Tag Archives: Performances

JANE AUSTEN’S PERSUASION has Opened and the Silent Auction has returned!!!!

Jenny Strassburg as Anne Elliot in JANE AUSTEN'S PERSUASION

 

Jane Austen’s Persuasion has opened!!!


Katharine McLeod as Elizabeth, Dina Ann Comolli as Lady Russell, Jenny Strassburg as Anne and Mark Montague as Sir Walter

…and, I know I’m biased and all but, Guys? Seriously? It’s a beautiful show! I couldn’t be happier with the script, the cast, the tech, the performances and the general spirit of the show. We’ve done three performances so far and the audiences are really enjoying it. Tonight begins our first crazy weekend – four shows in three days and we hope we get to see you all and that you get to see us!

I did want to give you a heads up that we have limited seating for this show – only 36 seats per performance so if you’re thinking of seeing the show this weekend, I HIGHLY recommend you get your tickets online beforehand. If there are seats available, tickets will be available at the box office, but with so few seats, there’s no guarantee.

Watching these first few performances I have been struck by the thought that I have been truly blessed with one of the best casts and crews in professional theater. Throughout the rehearsal process they didn’t bat an eye through crazy blocking choices, dance lessons, tiny backstage space, auxilliary dressing rooms…and any number of little issues that came up during the last 5 weeks…blessed I tell you, absolutely blessed!

Ashley Wickett as Mary Musgrove, Mark Montague as Charles Musgrove and Jenny Strassburg as Anne

I also wanted to mention the return of the silent auction! We still have some items which we are auctioning off (silently) during the run of the show both, in the lobby of the theater and online. If you’d like to take a gander at (or even bid on) an item, take a look at our silent auction page above, or take in the show and bid during intermission. I’ll continue to post updates online and the silent auction will close on the evening of the day of our last show (July 8th). So come on by the theater and take in Jane Austen’s Persuasion!

We’re looking forward to seeing you at The Secret Theatre! To buy tickets for Jane Austen’s Persuasion go here.

Patrick Daniel Smith as Captain Wentworth and Katharine McLeod as Louisa Musgrove

 

Another Opening, Another Show…

 

So, we open tomorrow – actually, by the time I post this it will actually be today that we open. But, before we do, I wanted to share some “day before opening” thoughts I had earlier today…

I’m sitting in an empty theater-no actors today since its equity day off-and I’m waiting for a few different crew members to arrive to take care of some last minute things before opening night. A couple of costumes that were being altered are getting dropped off, some finishes to the set are being, well, finished, the programs are being proofed…but in this moment of quiet before the storm, this pause for breath before the opening adrenaline kicks in, one thought keeps going through my head. And that is this – an empty theater is my temple, my church, my holy shrine. It is the place I’m most at home, most comfortable, most peaceful, and most me.

I remember when I was in college, my favorite place on campus was the theater. It was a massive 1500 seat auditorium but when no one was in it and there was just a bare stage with a ghost light, I could sit for hours and soak up the smell of backstage – that mixture of saw dust,  residual hairspray and, yes, sweat–the remnants of thousands of shows, thousands of possibilities and oh how I loved it! I’m not a religious person but there I could pray.

And? It turns out it doesn’t have to be an enormous auditorium for me to feel it. In this little empty black box tonight, with our 36 seats, we’re about to create something (actually we’ve been creating it for 5 weeks) and now we get to show it to you. It’s a rush, it’s a thrill, but more importantly, for me at least, it’s the reason I’m here. Nothing in the world makes quite as much sense to me as this does and I’m pretty sure that’s how most of my cast and crew feel too.

You see, I was thinking the other day that working on a show, if you’re doing it right, is like being on the island of misfit toys. We, none of us, fit in perfectly anywhere as well as we fit in with each other. And we particularly fit in when we create something for you. So we gather in darkened theaters, turn on the lights, and try to make a little magic happen, try to take you, our audience, to Tahiti…or Regency England as the case may be tomorrow. So come on out to The Secret Theatre tomorrow night and for the next two weeks and take the trip with us. This particular misfit thinks you’ll be glad you did.

