11:11 Theatre Company - Blog

The Three Unwisest Actors in Boston

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:27:27 +0700

11:11 is pleased to announce the cast for our upcoming world-premiere play, "The Three (Un)Wise Men."

The titular trio, comprised of John Greene as Balthasar, Danhai Jackson as Malchior and Greggory Daniels as Caspar, are headed for adventure and misfortune on their quest to find Joseph the carpenter. Rebecca Mae Davis will portray Balthasar's betrothed, Yeedel, and a mysterious prostitute named Shiva. Ethan Scott's raving King Herod will be flanked by Sam Perry, who will wear many hats in this production.

This original telling of the classic story, directed by Brian Tuttle, runs December 11-13 and December 17-19 at theFactory Theatre, 791 Tremont Street in the South End. Tickets are available online for $12 presale, $17 at the door.

We're thrilled to welcome our new talent and returning actors, and we hope you'll join us for this perfectly good* Bible story rather unfortunately ruined.

*WARNING! Contains Biblical satire and peanuts.

4 Indispensible Character Questions

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:38:45 +0700

If you're going to act onstage for 11:11 Theatre, you first have to answer four questions that are trickier than they sound:

What's your character's Laban?
What's your Laban?
What's your character's MEP?
What's your MEP?

Lots of directors ask actors or dancers for their characters' Labans--that is, whether their characters are Fast or Slow, Light or Heavy, and Direct or Indirect--but not every director makes their directees evaluate their personal Laban. As an actor with 11:11, I can tell you it makes a huge (positive) difference to do this. Getting to know a character only works so long as you know yourself. While that may be common knowledge, it doesn't matter until you can somehow put it into practice. These four questions do that beautifully. At the same time that they are asked for their Laban, all 11:11 actors are also asked to provide their MEP--whether they think they are primarily Mental, Emotional, or Physical--and their character's MEP, together. Nobody wants to admit that they are any of these things last--we think of ourselves as well-rounded--but being forced to prioritize your personal qualities like that ends up telling you a lot about yourself. Perhaps too much, sometimes.

Only by forcing actors to answer what are often difficult questions about themselves are they able to gain enough altitude to draw a map of their characters with themselves as a starting point. If you're acting with 11:11, doing this is a necessary part of our process, and the results show.

Books, Coffee, and Ticket Discounts

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:26:41 +0700

In our efforts to save you some money this season, 11:11 has made awesome promotional bookmarks that can be redeemed for $11 tickets to Great Expectations! Swing by the following locations to pick one up—you can use the coupon code at our online checkout or present your bookmark at the box office.

Thank you thank you thank you for supporting us:

Commonwealth Books (both locations!)
Boston Public Library in Copley Square
(stop by the librarian's desk in the center of the main floor)
Trident Booksellers & Cafe
Newbury Comics on Newbury Street
Brookline Booksmith
Peet's Coffee in Coolidge Corner
Starbucks in Coolidge Corner
Coolidge Corner Theatre
JP Licks in Coolidge Corner
Zaftig's Raven Used Books
The Harvard Bookstore
JP Licks in Harvard Square

Special thanks to Carrie Drzik for her gorgeous Great Expectations designs!

A Word (or a Few Hundred) from Our Artistic Director

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 11:03:00 +0700

Hey out there

It's been a good, long summer and 11:11 is ready for the stage again. I hope everyone out there had a great season of sun. As we do every summer, 11:11 took a bit of a break from production for a couple months to collectively recharge our creative batteries. Kayley, our treasurer, went off to Peru. I think Sarah, our managing director, was seen on the cape a few times and was in an assortment of weddings. I have no idea where Evan was. Probably New Hampshire. Louise, our literary manager, went to Hawaii. I myself, got on a few trains and went around the country visiting friends and loved ones. Starting a week after our previous season ended, Louise started plowing through an avalanche of submitted scripts. I started writing drafts of the new plays and have been working pen to paper ever since. The group got back together in the first week of August and started honing the scripts and putting the productions together. All of our creativity was focused on the season theme...Leave the Light On: Four Plays in Search of Home. The theme came from our desire to celebrate our company finding home in many ways. Firstly, after years and years of moving theaters all across town, we finally have a residency and our first physical home! We're incredibly excited to be presenting all four of our 09-10' season plays at The Factory Theater. The Factory is an intimate space that we feel very comfortable in. There isn't a bad seat in the house there. Pretty cool that the Factory is also rich in fringe theater history going back to its days as a literal piano factory. As a company, 11:11 has also started to feel at home with our place in the Boston artistic community. We've become familiar with the theater scene and our community. We're starting to have a good idea of what our audience enjoys. Home is a peculiar word. It can conjure an extremely wide range of images and reactions. It is incredibly tangible at times, a physical place where you live, and at other times, it comes off as an incredibly elusive desire of belonging. We got excited at the thought, just as we were finding our new home at the Factory, to explore the meaning of the word, and to see what the word conjured for us creatively.

