2/27/2006 01:30:00 AM|W|P|Gabe|W|P|Hey, so I got an email from the Snarky Avenger, who reviewed the Kung Fu Hamlet DVD, which he purchased at the Source Comics and Games, on his podcast of Snark Infested Waters, here is a link to the podcast: SNARK INFESTED WATERS KFH REVIEW
I listened to it the other day with Chowie, it was quality, but made me realize we should really put one or two other things on the cover for the DVD so people understand it's a live play, just in case it's the first time they've come across it. Anyway, I should email him for permission to use one of his lines on the poster for future KFH productions: "It grows on you, not unlike a fungus." If I remember this line was in direct reference to the low production quality style of shooting live theatre with miniDV, but I think it's great. here's his website: www.snarkyavenger.com|W|P|114102589627024986|W|P|DVD review|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com2/27/2006 10:58:39 AM|W|P|Taylor|W|P|You definately have my permission to the use the line on your next poster.
Also if you do another season of live shows, let me know. I would love to see it done live.
And thanks for the plug. You guys rock.
Thanks,
Taylor Kent
The Snarky Avenger2/28/2006 08:36:14 AM|W|P|MD|W|P|That was a great podcast, and truely deserved. Well done guys :)8/30/2006 02:06:44 PM|W|P|Anonymous|W|P|Well done!
[url=http://mfaqhppr.com/jvkk/mxln.html]My homepage[/url] | [url=http://tgzdmrza.com/zjck/tvpw.html]Cool site[/url]8/30/2006 02:06:47 PM|W|P|Anonymous|W|P|Nice site!
My homepage | Please visit8/30/2006 02:06:51 PM|W|P|Anonymous|W|P|Good design!
http://mfaqhppr.com/jvkk/mxln.html | http://osggugub.com/dfhc/naul.html2/24/2006 01:42:00 AM|W|P|Gabe|W|P|As promised, here is a sampling of some dialogue that I wrote for the intro to mid by midwest. It's purpose is to introduce the two characters whose relationship is at the center of the story, ultimately they will be the only two who have no type of wedge driven between them. As you will see, it's not very interesting dialogue. This is the first thing I wrote to start off the play and aside from the opening bit of stage direction, it is probably all going to get tossed out and altered.
I think I want to change the tone to be altogether more tense from the get go, rather than have a degredation into chaos, start in chaos and then proceed to total despair and finally arrive at deliverance, but you know, in a measured, understated, midwestern sort of way. I also changed the director's name from manny to Efrain, which I like, but might in all seriousness be a little too ethnic for practical employment. Anyway, comments and criticisms are welcome.
Act One
Lights up on CASSIE a teenage girl with brown hair wearing a black sweatshirt and black fingerless gloves, she is wearing headphones connected to a DAT recorder that is resting on the ground, and she is holding the boom mic toward the ceiling like someone trying to carefully fish something from the branches of a tree. She seems wonderfully intrigued by whatever sounds the ceiling is conveying. Resting behind her is some other video equipment including a homemade steady cam. She begins to move the mic slowly around the stage, brandishing it carefully in an almost Yoga like manner she points it out at the audience and sweeps it across closing her eyes as she listens. Finally the mic is pointing sideways from her about at shoulder level. Enter EFRAIN, he is a mid-twenties, shaggy-haired, director and Cassie's older brother. He is carrying two cups of coffee. He sees Cassie, she doesn't see him, he creeps over to the mic and leans close to it, then he speaks very rapidly into it.
EFRAIN
Cassie, what are you doing!
CASSIE
Ah!
She swings the boom mic up and it hits Efrain's face, he falls backward, but somehow manages to keep the coffee cups upright.
EFRAIN
Brother Abuse!
CASSIE
Sister abuse!
EFRAIN
I'm telling mom!
CASSIE
I'm telling the police!
EFRAIN
I'm telling Jesus!
CASSIE
(solemnly)
Jesus is dead...
EFRAIN
You're lucky I'm so nimble, I didn't spill a drop of your eight dollar coffee.
