so make sure to stop by there as well (link in the photos page). The trailers for each of the plays will also be coming soon...

But most importantly, make sure you're keeping an eye out for when these plays make their way to the stage:

Where The Whangdoodle Sings by K Frithjof Peterson
Apartment 213 by Joseph Ritsch
Technicolor Life by Jami Brandli
The Highway Play by Erin Phillips
Revelation by Samuel Brett Williams
Ascension War by Kevin Human
and John Freedman's English translation of Maksym Kurochkin's Kitchen.

Day 18

2010-06-25T05:05:00.000-07:00

Well, after a long, long journey...we're finally here. The last two days of the lab bring forth the final readings of all of the plays. Yesterday we saw Revelation, Kitchen, and The Highway Play. Today will show us Where The Whangdoodle Sings, Apartment 213, and Technicolor Life.

I will be chronicling the whole day-start to finish- which will be compiled into one incredible roundup video. The Contact Improv. session, as well as many other short videos, will soon be popping up in the 'Under The Bridge' section. As will videos on the rehearsals for Technicolor Life and The Highway Play.

Also, there is a plethora of pictures that need to find their way onto the internet, so keep a lookout for those. Again, most of the pictures will be seen on Photobucket and not the page on the blog (see that page for the link).

Today, I am sure, will be a remarkable finale to what has been a terrific year at WordBRIDGE. We will all have trouble leaving tomorrow...but that's not what is important right now. What's important right now is the same thing thing that has been of most importance throughout the entire lab: the playwrights.

So check back later or tomorrow for a final post from the actual lab, but keep coming back and make sure you catch all the different posts that will be coming throughout the summer, and probably beyond that.

Day 17

2010-06-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

It appears The End is Nigh, as they say, and I'm simply trying to make sure you are all covered out there.

For me, Day 17 was about making sure that Day 16 was covered. It was also about making sure everything was set-up and ready to go for our live broadcast of the New Russian Drama Guest Artist Roundtable. Beyond that, it was also the final day of rehearsal for Kitchen, as well as all of the other plays.

The final rehearsal day has already started to conjure up tearful-thoughts among the company. The last three weeks (or two weeks for most of the company) truly have zipped by.

Day 16

2010-06-23T07:59:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

No roundup today, unfortunately, but I have uploaded a rehearsal check-in for Ascension War, featuring an interview with playwright Kevin Human.

Yesterday was a busy day for everyone in the company. Kitchen had another read-through rehearsal, as did Ascension War; which switched up parts once more, and tonight the show has an open-rehearsal in the recital hall to conclude it's process here at WordBRIDGE. All of the other plays also met and worked, obviously, working towards the last day of rehearsals today.

Yesterday's guest artist was actually myself, who led a Contact Improvisation workshop in The Dance Studio, look for pictures (and perhaps an 'Under The Bridge' video?) coming soon.

Also, make sure you head over to USTREAM today at 4:30 for a live broadcast of the guest artist discussion on New Russian Drama.

-Matt

Day 15

2010-06-22T04:51:00.000-07:00

Well, the first day of the final week is behind us.

I started off the day observing a run-through of Apartment 213, footage from which is featured in today's video, along with some thoughts from writer/director/actor Joseph Ritsch.

Kitchen, the show I am in (along with Ascension War) rehearsed today, taking a look at an old German film on the legend of Siegfried, which, I thought, cleared a lot of questions up about the tale, and cleared up the images we had already been given by our storytelling expert Crosby Hunt.

Speaking of Crosby, the day ended with a special presentation from Crosby, as he presented his piece: The Deerfield Massacre.

The lack of sleep is starting to catch up with everyone, but we are all pushing right on through. The readings begin on Thursday, and everyone is excited to see what the other teams have come up with. Check out today's round-up below for the chat with Joseph.

Day 14

2010-06-20T22:16:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

Today's video is minus a Word of the Day, so Joseph will just have to have two in tomorrow's video. What this video does include, however, is a check-in with the rehearsals for Where The Whangdoodle Sings. We talk with Kris Peterson, the playwright, Chuck Kartali ('the Whangdoodle') and Stage Manager Anthony Conway.

The other big event for me today was the initial reading for Kitchen by Maksyn Kurochkin. Kurochkin is WordBRIDGE's Professional Playwright-in-residence this year, and is bringing his play from Russia to have it translated by John Freedman.

The final week is upon us. Friday night is when it all wraps up, but not for the blog, no sir.

