Ground UP Productions

NYC Elite are Flocking to New Jersey

2011-05-25T11:52:00.000-07:00

Well you will be. Come "Bunburying" with us in the 'country' on Friday June 3rd; and you don't even need to assume a false identity! (If you've never Bunburied, you'll find out what it is on June 3rd at about 8:10PM!!)

New Yorkers, this is your easiest and cheapest way to see Ground UP's "The Importance of Being Earnest" at the charming Summit Playhouse (our new 2nd Stage) in Summit, NJ. For just $35 you'll get lift to and from Manhattan, the show tickets and a drink at intermission. Lady Bracknell, says this is "The Thing." Click the secure Paypal button below to reserve your spot today. Seats are going fast and are limited. The critics are already buzzing about "Earnest" giving raves in The Independent and The Examiner.

Of course the show runs through June 5th and is easily accessible by NJ Transit Trains if you would rather come another date. For more information about the "Earnest" as well as tickets to NY Night or Any Night visit Ground UP's website.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

The Subtext of DESIRE

2011-05-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

Todays's blog post comes from Christine Mottram & Jerry Sipp, who play Miss Prism & Rev. Chausable, respectively. Their characters frequently speak in double entendres, metaphorically, or otherwise cryptically, unable to express their true feelings to each other while in the company of others. Here is their interpretation of a few of their exchanges.

Miss Prism: “Dr. Chasuble. This is indeed a pleasure.” = “Get out of here, kid. Mama wants to be alone with the rector.”

Dr. Chasuble: “Miss Prism, you are, I trust, well?” = “Miss Prism, you are the most ravishing creature in the whole parish!”

Miss Prism: “Cecily, I didn’t mention anything about a headache.” = “Why are you still here? You’re messing up my game.”

Dr. Chasuble: “Were I fortunate enough to be Miss Prism’s pupil, I would hang up on her lips….”= “I wish to kiss you…and kiss you…and kissyoukissyoukissyoukissyou…!”

Miss Prism: “We do not expect him ‘til Monday afternoon.” = “ You and I could run away together and no one would know!”

Dr. Chasuble: “My metaphor was drawn from bees.” = “My metaphor was drawn from the birds and the bees.”

Miss Prism: “I think, dear Doctor, I will have a walk with you. I find I have a headache after all and a walk might do it good.” = “Once we get away from this brat, ravish me!!”

Dr. Chasuble: “With pleasure, Miss Prism, with pleasure!” = “With PLEASURE, Miss Prism, with PLEASURE!”

'Twas the night before EARNEST By John Worthing, J.P. and Algernon Moncrieff

2011-05-17T05:35:00.000-07:00

Starting today, we will have a new post each day leading up to opening night, each one written by a different cast member (or members)! Today we are kicking off this exciting countdown to opening night with an entry by Josh Evans & Mark Thornton, who play Jack Worthing & Algernon Moncrieff, respectively. Enjoy!

'Twas the night before EARNEST, produced by Ground UP,

Hosted by Summit. Ya'll know what's up!

Rehearsals are done as we all enter tech,

We hope our director Lon won't bust a vain in his neck.

The cast is ready to hit their cues right on time,

And don't worry Andrew, we won't call "line!"

The costumes are finished, look out for Bracknell's hat,

The sets are amazing, way more than some flat.

Sound design can't be beat, and the lights are the best,

Now I'm off to sleep, because I need my rest.

See you at the Gala Opening, on May 21st,

To hear our British banter, and be immensely immersed.

So buy tickets now, at groundupproductions.org

Just click the link and follow the instructions for more-g.

NYC patrons - Join us out in Summit

2011-05-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

Wanted to quickly share to our NYC patrons that we want you to enjoy and be a part of this wonderful production. Come out to Jersey with us. We are offering a NYC night where with your ticket purchase, we'll transport you from NYC to the theatre and back. As a added treat, you'll ride back with the cast!!! To reserve, go to

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=Z8ZNRTYDTK3B2

Hope to see you there!!!