CASSIE
Yay!
She sets down the mic and grabs the coffee.
EFRAIN
Oh sweet rapture! What time is it?
CASSIE
I don't know.
EFRAIN
Servant girl! Slave! Tell me the time, hop to!
Cassie doesn't move. Efrain takes out his cell phone and looks at it.
EFRAIN
2:27, Aha! You see! My own magics are more powerful than thine!
CASSIE
You're a dork.
EFRAIN
I can't hear you unless you speak in a British accent!
She speaks in an exagerrated British accent.
CASSIE
You're like a silly monkey!
EFRAIN
Ack, Leave me alone, They're only love bites!
CASSIE
What?
EFRAIN
Leave me alone, they're only love bites!
CASSIE
What does that mean?
EFRAIN
Nothing, it's just a fun thing to say. Try it.
CASSIE
Leave me alone, they're only love bites!
EFRAIN
Love Bites!
CASSIE
Love Bites!
EFRAIN
Love Bites!
CASSIE
Love Bites!
EFRAIN
Love Bites!
Enter Georgia, carrying a large silver camera case. She is dressed in the style of practical eloquence, high functioning jeans, that flatter aggressively, a masterful T-shirt, noticeable but not dominating sneakers, wonderful glasses and a fascinating, cosmopolitan hairstyle. She looks at the two of them.
GEORGIA
This I gotta get on video.
CASSIE
Georgia! Yay!
End of Sample.|W|P|114076757203359177|W|P|Sampling|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com2/21/2006 12:25:00 AM|W|P|Gabe|W|P|
I haven't been updating my progress here, but I have been working on the Mid by Midwest script. Part of the problem is that for me the writing process, especially that of writing a play, is such a complete mess that I'm sometimes embarrassed to reveal to people how unsure each step is. Something mysterious happens to people when they discover I am a playwright, they have some preformed visions of a romantic mastery of language and imagery that they project onto me and more often than not they are sorely disappointed in the cynical pile of humanity they come to discover (if they even bother). I was afraid to reveal these, the actual secrets of playwriting, to the public, but I was then inspired by the Moss Hart autobiography I'm reading. Here's what Moss says: "Perhaps the reason that one can never practice the art of play-writing with any degree of sureness or security is that each play has a peculiar and separate life of its own." (p.167)
I have for the moment abandoned the trick of putting the two Acts out of sequence.
Initially I was hoping to enliven the conflict of the script with some actual passionate confrontations, possibly to the point of physical violence. But then I realized while that is all well and good theatrically, it's completely contrary to the midwestern nature of conflict and would therefore be totally inappropriate for the script. In the midwest we thrive on niceities, on the affectations of pleasant coexistence and when we are confrontational, it is only when the passive aggression has become unmanageable and most of these conflicts are defused as quickly as possible either with a concession or an angry departure. You might think this is wrong, but these are just some of the ideas I want to use in constructing the different conflicts of the play.
Primarily, there will be a conflict between the director and the main actor who does not show up at all for this additional day of shooting and does not even call to give an excuse or a reason. The actress who does show up only shows up for a few minutes, and although she is happy to show up, she is clearly frustrated about the lack of organization on the project. Actually, these are just manifestations of the greater conflict, which is the director vs. the movie he's shooting, a battle he must win or else be forever doomed to the obscure confines of a midwestern artistic existence.
I hope it doesn't sound too much like I hate the midwest, I don't hate it, I'm fascinated by it. It's my home, and I could never foresake it the way some great artists in the past have done with ease. Most all of these themes and ideas for how to structure the play and what direction to take it emerge only after I scribble many pages of dialogue that doesn't really go anywhere and contains only three or four harvestable moments. I have written far too many pages at this point of silly interchanges between the director and his little sister. I can't help it, I have a great deal of source material for those scenes.
