One

Black Swan Lab

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 06:37:00 +0000

Great news from the ONE camp to get the fall rolling right!

We’ve been offered a two-day workshop with the amazing Oregon Shakespeare Festival in their Black Swan Lab.

Since last summer’s journey to workshop in New York, Wade and Kristin have been hard at work incorporating all of the actor and audience feedback into a great rewrite of the script. And now it’s time again for actors to breathe some life into the words so they can see what works and what needs tweaking.

We’ll head down to beautiful Ashland, Oregon (Wade’s old stomping grounds!) in October and work through the script, focusing the time and attention on the history of the piece and the book. We’ll be joined in the lab by a crew of seasoned and talented actors, as well as an amazing dramaturg.

Oregon Shakespeare Festival continues to grow by leaps and bounds, taking chances and doing some of the most beautiful work. In addition to showing established works in a new light, their commitment to developing new work is inspiring. The American Revolutions: The United States History Cycle will commission up to 37 plays over the next nine years. We had the opportunity to see American Night: The Ballad of Juan José last month and were blown away by the bravery and commitment to a production and script that told stories of America that aren’t always in the books.

It’s amazing to be in such talented company, and we’re incredibly honored to have ONE in their very capable hands!

Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:56:00 +0000

Wishing everyone a happy new year! May 2010 bring you lots of joy, magic, laughter and love.

-Kristin, Wade & Sam

Busy little elves...

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:21:00 +0000

Wade and Kristin are hard at work to revisions and edits of ONE. But Wade has been busy doing some fun elf work at Portland Center Stage and was featured on Broadway World.

Check out the write up here: Broadway World

Let the show begin...

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:30:00 +0000

There is nothing so valuable as an audience!

The space we’re in for performances is so interesting, its intimacy making it that there is no dark back corner to lurk in. Everyone is looking right at one another, actors and audience alike.

It’s like we’re living life right in front of each other. Which is what we do every day, but sometimes it takes the slow rise of lights and the thud of an actor’s shoes across the set to help us remember that everything is happening all the time.

The audience is the third pillar of theater. Watching them lean forward, hearing them laugh, seeing them have a moment that catches them off guard, and getting their feedback is vital as we continue development.

As Hermann ruminates, “It’s nothing until someone reads it.”

Take a listen...

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:50:00 +0000

BRAHMIN'S SON

FAIRY TALE

THE OTHER SHORE

RING THE BELL

A Place To Call Home

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:25:00 +0000

We wanted to take a moment to give a special thanks to Telsey & Co. for their generous support of our workshop. Sonnet Repertory Theatre Co. advisory board member Bernard Telsey generously agreed to allow us to use his audition studio as our rehearsal space. What a perfect fit. Centrally located in Midtown, the studio happens to be a perfect match to the theatre space we will be moving into. We have been able to map exactly where every audience member will be sitting, and play in a space that will feel very familiar when we move into the theatre. Rehearsal space in the city isn’t always easy to come by… especially when you’re making BIG NOISE… like we tend to do. So we thank Telsey & Co.

Interestingly enough, Bernie Telsey happens to be featured in this month’s Playbill Magazine. Read all about him…

Playbill.com

In The Studio

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:30:00 +0000

Kristin & Wade are in the studio today... working on a rewrite.

Watching a Master at Work…

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:16:00 +0000

With 29 songs in the show, music is a very important part of the rehearsal process. Add to that complex harmonies, daily edits, the addition of an underscore track, changing time signatures… and you’ve got your work cut out for you! But watching Music Director Karl Mansfield at work makes it look as easy as breathing. He brings a joy and skill to the room that gives ease to the actors and allows room for questions or changes. It’s a total joy to watch him work.

Add to that the “compose on the fly” style when Wade sees an opportunity to fine tune or refine, and the rehearsal process gets very exciting. The moments of discovery are beautiful. And when the sound is full the goose bumps suddenly appear.

Capturing Moments

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:19:00 +0000

Enter The Magicians...

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:19:00 +0000

The music has been taught, the actors are on their feet working their way through the text and exploring each moment of the scene, and now we add a new element... DESIGN.

Last night Set Designer Lex, Sound Designer Justin, and Light Designer Jessica began to add color to our canvas. Lots of beautiful and exciting ideas being shared.

Workshop - Week ONE

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 01:28:00 +0000

ONE week down... whew!

