Don’t let it happen to you!  Go to the Small Theatre Alliance of Boston to reserve your tickets before it’s too late.

The Cast of Lucy Dreaming

The cast of Lucy Dreaming

Silence
by Moira Buffini

Find out about auditions.

Lucy Dreaming is presented as part of FeverFest 2010, the fifth annual celebration of local Boston artists, at the Factory Theatre, 791 Tremont Street Boston, Wednesday through Friday at 8pm and Saturday at 4pm and 8pm.

FeverFest 2010, sponsored by the Small Theatre Alliance of Boston (STAB), is an exploration of a single theme by many local artists, bringing their own interpretation through original works. This year GAN-e-meed joins Bad Habit Productions, Fort Point Theatre Channel, Kelly DuMar and M. Lynda Robinson in investigating the theme of “Left Off Dreaming” from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass.

For more information and advance ticket sales, please visit The Small Theatre Alliance Website.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Molly Smith and Managing Director Edgar Dobie, Arena Stage in Washington DC just did the unthinkable: they put 5 playwrights on payroll.  Yes, they are salaried with benefits.  Not only that, but four of the five are women.

Lisa Kron
Amy Freed
Karen Zacarias
Charles Randolph-Wright
Katori Hall

We honor you, Arena, for taking this remarkable, brave, and supportive step in the face of tradition and economic pitfalls.  We hope your program creates ripples and change in all the right places.

You can read more about Arena’s announcement.

Followed by a cake and champagne reception, many of the audience stayed to celebrate with the cast and production team before we dismantled the set, stashed the costumes, and drove away into the night.

And what, pray tell, have we taken away from this, our very first full-length production?

• a knowledge that it is, indeed, possible to tell one of Shakespeare’s most well-known stories with an all-female cast,  maintain its original purpose and content, and yet unexpectedly highlight key moments that may not have otherwise come forth
• thanks for an outstanding cast and team of talented artists all of whom we hope to work with again
• inspiration and excitement for many more projects and possibilities
• pride that, as far as we can tell, each and every artist involved learned a little something about themselves, the world, and where we’re all headed

So, what’s up next?

May 15 and May 22

Now’s your chance to talk directly to the actresses about their experiencing bringing this production to life.  Post-show discussions are open to all audience members in attendance.

See you on stage!

Have you always been interested in costume design?

No. I was working as a Graphic Artist in Montreal for many years before I got into costume design. I started studying Theatre in 2006 and when I saw “WICKED” in London, I realized that designing costumes would be what I was meant to do. When I was studying Graphic Design, one of my professors always would tell me that I should go into costume design and I always ignored his advice. Maybe some teachers actually know what they are talking about.

What is your favorite part about designing a set of costumes?

The psychology of the play. Bringing out the characters and their personalities through fashion. Seeing how they relate to one another. Understanding the time and place and taking it to another level. I like the creative process, knowing the rules and seeing how I can break them.

Is there a specific kind of play you feel yourself drawn to design?

Unconventional. I like plays that allow for a lot of artistic expression. I am normally drawn to a dark and absurd design esthetic. I love the bizarre. Each play brings on their own set of challenges. A new world that I need to break into. It has their own set of needs and requirements. Not every play can or will be “crazy”. If a play requires period clothing then that is what I will do because it is respective to the characters. But if I get one which can be designed with an unconventional twist, it’s like putting me in a candy store!

GAN-e-meed’s “Hamlet” is set in a contemporary world: what sort of inspirational images or ideas are you using to create your design?

Contemporary can be interpreted in many ways. With respect to Hamlet and knowing that it would comprise of an all-female cast, my first intuition was androgynous fashion. I am using that as my inspiration and foundation for the costumes. I did a lot of research on different styles and found images pertaining to each character and created the world of Hamlet.

A lot of my ideas involve textures, weight, asymmetry and layers. Hamlet is so dark and insane and to create “his” world I continuously think of the sickness that eats away at him.

Are there any unusual challenges you are facing with this particular show?

Normally getting everyone on the same page would be a challenge. Having an actor uncomfortable with their costume with respect to movement, look, etc. but I have been fortunate with this production that I am working with a great director and a great cast. Collaboration has been so huge throughout this process and I thrive in this kind of working environment where everyone is open to suggestion and we are able to talk things through. In the end its all about problem solving and putting on an awesome show. No personality is bigger than the other that we can’t work it out.

How is the gender of the cast influencing (if at all) your design choices?

Initially knowing the gender of the cast steered me towards androgyny. Looking at it now, my design choices could remain the same if this production of Hamlet happened to have men and women in the cast. I adore the idea of an all-female cast and I do not want to shy away from the fact that they are women playing these roles. They do not need to look like typical men, tape themselves down, or put on facial hair. That is the beauty with androgynous clothing.

Even with a mixed cast, roles can be interchangeable. All depending on how the director wants to play it out. I can easily put a man in a dress like I can put a woman in a suit. The actors need to find their character and play that character. Doesn’t matter who is underneath the clothing.

What we don’t address regularly is the pay gap.  There is not significant research on gender pay-gaps within only the performing arts community so we need to rely on the general research.  But, it’s pretty safe to assume it applies to the theatre community.

The following stats were put out by NOW earlier today.

To earn the same amount as a man, a woman would have to work:

seven days a week compared to a man’s Monday-Friday schedule.

OR

from January 1, 2009 until April 20, 2010 to make what a man made between January 1 and December 31in 2009.

On average, women still make only 77 cents for every dollar a man makes.

This wage gap violates the Equal Pay Act of 1963, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Yet the gap still exists.

For more information about Equal Pay Day and the wage gap, please visit the following sites:

* The National Committee on Pay Equity

* The Massachusetts Paid Leave Coalition

* AAUW

May 7,8,9,14,15,16
at Gallery 119 in Lowell
General Admission is $15
Buy in advance via BrownPaperTickets
Cash only at the door: $15

May 21,22,23,28,29,30
at The Center for the Arts at the Armory in Somerville
General Admission is $20
Seniors and Students are $15
Buy in advance via BrownPaperTickets
Cash only at the door: $15-$20

Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm and Sundays at 6pm.

The houses are very very small (40-50 seats) so we highly recommend you purchase in advance to guarantee your seat.

Hamlet is in pre-production, opening May 7th with an all-female cast.  Tickets are on sale via Brown Paper Tickets.

We are now enrolling for our summer program for young women.  Actresses ages 15-20 are invited to register for As You Like It. With an emphasis on character creation and the vocal-physical connection, cast members will rehearse for three very short weeks before performing outside at area parks for the local community.

For more information, click here for the brochure for As You Like It, or visit our education page.