OutOftheBlackBox Theatre Company, Inc.
Devoted to the Art of Theatre About Theatre
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!
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!
The current home page is still active, but I’m getting ready to do an overhaul and update. I’d love feedback on the work in progress.
I’m thinking the coming season’s schedule is highest priority, once the basic look is (at least) viewable.
Anyone interested in wielding a paintbrush in the cause of theatre should come to the theatre around noon-thirty tomorrow (Sunday) for some prime painting time.
No experience necessary – nothing terribly fancy being done here.
If you’re planning to show up, or just thinking about it, drop me a line or call my cell just so I know I should expect to see you.
Thanks!!!
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!
But at least the masks are FINALLY getting done!
We have a full layer over the noses now, after some experimentation with the clay-style papier mache stuff (FashMache, I think it’s called).
I’m ready to mix up a bunch of the stuff tomorrow, much wetter than today’s batch, and just use that as a final layer. Doing the paper shred version was a major pain. At the very least, I think that’s how we’ll finish the insides of the masks.
We still have one more to sculpt (the nose for the second Capitano mask), and I’ve got the casing for a bone in the last bodice to sew, but that’s going to wait until tomorrow morning.
All of which is to say, it’s finally time to start pimping the show.
What show?
Why, A Company of Wayward Saints, of course! What did you think I was talking about??? (http://www.o2b2.org/wayward/)
And while I’m pimping the show (opens July 7, runs through 7/22 – Friday & Saturday nights at 8pm, Sunday afternoons at 2pm, tickets $12/10 Seniors and Students – flyer online, feel free to print and distribute as necessary, et cetera, et cetera…), we could also use folks to help with the box office and concession sales as well.
We have two more rehearsals at Jo Rake’s house and then we move into the theatre.
Saturday night, Equus strikes. I’ll be at the theatre around 10:30, to make sure they don’t take down more set than we want them to. Sunday, we head over to Jo Rake and pick up all the set pieces, props and costumes and move them (lock, stock and barrel) to GAC. Then we construct the set and get about the process of making whatever adjustments will have to be made.
Monday will be our first rehearsal in the new space. YAY!!!
If you want to participate in the move-in process, or you’re willing to help during the run of the show as a house manager, usher, or box office assistant, PLEASE let us know ASAP!
Email to info at o2b2 dot org will do the trick!
Hope we’ll see you there, one way or the other!
Bowie performing arts center agreement signed
By ANNETTE ESTERHELD Staff Writer
Three of the four parties involved, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, the city of Bowie and the BRAVA board, all signed the document more than a year ago. The fourth party, the Board of education, voted to sign it last Thursday night at a meeting.
Al Golato, BRAVA president, the local group that was formed to oversee the construction of the center, quietly drove to the county school board office with other BRAVA members Friday to meet with schools chief JohnDeasy to pick up the agreement signed by Bea Tignor, school board chairman, at her home earlier Friday.
With the same lack of fanfare, Golato met with City Manager David Deutschlater the same day for the official city signing. Then Monday M-NCPPC’s Barbara Funk of the department of parks and recreation, arts and cultural heritage picked up the signed agreement from BRAVA Vice President Mary Nusser at the center.
“Now that the JUA has been signed by all parties, we will be releasing the last of the funds, which should occur shortly,” Funk told the Blade-News. Those funds, which Funk said would be handled in a wire transfer, total approximately $900,000 and will be used to complete the construction at the building.
Golato said he expects the final construction and purchasing of items will take approximately four to six months to complete. There will be a governance board consisting of representatives from the four groups,and the center’s day-to-day operations will be handled by a facilities director/manager who will be an employee of the Board of Education. The governance board will consist of two members from the school board and one each from BRAVA, the city and M-NCPPC.
The center, located adjacent to Bowie High School, is the outgrowth of a vision the community had of a regional performing arts center, and the BRAVA group was formed in 1995 to help make the vision a reality.
Longtimeboard member Golato said that completing the negotiations and signingthe JUA was his goal when he was elected president of BRAVA a littleover a year ago.
Golato said heappreciates all the hard work of BRAVA members and its 17-member boardand the executive committee, which voted overwhelmingly in favor of the agreement.
“I thank them for their patience and for bearing up under numerous obstacles in getting the center finished,” he said. Golato said he especially wanted to acknowledge the hard work of board members Nusser and Hugh Reams.
“Mary’s historical counsel, administrative and all-around assistance have been invaluable,” said Golato, “as has been our construction chairman, Hugh Reams, who offered professional and technical knowledge.”
Golato also praised the work of founding president Gordon Stewart, who led the BRAVA organization through its first decade.
Funk said the M-NCPPC is looking forward to planning and scheduling arts programs at the center once the final construction details are completed.
Golato said making the center fully operational is “not an overnight process.”
He noted that “during the transition period, some testing events need to occur to check final systems installations that will also assist in the training of the permanent staff that will be hired by the governance board.”
“The Bowie Center for the Performing Arts, aside from filling a sizable state-of-the-art cultural and entertainment venue gap in the Bowie area and also permitting Bowie High School students to have an auditorium, will serve as an economic development catalyst for the revitalization of the Route 450 corridor through Bowie,” said Golato.
http://www.bowieblade.com/vault/cgi-bin/bowie/view/2006B/06/08-27.HTM
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:
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.