The actors read and sang through the entire script today after spending the week learning ALL the songs... Wade has certainly composed them a voluminous challenge. After the read thru on the first day, I went back to some scenes and hacked at them, added to others, and marked the moments that need something though I'm not quite sure what yet. That's why we have smart and talented actors in the room. It's so strange and beautiful to have nine voices saying things that you've spent two years listening to in your head.

We're going to start working the scenes this week and get them on their feet, which means we put 'em up and pull 'em apart to figure out what works and what doesn't. I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's questions and to finding out the answers, because that's how we're going to make this thing really sing.

-Kristin

We've begun...

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 01:10:00 +0000

This week has been dedicated to music rehearsal. We are moving fast in learning all 30 songs in the show in just four days. The blend of voices are beautiful. Together they fill this room with a total wall of sound. Some moments take my breath away, harmonies are bringing tears, moments of discovery bring pure joy.

Bearing Witness by: Andy Lindberg

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 04:17:00 +0000

Nearly four years ago I was totally blissed out as cast member of the 2005 production of “One.” I filled my days and nights with the music, the imagery and the connections that formed the show. I was surrounded by friends and good feeling as we put up what was, at the time, the most current version of the show.

Tonight I was blessed to sit in as a new group of artists began their journey with what is, as of today, the NEW version of the show.

Though I knew the show, like most of the cast and crew I was hearing this new version for the first time. It gave me shivers.

The show has grown and changed greatly since 2005. An entirely new way of looking at the story brings us face to face with Hermann Hesse as he struggles to write “Siddhartha.’” The story dips and dives between the parallel journeys of the writer and his creation as they both seek to find peace in their life.

And the music has changed as well. Tonight we heard the music almost entirely in the voice of the composer, Wade. He and his Macintosh have been busy constructing symphonies and calliopes to demonstrate the new score. We heard him singing almost all the parts, often multi-tracked into a choir of singers.

And it is new. Gone is nearly every note I sang in 2005. In their place are new works that brought clarity to the story, and moved me.

It was odd, sitting on the sidelines. I was filled with excitement for the actors and the creative team as they begin to wrap themselves in the eiderdown of this new version of the show. This new version is darker, but clearer than 2005. It is more complex. It is going to take work to tease the piece apart and put it together in its new form.

But that’s the fun part.

Ready, set, go!

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 19:53:00 +0000

Do you remember your first time in the theatre?

I can remember every detail about it. I remember driving downtown for a night at the theatre. I remember that I sat three seats from the house left aisle and we were seven rows back. I remember that I was six years old and was wearing my prettiest pink frilly dress. I remember the seats were red velvet and I remember that my mom let me walk down before the show started and look into the orchestra pit.

There were people down there. They were tuning instruments and all dressed in black dresses and tuxedos. Then suddenly the lights dimmed and mom rushed me back to our seats and rising out of the ‘orchestra pit’ came a man with a baton. Oh the anticipation. I could see his head only as he stood to thank the audience and then he turned back to the people under the stage and the lights went dark. And the music started.

The stage had a big heavy golden curtain with fringe on the bottom. And together we took a collective breath in as the curtain began to rise. It was my first musical… Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. The music made you want to dance and the costumes were beautiful. Lumberjacks in their suspenders danced and sang and whirled around their brides with brightly colored dresses whooshing past the lip of the stage.

I remember having to hold onto the arms of the seats… because mom told me we couldn’t dance in the aisle. And I remember walking out of the theatre singing and dancing and so excited.

While it probably wasn’t the most challenging piece of theatre… for a six year old, it was magical. And in the end I walked out of the theatre with 1,000 other people tapping their toes and feeling happy. It’s why we love the theatre, right? That magical moment when you take a collective sigh and want to burst out singing together. In an instant you build a community.

Four years ago I came on as the producer because I saw the seed of that magic. Together we have traveled a wonderful journey of discovery and today we take our next big step. I am so proud of Wade and Kristin and what they have created from that seed and today I sit here on the edge of that red velvet seat again with my feet dangling over the edge, holding on as the curtain begins to rise.

The conductor’s baton rises and we all take a collective sigh, as we are ready to burst out singing.

-Samantha Swaim, Producer

I use my guitar to kill illusion and express my souls’ voice - Tomoki Spilsbury

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:10:00 +0000

Introducing Tomoki.

Tomoki joins ONE as our guitar player in our small but very important orchestra. Joining a keyboard and a violin we are excited to have Tomoki on board.

