Category Archives: FULL DISCLOSURE

Insomnia Scribbles and Career Musings…

So here’s what I was thinking at 4:30am, about the time I stopped fighting it and accepted that the night (and likely most of tomorrow) was lost to insomnia…

Lately I’ve had a great deal of difficulty with motivation.. with drive. I have loads of projects – production projects and art projects, around the house projects and holiday projects and I like the idea of every single one of them. When I can’t work on them because I’m not in the apartment or because I have to do the day job, I’m anxious to roll up my sleeves and dive in but then, when I do have the time, and I’m looking at a day free of responsibilities except those where I answer to myself alone, a strange thing happens – I just can’t motivate myself to pick up a paintbrush and paint or load up the editing project and just work on it…even reading a new book (as opposed to the comfort books that I’ve read a gazillion times) is something I have to consciously force myself – truly drive myself to do…

I don’t feel depressed, or even particularly sad (though I am willing to admit that maybe I am depressed and this is how depression manifests itself in me – kind of the way I don’t feel “stress” I just get a headache or my stomach goes wonky. It’s visceral – literally in my viscera – not emotional so maybe my depression (if depression it be) manifests itself as physical inaction… I don’t know.) What I do know is that it’s been a problem for awhile. Since before I left New York in fact, (though it was, of course, exacerbated by dad’s illness and then his death. That definitely broke a part of me that I have come to understand will just always be broken – scabbed over and not as tender as it was at first, but honestly? Never healed…) But that’s actually not what this is about. This is about something else. This is about a realization I had lying here at 4:38 am after not being able to sleep and embracing my old friend insomnia…

Here it is (and it’s ironic (or perhaps just obvious) coming in the midst of my insomnia) but I realized that: I’m. So. Tired. I spent twenty years in the grind of New York City and for pretty much all of those years I pushed and drove myself towards the career I’ve always wanted – directing. Every job I had, every choice I made was about trying to build that career. Trying to get to the place where I would be paid to do what I love and what I’m good at.

First I just hustled and tried to find gigs as a director. Unpaid? No problem! You’re going to let me direct? I’m in. And after all of that work, I didn’t level up in my career and I still wasn’t getting paid. So, after many long years of production work and unpaid directing gigs (and the ever present day jobs, don’t forget the day jobs), I started a production company. I found scripts and I found money and I made show after show after show. No script? No problem – here’s a book I like, I’ll somehow get the rights. I’ll adapt it for the stage. I remember having a conversation with a new friend (well new at the time) and we were sitting in Republic Noodles in Union Square and I’ll never forget it – we were talking about my choice to make Dreamers of the Day, about the fact that I had the rights and was starting the stage adaptation and my friend said to me,

- Wait, you’re going to adapt the book?

- Yes

- Have you ever done that before?

- No

- I mean do you even know how?

-No

- Cause that seems really hard. I don’t know if you can just decide to do that.

But, you know what? I totally did it. I just waded in and created a really beautiful show. I had tons of help, and a super talented cast and crew that made that show happen but I was the driving force. That show happened because of me. Its existence on stage happened because I pushed and I drove myself through version after version.

When the asshats broke into our apartment  in Brooklyn and took my computer with the most up-to-date version of the script on it (side note: always back up your work in three different places, my lovelies) I spent my sacred vacation week on the Cape – not kayaking, or hanging with the family, or eating fried seafood, but hunkered down recreating the lost pages and improving the script and bringing that project to life. And it really was a wonderful show. A show that I truly believe, had the “right people” seen it, could have launched my career. It didn’t. I guess the “right people” (the career launching ones) didn’t see it.

It was ephemeral and lasted for too short a time and I moved on. To show after show after show. Pushing and driving and though I was doing it for the love of the work, and though the work itself was exhausting but truly rewarding, there was always a part of me that hoped, “this time will be different. Even if I don’t suddenly find myself making a full-time living at this directing thing, with each show, I’ll hone my craft and my work will get a bit more recognized with each project. Even if the shows don’t sell out, I’ll start getting some reviews, I’ll start getting some traction and I’ll build my career. Slowly and steadily, brick by ridiculously heavy brick, I will build.”

And so I pushed. I drove. I forced myself to believe and hope each time that I’d get better and stronger and my career would start to be a career. Through Full Disclosure and Skin Flesh Bone and Persuasion and In the Ebb at an amazing venue at Fringe – surely Fringe will make a difference! The work is good. The work is solid. The work can’t help but be noticed. People will see it. My career will grow. Through Bella’s Dream and Within Arm’s Reach – through all of these great shows full of creative original work from a collection of super-talented people. “Something’s gotta break my way,” I told myself again and again and again and again.

And then Farm Story – a TV show – an independent television show with a ridiculously talented group of people. It felt like everything just came together on that project. I drove and I pushed and I forced and it happened. And I thought surely, this is it. Everything else has been building to this. Everything has brought me to here. This can’t help but be a success. Even if it doesn’t go as a show, clearly this is a calling card that will get all of these people work that will launch us all – it’s too good. How could it not? HOW COULD IT NOT?

