Bad Ideas / Good Ideas

In honor of being done with what turned out to be an amazingly simple show, a list of all the awful things I almost did:

• me shouting certain lines from the audience or balcony
• puppets (not a bad idea in itself, but something I know nothing about)
• inserting pauses after lines I think you should laugh at
• making the music as loud as the speaking, thereby cancelling out all words
• advertising the show on OkCupid

THANK YOU!

Many thanks to my creative team Megan Slater and Joo Won Park, to everyone who offered their own artistic input or support, including Sarah Gladwin Camp, Jen Cleary, Julius Ferraro, Katherine Fritz, Brian Grace-Duff, Liz Green, Dustin Hurt, Lisa Rothstein, Amy Scheidegger, Julia Taus, Meg Williams, JJ Tiziou, Rebekah Zhuraw's Sound of Words class, and Alison Hicks's Greater Philadelphia Wordshop Studio, to the wonderful women of Hybridge Arts Collective, and to all our Indiegogo supporters:

Thomas Blum, Jennifer Ann Cleary, Robert Emanuele, Maisy Grassie, Kathrine Hanna, Alison Hicks-Greifenstein, Babette Jenny, Jaime Konowal, Lisa Kraus, Janice Longo, LaNeshe Miller, Whitney Postman, Nava Szwergold, Julia Taus, Michael Tedeschi, Jacques-Jean Tiziou, Meghann Williams, and Anonymous.

I'm so thrilled with the support you've all given this project. We couldn't have done it without any of you. THANK YOU!

Fundamental Frequencies
premiered as part of the Blueprint Breakout Series

at Broad Street Ministry
October 28 & 29, 2013

Photos from Tech

We had a blast in tech this weekend. (Kelly says this is the first time in tech history of the world that anyone has ever said that.) We also managed to capture a couple moments that'll give you a sense of what things will look like tomorrow and Tuesday. Try to get as hype as I am. Just try.

Megan's view from the stage. You'll see the front of her.

A Selected Annotated Bibliography for Fundamental Frequencies

You know the drill.

"Tell All The Truth" by Emily Dickinson

This short poem begins "Tell all the truth but tell it slant, / Success in circuit lies." Uh, duh. I live for this shit. Fundamental Frequencies is my first presented work that doesn't claim to be 100% fact, but that doesn't mean it's not true. And if you saw True Stories, you know I find truth in repetitions and rehashings. Side story: I recently told Megan that the last line is the only true thing in the story. If you're looking for a sure-fire way to nearly lose an actress, that's it. Side side note: I recently read that writers direct because it's "easy." Like "the hard part is over." Ha.

Fundamental Frequencies: The Playlist

Well, this is kind of shameful for a project where I'm working with an actual musician, but I promised you an ungodly number of music puns. And boy, did I deliver. Happy final script to me.

Art is Hard

Okay, we're admittedly still figuring out what the hell this show is, which makes it especially hard to share and promote. This week, we came to the earth-shattering realization that the show is a response to the sort-of question, "Tell me about King."

This was after a whole conversation about how maybe Lucy, the narrator, is in a recording booth, or maybe things are set up tennis court style, or maybe there are a bunch of stuffed animals. (I perhaps wisely kept my previous idea about shouting out lines from the audience to myself.)

Art is hard, guys. But somehow JJ Tiziou managed to capture it visually.

This is a story about communication, how you don't actually know what other people are thinking if you don't tell them what you're thinking. How sometimes language can feel like a second rate method for getting anything across. What it feels like to find out you're not the only person manipulating a relationship, or the only person being manipulated. It's about being in control, or thinking you're in control, and how the words we use fit into that.

We've got roughly two weeks to make that all clear.

Fundamental Frequencies
will premiere as part of the Blueprint Breakout Series

October 28 & 29, 2013
tickets available at the door or in advance on Indiegogo

Real photographers use gourds

This week, the fabulous JJ Tiziou joined us for some photo fun. It's a little scary committing to promo images when you're still not quite sure what the show is, let alone looks like, which made me especially happy to be working with JJ.

If you're not familiar with his work, I'm gonna start you off with Everyone is Photogenic. It's his mantra, one of his big projects, and his current fundraising campaign to save the world. Maybe I shouldn't be highlighting someone else's crowdsourcing campaign while I've got my own going on (ahem), but stay with me - it's relevant.

Photos can be totally awkward frightening things, but JJ knows his shit, and it's not just about the gear he has. We ate cookies. We improvised light stands and colors. We all crammed into a tiny box that no one got locked into, not even once, I swear.

First rehearsals

We started rehearsals last week, and in the grand tradition of this blog, a quick recap of some of the hilarious and wonderful moments that are making this show possible. (Also I forgot to take any photos.)

• When I discovered the badass old-school PA at CCNH (photo to come)
• When Joo Won laughed heartily at the phrase "dope at keys"
• When I made Megan say "f*%k" like five sentences in a row, and she didn't bat an eye
• When there was a Batman poster in the ensemble room at CCP
• When we had to get up and walk around in circles shortly after I told Megan there were two unreliable narrators really
• When we spent half of rehearsal watching a wedding across the street (kidding, Hybridge, kidding! like a quarter, tops)

It's my process, people.

