Some things are important: Slant Culture Theatre Festival

Some things are just important.

The Slant Culture Theatre Festival is one of those things.

It's important because we are a theater-loving, arts-supporting community, and we deserve something like this.

It's important because we're the home of the Humana Festival, and we should have a home-grown equivalent.

Side note: the Humana Festival 2013 schedule was announced today. Check out Erin Keane's coverage here. The exciting news is that, except for an anthology performance, all the playwrights featured are new to the Fest.

I'm not going to reinvent the wheel in this post. I already covered the Slant Culture Fest in an article for the Louisville Paper. Check it out here.

But it is important. We should support it. We want it to come back next year and for many years to come. It features five of the best and most exciting local theatre companies in rep, including my beloved Le Petomane performing my favorite play of theirs, 5 THINGS. (Also, check out Le Petomane's snazzy new website!)

I went to the launch and heard the fabulous Joel Henderson and the 40 Gallon Baptist and the sublime Cheyenne Marie Mize. I saw 5 THINGS and BUY THE BOOK last night.

There's still a full week left. Get a day pass, a weekend pass, or a pass for the whole shebang. You'll want to check out more than just one thing.

But, go. Support. Enjoy. We deserve this.

Louisville, Not Kentucky-- Episode 2!

Oh goodness, people, Linda Golden and I have so much fun recording and editing the "Louisville, Not Kentucky" podcast... We laugh like crazy ladies. CRAZY. LADIES. I daresay we cackle.

And at some point, we're going to be savvy enough to save our outtakes. Outtakes Episode One would be the two of us just saying "ummmm" for, like, a whole twenty-minute podcast. Outtakes Episode Two would be titled "Linda Sounding Bored With What Melissa Is Talking About." I don't think she's actually bored, but you should hear the way she says "okaaaay" sometimes. Outtakes Episode Three would be "Melissa Stutters Until She Can Find The Word She's Looking For." Fan-freaking-tastic.

In some ways, podcast editing is made of awesome... you get to take your crummy-sounding jibberjabber and make it sound beautifully polished. Like Photoshopping a picture of yourself in a bathing suit.  In some ways, though, it reinforces your ingrained insecurities. Do I really sound like that? (Actually, one of the odd revelations I've had via podcasting is that my recorded voice sounds almost exactly like my cousin Beth's voice. Genetics? Whackadoo!)

I can't thank y'all enough for listening to Episode One. Being out and about around town these past couple of weeks has been crazy weird. Meeting utter strangers who've listened to the podcast?? So fantastic and odd.

If Episode Two of the "Louisville, Not Kentucky" podcast sounds a little rougher and-- let's face it-- sillier than Episode One, I place the blame squarely on the shoulders of our guest bartender for our "What Are We Drinking?" segment. Awesome Louisvillager, WFPL's Gabe Bullard (and Mr. Linda Golden) pours a mighty Tom Collins. Yep, you can definitely hear us descend into goofiness as the podcast progresses. Who knew that the band name "Jukebox the Ghost" could be such a tongue-twister??

In Episode Two you'll hear: an extended (pre-Tom Collins loopiness) tangent about me, Tom Jones, and a Samoan prince; about duck slides (and chick incubators) at the Kentucky State Fair; my report about the World Championship Dainty Contest; more about GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES from Theatre [502]; a Shark Week correction; upcoming calendar info about The Moth and HMS Pinafore at the Iroquois Amphitheater... and more.

Tiny Review: Gruesome Playground Injuries

It's always a bit of a crapshoot when, as a blogger, you choose to throw your support behind (ie. write a post/several posts about) something you haven't experienced yet.

I knew it wouldn't be a mistake to make Theatre [502] July's Non-Profit of the Month-- in fact, I approached them. Every production of theirs that I've seen has been amazing. Gil and Mike and Amy are inspiring. They cast stellar actors and choose complicated and literary scripts.

But, I have to be honest, I spent all month promoting their production of GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES... and I worried a little. What if it was their first dud?

I'm so happy to report that I saw the play on opening night... and was floored.  It was SO good. Leah Roberts and Mike Brooks were perfectly cast. I've seen Leah in a bunch of plays, but in GRUESOME, she outdid herself. I laughed, I cried. Gil Reyes, the director, elevated an already poignant script with his staging.

The story tracks Kayleen and Doug from age 8 to age 38-- non-chronologically-- through their various injuries and illnesses and disorders. A two-person play is so hard to carry off, but a play with this much pain and drama... I'm stunned at how measured these performances were. Brooks and Roberts perform 95% of their transformations from age to age onstage-- stripping off clothes, applying stage make-up-- in under 60-second, perfectly soundtracked (kudos, Scott Anthony) vignettes. Reyes milked so much character out of a simple "costume changes should occur on stage" stage direction... sweet and gorgeous and brilliant.