Jane Austen’s Persuasion opens tomorrow (or actually probably tonight by the time you see this post – either way June 26th) and runs until July 8th. Tickets and details available on the Show and Events Page above or you can buy them here.

Also, if you want a little glimpse of (or more appropriately a listen to) Jane Austen’s Persuasion, check out my interview with the cast and adaptor of the play on the latest episode of Tahiti Dispatches (GTTP’s Podcast Series).

Loaded In…

Before I get into this week’s post, I wanted to just thanks everyone for showing up at our girst gala last weekend. It was a fantastic event filled with food, wine, live music, good company and great dancing…or, at least, enthusiastic dancing. :) And thank you to all of our sponsors. The event was a success because of your generosity!

So, now, on to tech week.

Day started with a realization of how to make a stale bagel taste almost fresh. Here’s how to do it*: Take your stale bagel and microwave it for 15 seconds. Flip it and microwave it again for 15 seconds. Take the bagel out of the microwave, cut it and toast it to desired done-ness. Put whatever topping on it you like and though it has a little bit of that rubbery texture, I challenge you to notice a huge difference between it and a fresh one…that being said, you have to start with a good, high quality bagel. Don’t grab one from dunkin donuts and expect this to work.

*this only works if you like toasted bagels.

Alas, but I digress. No actors today so we just focused on load-in, which went really well:

Costumes came first and have been set up on their rack, ready to be tried on and adjusted at the costume parade tomorrow.

Laura and I cleaned out the backstage and set up the audience into it’s performance configuration (we’re doing something a little different with the seats and we needed to test it out today.) Test went well, looking forward to bringing in the actors.

Sam arrived to start the lighting hang and focus. I’m always amazed watching lighting designers scramble up and down ladders as if there’s nothing remotely uncomfortable about being 15 feet in the air.

Then came Zeljka. We tested the projector and went over notes to make sure we’re all on the same page. It’s getting exciting, people.

Jane came around 5 to pick up costumes that need repairs and alterations and we went through costume stuff together. Tomorrow, she’ll have a new batch of alterations to contend with but we should be in pretty decent shape.

After Jane, in came Ien. She buckled down with Qlab to start getting the cues loaded in. We were doing really well until the speakers turned themselves off, so that’s a problem for tomorrow, definitely.

And finally, Becky arrived, most of the set pieces in hand.  We tested out some paint for the set and got the pieces in place.

All in all, a VERY productive day.

Looking forward to the costume parade and the movement work with Dana tomorrow…not to mention the advances each department will make in their individual techs. And with that…to bed I’m away.

Will try to post another update tomorrow. It’s wild to have so much time for tech…wild and wonderful…but I guess tech is just one of those things – no matter how much time you have, you always want one day more…

Jane herself, responds to our Gala invitation…

Dearest Lady Ammirati,

We are delighted to attend! We are just back from London. I was hardly there a minute before I could feel my morals declining. But I had to see about a dedicaton to HRH the Prince Regent.

At any rate, I have been in a great debate about my wardrobe for your ball. The white linen or the off-white? A cap or flowers? I cannot help thinking that it is more natural to have flowers grow out of the head than fruit. What do you think on the subject?

All at once, I keep telling myself, “You must really get some flounces. Are not some of your large stock of white morning gowns just in a happy state for a flounce?” Will any one attending be wearing flounces?

I was intrigued to learn from Mrs. Tickars’s young lady, to my high amusement, that the stays now are not made to force the bosom up at all; that was a very unbecoming, unnatural fashion. I was really glad to hear that they are not to be so much off the shoulders as they were. A little bit of shoulder can be too much when one passes a certain age. As Fanny Burney says, “In the first pride of youth and beauty, our attention is all upon how we are looked at. But when those begin to be somewhat on the wane – when that barbarous time comes into play, which revenges upon poor miserable woman all the airs she has been playing upon silly man – our ambition, then, is how we are listened to.

