Get ready for this June's Emerging America Festival, the third annual collaboration between the Huntington Theatre Company, American Repertory Theatre
(ART), and the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), with an
epic citywide Scavenger
Hunt!
SATURDAY, JUNE 16
Teams will complete challenges as they dash around
some of Boston's coolest spots, racing against the clock and documenting the
insanity along the way. Not to mention -- we’ll be giving away tickets to
the hottest shows next season, just in case the thrill of the hunt and pride in
a photo snagged wasn't enough. (Of course it is).
So now that we've got your interest, here's how to
play:
Step One: Sign Up!
Shoot an email to scavenger@huntingtontheatre.bu.edu with team member anmes, contact info, and most importantly...your team name!
Step Two: Check out the Facebook event! Check out the event here. We'll be posting teaser challenges, keeping a running list of registered teams, and adding other fun tidbits leading up to the big event, including the announcement of a suprise twist to the game.
Step Three: Join In! Check in with your team at 1pm on June 16th at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA (Hutington Theatre Company's South End location) at 527 Tremont Street.
It was a joy-filled night for the Huntington at the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Awards presentation yesterday as our our 2011 productions of Candide, Sons of the Prophet, and Ruined were honored with a combined total of 17 awards!
Huntington dramaturg
Charles Haughland with Stephen Karam
(Sons of the Prophet)
The second award of the night went to recently-named Pulizter Prize finalist Stephen Karam for Best New Play (Large Theatre) for Sons of the Prophet. In his speech, he praised and thanked Boston audiences for coming to a play they'd never heard of by a writer they didn't know. Our production of Sons..., which was directed by Huntington Artistic Director Peter DuBois,transferred to the Roundabout Theatre Company last fall where it was extended through January 1. The accolaides continue: the NYC production has just been nominated for 3 Outer Critic's Circle Awards (Best new Off Broadway Play, Best Actor in a Play - Santino Fontana, and Best Actress in a Play - Joanna Gleason), to be announced on May 14. It was wonderful to have Stephen back in Boston with us for the night to celebrate all of his recent success.
Then the night got busy, as Huntington productions and artists were honored in 17 of the 24 categories recognizing large theatre productions.
Cheryl Stern and Mary Zimmerman
Candide director Mary Zimmerman and cast member Cheryl Stern (Old Lady) were with us to celebrate the success. For Candide:
The cast of Candide, photo: T. Charles Erickson
Best
Actor – Musical: Geoff
Packard
Best
Supporting Actress – Musical: Cheryl
Stern
Best
Choreography: Daniel
Pelzig
Best
Music Director: Doug
Peck
Best
Set Design: Daniel Ostling
Best
Costume Design: Mara
Blumenfeld
Best Lighting Design: T. J. Gerckens
Best
Sound Design: Richard
Woodbury
Best
Director of a Musical: Mary
Zimmerman
Best Ensemble: Candide
Best
Musical: Candide
The cast of Ruined, photo: Kevin Berne
For Ruined:
Best
Supporting Actor – Drama: Oberon
K.A. Adjepong
Best
Supporting Actress – Drama: Pascale
Armand
Best
Actress – Drama: Tonye
Patano
Best
Director of a Drama: Liesl
Tommy
Best
Play: Ruined
In addition, a number of members of the Huntington family were honored with IRNE Awards, including the Actors' Shakespeare Project production of Huntington Playwriting Fellow John Kuntz's The Hotel Nepenthe, which we'll present this June as part of the Emerging America festival.
Our two most honored productions from the year are certainly different in a number of key ways, but each tell a story about characters' experiences with hardship and their resulting world-views, which perhaps suprisingly prove to be more optimistic than their expereinces should inspire.
Which Huntington production from 2011 was your favorite?
As part of the launch for the 2012 Emerging America festival, the Huntington Theatre Company is seeking performance groups to participate in the May Fair Performance Challenge, a fun event aimed at showcasing the creative skills of local Boston performers.
First, develop a piece from a provided short script and quirky style inspired by the upcoming Emerging America offerings.
