As Fumor Travels

Fumor #5

Jason Linkins has added a new job to his list of ten, he's playing the jug.

Jason Rorschach's lovable blogger, actor, witch hunter general, surgeon general, muckraker, music critic, thorn in the side of the establishment and fantasy role player, has taken up the jug.

Jason comes from a long line of jug players going back to his great-grandfather Elias "Pouch Cheeks" Linkins. Old "Pouch Cheeks" was famed for his jug handling and his uncanny ability to store nuts for winter. He played with The Good Old Boys, The Plumb Tuckers, The New Good Old Boys, Jasper and the Tolerables, The Plumb Tucker Xperience and Jefferson Bi-Plane (this was Grace Slicks' original band).

Jason has been working up to a public performance for over a year now and hope to have a band together sometime this spring.

Jason says "The jug can be an angry mistress! Not as angry as an actual mistress, but about as angry as a mistress with no arms, no legs and a handle on the side can get. Believe me when I say this is a mistress who can get angry and let you know about it. I suppose it can't use words so it is more about you feeling the anger coming off the jug more than it is actually about you hearing about the anger. With a real mistress, who has a mouth, you would hear about the anger. I am sure that is all she would talk about, and then you would just say I have had enough and go back to your wife or girlfriend and say I am sorry. Jugs are better"

The Fumor Files

Fumor #4

Jenny and Matt Frederick have been persuing one of their life long dreams during Rorschach's Season Delay and are traveling around the country to various sites of where Extra Terrestrials (ETs) have been seen in the last 50 years.

Due to a misunderstanding in her college course catalogue, Jenny confused a class on The Alienation Effect in Theater (from the German Verfremdungseffekt) with a course in Alien Studies in the Spring of 1997. Instead of dropping the class Jenny was captivated by the footage of an actual Alien Autopsy shown on a Fox Television Special hosted by Jonathan Frakes that the professor had illegally taped and showed during the first class. Through no fault of her own and because Jenny thought that the professor was actually teaching about theater of alienation by talking about something no one was really interested in, it took Jenny three more classes to realize that she was actually enrolled in a class studying little grey men in flying saucers. By then it was too late to drop the class and Jenny's love for ETs was established.

Matt on the other hand is pretty sure he has been abducted by aliens. It all stems back to a repressed memory of waking up in corn field in 1983. All he could remember was being taken to a planet covered in forrest with a giant moon in the sky. He was then captured by a tribe of tiny aliens speaking a strange language. The aliens were covered in fur and they had a rather primitive culture. He was taken to their village among the trees and was pretty sure he was going to be eaten, when all of a sudden his friend C3-PO was able to communicate with the tribe. His friend Luke Skywalker then used the force to impress the natives with 3-PO's amazing God-like powers and they were set free. Then the Ewoks joined with Luke, 3-PO, R2, Chewie, the Princess and Matt to defeat the evil Empire. Depsite hours of people trying to explain to him that this was in fact the plot to Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi, Matt still maintains that this actually happened to him. He points to a ray gun he received that Christmas and a light saber his brother got as proof.

Jenny and Matt will load up their RV and hit the highways this February. They have plans to hit all the hot spots of UFO activity in the United States and Canada. Stops will include: Area 51, Devils Tower, Roswell, New Mexico, Graceland, Skywalker Ranch and that place in Canada where they had clones of Mudler's sister and they had all those honey bees.

Fumor Has It

Fumor #3

Rorschach is expanding into the world of Kosher Pickle Production.

Not satisfied to rest on their collective laurels, Rorschach Theatre will be marketing a new line of Kosher Pickels in early spring 2008. Rorschach having long been associated with in your face dramatic endeavors feels that the world of preserved cucumbers is the next logical step.

Company members Yasmin Tuazon and Tim Getman both third and fourth generation picklers respectively came to Co-Artistic Directors Jenny McConnell Frederick and Randy Baker in early 2007 to pitch the idea.