I continue quite well; in proof whereof I have bathed again this morning. It was absolutely necessary that I should have the little fever and indisposition which I had: it has been all the fashion this week in Brooklyn! I do mean to go to as many balls as possible but yours shall be very special indeed as I know of no other ball celebrating a novel made into a play. How very fashionable this shall be, quite “de rigeur”!

So, Lady, after assuring you of my good health, I remain your most obedient and humble servant,

Miss Jane Austen

 

Updates on Jane’s June…

Ok, so this blog post is a week late. I know I know – you’ve all been breathlessly anticipating an update on all things Tahiti. I can only excuse my absence from the interwebs last week by saying that in the midst of rehearsals for a show based on a book written by the queen of romance I took a week off from fictional romance to participate in real romance. Basically, last week, we added a new member to the Tahiti family – my younger sister Camilla, (whom many of you Tahiti followers know as the playwright of both In the Ebb and Skin Flesh Bone), got married last week and while I was reminiscing about (read: recovering from) an amazing party, I wasn’t in my Persuasion head space. However, a week of rehearsals and gala prep have brought me back to reality and I’m here to give you all some exciting updates!

First off – The Gala

photo by David Green

We have received an RSVP from our very own Jane Austen (actress, writer, teacher, director and producer, Karen Eterovich). Karen, whose production company Love Arm’d Productions focuses on promoting the work of Jane Austen, has written a solo show called Cheer from Chawton: A Jane Austen Family Theatrical.

Karen (seen in the photo here arriving at a different Jane Austen evening) has graciously agreed to step into Jane’s Empire Waist dress for the evening and entertain our gala attendees as Jane Austen. Personally, I’m very excited to see how Jane herself reacts to our modern age and, more interestingly, how we smartphone-toting, twitter-tweeting, facebook-posting moderns are able to blend into Jane’s world.

If you’re interested in learning more about Karen’s performances outside of our Evening with Her, hop on over to her website, here.

Everyone at GTTP, hopes you will join us and Jane for food, drinks, and dancing at our June 16th gala – it may possibly be the event of the season! Although the early bird discount has expired, tickets are still on sale online here and at the door (124 Washington Avenue in Ft. Greene Brooklyn. More details (including directions) on the event itself can be found here. AND, for those of you who really really want to come to the gala but are hesitant because you don’t have a Regency Period outfit in your wardrobe, stay tuned for an upcoming blog post where I show everyone how to dress like a Jane Austen character using clothes you already have in your closet.

Which brings me to:

The show has been cast and rehearsals have begun. The play will feature (in alphabetical order):

Dina Ann Comolli*, Katharine McLeod*, Mark Montague*, Costa Nicholas, Patrick Daniel Smith,

Jenny Strassburg*, Brad Thomason*, Ashley Wickett*

*denotes members of Actors’ Equity Association appearing in an AEA Approved Showcase.

This past week we’ve done a rough block of the whole show and tomorrow we head into a week of character work. I’m excited, with a Jane Austen story so dependent on both relationships and the unspoken, to really delve into what makes these characters tick and see how those little (and I’m sure in some cases big) discoveries affect how we play the scenes when we return to the text next week.

The other big news on the Jane Austen’s Persuasion front is that tickets for the June 26th-July 8th run, are now on sale. As with all of our shows, tickets can be purchased online at our home page, our shows and events page, or by clicking here, by phone at 866-811-4111 and at The Secret Theatre Box Office at 44-02 23rd Street, Long Island City, NY 11101. This production will mark GTTP’s fourth production at The Secret Theatre and our first in the space known as The Little Secret. Can’t wait for y’all to see it.

And, just because I think it’s so awesome and our designer Christine Diaz did SUCH an amazing job on our images, I’d like to leave you with our Jane Austen-ized version of the tahiti logo. Enjoy!

 

We’re on the Fringe, baby!

