DREAMERS OF THE DAY has OPENED!!!!

Dreamers of the Day

has officially opened for a limited run at Roy Arias Studios and Theatres at the Times Square Arts Center, 300 West 43rd Street, NYC.

Only 11 performances left!!!

Get tickets now at www.goingtotahitiproductions.com or

call 866-811-4111.

Loading In...

We're loading DREAMERS in to the Roy Arias Studios and Theatres even as we speak! There was a moment of panic this morning when we initially couldn't get into the theater but we're in now. Set construction is almost done. Sound cues are loaded, projections are getting worked out now. To get tickets for DREAMERS OF THE DAY, click here or go to www.goingtotahitiproductions.com.

One Week to go!!!

So, somehow three weeks of rehearsal have flown by and we are now less than a week from opening night. The rehearsals are going very well and we can't wait for you to see what Agnes would call, "our little story."

Here are all the details:

DREAMERS OF THE DAY, a play based on the novel by Mary Doria Russell, is the story of one woman's accidental witness to history during the formation of the modern Middle East.

Egypt. 1921. Lawrence of Arabia. Winston Churchill. Woodrow Wilson...and Agnes Shanklin?

On the eve of the Cairo Peace Conference, a lonely American heiress finds herself the confidant of diplomats and the target of the attentions of a possible German spy. Part travelogue, part history, part journey of self-discovery, Kirkus Reviews calls the novel “an inspired fictional study of political folly.”

Five actors, Rhonda Harrington*, Kiwi Callahan, David Eiduks,* Adam Segaller*, and Maria Silverman* bring 70 characters to life in locations as varied as a Cleveland living room, a steamboat on the Nile, and a shadowy purgatory.

*denotes members of Actors' Equity Association

Performance Dates:

Thursday, September 16 - Saturday, September 18, at 8pm

Sunday, September 19, at 2pm

Thursday, September 23 - Saturday, September 25, at 8pm

Sunday, September 26 at 2pm

Wednesday, September 29 – Saturday, October 2 at 8pm

Dreamers of the Day will be performed at The Roy Arias Studios and Theatres in the Times Square Arts Center, 300 West 43rd Street, 5th Floor.

Tickets available online here and at www.goingtotahitiproductions.com or by phone at 212-811- 4111.

All tickets are $18.

End of Week Two...

Almost two weeks of rehearsal under our belts and the show is shaping up nicely. I don't really have much else to say except that I love my cast. They are gelling nicely with each other and the ensemble is just a fun talented group to be a part of. We have our first movement rehearsal on Sunday...Dana will be teaching the cast to ride camels. It should be great fun. The only thing I'm worried about is getting the camels into the rehearsal studio. :)

We Have A Cast!!!

So the show has been cast and we have officially begun rehearsals!!!!

The full cast assembled today for the first time and we had our first Read Through. It went very well...though we didn't actually get through the whole script - clearly someone is going to need to cut another 20 pages...BUT, the reading went great!!! It was so exciting to hear Mary's beautiful words coming out of the mouths of actors instead of out of my mouth talking to my reflection in a mirror and trying to figure out if this show is going to work. Having heard actual actors, and really talented ones at that, actually start to play around with the characters and bring something of themselves to the show...it was thrilling...it was, it is- what I live for and, I can tell you now, this show is going to work...and this was only the first day!!! I can't wait to see what happens when we really start to play with the script, with movement, with tech and design elements. I'm hoping to post some cast info - headshots and bios on the website soon. Keep an eye out for updates. AND, I promise, I will try to update the blog regularly throughout this rehearsal process, but for now, I'm hitting the hay.

Only ONE DAY LEFT for Kickstarter donations!!

ONLY ONE DAY LEFT to be a part of the DREAMERS OF THE DAY on STAGE Kickstarter Campaign!! Thank you for helping us reach our goal, now help us blow past it like a semi truck passing a family station wagon on I-95 at 3am!!!

You can still be a part of the action, and as my 7 year old nephew says, "This is SO much ACTION!"

Click here for details and to donate:
Kickstarter: Dreamers of the Day on Stage

We've got a theater, we've got a crew, now let's get a cast, shall we?

Things are heating up...

The Showcase Application has been submitted to Equity and is pending approval.