Yasmin says "What is the difference between packing in audiences and packing pickles in a barrel? Aside from the briny solution and size. Most people are bigger than pickles."

If the limited run of Kosher Dills are a success, Getman says "We are thinking about possibly pickeling peppers, pears and persimmons for late fall."

The Pickel Project follows last year's successful Rorschach baby fashion line and the less successful All-You-Can-Eat Peel-Your-Own Shrimp and Sangria Bar that Company Member Jason Linkins was running out of the trunk of his car.

Fumor Mill

Fumor #2

Rorschach has made a deal with the Devil.

After flirting with the Dark Lord in productions like JB, Master and Margarita and A Bright Room Called Day, Rorschach has finally struck a sponsorship deal with the Prince of Lies that should allow us to continue producing well into the next Century.

Co-Artistic Director Randy Baker has agreed to sell his soul and that of 15 DC actors to Old Pitch himself in exchange for the Standard Fame Fortune and Glory Package.

Satan (seen here in a rare photo from his appearance in a 1970s Rankin and Bass holiday special) appeared to Randy in a dream with the standard black poodle and smell of sulfur and what may or may not have been brimstone. Lucifer apologized to Randy saying he was actually lost on his way for a follow-up call to a residence near the Naval Observatory. Randy asked the Dread Lord to stick around for a couple of minutes and proceeded to implore him to take his soul in exchange for a performance space and Hell's Sponsorship of the next 100 Seasons.

Randy says this will have no effect on our play selection, since we had already planned at least 3 shows for next season to include the Devil. Randy says that the Ruler of the Nether Regions was quite impressed by Rorschach's already tainted track record of nudity and foul language in a former church sanctuary. Rorschach now takes it place besides other Hell sponsored companies, such as Monsanto, Lockheed-Martin and Disney.

Randy also sweetened the deal and got a promise for 3 more seasons of Battle Star Galactica. Unfortunately, not having read the fine print, Randy was actually fooled and instead of the New Battle Star there will be 3 more Seasons of the infamous Galactica 1980.

Randy was quoted as saying "Damn it!"

Fumors

Welcome to our first day of pointless meanderings.

As with any right leaning political blog, we here at Rorschach have dedicated ourselves to spinning facts and rumors into a frothy concoction I like to call fumors.

Fumor #1

Rorschach has postponed their winter and spring productions due to the untimely death of our Company mascot "Roary" the Rorschach Bat. This loveable, yet possibly rabid, nocturnal mammal has delighted Company Members and audiences for years with his antics and adorable screeches in the upper reaches of Casa del Pueblo. Things turned ugly when Roary swooped down during a performance of Kit Marlowe and proceeded to nest in the wig of a patron in the third row. Unfortunately for the patron and Roary several members of a NRA Singles Group were in attendance that night and long story short both Roary and the wig were pronounced dead on the scene.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Roary and the wig, which we were given to understand was named Gladys.

Please respond

There are so many things happening. Yet I can't tell any of it yet.

Would people rather I fill these pages with pointless meanderings of my brain or wait until we have something to announce?

Let me know ASAP so I can switch my brain onto filler!

Thanks.

2008 is Here

Happy New Year everyone!

2008 is going to be something special I can feel it in my fingers. I can feel it in my toes.

There are a lot of announcements in the offing for how we are going to proceed with Rorschach's Season in Exile and when I am able I will send you all the scoop. Suffices to say this is something we have never tried before and we are looking at actually having air conditioning for our summer season. More to come on that soon!

Just hope you all are as psyched as I am for what promises to be the greatest year with an 8 in it since 1998.

Year End Puzzle

Click on the Puzzle. Print it out and have minutes of fun.

I Had the Lasagna

Rahaleh and I spent the night out last night. There was wine and pasta. (By the way the fourth language is Italian.) More importantly we talked the hell out of The Skin of Our Teeth to a group of eager and excited theater goers knows as Footlights.

