The Lieutenant of Inishmore - only 8 performances remain!

"Full serving of gore, horror and hilarity ... Gruesomely violent as it is, Inishmore is almost slapstick." - St. Pete Times

“... with enough extreme carnage to make Quentin Tarantino queasy, bumbling characters shoot, maim, slice and dice one another with abandon and little remorse.... ” – The Tampa Tribune

"There's real chemistry between [Padraic and Mairead] and they develop an almost Mickey and Mallory Knox-like bond..." - MyTampaLife.com

“All of the acting is superb. Irish accents are spot-on ... I would definitely recommend this play.” - ArtsNet, Tampa Bay

Inishmore reviewed in the St. Pete Times!

Check out an excerpt here, and follow the link for the full shebang.

"Full serving of gore, horror and hilarity ... Gruesomely violent as it is, Inishmore is almost slapstick ... David Jenkins and his cast (almost all Jobsite regulars) amp up the violence and humor ... and blood flows profusely (in extremely effective special effects by Chris Holcom) ... The entire cast does fine work ... Lots of people like blood, guts and mayhem, and they're the ones this production aims to please." - St. Pete Times

That's two great print reviews that join at least three blog reviews that we're received. We're hoping this combined with YOUR word of mouth and the CreLo review this week keep us flying high for the next two weekends.

You can actually help today!

There is a 4pm matinee today, and then we're off for three days. It looks awful wet outside, which to me sounds like a great day to spend in a theater! Lots of seats still available, and you'd really be helping us out.

I know we've talked to death how expensive this show is, but honestly - it's got a production budget three times anything else we've done. We can cover that one of two ways - ticket sales or by raising money. We're doing both right now, but we need to keep it going.

Or, if you've already been - why not recommend us to a friend or three?

Inishmore scores big with The Trib!

Here's just an excerpt - follow the link for the full review!

"In this comedy of devastating errors, with enough extreme carnage to make Quentin Tarantino queasy, bumbling characters shoot, maim, slice and dice one another with abandon and little remorse ... At the play's end, the stage is drenched, eliciting sickening sounds as the actors left standing tread the saturated floorboards ... The easily offended might not appreciate the absurd overkill and outrageously misplaced values. But for everyone else, it's hilarious." - The Tampa Tribune

Tickets are available for tonight's 8p show as well as tomorrow's 4p show! Head to our website for more quotes, show details and more.

More feedback from folks on Inishmore

Here's more of what folks are saying about The Lieutenant of Inishmore, on stage now:

"What a show, top to bottom. Thanks to you and the cast for the treat. We sat front and center, sipping Jack, and nearly got wet. The only thing that would have made it better: free refills." - Ben Montgomery

“What a wonderfully staged, acted and produced play. Loved the twist of an ending! Jobsite Theater is like a fine red Bordeaux, it just keeps improving with age. And the 09/10 season looks to be the very best ever. Keep it up, folks – your efforts make Tampa so much more livable and enjoyable.” – Sharon & Lew Sibert

“I saw Lieutenant of Inishmore Sunday afternoon and in spite of the gore, the wincing and the ewwww-ing, I loved it! I've just sent a PayPal contribution to help defray some of your special effects costs. Keep up the great work!” – Susan Martin

“Kari, your dad and I are just so proud ... For the past couple of months when you told me about this show, I couldn't understand how it was a comedy. It just seemed so sick that our little girl was excited about playing with guns and dead bodies. Well, I can tell you, we both laughed at the show until our sides hurt. It's some of the best work I've seen Jobsite produce. Congratulations!” - Kathy Goetz

“Thank you for an excellent evening of entertainment. Fantastic work all around!” – Michael C. McGreevy

“The show was AMAZING!!! Congrats to you and everybody at Jobsite for a job VERY well done. I had tears streaming down my face walking out from laughing so hard during Act II. We're planning on seeing it a second time; we loved it so.” – Jessica Ansert

“LOVED IT!” – Catherine Matthews & Melissa Freeman

Those folks join these bloggers, who've said:

