NYC Elite are Flocking to New Jersey

Well you will be. Come "Bunburying" with us in the 'country' on Friday June 3rd; and you don't even need to assume a false identity! (If you've never Bunburied, you'll find out what it is on June 3rd at about 8:10PM!!)

New Yorkers, this is your easiest and cheapest way to see Ground UP's "The Importance of Being Earnest" at the charming Summit Playhouse (our new 2nd Stage) in Summit, NJ. For just $35 you'll get lift to and from Manhattan, the show tickets and a drink at intermission. Lady Bracknell, says this is "The Thing." Click the secure Paypal button below to reserve your spot today. Seats are going fast and are limited.

The critics are already buzzing about "Earnest" giving raves in The Independent and The Examiner.

Of course the show runs through June 5th and is easily accessible by NJ Transit Trains if you would rather come another date. For more information about the "Earnest" as well as tickets to NY Night or Any Night visit Ground UP's website.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

The Subtext of DESIRE

Todays's blog post comes from Christine Mottram & Jerry Sipp, who play Miss Prism & Rev. Chausable, respectively. Their characters frequently speak in double entendres, metaphorically, or otherwise cryptically, unable to express their true feelings to each other while in the company of others. Here is their interpretation of a few of their exchanges.

Miss Prism: “Dr. Chasuble. This is indeed a pleasure.” = “Get out of here, kid. Mama wants to be alone with the rector.”

Dr. Chasuble: “Miss Prism, you are, I trust, well?” = “Miss Prism, you are the most ravishing creature in the whole parish!”

Miss Prism: “Cecily, I didn’t mention anything about a headache.” = “Why are you still here? You’re messing up my game.”

Dr. Chasuble: “Were I fortunate enough to be Miss Prism’s pupil, I would hang up on her lips….”= “I wish to kiss you…and kiss you…and kissyoukissyoukissyoukissyou…!”

Miss Prism: “We do not expect him ‘til Monday afternoon.” = “ You and I could run away together and no one would know!”

Dr. Chasuble: “My metaphor was drawn from bees.” = “My metaphor was drawn from the birds and the bees.”

Miss Prism: “I think, dear Doctor, I will have a walk with you. I find I have a headache after all and a walk might do it good.” = “Once we get away from this brat, ravish me!!”

Dr. Chasuble: “With pleasure, Miss Prism, with pleasure!” = “With PLEASURE, Miss Prism, with PLEASURE!”

'Twas the night before EARNEST By John Worthing, J.P. and Algernon Moncrieff

Starting today, we will have a new post each day leading up to opening night, each one written by a different cast member (or members)! Today we are kicking off this exciting countdown to opening night with an entry by Josh Evans & Mark Thornton, who play Jack Worthing & Algernon Moncrieff, respectively. Enjoy!


'Twas the night before EARNEST, produced by Ground UP,

Hosted by Summit. Ya'll know what's up!

Rehearsals are done as we all enter tech,

We hope our director Lon won't bust a vain in his neck.

The cast is ready to hit their cues right on time,

And don't worry Andrew, we won't call "line!"

The costumes are finished, look out for Bracknell's hat,

The sets are amazing, way more than some flat.

Sound design can't be beat, and the lights are the best,

Now I'm off to sleep, because I need my rest.

See you at the Gala Opening, on May 21st,

To hear our British banter, and be immensely immersed.

So buy tickets now, at groundupproductions.org

Just click the link and follow the instructions for more-g.

NYC patrons - Join us out in Summit

Hello everyone,

Wanted to quickly share to our NYC patrons that we want you to enjoy and be a part of this wonderful production. Come out to Jersey with us. We are offering a NYC night where with your ticket purchase, we'll transport you from NYC to the theatre and back. As a added treat, you'll ride back with the cast!!! To reserve, go to

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=Z8ZNRTYDTK3B2

Hope to see you there!!!

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST: DIRECTOR'S CUT

Directing Earnest is filled with one joy after another
and my favorite is I get to see talented actors mine wit
from Oscar Wilde’s sparkling dialogue every single day.
Each rehearsal’s filled with new double entrendres and
ingenious cadences that bring them closer to Wilde’s
hysterically funny core. It reminds me of visiting a place
like the Sistine Chapel and realizing not only are you
witnessing great art, you’re standing where the artist
actually stood. Watching our actors bend time in front
of my eyes (and doing it while I’m laughing my head
off), I’m having the singular pleasure of experiencing
moments just as Wilde experienced them over a century
ago. We’re (in theatre terms) far from opening night
and already I’m way too entertained. I should be
serious, stoic, and commanding respect. After all I am
the director, but it’s hard to do when you’re snickering
like a tickled schoolboy. It’s been ages since I’ve felt so
happy at rehearsals and so disappointed when they end.
It’s making me oddly selfish. I wonder if I can get the
company to agree to delay opening so I can extend my
fun. Nah. That wouldn’t be fair.

