Our Next Production: Autobahn by Neil LaBute

We’re pleased to announce our next production of Neil LaBute’s Autobahn.

Opening in April 2009, with twelve performances. 

"Sitting in an automobile was where I first remember understanding how drama works…Hidden in the back seat of a sedan, I quickly realized how deep the chasm or intense the claustrophobia could be inside your average family car." –Neil LaBute

Be it the medium for clandestine couplings, arguments, shelter, or ultimately transportation, the automobile is perhaps the most authentically American of spaces. In "Autobahn," Neil LaBute’s provocative new collection of one-act plays set within the confines of the front seat, the playwright employs his signature plaintive insight to great effect, investigating the inchoate apprehension that surrounds the steering wheel. Each of these seven brief vignettes explore the ethos of perception and relationship–from a make-out session gone awry to a kidnapping thinly disguised as a road trip, a reconnaissance mission involving the rescue of a Nintendo 64 to a daughter’s long ride home after her release from rehab. The result is an unsettling montage that gradually reveals the scabrous force of words left unsaid while illuminating the delicate interplay between intention and morality, capturing the essence of middle America and the myriad paths which cross its surface.

More to come…

The House of Yes Now On Sale!

We’re pleased to announce the availability for tickets for our performances in November.

Follow the links on the sidebar or in the navigation bar above to learn more.

Success!

Yesterday we concluded the run of Three One-Acts.  It turned out to be an incredible success.  This week, we begin the first steps toward a full-scale production of The House of Yes, opening in November.

Thanks to everyone who came to see us!  We sold out all four shows, and after we’ve met our operational expenses, all proceeds will be sent to The Hunger Project.

We still need donations, and if you’re looking to help us out with our next production, feel free to donate by hitting the link below.  Every bit will help us toward getting this next show off the ground!

Thank You.

We are performing at the SF Theater Festival on July 27!

The Magnetic Theatre Company is performing a scene from David Lindsay-Abaire’s “Three One-Acts” on Sunday, July 27, 2008.

We are participating in the San Francisco Theater Festival – a day long extravaganza of performance by theater groups and solo performers.

We are scheduled to present “Baby Food” at 11:45am in the Soma Room at the Sony Metreon.  Free admission!

All the details can be found here.

Getting a Play Up in 24 Hours

An article in this month’s Dramatist journal includes an article by my friend Laura Rohrman on the process of getting a play ready in 24 hours.  It includes comments from several actors and writers, including David Lindsay-Abaire. 

Since these One-Acts were developed and performed in a 24-hour period, this article provides really good perspective.

You can read it here:

Making a Play Ready for Broadway in 24 Hours

The Postcard

Here is the final postcard for the show, and it is now being printed.  Hopefully the printer will do a good job.

Now it feels like we have a show…

Books

Diving back into the acting arena will prove to be a great challenge for me.  I’ve not been on-stage since 2002. 

I started thinking about how to prepare for this production, and I immediately thought of the many acting books in my collection, that I haven’t dusted off in a long time.  Some of them stretch back to the time I was working with Rachael. 

So, I found the perfect book to get started with:  On Acting, by Sanford Meisner.  I got excited when I got the book out.  I also found a postcard in it, bookmarking a page I must have stopped at long-ago.  The postcard was a reminder of a SAG/NY membership meeting, sent to my first apartment on 173rd St.

Another book to look at is David Mamet’s True & False. It is hands-down, a fantastic read, and he smashes all the hype and ‘drama’ surround acting. It’s a book I’m going to tackle again shortly, but I glanced through it the other day, and I thought to myself, “Every actor should read this book, at least once a year.”

That’s my plan.