Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Hidden Gems in "Repulsing the Monkey" Set

If you saw Repulsing the Monkey, you caught a great script, acted by fantastic actors, and set in a cool old bar. But did you also see some of the Easter Eggs we placed on the set? Check out these photos and see how many you caught...
Uncle Mike (left) and Dad.
Remember when Danny says, "I had an uncle who had his heart opened up..."? Well, we chose playwright Michael Eichler to play that part. He doesn't appear in the play but, if you had your eyes open, you saw this photo behind the bar.
Mom and Dad.
Speaking of Dad, Director Kevin Six cast himself as Danny and Janey's father. Playing the part of Mom, and seen here in a photo that we placed in the "Family Circle" (the mirror on the right side of the set), is Tiffany Tang. Tiffany played Janey on the original reading so we decided to honor her in this "old photo of Mom and Dad". Oddly, the photo was taken at the Big Kitchen, another place where site-specific theatre has been done by members of this company.

Janey (Laura Bohlin) at her First Communion

Janey and Danny talk about Mom and Dad putting their First Communion pictures up in the bar and we had one of those too. This is Laura Bohlin's actual First Communion picture. Isn't she cute? We wanted to use everyone's First Communion photo as their headshots in the program but not everyone was raised Catholic...
Jewell and her cousin, not Danny and Janey.
At the end of the play, Danny hands a framed photo to Janey. It's meant to be a sentimental gesture between brother and sister. The only problem is we didn't have pictures of Steve Smith and Laura Bohlin from their childhood. This is because they grew up in separate cities and aren't even brother and sister. So we used this rather darling photo of Jewell at a wedding instead.

We also wanted the Kensington Club to look more like Jablonski's, with more references to Pittsburgh. To that end, designer Christina Johns recreated old Imperial Whiskey and Iron City Beer ads. Not only that, but she recreated the labels for the prop bottles the actors used.

Christina also talked the Southside Chamber of Commerce to send along the Duquesne and Pirates banners. Pretty cool, eh?


The great Roberto.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, Roberto Clemente was a Major League Baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955 through 1972. Danny looks right at this photo, placed on the mirror, when he asks the Bonus Points question.

We hope you enjoyed this walk down Manufactured Memory Lane.  Thank yins for coming to the play and we hope to see you at another one real soon!

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Why Repulsing the Monkey?

Michel Eichler calls his new play "Repulsing the Monkey" but why?

Repulsing the Monkey is a Tai Chi maneuver. Formally called Step Back and Repulse Monkey, it has been elegantly explained, on www.taichido.com: "The posture implies the gentle application of energy. Success lies in retreating because you refuse to use strength against strength. Retreat and then wait for the right time to counter-attack."

To find out who's Repulsing the Monkey in a shot-and-beer bar in Pittsburgh, and why, you'll just have to see the show... Tickets are moving well but still available at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2002157.

Monday, August 10, 2015

Familiar Faces

Repulsing the Monkey director Kevin Six tells us why he uses certain actors -- a lot.


Kevin Six and Jewell Karinen in the Coffee Shop Chronicles.
I don't think you'll ever hear a director or a producer tell you they had trouble casting a show before it opens. But every director of every production has trouble casting. This is because, as many directors have stated; directing a production is made considerably easier with a good cast.

You hear all the great stories after the show closes and the director and producer look brilliant for having cast a certain actor. But, trust me; they struggled with every casting decision. Any director or producer is going to go a little mad until the cast is just right.

Steve Smith and Laura Bohlin in Simply Sci-Fi.
This is why I have come up with a go-to list.  It's not in writing, there is no actual list, but when I read a play, certain faces and voices take over. When I look to cast, I remember those voices and the good times I've had on stage or giving direction.

With Repulsing the Monkey, we got exactly everyone we wanted for the staged reading. The cast of the full production is not that cast. But -- and this is why I think Theatre is my actual religion -- miracles happened in casting and we got people who are good at what they do, bring tons of experience and talent, and are fun to work with.

