Many of our theatre companies are inventing new ways of interaction with theatre-goers. Please enjoy these offerings.
From Teatro Paraguas
Check out the Teatro Paraguas xerb.tv channel for recent content available to stream online.
Shows that are currently available include:
Videos of four plays by Alix Hudson, produced at Teatro Paraguas since 2015: Our Lady of Mariposas, Revolution, Atravesada: Poetry of the Border, and Hummingbird; Una Nota de Lorca and Naranja y Limón, two flamenco concerts in tribute to two of Spain’s greatest poets, Federico Garcia Lorca and Miguel Hernandez, presented by Teatro Paraguas and Companía Chuscales y Mina Fajardo; Zoom poetry readings with Joan Logghe and Art Goodtimes; Ride Easy, a poetry and music tribute to Kell Robertson; and El Perro y el Zorro (The Dog and the Fox), two bilingual cuentos (folktales).
Ironweed Productions presents I AM, a short film which premiered at Teatro Paraguas in August.
I AM features original poems and spoken word performances by eight compelling young artists from Santa Fe, Taos, and Albuquerque: 2020 Santa Fe Youth Poet Laureate Artemisio Romero y Carver, Akyra Cordova, Yovanna Estrada, JezuDePaz, Llamas, Blanca Ortiz, Teresa Romero, and Arwen Scarlata.
The poems in this film, created around the theme of hope, were workshopped under the mentorship of Israel Francisco Haros Lopez. The film, co-produced by Ironweed Artistic Director Scott Harrison and Kate Kita, is directed by Matt Sanford in collaboration with filmmaker and cinematographer Freedom Hopkins.
Santa Fe Playhouse, in co-production with Ironweed Productions and Pieboy Films, presents The Confessions of Clayton Younger, an online series of monologues written by Patrick Mehaffy; performed by Scott Harrison and Robyn Rikoon; and edited by Annie Liu.
Inspired by Shelter in Plays, the Playhouse’s innovative response to COVID-19 and its impact on the arts community, The Confessions of Clayton Younger evolved out of two of Patrick and Scott’s offerings for that series: Spring 2020 and Fool for Love. From those two pieces, and more monologues currently in development, the character of Clayton Younger emerged. Clayton Younger is a man of the contemporary West, raised in rural Montana and Wyoming, but now living in Quemado, New Mexico. He's wry and honest, talking about his troubled relationship with his father and brother, his misadventures with the women he has loved, or just reflecting on the tragic history of the American West and his place in that history.
The series launched in January of 2021, with a re-release of both Spring 2020 and Fool for Love, as well as a new piece entitled Grande Frappuccino.
Chapter 16: Bear Dreams
Bear Dreams is the latest chapter of The Confessions of Clayton Younger.
From the ISC
We live in a world dominated by visual stimulus. The sheer volume of imagery surrounding us can sometimes silence our own “mind’s eye.” While the pandemic has us staring at screens, what would happen if we instead “open our ears”? This is the premise of the ISC’s latest creative endeavour with Tabling: The Podcast, as we produce radio plays of the entire Shakespeare canon over the next year with theatre makers from all around the country.
This partnership will result in two podcasts: Radio Shakespeare Lab, in which we are creating a complete library of Shakespeare’s canon; and Tabling: The Podcast, in which each play will have five to six episodes of “table work” discussions where the ensemble asks questions, analyzes the text, and delves into character work. Each play is voiced by actors from Santa Fe and around the world, and incorporates sound effects and original music. Both podcasts are now live on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podchaser, Spotify, and Stitcher.
Henry IV, Part II runs March 25 through April 9. It will feature Santa Fe talent: Rhoda Bodzin, Amber Devlin, Eric Devlin, Marty Madden, Liam Mitchell, Noah Segard, and Danielle Reddick.
