Collaboraction

A note from the delightful Amy Speckien; Actress in SKETCHBOOK 8's The Lurker Radio Hour

Hi, I'm Amy Speckien (prounounced Spuh-keen).  I've been told I no longer look like my headshot but I can't afford new ones. Such is the life of an actor.  These headshots are coming up on five years old-that means they're the same headshots I used the first time I auditioned for SKETCHBOOK about 4 years ago.

I remember my first SKETCHBOOK audition clearly-which is weird. Usually I get done with an audition and make a beeline for the nearest bar. I drink bloody mary's until the audition is fuzzy like a dream and I can honestly question whether it really happened or not. That's the only way I can sleep at night after an audition.  Anyway, I digress.

For the audition we were asked to do thirty seconds of anything. I wanted to show that I was creative but not come off as super weird.  On the recommendation of a friend I stayed up late memorizing that song that lists all the United States in alphabetical order.  I went to bed as the sun was coming up (it's a really hard song to learn!)  and when I woke up I realized that I didn't want to sing that state song at all. I thought if given the chance to be funny, I should be funny. But how? I drank a boat load of coffee, showered, and threw on my "look at me, I'm quirky" plaid pants that I wear to every comedic audition ( I still wear the same pants to this day...can't afford new quirky pants, either) and hit the road. On the way from Lincoln Square to the Chopin I was racking my brain for an audition idea. I think I even prayed for the first time since my parents made me. I didn't come up with ideas. I got to the Chopin. As I was fishing in my purse for quarters for the meter I was so nervous that my hand was shaking. Or maybe it was from the coffee. Anyway, I walked in, gave them my name and sat down on the couch, still with shaky hands, no audition idea in mind. Then I thought, "I wish I was drunk."  Then I thought, "Well, I know all the words to Glory Days...."  Then they called my name.

I walked into the theater and looked out at the auditors.  My first thought was that there were a crap ton of people.  My second thought was that they were all really young and seemed happy to be there. What??!! I was confused as I announced that for my audition I'd be singing 'Glory Days' like I was drunk. It was one of the best received auditions I've ever had. I got pretty lucky for not having prepared anything, at all. I didn't drink bloody mary's afterwards.

I was cast in the ensemble piece 'Beauty and Light' directed  by Co ach Moseley.  I call him Coach because he can frequently be found trying to positively motivate large groups of people at a high volume of speech. Through Beauty and Light I learned that well done ensemble pieces can be more rewarding than straight pieces  with leads and supporting cast and such.  I did ensemble pieces the next two years and not only did I have a great time but I think I know every single actor in Chicago now. I get a lot of "Evites". This year I have lines.  It's super weird.

Since Beauty and Light, SKETCHBOOK has become part of my summer lineup.  Ribfest, beer gardens, the 4th of July at my parents' cabin, and SKETCHBOOK .  Yum...Ribfest.  Yum, Sketchbook.

(Amy Speckien (Left)  and Will Clinger (Right) in
The Lurker Radio Hour by Drew Dir and Directed by Karin Shook
presented in Program A of The 8th Annual SKETCHBOOK
June 15 - July 15, 2008 at The Merle Reskin Garage Theatre)

A note from Joanie Schultz, Director of Treadmills

This year, 2008, marks my fifth Collaboraction Sketchbook.

My first Sketchbook was in 2001, when I directed a play called Room 21, a quirky little play with very little text.  A woman organizing the contents of her suitcase in a small motel in the middle of nowhere finds a shotgun under her bed, plays with it, and returns it to the hotel manager.  In this very short play I saw a woman leaving something behind, trying to figure out something about herself while in a moment of transition in her life, considering violence, and deciding that was not the choice for her.  And who was that motel manager?  Just a creepy guy?  Some embodiment of God?  The piece ended up as a strange comedy, supported by the sound of a ticking clock adding foreboding doom, and an uncomfortable strangeness that felt reminiscent of a moment in a David Lynch movie. 

