Wily West Productions - Wily Westings Blog

Gladys and Murray Apply to Colonize Mars!

7/13/2015

Murray and Gladys

Dear Martian Colony Committee--

Why do we want to go to Mars? I’ll tell you why we want to go to Mars. We've done all there is to do on this planet, and we’re tired of Boca Raton. Retirement in Florida isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And I’ll tell you, our neighbor, Edna, she won't ever leave us alone. She's always asking us for advice, and sugar. She doesn't need to eat sugar. Have you seen her? If you have, you’d know. And I'm tired of hearing her brag about that damn Caribbean cruise her son sent her on. I’ll get the one up on that woman if it's the last thing I do. And you know what? I think she's got her eye on my Murray. He always thinks someone’s got her eye on him. And it’s true, because there’s a lot of him to see. He’s one big hunk of manhood. I know that better than anyone. That’s where the low gravity would come in handy. It would be nice not to get crushed by him. Oh, and another thing - Mars is far away, so there’s no traffic.

Next is the humor. I have such a good sense of humor. And we have to keep the crew laughing, don’t we? It's a long trip to Mars. It's what – eight, nine months? It’ll be even longer if nobody's laughing. But don’t get Murray started on the impersonations. He thinks he’s so good with the impersonations. My God, if I have to spend the rest of my life on Mars with his damn Sean Connery impersonations – he sounds nothing like Sean Connery. He sounds like he has a cold. I just want to give him a Sudafed when he goes on with the Sean Connery. You leave the laughter to me. I'll bring the Mad Libs. It always does the trick. It worked on the kids. Who gets tired of Mad Libs? Nobody, that’s who!

And lastly, why should we go to Mars? Out of the six people, we're the two that really need to go. We're the life of every party, and nobody can beat my matzo ball soup. And of course, there was the year I made all the kids' costumes. I'm a great seamstress. We'll have one hell of a Halloween! We'll all dress like earthlings, like that Sandra Bullock lady in that movie. She's a cutie that Sandra Bullock. It was Gravity! Why did they call it Gravity? There was no gravity there. They should have called it Floating.

So please, send us to Mars! Because what else are you going to do with us?

Sincerely,

Gladys Schackerdue

By Karl Schackne

The Artists Say So…

7/12/2015

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Meet some of our summer artists! Wily West is presenting two shows this summer ZERO HOUR about the first human Colony on Mars and I SAW IT about a terrifying creature that tears through San Francisco.

How are you involved with Wily West’s Summer Shows?

KARL SCHACKNE: I'm a writer, as well as pitching in to run box office, set-building, and anything else I can be helpful with.

RICHARD WENZEL: I’m an actor playing Dr. Burrhus Milton in Zero Hour: the Mars Experiment and Van Clarkson in I Saw It.

BRIDGETTE DUTTA PORTMAN: I'm on the writing team. My main focus was Zero Hour: the Mars Experiment.

What do you love about the theatre right now?

KARL: There's so much to do and learn, and I've only begun to discover what I'm capable of creatively, and what stories I want to tell.

RICHARD: Theatre right now, particularly at this level in SF, is growing in some very interesting ways. All of the changes happening in the mid-Market Street area because of the new influx of tech industry blood (which I definitely have a love/hate relationship with) seem to also be causing a growth spurt in the theatre scene in the bay area as well. I love that! It's very encouraging and in its own way nurturing for actors and artists of all kinds.

BRIDGETTE: I love that there are so many creative and awesome things going on right now that I want to see and be involved in, and not enough time to do all of it.

What do you hope the audience walks away with in one (or both) of the show(s)?

KARL: For Zero Hour, I hope they leave with a sense of place, that they feel a little bit of what it might be like to be part of a Mars colony - not necessarily a literal picture, but the mental and physical strain, and the isolation. For I saw it, I hope they can appreciate the perspectives and see them through the eyes of the characters - wonder, shock, despair, confusion, numbness. Also, I hope they'll enjoy the deliciously evil undertones!

RICHARD: I hope they have a great time, of course, maybe even come back and see it again! But also I hope that it makes them think about the common themes of humanity and survival and about how both of those things depend on cooperation much more than they depend on chaos. Maybe when they see the first show it will result in them wanting to come and see more the second night when we can tell them a whole new story!

BRIDGETTE: I hope the audience walks away from ZERO HOUR inspired to think about humanity and its possibilities and capabilities -- both the good and the bad. We can put human beings into space. That's amazing. But we're also still animals, prone to anger, desire, jealousy, irrationality. And also compassion, curiosity and the drive to explore. Can the positive aspects of "human nature" help us transcend the negative? What does that mean for the future of our species? Also, Mars is just freaking awesome; I hope people come away with an interest in the red planet and the possibilities of human travel there.

actor -ˈaktər/noun: a person whose profession is acting on the stage, in movies, or on television.

7/7/2015

Come see Samantha Granberg Behr, double cast in Wily West’s #SummerShows – as Freya in #ZeroHour, opening July 17th, and Isla in #ISawIt, opening July 18th.

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Samantha Behr

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Lakeview, OR – a little town in the middle of nowhere in Southeast Oregon. It's a very rural area in the high desert. Lakeview is a town that had one traffic light, and it only flashed yellow – they took it out, though, because it confused people. In particular, I lived on a cattle ranch outside of town, where, when not crawling around old barns with rusty nails and loose floorboards or playing on 2300 acres, I was chopping thistles by hand and removing rocks from corrals. At times I felt isolated from a lot of my interests. There was no theater, my family drove me hours away to participate in summer workshops, or see play. I learned that was a good way to avoid building fence.

What excites you about theatre right now?

Badass female roles. Badass female playwrights. Badass female directors.

How did you know acting was your strong suit? Did you ever do anything else?

It's difficult for me to really pin down a specific moment that I "knew" acting was my strong suit. I've always been the performer in my family and it's always been something I enjoyed. Maybe the moment I first felt confident in my ability to inhabit a character and empowered to pursue acting unapologetically was in an acting class during my semester abroad at the Moscow Art Theatre. The curriculum was based around acting etudes, one in particular we were instructed to choose a character from a play from our reading list and present a "missing scene" with that character. I chose Nina from "The Seagull" and created a scene that might have occurred after she was abandoned by Trigorin and still trying to make it as an actress, before she comes back for the last scene. It's incredible when everything clicks into place. That was the first time that happened for me.