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST: DIRECTOR'S CUT

2011-05-14T07:29:00.000-07:00

Directing Earnest is filled with one joy after another
and my favorite is I get to see talented actors mine wit
from Oscar Wilde’s sparkling dialogue every single day.
Each rehearsal’s filled with new double entrendres and
ingenious cadences that bring them closer to Wilde’s
hysterically funny core. It reminds me of visiting a place
like the Sistine Chapel and realizing not only are you
witnessing great art, you’re standing where the artist
actually stood. Watching our actors bend time in front
of my eyes (and doing it while I’m laughing my head
off), I’m having the singular pleasure of experiencing
moments just as Wilde experienced them over a century
ago. We’re (in theatre terms) far from opening night
and already I’m way too entertained. I should be
serious, stoic, and commanding respect. After all I am
the director, but it’s hard to do when you’re snickering
like a tickled schoolboy. It’s been ages since I’ve felt so
happy at rehearsals and so disappointed when they end.
It’s making me oddly selfish. I wonder if I can get the
company to agree to delay opening so I can extend my
fun. Nah. That wouldn’t be fair.

… or would it?

-Lon Bumgarner, Director of GUP's current production of The Importance of Being Earnest

We're goin to Chapel THRILL!

2011-03-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

Hey ladies and gents,

Christine here-- the director of the education program, otherwise known as The UnderGround Project, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Every year, Ground UPers make a trip down to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the alma mater of the majority of the company members, to produce a play fully cast and crewed by undergrads and mentored by us.

Well, it's that time of year again! After reuniting from all corners of the country (New York, LA) we will spend the weekend holding auditions for this year's show: Richard Greenberg's Three Days of Rain. We are so excited about this show. It fits what we were looking for to a tee: The intimate cast is comprised of 2 men and 1 woman, it's modern, and it deals with interesting issues: family, death, secrets, selfishness vs. selflessness, etc... All those human things that we love.

Here's how the weekend will work:

On Friday, we'll have an interest meeting for everyone who wants to audition and everyone who's interested in being involved technically. That will be at 5 pm in room 102.

Then, on Friday evening, our Artistic Director, Kate Middleton, will lead a talkback after a production of company member Catya McMullen's original play. GO Catya!

Auditions will be held from 11am- 4 pm on Saturday, where actors can bring in a 1-2 minute monologue. We may also have them read sides form the script.

Callbacks will be on Sunday from 11am-1 pm. After the show is cast, Ground UP will take the new cast out to coffee and discuss the details for the summer!

On Tuesday evening, one of our North Carolina patrons is throwing us a party. This is the first time this has ever happened and we are so honored!

It will be a full, hectic, thrilling few days, and it will start off the most exciting time of the year for us. Our education program is what truly sets us apart as a New York theatre company. We take tremendous pride in being able to give back a little something to the place that gave us so much....

Stay tuned for cast info!

Christine

The 2011 Reading Series, by Guy

2011-03-03T18:50:00.000-08:00

Hello blogoshere,

We have just completed the 2011 Ground UP, From the Ground UP reading series!

4 weeks
3 plays
1 musical
4 stage managers
4 directors
7 mus
ic stands
2 producers (me and Seth Shelden)
5 stools
10 cases of beer
16 bags of ice
2 cases of Cheerwine

Each play surprised me, and I'll tell you how and why.

Week 1: Falling in Like by Jerry Sipp
This is an example of exactly why we do the series. There was something about this play on paper. We couldn't put our finger on it. It was solid, but how would it play in front of an audience. The answer is, it plays amazingly well. It has a charm about it that recalls Neil Simon (and that's high praise coming from me.) It's quippy, fast, and a ton of fun. And so many great performances.

Week 2: PratFalls, by Holly Webber
The surprise in this experience was all about Victor Verheaghe, who played Roy. Roy is such a great character, a charismatic, huge personality. Victor had the task of setting the tone for the entire piece. Victor is warm, enigmatic, sensitive, and intense. Accordingly the play was warm, enigmatic, sensitive and intense. It was a pleasure to watch.

Week 3: 516, by Katherine Clark Gray
When you pick up this play, you immediately think of Neil LaBute's The Shape of Things, where a woman takes a man and molds him into someone else as an art project. It's a great twist. 516 has a similar twist, plus another big twist, and (wait for it...) another big twist. Having read the script a few times I forgot the power of those twists. The surprise for me was the number of audible gasps. That's drama.

Week 4: Bromance, the Dudesical, by Ewalt and Walker
I'm partial to Bromance. I was in it, and I played Marty. There is no doubt in my mind that we've seen the early stages of what is going to be a huge hit. The Phone Call is a spectacular song. I have had Heartburn and ChiliCheese Fries in my head for days. And I can't tell you the last time I had more fun on stage. The surprise for me was how EVERYONE agreed with me--this is a hit.