Fundamental Frequencies
will premiere as part of the Blueprint Breakout Series

October 28 & 29, 2013
tickets available at the door or in advance with donation here

True Stories on Youtube (& elsewhere)

I got this photo from True Stories in an email this week. It was taken by the wonderful Maria Möller when the show was up last fall. Christ Church Neighborhood House is using it in a bunch of their promo materials this season, which makes me feel incredibly proud and grateful.

On King

I recently made a big change to my original Fundamental Frequencies story by grafting a whole other character onto it. To give you a glimpse, dear Reader:

What's next?

A lot of people, what you may call fans, have asked me what's next. Okay, maybe not really. But you're reading this, so I'll bet you're wondering.

Well folks, I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be learning from the amazing crew over at Hybridge Arts Collective as their Fall 2013 Blueprint Breakout Series Resident Artist.

So Cruel on YouTube

In case you missed it, or just want to relive it, Rob Emanuele captured it all.

And on a day when I remembered all the props.

So Cruel: a sibling serenade

premiered as part of the SoLow Festival

June 20-30, 2013

THANK YOU

To the SoLow Festival, for existing, for making me believe this is something I could do, for encouraging me every step of the way.

To everyone who came out to support me, or even just wanted to but were deterred by schedules and/or weather.

More photos!

These ones are all from Rachel Cheetham Richard, another colleague from Azavea. You need some geospatial analysis? Some geographic software built lovingly from scratch? I'm telling you, these guys are the best. At maps, and also at life. Just look.

A Selected Annotated Bibliography for So Cruel

Throughout this process, multiple folks have brought up how few sibling stories there are out there. So, obstinate virago that I am, I set out to list those I've encountered, as well as find new ones. I've done it before, and I'll do it again -- here's this show's shout out to influential, instrumental, and essential writers. All my literary bitches stand up.

Thank you, bike.

It's opening night. I'm about to head out to do things like pick up extra ipods, tie little strings around scrolls, and hide everything everywhere. But I wanted to leave you with this sestina.

It's not the best poem ever, and it's not really related to the show; it's actually about my bike.

But my bike's in the show too, you know, and sometimes my bike and I don't really understand one another, sometimes my bike drives me nuts in fact, like right now the fender's bent funny for no reason and it makes this awful squawking sound -- but it's my bike, and when I forget where I parked it, or someone tries to hit it, or I leave it in the basement all winter, I kind of lose my shit.

So I just wanted to say, thank you, bike.

"I'm doing a show, dad!"

I wish I could convey the tone of my voice in this post title. Just imagine that I'm doing what I'm doing in the photos below, during my first dress rehearsal, with a real live audience, when my dad comes outside and starts hollering my name the way only a Longo can holler.

Check out this h4wt promo vid

Surriously, check it out! Rob Emanuele is the best. Frealz.

So Cruel: a sibling serenade

will premiere as part of the SoLow Festival

June 20-30, 2013
To reserve tickets, email socruelphilly@gmail.com

I have successfully poured all my self-doubt into making these damn scrolls

I cannot write on the fabric.

My handwriting looks like an ax-murderer chicken.

What I wanted to write in the first place doesn't even make sense.

I cannot get the fabric to stick to the place mat thingies.

Am I really using twist ties in my props?

So Cruel: a sibling serenade

will premiere as part of the SoLow Festival

June 20-30, 2013
To reserve tickets, email socruelphilly@gmail.com

Words of Wisdom from not even teenagers

There were a whole bunch of Longo's at my parents house for Father's Day this weekend. At one point, my three nieces came up to me and asked about my show.

Oof.

So Cruel: the Playlist

Songs about reconciliation or figuring things out. Songs about family. Songs I just like, and I can't explain why they fit.

Because of reasons.

So Cruel: a sibling serenade

will premiere as part of the SoLow Festival

June 20-30, 2013
To reserve tickets, email socruelphilly@gmail.com

Get it, girrrrrrl!

Movement.

Geez.

How did I get myself into this?

Well, a couple reasons. First, So Cruel is a whole lot of following me around and listening to my voice in headphones. If I don't do something interesting with my body, ya'll are gonna get bored, wander off to a whole other park, and just listen like it's a podcast. Fine.

And second, we decided there needs to be a pop song in the middle. And I should dance to it.

Is this a happy show, or a sad show?

I walk in the house and dump a Staples envelope on the table. "Flyers!"

After plucking out a handful and pretending to read one, she finally says -- and I don't mean finally like after reading the flyers, but finally after weeks of rehearsals and interviews and me being a terrible sneak -- she finally says, "Is this a happy show, or a sad show?"

It's a show about my brother and me, how we had a pretty bad time a few years ago. But mostly, it's about how it got better. And how incredibly joyous I am about that.

"It's a happy show, mom."

So Cruel: a sibling serenade

will premiere as part of the SoLow Festival

June 20-30, 2013
To reserve tickets, email socruelphilly@gmail.com

On working outside

The weather being what it is today (please click that link. please.), I'd like to talk about what's it's like to work outside on a site specific show.

Awful.

Okay, and also fun and wild and inspiring. But here are some things we've encountered so far:

Back with a vengeance. Or a show at least.

Hi guys.

I'm back.