It was a rare chance to discuss the play not only as a production but also as a piece of literature. So often discussions of shows happen after the show is already opened. Actors, directors and designers have already locked in on what the show means to them and it is more a process of rehashing the table work and rehearsal discussions to a group of folks who have just seen your play. This was a chance to sit down and talk to a group of people who have read the play and get their first impressions on what they think the play is about and how they think that it should be presented.

There were lengthy discussions about the history of the play, about Thornton Wilder and ways in which the play is still relevant. Rahaleh who is directing the show looked on it as an opportunity to get a reading on what audiences will think when they see what promises to be one of Rorschach's most ambitious undertakings.

One high-light of the evening was when of the gentleman in the group shared his memories of seeing the original Broadway production of The Skin of Our Teeth in 1942. His experiences and knowledge of the period gave a keen insight into what it was Wilder was attempting to convey to his audience, as they were just beginning to fight in World War II and had just come out of the Depression.

I just want to take this opportunity to thank Jerry and all of the Footlighters for hosting both me and Rahaleh last night as well as for sharing their opinions and impressions of Skin.

Holiday Letter to Family and Friends

Dear Family and Friends,

It has been another crazy kooky, cracked out year at our house.

Once again we thank you for all the cards and letters to the Governor on Cesar's behalf. Thank God for DNA testing is all I have to say! Whoo!

It was an exciting year for the whole family. Uncle Grady discovered an alternative life style, Cousin Andrew came home from the Gulf, little Timmy lost his job and started hanging out with prostitutes and an infestation of Elizabethans took over the house for a couple of months.

Who can keep all the craziness straight? I know I can't! Maybe if I stopped doing all those whip-its in the lunch room.

The year started off fine. Sister Tracy was living in New York persuing her love of younger men and dramaturgy. When all of a sudden some foreigners started terrorizing her. They burnt down her apartment, and then she was on the run in a flash with this guy with a skin condition, her new teenage boyfriend and Uncle Grady. Grady as I mentioned has found a new lifestyle and is now working at a drag club in Manhattan. Don't worry it is one of those nice places with the drinks with umbrellas that the midwesterners "accidentally" wander into when they are looking for a pay phone. Well long story short, the foreigners hunt them all down at Coney Island and there was some violence. Sister Tracy is alright but there were some deaths.

Cousin Andrew came home from the war this year. It was a long time coming, considering he was coming home from the First Gulf War. His wife Gabi was having terrible dreams and he was having a hard time re-adjusting to civilian life. Poor Andrew! I am pretty sure Gabi was having an affair with someone very high up in the world and was flirting with their teenaged neighbor a little too much. Seems to be a trend these days older women and much younger men. I blame the schools!

As for Brother Timmy, he was living in NYC. I think he was a couple of blocks down from where Tracy was staying. He lost his job, his wife and his sense of purpose and ended up hanging around with one of New York's, well let's just say, ladies of the evening. His wife Jjana was doing the same thing with a mysterious homeless man and she too was having strange dreams. She seemed like such a nice girl. I am not sure what the problem was really, something about her foster mother and fear of leaving the City.

Finally there were a bunch of Elizabethans infesting the house. We tried to set traps but they weren't falling for the bait we were using. We tried everything; beer, lurid poetic images, bloody tragedies and baudy comedies. They were running around naked and bleeding all over everything. I consulted with a lot of experts and it turns out the best way to get rid of Elizabethans is to throw soap and water at them. They can't stand being clean.

And as the year closes I have some sad news. We are leaving our home of the last 6 years. We had some good time and some bad times, but I think in the end it is time to move on. I know that I for one am looking forward to the future and every opportunity it will bring.

Happy Holidays,
The Mad Blogger What Blogs at Midnight

She Once Sold Me the Brooklyn Bridge

So Rahaleh Nassri has directed a show for Studio's 2nd Stage. Rahaleh will be the director of Rorschach's Skin of Our Teeth in the very near future. The Washington Post ran a profile on Rahaleh on Friday and to the left is the picture that ran with the interview, An Unflinching Look at Gangs.