Second, on May 6, engage in a fun-filled scavenger hunt in Harvard Square to assemble additional components to creatively incorporate into your performance.
Finally, perform your 5 to 10-minute piece on the Emerging America Stage at May Fair for the crowd and a panel of judges. The winners take home a fabulous prize!
Both individual artists and companies are invited to apply. Groups must be comprised of 2-6 people.
We've received 39 IRNE Award nominations from the Independent Reviewers of New England, which recognized each our 2011 productions. The 39 nominations are five more than we received for our 2010 productions and more than twice as many as any other company in New England.
The cast of Candide, photo: T. Charles Erickson
Our September-October 2011 production of Leonard Bernstein’s glorious musical Candidereceived 13 nominations, more than any other production of 2011, and was nominated in every category in which it is eligible:
I woke up this morning and the first thing I thought to myself was "June? When did it suddenly become June?" Now, logic would dictate that it became June after the month of May was all said and done, but for those of us here at the Huntington, the entire month of May has been something of a blur. My internal clock still doesn't know if we closed Sons of the Prophet last week, last month, or last year. It's just been that crazy around here!
And so with that, I feel I should apologize for the apparent radio silence here on the blog. It's not that we've had nothing to talk about it; on the contrary, there's been a bit too much going on that our blogkeeping fell to the wayside. Fortunately, we're back now, and we brought t-shirts for everyone!
(Please note: we didn't actually bring t-shirts for everyone)
So what have we been doing, you ask? Well let's see...there was our annual gala, the 2011 Spotlight Spectacular!...the 2nd annual Emerging America Festival with A.R.T. and the ICA...then we welcomed Propeller Theatre Company to the B.U. Theatre, with performing Richard III and The Comedy of Errors in repertory with a fantastic all-male (all-British!) cast...the 18th annual Elliot Norton Awards...oh, I'll just show you!
Our 2011 Spotlight Spectacular! took place at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel on Monday, May 9. We're still awaiting the final fundraising numbers, but it looks like we raised a record-breaking amount of money to support our productions, as well as our award-winning youth, education, and community programming. During the evening, we presented former President of the Board of Trustees Bill McQuillan and Stick Fly playwright (you guys remember that show, right?) Lydia R. Diamond with the Wimberly Award, the Huntington's highest honor.
The following weekend was the 2nd annual Emerging America Festival, a joint collaboration with our friends at the American Repertory Theatre and the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston featuring groundbreaking performances by American artists. The Huntington presented the world premiere of Ryan Landry's Psyched, featuring Larry Coen and Jonathan Popp (as well as Intern Ben). The untold story of Alfred Hitchock's Psycho told from the point of view of Norman Bates' mother, Norma, Psyched played to two sold-out houses and entertained audiences with that trademark twisted wit that only Mr. Landry can provide.
On Sunday morning, the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA exploded with our "Join the Conversation!" brunch, featuring live performances throughout the Calderwood lobby, and food provided by Panera Breads (thanks!). The afternoon concluded with a breathtaking performance of CollaborationTown's self-help-parody-that-may-have-inadvertently-helped The Momentum. Anyone who was there can tell you that it was indeed a tough life for a poor little bunny rabbit.
Company One's ARTiculation troupe broke out into performance in
the Calderwood lobby during the "Join the Conversation!" Brunch
We also produced a series of site-specific audio plays for the festival, written by our Huntington Playwriting Fellows and featuring the voices of some of Boston's best local talent. The plays are completely free to download, and definitely an enjoyable experience (even if you aren't able to listen to them on site), so check those out when you have the chance.
Almost immediately after the festival ended, we went into tech for Richard III and The Comedy of Errors, presented by the Boston University School of Theatre. The shows are being performed in repertory through June 19 by the incredibly talented Propeller Theatre Company from the UK, under the leadership of one Edward Hall (whom you may remember as the director of Two Men of Florence in 2009).
Audiences have been absolutely raving about their intensely physical and highly creative approach to Shakespeare. Chainsaws? Check. Sombreros? Check. Nuns with nunchecks? Check. I'm not even going to mention the butt sparklers, because I still can't believe that my job has actually required to use that phrase in a completely professional context.
