The SUSTAIN 36 Theatre Project


The Filament Theatre Ensemble is thrilled to present a brand new theatrical experiment: the SUSTAIN36 Theatre Project. In partnership with Zaarly, the marketplace that helps you buy and sell with people nearby, Filament will attempt to create a brand new, locally-sourced, world premiere theatrical production in 36 hours.

Beginning at 8:00am on Wednesday August 24, a team of artists from the Filament Theatre Ensemble will take up residence in a vacant storefront at 4047 N. Milwaukee Ave. Starting with nothing but a title (provided by a winning applicant from Zaarly),  (UPDATE: The title of Filament’s world premiere production is Vacant City/Glow.) Filament will begin the process of creating a completely original play. Throughout the next 36 hours, Filament will look to the community for all aspects of the production – sets, costumes, audience seating, volunteer contributors – via the Zaarly platform, which will allow users to bid on the offers on the website, the Android or iPhone app. Community members can then share their stuff or their time in exchange for a ticket to the SUSTAIN36 Theatre Project performance which will be performed Thursday, August 25 at 8:00pm, a mere 36 hours after the playwriting process began.

The Filament Theatre Ensemble is committed to producing theatre in a folk tradition with an emphasis on community, imagination, and sustainability. Embracing an old-world system of borrowing, bartering, and trading, adapted to our modern world through the internet, Zaarly encourages a neighborhood-centric marketplace for the exchange of goods and services. This old world system made new is what excites Filament about this adventurous community supported theatre project. Theatre is by its nature an intensely collaborative art-form, and through this project Filament hopes to further explore the concept of Community Supported Theatre, as they did previously this season through a unique ticketing platform for Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice.

Following the SUSTAIN36 Theatre Project performance, there will be a party during which the Filament Theatre Ensemble will announce their 2011-2012 season. Come be the first to hear the exciting news!

To participate in the SUSTAIN36 Theatre Project, visit us online at www.filamenttheatre.org, get the up-to-the-minute updates on Twitter using the hashtag #sustain36, and follow the listing updates on Zaarly.

Tickets for the SUSTAIN36 event, which includes an after party with food and drinks provided, are $36 and can be obtained by visiting http://sustain36theatreproject.eventbrite.com. In lieu of purchasing a ticket, audience members can contribute to the SUSTAIN36 Theatre Project by answering requests for production needs on Zaarly. All items will be returned to their owners after the performance.

 

 

About Zaarly. Zaarly is a platform that allows users to easily get the goods, services, and experiences they want. With Zaarly, people can post what they want, when they want it and what price they are willing to pay and someone in the Zaarly community can fulfill it. This two-way, community-powered process provides convenience and flexibility to buyers while allowing sellers to make money fulfilling requests from the people around them. Zaarly is based in San Francisco, CA and is backed by investors, including Ashton Kutcher, Felicis Ventures, Bill Lee, Naval Ravikant, Lightbank, SV Angel, Paul Buchheit, Thrive Capital and Michael Arrington. Zaarly is currently available on the web, mobile web, iPhone and Android application. Visit www.zaarly.com for more information.

A Note From Filament About Community, Imagination, and Sustainability. These three ideas are inextricably linked to both each other and to the values of the Filament Theatre Ensemble. One cannot build community without celebrating the unique imaginations of the individuals who make that community. Communities are enriched when consumers support locally owned businesses, which is an important aspect of sustainability. We strive to make theatre a sustainable lifestyle for our community of artists, and always provide monetary compensation for their extraordinary and imaginative work. Producing a show in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way demands a great deal of imagination and non-traditional approaches. With all the work we do – whether during a production, audition, meeting, or outreach event – we strive to make an investment in our audiences, our artists, and our world. Through building and strengthening community, engaging and challenging the imagination, and the use of sustainable business practices, we endeavor to leave the world a little better than the way we found it.

The Filament Theatre Ensemble ceaselessly ventures to connect with and explore the vast world around us. We value and honor this interconnected web that makes up our relationships with each other and with our world.  By emphasizing community, imagination, and sustainability in all our work, we strive to make choices that have a long-lasting positive impact across a broad spectrum, and not just “pieces in isolation.”

 

**Filament would like to extend our sincere thanks to Alderman John Arena of Ward 45, Julie Burros from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, David Zoltan, Tim McDonald, Cyd Smillie, Domino’s Pizza, Pop Chips, Piece Pizza, Eventbrite, Turin Homes, the Portage Theatre and the whole Zaarly team for making this project possible.

Love, Filament, Fundraiser, Orpheus, Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl, Chicago, Lacuna Artist Lofts, Theatre, Underground Lounge, Party, Christian Libonati, Valentines Day, Nuts, Snacks, Music, Performance

LOVE: It’s All Greek To Me!

Love, Filament, Fundraiser, Orpheus, Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl, Chicago, Lacuna Artist Lofts, Theatre, Underground Lounge, Party, Christian Libonati, Valentines Day, Nuts, Snacks, Music, PerformanceCome celebrate (or denigrate) Valentine’s Day with the Filament Theatre Ensemble!
Filament brings you Love, Laughs, and Libations in an evening of Cabaret to support Filament’s Greek adaptations coming this Spring!

