From da O2B2 BOD President!

Hi, everyone,

This is a reminder that the annual membership meeting of O2B2 will be held on Saturday, July 12, at 10am, at my house. Directions: [redacted – comment for more information!]

The primary business of the meeting is the election of Board members. Nominees for Board members are Bill Jones, Betsy Delaney, Greg Mangiapane, Sandra True, Lise Mendel-Kramer, Penny Martin, and Jo Rake.

I perform in Coriolanus at 2pm at Warehouse in DC, so I have to leave shortly after noon, but my wife Ginny says you can stay a while and chat after the meeting.

Good news: O2B2 was awarded a “Judges’ [Discretionary] Award of Excellence” for Then, Now, You at the NVTA Festival. Jo and Greg were the actors in it. We got a plaque that Betsy will bring to the meeting.

O2B2 has received approval to put on Catch-22 at Greenbelt Arts Center the weekends of June 5, 12, and 19 (though we may decide to make it only the last two weekends). I will direct. We will discuss details at the meeting.

Sorry about the short time slot for the meeting (I’ll have soft drinks available, though no lunch), but I’m pretty busy right now – I’m directing Measure For Measure at GAC, I’m playing Rev. Gardner in GAC’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession, I’m playing Citizen #3 in the Rude’s Coriolanus, and I’m producing a Children’s Theater version of Comedy Of Errors for Labor Day (when you take out the sex, you get just 20 minutes of slapstick and farce).

Bill Jones

It’s about time!!!

I can now say it’s official:

OutOftheBlackBox Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization!

If you’ve donated items to us before this, they’re good to go as tax deductible donations now!

Yippee!!!!

So, what’s next?

Well, after R&G closes we’re taking a break. We’ve got plans for two workshops in the winter/spring of 2008 followed by a mainstage production in the summer of 2008. We’re not sure what that will be, just yet, but be sure to watch this space for announcements, coming soon!

Ben Jonson’s Volpone Opens THIS Sunday!!!

Hi, Fans and Friends of O2B2!

We’ve been so busy getting ready for our opening night, we forgot to post about it here!

In a stunning show of marketing savvy, we changed the name at the last possible minute to “Ben Jonson’s Volpone” – Works like magic – of 500 shows, we’re listed in the FIRST PAGE on TheatreMania’s ticket site! Our details are here: http://www.theatermania.com/content/show.cfm/show/134192

Performances:

Sunday, July 22 @ 5:00pm
Wednesday, July 25 @ 9:00pm
Saturday, July 28 @ 3:20pm
Sunday, July 29 @ 2:00pm

All tickets $15 – available online here: http://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/9891 or by calling 866-811-4111.

We’re in the press, too! We’ve been mentioned on radio, at BroadwayWorld.com (http://dc.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=19523), in Washington’s EXPRESS (http://www.readexpress.com/read_freeride/2007/07/the_bleeding_edge_capitol_fringe.php) and in several radio spots as well.

The show has really come together! Greg and Katie are fabulous as is the rest of our cast.

Besides, our own Rob Perkins, Jonathen Ezra, Thierry Barston, Steven H. Wilson, Steve Kramer, Lise Mendel and their DD2 are ALL involved in the production.

Don’t miss your opportunity to see this show!

Coming soon:

Auditions for 365 Days/365 Plays, by Suzan-Lori Parks (August 12-13, St. James Episcopal Church, Historic Old Bowie, MD); Performance 9/28 or 9/29 at a location TBA SOON!

Performances: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, by Tom Stoppard (October 11-28, St. James Episcopal Church, Historic Old Bowie, MD)

See you soon!!!

Additional Audition Date Added for O2B2’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, 7/17 at 7pm

OutOftheBlackBox Theatre Company Announces additional AUDITION Date FOR Tom Stoppard’s “ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD”

OutOftheBlackBox Theatre Company (O2B2) will hold auditions for “R&G” on Tuesday, July 17 from 7-10pm at the Glenn Dale Fire House, 11900 Glenn Dale Blvd., Glenn Dale, MD 20769. Directions may be found here: http://tinyurl.com/yru9x7

For questions regarding auditions, please call 301.922.1865 or send email to .

Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script and from HAMLET. Be prepared to move – this is a very physical play! Looking specifically for “Hamlet” but all roles remain open.

Casting:

5 men
2 women
4 flexible (either male or female)

All ethnicities encouraged to audition. This is a non-paid community theatre production.

R&G is tentatively scheduled to be performed from October 11 – 28 on Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm. There will be no matinée on the first weekend. Performance location (to be confirmed, subject to change): St. James Episcopal Church, Bowie, MD.

Also seeking: Property Master & House Manager/Box Office Assistants.

OutOftheBlackBox Theatre Company was formed in 2004 as a Bowie-based company dedicated to the art of performing theatre about theatre. For more detailed information, please visit our web site at http://www.OutOftheBlackBox.org/ or call 301.922.1865.

CONTACT:

Betsy Marks Delaney, Artistic Director
OutOftheBlackBox Theatre Company
Voice: 301.922.1865
Fax: 413.751.7320
Email: info@o2b2.org

Web: http://www.OutOftheBlackBox.org/

-30-

Just the thing I need. How nice…

I have just found out our production of Volpone is down by one actor (Bonario, male, 18-30ish). If you are available or know someone who is, please get in touch with me ASAP and let me pass your info on to the director. Please feel free to circulate this information as necessary.

Information about the production can be found on our web site: http://www.OutOftheBlackBox.org/ or by calling 301-922-1865.

Help?

Two weekends left: Murder Takes the Stage!