And that's just intermission, folks!
We also had our final 35 Below event of the season on Friday, May 20, following that evening's performance of The Comedy of Errors. We had an awesome turnout at the party, including some great entertainment by Boston's premiere all-male Lady Gaga cover band, Alejandro and the Fame, featuring international pop star Cody Grey, and, well, me (not that I'm biased or anything).
Oh yeah, and then President Obama stopped by the Calderwood Pavilion and the BCA for a brief visit (Pavilion General Manager Joey Riddle even has a nice little certificate of appreciation from the Secret Service. FROM THE SECRET SERVICE!). Last Monday night was a two-fold celebration. First, our annual end-of-the-season staff BBQ in the Huntington Avenue Scene Shop. While Richard III/The Comedy of Errors are both still running through June 19, we traditionally celebrate the end of the season after Opening Night. And this year, we totally had a bouncy castle (it was awesome).
Later that evening, members of the staff journeyed over to ArtsEmerson's newly redone Paramount Theatre for the 18th annual Elliot Norton Awards, where our production of Ruined was recognized with the award for Outstanding Production (Large Company). We would be remiss not to sing the praises of our good friends in Company One, whose production of The Aliens (part of this past fall's Shirley VT Plays Festival) was recognized for Outstanding Design for a midsize/small/fringe company (Cristina Todesco's sets, Bobby Frederick Tilley II's costumes, Aaron Mack's sound, and Benjamin Williams's lighting), Outstanding Director for a small/fringe company (Company One Artistic Director Shawn LaCount), Outstanding Actor for a small/fringe company (Alex Pollack), and Outstanding Production for a small theatre. In addition, the award for Outstanding New Script went to Huntington Playwriting Fellow John Kuntz for The Hotel Nepenthe, produced by Actors' Shakespeare Project. Congratulations to the casts and crews of Ruined and The Aliens, as well as all of the other winners that night! (and the nominees, too. You were all great!)
So what's next? Well, for starters, we just announced the final line-up of our 2011-2012 30th anniversary season. In addition to our previously announced shows, we'll be rounding out the season with the pre-New York production of Evan M. Weiner's Captors, directed by Peter DuBois, and Noël Coward's Private Lives, directed by Maria Aitken (Educating Rita and Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps). Captors is based on the true story of the capture of Adolf Eichmann, "the architect of the Holocaust," in Buenos Aires in 1960 by covert Israeli agents. Private Lives is a classic Noël Coward comedy about a divorced couple whose paths cross again — on both of their second honeymoons, with new spouses in tow. Private Lives replaces the previously announced Tartuffe, which is postponed to a later season.
I think that should just about catch us up with this crazy month of May. In the meantime, be sure to check out Richard III and The Comedy of Errors, if you haven't done so already. You can also catch a free performance of Know the Law at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester on Thursday, June 2 (that's tomorrow as of this writing) at 11am and 7pm. Know The Law is a 40-minute play of interwoven dramas about teenager in trouble, designed specifically for a young urban audience as part of a collaboration between the Huntington Theatre Company's Education Department and Youth and Police in Partnership (YPP), a community-based program of United Methodist Urban Services that seeks to improve relationships between young people and the police. A discussion between the actors, the audience, and a Boston Police Officer follows each performance.
While things tend to stay quiet around here during the summer months (at least as far as productions go), rest assured we'll be busy preparing for our big 30th anniversary party. Meanwhile, Peter DuBois will be directing the world premiere of All New People, a new play by that same Zach Braff guy, at New York's Second Stage Theatre. If you find yourself missing the skilled handiwork of our Scene Shop artisans, they'll be helping to build that set, as well as Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's All's Well That Ends Well on the Boston Common.
Cheers!
-Thom Dunn, Web & New Media Manager, signing off from the longest blog post EVER
As part of the launch for the 2011 Emerging America Festival, the Huntington Theatre Company is seeking performance groups to participate in the May Day Performance Challenge, a fun new event aimed at showcasing the creative skills of local Boston performers.
