Blake E. Bolan, Stage Manager for the Rain Follows the Plow Workshop, took a few photos at the very first rehearsal in December.  Stay tuned for more about the Rain Follows the Plow Workshop, and join the conversation on March 9th and 10th at the Playwrights' Center.

The first read-thru with the workshop cast.  Clockwise from left:  director Laura Leffler-McCabe, Amber Davis, Addie Phelps, Peter Middlecamp, Eve Tugwell, Seth Conover, and playwright Rachel Nelson.

Together. From left: Eve Tugwell, Seth Connover, Amber Davis, Peter Middlecamp, and Addie Phelps.

Watching, waiting.  From left:  Eve Tugwell, Addie Phelps, Amber Davis.

Alone.  Seth Conover.

A Night of New Works sneak peek! Coming to the Bryant Lake Bowl in July, Gamer’s Guide, from playwright Russ Dugger.

Hey all you tweeps, book-faces, and tumbl-buffs! When I was asked to write a blog about “Gamer's Guide” and my experience as a first time writer of plays, the first thing that popped into my head was: “Oh dear. This is going to get real depressing, real fast.”

Of course, in the end I relent. And I will attempt to keep this as free from my artist self-doubt and share with you something I experienced that gave me my most recent creative kick-in-the-pants. They come so few and far between that they seem so extra special that I am compelled to share.

Recently I watched Woody Allen's “Purple Rose of Cairo.” (Just to get this out of the way, you must watch it if you have not already, but do so now because I'mma be getting spoilers all up in this house.)

It's ok.

I'll wait.

Ok. Ready?

So as a quick summary: in “Purple Rose of Cairo” the main character, Cecilia, is living during the Great Depression. She has no luck with keeping a job, which she needs to support her deadbeat man-child of a husband who smacks her around when she “gets outta line”. Her only comfort is going to the cinema and losing herself in another world. That is until one of the romantic film characters notices her, falls in love with her and subsequently climbs off the screen to be with her. When the actor who played that character finds out, he leaves Hollywood to try to quell this potential PR pandemonium. The actor ends up falling in love with Cecilia as well and in the end she must make the choice: Fiction or Reality?

Whew! Didj'a keep up? Good!

Now here come the big spoilers: As any sucker for schlocky romance would guess she chooses reality.

But after a big to do packing up her things and leaving her husband for the upteenth time she returns to the cinema only to discover that her Hollywood hunk'a hunk'a Hero has left. Having completed his task of forcing his creation back onto the screen his job is done. And so is his play-acting for Cecilia. Cecilia goes back into the cinema and proceeds to lose herself in a new flim-flam film fantasy.

I couldn't believe my eyes. This movie has so much of what I find interesting about my piece. In “Gamer's Guide” I'm attempting to develop a character who is so enthralled with fantasy/ virtual reality they want little to do with actual reality and the relationships that come with it.

But what “Purple Rose” has that I hadn't really thought about was that the lead was confronted and forced to choose between these two realities. But neither was real. She had a choice between art imitating life and life imitating art! Imitating is not the same as Being. She was dealt a bum hand.

It never occurred to me that life imitates art simply because we want it to.

The late and oh-so-great Oscar Wilde believed that we perceive something as beautiful because artists have told us it is beautiful. It “did not exist till Art had invented" it. Life imitates art. Or at least we see it as art. Or choose to see it as art.

This does, of course, tie into the piece I'm writing. If I want the protagonist to escape the virtual in favor of the actual, how is she swayed? Reality is tough. Why else doe she spend all her time in a video game? Why else would Cecilia while away the hours at the cinema. Heck! Cecilia doesn't seem to escape at all! Why should my protagonist?

Then again, Cecilia being left behind by a false lover does seem like a pretty cold slap of reality. And she doesn't go back to her husband...at least we don't see it happen. Maybe it's all just a first step. Maybe that's all this play is.

A first step for the protagonist.

A first step for me.

Happy 2012 all you art-makers, theater-goers, donors, curious-persons, social media cruisers, and blog stumblers!