Maybe next time I'll include some of the rough dialogue. Until then: word.|W|P|114050522826377952|W|P|script update|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com2/13/2006 09:51:00 PM|W|P|Gabe|W|P|It has taken me a number of days to get this post up, but I assure you it is because I have been so impressed and amazed by what mine eyes have beheld! The Kung Fu Hamlet Comedy Duo performed by Caroline Innerbichler and Abhrajeet Ray (may my punishment be swift if I am guilty of misspelling one of their names) and coached by Drew Hammond (of 8/7 Central fame), completely and totally annihilated my mind on Saturday afternoon.
I had the great fortune this summer of shooting a very brief documentary/promotional video for the Center for Public Speaking's Summer at the Center Speech and Debate Camp. This was my first exposure to the world of competitive high school speech and debate. My own high school, which boasted some academic reputation, somehow overlooked this wondrous activity (no doubt in favor of recruiting 19 year old swedish hockey players [what up, jens?]). My few days spent at the camp completely entranced me. When Drew asked if he could use our Kung Fu Hamlet script for a comedy duo he was coaching, we were more than happy to oblige (free publicity? SWEET!).
Make no mistake, Drew and his two brilliant students get this script as well as any of us here at No Refunds, and they seem to have the most sublime and thorough understanding and mastery of comedy duo of anyone in America. Given what little I know about the event and the few duos I have seen perform I have to say that these two burgeoning artistic geniuses must literally be schooling everyone with their most kinetic and impressive interpretation.
I had hoped to master my befuddlement enough to describe their presentation and how they cut the sixty minute show into ten minutes of non-stop hilarity, but nothing I could write could possibly do it justice. Also I was unable to find a picture of Caroline on the internet, but above is Abhrajeet looking sinister and the other pic is of Drew sleeping, I don't know when these were taken, and I feel bad about not having brought my camera with me on Saturday, but what are you gonna do.
The talents of this performance simply must be harnessed at some future No Refunds event, hopefully at our fundraiser. Either that, or everyone in America needs to get to a speech and debate tournament this spring and see Kung Fu Hamlet, literally as they've never seen it before.|W|P|113989636686829226|W|P|the DUO|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com2/10/2006 11:56:00 PM|W|P|Gabe|W|P|You know how they say if you lose your vision that all your other senses get superfied, well I think something like this happened to Ryan Kathman and Jerome Yorke Jr. In Scapin, Ryan's character doesn't say a single thing, as opposed to in Kung Fu Hamlet when that was all he did was talk. Likewise Jerome didn't say a single thing in KFH, but in Scapin all he seems to do is talk. Well, clearly these guys were amassing some skills during their respective deprivations for they were both outstanding and hilarious in Scapin. Honestly, if I didn't already know how talented they were, I would call their performances revelations.
The play is an adapted version of Moliere (I love his work)'s farce called something something in french. Much like Marriage of Figaro (which was the last play I saw at the 4th street theatre), this is the story of the clever servant, Scapin (Jerome) outwitting his superiors. Ryan plays a sort of silent film sidekick to Scapin, mostly observing and mocking the action and occasionally getting involved in some nice comic unterludes. The plot is... oh who even gives a crap about the plot, it has to do with young people falling in love and getting married without their parent's permission, seriously it's not important. It is energetically paced, all the key performances are spot on, there are a number of choreographed dances and lots of very entertaining silliness. I even found myself wanting to shout out suggestions to Scapin when he was engaged in a round of almost Harpo Marxist semaphor deduction, and I hate interactive theater!
So, Scapin, it's showing at the 4th Street Theater in DT St. Paul, which means AMPLE FREE PARKING. Seriously, it's a good time.
4th Street Theater - corner of 4th (duh) and Minnesota in downtown St. Paul
Feb. 10 & 11 - 8 p.m.
Feb. 16-18 - 8 p.m.
Feb. 19 - 2 p.m.
Feb. 20 (yes, Monday) - 8 p.m.
Feb. 24 & 25 - 8 p.m.