I have it on good authority that we’re going to get a positive review from the Bowie Blade this Thursday.

C’mon – it’s camp, it’s just about two hours (including intermission), and it’s only $15 ($12 Seniors/Students), and – best deal of all – get 10 or more together prepaid and you can see the show for just $10 each! That’s just about the cost of admission to a movie these days. Better yet, visit the Old Bowie Town Grille for dinner and get a fabulous meal to boot!

Murder Takes the Stage by James Reach, directed by Jo Rake, produced by Yours Truly, plays Friday and Saturday nights at 8pm, plus this Sunday at 3pm at St. James Episcopal Church in Historic Old Bowie, MD. For more info, visit our web site: http://www.outoftheblackbox.org/0607/Murder/index.shtml

To see what the Blade has to say this Thursday: http://www.outoftheblackbox.org/0607/Murder/press.shtml and http://www.hometownannapolis.com/bowie_top.html

Also of note: Nominations for next year’s Board of Directors opens on May 9th – Nominate early and often: nominate at o2b2 dot oh-ar-gee!

And watch this space for announcements of our next workshop, season selections for 2007-2008 and more!

Just a quick reminder, in case you’ve forgotten…

Hi, all!

Don’t forget to make your reservations for George Herman’s A Company of Wayward Saints, directed by Betsy Marks Delaney, produced by Jo Rake.

Opening Friday, July 7 for eight performances at the Greenbelt Arts Center in Old Greenbelt.

Performances will be Friday and Saturday evenings at 8pm, Sunday afternoons at 2pm through July 22nd.

Tickets are $12 ($10 Seniors/Students) and are available to reserve now. Seating is limited.

For more information, please visit http://www.OutOftheBlackBox.org/ or call 301-441-8770.

Thanks! Hope we see you there!

A long overdue update on OutOftheBlackBox Theatre Company…

Hi, folks!

Hope you’re surviving the holidays!

Here’s what we’ve got so far in the way of progress.

First, I’ve gone in and adjusted the first draft of our by-laws to include input from several sources. If you’re getting a second copy of this message, it’s because I’m including you in the list of folks who should go read the new draft, noting that your comments came from LJ and not from our Yahoo Groups mailing list. You should consider joining at least the discussion list at o2b2@yahoogroups.com. The new draft is located here:

http://outoftheblackbox.org/admin/bylaws-seconddraft.pdf

I think I caught everything people noted. Articles have been renumbered from the second IV on down, some additional language has been included to clarify some initially fuzzy logic. Please review this document and provide your comments ASAP! I’d like to see any comments returned by January 9th, if possible. Please feel free to pass this info on to anyone you think might have a meaningful contribution to this process.

Second, I spoke to John Pomeranz (Hi, John!) about our paperwork, and here, in paraphrase, is what he said to me. (He’ll correct me if I’m wrong, I’m sure…): We have approximately 27 months from the date of incorp to complete the paperwork and be accepted as a 501(c)(3), but we should be acting like one now. There is an online publication available to outline things like when letters need to be provided for donations of cash or goods, and so on.

I am interpreting this to mean that we could, in theory, begin to accept supporting donations now, without having the federal nod in place, but I’d still be a lot happier with the paper in our hands. It also means we have a little wiggle room for compiling this paper, but we should definitely consider filing our first set of tax forms as if we’re already a 501(c)(3).

Third, we have submitted /A Company of Wayward Saints/ to Greenbelt for consideration as a co-production during the month of July, 2006. Should our proposal be accepted, we will be holding auditions for the show this coming April. I have agreed to direct, with assistance from Jonathen Ezra (as Asst. Director) and Sean Eustis (as advisor/dramaturg). All other roles/positions are open with the exception of COLUMBINE, which is spoken for by the provider of the script, Jo Rake.

I have been told that the committee will not consider any script submitted for next GAC season until 1/6 at the earliest, so I will not know for at least a week whether or not our proposal has been accepted. If not, we can possibly submit elsewhere, but I’m not sure where yet.

Fourth, in today’s Gazette, Judson Berger had an article about the continued stasis of the Bowie Center for the Performing Arts. No progress has been made in signing the paperwork. I wish it were otherwise. It would have been a wonderful present. Sadly, we’re still waiting for word. I can take comfort that we aren’t alone…

Finally, I have received two additional scripts for consideration: /Moore with Les and Les/, an unproduced play, and a new version of /Volpone/ (The Fox), newly translated by Bill Jones. These are new projects which are being reviewed for future slots. We also have a possible production of “An Evening with Edgar” which Jaimee would like to direct, and there are other scripts out there which may work well for us once we have a place to produce them.

/Alice in Wonderland/ is effectively dead, for at least the next year and possibly longer. I love the script, but I feel that without having a firm grasp of the talent available and at our disposal, committing to the avant garde production is a bit too far out on a limb for us at this early stage. And we can add a final nail in that coffin by confirming that another local company is tackling the same exact script in this coming year.

I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year’s Eve! (I’ll be attending a local party with a Musicals theme and am trying to choose my character from a vast array…). And I would encourage folks to plan a trip to see Cabaret at GAC in the next few weeks (they open on 1/6). In addition to the new, interesting way the space will be laid out, you’ll get a chance to see the show that sucked me into theatre in the first place.

Come visit our web site, now conveniently located at:

OutOftheBlackBox Theatre Company

I’ll be updating it soon, to coincide with announcements of future productions.

Thanks for your continued support and interest! See you soon!!!

Betsy Marks Delaney
Artistic Director
OutOftheBlackBox Theatre Company, Inc.