MadLab Theatre presents: Young Writers Short Play Festival (High School Writers only)

When: Submissions due: January 15, 2012
... (See all other important deadlines below)

Description:
MadLab Theatre is extending its outreach to young playwrights in local and regional high schools in Central Ohio. The goal is to produce a group of 15 minute short plays written by high school students for its Young Writers Short Play Festival in MadLab’s 2012 theatre season. Playwrights can submit their short play to MadLab any time between now and January 15, 2012. Scripts will be selected in February 2012. After this, playwrights will work with known and published playwrights as adult mentors to workshop, stage read, and revise scripts as needed. This learning environment will provide education and creativity for young playwrights work to be produced for the very first time. MadLab will then produce all chosen scripts in end of July/Early August 2012.

Details and Deadlines:
Submissions:
1. PDF or MS Word format.
2. 15 minutes in length max or at most 15–20 pages.
3. Play should be able to be produced on a theatre stage. Your stage directions and needs should be geared toward stage rather than film.
4. Content is open to what playwright wants to write.
5. All submissions should have title page, character description, brief synopsis, and set and prop needs.
6. Submissions should have name, address, phone number, email address, school and teacher listed. (We will not accept a submission if we do not know where it is from).
7. All submissions are due to MadLab Theatre by 5pm January 15th.
8. Submissions should have subject line reading “Young Writers Short Play Festival” and should be sent to michelleb@madlab.net.

Other Important information:

• Submission Deadline January 15, 2012
• Plays will be chosen February 2012
• Playwright workshops with local playwrights in March 2012 (specific dates TBD).
• Final revised play to be completed by end of March 2012.
• Auditions for Young Writers Short Play Festival will be in April 2012 (specific dates TBD).
• All Directors and Actors for Young Writers Short Play Festival will be chosen by MadLab. Playwrights will be invited to attend and work with their designated Director.
• Young Writers Short Play Festival to be produced July 27,28, and August 3, 4, 10, and 11th 2012.

Send submissions to:
Michelle Batt, Artistic Outreach Director
michelleb@madlab.net

Communication Information for MadLab:
Michelle Batt, Artistic Outreach Director
michelleb@madlab.net

This Saturday, come to MadLab's Speakeasy where you can enjoy gambling, liquor and flapper girls galore.  Below are the details!!  We hope to see you there!!

Speakeasy!! A MadLab Fundraiser

Saturday, September 24th

8pm-1am

227 N. 3rd Street

Columbus, Ohio 43215

This Thursday, September 8th, Shepherd Productions, sister company and friend to MadLab will be opening Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare. In honor of the company's inaugural production, MadLab has turned over the pen... well, keyboard as it were, to Kate Tull, Dramaturg for Shepherd Productions. 

 So it back and enjoy: Titus Trek: How Titus Andronicus Made it to MadLab by Kate Tull

Picture it:  The year is 1592… or 91… or 94… (frankly, we don’t know exactly)… and a young upstart from Stratford storms onto the London theatre scene with a bloody revenge tragedy called TITUS ANDRONICUS.  The battle, gore, and sex on the stage makes this play William Shakespeare’s first popular success, enjoying several revivals over 2 decades and 3 separate printed Quartos of the script.

The love affair with TITUS, however, is short-lived because the gore proves to be just too much for audiences.  During the Restoration of the late 17^th century into the 18^th century, adaptation was the name of the game.  The play was frequently revived, but nearly all the lust and violence was removed time and time again (which makes one wonder what was left!).  The Victorian Era of the 19^thcentury tended to leave TITUS aside, with the exception of a production featuring American Ira Aldredge.  He was a black actor who built his entire career on Shakespeare’s Moorish roles, including TITUS’ Aaron.  His adaptation of the play, which naturally featured Aaron as the central role, was the only opportunity in the entire 19^th century to see any version of TITUS in England.

It was not until the 20^thcentury that theatre practitioners rediscovered TITUS ANDRONICUS in its original form and decided it was worth producing.  Americans and Brits alike saw a major resurgence of productions of TITUS, all of which have paved the way for this mounting by Shepherd Productions.  Here are the game changers from the last century:

1923: The first real revival.  

