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Permission (from playwright Mark Snyder)

January 13, 2016 By AVLT Leave a Comment

Making a play is always a unwieldy journey.

WAIT FOR ME started on slips of paper taped into a notebook, tiny private moments of public solitude that nameless characters would experience. A sorrowful woman clipping photos from a magazine. A giggling child hiding in a home furnishings store. A sweet-looking nurse cruising Goodale park, despite the comatose patient he is wheeling around with him. When a man in neat-looking suit knelt praying in a church and proceeded to shove his wallet into the collection box, I knew some kind of play was taking shape.

WAIT FOR ME is a play about faith – what we choose to believe in, where we place our trust and direct our attention, and how we navigate the moral/ethical values of our evolving society to move forward in our lives. It is a play about friendship over long stretches of time, and how economic inequality and privilege can slowly poison relationships and communities. It is a play about loneliness, which was captured in those early bits of information I gathered from my subconscious; many of the characters are surrounded by other people and yet feel completely alone. How can faith help to dissipate that condition? How does it fail us?

Of course, I had no idea these were the questions I was asking when I began to actually write the play, slowly, over the course of over a year and a half. Dialogue and then characters and situations began to emerge in tiny drips and drabs. A relationship between two characters – Drew and Tim – announced itself, causing me to totally change my idea of a moment or a scene between them. Another, Larry, threatened to dominate the play entirely with his savagely funny anecdotes, and another – a headstrong woman from Philadelphia named Margot – huddled at the edge of the story ready to dive in, even though I had no idea how she fit into the story or who she really was in relation to these other characters, a web of urban gay men at the dawn of a new era of rights and privilege and purpose.

Writing this play was a very different experience for me. I’ve been thinking and wrestling a lot with the concept of “shape” in theater – what the play’s container looks like. And this play, with its tiny random moments and large chunks of dialogue floating around, just wasn’t acquiring a shape. I had no idea what the whole of it looked like, how the entire story would play out over the course of an evening. In many ways, the process was similar to what I was taught in acting class – the breaking down of a character into moment-to-moment authentic existence. Over and over again, I would attempt to form a linear narrative around these moments. I had an ending for the play, but had no idea how to get there. Nothing coalesced.

I flew home to Columbus. Matt Slaybaugh and Acacia Duncan took me to the Columbus Museum of Art and the gorgeous new Margaret M. Walter Wing. I whined to them about my play and what a mess it was. I told Matt “I just want to . . . “ and described a dramatic moment that I was impulsively thinking about throwing into the proceedings of the play. Matt’s response: “Why don’t you write that? I’d want to see that play.” By giving me permission to act on the impulse I had (which derived from the months and pages I had spent with the characters in my play), Matt helped me unlock the shape and structure of the play. And Acacia was the actress I wanted to play Margot.

Now, a mere two months later, a group of Columbus’ smartest actors will read WAIT FOR ME in front of a public audience for the first time. This play is the result of over two years of writing and thinking and observing as our country moves forward in terms of progress and back in terms of our humanity towards each other. It is the result of a delicious lunch (at the bright Schokko Art Cafe!!) with trusted friends and collaborators. Available Light Theatre is at the forefront of new play development in Central Ohio, and it’s a particularly dynamic company to return to again and again. I always look forward to sharing my plays with their audiences and learning from their responses.

Fellow writers: give yourself permission. Don’t wait for Matt like I did.

A photo posted by Mark Snyder (@markbsnyder2016) on Jan 2, 2016 at 7:36am PST

Filed Under: Next Stage Initiative Tagged With: learnmore

Matt Slaybaugh on Adapting James Joyce (#2)

November 5, 2015 By AVLT Leave a Comment

Get info and tickets for Dedalus (a portrait of an artist) right here: http://avltheatre.com/shows/dedalus/

Watch Part One: http://avltheatre.com/matt-slaybaugh-on-adapting-james-joyce-1/

Filed Under: Dedalus Tagged With: backstage, learnmore

Matt Slaybaugh on adapting James Joyce (#1)

October 30, 2015 By AVLT Leave a Comment

Get info and tickets for Dedalus (a portrait of an artist) right here: http://avltheatre.com/shows/dedalus/

Watch Part Two: http://avltheatre.com/matt-slaybaugh-on-adapting-james-joyce-2/

Filed Under: Dedalus Tagged With: backstage, learnmore

AVLT’s Columbus Top Ten(s)

June 16, 2015 By AVLT 6 Comments

Columbus from Franklinton

As you may know, we’re currently raising money via Kickstarter to create our dream project about the city we love so much: Columbus, Ohio. We are connoisseurs of Columbus here at Available Light. We love our city not for its own sake, but for the great variety of incredible culture(s) it hosts, and for the fact that (as our friend Leigh Householder once said,) “You’re basically guaranteed to be rubbing elbows with an artist whether you’re shopping the North Market or noshing on Hyde Park steaks.”

