Rogue Artists Ensemble: B is for Blog: Recent Episodes
Rogue Artists Ensemble
Coming to Santa Monica at the Morgan Wixson Theatre.
Based on the book written and illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering
Adapted for the stage by Emily Coalson with Rogue Artists Ensemble
In Cementland lives a very special Boy with a singular wish to find a treasure.
Amidst heaping piles of greasy toaster ovens, broken TVs, and wet smelly
socks,
he discovers a rusty old box promising wondrous riches, but all he finds inside
the box are tiny grey specks. Thieves come in the night and the Boy builds a
monster called Frog Belly Rat Bone to scare them away. Frog Belly protects
the specks, and in doing so teaches all the friends a very valuable lesson.
Using their signature Hyper-theatrical style combining puppetry, music,
video projections, and innovative prop design, the award-winning Rogue Artists
Ensemble brings this popular book's lovable characters and quirky aesthetic
to life on stage.
September 24, 2011 – October 9, 2011
Saturdays and Sundays at 11am
$10 Adults, $7 Children 12 and under
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It's amazing how fast two weeks can go by when you are doing what you love. All good things must come to an end, and Frog Belly Rat Bone in Atlanta is no exception. Our last days in the Big Peach were as fun and quirky as any other day on our trip. Here's how it went down.
After our final performance, we presented Stage Manager Extraordinaire Hayley with our second parting gift (she's wearing the first one in the picture below): a genuine Frog Belly Rat Bone kazoo, discretely signed by the entire cast. The look on her face was just fantastic.
Now anytime she needs us, all she has to do is bzzzz.
Despite having just laid it all out for two extraordinary final shows, our intrepid cast pulled together to strike our set with gusto. Christina zipped about and snapped some fantastic pictures of the mayhem. Miles and Thu pulled apart Cementland while Amy provided motivation.
Tyler was a palletizing machine, stacking our gear onto wooden platforms that could easily be trucked back across the nation.
Sean put his video designer hat back on to unplug the projector.
I hid out in the booth, wondering how to put everything back together. I'm pretty sure I got it right eventually.
The game of Tetris continued. Thanks to everyone's hard work, the entire set was wrapped and ready to go in no time at all.
Go Team Friendship!
Before we walked out the door for good, we were able to leave our mark on the Center of Puppetry. Can you find it?
How about now?
That night, we hit the town for our last dinner together on tour. We were joined by the wondrous Hayley, as well as Jon and his lovely wife at one of our strangest stops yet: Dante's Down the Hatch. The restaurant features an indoor pirate ship; a live alligator; a Mark Twain mannequin; striped-shirted waiters; a menu that is more idealogical than informative; and a talking, mechanical witch in the ladies room. Also, fondue. Seated at the captain's table while enjoying a live jazz combo, I knew it was a perfect topper to our tour of the madness of Georgian camp.
The next morning, Roy and Liz from the Center got up extra early and shuttled us to ATL. Amid luggage-wrangling and coffee-balancing, we exchanged farewell hugs under the watchful eye of airport security.
Before you knew it, we were up and away.
When we landed at LAX, it felt good to be home where we belong. No city in the world is like Los Angeles. We were all aching to see all our friends and loved ones again. However, there was definitely an air of melancholy as we retrieved our luggage and finally parted ways.
I prefer happy endings, so I'm going to close out this documentation of our tour with a story about one of our new young fans. He saw our show three times in total, including the early show on our last day. At this show, every time Frog Belly addressed the audience, this child was roaring back at the stage as if to challenge him to a Frog Belly roaring contest. I could hear him all the way from the booth. He brought this drawing with him to the show and presented it to the cast:
We were all touched by the gesture. Especially Thu.
Moments like that make me want to do this show forever. Thank you, Center for Puppetry Arts, for taking a chance on our little show and for always being such gracious hosts. Thanks Frog Belly cast, for being the best traveling companions I could ever ask for. So long, Atlanta. I hope we meet again.
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As part of our tour to the Center for Puppetry Arts, we were asked to present a workshop in puppetry craft. The workshop, attended mostly by staff members of the Center, was fully booked. I was pleased to see that such a great variety of people had come to see what we had to offer. Our resident workshop expert Christina led the charge and knocked it out of the park with our tried and true newspaper puppet class.
Newspaper puppets are very useful, especially in a workshop setting. When you have a swiftly approaching deadline and a shoestring budget, why waste precious resources constructing a puppet that may or may not truly serve your story? A newspaper puppet can be built in minutes, costs almost nothing, and is simply captivating when put into action. And if it doesn't work, you can just throw it away.
