Paula Vogel: Did You Know?

Jobsite opens our 11th season in a month with the hilarious and touching non-traditional family comedy-drama, And Baby Makes Seven, penned by Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel.

Here are some fast facts and nifty tidbits on a very neat woman who I believe is one of the more creative, ingenuous playwrights to come along in the past few decades. I've also included a few tidbits on our production.

• Vogel is a professor and chair of the Department of Playwriting at Yale. She has been married to Brown professor (where Vogel was previously) and author Anne Fausto-Sterling since 2004.
  
• Her most famous student is arguably Sarah Ruhl, who also has a show on Jobsite's 2009-10 season - Dead Man's Cell Phone. Nilo Cruz, author of Anna in the Tropics, was also a student of Vogel's.
  
• Vogel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998 for her play How I Learned to Drive, a story about pedophilia and incest that explores the themes of control and manipulation. Those same two themes, though wholly removed away from incest or pedophilia, are also present in And Baby Makes Seven (ABM7). The original production of How I Learned ... featured Mary-Louise Parker.
  
• ABM7 is one of her earlier plays, and was originally produced under a non de plume (Vi Brennan). Vogel also directed the NY premiere (using her real name).
• Vogel's brother Carl died from AIDS in 1988. His death and their relationship served as the inspiration for her play The Baltimore Waltz. Carl was also the inspiration for the character Peter in And Baby Makes Seven.
• Children and multiple/conflicting/shattered personalities are also an undercurrent in several of her plays, including ABM7.
  
• ABM7 director Karla Hartley attended a workshop with Paula Vogel a few years back. The workshop was slated to go an hour, Vogel talked for over 2.5. Karla relates what a great experience it was, and how she learned a lot about her from it. One of the most interesting things Karla told me was that Vogel deliberately tries to write things that are impossible to put on stage. Vogel also claims to "write backwards," a trait not uncommon to other playwrights I know.
• In 1997, when I interned at The Hippodrome in Gainesville, Vogel was in residence for a week or so as they got The Mineola Twins ready to open. There were new re-writes Vogel wanted to check on, and I believe a few more tweaks were made at that time. Starring in this production was the brilliant actress Lisa Powers, former artistic director of American Stage and current colleague of mine at USF.
• I would later direct The Mineola Twins myself at Jobsite in 2004.
• Jobsite's production of ABM7 marks the third time the team of director/light designer Karla Hartley, scenic designer Scott Cooper and costume designer Katrina Stevenson have worked together for Jobsite. Previous collaborations have turned out the superlative productions of The Goat (Best Play of 2006 - Creative Loafing), Boston Marriage and Blackbird.
• Our production of ABM7 also reunites Hartley and actress Alison Burns, who in addition to appearing in Jobsite's Boston Marriage as the scene-stealing maid has worked with Karla many times over the years in the Jaeb Theater (including RESPECT, Waistwatchers and Jewtopia). I'm happy to finally have my turn being directed by Karla. We've collaborated for many years and have co-directed together, but one has never been directed by the other. The third actor, Jessica Rothert, is a relative newcomer to the Bay Area with an impressive resume and we're very excited to be offering up her professional mainstage debut.
  

Want more? Check out this interview with Vogel on Charlie Rose that focuses on How I Learned to Drive.

The one where we push season tickets

We don't have a whole tag set up for season tickets for no reason. Simply put they're the most immediately impacting number one priority for our short and long-term stability.

Big fat stacks of cash handed to us in an envelope or all the awesome in-kind sponsors in the world don't put the butts in the seats the same way that season tickets do.

