Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Big Idea + VSP - EYE Make A Difference | Private Eyes

Join Big Idea Theatre and VSP Global's Eyes of Hope program and give the gift of sight!



Big Idea is proud to be a donation station for Eye Make A Difference.  Drop your old prescription eyeglasses, reading glasses and sunglasses in the Eyes of Hope drop box in the Big Idea Theatre lobby during the run of Private Eyes to donate to those in need.


More than 1 billion people in developing countries need eyeglasses but can’t afford them. The Eye Make a Difference donation program provides a simple way for the community to help make a difference by donating their eyeglasses.
Once VSP Global receives the recycled glasses, we refurbish and send them throughout the world through mission trips conducted by VSP doctors and other partners who help identify people in need.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Playwright Corner - Steven Dietz | Private Eyes

http://www.utexas.edu/finearts/tad/people/dietz-steven
Meet Steven Dietz: Author of Private Eyes. With over 40 plays produced nation-wide since 1981, Steven Dietz has made his mark on the theater world.

Dietz Fun Facts:

• Dietz is currently on the The University of Texas at Austin faculty in the College of Fine Arts for instruction in Playwriting and Directing.  See his BIO!

• Highlighted in an Austin Chronicle piece, it's known that Dietz shares his nastiest critic reviews as a learning tool that "someone won't like your play... and that's something you, as a playwright, need to deal with."  Read more of Robert Faires' article here.


Find Steven Dietz at Samuel French!


Find Steven Dietz at Dramatists!


In an exclusive interview with Austin Entertainment Weekly on 4.15.13, Dietz advises up-and-coming theatre artists regarding success:

"Seek Expertise.  If you are the best writer/director/actor in your group, then you are in the wrong group.  Play in the bracket above you.  

Invite scrutiny.  Don't just "take" feedback/criticism, seek it out.  Welcome it and sharpen yourself against it.  This is not for the faint of heart."

Diligence and patience.  Do today's work, do the next's day's work.  Keeping showing up, whether the muse (or whatever) shows up or not.  Take the long view."


What's next for Dietz?  In the same interview he shares a bit from his next projects:

"[It's] a strange and hopefully somewhat magical love story set during WWII - FAUX PAUS; and I have notes for a small, intimate play about loss and gratitude - as yet unnamed."

Friday, April 26, 2013

Private Eyes opens at Big Idea!

Private Eyes, by Steve Dietz, opens at Big Idea Theatre!


Private Eyes
by Steven Dietz

Who can you trust?  Matthew's wife, Lisa, may be having an affair with Adrian, a British theatre director. Or perhaps the affair is part or a play being rehearsed.  Or perhaps Matthew has imagines all of it simply to have something to report to Frank, his therapist.  And who the Cory - the mysterious woman who seems to shadow the others? Nothing is as it seems in this hilarious "relationship thriller" about love, lust and the power of deception.

April 26 - May 25

Monday, April 8, 2013

From the Archives | As You Like It

Another amazing show comes to a close.  We say goodbye to Big Idea's production of As You Like It by William Shakespeare, adapted by Brian Harrower, with a look back through the archives ...



Photos by Benjamin T. Ismail

What was your favorite AYLI moment?   Comment below and let us know!

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Introducing "A BIT More..." | Sacramento Press

Sacramento Press covers the inaugural "A BIT More" performance of The Twilight Zone: Live on Stage!

Source: http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/81258/Twilight_Zone_stories_form_basis_of_Big_Ideas_BIT_More_debut