“The production was very well acted, especially the parts of Padraic and Mairead. There's real chemistry between the characters and they develop an almost Mickey and Mallory Knox-like bond.... This play is also not for the squeamish, as the blood continues to pile up through the final act.” – MyTampaLife.com

“All of the acting is superb. Irish accents are spot-on, and the cast works well as an ensemble.... Martin McDonagh’s plotting is immaculate.... Even though I usually don’t like violence at all, it was humorous in the context of the play.... I would definitely recommend this play.” – ARTS NET, Tampa Bay

What the heck are you waiting on? Get yourself a ticket! If you're a student, senior or military member looking for a deal - we have $10 rush tickets available as of 90 minutes to curtain, and we should have plenty of availability for those purchases tonight (3/27 8pm) or Sunday afternoon (3/29 4pm).

JobsiteTheater.org noted as a top area website!

Check out the full story in this week's CreLo!

For the record though, I have nothing to do really with the actual website. That's all the hard work of our very own Shawn Paonessa - who knocks it out of the park all the time. He'll do your website, too, if you have the scratch to pay him.

He's worth every penny.

$10 tix to The Lieutenant of Inishmore!

If you are a student, senior citizen or member of the military, you can get a $10 ticket to any performance of The Lieutenant of Inishmore by presenting a valid ID and paying with cash at the TBPAC Ticket Office window as of 90 minutes before any scheduled show time.

Group business is helping the cause!

This Thursday night's performance of The Lieutenant of Inishmore is nearing being sold out, which is obviously good news for us.

This is due in large part to two groups buying up most of the tickets - Stagesetters and a group of TAs from a local college being dragged by their professor (who also happens to be one of the cast's dad ...).

Groups save 15% off the price of regular tickets, and pay a lot less in fees. If it is a student group, we will go much deeper on the discount, sometimes up to 50% off, and we will also offer a pre or post show talk.

Groups begin with 12 people, and you can always set one up by calling Christen Petitt at 813.222.1016.

(If you're really interested in coming this Thu. night, we really recommend grabbing a ticket fast, there's only ~12 left).

Jobsite's 2009-10 season announced!

Check it out here at our website!

More feedback on Inishmore

Here's a collection of some of the opening weekend feedback we got for The Lieutenant of Inishmore:

“What a wonderfully staged, acted and produced play. Loved the twist of an ending! Jobsite Theater is like a fine red Bordeaux, it just keeps improving with age. And the 09/10 season looks to be the very best ever. Keep it up, folks – your efforts make Tampa so much more livable and enjoyable.” – Sharon & Lew Sibert

"All of the acting is superb. Irish accents are spot-on, and the cast works well as an ensemble.... Martin McDonagh’s plotting is immaculate ... Even though I usually don’t like violence at all, it was humorous in the context of the play ... I would definitely recommend this play.” ARTS NET, Tampa Bay

“The production was very well acted, especially the parts of Padraic and Mairead. There's real chemistry between the characters and they develop an almost Mickey and Mallory Knox-like bond ... This play is also not for the squeamish, as the blood continues to pile up through the final act.” – MyTampaLife.com

“Thank you for an excellent evening of entertainment. Fantastic work all around!” – Michael C. McGreevy

“The show was AMAZING!!! Congrats to you and everybody at Jobsite for a job VERY well done. I had tears streaming down my face walking out from laughing so hard during Act II. We're planning on seeing it a second time; we loved it so.” – Jessica Ansert

“LOVED IT!” – Catherine Matthews & Melissa Freeman

If you were unable to attend opening weekend (or if you tried to attend and were turned away due to the show being sold out) - this weekend might be your best chance! We had three TV stories and a slew of print slung at opening weekend. That coupled with our opening weekend season ticket holders made us sold out in advance for most shows last weekend.

As we had none of the major critics in attendance last weekend (they're all coming this weekend), we will not have that secondary burst of print exposure until our 3rd weekend. That leaves us on our own a bit for this weekend. We'd rather look at this as an opportunity than an obstacle. We just want as many folks as possible to see this incredible show.

