MOVING PARTS THEATRE

What's Next for Moving Parts?

2010-08-08T01:31:00.001-07:00

Once again, we'd like to thank everyone who came out to sponsor PAGAN PLAY. Being a part of the First Hollywood Fringe Festival was incredible and we feel so loved and supported.

The Moving Partners who were in town met yesterday to have a brief debrief of the whole process and to discuss where we're all headed next, as individuals and as a company. Quo Vadimus?

The original charter of Moving Parts Theatre is to create work that is fluid and constantly changing, incorporating ensemble members as they are able to take part in the work. Moving to Los Angeles are Meghan, Sarah, Dana (native of Culver City), and eventually Nathan and Spencer (whose hometown is Van Nuys). We're in talks with friends old and new to find the right space and project to work on next. Our goal is to produce a new work by the end of the year, with the basics set by the end of this month.

Matt, Claire, and Josh are remaining in San Diego to work, work on shows, and work on school. Paul and Christine are going to spend some time in Brazil; they've been brushing up on their Portuguese. And Al will be making the big move to New York sometime in the next two months.

So stay tuned to this blog-- watch this space-- keep your RSS feed open! Moving Parts Theatre is on the move and will be hard at work on its next project in no time.

Pagan Play has fun!

2010-07-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a Picasa album of Moving Parts when we weren't working on the show. So, basically, a very careful documentation of very little time at all.

Pagan Play on Hollywood Blvd, Part 2!

2010-06-23T00:27:00.001-07:00

Performance and flyering shots from our streetside proselytizing on Hollywood Blvd. last Sunday!

So many thanks to the Hollywood Fringe Festival for setting up Visibility Stages, a chance for Fringe shows to pound the pavement and hand out their flyers.

Pagan Play: "Like nothing I've ever seen before"

2010-06-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

Amazing review from an anonymous theatregoer on the Fringe Wesbite. THANK YOU!

COMPLETELY unique and like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Who would have thought that a world inhabited by ghouls as well as tourists, and witches as well as grocery store clerks could create such an interesting theatrical work. Due to this incredibly diverse array of characters, Pagan Play provokes laughter, tears, and complete intrigue. Thank you all for such a wonderful experience!

Moving Parts: "A masterful ensemble"

2010-06-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Rachel Jenkins had this to say about our show. THANK YOU, Rachel!

A masterful ensemble.

Smart.

Beautiful.

Quotable.

Creative.

Everyone knew where they were going [even when they didn’t].

Moving Parts at the Hollywood Fringe Opening Night Party!

2010-06-21T20:54:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, after a long double tech, Moving Parts unwound at King King for the Hollywood Fringe Festival Opening Party!

Claire and Matt, pitching the play.

Dana, wearing her mantle of all-kinds-of-fur.

Kendra, honorary Moving Partner, gets smooched by Meghan.

Josh, handsome devil.

Photos by Star Foreman.

Pagan Play: "Grimm Brothers' lost orphans"

2010-06-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

Our first review, posted on the Hollywood Fringe Festival website!

For some reason, this play had me at the postcard. Even so, I still walked into the Complex today with hesitation about how good a play could be when eleven people collaborated on everything—the script, the casting, the acting, the costumes, the direction—I mean, really. How can that all work together?

The answer: amazingly. Beautifully. The set pieces were enough to tell me what kind of world we would be visiting, but each character was well-thought out, well written, and half the play seemed to sprout from a spontaneity which actually was just well-timed storytelling. I felt like I was being introduced to the Grimm Brothers’ lost orphans, and I still can’t pick my favorite.

As magical as the world seemed to be, the relationships were always hard, sometimes a hot mess, and more truthful than I’ve seen in a very long time. I would happily see it again and encourage everyone to check it out!

By Cindy Marie Jenkins

Pagan Play on Hollywood Blvd.

2010-06-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we hitched up our soapboxes and drummed up audiences for PAGAN PLAY the old-fashioned way: street corner proselytizing! Fun was had by all-- passersby got to see scenes, monologues, movement, songs, and the infamous Diva Tag. Enci Box of Bitter Lemons, the Los Angeles theatre journal, grabbed Paul as he was performing as the Scarred Knight.

... as we headed back up to Hollywood Blvd, we came across the Pagan Play performers promoting their show. They put up a street performance, getting on the soapbox, dancing, playing drums, etc. I heard such great things that I’m planning on seeing the play, especially since I totally appreciate actors getting out there and promoting their show. This is not a usual sighting in Hollywood but I hope that it will become an everyday thing even after the Fringe is over.

Bitter Lemons - Sunday at the Fringe

Theatre Unleashed's 11 Hot Tickets at the Fringe

2010-06-11T16:42:00.000-07:00

Theatre Unleashed. Playwright Gregory Crafts, author of fellow Fringe play Friends Like These, included us on his list of 11 hot tickets at the Hollywood Fringe!

PAGAN PLAY: Page Fifty Two.