Joshua Jones in Calendar Girls.
To me, the most important part is the fun. At a certain level, everyone has talent. When it comes right down to it, I am going to cast the person I know well over the person I don't. This is because I know what their habits are, how they approach a part, and how fun it is to work with them.

Do I get casts full of these familiar faces? No. I've worked with everyone in the cast but some only once. The thing is, if you get a critical mass of good, fun people, your show is going to be better. Better than any show where people had to "make it through" to performance.

For the non theatrical reader, opening night is the time when the director and actors part ways. No more direction, no more notes, no more anything. The director has just got to hope that he/she imparted enough of his/her vision on the cast and that the momentum generated carries the show forward. The Repulsing the Monkey cast is a momentum machine!

Kevin Six and Tyler C. Jiles
I have been lucky enough to cast people I trust in every role; people I have worked with in every role; people you will like (or hate depending on the demands of the part) in every role. I resisted the urge to audition people -- especially because we loved the cast so well after the reading that we offered them first right of refusal.

But who are they? Oh, yes. The cast of Repulsing the Monkey:

Danny the native Pittsburgher -- Steve Smith
Janey his sister -- Laura Bohlin
Dylan the native Californian -- Joshua Jones
Kylie, native Californian Yoga instructor -- Maelyn Gandola
Ethan the native New Yorker -- Tyler C. Jiles
Sophia the uptight native New Yorker -- Jewell Karinen






Repulsing the Monkey, by Michael Eichler, will be performed at the Kensington Club at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays from August 25-September 3, 2015. For tickets visit 
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2002157

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Repulsing the Monkey on Brown Paper Tickets

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2002157http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2002157
There is movement on the ticketing front. Brown Paper Tickets is handling the Box Office for Repulsing the Monkey and sales are brisk. With only 76 tickets per performance -- and only six performances...

You get the picture. Click the photo on the left or the link below to get your Repulsing the Monkey tickets. http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2002157

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Repulsing the Monkey - Save the Dates

Repulsing the Monkey is officially in production! We've got the venue and we're putting a dynamite cast together We're releasing tickets in steps for this site-specific event so you need to save these dates:
  • July 18, 2015: Co-Producer Tickets available
    • Six Reserved (booth), discounted ($15) seats and Co-Producer Credit
  • July 20, 2015: General Admission Tickets ($20, unreserved) available
  • August 25: Opening Night
  • August 26: Performance
  • August 27: Performance
  • September 1: Performance
  • September 2: Performance
  • September 3: Closing Night

Friday, June 12, 2015

NEW EICHLER-SIX PRODUCTION

Sometimes when you are developing a play you can't wait to see a production of it. You hear it read by an excellent cast and you have to have more. You imagine the set, the music, and the movement. When REPULSING THE MONKEY was read, there was already a commitment in Pittsburgh to have it performed there this Fall. But what about San Diego? The response was so positive we have decided not to wait for a theatre partner. We will be producing it ourselves. We hope to have you all involved in this because it will take a team effort to make it happen. So you too can be a co- producer. Much, much more to follow. Check back and follow THE MONKEY!

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

MONKEY LOVE

REPULSING THE MONKEY had a house reading on May 31 and those in attendance showed lots of love for the quirky little play and its' excellent cast. Michael Eichler's play centers on a brother and sister who inherit a bar in a working class neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Two couples, one from LA and one from New York are looking to reestablish themselves in Pittsburgh. The bar is put up for sale and the out of town couples compete to purchase it. Under Kevin Six's direction, the audiance reported praise for the diologue, the characters, the plot twist and the music. The play is based on the real situation of 20- somethings with money moving to Rust Belt cities and changing the neighborhoods. Hats off to Steve Smith, Tiffany Tang, Josh Jones, Maelyn Gandola, Ben Shaffer, and Jewell Karinen for portraying Pittsburghers, Southern Californians, and New Yorkers so brilliantly. You know, they really are different.