Happy Show - Auditions

LIVE ACTION SET
seeks 9-15 unpaid (non-union) ensemble positions for latest production of

THE HAPPY SHOW
directed by Ryan Underbakke
created by the cast / ensemble

The Audition date:
Monday, March 8

The Audition time:
7-10 p
6:30 - 7 (registration / warm up)

The Audition location:
Intermedia Arts
2822 South Lyndale Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55408
(Parking available in the lot or on the street.)

RSVP or Questions:
Email The Happy Show consigliere, Sass (Matt Spring).
sass@liveactionset.org

About the audition:
This is a group workshop-style audition. You do not need to reserve a time slot. You will be asked to create, invent, play for the entire 3 hours. No monologue needed. Bring a headshot / resume if you have one. Wear appropriate clothing for movement.

About the show:
The Happy Show is an immersive theatrical experience taking the audience down a rabbit hole that is unique to each person. The audience follows a group of happy-makers who have created happiness throughout the ages. The show promises to be poetic, whimsical, joyous, tantalizing, memorable, unique, exhausting, creative, innovative, beautiful, strange, satisfying, intuitive, provocative, musical, and above all... happy.

When describing the show to people, we are telling them, "you can have the same experience twice, but you'd really have to try."

The Happy Show performs at the Bedlam Theater
April 29 - May 14 (16 performances over 3 weeks)
Rehearsals will be determined based upon the availability of those cast.

About the ensemble:
The ensemble will create scenes, moments, environments, and characters that often interact with audience at specific moments throughout the Bedlam Theater building. We aim to create an immersive theatrical experience for the audience. There is no 4th wall. In fact, sometimes, there are no walls at all.

About Live Action Set:
Live Action Set creates visually poetic, wildly imaginative, and accessible performance experiences that harness the indefinable power of the human spirit.
for more information visit... liveactionset.org

The lessons that I encountered at LUME on a artistic and personal level brought light into many areas of my life. Never mind "the Americans" who only spoke English and had limited understanding, the generosity given by of those who translated for us was heartwarming in addition to the gestures of welcome and overextending accommodation.

What I found wonderful about LUME was the careful thought that went into the whole workshop experience: the ability to buy lunch and dinner in the kitchen, the nightly demonstrations, the parade/carnival, the desire to include the larger community, the chance to perform something/anything. Most of this came as a surprise for me since I only expected to attend the workshops and bought my plane ticket with this understanding.

The second workshop with Naomi was more difficult for me...There might have been a few reasons for this one being the language barrier...but as earnest as I was to learn LUME's method I don't believe I started to understand until more towards the second half of the workshop. I learned about the "personal dance" and bit more about the history of the method which was very helpful for me to enter into the work. I learned many things from Naomi, Her class challenged me and took me beyond my limits which honestly have never been tested before in that way. I learned that confusion should not allow you to freeze as a performer and you should take that and use it, take it and discover something new and use that to express. Make it a part of your life experience and put it in your tool box. A performer is a vessel that molds and expresses and shares their emotions, their body, their ideals, their thoughts, their world view...with playfulness and openness.

- vanessa

Then there was one.

Galen left on February 24th and to be honest I miss him. I like traveling with him. He is fun and it is nice to have a melancholic comrade. I try to tell myself that I´m not a meloncholic person. But I am. It is good to be reminded of who we are. As far as where I am... I am in this beautiful paridise... Natal. North East Brazil. On the Coast.

The beach is strewn with tourists and I hate it. I also love it because it means that it is a little safer than living in the city or one of the suburbs and I can go out at night without as much fear of being robbed. (I only say this because every local I talk to warns me of this) I try not to think about it too much, because as much as I believe it is great to be aware of your surroundings, I also believe that you manifest what you are thinking about. So if I am worried all day about getting robbed the moment I step outside, I probably will. Needless to say, so far so good. In a few days I will travel South and make my way back to Sao Paulo for my plane ride back home. I have posted a ton of photos on flickr. here´s the link... http://www.flickr.com/photos/34326624@N02/ it is completely out of any sort of order and I have not had a chance to do much cleaning up. I still have more to upload, but I have spent as much time in this internet hut/tattoo parlor than I can handle. The electronica is nice, but it is time to go.