What: Love: It’s all Greek to me: A Filament Fundraiser Cabaret
When: Saturday, February 12th from 8pm to 12 am
Where: The Underground Lounge: 952 West Newport Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657

Sounds fun, no?  Well, you haven’t even heard the best part.

Cost of Admission:
Our goal is to raise $1000. And we are asking you to donate anything you can! Here’s how it all breaks down:

$10 x 100 people = $1000
$20 x 50 people = $1000
$30 x 33.33 people = $1000

For every $20 you donate, you will receive a FREE ticket to an evening of our upcoming spring shows. $20 gets you a great party AND an evening of great shows?! You can’t afford NOT to come!

To guarantee your spot at LOVE: IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME!
Click on the button below, and enter the amount you would like to donate (please indicate in the “Comments” form if your donation includes a guest).  Space at the Underground Lounge is limited, so we highly encourage you to donate in advance!

Every dollar you donate goes directly towards our spring productions

Sarah Ruhl’s EURYDICE
and
ORPHEUS: Featuring DJ Puzzle as Fate
Running April 23-May 29 at Lacuna Artist Lofts

Get ready for an evening of performances, live music, raffles, dancing, sparkling conversations, snacks and Love Poem Karaoke!
Bring us your favorite/least favorite love poem or song, we can create an impromptu performance just for you and/or your loved one! Or perform it yourself in our Love Poem Karaoke!

Questions? Contact Mary (Party Planner by night, Development Director by day) at Mary [at] filamenttheatre [dot] org

The Filament Theatre Ensemble would like to thank our generous sponsors for supporting our event!

Half Acre
Thairapy
Margie’s Candies
Cellar Rat Wine Merchants
The Neo-Futurists
ReAlign Chiropractic
Arbonne International
Tiny Lounge
The Inside Out Art Studio
Birchwood Kitchen
Peapod
My Theatre Club
Lacuna Artist Lofts


Free Alice & Me! Performance

Last month, as a part of our monthly community performances, we traveled to the Magic Tree Bookstore in Oak Park.

Join us for our next community performance!

Saturday, January 29th at 4pm
Heartland Café in Rogers Park
7000 N. Glenwood Ave. Chicago, IL 60626

We offer these community performances free of charge as a way to share the experience of live theatre with families throughout the city. Alice and Me! is also performed at Chicagoland schools in partnership with Urban Gateways: Center for Creative Arts. Please contact tours@filamenttheatre.org to find out more information about booking Alice and Me! at your school or in your community.

School performances include study materials that can be applied to all elementary levels. They emphasizes all learning styles in a fun and interactive way that will get your student excited about learning. Our performance and all of the educational materials are created in conjunction with the Illinois State Learning Standards, accomplishing learning goals such as, critical thinking, trial and error, problem solving, making positive choices and learning behavior that benefit themselves and the community.


Alice & Me!
is a great experience to share with your whole family and is geared toward Elementary grade students.

Alice & Me!, Urban Gateways, School Tour, Theatre, Chicago, Filament Theatre

Free Public Performance at The Magic Tree Bookstore

Alice & Me!, Urban Gateways, School Tour, Theatre, Chicago, Filament Theatre

Filament Theatre Ensemble is proud to be partnering with Urban Gateways on our new adaptation of Alice & Me!, an interactive re-telling of the story of Alice and Wonderland.

As part of our ongoing Community Building Campaign we are offering a FREE public performance:

The Magic Tree Bookstore
Sunday, December 12 at 3PM
141 N. Oak Park Ave.
Oak Park, IL 60301
We would love to invite you to this production of Alice & Me! as an introduction to this exciting new school tour.

Follow Alice down the rabbit hole where such classic characters as the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter pose questions and challenges that you must help Alice to solve.

Alice & Me! is a great experience to share with your whole family and is geared toward Elementary grade students.

Filament Season Auditions

Now accepting submissions for Filament’s 2010/2011 season generals. Please send a headshot and resume to casting@filamenttheatre.org. Or send us a message through My Theatre Club (*check out information below). Please indicate role and/or production you are interested in and whether or not you have specific day and/or time requests (we cannot guarantee but will try to accommodate all requests). You will be notified via e-mail with date, time, and location the week of Aug 22nd. Submission deadline 8/21!! Non-Union. Stipend.

CHOOSE THINE OWN ADVENTURE by William Shakespeare, adapted by Allison Powell directed by Julie Ritchey. Fri and Sat nights Oct 22nd -Dec 11th.

A comedy based on Shakespeare’s most famous works. Instead of stumbling into the fated and most tragic deaths, duels, and mistaken identities of the Bard, the protagonists look to the audience for guidance and otherwise familiar plot lines twist and turn into hilarity and surprise “To be or not to be?” You decide!

Note: This show is taking place in a bar. All actors must be 21+.

Seeking: 4 actors 1M, 1F, 2-non gender specific. All actors will play several characters, genders, ages, etc. Experience with Shakespeare and Improve a plus.

Preparation: Please prepare a 1-2 minute Shakespeare piece you love. Don’t worry about gender, age, race, comic vs. dramatic, etc. Your love for the lines you choose is most important.