Spoiler alert. It didn’t. And I think that’s when it started to happen. This inaction started to settle in. In fits and starts, just a little bit at first, but it just started to pull me down. I’m just so damn tired. It’s really hard to push and drive and force and believe. It’s really hard to know you have something to say and a creative voice to say it with and to struggle to find money, to make it happen again and again and again and to still not get anywhere. To be almost 50 with this thing, this not-really-a-career-BUT-surely-more-than-a-hobby-please-god-tell-me-it’s-more-than-a-hobby thing. To have spent 20 years – more really since you’ve been driving towards it since college, since high school, since 6th grade. More than half your life pushing towards this thing and time and time and time and again…you look up, you emerge from a fog of work and ambition and drive and self-whip-cracking, you pull your head out from under the most recent project and look up to see…

…that nothing’s changed. No that’s not right, lots of thing have changed – you’ve changed. You’ve got more experience and you’ve learned new things – techniques and insights and new things to say. You’ve made new friends – created these little pockets of new family. You’ve gained people and you’ve lost some. Oh, and you’ve aged. Of course, you’ve aged. The inexorable march of time, well that hasn’t stopped. So yeah, you’ve changed but your career? Your trajectory? That’s just been on the same plateau for years. Forever.

“You’re fooling yourself,” you think, but no, you just have to keep going. You start a podcast “this will be the thing or if not the thing at least a thing that will help. That will get those creative juices flowing and who knows maybe this will be the thing.” And then a film. You’ll make a short film because who knows, maybe this will be the thing. Because, that’s the trick, you see – you always think, you must always think “but this time will be different. Maybe THIS. WILL. BE. THE. THING.”

But already the inaction is settling in. And the tired is settling in. You’ve been driving and pushing for 20 years…of course you’re tired. “I know,” you think, a move, a new place, with new projects. This will be the thing” but that inertia has you. It might be too late. And you watch your friends moving up, moving on – so excited for them, so proud of them, but also sad for yourself, because know you’ve been left behind but “that’s ok because you’re not left behind, you’re just on a different track and your track will lead to a station – a good station – you just have to keep going”…except you’re just so tired. 20 years – more – of self-making is tiring. And when it gets you nowhere even more so. You can’t give up because who would you be if not this but how? How how how do you keep driving? No, seriously, I’m asking… How? Because holy good lord, I sure don’t know…

…and then you think, “I don’tknow,” but maybe…maybe, maybe, maybe it starts with saying it all. With writing it out and putting it out into the world. Maybe it starts with using a sleepless night and a semi-coherent 4am scribble as a pause, a refreshing I-don’t-know-what-but-maybe-something and you get up from your sleepless-rest and feel, “Is it? Could it be? Maybe, hopefully, a little bit of drive?”

So, you cross your fingers and you do what you’ve done forever…

You pick yourself up.
You splash some water on your face.
You sit down at your computer and open your project and you push yourself…
You push yourself hopefully to greatness but at least…
at the very least…
to action…

Happy Birthday to Molly and Jess…

Workshops and Seminars and Classes, oh my!

When Molly came on board as GTTP’s Co-Managing Director/Co-Executive Producer, we sat down and started planning the 2013-14 season. We knew that right out of the gate we wanted to do something new, something different, and something that would change the Tahiti Status Quo and one of the first things we talked about were the workshops/classes/seminars I’ve wanted to jump into since I first started this whole theater thing. After all, I’m the daughter of two teachers, there’s no way teaching isn’t in my blood. BUT, the thought of it was a bit daunting – how do you plan a workshop? where would we do it? what if no one showed up? So, we did the only thing we could think of – ignore that “Doubting Thomas Voice” and just jump in. BTW, the answer to those three questions are as follows:

1) You just do it – decide what you want to say and teach, and then plan a curriculum that says and teaches it.

2) We’ll do it at Shetler Studios – after all, we have this lovely performance space that we are currently using for performances only in the evenings (except for our weekend matinees)…perhaps we should capitalize on that fact and use the space during the day as well.

3) We’ll figure they just haven’t found us yet and do the workshops again in a few weeks…undaunted is truly the ONLY way to do independent theater in NYC.

And then we realized that the week we wanted to do the workshops – the full week between the opening and closing of The Sandman’s Coming (oh, have you bought your tickets yet?) is the week between my and Molly’s birthdays* – that’s right, folks, we now have two, count ‘em TWO Scorpios running this thing. So, as a little birthday celebration, we have planned 3 very exciting workshops:

Workshop

On Tuesday, October 29th, from 2-5pm we’ll be hosting an Improv Workshop for Actors and Non-Actors Alike. What makes this workshop really special to GTTP is that it’s being run by Improv Guru, Brett Wean. Now, many of you may not know Brett specifically but if you saw Full Disclosure by Ruth McKee, when we did that back in 2011, you saw some of his work. As a director, I find improvisation to be an invaluable tool in helping actors find their performances and when we did Full Disclosure, I brought Brett in specifically to work with Kiwi Callahan and help her find the world of Sunny Smith. Without him Full Disclosure would have been a VERY different show. And, one of the things I realized when I watched Brett and Kiwi work is that Improv is great for performance, yes, but it is also great for everyday life…and, if you don’t believe me, perhaps you’ll believe Tina Fey. Anywho, the point is, Improv workshop is happening. Join us. For tickets go to: eventbrite or our Shows and Events Page.

Seminar

On Wednesday, October 30th, from 10:30am-5:30pm Molly and I will be running an all day seminar that is very close to my heart. Targeted to Early Career Directors – Directing in NY is truly the seminar I wish I could have taken way back when…when I first moved to NY and started directing here. The goal of the seminar is to give a kind of overview of everything you’ll need to know to direct a show in NY – from the producing side – finding a space, following a budget, using the Actors’ Equity Showcase code; to communicating with your design team and crew –  directing may be a solitary job but you really can’t do it alone; to straight-up directing techniques – how do you analyze a scene, is improv helpful (spoiler alert – uh, yeah. see the paragraph above this one), how exactly do you direct? It should be a fun time and, at $175 for the day, for an all day seminar with lunch included, you know it’s a great deal. For tickets go to eventbrite or our Shows and Events Page.

