In preparation for Friday and Saturday's workshop production of THE GOLDEN CARP, we asked the performers some questions about their thoughts on broken hearts and dangerous love. Do you have a haiku about dangerous love? Share it in the comments! /Blake

This weekend is your chance to add your voice to the discussion on love and magic, fish and fairies.  Join us!  Reserve your seat now. 

THE GOLDEN CARP Workshop Presentation
April 19 and 20 7:30 pm
Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center
3749 Chicago Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55407

1. Who was the first person to break your heart?

A blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy

Jake Gyllenhaal, when I found out he wasn't gay

A girl broke up with me on my birthday when I was 22. She said it just seemed like I liked her more than she like me.

This kid in middle school.  We were both nerds, and we danced at the Valentine’s Day dance.  Then he got popular. Sad face.

I actually don’t think I've ever truly had my heart broken. Especially watching my parents heal after their recent divorce, I feel like nothing I've experienced compares. If we’re talking first time I had deep romantic feelings for someone that was unrequited – that would be my friend, Andy Hunt, in 9th grade. He was dating my other friend. It was awkward.

2. Who was the first person whose heart you broke?

His name is Adam and I still feel bad about that one.

Too many to write about.

I once accidentally took a girl on a date.  It was a misunderstanding, it ended badly.

When I was 16, I broke up with a guy on his birthday.  BUT I DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS!! Cause he was silent and awkward and never spoke! Which is why I wanted to break up. Anyway, a couple weeks later, people told me he did a song about me dying at his band’s show.  Yikes.

Uhhhhh …  no one? Probably? I’ve had some friends who’ve been interested in me and I didn’t feel the same way, but I don’t think it was that intense.

Middle school girlfriends, perhaps, but hopefully they get it now?

3. Write a haiku about dangerous love:

Watch out for that boy
He’ll break your heart I swear it
Love me instead please

You know it’s not good
But you cannot stop yourself
You learn from mistakes

Good girl gone bad – oops
Rhianna, please be careful
You are so pretty

I will break your heart
And mess around with your head.
Just because I can

4. What is the scariest thing you've ever done for love?

I flew to another continent all by my lonesome.  But once I got there, it wasn’t scary at all!

I’m on OkCupid

I drove to Rhode Island.  It wasn’t that scary, except when I slept in the parking lot of a McDonald’s in Wisconsin.

I don’t know! I’m lame.

Told the person I was in love with how I feel.

5. Tell us about a time that you (or someone you know) lost themselves completely in their love:

My dog and a bag of chocolate

People too lost in love are annoying.

I feel like I've know lots of people who've been lost in love.  The most difficult experience I've had as a friend is watching someone be in a verbally abusive relationship and not be able to convince her to stop/leave him. All I could do was console her and hope one day she’d stop loving him.  She did! *whew*

I don’t really know who my dad is anymore, since the divorce. He’s dating someone younger, and I think he’s going through a mid-life crisis.

6. What are the symptoms of dangerous love?

Never sleeping – always lying

A high fever, chills, sweaty pits, and voice cracks

I think the entire Twilight series about dangerous love.

Racing heart
Leather-wearing
Shortness of breath
Crazy fantasies
Delusions of grandeur
Excessive smoking, drinking
Crazy piercings
Not taking care of yourself

Co-dependency, letting your significant other make decisions for you, blocking your loved ones from your life … being reckless, impulsive …

You have to lie about it to other people you love.

7. Of unrequited love?

Every moment gives you one step forward in hope and three steps back in sadness. 

Everyone who was dorky in middle school/high school knows all about unrequited love.

Crying
Big sweaters
Bad television
Long, awkward emails
Headaches
Excessive comfort food eating
Not showering enough

Spending time with your loved one, even though you know they’re not interested. Dwelling on that person, imagining being with that person.

8. Who do you still pine for, just a little (or a lot)?

BEYONCE

Jake Gyllenhaal … And that one guy from that show I did

My wife

Paul McCartney .,, I just … I can’t move on from the fact that in another life, we were soulmates. And it was beautiful.

An old friend who was one of those almost-boyfriends/friend-I-made-out-with-a-few-times.  I’ll probably always feel something for him, but I’m over wanting a relationship with him. He was a really good kisser, too. Damn him.