Note: Callbacks for this production will take place Monday evening 8/30.

EURYDICE by Sarah Ruhl directed by Julie Ritchey.

Taking place spring of 2011. Specific dates TBD.

Eurydice is an adaptation of the Greek myth Orpheus told from Eurydice’s point of view. This play is full of whimsy, magic, direct audience address, and vivid imagery. Both Heartbreaking and Beautiful. Seeking actors for the following roles:

Eurydice (Female, 20s – 30s): Eurydice is naïve, curious – sometimes to a fault – petulant, intelligent, practical, and sincere. Loves language, words and ideas.

Orpheus (Male, 20s – 30s): Orpheus is a dreamer, an artist, a composer of music so beautiful that it opens the gates of the Underworld. He is capable of profound joy and profound sorrow. Musical ability, singer and/or instrumentalist a plus.

Eurydice’s Father (Male, 40s – 60s): Dignified without being unapproachable, like Gregory Peck or Michael Caine. Patient and resourceful, with a twinkle in his eye. He swing dances and reads King Lear with equal joy and vigor. He loves reading, writing, and Eurydice.

Nasty Interesting Man/Lord of the Underworld (Male, 20s-30s): Double cast. Both are slimy and even a bit dangerous, but still wholly magnetic and alluring. One might be drawn to them the way that Sleeping Beauty was drawn to the spindle. The Nasty Interesting Man is perhaps a bit like an unethical salesman. The Lord of the Underworld is like a megalomaniac child who fries ants with a magnifying glass and tries to kiss all the girls on the playground.

A Chorus of Stones (M or F, any age): As a group, they are three strange creatures living in the Underworld. Individually, they are Big Stone, Little Stone, and Loud Stone, and although their names need not be taken literally, they certainly can be. Ruhl describes them behaving like “nasty children at a birthday party.” They are the protectors of order in the Underworld, and find Eurydice and her Father’s failure to comply with the rules extremely maddening. Not always kind or rational, but certainly sincere and well-meaning in their own way.

Preparation: Please prepare a brief poem (2 min max). Margaret Atwood or e.e. cummings are good examples of poets to look at in terms of style. Using this poem as a base, create a fully realized world for it. Through the language and physicality we should have a strong sense of what is happening. What kind of character are you? To whom are you speaking? What is the situation and where is this moment taking place? This specificity is not meant to intimidate but to allow absolute freedom, creativity, and artistry. Your Imagination is appreciated and celebrated by the Filament artistic team!!

ORPHEUS created and directed by Omen Sade.

Taking place Spring 2011. Specific dates TBD.

Based on the Greek myth Opheus. This play was workshopped last season and will ultimately be created and revised by and with the actors cast.  Seeking actors with a strong sense of play and improvisation, both physical and musical, and a willingness to tap into the divine and grotesque.

Note: Strong background in clown, commedia, physical theater, mime, pantomime and or acrobatics/circus skills is highly recommended for all roles. Seeking actors for the following:

Orpheus: A young man who has seen a little bit of the world and thinks he knows his place in it. The best musician in the world and the wandering priest of Dionysius, god of wine, etc. Must posses strong musical ability, does not matter much in what style or instrument. Possibly interested in beatboxers/rappers for this role.

Eurydice: A young woman who has seen a little bit of the world and knows what she likes.  A true optimist. Must posses some musical ability, does not matter much in what style or instrument. Possibly interested in dancers for this role.

The Bouffons: The dark chorus of our play.  A trio of grotesque, transformative, bouffant (in the modern tradition of Jacques Lecoq) who take on the roles of every other character in the story.  There is a clear hierarchy within the trio.  These roles will be extremely physical.  Strong musical ability is a big plus for these roles, especially percussion/rhythm.

Fate: That ageless, relentless power that spins, measures, and cuts the golden threads of human lives. We are looking for one extraordinary musician/DJ to provide the live sound-scape for our show as well as create a party atmosphere for our audience. Must have strong improvisational skills. The ideal candidate will be someone who can truly play with music and sound, mixing unexpected sounds and musical styles. Must have own instruments/equipment.

Preparation: Please prepare a short (two min max) physically based piece, with or without speaking.  The physical piece should tell a story or convey meaning in some way, it shouldn’t be perfomance art or dance. A CD player, computer speakers, and IPOD dock will be available if the use of recorded sound is required for your piece. *Separate interview dates will take place in Sep. for the role of Fate. Please send an e-mail stating interest and experience to arrange an interview.

*My Theatre Club is a FREE service that allows Performing Arts Members to manage a personal profile where they can post all of their performance videos, photos, headshots, and resume. Everything is hosted on the My Theatre Club site. This will allow casting authorities to easily view performers information and do casting without having to wade through pages and pages of emailed headshot and resume attachments.

Register today to create your personal profile. Don’t forget to upload your headshot and resume to the site at the very least. Then send a message from your account to the Filament Theatre Ensemble page stating your interest in the audition. You can register at www.mytheatreclub.com. Make sure you sign up as a Performing Arts Member and also feel free to view other profiles to get some ideas!