InterAct Welcomes 2011/2012 Season Interns

As many long-time fans of InterAct know, our company could not function without the never-ending hard work of our amazing teams of interns. With an office of only four full-time and two part-time employees, they quickly become a integral part of the administrative team (and to those on staff, a real part of the family). This week, we are thrilled to welcome Becky Dennis, Shannon Fitzsimons, and Brianne Shaw as our formidable intern team for the 2011/2012 Season!

This season, the interns are going to be periodically documenting their year-long journey as newly-minted InterAct-ites. To kick things off, here are a few thoughts from the two that are also starting new lives as Philadelphians, as well...

Brianne Shaw: 

I’ve never really written a blog before so I'm not sure where to start, how cliché' right? So, I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Brianne, and I am one of the new interns at InterAct Theatre. I recently graduated from Lycoming College, a small liberal arts school in the middle of nowhere, with a degree in Directing. My long term plan is to return to school and get my Masters degree, and possibly my PhD after that, in hopes of becoming a professor.

I moved to Philadelphia about a month ago. Before my move to Philly I lived in Altoona, PA, where on my daily commute to work I would expect to have to slow down for and pass multiple horse and buggies. Needless to say it was vastly different from my life now in Philadelphia. I can say that most of the changes were expected, moving to the city and easy to become used to; not driving everywhere or doing laundry in a Laundromat as opposed to the laundry room that was conveniently a few rooms away from my bedroom. There are also a few things that have become harder to get used to, one of those being financial responsibility and of course not having my dogs around. Being as I just graduated college worrying about financials were never really a stressor, everything I needed was included in my tuition, my room, my food... everything. Getting used to making sure I have the money for all my bills has become stressful. Although most people would assume worrying about money would be the most stressful and difficult thing to get used to when moving into the city, I have found the cockroaches to be much more stressful. One of the first nights after moving to Philly, I was laying peacefully in my bed when a cockroach was spotted crawling all over myself and my bed. Consequently, it has become a nightly ritual to shake all of my sheets and pillows before getting into bed, a ritual I am not sure I will ever get used to. Regardless of the cockroaches, my move to Philly has been a great transition. I have always looked forward to this time in my life, when I would be on my own and fending for myself. As a result, I think the move and the changes have been easier for me than most would expect.

While in Philadelphia I will be interning at InterAct Theatre. I'm pretty excited to get started, especially since I will be doing things I haven’t done before; House and Box Office managing. I have only been a graduate for a few months now and, in that time, haven’t done much in theatre so I am itching to get back in and get started. I think being at InterAct will put me in my element because I have always been interested in theatre that is socially relevant and thought-provoking. I am also excited to see how the shows change and evolve from beginning to end since InterAct only produces new plays.

Stay classy, Philadelphia!

- Brianne

 

Becky Dennis:

Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and Floods! Oh My!

Hello everyone,

My name is Becky Dennis and I am going to be one of the lovely interns at the InterAct Theatre Company for the next year. I just moved here from the great state of Michigan! I grew up in a suburb northeast of Detroit called Grosse Pointe and I just graduated from Kalamazoo College, a very small liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, MI (about halfway between Detroit and Chicago). There, I majored in Theatre Arts and got to do everything from acting to lighting design, but I enjoy stage management and directing the most. 

Main Street promoting their kayaking tours

 Eventful Weather: 

Since moving here I’ve been through some interesting weather. In Michigan we get the occasional tornado and blizzard so hurricanes and earthquakes were something very new. As I awaited the arrival of Hurricane Irene, my new roommates and I stocked up on candles, flashlights, food and water. I was a little worried about flooding at first, but because we’re on a fairly large hill in Manayunk I was almost positive we wouldn’t float away. To pass the time during our lockdown, my roommate Kate and I started several different projects around our new house. The most intense project involved painting a mural of the Philadelphia skyline. Since she’s painted murals before, she did about 90%. I was given the positionsof supervisor and relief pitcher when her hand got too tired. The mural turned out great! 