2010-06-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

A FAMILY OF TOURISTS

Are you going to leave?

THE GHOUL

Yes. But first I’m going to eat your brains!

A FAMILY OF TOURISTS screams.

A FAMILY OF TOURISTS

Please, no! Please!

THE GHOUL

I was kidding, I was kidding! A joke, sorry. I was joking. It was just a joke. Geez.

PAGAN PLAY: Page Six.

2010-06-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

ALLERLEIRAUH.

When, therefore, the King's daughter saw that there was no longer any hope of turning her father's heart, she resolved to run away from him. She commended herself to God, and went away, and walked the whole night until she reached a great forest. And as she was tired, she got into a hollow tree, and fell asleep.

There is no hollow tree.

A hollow tree.

A hollow tree, and fell asleep.

Meet the Company!

2010-06-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

We took some sexy foresty Pagany pictures this morning!

PAGAN PLAY: Page Twenty One.

2010-06-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

A FAMILY OF TOURISTS enters.

A FAMILY OF TOURISTS.

My, that tour was fascinating!

Can you believe how many trees there are?

They shriek with laughter for a moment.

That sounds ridiculous, we're in a forest!

But you know what I mean, you don't really comprehend until you're here.

Get over there, I'll take your picture with that Beast of Many Furs. Come on.

Win a free ticket to PAGAN PLAY!

2010-06-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

Here it is: Win a free ticket to see Pagan Play at the very first annual Hollywood Fringe Festival - coming up in less than two weeks!

1. Become our fan on Facebook.

2. Find a spot in Hollywood where we've left PAGAN PLAY postcards (hint: they tend to follow the Hollywood Fringe Festival Guides around).

3. Take a photo!

4. Upload that photo to our Facebook page.

The first FIVE people to upload a photo will receive free admission to the show date/time of their choice!

PAGAN PLAY: Page Seventeen.

2010-06-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

This forest has a grocery store. A COVEN OF WITCHES are shopping in it. A WORKER is shelving condensed milk. 

A COVEN OF WITCHES.

Excuse me. Do you know where the mandrake root is?

A WORKER.

Uh...No. Sorry.

A COVEN OF WITCHES.

We think it’s with the root vegetables.

A WORKER.

I don’t know.

A COVEN OF WITCHES.

Is there a, a, maybe a frozen kind? Or do you think there’s a canned one?

A WORKER.

I don’t think so.

PAGAN PLAY: Page Fourteen.

2010-06-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

THE QUEEN throws some powder into a beaker and there is a chemical reaction.

THE QUEEN.

Ahhh.

I want to go to like, the Indies. Or, Pangea. I don't even know if that's a place anymore. Well, whatever, I just want to go on a beach, and then you know, get on a boat, you know on a cruise. And leave my clothes lying around everywhere and my empty mai-tais. Okay, I want to try a mai-tai, a Long Island Iced Tea, a Sex on the Beach and a Tequila Sunrise. Those are all like cruise drinks I think.

LA Stage Blog on Pagan Play

2010-06-03T16:43:00.000-07:00

LA Stage Blog did a profile of The Hollywood Fringe Festival, and wrote a whole paragraph about Pagan Play!

Pagan Play: The search “for home, the attempt to defeat loneliness and the basic question of ‘What do I do now’?” San Diego Moving Parts Theatre Company member Megan McCauley says the show examines these themes “and the posing of these questions is done through a slightly absurd lens - the play takes place in a forest in present-day. The characters include a Faun, a Centaur, a Coven of Witches, a Family of Tourists, a Waiter, an Apprentice and more. We juxtapose fantasy (predicting the future by moonlight) and reality (setting tables in the forest restaurant) to prompt audiences to focus less on the plot and more on the characters’ own personal journeys.

PAGAN PLAY: Page Eight.

2010-06-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

THE SCARRED KNIGHT.

This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. Left foot yellow. B-7. Place the mask over your head. Keep off the grass. Permanecer sentados por favor. No lifeguard on duty. Don't tell me how to live my life. Please wait for further instruction.

MOVING PARTS x OUR NEW PLAY SPECTACULAR

2010-05-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Calling all San Diego residents and theatre enthusiasts - make sure to catch Our New Play Spectacular (ONPS), the annual undergraduate new play festival at the University of California, San Diego.

Moving Parts ensemble member Spencer Howard is the festival's artistic director, Matthew Bovee and Dana Murphy are both directing new plays, and Spencer and Dana both wrote shows this year as well!

You can catch the plays that Dana and Matthew directed in Showcase A: Saturday 5/29 at 2pm and 10pm, Friday 6/4 at 8pm, and Saturday 6/5 at 7pm.

All performances are in the Arthur Wagner Theatre at UCSD. Admission is free.

PAGAN PLAY: Free Theatre!

2010-05-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

A selection of scenes from our (sure-to-be) hit show!

Free admission at Fringe Central (Theatre of Arts at 1625 North Las Palmas).