Whether you've already been or not - you can really make a difference right now.

If you saw the show, tell us what you thought! Leave a comment on this blog item (or any of our Inishmore blogs) or send us an email. We'd love to be able to add your endorsements to our collection! Please also tell your friends - be it in an email, or by updating your Facebook status, send a tweet, write a blog post, talk it up in the break room. People trust recommendations more from people they know!

If you've not seen the show, can you make an effort to come this weekend? If it's all the same to you, it would help us more to have you in this weekend than it would later in the run. With a show this big and this expensive, every dollar counts as early as we can get it in. You're not going to be disappointed!

ARTS NET Tampa Bay reviews Inishmore

Follow the link for the full article!

"All of the acting is superb. Irish accents are spot-on and the cast works well as an ensemble ... Martin McDonagh’s plotting is immaculate ...Even though I usually don’t like violence at all, it was humorous in the context of the play ... I would definitely recommend this play." - Sally Bosco, ARTS NET, Tampa Bay

Opening weekend of Inishmore a success!

We're happy to report that we sold 98% of all opening weekend tickets to The Lieutenant of Inishmore, with completely sold-out shows Friday through Sunday.

This Thursday's (3/26) is already poised to sell out as well.

Good news indeed.

Hopefully this snowballs through the run, now held over through April 12. We have a lot riding on this one in terms of an enormous budget, so in reality we have no other choice than to ensure this is a barn-burner at the box office.



If you're on a budget, keep in mind that Jobsite Theater always offers $10 rush tickets to any of our shows as of half an hour to curtain for all educators, students, senior citizens and military with valid ID and cash at the box office window.

We do recommend calling 813.229.STAR to check on availability ahead of time on the day of the show. Seating is limited, and the shows can sell out in advance. Saturday is usually not the best day to try to do rush, simply because Saturdays traditionally sell out in advance.

Our current show, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, is a high-octane, grisly, blacker-than-black comedy about an ex-Ira enforcer who goes on a rampage after getting bad news about his cat, Wee Thomas. Guns, Irish gangsters and gore - what else could you ask for?

Please tell us what you think of Inishmore!

Once you've had a chance to see the show, please check back here and leave your comments on what you thought!

We'd love to hear from you!

Inishmore on MyTampaLife.com

Denis Baldwin came out to check out The Lieutenant of Inishmore last night, see what he has to say about it (as well as check out some more pictures of the production) over here.

More Inishmore in the news

Watch this week's The BOT over at TBO.com to check out the bit on Inishmore. We're about :55 into it.

Also, check out the story in the Tampa Tribune online, or check out the hard copy tomorrow!

OPENING NIGHT! WOOOT!

Inishmore opens tonight!

After a solid, full preview performance we're chomping at the bit for a great run of this grisly black comedy by Oscar and Tony Award winner Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Pillowman).

Guns and gore are coming to County Galway and the tiny Aran Island of Inishmore ...

"Mad Padraic" Osbourne returns home in a rush after a stint of torture and chip shop bombing to check in on his cat Wee Thomas, his best friend of 15 years, who he was told has fallen ill. When he finally arrives at the home of his father and discovers the cat is actually dead, he goes on a rampage the likes of which you've likely not seen on a stage.

Six guns, dozens of spent rounds, four dead fellas, two dead cats plus various and sundry other special effects fill the intimate Shimberg Playhouse stage surrounding (and soaking) a cast of old friends, local favorites and newcomers alike that are sure to dazzle.

At the conclusion of the preview performance, the audience instantly jumped to their feet - hooting, hollering and whistling for the one hour and forty-five minute spectacle they'd just witnessed.

Now it's your turn. The Lieutenant of Inishmore is on stage now through April 12. Get your tickets fast, March 20-21 are already sold out this weekend, and not many tickets remain for March 19 or 22. We fully expect to sell out the entirety of this our opening weekend and hope it's just a sign of things to come for our four-week run.

Visit us online click on any of the links for the show you'd like to follow - a press release/synopsis of the work, links to all the stories in the press on the show, read cast and crew bios and much more.