Brass tacks, once again:

• When you buy season tickets you save a bunch of money. A 20% discount on the tickets themselves plus another wad of money since you pay a one-time handling fee of $10 per order instead of per-ticket service charges.
• Your seats are guaranteed all year, no more worrying about if a show is going to be sold out.
• We're easy like Sunday morning when it comes to moving your tickets to another night if something comes up. We know you're busy, and we're not trying to punish you for that.
• You get to see all of our Job-side Projects for FREE.
• You can buy more tickets to bring your friends at a discount as well.
• Sometimes we send special offers from us, and sometimes TBPAC makes specials available - only for season ticket holders!
• With the exception of the royalties we pay for out of NY to do the shows, the rest of your money is staying right here in Tampa Bay, not cruising up I-275 when the show leaves town.
• Your purchase gives us stability, and makes a show better. More season ticket holders mean nicer sets and costumes, more pay for our actors and allows us to invest in equipment that not only makes that show better, but all future shows. We can concentrate our time and effort on making the show better, and not on trying to find people to come see it ticket by ticket, show by show.

We are about 50 season ticket holders down from last year, but we still have almost a month until we open the hilarious anything-but-traditional meditation on having a child - And Baby Makes Seven.

What can we do to entice you to go ahead and pick up those season tickets now?

What do we have to do to prove our love to you? (w/pix!)

(all the photographs in this post are courtesy of Tracy May)

We're smack-dab in the middle of another weekend of Pericles. We have just 6 more shows remaining - tonight at 8, tomorrow at 4 and then four shows next week.

Then that's it. Poof. Gone. No mas. Sayonara.

Joe Popp will head back out of town to enjoy the rest of his sabbatical. Shawn and Neil will revisit their book, make some final changes from the run and start to plan their next great caper. I'll go immediately into producing both And Baby Makes Seven and Night of The Living Dead - simultaneously. The cast and crew will scatter away to all points, heading to other projects or just to take it easy for a little bit and bask in the glow of a project well-done.

It's both the beauty and a shame of what we do - it's temporal, and wholly effected by the live energy created between artists in space giving it their all and that collective of bodies on the other side responding. In that regard it's no different than a regular concert or a stand-up comedian or any other kind of public performance. It's an experience, and it only exists in this certain tiny window. The quality of that experience is also dictated by the number of people there, and how much they give back.

I've never heard so many superlatives from a cast and crew - "best ever," "most fun," "I could do this show forever," "my favorite," "I want to do just this for the rest of my life." That says something. The people that are coming are loving it. People are AMPED after the show - cast and audience alike. It's had four sensational reviews.

My only complaint is that it's not sold out every night. Which is fixable, even if it's flummoxing. This show is getting too good of buzz - it's frankly just too damn good - to not be at capacity every single night.

This is where you come in (I'm sure you already guessed) ... You've no doubt read about the show. You've probably even heard about it from friends or acquaintances or even just random strangers on the internet ...

What's stopping you personally from picking up a ticket, from coming out and having a great night of laughs and rockin' fun? I'm honestly asking, because I honestly want to know.

If you've been around us a while, and whether you've been out to see this show or not - what do you think we could be doing a lot better to get people in the door? Again - I really want to know. Don't hold back.

If you're one who has been on the fence as to when to come but keeps saying you're going to make it out, you can take stance now and help us out a lot by coming to tomorrow's 4pm matinee. If that's not possible, why not tonight at 8? That's not going to work either? We have shows next Thu. - Sat. at 8p and again next Sun. at 4p. That's directly in our order of preference, if that means anything to you at all. :)

If you have made it out already - first of all, THANK YOU. Got any friends, acquaintances or colleagues you can tap for us? That'd sure mean a lot.

Great reviews for Pericles just keep rolling in!

We're three for three so far on great reviews for Pericles. Check out what they are saying and follow the links to the full stories:

"Be ready to get blown away ... It’s fun, quirky, and energetic ... a rare commodity, an original rock musical, put together by the raw energy and talent of a group of committed artists ... They went out on a limb to produce this edgy, possibly controversial show. It works, and there’s nothing canned or fake about it. Turn off the television and go see Pericles." - Tampa Bay Arts Net

“... a raucous force of nature ... a butt-kicking, rocked-out adaptation ... It's clear that Jobsite has worked to create a non-musical musical ... The acting is good ... [the script] is delightfully smartass and rude. But the music is what makes this production really sing.” – The Tampa Tribune

“... if you love the Bard, good rock music, The Sopranos or just edgy theater, Pericles is a must-see. It’s an eloquent reminder of how indispensable Jobsite has become in ten years, and how consistently daring.” – Creative Loafing

Don't wanna take a critic's word for it? How about the words of these patrons who've been lovin' all over this show?

