April 26th: A Staged Reading of "Total War" @ Outpost 186

Cambridge, Massachusetts, Sunday, April 26th, 8pm:

Ian Thal hosts a staged reading of his play, Total War, at Outpost 186, located at 186 1/2 Hampshire Street, Cambridge MA.

Total War was recently named a semi-finalist in the 2009 Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition. The reading is an opportunity both for the author to develop the play through listening and for an audience to experience a stripped-down version of a work-in-progress. A talk-back will follow the reading.

The reading will feature the talents of local actors including: Dale Appel, Anika M. Colvin-Hannibal, John M. Costa, Anthony DiBartolomeo, Mikey DiLoreto, Lou Fuoco, Kate Heffernan, Andrew Hicks, Lesley Anne Moreau, Krystle Spoon, and Tom Sprague.

Total War is a five-act play set at a Catholic university where the student newspaper has published a Holocaust denial advertisement. While faculty and staff attempt to show solidarity with the small Jewish community on campus, an anarchist-cell using the nom de guerre of “Total War” begins a campaign of guerrilla art attacks before a predictable dialogue on free speech and religious pluralism can begin.

Though a work of fiction, Total War was inspired by events Thal witnessed while attending graduate school, exploring the history (and potential futures) of Jewish-Catholic relations, historical memory, and the conflict between grass-roots activism and institutional power. It is a story made timely after the scandal surrounding Vatican’s recent lifting of the excommunication of the anti-Semitic Society of Saint Pius X and its Holocaust-denying Bishop, Richard Williamson.

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Cast for Staged Reading of "Total War"

In the process of learning that self-producing a staged reading is harder work than I expected, I have assembled a cast of players to help me with the April 26th reading of Total War at Outpost 186:

Duane McCormack: Anthony DiBartolomeo

N.B.: Stuart G. Levy played the part of Duane on April 26th.

Edith Havilland: Kate Heffernan

Donald Crincoli: Mikey DiLoreto

Jonah Gringer: Andrew Hicks

Andrea Kunst: Krystle Spoon

Father Aldobrandini: Lou Fuoco

Erica Weiss: Lesley Anne Moreau

Father John Bullock: Tom Sprague

Richard Doncaster: John M. Costa

Campus Police Officer: Dale Appel

Stage Directions: Anika M. Colvin-Hannibal

Still Seeking Actors for Staged Reading of "Total War"

I've received several responses already, but I am still seeking actors to round up the cast for the staged reading of Total War which was recently declared a semi-finalist in this year's Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition.

The reading will be held at Outpost 186 in Cambridge, MA on April 26th. The primary purpose of the reading is to allow me to hear the dialogue spoken aloud, and thus aid my rewriting process.

Interested actors should consult the character breakdown.

Previews for "Arlecchino Am Ravenous", March 23rd

Mark Jaquith previews my March 23rd performance of Arlecchino Am Ravenous at Stone Soup Poetry on his Cambridge Community Televisionblog. It features a number of photographs showing my work with my mime and commedia dell'arte students at Open Air Circus.

Stone Soup's own blog also has a nice photograph by Bill Perault that I haven't seen before. I'm not certain when it was taken, but I'm guessing that it's a few years old at the very least.

Total War Semi-Finalist in Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition

Today, I found the following letter, dated March 3, 2009, in my mailbox:

Dear Ian,

On behalf of the Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition Committee, thank you for your entry to this year's contest.

Your play was selected as a semi-finalist amongst a group of 73 plays which is a noteworthy achievement. Regrettably your play, TOTAL WAR, was not selected as a finalist. We appreciate your participation in the competition and wish to encourage you to continue writing and to resubmit plays to us in the future.
[...]

This just days after I received the following email, dated March 6, from the dramaturgy fellow of another theatre:

Although [name of theatre withheld since this was not a competition]is not able to provide a home for your script, I found its dialogue and situation compelling. I would highly encourage you to continue submitting TOTAL WAR to other venues.

If I am to take anything from these "rejections," it's that I was right to trust my intuition (and encouragement from certain friends) to embark on this undertaking, and ignore those who discouraged me.

Until I hear otherwise, the next step is casting for the staged reading in April.

Call for Actors For Staged Reading of "Total War"

As part of my development process, I have decided to self-produce a staged reading of my play, Total War taking place on Sunday, April 26th at 8pm at Outpost 186 in Cambridge. I am now recruiting actors to assist in this process. As this is simply a reading of a work in progress in front of a small audience, there will be no blocking. I will not so concerned about the look or age of of the actors. I will be more concerned with their interest in the story, and their enthusiasm and insights into the characters. I will be available to answer any questions actors have about the characters prior to the reading.

To quote the press release:

Ian Thal hosts a staged reading of his play, Total War, a five-act play set at a Catholic university where the student newspaper has published a Holocaust denial advertisement. While faculty and staff attempt to show solidarity with the small Jewish community on campus, an anarchist-cell using the nom de guerre of “Total War” begins a campaign of guerrilla art attacks before a predictable dialogue on free speech and religious pluralism can begin.

[...]

The staged reading is for an audience to experience a stripped-down version of a work-in-progress, and an opportunity for the author to listen to actors and solicit feedback.

If you are an actor and this sounds interesting, continue reading:

Dramatis Personae:

Duane McCormack: Male, early 20s. Editor-in-Chief of The Dustbowl Pulpit. a student newspaper.

Edith Havilland: Female, early 20s. News Editor of The Dustbowl Pulpit.

Donald Crincoli: Male, early 20s. Associate Editor and photographer for The Dustbowl Pulpit.

Jonah Gringer: Male, mid-20s. Jewish graduate student in philosophy at a Catholic university. Andrea’s lover.

Andrea Kunst: Female, early-20s. Junior in geology, Jonah’s lover, work-study student in office of Doncaster.

Father Aldobrandini: Male, early 40s to early 50s, Professor of philosophy, Jesuit priest. Ideologically opposed to Bullock.

Erica Weiss: Female, early 20s. President of Jewish Student Association, at a Catholic university. Senior in political science.

Father John Bullock: Male, early 40s to early 50s, Professor of philosophy, Jesuit priest. Ideologically opposed to Aldobrandini.

Richard Doncaster: (Male, late 30s to 50s) Dean of Students at a Catholic university.

Campus Police Officer: (Male, late 20s to 50s) appears in one scene and likely doubled by the actor playing either Aldobrandini, Bullock, or Doncaster.

The role of Doncaster might be doubled by that of the actor playing Aldobrandini.

A reader for stage directions will also be needed.

I'm sorry that my budget does not allow for a stipend for the actors, but snacks and beverages will be provided.

Interested? Drop me a note about which roles interest you. Resumes are helpful but not necessary.

Monday, March 23: Arlecchino Am Ravenous

Monday, March 23, 2009 at 8pm at the Out of the Blue Art Gallery:

Stone Soup Poetry presents Ian Thal performing his short, one-man play, Arlecchino Am Ravenous, a blend of literary satire and physical comedy. Arlecchino is so driven by hunger, as to eat flies, his own fingers, and even his own stomach, before he ravages both the heavens above and the hells below in search of a meal. The piece developed out of a series of improvisations inspired by a reading of Italian Nobel-Laureate, Dario Fo. The show will also include several shorter performance pieces that combine mime and poetry.

Ian last appeared at Stone Soup Poetry as part of a reunion of Cosmic Spelunker Theater. This will be his first solo performance at the long-lived poetry venue since 2001.

Lynne "The Prize Lady" Sticklor will host the event.

Out of the Blue Art Gallery
106 Prospect Street
Central Square
Cambridge, MA.


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