Class

And then, on Thursday, October 31st, from 1-4pm (early enough for people to have time to go home and get into their Halloween costumes), we’re holding an Audition Class – Auditioning for Women. Seeing as GTTP is all about giving more opportunities for women in theater, it seemed appropriate to tailor a class around the women who obtain those “more opportunities”. And, don’t get me wrong, it’s not like women cast all that differently from men, but I do think there are some tips that actors would be interested in when approaching an audition.  In fact, I’ll give one away now for free – don’t call me girl. I know, it seems straightforward, and kinda obvious but I’ve lost count of the number of actors (all younger than me) who’ve said in an audition, “you girls might want to check it out” thereby insuring that, you know, I will never check it out. So, yeah, that’s a freebie, but there are some other great tips we’ll be covering in the Audition workshop. For tickets go to: eventbrite or our Shows and Events Page.

Oh My!

We hope to see you there and, of course, all proceeds from the workshops go to our continued production of quality Independent NY Theater. So, join us for a workshop, learn a little something, support GTTP and who knows where else it might lead…

*by the by, there will, most likely, be cake.

Five years is wood, right?

That’s right folks! As you may have seen in our newsletter, GTTP is FIVE YEARS OLD this month!!!!!

And, in celebration of this milestone, we’ll be having a whole bunch of events throughout the season, including shows (of course) – speaking of which, have you bought your tickets for The Sandman’s Coming? (I may have mentioned – they’re on sale now) – workshops (we’re planning two workshops – improv and audition skills – for October and several throughout the rest of the season – stay tuned for details), cabarets – we’re ironing out the details of a storytelling cabaret that will be happening during the run of The Sandman’s Coming (tickets on sale now) that we hope you will join us for – seminars (we’re currently putting together a seminar for early career directors – details to follow) and parties - at the very least we’re planning an anniversary celebration that should coincide nicely with the winter holidays – so we hope you will stay tuned…but, that is actually not what this post is about. This post is brought to you by the number 5 because this post is about our 5 year anniversary or our 5th birthday or however you want to look at it, this post about us having made it, in an over-satureated, theater town, to our 5th season!!! A milestone we would not have seen if it weren’t for all of you out there!!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for your continued support. And, since this post is about a specific number, I thought I’d give it to you by the numbers – 10 to be exact – so here you go…

1 – as in – ONE DREAM that refused (and continues to refuse) to die. For me the dream of directing was so powerful that it started us all on this journey. It’s been a weird and wonderful trip so far – a dream trip, one might say, and I hope we’re just at the beginning…

2 – as in – the number of novels GTTP has adapted into stage productions (Dreamers of the Day, and Jane Austen’s Persuasion) – see our Past Productions page and previous blog posts for details on these amazing and exhilerating shows.

3 – as in – the third novel GTTP will adapt for the stage after we premiere our adaptation of Ann Napolitano’s Within Arm’s Reach, in late winter/early spring of 2014. I know, I know you’ve been hearing about this for over a year but it is now OFFICIALLY on the calendar, people! It is on the calendar and the script is halfway completed. We’re currently deciding on a performance venue and we are aiming for a late February/early March production run. Stay tuned for details.

4 – as in – the number of times GTTP has performed at The Secret Theatre. One of our all time favorite performance spaces, The Secret Theatre is consistently bringing new and innovative productions to their little corner of Long Island City – not so secret anymore. We hope to be back at our unofficial home in the spring, but in the meantime, if you’re looking for quality indy professional theater in Queens, check them out and take in a show.

5 – as in – we’re five years old, y’all!!!! Haven’t you been reading this post?

6 – as in – the number of theater women (who haven’t worked directly with GTTP and aren’t Tahitians per se but that) I have connected with thanks to/because of my work with GTTP. Connections I would not have made if GTTP didn’t exist – women I can’t imagine not having in my life. They include – Jane Dubin, producer - ANN, Peter and the Starcatcher and unFRAMED; Patricia Klausner, producer – Pippin; Caroline Rothstein, writer, performer and producer, http://bodyempowerment.tumblr.com/Bailie Slevin, a former theater professional who is now on a mission to bring fiscal health and education to the entertainment community – a mission she pursues through her company Entertaining FinanceMelanie Jones, writer, performer, dancer and producer – Endureand; last but not least Jake Lipman, actor, director, producer and founder of Tongue in Cheek Theater who will be doing a performance of How I Learned to Drive at the other Shetler Studios Theater during our run of The Sandman’s Coming. These women have been incredible – helpful, motivating, supportive, and generally wonderful people I’ve been honored to share the female theater community with. I hope that they are only the beginning of this circle of incredible theater women that GTTP has entered into.

7 – as in – the number of different aviatrices (the aviatrix is what we call our logo), our incomparable graphic designer, Christine Diaz, has designed to individually accompany each production (we don’t have one for Dreamers of the Day or the first In the Ebb  as we sadly hadn’t yet discovered the awesomeness that is Christine at the time we were doing those shows). When she came on board, she branded GTTP and continues to design all of our beautiful production art. To see all of the aviatrices, check out our About Us page.

8 – as in – the number of productions presented by GTTP since we opened our doors (curtains) - In the Ebb, by Camilla Ammirati, Dreamers of the Day, adapted from the novel by Mary Doria Russell, Skin Flesh Bone, by Camilla Ammirati, Full Disclosure, by Ruth McKee, Cat Lady without a Cat, by Carrie Keskinen, Jane Austen’s Persuasion, adapted for the stage by Laura Bultman, In the Ebb (Redux), by Camilla Ammirati and Bella’s Dream by Dana Boll. More details on each (except for Bella’s Dream because I haven’t had a chance to upload the pictures but will hopefully do it soon) can be found on our Past Productions page.