The Theater has been booked!

DREAMERS OF THE DAY will open on September 16th at the Roy Arias Theatre Center at the Times Square Arts Center at 300 West 43rd Street. The show will run for 3 weeks until October 2nd. Details and ticket information will be posted as soon as it is available.

We're almost crewed up!

We've got ourselves a set designer, a stage manager, a sound designer, a choreographer and a projections designer. We're still waiting on word about a lighting designer, but, seeing as we're still 6 weeks out from opening night, I feel like we're in pretty good shape.

And now, we just need a cast!

Auditions will be held Monday and Tuesday. Depending on how the initial auditions go, we'll probably do call-backs next weekend. Currently we're on track for an August 15th rehearsal start date!

KICKSTARTER!!!

You may have heard rumblings through newsletters or facebook, that we have launched a new fundraising campaign at a website called Kickstarter. I'm here to tell you, the rumblings are true! Kickstarter.com is this awesome site that helps fundees find funders. In the website's own words: "Kickstarter is a new way to fund creative ideas and ambitious endeavors... Kickstarter is powered by a unique all-or-nothing funding method where projects must be fully-funded or no money changes hands."


We have launched a campaign specifically for DREAMERS OF THE DAY. Although donations on Kickstarter are not tax deductible, they do come with rewards attached. Rewards like free tickets and behind the scenes access to the production. Take a look at our Kickstarter page to learn more or to make a donation. (there's a little video and everything):

Kickstarter - Dreamers of the Day on Stage!

As you'll see from the site, we only have until August 1st to hit (and hopefully surpass) our goal. So, the clock is ticking!

GOING TO TAHITI is going to the BAR!!!

When I first moved to New York and was faced with a big scary rent and no real job which would help me pay the big scary rent, I went through a couple of stages. The first stage was - Temp Jobs, wherein I signed up with 8 different temp companies and took every office job that I could (no kidding I have a scrapbook of letterhead from like 30 different temp jobs.)

I quickly realized that the whole temp job thing sucked and so I moved on to stage two - Waitressing, wherein I got a CRAPPY job waiting tables at a restaurant near my Upper East Side apartment (a two bedroom with 3 people in it. This wasn't an UES penthouse, people). Now, this crappy job had a couple of good things going for it: 1) the food was really good, so when I worked long hours and I needed to eat there, I had access to a good meal and 2) the staff of mainly middle easterners served up some great home cooked (or restaurant kitchen cooked) meals that weren't on the menu but that they invited me to join them in consuming. So the date, rice, chicken dish I had during Ramadan was awesome and something I still think about on occasion. That being said, with the exception of those to things, it was a crappy job and leaving that place was one of the greatest things I did.

And then there was stage Three - Bartending. This was my favorite stage. This was the stage where I spent a lot of money and took a two week bartending course so that I could learn to tend bar and then I would immediately be hired by a Cheers-like establishment, where everyone would know my name and would love that I did this whole "tend bar" thing while I worked on my directing projects and within a year or two, I would be a famous and successful director and I would leave the bartending profession with fond memories and great stories... it was a brilliant plan... too bad it didn't so much, you know, happen. Instead, after I spent all my money to take the bartending course and I went out there with my brand spanking new bartending resume which read "graduate of the American Bartending School" and then nothing, wouldn't you know it? No one would hire me because I lacked "experience." WhatEVER! People are so picky. Anyway, that little setback sent me back into Stage One and the various temp jobs led to more permanent office jobs and a whole lot of office experience - ugh.

"Who cares, Jess?" you ask.

"Well you do," I answer. And here's why:

Finally, after 15 years of my bartending certificate lying dormant in a drawer, I am resurrecting it, like a Phoenix from the ashes, and I. am. tending. BAR! Ok, so it's not like I've got a new job or anything, I'm guest bartending at BAR12 at 206 34th Street in NYC. And it's only from 6-9pm. And it's a one night only engagement - FRIDAY, June 25th. And, I'll have a "real" bartender backing me up with helpful reminders on how to make, uh, just about everything. But still, it should be fun.