I've done a lot--both in and out of theatre. I have experience directing, playwriting, and in costume design and construction. In school, I spent my summers leading trail rides and packing mules in Kings Canyon National Park. I've done the food and customer service thing. I have a lot of other interests, but what made me realize how important acting is to me was the year I went without it. I never want to do that again.

How do you handle backstage drama?

I avoid it. At all costs. I'm a classic middle child in that regard. I focus on doing my job: solving problems not making them.

What's the most fun or most challenging acting role you've had to date? Why?

My perspective on past roles often changes. But, thinking about it right now...it would be a character from a short play called Tucked in Tight. I played a woman who has to face her physically abusive ex-husband, who was loving to their two young daughters. They don't know about the abuse, but recent actions force the woman to ban him from seeing them. It was such a complex scenario and required a lot of layering. Add a very short and intense rehearsal time and I found myself pretty spent. I am usually able to shake off challenging characters when I'm not in the rehearsal room, but I found this one lingering. I still trust my resilience, but I now understand the importance of taking care of myself with roles that can be emotionally and/or mentally taxing.

What do you do to take extra care of yourself through rehearsals and into performances?

I make sure I get plenty of sleep and drink a lot of water. I remind myself to go for walks and runs and do laundry. A lot of reminders! As much as I can I stay organized – keeping up with my calendar and keeping clutter under control. That being said, I try to cut myself some slack when things get chaotic. I'm not going to say I haven't stumbled home late from rehearsal, collapsed in my bed with a pile of clean-ish laundry, and--in response to my growling stomach and my roommate's request to finally do my dishes say, sotto voce, "I'll deal with it after closing."

What is your favorite part about the work?

The collaboration. Everyone has individual duties and roles, but when everyone is sharing their hard work with the team, that's when the magic happens. Also, I get to play make-believe everyday--what's not to love about that?!

https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaJGranberg?fref=ts

play·wright - ˈplāˌrīt/noun: a person who writes plays.

7/5/2015

play·wright
ˈplāˌrīt/noun: a person who writes plays.

Meet Jennifer Roberts, Head Writer for the Wily West, charged with the task of corralling the work of #8Writers and putting it all together into cohesive pieces for our #SummerShows #ZeroHour #ISawIt

Get Early Bird Tickets now!

Buy Early Bird Tickets!

Playwright Jennifer Lynne Roberts

Where are you from?

Transfer. It's a small village in rural Pennsylvania. It was named after the transfer stations on the rail lines that linked two track systems of different gauges. Early on, before the transcontinental, railroads were built by multiple companies and unregulated, so eventually there were over 20 different track gauges across the east and midwest. Therefore, when a train came in on one line and met up in a town with a different line, the cargo and passengers needed to be transferred to a different train in order to continue its journey. I've always found this an appropriate personal metaphor.

What excites you about theatre right now?

I'm loving the new groundswell of playwright collectives popping up and the Do-It-Yourself mentality when it comes to self-producing. It's gotten a bad rap in the past, but I think it's vital for playwrights to take some control in getting their plays seen. Let's face it. Competition for a production is rough. Hundreds of playwrights are vying for the few slots available in a theater's season, so what are we to do? Sit and wait? I don't think so. Plays are meant to be seen. Get them seen!

How did you know writing was your strong suit? Did you ever do anything else?

Oh, I've done a lot of other things. My first job was a radio announcer when I was sixteen. Through the years I worked multiple jobs, all service industry and often at the same time when my husband was going to school. Later I settled into reception work at an animal hospital, working my way up to management. I stayed in that position for over ten years. I wasn't happy. I asked myself what it was I wanted out of life. I had always wanted to be a writer. So I decided to pursue it. By then my daughter was in high school and the opportunity to go to college presented itself, and I took it. I got started late. It used to bother me. But now I keep telling myself that I'm on my path. Don't look back!

What's the most fun or most challenging writing experience you've had to date?

Hands down, the most challenging experience was sitting silently through a festival reading of my play with this gentleman who was full of mansplaining and dismissiveness. My research was solid and it was a subject I studied. He didn't know this, so he was peacocking a bit. He was irritated at the subject matter; he wanted to put me in my place. I regret not grabbing a microphone and giving a rebuttal. It wasn't how the event was set up, but I still should've done it.

What is your favorite part about the work?

I think it's finishing each task, each stage. The research. The first draft. Meeting the deadline for the next one. Every time I can hit "send," and feel like it's an end to a phase of the play development, I get a thrill. I can relax for a bit until the next deadline. I also love when I'm writing well. I can feel it. There's a flow and an energy that's quite a high. So I guess my favorite part is beginnings and endings. The middle is the job. We may like our jobs, but they can be tedious and frustrating and sometimes we are looking at the classifieds.

Head Writer Jennifer Lynne Roberts found her muse in a secluded cabin!

5/8/2015

Head Writer for Wily West Summer shows Jennifer Lynne Roberts

All these weeks of writing about isolation has had an interesting affect on me mentally and physically. The more cramped and secluded the situations I put my characters in, the more I long for a similar experience. As a writer, as a woman writer in particular, we have to write around, in-between, and though the noise of daily life. The world becomes vast and loud and overpopulated. So when I'm writing about a woman who makes herself small and spends most of her time in vents or about a man who is restricted from going outside and how he has to deal with being alone, I'm writing about finding solitude. I'm writing about creating some control over some elements of your environment and life and giving up others. Recently, I confided in my husband that I was jumping out of my skin. I needed to get away from life and hole up somewhere to write and read and meditate, and I needed to do it alone. In isolation. It's fitting then, I found a small cabin in a forest that once housed an actual hermit. I've been advised to bring a flashlight because it's secluded from town and gets "the kind of dark you never knew existed." Sounds perfect.

Wily West is going to outer space!