9 – as in – the number of productions we will have under our belts when The Sandman’s Coming opens on October 24th. Did I mention? Tickets are on sale now.

Which brings me to: 

10 – as in – years – our next big milestone – that, with your help, we’ll reach in another five.

Thanks for getting us here! We hope you’ll continue to join us on this extraordinary, exciting, incredible journey!

See you at the thater!!!!

The good…and the bad…

The good news is that the one-act I directed as part of The Secret Theatre’s One Act Factor, has been chosen as a semi-finalist! After 2 sold out performances, The Day Job by Julia Blauvelt, will get at least one more performance this Friday, March 30th at 8pm. And, if we pass to the Finals it will get two more performances! Tickets and details available here. The whole festival has been incredibly successful. The shows have played to sold out houses and it’s the first time that something I directed has sold so well…and that’s what I wanted to talk a bit about in today’s blog. You see, NY independent theater is hard. It’s hard work, yes, but it’s also hard to get audiences. I know, I know, I know, this is not new information; I mean, it’s hard to get audiences for EVERYTHING, so it’s not a shock that it’s hard to get audiences for low budget indy theater in the theater capital of the world. After all, Joe Blow Tourist from middle America ain’t coming to my experimental, multimedia, adaptation of an obscure Mary Doria Russell novel, even if it is a fantastic show and even if it is practically in Times Square…but still, it can be hard to keep the motivation going and, when you’re involved in a production that does very well (as I am with The One Act Factor) it’s a reminder of how things sometimes don’t go so well in other areas of your life.

Most of the time I try very hard to be nothing but positive on this blog. I mean GTTP is an exciting company and we do exciting work and I want you all to see that, hear that, and feel that from this blog. I don’t mind sharing the reality of the difficulties of producing theater here but I don’t want to skew to the negative. I want to be honest – I mean, isn’t that what a blog is for/about but nobody wants to hear me whine about how producing theater is haaaaarrrrrdddddd. So, read the rest of this blog at your own risk. If you’d rather just see the happy sunny side of life, skip this blog post entirely and catch up with us next week when I discuss the best theater organization in the city that you’ve never heard of. But, if you want to hear the truth, keep on reading…and stick around for the end cause there’s a nice little addendum to this story.

So, as I believe I’ve mentioned before, being an artist in NYC is hard and sometimes there are days when you can’t help but think why why why am I doing this? During the run of Full Disclosure I had one (actually a few) of those days when we had VERY small audiences (like two people) and there were even a couple performances we had to cancel because no one showed up at all. What if you threw a party and no one showed up? Well, I can tell you, because it’s happened to me and it sucks. And, because I’m hoping other theater companies out there read this blog, I want them to realize when the going gets tough that they’re not alone out there. In the end I felt like it was only fair for me to post the good with the bad. So here goes. (Also, since I’m not certain that anyone other than my mom reads this blog anyway, it can’t hurt, right?)

The life of an artist. (An artist with an amazing, super supportive, incredibly awesome husband, family and general support system, but an artist nonetheless…)

Everyone is encouraging. Everyone is supportive. I can’t express how grateful I am for that encouragement and support but what if everyone is also delusional? What if I am? It never seemed like such a crazy dream, it still doesn’t…I just want to make a living as a director. And yes I know making a living with art is crazy. It’s impossible… It won’t get you rich… I know, I know, I know… but here’s the thing… the thing I keep coming back to… the reason I can’t just stop. I can’t just let it go… Are you ready for the thing? Here it is: people do it. Yup, that’s right. There are people all over the world (and when it comes to theater particularly this city – all over this city) who do it. They make a living with their art. It may not be a good living but it’s how they pay their bills… And hell, some of them are even rich. Not Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey rich, but, you know, they make a decent living. They’re rich enough not to worry every month about paying their bills, about going out to a nice dinner (I am so sick of tuna fish but that’s another story) about picking up a nice bottle of wine (although say what you will, that 3 buck chuck ain’t bad at all). You know, they just do it. That’s what I’d like to get to. I’d like to have a little breathing room so that each month I don’t have to go into an ulcer-inducing, migraine causing, teeth grinding panic that the bills are due…

So, in order to become a director, I became a producer. It seemed like a good idea at the time. And I started this production company… And you know what? We’re good. I mean we do good – really good – work. And, every show I think “this one’s going to be different. This time I’ll get the word out in advance. I’ll make sure the show is listed everywhere, that everyone knows about it. I’ll hang signs and run campaigns and we’ll have HUGE audiences (or at least decent houses).” And you know what happens? I do the listings. I hang the signs. I talk to the people and… we’re lucky if we get 10 people!

Now, I know we don’t have brand recognition. I know we often do new works and none of those new works are produced by Alicia Keys or starring Sarah Jessica Parker, but still, we do great stuff with amazing actors. How are we flying under the radar? Why is word not spreading? In the past I’ve had marketing help but clearly it’s time to bring in a pro… or is it? Is it worth the expense? Will they really bring in an audience or funds or whatever? What’s next?

I’m hoping Persuasion, being Jane Austen, will at least bring in some folks, but honestly, if we can’t bring in some money, we can’t do Persuasion. This is why we did Full Disclosure. Do a smaller less expensive show, sell out a few houses and BOOM! Enough money in the bank to have a base for Persuasion but you know what’s happened? We did 12 performances of a planned 14 performance run and… no sold out houses. In fact our largest house was eighteen people and we had to cancel two performances (one of them on a SATURDAY night!) because there was no audience! I mean, I’ve faced small audiences before but since the start of GTTP I have NEVER had to cancel an entire performance, let alone two. We’re going backwards!! So now what?