Tanner Curl, 4EVER AND ALWAYZ

 

Here in Minneapolis, we are working away to expand and explore the story of THE GOLDEN CARP with our presentation coming up next week. In another season in the not-so-distant future, this story will find it's full life as a chamber opera, so I talked withcreator and project leader Candy Bilyk out in California. We talked about opera, what it means to her, and how it will allow this story to be expressed. /Blake

(Please note: the upcoming workshop of THE GOLDEN CARP will be acted, but not sung. Join us now for the story; stay tuned for the future full opera!)

An incredible group of talented performers joined us for auditions earlier this month for Rain Follows the Plow, and we are honored. Final casting decisions have been made, and we are set to begin rehearsals when the flowers are in bloom. For now, we dream of rivers and dams, dust and drought.

Rain Follows the Plow
by Rachel Nelson
directed by Laura Leffler-McCabe

A huge pile of sandy grit is heaped in the center of the space. There is a geography under the sand--unexplained ridges and odd angles, as if a house is buried there, or the emerging spine of a giant animal. A small staircase extends up to a small platform that overlooks the space, creating an outlook, a refuge. Weird things poke out of the grit; a briefcase, various bits of trash and old clothes, a potted cactus, a music box, various unidentified shapes and colors and textures. It is 1934. It is the present day. It is a dreamscape. 

"HEY. Did you know we're doing a show?? Did you know it's an adpatation of Emma?? OMG we're on Art Hounds TODAY!! OMG I'm too tired to do the laundry. OMG please make me dinner at 11pm when I get home from rehearsal. OMG was I so good? Did you love it? Are you coming again? " OMG TELL ME YOU LOVE ME." If takes a village to make a Savage Umbrella show; it takes an even more impressive collection of folks standing behind us pushing, helping us, and loving us in order to make it all happen. Today we dedicate this space to some of those very special people. - Heidi 

Meet Danny, husband of Amber Davis

How did you cuties meet? Well, we actually met through Savage Umbrella, during The Awakening.  Technically, it was the second time we met each other through Savage Umbrella, as Amber attended a performance of A Christmas Carol: Finale years before, and we were introduced there. The Awakening was in 2010, almost three years ago.  We've been married for 5 months now. 

Favorite SU Show? I really enjoyed Ex-Gays, although I had no part in it. I think I saw it presented four times in various stages of its life as a work of art, so I really felt like I was part of the journey, even though I didn't do any work.  More recently, I was really surprised and inspired by the staged reading of Rapture that I attended, and am disappointed that I probably won't see the final product. Basically, Savage Umbrella just keeps on getting better. 

How do you feel when we snatch your sweetie for rehearsal/meeting? I'm busy as well, so it isn't terribly shocking or disruptive when Amber is working on a project.  The biggest downside for me is that we don't sit down to dinner together as often.

Meet Mike Leffler-McCabe, spouse of Laura Leffler-McCabe (and Dad to baby Izzy, we love her)

Have you guys been together since the dawn of time? Together for 16 years, 10 years married.

Favorite SU project? The Ravagers was my favorite.

Have you ever gotten roped into helping SU? OMG tell us the story. I have often gotten roped into small things -reading scripts, running lines, finding varous props. The biggest project was cleaning up the Hollywood theater for Ravagers. I was at one point assigned to clean the water fountains and told to be OCD about it. It involved a trip home and a trip to the hardware store for my Dremel tool and polishing attatchments. In the end, the fountains were sparkling (and still nonfunctional). It was nice to see the end result.

How do you feel about us needing Captain Laura SO MUCH? I hate having her be away so much, but SU really is a driving force for her. She gains so much from it that it is worth the time away. Plus its nice to have something so far removed from what I do for us to talk about.

Meet Russell Forga, fiance of Christina Lein (and SU's newest Board Member!) 

When, where, what how? We met through a mutual friend, and we've been together for a couple of years.

SU fave? My favorite show was Night of New Works and STOP!

Have you ever gotten roped into helping SU? Did you love or hate it we totally wont judge you (out loud). Ha Ha!  I just joined SU's board of advisors!  And I've volunteered for the fundraiser.  And I love it!

How do you feel about Christina being with us instead of being with you, sometimes? Well, I'm always having to wait for my "sugar"... cause she's away doing her art... ;) (obligatory ed. note: ewwww Russell, this is a public blog...Heidi's actual feelings; OMG ADORB.)

Meet Stacy Schwartz, fiancee of Carl Atiya Swanson

How did you meet and how long have you been together? At "HowWasTheShow Has the Spins" at the Nomad - 5ish years

 Do you have a favorite SU project? Ravagers (ed. note: Is that because Carl was shirtless in the production photos?)