3/11/2015

ZERO HOUR:
The Mars Experiment

Would you leave everything behind, all the comforts of earthly life—friends, family, ice cream, sex—for the experiment? To live in isolation and the experience taped for a reality show for the people back home on Earth, so that you can be a pioneer, the first to colonize the planet Mars? These six humans did. They left their jobs. Some lost their families. They underwent physical and mental evaluations. They signed contracts. They trained. They made love for the last time. And at ZERO HOUR, they made peace with their decision. But that was six months and sixty-eight days ago.

Jennifer adds, "This is a story about human nature, our ability to survive in extreme circumstances, and what we are willing to do/not do to ensure it."

"These are being presented as a series of monologues. The show will be framed around the character of Isla, and we will hear from her family, some townspeople, and the government." Head Writer Jennifer Lynne Roberts explains.

"While Isla waits for the government to figure out what to do with her, she is isolated from the news and has no idea what a shit storm of chaos and incoherent stories are out there on the streets. But all she wants is to get back to her little sister. I SAW IT will be an "exploration of individual human lives changing in response to a magic/sci-fi element, rather than an investigation of the magic/sci-fi element itself."

DIRECTOR OF SUMMER SHOWS!

Director Ariel Craft

Wily West is thrilled to be working with Ariel Craft for our summer productions!

Ariel Craft is a Bay Area director and arts administrator, and founder of The Breadbox.

For The Breadbox, Ariel has directed Blood Wedding, ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Robot Hand, and Landscape of the Body. Ariel also maintains a freelance directing career and has worked frequently with the Custom Made Theatre Co., the San Francisco Girls Chorus, and the San Francisco Olympians Festival. Past directing credits, outside of The Breadbox, include Late: A Cowboy Song, Noye’s Fludde, How I Learned to Drive, Trans Figure, and True Love. Assistant direction credits include A.C.T.’s remount of Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe’s Tony-winning production of The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer and Phantom Limb Company’s 69°S., directed by Sophie Hunter, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Ariel holds a BFA with Honors from New York University, where she studied at the Playwrights Horizons Theater School.

In step with her personal mission to create work that ignites our human curiosities and explores rarely navigated territories, Ariel’s directorial interest is working closely with actors, designers, and writers to create mosaic productions rooted in the insights and peculiarities of the individuals involved, while crafting comprehensively complex experiences for audiences.

Coming up: The Pillowman (The Breadbox) and the world premiere of Rachel Bublitz’ Of Serpents and Sea Spray (Custom Made Theatre Co.)

Additionally for 2015 Wily West will be doing a series of staged readings but one of them will host a local playwright from Seattle! We will be presenting Scotto Moore's STAR CROSSED. We will keep you posted on all the details!

Wily West announces its 2015 Season!

Wily West will present two world premiere plays commissioned directly for the company and being written March 15-April 26. The 9 playwrights, led by Head Writer Jennifer Lynne Roberts will write two shows simultaneously. The two plays will be directed by Ariel Craft (Artistic Director of Bread Box Theatre) and presented at the Exit Theatre this summer.

Head Writer Jennifer Lynne Roberts elaborates, "Our concept is relatively simple: six, ordinary citizens have agreed to be part of the Mars Experiment: be the first to colonize Mars and be part of a reality show documenting the experience. It's taken 6 months to get to Mars. Our show picks up 68 days after landing. The plays we will be writing will explore human nature in desolation, isolation, and 'being trapped on a new planet with a finite community and no creature comforts, never to return home.'"

Director, Ariel Craft, describes the frame set for the show. “It'll be an exploration of human nature within an extraordinary circumstance, with some very specific other-worldly features.”

I SAW IT.
Did you? An anomalous event has occurred. A city in ruins. Some are saying it wasn’t an act of nature, but a creature, a shadow, a…something. Rumors run rampant, suspicions run high. The #ISawIt hashtag has gone viral. Unsubstantiated reports, conspiracy theories, panic! Does Isla have the answers everyone wants? The government thinks so. Inside an interrogation room, Isla is questioned while outside, a city tries to recover.

Wily West announced the team of writers it is working with for the 2015 season. They are:

Jennifer Lynne Roberts | Head Writer

Melissa Keith

Jaene Leonard

Charles Lewis

Morgan Ludlow

Laylah Muran de Assereto

Conrad Panganiban

Bridgette Dutta Portman

Karl Schackne

Wily West 6.0 is gearing for take off!

2/25/2015

JAENE LEONARD

BRIDGETTE DUTTA PORTMAN

COLLEEN EGAN

GENEVIEVE PERDUE

KARL SCHACKNE

Wily West is pleased to announce some terrific new artists have joined the company for our 6th full season!

Jaene Leonard 
(Producing Director)
Jaene joins Wily West as our new Producing Director. Jaene has an extensive background in acting, directing and writing that spans two coasts. Jaene will be our on-the-ground coordinator for production and will be exploring new possibilities for Wily West on several fronts! Jaene will start her artistic contribution by joining the writing team for our summer shows!

Bridgette Dutta Portman
(Associate Artist)
Bridgette is already a familiar face in the Wily West family but this year she steps up as an associate artist. Bridgette’s playwriting career is quickly gaining steam and last year her plays for SUPERHEROES brought Wily West some critical acclaim - we are so thrilled we will have her energy for this season - She has big contributions to make! Bridgette will be a part of the summer show writing team.

Colleen Egan
(Associate Artist)
Local actor, and native San Franciscan, Colleen Egan has long been associated with Wily West and has already directed and acted for us numerous times. Some of you may have seen Colleen’s truly stunning performance in last season’s DROWNING KATE.

Genevieve Perdue
(Associate Artist)
Theatre maker Genevieve Perdue brings her multi-talents to our team and we couldn’t be more thrilled. If you saw last year’s DROWNING KATE and UN-HINGED you were treated to some terrific scenic and costume design which was the product of Genevieve’s tireless effort – and on top of that she is a damn fine actor many theatre companies and ensembles would give their eye teeth to have on their roster!

Karl Schackne
(Associate Artist)
Actor and Playwright Karl Schackne has already proven to be a talented writer and a loyal helping hand on projects last season. This year he joins us as a core artist. We are so thrilled to have as part our team. Karl brings his unique voice once again to the writing team for our two summer shows!

