Brainpeople Photo

Brainpeople in The Post Weekend Section

Want to know what goes on behind the scenes and in a Rorschach director's head?

Well you can read some pretty cool things that Rorschach Company Member and director of Brainpeople had to say about the show in a great interview with Chris Klimek in The Post's Weekend Section on sale now.

As Tripp sees it, both the grim setting and the odd dramatic situation of "Brainpeople" are merely avenues to examine a psychological state. "They turn up the volume on that sense of aloneness and disconnect," she says. "That panic of being trapped and alone -- of everyone being in the same situation but no one can talk about it." -Chris Klimek- The Washington Post

You can also check out a rather large photo of the cast. And for those of you who are big fans of Helen Hayes Award winning Sound Designers, and who isn't, you can spot the great Neil McFadden peaking over Regina's shoulder. Read the article HERE.

Come and see what all the buzzy-buzz is all about at one of the two remaining PWYC Previews tonight and tomorrow night at 8pm.

Also remember that 1001 has extended but beat the rush and the show this weekend tonight and Saturday at 8:30pm and our special "I am afraid to drive out of the City after the sun goes down" Matinee at 2:30.

Summer at Rorschach just keeps rolling along!

PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN PREVIEWS for Jose Rivera's BRAINPEOPLE begin tonight...

"Maybe you shouldn't dig too deep. Could hurt somebody. Or scare yourself to death."

PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN PREVIEWS for Jose Rivera's BRAINPEOPLE run this Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, all at 8pm. The regular run continues until July 26.

For tickets to the rest of the run, click HERE.

1001 EXTENDS TO JULY 3!

"What are any of us but a collection of stories? You change the story of a nation and you change that nation."
-- 1001, Scene 18

Two shows have been added to the run of 1001:

Thursday, July 2 @ 830 pm
Friday, July 3 @ 830 pm

Get your tickets here!

Almost Live Blogging...

...from the first rehearsal of Living Dead In Denmark, with costume renderings and research by designer and company member Deb Sivigny.

Sneak Your Peak...

Backstage with the BRAINPEOPLE

Big thanks to Monalisa for putting together this sneak peak!

Enjoy!

Jason Grote Comes to Town and Love from The Sentinel

We all like a good story. In fact, we like a lot of good stories, which may explain why Western audiences have always been fascinated with the Tales of the Arabian Nights with their mixture of adventure, mysticism and exotic locations.

Those stories seem timeless, and in the excellent production of Jason Grote’s intellectual yet rambunctious play 1001, currently at Rorschach Theater, those tales become literally timeless, working in an imaginary past as well as an all too familiar contemporary world. -David Cannon, The Sentinel

Thanks David for reminding us all how wonderful Jason's play is.

Speaking of Jason Grote, he'll be at 1001 tonight. After the show he will have a talk back with the audience, so get your questions ready.

Get your asses over to G-town to see this amazing show, that audiences love and critics can't stop praising! Just two weekends left. And if you are afraid to come into the city at night, come and join us for one of our two Sunday Matinees.

Much love!

Brain Storms

So while the fabulous 1001 is getting all the press these days, there's some pretty incredible work going on all over Camp Rorschach. Here are some photos of the amazing Brainpeople team during First Read and Designer Run. This play is so beautiful. (...and the women aren't too shabby either...) You're going to love it.

Happy Bloomsday!

Wyckham Avery, star of Rorschach Theatre's production of DEAD CITY, is seen celebrating BLOOMSDAY.

This annual celebration of Irish writer James Joyce and the re-enactment of the events in his novel Ulysses. 16 June was the date of Joyce's first outing with his wife-to-be, Nora Barnacle, when they walked to the Dublin village of Ringsend.

DEAD CITY is a dark, hip and ultra-theatrical reimagining of James Joyce's Ulysses reverses the genders of the main characters and updates the landscape to a mind-bending Manhattan. Sheila Callaghan's distinctive style makes the mundane electric and turns conversation into poetry.