$15 regular, $12 for students/seniors or with a Fringe button (I have
one if anyone would like me to leave it at the door for you to
utilize)|W|P|113963899080598381|W|P|SCAPIN is FUNNY|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com2/12/2006 05:45:41 PM|W|P|Hbomb|W|P|You hate interactive theatre, do you? Well I'm gonna harpo marxist semaphor deduction YOU!2/14/2006 12:06:23 AM|W|P|Gabe|W|P|oh really? not that i doubt your abilities hbomb, but i do doubt the average 80's Prom-goer's ability to recognize harpo marxism when they see it. Deal with THAT.
(is this a reprimandation on pandering from the guy who wrote Zombiemania? ["!Que viven los VIVOS!"])2/14/2006 08:57:44 AM|W|P||W|P|don't forget, "say what you like, it don't make no difference...they're going to kill us anyway!"
even though that was pandering more to favorite unused no refunds lines...2/10/2006 12:25:00 AM|W|P|Gabe|W|P|So, I've been sketching out some ideas for this new play and I thought I might see what ya'll think. From the previous installment of the blog you might remember the idea for the show is it takes place on a movie set where a movie called mid by midwest is being shot. I really want to start and end the movie with the same line, which will actually be a line from the movie, kind of the climactic summation of what the movie they're making is all about, and the whole play will sort of center around them trying to shoot this scene with this climactic line:
"That's the trouble with being a midwesterner, the most you can be is nice, and the best you can be is pretty good, and the only place to go is away."
I was thinking of who we would need to have on set, and I've got a couple of the characters with their working names
Manny: the director/writer
Manny is a workaholic who is totally, obsessively devoted to the completion of the movie he feels its necessary to constantly move and work until the project is done, cause any time he stops moving he begins to question the quality of the work and whether or not it's worth the time. I have used the name Manny in another, disimilar play, so I'll probably change the name.
Georgia: the camera operator
Georgia at the moment is lacking depth, I have her as an inventive and flirtatious social misfit, I keep thinking of the mechanic from Firefly when I think about her. She has built a homemade steady cam and likes to hit on Manny, which he responds to awkwardly.
Joe: the producer/gopher
Joe at this moment is only functioning for comic relief
Manny's little sister: DAT operator
Manny's little sister, who I am thus far referring to as Cassie (obviously) is working on the movie as the sound recorder. My sister Cassie has worked on two of our shows, and she's a lot of fun to have around. Since, I'm starting with myself as the model for Manny, it seems only natural to have Cassie in the show too. There are a lot of interesting ideas I have about siblinghood that would be fun to play off of in this script.
Preshus: the female lead in the movie
nothing much about Preshus, she's a student and has to go to class or something and is being pulled away from the shoot because of her academic commitments.
Roger: the male lead
Roger might never show up in the play, but well whatever.
I've been tinkering with the idea of structure, and I thought it might be fun to do the play in two acts, with the first act being the second day and the second act being the first day. So that we start with the efforts to resolve all of the conflicts which we don't learn about until the second act. I hope it's not too gimmicky, I don't want the play to be like a backwards play, I just want to have an interesting story structure. I'm not married to this concept.
I'd also like to find a way to work in the line: "When life gives you lemonade, reverse engineer lemons."
I know that's not what reverse engineer means, but I just think it sounds funny. Maybe it will be the tagline for the show. It would be sort of fitting with the backwards story structure.
Anyway. That's good for this installment. I have more ideas in my head, so I hope these little glimpses make some sort of sense without being able to see everything I'm thinking of at the moment.
snoogins.
|W|P|113955629438883966|W|P|mid by midwest|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com2/10/2006 04:25:08 PM|W|P|MD|W|P|Urmm, well I know nothing about the Midwest, so can't help on this one.
Other than I like cheese, and there seems to be a lot of cheese in the Midwest. And stuff on sticks, lots of stuff on a stick.