Big Changes for Wily West

2/4/2015

Things are afoot at Wily West, good things and some sad things. At the end of the season last year we planned to scale back a little bit this season and focus on some development work to launch us into a truly spectacular 2016 and we are all very excited about the possibilities and how that's going to look and know you will be too! The Wily Westers will be meeting in February and getting all our ducks in a row so we can announce our plans. In the meantime we've had some major changes in the company that we need to announce. It is with genuine sadness that we are saying goodbye to Quinn Cayabyab, Laylah Muran de Assereto and Wesley Cayabyab. Each of whom has been at the core of the company nearly since the beginning and made enormous contributions to our little band of theatre makers. Each has personal reasons for leaving and this was a harmonious, if gut wrenching decision for everyone involved. I wish them all the best and hope that you'll join me in thanking them for their passion, vision, and the care with which they helped shape Wily West. Stay tuned for more announcements about the season and Wily West!

Laylah Muran de Assereto shares her day...

10/24/2014

Laylah Muran de Assereto joined Wily West in 2009 as Executive Producer. Since then the company has presented dozens of shows - all written by writers from the Bay Area. Laylah is a playwright herself and lately has been getting her work on stage. Like most artists in the independent theatre movement Laylah balances a full time day job with a robust theatre life. She shares with us a glimpse of her day in the life...

I’m pretty active on Facebook and Twitter, so people see the fun days all the time, where I’m surrounded by theatre people or family and having a good time. So I thought I’d give a more typical day in the life; the work day.

9:30 AM

I’m really lucky because work is super close to home, so my commute only takes about 15 minutes. And when I get to work there’s some great views. This is
me after I parked, with a little bit of the bay behind me and a lot of sun in my eyes.

7:30 AM

Some days my calendar is a little daunting. Monday was about average. It started with a 7:30am meeting and ended at about 12:30 am.

Even business colleagues don’t
really know what I do, but my
family and non-work friends are
really baffled by it. I spend a
large part of my day talking to
people about what they do and
then turning that into flow diagrams, then analyzing those flows to help find areas where things aren’t making sense.

If I’m doing my job right, I can get people past the “my head hurts” phase of looking at this stuff, and start to see the validation that this thing they are doing that feels like it isn’t working really is complex and convoluted.

And then we find ways to fix the problems and make it simpler.

12:30 PM

At lunch I took care of a few items as follow-up for the production meeting we had on Sunday for Un-Hinged and Drowning Kate, which is going to be so much fun. Every day there are dozens of text conversations and emails. On the best days there’s texts from my close friends about nothing theatre related at all, in with all the business of running a theatre company.

5:00 PM

After work it was time for the PCSF Membership meeting and reception and oh yeah, a reading of my play UNDERNEATH THE ABOVE AND BELOW. 6:00 PM I met Jennifer at the Marriott bar for a glass of wine and some post 24-Hour Fest gabbing before we headed to the Shelton.

7:00 PM

The Membership meeting began with a lovely tribute to member Inbal Kashtan who passed away earlier this month. Elisa Stebbins read one of Inbal’s monologues and it was very touching. The Board gave us all an update on what’s happening and I stepped out to talk with my cast for a bit about the play and answer their questions.

8:00 PM

Then it was time for my reading! Leontyne Mbele-Mbong and Natasha Cachon were so good. I was very anxious and worried that the audience wasn’t engaged, but the feedback session quickly disabused me of that concern. I was pleasantly surprised to hear so many things that people heard and saw in the piece and so much they want to see. So now I just need to get to those re-writes!

9:00 PM

There was a reception to celebrate the start of PCSF’s season and their 35th year. There was wine, cupcakes, cookies, humus, veggies, crackers, and cheese and a lot of laughter, silly and thoughtful conversation and generally a bunch of theatre folks appreciating each other’s brains for a little while.

10:45 PM

Once at home I joined mom in the living room for some t.v. and a little more business.

12:00 AM

Finally it was time for bed and a little

light reading (Dracula) and some music (Art Tatum) to ease me out of the day and be ready for the next one.

Playwright Krista Knight talks to us about her process...

10/22/2014

Playwright Krista Knight

Tickets to Krista's Play!

Local playwright Krista Knight's work is being presented all over the country. Krista has been in Residence at La Napoule Art Foundation, UCROSS, Yaddo, and MacDowell. BA: Brown University. MA: Performance Studies from NYU. MFA Playwriting: UC San Diego. Page 73 Playwriting Fellow (2007). Shank Playwriting Fellow at the Vineyard Theatre (2011-2012). Member of Youngblood and New Georges JAM. Krista teaches playwriting, screenwriting, and digital storytelling at St. Mary’s College and SUNY Oswego. She currently has a world premiere play running with Wily West which closes October 24th.

Rick Homan as Glen in UN-HINGED by Krista Knight

What is your writing process? Do you take notes and then write a play? Do you outline? Do you just start writing and see where it takes you? What was the process of getting this play finished?

I like to make lists. I have a “Play Ideas” lists on my phone, in my notebook, in google docs, on my hand. If an idea is potent enough to appear cross platform, I might be onto something. It usually takes a prompt, an exercise, an upcoming reading date, the fear of disappointing someone I’ve promised material to, to actually start writing. I like deadlines, an excuse to test the waters.

I begin with writing dialogue without character names—it’s faster because I use word instead of template software so I can have complete control over the topography—and I’m not sure who is saying what. I may not even be sure who exists in this world. I’m trying to locate the sound, the rhythm, the mundane things the characters might spare over while hiding the body, or coaching the soccer game, or working up the courage to confess undying love.

Later I’ll outline. It will start with a bullet point list of scenes I’d like to see/would be excited to write. Eventually that coalesces and necessitates remaining movements/moments.

Genevieve Perdue and Rick Homan

What principles of playwriting do you try to follow, or help you the most?

Once an idea is on a roll, I find that my characters are generous with their time. I think of them pleasantly milling in the play’s ether—totally game for whatever may be asked of them—ready to jump into a scene and rile things up, cause a ruckus, perform a feat.

I try to write what I would find exciting to see. Outside of that I don’t always follow the rules of the well made play, which can be awkward in my double identity as a playwriting professor who hammers home Aristotle’s poetics, and thus espouses that which she doesn’t always do.