The run begins with three Pay-What-You-Can Previews on July 16, 17 and 18, all at 8:30 PM.

Keeping Trey Graham Awake

Did I mention last week that Trey Graham at The Washington City Paper liked 1001 a great deal as well?

Well if I didn't here goes:

Local companies not caring much about a critic’s sleep schedule, or his overtaxed vocabulary, the week’s theatergoing schedule served up another riot of excess. Truth be told, though, it’s a pretty damn entertaining batch of excess.

The most intellectually ambitious of this lot is probably 1001, Jason Grote’s dreamy, nested-narratives rethink of the Scheherazade fable, which weaves a strain of modern existential angst into the fabric of those ancient tales. Things get underway in King Shahriar’s Persia, as usual, but once the storyteller lady (a briskly assertive Yasmin Tuazon) starts spinning her endless yarns, several of them turn out to be set in climes even more exotic than Ali Baba’s cave, an island called Man Hat being one of them.

Read the rest HERE.

Get to Know Lee from the Cast of 1001

In our continuing and popular series of probing exposes I present Mr. Lee Liebeskind. He is the one on the right with the nasty looking pig-sticker!

This isn't Lee's first go-around with the Rorschach rodeo, having previously been in Dream Sailors and Rough Magic. This time he appears as the One-Eyed Man, Sinbad the Sailor and various other characters in 1001.

1. Who are you, and what are you doing in or on or around 1001?

Hello I am Lee and I will be your character of B today. Please remember that the exits are located at the front and back of the plane and that in case of a water landing your seat can be used as a flotation device.

2. So. No pressure, but you're sort of kicking off Season 9 for us. You'll be basically setting the tone for the whole summer. What are you and this show bringing to the table?

I plan on bringing an ambrosia salad...that does sound tasty...mmmm marshmallows

3. Jason Grote's plays sort of pulse with a punch-drunk intelligence, and this one sort of stews with lots of odd pop-cultural and historical references. Are there any in particular that jumped out at you as you read the script?

Jumping out? Like a Lemur on crack? Nothing like that but the scene where Sinbad meets Borges really was a great juxtaposition.

4. 1001 has got a strong romantic side to it as well. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being "no chance" and 10 being "as certain as a sunrise," how would you assess the chances of an audience member getting some lovin' if they brought someone special to see the play?

Lets put it this way...Scott McCormick will personally guarantee that you will get laid after seeing this play or he promises to get one of the Rorschach tribe to make mad passionate love to you. (only while supplies last) (Editor: Lee's right act quickly, supplies are going fast. I am getting worn out and that was before the glowing review in The Post!)

5. Do you own your own scimitar? If no why not?

If you are referring to my pants...then yes. If not I don't know why you are asking?

Talk About The Hotness

When you have a theatre company you want reviews like the on that 1001 got in the Post on Saturday. You want a review that is fair minded, supportive and good.

Peter Marks in the Washington Post had this to say about our show:

Stories, stories and more stories: They wrap themselves around one another like the strands of a double helix in "1001," Jason Grote's urbane, contemporary riff on the tales of the Arabian nights, staged with a pleasing, all-hands-on-deck gusto by Rorschach Theatre.

As it did last summer with Grote's "This Storm Is What We Call Progress," the troupe -- formerly ensconced in a church in Columbia Heights -- is starting a season at Georgetown University's Davis Performing Arts Center with a play by this restlessly cerebral dramatist.

Read the whole review HERE, but long story short, this is a great review for a great show. Don't miss out my lovelies, this is another Rorschach show not to be missed!

1001 Trailer Time

Thanks to Grady and the crew for getting this together. I think it looks fantastic! Best one yet!

Forward as you like!

Here's A Video Of Randy, Straight Up Gabbin' About 1001 And Stuff!