One such puppet is featured prominently in "Bird and Girl," a short scene that the Rogues created during a workshop with the students of UC Irvine. We still perform this piece on occasion to this day; in fact, the little girl puppet makes a cameo in our Puppet Car Wash fundraising video.
After a demonstration of how a newspaper puppet behaves, we showed the group a video of "Bird and Girl." The video was taken at the HYPERBOLE: gravity/anti-gravity workshop with UCI students. Setting up the projector was my modest contribution to the evening's event.
And so it was time to get started.
Christina guided our workshop attendees step by step, attentively making sure the no one was left behind and no one was stuck waiting, sitting on their hands.
The other Rogues helpfully wandered around with rolls of tape, swooping in and answering questions now and again. Thanks, Amy!
The puppets began to take shape. Even in their early stages, you could see people asserting their creativity on their little, flammable friends.
Miles assisted in displaying effective build mechanics.
Tyler held his puppet up to demonstrate one of the aspects of his favorite method of newspaper puppet construction. Notice that the puppet's arms and legs remain upright due to the particular way that he has jointed the limbs. Of course, there is no single correct way to make a puppet.
Before we knew it, we had a room full of completed puppets. We asked everyone to circle up and introduce their creations. Everybody in the room had given their puppet a name, a unique personality and, in some cases, an elaborate back story. Amazing!
With a little bit of time left, Christina decided that it was time to get these puppets up on their feet. Together, Amy, Miles, and Tyler gave a short tutorial on important Bunraku techniques and principles. I was impressed at how clearly and simply they were able to communicate fantastic tips for a truly complex art form. Of course, they are professionals.
It was great fun to see our workshop attendees implement those techniques with their newly built puppets. In less than two hours, we had a room full of tiny creations wandering about. I saw a newspaper puppet with a cane and a monocle jabbing at some crotchety youngster. So much personality for having only been born minutes ago.
When it was time to go, many attendees hung about to talk puppets a little more. We received a lot of great feedback for our presentation. One attendee remarked that ours was her favorite workshop - and she has been coming to workshops at the Center for Puppetry Arts for the last 8 years. That's quite a feather in our cap.
I know that I am lucky to have such talented friends. And what a great opportunity to be able to share our art with enthusiastic folk from lands far from our own. Christina, Amy, Miles, Thu, and Tyler: way to show Atlanta how it's done!
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Picture Time!
Is this adorable, or what? But more on that later. Tyler, pictured above, rented a van so that we could explore Atlanta on our three days off. That was the best call ever. Let's get started!
Our first destination was Athens. In the spirit adventure, we stopped whenever our curiosity was piqued. On our way up we detoured at an antique shop and we bought some gifts for loved ones back home. Will you be one of the lucky ones to get something from us? Perhaps a comfy new bathtub? Perhaps this giant chair that Tyler found amusing?
In Athens, we sampled pubs, hugged statues, scoped out a local music shop, and generally caused a ruckus.
We also found the second greatest river we would encounter on our trip in a relaxing park. I was able to chill out and listen to the wind and cicadas for a while. Just tops.
Hey, get down from there before you someone gets hurt!
Our next day began fueling up on fresh peaches that Liz from the Center procured for us. Juicy and tasty! Yet another kindness from the wonderful people we have met here. Our first stop was Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, GA, where Cabbage Patch kids are born. And I mean literally, dramatically born, right before your eyes. Just remembering it is starting to make me dizzy, so just take a look at these pictures instead:
Needless to say, we were all in heaven. Especially Christina.
Next, we visited the fair town of Helen, a former logging town that converted itself into a German village to generate revenue for the city. It was kitschy and beautiful. We window-shopped, we drank delicious German beers, and even got in a round of miniature golf.
Oh, we also found the saddest abandoned haunted house you ever saw. It was so run-down, I'm pretty sure that it was actually haunted. Check it out:
Truly frightening.
Topping off our amazing three days off was a lazy river ride - tubing down the Chattahoochee River. Being a native Angeleno, the concept of floating down the river on a large, rented inner tube was alien to me. For those equally deprived, see the above photo for reference. Luckily for us, the river was not actually that crowded that day. The photo is from the company's website. We'll get to see actual photos from our float when my primordial water-proof disposable camera gets developed.
Amy laid out the spread that we had bought ahead of time at Publix market, and a great chicken lunch was had by all. Shortly after, we were shuttled up the river and deposited into the water for a ride down the Chattahoochee. Unbelievably relaxing. Two miles down the river and four hours later, I didn't want to get leave, even though we had to be constantly vigilant for water bears.
Hey, it's me, Thu, and BBQ!