Previously Released:
Henry IV, Part I, featuring Santa Fe talent: Zoe Burke, Deborah Davis, and Lynn Goodwin
Hamlet, directed by Emma Rosa Went, Drama League Classical Directing Fellow
Richard II, featuring Santa Fe talent: Zoe Burke, Mairi Chanel, Caryl Farkas, Amy Meilander, and William Potter
King John, featuring Santa Fe talent: Meg Hachmann, Liam Mitchell, and Danielle Reddick
If you are interested in being a participant in this project, please send an email to ISC Artistic Director, director and curator of this project, Ariana Karp: ariana@internationalshakespeare.center
From Almost Adults Productions
LGBTQ+ Short Play Reading Series
Standing Naked in the River of Shame
Written and Directed by Evan Edwards
A Letter to Derek, by Michael Alberstadt
Apophenia, by Bill Crouch
Lickety-Split, by Alfonso Ramirez
Mind Control, by Debbie Landeman
Hometown 1974, Written, Directed by Marguerite Louise Scott
Twenty Years, by Candace Perry
Gayer Than Laughter, by Felix Racelis
Pinch My What? by Larry Rinkel
Boy’s State, by Scott Sickles
The Snake on the Steering Wheel, by DC Cathro
For Old Times Sake, by Patrick Riviere
Find every episode of the series on the Almost Adults YouTube channel.
Almost Adults Productions is an inclusive company in Santa Fe providing creative opportunities for both beginning and seasoned writers, actors, directors, producers, crew members, and local non-profits since 2015.
From New Mexico Actors Lab
Undoing Salk: A Race for a Vaccine
A free Zoom play featuring Nicholas Ballas, Jonathan Richards, Kat Sawyer, Paul Walsky, Robert Benedetti, and Jeff Ware.
Historically accurate with much dialogue taken from primary sources including interviews with many of those depicted, plus documentary images, this play was first commissioned by the Pittsburgh Playhouse to celebrate the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Salk vaccine trials.
Video is 52 minutes.
From Julesworks
Julesworks Follies End of Month Showcase is a monthly offering to add more to the JW Follies YouTube Channel and the virtual world.
The Livestream will, as usual, be open to all willing participants and present a bit of musing in an array of genres, styles, and tones, by a mix of performers from New Mexico and beyond of all ages, ilks, and stuff and things.
From Santa Fe Playhouse
Shelter in Plays is a series of short videos produced by the Santa Fe Playhouse, and written and performed by local artists.
Dead Crow
Written by Patrick Mehaffy and performed by Scott Harrison.
First Face . . . Whatever
Written by Gary Dontzig and performed by Alaina Warren Zachary.
Something Lovely
Written by Scott Harrison and performed by Matt Sanford.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
To see the entire collection of “Shelter in Plays,” click here to go to the Playhouse YouTube channel.
Video is 2 minutes 24 seconds.
Video is 4 minutes 36 seconds.
Video is 13 minutes 23 seconds.
The Grand Tour
“Isolation has a way of peeling away a person’s social filter. Which, at its most basic, is the buffoon. It’s an uninhibited creature of impulse and honesty, no matter the consequences. In this piece, I was just enjoying life without reigns, while making fun of some of my creature comforts.” -Koppany Puszta
Henry and the Bags
The character began at a photo shoot in 1987 when Grottesco was building FORTUNE: The Rise and Fall of a Small Fortune Cookie Factory in New Mexico. The company was also showcasing a collection of short works, so for the photo shoot, anything was game as long as it was striking. Actors were pulling things from trunks, trying anything and everything. Our long-time lighting designer, Ian Rosenkranz, had the hat and the camera. Flax had the teeth. Rosenkranz shot black-and-white and a character was born. Much later came the voice and another year or two later Henry and the Animals premiered at a benefit in Ann Arbor.
Video is 2 minutes, 43 seconds.
Video is 6 minutes 5 seconds.
Pie
In 2016, Grottesco began work on a play with five equal creators and no leader. This was the company’s purest ensemble since the 1984 two-person play, The Insomniacs. Some were tickled by complicated ideas and spectacular imagery. Others yearned for simplicity. A subdued clowning emerged along with buffoonery, dance, and slow-motion. The ensemble mixed all of these passions and more into the new piece. But what was the story?
We were creating in the shadow of the 2016 presidential campaign, unable to keep current affairs out of our discussions. And then a Carl Sagan quote emerged: “If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.”
The text was last but when it finally came time to write, we wrote in google docs. As one actor sweated out the writing of a clever dialogue, another worked behind them altering or replacing it altogether.
