2008 Year In Review

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(Photo: Heather Cohn)

When you’re in the middle of something hard, it’s sometimes hard to see it for what it really is.

So it was for 2008 – what often felt like a series of narrowly dodged crises, minor epiphanies, missed deadlines, brief victories and barely won compromises actually turns out to be an extraordinary year of mutual support and accomplishment. What follows is a series of highlights and pictures from what was truly a season of transformation, sometimes for the worse but mostly for the better. I will never stop being grateful for everyone who made this year possible for us. Thank you, and let’s hop in the Delorian and zoom back to January 2008.

FLUX SUNDAYS START AGAIN, JANUARY 6TH
(Photo: Allison Bolah)

Our developmental process Flux Sunday met over twenty times in 2008, developing plays like David Ian Lee’s Sleeper, Kate Marks Bird House, Rob Ackerman’s Icarus Of Ohio, Katherine Burger’s Legends of Batvia, Aaron Michael Zook’s We Are Burning, Adam Szymokiwcz’s Open hearts, Isaiah Tanenbaum’s Transcendental Etudes, Jeremy Basescu’s A Wonderul Wife, Erin Browne’s Trying, Jamie Robert Carrillo’s Simple, and over fifty more.

HAVE ANOTHER #2, JANUARY 7TH

(Pictured: Jason Paradine, Daren Taylor, David Douglas Smith)

The very next day, we held our second Have Another, featuring not only plays by Johnna Adams, Rob Ackerman and Brian Pracht…

(Pictured: Rebecca McHugh)

But also drinks and great company!

(Photo: Isaiah Tanenbaum. Pictured: Tom Delpizzo, Caitlin Kinsella)
FLUX SUNDAY, JANUARY 13TH – LEGENDS OF BATVIA COMPLETE

This particular Flux saw us finish working through Katherine Burger’s glorious feast of language, Legends of Batvia.

JANUARY 13TH, FIRST EVER READ THROUGH OF 8 LITTLE ANTICHRISTS!
(Photo: by Johnna Adams. Pictured: Zack Robidas, Rebecca McHugh)

FLUX SUNDAY, JANUARY 20TH – ICARUS OF OHIO COMPLETE

This Sunday, we finished reading through Rob’s Icarus of Ohio, with a particularly moving read from Felicia Hudson.

(Photo: Allison Bolah. Pictured: Rob Ackerman)

JANUARY 20TH – FIRST SHAKESPEARE WORKSHOP

Our throughly enjoyable but ultimately ill-fated series of Shakespeare workshops to prepare for Midsummer started this Sunday.

CASTING THE SEASON, FEBRUARY 2ND AND 3RD

Our casting process yielded a season where every Flux Member had at least one acting opportunity, and we brought many new artists into our community. Despite the successes in casting, we learned a lot about our values as an Ensemble, and hope to bring an even more fair and open process to casting for 2009. This conversation of rights, responsibilities and values continued at our retreat, and we hope to hammer out a working arrangement this coming January.

FLUX’S FIRST GRANT, FEBRUARY 12TH

Thank you, Fractured Atlas!

FLUX SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH – TRYING COMPLETE

This Sunday we finished working through Erin Browne’s beautiful play, Trying.

FLUX SUNDAY, MARCH 16TH – A WONDERFUL WIFE

In March we welcomed Kate Marks and Amy Fitts to Flux Sundays, and on this particular Sunday, finished working through Jeremy Basescu’s A Wonderful Wife.

(Pictured: Jake Alexander, Candice Holdorf, Will Ditterline, Jane Taylor, Ellen McLaughlin, Michael Davis)

Our second Food:Soul featured Jason Grote’s This Storm is What We Call Progress, and exceptional performances from our own Candice Holdorf and Jake Alexander, as well as our delicious home cooked Flux food.

APRIL 6TH, THE MIDSUMMER PHOTO SHOOT
Some of these are from a 2nd photo shoot we did, but I loved them enough to sneak them in here…
(Photo by: Isaiah Tanenbaum. Pictured: Nitya Vidyasagar)
(Photo by: Isaiah Tanenbaum. Pictured: Nick Monroy)
A special thanks goes to Nick Monroy, who not only rocked as Snout, but stepped in last minute as Herbert in Angel Eaters.(Photo: Isaiah Tanenbaum. Pictured: Maggie Hamilton)

THE MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM BENEFIT, APRIL 14TH

What a party! What a raffle!

(Pictured: Jason Paradine, Christina Shipp)

What a…um…what?

(Pictured: Caitlin Kinsella, Zack Robidas, Marnie Schulenburg)
THE IMAGINATION COMPACT BEGINS – APRIL 28TH

Our four part reading series riff on the characters of Midsummer turned out to be one of the most successful parts of our season. The first IC focused on the Fairies, and highlights included Autumn Horne’s take charge in Katherine Burger’s riotous take on the hard working fairies; and Erin Browne’s elegiac look at Titania’s love affair with the Votaress.