As amazing as our days off were, I'm very glad to be back into the rhythm of performing our show. Just a couple more performance days left in our tour. It's all been going by so fast!
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Shows have been going very well! Here's a shot from backstage. At center is Rogue friend and Artistic Director of the Center for Puppetry Arts, Jon Ludwig. On the far right is our awesome stage manager Hayley. At left-ish is Serious Tyler.
In addition to Frogging 'em and Bellying 'em, we've been up to lots of mischief in the city of Atlanta. Ready for our slideshow? Here we go!
We've all been remarking on the beautiful architecture of Atlanta. Christina tries to climb one of the buildings in downtown. She's too far away, though.
We picked up MARTA passes so that we could use the miracle of public transit to zip about the city.
Wandering around, we found a mural that spoke to us. I told my friends to pose for the band press photo.
BBQ for dinner that night! At the top of Tyler's list was Daddy D's BBQ in downtown. It was amazing, even with the hot, wet, heat in the patio area.
That night we caught a midnight showing of Labyrinth. Shamefully, I had never before seen that movie in it's entirety. So inspiring. Thank you, Hayley, for seeing the giving film with us and giving us rides back to our hotel. You're fantastic!
When our hosts told us about Stone Mountain, we really had no choice but to make time for a visit. 825 feet tall and overlooking a vast green field, it's hard to put in words the experience of visiting the massive rock formation. In the face of the rock, you can see a huge carving of three important men of the Civil War on horseback: Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee and Lt. General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. How huge is the carving? They say that a 6-foot tall man can stand inside one of the horse's mouths. If this weren't enough, after sunset they put on a LASER SHOW on the face of the mountain with fireworks and massive projection mapping. I can honestly say I've never seen anything remotely like it.
We were joined by friendly folk from the Center and they treated us to a KFC picnic and jugs of sweet tea. Could it be that they treat all of their guest artists so graciously? I am delighted every day with how friendly and kind our new friends are to us.
What an amazing couple of days. Tomorrow, the plan is to scout out Athens, GA, birthplace of a lot of great music - R.E.M., The B-52's, Of Montreal, among others. I'll tell you all about it later.
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It's official! Frog Belly has made his Southern debut and he was clearly the belle of the ball. I had the privilege of being able to see it all from my perch up in the booth. I nearly died when I saw a group of small children frantically jumping up and down to the rhythm of "Friends Forever." Our audiences were very respectful and always eager participate. I can tell that this is going to be a great run. Big ups to the Frog Belly cast for really giving it your all. Putting on your own show with lovely, talented folk in an air-conditioned theater... now that's the real treasure!
Tomorrow we do it all again and after the show, I believe it is our intention to find a body of water in which to swim. Cannonball!
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After our two performances today, Frog Belly performers Tyler, Christina, and Miles met up with Patty Petrey Dees, Distance Learning Program Director for the Center for Puppetry Arts. She conducted a web-based interview with our intrepid cast. I lurked in the corner with my camera.
My friends did a stellar job chatting about our little arts organization. I found myself getting more than a little nostalgic listening to them talk about the history of Rogue Artists Ensemble, from our brush with greatness with Mr. Punch to the puppets of Gogol Project to the lovely moments in our current show, D is for Dog. Listeners were able to ask us questions from their home computers (sometimes from computers as far away as Canada!). My favorite moment was when a participant asked our cast a question that her daughter had for the group. Oh, and Rat answered a few questions as well. Here you see Iyabo showing off a display of what participants in the webinar were able to view live:
Our conversation is now archived on the website so that you, too, can view it from the comfort of your own home! You have to create an account and download a java app, but I recommend that you do it. It's pretty wild to see how it all works. And according to one review of the webinar, Tyler, Christina, and Miles did a stellar job:
"Every person interviewed seemed to be not only extremely knowledgeable, but also very personable. The interviewer asked excellent questions relevant to what the participants were asking via the chat window. Each interviewee added unique insight and perspective to topics ranging from puppetry and theatre to arts and education."
Click here to check it out!
Our webinar session was followed by a grand tour of the Distance Learning facilities, which I have to say were very impressive indeed! Imagine being able to conduct a puppetry workshop or perform a show in your own office and broadcast your content to a far off school complete with interaction and 2-way video and audio. This is exactly what you can do at the Center for Puppetry Art's award-winning Distance Learning facility.