So on to 2012. We're already accepting new scripts. Send them to Submissions@GroundUPproductions.org

I hope you got a chance to see at least one of them. This year was a winner.

Here is the poster below. Almost, the poster. Notice the typo where we wrote DUDESICLE, instead of DUDESICAL. So, instead of a musical about dudes, it was more like dudes frozen on a stick. We fixed it.

Letter From Algeria has OPENED!!!

2010-11-05T09:38:00.000-07:00

Drum roll please, we have a show!!! A spectacular show! Ground UP is super excited to have opened the world premiere of Michael Ian Walker’s Letter from Algeria. On Saturday, October 30th, we had our opening night to a full house! It was quite spectacular and exhilarating. I have been so fortunate to be a part of this production from the beginning.

To watch it grow, evolve and cultivate into this full production has been mesmerizing.

So many times in theatre you hear about new works getting produced and in most cases, what you see is the end result. I was able to actually watch this from beginning to end. The play came to us as a script submission. From there, Ground UP decided this was too good to keep from a theater audience. This is where the journey began. The play grew to life and got on its feet via a staged reading during Ground UP’s annual New Works Reading Series. After an incredible response from the audience we decided it was time to evolve the play. The next step in this evolution was to work shop the play. We were super fortunate enough to have the chance to do this and at the same time make it a part of our educational program down at the University of North Caroline – Chapel Hill. Using the students of our educational program, the Ground UP Team did a full staged workshop presentation directed by our very own brilliant and talented Kate Middleton. By her side were Michael Ian Walker (Playwright) and Adam Fitzgerald (Director of the NY World Premiere). All there collaborated with the amazing students of UNC to cultivate the final script. From UNC, the production traveled back to NYC where it became the great show that it is today. Now with wonderful poster and graphics designed by Wade Ferguson Dansby 3 and PR by Lanie Zipoy, we are sending the word out about our show!!

It’s been quite an opening week for us. So much goes into a full scale Off-Broadway production. To be honest, there were points were most of us were ready to pull our hair out. Yet, after and exhausting tech week, we were ready!!!! The coming together of the set, lights, props, costumes, and actors was stunning to watch. Have you seen the set yet??? Travis McHale, our resident scenic and lighting designer has OUTDONE himself. This is art at its best!! I may be biased but come see the show and prove me wrong. What he has done is breathtaking. My hats off to Dan Wheeless, Katherine Fry, Kate August and Jerry Sipp (TD and carpenters) who hand built this massive set. Remind me to never get them angry when they are holding a screw gun in their hand. To add to this we have an amazing looking cast costumed by our very own Amanda Jenks, Don’t think I’m not planning to heist Tim’s suit after the run… I want that suit!! Don’t be surprised if Hugo’s tie goes missing either. Let me also mention Ian Wehrle and Alex Wise, who together bring some pretty awesome sound and music to the show. The combination of sets, lights, costumes and sound create a terrific ambiance and feel for this show. Adam Fitzgerald has done a wonderful job directing the show and he could not have done it without this tremendous cast. You must, and I reiterate, you must come see Patrick Murney, JD Taylor , Amanda Jane Cooper and Rufus Collins, who do an amazing job in this show. Thank you to Guy Olivieri, our casting director) for finding these gems. Their performance is one that shouldn't be missed. They have brought this show to life and the amazing young lady parenting this show is Devan Hibbard, our stage manager. Even though the show has opened, Devan’s work continues every single night as she takes the reins and runs the show. She’d have less work if there weren’t so many props to set. This is Mauricio Miranda and Andrew Slater’s fault. LOL. Kidding guys. You did great and a note to you as well. I’m keeping the soccer ball!

After all this work from all these individuals, we opened Letter from Algeria and the response has been overwhelming. Every night the audience comes out and tells me they have loved what they have seen. Opening night was quite an accomplishment for us and in good ole fashioned Ground UP style, we had a party to celebrate this event. After all, it was Halloween weekend, so why not celebrate with the monsters and goons.

So this is how Letter From Algeria came to the stage and these were the people that made it happen. Like I said, to watch it grow, evolve and cultivate into this full production has been mesmerizing and I’m so thrilled that we get to share it with you! Thank you to everyone for their hard work, labor of love for the theatre, and dedication to the arts. We have collectively worked hard to produce a phenomenal show. A show that I do hope you can come and see. This edgy and exhilarating play is only running for two more weeks, so hurry up!!!! Don’t miss out. Tickets are available at http://www.groundupproductions.org/.