John Flax, Danielle Reddick, Tara Khozein, Apollo Garcia. Photo: Marc Romanelli
Pie: Four armchair experts show up to speak at a panel. Each is speaking at their first panel, unaware that the others are not speaking on the same topic. The moderator never shows. They wait. Along with the audience. Tensions rise. Eventually, their unsustainable world tips and a Rube Goldberg chain of events propels them back to the beginning of the universe.
Video is 2 minutes, 3 seconds. Actors: John Flax, Danielle Reddick, Tara Khozein, Apollo Garcia. Video Cameramen: David Aubrey, Marc Romanelli, Craig Hansen. Sound: James Becker. Edited by Lightningwood Productions.
About Theater Grottesco
Theater Grottesco creates a new kind of performance that is visual, explosive, and full of surprise. The Grottesco Ensemble rekindles interest in live performance by juxtaposing classical and modern theatrical styles with a daring, poetic research of culture and imagination, challenging the cultural paradigm of our contemporary society, and taking audiences to the brink of emotional wonder and soulful reflection.
Theater Grottesco puts out a weekly performance piece every Friday. Sign up for their newsletter with background information on each piece or search Theater Grottesco on Youtube.com to view just the pieces. You can also go to their home page and choose “Now Playing” for a wonderful collection of short works.
Our First Zoom Play Winner: Going to Canossa
Written by Jonathan Richard
Performed by Scott Harrison, Jonathan Richards, and Nicholas Ballas
In 1077, King Henry of Germany stands barefoot in the snow for three days in front of the castle housing Pope Gregory, hoping that the Pope will lift the excommunication he has placed against Henry for installing his own bishops.
Video is 13 minutes 8 seconds
Our Second Zoom Play Winner: Benji 35
Written by Leslie Harrell Dillen
Performed by Zoe Burke, Vanessa Rios v Valles, Niko’a Salas, Hania Stocker
The second winner in our Zoom Story contest, this eight-minute video is inspired by the real story of Captain Tim “Spike” Gibson who was forced to eject from his F16 fighter over enemy territory in Iraq and was sheltered and led to safety by an Iraqi woman.
Video is 8 minutes 35 seconds.
Our Third Zoom Play Winner: Take That Thing Off
Written by Leslie Powell
Performed by Barbara Hatch and Tallis Rose
The third and final winner of our 2020 Zoom Story Contest, in which Santa Fe writers were invited to create short scripts for the Zoom format.
A crucial jailhouse visit is the culmination of a marriage.
Video is 10 minutes 14 seconds.
From Ironweed Productions
In the present moment, we are actively seeking ways of being an ally to other local theaters and theater companies like Teatro Paraguas, the Santa Fe Playhouse, The Swan, Theater Grottesco, NM Actors Lab, and others in town whose leaders are working tirelessly to maintain their operations and continue to move forward in these turbulent times.
We have created a public “Ironweed Community Outreach” group page on Facebook as a forum to share ideas for connection, engagement, collaboration, and support. Please feel free to share thoughts, ideas, questions, brainstorms, and initiatives from other theaters, cities, and communities on this page. And if you don’t have access to Facebook, you can email us your thoughts, and we will share them on the page.
505.927.5406
ironweedsantafe@gmail.com
P.O. Box 6851 • Santa Fe • NM • 87502
From the ISC
Read some Shakespeare—out loud and in community! Although the theater performances the ISC had planned (Coriolanus and Julius Caesar) have been put on hold, the Shakespeare Readers are carrying on via Zoom. Join us to read and discuss The Tempest (started August 15) and/or The Taming of the Shrew (started September 2). No one needs to be an “actor”—a reading group allows you to actively participate in Shakespeare instead of being a passive observer! No one has to read—feel free to just read along and join in the discussion. We read slowly and carefully, stopping at every line to make sure we understand not only the text but as much of the themes and motifs as possible. As one reader says, “The Shakespeare reading group has such a stimulating, exciting, high-level, and open atmosphere!”
To join us, go to our Meetup site: Meetup.com/SFScloseReaders. Sessions are $6, payable on the site, which goes toward paying rent on our Shakespeare Reading Room so we can return to it one day. Bring your own book, order Robin’s edition of The Taming of the Shrew, or view the text online at OpenSourceShakespeare.com.