… or would it?

-Lon Bumgarner, Director of GUP's current production of The Importance of Being Earnest

We're goin to Chapel THRILL!

Hey ladies and gents,

Christine here-- the director of the education program, otherwise known as The UnderGround Project, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Every year, Ground UPers make a trip down to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the alma mater of the majority of the company members, to produce a play fully cast and crewed by undergrads and mentored by us.

Well, it's that time of year again! After reuniting from all corners of the country (New York, LA) we will spend the weekend holding auditions for this year's show: Richard Greenberg's Three Days of Rain. We are so excited about this show. It fits what we were looking for to a tee: The intimate cast is comprised of 2 men and 1 woman, it's modern, and it deals with interesting issues: family, death, secrets, selfishness vs. selflessness, etc... All those human things that we love.

Here's how the weekend will work:

On Friday, we'll have an interest meeting for everyone who wants to audition and everyone who's interested in being involved technically. That will be at 5 pm in room 102.

Then, on Friday evening, our Artistic Director, Kate Middleton, will lead a talkback after a production of company member Catya McMullen's original play. GO Catya!

Auditions will be held from 11am- 4 pm on Saturday, where actors can bring in a 1-2 minute monologue. We may also have them read sides form the script.

Callbacks will be on Sunday from 11am-1 pm. After the show is cast, Ground UP will take the new cast out to coffee and discuss the details for the summer!

On Tuesday evening, one of our North Carolina patrons is throwing us a party. This is the first time this has ever happened and we are so honored!

It will be a full, hectic, thrilling few days, and it will start off the most exciting time of the year for us. Our education program is what truly sets us apart as a New York theatre company. We take tremendous pride in being able to give back a little something to the place that gave us so much....

Stay tuned for cast info!

Christine

The 2011 Reading Series, by Guy

Hello blogoshere,

We have just completed the 2011 Ground UP, From the Ground UP reading series!

4 weeks
3 plays
1 musical
4 stage managers
4 directors
7 mus
ic stands
2 producers (me and Seth Shelden)
5 stools
10 cases of beer
16 bags of ice
2 cases of Cheerwine


Each play surprised me, and I'll tell you how and why.

Week 1: Falling in Like by Jerry Sipp
This is an example of exactly why we do the series. There was something about this play on paper. We couldn't put our finger on it. It was solid, but how would it play in front of an audience. The answer is, it plays amazingly well. It has a charm about it that recalls Neil Simon (and that's high praise coming from me.) It's quippy, fast, and a ton of fun. And so many great performances.

Week 2: PratFalls, by Holly Webber
The surprise in this experience was all about Victor Verheaghe, who played Roy. Roy is such a great character, a charismatic, huge personality. Victor had the task of setting the tone for the entire piece. Victor is warm, enigmatic, sensitive, and intense. Accordingly the play was warm, enigmatic, sensitive and intense. It was a pleasure to watch.

Week 3: 516, by Katherine Clark Gray
When you pick up this play, you immediately think of Neil LaBute's The Shape of Things, where a woman takes a man and molds him into someone else as an art project. It's a great twist. 516 has a similar twist, plus another big twist, and (wait for it...) another big twist. Having read the script a few times I forgot the power of those twists. The surprise for me was the number of audible gasps. That's drama.

Week 4: Bromance, the Dudesical, by Ewalt and Walker
I'm partial to Bromance. I was in it, and I played Marty. There is no doubt in my mind that we've seen the early stages of what is going to be a huge hit. The Phone Call is a spectacular song. I have had Heartburn and ChiliCheese Fries in my head for days. And I can't tell you the last time I had more fun on stage. The surprise for me was how EVERYONE agreed with me--this is a hit.

So on to 2012. We're already accepting new scripts. Send them to Submissions@GroundUPproductions.org

I hope you got a chance to see at least one of them. This year was a winner.

Here is the poster below. Almost, the poster. Notice the typo where we wrote DUDESICLE, instead of DUDESICAL. So, instead of a musical about dudes, it was more like dudes frozen on a stick. We fixed it.