WORLD PREMIERE!
OCTOBER 29th - NOVEMBER 20th
ABINGDON THEATRE COMPLEX (36th street between 8th and 9th Avenue)

Hope you enjoy the show and here are some great photo’s shot by Randy Morrison.
· Photo 1 (Left to Right): Patrick Murney & Amanda Jane Cooper
· Photo 2: Rufus Collins
· Photo 3 (Left to Right): Amanda Jane Cooper & JD Taylor

Oh, and BOO – here’s one from the opening party!!!
Sincerely,
Phil Ruvelas, Managing Director

P.S. It’s been a year since the Letter From Algeria staged reading which means that it’s time again for our annual New Works Reading festival. Stay tuned and check our website for details!! In February you might be seeing the next great work so don’t miss out. You too can then say you were there from the beginning!

Waffles Anyone?

2010-10-28T22:33:00.000-07:00

Last November, Michael I. Walker's play LETTER FROM ALGERIA was the breakout hit of our From the Ground UP reading series. Less than 12 months later, we are set to open a production of the play with a fabulous cast -- Rufus Collins, Amanda Jane Cooper, Patrick Murney & JD Taylor -- and creative team (director Adam Fitzgerald, set and lighting designer Travis McHale and costume designer Amanda Jenks).

We are thrilled to share this exciting new play with you, but why all this discussion of waffles when the play is called LETTER FROM ALGERIA? Well, the play begins in a dorm room in Brussels, Belgium. Three ex-pat American students meet and the rest is history.

In keeping with the Belgian theme, we're offering a few surround events -- fun activities, food and drink -- to round out the theater-going experience. On Halloween, Sunday, October 31st, we're offering Belgian brunch items at intermission. On November 2nd and 10th, our friends at 36 West Bar and Grill, right next door to our theatre, is offering pre-show and post-show, respectively, deals on Belgian beers. Look for the coupon in the program.

Join us as we transport you to Belgium, a country known for its waffles, fries and fantastic female tennis players (Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters).

We look forward to sharing LETTER FROM ALGERIA with you over the next few weeks.

And our Fabulous Cast for ALGERIA!!

2010-10-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

Rehearsal is in full swing at 2 Fifth!

We went to SIX FLAGS! Again. Yes. Absolutely.

2010-10-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

Team Ground UP tried to make "GUP" on a roller coaster to show company support!
We did it!
(Although we had to go on it once before to practice our mid-air acrobatics.)
PS, Flash Passes ROCK.

A bit from the world of costumes...

2010-10-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

This is my first blog post (EVER, not just with Ground UP), so here it goes. To introduce myself a little, I'm Amanda, the resident costume gal and Letter from Algeria's costume designer. I'm a relatively new addition to the Ground UP family. I first got involved after doing a show (TACT's The Late Christopher Bean) with Kate last year. It has been really lovely being a part of everything and I'm so happy to be involved.

It has been a really exciting process so far. We had something incredibly generous happen to Ground UP as far as costumes are concerned. We were granted access (read: FREE!!) to an amazing warehouse of costumes located in Pennsylvania to pull from for this show by a wonderful film designer. We're talking 5 buildings filled with clothing. An entire house that had been purchased because the warehouse building was full and they needed more room. Rows and rows of clothing for the taking. I can not say thank you enough! And of course a huge thank you to Michael Walker, our talented playwright, for making this happen.

This show is a lot of fun because I get to play with fashion. This isn't much of a jeans-and-tees kind of show. Particularly, the female character, Ali, has been enormous fun to design. She's the kind of person that is always playing a character. Each outfit has its own style, its own theme, but always fabulous and statement-making. And always fantastic heels! I love working with a character that can take so many risks and have such freedom. Maybe I'll post some sneak peak pictures later.

Until then, it's time for me to get ready for our first fittings tomorrow. Wish me luck! I hope it all fits!

-Amanda

Ground UP Productions Needs YOU!

2010-10-14T19:22:00.000-07:00

My name is Adam Gerdts, and I am new to the Ground UP Board. However, I am not new to Ground UP.

Kate approached me in 2005 to direct THE HOUSE OF YES and then PROOF; two fine productions which anchored our inaugural season. Shortly thereafter, life saw fit to return me to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Around the same time, Kate began educational out reach to dramatic art students at UNC-Chapel Hill, and our collaboration continued. Over the next few years, I grew my relationship with Ground UP not only as a director, holding workshops for undergraduates, but as a fundraiser.