Here is a little bit more about him:

Tomoki was born in Japan in 1984. He developed an early passion for guitar when his grandmother gave him his first at age 13. Guitar became a total focus of his energy and creativity during his teens. At thirteen, he was adopted by a friend in the United States, as he felt his music career was meant to take off in the USA.
He began his life in the United States in Maui, Hawaii where he studied jazz and became familiar with life and the English language in the USA. When he no longer felt challenged by the teachers on the island, he decided to move to LA to study at LA Musican’s Institute, where his professional training began in earnest. Later he felt that it was important to move to the Bay area, near San Francisco to study at Berkeley Jazz School, which he did for three years. During this time he also deeply studied private lessons with one of the most respected Jazz music teachers in the US, Charlie Banocos. He is still studying with this Jazz legend.
Tomoki recorded his first CD with Paul Van Wageningen and John Whitalla. During this same time period, Tomoki began to perform with the Danny Cao Quintet. Tomoki was very influenced by the music of Jimi Hendrix in his early explorations in music . His musical flavor of late combines many styles of music, which most recently birthed a fusion of contemporary jazz and Japanese folk melodies which he plays with his band “Neiro” featuring Tomoki on guitar, Paul Van Wageningen on drums and Kit Walker on Hammond organ.

Meet Lighting Designer Jessica Lynn Hinkle

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:04:00 +0000

Jessica joins ONE as the lighting designer working to create the emotion and environment of the show through light and shadow, color and contract, and sometimes a lot of imagination. We are excited to have Jessica on board. Here is a little bit more about her:

Jessica Lynn Hinkle (Lighting Designer) - NYC credits include Oberon Theater Co.'s Insecurity - The Musical as well as Much Ado about Nothing and American Rapture at Theatre Row, Sonnet Repertory Theatre's Midsummer Night's Dream, Poetry in Motion and Sound of Emptiness with Sachiyo Ito & Co, the American Girl productions of Bitty Bear's Matinee and An American Girl Holiday Celebration, the world premieres of Trailerville, The Texas Mama-Logues, The Furies, and Hollywood at Sunset. Other Off-Off Broadway lighting designs include Rosencrantz & Guildenstern..., Summer and Smoke and Vieux Carre. Jessica is also a freelance props designer, scenic artist and production designer. Her props designs and scenic artwork can be seen in the Wildlife Conservation Society's educational outreach and children's theater program, and her props were featured in Hipgnosis Theater Company's Caucasian Chalk Circle and Measure for Measure. Her production design for Transition with Reggie Watts was seen in Portland, Oregon's TBA:08 Festival.

Lex Liang Joins ONE as Scenic Designer

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:47:00 +0000

With rehearsals only a few days away the creative team as been hard at work in developing concepts for the design of the world of ONE. Taking on the task of designing the world we live in is Lex Liang.

Here is a little more about Lex:

Recent New York/Off Broadway: The Shape of Metal (Brian Murray, Dir.), The Yellow Wood (BD Wong, Dir.), Secrets of a Soccer Mom (Judith Ivey, Dir.), After Luke (Irish Rep), When I Was God (Irish Rep). Recent Dance: The Distance Between Us (Gina Gibney Dance/Alvin Ailey), View Partially Obstructed (Gina Gibney Dance/Baryshnikov), International Tanzmesse, Dusseldorf, Germany. Recent Film: Love Is Hell, The Louisiana Conversation. Architectural/Interior: Sweet Priscilla's Cafe, Synergy Fitness Center, VBar Cafe, Sophia Eugene, RED Boutique, Lemonade. United Scenic Artists, Local 829.

Jonathan Ross joins ONE as Assistant Director

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:41:00 +0000

We are thrilled to have J.T. on board as our assistant director working in partnership with Todd.

Here is a little bit more about J.T. in his own words:

Jonathan (J.T.) Ross was somehow born and raised in Southern California. After high school, he ventured east to attend The Boston Conservatory where he received a bachelors degree in Musical/Theater Arts and branched away from performing and into directing. He has directed productions of "Sabra Symphony", "Oh Dad Poor Dad...", "The Rue Garden", and "A Little Night Music". "One" is the first workshop of a play that he has gotten to work on and he is excited and honored for the opportunity to be dealing with new material. J.T. lives in Brooklyn and also writes for www.minorprogression.com, an online music and arts blog that you may or may not consider innapropriate.

Half Way There…

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:25:00 +0000

With the workshop starting in less than a week, we’ve almost reached the halfway mark for our fundraising goal. Now it’s time to kick into high gear.