“Just got in from seeing the great musical Pericles. It is one of the best plays that I have seen in a while. The music was great, lyrics were significant to the story line and the performance done by each cast member was OUTSTANDING. Each actor played and sang their part so very well. I was caught up in the plot, which is for mature audiences only. The players easily drew me into their character and I felt as though I were part of the performance. I will be attending this musical again with friends and family.... Treat yourself to a night out of a modern musical with a great cast of actors, singers and comedians. It is time to make a memory. Enjoy.” – Jeanette French

“Was in the audience tonight for the sneak preview, and the musical was FANTASTIC! My boyfriend and I just really enjoyed ourselves. Tampa area people... go see this musical. It's totally worth it.” – mmobrien (via LiveJournal)

“GREAT SHOW!! Definitely something to come and spend your money on. Support the local artistic community and keep great projects like this coming back again and again!!!!” – theatergoer from Largo (via tampabay.com)

“I was frankly very unsure about this Pericles thing. Shakespeare, mobsters, punk-rock. Sounds like something that you might see in a Simpsons episode about community theater. And who is this Joe Popp guy anyway? Add to that the hype, the glowing reports of the people who saw it in rehearsal and the preview night and I was very worried it wouldn't live up to the expectations. It didn't. It surpassed them. I know who Joe Popp is now, he's a wizard. The music was amazing, powerful, energetic and still melodic over a broad variety of styles ... The cast were uniformly strong, passionate and energetic ... The book was a very clever transmogrification of the original as well as incredibly funny ... I'll be seeing it again, everyone should go see it.” – David Hood (via Blogsite Theater)

“That's really lovely work you're doing in the Shimberg. I was terrifically impressed with the focus and the timing and the writing and the singing and the characterizations. You deserve a bigger venue. Joe deserves a house band to back him up. Thanks for loving what you're doing. It shows.” – Steve Garland

“One of the best shows I've seen at the Jobsite!!!! I saw the show Friday and also was suprised at the 'silence' from the audience at the start. Finally, the crowd gave in "thankfully" and made noise so my laughter wasn't alone and my clapping was joined by others. Great Job by the everyone involved!” – Sam Combs (via Facebook)

“Actors were excellent! Songs and lyrics were great! Set was amazing (loved how well you utilized space)! It was a little loud for me so some of the lyrics were hard to understand, but no different from any other rock show. Definitely worth seeing!!!” - Lorie Kittendorf (via Facebook)

Still not so sure? Well, then the only way to find out is to make a decision for yourself - grab a ticket and you'll have an opinion of your own!

This is a sensational show, something over two years in the making representing the work of a dozen and a half artists spanning the whole east coast, from Tampa to NYC.

A show like this doesn't come along that often. We're in preliminary talks about trying to move a version of the show to NY for a limited run. See it now and be able to brag how you saw it first when it when's all those Tony Awards. ;)

Hope to see you out this weekend. You won't regret it.

Mucho Side-projectage!

If you're seeing Pericles this weekend (and you should be if you're not already planning on it ...), why not stick around for one of these great Job-side Projects?

LOL: An Evening with Arnie Ellis
Aug. 14 – 22, 2009
Fri.-Sat. 11 pm
Tickets: $5 at the door; FREE for Jobsite season ticket holders (email us to secure your seats.)

ROTFL as you get delivered by “The Prophet.” Arnie Ellis is a comedian who ignites spirits with words and audiences are never the same. This Central Florida stand-up comedy vet will save you without laying hands on you – although he has been known to try.

Adult language and themes.

Jails, Hospitals and Hip Hop
By Danny Hoch
Directed by Christopher Rutherford
Featuring Curtis Belz
Aug. 16 & 18, 2009
Sun. and Tue. at 8pm

three worlds / two million voices / one generation

Adult language and themes.