You can reserve your tickets online:

https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/8131955

PAGAN PLAY is looking for support staff!

2010-05-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

PAGAN PLAY is one of the 176 shows that will inaugurate the Hollywood Fringe Festival, a 10-day international arts festival in the heart of Los Angeles, CA.

We need your help to get it all out of the rehearsal room and onto the stage!

WANTED: Volunteers to support PAGAN PLAY

Light board operator • Sound board operator • House manager

We will need both board operators on June 16 (tech), 19, 20, 26, and 27.

We will need the house manager on June 19, 20, 26, and 27.

LIGHT BOARD OPERATOR will be running and assisting in programming a basic programmable multi-channel board. Experience is not necessarily required, as we have company members able to teach!

SOUND BOARD OPERATOR will be running sound from a CD player and/or a laptop. Experience is not necessarily required, as we have company members able to teach this too!

HOUSE MANAGER will be overseeing the public areas of the theater, assisting with at-the-door tickets, ushering audience members, and coordinating the pre/post show lobby. We may use two house managers per performance.

Perks will include: a fantastic time in Los Angeles with this fantastic new theatre company, a chance to meet and network with hundreds of theatre companies, directors, producers, and actors in Los Angeles, various meals and beverages as provided by Moving Parts.

Are you interested?

Please leave us a comment here or send us an e-mail: movingpartstheatre@gmail.com

PAGAN PLAY: Page Four.

2010-05-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

THE CENTAUR.

What did you read?

THE APPRENTICE.

Sad... sadness. Leaving.

THE CENTAUR.

Yes, but from what. Explain what you saw.

THE APPRENTICE.

Okay, well, uh, okay. I saw a raven fly out of a dead tree.

THE CENTAUR.

Holy shit.

THE APPRENTICE.

What?

THE CENTAUR.

That's – heavy.

THE APPRENTICE.

What do you think it means?

THE CENTAUR.

I have no idea.

Tickets On Sale: PAGAN PLAY @ ArtWorks

2010-05-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

BUY TICKETS NOW:
https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/736485

Tickets On Sale: PAGAN PLAY @ The Complex

2010-05-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

BUY TICKETS NOW:
https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/737835

PAGAN PLAY: Page One.

2010-05-11T18:02:00.001-07:00

THE FAUN.

There is a story I could tell. It is the story of two people, one of which is dead, the other of which is me. It starts with me sharpening my teeth on the bones of my enemies. Well, technically, it starts with me talking. I say

There was once a great King, who always desired more.

But it’s better not to. We’ll do something else...

PAGAN PLAY: Half-beasts.

2010-05-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Christine Herde is The Faun.

Nathan Turner is The Centaur.

Moving Parts Presents: Itself

2010-05-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

The first weekend of May was a big one for Moving Parts Theatre. After dedicating Saturday to the greatest yard sale of all time, the company got some beauty sleep and prettied ourselves up for Sunday's fundraising event - an invited reading and social event at home.

The idea behind the evening was to invite adult guests to a fundraising event that felt slightly more formal than the others, but still had the comfortable and homey atmosphere of, well, our home.

Though we weren't prepared to have a full design presentation, we did want to present the project visually. We collaged an entire wall with hand-edited script pages, rehearsal photos, and inspirational images we've been referring to throughout the process.

Our wonderful guests were family members, close friends, faculty from the University of California San Diego, and MFA students from the school's department of Theatre and Dance.

It was full house but still felt very intimate and personable - all of the company members and guests were able to mingle and meet one another for the first hour before sitting down for a full reading of the current script.

Company members made appetizers to share.

More edibles courtesy of Moving Parts Theatre!

We had a globe bar. A globe bar! In case it isn't clear, that's a globe that opens up and becomes a bar. It was an incredible home accessory to say the very least.

"Let's do a silly one."

This evening marked the first time that the text of PAGAN PLAY was heard by anyone outside of the Moving Parts ensemble. It was simultaneously nerve-wracking, exhilarating, and totally joyous. We received invaluable feedback - both compliments as well as very necessary criticisms. We were delighted to find out that many of the themes we'd discussed and character development that we'd built during meetings was coming across to the audience, and we were grateful to hear their questions and concerns about other areas of the text.

We're ready to move onwards and upwards, and again, we could not be more thankful for all of the support we have received. Thank you!

Moving Parts Yard Sale

2010-05-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend kicked off two fantastic fundraisers for Moving Parts, beginning with a yard sale of epic proportion! After a ten-person company slumber party, we woke up at 5 a.m. to set up the dozens of bags and boxes of sellable wares.

We started planning for the event on Sunday - an eleven-person yard sale set up at the crack of dawn to raise some money for the Hollywood Fringe fees we still have to pay off.

The yard sale's success would not have been possible without an extremely generous donation from friends of company member Nathan Turner.

Josh setting up early, while one of our first customers began rummaging through - this is before 7 a.m. had struck.

Josh.

Most of the Moving Partners.

Nathan's incredible yard sale-appropriate attire.