First Meeting: April 17, 2005, 2pm-5pm
Attended: LS, DS, BD, DD & JK
Summary: Exceptionally productive (I think), considering how much is still nebulous.
Discussed:
1. BRAVA – Main contacts are: Mary Nusser (VP, public mouthpiece) and Hugh Reams (Technical contact). BD will be talking to either of these people come Monday, requesting more information on getting on the schedule this fall. (see below) There’s a bunch of political stuff that’s holding up regular scheduling, which will hopefully be resolved soon. The political stuff may also interfere with doing our first production at the Bowie Center for the Performing Arts (BCPA) – we could be The Theatre Company in Search of a Venue. That won’t stop us, but it could complicate things production-wise. (FYI: The BCPA is going to be managed, eventually, by three entities: The City of Bowie, PG County Parks, and Bowie High School. The Joint Use Agreement (JUA) hasn’t been signed yet. There’s been a lot of press in both local Bowie papers concerning the ongoing process of signing the paperwork. Any progress of a positive nature will be posted here later.)
2. BD should attempt to get feedback from the Bowie Arts Committee re their decision regarding denying our grant proposal. We’d like to know if there’s anything we could have done differently to make our proposal more attractive. Fact finding.
3. BD will also have a chat with Bowie High staff, with the county and the city people who will eventually be in charge of the building. Just to touch base and start building a relationship. (See #1)
3. The meeting members reviewed the budget provided to the Grant committee – Adjustments are needed:
Add for Box Office (ticket printing)
Add for Program Printing
In general, the budget is more or less accurate. Some figures (insurance, rental fees, etc.) will need to be updated, based on reality. The first estimated budget can be found at the end of the Grant Proposal online on the O2B2 web site (http://www.outoftheblackbox.org/). It looks like costs will run approximately $2k for this first production.
4. Who’s interested in working with us? BD reviewed the list of interested parties (mainly on the two mailing lists). People who aren’t yet on yahoo groups should be moving there very soon (either to the main list or to the announcements only list). This will probably be the last message sent to the local list (in BD’s address book). After today, you may drop off the mailing list! See the bottom of this message for instructions on subscribing!
5. BD or LS will research Paper Direct for letterhead types to use for mailing letters/press releases out.
6. Setting a date range for Six Characters: The group at the meeting feels that the last weekend in September, through third weekend in October, Friday/Saturday nights, is a good starting range for requesting space. We’re trying to be flexible. We’ll be trying for one or two consecutive weekends, two performances each weekend (8pm). Once we’re set and on the schedule, we can advertise for auditions, arrange for rehearsal space. Can we use the recital hall? (Probably not, but we should check anyway.) BD will check on this info the beginning of next week, so we can start to plan auditions, rehearsals, and so on.
7. We need blueprints for layout of the recital hall space. Betsy will try to get a copy of this when she talks with the BRAVA people.
8. BD will direct the first production. JK will pick up a copy of the script from Backstage:
Six Characters in Search of an Author [21176] $7.95
Luigi Pirandello. A New Adaptation by Robert Brustein
(Drama / All Groups)
9m, 3f, 2c, extras Royalty, $50-$40
Pirandello’s masterpiece, a study in illusion and reality, follows a group of characters who try to fashion their life stories into acceptable drama. Mr. Brustein’s new rendering is accessible, contemporary, and highly speakable while retaining the flavor of the Italian original.
9. What will we do in the Spring? Ideas? We should have something identified before we go to production, so we can include the announcement in the program. Ideally, we should have something for the following fall and/or summer as well, so we can get on the Convention/Visitors Bureau calendars, and in the newspaper’s annual events calendars as well. What should these titles be? When should we target the dates for these productions? Who will direct (not BD, not two productions in a row!).
10. Filing for nonprofit paperwork should happen immediately after CC is over (beginning of May) – Filing for 501(c)(3) afterwards. BD will start to fill out the paperwork when she returns from the con, with KT’s help.
11. We will need to identify creative fund raising activities/objects that aren’t food. Ideas?
12. We’ll be looking to borrow the set pieces that we will need for the first production. No scenery (flats) will be needed. Possibly some one-foot risers and the rest will be handled by lighting.
13. We’ll be approaching local businesses for advertising and for sponsoring.
14. LS mentioned a willingness to help provide some financial backing if necessary. BD said, “Right now I’m not asking for people to cough up bucks to support this endeavor. We’ll cross that bridge if we get to it.”
The next meeting will be at our house in Bowie, date and time TBD depending on what happens over the next week or so. Since several of the interested individuals will be away on honeymoon very shortly, and we’ll be heading to Costume-Con, the next meeting won’t be until sometime around the middle of May. Any weekend dates good/bad for people?
And finally, if you’re receiving this message through yahoogroups.com, you don’t need to worry. For the rest of you, I would encourage subscribing to either
mailto:o2b2-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
or
mailto:o2b2-announce-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
so that we can communicate with each other without filtering through me.
Have a great weekend!!!
BD
http://www.OutOftheBlackBox.org/
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