LOOKIT! We made a video of sorts, and then my cheap floozy of an editing deck crapped out on me for a few days, but finally, lo, it is here. No, it doesn't have you fancy-pants "production values" or "star wipes" that are the hallmark of those Grady Weatherford "joints," but it gets the job done. And the job is this: Randy Baker talking about why you should come see the show 1001, which is just opened and already bridging the gaps between cultures! Enjoy!

Get to Know Rex Daugherty

Get to Know is one of my favorite features here on the blog, because I don't write most of it and with Jason Linkins writing the questions I have even less to do than usual. So first on the block is our leading man Rex. You may remember Rex from last summer's Dream Sailors, where he was bitten, shot and got the girl. He is the one with the beard to your right. He's a good good man! Enjoy!

Here's my curse-free questionnaire...you fickin butch!
-Rex

1. Who are you, and what are you doing in or on or around 1001?

Who, me? Well, stranger, I'm so glad you asked. I'm the heavy. Randy brought me in to really lay down the law. And let me tell you something - all 155 pounds of my Irish white self can do it. I've made grown women cry. Also, my name is Rex. But my cast mates call me Shahriyar, or Your majesty, or King...or Alan. Because I make them. Alan is an awesome name.

2. So. No pressure, but you're sort of kicking off Season 9 for us. You'll be basically setting the tone for the whole summer. What are you and this show bringing to the table?

Well, uh... that's a great thing to...s ee what we're doing is all about... hm. Yes. I think we'll start off with a fang.
No.
A bang.
(he shakes it off)
I think this show is a perfect piece for Rorschach. The driving pulse of 1001 is the root of all theatre - story telling. And because of the vastness of myth, legend and accumulated tales that 1001 (both Jason's play and the traditional folklore) contain, it's a great launching point for a season of magical, larger than life stories. Also, if we started with Living Dead in Denmark, everyone would be killed by zombies and there'd be no other shows this summer.

3. Jason Grote's plays sort of pulse with a punch-drunk intelligence, and this one sort of stews with lots of odd pop-cultural and historical references. Are there any in particular that jumped out at you as you read the script?

Osama bin Ladin is in this play. That jumped out as I read the script. But I also am really intrigued by the fairy tale version of New York that we see in this play. Jason compares Man Hat's (Manhattan) sky scrappers with the Tower of Babel. And the tale that follows is all about a labyrinth of subway tunnels, leading to another world...like Babel led to so much diversity of language and scattering of people...or maybe I'm trying too hard to connect the plots. No, I mean. Dots.

4. 1001 has got a strong romantic side to it as well. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being "no chance" and 10 being "as certain as a sunrise," how would you assess the chances of an audience member getting some lovin' if they brought someone special to see the play?

This one goes to 11. Uh, ya...bring someone special...but be warned that I might end up kissing them. That tends to happen in this play.

5. Do you own your own scimitar? If no why not?

No. I'm a nunchuck man.

1001 Gets Some Love

Hello my sweets! It has been a while hasn't it. But here I am at your beck and call. I have things to tell you...

Summer starts here and summer starts now. First I show you a picture of 1001 by Jason Grote. It is sexy, no? I have many more photos and I have questions and answers from the cast and crew which I will begin to parse out tomorrow.

First however I share with you the first love letter sent to the cast and crew of 1001. This missive comes from Tim Treanor and the kids over at DC Theatre Scene. Tim writes:

Good storytelling is a sort of fearless magic act, in which events move too quickly to tolerate objection. This is certainly how Scheherazade treats her murderous husband, telling her stories with confidence and at the speed of life, heedless of her impending doom. And this is the way that director Randy Baker and the rest of the Rorschach troupe tell this story: with such assurance and commitment that the impossible seems true - here is a magic lamp!

There is more to behold so go and read the whole review HERE!

Tomorrow: Get to Know is Back!

Pictures Worth 1001 Words

1001 by Jason Grote had a really beautiful Opening last night, full of all of Rorschach's favorite friends.  In the next day or so we'll have a fantastic pictures of the finished product, but in the meantime I wanted to share with you some of the work that happened along the way...

Photos from 1001 Rehearsals: