PRE-PRODUCTION 2010

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Now that we have announced the season we are beginning the pre-production phase of the 2010 Festival. This includes early design discussions with the playwrights, directors and designers and pre-casting meetings with Pat McCorkle, CATF Casting Director.

Yesterday we had a designer/director telephone conference with our set designer Bob Klingelhoefer, Peg McKowen, costume designer and Max Baker the director of The CATF World Premiere of THE EELWAX JESUS 3-D POP MUSIC SHOW. Max responded to Bob’s preliminary ideas and sketches for the set design. Bob and Max had a productive conversation RE: Max’s concept for the production. Lee Sellars also join the conference call. Lee wrote the music for EELWAX and will play Ignatz in the production. Max wrote the book and lyrics and in addition to directing EELWAX he will also play Mr. Shine. Peggy McKowen shared some of her initial ideas for the costumes. It was a free style conversation. Bob and Max will continue this discussion via email etc and we will all get together in April in New York to look at more sketches, renderings and a white model. I was pleased with the progress that we made in this first conversation.

I have a telephone conference with Bob Klingelhoefer this morning to discuss the preliminary design ideas for INANA by Michele Lowe. I am meeting with Michele in New York on Monday to talk with her about her play. And next week we will continue to have discussions with Laura Kepley, the director of The World Premiere of BREADCRUMBS by Jennifer Healy. Bob and I will also begin to discuss my director’s concept for Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig’s new play LIDLESS. Peg McKowen is designing the set/environment for WHITE PEOPLE by J.T. Rogers. She and I have started talking about the “world of the play” in WHITE PEOPLE which we will produce in the intimate 75 seat Performance Space in the new Center For Contemporary Art.

So the design process has begun…Next Tuesday I am meeting with Pat McCorkle and her staff to discuss casting the 2010 Repertory Acting Company. We will hold our New York auditons in mid April.

Ed Herendeen

2010 REPERTORY

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Finally a new blog. I am ready to begin to post new blogs RE: our 2010 REPERTORY. The snow is beginning to melt in Shepherdstown. Man…what a winter! The local newspapers are calling our recent snowfalls” THE STORM OF THE CENTURY!” Shepherdstown was a winter wonderland. Life here simply stopped for over a week. Time seemed to stand still. We lost electrical power at my house for two and a half days during the first 28′ snow storm. It seemed like the snow would never stop falling. But…I can now say that I am ready for Spring.

Needless to say the STORM OF THE CENTURY has put CATF behind schedule. We are putting the final touches on the 2010 FESTIVAL GUIDE and hope to have it to the printers later this week. Please let me know when you receive it in the mail. I am interested in hearing your thoughts about our upcoming Five Play Repertory. Let’s begin to have a conversation on this Producers Blog.

I returned from Philadelphia on January 28th where I was directing the World Premiere of THE ECLECTIC SOCIETY by Eric Conger at The Walnut Street Theatre. Rehearsals began on December 26th and we opened on January 27th. It runs until March 7th. So if you are in the Philadelphia area…check it out. www.walnutstreettheare.org  I had a BLAST! working at the Walnut. The play is doing well and is playing to full houses. Which is great…because…it is an 1,100 seat theater.

Last November Lee Sellars and Max Baker invited me to attend a private concert reading of their new Performance Theater Musical THE EELWAX JESUS 3-D POP MUSIC SHOW. I was blown away by the reading. I am looking forward to introducing you to this imaginative new work this summer. We are producing the World Premiere on the Frank Stage in our rotating repertory of Five new American plays. EELWAX JESUS will rotate with Michele Lowe’s beautiful new play INANA. I attended a reading of INANA in Denver and decided to produce it on-the spot. I am pleased to welcome Michele to the CATF Repertory.

J.T. Rogers is returning to the Festival with a controversial newly revised draft of WHITE PEOPLE which we will perform in our intimate 75 seat Performance Space. The CATF Studio Theater will feature two brand new works: BREADCRUMBS by Jennifer Haley and LIDLESS by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig.

We have a strong Five Play Rep in 2010. I recommend that you begin to make your travel and lodging plans now. Serious theater is back…thinkTheater 2010 is coming…

More about the 2010 Rep later.

Ed Herendeen

Back In New York

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Oh man…I have not been updating the Producers Blog. So here we go: I have been reading scripts and I am very encouraged by this year’s submissions. So many powerful new plays to choose from. The American theater is alive and vibrant with new work. I hope to announce the 2010 Five Play Repertory in early January. I just love this process. Reading new work  turns me on…And I am very turned on by many of the new scripts that I am reading. I usually read scripts early in the morning when our building is quiet and free of distractions. On a good day I can read two to three new plays. I like to read a script in one sitting without interruption so that I can hear the play from beginning to end. The Fall is one of my favorite times of the year and I enjoy the excitement of reading new work.

I am back in New York on Friday for two days of auditions for the World Premiere of THE ECLECTIC SOCIETY by Eric Conger. I am directing this exciting new play at The Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. Rehearsals begin in late December. Earlier this month we had auditions in Philadelphia and this weekend we are casting the final thee roles in New York. 

THE ECLECTIC SOCIETY concerns the events surrounding a hazing incident at a New England Ivy College in the fall of 1963…two weeks before the Kennedy assassination. An elite fraternity is fractured when an inner-city black student is brought to the house. Traditional values collide with race, class, and gender issues, as a new world prepares to unfold.

I will write more on this project in future blogs. For more info on THE ECLECTIC SOCIETY check-out The Walnut Street Theatre web-site: www.walnutstreettheatre.org

In addition to casting THE ECLECTIC SOCIETY I will also be attending a concert-reading of a new musical that I am considering for our 2010 Festival. I also have several appointments with playwrights and Lit Agents. I will return to Shepherdstown on Wednesday and take some R&R time over Thanksgiving…I am very fond of this particular holiday.

Ed Herendeen

Research and Development

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I just returned from a week of R&D in New York City. On Tuesday I attended a Reading of a new play at MTC and attended Victor Lodato’s AFTER SEVEN Readings at NEW DRAMATISTS. Victor has completed his 7 year residency with NEW DRAMATISTS. He presented readings from his plays: DEAR SARA JANE, MOTHERHOUSE, WILD LIFE, and he read an excerpt from his new novel MATHILDA SAVITCH. Victor’s novel was recently published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. He has received excellent reviews for his first novel. I especially enjoyed hearing him read from the first chapter.

On Wednesday I attended meetings with Literary Agents and playwrights. I received four proposals/pitches RE: a 2011 CATF new play commission. On Tuesday evening I attended Lucy Thurber’s stunning production of KILLERS AND OTHER FAMILY at the Rattlestick Theater.

On Thursday I attended more playwright/agent meetings and then I took the Metro North train to Beacon NY to rehearse a Workshop/Reading of WRECKS by Neil LaBute at True North Theater. Kurt Zischke recreated his CATF performance as Edward Carr and we presented two Readings on Friday and Saturday. I enjoyed working with Kurt again. He gave a powerful reading.

It was a very productive week. I received several new scripts to read and consider for our 2010 Repertory. One of the highlights of the week was having breakfast with my friend Lee Sellars. Lee is appearing in WEST SIDE STORY on Broadway. It was great to see Lee and hear about his successful Broadway run. Lee pitched me a proposal for a new musical that he and Max Baker are writing with their band EELWAX JESUS. It is a fascinating project about greed and paranoia in America…more on this later…

I am back in Shepherdstown and I am reading new work and beginning the pre-season preparations for our 20th Anniversary Season.

Ed Herendeen