Julia and Melissa Exposed!

There they are! Exposed from behind the proscenium in a rare public appearance with Bar on Church VIP access member Michael Shipley!

T.I.C. - the final three shows - special shout out

We're about to launch into the final weekend of T.I.C. here in "the Fran." The Fran. hah.

But firstly a big shout out to Julia Heitner and Melissa Fall, the fearless and tireless production team that has been with the show since the first rehearsal and execute a vast array of backstage duties during the show (They're the two people who move the thing back). Julia is an actress and Melissa is a writer and they both rock.

ok so we need pictures of them for ths post.. who's got pictures?

Hunter Gatherers is rockin LA

(We are nearing the end of my long string of self promotional blog posts. But not quite at the end!)

Furious Theatre opened their lovely production of Hunter Gatherers last weekend and it's has been tearin up Pasadena! YEEHA!

Check out these pullquotes compiled by he Furious folks:

“TOP PICK!... Bitingly hilarious!”
"A razor-sharp staging from Furious Theatre Company... With abundant irony and well-turned barbs, Nachtrieb's sharply crafted dialogue follows in Edward Albee's footsteps... Dámaso Rodriguez's relentlessly paced staging builds suspense with the visceral engagement of a cinematic thriller and draws nicely realized characters from the entire cast."
Read full review...
- Philip Brandes, Los Angeles Times

“CRITIC'S PICK...Savagely funny!”
"Combines the verbal savagery of vintage Edward Albee with the visceral brutality of Sarah Kane. In director Dámaso Rodriguez's sidesplitting yet thought-provoking L.A. premiere, the distinctive voice of a trailblazing playwright strongly resonates... The tight ensemble tackles the difficult material with intelligence and skill... This marvelous production is a fitting kickoff to Furious Theatre's graduation from Actors Equity's 99-Seat Plan to a Letter of Agreement arrangement, now offering substantially increased pay for its deserving actors."
- Les Spindle, Back Stage West

“Smart and funny...intense and hilarious!”
"A fine example of Furious's work—an impressively engaging production of an edgy new play."
- Sharon Perlmutter, Talkin' Broadway

“Blisteringly funny!”
"This landmark for the company is a wild night for the audience."
- Don Shirley, LA CityBeat

Check Out This Slideshow from the production

Here are some of the reviews!

James Bewley photoblogs Inauguration

James Bewley, man of many brilliant things is in DC sending photos of his inauguration experience.

Check out his list of pics as they go live

Only two more weeks of T.I.C.

We've had an incredible run of T.I.C. so far and performances keep getting stronger and better and super awesome. And if you live in the SF Bay Area, get off your ass and see it! It's hilarious!

Handy Positive Press Pullquotes for TIC!!


"Nachtrieb's script is packed with comic creativity, and the Encore cast fills out his offbeat caricatures to rib-tickling perfection. Ken Prestininzi's smartly staged production filled the Magic Theatre with laughter" - Robert Hurwitt, SF Chronicle




"Vastly Entertaining! Ken Prestininzi, who finds the right rhythms for the farcical underpinnings and has guided his cast to complement the dialogue with amusing fillips, working on James K. Faerron's simple but effective set. The cast of the Encore Theatre Company production is uniformly excellent." - Richard Dodds, Bay Area Reporter


"[A] stunning new play brilliantly directed by Ken Prestininzi and cast with actors playing at the top of their game...Nachtrieb has a keen eye for popular culture as lived on the streets and subdivided properties of San Francisco, where people are willing to give up much privacy and a fair share of dignity to hang on and live la vida urban in the city that is the spiritual home of cable cars and Rice-A-Roni." - Pat Craig Contra Costa Times



"See if it doesn't capture for you a certain time and place, specifically a certain here and now. Its lunacy is hilariously and suspiciously spot-on." - Rob Avila SF Bay Guardian


(and here are some other raves)


Tickets:
Get them here
And also check out Goldstar for possible half price tickets!

Hey Los Angeles!

Check it out!

it's the los angeles premiere of
Hunter Gatherers

Presented By Furious Theatre Company
Previews January 21-23
January 24 - February 21, 2009
Directed by Damaso Rodriguez

The Los Angeles premiere of the 2006 Harold and Mimi Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award-winner finds Pam and Richard hosting their best friends, Wendy and Tom, for an annual dinner get-together. An animal sacrifice kicks off the evening, followed by a little more sex, violence, deception, wrestling, and dancing than at previous parties. A darkly comic evening where the line between civilized and primal man is blurred, and where not everyone will survive long enough to enjoy the brownies for dessert.

--
boo ya! I'll be there jan 21-25!

10 Dollars Off T.I.C. this weekend!

That's right, people! We're trying to pack in some houses this weekend and Encore is offering 10 dollars off

When you go to buy a ticket online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/48836
enter discount code "nolastname" for 10 dollars off!

Woooooooo!

(Also, be sure to check Goldstar as well for 1/2 off tickets for some dates)

opening night reflections

T.I.C. opened on Monday with a bang. An amazing show with a particularly crazy house that added ten minutes to the normal run-time with their vigorous chortling.

(Check out the Chronicle Review!)

It was the end to an intense week of lightning tech, amazingly productive and exciting preview shows and finally our true opening on Monday.

A few thoughts:

• Lisa and James provided me with a gift of Single Barrel Wild Turkey Bourbon. I have now been presented with three bottles of Bourbon from this show. This will help tremendously with writing the next play. Look out, South Coast!
• Apparently I like to laugh at my own jokes. In particular, I laugh loudly when nobody else is laughing in the audience. That's usually when I'll laugh the loudest. You know, to let people know they just missed some comedy gold.
• I think I was pretty wound up for the performance, so much so that my right ear began to ring and then my stomach started cramping at the party.
• Perhaps I should not say "Have a wonderful objective experience!" to critics as they enter the show.
• I think a broad comedy is a good thing in January during a deep recession. And it was fun to write a play that tapped into my writing roots as a way to tell a story.
  
• I looked good.
• Not to get too gushy, but the process of making this production was really really fun (and terrifying at the same time, but that's par for the course). Credit Ken and Lisa and James for creating a work environment that was truly collaborative, where everyone involved brought ideas into the fold to create the end product. This is what I love about theatre is the collective minds bringing forth a particular creature that transcends any one person's ego.

Here we go!

(Rebecca White as KID, photo by James Faerron)

T.I.C. (trenchcoat in common) opens tonight!

It's been a great weekend of previews, and we have had some incredible houses! I am very excited/nervous/ansty for tonight but am so proud and delighted by the work that everyone has thrown into this crazy play. It's a crazy play.

did I mention that you should totally go see it?

Happy New Year!