Ok, so all you eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that I missed last week’s post. I do apologize. A wonderful trip to a friend’s wedding in Los Angeles meant some of my regular duties fell by the wayside. That being said, there were some interesting and exciting developments during the last two weeks – if that’s what happens when I go away, maybe I should go on hiatus more often…

They say good things come to those who wait…what they don’t mention is that in addition to having the patience to wait for the good thing (whatever it may be) you also have to bust your a**. So for the last few months I’ve been putting in some serious leg work to take GTTP to the next level and it looks like that leg work is starting to pay off. Here’s what’s been happening in Tahiti…

First off, this didn’t happen in the last two weeks but I’m still so stoked about it that I figured I’d mention it again – I got to interview Melanie Jones! Check out our podcast interview with creator and performer, Melanie Jones.

Secondly, our JUNE 16th Gala Event, An Evening with Jane Austen, is starting to come together. We’ve got a commitment for appetizers from the amazing Brooklyn Restaurant . If you are a New Yorker and are unfamiliar with this Williamsburg restaurant, you are in for a treat. Every time I have eaten there the food has been exquisite. The place has a great atmosphere, terrific food, and fantastic drinks. Definitely check them out if you’re looking for a place to eat in Williamsburg, or, even better, check them out when you’re at the gala. Did I mention, you can get tickets to the Gala here.

And, we’ll be serving beer from . I know, not exactly Jane Austen fare, but they had beer back then, right? So what if it wasn’t Brooklyn Brewery beer. Their loss is our gain. Brooklyn is representing! And for those non-beer drinkers, never fear, there will also be wine.

Thirdly, today was the first day of auditions for Jane Austen’s Persuasion! The cast is starting to take shape and if all goes according to plan (keep your fingers crossed that all goes according to plan) we should have a cast announcement in next week’s blog post!

Fourthly, (is that a word), we got some awesome news from  This exciting and prestigious international theater festival has selected a version of GTTP’s very first show, In The Ebb, by Camilla Ammirati, to be a part of this year’s festival. Performances will be this summer in a theater in Manhattan – that’s right all you Manhattanites who have been saying, “I would totally go see a GTTP show but I don’t do Queens” – this AUGUST you’ll get your chance!!! More details will be posted on the website as they happen…and for more info on the NYC Fringe Festival itself, check out their page here.

AND, last but not least, I have a VERY exciting announcement regarding our fall/winter show…but you’ll have to wait to hear it for another week or so. Sorry, hate to cliffhang y’all but until the ink is dry on some paperwork, the (official) exciting announcement will have to wait. But seriously, guys, it’s awesome! You’ll definitely want to check back for deets soon!

…oh, and did I mention, tickets for the gala are on sale here. Also, for another week you can get them for the Early Bird reduced rate of $60 – use code GEB.

GalaTicketsGalaTicketsGalaTickets Buy gala tickets now! GalaTicketsGalaTicketsGalaTickets

 

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.

 

Cat Lady closes…what’s next…

Thank you everyone who turned out for Carrie Keskinen’s Cat Lady Without A Cat. The three performances were terrific and Carrie got some fantastic feedback from audiences for development purposes. We don’t know what’s next for Cat Lady, though it has been submitted to the FringeNYC Festival, so hopefully NY audiences will get a chance to see it again this summer.

Now that Cat Lady has closed, we will now turn our attention to a few things we’ve got in the pipeline at GTTP. First up is the one act I’m directing as part of The Secret Theatre’s One Act Festival: THE ONE ACT FACTOR

Although this is not a GTTP show, The Secret Theatre is a terrific space and they’ve been great to us. If you’re looking for a fun evening of one-acts (or 3 fun evenings of one-acts) join us at The Secret. The play I’m directing is called THE DAY JOB by Julia Blauvelt and it will be performed as part of Series B, on Friday 3/16 and Saturday 3/24.