You have to persevere. You can’t give up. You just need to have a thick skin. But, if I’m really going to persevere (and who are we kidding? I am because a director is who I am) and if I’m not going to give up (spoiler alert: I’m not (see the whole “it’s who I am” thing above)) then I don’t think the thick skin is going to cut it. I think, not a thick skin – a short memory.

Yes, you have to remember enough to learn from your mistakes but once you’ve done that? Forget, forget, forget. Forget the disappointment of the last time. Forget that acid stomach, might-vomit feeling of looking at the two presales at five minutes to curtain and thinking “maybe there’s a tourist bus full of people just pulling up out front.” Forget the headache inducing feeling of looking at your audience of 2, count ‘em TWO wonderful people, knowing they’ll still get an amazing performance but that it would be better if that 2 were 20 or 50 or 100. You need to forget, forget, forget and believe – really BELIEVE that next time it will be different… And then SOMEHOW you need to make that happen.

Because, if Going to Tahiti Productions is about the possibility (and it is), about all of the possible things that could happen when that curtain goes up or those lights go on… well then, it’s definitely POSSIBLE that one of the possibilities is playing to packed houses. Maybe with a longer run. Maybe with a show with a bigger budget. Maybe with a press rep. Maybe, maybe, baby… but whatever the answer I guess the only way I’m going to find it is to keep trying…right?

So, I guess I have no choice, right? So, I pick myself up off the mat, forget, forget, forget the disappointments of last show, last year, last night…know, know, KNOW that the product is good, whether the audience is 2 or 20 or 50 or 100. Know that the show is HIGH quality and get ready to do it again tomorrow. I mean who are we kidding? In the world of dreams is there ever, was there really ever, an option to do anything OTHER than keep pursuing? I think not. See you at the theater, folks. I know it’s where I’ll be… And honestly, I really hope you come and join me for the ride!

So I wrote the above blog post during the run of Full Disclosure, and though the show was terrific and Kiwi Callahan knocked it out of the park for every freaking performance, we didn’t have a fantastic attendance rate and we lost money on the show. BUT! Something happened with Cat Lady Without a Cat. Are you ready? We made…wait for it…EIGHTY EIGHT DOLLARS! That’s right, ladies and gentlemen of the interwebs, we didn’t lose a dime on our last production, we are in the black! So, you know…progress…Here’s hoping this is the beginning of an upward trend for GTTP! I have a feeling, 2012 is going to be a very good year.

 

The Hazards of the Life of A Producer…

This is a pretty good illustration of my last few weeks. This past week, in particular, was a kind of crazy week on the island of Tahiti (made crazier by my day job helping babies be born but that’s another story that you can see details of here).

I think the best illustration of the insanity is the sheer number of projects/plays I have running through my head right now (some will not have titles because I haven’t made official announcements but you’ll still get the picture):

1) Full Disclosure – as you may have seen, I wrapped up Full Disclosure this past week by sending out the last of the RocketHub rewards. Although it didn’t require me to actually keep the show in my head, it is a project that I couldn’t put to bed until last week. (Speaking of which, if you are supposed to receive a RocketHub reward and you haven’t yet, please let me know. I sent out emails to settle the rewards but I didn’t hear back from everyone who was owed something and it’s very important to me that those rewards get fulfilled.)

2) Skin Flesh Bone – Did my taxes last week so there was discussion of both Full Disclosure and Skin Flesh Bone in the settling of the year end budget. But that too is now put to bed.

3) Cat Lady Without A Cat – as you all know, I am co-producing 3 performances of Carrie Keskinen’s Cat Lady Without A Cat. Tickets available here. Join us March 9th at 8pm or March 10th at 2pm or 7pm. It’s a fun show that’s still in development so the talkbacks we have after each show will give all of you an opportunity to give your feedback on what’s working and what’s not in the show. (see – you get to be more than just the audience, you get to be a part of the development of a show!)

4) Persuasion – Although the show is a bit of a ways off, I’m currently on the hunt for a performance space. No, no, no, don’t worry. There is no rift between Tahiti and The Secret Theatre. In fact our relationship is stronger than ever (see item 5). It’s just that The Big Theatre (the site of last year’s Skin Flesh Bone) at The Secret Theatre is booked for all of June with their own exciting projects and so it looks like for Persuasion we might have to temporarily relocate. :( Bummer, BUT, I am currently asearching. I saw a great space last week (part of my crazy week) and I’m currently running the numbers to see if we can book it. I’ll keep everyone posted.

5) The Day Job by Julia Blauvelt – This is the one-act that I’m directing for The Secret Theatre’s One Act Festival – The One Act Factor, which opens mid-March. Another contribution to last week’s craziness were the two rehearsals I had with my terrific cast and the one production meeting.

6) Fringe Festival Show – As I mentioned last week, I applied for the New York Fringe Festival this year. In order to apply I needed to put together a budget and a plan for what that show would be – which meant poring over a bunch of scripts and deciding what GTTP could reasonably put together within the time frame (should we get accepted, that is). I’m psyched for what we chose but it’s been another show cluttering my head.

7) The Fall/Winter show – This one is one that I’m very excited about and VERY close to signing an agreement for, but until papers are signed I can’t reveal what it is. That being said, the budget and the begining directing/producing have already begun so that I could apply for grants.

8 ) The Gala – I know, I know, it’s not a show, but for it to be the kind of Gala I want, it’s definitely a production. So, although it runs along similar lines as Persuasion, (Jane Austen themed event and all) it does have a different slant then the play and so, requires a different set of skills entirely.