The Sublet Experiment (Staged Reading)
By Ethan Youngerman
Directed by Lori Shannon
Aug. 17, 2009
Mon. 7:30 pm
Tickets: $5 at the door; FREE for Jobsite season ticket holders (email us to secure your seats.)
Shimberg Playhouse, TBPAC

This romantic comedy revolves around mistaken identity and psychological voyeurism in very cleverly written package.

Some more Pericles thoughts

So, I think I might end up watching every performance this weekend, which I think would be a first for me.

Of course I have to be at preview, for notes, and I'm always there opening night to show my support and "let go" of the show. After that I'm there long enough to greet patrons and do a curtain speech, then I'll typically split. Ok, so maybe I stick around and watch a scene or two before leaving to see what kind of audience they might have.

And I almost always, without fail, take the Friday of opening weekend off.

It gets maddening sometimes as a director, through no fault of anyone involved with the show. please don't mistake me, that's not a reflection on anyone - ever. It's just that you stare at something for seven or so weeks and then get it up, and your director mind still hasn't shut down. I want to keep picking, tweaking and playing. I'm a little OCD that way.

So the only way around that is to take a night or two off, then come back with fresh eyes so that you can just enjoy the work.

I knew on Thursday night after the show I'd be back to watch on Friday.

I knew last night by intermission I'd be watching it again tonight.

It's for a bunch of reasons. If you saw my personal blog post (WARNING: potty mouth etc behind this link, which is why I didn't post it here) you read how much of a fanboy I am of the creators. I'm also a big fan of everyone up there on stage. There's so much to enjoy, and no knock on any of my other children but I haven't had such a tight, solid, cohesive, tenacious, determined and drama-free group since I don't even know when. I'm jealous, frankly, that I'm not up there with them.

So I sit in my seat and bop around and try not to laugh or clap unless other people are so I don't look like the a-hole out there sniffing his own farts. (Pardon the expression, both of them)

And it's a new show, so I admit to making a few, teeny-tiny minor adjustments as the week has gone on. Honestly all real small stuff.

Then there's the audience, which is another reason I'm still fascinated by this show. I believe I am witnessing a pattern. For the first proper scene of the show, in which there are two songs, the audience is a bit tentative. Are they allowed to laugh? Is it supposed to be funny? We're talking about incest after all. They don't know what to expect. To read about the show I know makes it sound like it could be dense.

Then there's a point at the end of the first scene that seems to consistently crack the ice and we do nothing but build in energy and response as the show goes on. Well, ok, last night was a little different, but they too seemed to eventually wake up and we ended up finishing as strong right with the audience as we have the other performances.

Then Joe tells me last night that he got feedback from some of his people who came that said they were actually afraid to make too much noise, to hoot or clap after songs - because I do the whole "silence is golden" bit in my curtain speech. To be fair to myself, I specifically say that "we love your laughter and appreciate your applause" but I just go on about not talking.

Maybe that approach works better with more traditional theater offerings.

I can take a note just like anyone else, so I'm changing up my curtain speech tonight in an effort to loosen the audience up and beg them to be into it while still stressing you shouldn't talk through the show.

Still, watching the audience from the top of the show start with no expectations or unsure faces as to what's about to happen and get progressively more and more into it up to that wild, crazy finish we have at curtain call is something else.

I love this show. I love what Neil, Shawn, Tylor, Brian and Joe have made. I love what my actors and design team and technicians have done with it. I love watching audiences discover it.

And that's why I'll probably see every single show.

Hell, Mark Leib loved it even, proving once again you can honestly never ever anticipate what a critic is going to think of something, even when you think you have great supporting evidence as to why they'll hate it.

We're sold out tonight, but we still have open seats for tomorrow and for every other show 8/13-23. We really could use your support, and I promise you it's worth it. Hope to see you soon. I'll be there every night, I just know it.

VOTE JOBSITE!