THE IMAGINATION COMPACT – MAY 5TH
This IC focused on the lovers, with highlights including Mac Rogers funny-sad take on how the lovers grew up under the warm-hearted direction of Scott Ebersold.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM REHEARSALS BEGIN – MAY 8TH

Oh, it wasn’t always the easiest rehearsal process but to me it was such a blessing…

(Photo: Isaiah Tanenbaum. Pictured: Jake Alexander, Amy Fitts, Brian Pracht)(Photo: Isaiah Tanenbaum. Pictured: Charlotte Graham, Kira Blaskovich, Tiffany Clementi, Hannah Rose Peck, Christina Shipp)
(Photo: Isaiah Tanenbaum. Pictured: Charlotte Graham, Muchael Swartz, Nitya Vidyasagar, Caitlin Kinsella, Tiffany Clementi, Hannah Roese Peck)(Photo: Isaiah Tanenbaum. Pictured: Kira Blaskovich, Christina Shipp, Hannah Rose Peck)(Photo: Isaiah Tanenbaum. Pictured: Amy Fitts, Brian Pracht)((Photo: Isaiah Tanenbaum. Pictured: Frederique Nahmani, Aaron Michael Zook)
THE IMAGINATION COMPACT – MAY 12TH
This IC focused on the royals, with highlights including Jason Paradine’s comic turn in Jeff Lewonczyk’s take on Theseus, and a particularly meta take on the project from Amlin Gray.

THE IMAGINATION COMPACT – MAY 19TH
This IC played around with the mechanicals, with highlights including Caitlin Kinsella’s incandescent role in Brian Pracht’s look at backstage love affairs, and Matt Archambault bringing the funny to Rob Ackerman’s bittersweet take on Quince.
MIDSUMMER OPENS, JUNE 6TH

And the theatre was hot hot hot and everyone was running for ice and popsicles and in spite of all of that, the critics were kind and the audiences kept coming and we had our best selling show yet – and yet – I still think about all the moments I didn’t quite catch…

(Photo: Shalin Scupham. Pictured: Michael Davis, Nitya Vidyasagar)(Photo: Shalin Scupham. Pictured: Candice Holdorf, Amy Fitts)(Photo: Shalin Scupham. Pictured: Christina Shipp, Isaiah Tanenbaum)(Photo: Shalin Scupham. Pictured: Michael Davis, Kira Blaskovich)
FLUX SUNDAY RESUMES, JULY 6TH

After our long production break, we resumed with Rob’s Call Me Waldo, David’s Dog Show, Johnna’s Oneida, Servants of Motion, Aaron’s We Are Burning, and the newly revised third part of Other Bodies.

(Photo: Allison Bolah. Pictured: Daren Taylor, David Ian Lee, David Douglas Smith)
OTHER BODIES REHEARSALS BEGIN, JULY 9TH

I have never been quite so humbled by a writing and rehearsal process as I was by Other Bodies, and I still feel a bit like Terry, chasing after inscrutable things, but being given the sweetness of a Jeff or two along the way…
(Photo: Isaiah Tanenbaum. Pictured: Vince Nappo, Christina Shipp)
(Photo: Isaiah Tanenbaum. Pictured: Jason Paradine)(Photo: Isaiah Tanenbaum. Pictured: Asa Wember)(Pictured: Jason Paradine, Heather Cohn)(Pictured: Christina Shipp)
OTHER BODIES OPENS, AUGUST 10TH

(Photo: Isaiah Tanenbaum. Pictured: Vince Nappo, Christina Shipp)(Photo: Isaiah Tanenbaum. Pictured: Vince Nappo, Christina Shipp)(Photo: Isaiah Tanenbaum. Pictured: Vince Nappo, Christina Shipp)(Photo: Isaiah Tanenbaum. Pictured: Christina Shipp)

HEATHER COHN WINS FRINGE NYC AWARD, AUGUST 24TH

In the Spiegeltent, Jason and Heather and I packed in like sardines, barely able to hear the good news, and then calling everyone we could, shouting over the noise, and Chainsaw herself, cutting through the crowd…

Our Annual Retreat at Little Pond has become a centering and central part of our artistic identity. This time round, we focused the first two days on Membership only, asking questions about rights, responsibilities and values that helped us move closer to a more meaningful mission, organizational structure, values statement and shared aesthetic.

(Photo: Heather Cohn. Pictured: Kelly O’Donnell, Jason Paradine, Tiffany Clementi)

But we also found time to cook and eat and relax!

