CAPTURED AURAL PHANTASY THEATER: A COMIC BOOK LOVERS DREAM!

by Angela Imperial

Staff Writer

pLAywriting in the city

As the band plays some rocking tunes, I sit tapping my foot to the music and take in the red velvet curtains as I eagerly await the performers of Captured Aural Phantasy Theater (CAPT) to take the stage. Captured Aural Phantasy Theater is an entertaining group of actors, dancers, and musicians who bring comic books, some as far back as the 1940’s, to life. CAPT shows often have a holiday theme to them, the last show was the Valentine’s Day “Panorama of Love”, which featured original comics from the 1950’s, with titles like “I Joined a Teenage Sex Club” and “The Irresistible Lois Lane”. CAPT was originally started in the 1990’s by Ben Ziola and Ben Dickow in Chicago and made their way to Los Angeles in 2000. Ben Dickow continued CAPT’s mission to entertain audiences with a vaudeville style that can make anyone watching yearn for past times.

After many years of commuting back to Chicago to perform and being unsure if he would be able to find a “group of actors who weren’t just interested in shameless self-promotion” here in Los Angeles, Ben Dickow was finally able to put together a multi-talented collective. The collective has performed throughout Los Angeles, including the Improv Olympic West in Hollywood and they also just completed a two year residency at Company of Angels. As Nicole Ortega, a member of CAPT for almost four years puts it “we are a family, we know each other’s strengths, we have fun and we really mesh well.” All of that is evident when the troupe is on stage and off. Many of them work on other projects together, and are close friends. That closeness creates a very welcoming environment for the audience. When it comes to the musical elements of the show they are led by the musical goddess Laurel Robinson Dickow, whose voice is sultry and sexy. Having a holiday theme to their show adds a certain element of thrill, knowing you usually only have one night to catch the show, you make it a point to get there. CAPT has a devoted fan base here in LA, me included. As a member of the audience, the excitement and intensity that the performers exude make for a delicious evening of light-hearted fun!

CAPT has found a rare formula that combines well known comic book heroes and obscure stories with the raw talent of several individuals who have fun while telling these stories. The theater company consists of thirteen devoted artists; the cast is incredibly talented and always impeccably dressed! The men are always in suits and the ladies add a touch of class with gowns that replicate the era they are portraying. They took a very original concept and have managed to turn it into a comedy filled orgy of singing, acting, simple props, and live music. All of these elements, combined with a lack of this kind of theater here in Los Angeles, create a perfect combination for the kind of troupe that will continue to bring amusement and laughter to audiences everywhere.

Although they have not set the date for their next show, you can find out when and where at capturedauralphantasy.com or on Facebook. This is a troupe that will grow and bring new ideas to their shows, and I look forward to watching these actors as well the show itself evolve! So in true vaudevillian style, next time they pass through your town be sure to get a ticket and hold on for an exciting night of humor that will make you say “Holy Birdhouse Batman!”

Jared’s Jokers

by Tony Bartolone

Staff Writer

pLAywriting in the city

There are plenty of challenges that come with producing a comedy show, and time and time again promoters fail to rise to the occasion. However, watching Jared’s Jokers Comedy Show restores my faith in the process.

There are three basic elements in comedy: the performer, the material and the audience. If any of those elements are not there, then the laughs are not there. Something comedians always talk about is “the room.” Comedy clubs know the formula: a small room, dimly lit and packed with people. Demetri Martin once said, “Rooms that are good for comedy are rooms that are bad in a fire.” When you see a show at the Second City main stage in Chicago you are likely to be squished against a complete stranger. That is what works.

Jack Robichaud performing at The Joint

Jared’s Jokers currently reside at the Joint in Los Angeles. The first time I walked into The Joint was an enchanting experience. Primarily a reggae club, there is plenty of paraphernalia floating around the strange, high-ceiling room. The Joint is not a comedy club. It is incredible watching Jared Bonner (creator and producer of Jared’s Jokers Comedy Show) pull off an enjoyable stand up show in this charmingly challenging environment. Towering somewhere above ten feet, the stage is the highest I’ve ever seen stand up performed on. It is an uphill battle producing a show in this venue, but Bonner pulls it off with class. In fact, all the potentially problematic conditions merely attest to the strength of the show itself.

