Happy 2011 from Shiny Objects

Happy New Year from A Collection of Shiny Objects!

It has been an incredibly busy first year for the company. Our first production, THE EXILE OF PETIE DELARGE, had a successful run in Los Angeles at Son of Semele Theater, and an exciting transfer to the Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater (REDCAT) to kick-off their 2010 New Original Works Festival (NOW Fest).

A Collection of Shiny Objects and I are back in New York and back in development with new work. I have asked one of my closest friends and favorite collaborators, director Jesse Geiger, to become my partner and Co-Artistic Director. Jesse has directed shows for The Hangar Theatre and Fordham University, among others, and developed work with The Public Theatre’s Emerging Writers Group and The American Repertory Theatre Institute. Recent projects include: THE MISANTHROPE, THE BACCHAE, THORNWILDE (World Premiere) and Chuck Mee’s FULL CIRCLE. He is the recipient of a 2009 Drama League Fellowship, a 2010 New Directors New Works Seed Grant and was a finalist for the 2010 SDC Sir John Gielgud Fellowship. His production of FAN-BOY was a finalist in the 2010 Samuel French Festival.

Jesse and I have multiple projects that we are excited about in development. This December we had an intensive workshop of a project whose working title is the ‘Herculine/Caster Project’ with the support of the Drama League and The Women’s Project. ‘Herculine/Caster’ is an exploration of gender and identity that Jesse is developing with playwright Jordan Seavey, which takes its source material from the memoirs of a 19th century intersex person and the recent investigation by an international athletic body into the gender of South African track and field star, Caster Sermenya.

We are looking for a summer residency for another project, currently entitled ‘The WalMart Project’, which we are developing with playwright Gregory Moss.  We hope to incorporate object theater to explore consumerism, the individual and the new American dream by following the experiences of a young man camping out in a big box store that slowly comes to life.

Additionally, we have applied for fiscal sponsorship from Fractured Atlas. So hopefully soon we will be able to offer you a tax deduction when we ask you for a donation to support our work. In the meantime, we want you to know that we could not have had such a productive and successful first year without your support. We thank you, and hope you will continue to follow our progress!

Best Wishes for a Happy and Prosperous 2011!

Love, Liz E (and now Jesse too!)

'EXILE' continues on at REDCAT

The run of 'The Exile of Petie DeLarge' at Son of Semele Theater was tremendously successful, and I am so grateful to all the friends and intrepid theater-goers who came out to support.

What's that you say?  You were out of LA, or hiding out in June and you missed the excitement of 'Exile' bursting out of the 36-seat Son of Semele Theater?  Well, lucky you, you get a second chance! Because REDCAT (the Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater) in downtown LA is kicking of its annual New Original Works (NOW) Festival with our show, July 22-24.

Link to article from LA Times' Culture Monster on REDCAT/NOW 2010

And if you did catch the show at SOSE, come see it again at REDCAT.  As 'Exile' is a work-in-progress, we learned a lot from the 6 performances in June, and have gone back into our rehearsal process.  The result is some big changes, as we adjust to a larger space and get deeper into text and character, improve the mask work and integration of music.  We hope you like the growth of the piece as much as we do!

Now for some cool pictures from SOSE:

(in photo: Erica Bitton, Liam Springthorpe, Alexandra Kustin, Julian Evens)

(in photo, from left: Jiehae Park, Julian Evens, Liam Springthorpe)

(in photo: Julian Evens, Anne Yatco)

(in photo: Alexandra Kustin)

(in photo, from left: Jiehae Park, Julian Evens, Erica Bitton, Liam Springthorpe)

(in photo: Alexandra Kustin, Erica Bitton)

(in photo: Erica Bitton, Jiehae Park)

(in photo: Liam Springthorpe, Erica Bitton, Jiehae Park)

Rock. N. Roll.  C. U. There.

-- Liz E

'EXILE' featured in LA Stage Alliance blog

Maureen Huskey and I sat down with reporter Ashley Steed from the LA Stage Alliance's blog to talk about 'The Exile of Petie DeLarge'.

