StillPointe Theatre Initiative

cvsuave: Blossomed Orchard on Flickr.

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 20:22:17 -0500

Blossomed Orchard on Flickr.

littlebark: Apple orchard. A branch with dying leaves stretches...

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 20:22:06 -0500

Apple orchard. A branch with dying leaves stretches toward a rich blue sky at the end of the harvest season. // Wisconsin.

livadadima: “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to...

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 20:21:54 -0500

livadadima:

“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” (Martin Luther King)

zirwinphoto: Orchard 1, by Zachary Irwin

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 20:21:43 -0500

zirwinphoto:

Orchard 1, by Zachary Irwin

Coming Home

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 20:21:25 -0500

Christmas is a few days away. How strange and sudden it seems. Stillpointe will be finishing up Return of the 5th Sister this weekend and then it will be time for a swift rest before moving onto Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin. Time is constantly moving and so is Stillpointe. We are very proud of our work this year, and excited for the shows coming up.

Our opening weekend of 5th Sister was a success, we had many friends and family members come into a space at the EMP and enjoy the show. A show about love, and family and being….willing to let change happen. Which I think is a perfect way to end the year as a company.

We had a fabulous sit down interview with Peter Davis about Stillpointe and our creativity and vision as a company. Check it out in What Weekly this week. It is truly a pleasure to sit back, look around a table and see people you love and believe in, still there, sitting beside you so many years later.

I always say I remember the first time I saw each member of Stillpointe. Danielle—-wearing blacks and introducing herself as my TA for Voice I when I was 18 years old. She had a severe short black hair cut. And I thought her kindness was beautiful. Amanda—-she was laying in a full straddle split on the floor of the Studio theatre laughing up at someone. And I thought her joy was beautiful. Charlie—-I saw him on stage in Angels in America…there was something foggy about the light he was standing in, and somehow the fog made him magical. And I thought his mysteriousness was beautiful. And Ryan—-he was wearing a scarf that looked like it was 18 feet long, all wrapped around his neck. He looked intensely in the direction he was walking, I wanted to grab hold of the end of his endless scarf and follow him. I thought his strength was beautiful.

It is strange being in love with so many people for so long.

5th Sister closes this weekend. We will have fun, and enjoy and be proud. Break down the set and spend a few days with our close family and friends. And then we will be back.

Come out for auditions for Bubbly Black Girl, tomorrow at the Strand (See the facebook for details!) and come support 5th Sister’s last 3 shows.

I wrote a few weeks ago about “being ready”. I still don’t know what that means. Maybe it just means holding on to the people you love and finding strength in their love to move forward. That’s what 5th Sister is about. And that is what Stillpointe is about too.

Fitting. And so full circle.

Hope to see you all this weekend. Happy Holidays.

Katie O (And the Stillpointe Family)

fee fie fo fum....

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 13:07:55 -0500

What does it mean to be “ready”?

For me, I feel like I have to be so ready I’m about to burst out of myself before I even realize I’ve been ready for quite some time. I’m not sure that is a good quality. I’m also not sure if that is something I can change.

Being ready isn’t always accompanied by a good feeling. Is anyone ever really ready to do something frightening? New? Intense? Upsetting? Overwhelming? Probably not. But being ready isn’t about being comfortable. It’s about understanding that you aren’t going to be comfortable until you do whatever it is that you need to do in order to start something new, end something old, try something scary, fail at something big, succeed at something unimaginable.

I wonder about Stillpointe. On that September night 3 years ago—did we feel”ready” to start a theatre company? I don’t think we were. I don’t think we thought about it. We just moved forward because that is what we had to do, we all agreed—lets give this a whirl. Newly college graduates. Friends. Comrades. Sure—-why not? And from that—-we are here now.