Here are Top Ten lists from seven of Columbus’s biggest fans. And we want to know – What’s on your Top Ten? Post up in the comments and share the love.

Jaylene’s Top Ten Playgrounds:
10. Fancyburg Park- Upper Arlington
9. Goodale Park
8. Emerald City Park- Dublin
7. Selby Park- Worthington
6. Park of Roses
5. North Orange Park- Delaware
4. Homestead Park
3. Millstone Creek
2. Scioto Mile
1. Audubon Park

Eleni’s Top Ten Columbus navigational landmarks for when I inevitably get lost:
10. Columbus Water Tower
9. Welcome to Franklinton mural
8. COSI
7. CCAD Art sculpture
6. Main Street bridge
5. American Gothic mural
4. Low flying airplanes
3. Budweiser Brewery building
2. All branches of the Columbus libraries
1. That beautiful Columbus skyline

Michelle’s Top 10 Reasons I love my hometown
10. Huntington Park Home of the Columbus Clippers
9. #1 Library system in they country (yay CML!)
8. COSI – #1 hands on sciences museum in the US
7. Amazing historic neighborhoods – German Village, Italian Village, Grandview, Eastmoor, Beechwold , Bexley
6. Amazing art collections – CMA, Pizzuti, Wexner, Chihuly at Franklin Park
5. Our Metro Parks- Highbanks, Blendon Woods, 3 Creeks, etc
4. OSU Football and Basketball … Especially Women’s bball
3. Home of Jenis Splendid Ice Cream
2. Columbus Zoo- #1 zoo in the nation
1. Available Light Theatre

Ian’s Top 10 favorite Columbus places:
10. Golden Delight Bakery (fresh strawberry cream cake)
9. Studio II at the Riffe Center
8. BalletMet
7. Northstar Restaurants
6. Dublin Lifetime Fitness pool
5. Mission Coffee
4. Luck Brothers Coffee
3. The Book Loft
2. Park of Roses
1. Harvest Pizza

Elena’s Top 10 Favorite places for Pre and/or Post show food and beverages:
10. The Sycamore
9. Red Brick Tap and Grill
8. Union
7. South Bend
6. Jimmy V’s in German Village
5. Harvest Pizza
4. The Walrus
3. Philco
2. Old Towne Tavern
1. Little Palace

Acacia’s Top Ten Columbus desserts I can’t resist:
10. Pattycake Bakery- Snickerdoodle Cookie
9. Omega Artisan Bakery- Cinnamon Roll
8. Destination Donuts- Strawberry Buttermilk Nibblers
7. Till Dynamic Fare- Beignets
6. Lindey’s- Key Lime Pie
5. DK Diner- Plain glazed cake donuts
4. Northstar- Dark Chocolate Truffle Cookie
3. Pure Imagination Chocolates- Dark Relic
2. Pistacia Vera- My wedding cake (and Lavender Shortbread)
1. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams- Askinosie Dark Milk Chocolate

Matt’s Top Ten Places I’m grateful to have in Columbus:
10. Rogue Fitness
9. The Laughing Ogre
8. Paradise Garage
7. The Roosevelt Coffeehouse
6. Spoonful Records
5. Mission Coffee Co.
4. Columbus Libraries (specifically downtown, now closed for renovations)
3. Luck Bros Coffee
2. 400 West Rich
1. The Wexner Center for the Arts

Drew’s Favorite Places in Columbus (with a casual suggestion of when to be there):
10. Comfest …I’m a fan of the comedown on Sunday evening. The music is still going strong, but the blankets are out and the food lines are short.
9. The Shoe … October afternoon games are the best. We’re in the Big 10 schedule, and that perfect fall clip is in the air.
8. Harvest Pizzeria … The porch after nightfall, when it’s cool enough to wear a sweater.
7. Audobon Metro Dog Park … Whenever there’s energy to burn.
6. Tigertree … A day or two before his birthday.
5. Adriadico’s New York Style Pizze … Your budget birthday party.
4. Bat-n-Rouge Softball Game … It’s all about the pre game banter. Hilarious.
3. Drexel Theater – Bexley … I tend to go during Oscar season, Saturday, 11:00 AM showing, with a coffee. You get the hardcore moviegoers and will not hear a cellphone.
2. Little Palace … After a show with the Available Light family.
1. The Book Loft/Schiller Park (double feature) … Take your time shopping then stop on a park bench for Chapter 1.