That was 2001—I was just out of college, and ecstatic that Collaboraction took a chance on me.  And years later, here in 2008 I am out of graduate school and developing the next part of my career as a theater artist.  And why do I keep returning to Collaboraction to direct these sketches?  4 main reasons:

1. Collaboractions’ Sketchbook allows me to experiment and pursue my interests.  Room 21 was created at a time when I was experimenting with duration: how long could I hold an audience’s attention on to one moment?  Last year I directed Michael John Garcés’ good to you, and open text which I adapted for 5 men, each a different version of the same man, retelling a mysterious story for a man with a gun in one crazy fractured moment of tension and fear.  I was experimenting with breaking apart one character into different versions.  This piece was incredibly rewarding to create with my very talented ensemble of men.
2. I’ve worked with some incredibly talented people at Sketchbook, including the Collaboraction crew themselves.  The energy, imagination, and fearlessness invested in Sketchbook is immeasurable.  I’ve worked with great playwrights like Itamar Moses for this year’s Treadmills and fantastic actors like Michael Shannon a couple of years ago in Should’ve Never by Adam Rapp.  The designers are always top-notch at Collaboraction.  It’s been a great joy to work with them over the years.
3. I’ve gotten to do a very wide-range of work with Collaboraction.  From realistic family drama (tell her that), to romantic comedy (Treadmills), to monologue play with song and fight (Should’ve Never), to quirky moment play (Room 21), and whatever it was I did last year (good to you), I look back on the body of Sketchbook work I’ve done with such pride and excitement in the variety of ways I’ve gotten to express myself through the medium of sketch.
4. Working with the other directors, seeing other directors and writers stretch themselves in this manner, and having a place that unifies us under one roof once a year is essential to the creative community.  I’ve met tons of other directors doing Sketchbook that I have considered friends for many years now, and continue to meet new people every time.  When I’m not working in a sketchbook, I always attend it to see people and new work, and because of the fluidity that Sketchbook always supplies between audience and show, even when I’m not creating for it, when I arrive there I feel part of it.

Having said all of this, I’d like to say a word specifically about Treadmills, which is in Program A of this year’s Sketchbook.  It’s a funny and smart play about a couple at a gym who are discussing whether or not to move in together.  The metaphor of the treadmills plays in the speed in which the couple are moving and whether or not they’re on the same page.  It’s a great little play, featuring two incredibly talented actors, Tracey Kaplan and Mike McNamara who have a very juicy little scene to play with each night.  What’s even more fun is watching these two actors navigate acting on treadmills: walking, jogging, and sprinting their way through the show.  And frankly, working on those treadmills is no easy task for them.  I knew I wanted to direct this play the moment I read it because it was so well put, and yet completely understandable to me: the moments in a relationship where you’re deciding if you’re ready to make that next step forward are really scary, and Itamar’s writing really captures the hope, fear, and hilarity of this particular moment. 

The Sketchbook is an ever evolving event.  I’m always honored to be involved and excited to see the next direction it takes.  I hope that everyone gets out to see it this year, because to miss a year of Sketchbook is to miss out. 

Joanie

A note from Ira Gamerman, Playwright of Dated: A Cautionary Tale for Facebook Users

For those who don’t know, I just moved to Chicago from my hometown of Baltimore Maryland, on a whim, about four months ago for the explicit purpose of being a better playwright.

So, as you can imagine, I was downright ecstatic around mid-February when I heard the news that Dated… had been chosen out of 500-some submissions to be produced at Sketchbook this year.

I, pretty much, felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

And now that Sketchbook is up on it’s feet, I still feel that way. In fact, I’ve felt that way during the entire process.

Why? Because Collaboraction RULES. From moment one, they were incredibly excited about my play, totally welcoming as people, totally passionate as artists, and all around remarkable to work with.

I had tons of  “Wow! Holy Crap! I can’t believe I’m involved with something like this!” moments during this process:

• The initial tech meeting when I came to the realization that I had written the most technically overblown short play in the history of short plays…. and, furthermore, that there was a kick-ass bunch of tech folk who were crazy enough to still put the thing on. (Thanks guys! I swear to God I’ll write a “two characters on a park bench” play next year.)
• The super-fun photo-shoot for Chicago Magazine where I first met, fellow Sketchbook playwrights, Laura Jacqmin and Emily Schwartz (both of whom are absurdly talented playwrights and generally awesome people).
• The Carnaval where I drank lots of Bushmills and had a good ole time listening to great music (Seriously: Collaboraction knows how to throw a freakin’ party. Hands down.)
• The rehearsal process where John Gawlik and Jurgen Hooper (Towson University Represent!) continuously blew my mind with their respective talents as they brought the play to life. I could not have asked for more open or supportive collaborators. You guys are THE BEST.
• Opening weekend when we finally got an audience and I finally got to meet all of the great behind the scenes people that I’ve been emailing since the process began (Like Becky, Sarah, Sandra, Cassy, etc.)

I feel like I owe a huge thanks to Anthony and everyone else who has helped to make this such a great experience. Thank you for taking risks. Thank you for supporting my work. Thank you for inviting me into your tribe.

