Last week I got to know a lot about babies! Let me back up -- as part of the development process for Blub, Blub, a new show/installation for children 0-24 months at the Alliance Theatre, we spent the week working with a variety of tiny infant focus groups. We basically invited them into a room, brought out a bunch of semi-theatrical elements (lights, textures, noise makers, etc.) and let them play! 

There was a lot of cuteness, drool, snot bubbles, tummy crawling, beard pulling, laughing (some crying), lots of banging on things, a few little bumps, and luckily a lot of smiles as well!


The rest of our time was spent envisioning and brainstorming  about how we will transform the room into a safe "underwater" interactive play space for parents and children to enjoy together. We put a lot of tape on the floor and even made a tiny model!

By the end of our time together, we had a plan of action and lots of ideas about how the other performance elements (lights, sounds, puppets, and animations) will factor into a 15-20 min performance. 

Before I know it I'll be swimming back to Atlanta in May for the full installation and rehearsal period!

Blub, Blub! 

-PC

Yup. That's right it's "baby theater" time! My next project is part of Theatre for the Very Young, a program of The  Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, GA. Over the past couple of years they have created 5 or 6 performances for children ages 0-5. Check out this video  to learn more and you'll see why they are considered leaders in the field!

This specific project is titled, Blub, Blub. It is new territory for me and for them, in that I will be responsible for leading a team of artists to create an "underwater" installation space with performance elements. Instead of taking place inside a contained blackbox space, I was hired to envision a room that can be interacted with by parents and children who stop in for a "swim", as well direct a 20 minute solo performance for the same environment.

There are endless factors to consider-- What materials are safe? How is the experience different for an infant vs. a toddler vs. an adult? How dark can the space be? What about shoes? Will an infant get inside a soft foam shell a la a  hermit crab? What about a liquid floor? This list goes on and on. . . 

Stay tuned for more updates as we start to test what works (and what doesn't) with various infant "focus groups" next month. In the mean time, here are some of the concept sketches by project designer, Jeffrey Zwartjes!

-PC

Park Cofield & Co. seeks actors for a production of Aesop’s Fables, written by British playwright, Mike Kenny. The play is intended for all ages and features clowning, live music, and found object/food puppetry. The production will rehearse in Los Angeles and will premiere in Mammoth Lakes, CA at The Mammoth Lakes Repertory Theatre for students and family audiences.  Two showings in Los Angeles are planned following the run in Mammoth Lakes.

Auditions will be held on Wednesday, August 20th  from 7:30pm – 10:00pm, with callbacks on­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Saturday, August 23rd  from 10:00am - 1:00pm at J.E.T. Studios in North Hollywood. Please send headshots and resumes to [email protected] to schedule a time. Appointments are required. 

Character Breakdown:

WOLFIE – Male 25-35. Classical actor type, in charge and slightly pompous. Bass.
HARRIET – Female 20-30. Sassy, quick witted, competitive. Alto.
SYD – Female 20-30.  Mousy and gullible, with a quirky laugh. Soprano.
BARRY – Male 20-30. Thoughtful, sweet, unperturbed, and full of awe. Tenor.

*Ability to sing required. Experience with clowning, puppetry, and/or masks preferred.  Familiarity or knowledge of musical instruments a plus!

This is a non-union/non-equity production. $800 stipend, transportation, and housing will be provided for the Mammoth engagement, with an additional honorarium for the LA performances. Future engagements and tours are possible.

Rehearsal and Production Dates:

Table Read: Sunday, September 7th

Rehearsals in LA: September 14th – October 3rd (Approximately 20 hours per week.  Evening and weekend rehearsals are likely. Days/times to be determined based on actor availability.)

Production Week in Mammoth: Sunday, October 5th – Sunday, October 12th

LA Showing:  Tentatively scheduled for Oct 16th – 19th

ALSO HIRING:

Composer/Musical Director:  Responsible for composing 3-5 original songs based on poetic text. Open to all styles of music, but prefer pieces to be composed for acoustic instruments. Some recorded pieces may also be needed.  This is a paid, non-equity/non-union gig. Composer will participate in approximately 40 hours of rehearsals in Los Angeles and will not travel to Mammoth Lakes.  To be considered, please send resume and a music sample to: [email protected]

Production Manager: Responsible for overseeing LA rehearsals, production logistics, and management of actors during production week in Mammoth Lakes and Los Angeles. Producing, stage management, or puppetry experience preferred.  Stipend, travel, and housing will be provided.  To be considered, please send resume and a short cover letter to: [email protected]

I started building the hairy creature that appears at the end of ZAGAZOO this week. He starts out around 8ft and grows to 10ft. The other puppets in the show are made mostly of paper, so I'm using a technique inspired by the paper sculptures of Irving Harper, a noted 20th century industrial designer. The photo in the center is an example of one of his many incredible creatures and animals . The gallery below documents the first steps of the process. There's still a lot to do, so please check back for more photos and updates of the completed puppet.