What is your New Year’s Resolution as an artist?
 
Rachel: I want to live more on the edge of compassionate risk in my writing and in my performance.  I want to gravitate toward that which is terrifying because its true.
Christina: I want to do more visual art!
Candy: To compose more. The last few years I've been composing primarily for an end performance, and I want to explore "just because" again.
Carl: To embrace contradictions more - as in, to let go more and be a better collaborator and then also to take control more and see through to the end projects that I have started. More, more more.
Blake: To be more involved with music.  As a dancer, or as a musician, or as a singer.   Making music was a part of my daily life for nearly a decade, it is a huge part of my family history, and I have neglected that important part of myself for too long. It's time.
Russ: I want to start drawing again. Maybe play with water colors. I also want to start playing my multitude of instruments more often and maybe start classes in improv. We'll see about that one...
Heidi: After about year off I'm ready to tread those boards again. As an actor, I want to be more aware of the big picture and make sure whatever I'm doing highlights and supports the contributions of everyone else working on the production.
Hannah: Quality not quantity. To focus more on specific projects with my whole heart instead of spreading my energy so thin.
Eric: To survive.
Tanner: As has come up in a few SU conversations over drinks, I'm always struggling with the self-identity as "artist," so I want to explore that idea more in a meaningful way. And take more risks.Always more risks.
Amber: Drink more water. Bike more. Camp more. Start hiking so I can be cool like Tanner.
Laura: Oh shoot! I don't really do resolutions generally. So much pressure! But I do know that this year I want to bring the same vigor and passion for my work and try to balance that with less stress.

What is your personal New Year’s Resolution?

 
Rachel: I would like to finally keep my herb garden alive through a winter so I can make homemade pizza sauce in February.
Christina: I know I should be saying "I will quit smoking..." (ha! yeah right!  Like that's gonna happen any time soon...)  I hope to continue a birthday resolution I started this October:  Writing in a journal every day, even if it's just a sentence.  (So far so good!)
Candy: Every year I say no library fines; this year I think I managed 50 cents... ON TO ZERO! Also, to remember to regularly water the poor plants who depend on me for their meager, meager survival.
Carl: Eat more fruits and vegetables. Brush up on other languages. Look better naked.
Blake: Find employment that is fulfilling.  Exercise every day for at least a few minutes.  Learn from my mistakes but don't be afraid to make them.
Russ: My artistic and personal goals are the same this year!
Heidi: I want to be more kind and generous with my time and thoughts. Also, I want to learn how to play poker. Poker party anyone?
Hannah: To be more adventurous in everyday life – try food I’ve never tried, have conversations I’ve never had, drive without using Google Maps, jump in an unknown body of water, wear a crazy hat. Also, do laundry more frequently.
Eric: To survive.
Tanner: When trying to be a better person, I frequently error on the side of beating myself up for not being a perfect human being, so I'd like to find a more positive way to challenge myself and hold myself accountable for my biz.
Amber: To build, build, build, and market, market, market.
Laura:  I want to practice my violin more! I stopped once rehearsals for The Ravagers started, and I definitely need to start in again. Right, Candy?

Our final post for 2011 features company member Heidi Jedlicka. She talks about our special New Years Advertisement Package for the rest of our season in 2012.

Fresh off Savage Umbrella’s incredibly successful production of The Ravagers we are continuing to hold our umbrella up and out with pride and energy as we work toward the completion of the 2011-2012 season. One of our fresh financial initiatives is offering program advertisements for purchase for the entirety or part of our remaining season.

The Goodness:

We are a young vibrant company with an ever growing audience base who loyally travels with us to whichever space we have selected for production. Our productions have been covered by Art Hounds, The City Pages, Lavender Magazine and the TC Daily Planet (to name a few). Our company members live and play in and around the Twin Cities using every social event to spread the word about Savage Umbrella.

Now how does all of this goodness affect you as a small (or medium or large!) business owner?

You get the opportunity to take advantage of the incredible energy and momentum of Savage Umbrella at an incredibly reasonable price!

