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.

Letter From Algeria has OPENED!!!

Drum roll please, we have a show!!! A spectacular show! Ground UP is super excited to have opened the world premiere of Michael Ian Walker’s Letter from Algeria. On Saturday, October 30th, we had our opening night to a full house! It was quite spectacular and exhilarating. I have been so fortunate to be a part of this production from the beginning.

To watch it grow, evolve and cultivate into this full production has been mesmerizing.

So many times in theatre you hear about new works getting produced and in most cases, what you see is the end result. I was able to actually watch this from beginning to end. The play came to us as a script submission. From there, Ground UP decided this was too good to keep from a theater audience. This is where the journey began. The play grew to life and got on its feet via a staged reading during Ground UP’s annual New Works Reading Series. After an incredible response from the audience we decided it was time to evolve the play. The next step in this evolution was to work shop the play. We were super fortunate enough to have the chance to do this and at the same time make it a part of our educational program down at the University of North Caroline – Chapel Hill. Using the students of our educational program, the Ground UP Team did a full staged workshop presentation directed by our very own brilliant and talented Kate Middleton. By her side were Michael Ian Walker (Playwright) and Adam Fitzgerald (Director of the NY World Premiere). All there collaborated with the amazing students of UNC to cultivate the final script. From UNC, the production traveled back to NYC where it became the great show that it is today. Now with wonderful poster and graphics designed by Wade Ferguson Dansby 3 and PR by Lanie Zipoy, we are sending the word out about our show!!

It’s been quite an opening week for us. So much goes into a full scale Off-Broadway production. To be honest, there were points were most of us were ready to pull our hair out. Yet, after and exhausting tech week, we were ready!!!! The coming together of the set, lights, props, costumes, and actors was stunning to watch. Have you seen the set yet??? Travis McHale, our resident scenic and lighting designer has OUTDONE himself. This is art at its best!! I may be biased but come see the show and prove me wrong. What he has done is breathtaking. My hats off to Dan Wheeless, Katherine Fry, Kate August and Jerry Sipp (TD and carpenters) who hand built this massive set. Remind me to never get them angry when they are holding a screw gun in their hand. To add to this we have an amazing looking cast costumed by our very own Amanda Jenks, Don’t think I’m not planning to heist Tim’s suit after the run… I want that suit!! Don’t be surprised if Hugo’s tie goes missing either. Let me also mention Ian Wehrle and Alex Wise, who together bring some pretty awesome sound and music to the show. The combination of sets, lights, costumes and sound create a terrific ambiance and feel for this show. Adam Fitzgerald has done a wonderful job directing the show and he could not have done it without this tremendous cast. You must, and I reiterate, you must come see Patrick Murney, JD Taylor , Amanda Jane Cooper and Rufus Collins, who do an amazing job in this show. Thank you to Guy Olivieri, our casting director) for finding these gems. Their performance is one that shouldn't be missed. They have brought this show to life and the amazing young lady parenting this show is Devan Hibbard, our stage manager. Even though the show has opened, Devan’s work continues every single night as she takes the reins and runs the show. She’d have less work if there weren’t so many props to set. This is Mauricio Miranda and Andrew Slater’s fault. LOL. Kidding guys. You did great and a note to you as well. I’m keeping the soccer ball!

After all this work from all these individuals, we opened Letter from Algeria and the response has been overwhelming. Every night the audience comes out and tells me they have loved what they have seen. Opening night was quite an accomplishment for us and in good ole fashioned Ground UP style, we had a party to celebrate this event. After all, it was Halloween weekend, so why not celebrate with the monsters and goons.

So this is how Letter From Algeria came to the stage and these were the people that made it happen. Like I said, to watch it grow, evolve and cultivate into this full production has been mesmerizing and I’m so thrilled that we get to share it with you! Thank you to everyone for their hard work, labor of love for the theatre, and dedication to the arts. We have collectively worked hard to produce a phenomenal show. A show that I do hope you can come and see. This edgy and exhilarating play is only running for two more weeks, so hurry up!!!! Don’t miss out. Tickets are available at http://www.groundupproductions.org/.