( Pictured: Tiffany Clementi, Heather Cohn)

And do puzzles…(Photo: Heather Cohn. Pictured: Cotton Wright, Kate Marks, Jason Paradine, Angela Astle)
…given to us by Luis Cobo in honor of our past shows, like Rue...…Riding the Bull……and Life is a Dream!We also worked on plays indoors (the 60’s play)

(Photo: Tiffany Clementi. Pictured: Jake Alexander, Brian Pracht, Rebecca McHugh, Ingrid Nordstrom)
…and outside, like Texas Toast…(Photo: Tiffany Clementi. Pictured: Heather Cohn, Joe Mathers, Ingrid Nordstrom)

…Rob Ackerman’s Call Me Waldo, Johnna Adams’ Oneida and classics like Our Town and J.B. It was an amazing week of theatre and local corn on the cob!

FLUX SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH

Our post-Fringe and retreat Flux Sunday featured the first scenes of the prolific Rob Ackerman’s Volleygirls, and more 60’s play and We Are Burning.

SEPTEMBER 27TH: FAB FESTIVAL – SCENE FROM 8 LITTLE ANTICHRISTS

Our first time participating in the FAB Festival featured the Zaz and Sem and Jeremy.

OCTOBER 1ST, ANGELA ASTLE MADE A MEMBER OF FLUX

After meeting Angela during the 2007 Fringe, we were impressed by her passion, intelligence and work ethic. We invited her to Flux Sundays, and her work there made us ask her to direct a scene for Have Another, and that led to directing a night of the Imagination Compact, and that led to her Associate Directing A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and that led to an invitation to our retreat; and all of those steps made us honored and elated when she said yes!

OCTOBER 6TH, ANGEL EATERS REHEARSALS BEGIN
(Photo: Justin Hoch)(Photo: Justin Hoch. Pictured: Jodi Witherell, Jessi D.Hill)
(Photo: Justin Hoch. Pictured. Asa Wember, Jennifer Rathbone)
(Photo: Justin Hoch. Pictured: Autumn Horne, Asa Wember, Jerry Ruiz, Johnna Adams, Jennifer Rathbone)(Photo: Justin Hoch. Pictured: Autumn Horne)(Photo: Justin Hoch. Pictured: Isaiah Tanenbaum)
(Photo: Justin Hoch. Pictured: Johnna Adams)
OCTOBER 19TH, THE ANGEL EATERS TRILOGY BENEFIT

OCTOBER 30TH, FEATURED ON THE NYTHEATRE.COM PODCAST

OCTOBER ???, NYPRESS NAMES FLUX BEST INDIE THEATER COMPANY YOU DON’T KNOW WHOSE WORK YOU SHOULD GET YOUR ASS TO

NOVEMBER 6TH, ANGEL EATERS OPENS
(Photo: by Johnna Adams. Pictured: Cotton Wright, Marnie Schulenburg)(Photo: Justin Hoch. Pictured: Gregory Waller, Tiffany Clementi)

(Photo: Justin Hoch. Pictured: Marnie Schulenburg, Ken Glickfeld)

(Photo: Justin Hoch. Pictured: Marnie Schulenburg, Catherine Porter, Isaiah Tanenbaum, Ken Glickfeld, Gregory Waller)
NOVEMBER 7TH, RATTLERS OPENS
(Photo: Justin Hoch. Pictured: Matthew Crosby, Richard B Watson)(Photo: Justin Hoch. Pictured: Jane Lincoln Taylor, David Jackson)(Photo: Justin Hoch. Pictured: Amy Lynn Stewart, Scott Drummond)(Photo: Justin Hoch. Pictured: Scott Drummond, Jason Paradine)
NOVEMBER 7TH, A FEW HOURS LATER, 8 LITTLE ANTICHRISTS OPENS
(Photo: by Johnna Adams. Pictured: Candice Holdorf, August Schulenburg, Zack Robidas, Rebecca McHugh)(Photo: by Johnna Adams. Pictured: Jake Alexander, Joe Mathers)(Photo: by Johnna Adams. Pictured: Felicia Hudson, Zack Robidas, Elise Link)
(Photo: by Johnna Adams. Pictured: Satanachia)
DECEMBER, NYTHEATRE.COM’ NAMES FLUX ONE OF THEIR ‘PEOPLE OF THE YEAR’ 2008

DECEMBER 7TH, FLUX SUNDAY
Our first post-trilogy Flux Sunday features the most scenes ever, including a return to where Flux Sunday’s began with a revised scene from Katherine Burger’s Legends of Batvia.

DECEMBER 14TH, FLUX SUNDAY
Our final Flux Sunday looks to the future with several scenes read from the as yet untitled 60’s play.

What a year. Thank you to everyone who was a part of it. We’ll see you in 2009!

4 Comments on "2008 Year In Review"

  1. Adam · December 22, 2008 at 1:57 am · Reply
  2. rob · December 23, 2008 at 5:07 am · Reply
  3. Matt · December 30, 2008 at 2:40 am · Reply
  4. Anonymous · November 17, 2009 at 11:01 pm · Reply

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