GODS Show Trailer

                                                                 Catch our trailer HERE!                                                       

FOUR STARS for Gods

From the prestigious Fringe publication ThreeWeeks: 
  
"FOUR STARS"

"A delicate and gentle dance through sunny and beautiful fairy tales and dark and saddening memories. A white dress, tender poetry and sharp shadows behind a blurry screen guide through trashcan lined alleyways and roads guarded by linden trees, through wild journeys on public transport and on silken hot air balloons, through blue skies, to the Crimean sea and to Paris. They all end in a cemetery. Imagery, video installation and movement are skilfully used to create a sweet melancholy that shifts between love and sorrow. Beautifully interspersed between two screens, this is a clever and poetic collage on a touching short story by Vladimir Nabokov in which parents try to cope with the loss of their baby."

Read the full listing here:
http://www.threeweeks.co.uk/article/ed2012-theatre-review-gods-calarts-festival-theater/


We're proud, of course, and grateful for our time in Scotland this summer. Thanks to everyone who attended the piece, to CalArts for producing so brilliantly, and to the sunshine for giving us a bit of home across the month.  And thanks to YOU, our faithful followers.  

Love,
Alexis, Genevieve and Matthew

Critics are “dazzled!”

It took a minute, but the press has finally arrived and it speaks for itself:

“…aesthetically entrancing…”

“…encouraging the imagination…”

“The effect is hypnotic”

But wait! There’s more:

“Matthew Bamberg-Johnson’s interaction with the audience was effortlessly relaxed,
as he leaned into his listeners with confident familiarity and warmth. Listening
to his voice reverberating around the auditorium, the visual focus was on the
projections or the silhouette of his silent wife, played by Genevieve Gearhart, slowly
dancing behind the screen.

Gearhart is graceful and elegant, with minimal gestural movements delivered
with calm precision and brief moments of bright, wonderfully animated facial
expressions. Her silence produces a disconcerting intensity when she is present,
often seen behind the first screen as if lost in some other world. This separation is
intensified through the tender interactions between the silhouette of Gearhart and
the physical body of her husband. Is she lost to him forever in her grief?

The mesmerizing nature of both performers, physically and vocally, created an
overly dazzling effect when teamed with the dreamy projections…”

- Broadway Baby

Obviously, we’re proud. But don’t just take our word for it. Audiences have been
writing in to tell us how they feel too:

“An engrossing piece of theatre… I loved it.”

“Beautiful movement and acting”

“Very emotive. Well done.”

“A moving and thought-provoking performance that demonstrates great versatility
for the actors and superb direction, this show will please those familiar with
Nabokov and those discovering his work for the first time.”

Posted on behalf of Alexis and her broken gmail.

-Matthew

The Lull-

We've hit the mid-festival doldrums, awaiting a media review that will hopefully make people aware of the good work that we're doing, and that will bring audiences in droves. The excitement of the opening has worn off, and the inevitable desperation of the final week has yet to descend- the need to consume, experience, immerse ourselves in everything that this place has to offer.

We're going up to the mile today to flyer.  This show is not a flashy one- there is no song and dance number, and without the projection, much of what we do would just seem weird. Our small venue doesn't have a massive media presence, the "company," such as it is, doesn't have a recognizable brand presence to bring people in without us working for it.  And so we do.  People here talk a lot about your pitch line- the words that you fling at a passing festival goer that make them select your postcard from among the thousands that they are bombarded with on a daily basis.  We're left with the question, "what is the two-second synopsis of our show?"

Some highlights have been:  "Nabokov multimedia story theater!"  "World premiere Nabakov adaptation!" "All the way from California to scintillate your senses!", and "here's a shiny postcard with my face on it!"

The point is, it's tough.  But amidst the challenges, glimmers of awesomeness remind us of the other reasons why we're here.