More than one artistic director would appreciate an army of tireless, nimble-fingered scenic-designer elves who emerge at night to tear down old sets, then build and paint new ones. But the reality is it takes many human hands to ready a stage for a company's acting contingent.
Recognizing the toll its quick turn-around schedule was taking on its design and technical team – and how the Del Paso Boulevard theater's relatively short-runs might be affecting attendance – Big Idea Theatre company members Brian Harrower and Wade Lucas put their heads together over a few holiday-break drinks.
"Our solution was to do fewer main-stage shows, but schedule them for longer runs," said Lucas. "That would give us more time between shows to catch our breath, and to do things like our 'A BIT More' series."
"BIT," which is both an acronym for Big Idea Theatre and a description of the short-run, short-in-length productions the duo had in mind, will make its debut April 4 through 7, with back-to-back performances of two Rod Serling-penned "Twilight Zone" favorites ("The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street," "To Serve Man") at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 5 and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Ryan Snyder (center) provides the introduction to "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" in Big Idea Theatre's "A BIT More."  
A test run of the "BIT More" concept was conducted during a December fundraising event, when the company performed an adaptation of Serling's "Twilight Zone" teleplay "Five Characters in Search of an Exit."
Lucas, who is directing both one-acts, said the theater is "passionate about telling stories," and hopes the new series will give the 19-member company an opportunity to tell more stories than ever before.
In addition to presenting "live on stage" adaptations of classic "Twilight Zone" episodes, Lucas said future "BIT" productions will likely include special one-night readings, "black-box" one-acts, new works, as well as one-man and one-woman shows – basically anything that doesn't require complicated sets, lavish costumes, or extensive rehearsals.
"I am positively giddy with enthusiasm to be able to bring two more episodes to life on the BIT stage," said Lucas. "We have a group of talented and funny people on board who will reallly make for an enjoyable night of theater for all ages."
Lucas said the cast of this inaugural "BIT More" production is a mix of Big Idea veterans and newcomers. Those returning to the BIT stage are: Dan Beard; Christina Clem; Robyn Colburn; Jamie Kale; Ryan Snyder; and Earl Victorine. Making their BIT debut are: Dennis Beck; Bethany Hidden-Cauley; Jack Hastings; Raymond Keller; LeeMarie Kelly; Edward Nason; Daryl Petrig; Ariel Ryan; and Amos Wright.
Providing additional opportunities for BIT's established company members to "shine a bit more," as well as giving first-time BIT players extended, real-life tryouts are also benefits of the "BIT More" productions, said Lucas.
For the uninitiated, "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" is the story of what happens to a group of everyday American suburbanites whose neighborhood mysteriously loses electricity after a shadow passes overhead (accompanied by a deafening roar and flash of light). Panic ensues, fingers are pointed, and in true Cold War fashion, neighbor turns on neighbor.
Jack Hastings (center) plays the leader of an alien race eager to befriend the people of the Earth in "To Serve Man." (Image by: Barry Wisdom)
"To Serve Man" like "Monsters," features an O. Henry-styled twist at the end, and is a look into a future when man makes first contact with a seemingly benevolent extraterrestrial race known as the Kanamit (played here by Hastings in a role created by a young Richard Kiel). in this tale, a linguist (Keller) and his assistant (Kale) attempt to decipher the Kanamit language in order to read one of their books.
"The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" is paired with "To Serve Man" in Big Idea Theatre's inaugural "A BIT More" production. (Image by: Barry Wisdom)
While it is the company's goal to remain faithful to the original scripts, Lucas said a bit of camp will be injected where appropriate.
"Both one-acts presented unique challenges, but I think they turned out very, very well," said Lucas.
JUST THE FACTS
WHATBig Idea Theatre's "A BIT More" series debut, featuring "'The Twilight Zone': Live On Stage"
WHEN: 8 p.m. April 4 and 5; 5 and 7 p.m. April 6 and 7
WHERE: Big Idea Theatre, 1616 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, Calif.
WHO: Directed by Wade Lucas; stage managed by Cyndi Lopez; featuring Dan Beard, Christina Clem, Robyn Colburn, Jamie Kale, Ryan Snyder, Earl Victorine, Dennis Beck, Bethany Hidden-Cauley, Jack Hastings, Raymond Keller, LeeMarie Kelly, Edward Nason Daryl Petrig, Ariel Ryan, and Amos Wright
HOW MUCH: $10; call (916) 960-3036; www.bigideatheatre.com

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

A BIT More... | The Twilight Zone: Live on Stage!

Journey to another dimension with Big Idea's new "A BIT More" series.  The Twilight Zone: Live on Stage! - this weekend only!


Episodes: "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street" + "To Serve Man"

Thursday, 4/4 | 8 PM
Friday, 4/5 | 8 PM
Saturday, 4/6 | 5PM + 7PM
Sunday, 4/7 | 5 PM + 7PM

Tickets are only $10!