NOW YOU …

Filed Under: Columbus Tagged With: learnmore

Columbus Alive: Don Q’s universal appeal

March 26, 2015 By AVLT Leave a Comment

Drew Eberly and Elena M. Perantoni in Don Quixote: a pigrimage

Check out Jesse Tigges excellent preview of Don Quixote: a pilgrimage in today’s Columbus Alive. Featuring interviews with playwright Jen Schlueter and director Matt Slaybaugh, Tigges goes into depth about the creation of the play and the unique perspective Available Light brings to the 400 year old novel.

Read it all here: http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2015/03/26/theatre-preview-don-quixote-a-pilgrimage-gives-novel-a-more-personal-and-universal-appeal.html

Filed Under: Don Quixote Tagged With: learnmore, recentnews

Don Q in the Dispatch: “The play is a journey…”

March 26, 2015 By AVLT Leave a Comment

Acacia Duncan in Don Quixote: a pilgrimage

Check out the excellent preview of Don Quixote: a pilgrimage in today’s Columbus Dispatch Weekender. Michael Grossberg interviewed playwright Jennifer Schlueter, director Matt Slaybaugh as well as actors Acacia Duncan and Drew Eberly.

Read it here: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2015/03/26/1-womans-journey-provides-twist-on-cervantes-classic.html

Filed Under: Don Quixote Tagged With: learnmore, recentnews

Cervantes returns!

March 17, 2015 By AVLT Leave a Comment

Just in time for our adaptation of his massive work of metafiction, Don Quixote, Spain’s most lauded author has turned-up again.

via BBC: Spain finds Don Quixote writer Cervantes’ tomb in Madrid

Forensic scientists say they have found the tomb of Spain’s much-loved giant of literature, Miguel de Cervantes, nearly 400 years after his death.

They believe they have found the bones of Cervantes, his wife and others recorded as buried with him in Madrid’s Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians.

The Don Quixote author was buried in 1616 but his coffin was later lost.

BONUS: Visit the BBC’s page and scroll down for a one minute video primer about “Who was Cervantes?”

Filed Under: Don Quixote Tagged With: learnmore

Interview with Quixote playwright Jen Schlueter

March 4, 2015 By AVLT Leave a Comment

Adam Szymkowuicz has interviewed more than 700 (Yes, 700, that’s not a typo!) playwrights over at his blog, and just a month ago featured our very own Jen Schlueter, the mind behind Don Quixote: a pilgrimage.

Here’s a teaser:

Q: If you could change one thing about theater, what would it be?

A: The terrible habit of thinking of New York as the center of it all. It’s not.

Q: Who are or were your theatrical heroes?

A: For showing me that scavenging and pillaging and remixing were a viable way in: Chuck Mee and Emily Mann. For thinking really seriously about why and how teaching playwriting matters: Paula Vogel and Michael Bigelow Dixon. For making it happen for other people: Ellen Stewart and Margo Jones.

Read the whole interview here: http://aszym.blogspot.com/2015/02/i-interview-playwrights-part-720.html

And get your tickets for Don Quixote: a pilgrimage here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/don-quixote-a-pilgrimage-tickets-15572552925

Filed Under: Don Quixote Tagged With: learnmore

Brush up on your mortgage crisis.

August 10, 2014 By AVLT Leave a Comment

Dirty Math 2009

May we brag for just a moment?

There have been a lot of plays written about the 2008-9 financial crisis, but only one theater company opened a show about it when it was still happening. In April 2009, before the economy had even hit rock bottom, Available Light was on-stage in the Riffe Center explaining what was happening. That was the first Dirty Math.

This 15-minute video, from our original production, explains the crisis as we understood it in April 2009. Unfortunately, things turned out to be even worse, even more diabolical, and even more complex than we thought at that time. Hence the need for a sequel.

If you’re planning to see Dirty Math 2016, you definitely want to check this out.

Filed Under: Dirty Math 2016 Tagged With: learnmore

The original Dirty Math rap

August 2, 2014 By AVLT Leave a Comment

Dirty Math 2016: Days of Future Math is a sequel, in the traditional sense of the word. It picks up right where the original Dirty Math left off.

You don’t need to have seen the original Dirty Math to enjoy and understand the sequel, but a taste of it would certainly be worth your while.

Here, from the April, 2009 performance, is the much-lauded rap song, Economic Hitmen, performed by Acacia Duncan, Jordan Fehr, and Ian Short.

Filed Under: Dirty Math 2016 Tagged With: learnmore

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