When looking at a classic, home immediately made me think of Great Expectations. Pip's journey to find his place in society struck me as the perfect play to lead off our season with. When we couldn't find a good adaptation, we just adapted the book ourselves, seeking to stay as true to Dicken's brilliant words as possible. I think you'll be happy with this world premiere adaptation. In December, we look for the funny bone of home in our twisted re-telling of the three wise men adventure. Balthasar and friends trudge across the holy land in search of an unpaid debt. Needless to say, hilarity ensues. In the Spring, we look to the home of youth in our world premiere play Foreverendia, where a small group of friends start their own imaginary country. Our season will close with the triumphant return of resident writer Jen Dubois, hot off her stint at the Iowa Writer's Workshop, for an as yet untitled world premiere play. Jen has written two previous works for 11:11, which both received rave reviews by area critics. We're really lucky to have her in residence with 11:11. Iv'e taken a sneak peak at her newest play, and I'm excited to say that it will be Jen's best yet.

As you can see, we have an excited season ahead of us. I hope you can join us for all four plays this season. Our marketing team has made a special point this year given the challenging economic times, to make our plays as affordable as possible. Our most expensive ticket this season is a measley $15. There are countless ways to get discounts as well, in addition to a pay what you can night for every production. We also have a season subscription available and a flex pass that gets you tickets for two plays at a reduced rate. We have some really good productions this season. I can't wait for you to see them. Look out for more updates to come. See you at the theater!

Brian Tuttle
Artistic Director
11:11

New Season Pass Available

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:22:01 +0700

11:11 Theatre Company now offers Season Passes for $40, which get you admittance to four performances, one per show. We've also got a Flex Pass for $20 that gets you admittance to any two performances, one per show. It's your choice!

Once you've purchased a pass, you have to log in to OvationTix in order to redeem your tickets for a show. There's a login link on our Tickets page you can use.

Auditions for Great Expectations on August 25th

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:11:07 +0700

Auditions for 11:11 Theatre Company's world premiere adaptation of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations will be held at the Boston Playwrights' Theatre, 949 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, on August 25th from 7pm-10pm. The adaptation consists entirely of Dickens' original words.

Great Expectations will run on the following dates:
September 25 and 26 @ 8pm
September 27 @ 3pm
October 1, 2, and 3 @ 8pm

To schedule an audition slot, please email info@1111theatre.com. Come with a monologue ready to read from memory.

Parts open for casting include 6 male and 4 female roles:

Pip: young boy in search of his expectations
Joe: noble-hearted and simple friend and father-figure to pip
Jaggers: a lawyer who handles Pip's expectations
Magwitch: an escaped convict who secretly bestows Pip's expectations
Herbert: Pip's friend and roommate in London
Pumblechook: a blowhard friend of Mrs. Joe

Estella: the beautiful and heartless center of Pip's affection
Havisham: an eccentric, wealthy woman who was left at the altar
Biddy: Pip's kind-hearted, early teacher and later friend
Mrs. Joe: Pip's haughty aunt that looks after him

The Leaky Cauldron of Boston

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:50:11 +0700

11:11 has made its home this season in what I have just dubbed "The Leaky Cauldron of Boston": The Factory Theatre in Boston's South End. If you've never been, it's one of those places you'd never know was there unless you looked for it. Seriously, check it out in Google Maps StreetView.

You stroll across an empty parking lot to what looks like the back door of an old factory. Because it is. Down the steps, through the door, and you're in a cozy little space, ready to see some great new shows.

http://www.thefactorytheatre.org/

Keep tabs on The Factory's upcoming shows and you'll see us there. Definitely a venue worth checking out.

Thank you for a great season!

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:18:14 +0700

Thanks to all our actors, directors, writers, but most of all our audience for making A Year in the Life of Almost an amazing success. Please check back later this summer for information on our next season. Until then, thank you and stay inspired!

Tickets on sale for An Evening of Almost!

Tue, 05 May 2009 17:49:01 +0700

11:11 Theatre Company rounds out its 2008-2009 season with An Evening of Almost, a festival of ten minute plays at The Boston Center for the Arts. The festival opens March 22nd and runs through the 30th with performances on Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, as well as two matinees at 3 PM on Sunday May 24th and Saturday May 30th. Tickets are $20 for adults and $17 for students/seniors.

http://www.bostontheatrescene.com/season/production.aspx?id=7338&src=t

Auditions Tuesday, April 14 for Short Plays

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 07:19:41 +0700

Come audition for An Evening of Almost, a festival of original short plays chosen by 11:11 from hundreds of submissions. There's an exciting role waiting for you, so come by the audition this Tuesday!

Tuesday, April 14
7:00pm-10:00pm
Boston Playwrights' Theatre

Seeking 8 male roles and 8 female roles. Rehearsals will begin immediately. Production runs May 22-30 at the Boston Center for the Arts.

Email info@1111theatre.com for a rehearsal slot.

Cheers! See you there!