Claire and Matt.

Table of trinkets! The retreating blonde on the right side of the photo is our friend Acacia, who was over at the house at 8:30 a.m. donating her own things to the sale. When we told her that we'd pay for the items, she refused with: "Support the arts, man."

We didn't so much have a yard sale as we actually had an entire thrift store in front of the house.

Now that's a sweater.

Matthew modeling one of many yard-sale-only looks.

Dana modeling another yard-sale-only outfit.

Matt and Kermit towards the end of a very long day of singing songs, making change, eating donuts, and selling our stuff.

The yard sale ended up being a huge success, and not only in regards to raising funds. Moving Parts got the opportunity to create community amongst ourselves and our neighbors - we met two women who had been best friends since 1966 and showed us cell phone photos of their grandchildren. We met our neighbor's nieces on their way to a soccer game. We sold a bag of clothes to a hilarious woman who drives one of the bus routes in San Diego. We serenaded a married couple with songs from Mary Poppins (complete with ukulele accompaniment). In summation - we had the best day ever, and we couldn't be more grateful for it all.

Moving Parts Press: Paul Scudder in "In a Word"

2010-04-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Company member Paul Scudder in In a Word by Lauren Yee, part of the Baldwin New Play Festival at the University of California, San Diego - April 16-24, 2010.

"The performances are splendid (Paul Scudder is outstanding as the troubled, difficult son and several other characters). The writing is first-rate. Patté Award-winning director Adam Arian, who’s about to graduate, directs with imagination and ingenuity. The lighting (Sherrice Kelly) and sound (Joe Huppert) are notable, too."
- Pat Launer, San Diego News Network

The End

2010-04-27T22:09:00.000-07:00

This is what the end of Pagan Play looks like.

This Weekend: YARD SALE PARTY!

2010-04-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

THIS WEEKEND!

Meet the Company: Dana

2010-04-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

Dana Murphy is an avid adventurer who is currently obsessed with the moon, the limbic brain and their respective effects on her emotional life. She will be graduating from UCSD this spring with a B.A. in Theatre and a minor in Political Science.

UCSD Acting credits: Sexual Selection: Darwin and Shakespeare Ponder Love; Marriage, Medicine, Money and Mayhem: Two French Farces by Moliere and Feydeau; This Thing (A devised trio of solo performances); Oh, the Humanity!; Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind; and Muttnik (ONPS '09).

UCSD Directing credits: American Apparel (written by Moving Partner Spencer Howard! Part of Our New Play Spectacular '10), Clementine and the Cyber Ducks (Part of Baldwin New Play Festival '09, AD).

Dana is also a Co-Director of DeeLightful Productions Unlimited, a Children’s Theatre Company based in Culver City, CA. She most recently directed and choreographed their summer production of the musical Once On This Island in '09.

She is honored to be a part of this extraordinary company and is so thankful for everyone who brings more happy happy love love into her life.

Meet the CAST

2010-04-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

Introducing the cast of Pagan Play.
The Faun, in search of a home	Christine Herde
Allerleirauh, a lost princess	Dana Murphy
The Centaur, the custodian of the forest	Nathan Turner
The Apprentice, the Centaur's student	Josh Adams
A Waiter, first to hear of The King's death	Matthew Bovee
The Scarred Knight, the security of the forest	Paul Scudder
A Family of Tourists, new to these parts	Sarah Kapp Al Evangelista Meghan McCauley
A Coven of Witches, the keepers of the magic	Sarah Kapp Al Evangelista Meghan McCauley
A Worker, the keeper of the eye of newt	Matthew Bovee
The Queen, a princess in love with alchemy	Claire Kaplan
The Ghoul, still assimilating	Matthew Bovee

Meet the Company: Claire

2010-04-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

Claire Kaplan is a young actress currently working in San Diego. She is a third year undergrad at UCSD where she enjoys fantastic training and as many acting opportunities as possible. Outside of school she has worked with the San Diego Shakespeare Society, Triad Productions, Moxie Theatre, and the Long Beach Shakespeare Company, where she was an active member for five years. She recently returned from a quarter in London at the British American Drama Academy. She loves improv, dance, and especially Shakespeare; she one day hopes to work all over the world as a classical actor. Moving Parts Theatre Company has allowed Claire to explore the creation of a show, something she is very grateful for and excited to continue!

Meet the Company: Nathan

2010-04-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

Nathan Turner is a graduate of UCSD with B.A.s in Theatre and Philosophy. He wrote the national best-selling philosopher's baby book: I think, therefore I poop.

Acting Credits: King Lear (Vanguard Theater), Interrobang‽ (UCSD), The Misanthrope (UCSD), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (UCSD), Buried Child (UCSD), Wozzeck (San Diego Opera), Romeo and Juliet (Coronado Playhouse), The Merchant of Venice (Coronado Playhouse).

