insideSOURCE is this Sunday, August 2 at Source (1835 14th St NW) from 10am – 6pm. Workshops and for kids plus entertainment for kids and adults. Who can beat expert training on how to wield a light saber and then a quick drop in to watch The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe and all for FREE?
A full schedule of events is on the Source site. See you there!
Source Festival has officially met its fate for 2009. After putting a final coat of black paint on the floor and walls, we moved out for the next year. Although we left behind some panda sweatshirts, a lot of army fatigues and a coffee pot, among other items. Maybe they’ll come in handy for the 2010 Festival, or in the meantime, for all those high energy panda- and army-theme parties that we’ve dubbed “Parmy Parties.” Watch out Speidi because we’re about to put our stamp on the name-hybrid game.
Thanks to all the artists & audience members that came through Source during the Festival. We fully acknowledge the cheese-factor in the following statement, but it’s true – we couldn’t have done it without you. In fact, we are already thinking about how to make next year’s Festival even better for you. If you have any thoughts, leave us a comment.
And playwrights, be on the lookout for the 2010 Source Festival call for submissions in September.
Clementine Thomas, dramaturg for Source Festival One Act Play The Armchair Traveler, talks about the art of dramaturgy and the drama of new playwrighting. The Armchair Traveler performs July 9 and 11 at 8pm; July 12 at 2pm. Tickets online and by calling 866.811.4111.
One of the great thrills of dramaturgy lies in the moment you first hear the playwright’s words spoken aloud. You can have sat with a script for months before hand, working on development with the playwright and director and going back and forth with cuts and changes, but the second you step foot in the rehearsal space and the actors take over, it’s a whole new ball game. The Armchair Traveller is a strange, hilariously funny and truly moving journey into the skeleton laden closets of one man’s past. It’s hard not to have a blast watching the actors and Michael Baron, our fearless director, go wild with the sharp dialogue and off-kilter characters that Libby Leonard, our lovely and talented playwright, has conjured for us. With three days before we open, I can’t wait to experience the raucous fun that’s already bubbling to the surface!
From Merry Alderman, Source Festival Associate Producer:
WOW! I can’t believe that the first week of the Festival is over and that we’re already knee-deep in tech rehearsals for the Mash-Ups. Our fearless leader, Jeremy, keeps calling them “Artistic Blind-Dates,” but I’ve never been on a blind date that went as well as these Mash-Ups are coming together.
It is difficult to believe that these artists had never met before six months ago when we paired them with each other. Each group has developed a seamless way to communicate and collaborate. (Or at least, that is how they make it look.) We’ve got video artists improvising live with dancers, blue ping pong balls hanging from the grid, A LOT of red paint, some issues with the Metro and so much more. Audiences probably don’t know what to expect, but everyone should come with a sense of adventure and they’ll leave having seen something really exciting.
Next week we have readings of Full-Length plays on July 6 and 7 by exciting young playwrights, Dan Dietz and Dan LeFranc… it’s the Dan Plays. And then on to the final week of One Act plays which are all coming together nicely.
Lots of Opening Nights are super-fancy shindigs with famous special guests and sit down dinners with tinsel to spare. That’s not what Source Festival is about. We like to give our supporters a taste of the Festival – a smorgasbord, if you will – Source style. That means milk and cookies, not champagne and crudités. Think down home theatre.
So on Saturday night 100 of our nearest and dearest friends came to Source to scope out this year’s rising stars and get a hint of what’s to come. And while the Mayor declined, gracefully, to attend at thte last minute, we have his vote of confidence:
“Mayor Fenty believes the Source Festival Opening Night will be phenomenal.”
-Melanie Hom, Mayor’s Scheduling Specialist
And it was.
Sometimes a little rough around the edges (hey, it IS the Source Festival), always authentic. Home-made lemonade was consumed en masse and the rice crispy treats were not to be missed.
Opening Night is not the last opportunity you’ll have to schmooze the Festival’s coolest artists – we are hanging out every Wednesday night late nite at Policy. You can find us on the second floor, dominating the $2 PBR drink specials. Because, hey, its Source Festival time.
Source Festival Producer Sarah Coleman with a Festival pre-show.