If all 887 of our Facebook fans dropped just $10 into the bucket, we’d hit our goal. Have you made your $10 donation yet?

As we approach our first day of rehearsal... we need you to join the journey. Join the $10 for ONE campaign today by making a $10 contribution to the workshop production of ONE. Then go out and tell 10 of your friends to do the same!

Special thanks to our donors: Sean Sweeney & Tom Barreto

Here’s How It Works…

Step 1:
Donate $10
www.SONNETREPERTORYTHEATRE.ORG
Click Here To Support Us

Step 2:
Ask 10 people to donate $10
Send them an email - Pass on this message

Step 3:
Ask those 10 people to continue the cycle and ask 10 more people.

Spread the word and join the $10 for ONE campaign.

Make your donation today at www.SONNETREPERTORYTHEATRE.ORG
Donations are tax deductible.

Or make your check out to “Sonnet Repertory Theatre, Inc.” and send to:

SRT, Inc. / ONE
Attn: Office of Development
PO Box 772
New York, NY 10108

The Countdown...

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:47:00 +0000

8 days and counting… and then our first rehearsal begins. Everything is buzzing with anticipation and deadlines. Scripts are being finalized for the start of rehearsal, pages of sheet music are being generated, and final tweaks and edits are falling into place.

Designers are gathering together Monday to prepare designs and get concepts in place.

The rehearsal studio is reserved, the marketing outreach has begun and SRT is in the final stages of fundraising.

Everything is a buzz and we are so excited for the entire team to be in one place for the start of this next adventure. Let the workshop begin!

WE HAVE AN ANNOUCEMENT...

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:32:00 +0000

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW...

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

Tonight... Get A Sneak Peak

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:38:00 +0000

Are you in NY City and ready to get a sneak peak of ONE. Head out to support SRT and spend an evening celebrating the works of recent graduates of the nation's foremost drama programs... plus cap the evening with a sneak peak of ONE. It's all happening tonight!!!!

JUST GO!

Sonnet Repertory Theatre, Inc.
Join us on Monday, July 13 at 7PM
Collaborative Series 2009

SRT’s Collaborative Series assembles both recent graduates of the nation’s foremost drama programs and veterans of New York theater for an evening of 15-minute plays. The goal is two-fold: first, to offer young artists an opportunity to perform, and second, to welcome those new to the realm of professional theater into the community that awaits them.

Over 24 hours this summer, twelve actors and three directors will read, rehearse, and perform three 15-minute plays. These actors and directors are unfamiliar to each other. These plays, inspired by a theme from classic literature, have never before been produced. Our audience will be privy to an evening of theater predicated on collaboration, risk, and instinct.

Collaborative Series Details:

Theme for the Playwrights
"There are times when lying is the most sacred of duties"
- EUGENE LABICHE c. 1861

Playwrights
Greta Gerwig
Jim Knable
Sean Kent

Directors
Jeremiah Maestas
Robyne Parrish
Michael Lluberes

Actors
Matt Harrington (NYU)
Julie Sharbutt (NYU
Maechi Aharanwa (Julliard)
Anthony Wofford (Julliard)
Leah Walsh (Julliard)
Luke Robertson (Yale)
Teresa Avia Lim (Yale)
Laura Esposito (Yale)
Kristopher Alexander (UNSCA)
Ben Yannette (UNSCA)
Andy Hassell (UNCSA)
Aleque Reid (UNCSA)

A SNEAK PEEK OF ONE BY CREATOR WADE MCCOLLUM WILL FOLLOW ALONG WITH A NEW CAMPAIGN INITIATIVE!

Monday, July 13 at 7PM
The Goldman-Sonnenfeldt Auditorium
JCC in Manhattan
334 Amsterdam Avenue, at 76th Street
$5 General Admission

Tickets are limited. Reserve by emailing your request to info@sonnetrepertorytheatre.org with “Collaborative Series" in the subject line.

59E59 Theaters

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:10:00 +0000

We are excited to be heading to the stages at 59E59 Theaters. After a four-week workshop process we will perform for a week in theatre C.

59E59 Theaters is a brand new, state-of-the-art theater complex in a spectacular location on 59th Street between Park and Madison Avenues in Manhattan.

Owned and operated by the Elysabeth Kleinhans Theatrical Foundation, a not-for profit operating foundation, 59E59 Theaters has set an invigorating policy of bringing new, challenging and experimental work to a new neighborhood.

Thank you for hosting us 59E59… tickets on sale soon!