Participating in a community of international art makers is a unique and priceless gift.  The incredible russian dancers of "Mephisto Waltz" aren't coming to LA, nor is the surprisingly touching and magical "Bullet Catch." Even the drek serves a purpose (and there is plenty of that, too.) Each piece serves as a mirror back to us, to our own artmaking, to our own reasons for doing this seemingly futile dance day in and day out.

And that's comforting.  But we'd still like some audience.

Opening Weekend

The show is up on its feet and looks gorgeous. We've already had some reviewers present who apparently "loved it" but no articles as of yet. Here are some shots from our preview. A new trailer coming soon!!!

We've arrived!

[From the GODS travel journal...]

We arrived in Scotland a bit ago and have been lucky to find sunshine and warm(ish) weather! Everything is getting ready and we're in great shape to open on Saturday. With two projectors, sound, lights, and, of course, our gorgeous stars, we needed a lot of tech time.  Thanks to everyone's dedication we managed to get a full-team tech-through completed in the kitchen of our hostel! Thanks Zach, Maura, Katie, Lynne, Harlow and especially Fred for making that such a pleasant and productive time! Into the space we go tomorrow for final Q-to-Q. 

Let's see what's in the fridge, shall we?

Some of our great production help: Lighting Designer Zach Moore (helping out for the day), Costume Designer Lynne Martens, and Stage Manager Fred Fitzgerald calling the show (and the shots!).

Kitchen tech! In front of the "camels" are Maura Reinhart (OUR Lighting Designer) and Katie Wertz who's helping out with scenic stuff.  And the lovely Matthew and Genevieve of course.

I think this is a joke, but it's good karma!

The Fudge House! Yummmm!

On the way to the venue, where High Street turns into Cannongate.

Yup. Streets here change names right in the middle. Sometimes much more than once. So there.

Our beloved theatrical home.

Venue 13 in the sunlight!

My hostel bedroom's view this year

Our Funders

These generous souls helped us cross the pond and have supported this process with their words, their hearts - and their wallets! We will be eternally grateful. And, since the Internet is forever, we'd like to take a moment to raise a glass and toast to them... to YOU!

Cheers! You make art happen. THANK YOU!

 

Eternal gratitude goes out to:

Adam Mayfield

Aleshea Harris

Ali Brodsky

Alice Tuan

Alison Brown

Amanda Shank

Amelia Lahn

Amy Basen

Amy Tofte

Andrew Gearhart

Barbara Bamberg

Bill Gearhart

Bob & Peg Bamberg

Brad DeBiase

Bruce Johnson

Chelsea Naftelberg

Chris Cotone

Claire Bamberg

Daniel Lannon

David Johnson

David Weintraub

Deena Selenow

Doninic Menta

Dorothy Strano Bennett (and Amy)

Elizabeth Lewis

Ellen Christine Reid

Emma Barrow

Gabriel F Carleton-Barnes

Hilary Willard

Ian Garrett

Irene Walsh

Janie Geiser

Jean Paul Rautio

Joan Gearhart

John D. Scully

Judy Primavera

Karin Smerczynski

Laura LeVan

Linda Howells

Lucy McRae

Marie Menta

Marina Libel and Josh Garrett-Davis

Marina McClure

Mary Gearhart

Mary Jane Klimkewicz

Michael Kendrick

Olivia Sandoval

Owen Granich-Young

Paul Menta

Phyllis Gorfain

Rachel Sherbill

Robert Gearhart

Robert Harper

Sam Maher

Shannon Fillion & Scott Troost

Shannon Scrofano

Terry Beem

Vinnie and Pat Menta

Vivian Kane

Above and Beyond!!

Here's the best news ever...

We just reached our IndieGogo campaign goal and THERE'S TIME TO SPARE!  Plus, the donations are still rolling in!! 

We couldn't be happier - we fee like we're flying! (see?)

Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far. YOU are making art happen!!  We will post names on our "thank you" list HERE as soon as the campaign is closed - tomorrow at midnight.

YYAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY!!!!

We're getting very close!!!

PLEASE HELP us reach our fund-raising goal!!  