WORLD PREMIERE!
OCTOBER 29th - NOVEMBER 20th
ABINGDON THEATRE COMPLEX (36th street between 8th and 9th Avenue)

Hope you enjoy the show and here are some great photo’s shot by Randy Morrison.
· Photo 1 (Left to Right): Patrick Murney & Amanda Jane Cooper
· Photo 2: Rufus Collins
· Photo 3 (Left to Right): Amanda Jane Cooper & JD Taylor

Oh, and BOO – here’s one from the opening party!!!
Sincerely,
Phil Ruvelas, Managing Director

P.S. It’s been a year since the Letter From Algeria staged reading which means that it’s time again for our annual New Works Reading festival. Stay tuned and check our website for details!! In February you might be seeing the next great work so don’t miss out. You too can then say you were there from the beginning!

Waffles Anyone?

Last November, Michael I. Walker's play LETTER FROM ALGERIA was the breakout hit of our From the Ground UP reading series. Less than 12 months later, we are set to open a production of the play with a fabulous cast -- Rufus Collins, Amanda Jane Cooper, Patrick Murney & JD Taylor -- and creative team (director Adam Fitzgerald, set and lighting designer Travis McHale and costume designer Amanda Jenks).

We are thrilled to share this exciting new play with you, but why all this discussion of waffles when the play is called LETTER FROM ALGERIA? Well, the play begins in a dorm room in Brussels, Belgium. Three ex-pat American students meet and the rest is history.

In keeping with the Belgian theme, we're offering a few surround events -- fun activities, food and drink -- to round out the theater-going experience. On Halloween, Sunday, October 31st, we're offering Belgian brunch items at intermission. On November 2nd and 10th, our friends at 36 West Bar and Grill, right next door to our theatre, is offering pre-show and post-show, respectively, deals on Belgian beers. Look for the coupon in the program.

Join us as we transport you to Belgium, a country known for its waffles, fries and fantastic female tennis players (Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters).

We look forward to sharing LETTER FROM ALGERIA with you over the next few weeks.

And our Fabulous Cast for ALGERIA!!

Rehearsal is in full swing at 2 Fifth!

We went to SIX FLAGS! Again. Yes. Absolutely.

Team Ground UP tried to make "GUP" on a roller coaster to show company support!
We did it!
(Although we had to go on it once before to practice our mid-air acrobatics.)
PS, Flash Passes ROCK.

A bit from the world of costumes...

Hi all,

This is my first blog post (EVER, not just with Ground UP), so here it goes. To introduce myself a little, I'm Amanda, the resident costume gal and Letter from Algeria's costume designer. I'm a relatively new addition to the Ground UP family. I first got involved after doing a show (TACT's The Late Christopher Bean) with Kate last year. It has been really lovely being a part of everything and I'm so happy to be involved.

It has been a really exciting process so far. We had something incredibly generous happen to Ground UP as far as costumes are concerned. We were granted access (read: FREE!!) to an amazing warehouse of costumes located in Pennsylvania to pull from for this show by a wonderful film designer. We're talking 5 buildings filled with clothing. An entire house that had been purchased because the warehouse building was full and they needed more room. Rows and rows of clothing for the taking. I can not say thank you enough! And of course a huge thank you to Michael Walker, our talented playwright, for making this happen.

This show is a lot of fun because I get to play with fashion. This isn't much of a jeans-and-tees kind of show. Particularly, the female character, Ali, has been enormous fun to design. She's the kind of person that is always playing a character. Each outfit has its own style, its own theme, but always fabulous and statement-making. And always fantastic heels! I love working with a character that can take so many risks and have such freedom. Maybe I'll post some sneak peak pictures later.

Until then, it's time for me to get ready for our first fittings tomorrow. Wish me luck! I hope it all fits!

-Amanda