The Mirror's Reflection

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:01:00 +0000

In ONE, some of the actors play two characters, the person they are in the world of 1920 where Hermann lives, and the mirror character that they are in the created world of his book. For example, Pearl Sun plays both Maria, Hermann's wife, and Kamala, the woman in the book who Siddhartha meets in the city. Paolo Montalban plays Gunther, Hermann's best friend, and Govinda, Siddhartha's best friend. Each actor bounces back and forth between the two roles to illuminate how each acts on the other. And in the case of Howard Kaye, he will be playing a whole series of characters that both Hermann and Siddhartha meet along their respective tracks, each so different but based on a common thread.

Pearl Sun

Pearl's Credits Include:

Broadway:
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! - Original Broadway Production, 2006
Happiness - Lincoln Center Theatre
The Nightingale - Pre-Broadway Workshop
Legally Blonde - Pre-Broadway Workshop

Off Broadway:
Walmartopia - Original Off Broadway Production
The Seven - Original Off-Broadway Production, 2006
The Oak Tree - Perry Street Theatre
R.A.W. - The Actor’s Loft

Paolo Montalban

Paolo's Credits Include:

Film:
Cinderella with Whitney Houston, Brandy & Bernadette Peters

Broadway:
Pacific Overtures - Broadway Roundabout Revival, 2004
The King & I - Neil Simon Theatre Broadway Revival, 1996

Off Broadway:
Romance of Magno Rubio - Culture Project
The King and I - St. Louis MUNY Production, 2006
Cinderella - Paper Mill Production, 2005
Two Gentlemen of Verona - Off-Broadway Revival, 2005
Jenny and Me - York Theatre
The King and I - Paper Mill Production, 2002

Howard Kaye

Howard's Credits Include:

Broadway:
Mama Mia - North American Touring Company
Miss Saigon - Broadway
Fiddler On The Roof - Broadway Revival
Man Of La Mancha - Broadway Revival
Peter Pan w/ Sandy Duncan
Jesus Christ Superstar - European Tour

Off-Broadway:
Silence! The Musical - NY Fringe Festival
Manhattan Madcaps of 1924 - Symphony Space Off Broadway
God Bless You Mr. Rosewater - Off Broadway
The Little Prince - Original Off Broadway
Ever After - Off Broadway Workshop

Meet Hermann & Siddhartha

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:49:00 +0000

Meet ONE characters Hermann and Siddhartha. Hermann is a German philosopher, artist, and author working in the early twentieth century. He’s hard at work on a new book and the process isn’t going as smoothly as he would like. Siddhartha is the main character of said book. He’s a Brahmin in ancient India who decides to leave all the privilege he’s ever known in pursuit of the greater truth and has many adventures along the way. The musical explores the relationship between creator and creation, and wrestles with the idea of who actually writes whom.

Michael Winther

Michael's Credits Include:

Broadway:
33 Variations - Original Broadway Production, 2009
The Crucible - Broadway Revival, 2002
Mamma Mia! - Original Broadway Production, 2001
1776 - Roundabout Revival, 1997
Damn Yankees - Broadway Revival, 1994
Artist Descending a Staircase - Original Broadway Production, 1989

Off Broadway:
Songs From an Unmade Bed - Original Off-Broadway Production, 2005
Radiant Baby - Original Off-Broadway Production, 2003
Pretty Faces - Original Off-Broadway Production, 1990
Hapgood
Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weil - Original Off-Broadway Production
The Predator’s Ball
Forever Plaid
Tony ‘N’ Tina’s Wedding - Original Company / Co-Creator

Manu Narayan

Manu's Credits Include:

Film:
The Love Guru with Mike Meyers

Broadway:
Bombay Dreams by A.R. Rahman (Broadway Original Cast- 2004) - Drama League nomination, New York

Off Broadway:
subUrbia by Eric Bogosian (revival-2006) - Second Stage Theater, New York City
SIDD: The Musical by Andrew Frank (World Premiere-2006) - New World Stages, New York City
The People Next Door by Henry Adam (American Premiere-2006) - Yale Repertory Theater, New Haven
Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman (2003) - The Repertory Theater of St. Louis, St. Louis MO
Fucking A by Suzan-Lori Parks (world premiere-2003) - The Joe Paap Public Theater, New York City
Indian Ink by Tom Stoppard (east coast premiere-2002) - The Wilma Theater, Philadelphia, PA
Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare (2001) - Shakespeare and Company, Lenox MA