And then two more were in Rio

Noah and I just arrived in Rio de Janeiro. We marched around with the bands this morning and then chased a crowded and dirty bloco in Jardim Botanico where our host Diana lives. She's our friend from Lume, an actress in Rio, and one of the early birds of the carnaval. Today she woke us at 6:30 and we arrived to almost entirely empty streets.

There will be pictures in the future when I can get internet access on my computer. On friday, Megan, Noah, and I participated in a great parade/exchange with Lume. Similar to a Bloco in some ways, it was a parade between theaters in Barao Gerlado. It was excellent, and there are a number of nice pictures that Mr. Jon Ferguson took. This was followed by the most amazing Samba band. About 12 drumers and a number of other musicians. I was about to go out for food when the drums beat together and I was physically compelled to the dance floor! It touches you in belly, on the souls of your feet, and most in your heart.

Galen

Finally some photos...

Back From Rio de Janiero

So mom and Thomas and I headed to Rio de Janiero for our 4-day break.  We couldn't come to Brazil and not see Rio, could we?  So we forged out against our N. American neuroses (ooh... favelas... danger... drugs... City of God...) and discovered for ourselves one of the most beautiful cities in the world.  It's late here, so I am going to be pithy with only our highlights and lowlights of the adventure.  You can decided which are which.

Megan's Highlights and Lowlights, in no particular order:

*Visiting BIBI juices four times in three days, and getting multiple juices each time: acai, goiba, morango, manga, abacaxi, carambola, cupuacu, amora, acerola, and others I'm forgetting right now.

*Monkey at the Jardim Botanico!

*Most colorful and artful grafitti I've ever seen... covers almost every surface in the city.

*Air conditioning, no dogs barking and a curious lack of mosquitoes.

*Diana (one of our classmates) and her parents' generosity of living quarters, time, knowledge and English-speaking skills during our visit.

*The view from the Christ the Redeemer hill

*The best brand name ever: Personal VIP.  It's toilet paper.  So awesome.

*Ipanema and Thomas's laughs every time the waves hit his feet.

*Ocean

*Sun

*Sunburn

*The neeeeeeeeeevvvvvveeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrr-eeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnddddddddinnnnnnnnnggggg bus ride back to Barao Geraldo.

*Taxi ride through St. Theresa neighborhood... it felt a lot like San Francisco, just a little more down on its luck.  I want to stay here on my next visit.

*First taxi driver in Rio ran off with mom's money.  Seriously not cool.  You've got some bad karma now, fella.

*Caipirinha, how I love thee.

Thomas's Highlights, in no particular order:

*Monkey

*Helicopter

*Water

*Sand

*Juice

*Pretty Ladies who smile and blow kisses at me everywhere we go.

Okay, to sleep now.  Our new class starts tomorrow and we've been warned that we will hurt.

boa noite,

Megan

Ola,

We are done with Technical Training for the Actor II! A wonderful course that I would recommend to any performing artist.

The leader, Jesser, is a very special instructor. The combination of rigor and compassion and intuition and wisdom I have found in my experience to be very rare and I feel fortunate to have participated in this workshop not only for Jesser's thoughtful instruction but also additionally for the unique content of the course. Technical Training for the Actor II breaks down for the participant some very difficult concepts to understand as a performer in a very practical, applicable way. This course speaks to the basic concepts of a performer's work - how to create intension within the performer's body towards expression.

As someone who is recovering from knee surgery, a sprained ankle, and a severely strained foot, I learned once again to empower by body and mind through courage, play, and action.

"There is a vitality, a life force, and energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost." -Martha Graham

The photos attached is the dinner that the class went to after the course was over. The person with Galen in the red shirt is Jesser. I unfortunately don't have any really good photos right now. They all seem to be blurry and hopefully Galen will put up some of his soon.

ciao,

Vanessa