Monday, July 27, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
ARSENIC AND ROSES: Notes on the Play
About the Play
ARSENIC
& ROSES was revamped for this production - its Dallas Premiere - at the
2009 Festival of Independent Theatres. Since its first production in 1996 on
the campus of the College of Santa Fe, the piece has shown at the following
places:
ARSENIC
& ROSES received its world-premiere on the campus of the College of Santa Fe
at the Weckesser Studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico, December 4-6, 1996. Directed
by Brad McEntire. Staged Managed by Christina Rivas. Featuring Josh Jacobson
as Charles and Amanda Putman as Katherine.
ARSENIC
& ROSES received a Staged Reading with Audacity Productions, Lewisville, Texas,
at Borders Bookstore Café, Saturday, April 15, 2000. Directed by Brad McEntire.
Featuring Jason Stuart as Charles and Brynne Shipman as Katherine.
ARSENIC
& ROSES received a regional-premiere in north Texas as part of the Flower Mound
Performing Arts Theatre's First Annual New Works Festival at the Barn Door Theatre,
Flower Mound, Texas, May 3 and 10, 2003. Directed by Ryan Pointer. Stage Managed
by B.J. Evans. Featuring Jeff Swearingen as Charles and Leslie Patrick as Katherine.
ARSENIC
& ROSES received its international premiere in Hong Kong at the Flying Pan,
as part of DEER Theatre's "Chew On This!" Short Play Festival. April 18 - 21,
2007. Directed by Ruth Engel. Featuring Eric Ng as Charles and Bhavini Raval
as Katherine.
About
the Playwright
Playwright
Brad McEntire is the Founding Artistic Director of Audacity Theatre Lab. For more information
visit his website.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
ATL in Design Exhibit!
Audacity is in the Festival of Independent Theatres in more than one way.
Currently, an exhibit of the work of Dallas area designers is on display at the Bath House Cultural Center. It is called ART BEYOND THE STAGE and opened July 11 and runs until August 8.
ART BEYOND THE STAGE is an art exhibition featuring a collection of renderings, costumes, art, and other theater objects created in recent years by regional designers.
Some of the designers featured in this exhibition include: Jacob Climer, Bruce Coleman, Barbara Cox, Christina Dickson, Clare Floyd DeVries, Rodney G. Dobbs, Wade Giampa, Brad McEntire, Bob McVay, Jennifer Owen, Andy Redmon, Claudia Stephens, Giva Taylor, Aaron Patrick Turner, and Randel Wright, among others.
You can see the puppets and process notes of Audacity's one-act entry into last year's Teatro Caliente in Phoenix, Arizona. We took a lesbian/death/love triangle puppet piece called ROSELITA'S DEAD MAN.
We are pleased to display our designs alongside some of the best designers in DFW.
More info about the ehibit here.
Currently, an exhibit of the work of Dallas area designers is on display at the Bath House Cultural Center. It is called ART BEYOND THE STAGE and opened July 11 and runs until August 8.
ART BEYOND THE STAGE is an art exhibition featuring a collection of renderings, costumes, art, and other theater objects created in recent years by regional designers.
Some of the designers featured in this exhibition include: Jacob Climer, Bruce Coleman, Barbara Cox, Christina Dickson, Clare Floyd DeVries, Rodney G. Dobbs, Wade Giampa, Brad McEntire, Bob McVay, Jennifer Owen, Andy Redmon, Claudia Stephens, Giva Taylor, Aaron Patrick Turner, and Randel Wright, among others.
You can see the puppets and process notes of Audacity's one-act entry into last year's Teatro Caliente in Phoenix, Arizona. We took a lesbian/death/love triangle puppet piece called ROSELITA'S DEAD MAN.
We are pleased to display our designs alongside some of the best designers in DFW.
More info about the ehibit here.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
ARSENIC press
 |
| Teresa Valenza and Jeff Swearingen in ARSENIC AND ROSES |
Festival
of Independent Theatres Gets Off to a Strong Start
Monday
July 20, 2009
By
Lawson Taitte / Dallas Morning News
The
first two weekends of this year's Festival of Indepependent Theatres share a
similiar lineup of openings: One of the two founding companies still participating
anchors with a show by a famous woman playwright, while three newer companies
contibute a new play, most world premieres. The first week's entires, reviewed
Sunday, all looked strong.
.
. .
The
two completely original scripts both deal with odd couples. The more successful,
Audacity Theatre Lab's Arsenic and Roses is a trifle, but a really pleasant
one. Jeff Hernandez directed Brad McEntire's comedy about a man down on his
luck who (Jeff Swearingen) who seeks refuge in a bar where the sole waitress
is a girl he snubbed in high school (Teresa Valenza). Swearingen's knack for
leavening hilarious schtick with deadeye emotional accuracy works its usual
wonders, and Valenza builds sympathy for a character who in the wrong hands
would simply be annoying.
From
TheatreJones.com
Fantasy
and Romance
That's
what the first round of openings at the Festival of Independent Theatres delivered.
Who's up for more?
by
Mark Lowry
Published
Sunday, July 19, 2009
.
. .
Audacity
Theatre Lab goes for something much more traditional with Brad McEntire's Arsenic
& Roses, directed by Jeff Hernandez.
Jeff
Swearingen plays Charles, a man who's down on his relationship luck and was
just dumped by his girlfriend of two months (the reason behind this is one of
the play's funnier revelations). He wanders into a diner on a rainy night, where
he meets waitress Katherine (Teresa Valenza).
Turns
out, they've met before. They dated in high school, and Katherine still harbors
resentment. They talk, fight and play "remember when," and if things seem familiar
to them, it's even more so for the audience. McEntire has a talent for the one-liners
("he thought a Persian rug was made of cat fur," Katherine says about a former
boyfriend), but this play feels like a work-in-progress. But, honestly, that's
another valid reason for producing in FIT—it's a fine testing ground.
Before
this show goes any further, though, Valenza has work to do. Her anger is not
believable and she talks too fast. Even in the small confines of the Bath House,
she needs to project.
Swearingen is great in a role that's less physical than we're used to seeing from him, proving that he doesn't need to be outrageous to maintain his status as one of—if not the—funniest actor in North Texas. Acting-wise, this production is off-balance.
Swearingen is great in a role that's less physical than we're used to seeing from him, proving that he doesn't need to be outrageous to maintain his status as one of—if not the—funniest actor in North Texas. Acting-wise, this production is off-balance.
Monday, July 20, 2009
The 2009 Festival of Independent Theatres as Dallas' Bath House Cultural Center opened this past weekend. ATL's entry was ARSENIC & ROSES by Artistic Director Brad McEntire.Early press from Lawson Taitte at the Dallas Morning News:
Festival of Independent Theatres Gets Off to a Strong Start
Monday July 20, 2009
By Lawson Taitte / Dallas Morning News
The first two weekends of this year's Festival of Indepependent Theatres share a similiar lineup of openings: One of the two founding companies still participating anchors with a show by a famous woman playwright, while three newer companies contibute a new play, most world premieres.
The first week's entires, reviewed Sunday, all looked strong.
. . .
The two completely original scripts both deal with odd couples. The more successful, Audacity Theatre Lab's Arsenic and Roses is a trifle, but a pleasant one. Jeff Hernandez directed Brad McEntire's comedy about a man down on his luck who (Jeff Swearingen) who seeks refuge in a bar where the sole waitress is a girl he snubbed in high school (Teresa Valenza). Swearingen's knack for leavening hilarious schtick with deadeye emotional accuracy works its usual wonders, and Valenza builds sympathy for a character who in the wrong hands would simply be annoying.
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