Bonner is able to book some of the best comedians working today, as well as hungry up and coming comics. The talent combined with cheap ticket prices and drink specials make this show easily accessible to all of the public. I saw Jimmy Dore apply his subversive brand of sarcastic satire. The next night, at an established comedy club, it would cost (at least) twice as much plus the two-drink minimum to see the same performance. Bonner says he can put the show up at any venue, and it is definitely well worth following.

Jared’s Jokers Comedy Show is at 8pm at The Joint, 8771 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035. Keep updated on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/303195939695657/

The Alliance of LA Playwrights hosts Drama Lama Ding Dong

The Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights is an excellent resource for playwrights in Los Angeles. Don’t believe me? Read for yourself in this interview with the organizations co-chairs, Jonathan Dorf and Dan Berkowitz.

What is the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights? It is the service and support organization for playwrights in the greater Los Angeles area.  We are not a producing organization, but rather an advocacy organization that provides playwrights with a variety of resources to advance their craft and careers.  It’s not a requirement that playwrights live in the Los Angeles area, and, in fact, our more than 250 members live in nearly a dozen states and even Canada.  Our many online services make ALAP membership valuable, even if you don’t live close enough to attend our physical events.

Your organization was incorporated in 1992. How have the needs of playwrights changed since then? Back in 1992, playwrights wrote plays, agents represented them, and theatres and producers produced them; with rare exceptions, if a playwright produced his or her own work, it was looked down upon as “vanity production.” Since then, however, the economics of the theatre have changed drastically, and playwrights need to be much more responsible for not only the “art” but the “commerce” of playwriting as well. Targeted marketing and promotion, and self-production are more and more recognized as critical ways of getting your work before the public, but these require an entirely different set of skills.

What are some of the services that you provide and how can they be accessed? ALAP holds a variety of events throughout the year.  These have included panels and workshops on the business and craft of playwriting, Director-Dramatist Exchanges, and monologue and scene slams.  Regular annual events include In Our Own Voices, in which playwrights take part in readings of their own work, and the Annual Playreading Festival, featuring 10-minute play readings of member work.  The New Works Lab allows for table readings of member work in conjunction with Los Angeles area theatre companies.  We also hold a number of social events, ranging from our monthly Salo(o)n to cocktail parties to a summer picnic. Our social events are open to the public, as are most of our panels; some participatory programs, such as In Our Own Voices, are open to members only. But many of our members join because of our online services.  Members get access to our actor and director databases and the Resource Guide to LA Theatres, and they can promote their plays and careers through the Script Catalogue, Meet Our Members and our email list.  The members-only email list that provides submission opportunities and discounted tickets.

One of the cool things about your website is the script catalogue that you just mentioned. How does it work? We agree.  The script catalogue is indeed cool.  In fact, it’s super cool.  If you’re a member, you can list as many plays as you’d like, and include information on cast size (including gender breakdown), genre and running time, as well as a synopsis, script excerpt and even a production photo.  A prospective producer can search the script catalogue in a variety of ways, and our authors have had inquiries from all over the world.

What is Drama Lama Ding Dong? We’ve been doing a daylong Big Fall Event for quite a while, and Drama Lama Ding Dong is this year’s version. The event always includes a number of programs, such as panel discussions and workshops, sometimes a Scene Slam or Monologue Slam, often an exchange such as this year’s with playwrights, producers, and directors; we end the day with the Annual Play Reading Festival, in which short plays chosen by a panel of judges receive rehearsed readings before an audience.

As for the name… several years ago, one of our Vice Chairs suggested we give that year’s event a fun name, so we called it Dramapalooza! Since then, we’ve tried to come up with a funny name each year. So far we’ve done Dramageddon, Dramapocalypto, Drama-Kaze, Drama Mia (Here We Go Again My My How Can You Resist It?), and now – ta da! – Drama Lama Ding Dong! What next?!?