Yeh, sorry I can't help, but it sounds like fun.2/14/2006 12:13:59 AM|W|P|Gabe|W|P|yeah, those characteristics are really the creamy ceiling of midwestern dairyness, I want to skim off that surface and get to the real milky substance of midwestern disillusionment. To date our plays have just been so cheesy.2/09/2006 12:32:00 AM|W|P|Gabe|W|P|
Hey, Jerome Yorke and Ryan Kathman, stars of Kung Fu Hamlet are starring in some other weird play that opens on Friday, you might want to go see it unless you hate freedom like Allen Wong.
Here's what Jerome said about it:
"Come one come all, and see ryan and myself
in Scapin. it opens on friday feb. 10th, (not to be
confused with friday feb. 13th) here are more
specs...i know you all like specs.
All shows at the fourth street theatre, on the corner
of 4th and Minnesota streets in downtown st. paul.
Feb. 10th & 11th at 8pm
feb. 16-18 at 8pm
feb. 19th at 2pm
feb. 20th at 8pm
feb. 24th & 25th at 8pm
for more ticket info call 651.224.2603
$15 regular ticket, or $12 student/senior or with
fringe button.
OOHH!!!! and if you mention my name you get a ticket
for $5, (plus 10 for taxes) but you have to say my
name while standing on...No, Hopping on one leg....and
covering one eye. with the opposite hand. and druling.
while doing your taxes. or best christopher walkin
impression. or keanu reeves. or geena davis......it's
a pretty good deal for a $5 dollar ticket (plus ten
for tax purposes)
SSEEEEEEeeeee YOOUUUUuuuuu
THEEERRREEEEEEeeeeeee!........ ..rreee
~J.Ro"
|W|P|113946798872814104|W|P|Scapin|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com2/06/2006 11:28:00 PM|W|P|Gabe|W|P|I thought it would be fun this spring to chronicle a writing project in the blog. (As well as chronicling our efforts to take KFH to New York and have a fundraiser and put up the show for this year's Fringe. ) I'll try my best to differentiate in each blog post exactly which project is being discussed, and today I want to talk about the play I'm writing that is not for this summer's Fringe.
Initially, I had wanted to write a play called "BEAST MONSTERS" about a monster hunter who is actually a quixote and is imagining the monsters, but has convinced everyone around him that the monsters are real and that he is a superhero. The hero was actually going to be a reporter who is doing a story on the monster hunter and is following him around and slowly becoming more and more suspicious of the reality which everyone perceives. This was going to be a mostly straightforward dark comedy with a lot of satire (semi-imaginary evildoers who threaten our way of life?) But I've found myself compelled lately in a more honest direction.
After seeing American Movie a few years ago, I came up with a great title for a movie: Midwestern. Mark Borchardt's dream project was entitled Northwestern, but I didn't understand why he would call it that when he lived in the midwest. I've often come back to this idea of making something about the midwest and the reality of growing up and living here, and about a week ago I thought that a great setting for a play would be a movie set. But not just any movie set, a no-budget, independent movie being shot on DV with borrowed equipment. Then I decided the movie would have the same title as the play and the play should be some play on the midwest idea. So I settled on the obvious title: "Mid by Midwest."
After a quick internet search I found only one music festival in Michigan that used to be called mid by midwest, but changed it's name.
So, now that we've got a catchy title, all we need is a plot, some characters, quality tension, realistic and funny dialogue, and profound quantities of cleverness and we'll have ourselves a hit show.
Stay tuned for future developments.|W|P|113929140552917880|W|P|New Play|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com2/03/2006 02:18:00 AM|W|P|Gabe|W|P|
Quick note. I stopped by the Source today on Chad's recommendation and they happily purchased four KFH DVDs and are going to sell them. So In case you live in the cities and are desperately jonesin' for the ultimate Valentine's Day gift, you know where to find it. They also carry many fine comics and games. Of course in a textbook Gabe Llanas oversight I sold them an empty DVD case as one of the four, woops. Hopefully chowie will right this horrible, horrible wrong soon so that our relationship will not go sour. I'm also going to connect with them to see if they would carry the KFH book, but that might run into some tricky pricing issues, so I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.