Here's an excerpt:

" There comes a time when we must grow up and become an adult. But what does that even mean?

Recent CalArts Master’s grad and founder of the production company A Collection of Shiny Objects, Elizabeth English, realized she had been fed a lot of b.s. about life and what it means to be an adult. This was the impetus for searching for a new script and a new way of storytelling.

“I wanted to produce a project of some of the things I’ve been thinking about. Artistically, personally and politically.”

About a year ago English met up with an old college friend, playwright Jennifer Barclay. “Jen said to me, ‘I wrote this play and it’s kind of a cross between A Clockwork Orange, Peter Pan and Lord of the Flies. And Peter Pan is a girl and I think it’s a musical,’” she laughs. “And I said, ‘Well that sounds interesting, I think that might be my play.’” "

Read the full article at LA Stage Alliance blog

Less Than Two Weeks!

That's right.

There are less than 2 weeks left till both THE EXILE OF PETIE DELARGE opens at Son of Semele Theater and HYPERBOLE: origins opens as a part of the Hollywood Fringe at Art/Works.

I admit it, I feel like a proud parent. I've been to rehearsals for both shows and they look fan-freakin'-tastic.

"EXILE" has sex, drugs, rock, crazy masks... and french fries.  It features the acting talents of Erica Bitton, Julian Evens, Alexandra Kustin, Jiehae Park, Liam Springthorpe & Anne Yatco, and design by Kit Stolen, E.M. Gimenez & Bryan Yu.

"EXILE" opens Friday, June 18th at 8 pm, and runs Saturday, June 19th at 2 pm & 8 pm, Friday, June 25th at 8 pm, and Saturday, June 26th at 2 pm & 8 pm.  Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here.

Son of Semele Theater is located at 3301 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004.

"HYPERBOLE" is the latest creation of award-winning Rogue Artists Ensemble, and they've opened up their process to me as Co-Producer.  "HYPERBOLE" explores a bunch of different origin stories, things that are personal to things that are mythological, with masks, puppets, video and other quirky tech gadgets.  And there are sperm puppets, you've got to see them.

"HYPERBOLE" will be running for TWO PREVIEWS ONLY Sunday, June 20th at 4 pm & 8 pm as a part of the first annual Hollywood Fringe.  Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here.

Art/Works is located at 6567-6585 Santa Monica Boulevard Hollywood, CA 90038.

See you at the shows!  -- Liz E

Announcing Performance Dates for The Exile of Petie DeLarge

Mark your calendars!  The Exile of Petie DeLarge is going into its workshop phase this month!

I couldn't be more pleased on the cast and creative team I've assembled (keep your eyes on this blog for a formal announcement of the cast list soon).

A Collection of Shiny Objects, otherwise known as my little upstart company of one, has entered into partnership with Son of Semele Ensemble through their developmental "SOSEhost" initiative.  We will be presenting workshop presentations of this all new play-with-music June 18, 19, 25 & 26 at SOSE's Silvelake theater at 3301 Beverly Blvd Los Angeles 90004.

Inspired by the iconic novels A Clockwork Orange, The Lord of the Flies and Peter Pan, tells a story of youthful rebellion, lost innocence and dark moral questions.  It features live sound and recorded music, mask and movement work, puppeted objects... and french fries. 

You don't want to miss this show.  I don't want you to miss out on this show.  Son of Semele is a small theater, and we're only doing 6 performances.  Get your tickets here now.

I also continue to be accepting donations to get this project completed.  The goal is in sight, but I am still greatful for all and any support.  If you'd like your name in the program and my serious gratitude please click the button below.

Photographing the Bradbury

My Graphic Designer/Friend/Current Housemate, Anachrolush (aka Zoe), blogs about our photo trip
to the Bradbury Building last weekend.

Research work for the graphic design for 'The Exile of Petie DeLarge'.