We were given a demo of the system and even though we were only communicating with the folks in the next room, it was super exciting to see how the program works and to imagine what the experience would be like for a school in another part of the country. This is an amazing way to bring the arts to those who live hundreds of miles away from quality programming, who may not be able to have these experiences any other way. As someone who has spent a good deal of time in a truck or a van taking Frog Belly to distant locales, my mind boggled a bit at the ingenuity of these remote presentations. Here you can see two monitors; one displaying a puppet demonstration from the next room, the other showing the feed being broadcast from our room - if you look closely, you can see me dorkily snapping the picture.
We Rogues have a productive obsession with technology. It was inspiring to see all the high-tech wizardry at the Center being put to use in the service of such a noble cause. Later on in our stay we will get an extended tour of the education program at the Center. I can't wait!
Thank you to Patty, Iyabo, Eve, and Park for the great tour. And thank you and for making us feel so welcome and at ease in your home base.
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Day Two of The Rogues Take Atlanta is coming to a close and we're just getting started. Yesterday we were met at the airport by Liz from the Center for Puppetry Arts. She was kind enough to let us hold the sign she brought with her. Today we met the fine, friendly technical staff at the Center and they couldn't have been more professional. It's nice to know that we are in good hands.
Tomorrow Frog Belly Rat Bone takes the stage for the very first time. I'm so excited to share our work with Atlanta. I hope that they enjoy us as much as we have been enjoying their food. Adventure, here we come!
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The Rogues have shipped the set, puppets and props for their upcoming run of The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone in Atlanta at the Center for Puppetry Arts. It was a momentous occasion and a Cementland flower had even attached itself to the pallet we were shipping the set on. Thanks Tyler, Christina and Katie for all your help in getting the shipment ready! Enjoy the photos below.
Tickets and Schedule
Ps. Just three more weeks left for D is for Dog - don't wait to get your tickets!
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The cast and crew of Rogue Artists Ensemble's The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone has begun rehearsals in preparation for our upcoming trip! The show will be performing at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta Georgia from August 4th - 14th and this marks the first time that the Rogues will be presented there.
If you live in the area (or know others that do!) please make sure they know about this awesome opportunity to see Frog Belly, Rat, Rabbit and Fruit Fly in a world-class venue! Special workshops and more are also being offered to complete the experience. Details below -
Aug 4 - 14, 2011 - Mainstage Theater
Showtimes
•Thurs-Fri: 10am & 12pm
•Sat: 11am, 1pm, & 3pm
•Sun: 1pm & 3pm
Tickets - http://www.puppet.org/perform/frogbelly.shtml
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After a successful weekend of performances at SCR, the Rogues are striking and heading out. It's been great to be back in Orange County! Thank you to all who came out to support the run thus far. We will be back starting July 1st in Los Angeles.
Location:Park Center Dr,Costa Mesa,United States
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The Rogues had a tremendous time this past week loading in and teching D is for Dog at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa. Everyone at SCR was incredibly helpful and made our cast and crew feel welcome! The premiered with a bang to incredible audience response! Check out the photos of our load in and some of the faces behind the magic. Stay tuned for production photos and more which will be making their way to the web shortly.
Remember, D is for Dog returns to Los Angeles to Studio/ Stage beginning July 1st and tickets are available now!
Tickets and Info
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Rogue Artists Ensemble's latest Hyper-theatrical experiment D is for Dog, opens June 17th @ South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa before heading to @ Studio/Stage in Los Angeles beginning July 1st. Tickets and more are available online at Rogue Tickets
Check out a radio interview about puppets, cabbage patch dolls and the Dog show from the Sheena Metal Experience on LA Talk Radio featuring Dog's Director Sean Cawelti, Dog's Writer Katie Polebaum and Dog's Stage Manager and Rogue Ensemble Member Shannon Goldsborough.
Download the MP3 - Rogues on the Sheena Metal Experience
Or listen online (click on the Friday June 3rd broadcast) - Sheena Metal Experience
Note - The Rogue's interview is during the 2nd hour of the program.
Remember... don't forget to study your daily lessons.
| | | D is For Dog, “Daily Lessons” Photo Credit - Rogue Artists Ensemble | From R to L: Michael Scott Allen, Nina Silver and Taylor Coffman |
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D is for Dog entered week two of rehearsals and on Monday we had an incredible time working with the mock-ups of the two 'Visitors' that are featured in the project. The puppets designed by Rogue Ensemble member, Miles Taber and his amazing team of fellow puppet designers were mocked up with PVC and simple materials to allow the size and mechanisms to be tested and refined.