Make sure you keep an eye out for more interviews, Under The Bridge videos, picture updates for the rest of the summer.

Additionally, I will be composing 'trailers' for each of this year's plays, as well as mini-documentaries on each of them. There will also be an over-arching WB2010 Documentary, so keep an eye out for all this exciting footage!

Matt

Day Twelve

2010-06-19T12:45:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

A special Thank-You to those six viewers we had watching the live broadcast, sorry for so short of notice. We will be doing another Live-broadcast next Wednesday at 4:30pm, that discussion will be on New Russian Drama and will feature all of our guest artists coming in from over-seas.

So yesterday was the twelfth day at WordBRIDGE, and it was another very exciting day. I stopped in on rehearsals for both Apartment 213 and The Highway Play. I know I said I'd have a rehearsal-footage tape up today, but look for that in the coming days, I want to make sure I can get a good sample-size of all the rehearsals.

Yesterday was also the WordBRIDGE cabaret, which there are a couple of brief clips from on the video, which is, of course, right here:

-Matt

Live Designer-Round Table!!

2010-06-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

Follow this link to get to the live disscussion with the WordBRIDGE designers!!

The Round Table Starts at 4:30 pm, live from Clemson University!

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/designer-round-table

Day Eleven

2010-06-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

Today I dropped in to rehearsal for Technicolor Life. The cast has already undergone dramatic changes since I last saw it at the reading. In the afternoon I read stage directions in J Ranelli's play One More Spring, which he presented for guest artist hour.

I wanted to wait until i could have clips from all (or at least most) of the rehearsal processes before I made a rehearsal footage video, so today's roundup is again, rather short.

The overall plan for here on out goes like this: I will be making a mini-documentary on each of the four plays, and will also make an accompanying 'trailer' for the play and the process. After next week and WordBRIDGE has ended for the year, I will get to work on making a full-length documentary on this year's laboratory.

While most of that will be appearing towards the end of next week, there will be lots of exciting videos (and Under The Bridge videos!) that will be appearing very soon!

Matt

Day Ten

2010-06-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

Hello, all!

Today I stepped into rehearsal for Apartment 213 which I found has already undergone drastic rewrites. The entire three hours were focused only on two scenes, both new, and experimented a lot with sound reverberation and feedback.

In the afternoon, however, the cast of Kitchen began rehearsing with an initial read-through. Kitchen (in which I, myself will be playing "Chubby/Lawyer) is a draft of a play by Russian playwright Maksym Kurochkin, and translated by John Freedman. Kurochkin and several other guest artists from Russia (as well as Freedman) will be joining us on Saturday, with the initial reading of the play Sunday night. The play, which takes place in the kitchen of a castle, was deemed by Freedman to be "impossible to translate". So, naturally, that is one of the chief reasons it has been brought to WordBRIDGE. The reading will be directed by WordBRIDGE Artistic Director David White.

Here's the round-up for the day. In the coming days I plan to post a video that will show some pictures and footage from the rehearsals that have happened this week.

See everyone tomorrow!

Day Nine: Back on Schedule

2010-06-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

Alright, so one minor speed-bump and I'm back in business.

So, despite the length and simplicity of today's video, today was actually a very busy day for me. I spent the day popping in and out of rehearsals for The Highway Play and Where The Whangdoodle Sings. Later on we had our first guest artist: Michele Vazquez led a yoga workshop in the Dance Studio, where I myself will be the guest artist next Tuesday, with a Contact Improvisation workshop.

At night there was a reading of the first two acts of Ascension War which starts rehearsing again tomorrow after a few days off.

The rest of my day today was filled in with transferring video hard drives to different drivers and other boring stuff like that.

But nevertheless, here's today's video: some initial reactions to Michele's workshop.

Matt

Day Eight...a little late.

2010-06-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the late update, Day Nine will be coming up within the next two hours or so.

Yesterday, Monday, consisted of two more readings and a presentation. We started off in the morning with Revelation by Samuel Brett Williams and ended the day with Erin Phillips' The Highway Play. In the afternoon we got to go to a showing of Apartment 213, which is a solo performance by Joseph Ritsch, but also features Will Manning as a lifeless body.

I got lots of footage from all three events, however, none will be seen in the video below. What is connected to this post is The Daily Roundup for yesterday, however, those anxious for more details on the plays have no need to fear, more information will be on the way.