I've also been inspired by pagan ritual costumes like the one from below photographed by Charles Fréger. Check out more at:  http://www.boredpanda.org/wilder-mann-charles-freger/

I know I said I was going to work on the elephant or the warthog this weekend, but instead I took a slight detour and ended up in the world of origami and Sketch Up. Both require lots of patience and time, but with a little focus can produce incredible results!

ORIGAMI
With the help of a video from a YouTube Channel called, Jeremy Shaffer Origami, I learned how to make a flapping bat. The bat we need for Zagazoo has to be large, so I used a piece of paper 35" x 35" (more than three times the size of the paper used in the video below). I was a little skeptical about how it would work with roofing paper instead of traditional origami papperr, but I'm pretty pleased with the results. The extra weight gives the wings a graceful flapping motion that is going to look great on stage. Now I just have to paint it. Thanks,  Jeremy! Shafer!

SKETCH UP
Sketch Up is a 3D drawing program. I tired it a a few years ago and gave up out of frustration, but thanks to a few online video tutorials, I was able to use it to start visualizing the set for the show. Here are two renderings I did to get a better sense of how much space we'll have on and off stage.

Here are a couple of watercolor character sketches I made inspired by the original illustrations. From here I'll break each character into shapes/moving parts and determine the best way to construct each creature. I'm going to work on the elephant or the warthog this weekend. Check back soon for more photos!  -Park

This November, I am directing  ZAGAZOO for Mammoth Lakes Repertory Theatre, as part of their programming for family audiences.

The stage adaptation by Mike Kenny of the classic children's book by Quentin Blake (known for illustrating Matilda and The BFG  and other works by Roald Dahl). In addition to directing, I am design and building puppets based on the original watercolor illustrations. I couldn't be more excited to jump in to the design process!

This week, I started working on a mock up of a dragon character who appears and causes havoc with his fiery breath.  
Below are some snap shots I took between steps. During this part of the process, I'll decide how large the puppets need to be, what they need to do in each scene, and what materials to use. I'll continue to post more photos as I move forward in the process, so please check back soon!

-Park

About the Show

ZAGAZOO
By Quentin Blake, adapted for the stage by Mike Kenny

Park Cofield seeks actors for a production of Zagazoo, written by the prominent British author and illustrator, Quentin Blake. The play is intended for all ages and features original live music, acrobatics, and paper puppetry techniques. The production will be rehearsed in Los Angeles and performed in Mammoth Lakes California at the Edison Theater for student and family audiences. 

Auditions will be held on Wednesday, August 21st from 7:30 – 9:30pm. Please send headshots and resumes to [email protected] to request an appointment.

Character Breakdown:

George: Male. Late 20’s – Early 30s. Puppetry, dance, and juggling skills a plus. Tall, slender, nerdy.
Bella: Female. Late 20’s – Early 30’s.  Puppetry, dance, and juggling skills a plus. Cute, motherly, quirky.
Zagazoo: Male. Early 20’s, must look young.  Minimal spoken text, but will provide sound effects for multiple animal characters. Strong puppetry skills required.

This is a non-union/non-equity production. Production stipend, transportation, and housing will be provided. Future engagements and tours are possible.

Rehearsal and Production Dates:

Rehearsals: October 19th – November 2nd

15-20 hours both weeks. Days/times to be determined based on actor availability. 

Production Week in Mammoth: November 4th – November 10th

Monday, Nov 4th – Travel to Mammoth (5 hour drive), Load in, Cue to Cue in space
Tuesday, Nov 5th – Tech in Space - AM; 2 full runs - PM
Wednesday, Nov 6th – School Performance – AM
Thursday, Nov 7th – School Performance – AM
Friday, Nov 8th – School Performance – AM
Saturday, Nov 9th – Family Performance – Noon
Sunday, Nov 10th – Ski Day?
Monday, Nov 11th – Travel to LA (5 hour drive)

ALSO HIRING:

Production Assistant: Responsible for overseeing LA rehearsals, production logistics, and management of actors during production week in Mammoth Lakes. The person will also appear on stage in a non-speaking role of a young girl character. A stipend, travel, and housing will be provided.  

Today is the first day of Young Audiences/USA’s One Theatre World (OTW). This is a festival conference for artist dedicated to creating TYA work. 

Follow my updates from the conference on Twitter at @parkcofield or the hashtag #OTW2013 #OTWCLE.