We wish we could say more about what these 'Visitors' do but you will have to wait to see the show for yourself to learn more.
| | | Ben Messmer and Heidi Hilliker explore use of the mockups. |
Ben Messmer and Heidi Hilliker explore use of the mockups, being sneaky.D is for Dog opens June 17th @ South Coast Repertory and on July 1st @ Studio/ Stage. Tickets are available here! ---
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Thanks to everyone who came out for the D is for Dog reading. The play is coming together and the newly gussied up script by Katie Polebaum is helping to elevate the project to new levels of mania. Remember... stay away from the red pills.
Location:Manhattan Beach Blvd,Lawndale,United States
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Tonight is the first reading for the Rogue's upcoming project, D is for Dog and the rainstorm couldn't be a more perfect backdrop. Auditions are happening in just three weeks on April 9th and more info can be found here.
Location:California Ave,Long Beach-Lakewood,United States
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Only four weeks left to see Rogue Artists Ensemble's HYPERBOLE: originsLA Weekly says "GO" and calls the show a "fantastical storytelling spectacle" It's like nothing you've ever seen and is playing now through December 12th at [Inside] the Ford Theatre in Los Angeles. Check out the new documentary film about the making of origins below or here SEE! the amazing Origin Machine© and experience the fantastic Origin-torium©! Witness a performance drawing from myth, science, humanity and faith and set to an eclectic soundtrack from around the world, including contributions from Josiah Wolf, The Very Best, Deerhoof, Oh No Ono, Max Tundra, The Ditty Bops and more. It's the birth of the universe, live on stage.
More information and tickets are available at www.whatistheorigin.com
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Rogue Artists Ensemble announces new opening dates for HYPERBOLE: origins, beginning November 6th at [Inside] the Ford Theater in Hollywood. The original opening has been delayed by one week to help ensure that the show meets the rigorous technical needs required by the production which propels audiences through origin and creation myths spanning different cultures and times.
Don't miss your chance to see the Big Bang LIVE on stage!
HYPERBOLE: origins plays November 6th - December 12th
More information and tickets are available at - www.whatistheorigin.com
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Rogue Artists Ensemble's trip to Seattle Washington to attend the regional puppet festival 'Puppet-O-Rama' was a great success! The Rogues presented a performance of The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone to a sold out house and had the chance to teach a workshop on the Rogue's creative approach. It was a tremendous time and not only did we get to see some terrific theater but we had the chance to meet some tremendous artists who we will be keeping in touch with in the years ahead. Thanks to all who not only went on the trip to perform but to the countless others who worked hard to make the festival happen! A special thanks goes to the Rogue board who was particularly helpful in making sure this trip happened! Here's hoping that we get a chance to take more shows on the road in the future!
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A few photos from around beautiful and serene Ashland Oregon, where a few of the Rogues have been enjoying a pit stop at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
We saw an amazing Hamlet yesterday and have one more day of theater before heading back on the road to Seattle on Friday!---
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Last night cast members for The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone held a special final dress rehearsal for an exuberant audience of many first time visitors to Cementland. It was a terrific night made even more special by the return of Jonathan Kidder to the cast and the first time performance of the newest cast member Soren Santos.---
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Hi Everyone,
We have lovely Staff Meetings every once in a while. Tonight we had a great one. Thanks everyone---
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Just thinking of old Rogue projects and wanted to post this clip of an oldy bug goody - The POE Play based on several Edgar Alan Poe tales.
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The Rogues welcomed two new cast members to our traveling family-show The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone and what fabulous additions they were! Say hi to Rachel and Thu who joined the cast as Rabbit and 'The 5th Puppeteer" (cue sci-fi music)!
We had a great week of rehearsals working through a new script with some very exciting changes both large and small!
Then on Saturday February 20th we traveled to Rio Hondo College in Whittier to present a free performance of our brand new show! We had a new set, puppet elements, video and sound effects! It was great to see it all in action and we're getting even more excited about our upcoming trip to the Orange County Performing Arts Center.
Here a few highlights from the show (including a shot of the delicious spread they had prepared for us in the green room)!
And from the performance -
What an incredible day it was! Thanks everyone!
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Better late than never!
Thought you all might enjoy a gaggle of photos from our last Frog Belly adventure at Oak Elementary School in the city of La Verne. It was an early morning for us - we were well on our way by the time the sun rose.
We pulled up to a cloudy but charming school that had owls all over the place for some reason.
Here's our stage before the magic:
Soon, we were "sailing the seven seas!"
From my show control position, I had a great view of the entire audience. They practically squealed with delight every time a new character was introduced. I kid you not.
And now I leave you with an adorable picture of one classroom posing with our cast. They wanted to take a "silly" picture, so Tyler asked them all to do their best very best Frog Belly impression. ROAR!
Frog Belly returns for a super-fied show at Rio Hondo in less than a week. Go-go Frog Belly!
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