Who votes for changing Chowie's name to Chewie from now on?|W|P|113895541755530027|W|P|the Source|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com2/03/2006 06:49:23 AM|W|P||W|P|you know, a prudent salesman would always double-check his product before delivering to a customer...2/03/2006 02:01:58 PM|W|P|Gabe|W|P|I always double check my "product" before I "deliver" it, just like I always think everything is a trap, which is why I'm still alive.2/03/2006 02:08:59 PM|W|P||W|P|grahhhhhgh!2/01/2006 10:44:00 PM|W|P|Gabe|W|P|
As many of you know, running a theater company takes mad cash. We here at No Redunds love the cash and as I mentioned briefly in the past, we are planning on having a fundraiser later on this spring. Many things have yet to be decided on this, but I recruited some promising fundraising talent from the other non-profit I work for: Big Brothers Big Sisters (Volunteer Today! Or suffer the CONSEQUENCES...) and we had a little brainstorming session tonight. Among other things we discussed the broader theme of the fundraiser and how perhaps it should be help launch the KUNG FU HAMLET: WORLD DOMINATION TOUR!
Matt and Chowie and I had talked about centering the fundraiser around Great Moments in Kung Fu Theatre History, so that's kind of what we're going for as far as the structure of entertainment for the thing. Right now everything's in the clay phase, but we might be putting a call out for submissions to the cause at some point in the future. Matt's got dibs on Kung Fu Waiting For Godot, and I might be tackling Kung Fu Death of a Salesman, but we're certainly going to want to work some of the Greeks in there, and maybe we'll do one or two Shakespearifications (Chowie is thinking Shakespearified Dude, Where's my Car?), you know, for the kids. Anyway, that's what's up.
Unfortunately, because of the meeting I missed the damn Daily Show, and I even set my VCR to record it, but for some reason it decided not to, now I will have to kill it.|W|P|113885649892604360|W|P|The Hamiltons|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com2/02/2006 08:21:39 AM|W|P|P|W|P|"Kung Fu Antigone" or "Kung Foedipus Rex". He can fight after putting out his eyes.
That would be really cool.
Or you could do "Kung Fu Weekend at Bernies". That was Greek, right?2/02/2006 09:37:52 AM|W|P|Hbomb|W|P|http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/videos/headlines/index.jhtml
Who Loves you?2/01/2006 01:20:00 AM|W|P|Gabe|W|P|Okay, so I have been a little distracted from the blog recently, because of my whole other blog thing. The other blog is actually for the hibernating Video Production Company I am also involved in, which is shifting gears a little bit. Basically, I'm just writing book reports over there as I try to get through my new year's resolution of reading a book a week. Here's the link if you want to check it out: 22-black
Other than that I only caught the last ten minutes of the State of the Union, and I have to say, I heard a couple of initiatives I can get behind. Energy independance? More funding for Math and Science? Sounds like someone on the Bush staff has been reading their Thomas Friedman. Of course then Bush had to go all wacky and start talking about animal-human hybrids and how that was evil. I don't know why he's gotta be hating on the Wolfman.
Hopefully those science and technology initiatives won't go the way of that plan to land a man on Mars (that would have been awesome!). The one thing that upset me most was the couple of lines on health care, which were so vague they were clearly thrown in because health care is polling as an important issue, and not because they're actually planning to do anything about it. I'm sure there was lots more in the speech that I would object to, but thankfully I missed most of it. oh, and remind me next year not to watch with people who haven't yet mastered their W-auto-response. I know listening to him speak is like running a cheese grater against a brick wall, but save the swearing for the applause breaks, goodness knows there are plenty of those.|W|P|113877981119172237|W|P|don't hate|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com
I haven't been updating my progress here, but I have been working on the Mid by Midwest script. Part of the problem is that for me the writing process, especially that of writing a play, is such a complete mess that I'm sometimes embarrassed to reveal to people how unsure each step is. Something mysterious happens to people when they discover I am a playwright, they have some preformed visions of a romantic mastery of language and imagery that they project onto me and more often than not they are sorely disappointed in the cynical pile of humanity they come to discover (if they even bother). I was afraid to reveal these, the actual secrets of playwriting, to the public, but I was then inspired by the Moss Hart autobiography I'm reading. Here's what Moss says: "Perhaps the reason that one can never practice the art of play-writing with any degree of sureness or security is that each play has a peculiar and separate life of its own." (p.167)
I have for the moment abandoned the trick of putting the two Acts out of sequence.