Arsenic and Old Lace closed last weekend. I was extremely proud to sit in the audience and watch so many people I care about do justice to a great text. I enjoyed being on the outside looking it. It gave me a different appreciation for Stillpointe and what Stillpointe does. Congratulations to the cast, crew, designers, director and musicians. What a thrill for Baltimore to have a company in its midst who continues to challenge text with new ideas. What a pleasure.

And now Return of the 5th Sister is in rehearsal. A beautiful piece by Kimberly Lynne. For the first rehearsals we’ve had the joy of sitting around and discussing the play, disecting the text and asking questions. Questions like “What does ready mean”. No answers yet. Not sure if we will find the answers to all of them. But the journey so far is a joyful one.

Maybe being ready doesn’t matter. Maybe “being ready” is just a phrase, a catalyst for making you realize something bigger is happening. And ready or not, here it comes.

Only time will tell.

Happy Lazy Sunday—

Katie O (And the Stillpointe Family)

justanexplosion: yes sweet think!

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:17:22 -0400

justanexplosion:

yes sweet think!

unknowneditors: Andrew Brodhead – Floating

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:15:46 -0400

unknowneditors:

Andrew Brodhead – Floating

Insanity runs in my family... It practically gallops.

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:15:37 -0400

Hello friends and fans!

This is a very exciting week for Stillpointe. Arsenic and Old Lace opens this Friday and we couldn’t be more thrilled. We hope to see you all out there filling the seats at Gallery788. If you are feeling really fancy (we sure are) pay 5 extra dollars and join us for the Opening Night Event. Music, Champagne, dress up! You know Stillpointe loves to keep it classy at the theatre.

Theatre is such a funny thing, one minute you are performing a show and before you know you are somersaulting into the next rehearsal process. It feels like just yesterday we were performing The Country Wife at Artscape, and now here we are in October, Halloween time really, and Arsenic is descending upon us.

If you haven’t had the chance, make sure to check out our website—www.stillpointetheatre.com AND on our facebook look at the AMAZING photos of the cast taken by Britt Olsen-Ecker.

This is tech week, lots to do! But we look forward to seeing you all over the next three weekend. Come out and check out what Stillpointe is up to! We look forward to seeing you!

Love,

Katie O (And the Stillpointe Family and the Arsenic Cast)

Another openin', another Show!

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 12:40:51 -0400

Stillpointe Theatre Initiative presents this classic american comedy, written by Joseph Kesselring, like you’ve never seen it before!

JUST ADDED! BIG OPENING NIGHT PARTY featuring the hilarious BEN LERMAN!! PAY $5 EXTRA TO EAT, DRINK, AND CELEBRATE OUR OPENING! Details on the website!

Directed by Grace Anastasiadis, Arsenic and Old Lace is a farcical black comedy revolving around Mortimer Brewster, a drama critic who must deal with his crazy, homicidal family and local police in Brooklyn, NY, as he deb

ates whether to go through with his recent promise to marry the woman he loves. His family includes two spinster aunts who have taken to murdering lonely old men by poisoning them with a glass of home-made elderberry wine laced with arsenic, strychnine, and “just a pinch” of cyanide; a brother who believes he is Theodore Roosevelt and digs locks for the Panama Canal in the cellar of the Brewster home (which then serve as graves for the aunts’ victims); and a murderous brother who has received plastic surgery performed by an alcoholic accomplice, Dr. Einstein, to conceal his identity. And you thought your family had problems…

Featuring the acting and design talents of:

Ryan Haase
Amanda Rife
Danielle Robinette
Charlie Long
Lisa Wooten
Jack Sossman
Andy Wiley
Jon Kevin Lazarus
Phillip Doccolo
Jayne Harris
Maddie Hicks
Daniel Benbow
Joe Beitman
Adrienne Gieszl
Madison Bahr

Arsenic and Old Lace runs:

October 26-27
November 2-3 & 8-10
All shows at 8pm
Tickets: $20

Tickets may be purchased ONLINE!
You can find the link on our website : www.stillpointetheatre.com

theballetblog: John Lowe, age 91 Mr Lowe only took up ballet...