The Bottom Line:

We want to create sustainable and positive relationships with local and area businesses. To make this possible for every marketing budget we are offering a special New Years Advertisement Package. For a limited time you will receive a full page advertisement in each program for the remaining three productions of the 2011-2012 season for a mere $200. In addition you will receive two complimentary tickets to each production. We want you to see and love our work as much as we do. In turn, we as a company will support your business in any possible way we can and encourage our friends, family and audiences to do the same.

What are you waiting for? Get under the umbrella!

If you are interested in our New Years Advertisement package please email Heidi at savageumbrella at gmail .com.

A blog Laura and I really like is HowlRound. It’s from the American Voices New Play Institute at Arena Stage. At the beginning of this month, Polly K. Carl asks readers what would make their ideal creative space. Company members Heidi Jedlicka and Tanner Curl respond to this post, A Creative Room of One’s Own.

Polly K. Carl's question:

"consider for a moment what it might mean to widen your notion of the rehearsal room and to aspire to a more holistic model of building a solid foundation for better artistic health. What would a room where you can work, where you can participate with your best creative self look like?"

Heidi’s response: I think as artists we need to completely disregard the notion that the magic of theatre is solely created in the rehearsal space. That’s a lie at worst and naive at best. The reality of theatre is that we as artists need to pay for that space, that marketing and that stuff that we use for the production. Practically speaking; self marketing, networking and sales are the ‘dirty words’ we rarely use as creators but couldn’t survive with out. My rehearsal space would have good wifi for plenty for Facebook and Twitter. The work we do needs the excitement and engagement of other people to continue.Tweet Tweet.

Tanner’s response: For me, the rehearsal room doesn’t represent working with, for lack of a better term, an established theatre, it’s the act of making theatre itself. I look at my peers and think, “Man, all of these people are smarter, more creative, and just plain better at this than I am. I don’t belong in the same room as them, but hopefully someday I will be able to make theatre.” To work off of Polly Carl’s metaphor, I feel like I don’t even get to be in the waiting room. It’s still a struggle for me to remember that almost all artists and creators have these kinds of self-doubts. For me, finding my “room” is about putting aside my doubts and fears and realizing those fears are part of the process. In this effort, I’ve found some guidance in a quote from David Foster Wallace. I find it fitting for theatre-making and life in general: “[T]he horrific struggle to establish a human self results in a self whose humanity is inseparable from that horrific struggle. That our endless and impossible journey toward home is in fact our home.”

Missed The Ravagers? It’s cool, we have fantastic production photos by Staciaann Photography. Here’s a taste, but we’ll be posting more later. Check back to our facebook page often. Wanna talk to us? Email savageumbrella [at] gmail [dot] com

The top of Act II, featuring Jami Jerome and Russ Dugger.

The crack in the wall seems bigger than Emily Dussault, doesn't it? Featuring Adam Scarpello.

Remember Sonya Berlovitz’s costume designs? Bob Hammel and Scott Keely model.

A sneak peek of Care Enough from playwright and company member Carl Atiya Swanson. Also, shout out to Unit Collective. They have a November Madness performance tonight (Wednesday, November 30th) at the Playwrights’ Center at 7:00pm. We like new plays.

If you’re going to have a role model, you could do a lot worse than Kermit the Frog. At the end of the new Muppets movie (which you should totally go see) Kermit says something that speaks to just about any artist daring to make new work, like Savage Umbrella does as company, like I am doing right now wrestling with the script for Care Enough, slated to open on June 1, 2012 at the new Nimbus space in Northeast. “We tried,” that oh-so-human felt frog says, “If we failed, then we failed together, and to me, that's not failing at all.” Then his face scrunches, and I can’t help, there in the theater, from wanting to cry and clap all at once.

It’s a beautiful thing to hear coming from a childhood symbol of hope and joy, but it is one of those terrible lessons of growing up that failing together sometimes just may not be enough.