Initially I was hoping to enliven the conflict of the script with some actual passionate confrontations, possibly to the point of physical violence. But then I realized while that is all well and good theatrically, it's completely contrary to the midwestern nature of conflict and would therefore be totally inappropriate for the script. In the midwest we thrive on niceities, on the affectations of pleasant coexistence and when we are confrontational, it is only when the passive aggression has become unmanageable and most of these conflicts are defused as quickly as possible either with a concession or an angry departure. You might think this is wrong, but these are just some of the ideas I want to use in constructing the different conflicts of the play.
Primarily, there will be a conflict between the director and the main actor who does not show up at all for this additional day of shooting and does not even call to give an excuse or a reason. The actress who does show up only shows up for a few minutes, and although she is happy to show up, she is clearly frustrated about the lack of organization on the project. Actually, these are just manifestations of the greater conflict, which is the director vs. the movie he's shooting, a battle he must win or else be forever doomed to the obscure confines of a midwestern artistic existence.
I hope it doesn't sound too much like I hate the midwest, I don't hate it, I'm fascinated by it. It's my home, and I could never foresake it the way some great artists in the past have done with ease. Most all of these themes and ideas for how to structure the play and what direction to take it emerge only after I scribble many pages of dialogue that doesn't really go anywhere and contains only three or four harvestable moments. I have written far too many pages at this point of silly interchanges between the director and his little sister. I can't help it, I have a great deal of source material for those scenes.
Maybe next time I'll include some of the rough dialogue. Until then: word.|W|P|114050522826377952|W|P|script update|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com
I had hoped to master my befuddlement enough to describe their presentation and how they cut the sixty minute show into ten minutes of non-stop hilarity, but nothing I could write could possibly do it justice. Also I was unable to find a picture of Caroline on the internet, but above is Abhrajeet looking sinister and the other pic is of Drew sleeping, I don't know when these were taken, and I feel bad about not having brought my camera with me on Saturday, but what are you gonna do.
The talents of this performance simply must be harnessed at some future No Refunds event, hopefully at our fundraiser. Either that, or everyone in America needs to get to a speech and debate tournament this spring and see Kung Fu Hamlet, literally as they've never seen it before.|W|P|113989636686829226|W|P|the DUO|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com
The play is an adapted version of Moliere (I love his work)'s farce called something something in french. Much like Marriage of Figaro (which was the last play I saw at the 4th street theatre), this is the story of the clever servant, Scapin (Jerome) outwitting his superiors. Ryan plays a sort of silent film sidekick to Scapin, mostly observing and mocking the action and occasionally getting involved in some nice comic unterludes. The plot is... oh who even gives a crap about the plot, it has to do with young people falling in love and getting married without their parent's permission, seriously it's not important. It is energetically paced, all the key performances are spot on, there are a number of choreographed dances and lots of very entertaining silliness. I even found myself wanting to shout out suggestions to Scapin when he was engaged in a round of almost Harpo Marxist semaphor deduction, and I hate interactive theater!
So, Scapin, it's showing at the 4th Street Theater in DT St. Paul, which means AMPLE FREE PARKING. Seriously, it's a good time.
4th Street Theater - corner of 4th (duh) and Minnesota in downtown St. Paul
Feb. 10 & 11 - 8 p.m.
Feb. 16-18 - 8 p.m.
Feb. 19 - 2 p.m.
Feb. 20 (yes, Monday) - 8 p.m.
Feb. 24 & 25 - 8 p.m.