More at the link: Bradburying

First Reading of EXILE

Last Sunday afternoon we gathered together some actors at director Maureen Huskey's home in Los Feliz and heard the script of The Exile of Petie DeLarge for the very first time.  Our composer, Colin, and designers Kit Stolen and Martin Gimenez were also there and we started to play.

It was a very promising first reading and we are excited to continue the workshop in May.

Pictured above (from left): Jennifer Barclay (playwright) & actors: Julian Evens, Ann Yatco, Liam Springthorpe & Erica Bitton

  

Pictured below (from left): Kathleen Heverin, Julian Evens, Liam Springthorpe, Erica Bitton, Ann Yatco, Alexandra Kustin

Petie DeLarge

The internet is a fascinating place.  I went looking for inspiration and I found a picture of Petie.

Original artwork by Rik Rawling (via 'Rik Rawling's Psych Skull')

Announcing the Director for THE EXILE OF PETIE DELARGE

Beautiful, exciting, ground-breaking Maureen Huskey, who I had the pleasure of working with previously at CalArts, has agreed to lead the workshop of The Exile of Petie DeLarge by Jennifer Barclay!

More about Maureen:

Maureen Huskey is an award-winning theater director based in Los Angeles since 2006.   Most recently, she was the Assistant Director for Lenka Udovicki for UCLA Live's Medea starring Annette Bening. Maureen received the 2008-09 Princess Grace Honorarium Award for Theater Directing.  As co-creator and director of the New York based, site-specific theater group Red Dive (1996-2006), she brought audiences down Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal via pontoon boat (Peripheral City), through narrow streets of Lower Manhattan, and to historic landmarks like the Lower East Side Tenement Building to re-envision the buried stories of New York landscapes.  This cross-disciplinary, experimental work that incorporated the work of dozens of New York's emerging artists garnered her a Bessie Award for 'performance installation and new media' and support by the Creative Capital Foundation, Franklin Furnace Foundation, The Greenwall Foundation, The Puffin Foundation, The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Meet the Composer's Fund, The Heathcote Foundation, and the Foundry Theatre's Emerging Artist Award among others.
 

Maureen's original movement-theater projects in New York have been supported by Voice & Vision's Envision Development Program for Women theater artists, New Dance Alliance, The Brooklyn Arts Exchange and the New York State Council for the Arts, BRIC Studios, the Brooklyn Arts Council and through independent artist residencies through The Field, and others. Her New York directing collaborations with dance artists and small companies have been presented in such venues as The Kitchen, Dance Theater Workshop, Joe's Pub, Joyce SOHO, PS122, New Dance Alliance and HERE Arts Center.  In addition to New York and Los Angeles, Maureen's directing work has been presented in festivals in Chicago, Vancouver, San Francisco and Vienna, Austria.  She is currently a national workshop leader for the Creative Capital Foundation's Professional Development Program.  As a Rotary Fellow she received a Diploma with Merit in Drama from the University of Kent at Canterbury in England.  She holds a MFA in Theater Directing from California Institute of the Arts (2009).

Maureen has taught directing to undergraduate and graduate students at the California Institute for the Arts and led workshops in acting, movement/voice and site-specific installation to students at Western State College in Colorado, Bard College in New York through the Voice & Vision Envision Retreat, and the Brooklyn Arts Exchange.

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I'm tellin' you folks, when we get this whole thing together, it's gonna be a show you ain't gonna wanna miss.   
I'm not sayin', but I'm just sayin'.  -- Liz E

Alternate EXILE Blurb

Courtesy of the playwright --

Petie DeLarge, the great leader of the campus coup, has been exiled and the faculty of BumBums has once again taken their corrupted control of the Rummy student body. If Petie and her gang of Borgies and Bessies are going to regain leadership, they must first infiltrate campus under cover and get to bottom of the splattering suicide of sweet, flighty Wendy. An ensemble of actor/musicians rocks this tale of revolt. A Peter Pan/ Lord of the Flies/ Clockwork Orange remix with live music, mask and video.