If Care Enough has any genesis, it comes from laying on a mattress on the floor of a coldwater flat in Rome in 2003, after 3 million people marched in those streets and didn’t stop an invasion of Iraq, laying there with a beautiful woman I barely understood and couldn’t help but lose, listening to Cat Power’s “Maybe Not” and being totally lost in the world. There, that’s a place to start. It starts with failing personally and not knowing where to go. It starts with questions.

These are questions that have been growing, lingering and alternately tormenting and delighting me for the last ten years, questions around failure and hope. Very fundamentally: “Where is power?” It goes on from there. “How do we have power, and where does it come from?” “What obligations do we have with and to power?” “How do we love each other without hurting each other?” “Where is joy in grief?” “What do we owe our dead?” “When is failure not failure?” “What can we do to be free?” There, that’s a question worth asking, as the world is remembering now with the Occupations of public space across the world.

If that sounds heavy, it is. But these are also necessarily joyful questions, if you look at them the right way. It’s like Mel Brooks said, “Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die.” Power is as ridiculous as it seems, if only we will to see it that way. Beauty is there in damage, energy in stuck situations, care in difficult moments. Enough probably isn’t enough, especially when it comes to love.

And then there’s music. Always and all the time music. Wait, they don’t love you like I love you. Wait, I don’t love me like you love me. That’s a question there.

Questions linger, moments are fleeting and tender, we work to make care last. If you come to see Care Enough, I hope you see all that in there. I do not yet know how. I do know that the Savage Umbrella way is to cherish the individual and idea, to nurture it along with the support of the group and then to build it, expand it, and make everyone involved equally a part of it. We did that with The Ravagers and we will do it again with Care Enough. In that way, our politics are personal, our moments are shared and even if there aren’t any Muppets on stage, we incite one another to the heights we can only achieve together.

For this week's post, the SU crew and I are thankful. 

I want to say thank you to our fabulous donors. Thank you to the people who gave for Give to the Max. Thank you for those who came to the shows, thank you to those who wrote about us, thank you to those who volunteered with us. Thank you to all our collaborators and thank you to all the venues who've hosted us. Thank you to the Fringe Festival. Thank you to the bulletin boards that have held our postcards. Thank you, porta potty at the Hollywood. Thank you, Marcus Bachmann. Thank you Kate Chopin and 3AM Productions. Thank you, Russ's neck beard.

And from me, thank you Savage Umbrella, for giving me Danny. 

 

What are you thankful for?
Rachel: I'm thankful to live in a city that supports art. I'm thankful that we have farmer's markets and the ability to learn how to grow our own food.  I'm thankful for friends that like to hug and people who believe in hope.
Eric: Time with my loved ones.
Hannah: I am thankful for my supportive family. Even though they probably wish I’d gone to school to be a lawyer, they always try to understand why I need to do the work that feeds my soul.
Blake:  I am thankful for space heaters and beauty.
Candy: I am thankful for friends, family, marshmallows, and sunshine.
Russ: I'm thankful for the time, my income, and the support of loved ones to be the kind of artist I've always wanted to be.
Shira: Coffee, music, water, wine and laughter. The people in my life, the ability to climb mountains, fresh air, and the feeling of the sun on my skin.
Carl: I am thankful that I get to live in a great, working city with a lot of creative energy, bike lanes, coffee shops, and smart, opinionated, considerate people. I am thankful for my family, and my love, and friends, and confidantes, and sparring partners. I am also thankful that we have made it to mid-November without snow.
Christina: I am personally thankful for Russel, the earth, my family, my house on the East Side of Saint Paul (represent!), dread-locks, oreo cookies, my classroom and students at Woodbury Middle School, and sweedish fish candy!
Heidi: I am thankful for friends, family and that liquor store on Lake where you can get 6 bottles of wine for $36.
Tanner: A year ago, I was sitting around my apartment a lot, being generally consumed by all things INTERNET. And I was working a 9-5 job that was not horrible and paying the bills, but it wasn't really fulfilling me. A year later, I've embarked on a career in the nonprofit world with my new gig at The Loft Literary Center. And I've officially joined Savage Umbrella, which stimulates all areas of my brain and heart. It's been a huge change for me and so, so wonderful for my emotional health and well-being. Also, my wife, Emily, and my kitty, Henry, are pretty great, too.
Laura: I am thankful for my family, my cat, kittens in general, honey badgers, my mom's mapleine cookies, Always Sunny in Philadelphia, traveling, naps, mountains, and all the happiness in my life.

