Stage Banter: The Arena Stage Blog

The Hunt for the Hunger Games

by Aaron Malkin, Dramaturgy Fellow

It was almost a month ago now that Amrita, David, Pablo, and I met with Karen Zacarías to talk about her upcoming production of The Book Club Play that opens our Kogod Cradle season 
and is the inaugural production from our American Voices New Play Institute Resident Playwrights.  The conversation ran the gamut from logistics about when the latest draft would be done to what it means to be cultured in 2011 (be sure to look for excerpts from the conversation on Sub/Text as we get closer to opening night!). Not surprisingly, we talked a lot about books: books that the characters read in the play, books that Karen's book club has read, books that we couldn't put down.  Amidst all of the titles thrown around (the Harry Potter series, The Age of Innocence, Moby Dick, The Return of Tarzan, among others), there was one title that Karen raved about beyond any other: The Hunger Games.  Written for a young adult audience by Suzanne Collins, Karen described the book: "It's about a totalitarian state in the United States that has gone through some kind of nuclear war and to keep everyone in check every area has to send a boy and a girl between the age of 12 and 18 to an arena to fight to the death."  We were intrigued. She then went on to explain that she and her husband finished the first book in the middle of the 2010 Snowmageddon. They were so desperate for the second (The Hunger Games is a trilogy: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay) that he dug his way out of the house and ventured into Dupont to find it. It was, with the exception of perhaps Nabokov's Lolita, the most excited Karen's book club had been about a book in fifteen years. Incredulous of Karen's reaction to the books, we decided we needed to read them immediately. 

We met with Karen on a Thursday and Friday I left for a jam-packed weekend in New York.  I returned to DC on Tuesday for just 36 hours before leaving to celebrate the 4th of July with friends in the Berkshires - barely enough time for laundry let alone a trip to the bookstore.  Surely they would have The Hunger Games at Reagan National Airport. I made sure to arrive with enough time to drop by Hudson Books and it was my first stop before even approaching security.  The woman, who was closing up for the night, looked at me blankly so I pressed on, confident that they would have it at one of the three shops in the terminal. By the time the TSA supervisor made it over from the other terminal to double check for underwear bombs, the book store had closed.  The search continued on.  The following night my mother and I ate dinner across the street from the K-Mart in Great Barrington, MA and ran over as soon as the bill was paid, but, like the airport, it was too late. A night in the Berkshires without cable, internet, or The Hunger Games- I didn't know what I'd do.

Relief finally came the next day in another Western Massachusetts town.  After a somewhat successful trip to the Lee Outlet Mall (great sales but the bookstore had closed), I had some time to wander around Main Street in Lee and stumbled into Main Street Books.  Finally, in Main Street Books, I found The Hunger Games.  I ran to the display and grabbed one, nervous that my purchase would somehow be thwarted. The woman behind the register looked down at the book, up at me, down at the book, marked a tally in a steno pad on the desk, and back up at me.  "May I ask," she queried, "why you are buying this book?" I explained and she replied, "Hm. It's just that we can't seem to keep them on the shelves. I'll have to read it." I sat down in the park and read through p.50 in the time it took my friends' bus to arrive from Boston. 

As my friends gathered from New York, Philadelphia, Providence, Boston, and DC, conversation turned to The Hunger Games. Most of my friends weren't familiar (I eagerly explained the premise and interest was piqued), but one of my newly graduated friends was.  She had just started a book club to stay in touch with friends who were now living thousands of miles away, she told me, and they had chosen The Hunger Games as the first book. In a week’s time, I had learned about The Hunger Games in Washington, DC, discovered it was being devoured in New England book shops, and dissected by my friends in San Francisco and Wisconsin. Amidst the swimming, cooking, eating and chess playing of the weekend, I found myself sitting down with the book at any opportunity I could find.  I finished on the plane back to DC, satiated but already craving more. Karen's husband digging out of the snow not only made sense but seemed necessary.  I had to find the next book.