Given a short script and a quirky style, relating to the pieces presented as part of the Emerging America Festival, groups will be asked to develop a 5-10 minute piece to be performed on the Emerging America Stage at the May Fair in Cambridge on May 1st. The challenge? On the day of the performance, we hand you a list of items to find in Harvard Square and one hour to use your creativity to incorporate them into your performance. The results will be presented to an adoring crowd and a panel of judges. The winners take home a fabulous prize!
Both individual artists and companies are invited to apply. Groups must be comprised of 2-6 people.
For the Emerging America Festival, we issued an audio play challenge to all the current and former members of the Huntington Playwriting Fellows program. In collaboration with the other participating organizations, we gave them a few restrictions and ideas.
The only non-negotiables were that we wanted:
- an audio “play”
- less than ten minutes
- performed in the playwright’s own voice
- designed to be listened to in the close vicinity of one of the three participating venues: the Calderwood Pavilion in the South End, the ART in Harvard Square, and the ICA at the Harbor
Seven playwrights took us up on the challenge. What has been fascinating about the process is how differently each playwright interpreted the challenge. Listening to all seven becomes a tasting menu of these playwrights’ voices, one where the site-specific restrictions of the challenge bring out each playwright’s unique spin and point of view. And, because it is recorded in the playwright's own voice, you get a chance to hear their work just the way they imagine it.
The plays went live yesterday. To listen, download them as podcasts at emergingamericafestival.org/podcasts.html OR listen to them the weekend of the festival (May 14-16, 2010) by calling 215.525.1043 where an audio menu will guide you. There are also podcasts from our partners at the ICA and (coming soon) the ART.
Here's a sneak peek at each of the HPFs' plays:
I AM NOT INVISIBLE (5:51) by Pat Gabridge (Huntington Playwriting Fellow)
Listen on the brick plaza in front of the BCA.
Maybe you should pay more attention to the people behind you in the supermarket. You might have ignored and pissed off the wrong man, someone who has chosen to creep closer. Much closer.
JILL AND DELILAH (6:59) by Kirsten Greenidge (Huntington Playwriting Fellow)
Listen in Harvard Square, standing next to the Co-op.
Eavesdrop on a private conversation between sisters, and examine the space between checking out of your life and checking back in again.
Performed with actress Marvelyn McFarlane
TEA (7:12) by Martha Jane Kaufman (Huntington Playwriting Fellow)
Listen on the wooden steps behind the ICA, facing the harbor.
Slippage abounds between two very different "tea parties." Found text blurs the line between the dissenters and the terrorists, your patriotism and your ambivalence.
FLANNERY O'CONNOR GOOGLE (7:14) by John Kuntz (Huntington Playwriting Fellow)
Listen on the wooden steps behind the ICA, facing the harbor.
John Kuntz is talking directly to you. But, is that really John Kuntz? And, is that really you? And, what about the things he asks you to do...?
HELEN HANGS UP (10:14) by Ryan Landry (Huntington Playwriting Fellow)
Listen in the Eagle, drinking at the bar.
A few cocktails (and this short monologue) will give you all the courage it takes to drunk dial your ex and let 'em have it!
HAL'S HAVEN (8:20) by Rebekah Maggor (Huntington Playwriting Fellow)
Listen in the passageway adjacent to number 2 Arrow Street in Cambridge between Mt. Auburn Street and Massachusetts Avenue.
Your neighborhood changes when a nightclub moves in. One local grandmother takes a late night stand against ivy-league party kids and drunken professionals.
REAL TIME ENCOUNTER (2:45) by Ken Urban (Huntington Playwriting Fellow)
Listen in the MBTA Station at Back Bay, Dartmouth entrance.
Wait patiently in the station to meet up with Pat. Or, at least he told you that was his name online.
Peter DuBois also gives an irreverent and epicurean walking tour of the South End, where he lives. Check it out, too:
WALKING TOUR (21:29) with Peter DuBois (Artistic Director of the Huntington Theatre Company)
Begin at the Calderwood Pavilion, hub for HTC Emerging America events
Join Peter DuBois for stories about his home turf from stores to parks to restaurants. Watch out for large birds and firefighters. And your waistline.