The Old Vic produced TITUS ANDRONICUS under the direction of Robert Atkins in its original form for the first time in 3 centuries.

1955: The one that started it all. 

The RSC’s 1955 production directed by Peter Brook starred Laurence Olivier as Titus, Anthony Quayle as Aaron (yes, I know he’s a white guy… we’ll save that for a whole other conversation!…), and Vivien Leigh as Lavinia.

1967: The American response. 

Baltimore Center Stage brought TITUS to the states in all its vengeful glory.  The graphic production, directed by Douglas Seale, had no shortage of on-stage blood and gore.

Later in 1967:  TITUS in New York. 

Joe Papp aimed to one-up Baltimore’s take on the classic when Gerald Freedman directed the play for the Shakespeare Festival at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Olympia Dukakis played Tamora and Moses Gunn played Aaron (an actual black actor this time! Woohoo!).

1972: Trevor Nunn brings it back to Britain. 

This new RSC production aimed to depict Nunn’s opinion that decadence caused the destruction of Rome.  To really drive the point home, he incorporated an on-stage orgy into Act 4. 

1978: TITUS makes it to Stratford! 

The Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario presented the play under the direction of Brian Bedford.  The festival started in 1879, and this was the FIRST TIME it made it to their stage.  They’ve done it 4 times since, including a production that’s running right now.  Literally, NOW.  It closes September 24, 2011.

1985: TITUS on the BBC.  

TITUS ANDRONICUS was shown to a whole new audience through Jane Howell’s direction of this televised production.  The bulk of the story was seen through the eyes of Titus’ grandson Young Lucius, a small character (both in stature and number of lines) that has been cut from our production.

1987: RSC, uncut.

The RSC remounted the play in 1987 under the direction of Deborah Warner.  The text was left in its original first Quarto form – not a single word was cut.  As you can imagine, this production had a slightly longer running time than our 2-hour version.

1994: Taymor tackles TITUS. 

Prior to her 1999 critically acclaimed film adaptation of the play, Julie Taymor directed TITUS ANDRONICUS at Theater for the New City. She incorporated a modern day prologue and epilogue and her staging controversially suggested that Lucius killed Aaron’s baby at the end of the play.

2003: The Un-Shakespearean RSC.

Bill Alexander directed the show at the RSC once more in 2003.  The catch: he was convinced that George Peele wrote the first act of the show, not Shakespeare, so he saw no shame in radically changing it.  Changes included the removal of over 100 lines… and Mutius.

2006:  A Blood-Covered Globe.

Shakespeare’s Globe produced a highly realistic version of TITUS where Lavinia was literally drenched in blood from head to toe after her rape.  The more controversial aspect of this production, however, was that the designer insisted the Globe’s space be covered with a roof for the first time in its history.

As you can see, compared to its long 425-year history, TITUS ANDRONICUS has enjoyed a major increase in American, British, and Canadian productions in the last 50 years.  Despite this “Andronicus-aissance” as it were, it is still one of his least commonly produced works due to its many challenges.  Shakespeare is produced in every part of our country, in schools, regional theatres, community organizations, and Shakespeare festivals, but for those of us who do not live in London or New York, TITUS productions are still few and far between.  Shepherd Productions is offering you a chance to be part of something special and rare here in Columbus. 

Shows run September 8-17 at MadLab Theatre and Gallery, and advance tickets can be purchased at http://www.madlab.net/MadLab/Buy_Tickets.html.

This Friday and Saturday are the final performances of Margaret Everson's wonderful piece The Greatest Play Ever Written in the History of the World...Ever.  If you have not been to see it, read some of the comments from those who have. These are real, these came from Facebook.

Greg M: "It's really the greatest play ever written in the history of the world...ever."

Molly SC: "MadLab's current show is not at all what I expected.. but highly entertaining."

Linda O: " Wow, that was ain impressive show. Kudos to everyone involved with The Greatest Play Ever Written in the History of the World...ever. I'm actually bummed I can't see it again until closing night."

Now, its time for you come and experience the thrills this production has to offer.  Information is below and you can buy your tickets online.  The Greatest play is waiting for YOU!!!