During the event you will have a couple of panels with various artists. One of them is called “Bridging The Generation Gap” where you will have young and seasoned playwrights discuss where playwriting has been and what its future looks like. What do you hope to get out of this discussion? One of the great things about panel discussions is that they often take interesting, unexpected turns.  We’ve got a diverse mixture of up and comers and veterans, which should add up to an entertaining conversation, but also an enlightening one.  If you’re a young playwright—and I think this is a “don’t miss” event for playwrights in undergraduate and graduate programs, or just starting out—it’s an opportunity to hear some “been there, done that” stories that may save you aggravation or give you new avenues to explore in your writing.  But at the same time, our young playwrights will bring new insights and paradigms for our veterans to consider.  Being a playwright is a combination of craft and business, and our hope is that we can blend the best insights of both generations as we continue to move forward into the future of our profession.

How can playwrights and theatre artists get involved in your organization? The quick answer is send us a check! The longer answer is bring a check to one of our events and check us out in person. We’re a volunteer organization, so we’re always looking for people who want to pitch in, and pitching in is the best way to get to know people in a group – and that’s the real key. For while we think our programs are terrific and educational and entertaining… and while our website is one of the most incredible resources for a playwright who wants to promote his or her work to a global audience… the best part of being a member of ALAP is that membership makes one part of the playwriting community in Southern California, which not only gives you the opportunity to meet and network with people who do what you do, but also gives ALL of us playwrights a greater voice in assuring that our rights are preserved and kept strong and inviolable.

Drama Lama Ding Dong is on Saturday, October 15, 2011 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at Plummer Park Community Center 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood. Parking Lots off Santa Monica (3-hr limit) and Fountain, or street parking. The event is FREE and open to the public.

For more information about the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights please visit their website: http://laplaywrights.org/currentnewsflash.html

The TCG Young Leaders of Color Pre-Conference Orientation

By Fanny Garcia

The last year has been a very introspective time for me. I’ve had to redefine my priorities as an artist and I’ve made several choices that I hope will put me on the path that I need to be to accomplish my goal. Since finding out that the TCG National Conference was going to take place in Los Angeles, I knew that I had to do every thing I could to make sure that I was present at every event. And just as I suspected, it’s where I need to be right now.

Today, was the first day of activities for the conference. The recipients of the Young Leaders of Color Scholarship met for a pre-conference orientation facilitated by Emilia Cachapero, the Director of Artistic Programming at TCG.

She guided us on a discussion about our current roles and responsibilities as artists of color and asked questions about the meaning of leadership. Most of the group agreed that leadership is most often perseverance. No matter how much you feel unappreciated, no matter how scarce the funding is, or how hard it is to get your work produced…we must always continue to create.

The orientation also provided a workshop conducted by Paul Robinson of the Shannon Institute. He guided us through a series of exercises to help us identify our individual core values. I jotted down several catch phrases and concepts that really resonated. Here are a few of them:

1.) You must continue to question the status quo. The answers will give way to new models of creating. New forms will arise.

2.) How can I be an agent of change?

3.) You will have to work twice as hard to get half as far.

4.) Your core values must be in a vocabulary that you can process and practice.

5.) Our core values become true when they are challenged and you are able to defend them publicly.

6.) In order to find our core values as artists, we must spend time with ourselves and discover who we truly are. If we don’t, we could end up living someone else’s agenda.

7.) Core values are principles or standards upon which we make decisions.

8.) A value is what you DO, not what you SAY.

9.) It’s important to be artists who are not ashamed about being wealth conscious or identifying wealth building as important and putting monetary worth to our talents. Being an artists and having money should not be in conflict.

10.) We should always be on a path to self-knowledge.

I’ve worked in non-profit for ten years and attending conferences is an intrinsic part of the job. I know what it’s like to attend workshop after workshop and sit in plenary sessions. But I had never been to one that was in the context of creating and sustaining a career in theater. I was so enthralled by the conversation that sometimes it was hard to articulate what I wanted to say. I just wanted to listen and be amazed.

I was blown away by the diversity that existed in all our paths. Most of the young leaders present had done virtually every position in theater! Almost all of us have worn different hats in order to create work but we have rarely stopped to discuss what our individual goals were until we were burnt out on executing someone else’s agenda. We accepted that this can be very frustrating but most agreed that the experience gained while serving in these different capacities was priceless and provided an incubation period of sorts for our individual talents. Once we were able to identify where it was that we wanted to make an impact, we did it quickly and effectively because we had so much knowledge.