 

 

The Wonderful World of Workshops

by Jamil Jude, New Play Producing Fellow

As a New Play Producing Fellow here at Arena, I've had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects. Of all the opportunities, I cherish being a part of new play workshops the most. There is nothing like being in the room as the playwright, director, actors and other co-collaborators create a new work. The creative energy in these rooms is so contagious and uplifting. Being able to aide in the process over my time here at Arena has been a tremendous blessing.

I had the opportunity to aide in this process recently when resident playwright Charles Randolph-Wright workshopped his sci-fi, rock musical at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre. From May 8 through May 14, Charles, his musical collaborator, Nona Hendryx and their musical director Joseph Baker were hard at working bringing Skindiver to a late night audience in the Kogod Cradle. We rehearsed Skindiver over the course of six days, grooming the text, working on the songs and crafting a memorable performance. We assembled an amazingly talented acting core who really worked hard to bring the music and the book to life. The late night presentations on Friday, May 13 (how fitting for a sci-fi, rock musical right?!) and Saturday, May 14 were the first of their kind for us here at the Mead Center. It opened the door for other late night (11:00pm) events at Arena. I'm very proud of the work we did on the project and I look forward to seeing what the creative team of Skindiver come up with next! 

Fresh off the momentum of Charles' piece, I jumped right into the planning of Pslamayene 24's (shown here to the right) new play Journey to the Door of No Return. This piece, a hip-hop infused story of one man's search for his own truths, will be workshopped June 21-24. Continuing with ongoing partnership with Georgetown, we will rehearse and present a staged reading of the play at Georgetown's Davis center (stay tuned for more information coming soon!!!). For this piece, we are traveling in Dominic Taylor of Penumbra Theatre in Minneapolis to collaborate with Psalmayene 24 and a talented core of actors. I'm very excited about this project. I've had to opportunity to work with Psalmayene 24 through his work with Arena Stage's Community Engagement department and I met Mr. Taylor a number of times through some of the American Voices New Play Institute's programming. The collaboration will prove to be very successful and we are sure to see the play in a brand new light.

As I continue to learn about the American Theatre, new play processes and what it takes to bring a play from inception to production, workshops continue to be an invaluable opportunity for me to get my hands dirty. I've always realized I learn best by doing and I've been able to do here. I thank all of the artists who have allowed me to the chance to work with then my supervisors here at Arena who have placed me in those positions. I am truly appreciative.

Alright, time to go back to work. Stay tuned for more updates on the presentation for Journey to the Door of No Return!

City of Poets

by D Ohlandt, Edward Albee Festival Producing Fellow

Like most Americans, when I hear "Baghdad" it is only in the context of news articles about a war. I'm old enough to remember the first Iraq war, when Baghdad first became a household name. I may have seen the name on a map in school-- and remember, this was before the internet as we know it today-- but until 1991, it was just a name on a map.  With the initiation of Operation Desert Storm, the television gave me images to associate with the name "Baghdad"-- poorly-lit images of empty, flat sand, peopled only with young Americans in combat gear. For years, that was all I was able to imagine when I heard of "Baghdad"-- and the ongoing tensions in the Middle East and the initiation of the Second Gulf War in 2003 have only strengthened those associations.

So it was striking to me that after twenty years of imagining Baghdad as an empty, barren (and poorly-lit) place of sand, this past weekend I was given two different images of Baghdad-- the first, I think, I've encountered in twenty years that made me see it as a real place. I attended the opening of Mary Zimmerman's The Arabian Nights, a lush retelling of the familiar story of Scheherezade telling stories to save her life. Then, I was back at Arena for part of the #NewPlay Fest, a reading of Rajiv's Joseph's new play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. Both The Arabian Nights and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo are set actually in Baghdad itself-- and I struggle to think of any other plays or stories that take place in Baghdad, though there are many that refer to it.  The two plays were very different - Bengal Tiger in the Baghdad Zoo is set in present-day Baghdad, telling stories of a war-torn city and her devastated people, while Arabian Nights is set in the mythical time of legends, evoking nevertheless a rich and cultured Baghdad of a previous era.