There are three more shows. Don't miss it! Tonight (August 6) and Friday & Saturday, August 10 & 11. All at 8p at the Victor Jory Theatre at Actors Theatre. Reserve tickets here-- opening night was nearly a sell-out; I'm sure it will get nothing but busier.

Guest Post: Gil Reyes Reports on Gruesome Playground Injuries

Gil Reyes, who wrote this post, is one of the founders of Theatre [502]. We here at My Loueyville thank him and the group for being our first Non-Profit of the Month. Can't wait to see this play-- xo Lou.


Now here's Gil:

When staring at a stack of recent and relevant plays, it’s easy to decide to read the one titled Gruesome Playground Injuries first, but impossible to know that it would be the one that stayed with you the longest. It’s everything you want from the title and a whole bunch of wonderful unexpectedness too.

Yes, as a Co-Artistic Director for Theatre [502] I want to entice you to spend an hour and a half with me in early August. I want to show you eight pivotal, intimate (and possibly gruesome) moments in the lives of Kayleen and Doug, as they made their ways from the day they met on at age 8 to the day they met at age 38. But as Gil Reyes, who remembers the first time he read [end of play] and put Gruesome Playground Injuries down - I don’t want to give too much away.

So below is what I hope will be a treat for Melissa’s loyal followers and [502]’s soon to be audience: insight and foreshadowing in the form of a fictional school report card. As with theatre, you have to suspend your disbelief a bit, since a) no school would issue one progress report to two individuals and b) no school would allow the drama teacher to substitute teach science.

English: Unfortunately Kayleen will have an incomplete until she turns in this semester’s term paper. Despite being able to draw from any number of the readings, including Romeo and Juliet, The Four Loves, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, and The Scarlet Letter, Kayleen insists that the broad subject of “Love” is unworthy of a 20-page paper. It’s a shame, as she received high marks in participation for the first time this year reading scenes from A Streetcar Named Desire in class for extra credit.

Phys Ed: While I cannot penalize Kayleen for being excused from the semester by her doctor, I can’t say that avoiding physical activity altogether is healthy. Still, it’s better than sitting on the sidelines all semester because of a snow cone-related concussion.

History: Doug has an exceptional memory for historical events, even recalling details from outside sources, but seems at a loss when asked to place them in the proper timeline. Have you had Doug properly examined after the head injury he suffered shaving ice at the spring carnival? Or perhaps tested for ADD?

Science: I’ve been thinking of Kayleen and Doug as two atoms in one volatile molecule. As celestial bodies in dangerously concurrent orbits. They are powerfully equal. Constantly in motion. Inexorably linked. Their existence requires balance. Their future requires timing. Their story demands attention.

If you want to know how these two crazy kids end up, you’re just going to have to come by the Victor Jory Theatre at ATL August 3, 4, 6, 10, and 11 at 8pm and catch a performance of Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph. We keep our tickets at a reasonable $15 and we welcome community engagement in the form of memberships. Check out the website for details: www.theatre502.org

New Feature: Non-Profit of the Month

One of the many things I love about Louisvillagers is their willingness to come together and share ideas. The idea for Non-Profit of the Month sprang from a conversation I had during a lunch with the lovely and talented Robyn Sekula in late May. So next time you see her, thank her.

Each month for the foreseeable future, My Loueyville will feature an ad and promoted content from a non-profit that I believe in and want to celebrate.  On the website, you'll see a prominent ad and throughout the month, the blog will feature guest posts, contests, and/or special posts related to that non-profit.

I'm so excited that our first Non-Profit of the Month is Theatre [502]. I love these people, and I admire what they're doing for the Louisville theatre scene.  Keep your eyes out over the next couple of days for a post about why I asked Theatre [502] to be my first Non-Profit of the month. We'll also have guest posts from people involved in their upcoming play, Gruesome Playground Injuries, and ticket giveaways for that show.

Do you work for or have a favorite LOCAL non-profit that you'd like to nominate for Non-Profit of the Month? Send me a brief email (this isn't an essay contest) at lou@loueyville.com telling me why your non-profit should be featured and giving me a couple of ideas of blog posts I could write about that non-profit over the course of the month.

I'm really excited about this series, and I'm so happy to have Theatre [502] on board!

{LOL, I just Googled NPOTM (Non-Profit of the Month) to make sure it wasn't dirty or anything-- you have to do that these days!!-- and it's already the acronym for a fairly popular blog called Nail Polish of the Month. I guess we can share.}

[502]: Season 2 Announced!

Last year, Theatre [502] had its debut season-- and what a season it was! I'm still kicking myself for missing their first play, but HUNTER GATHERERS and BROADSWORD were brilliant. When I opened up an emailed press release from Theatre [502] just a minute ago and read that their season starts JUNE 1-- SO SOON!!-- I did a little happy dance in my chair.