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 12:12:59 -0400

theballetblog:

John Lowe, age 91

Mr Lowe only took up ballet at the age of 79, but has landed a starring role to celebrate his remarkable life in Strauss’s An Artist’s Life. The retired soldier, art teacher and theatre director will join dancers more than half his age to perform a routine at Ely Cathedral, in Ely, Cambs.

Mr Lowe, who will perform with the Lantern Dance Theatre Company, only got his first starring role three years ago aged 88. The grandfather of 11, who fought in Malaysia and India in the Second World War before being captured by the Japanese, said he loved performing on stage.

He said: ”Dancing is the most amazing feeling and you come home mentally uplifted after listening to all this brilliant music. It’s fantastic exercise too and I remember being in the prisoner of war camp starving and doing hard labour and thinking I might not make it. But look at me now. I love dance and it’s going to be a magnificent day at a magnificent venue.”

”You have to be incredibly fit and I see these people crawling around, hunched over smoking a cigarette. They should be doing ballet.”

To maintain his fitness, Mr Lowe has even installed a trapeze on his living room ceiling and hangs from it each morning to increase his muscle power. He also practices three times a week in Ely’s Chequer Studio, as well as perfecting his pirouettes and pliés each day at his home in Witchford, near Ely. His home also boasts a ballet bar where he hones his knee-bends and arm movements so he can prime his body for the demands of dancing.

The update (is late). But here it is anyway!

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 12:09:47 -0400

Guess who has been the VERY worst at updating the tumblr the past few weeks?
That would be me, Katie O, but here I am and I’m back with some great exciting news.

First—-this weekend The Warren Sister’s are back in town!The Warren’s are breaking in to steal back a family heirloom and you can bet you bottom dollar there will be singing. And jokes. And new characters. So, get your butts down to see them! Or they will hunt you down and capture you for their human menagerie.

Here’s the info——
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5th & SATURDAY October 6th
8pm
GALLERY 788@MAP
218 W. Saratoga St.
$15 CASH ONLY
Tickets may be reserved by emailing stillpointeti@gmail.com or by calling (410) 236-5773

Secondly, we just finished a fabulous weekend at Center Stage’s 50FEST. Stillpointe helped celebrate Center Stage’s 50th Birthday by creating an interactive tent based around Little Red from the musical “Into the Woods”. Center Stage even let us borrow some of the costumes from their production, how kind they are. We had a great time, especially doing a little guerrilla theatre in the lobby when no one expected it.

Thirdly, Arsenic and Old Lace opens THIS MONTH! We are so thrilled to bring you a classic with a Stillpointe twist. More details as the opening date approaches (the 26th!). But, what a great way to start your Halloween weekend. A little poison, a little secret, a little Stillpointe. Please contact us if you would like to reserve tickets.

What else can I tell you that I haven’t told you yet? We are thrilled to be back and in the groove and we so look forward to seeing all of you out and about. This season is going to be our best yet, and if you have any doubts just look at our killer new website.

www.stillpointetheatre.com

This is all for now. Questions? Concerns? Comments? Contemplations? You know where to find us…here. Facebook. Gmail. Twitter. Our website. Your nightmares…

—Katie O (And the Stillpointe Family)

A little news...

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 11:11:52 -0400

The Website is up running!

We are very proud of our upcoming season!

We are going to be working with some amazing Baltimore talent this season-actors, photographers, directors, designers and much more.

The Warren’s are coming back to town!

Stillpointe will be performing at Center Stage at the end of September!

We’ve already started throwing ideas around for ArtSCAPE 2013.

We want to see all of you out and about in Baltimore this year! We look forward to meeting you or seeing you again. Come and say hi—we won’t bite. Well actually…

I will begin doing normal posts now that our season is up and running. So keep your eye out for us and check out our new website!

farewell-kingdom: Ellen Kooi, Out of Sight

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:33:57 -0400

farewell-kingdom:

Ellen Kooi, Out of Sight

rrosehobart: victorian professional mourners : retronaut.co

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:33:44 -0400

rrosehobart:

victorian professional mourners

: retronaut.co

katherinedan: Middle finger to the world.