$15 regular, $12 for students/seniors or with a Fringe button (I have
one if anyone would like me to leave it at the door for you to
utilize)|W|P|113963899080598381|W|P|SCAPIN is FUNNY|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com
|W|P|113955629438883966|W|P|mid by midwest|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com
Hey, Jerome Yorke and Ryan Kathman, stars of Kung Fu Hamlet are starring in some other weird play that opens on Friday, you might want to go see it unless you hate freedom like Allen Wong.
Here's what Jerome said about it:
"Come one come all, and see ryan and myself
in Scapin. it opens on friday feb. 10th, (not to be
confused with friday feb. 13th) here are more
specs...i know you all like specs.
All shows at the fourth street theatre, on the corner
of 4th and Minnesota streets in downtown st. paul.
Feb. 10th & 11th at 8pm
feb. 16-18 at 8pm
feb. 19th at 2pm
feb. 20th at 8pm
feb. 24th & 25th at 8pm
for more ticket info call 651.224.2603
$15 regular ticket, or $12 student/senior or with
fringe button.
OOHH!!!! and if you mention my name you get a ticket
for $5, (plus 10 for taxes) but you have to say my
name while standing on...No, Hopping on one leg....and
covering one eye. with the opposite hand. and druling.
while doing your taxes. or best christopher walkin
impression. or keanu reeves. or geena davis......it's
a pretty good deal for a $5 dollar ticket (plus ten
for tax purposes)
SSEEEEEEeeeee YOOUUUUuuuuu
THEEERRREEEEEEeeeeeee!........ 
After a quick internet search I found only one music festival in Michigan that used to be called mid by midwest, but changed it's name.
So, now that we've got a catchy title, all we need is a plot, some characters, quality tension, realistic and funny dialogue, and profound quantities of cleverness and we'll have ourselves a hit show.
Stay tuned for future developments.|W|P|113929140552917880|W|P|New Play|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com
Who votes for changing Chowie's name to Chewie from now on?|W|P|113895541755530027|W|P|the Source|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com
As many of you know, running a theater company takes mad cash. We here at No Redunds love the cash and as I mentioned briefly in the past, we are planning on having a fundraiser later on this spring. Many things have yet to be decided on this, but I recruited some promising fundraising talent from the other non-profit I work for: Big Brothers Big Sisters (Volunteer Today! Or suffer the CONSEQUENCES...) and we had a little brainstorming session tonight. Among other things we discussed the broader theme of the fundraiser and how perhaps it should be help launch the KUNG FU HAMLET: WORLD DOMINATION TOUR!
Matt and Chowie and I had talked about centering the fundraiser around Great Moments in Kung Fu Theatre History, so that's kind of what we're going for as far as the structure of entertainment for the thing. Right now everything's in the clay phase, but we might be putting a call out for submissions to the cause at some point in the future. Matt's got dibs on Kung Fu Waiting For Godot, and I might be tackling Kung Fu Death of a Salesman, but we're certainly going to want to work some of the Greeks in there, and maybe we'll do one or two Shakespearifications (Chowie is thinking Shakespearified Dude, Where's my Car?), you know, for the kids. Anyway, that's what's up.
Unfortunately, because of the meeting I missed the damn Daily Show, and I even set my VCR to record it, but for some reason it decided not to, now I will have to kill it.|W|P|113885649892604360|W|P|The Hamiltons|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com
Hopefully those science and technology initiatives won't go the way of that plan to land a man on Mars (that would have been awesome!). The one thing that upset me most was the couple of lines on health care, which were so vague they were clearly thrown in because health care is polling as an important issue, and not because they're actually planning to do anything about it. I'm sure there was lots more in the speech that I would object to, but thankfully I missed most of it. oh, and remind me next year not to watch with people who haven't yet mastered their W-auto-response. I know listening to him speak is like running a cheese grater against a brick wall, but save the swearing for the applause breaks, goodness knows there are plenty of those.|W|P|113877981119172237|W|P|don't hate|W|P|gllanas@gmail.com