The Secret Theatre is pleased to announce THE ONE ACT FACTOR, a brand new competition style one-act play festival held from March 15th-31st. Each week actors, playwrights and directors band together and compete to win cash prizes in Best Play, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress in a showdown similar to the popular talent shows we’ve all seen on TV. As the weeks go by, teams advance to the final rounds through audience votes. Awards are also determined by celebrity judges who will give encouragement and advice to all the contestants. This new form of one-act festival is sure to be fun for all involved: actors, directors, playwrights and audience members alike. For more details and to purchase tickets go to: www.secrettheatre.com.

Now that Cat Lady has closed and the grant applications have been submitted (for now), I can finally turn my attention to both Persuasion and the Jane Austen Gala, both of which will be happening in June. I’m about to start pre-production for the play (script should be ready on Wednesday!) and I’m in the process of securing donations from local vendors to make the gala an incredible, fun evening. So, if you know anyone with goods or services that they would like to donate for a tax deduction, please send them my way. The event will have food and wine and a silent auction and hopefully some dancing! As details are settled they’ll be posted.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in June, if not before!

 


 

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.

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?

The Party’s Over…for now…

So, as many of you already know, SKIN FLESH BONE has closed…

We had a wonderful run at the Secret Theatre and look forward to whatever new and exciting projects the future holds for GTTP.

There’s a lot of stuff brewing at Tahiti headquarters so keep checking back here or sign up for the RSS feed to get notified of new posts and new announcements from Going to Tahiti.

Last Performance of SKIN FLESH BONE, tonight!!!

For anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, tonight is your last chance to see this exciting new show from Going to Tahiti Productions. Join us in Long Island City (a 15 minute subway ride from Midtown) at 8pm. Tickets are available at the box office door. For more details, check out: http://goingtotahitiproductions.com/skin-flesh-bone/

See you tonight at the show!!!!

Sad news for the SKIN FLESH BONE family…

Last weekend, Laura Bultman, our beloved Stage Manager, suddenly lost her grandmother. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Laura as she heads to Guatemala for the funeral. Laura is such an instrumental force in Going to Tahiti Productions and her absence for these few performances will be acutely felt. I will do my best to perform her duties in her absence, but know I can’t come close to filling her shoes. I apologize in advance for missed or late light and sound cues and want it known that they are my mistakes and not hers.

Travel safe, Laura! We love you and look forward to your return!

“It’s better than SPIDERMAN!”

SKIN FLESH BONE has opened and the audiences loves it. One attendee saw SPIDERMAN THE MUSICAL the night before and preferred the characters, the script, the performances, the set, the sound design, and the costumes of SFB to that other little show that recently opened in this big bad town.

Laurel Lockhart in a scene from SKIN FLESH BONE

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SFB Performances continue through June 25th. For details go to: http://goingtotahitiproductions.com/skin-flesh-bone/

 

TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE ONLINE AT:

https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/834315

or by calling Ovationtix at 866-811-4111.

David Eiduks* and Maria Silverman* in a scene from SKIN FLESH BONE

Performances are:

Thursday, 6/16 at 8pm

Friday, 6/17 at 8pm

Saturday, 6/18 at 2pm

Saturday, 6/18 at 8pm

Sunday, 6/19 at 2pm

Sunday, 6/19 at 8pm

Tuesday, 6/21 at 8pm

Wednesday, 6/22 at 8pm

Thursday, 6/23 at 8pm

Friday, 6/24 at 8pm

Saturday, 6/25 at 8pm

 

Kiwi Callahan and Gavin Alexander Hammon in a scene from SKIN FLESH BONE

 

 

 

OPENING NIGHT!!!!

It’s time to play the music…It’s time to light the lights…

The set is up, the lights are on, the sound cues are loaded and the actors are ready to go! That must mean it’s opening night. Join us tonight at the Secret Theatre for opening night of SKIN FLESH BONE.

As a special bonus, immediately after the performance tonight there will be a talkback with members of the cast and crew.

For details and tickets click herehttp://goingtotahitiproductions.com/skin-flesh-bone/