Genevieve Perdue and Rick Homan

Is there a writer or other artist that most influenced you as an artist?

Embarrassment at admitting this aside, I might say Andrew Lloyd Weber. He was my first introduction to theatre and was embedded at a time when I was outwardly obsessive and extremely impressionable. I probably listened to my tape cassette recording of Jesus Christ Superstar 3000 times. I rarely ever removed the sweatshirt. On more than one occasion, the Knight household had to stop what they were doing to find one of those two items.

My mom also did an interesting thing. Growing up in Silicon Valley, trips to the theatre most often came in the form of the touring shows in a series at the Golden Gate called Best of Broadway. A few weeks before seeing the show, my mom would get the soundtrack and we’d listen over and over. I didn’t read many, if any, plays at a kid, but I became very familiar with the process of listening to music and lyrics and trying to imagine what I was seeing on stage, and the story that came between.

What are your two favorite characters in all theatre and why?

Benno Blimpie and Dr. Frank N. Furter

What would you say you got the most from your graduate school experience in playwriting?

The fear and joy of feeling like UH OH writing a play means we’re going to CREATE something and who the hell knows what it’s going to look like and if it’s going to escape and raze townships or bring people to a greater understanding of humanity.

Also the German nanobiologist Nicole Steinmetz, who is now a collaborator on the The Nanoman (www.thenanoman.org), taught me how to surf.

Any personal aspects of this play that you are willing to share?

My mom is incredibly charming, and a good, open listener, which means she is the recipient of some very disturbing anecdotes.

I notice you write a lot about stream of consciousness and dreams. What about the topic of the subconscious or dreams seems to draw you in as a writer?

I love that theatre can manifest the imagined, and, depending on the rules of the play, force the characters to grapple with it. I like that theatre can make metaphor manifest. I like that theatre gives us two sides of a triangle and asks us to draw the third in order to see the shape.

When you finish a play do you feel it is complete?

Mostly in the sense that I’ve gone as far as I can, and the lingering puzzles of this play will be jumping off points of the next project.

What most excites you about seeing this play on stage?

The final moments. The last page of the script is the repetition of a phrase.

You now teach the art of playwriting - what is it you try to leave with your students?

I want my playwriting students to learn how to create live experiences across platforms—virtual and real—so that they can create scripts for the stage, digital web experiences, and high tech amusement park rides.

We need to be bold in our definitions of what constitutes a "platform" or a "stage" from which we can edify and entertain an audience.

From the journal of Cameron Galloway

10/16/2014

Buy Tickets to Cameron's Show

Cameron Galloway
Local writer/actress Cameron Galloway’s work has been featured in the Thursday Night Combo at the Exit, DivaFest, Divas Tell All, and Working Women's Festival. Cameron is happy to be working with Wily West again as she performed in several roles in SHEHEREZADE 14 earlier this summer. She was part of the original cast of Banana, Bag and Bodice's Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage at the Ashby Stage, and enjoys performing here and there as opportunities arise.
She shares with us here her thoughts on the production of UN-HINGED.

NOTES FROM AN ACTOR'S JOURNAL:

Unhinged is a time bomb play, with a sprinkle of Albee and Williams and some dark humor for good measure. When we do it right, I feel the tick tock of the timer attached to all that plastic dynamite stuffed in the crevices of the scenery, the walls, the gaps between the Exit’s floor’s wood planks. There’s even a little hole in the floor of the Exit’s dressing room where Elaine (that’s the comic-tragic character I play) catches her high heel every night before she goes on. I think there might be some gooey explosive tucked away in that ¾ inch hole too.

But all is well, my friend. Don’t be frightened. Relax and enjoy the play. We’ll all turn our heads away when something real comes up . . . when that ticking comes into focus we’ll divert ourselves rightly. And watch our lovely 1960s lawn grow. We’ll have a party. We’ll buy white gloves. Choose the proper color. Move to the suburbs. We’ll flirt with the handyman and make a scotch, a gin tonic, a clean well-done gin tonic in a glass that has perfect lines.

Well, true, you might feel like something’s terribly wrong. You might feel like bolting. You might, in a panic, start praying for clarity, if not a permanent way out. You might feel like moving away from the suburbs or like taking a stand. You might feel like screaming.

But you won’t.

Shhhh. Shhhh. Just sit and relax and enjoy the play. Never mind that tick-tock. Just put it out of your mind. There now. Let the way things have always been wash over you. Don’t be frightened. Just rest and relax and let it all wash over you. Pay no mind, dear one. Just pretend, like children do.

Cameron Galloway and Rick Homan in UN-HINGED

Director and Set Designer Wesley Cayabyab talks about bringing two world premieres to the stage at the same time....

10/11/2014

Directing Scott Ragle

Building the set for NYMPH O' MANIA

Wesley has been working with Wily West since 2009. He has worked in several capacities for the company: actor, set designer, technician, and last year as the director of the world premiere of LAWFULLY WEDDED in which he also had to take the lead role himself because our main actor had to drop out just two weeks before the show. Wesley, along with his wife Quinn, is a major component to Wily West's artistic operations. Wes took some time to talk to us about his latest experience directing and designing our two fall shows simultaneously.

What are methods for acting that you use in your directing?

I’ve a fair amount of training both on stage in front of audiences and in the safety of a studio among fellow students. I can never say that I employ one particular method for directing. As any other director may tell you: different casts and different plays require a different touch. These two plays have different voices, different rhythms and different ways of communicating. I do my best to hear those patterns, listen to their moods and adapt to bring out the best in these pieces.

Are there new methods/skills you are learning from directing two plays at once? Do you think you will be a different actor after this experience?

Directing two plays at once, with actors crossing over plays as well, has really taught me how to pace my rehearsal process. I’m a pretty disciplined actor, I make every effort to show up to rehearsals focused, prepared to work and with a head full of lines. I like the pressure of a short rehearsal process, it keeps me focused and invested. With two of my cast members split between both shows and the added challenge of rehearsing both shows in the same time it takes to rehearse one, I’ve had to adjust to keep from burning them and myself out.