 A Tale of Two Sisters:

When my family came to move me out here my twin sister, Stephanie, came too. While we were out here she just so happened to schedule an interview at a PR firm in Center City. My family moved me in, Stephanie had the interview, and they went home. A few days later Stephanie finds out she got the job and has to start in 10 days. She packs up her stuff and my parents are back in their car driving the 10 hours from Detroit to Philadelphia. So, 40 hours of driving and 4 trips to IKEA later, both Dennis sisters are living in Philadelphia and starting work at the very same time.

Detroit vs. Philly:

Since moving to Philadelphia I’ve been taking a mental list of things that are different in Detroit.

-Canada: On a clear day I can see Canada from my house (Ok, not as good as Russia but it is another country). In Detroit most people will accept Canadian currency just like American currency.

-Hills: You have a lot of hills here. Gives me an extra challenge when driving in the snow.

- Public Transportation: You need a car to get anywhere in Detroit. Public Transportation is a nice change.

-Small, Small Roads: Your roads are so small! I’m used to big highways and big streets. Got to get used to that.

-Water: Yes, you have beautiful rivers here but I’ll miss being so close to the Great Lakes. If you haven’t been to Michigan you should definitely take a vacation there. It’s a beautiful place (shameless plug for Michigan completed).

Thanks for listening to my thoughts. I’m very excited to start my internship with the InterAct!

Bye for now...

-Becky

InterAct Commemorates 9/11 with Free Reading of A HUMAN EQUATION

Photo courtesy of
PlayPenn

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the tragedy of September 11th, InterAct will present a concert reading of A HUMAN EQUATION by Philadelphia playwright Peter Bonilla. The reading will take place Sunday, September 11, 7:00 p.m., in the SkyBox, 3rd Floor of The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. The reading is free and open to the public, however seating is limited. Call InterAct's Box Office at 215.568.8077 to make a reservation.

InterAct's reading will feature Tim Moyer, Dan Kern, Maia DeSanti, Kittson O’Neill, Cheryl Williams, and David Bardeen.

In the wake of 9/11, Congress created the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, an unprecedented endeavor that compensated the victims of the attacks. As special master of the fund, Kenneth Feinberg found himself elevated to a position of influence unequaled in American history. His task was to place unique values on each of the 3,000 lives that had been lost. In the course of his nearly 1,000 meetings with the families of 9/11, Feinberg became a lightning rod for their outrage, came face to face with their grief and fear, and was forced to reconsider his most basic notions of human character and strength. A HUMAN EQUATION is a moving docudrama that juxtaposes the life of the controversial fund with Feinberg's personal journey, as he attempted to evaluate human life in the aftermath of a nation-defining event.

The World Premiere of
A HUMAN EQUATION
will take place in
Tucson, AZ  in September

Peter Bonilla (playwright) became a part of the InterAct family while on staff as Literary Manager from August 2005 to April 2008. During his tenure, he served as dramaturg of the World Premiere productions of Thomas Gibbons’ A HOUSE WITH NO WALLS and Seth Rozin’s BLACK GOLD, among many others. Peter was on the literary committee of the National New Play Network, and for two years was on the reading committee for the NNPN’s Smith Prize. Originally from Washington, D.C., Peter received his undergraduate degrees in Theater Arts and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, and is a 2008 recipient of a playwriting fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. A HUMAN EQUATION is Peter's first play.

While in development, A HUMAN EQUATION was featured as part of  PlayPenn's 2008 line-up. It is scheduled to receive its World Premiere production at Winding Road Theater Ensemble in Tucson, AZ, in September 2011.

InterAct Co-Hosts Launch of "Asian American Plays For A New Generation"

InterAct is pleased to join the Asian Arts Initiative in co-hosting the launch party for Asian American Plays for a New Generation, an exciting new collection of plays edited by Josephine Lee, Don Eitel, and R. A. (Rick) Shiomi. The event will be held Monday, July 25, starting at 7:00 p.m., at InterAct's home at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., Philadelphia, PA.