It's all in support of our upcoming production of Dreamers of the Day. It's $10 at the door or $17 if you want the extended happy hour. AND, we just heard from a donor who is willing to match funds raised up to $1000! So come on out and help make our bartending night a success. And seriously, with me behind the bar, there should be no end to the hilarity that will ensue as I try my Tom Cruise Cocktail moves. (If anyone from management at Bar12 is reading this, no worries, my "Tom Cruise Cocktail moves" are limited to a cocky grin.) Oh, and I make a small request that you not decide to play stump the bartender with your drink orders and keep it to things like "vodka, on the rocks." I already know what goes in that drink order. Heh.

Here are the details again:

When: Friday, June 25th 6:00-9:00pm

Where: Bar12 at 206 East 34th Street

How much: $10 to get in the door or $17 for the extended happy hour

Second Draft - DONE! Now, in search of a Crew!

So the second draft of the script is finished and is currently with a few trusted readers for editing suggestions. It's still entirely too long (need to cut about 30 pages) but it's at least in production form and, in fact, in good enough shape that if I had a cast and crew right now I would feel comfortable workshopping it. The biggest change of this round of editing is that the play, originally envisioned as a one woman show, now includes a cast of 5 people. It's a pretty big change but one that I think will really benefit the overall production.

Speaking of the overall productions, I am currently looking for a crew to get started on pre-production design. If you are a set, lighting, sound, costume, or props designer, or if you are an artist of any type and are looking to try your hand at theater, or if you know someone who fits into one of those categories, please send them my way. They can reach me at jessica@goingtotahitiproductions.com. We're looking at performing the show in a blackbox theater with a minimal set and I think for the right kind of designer this could be a really fun project.

SO MUCH TO REPORT!!!!

I know that everyone has been breathlessly anticipating my next posts and I have, sadly, left you all in the lurch. No longer! New posts start NOW! Although I have been absent from the blogosphere, that doesn't mean that I have been sitting with my feet up, eating bon bons and twiddling my thumbs. Much has gone on during the off-season, (can we tell that someone has been gearing up for opening day of the baseball season?), or in tv terms, much has gone on during our hiatus (someone's a tv junkie). Much of this news will be covered in greater depth in the quarterly newsletter, but I wanted to get the big news announced on the blog asap. So, let me get right to it:

THE SCRIPT
Here's the biggest news - I have FINISHED the first draft of the adaptation of Dreamers of the Day!!! Now, it is waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy too long and it's not nearly in production shape, but it was a BIG step towards getting the show off the ground. And, in the process of constructing the first draft, the production ideas and the directing ideas are a-flowing. It is VERY exciting and I'm hoping to have a pared down second draft completed by May 1st.

A DEPARTURE and AN ARRIVAL
Sadly, Stephanie Bayliss had to step down as Managing Director of GTTP. Her schedule of commitments got too crazy and she had to take a more backseat role. She is still with GTTP as a production consultant and our go-to Stage Manager, but she will no longer be involved in the day to day running of the company. We are sad to see her go but we are comforted by the fact that she did not go far. Stepping into her position, we are absolutely THRILLED to announce our new Consulting Producer, Rachel Dalton. Rachel comes to GTTP with a twin background in acting and business. Her completed bio will soon be up on the website but in the meantime, I wanted everyone to offer Rachel a rousing GTTP welcome.

WEBSITE REDESIGN
If you haven't recently taken a gander at www.goingtotahitiproductions.com, by all means, click on over. We went through a re-design of the website. It took some time to get the re-design off the ground but we're thrilled with the results. Feel free to drop us a line and let us know what you think.

THE MUCH BALLYHOOED FUNDRAISERS
You have heard here many things about fundraisers and workshops and all manner of activities which have yet to manifest themselves. I wanted to let everyone know that with Rachel on board, one of the things we are most focusing on in the upcoming weeks is locking down our 2010 calendar of events. As SOON as it is locked it will be up on the website and here on the blog so keep checking back regularly!!!

So that's the skinny. I'll post again soon.

What if you threw a fundraiser and nobody came?

So we had a winetasting planned...and we were good to go next Saturday...and the place was affordable...and though it had a 20 person limit, I thought, "we can do this"...bring in some cash...really kick off the fall fundraising drive...yeah! I was psyched, psyched I tell you. I put together the Evite. I invited 128 people. I thought, "we can get 10 people to pay 60 bucks for a winetasting, no problem."

