Archive for August, 2007
The Prague Playhouse Short Play Readings continue this month with
“Powder”
by Adam Preston
Based on stories that have become part of local legend in the Helford district in the west of England, ‘Powder’ is a short play about passionate love of the sea and independence. It is also a eulogy to a lost world. A world of wooden boats so beloved they have hearts and souls, a world where, from dawn to dusk, the eye would see only beauty – and a world of riverside characters as indigenous and authentic as the curlews that fed off the tidal mudflats.
The reading will take place Friday, September 7th at the Gusto Restaurant (downstairs), Vinohradska 83, Prague 2 at 19:30 (one block towards Museum from Jiriho z Podebrad). The play should take about 30 minutes to read. The author will be present for a question and answer session with the audience will follow the reading. Entrance is 50 Kc.
Directed by:
David Fisher
With:
David Fellowes, David Fisher and Stephen Evonuk
Future readings:
“The Sacred Sow” by Elleanor Cummins
“Vanishing Point” by Felix Meadowsweet
“The Relievers” by Brandon Swanson
About the readings:
The plays presented here are selected from entries to the Prague Post Playwriting Contest. The series is intended to give playwrights an opportunity to get a lot of hands-on feedback on their work through working with actors, directors and listening to audience comments. The readings should be considered “works-in-progress” and as a way to be involved in the process of working on a script. If you are interested in having your play in the series or in being a part of the production team, please call me at 608 577 012.
Hope to see you there!
August 30th, 2007
Since last year’s play contest, reading so many plays, it has become clear to me that good roles for women are very few and far-between. I was also struck by the number of women actors in our community who were underserved by the plays we were doing. To remedy this, Lana Likic, Charissa Huff and I started to plan a production which will feature women actors.
With that in mind, I’m pleased to announce auditions for “Talking With…” by Jane Martin, a set of 11 monologues for actresses of all ages. From the Samuel French Bookshop page: “These extraordinary monologues received a standing ovation at Louisville’s Actors Theatre. Idiosyncratic characters amuse, move and frighten, always speaking from the depths of their souls. They include a baton twirler, a fundamentalist snake handler, an ex rodeo rider and an actress willing to go to any length to get a job.”
We really like the variety and depth of the roles here and also that, as a collection of monologues, the play will be easier on people’s schedules.
The audition will be from 14:00 - 17:00 Sunday Sept 2 at Marakova 8, near Hradcanska metro. Buzzer: CASTING. You should be prepared to do some improvisation and read from a sample monologue. Please bring a headshot and resume if you have one (we will take pictures there if not). We would like to schedule the auditions to space people out. You can call Charissa at 737 402 204 to schedule an audition.
The performance dates are still being finalized, but we are looking at late October / early November.
I hope to see you at the audition!
Brian
August 29th, 2007
The Prague Playhouse is about to embark on its 2007/2008 season. We have 4 projects picked out and are very excited about doing the productions. We are focusing this year on a seasonal outlook rather than a project to project outlook. We feel like this will provide stability and a sense of long term direction and will help counter the lull that follows each completed project. To that end, we have identified three major areas where we need people to help out. If you are interested in working in any of these areas, especially if you have prior experience, please let me know. Also, let me know how much time you would be able to spend working as well as how long you want to commit for (we don’t want anyone to feel trapped!).
The areas we’re going to be focusing on are:
PUBLICITY
- this would be everything from poster/graphic design to writing press releases, hanging up posters, passing out fliers, sending emails to the audience mailing list, keeping track of media deadlines and listings, helping to write and publish project descriptions on the website. In general, getting people excited about coming to our shows.
FUNDRAISING
- Pretty self-explanitory. Getting sponsors, finding grants, people to advertise in the programs / fliers, identifying and securing partners for bartering goods and services, company treasurer, helping with the play budgets. We will encourage people to do this hard work by providing a commission on what you bring in.
STAGE MANAGEMENT / TECHNICAL CREW
- In a broader sense, the stage management team is responsible for things like bringing in props, costumes, sets, makeup and lighting. Anyone who would be interested in working behind the scenes on a project would want to be in this area. This area is also responsible for maintaining contacts with venues and partner theaters (who could provide props and costumes). The company stage manager maintains the schedule, when each project should be having auditions, starting rehearsals, etc, and should be seen as the resident butt-kicker. On a project level, the stage manager oversees the schedule of the project as well as the technical team.
I really hope that you will want to join us in building a really great, resilient theater company that will last long into the future! If you have any questions, please feel free to call me 608 577 012 or email. If you have any suggestions, I’d be more than happy to hear them!
Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you,
Brian
August 22nd, 2007
MILOCO presents A Macbeth..