Teaching Credits: YPW Movement/Stage Combat instructor (La Jolla Playhouse), Fight Choreographer Cabaret (La Costa Canyon H.S.), Pop Tour Pre-Performance Workshop Leader (La Jolla Playhouse), Fight Choreographer To Be Diagnosed (UCSD), Fight Choreographer The Women (UCSD).

Pagan Play in the Fringe Guide

2010-04-16T17:38:00.000-07:00

Introducing the ad we'll be placing in The Guide to the Hollywood Fringe Festival!

Meet the Company: Sarah

2010-04-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

Sarah Kapp graduated from UCSD in 2009 with a B.A. in theatre with a history minor.

Some UCSD credits include: The Mistakes Madeline Made, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, The System, The Jumping Ernest and Urinetown. During her time at UCSD, she also co-ran SMIC, a sketch comedy group, acting as writer, director and actor. SMIC had its fourth show in Spring 2009.

Sarah genuinely likes most people and things, to whom she sends love and thanks. Her favorite birds are pigeons, which she claims are underrated, colorful doves.

Porter's Pub Fundraiser: Even More

2010-04-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Moving Parts Theatre performing Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" in the style of Glee. Halfway through the song, all of the audience members were out of their seats shouting the lyrics with us and we were filled with joy.

Singing Dusty Springfield's "Island of Dreams".

Nathan made you guess your own weight.

Laura, friend of all, and Dana.

Meet the Company: Al

2010-04-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

Al Evangelista is a recent graduate of UC San Diego’s Department of Theatre and Dance.

Regional Credits: Balm in Gilead (Steppenwolf / CSULB), Mother Courage (Edinburgh Fringe), A Midsummer Night's Dream (A.C.T. STC), and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (ACLO).

Favorite UCSD Credits include: The Skin of our Teeth, The Laramie Project, Woyzeck, Urinetown (Bobby Strong), and Underground Broadway.

With a modern dance background, Al is currently in pursuit of training in ballet, jazz, and hip-hop. Please wish him luck. Cause he needs it... especially in Hip Hop. He is extremely honored to be part of this amazing ensemble. Love to the moms and the pops and maybe my brother and sister.

Porter's Pub Fundraiser

2010-04-13T22:29:00.001-07:00

Dana.

Paul drawing caricatures.

Nathan and Dana, pre-show.

Nathan on the ukulele.

Moving Parts friend Morgan, with face paint by Dana!

Nathan reading a poem.

Spencer auctioning off Claire and Josh for a slow dance.

Slow dancing.

Al and our friend Nicole!

Al, Sarah, and Spencer performing a scene from Fuddy Meers.

Johnny won a shower of compliments!

Paul on the ukulele, playing "Mamma Mia".

This evening was a blast.
Thank you so much to all who attended!

Meet the Company: Matthew

2010-04-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

Matthew Bovee enjoys tap dancing and monkeys, preferably at the same time. He gives private lessons in the art of being sparkly. He also gives a kick-ass massage, and will trade you one for homemade baked goods and/or your dog. Please do not, however, bake your dog...this has gotten messy in the past.

UCSD: Phantom Band, La Mandragola, Sexual Selection, Woyzeck, Danton's Death, Surf Orpheus, The Skin of Our Teeth, Urinetown, Cabaret, Underground Broadway '07-'09, Muttnik, Inferni Physicorum, Happy Happy Birthday, Nancy Drew and the Secret of the Old Clock, Asian American Theatre Experiment, WinterWorks, 1UP, True Possessions, Pandora's Box.

Regional: Quartermaine's Terms, Schmoozy Togetherness, Welcome to the Moon, A Sermon, Late-Night Cabaret (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Back Back Back (The Old Globe).

Directing: Freak Show (May '10), Underground Broadway (Musical Director '07-'09).

Additionally, if you ask him to, he will perform the Janice Ian monologue from Mean Girls, and/or solve a Rubik's Cube. At the same time, you ask? Let's not get crazy.

Favorite Quotes: "If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing."
--Zimbabwe Folk Saying

"When in doubt, pinky out."
--Patrick Star (of Spongebob Squarepants fame)

Meet the Company: Christine

2010-04-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Christine Herde is a work in progress. Please feel free to give feedback and treats.

Past performance credits include: UCSD: Winterworks '10 and '09, This Thing, Sexual Selection, Nancy Drew and the Secret of the Old Clock, This We Have Now, New Directions '09, DanceAlive '08 and '07, Balm in Gilead, Our Asian American Theatre Experiment, The Distance From Here.

Regional: 4x4 at the Bluefoot Bar, The Adoration of Dora (reading, Moxie Theatre) Other: Towards Readiness (with Monica Duncan).

Choreography credits: Highly Sprung (with company member Paul Scudder), Spring Moves '09, New Directions '10.

She loves surfing almost as much as dancing and dancing as much as possible.

Meet the Company: Josh

2010-04-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

Josh Adams is a young actor based in San Diego.