$10 gets you our dearest thanks and a shout out here on our blog and in our program...

$25 gets you a PHOTO ESSAY of our trip and our show in Scotland this summer!

$50 gets you that AND a lovely POSTCARD!

$100 gets you that and an MP3 of us SINGING to the crowds in Edinburgh!

$500 get you all that AND a PERSONAL PRESS PACKET!!  

It's like being there, only digital!

We're getting close to our deadline on IndieGoGo so NOW IS THE TIME!

Thanks! :) Alexis

CLICK HERE to see the teaser video!!!

New teaser video!

"Everything in the world is beautiful, but man only recognizes beauty when he sees it either seldom or from afar."  
Love it? DONATE HERE!!

And check out our new TEASER VIDEO!

We're half-way there!

Big news in the fund-raising world for us: with about 30 more days to go we've reached the half-way point in our funding goal: $3 grand out of $6,000!!  It's a big deal. We've still got work to do on that front, but it is encouraging. 

In other news, the show looks gorgeous - and sounds pretty damn good too! We've had a series of excellent rehearsals and I'm feeling very excited about our offering to this year's Fringe.  

Here are some photos taken by Lynne Martens during a recent run-through. Lynne will be designing costumes for us AND joining us as we cross "England's sugary shores" and alight in the land of haggis and tartans. Haggis, by the way, is delicious. Want me to bring you back some?

Love, Alexis

Outtakes...

These little gems are moments that I don't think will make it into the final version of the show, but are too lovely to be lost forever.  Enjoy!

Well, today we finished our initial staging run of the show.  There are some changes to be made, some technology to incorporate, and I need to learn a LOT of lines, but I think that we have the beginning of something special here, folks.   Be sure to check out the updates that we're posting to the indiegogo page, (http://www.indiegogo.com/godsatthefringe2012) complete with stills and clips from where we are in the process.

Thank you all for your interest and support- please do continue to share our journey with anyone who you think might be sympathetic to the cause!

More soon,

-Matthew

"What does it mean?!"

Can't help but share a little clip from rehearsal today. It's pretty dark (though I'm very impressed with my camera anyhow - it was a very low light situation!) so I'll tell you that Genevieve, Matthew and I are playing with Manuel's footage on a ersatz rear-projection screen. The footage is pretty gorgeous, as is Genevieve. We got a little... entranced. 

Enjoy :) 

Rehearsals have begun!!

Oh boy this is gonna be good. We started to rehearse (finally) for this piece and already so many amazing ideas are flowing.  Do you want to know how to make a really convincing camel hand-shadow-puppet?  GO HERE and check it out!

We're playing a lot with shadows early in the game.  They are as beautiful and inspiring as ever...

IndieGoGo campaign is LIVE!

Check out our pitch video and fund-raising campaign at the great crowd-source site IndieGoGo.

Or, go straight to the video HERE!

still by Manuel Barenboim

Once more... with feeling!

Thanks to CalArts, we are back at it!  Edinburgh Fringe 2011 alums Matthew Bamberg-Johnson, Genevieve Gearhart and Alexis Macnab have devised a piece adapted from Nabokov's short story Gods. It's a rich piece, with gorgeous video design by the very talented Manuel Barenboim. 

A young writer strolls with his wife on a beautiful afternoon, telling her wild fables to lighten her heavy heart.  A picture of grief, resilience, and how tragedy opens our eyes to unspeakable beauty, Gods takes us on an emotionally redemptive journey.  With lush video layered over movement and storytelling, the piece explores how we communicate when words are not enough. 

photo by Lily Gottleib

We are thrilled to be returning to the Fringe and Venue 13 this year. Last summer we had a blast, and managed to get some pretty nice things said about our shows.  Check out our promo trailers for 

LITTLE EYOLF, by Henrik Ibsen and directed by Julianne Just

photo by Lily Gottleib

and HOTEL DE L'AVENIR, devised and performed by Alexis Macnab.

It's a long way to Scotland, but we've done it before...  

We hope to see you there!