We’re inviting people this week to our space in Letna
for a look at our new play produced with Guy Roberts
and the Austin Shakespeare Festival.
Performances are this week: 16th, 17th, 18th at 20:00
each night. Tickets are very limited and will be pre-sold.
Write reserve@miloco.cz or call 720 521 894 to arrange.
(Act fast as the the shows will soon sell out. )
Celebrating a triumphant return to its Shakespearean roots, Miloco, is proud to present the European premiere of Guy Roberts’ Award-winning American production of Macbeth for a special limited engagement of only three performances: August 16, 17, 18 @ 8pm.
Divadlo Miloco is a theatre ensemble based in Prague, dedicated to creating new theatre. Since 1998, Divadlo Miloco has focused on building a dynamic company of international theatre artist to meet the challenge of creating theatre that is dynamic in form and relevant in content.The Artistic Director of the Austin Shakespeare Festival in Texas and the Mermaid Theatre Company, Roberts directs and plays the title role in his production that was nominated for 14 B. Iden Payne and Austin Critic’s Circle Awards for Theatrical Excellence. Of his production of Macbeth Roberts says, The play to me is a nightmare - Macbeth’s nightmare. The images of death and God, Christianity and paganism reverberate even with today’s apathetic and skeptical audiences. When Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both renounce God and their own morality and willingly embrace darkness to achieve their desires it is thrilling. What also fascinates me is the dynamics between the public Macbeths and the private Macbeths. The entire play is dominated by the urgency of time. So it is no accident that Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s shortest plays. The events tumble forth so quickly the audience as well as Macbeth is powerless to stop them. Macbeth tears into this play the same way he tears into enemies on the battlefield. It is a desperate, frenzied attempt to understand who exactly his enemies are and where they hide. Desperate for a legacy he doesn’t have, desperate for the private affection his wife displays in public, desperate for understanding, desperate for power, desperate to be recognized for his skills and abilities. Lady Macbeth is desperate also and much more than just a leathal combination of beauty, magnetism, and ambition. When onstage Lady Macbeth realizes that nothing has succeed, “Nought’s had, all’s spent.” We, the audience, see a life fade. A hope extinguished. I believe the Macbeths are Shakespeare s most intimate, loving couple.
Seating is limited and only advance reservations and ticket sales will be accepted. No walk-ups will be permitted.
DATES & TIMES: AUGUST 16, 17, 18 @ 8:00pm
LOCATION: L’Espace - Milady Horakove 39
TIME: 20:00 - Show starts at 20:15
TICKET PRICE: 150 CZK
INFO:
www.miloco.cz or 720 521 894
reserve@miloco.cz (MUST BE MADE 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE)
This production is sponsored in part by Prague TV, the City of Austin under the auspices of the Austin Arts Commission, the Austin Shakespeare Festival and the Mermaid Theatre Company.
August 13th, 2007
Dear Actors,
I am teaching a casting workshop in Prague next month, for
actors wishing to develop and improve their casting skills.
I have attached the announcement and given details below.
Best Wishes,
Nancy Bishop
Casting Workshops
for actors and students
American Casting Director, Nancy Bishop, is offering two
casting workshops for actors interested in working in
American and British films. The workshops, taught in
English, will focus on strategies and approaches for film
casting.
CASTING WORKSHOP I: will cover how actors can present
themselves, what directors look for from actors, and how to
tackle dialogue in a casting. Participants will watch and
critique actual castings, and perform a scene from a film
script for camera. Everyone will get one on one coaching
with Nancy.
ADVANCED CASTING WORKSHOP: For returning students there is
the Advanced Workshop. Anyone who has taken Wo rkshop I and
wishes to continue practising scene work for camera may
attend. This class explores scene analysis and performances
in a variety of genres.
Each actor will perform two scenes from different genres
(for example one Sci Fi and one comedic).
Nancy Bishop is a Casting Director in Prague. Over the
past ten years she has cast European-based actors in nearly
fifty American and British films shot in Central Europe,
including Bourne Identity, AnneFrank the Whole Story,
Hitler the Rise of Evil, xXx, Bad Company, and Blade II,
The Illusionist and currently Narnia II.
Cost: 2,000kc (70EU) for one workshop or 3500Kc (125EU)
for both workshops
Time: 12:00 – 18:00
Date: Saturday, 25 Aug, Workshop I
Sunday, 26 Aug, Advanced Workshop
Place: Studio Storm, Biskupsky Dvur 1, Prague 1, Between
Nam. Republiky and Florence Metro stops.
Information: www.nancybishopcasting.com
Please register by sending an e mail to:
workshops@nancybishopcasting.com. Please send your name,
email address and telephone number.
August 13th, 2007