Do you ever have to help us with all of the things? Don't I always?! ;) UGH. *love you guys*

Good and bad parts of Carl being under the umbrella...mostly all of the time? Good = More time to eat raw cookie dough before he comes home. Bad = Sometimes I fall asleep before he gets home, and that sort of stinks.

Meet Amber, wife of Russ Dugger

How did you meet/how long have you been together? It's a funny and endearing story, but it's also long. I'll try to summarize: Girl likes boy. Boy likes girl. Boy punches girl in the face. Girl bakes him cupcakes.That summary isn't nearly as endearing. Just know that five years later, we're enjoying wedded bliss. (ed. note: I married these people and I've never heard this story so...get talking you two!)

Favorite SU project? The collaborative writing workshop for Rapture. I'm looking forward to seeing a full production of the finished piece one day!

Russ works with us a lot, what can we do to make it easier? It gets cold, lonely, and boring when Russ is with SU, which is why all of you should help me convince him to get us a cat (or two) to keep me company.

Meet Emily Dussault, wife of Tanner J Curl, esq. (That's how he signed his emails in college! For reals.) (ed note: that's not suprising)

Relationship deets? We met at Coe College in 2003. We both worked at the Writing Center and were involved with the Theatre Dept. We became actual friends in 2004 when he played my father in a musical (what? ew!). We started dating after a long and arduous email courtship whilst he was studying abroad in 2005. Then we got hitched in October, 2010!

Do you have a favorite SU project? I would probably have to say Ravagers. It was intense and exciting and beautiful, and involved some of my favorite people. And myself.

Do we ever make you do annoying things? I'm pretty sure I've only ever been expected to act in their shows. Which is awesome and I love. I think one time I tried to help clean up after a fundraiser, but ended up just walking around carrying a half-eaten bowl of chips for a half hour.

For realz. How do you feel about SU being Tanner's "other woman"? Oh I almost always love it. Because I know that SU gives him a great creative outlet, a safe space to take risks with a crew of amazing artists, and some wonderful friends who love him almost as much as I do. Very occasionally, he will be at a meeting or something, and there will be a spider, or I will really want cheese but not want to leave the house, or the cat will puke, and I will wish he was not at that meeting. But then I will remember that I should just grow up, and that I am glad my husband is doing awesome things with awesome people.

Meet Joe Halvarson, betrothed to Heidi Jedlicka

Tell the masses, how'd ya meet? We met almost five years ago when Heidi moved into a place my friends were renting. I was supposed to move in, but she took my spot because I couldn't move in until September 1 and she was able to move in August 1. There is still a lot of tension and animosity between us because of "The Stolen Move".

SU shows, Go! My favorite project was The Ravagers. It was an outstanding unification of sound, stage, script, and acting. The whole shebang.

How often does SU make you werk? I have been roped in more times than I can count. I had to wear a cummerbund and serve people food and drink at opening night of Emma, even though I was supposed to see the show. I suppose it was love because I have always wanted to be a server; a snooty, uptight server. Dream fulfilled. Thanks SU!

Do you  miss Heidi when she's out and about with SU? I love that I have a lot of time to write, procrastinate, improv, and play games while Heidi is at shenanigans (Rehearsals? Meetings? Hah! It's all shenanigans). I hate it sometimes because sometimes I don't want to write and just want Heidi around to admire me and say nice things to me as I procrastinate.

Last week we talked about party preferences, but who are these people, really? Here's a more in-depth look at the lovely and talented people who have worked hard to bring our new show to life. Don't forget, you can reserve tickets to Emma Woodhouse Is Not A Bitch over at Brown Paper Tickets! -Candy

Blake E. Bolan (Director) is a founding member of SU, and is grateful for the warm welcome she received after her stint as an English teacher in Korea.  Originally from Manhattan, KS, she received an education in theater from the Manhattan Experimental Theater Workshop and the University of Kansas.  She's had the pleasure of working in various capacities with Bedlam, Jeune Lune, Nautilus, Nightpath, and Skewed Visions in the Twin Cities, as well as Seoul Players in South Korea.  She is consistently amazed at the talent and hard work of the people involved in this show. Also, she is glad that sometimes the actors call her Blake Teacher and give her hugs, just like her Korean pre-schoolers.

Name: Claire Louise Nadeau - Stage Manager

Hometown: Big Lake, MN

Go to Party Tune: You Make My Dreams by Hall & Oats

Go to Party Ensemble (Outfit): Dresses....sundresses weather permitting