I give the Post reporter credit for running a story about Rahaleh and including the choice details of her various schemes:

She speaks four languages, plays out ornate hoaxes in public -- reading fortunes in espresso grounds in a Swiss cafe, impersonating a would-be spy being recruited in Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe -- and has performed with the Washington Shakespeare Company. She can also speak "diplomatically," having earned a degree in international affairs from George Washington University and served as press officer at the French Embassy.

I wish they had asked her about her life as a Russian Madam or the time we tried to convince everyone at Tryst that the bar was running a contest to give away a schooner. Read all about Rahaleh and her other hijinks and art.

We Got Costumes Too

I know we have been making a big deal about the props we will be selling tomorrow at the Rorschach Yard Sale but we also will be selling tons of costume pieces as well.

Just think of all the fun dress up games you can play alone or with a significant other with actual pieces of clothing worn by some of your favorite DC actors.

"Look at me I am Grady Weatherford star of the Beard of Avon!"

"Well I am Gwen Grastorf the sexy grad student from Rough Magic and I can beat you with my Geek Chic Powers of Seduction!"

"No you can't because I will battle you with my Iambs of Steel!"

"Your Elizabethan Poetry Powers are no match for my Short Skirt of Justice!"

"Oh no! Look out it is somone dressed as one of numerous Rorschach actors who have portrayed Satan, including Tim Getman and Matt Dunphy and his Evil Eye of Evilness!"

"And there seems to be someone from Feudal Japan! Could that be Patrick Bussink or Cesar Guadamuz, Fair Ladies in a Really Long Titled Play Costume! Ayee! They will strike us down with their Furious Samurai Vengeance! We are doomed!"

YARD SALE THIS SATURDAY!
Saturday December 15th from 10-4pm
1459 Columbia Road NW

Think of the hours of fun!

*Not all items mentioned in the above fantasy are available please come to the sale and see what fun things we have hanging on our hangers!

My Favorite Rorschach Prop

An Essay

by

Scott McCormick (10 Years Old)

As a young person in this country of ours I am reminded of my favorite Rorschach Theatre prop of all time, Jason Linkin's head.

Jason's head was first used in Master and Margarita when his head was taken off his body by a street car after he slipped in some cooking oil. It got thrown on stage by someone. It was not his real head but a paper mache copy of his head made by a crazy lady who used to work for us.

Jason's head was cool because it was shiny and it was hard. Much like a piece of paper mache fruit my grandma brought back from Mexico when she went on one of those crusies like the Love Boat. Grandma said all she brought back from the trip was that piece of fake fruit and an intestinal bug, which she never was able to shake.

Jason's head has served its role in several other plays since then, but I can't remember them because I was not in them. Jason writes on web sites for a job, which is cool. But wouldn't it be even cooler if we could get Jason's head a job writing on web sites. I suppose someone else would have to type since he has no fingers, but it would be cool to see what he thought about issues of our day in this country, like global warming and whether Britney is an unfit mother.

I miss Jason's head and wish we knew where it was at. I would like to keep it safe for the next time Jason is in a show and we need to cut his head off. Because really cutting his head off would be messy. Did I mention it had a cup in its neck so when you held it upside down you could pretend to drink blood out of it? My friends Grady, Melissa, Tim and I did it once or twice and then Jenny said it was taking too long and only Lindsay should drink out of Jason's head. Oh and the blood we were drinking was supposed to be coming out of Mark Sullivan. It was kind of gross.

Thank you and good bye.

JASON'S HEAD RULES!

More Stuff for Sale

How about we make this into a game of sorts. All of these items are for sale this Saturday at the Rorschach Yard Sale. Before we sell them, let us see who has the best memory. Name which show each of the items came from in the comment section. Some of the items may not have been used in a show at all but originality counts in your answers so let's all play.