And a bonus for you who choose to come and support us opening weekend - inside the program you will see the first look at Jobsite's 2009-2010 season. This information will not be released to the press until Monday, March 23.

Hope to see you soon at the theater!

Inishmore bits in the media

The Lieutenant of Inishmore made the WFLA newscast last night, but if you missed it you can still watch the video online at TBO.com. Check it out!

There's also a story online at Tampabay.com that will print in tomorrow's St. Pete Times - get the scoop!

Last night's final dress rehearsal was a great success - all the blood, all the effects all worked great - and we look forward to sharing this bloody mess with everyone for the first time tonight as we preview.

Remember, preview tickets for tonight at just $10. $5 if you are a student, senior citizen, member of the military or an educator. Those rush tickets are available as of 30 minutes to curtain with valid ID and cash.

Hope to see you all soon!

JobsiteTheater.org is down

We're aware of the issue and are working quickly to resolve it. In the meantime, why not scroll through the old entries here on Inishmore?

Preview is tomorrow at 8p, opening is Thu. at 8p.

Tickets are still available this week for the preview as well as Thu. and Sun.'s show.

Inishmore HELD OVER

The Lieutenant of Inishmore, previously scheduled to close Sun., April 5, is being held over through April 12 due to brisk sales.

Those added performances will occur Thu. - Sat. at 8pm and Sun. at 4pm.

Ticket prices, etc, will mirror the rest of the run.

All performances of the show are on sale now. Performances on March 20 and 21 are already sold out, with minimal availability for March 19 and 20.

Advance purchases are strongly encouraged to avoid being turned away at the door.

The Lieutenant of Inishmore contains loud prop gunfire and music, graphic violence and adult language/situations. This show is not for the squeamish or easily offended. MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY.

Inishmore in the news

You may have already seen the blog I wrote on the show for Creative Loafing, but if you haven't you may find it of interest.

We also had a still/video cameraman out last Tuesday who shot through rehearsal for Media General (WFLA, Tampa Tribune, TBO etc). I am told the story by Katie Coronado will run sometime this week in the early news, a print version should land in this week's Trib, and an online component will run on TBO.

On Thursday, St. Pete Times theater critic and a photographer came out to also watch us set up, rehearse and break down the show for the St. Pete Times. I'm hoping this story on all the tech for Inishmore runs this week in the paper and online.

David Warner from Creative Loafing will also be joining us Tuesday before rehearsal to shoot a video podcast on the show, where we'll talk about things and possibly demo an effect or two. At the very least we'll play a lot of show and tell.

Keep in mind - we open Thursday and tickets for this week are getting scarce. We really hope our truest fans and supporters make the extra effort to see us as early as possible to help us meet our much higher than typical financial goals on this show.

Keeping up with Jobsite

With the opening of The Lieutenant of Inishmore just a few days away, I wanted to remind you all of how you can stay in the loop with all things Jobsite in addition to our groovy website and this here blog:

• Become a Fan of Jobsite Theater on Facebook
  
• Join the Jobsite Theater group on Facebook - for folks in the Tampa Bay Network only
  
• Friend Jobsite Theater on MySpace
• Sign up for email updates
• Follow jobsitetheater on Twitter
  

Sold out Inishmore shows ...

Fri. 3/20 and Sat. 3/21 of opening weekend are now SOLD OUT for The Lieutenant of Inishmore. There's a little over a dozen open seats for both Thu. 3/19 and Sun. 3/22.

If you want to come opening weekend, we really encourage you get your tickets as soon as possbile. Strong advance sales and early sellouts greatly increase our odds of being able to add shows later in the run, and help us guarantee we pay for this extremely expensive production!

We hope to see you all soon!

The Patriot Game is still going strong

The Lieutenant of Inishmore is a black comedy dealing with, among other things, the absurdity of violence and blind patriotism - of nationalism to a degree as well. It's set on a small Irish island, and the characters speak wistfully of an Ireland free while decrying the "jack-boot hirelings of England's foul monarchy".