It is easy to forget that the "Arabian" in Arabian Nights-- those stories and legends so many
of us knew as children-- is the same "Arabia" that is at the root of Arabic, a beautiful and ancient language that has too often been associated only with terrorism.  On Thursday night, I was not allowed to forget that, as the characters throughout the play repeated the phrase:

"Baghdad, city of poets and peace."  

And it is easy to forget that the Baghdad that is a temporary home for so many US 
servicemen and women is also home to Iraqis, who seek purpose in their lives and look for hope in the face of despair. On Friday, I was not allowed to forget that:

"Who could have ever thought, eh?  That such a place could be here?  That trees could grow like this?"

I found myself musing at my own naivete about this city in the news for twenty years about which I know so little. Who could have ever thought of Baghdad as a city of poets and peace? I couldn't before. Now I can.

Clean up, clean up...everybody everywhere

by Janine Sobeck

So my little sister had a phase where she was obsessed with Barney...so I've had the "Clean Up" Song stuck in my head all day long.

The reason?  Today was cleaning day at the house for our playwright residents.  While we've already had visits with our playwrights who have been working on projects, we finally have the home ready that they will be able to call their own.  And while we won't be doing the playwright's version of "Real World" (though I love how many people have suggested it...), I'm sure there are going to be lots of stories from the creative juices that will be flowing under that roof.

Let the fun begin...

Announcing the Resident Playwrights!

by Janine Sobeck

So, did you see the front page of the Washington Post this morning???  We have officially announced the rest of our Resident Playwrights!  Joining Karen Zacarias (who started in January) is:

Lisa Kron (In the Wake, Well (two Tony nominations) and 2.5 Minute Ride)

Katori Hall (Hoodoo Love, Remembrance, Hurt Village, Saturday Night/Sunday Morning, The Mountaintop (2010 Olivier Winner for Best New Play), WHADDABLOODCLOT!?!?, The Hope Well and Pussy Valley)

Amy Freed (Restoration Comedy, The Beard of Avon, Freedomland, Safe in Hell, The Psychic Life of Savages)

and 

Charles Randolph Wright (Blue, Cuttin' Up, The Night Is a Child and recent director of Arena's Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies)

         

Karen Zacarias, Lisa Kron, Katori Hall, Amy Freed and Charles Randolph Wright

As you can probably guess, we're more than just a little thrilled to have these great playwrights join us as the first Resident Playwrights of the American Voices New Play Institute.

And...just to make it even better...the Resident Playwrights will be joined by two Project Residents:

Lynn Nottage (Intimate Apparel; Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine; Crumbs from the Table of Joy; Las Meninas and Pulitzer Prize winner, Ruined.) 

and 

David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly (Tony Award for Best Play, Pulitzer Finalist), Yellow Face (Obie Award, Pulitzer finalist), Golden Child (Obie Award, Tony nomination), FOB (Obie Award) and The Dance and the Railroad)

   

Lynn Nottage, David Henry Hwang 

 Awesome.

You can learn all about the Institute and the Residencies...on the front page.

Spread the Word: New Works Producing Fellowship apps due June 1!

Help us spread the word to interested folks: the application deadline for the New Works Producing Fellowship is due on Tuesday, June 1.  Click here for more info. 

Here's the inaugural class of New Works Producing Fellows that helped design the program:

     
Ronee Penoi, Amrita Mangus, Travis Ballenger

SkinDiver Concert Teaser at Bus Boys and Poets

by Amrita Mangus and Jamil Jude, Line-producers for SkinDiver

   

Let's say you put Bus Boys and Poets and the awesome theatrical and musical stylings of Charles Randolph-Wright and Nona Hendryx together. What do you get? A not-to-be-missed concert "teaser" performance of SkinDiver, an explosive sci-fi rock musical that explores a world where technology reins supreme and leads humans and machines to manipulation, masquerade and murder.