Saturday is Yard Sale Day

Let me tell you a story. It is about a theater company that used to move from place to place. Creating in their wake shows that not only were theatrical works but also art installations. Where sets, lights and actors were all temporary additions to old stables, theater lobbies, roof top greenhouses and abandoned high school auditoriums.

About 6 years ago they found another temporary home in church on Columbia Road, NW. It was a space that had been used for punk shows in the past, but it was a unique piece of architecture that really worked with a production of Lord of the Flies we were producing. Long story short we worked it out so we could stay there and use the space 18 more times since the winter of 2002. To many who have worked with Rorschach, that church is the only home they have ever known. For some of us it became a second home. Now, we are moving away from the church and setting off like the vagabonds we have always been in our hearts to new spaces and new shows.

So what does this mean for all of you? We are selling stuff to make room for our future and we want you all to come and share in the past.

This Saturday Rorschach is having a Yard Sale:

YARD SALE!
Saturday December 15th from 10-4pm @ Rorschach Theatre (Casa Del Pueblo.)
1459 Columbia Rd. NW (between 14th and 15th)

Modern clothing, glassware, random fun for sale as well as costumes and props from old shows. Help us move in style.

No early birds, please.

There are lots of great items for sale and you won't believe the prices.

Looking for weird clothes? WE GOT THEM!
Looking for strange glassware? WE GOT IT!
Looking for a plaster poodle? WE GOT ONE!
Need a pair of roller skates? WE GOT THAT!
Fencing Mask? OH SWEET MERCIFUL LORD IN HEAVEN WE HAVE THAT TOO!

So say goodbye Casa and hello future! And help us scrape together a little money for our brand new storage unit.

Just Plain Wrong

Another Christmas Decoration

Christmas Decorations from Rorschach

Snow is Our Enemy

As I wandered the streets of DC today, I am reminded of the monster that stalks all of our region. The constant threat of weather.

In DC we have the memory of a goldfish (Myth-Busters taught me that goldfish do in fact have excellent memories, but for the purposes of this posting lets assume that they forget things every 5 minutes) when it comes to snow. We act like it never happens here and when it does we go immediately into panic mode (insert your own milk, bread and toilet paper joke here).

Is this phenomena of convenience-store-raiding-slow-driving freak out merely a DC experience? No growing up in Baltimore we had the same paniced reaction to any form of percipitation that fell from the skies above. But only in DC we take this experience to near theatrical levels.

I am therefore announcing the First Annual Rorschach Winter Playwriting competition. Write me a five minute play that either attempts to explain the Metro Area's fear of snow or a story that truly embraces the terror that exists within the hearts of natives and carpet baggers alike and I promise you some form of performance. If I get one entry it may be a staged reading in my living room. If I get like 10, I will dedicate an evening to DC Snow Fear.

Do I expect anyone to take up this gauntlet (or mitten)? No! So surprise me and we can all enjoy poking fun at ourselves and especially those people who make all our lives a tortuous winter horror story every time something white hits the pavement.

Final Bow: Kit Marlowe

Because a great cast and crew deserve one final bow:

KIT MARLOWE
By David Grimm
Directed by Jessie R. Gallogly

October 28 – December 2, 2007 Previews begin October 25

FEATURING: William Aitken, Tony Bullock, John Brennan, Matt Dunphy, Lee Ordeman, Adam Jonas Segaller, Nick Stevens, Josh Sticklin, Jesse Terrill, Reece Thornbery

DESIGNED BY: Eric Grims (Set), David C. Ghatan (Lights), Emily Dere (Costumes), Veronica Lancaster (Sound), Heather Gaither (Props), Andrew Berry (Assistant Set Design).

STAGE MANAGMENT: Katherine A. Keogh

DRAMATURGY: Rachel Miller and Cynthia Caul (Asst. Dramaturg)

FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY: Casey Kaleba

PRODUCED BY:Jenny McConnell Frederick and Randy Baker