He graduated from UCSD with a BA in Theatre with a minor in Political Science. Some credits include: The Tutor, Woyzeck, The Mistakes Madeline Made, Betty's Summer Vacation, Waiting for Lefty, The Distance from Here, An Exploration.

Meet the Company: Spencer

2010-04-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

Spencer Howard is a boulevardier, raconteur, bon vivant, and avid indoorsman. He is artistic director of ONPS 2010, UC San Diego's undergraduate new play festival.

Playwriting: American Apparel, The System, Kensington Gore, Life on the Wicked Stage, Sexual Selection, This We Have Now, La Mandragola, Interrobang (UCSD), The 999^th Night, Striking Out, The Play of Plays, The Dying of Albert Ball, The 2² and Only (Colony Theatre), and De Profundis (Company of Angels).

Acting: Sexual Selection, This We Have Now, Interrobang, La Mandragola, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, Woyzeck, Danton's Death, The Death of John Keats (UCSD), and A Delicate Nothing (Company of Angels).

He is a member and co-founder of three ensemble theatre companies: Moving Parts Theatre Company, Magpie Theatre Company, and The Institute of Gravitronomic Inertiametrics.

Meet the Company: Meghan

2010-04-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Meghan McCauley, a native Californian, graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 2009 with a BA in Theatre.

UCSD credits: This We Have Now (The Magpies), Woyzeck (dir. Gábor Tompa), Danton's Death (dir. Dominique Serrand), ONPS 2008: If Only, Curio Cabinet, 1st and 2nd Annual Asian American Theatre Festival, Low Level Panic, Good Breeding (dir. Robert O'Hara), The Distance From Here. Film and video: Having Fun With Friends, Black and White.

During her time at UCSD, Meghan also designed costumes, directed, and served as Publicity Manager for the UCSD student production company, Company 157, for two years.

Meghan co-founded The Magpies in 2009 and Moving Parts Theatre in 2010. Her ultimate career goal is to successfully operate an ensemble-based, collaborative company for the rest of her life. She radiates endless gratitude and love to the McCauley/Chung family!

Meet the Company: Paul

2010-04-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Paul Scudder is a fantastic human being. Past acting credits include: UCSD: winterWorks 2010, Sexual Selection, This We Have Now, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, We Dance/Our Dances 2007, Cabaret, Second Sites, We Dance/Our Dances 2006, Once Upon A Mattress.

Directing credits: Nancy Drew and the Secret of the Old Clock, Kiss Me, Kate, Massive Erection, Curio Cabinet, La Niñita.

Choreography credits: Highly Sprung, New Directions 2010.

He is currently hunting for truffles.

Moving Parts Fundraiser: Porter's Pub!

2010-04-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

Parking will be free all day.

From 5 North: exit Gilman Dr/La Jolla Colony and turn left onto Gilman. Follow Gilman Dr for "a while" and then enter UCSD Campus (there will be a sign on your right). Cross Scholar's Drive South (marked by a stop sign). Turn left at Eucalyptus Grove Drive. (the next stop sign). Porter's Pub is here in the Old Student Center.

From 5 South: exit/turn right onto La Jolla Village Drive. Turn right on Villa La Jolla. Drive up the hill, and then turn left at Gilman Dr. Cross through campus for "a while" and turn right at Eucalyptus Grove Drive. Porter's Pub is here.

Meeting Photos: April 3, 2010

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The intelligent and poised Matthew! Also, lots of fantastic notes regarding the Family of Tourists.

THE BRAIN BOX! A new company tool to facilitate communication in the ensemble - at the end of every night we have the opportunity to put a thought, observation, or constructive concern into the box that we may not have had the chance to say during the meeting. It can be tricky in an ensemble like this, with no set director or stage manager, to be sure that every voice gets heard. Thus - The Brain Box.

Meeting Photos: April 2, 2010

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Al making the To Do list for the evening - these long lists can be daunting in the late night hours. The eleven company members have very diverse schedules and conflicts - including full time classes, full time work, and other shows. Due to these busy schedules, most of our evening rehearsals begin around 9pm, with the full company present by 11pm, and go into the very early morning hours.

Nathan, Spencer, and Dana.

Claire, Christine, and Matt.

Around 1:00 AM: putting a very big and exciting check mark in the ending box. Spencer came in with a scene that so beautifully combined everything the company has been wanting for the ending of the show, and after reading it together, we all gave our feedback so it may be developed further!

Writing Session Notes

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At this part of the process, we are spending all of our time together charting the play out on the white board. The script is being created by the entire ensemble, and so we have to dedicate a lot of our time to workshopping the text and making sure that we are all on the same page. We're always asking ourselves questions about whether or not the story makes sense, the characters are staying consistent, etc.

Notes from a writing session from March 24, 2010. We were discussing the character of The Scarred Knight, defining and exploring his character and where his journey is taking him throughout PAGAN PLAY.

This chart was tracking all of our characters through Act 2 - making sure we hadn't left anyone hanging. These notes are from March 28, 2010, and we've already made some big changes since then. We focus on what type of story we want to tell and then ask ourselves: does this exist in the script now, or is it missing? Is this story happening naturally, or are we trying to force something to happen? If the latter is true, we look for a new solution.