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:33:39 -0400

katherinedan:

Middle finger to the world.

Photo

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 12:22:48 -0400

Photo

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 12:20:20 -0400

Hey Baltimore, let's do this!

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 12:17:32 -0400

To kick off their sophomore season, Stillpointe is reviving an old theatre favorite, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE by Joseph Kesselring. But, if you know anything about Stillpointe, this promises to be unlike any production you have ever seen.

WANT TO BE A PART OF IT?!?!

Stillpointe will be holding auditions Monday, August 27th and Tuesday, August 28th for ARSENIC, and we would LOVE to see you there!

WHEN?!
- Monday, August 27th & Tuesday, August 28th
7pm-9pm

WHERE?!
- Gallery 788@MAP, 218 W. Saratoga St. Baltimore, MD
(the old MAP building)

WHAT DO I BRING?!
-Headshot and Resume
-No monologue will be required
-Expect to do cold readings from the script, as well as some mild improvisation and movement work.

Parts are available for males and females, ages 20+
**All male actors are strongly encouraged to audition.

Auditons will be held on a first come, first served basis.
No appointment is necessary to audition.

For more info on the play, visit here:
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenic_and_Old_Lace_(play)

Any questions or concerns, please feel free to email stillpointeti@gmail.com

Last minute thoughts on the Gulch...

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 13:51:31 -0400

Hello again, and greetings from Wycherly Gulch. This is our final week here. The Gulch has been built, taken down, rebuilt, rained on, taken down, and rebuilt a final time for the last Hoorah of this project. We were at Artscape last weekend, and although the rain came in we still had an amazing time. The band set up to play wherever there was dry space. We did living tableau and had tons of people come and take pictures with us; we had many compliments and got to experience what it really would have been like to do Restoration Comedy outside with a live pit (both as in live music and a full live audience). We had hecklers, and weather and competing noise. The only thing missing were the girls selling oranges in the crowd.

So here we are almost at the end of the line with our very large and complicated piece. And I have to say I am looking back on it today very proudly. We assembled a cast that we are proud of, who are full of energy and life. They will stand outside, shin deep in rain water holding a tarp over top of a wooden structure hoping it will save at least a little bit of the set dressing. They will stay late into the evening moving the set, and re-building. They will jump right into singing live with the band, or will easily be choreographed into a large bar fight. They will stand in the sun, and bring you cold water, and pass the sun screen when you ask for it—-sometimes even before you ask. They will learn their lines, and feed you lines and roll with the punches that come with mounting a large show at a festival and then moving it into a gallery space. They will do all this, gladly and at the end of the day they will thank YOU for inviting them to be part of this. And all we can do is be in awe of their grace and understanding.

We are proud of this show. Of the cast, the crew, the direction, the costumes, the massive set, the ability of everyone to take a deep breath in the middle of their Summer and give up so much time to us. We are very grateful. We are very humbled.

And we are very tired.

After this show closes, and the bit of wooden pallet is gone, the floor swept, the burlap folded away for the next time, Stillpointe will be taking a breather. We feel good about what we did and we are ready for the next challenge. More than anything, I think we feel like we’ve really taken a huge project head on and succeeded. And—-that is no small or easy thing.

These thoughts and feelings are premature however. There is still work to be done, there are lines still to be stuck further into the brain, there is tempo and pace and makeup and hair and an array of last minute things that will need to get done tonight—-because tomorrow you all get to see it. And we hope you do. We’ve worked hard and we want you to come and laugh and enjoy a Country Wife weekend with us.

Because like the summer, before you know it, it will be gone. The Country Wife will be done and Wycherly Gulch will be a hazy summer memory.

Come and get into it with us.

We look forward to seeing you all at the Gulch.