While building a diverse directing resume in basements and dives, in downtown avant garde strongholds and midtown bastions of mainstream, I also fell into a development career. I found within myself a knack for encouraging generous people to give to causes about which they are passionate. Now, please allow me to employ that trait with you.

Private support is crucial to the continued expansion and growth of Ground UP. Gifts from individual donors currently make up an astonishing 75% of our operating budget. We truly could not survive without our generous and loyal donor base. Please consider investing in Ground UP, in our commitment to helping undergraduates transition into theatre careers, and in our passion for staging new work and new classics.

Please visit our website to support this important work with any amount of gift, or please e-mail me at adam@groundupproductions.org.

Thank you.

Desiging my face off...

2010-10-12T04:42:00.001-07:00

Hi from Travis -
We are quickly building the set for LETTER FROM ALGERIA. This is our biggest effort ever, and it's so exciting. Check back, I'll post some teasers as we make progress.
Here's a little selfless promotion... I designed the lighting for THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK at the fabulous Westport Country Playhouse. It's a stunning production of the new adaption and it's running for about 3 more weeks. So if you are going to Connecticut or love this story, check it out. After all, "Travis McHale's lighting is often subdued, rightly turning strident in the most urgent or confrontational moments."

We got a nice notice in the times too http://theater.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/nyregion/10theaterct.html?ref=anita_gates

Playing with New Plays

2010-10-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone -

I'm Michael, the playwright behind Letter From Algeria. We're back from an amazing trip to UNC, where we got to see the play up on its feet in a great workshop production driven and performed by students. It is a rare and exciting opportunity for a writer to get to test a script out on such a big scale. No one in New York gets to see his or her work put up, staged, and in front of a live audience before going into rehearsals for a NYC production - it was a pure Ground UP treat. The entire creative team and I learned SOOO much from the UNC process.

But now that we're back north, we've hit the ground running again. We have gathered a fantastic cast for NY (really, they're gonna blow you away), and this past week, we started rehearsing, exploring every line and dissecting each moment. It's an exciting time for the author of a new play - great actors always bring something new and unexpected to your words. So yet again, I feel like I am learning a ton about how to communicate LoA's story. And the great thing about rehearsal is, we get to play with the play. Together, the actors, director, and I try out scenes, turn ideas on their heads, and try things again. It's an invigorating, terrifying, and awesome process.

People often ask me why I write plays. Creating theater is, unlike any other medium, a truly collective experience. No play is created in a vacuum. Putting a show up on stage is, by definition, a collaboration. And an audience's experience hopefully reflects that communal approach. A community came together to tell this story. Another community is created as people watch and absorb the story at the same time. In its greatest moments, that feeling of commonality is palpable both under the stage lights and out into the dark seats. We all go through something together for two hours, and we all come out differently at the end. Why do I write for the theater? Because when it works, when everyone watching a show senses that synergy, it is the greatest, most transformative artistic experience I know.

Letter From Algeria is about many things, but at its roots, it's about four people searching for community and struggling (and failing) to find common ground. Here's to hoping that we all do a bit better together, artists and audience, as we play with this new play.

Can't wait to see you at the theater!

- Michael

Blog Post from Algeria

2010-09-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, not quite. More like Blog post from NC, but close, right?

So our NC production of Michael Walker's Letter from Algeria ended on Sunday, and I think we are all (undergrads, post-undergrads, Ground UP peeps, etc.) enjoying a few deeps breaths post-show week. And what a fantastic week it was, to be able to (super-quickly) pick up where we left off after our epic trip to NYC and get the show into a theater, ourselves into costume, and an audience into the seats. The week began with a stumble-through of the show, where we ran it (with only minimal stopping for things like, I don't know, making up a door where there wasn't one...my bad) on stage, off-book, for our UNC designers. After the terror of that adventure gave way to sheer adrenaline, the rest of the week became a whirlwind of quick changes, sound cues, silhouetted entrances...you know, super glamorous stuff :)

Opening night was, in a word, insane. In a good way, of course, and for a lot of different reasons. As with any show, you expect there to be new places for laughs and the like once an audience gets into the mix...but with Algeria, you also have to add in places for gasps, "oh no!s" and breath holding, leaning-forward-in-your-seat silences. Add in a dash of "oh dear god I have to change this dress in .00001 seconds" and "was that my line...oh god, I hope that was my line but we have only been off book for 4 days ack!" on the part of us actors (ok, well, on the part of moi) and the whole show went by in a high-adrenaline, beautifully-lit and scored rush.