We’re in! The risers are in place. The signs are up in the front windows. And our scenic painter, Amy, has painted us a beautiful upstage wall and spiffed up the set pieces. We’re all enjoying being back on 14th Street, watching the comings and goings of Manny & Olga’s.
It feels like we’re so much more on top of it this year. Wait. That’s because last year we were moving into a brand new building with less than half the amps we needed to run the lighting system. So far, so good this year. Although, we’ve still got costumes/props to load in, speakers to wire and lights to focus…
Directors and actors having been in and out for rehearsals and the producers are excited to finally see the plays come to life. Tech for the 10-minute plays starts bright and early Sunday morning; right on the heels of our opening night celebration.
Sunday night (June 21) at 8pm – for FREE – we’ve got a play reading of Gregory S. Moss’ THE AMAZON (An Adventure Story for Men) directed by David Muse and performed by an impressive cast of DC actors: Erica Chamblee, Jason Lott, Karl Miller, Nigel Reed, Jim Zedar, Peter Vance, Leo Ericson, Jeff Allin & Tony Bullock. A gender-bending look at the Wild West. Not to be missed.
The mash-ups are in great shape, you couldn’t ask for a more diverse group of pieces. It’s pretty amazing to see the time, energy and creativity each group as put in. Some things to be on the lookout for that week…blue ping pong balls, red paint, a rooster, a great band, a token and a trip to the twlight zone.
Curious? Buy tickets here.
We are still searching for LOTS of volunteer help for Source Festival performances on June 20 – July 12, 2009. Volunteers will be assisting with set-up and selling of concessions preshow and during intermission. Just think, you will get to hang out at Source over some snacks & drinks while connecting with the DC theatre scene and supporting the arts – win, win! And as a bonus, you get to see the show for FREE (standing room promised, seats if available). These should be really fun, super easy volunteer gigs – so grab a friend and sign-up for a performance (or two).
To sign-up, click here. Questions? Contact Mary Clark – maryclark (at) culturaldc.org.
Kate McGraw stormed into Flashpoint’s world with artist partner Ann Tarantino this past March for their exhibition Workbook. Now, Kate is bringing her signature physically-intensive mark-making process to the Source Festival. She will be performing with musician Scott Burgess and playwright Allyson Currin. Kate says:
The beauty in our mash-up, Combustion, is found in the way our three artistic disciplines coalesce on stage. Scott fuses his improvisational soundscape while I offer my intuitive mark-making all while Ally lays the foundation with her script. We are simultaneously creator and actor. It has become a kind of jazz trio on stage and we rely on that synergistic blend to carry us throughout the piece, and throughout the struggle of our character. Using our individual artistic disciplines, we each represent a facet of our character’s psyche as she is forced to tune into her inner symphony and reexamine the marks she has made in her life. This mash-up has been a wild ride and I’ve had such a blast being a part of it!
For more about Kate, visit her website.
Kate’s Combustion performs at Source Festival on June 30 at 8pm; July 2 at 8pm; July 5 at 2pm.
We asked Renee Calaraco, author of the Festival One Act Play The Mating of Angela Weiss, to answer five of James Lipton’s famed 10 questions. Get all of the details while performing your best Lipton impersonation. Renee lives and works in Washington, DC. Her play Short Order Stories received the 2007 Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play. She’s an Artistic Associate at Charter Theater and teaches improv comedy for the Theatre Lab.
What is your favorite word?
Spectacular.
What is your least favorite word?
Decadent.
What sound or noise do you love?
The oboe’s tuning pitch for an orchestra.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Art conservator.
What profession would you not like to do?
Roadkill remover. Or pharmaceutical company sales rep.
Renee’s The Mating of Angela Weiss performs at the Source Festival July 8 and 10 at 8pm; July 11 at 2pm.
Source is packed this month. Constellation Theatre Company’s Crazyface is currently in the Black Box and will be in the space through June 14. DCist just called Crazyface, “spellbinding theater,” and who doesn’t want to be spellbound, right? Count me in.
Right after Crazyface we have a week of tech for Source Festival (contact Mary Clark at 202.315.1321 or maryclark (at) culturaldc.org if you want to be a part of the run crew!) and, on June 20, three weeks of edgy, 100% new performing arts begin. Check out a PDF of the Source Festival Brochure or visit the Source Festival site for all the details. Tickets on sale today!