9) 3 plays for a New Play Festival – I agreed to be a reader for a new play festival. So, on top of the other stuff I was doing last week, I read and evaluated 3 plays. It’s been a bit hectic, but I did turn in my evaluations! Yay…but yeah, those shows have been circling my brain as well.

10) unFRAMED – This is a terrific one-man show by poet, playwright and artist Iyaba Ibo Mandingo, that I’m interning on. It has it’s next showing at The InterAct Theatre in Philadelphia March 30th-April 1st (actually it’s next showing is at Sing Sing Correctional Facility but I’m pretty sure that one’s not open to the public). If you happen to be in Philly the last weekend in March or if you find another opportunity to see it, I highly recommend it. Details on the show’s booking schedule can be found here.

Yeah, I think that’s it, but seriously that’s 10 different projects zipping around in my head, (as Eddie Izzard would say, “[10 shows] in one head? No one can live at that speed” and that doesn’t even begin to cover the business stuff. The business stuff is always on my mind – budgets, marketing, audience growth, five year plan, strategic planning, but this week it’s been the artistic stuff – character, set, prop, sound effects, lighting, etc – circling like crazy…Oh, and the podcast. We recorded Carrie Keskinen’s podcast on Friday. It should be posted in the next day or so. Basically, I’ve become that person. That person who responds to the simple question, “how are things?” with something resembling the following:

“Oh, great. Busy, but great. I mean just this week I was at  rehearsals, a production meeting, a theater tour, a seminar on theater business, a podcast recording, a show that I was judging for The NY Innovative Theater Awards, and 2 births (day job). Not to mention the hours I sat in front of my computer trying to get folks out to see GTTP’s next show (It’s called Cat Lady Without A Cat and tickets are available here). Oh, and I totally have to finish a grant application. And, did I mention that I’m looking for in-kind donations for my Gala? Did I tell you I’m organizing a gala?…Oh, how are you?” Really I think the person who asked me the question was just making small talk but my head is spinning and I can’t seem to just answer, “fine. How are things with you?” Really, right now the only thing I can guarantee at any given time is that of all of the tasks I set for myself at the beginning of each day there will be at least 3 major things I haven’t accomplished by the end of the day. Not the least of which is catch up on like 3 episodes of Justified. I’m missing my shows, people! That is the level of dedication I have to my art. I’m missing enjoying the art that other people have put out there for me.

RocketHub Rewards…

COOKIES, THAT’S RIGHT! COOKIES!!!!!!

Thank you RocketHubbers for your support of FULL DISCLOSURE. Thanks to you we raised over $2000 for our show.

So, for those of you who were wondering how the RocketHub thing worked – here it is. People who donate through RocketHub get rewards in exchange for their donation. For the lucky $50 donors for FULL DISCLOSURE that reward was fresh baked cookies. So, GTTPers baked 10 dozen peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies (two different flavor cookies not peanut-butter-chocolate-chip) and they are in the mail, even as I type, to various donors. This picture was taking right before they were all packaged up to be sent out.

Rewards in the past have varied at the different donation levels but they’ve included tickets to the show, signed programs, exclusive GTTP mugs or water bottles, the aforementioned baked goods, signed cast photos and even, good vibes that cast and crew send out into the universe just for donors…

So, for future reference, you should know that YOU TOO can get rewards and all it take is a small donation. With each RocketHub campaign we run rewards kick in at the $5 level so check it out and who knows…maybe the next dozen cookies will be coming your way!!!

 

 

Happy New Year!!!!

Yes yes yes I know, I’m a few weeks late. But that’s OK – I mean it is in fact still the new year. Come to think of it it will technically be the new year until December 31st 2012 so really, when you look at it that way I’m totally ahead of the game, right? Either way, it’s that time of the year… Time for the wrap-up, the recap, the update, so hear we go…

2011 was quite a year for GTTP!!!

For the first time in GTTP history, thanks to all of your support we were able to have two shows in one year. June brought us Skin Flesh Bone. This original play about language and life had a 12 performance run on the main-stage at The Secret Theatre in Long Island City (our un-official home). The play featured 3 company members, Maria Silverman, David Eiduks and Kiwi Callahan and 2 newbies to GTTP, Laurel Lockhart and Gavin Alexander Hammon. Check out the picture gallery from the show on our past productions page, here.

After a summer spent re-organizing the structure of GTTP we had a successful 2011-12 kick-off party at SideBar in Manhattan. A bunch of you came out to help us kick off the new season and get ready for our December show, Full Disclosure by Ruth McKee. This one woman show (another first for GTTP) about a pregnant realtor desperate to sell her listing, featured Tahitian Kiwi Callahan, and ran for 14 performances at The Poco Space at The Secret Theatre in LIC. Pictures from FULL DISCLOSURE are also on display on our past productions page. Unfortunately I couldn’t get the thumbnails to display (clearly I need a full time tech person to manage the website, right?) so in order to see the photos click on the photo spaces and they should come up for display.

In addition to our performances, in 2011 GTTP started a regular podcast series, Tahiti Dispatches. Through interviews and performances, Tahiti Dispatches provides a glimpse into the behind the scene world of GTTP shows and ultimately NY independent theater beyond our little island. You can hear previous podcasts here, and stay tuned for our January/February podcast, an interview with Dana Boll. A frequent GTTP collaborator, Dana is also a choreographer, dancer, writer and actress – another female theater artist making her way through the crazy world that is NY independent theater.