What new work excites you in the Twin Cities?
Rachel: New art! New art!  I'm thankful for PlayLabs Festival of New Plays at the Playwrights’ Center.  So awesome!  I'm thankful for Dykes to Drag and Madame and Queertopia and all the awesome weird performance corners of the scene. I'm thankful for The MovingCompany for always keeping it beautiful.
Eric: The MovingCompany
Hannah: I’m really just thankful that there is new art happening in this community. I don’t have an extensive knowledge of companies, but I look forward to experiencing all the work happening in the Twin Cities.
Blake: I am thankful for how the arts community has continued to grow in my absence so that I could come back to a place even more beautiful than when I left it.
Candy: All of it! I love that the Twin Cities has such a rich artistic culture and history and an unparalleled level of support for contemporary artists in the USA. All of the art that is birthed from it surrounds us, making our lives better and our communities stronger.
Russ: I'd be silly for not being thankful for Savage Umbrella, but I must say that I'm always floored by how much joy I get out of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.  There's always something new and breathtaking there.
Shira: Savage Umbrella!! And fun and exciting artist collaborations and mixes that are happening...
Carl: I love that we have talented, collaborative artists that are getting national recognition, people in film like Dan Huiting and MPLS.TV's "City of Music" series for Pitchfork, bands touring the country like Polica and Fort Wilson Riot. On top of that, visual artists like Nick Howard and Broc Blegen, literary magazines like Paper Darts and great, innovative radio stations like KFAI, Radio K and The Current. That and theater. I mean, so much theater. So much.
Christina: I am artistically thankful for TU Dance, Zenon Dance, Brave New Workshop, the new Nimbus Theatre space, and Art-a-Whirl in the Twin Cities!
Heidi: After two years away, everything feels new! It’s like I forgot how awesome and arty the TCs are!
Tanner: There is the vast array of great companies that create new work here in the Twin Cities, and they all get me twitter-pated (wait, what?). The idea of more collaborations and interactions among these companies and Savage Umbrellas, like a Twin Cities new theatre network, excites me, and I hope we can make more of it happen in the coming year.
Laura: I'm thankful for amazing theatre companies that are creating new work in town, like The MovingCompany, Live Action Set and to the Playwrights' Center for supporting new work. And you know, giving me a paycheck. And I'm really thankful the Walker is bringing Young Jean Lee to town in January - awesome sauce.

