What to say?

I have been trying to figure out the best way to approach this blog post. In truth, I've been sitting here for a few hours now, trying to decide. Whether to write about how ELEMENT has come together over the last several months. Whether to write about how I first got involved last August, fresh out of undergrad. Whether to write about its roots in the work of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. Whether to write about the unbelievable group of people working to bring all of the pieces together. Whether to write about the electricity of this last week, the culmination of it all, three new plays by emerging playwrights, a group of dedicated and inspiring artists coming together, creating and risking and working their asses off all in the pursuit of bringing new art into the world.

I've arrived at this:

Thank you.

Thank you for the family, the wonderful friends and collaborators I have met and come to know so well through this process. Thank you for welcoming me in to this fabulous venture, and for the warmth and openness you have shown me since day one.

Thank you to the actors and directors who have given so much of your time and energy this week to be a part of this exciting adventure, developing and bringing these new works to life.

Thank you to the playwrights for sharing your work with us - it was an absolute pleasure and a privilege to read your work and be involved in giving it a voice through ELEMENT.

Thank you to Two Birds Casting and my dear friend Simone for all of your hard work and assistance in facilitating the casting process.

Thank you to Rani, Rachel, Steven, and EVERYONE who has helped at every stage of the ELEMENT adventure - from cooking to reading to evaluating to performing to donating to hosting... the list goes on and on, and I am so grateful to you all.

Thank you to Will for your unending passion, your drive, your desire and dedication to making this festival something truly special.

Thank you to Erica and Brandon, our fearless leaders, working tirelessly, sacrificing, giving so much of themselves to make and keep this dream a reality. Thank you for letting me in to ELEMENT with open arms. It has been an honor, truly.

And a special thank you to our founders.

Lexi, it has been a dream getting to know you, starting with that first meeting I attended in August - you are a phenomenal artist and human being, and you created something truly special in ELEMENT. Thank you so much for everything.

Taylor, you've heard it all before. I probably wouldn't have found my way to the O'Neill without you, and that has without question changed my life. And without that, without you being a generous and wonderful friend, I certainly would not have found this special family that is ELEMENT. Just like when we were at Oberlin, I admire and am inspired by you. Working on ELEMENT has been a gift, a gift that you helped create. Thank you. Thank you so, so much.

Thank you all.

--
Josh Sobel
Associate Producer

Gun in the Funnies Teaser

Thomas (Galen Murphy-Hoffman) hypnotizes Meg (Kristen Magee) in GUN IN THE FUNNIES, by Laurel Haines.

GUN IN THE FUNNIES (April 24, 7:00 pm)
by Laurel Haines, directed by Valerie Jean Johnson
An unholy fusion of funny, scary, and strange, GUN IN THE FUNNIES is a black comedy that examines sensitive city-dwellers and the people who traumatize them. Featuring Kristen Magee, Galen Murphy-Hoffman, Brenda Barrie, Steve Aron, Martine Moore and Josh Sobel.

Valerie Jean Johnson (Director) and Laurel Haines (Playwright) at rehearsal for GUN IN THE FUNNIES on Wednesday night.

Photographic evidence

Yesterday I was treated very kindly by the cast, directors, and playwrights of Dust Resonance and Gun in the Funnies, who allowed me to squish myself into their rehearsal space and take intrusive photos. I'm not much of a photographer (not that this is obvious or anything), but I think we got some pictures that offer a look into what it's like for the Element participants to work like maniacs, experiment without consequences, and have a lot of fun. It definitely made me miss working on my own stuff, but in a good way.

This first picture is Alexander Rosenthal, the writer of Dust Resonance. I saw some exciting work from the actors and director yesterday, and Zan's already added some new scenes to Dust Resonance that I think will be a great asset to the piece as a whole.

More photos are going up all the time on our Facebook page! Stalk your friends and learn their secrets.

--Will

Ted Brengle (Playwright) and Alexis Randolph (Director) working on ALONE AT LAST in the lobby of The Charnel House on Tuesday night.


ALONE AT LAST (April 23, 9:00 pm)
by Ted Brengle, directed by Alexis Randolph
An artist fights with her canvases, her mother battles disease, and the past refuses to die in ALONE AT LAST, a searing interrogation of familial love and hate. Featuring Allison Schaffer, Anya Clingman, Emily Gann, Jill Sandmire, Callie Munson, Chris Sanderson and Rani Blair-O'Brien.

The Simple Plan...

Let me start at the beginning...

About two years ago, my friend Taylor Bibat and I were rooming together in a small garden apartment in Wicker Park. I had just moved to Chicago and was this crazy mixture of excitement, nerves, and possibilities as one is who has just graduated and starting out in the "real world". I can't remember whose idea it was to start Element - it was probably Tay's - but I do remember sitting at her parents place starting to scheme and get really excited about this scheming.

Our scheme was a simple one. In 2007, the two of us had met at this amazing, life changing three month program The National Theater Institute (NTI) held at the Eugene O'Neil Theater. I could/want to say more but in the interest of this blog know that it was an intense three months of acting, directing, playwright, and in the best possible way a whole hell of a lot of growing pains. When we came out the other side dazed but invigorated we found we had formed these incredible ties with 24 other amazingly talented theatre artists. Friends formed in a crucible and now scattered back to whence we came. This was the rub. We were separated by schools, states and different life circumstances. What we needed was an excuse to get the crew back together again.

So that was our scheme. Our "simple" scheme. Reunite friendships.

What came out was something so much bigger than what we had planned. Something that didn't just reunite friends but made new ones. A community.

So, yes, I was there when Element initially took seed but really, I'm just one of many artists who were inspired by this idea of a theatre community. One of many who said yes and did something about it.

Always,
Alexis Randolph
Supporting Artist of Element: A New Plays Festival
Director

Promo Video for DUST RESONANCE

DUST RESONANCE (April 23, 6:30 pm)
by Alexander Rosenthal, directed by Freddie Beckley
A darkly funny, post-apocalyptic fever dream, DUST RESONANCE gives us two intertwining stories that explore alchemy, drug use, friendship, exploitation, and jam. Featuring Chris Perez, Paul Krick, Claire Kander, Walter Briggs, Mike Steele, Geraldine Dulex, Jonathan Helvey and Sam Hicks.

The 24 Hours

Three plays

Two massive sacks of bagels

21 actors

Two coffee makers

Three playwrights

One embalming table

One pound of Metropolis coffee

No internet

Three directors

Four meals

One stage

These are just a few of the ingredients that went into our 24-hour intensive experiment in new play development. We entered the building Sunday at three in the afternoon, and the last of us departed at three the next day, pillows and bedding and bags of empty water bottles for the recycling bin in tow, sleepy but excited about the pieces we're working on.

Each play received roughly 10-14 hours of intensive work, broken up by meals, social time and a few hours of well-earned sleep. The three plays rotated between the main performance space (a 99-seat theater), the lobby and the dressing room (a converted mortuary and home to the aforementioned embalming table, which one of our brave actors spent the night on) over the course of the 24 hours.

There's still a lot to do before we invite the public in to join our process on Friday and Saturday. There are scripts to print, and revisions still to come, and then more scripts to print; there are risks to take, questions to ask and ever more pots of coffee to brew and drink before we open up the doors of The Charnel House and invite you in to see what we've been working on.

Look for more stuff to pop up here in the next few days, including photos, more detailed summaries of our three plays, and possibly some video footage. Keep checking back with us, and if you're in town on Friday and Saturday, stop by the readings, tell us what you think, and get involved in the process with us.

-Erica Hohn

Executive Producer