And special thanks to Blair Robertson who is secretly the star of Dated… (Those are her Myspace and Facebook pages featured on screen).

So, come check out Sketchbook and see what all the hubbub is about (All the cool kids are doing it!).

“Hi, Chicago! My name is Ira. We haven’t met before, but I think we’re going to get along just fine.”

See you at the show!

Ira Gamerman

Letter from Joe Zarrow: SKETCHBOOK Ensemble Member

Greetings, interweb. I'm Joe Zarrow, Sketchbook Ensemble member and Collaboraction rookie. That's just rookie as in participant rookie -- I've seen and enjoyed several Collaboraction shows prior to now, including Sketchbook 7. I've spent the last couple of summers touring with my own one-man show, and the collaborative Sketchbook process is something I was eager to experience.

At the first rehearsal, Anthony sits the ensemble members down and says we're all going to say a little about ourselves. In my mind I start preparing my standard-issue self summary: "I'm a high school English teacher. Occasionally I do solo performance. I'm from Northern Virginia. Very nice to meet you all." We all have these twenty-second, business card versions of ourselves at the ready, don't we?

Anthony shares first. He proceeds to talk for ten solid minutes. He tells stories about performing improvised shows on top of the dinner table at age three after big family meals, stories about listening to Stephen Hawking's recording of A Brief History of Time while look up out the rear window of a hatchback car on an overnight road trip, and plenty more stories than I could recount here. This is terrifying. For one, I'm anxious about talking about myself that much to a group of people I've barely met. Secondly, Anthony's long story is not random. The little stories cohere into big ones about art and passion and Anthony's direction in life.

This isn't just about being touchy-feely and actory and up in each other's bidness. For Anthony, a work of art is successful to the degree that it says something personal. Ultimately, this is what Sketchbook is about: You have to submit to the idea that vital statistics aren't enough, that in fact we only really know each other through the narratives we tell about ourselves.

Without much coaxing, Anthony gets us ensemble members to tell our own stories. For five people, it's a diverse group: We've got a retired radiologist, a folk-singing farm gal, a Creole-speaking conservatory student, and a clown/magician/insurance salesman. Anthony describes us as the hallways that connect the rooms (i.e. short plays) in the house that is Sketchbook. Somehow, magically, the little narratives add up to a big one. It's pretty nifty. Come see.

Joe

A note from Emily Schwartz, playwright of Cowboy Birthday Party

Dear Collaboraction Friends,

Welcome back to the blog! It's me, Emily Schwartz, your friendly Cowboy Birthday Party Playwright. I've been milling around with this delightful crew since Sketchbook 5 and each year simply gets better than the one before. But 2008, yes, 2008 dear friends is oh so sweet indeed. Like young love or a box of almond roca, the smell of honeysuckle or the delicious tang of marshmallow rice crispies before they went 'tropical' and ruined it all. You see, this year the lovely and talented Amanda Berg Wilson directed my play about cowboys. Now, hear me out for a minute. I love this play because A) It is about cowboys at a birthday party B) I think it rings pretty true to what cowboys at a birthday party might be like and C) It has a nice surprise twist.

These are three things that make me happy about my cowboy play. Not to mention the fantastic actors and musicians that really make it swing. I'm also thrilled with the other pieces that landed alongside of mine in program B. Who needs to be first in alphabetical order? Not us I say! And I mean it. Ms. Sanders' sweet as could be Chicago Summer, Jose Rivera [playwright of Yellow]! (Sure he wrote the motorcycle diaries...but he also created Eerie, Indiana one of my all time favorite television shows. I'm a complete geek for Eerie as only a girl growing up in early 90's small town Indiana could be) Dated: The Cautionary Tale for Facebook Users [by Ira Gamerman], the Hilarious Nancy Friderich and John Wilson in Hackneyed [by Greg Allen]. Etc etc. Needless to say, it's a nice night on the town.

In closing I just wanted to offer my thanks for checking out this company. Collaboraction is made up of a group of folks full of true passion about what they create. They're also not afraid to take a chance, try a try, or figure out 'how can we do that?'. As a girl who likes to create and craft it's a happy day when folks aren't afraid of you, or the fact that you need to build a giant crate and fill it with...well...if you come to the show, you'll see.