I met some fantastic people today, talented and committed individuals who are creating work now and definitely looking to mentor the next generation of artists. We want to be of service to others in the field in any way that we can. However, the conversation is definitely moving into sustainability. We must be equally engaged in supporting and making art AND make sure that we also focus on building wealth. Doing so will allow us more options and provide the resources necessary to mentor and support other artists.

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The Theatre Communication Group National Conference comes to L.A!

By Fanny Garcia

For years, I’ve heard great things about this conference from colleagues and fellow artists. They rave about the workshops and the speakers and the people they meet and the amounts of wine they drink over thought provoking conversations about art and playwriting and creating and producing and I have listened each and every time with a jealous grin on my face.

But this year, it’s a whole different story.  I will not have a jealous grin on my face as I listen to the stories the attendees tell because I will be present for every bit of it. And I won’t just be any normal attendee, I’m one of the recipients of the Young Leaders of Color Scholarship! I was nominated by the multi-talented Diane Rodriguez who is currently Associate Producer and Director of New Play Production at Center Theatre Group.

The scholarship allows the recipients to attend the conference for free and partners each with a mentor. It also provides separate events geared only towards Young Leaders of Color. I’ll be attending a lunch where I’ll meet alums of the program and a mixer at Yxta Cocina Mexicana (I’ve been to this place and it’s awesome) where we can network.

The conference will take place June 16 through June 18th with workshops at the Millenium Biltmore Hotel, Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, and Central Los Angeles High School #9 School of Visual and Performing Arts.

Speakers include Susan V. Booth, Roger Copeland, Gordon Davidson (Founding Artistic Director of Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles), Mona Eltahawy (award-winning columnist and international public speaker on Arab and Muslim issues), Marcus Gardley (poet and playwright), Janie Geiser, David Houle, Nancy Keystone (Artistic Director of Critical Mass Performance Group. Fantastic!), Sage Lewis (composer), Mimi Lien (set designer), Todd London, Cricket Myers, Marsha Norman, Sonja Parks, Tanya Selvaratnam, Mark Shugoll, Julie Taymor (Yes, THE Julie Taymor), and Angel Ysaguire (director of global community investing at The Boeing Compay).

The theme of this year’s conference?

What if we imagined the theatre field of the next 50 years, and began making visible progress today?

• What if theatre weren’t seen as a luxury but as central to the fabric of our country?
• What if artists and other theatre leaders talked regularly and openly about art and aesthetics?
• What if theatre institutions and their boards committed to hiring more people of color in leadership positions?
• What if a group of billionaires created a “Giving Pledge” initiative for theatre?
• What if the US became more embedded in wars around the globe – what would become the role of theatre and artists?
• What if there were a new audience engagement model as powerful as the subscription model?
• What if theatres and artists could commit to each other for multiple years?
• What if we could solidify new business models that would truly lead to the sustainability of our theatres?

Here are some of mine:

• What if artists weren’t always struggling to make ends meet?
• What if there more theatre companies that focused on development of new work by artists of color?
• What if audiences in low-income communities didn’t see theatre as something the “elites” do?
• What if plays were promoted as an important part of theatre?

Although my primary interest is in playwriting and meeting other playwrights, the real opportunity the conference provides is creating a space where artists from all over the country can discuss the future of theatre in the United States and begin to create a blueprint for it. The conference will engage us in discussions that will force participants to think outside the artistic realms of theatre and spend time on the business innovations that will ensure its sustainability for years to come.

I am honored to have been chosen as a Young Leader of Color and will make good use of the information I collect at the conference. I’ll be keeping the readers of pLAywriting in the city informed by posting an update at the end of each day.

If you are not able to attend the TCG National Conference next week you can still make your voice heard by doing one or two or all of the following:

1.)   Check out the Theatre Communications Group Facebook page, click “Like” and post your very own “What if…?” statement. http://www.facebook.com/tcg.org

2.)   Attend one of the shows in the Radar L.A. Festival. It’s an international theatre festival coming to Los Angeles for the first time. Artists from Japan, Mexico, Australia, Ireland and Los Angeles will be performing at REDCAT. http://www.redcat.org/event/radar-la-festival.

3.)   Get yourself a prescription to American Theatre Magazine and start educating yourself about theatre across the country and the world!

4.)   Make sure theater stays alive by supporting local theater performances!