More of the same chart from March 28 - it looks like a bunch of nonsense, but we've begun to talk in the language of PAGAN PLAY. A sentence like "Queen watches The Scarred Knight preaching and then leads into Centaur and Apprentice in a restaurant discussing Faun investigation" makes complete sense to us.

Moving Parts Self Portrait, 3/28

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Company members, from left to right: Meghan, Al, Christine, Josh, Paul, Matt, Claire, and Sarah.

Not photographed: Nathan, Spencer, and Dana.

Taken during our writing session on Sunday March 28, 2010. We've come leaps and bounds with the text in the last two weeks, and are very hopeful about having a fully compiled script by the end of the week!

Meeting Photos: March 18, 2010

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More photographs from the writing process. We're in the process of gathering together our many and varied observations and imaginings about PAGAN PLAY and putting them into a cohesive form that tells our story. We find ourselves coming back to loss, grief, and the many different ways one could conjure up magic at a time of great need.

The company in the conference room.

PAGAN PLAY and ARTWORKS

2010-03-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

Fantastic news - Moving Parts has booked a second venue for the Hollywood Fringe Festival!

We happily accepted an offer from ArtWorks Theatre this week.

ArtWorks is only a block away from The Complex, in Hollywood's Theatre Row on Santa Monica Blvd. It is a black box theatre with a raised playing space and 70 fixed seats (though they may be adding a few more come Fringe time)!

It was a beautiful day to book a new theatre!

This is the street view of the theatre - no sidewalk entrance here, but a very lovely window.

This is the entrance right around the corner.

A view of the lobby! You can see the front entrance on the right side of the picture. The theatre is extensively dressed for its current production at the moment - during the Fringe Festival, the lobby will be back to its basic form. The ArtWorks Theatre building has been standing in Los Angeles since the 1920s, and the old architecture gives the place a really comfortable feel... but it's also been updated well over the years.

The stage! As viewed from the entrance to the theatre at house left. Again, the stage is currently designed for the show in residence, but will be restored to a basic black box for PAGAN PLAY.

The stage again! Viewed straight on from the audience. It is a 23 x 23 foot square.

The house seats, currently shrouded for the show in residence, will be sheet-free during the Hollywood Fringe.

PAGAN PLAY will be showing here Saturday, June 19 at 5pm and 10:30pm as well as Saturday, June 26 at 10:30pm.

We are renting the space for a total cost of $450: 3 performances at $150/performance.

And you can still donate, of course!

Our most sincere gratitude to those of you who have already generously donated your funds and given us your words of support! We are gaining momentum, growing creatively, and teeming with excitement more and more every day. Thank you so much for showing us that we have such a strong network of individuals who support our work - it is inspiring.

A special thank you also to Garth Whitten of ArtWorks Theatre for inviting us to perform in this fantastic space.

Meeting Photos: March 8, 2010

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More of the faces of Moving Parts Theatre.

Spencer.

Josh.

Claire and Nathan.

All different faces of expression as we work through the process!
There's more exciting news to come by the end of this week, friends, so please keep checking back.

Meeting Photos: March 7, 2010

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Spencer (center) brought in some really great materials to share with the ensemble today, including Andy Goldsworthy's artwork and several poems that really affected us all.

This is what most of our rehearsals look like at this stage - there is some physical work and movement, but a lot of discussion, examination, and piecing together the story of PAGAN PLAY.

Meet the Company

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We had an impromptu photo session the other night!

Josh Adams	Matthew Bovee	Al Evangelista
Christine Herde	Spencer Howard	Claire Kaplan
Sarah Kapp	Meghan McCauley	Dana Murphy

Paul Scudder

Nathan Turner

PAGAN PLAY and THE COMPLEX

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Moving Parts Theatre is very proud to announce our partnership with The Complex Theatres for the Hollywood Fringe 2010!

The Complex is, as the moniker suggests, a complex of five theaters located on Santa Monica Boulevard that has been producing shows for over thirty years in Hollywood. The home of PAGAN PLAY is The Ruby Theatre, a 55-seat proscenium space with some very lovely features.

The Ruby Theatre at The Complex is on Santa Monica Blvd. in "Theatre Row" - lots of theaters within four or five blocks of each other, plus some very nice cafes. The nearby theatres are all within fifteen minutes walking distance (some are just across the street). Many of these spaces are also registered Fringe venues, so there will be much theatrical buzz on the street!

This is one of several marquees at The Complex, which we will be able to use to advertise PAGAN PLAY.

Our lobby, which will be shared with another theatre. The doorway on the left side of this photograph is the entrance to The Ruby.

The Ruby Theatre has fifty-five resplendent crimson velvet seats for you to rest your weary self upon and drink in our theatricum spectacular.

Our stage!

