I don’t like much, I’m kinda sorta known for not liking things and I like Messenger No. 4. It’s smart and funny… and I keep saying it in odd places here and there, but the cast makes it joyous.

Some plays bring you intensity that live performance heightens, but true joy on stage is something that film can’t mimic – so if you enjoy feeling good and have a chance to come down to the Blue Theatre I really recommend you do.

But I mean to use this space for the business side of art today.

This cast of ten goes to the mat every night in a grueling sprint, portraying upwards of 50 characters (animate and in) and I feel strongly that the entire team should be pulling equally.  So I’m trying to in my own way.

Two weeks ago we began a Kickstarter to fund Messenger No. 4 With one week remaining we are 60% funded (and thank you to all of our backers!) The “premiere” item is at the $500 level. I offer to tattoo a name of your choice on my leg. While I don’t expect many to be able to afford that level of support, I want you to understand that that’s my level of commitment.

Knowing that I’m willing to have a needle scrape your name into my leg you should understand that a little humiliation is no big deal…
So as a reminder that we still need your help and in celebration of making it so far I offer you my adaptation of the Hanson classic, “Mmmmbop”.

If you can afford to give, please do.

We had a lot of fun coming up with a rewards package and I think you can find something in your price range. Plus if we make it one backer has already ensured that I have to get tattooed!

Thank you for all the support.

Kickstart our hearts…

We’ve been hard at work for the past two months, and we now have a lively new production for your viewing pleasure.

Written and Directed by Will Hollis Snider, Messenger No. 4 or How to Survive a Greek Tragedy opens Friday, February 17th at The Blue Theatre (916 Springdale Rd).

Scenic Design: Ia Enstera
Lighting Design: Megan Reilly
Costume Design: Glenda Barnes
Choreography: Rachel Wiese
Fight Choreography: Andrew Rodgers

Propelled by an award-winning ensemble portraying over 50 characters from the Greek classics and Shakespeare’s masterpieces featuring Jessica Allen, Karina Dominguez, Camille Latour, Vanessa Marroquin, Joey Melcher, Megan Minto, Daniel Sawtelle, Elena Weinberg, Rachel Wiese and Andrew Rodgers in the title role.

THE STORY: Messenger No. 4 longs for something grander than message delivery, so one day he takes it upon himself to SHOW and not TELL. While fiddling with messenger speeches leads to streamlined plot points and dynamic scenes, it also unfortunately leads to the accidental erasure of history’s greatest plays and –quite possibly–reality itself. Complete with sword fights, alternate universes, and an epic dance break, Messenger No. 4 is a high energy tour of love, fate and the Western Cannon.

To purchase tickets: visit www.PhineasAnd4.com

After a suitable hiatus (to conquer other things) Cambiare Productions gets back to doing what we do…

This time we made Will write the whole thing instead of just adapting and creating the connective tissue, and we promise there’s only one death.

OH and we have a sword fight,
and a dance number,
and romance,
and chase scenes,
AND  jokes at Euripides’ expense!

I know that SOUNDS like a lot from one night of theatre, but that’s not all!
That’s not even nearly half!
Because the other half of this evening of theatre is a WHOLE OTHER WORLD PREMIERE PLAY – The 21 Would-Be Lives of Phineas Hamm from our friends at Paper Moon Rep!
A double feature!

You write all this without exclamation points.

Our high energy tour of love, fate, and the Western Canon is led by Andrew Rodgers (Titus Andronicus) as Messenger No. 4 and newcomer Vanessa Marroquin as Chrysothemis, and propelled by an award-winning ensemble portraying a broad swath of characters from Greek classics and Shakespeare’s masterpieces featuring Elena Weinberg (Hamlet, Imaginary Invalid), Camille La Tour (Echoes of Ireland, The Red Balloon), Rachel Wiese (Big Love, Metamophses), Karina Dominguez (La Pastorela, Story Seekers), Daniel Sawtelle (B. Iden Payne award nominee; Of Mice and Men), Joey Melcher (Baby in the Basement), Phillip Olson (Everything About a Day; Slaughter City), Megan Minto, (What You Touch is Gold), and Jessica Allen (Twelfth Night, The Tempest)

And because that wasn’t fun enough? We have an artistic team with a full trophy case to make them all look good, including Ia Enstera (Scenic Design), Megan Reilly (Lighting Design), and Glenda Barnes (Costume Design).

I know this is all a bit breathless but this isn’t some “quiet contemplation of fate as imagined by the heroes of Greek Literature” – this is a full on non-stop freight train… and that’s a breathless sort of thing…

Doors open February 17th.

Be there.

Paper Moon Rep will be producing Rachel McGinnis’ ‘The 21 Would-Be Lives of Phineas Hamm’ and we will be producing Will’s brand spanking new ‘Messenger No. 4 (or… How to Survive a Greek Tragedy’.