Wesley in his critically praised production of LAWFULLY WEDDED in 2013.

Wesley with Kat Bushnell in HOPE'S LAST CHANCE

Wes in a wig with Gabrielle Patacsil in ARRIVEDERCI ROMA

This fall's set BEFORE AND AFTER

Colleen Egan and Scott Cox in Wesley's production of DROWNING KATE play now

Buy Tickets Drowning

Rick Homan in Wesley's production of UN-HINGED now playing

Buy Tickets to Un-Hinged

Wesley with his wife Producing Director Quinn Whitaker

A word from Wesley about independent theatre:

"Ladies, gentlemen, art is not an imitation of life, theatre is not an approximation of life, to me they are ways of life and part of my identity. Asking me to stop doing either one would be asking me if I have a preference for breathing or eating. None of us can create in a vacuum, no matter what medium we work in, we cannot stand alone. Whether we acknowledge it or not we need each other: for a fresh perspective, another set of capable hands, a sounding board, or for support.

These two shows are the culmination of years of passionate writing from Krista Knight and Morgan Ludlow, months of preparation by myself and my valiant wife Quinn Cayabyab, weeks of coordination by Philip Goleman and Laylah Muran de Assereto and countless hours of impassioned, dedicated and unwavering commitment from Genevieve Perdue, Rick Homan, Cameron Galloway, Colleen Egan, Scott Cox, and Jason Jeremy.

I hope you join me in supporting this intrepid cast and crew, and support local theater. See you at the show!

Please support Wily West's "Fill the Gap" campaign so we can get through this season! We are only $430 away from making our goal!"

How does your expertise as a technical director help or hinder your work as a director?

It does both. Being a technical director allows me to think about the technical details along with seeing the bigger picture of a production. Wearing multiple hats with a production gives you a reverence, respect and awareness of the active production team members that you’re working with but it also consumes time and energy. In any production time and energy are exhaustible commodities that require constant monitoring to ensure that there are enough of both to get the job done. With two shows in rep that pool of time and energy doesn’t multiply and can be depleted that much faster. Sometimes I get lost in the tech director role and miss things but that’s what my wife is there for, Quinn does her best as my wife and company producing director to ground me.

What has been your process directing these plays?

Allow the piece to speak and “well done is doing a part not having the acting show.” The latter is from Jimmy Stewart. I try not to have too heavy a hand in directing pieces, if it’s on the page it’ll end up on the stage. Yes, there are moments that need a little massaging or need a little extra attention to help clarify things but I believe that my job is to open doors and allow for a safe place for discovery. I am the objective pair of ears and eyes that drink in the story that is unfolding before me, if anything gets in the way of the story I do what I need to remove the obstacle and allow the piece to speak.

Is there a connection between the two plays you want to capture?

Pain is a universal language. Yes there are varying degrees and complexity but the one phenomena that I wanted to focus on was the ability that it has to both separate and connect people at the same time.

Is there an actor or other director that most influenced you as an artist?

Gregory Wallace was one of my directors and instructed me ACT, I really need to give him the credit that he is due. I actually didn’t quite know what I was getting into when I worked with him in my early 20’s. It wasn’t so much the technique and the processes that were the most valuable resources that offered but rather the way that he imparted them.

Martha Stookey will always be on my list of most influential as an artist: she was my grade school and high school theatre teacher. She was featured in TBA magazine for her contributions to the bay area theatre community, retired as the Artistic Director for the International High School (or French American International School for all of those “lifers” out there!), a SAG member, stage and screen actress, costume mistress, scenic painter, set designer, and lighting designer. She was my role model for theatre, my gateway into artistic expression. My work ethic and sensibilities have all been derived from Martha’s influence in some shape or form.

What most excites you about seeing these plays on stage? What do you hope audiences will take from the play?

I love good storytelling and both of these plays do just that: tell a very good story. What excites me is when the story leaps off the page and really grabs the audience. I love seeing audience members have that “Aha!” moment and get really invested in the story that is unfolding before them. After a fashion I start watching my audience rather than watching the play that’s onstage. I enjoy seeing people being affected by art. I hope audiences come away from these plays with another perspective for some of the pain that they’ve endured in their life.

The Producing Director Behind Wily West: Quinn Cayabyab

9/23/2014

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Artistic Director Morgan Ludlow talks about the producer behind the scenes for Wily West...

Quinn Cayabyab at the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards

Quinn with her dog Maisy

Meet Quinn Cayabyab. Our Producing Director who makes so much happen for us at Wily West. Quinn joined Wily West for our 2009-2010 season as Production Manager. Her contributions have been interwoven into all of our productions since then. Quinn is now a Producer for Wily West and has produced two hit summer shows and a play and music festival. Quinn essentially oversees all aspects of our productions. All great theatre companies need someone like Quinn at their core to keep them going. Every aspect of what you see on stage with Wily West Quinn has a hand in. From scouting actors, to reading plays, turning so many of our crazy ideas into something even better; from the set, to the props, from the budget to buying whatever liquid needs to be in glasses on stage - Quinn is thinking about it and making it happen. I believe it is important for our audience to know this remarkable woman as she is key to making all the magic at Wily West happen. She is the first person to enter our theatre and the last to leave it. She works tirelessly with her husband, Wesley Cayabyab, to make each and every production as wonderful as time, space and budget will allow. Here is a glimpse of her work and her life behind the scenes...

Quinn ever present in the tech booth. On top of being producer, set designer, props mistress, literary manager, etc. Quinn is also our resident lighting designer. During tech week you will find Quinn on stage, back stage with her checklist and observing the madness she needs to sort out from the booth!

Quinn's office - is often the porch off her backyard where she works with Wesley to build sets and props. Here she is about to add another base coat to the set for our fall shows. She is getting the overalls (which will be worn by actor Rick Homan) to look worn-in while she also paints the set.

Here is the Wily West workshop in action - Quinn and Wesley's backyard. Most of our sets and props are built here before they are sent to the theatre. Here we see Genevieve helping Quinn apply another base coat for the set of DROWNING KATE.