After each show, we joined Kate onstage for a mini talkback, answering questions about the UnderGround program, the show, what have you. It is exciting to be part of a show that leaves people guessing, and every night without fail someone (usually more than one person) would ask for the "right answers" to secrets in the show...needless to say, we all worked hard to keep them guessing, giving indirect and shady answers...after all, no one likes a spoiler, right?

Overall, the week was exhilarating, exhausting, and everything in between, and I am so thankful to have played a part (pardon the pun) in it. I have learned so much from Ground Up, and I was proud to be able to share such a cool show with the UNC and NC community.

For realz.

sarah

2010-08-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

My name is Catya McMullen. I am an Educational Associate for Ground UP and the Assistant Director of our educational residency's production of Letter From Algeria here at UNC. I am also still currently a Carolina undergrad, serving as a Producing Director for UNC's Department of Dramatic Art. Affectionately nicknamed "the mole," I get to be a part of hosting a company I am a part of.
I joined Ground UP after I Assistant Stage Managed Barefoot in the Park last summer and fell in love with the company and have been able to assist in the coordination of the education program.

It has been an awesome few days so far! I have been so impressed with the undergrad student body! Everyone rallied together and have been working SO hard to create what I anticipate to be a great show and great week! The idea for this started so long ago as an off book reading and it's really been watching my classmates' enthusiasm rocket this into a full scale production. There are students milling around I haven't even met! The word has spread and the campus is ready. Last night at FallFest, there were more people interested in the production of Letter From Algeria than anything else. And we had people in blue wigs and scrubs making a ruckus (including Josh Wolonick, cast member of Letter From Algeria).

We are in the midst of a hectic tech week and everyone is in great spirits, in true Tar Heel form. Everyone is communicating so well. As always, I am impressed with Kate. Her leadership and humor are preventing this from being stressfest '10.

I am so excited for opening night and that I get to be a part of this project, the Ground UP family and that this may be one of the most exciting residencies Ground UP has had. My classmates are really grateful for the additional experience and assistance this week is providing.

Catya

Tech Week, Here We Come!

2010-08-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

Hey there!

Andrew Slater here! Recent UNC graduate and currently stage managing the Chapel Hill premiere of Letter from Algeria!

Working with GroundUP has been unlike anything I could have imagined for my first professional theatre experience post-graduation. Watching a company invest so much time, energy, and passion into the work they do has reaffirmed my love for this art and inspires me to work harder on all the projects I commit to. Everyone always warns you as an undergraduate that moving up to New York to pursue theatre is a guaranteed failure and that the people you meet there will only want to bring you down, but GroundUP has been the complete opposite. Their design team has spent the entire summer mentoring our UNC designers on this project, and Kate has been so engaged throughout the rehearsal process that you can't help but feel that you, too, are a part of this very welcoming company.

It's also nice to work with a group that has such high respect for new playwrights and new pieces of theatre. It's incredible to watch a group of actors breathe life into characters for the very first time, and to be able to look back on a completely original and exciting project and say that I helped create that. The themes and ideas within Letter from Algeria definitely hold relevance to younger generations and speaks to modern times in terms of how we interact with each other today.

We have finished up our rehearsal week in NY, and are headed back down to Chapel Hill to dive head first into a busy tech week starting Sunday, August 22nd. That night, however, we're taking some time off of rehearsal to visit UNC's Fall Fest, so be sure to look for us to find out how to get involved backstage with the show and how to sign up for the master classes that GroundUP will teach Aug. 28-31!

We're one week away from opening night so be sure to keep up with the blog and the facebook group! See you at Fall Fest!

Andrew

Way to go TARHEELS!

2010-08-08T20:20:00.000-07:00

Just a huge thank you to everyone who participated in this week's Education Outreach Program for UNC-Chapel Hill, which by the way has now been named The UnderGround Project (Thanks UNC Students!!)

The week was a huge success thank you to the hard work of soooo many:
Master Class teachers, (Flor de Lis Perez, Joy Jones, Matthew Murphy, Guy Olivieri, and Adam Fitzgerald), NYC "tourguides", Ground UP's Guy, Seth, and Catya, everyone who dropped by the TARHEEL TAILGATE party or the stumble-through, and of course the fabulous cast and crew, that worked every second (and will continue to work every second) on this AWESOME play, LETTER FROM ALGERIA. Thank you Michael Walker for that!

