In Development
The Listener, by Liz Duffy Adams
My Name is Vera Cupido, by Stephanie Fleischmann The Medea Project, by Mollena Williams
Zoo Logic, by Trevor Allen
The Listener, Liz Duffy Adams with Kent Nicholson,
Juliet Tanner, Lawrence Radecker, and Melpomene Katakalos
Full production, Summer 2008
One of our favorite writers returns! Crowded Fire is psyched to announce
a collaboration between Kent Nicholson, Artistic Director, and funky
wordsmith guru, Liz Duffy Adams on her newest creation, The Listener.
Crowded Fire has a long happy marriage with Liz and it just so happens
that Kent was lucky enough to direct the first workshop reading of The
Listener
at the JAW West Festival at Portland Center Stage last spring. He and
Liz nurtured the baby play onto the stage for a presentation that knocked
the socks off of those picky Oregonians, and now we get to present the
world premiere to the even pickier (but lovable) San Franciscans in
summer 2008, with Juliet Tanner in the title role and Lawrence Radecker
like you've never seen him before. Melpomene Katakalos has signed on to
design the set.
The play: Liz continues to look at our current world
through her sci-fi lens, making today's pop culture icons and slang words
the mythological basis of religion for the very far off future inhabitants
of Junk City, Planet Earth. The thing is, the Junk City citizens are the
only people left. Everyone else migrated to Nearth (aka: the moon) long
ago, declaring the world uninhabitable. In Junk City, rules are rules.
You have your title and position in society. You don't step out of rank.
Things get dangerous if you do. So when John, a representative from Nearth,
descends upon the small dystopia in his spaceship, things get weird. He's
there to "save" them, but do they need it? Do they want it? Watch your
back. John's in for a scary ride.
My Name Is Vera Cupido, Stephanie Fleischmann with Juliet
Tanner, Michele Leavy, and Melpomene Katakalos
Full production, Fall 2008
This NYC playwright has never been produced on our coast, until now! Crowded
Fire is pleased to present Stephanie's lyrical play. And how did this
stroke of good luck occur? In 2006, Vera Cupido had a presentation
in the SF Playwright's Foundation's reading series, In the Rough.
Cassie (who was casting the play for the Playwrights Foundation) immediately
thought of fellow ensemble member Juliet Tanner for the lead. And so did
Stephanie! While our playwright was in SF preparing for her collaboration
with the Playwright's Foundation, she attended Crowded Fire's production
of Juan Gelion Dances for the Sun, in which Juliet played the
memorable role of Mariana. When Juliet stepped out on stage, Stephanie
thought, "That's my Vera!". And so it was. Michele Leavy was also brought
on board for that particular reading, and Octavio Solis was chosen as
director. The synergy between ensemble members Juliet and Michele along
with the brilliance of Octavio and Stephanie make the perfect fit for
a Crowded Fire production. Not to mention Melpomene Katakalos' dedication
to designing a project, any project, for Octavio. Kent and Cassie signed
on to this piece practically on their first day on the job as Co-Artistic
Directors. Octavio, stupendous playwright in his own right, will direct
and Ms. Fleischmann will be in residence.
The Medea Project, Mollena Williams
Lucky for us, we have a gifted writer inside our shining ensemble member
Mo Williams.
Founding Crowded Fire artist and long time performer, Mo has been spreading
her wings as a writer, having penned the two-part one woman show for
our 2004-2005 season. She was unforgettable as the solo performer of
her own work in those double one acts, 69 Stories, and No
Good Deed.
So, obviously, we were psyched to hear her latest idea. Set in the antebellum
South, a new adaptation of Medea will emerge from the artistic
brain of one of our own. Finding her unique way to express Medea's
infamous vulnerability and impossible choices, Mo is embarking on an
inner journey to write this piece for herself and other members of
Crowded Fire. We can't wait to go on the ride with her. More on this
as the play develops.
Zoo Logic, Trevor Allen with Kent Nicholson
Crowded Fire alumni, Trevor
Allen, teams up with long time collaborator Kent Nicholson on his
newest piece. You'll remember Allen's fugue writing style in Crowded Fire's
production of 49 Miles a few years ago. With this new project,
Allen takes for his canvas the wide expanse of the animals living in the
zoo and the people who wander through its exhibits. Based in part on his
experience on the zoo staff some years ago and enriched by a substantial
set of interviews with individuals connected to the zoo, Zoologic
will look at topics as various as endangered species, the experience of
captivity, and reproductive challenges for animals and humans alike. Woven
throughout is the story of a couple struggling to conceive. When they attend the
zoo's annual "sex tour" hoping for inspiration, distraction, or just a
little entertainment, they wind up with much more than they bargained
for.