Studio 633: Quinn's command center. We are in rehearsals for our current production of DROWNING KATE (also UN-HINGED). First testing of ghoulish make-up for actor Colleen Egan by Genevieve Perdue our make-up artist. Quinn observes the progress...

Throwback: Here is a photo of Quinn from a production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC (she is playing Maria) at Oakland School of the Arts. Then Quinn Whitaker began studying theatre design and production at Oakland School of the Arts with a concentration in Lighting Design and Stage Management.

Quinn went to Barnard College in New York City where she served as the Lighting Designer and Stage Manager for Columbia University Event Management and the Columbia Musical Theatre Society. While living in New York Quinn worked many shows as a technician, including the International Architectural Lighting Lighting Design Awards and the Ellie Charles Awards.

So a little love story: Quinn and Wes have been together for several years but they just got married last year: July 5, 2013! Wesley has been our technical director since 2011 and he has originated several roles for the company. Last year he started directing for us by bringing the premiere of LAWFULLY WEDDED to SF and this year he directed plays for SHEHEREZADE 14 and he is directing both fall shows UN-HINGED and DROWNING KATE.

The Power Couple

THE MANY SETS OF QUINN & WES!

This slide show is just a portion of the many sets Quinn & Wes have designed and built for Wily West from 2009-2014.

Quinn is busiest at the theatre days before we open.

Quinn working with director Chelsey Little for our SUPERHEROES production at the Exit Theatre in SF. The production has received a TBA Award nomination for Best Anthology!

Quinn's menagerie: these are some of Quinn's pets...Not pictured: Cats Millie, Pheobe, Lulu and Muffet the bunny.

Maisy gives her doggie blessing to the script

Buying and trying on some costumes with Genevieve. We ain't named Wily West for nothing!

In her spare time Quinn shops for props, sees as many other shows in the SF Area as she can - as a TBA Awards Adjudicator, volunteers for the SF FRINGE FESTIVAL and spends quality time with her pets - here she is with Maisy probably on her way to buy more props...

Don't miss Quinn's latest work as a Producer - lighting designer, props mistress, scenic painter, etc. DROWNING KATE and UN-HINGED both world premieres run October 3-25 at the Exit Theatre!

Buy Tickets NOW!

A Day in the Life of Actor & Costumer Genevieve Perdue

9/21/2014

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Genevieve Perdue is returning to the Wily West stage in two plays. The multitalented artists is acting and costuming for both shows this fall. Genevieve has a principal role in Morgan Ludlow's DROWNING KATE as Shelley and a featured role in Krista Knight's UN-HINGED both are world premieres. We asked Genevieve to share a little bit of herself in pictures...

Here is a day in the life of Genevieve!

She tries on costumes occasionally

Picking out costumes and fabrics for the shows...

She shares a lot of lines with Scott Cox in DROWNING KATE.

"My turn to put in a few words about Wily West's upcoming fall productions - Un-Hinged and Drowning Kate. I have lived and breathed these shows for the last month and I can honestly say I've never felt more pride in my work/ achievements. In large part this is due to the partnership and support from a group of amazing Theatre Artists. This company has got it right folks. Wily West fosters new artists in a challenging, supportive, creative environment and consistently pumps new life and heart into an industry that has been reportedly "dying" for the last century. Through their loving care I can feel myself grow and improve as an actress, as a collaborator, and as a lover of theatre and it's inspiration - Life and humanity.

These two shows are going to reflect all of this! They represent a cast and crew's dedication and love for each other and our community - from the brilliantly creative minds of the playwrights, Morgan Ludlow and Krista Knight into the caring and passionate hands of our director, Wesley Cayabyab, and our production team, Quinn Cayabyab, Laylah Muran de Assereto, Jason Jeremy, and Phil Goleman, and finally delivered in the performances of an awesomely talented Cast, Scott Cox, Colleen Egan, Cameron Galloway, and Rick Homan (and myself ~.^). They are haunting shows, heart breaking shows, twisted shows, hilarious shows - and all who come to see this first hand will walk away with something worthwhile, some small tiny change that made their lives better."

Kissing local playwright Karl Schackne...

Genevieve spotted out on the town.

Featured actor Colleen Egan talks about playing a walking ghost...

9/20/2014

Colleen Egan plays a woman who comes back from the dead after she drowns in an icy lake.

Scott Cox and Colleen Egan play experimental doctors, Harry and Kate, who are doing their most brazen research in a lonely farmhouse out in the woods...

Can Harry bring Kate back to life?

Colleen is delighted to work on her fourth collaboration with Wily West Productions. She recently appeared in Standing on Ceremony at The New Conservatory Theatre Center and she has assistant directed and understudied at the Magic Theatre and SF Playhouse. Colleen took some time away from rehearsals to talk to us about her latest role.

What other work have you done with Wily West?

Wily West has been a part of my life for a very long time. I was part of Wily West’s very first production, The Widow West in 2008. My husband (then boyfriend) was the stage manager and I was the assistant director. Since then we have acted in, assistant directed or stage managed Wily West productions. We even had a “Wily West” group photo taken at our wedding. This company is family for us.

What excites you most about this show?

I am obsessed with everything and anything spooky. Halloween is bigger than Christmas for me. It’s always been a dream of mine to act in a horror story play. I love the ancient idea that the lighter part of the year is dying and spirits are allowed to walk more fully among the living. I think this play is the perfect fit for this time of year.

What is your greatest challenge with this show?

Kate’s motivations are harder to express than the average, living person because, well, she’s not really alive. Her deep love for Harry is one of the few truly human emotions that keeps her somewhat grounded in the human realm, but even that starts to deteriorate as she (literally) falls apart and moves closer to the other side. My challenge is to take Kate through the journey from life to death. You know, no big deal or anything!

Has Kate come back or has she become something else?

What have been some of your favorite previous productions?

I played Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and it was one of the most exciting experiences of my life. I’m thirty now and it makes me a little sad to know that I’m probably too old to play that role again.

ALL PHOTOS BY JIM NORRENA

Wily West Productions nominated for 4 major TBA Awards!

9/20/2014

We are thrilled to have nominations for Sheherezade 14, Everybody Here Says Hello and Superheroes! All three were fantastic projects that we loved doing and we are humbled and happy that others enjoyed them too!