I wanted to give our internet advocates a chance to participate in the fundraiser but the available networks won’t allow for livestreaming of my being punched in the face. So I leave you with the below Ken Burns style retrospective of the shows the Cambiare Productions team has made together (some with Gobotrick Theatre Company) and get psyched for the details to come about Messenger No. 4 including such fun facts like: when can I audition?

If you’re in Austin I encourage you to come out to the party, it’ll be a good time, and you finally get to punch me without consequence. If you’re not in Austin, we wish you were here. We get an awful lot of unconditional support from strangers and don’t think we don’t know what a blessing that is. Thank you.

I have a few letters from in town, but along with additional letters from the Austin community I would love to have a representative group of letters from the on-line community to speak to Cambiare’s efforts to reach out to theatremakers nationwide, even internationally.

Cambiare strives to create high quality theatre on a tight budget, whether it be devised or published, classic or modern, all while taking part in the vibrant conversation occurring via theatre blogs and Twitter. We want to be an active laboratory for the ideas that percolate through that conversation, whether it’s new ways of devising theatre, or new ways of involving our audiences.

If that’s something that you support, please consider writing a few paragraphs about your experience with Cambiare Productions, on-line or off, and why you support our efforts. Just drop them into an e-mail to info@cambiareproductions.com by Monday, April 26th – please include where you’re from.

There are so many fun things in the pipeline. I can’t wait to share them with you.

Travis

(If there is a scheduled event playing and the video isn’t live please refresh the page.)

This stream broadcasts at 10:30AM and 3:15PM
Live TV by Ustream

Broadcasts at 12:30PM, 2:30PM and 4:00PM
Video chat rooms at Ustream

Broadcasts at 1:00PM, 1:30PM, and 2:00PM
Video chat rooms at Ustream

10:30 AM
(Cap Metro 1L/1M bus stop at Guadalupe and 45th St.)
Two passengers on a bus animatedly hypothesize about the strange people wearing capes at the bus stops that they pass- until one of the caped figures gets on the bus…
Created by The Exchange Artists

12:30 PM
(Whole Foods)
An original song and dance sequence grows out of the prepared foods section of a grocery store when certain shoppers are overwhelmed by their first date nerves. “Meet You at Whole Foods” is a glimpse into the frantic mind of singles hoping to please and the eavesdroppers who dance about it.
Created by The Exchange Artists

1:00 PM
(2nd and Lavaca on the sidewalk next to Austin Java)
5 Playwrights write 5 minutes in a single character (X’s) life over the course of 1 day. Where will we see X next?
Created by Loaded Gun Theory

1:30 PM
(In front of Lofty Dog)
Another 5 minutes in X’s day.
Created by Loaded Gun Theory

2:00 PM
(City Hall amphitheatre at Caesar Chavez and Lavaca)
Last scripted 5 minutes in X’s day.
Created by Loaded Gun Theory

2:30 PM
(Lamar Pedestrian Footbridge over the river)
A vaudville-esque musical fortune-telling booth appears on the footbridge. Audience participants can sing any question to the fortune-teller who will gesture for good luck. Then the keyboardist will improvise a musical fortune.
Created by Biophiliac Productions

3:15 PM
(Cap Metro 20 Bus Stop at Manor Rd and Airport Blvd)
A man gets on a bus and attempts to persuade a seated passenger that they are in his reserved seat. The explanation gets weirder and weirder and finally the seated passenger gives in. A woman gets on the bus, approaches the same seat and the cycle continues.
Created by Jim McKaskle and friends

4:00 PM
(Auditorium Shores)
A couple is getting married in the park. There are signs inviting passersby to join the wedding as guests. As the ceremony begins, it becomes clear that one of the couple desperately wants to get married while the other is obviously reluctant. The two of them begin a discussion informed by the opinions of various cast and audience members. In the course of the discussion, the two convince each other, switching positions on the issue. The resolution will depend on the audience, which will vote on whether the wedding should continue, cuing one of two script endings.
Created by The Bats

7:00 PM
(Creative Alliance Studios, 701 Tillery St.)
The party begins with a reading of the International World Theatre Day message written by Judy Dench and read by Ken Webster. Robert Faires will deliver the first ever “State of the Arts in Austin Address”. Refreshments, video clips from the day, live streamed footage from other cities celebrating World Theatre Day all included. Open to everyone, free of charge.

The Off Center
2211 Hidalgo St, Austin, TX 78702

Tickets are $15
Students: $12
Thursdays are Pay-What-You-Can

For reservations:
email: reservations@cambiareproductions.com
or call 512.524.3761

Starring: Derek Kolluri, Karina Dominguez, La Tasha Stephens, Molly McKee, Smaranda Ciceu, Steffanie Ngo-Hatchie, Travis Bedard, and Gabriel Luna as Orestes.