Please head over to the CreLo Best of the Bay Awards Reader's Poll ballot and choose Jobsite Theater as Best Theater Company among all of your other local favorites.

Creative Loafing Best of the Bay Awards

Good Pericles reviews already rolling in!

Within just a few hours of last night's preview performance, word was popping up on the internet about our new punk rock mob musical, Pericles!

"Was in the audience tonight for the sneak preview and the musical was FANTASTIC! My boyfriend and I just really enjoyed ourselves. Tampa area people....go see this musical. It's totally worth it." - mmobrien (via LiveJournal)

"Just got in from seeing the great musical Pericles. It is one of the best plays that I have seen in a while. The music was great, lyrics were significant to the story line and the performance done by each cast member was "OUT STANDING". Each actor played and sang their part so very well. I was caught up in the plot, which is for mature audiences only. The players easily drew me into their character and I felt as though I were part of the performance. I will be attending this musical again with friends and family, before they leave on the 23rd of August. Treat yourself to a night out of a modern musical with a great cast of actors, singers and comedians. It is time to make a memory. Enjoy." - Jeanette French (via TBO.com)

"Had a great time! can't get that last song out of my head :)" - Catherine Matthews (via Facebook)

"GREAT SHOW!! Definitely something to come and spend your money on. Support the local artistic community and keep great projects like this coming back again and again!!!!" - theatergoer from Largo (via tampabay.com)

When you get the chance to see the show, leave your comment at this entry!

Oh, and if you haven't seen the great interview in Creative Loafing with Joe Popp on the show, go check it out right now!

Open Thread: Your Pericles comments

Once you've had the chance to see Pericles, we hope you can come back here and leave us some feedback.

Your comments may help others make a better informed decision and will hopefully encourage others like yourself to come out and support the show.

So what do you have to say Tampa Bay?

Special offers on Pericles tix!

As with all Jobsite shows - students, seniors and members of the military get a $5 preview ticket or a $10 ticket to any regular performance by showing a valid ID and paying in cash at the TBPAC Ticket Office window as of 30 minutes to curtain.

Anyone can use promo code BROKE to get a $5 preview ticket. C'mon people, you can't beat that price with a beating machine!

Anyone can also get two-for-one tickets (just $12.25 each with this offer!) to any Thursday performance (8/6, 13 or 20) with promo code 2FER.

BROKE and 2FER are good any time over the phone (813.229.7827), online (TBPAC.ORG) or at the TBPAC Ticket Office window.

Take advantage! You miss this show and Fat Tony'll be sending that psycho Nicko after you!

2009-10 season opener title change!

We open the final performance of our 10th anniversary season - the punk rock mob musical Pericles - in just a few days, but the first show of our 2009-10 season is also right around the corner. However, we've had to make a change from our previously announced schedule.

Due to circumstance beyond our control we will be replacing Yellowman with Paula Vogel's inventive and hilarious play And Baby Makes Seven.

A love triangle with more than three sides: Anna, Ruth and Peter await the arrival of their newborn child, but first they must rid the crowded apartment of their three imaginary children. Completely blurring the lines between illusion and reality, power and subjection, friendship and love, female and male - And Baby Makes Seven is a celebration of narrative, of the power of the theatre to make fantasy real. It commemorates the childhood one never had, the friends wished for but never gained, the desires never acknowledged. From the author of The Mineola Twins, How I Learned to Drive and The Baltimore Waltz. "Filled with outrageous touches, And Baby Makes Seven is one of those rare theatergoing opportunities where everything comes together in a string of magical moments. Be prepared to be enchanted seven times!" - Austin American Statesman

And Baby Makes Seven will be directed by Karla Hartley and will still run the same dates scheduled for the other title, Sept. 24 - Oct. 11, 2009.

Season tickets for Jobsite's 2009-10 season are still available at a 20% discount. A ticket to all six Jobsite mainstage offerings is just $117.60 per person plus a $10 handling fee per order. Season ticket holders get all sorts of perks in addition to saving money, and are critical to Jobsite's long-term stability.