Moving Parts Theatre is entirely self-funded by its company members, all of whom are either recently-graduated or still-enrolled in school. Our modest expenses are growing daily, and we must reach out for your support with humbleness and gratitude.
As of today, we are trying to raise a total of $1600.
$200 Fringe registration fee
$200 damages deposit
$1200 for total rental time (2 days at $600/day)
Anything that can be given will be appreciated tenfold. Moving Parts is saving its collective pennies, but they will only go so far. Please help support this growing company!

Special thank you to Matt Chait, owner of The Complex, and the Hollywood Fringe organization for their very involved support thus far!

Donate!

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Moving Parts Theatre relies entirely upon you to get us to Hollywood and perform in the Festival. What does it mean for you if you donate? You will of course have our undying gratitude (which you can cash in with any one of us personally), your name in our program (and we're not just thanking our parents and agents here), and you will become with Pagan Play part of the very first Fringe Festival in Hollywood's history.

Your donation, which you can track the progress of with this blog, will go directly to:

$200 Fringe registration fee
$200 damages deposit
$1200 for total rental time (2 days at $600/day) with The Ruby Theatre at The Complex in Hollywood

More to come! Stay tuned!

PAGAN PLAY and Hollywood Fringe 2010

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Have you gotten a chance to visit us over at the Hollywood Fringe website?

http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/project/view/95
http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/project/view/95
http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/project/view/95

Please check us (and the other fantastic projects-in-progress) out on the Fringe page!

Contact Us

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movingpartstheatre
@gmail.com

Fringe Festival Update: JANUARY 20

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If you haven't yet read about our entry into the 2010 Hollywood Fringe, Moving Parts Theatre is currently in the process of creating a brand new piece for the first Fringe Festival in Southern California!

We are currently in the process of applying for a venue. This year, the Hollywood Fringe is accepting any performing groups or individuals who can pay their registration fee and come to a contractual agreement with a theatre in Hollywood that will host the company.

Moving Parts has submitted applications to a few of the small black box theaters in the area and are awaiting response - keep your fingers crossed that they will invite us into their space. We will keep you all posted as to what happens from here!

The Hollywood Fringe Festival 2010

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"Very generally speaking, Fringe [Festivals] are...

Focused on the performing arts: theater, dance, puppetry, spoken word and the like... festivals often may include film and visual arts elements
Uncensored: No one gets too fussy about swears or nudity, but squeaky-clean content isn't marginal or discouraged either.
Easy to participate in: Ticket prices are low for audiences and production fees are low for artists. Show selection varies from festival to festival but is generally quite open to participation by the gamut of amateurs to professionals.
Festivals: They last just a few days to a few weeks and involve boatloads of people at multiple venues.
Original: Fringes feature a huge array of original material...
Rapid-fire: Typically, tech is minimal and time is a factor... Shows are often kept brief."

From the Hollywood Fringe blog.

2010 marks the first annual Hollywood Fringe Festival - not only the first Fringe in Los Angeles, but the first one in Southern California to date. For a San Diego-based theatre company, this is very exciting news to us!

Moving Parts is composed of a very diverse group of artists - actors, playwrights, choreographers, dancers, designers, and directors - who all have one ultimate goal in common: we all dream of a theatrical process in which the work is created in a truly collaborative manner by the members of the ensemble.

There is no traditional director. No traditional auditions and casting. We believe that with a strong ensemble, a completely open communicative honesty, and a lot of hard work, that theatre can be created with full artistic input by every single member. We find that, with this method, production quality soars - every single member has been fully invested in every step, so we are each 100% dedicated to every detail and every thing that happens both on and off stage.

The Hollywood Fringe is the perfect venue for a young company like Moving Parts to begin - it is easy to participate in, low cost, and is perfectly suited for up-and-comers like ourselves.

Please keep our site bookmarked so we can tell you more about what we are up to! We'll be bringing you information about our project very soon. Until then, check out the Hollywood Fringe Festival webpage for more detailed FAQs and information.

Also - leave us a comment to let us know you're reading, ask us questions, and leave any other thoughts you might have!

About Moving Parts

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MOVING PARTS THEATRE, founded in 2010, is:

Based in the belief that every individual is a moving part of the greater creative machine that develops a performance.

Created with the understanding that company and ensemble are both precious as well as fluid; members may move throughout the space of their individual lives without becoming any less nor any more a part of the Company.

Named to evoke images of dance, movement, and physical expression as well as the visualization of moving words, letters, and thoughts.

Moving Parts Theatre is dedicated to the performance process that values creative collaboration above all else.

Our productions are created by integrating original, found, stolen, and borrowed text to create something which is both brand new and also quite familiar.

We are currently located in California.

Work in Progress

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Hello All!

The blog you are looking at in this moment is currently a website in progress.
We wanted to create an immediate way to keep in contact with anyone interested in the company and the project, and this was the fastest way to do so while we develop and design our more permanent web space.

Please bookmark this page and check back!

If you would like to be on our e-mail list, leave us a comment here.