Anyhoo, I hope to see you at the Steppenwolf Merle Reskin Garage Theatre and make sure  to keep your peepers pealed for my newest full length play The Mysterious Elephant and the Terrible Tragedy of the Unlikely Addington Twins (*Who Kill Him). It opens on June 18th (Only 3 days after Sketchbook closes) at the Chopin Theatre with The Strange Tree Group. If you enjoy the short, you'll surely get a kick out of the long. I swear I shall not let you down, friendly compatriots.

Arrivederci!
Emily Schwartz

31 hours to SKETCHBOOK opening

Wow.

We just had our first SKETCHBOOK preview last night at the Steppenwolf Garage. Things have been going very smoothly despite the ridiculous number of overly ambitious artistic concepts and dreams we are reaching for (4 video screens, live feed, live music, 14 world premiere short plays and this little thing called SUBMIT in which we are integrating content from the audience into the show on the fly!!!). Now, at the age of 34 with a 8 month old daughter, i have been surprised at hot well I have been keeping up. You see, SKETCHBOOK always catches up to me at some point, and i start feeling a wee bit exhausted from the late nights, early mornings, phone calls, emails, meetings, interventions, breakdowns, egos, logistics, and overall chaos. But, with only one day till opening i went to bed last night feeling pretty good, but man, this morning i felt like i could sleep and sleep and sleep (sidebar - two years ago sandra - my lovely wife, muse and Sketchbook producer- borrowed our friends summer house in Michigan to get some much needed post -Sketchbook rest and we slept something like 32 of the first 48 hours we were there). However, this is a critical point in the final push for the festival and there is "no rest for the wicked", so onward we go. We are so close to pulling off some of the overly ambitious things i mentioned that there is no turning back, especially in the company of such hard working and brilliant collaborators (just trying to keep up with Sammy, there must be two of him).

All that being said, as soon as i get to the theatre i feel no pain. It's probably because all of the incredible energy i receive from the artists and audience (i should write another blog titles the "post show crash"). i am sure, my fellow theatre artists know exactly what i am talking about. It's like acting in a show with the flu. About 10 minutes before you go on, you stop feeling sick, you feel fine, and then you perform and about 6  1/2 minutes after you leave the stage you completely crash into a pile of human. Kinda like when Michael Jordan hit for 63 against the Celtics in the playoffs with a 102 degree fever....

So, i am taking a morning at home to get my head together, review my notes, answer emails and play with my ladies and I thought it was about time for an updated blog post just to share where we are at....

1. the plays rock. so far, my favorites are Yellow (OMFG!), Chicago Summer, Lurker Radio Hour, and of course, COWBOY BIRTHDAY PARTY.

2. This SUBMIT thing is wild. If you haven't submitted go to http://collaboraction.typepad.com/sketchbook/sketchbook-submit-the-ass.html and hook it up. the voicemail thing is really cool. If you leave a voice mail at ll 206-337-0678 our team gets a .WAV file emailed to them immediately so they can digest them and add to the mix (the sound team of mish and miles has this incredible way of randomly selecting audio submissions and dropping them in differently every night)

3. speaking of m&m, the music they are creating is amazing. too complex to describe without getting them pissed at me for butchering what they are pulling off ;)

4. can you say "Jeremy + moving lights = theatre of the future"?

5.video - holy mackerel, this Romanian guy named after that Elton John song, Livui, has been working with our favorite brilliant ADD Italian, Sammy, to  create  an immersive video world and let me tell you it is a pandora 's box of Romanian beauty and weirdness.

Ok, time to make the donuts. I hope you can make it out to SKETCHBOOK (btw, everyone over 21 is welcome to join us at the Opening Night party at 10 pm at 440 N. Halsted on Sat., May 17 for a free drink).

In a SKETCHBOOK induced altered state,

anthony

Last Chance!

SKETCHBOOK Closes tonight!

SKETCHBOOK has had an amazing run at The Steppenwolf Merle Reskin Garage and tonight we celebrate the closing of this great Chicago festival by running a marathon showing of all 16 world-premier plays, followed by a reception and awards for the best of SKETCHBOOK. Tickets for the closing marathon and festivities are $45. 

The closing marathon is not to be missed, but we know your time is stretched. This year, we offer the opportunity for you to see either Program A OR Program B on Sunday for only $30.  Program A starts at 5:00 and Program B starts at 7:15.  To take advantage of this opportunity, you can order tickets over the phone at the Steppenwolf Box office at 312.335.1650 and use the phone code "3341."  These tickets will NOT be available for walk-up sales.