I've said before one man's terrorist is another man's patriot (actually, I think I stole that line from Ed Harris in The Rock), and this play certainly tries to shed some light on that.

At the time it was written, no one wanted to touch it with the situation being what it was in Ireland. A few years later and some shifting politics (not to mention a threat from McDonagh to not write another word until it was produced) and the play finally got off the ground.

It's been relatively quiet in the US press about the IRA or any of it's splinter groups (one of those, the INLA, features prominently in the show), and I didn't hear a peep on the subject that I spent in Ireland just January, but I noted just a minute ago on the Anderson Cooper 360 blog there is a story about renewed operation of the IRA and some of its subsidiaries.

Check out the story here.

You certainly don't need to know anything about Irish politics to enjoy the show, but those who do might enjoy some lines more than others.

Really, you just need to know that in many folks eyes the conflict between the Irish and the British is the longest-running war in human history. Many believe the British occupied a soveriegn nation in Ireland for far too long and despite the Republic of Ireland now being a free nation, that the British have without right held on to this tiny little piece in the north on their way out, far overstaying their welcome. Those same believe that Ireland won't be free until it's wholly free, and united.

But, opinions vary, even within Ireland.

We're like kids in a candy store

Matt Lunsford and Chris Holcom testing out the hanging apparatus for the torture scene for the first time. We've made some adjustments since.


Jason Evans wearing his special effect rig for Scene 8. It's like the Jyhad-o-matic Bloody-Funtime Playset.


A closeup of a curtain after his device was tested.


Kari Goetz, post testing her special effect last night. She took 3 solid shots like a champ to get the effect just right.


What the curtain looked like behind her after that first test shot.

Interested now? Excited? So can you buy a ticket now pretty please?

Jobsite wants to save you money!

We're not in this for our health or anything, and obviously shows cost money to produce (you can get an idea on how expensive Inishmore is to mount by checking out this *EDITED TO ACTUALLY WORK* blog entry I wrote for CreLo over the weekend that breaks down all the special effects needed) - but we do understand there may be those folks out there that can't squeeze $24.50 into their budget to see a show.

So, as we're just about a week and a half away from our next opening, we wanted to remind you again of ways to save money when you buy tickets to our shows.

• Become a season ticket holder. I know, how does buying more of something save you anything? Well, season ticket holders save 30% off the cost of single tickets, and pay a one-time handling fee instead of a per-ticket surcharge. That works out to well over $60 saved per person for the season. Right now we're offering a mini-sub on the last three shows of 2008-09. Ask for it and the tickets for the last three shows drop in price to $17.15 for you!
• Save money in fees by buying at the window. We also know it's not always so convenient to do that, but if you're ever here for another reason or have time to pop by on your lunch/after work - window fees are the smallest form of service charge available.
• Are you a student, senior citizen (65+) or a member of the military? You qualify for a special $10 ticket to any show, any night as of half and hour to curtain. Just come to the Ticket Office and show your ID and you'll be set. Please always check this blog, the Jobsite website or call ahead to ensure there are still tickets left before you do that. No one likes being turned away due to a sold out show.
• Catch the preview. Not eligible for rush? You can come to the preview performance to any show for just $10 no matter who you are. Get a cheap ticket, help us test the show out on a real live audience - everyone wins! If you qualify for the rush mentioned above - get a preview ticket for just $5! Holy cow! That's cheaper than a movie!
• We also offer all educators (anyone with a paystub or an ID from a school) a $5 ticket to any preview. WOW!

We know times are tough, we know some folks are struggling more than others. We've prided ourselves on keeping our costs down, our tickets reasonably priced and making offers to those who might need them so that everyone can enjoy quality theater at a reasonable rate.

Hope you can make it out next weekend!

Become a Fan of Jobsite on Facebook and win!

We'll select a lucky winner on March 13 out of our Fans on Facebook to get a pair of opening night tickets to see The Lieutenant of Inishmore (3/19).

Not a Fan? Join here: http://bit.ly/b6rt0

Inishmore teaser trailer

Don't miss this show!

A killer way to celebrate St. Patty's ...