SHEHEREZADE 14 nominated for
BEST ANTHOLOGY!

EVERYBODY HERE
SAYS HELLO!
nominated for
BEST NEW PLAY!

SUPERHEROES
nominated for
BEST ANTHOLOGY!

MIKKA BONEL
nominated for
BEST FEATURED ACTOR

Congratulations to everyone who was nominated in all categories, it's the vitality of Bay Area theatre that we really love and that includes all of those companies!

Rick Homan - Playing a House Painter...

9/18/2014

I have a personal history with house painting.

One summer, when I was in high school, my father saved me the trouble of getting a summer job by offering to pay me to paint the exterior of the family home. Of course, he had to teach me things like how to move a ladder, prepare a surface, apply caulking, which brush to use, and so on. So, I got both pocket money and an education.

The latter came in handy when I was finishing graduate school, and needed some income until my first teaching job started in the fall. I got hired by an outfit called College Painters, and spent the summer painting big, old houses in St. Paul, Minnesota.

These experiences have served me well in rehearsing the role of the house painter, because he paints the house on stage during some scenes. It would be difficult to make all those physical actions believable if one had not actually done them.

I had to smile when I read the speech in which Glen, the painter, explains why his wife will not let him paint their own house. My wife and I have owned four houses in our forty years together, and I have not painted any of them. However, that was my decision. I thought that if we had the money to buy a house, I would gladly pay professionals to do the difficult and demanding work of exterior painting.

Rick Homan will be creating the role of Glenn in our world premiere production of Krista Knight's play UN-HINGED. In 2006, Rick and his wife Ann moved to San Francisco from Philadelphia where they lived for twenty-one years. There he acted with the Arden Theater Company, Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival and Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival among other companies. He was a professor of theater arts for thirty years.

Rick's Thoughts on Glenn

When I first looked at the role of Glen in UnHinged by Krista Knight, it reminded me of the time I understudied Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman. Both roles are demanding: always on stage, lots of lines to learn, etc. But, as I have studied the Glen and UnHinged, I have come to see there are more profound similarities between this new play and Arthur Miller’s masterpiece.

Miller calls “Salesman” a “memory play.” Similarly, UnHinged has three, parallel timeframes: scenes in the 1960’s, scenes in the 1980’s and Glen’s monologues which seem to occur in a neverending present tense. So, it may seem to the audience that everything which happens is simultaneously being remembered by Glen. Since this is the first production of this play, we are about to find out!

Miller gives his characters everyday language, but he sometimes tricks the ear of the audience with an unlikely word choice, as when Charley says, “A salesman is got to dream.” We would expect “has got to dream,” but for a moment we also marvel at what a salesman at is. Krista Knight sprinkles the same sort of vernacular poetry throughout UnHinged.

Willy Loman believes that if a man is “wellliked” he will be “loved and helped and remembered.” Of course, that is not true, and that is his downfall, but he makes us wish it were true. Glen also has a belief which guides everything he does, and which results in tragic failure. But, as Charley says of Willy Loman at the end of “Salesman,” “No one dast blame this man.”

The role of Glen looks better everytime I look at it; and I look at it every day. The playwright and Wily West have made me the first actor to play this amazing role in this great play. I am forever grateful to them.

Wily West closes on a wildly successful summer! Two sold-out shows!

8/21/2014

Cast and Company of SUPERHEROES

Actor Dan Wilson and playwright Laylah Muran de Assereto

Our technical director Wes Cayabyab

Goddesses of the theatre: Chelsey Little, Alicia Coombes and Quinn Cayabyab

Sit Kitty Sit band members reunite!

More Goddesses! Jennifer Lynn Roberts (Head Writer) with Jenna May Cass and Laylah Muran Executive Producer

Morgan Ludlow Artistic Director watching it from his computer...

"First, let me first say the cast was attractive..."

8/8/2014

That is what one Goldstar Member had to say about the cast of our hit summer show EVERYBODY HERE SAYS HELLO! And we are inclined to agree...but look at what else has been said of the show...

The comely cast! L to R: Nick Trengove, Wesley Cayabyab, Mikka Bonel, Sam Tillis, Tony Cirimele, Kat Bushnell, Sylvia Hathaway & Dan Kurtz!

"In a story that at first seems to have a gay relationship at its core before sending out tendrils into complex webs of sexual permutations. Happy and sad are always in close proximity, but Bousel finds ways to evoke laughs that always seem appropriate for the situations. Even the most quippish wisecracks ring true for the characters, who feel like fresh creations but are somehow still familiar."
--Richard Dodds
Bay Area Reporter

"This is a marvelous script packed with witty, character revealing dialogue! Wily West Productions can be extremely proud to have brought this world premiere to a Bay Area stage."
--Charles Kruger
TheatreStorm

"Stuart Bousel has written a very clever entertainment and this production has a young energetic cast performing the roles."
--Richard Connema
Talkin'Broadway

"Delightful. The cast is uniformly excellent...the direction is sharp and smooth, and the script is hilarious (and incisive). A comedy with a great deal of heart, this one is for anyone who has ever dated. I'm not kidding. The questions we all have while in the dating pool are deliciously exposed and up-ended in this tale of a love triangle that becomes a rectangle and then a hexagon... I'm going to go back and see it again."
--Goldstar Review

"Everybody Here Says Hello! is a delightful contemporary comedy... It contains some of Bousel's smartest writing and is performed by a talented, finely-tuned ensemble. If you've ever wanted to see a furiously fast-paced, fierce Feydeau farce without any slamming doors, Bousel's play definitely hits the spot!"
--George Heymont
My Cultural Lanscape

Don't Miss Superheroes!

7/27/2014

SUPER SATURDAYS!

Be your own Superhero!
Come dressed up as your favorite superhero or one of your own creation for Saturday Superhero performances and receive 2 for 1 tickets at the door!

This offer is only good for performances of Superheroes on Saturdays which alternate- so check dates! This will be offered on a space available basis - so ensure your reservation for this Super Saturdays (give us date and number of tickets): wilywest_tickets@icloud.com

Jennifer Lynne Roberts & Laylah Muran come dressed for action and a 2 for 1 ticket!