Still not sure what you are missing click below and listen to an interview with Collaboraction's Artistic Director; Anthony Moseley on Vocalo Radio about SKETCHBOOK, how SKETCHBOOK is created and all the wonder it brings to Chicago

Part 1

Part 2

Purchase your tickets to SKETCHBOOK now! Call 312.335.1650

For More information on Sketchbook and Collaboraction Click here

Coffee-Fetching and Expertise

Posted by Margot Bordelon; Director of Upstairs/Downstairs by Wendy MacLeod

I first met Wendy MacLeod in the spring of 2003. I was Assistant Directing the world premiere of Things Being What They Are at the Seattle Repertory Theater and she came out from Ohio for a week to watch rehearsals, give notes and do rewrites. I was in charge of making and distributing all of the script changes and I took my job very seriously – this was the woman who wrote The House of Yes after all! And The Water Children and Schoolgirl Figure and Apocalyptic Butterflies and her newest piece at the time, Juvenilia. Before the first day of rehearsal I read as many of her plays as I could get my hands on. I was determined to possess an intimate understanding of her voice and style. I would be an expert on the MacLeod canon!

Now I’m not sure how many of you blog readers are familiar with the duties of an AD, but they can range anywhere from fetching coffee for the Director, to rehearsing scenes with actors. And besides assisting Wendy when she was in town, this particular gig tended to lean more toward coffee-fetching responsibilities than anything else. Needless to say, my self-titled expertise was rarely called upon. (Read More)

Two Great Shows Close July 1

Dear Friends,

What a year it has been for Collaboraction! With our best Sketchbook and most successful mainstage play (Jenny Chow) running simultaneously and BOTH CLOSING ON JULY 1st, it has been an amazing time in our little company's history. This success could not have been achieved without the incredible passion, love and support that so many people have given to Collaboraction over the past 11 years.

If you have yet to see either of these shows or know someone who would enjoy them, I encourage you to utilize the promotions below so that NO ONE MISSES THESE GREAT COLLABORACTION THEATRICAL EXPERIENCES!

The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow has been running for 15 weeks for over 5,000 audience members and has become the longest and best selling show in Collaboraction history. The show truly is "Brilliant on all Counts" ( Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun Times). The show will be closing on July 1st. There are only 8 shows left. If you haven't seen it yet, please don't miss the Last Call for Jenny Chow.

Call 312.733.6000 or go to www.collaboraction.org for JENNY CHOW tickets. The password "Cowabunga" will get you $10 off on Thur. or Sun. - you must call the box office to get this discount The password "Friend of Jenny" will get you a 2 for 1 on Thur. or Sun. - you must call the box office to get this discount

The 7th annual SKETCHBOOK is in the Steppenwolf Garage and the new venue has allowed us to create the SKETCHBOOK environment we have always dreamed of, where audience and art are completely comingled and the staging/viewing options are exciting and in the hands of the audience member. There are two distinct programs, that allow audience members the ability to see the whole collection of 16 plays in the course of 2 shows. The writing, directing, acting and design are sharper than ever and the musical acts are diverse and extremely gifted.

Call 312.335.1650 or go to www.collaboraction for SKETCHBOOK tickets

So, this is your "LAST CALL FOR JENNY CHOW AND SKETCHBOOK". After that, the experiences will be locked into the memory vault and only accessible by those who made it to the space-time event, ahh the magic of theatre.  Please spread the word!

Thank your for all your Collaboraction support and I hope you have a terrific summer!

Sincerely,

Anthony Moseley

Sketchbook + GARAGE = theatre of tomorrow?

Posted By Anthony Moseley; Festival Director and Director of It's About Time By Mara Casy

You (reading this entry on the Steppenwolf web site) are in the “blogosphere”. You use the internet to get current news, research your entertainment options, check on your plane’s departure status, pay bills on-line, and tell people “what’s up” through various portals (instant message, email, blog, etc.). You are changing the way the world does business and corporate America is scrambling to do business the way you like it, on your terms. Congratulations. That must feel great.

We at Collaboraction, have been building the ultimate theatre and art experience for you for 7 years now, and we are really glad you are ready for us. It is called Sketchbook and we are running through July 1st in Steppenwolf’s Garage Theater . Sketchbook is a festival of 16 world premiere short plays (from over 500 global submissions), visual art and music and it is built for the kind of audience member that is leaning forward into the future looking for stories, symbols and sounds of our times. Each performance we present 8 short plays with a different musical guest each night in an environment in which the audience is free to move about and choose their viewing perspective for each play (of course, we have some fixed chairs for the more traditional audience member, we haven’t forgotten about you, are you on the Blog?). (Read More)