Last season I had the privilege of interviewing two of [502]'s Co-Artistic Directors and Founders for two separate articles for The Paper-- Mike Brooks and Amy Attaway.  (Watch out, Gil Reyes, I'm coming for you soon!) Read the article on Mike for more about Theatre [502]'s inception.

Without further ado... here are the synopses for the three plays that are [502]: Season 2...

[502]: Season 2 will open June 1, 2012, with FUTURA by Jordan Harrison, directed by Attaway. A dangerous lecture on typography turns deadly in a not-so-distant future where the page has been absorbed by the Cloud and the author has lost all authority. Words quickly become action in this dystopian thriller from the author of Humana Festival premieres Kid Simple and Maple and Vine. The play will run June 1-9 in the Victor Jory Theatre at Actors Theatre of Louisville.

In August, the company will present GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES by Rajiv Joseph, directed by Theatre [502] Co-Artistic Director Gil D. Reyes. Romeo and Juliet have nothing on the often funny, possibly tragic, and always gripping tale of Kayleen and Doug. They’ve suffered life’s slings and arrows, its heartbreaks, its electrocutions and its blunt force traumas. Now, about to hit 40, and no more certain than ever of their place in the world, they spin the yarn of two lives that began in a schoolyard, criss-crossed through the decades, and hurt like hell the whole time. Performances will run August 3-11 in the Victor Jory Theatre at Actors Theatre of Louisville.

The final full-length production of the season will be THE ALIENS by Annie Baker, directed by Theatre [502] Co-Artistic Director Mike Brooks. Three geniuses on the outside looking out pass a shaky summer in a staff-only area, where their worlds change slowly under an exploding sky. Are they The Aliens? The New Humans? Or are they just like you? Bukowski meets Beckett in this unforgettable suckerpunch comedy that whispers to scream. Performances will run October 5-13 in the Victor Jory Theatre at Actors Theatre of Louisville.

Visit www.theatre502.org for more information. Do not miss these plays... 

An Embarrassment of Theater Riches: Le Petomane, Theater [502], Walden

I know I blog a lot about theater and have a lot of friends in local theater, but I'm still not necessarily wise to the ways of theater people. One question that's been at the forefront of my mind lately is: why does it always seem a "feast or famine" issue for local theater here in Louisville? Who decides what a "season" looks like, time-wise? Who makes these schedules? I know many of the local theater companies participate in group auditions; why is it that these same companies don't participate in a group scheduling workshop at the beginning of each year?

I voiced this concern yesterday to Roommate, and he said, "You should do it."

Turns out he misunderstood what I was saying. He thought that I was saying that someone be in charge of keeping a master schedule of what's going on when and where in theater in Louisville. Not necessarily a bad idea, but that wasn't the point that I was trying to make. I was saying that someone should be the gatekeeper of that schedule. When he said, "You should do it," my wheels started to turn, and I imagined myself in a dark leather wing chair behind a massive desk, perhaps stroking a white Persian cat, with the leaders of all the local theater groups assembled before me waiting patiently while I doled out Louisville theater calendar real estate.

So, Louisville Theater professionals, I'm just putting this out there. If you need a Godmother of Theater Calendar Dispersal, you just let me know, okay?

Because maybe if I was the Godmother of Theater, we wouldn't have the glut of absolutely fantastic theater offerings that awaits us in the coming weeks.  We could spread out our theater love a bit more. (And right before the holidays, too, when we're all paying a little more attention to our pocket books and our discretionary spending...)

The must-see theater over the next couple of weeks...

First up, we have Le Petomane's A VERY SPECIAL HOLIDAY SPECIAL (with new special short masked piece, EN ROUTE).  I am terribly late to the Le Petomane bandwagon, I'm afraid. After years of hearing nothing but good things about them from friends and from the LEO Best of's, I finally got to check out 5 THINGS, their most recent show, and write an article about them for The Paper. And now I'm a believer. I have to admit, I liked the three people from Le Petomane that I interviewed so much that I fretted about seeing the show. I wanted them to be as smart and fun and funny on stage as they were in person, and they were... in spades. From their press release:

A Very Special Holiday Special features all you would expect from a Le Petomane season-appropriate outing: snappy tunes; a giant atomic beast crushing cities; baffled scientists pointing skyward and shouting. And a message of love. It isn’t Plan 9 from the North Pole; it isn’t Rankin-Bass’s Godzilla; but it’s not far away.

