Things that are Coming Soon

Quick run down of things you need to remember are coming:

1. Helen Hayes Award next Monday. Will Gabi and Shirley walk away with the Hayes? Will Tim Getman remember to wear pants to the after party? Who is the Scarlet Pimpernel?
2. The Black & White Masquerade Benefit Ball is Saturday, May 10th at 8pm. Get your tickets now for an evening of Will you be there to enjoy the open bar, which now includes Beer, Wine and a sassy fruity Vodka drink? Will Tim remember to wear his pants? Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?
3. Myth Appropriations '08: Creation Myths, Saturday May 24th, at 6, 8 and 10pm. Last time the event sold out so we have moved to a bigger venue. Will some one please give Tim a pair of pants? Oh and what evil lurks in the hearts of men?

Tickets are available to both of the Rorschach events and I will have full coverage of the Helen Hayes awards again this year next Tuesday. And by full report I mean a review of the buffet.

Benefits and Stetsons

Here is another hint about what is happening May 10th. Well less of a hint really and more of a damn that is a fine looking post card image for the Black & White Masquerade Ball Announcement.

That's right the Rorschach Masquerade is back and better than ever. And you all have a chance to get a discounted ticket to one of the hottest open bar events of the year 2008.

If you can get your tail sections over to Stetsons on U Street this Monday, April 14th, you can not only be among the first people to purchase tickets to our swanky benefit but you can be one of the cheapest folks there as well. Tickets that would run you $50 will only run you $20. That's right for the price of a ride from Dupont Circle to Adams Morgan with a crooked cab driver you can spend the evening with Rorschach, a DJ and all the wine and beer you can drink.

You also get to wear a mask and some sweet dress that you have been saving to look particularly tasty in for the ladies (and some men) or a suit that you haven't worn since you were confirmed for the guys.

And if that weren't enough we will also be announcing the Theme for our next edition of Myth-Appropriations at Stetsons as well. What will it be?

This is a great time to be in Exile. You should really think about joining us as we rove the city like a pack of wild rabid hedge hogs looking for a home.

See you at Stetsons next Monday at 7pm. We'll be the ones upstairs making all of the noise!

Business Day

There is a beginning to everything.

First off thank you to everyone who voted in the DC Theatre Scene's People's Choice Awards yesterday.

Lorraine Treanor at DC Theatre Scene sent me this email:

Our Back-Up Plan
In case of a tie, we'll have a wrestling match.
Would like to see you go up against Michael Kahn and Gabriella against Nancy Robinette. Now THAT's entertainment! Thanks for ratcheting up the excitement.
-Lorraine

Gabi and References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot have pulled ahead of all the nominated actresses and shows, but there is still more work to do. If you haven't voted vote, if you think it might be worth sending an email out to your friends to have them vote, please do so. This thing is in our grasp until someone else starts lobbying harder than we do. Vote HERE if you haven't already and read below if you need a refresher on the 411.

Two big new play events coming up in the following weeks. The first one is Rorschach's contribution to the Kennedy Center's Annual Page to Stage Event. Rorschach's Co-Artistic Director Randy Baker, will be having a preview of the first Episode of his new work Dream Sailors on Saturday, September 2nd at 5:30 p.m. in the Family Theater at that Big Theater on the Potomac.

Dream Sailors will play out over four episodes and will receive its World Premiere this Spring as part of Rorschach's Season 8.

The event is free and you can make a day of it or even a weekend as other theaters will be giving free readings of new works. This is a great event and fantastic way to see some of your favorite actors, directors and especially playwrights bring life to new words and works.

In the same vein of getting in on new works, how about seeing six of them in one night.

Rorschach proudly announces, our own new annual event. Myth-Appropriations will bring 6 playwrights, together with 6 directors and numerous actors and designers to bring six new plays to life in just six days.

The plan is that each year a different set of myths, fairy tales and sagas will be tapped for their dramatic potential and will be fully produced in just 6 days. This year the playwrights will tackle the works of The Brothers Grimm. Yes, all of those warm stories of sibling torture, children being eaten and matricide of your childhood will be brought to theatrical life in about the same amount of time that it takes a lot of shows to simply get through a first read and table work.

Here are some of the folks who will bring this thing to life:
WRITTEN BY Norman Allen, Randy Baker, Ally Currin, James Hesla, Jacqueline E. Lawton, Gwyddion Suilebhan
DIRECTED BY Jessi Burgess, Michael Dove, Dan pruksarnukul, Patrick Torres, Catherine Tripp, Andy Wassenich
DESIGNED BY David Ghatan, Robbie Hayes, Debra Kim Sivigny
FEATURING Evan Casey, Jenny Corbett, Nicola Daval, Christopher Dinolfo, Daniel Eichner, Dana Edwards, Heather Gaither, Maggie Glauber, Jeremy Goren, Michael Grew, Cesar Guadamuz, Lauren Krizner, Jason Linkins, John Michael MacDonald, Adrienne Nelson, Sasha Olinick, Helen Pafumi, Ghillian Porter, Betsy Rosen, Mark Ross, Jesse Terrill, Amanda Thickpenny, Wendy Wilmer, Simone Zvi
PRODUCED BY Randy Baker and Jenny McConnell Frederick

Participants are subject to change. But you know you want to be there.

Tickets are just $10 and there are only two shows. So if you want to book your seats early for this one night only event on September 8th at 8 and 10 p.m. I suggest you follow this link and do so now or call 1-800-494-TIXS.

Did You Know Playwrights Have Blogs?

So once again I am going through the Google alerts I receive to find out who is trash talking Rorschach in the blog-o-sphere. Sometimes it isn't trash talk but instead people who are genuinely excited to be working with us. Jason Grote who some of you may remember is the playwright for next summer's Premiere of This Storm is What We Call Progress, has been kind enough to link this blog on his page for quite a while now.

The mention in his Wednesday's Post, A Big Hello to All You Fascists Out There in Internet Land!, examines who exactly is visiting his blog. This is a topic that we here at the Rorschach Blog take very seriously.

Once again someone doing a web search typed in Blessed Be the Ties That Bind, a hymn title which I referenced a year and a half ago when showing pictures of the various knots used to secure the actors of Fair Ladies . . . in their costumes. So there is a church group somewhere in America who keeps coming to the Rorschach Blog looking for song lyrics.

Read what Jason has to say about certain elements and his run in with the INS and folks trying to determine whether he is a self-hating Jew. And he also mentions the fact that Rorschach is doing his play next summer. Jason is a great writer and I recommend if you have a couple of extra minutes take a look at his blog, The Inauguration of the Jason Grote Dome.

Second, but no less important, Gwydion Suilebhan is excited to be writing for our upcoming Myth-Appropriation: Brothers Grimm event. Follow our link for more details but Gwydion does a pretty fantastic job of summing up the project on his blog, Things I Hate (and/or Love). His Wednesday Post, Things I Love #699 is a great way to see the excitement that is building about Rorschach's Next Big Thing.

I encourage all of you to read these guys blogs and get an even better peek behind the curtain into not just how Rorschach produces plays but where those plays come from in the first place.