It was a great week, with the second half quickly approaching August 21-Sept 1 at UNC! Stay tuned for more info, excitement, and another great Ground UP production in the Kenan Theatre at UNC Aug 27th-29th!

THE UNC CAST IS HERE!

2010-08-05T14:48:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone!

I'm Christine-- the Education Director for Ground UP Productions-- and I'm here to announce that what we've been working towards for 8 months is finally happening-- our first ever New York Internship Week for UNC undergrads!!

The three students that are up here with us this year are all cast in a workshop production of Letter From Algeria, which will be performed down in Chapel Hill at the end of August. We are keeping them very busy--- every day they have two master classes with theatre artists that have a history either with UNC or with us, and then rehearsals at night. So far they've had classes in movement, voice, monologue work, cold reading, and an introduction to what being a New York actor means from our very own Guy Olivieri. We also took them out on a tour of the theatre district today-- showing them Times Square, the Equity Building, The Actor's Fund, and several casting offices, among other things.

Rehearsals have been intense. It isn't easy to block such a complex show in six days, but the actors are diligent and Kate just knows her stuff, so it's coming together beautifully.

What has inspired me most throughout the week is just watching these students-- they are dedicated to both the work and each other in a way that you don't often see. They are so excited to be here; to learn everything they can about the city but also to soak up the artistic process. It makes me so proud of the work that we do, and so honored to be able to watch them grow. I can't wait to see how they and the show continue to develop both here and down in Chapel Hill!

This Friday night we are throwing a networking party for them-- A Tarheel Tailgate: A Networking Party for UNC Undergrads. It's a chance for them to meet other New York Artists and industry folk and start to build a network for themselves before they even move up here. Please come! If you want information about it, please contact me at christine@groundupproductions.org.

That's all for now! It's been a fantastic week. Thank you to everyone who made and continues to make it such a huge success.

Christine

Must-See Pix Additions...

2010-08-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

OK, so 4 very, VERY important visual additions to previous blogs...

1. Post-Show with Guy after his STELLAR performance as Seymor in LITTLE SHOP...

2. The money-crazed Foxwoods Casino-Goers...

3. Dan the MAN at his awesome CAMP!

4. Our FABULOUS UNC CAST!
This first night with the UNC Cast or ALGERIA! Congrats all of you on a fabulous start to the week and a huge THANK YOU to the master class teachers!

Taking a gamble with A "Little" trip to Rhode Island

2010-08-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

....and may I say, we won the jackpot. Well, I lost money but Kate tripled hers. The real winner of the night though was our very own Guy Olivieri who gave an outstanding and smashing killer plant of a performance as Seymour in Theatre By The Sea's Little Ship of Horrors!!!

Kate and I decided to do a day trip up to Rhode Island. Yes, yes, I know, we were nuts to want to drive from NYC to Rhode Island and back in a day, but oh man, oh man IT WAS WORTH IT. After 5 hours in a car and getting upset that we wouldn't make curtain, we arrived at 8 pm on the dot. Here we were in Wakefield Rhode Island running up the stairs to get our seats. We were here to support our dear friend and fellow Ground Upper. The show started and what we got was more than a man eating plant, we got a garden full of wonder. The show was wonderful and Guy was fantastic. It was so enjoyable that I honestly forgot that I had spent 5 hours in a car. The show directed by Amiee Tuner was so much fun. You hear horror (no pun intended) stories about summer stock but I have to tell you, Theatre By The Sea gave its audience a delightful show full of great talent, fun direction, and lots of fun music!

After the show, Kate and I were in no mood to head back. We wanted to stay, we wanted to have fun, we wanted to celebrate with Guy. So off we went down the street to the main part of Wakefield where we found a pizza joint. We ordered a pie and was told it would be ready in "15 minutes", so what do we do, we book it across the street to go to down a beer on the roof of an Irish Pub next to the ocean. No joke. Pretty amazing, right? We toasted Guy's awesome performance and great show then we ran back on over and downed an entire pizza pie. You see, in the 5 hour drive, we forgot to eat!!!

The night had come to an end and it was time to head back, well, I thought it was the end of the night. We said bye to Guy and started driving back to NYC through Connecticut when we passed Foxwoods casino. I never have been and we were so full of energy that we decided to make this a real road trip and be adventurous. So we parked the car and hit the slot machines. After losing miserably we both were not defeated. We were determined. We hit the tables, black jack that is, and my oh my. I went first and lost. Then Kate decides to go and as Kate has proven over and over again, she is a STAR! She was spectacular playing the role of the innocent southern girl trying her hand at a big man's game. Win after win after win she turns around and triples her money. That's right folks. She Tripled her money!!! She gave an Oscar performance and would have put Paul Newman to shame in the Color of Money.

Kate looked at me and goes "can I stop now?". I said Heck yeah girl. She cashed her chips in, we hit the road, stopped for caffeine and combos and headed back to NYC.

Our day was about theatre and taking a gamble and to be honest, that's what we do every day. We take a gamble in hopes that we can create astounding theater that you, our audience can love. It's a gamble, but when we win, we win big and that makes the early losses at the slot machine worth it!

- Phil

A Southern Touch

2010-07-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. My name is Josh Evans and I am a new member of Ground UP Productions. This is my first blog post…ever, and I am quite excited to that Ground UP can take my blog virginity.

One of the traits that attracted me to Ground UP Productions is their hands on approach with their patrons. In fact, it's quite southern. And as most of you know, our theatre company is full of graduates of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We are proud to have brought that southern hospitality to the New York stage.

In fact, earlier this year we called over 50% of our patrons just to say, “thank you.” We send out personal emails and holiday cards, and even passed around cake at our annual Gala event (see the photos below).

The first half of 2010 has been special for us and it is because of our patrons we are able to have the programs that make us a southern transplant in NYC. In fact, at the end of August, we are heading down to Chapel Hill for the 5^th year of our Educational Outreach Program with the UNC undergraduate drama students…but you will hear more about that later.

I got run look at apartments now…you know how New York real estate can be. Thank you for reading my first blog post ever.

Make sure to visit us at groundupproductions.org for more info about our educational program and our upcoming fall production of LETTER FROM ALEGERIA.

See you on the boards.

-Josh

True Blood...

2010-07-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

OK, so I just have to say that I am really really excited. And this doesn't have anything to do with Ground UP. Sorry.

Even in Season 3, True Blood is still one of my favorite TV shows.
And... I just booked a VO as a red-necky caller that doesn't understand why if "vampires been round for thousands of years, how come there ain't no mention of 'em in the bible?"

YAY.
I am very proud to be allowed to be red-necky once again.
Vampires rule. And my day job is officially weird.
ps: Eric is hot this season.

Surround Events Announced

2010-07-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

Last year for our production of BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, we hosted several surround events, ranging from talkbacks with Penny Fuller, who starred in the play on Broadway in the 1960s, to hula hoop nights. They were a huge success, and we’ve amped up our surround events for LETTER FROM ALGERIA, our upcoming fall production. Performances run October 29 through November 20, 2010 at the June Havoc Theatre at the Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex (312 W. 36th St., NYC).

LETTER FROM ALGERIA takes place in Belgium and Algeria, and many of our events reflect these two locations. Here’s a preview of our surround events. All are free with your admission to the show. Go ahead and buy your tickets now!

LETTER FROM ALGERIA SURROUND EVENTS

Saturday, October 30 - Opening Night Halloween Post-Show Bash. Celebrate the show’s opening with cast and crew. Enjoy candy and drinks!
Sunday, October 31 -- Belgium Brunch. At Intermission, we will serve yummy Belgian waffles!
Tuesday, November 2 -- Belgian Beer Garden. Pre- and Post-Show. Join us at 36 West Bar and Grill just next door; Dollar off Drinks with the Code Ground UP!
Wednesday, November 3 -- Belly Dancing. Enjoy a free Belly Dancing demonstration and class starting at 7:15pm in the June Havoc Theatre lobby.
Thursday, November 4 – Singles Night. Get ready to mingle during intermission and post-show with other singles.
Sunday, November 7 – North African Affairs. We will host a speaker on North African history after the matinee performance.

Tuesday, November 9 – Student ID Night. Young or old, bring your student ID and get $5 off tickets at the door.

Wednesday, November 10 – Belgian Beer Garden. Pre- and Post- Show. Join us at 36 West Bar and Grill just next door; Dollar off Drinks with the Code Ground UP!

We will announce a few other events in the next couple of weeks. We look forward to seeing you at LETTER FROM ALGERIA.