What are you thankful for about SU?
Rachel: I am so thankful to have a performance family that loves as passionately and hangs on as tightly as Savage Umbrella does.  For me, we really are critical shelter.
Eric: To have such brilliant people constantly making me look good.
Hannah: I am thankful for SU’s willingness to invite me to play “under the umbrella.“ I was a complete stranger only months ago, and I already feel like an important part of a new community.
Blake: I am thankful for all these people who have big ideas, who are both thoughtful and bold, and again, for all of the beauty.
Candy: I'm so thankful to be working with such talented, thoughtful, creative, and caring individuals. It's like a deranged, single-generational, wildly inappropriate, wildly appropriate, and wonderful family.
Russ: I'm thankful for the safety net that they have created for me. It's tough to take that first step out of your comfort zone (for me that's performing). It's because of Savage Umbrella that I'm able to take that deep breath and try my hand at something like play-writing. Really without them it would always be a shoula-coulda-woulda.
Shira: It's a wonderful, dedicated, talented eclectic group of individuals that can come together and create exciting, meaningful and socially-relevant theatrical experiences.
Carl: I am absolutely astounded by the generosity of our donors and supporters- on Give To The Max Day, at our Happy Hour Fundraisers and most importantly the incredible audiences at our shows. I believe that our company is so full of beautifully talented people, and we work so hard together, take so many risks, that to have people along with us for the ride is the thing that I am most grateful for.
Christina: I am savagely thankful for all the wonderful, awesome, generous people who unselfishly gave to Savage Umbrella for Give-to-the-Max day (!), and I am so thankful for collaborative creation in Down Draft Meetings!
Heidi: The momentum and energy is palpable and AWESOME. There’s pride in where everyone has come and so much excitement in where we are going, together.
Tanner: My first few years out of college, I basically sat around moped about my lack of direction and missed my good friends from college. I sort of resigned myself to the idea that it's really difficult to make close friends after college in this supposed "real world." But then I got involved with Savage Umbrella, and I don't feel so directionless and lonely anymore. Together is better than alone! SU4LIFE!
Laura:  The gratitude and happiness Savage Umbrella brings me is ever-expanding. So, here, I'll just mention the people. I am thankful to Eric, Blake and Ben for founding this crazy experiment with me. To Sarah for helping propel SU forward during our infancy. To Candy for staying involved, even though she moved far, far away. To Russ for pushing himself to write, even though he's nervous about it. To Shira for being the Snack Queen. To Hannah and Heidi for jumping wildly and bravely into the unfamiliar. To Christina for being tough as nails. To Amber for reminding us to be as thoughtful as we can be, and for giving us 'yikes.' To Tanner for simultaneously being the consummate professional and telling endless fart jokes. To Rachel for reminding us to hang out, and for keeping everyone's feelings in mind. To Carl for always thinking deeply about where we're headed and the best way to get there, and for wearing short shorts in every flipping show. And finally, I am so thankful to all our audiences, donors and fans for the continual support (Give to the Max day, what what?) and for constantly pushing us to be even better. I love everyone. My cup runneth over.

A big, hug-filled, crazy-excited welcome to our newest company members, Hannah Holman and Heidi Jedlicka. I asked both of our newest members to introduce themselves and share a bit about their SU experience. Here’s what they have to say. How did you get involved with SU?

Holman: I’m pretty sure the stars aligned when I got involved with Savage Umbrella. In my last semester of college I, somewhat blindly, reached out to an acquaintance/Cobber alum in Minneapolis (the lovely Larissa Shea) in hopes for some guidance in this new world I was about to enter. Knowing my interest in collaborative work, she recommended that I connect with Laura and SU. I took one look at the projects they were working on and immediately fell in love. So, I sent an email asking (maybe begging, ha) to be involved… and here I am today!
Jedlicka: My first encounter with Savage Umbrella was Spring/Summer of 2009 when Laura called to offer me a role in Love Me or Die!; I thanked her from here to next Tuesday, and as I was getting ready to end the call she said, “Wait, don’t you know what the role is before you accept?” Nope. I was just so darn happy to be with these fresh, fun and innovative creators that I didn’t care what role or capacity I would be involved. Flash forward two years to Korea and back; that’s still how I feel.

What excites you about SU?

Holman: Honestly, everything about SU excites me: the people, the process, the work. As an artist, I have always been interested in creating space for conversation and discovery – and this is what SU does best. I really am amazed that I have found such an incredible/talented group of artists that are willing to play with me!
Jedlicka: The works created by this amazing group of people are always valid and relevant. Walking into any SU event feels like a breath of fresh air because these wonderful people aren’t afraid to be silly and serious, often at the same time. There’s nothing better than working alongside excited and exciting artists. I am so, so happy to be here!

Savage Umbrella Artistic Director Laura Leffler-McCabe, The Ravagers writer and director Blake E. Bolan and company member Carl Atiya Swanson talk with Nancy Sartor of KFAI - 90.3 FM Minneapolis - 106.7 FM St. Paul about the Hollywood Theater, The Ravagers and Savage Umbrella as a company. Aired 11/11/11.

Many thanks to Nancy Sartor and KFAI for the audio, production stills in the video by Staciaann Photography.