New people! Thanks to the shows and the podcasts, 2011 brought some new faces onto our little island. In addition to the aforementioned new actors who joined us, Laurel Lockhart and Gavin Alexander Hammon, SKIN FLESH BONE also brought us Sam Gordon, our amazing lighting designer. Sam joined us for SFB and decided to stick around after the show as the newest member of the GTTP Ensemble. The beginning of our 2011-12 season brought us amazing fundraising coordinator, Shanai Jensen and amazing marketing coordinator Saira Jesani. Without Shanai and Saira, GTTP wouldn’t have had nearly as much success with the start of the new season and we’re looking forward to a long partnership with both of the lovely ladies. FULL DISCLOSURE brought us Ruth McKee, an amazing playwright not just of one woman shows. Ruth is an amazing and prolific playwright and we look forward to many future possible collaborations. And, lastly but not leastly, because of the interactive nature of FULL DISCLOSURE we brought in improv guru, Brett Wean, to help us out with a few if the more improvisational moments of the piece. Thanks to Brett’s experience and expertise, we were able to find a way to connect with audience members in ways we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. We look forward to working with Brett again in the future.

Along with the shows and podcasts and the people, 2011 marked GTTP’s 3rd year in operation, which for the first time opens the door to grant opportunities. So far we’ve applied for two grants and are in the process of four more applications. Keep your fingers crossed and the good vibes flowing for good news in the upcoming months.

So, to sum up, GTTP had an incredible 2011! And that’s in no small part thanks to all of you!!!! So THANK YOU all for your support! We couldn’t do this without you all!!!

So “what’s next,” you say. Well, I’m so glad you asked. Let me tell you what we have in store for 2012…

First up on our docket is GTTP’s first ever co-production (with AND – Artistic New Directions) of Carrie Keskinen’s CAT LADY WITHOUT A CAT. In this hilarious and moving one woman show, Carrie Keskinen explores what it means to be mistaken for the stereotypical “Cat Lady” without owning a single cat. (I know what you’re thinking, “but Jess, spoiler alert, now we know she doesn’t have a cat.” Trust me there’s more to see and enjoy than just the reveal that she doesn’t actually have a cat.) Currently in rehearsal, CAT LADY WITHOUT A CAT will have a 1-3 performance run (most likely at The Secret Theatre – didn’t you see the mention above about it being our un-official home?) in March. More details to come once they are settled so please keep checking back. Additionally, our March podcast will feature an interview with Carrie Keskinen talking not just about creating and performing this show but also what it’s like to be a working actress in the big apple.

Following CAT LADY… this spring we will be hosting our first ever Gala Event in support of our summer production (and our last production of the 2011-12 season), PERSUASION. An adaptation of the Jane Austen novel of the same name, PERSUASION, which has been adapted by Tahitian Laura Bultman, will go up in early summer.

Stay tuned on our website, blog and facebook for announcements about the exciting year we have ahead of us.

Thank you again for all your support in 2011!! We couldn’t do this without all of you and we look forward to seeing you in 2012!!!

FULL DISCLOSURE closes…so, what’s next?

Wow, that was a fast one!!! So, FULL DISCLOSURE has ended after a 14 performance run at The Poco Space at The Secret Theatre. Thank you everyone who turned out to support Kiwi and the GTTP production team!! Pictures from FULL DISCLOSURE will be posted soon as will updates on our next production. Thanks again for all the support you’ve shown! We’ll see you in 2012!!!

Halfway through the run…

 

Kiwi Callahan as Sunny Smith

I thought you’d all get a kick out of the shot of Kiwi (as Sunny) offering fresh baked chocolate chip cookies to the audience…Yup, that’s right, in case you haven’t seen the various mentions of it in other places, there are fresh baked cookies at these shows.

Anyway, COOKIES is not what this post is about. This post is about the fact that I can’t believe we’re already halfway through the run. I know, I know, everyone says, “where does the time go” but seriously, where does the time go?!?! I can’t believe it’s mid December! I can’t believe we already have been through 7 performances! I can’t believe there are only 7 left! I can’t believe the RocketHub campaign has come and gone…and yet, all of those things are true. This has been a really fun show to work on. Different from anything I’ve done in the past and a really interesting challenge. I’m so glad that we’ve had the opportunity to bring this show to life.

Really quickly I want to thank everyone who donated and became part of the GTTP family on RocketHub. Your support moves me. I know I’ve said this to each of you in some way or another over the past 6 weeks, but I cannot thank you enough for what you’ve given me and this little company o’ mine. The money has been wonderful (and it’s the reason we’re able to do any shows, let alone 3 in the past 14 months) but even more than that it’s this feeling I get when someone sends a little money our way, or comes to see the show. When they buy an ad from us for the program or loan me their car for a day so I can move set pieces into the theater (yes, Jen Vento I’m talking to you!) When they take a precious Sunday afternoon and spend two hours at an invited dress rehearsal so that I can get some director’s perspective instead of hitting an opening night having only seen the show in the vacuum of rehearsal. That feeling is indescribable (but don’t worry I’m gonna give it a try). It’s the feeling that someone’s got your back. It’s the feeling that you’re not alone in this cold nasty world. It’s the feeling of family. So thank you again to everyone who has been a part of FULL DISCLOSURE (and for those future audience members who are about to be a part of the show). We literally couldn’t do this without you…nor would we want to try.

So, just a reminder, we have 7 performances left. Shows are tonight through Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 7pm and Sunday at 2pm. Tickets are available here: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/886655, by phone at 866-811-4111, and/or at the Secret Theatre box office. Join GTTP for this comedic, interactive take on real estate, love, and life…join us for an open house.