Well, actually...Big problem. I don't know if it's the economy or if it's the idea of a winetasting or maybe this is a time when people are travelling a lot? I don't know. I just know that there wasn't enough interest for folks to commit and it suddenly was not a financially viable fundraising idea so I had to cancel, :( which if you can't tell from the emoticon, makes me sad...

So, now what? Where does that leave us? Well, we're still aiming for an October fundraiser. Now we're focused on a Halloween Costume Party. Hopefully the price tag change from $60 to $10 will make a difference. I mean, come on, you go to a party and bring a bottle of wine or a 6 pack of decent beer and you're spending more then 10 bucks so hopefully people will be down for the fundraising aspect of it and we'll make some bank...even if it's just a little bank.

And, we're looking towards the next few months. I think November is out because it'll be so soon after the Halloween Party and then we're into Thanksgiving, but a Holiday Cookie Party in December? Well that might be some fun. Nothing too crazy-just picking a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and inviting people to come on by whenever they want during like a 4 hour period, roll out some cookies and bake them. Kids will be welcome. There will be wine for the grown ups and the brand new Kitched Aid I got for a wedding present can get some use...I figure people can pay $15-$20 and come away with a dozen cookies or so. We'll supply the dough and the oven and the wine and we'll have a nice afternoon holiday party...

So, hopefully that will bring in some bucks (again, we're not talking thousands of dollars but maybe a few hundred).

And, that should take us through the end of the year. I will say that with fundraising slowing to a crawl, we're looking at postponing the show a bit, which is a bummer, but I'd rather wait until we have the funds and do Dreamers of the Day in March or April or even early May, than rush it into production with one fifth of the budget we really need to make the show everything it could be.

Never fear, I'm bummed but not discouraged and I'm NOT giving up. This show, when we pull it off, is going to be FANTASTIC!!! And I am COMMITTED to making it everything I know it can be. Keep your fingers crossed that the money starts flowing. I'll keep everyone posted on progress as we go.

...AND WE HAVE A SHOW!!!!!

I have an announcement I have been ITCHING to make for about two months:
It's official - we have chosen a show. We have just finalized the agreement to do an adaptation of Mary Doria Russell's novel DREAMERS OF THE DAY!

This beautiful book is about a woman, Agnes Shanklin, who, after losing her family in the 1918 influenza epidemic, goes on the trip of a lifetime to Egypt and finds that her visit coincides with the 1921 Cairo Conference. "Arriving at the Semiramis Hotel just as the Peace Conference convenes, Agnes, with her plainspoken American opinions and a small, noisy dachshund named Rosie, enters into the company of the historic luminaries who will, in the space of a few days,...invent the nations of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan." As she says in the opening of the novel her "little story has become [our] history." And it's only through understanding her times, that we can start to get a grasp of our own.

What we're planning right now, is to adapt the novel into a one woman show. It is a story told completely from Agnes Shanklin's perspective so it's ripe for solo possibilities, but that could always change as we get into the meat of the adaptation - we'll see. We're planning to do a whole multi-media kind of thing with still and moving projections, music from the times, and hopefully some exciting, (but not too expensive) design elements to the set, costumes and props.


I have already begun work on the adaptation and there will probably be many posts of me fumbling around as I figure out how to make it work. You see, I've never done an adaptation of this nature. I'm excited (or as Little Red says "excited and scared") to jump into this challenge. I may have assistance in the adaptation and I may be throwing out questions here to get some help on specific issues that come up as I work - so as I post questions, if anyone's out there, I'd love to hear from you.

A word about Mary Doria Russell. If you have never read any of her novels - do so NOW! Hands down, she is one of the very best fiction writers out there right now. Though her books cross different genres and topics, they all share one very special trait, they are all beautifully, gracefully, movingly written. THE SPARROW, CHILDREN OF GOD, THREAD OF GRACE and DREAMERS OF THE DAY are 4 wonderful, amazing, powerful books and I am anxiously awaiting her next one. We are SO honored that Ms. Russell has given us permission to adapt her beautiful book - that she has trusted us with one of her babies. We will nurture it and care for Agnes' story as if it were our own and cannot wait to see the final product when we get it on its feet!