Celebrating the publication of this volume of Asian American plays mostly staged at the Mu Performing Arts, the event will include a reception followed by speakers Rick Shiomi, an editor and the artistic director of Mu Performing Arts and playwright Lauren Yee, author of Ching Chong Chinaman.

The plays included in this anthology are: Indian Cowboy by Zaraawar Mistry, Walleye Kid, The Musical by Kurt Miyashiro, Sundraya Kase & R.A. Shiomi, Asiamnesia by Sun Mee Chomet, Bahala Na by Clarence Coo, Sia(b) by May Lee Yang, Happy Valley by Aurorae Khoo and Ching Chong Chinaman by Lauren Yee.

For more information about Asian American Plays for a New Generation or to purchase your copy, visit:

InterAct Selected for NNPN Commission & Host of 2011 Showcase of New Plays

New Play Commission

The National New Play Network (NNPN), the country’s alliance of non-profit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, announced at its Annual Conference earlier this month that InterAct will be the recipient of one of two new play commissions granted in 2011. The commission awards InterAct $5,000 that will be given to playwright Jen Silverman for her as-yet-untitled new play about an international search for a missing internet friend.

In the play, rapper hopeful Lila Ramirez becomes obsessed with the South African style of ghetto-infused hip-hop called kwaito. The only person who seems to share her obsession is Daniela, a black South African girl whom Lila befriends online. But when Daniela suddenly vanishes without a word, Lila must decide how far she will go to help her friend. Flying to Cape Town in search of Daniela, Lila soon discovers that she is in a world where victims often trade protest and justice for the uneasy safety offered by silence.

Jen Silverman is an MFA candidate at the University of Iowa Playwrights Workshop, scheduled to graduate in 2011. She received her BA from Brown University in 2006. Her plays include: LIZARDSKIN, developed with New Georges in NYC, New York Stage & Film/ Powerhouse Theatre Company at Vassar College, and produced in the NYC International Fringe Festival in 2006; THE EDUCATION OF MACOLOCO, produced by Fusion Theatre Company in New Mexico, LiveGirls! in Seattle, Circus Theatri-cals in LA, and a 2009 winner of the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Play Festival; CRANE STORY, developed with New Georges, the Bay Area Playwrights Festival in San Francisco, 2009 HotINK International Festival in NYC, and The Playwrights Realm in NYC; and NILA, which received its first workshop at The Lark’s Playwrights Week 2009. Her plays AKARUI and YELLOW CITY have received workshop productions at the University of Iowa. She was also a 2009 playwright in residence at the Hedgebrook International Women’s Writers Residency.

Commission proposals are nominated by NNPN member theaters and voted annually by the Network’s artistic directors and literary managers. In addition to InterAct and Jen Silverman, the other commission went to Victory Gardens Theatre (Chicago, IL) for Laura Jacqmin's untitled play about a group of college students who learn to travel through time. Commission proposals are nominated by NNPN member theaters and voted annually by the Network’s artistic directors and literary managers. NNPN has awarded eighteen commissions since the Network’s founding in 1998.

2011 Showcase of New Plays

NNPN also announced this week that InterAct was selected to host the Network's 2011 Showcase of New Plays, which will be held November 18-20, 2011, and will feature a series of concert-style readings of 6 new plays that are juried by the NNPN membership. The by-invitation-only event will draw dozens of theatre professionals from all over the country, including the artistic and administrative staffs of NNPN's 26 member theatres, 10-15 playwrights, as well as many industry funders, followers and supporters. The Showcase will also provide work for 35-40 local theatre artists. This will mark the first time the annual Showcase returns to Philadelphia since InterAct hosted its inaugural event in 2002.

For more information about National New Play Network or any of its ground-breaking programming, visit www.nnpn.org.

Video Trailer for IN A DAUGHTER'S EYES

Watch the video trailer for InterAct's World Premiere of IN A DAUGHER'S EYES by A. Zell Williams




Links to more information about IN A DAUGHTER'S EYES:

Find Out More About InterAct's Production

Read an Interview with Playwright A. Zell Williams

Purchase Tickets