Tag Archive for: Lee Sellars

eelwaxjesus 2010

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EELWAX JESUS 3-D POP MUSIC SHOW a CATF World Premiere

EELWAX Jesus began as a simple collaboration of two actors improvising songs. Those actors Lee Sellars and Max Baker were from Opp, Alabama and London, England. They met doing a play in Skokie, Illinois in 1992. Lee Sellars has appeared in many CATF productions. He grew up amid the Southern-based rhythms of Country, while Max ran around the edge of the London punk scene in the mid-70’s. By 1986, however (and purely haphazardly), Lee was studying in London and Max moved to Durant Oklahoma. The cross-pollination of cultures would emerge years later in New York City.

During the late 90’s and early part of the 21st Century, Max and Lee created a plethora of songs in an ever-evolving musical style. This collaboration has given birth to a new alternative music/theater performance: THE EELWAX JESUS 3-D POP MUSIC SHOW.

Max and Lee invited me to attend a concert Reading of their new musical last November. I was blown away by this work and offered to produce the World Premiere at The CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN THEATER FESTIVAL in 2010. Pat McCorkle, CATF Casting Director and I have just completed casting this amazing new work. Robert Klingelhoefer, CATF Set Designer has been collaborating  with Max and Lee on the set design. We are beginning the pre-production work with Paul Black, CATF Lighting Designer; David Remedios,CATF Sound Designer and Patrick Wallace, CATF Technical Director.

Rehearsal for the 2010 rotating five play Repertory will begin on June 8th. We are all looking forward to giving birth to this exciting new work.

For a preview of some of the music go to www.eelwaxjesus.com . Please click and listen…then send me your comments.

Ed Herendeen

PASSION FOR NEW WORK

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We are the CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN THEATER FESTIVAL. We are the theater of today…the theater of the Now. We are producing five new American plays in rotating repertory that are present and immediate. This is who we are, what we are and how we will be remembered by future generations. We are responsible for helping to create the destiny of the American theater. We are paying attention to the world. We are listening to contemporary writers who are attuned to our world and whose stories help us define these tumultuous times.

The artists at the Contemporary American Theater Festival are united by their passion for new work. We are united by newness. We are united by this quote from American playwright Steven Dietz (CATF 2009):

“The theater is not about nostalgia. The theater is not a museum. Plays don’t hang on walls, oblivious to time. The theater is a rehearsal of the present moment.”

Great stories beg to be told. And true artists are compelled to tell them. Playwrights are the theater’s storytellers. Max Baker, Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, Jennifer Haley, Michele Lowe, J.T. Rogers and Lee Sellars are the storytellers of the 2010 Repertory. Their stories will broaden our minds, engage, provoke, inspire and ultimately connect us.

I have selected five new plays by these six artists… because they have written original stories that embody an independent spirit and a distinctive voice. They believe in the power of story. They believe in the power of sharing the most private of feelings in the most public of spaces–the theater. They are not afraid to confront pain and difference, conflict and joy, in the safe environment of the theater.

We all share a passionate belief that we can grow as a society only if we find the strength to confront and consider ideas and issues that may make us uncomfortable. We share the belief that a community without art has no voice, no memory of our stories and aspirations…a community without art is no community at all.

 I believe that making art…making theater…especially in this moment… is a form of social activism. It is a statement of belief in the power of community.

I have always believed that a contemporary theater must aggressively go to the edges of society and tell the stories that no one else will tell. To involve people at the deepest level…we need stories. Stories fulfill a profound human need to grasp the patterns of living–not merely as an intellectual exercise, but within a very personal, emotional experience. To do this we must engage our audience with the power of story. We must engage their emotions…AND…the key to their hearts is a story.

Please share your ideas and comments with me.

Ed Herendeen

PR STUFF

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We are busy doing some PR events to begin to promote the March 28th SPRING BENEFIT and the 2010 FESTIVAL. Sandy Sponaugle, CATF Publicist and I did the 9:30 AM Talk Show on WEPM Radio in Martinsburgh on Monday. Yesterday Lisa Younis, CATF Board President and I spoke to the Martinsburgh Rotary Club Lunch Meeting. And Today…Bridget Cohee, CATF Trustee and I will be on WRNR TALK RADIO at 9:10AM. We are getting the word out about our upcoming ROAST, TOAST AND BOAST BENEFIT: Celebrating 20 Years of THE CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN THEATER FESTIVAL. This is going to be an entertaining evening of amusing anecdotes, inside scoops and behind the scenes stories from our last 20 years. CATF actor, Lee Sellars is joining us as the Master of Ceremonies. Lee is taking a day off from WEST SIDE STORY on Broadway to host the Benefit. We hope to raise some much needed donations…which will help support our 2010 THEATER FESTIVAL. Please join us on Sunday March 28th at the Clarion Hotel in Shepherdstown.

Ed Herendeen

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