In addition, keep checking the Under The Bridge Videos page for more random happenings at this year's conference, to give you a more intimate look at the personalities of the 2010 WordBRIDGE company.

Day Seven- First Readings

2010-06-13T21:56:00.000-07:00

Today the company sat down to watch the first two readings of the lab: Where The Whangdoodle Sings in the morning, and Technicolor Life in the evening. Both readings were each proceeded by their first rehearsal, each lasting an hour.

Now that (mostly) everyone has arrived, the company was really able to start meeting in production teams and starting to arrange their rehearsal spaces, everyone anxious to get these plays on their feet for the first time.

Ascension War was to squeeze in a rehearsal (in which the entire cast would switch roles) but that unfortunately had to be postponed due to changes in the schedule.

And, despite many technical problems with the cameras and video today, I have still made sure that the Word and Question of the Day were delivered nicely trapped in the embedded video below. ( I mean, really, would a day be complete without them?)
-Matt

Day Six: The Gang's All Here, a Look Forward

2010-06-12T23:46:00.001-07:00

Today's video features a talk with artistic directors David White and Mark Charney.

Today was the first day that the majority of the company came together. there was a definite buzz around The Brooks Center For the Performing Arts today. Below is the Word/Question of the Day Video. Below that is The full Day Six Video entry.

Tomorrow will be the first day of readings, so expect an exciting entry tomorrow!
-Matt

Day Five: Impromptu Ascension

2010-06-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today consisted of an improv. in Ascension rehearsal (which had fifty-seven new pages) and welcoming the playwrights that arrived today.

In addition, myself, Anthony Conway, Eric Poch, and Erin Boots began a game of Risk...expect nightly updates on my Facebook page.

-Matt

Day Four: The Rewrites Begin

2010-06-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

Today, the cast of Ascension War received our first revisions from Kevin, during a wonderfully experimental rehearsal. Much work was done with the group of characters known as The Congregation, with Resource Artist Michael Perrie coming in with a choral arrangement for the cast. Check out the video from our feedback, plus that of Acting Mentor Will Manning, and playwright Kevin Human. The company also answers the questions: What was your unexpected challenge of the day?

-Matt Shea

Day 3: Duel Video Post

2010-06-09T22:20:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Day Three brought so much excitement it couldn't be contained with one video! Ascension War is seeing incredible progress, and the Day 3 Video below has interviews with the crew about the exciting and productive rehearsal this morning.

The day also included a scavenger hunt around Clemson's campus. The video from that will be posted in the soon-to-exist Videos Page, as will all other videos of off-beat events like that.

The second video below is The Day Three Question of the Day: "What was the best part of your day?"

Day Two- First Video- Intro, Compilation: "Main Goal of the Day?"

2010-06-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

Here is our first video entry, it features an overview of what has, and what will be going on at the Lab, as well as the first Compilation Answer Video: What Was Your Main Goal of the Day?

The Order of Things

2010-06-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

First Rehearsal for Ascension War

Later tonight there will be a video entry from myself and Anthony Conway recapping the day, we will do our best to make one of these everyday here at wordBRIDGE. Currently, converting formats and other such problems are preventing us from getting you stuff faster, but for the meantime check out the new pictures under the Picture Tab and more in our Twit Pics!

Be sure to follow us on Twitter (wordbridge) and check out our Twitpics, links to both pages are over on the side bar>>>>

wordBRIDGE 2010

2010-06-07T19:11:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the wordBRIDGE's official blog! As you can see, things are just getting started around here, but over the next three weeks be sure to swing by to check out the entries from student artists Matt Shea and Anthony Conway, who will be heading up the blog during worBRIDGE 2010, as well as updates from many other members of the company.

The blog will also be featuring video posts including interviews with the playwrights and artists, behind-the-scenes footage of the rehearsal and writing processes, and footage from the different readings of the plays at wordBRIDGE this year.

Currently, the company is focused on Ascension War by Kevin Human, so expect footage from Clemson to start popping up in the coming days. Next week, the rest of the playwrights will be arriving and wordBRIDGE will be in full swing. The plays in development this year are:

Technicolor Life by Jami Brandli
Where the Whangdoodle Sings by K. Frithjof Peterson
The Highway Play by Erin Phillips
Apartment 213 by Joseph Ritsch
Revelation by Samuel Brett Williams

So come back everyday to see what has been posted, because something (in both text and video form) will be posted each night. Everything's been a lot of fun so far, but make no mistake...it is all business in South Carolina