A VERY SPECIAL HOLIDAY SPECIAL runs from November 9-20 (dark on the 15th) at the Bard's Town Theatre at 730p. Tickets are a sliding scale of $8-$20. For more information visit: www.lepetomane.org

My work with The Paper also led me to interview Mike Brooks, the director of the second of Theatre [502]'s shows, HUNTER GATHERERS. And I had a similar "I like you so much, please don't suck" feeling when finally seeing the show. Again, Mike is smart and thoughtful in person, and his directing absolutely did not disappoint.  Theatre [502]'s third show launches at the Parkside Studios inside of Iroquois Amphitheater November 11, 12, 14, 18, and 19 at 8pm. BROADSWORD, directed by Amy Attaway, is billed as a "Heavy Metal Play." From their press release:

Four former friends have gathered to mourn the puzzling disappearance of one of their own. What dark secrets of their heavy metal youth still scrape and bang in the basements of their lives? Their childhood dreams of rock and roll glory long fallen by the wayside, the former line-up of the shoulda-coulda-woulda band find themselves in an awkward, maybe even sinister reunion gig. Richie disappeared late one night leaving nothing but the smell of ozone - or was it sulfur? - and his partners in rock may hold the only key to his salvation. Now, pitted between two mysterious strangers, the guys must decide: do they have the strength to burn out, or will they just fade away?

I saw the joint Theatre [502]/Le Petomane staged reading of IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE at the Parkside Studios, and I'm so excited to see how they use the space (it's a climate-controlled space on the Amphitheater stage) for a full production. This is another don't-miss-it show. More info at www.theatre502.org

Is that not enough for you?  Wait! There's more!

From the Walden website:

Phantom Band is Walden Theatre’s latest Slant Culture Series play. A laboratory for new plays by rising playwrights that feature complex teen characters, the Slant Culture Series encourages young actors to seek inspiration from a fresh, inward angle. Previous selections include The Disappearance of Daniel Hand by Dan O’Brien, My So-Called So-Called Life by David Murray, and the powerful, tragic When In Disgrace (Haply I Think on Thee) by Damon Krometis.

I saw and loved SO-CALLED and WHEN IN DISGRACE, and I'm a huge, huge fan of the Slant Culture Series because of it. I always try to make it out to as many Walden plays as possible, but that this play is also directed by Alec Volz makes this a must-see for me. Performances are at Walden November 10, 11 at 8pm and Nov 12, 17, 18, 19 at 7:30p and 12 & 19 at 2pm. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students/seniors. More info: www.waldentheatre.org

Three can't-miss theater productions in two weeks. Louisville, you're an embarrassment of theater riches!

(I have to admit, though, that I'm a little ticked off... all shows close by the 20th, and Mama Lou is visiting from the Northern Hinterlands starting the 21st! Booo!)

It Can't Happen Here: One Night Only

In honor of the 75th anniversary of the Federal Theatre Project, two theatre groups here in Louisville are uniting for a reading of Sinclair Lewis's IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE.

Le Petomane and Theatre [502] will be offering a staged reading at the Iroquois Amphitheater at the Parkside Studio on Monday, October 24 at 8pm.  Tickets are just $1 and are available at us@lepetomane.org or 502-609-2520.

Last I heard, there are more than thirty local actors lined up for this reading, directed by Le Petomane's Greg Maupin.

This past weekend, I caught Theatre [502]'s HUNTER GATHERERS at the Victor Jory, which was rich and dark and delightful.  There are still three showings left of HUNTER GATHERERS-- go, go, go! (But note that the content is decidedly adult). And I'm already on record as being a (tragically late) recent convert to the wonderfulness of Le Petomane.

There's no way I would miss this reading based on those credentials alone.  The fact that they are repurposing an outdoor theatre space and creating a more intimate, quasi-indoor setting? So interesting!

Hunter Gatherers @ The Victor Jory Theatre

I've been so busy lately with Meatspace Workplace things, that I've fallen behind on my blogging. Most notably, I've failed to mention that the October issue of The Louisville Paper is now on newsstands (well, mostly coffee shops and bookstores) and online. That includes my article on the absolutely delightful Mike Brooks of Theatre [502]. Page three, kiddos!  Mama's moving up in the world!

Once you read the article, you're going to want to go see Brook's directorial debut with Theatre [502], HUNTER GATHERERS by Peter Sinn Nachtieb, author of last year's Humana Fest's BOB. The show launches at the Victory Jory Theatre at Actors Theatre and runs October 14, 15, 17, 21, and 22.

From the Press Release:

Four friends come together to celebrate their shared wedding anniversary with dinner, wine and a hilarious and perhaps shocking journey into the human heart — nasty, brutish thing that it is.

Familiar concerns unveil themselves throughout the civilized event...until Richard decides to take the slow food movement to a new and brutal level, and Wendy reveals the lengths to which she’ll go to create offspring. The four are left to navigate the evening with whatever skills and strengths evolution has allowed them.

Hunter Gatherers features Sarah East, Joseph Hatfield, Eli Keel, and Leah Roberts.

HUNTER GATHERERS tickets are $15. Check out their website for details.