…oh, and did I mention there will be cookies?

FULL DISCLOSURE OPENS TOMORROW!!!!!!!!

Yup, you read that right, FULL DISCLOSURE by Ruth McKee and starring Kiwi Callahan, opens TOMORROW!!!!!

The Invited Dress Rehearsal went really well (as did the uninvited dress rehearsal). The other company members got a kick out of the show and now we are positively itching to show it to the world. FULL DISCLOSURE opens tomorrow for a 14 performance run at The Secret Theatre in LIC (only 1 stop from midtown). Tickets are $20 and are available online here: 

Our latest episode of Tahiti Dispatches is up and ready for listening. This month’s dispatch is an interview with Kiwi Callahan as she discusses the challenges of rehearsing and performing a one woman show – and, performs a short preview of the show. You can listen to the latest episode here: Tahiti Dispatches – Episode 2.

We have also started a podcast page here on the website. There you will find both episodes and a few short extras from both episodes that were recorded but not included in the original podcast. Enjoy!

It is the season of giving and, with that in mind, I wanted to let you all know that there’s still one more week left on our RocketHub campaign…which means there’s still time to join the GTTP family, to support the arts (specifically this fantastic show) and to get some cool rewards. If you’d like to contribute a little RocketFuel to help us get off the ground, you can do so: here.

See you at the theater!

Only a couple of days until opening night!!!

It dawned on me yesterday, while Kiwi and I were in the middle of rehearsal that FULL DISCLOSURE opens  in less than a week!!! Wow, seriously? Where does the time go?!?! It’s been such an interesting process working on a one person show. In some ways it’s exactly like every other show that I’ve directed: we have rehearsals, we decide on blocking, we find the characters, and that I’ve produced: I hustle to raise the money, market the show, get butts in the seats… but in other ways it couldn’t be more different.

For one thing, with this show, because of it’s set up as an actual open house, in this play we don’t have a stage manager. We don’t have a lighting designer. We don’t have a sound designer. We DON’T WANT it to feel like the audience is at a theater so we’ve been focusing on things to make it feel like a home. So for most of the time it’s just been Kiwi and me. Because it’s just been the two of us we’ve rehearsed in a home – namely mine. Now, yes, partially we did this to save the money on rehearsal space rental but also, as the director, I wanted throughout rehearsal for Kiwi to feel like she was in an actual home so that when we get to a performance space (that though it doesn’t feel like a Broadway theater still doesn’t quite feel like the living room of a 3 bedroom house in Westchester either), she would have the sense memory of being in an actual living room. Also, because it’s a home, our breaks are more about sitting around the kitchen island eating the homemade pb&j’s we’ve made rather than actors scurrying to grab coffee, run lines, and check voicemail while director/producers scurry off to pee, grab a drink and check voicemail. It’s taken some adjusting. Then again, there’s something really wonderful about waking up, sending some email and then wandering out to my living room to prep for Kiwi’s arrival and our rehearsal. I have no idea how I’ll readjust to a regular rehearsal with a stage manager and a bunch of actors when we gear up for Persuasion next year. (Laura, don’t be concerned if I show up to the first few rehearsals in my slippers and pjs). If only my living room was big enough to rehearse with a full cast.

All that being said, I can’t wait for folks to see this show. Kiwi is fantastic. She makes Sunny such a loveable character. Your heart really opens up to Sunny as she desperately attempts to sell you this house. It will be fun to settle into our new home for the next two weeks (the POCO space at The Secret Theatre) tomorrow. Turning that room into the living room of this Westchester house will be a nice change of pace and actually opening the doors to the audience on Tuesday night (and for the following 12 nights and afternoons) will be an absolute blast. Tomorrow we have an invited dress rehearsal for company members and, for the first time in 4 weeks, Kiwi and I will get to see how an audience reacts to all that work we’ve been doing in my living room. I can’t wait.

Remember, tickets are available here:

 

New show, new campaign, new content, new, new, new…

So you’ve probably heard rumblings but we’ve got some new stuff happening over here on the island of Tahiti…

#1) NEW SHOW!!!! That’s right, we are currently in rehearsal for our next show. Full Disclosure by Ruth McKee is a comedic take on relationships, love, and life amidst the ever changing, volatile world of the NY real estate market. A one woman show, Full Disclosure showcases Tahiti’s own Kiwi Callahan as Sunny Smith a pregnant realtor who really really really wants you to buy the house she’s selling. Full Disclosure will run for 14 performances December 6th – 18th at The Secret Theatre in Long Island City. Tickets available here

Join us for an open house! (There WILL be cookies!!!)

#2) NEW CAMPAIGN!!!! Yup, new show means a new RocketHUB campaign. Please consider fueling FULL DISCLOSURE. Your rocket fuel will help us soar. Even small donations add up quickly so please, be a part of the show (and get some nifty rewards in the process). Take a look here:

#3) NEW CONTENT!!!! GTTP has officially entered the world of podcasts. Our first monthly installment of Tahiti Dispatches is up and available here:. If you would like to listen to the podcasts in iTunes, open iTunes, go to the advanced menu, click “subscribe to podcast” and then type or paste this URL: http://goingtotahitiproductions.com/feed It’s as easy as that! Check us out and stay tuned for monthly interviews with GTTP folks and other theater artists making a statement in NYC.

#4) NEW PARTY!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who showed up to our Season Kick-Off Party! The party was a great success and those lucky party-goers got a little preview of FULL DISCLOSURE…In fact, they got to meet Sunny Smith, in person! You too can meet Sunny in person at the show in December (see item #1 on this list).

Phew…I think that’s everything for now. We hope to see you soon!