Join Arena Stage and Bus Boys and Poets (2021 14th St in Northwest DC) on Thursday, May 27 from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. for the sneak peek of this exciting new musical in development. You'll dine on some great chow, learn more about the concept of the musical from Charles and hear Nona Hendryx (formerly in the musical group Labelle) sing selections and read excerpts from the musical. And don't forget about Renaissance man Charles' other show, Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies, running till June 6th down at the Lincoln Theater.

Better yet, the SkinDiver concert teaser is open and free to the public. RSVPs are not required, but seating is limited. We hope to see you there, with a green lift health drink or pomegranate lemonade in hand.  

Congrats to Karen!

by Janine Sobeck

 Last night at the Humana Festival, Karen Zacarias was awarded a citation from the Steinberg/ATCA Award for her play Legacy of Light! Recognizing the best plays of the year that premiered outside of New York, The Steinberg Foundation and the American Theatre Critics Association picks one winner and two citations.  We're all so proud of Karen and her work, which was described as an "intellectual joyride" by one of the critics there. Congratulations Karen!

 

 

Catch the streaming action

by Janine Sobeck

If you've been following along on our American Voices New Play Institute blog, then you know that today is the day that the DC area theatre community is gathering to talk about the recent publication of Outrageous Fortune: the life and times of the new american play by Todd London.  To make it even more fun, the whole conversation is going to be livestreamed.  So if you're interested in hearing what all the fuss is about (and trust me...this book is causing a LOT of discussion) then you should definitely check it out.  The Live Event will be streaming on our New Play TV, starting at 2pm.  More info can be found HERE.

Snow Be Gone! March Roars In @arenastage

by David Dower

It's a big month around Arena Stage. Again. Throughout this whole period of diaspora, where we've been spread over five different locations while our new home gets built, we've been hard at work to "restage" the whole organization as a "center for American Theater dedicated to the production, presentation, development, and study of American work."

It's so close now we can see, feel, and taste it. We're less than six months away from moving back in!

And, like a horse charging to the barn, we're gathering speed on all aspects of our strategy. Just take a look at the things that are happening in March that you could plug in to:

Light in the Piazza begins performances. I heard the sitzprobe the other night. What a beautiful orchestration, and handled with such grace and precision by our musical director, Paul Sportelli, his players and singers. If you are following the "open dress rehearsals", this one will take place on Thursday, March 4th at 8pm. I expect the word of mouth on this to be explosive. It's one of the most romantic musicals ever written. Seeing it in such an intimate production and venue, sung and played at this level, the show is a completely different experience than what it's been in its earlier incarnations.

Sophisticated Ladies begins rehearsals. I was in the room last week for the final round of casting and I couldn't believe the energy in this show! It's an old marketing saw to say "don't wait-- get your tickets now", but truly: don't wait. This show has a heavy advance sale already and you ain't seen nothin' yet. If you snooze on this one, or wait for someone else to see it first, you're running the risk of not seeing it at all.

Our Student Playwrights Project will stage its winning plays. Come see what these high school students have written. Let's just say that reports of the demise of American theater are greatly exaggerated if this generation is already working at this level.

The Voices of Now Mentor Ensemble has a public performance of their original one-act play Encounter at the Intersections festival at the Atlas on Sunday March 7th at 2:30pm.  A product of five months of workshops, dialogue, inquiry and rehearsal, the students were asked to write, move and build this performance in reaction to their daily encounters.  This Intersections performance is part of the developmental process that will result in the final presentation this May.

The Bucky Convergence gets going in earnest. We'll start to see events like the screening/discussion at the National Building Museum on March 22nd, the event at the Crystal City theater on Monday night the 29th, and the Bucky Art show popping up all over Crystal City this month. In case you missed it, the show has become a centerpiece of a region-wide convergence of events and programs dedicated to the work of R. Buckminster Fuller. People will be gathering in DC beginning in early June-- coming from all over the world to be part of it. This month you can get sneak peeks at the show, the ideas, and the related events.

The New Play Institute has an ambitious agenda for the month as well. We are already at full throttle on this program. If you haven't yet caught up to it, take a scroll through the New Play Blog to catch up.

There will be months and months and months like this. I hope we'll see you around for as much of it as captures your imagination!