Category: Madness

“Particle Collider”Madness coming this Friday!

October 10, 2016
by catherineforever666
· Current Students · Madness · News

The next madness of the school year will be produced by first playwright, Trip Venturella! His prompt is “Particle Collider” Madness! He has asked the playwrights to translate the idea of what happens when two forces collide.

The show is Friday, October 14th, 11pm, in the Hahne Black Box theater. Admission is free. We recommend you get there 45 to 60 minutes ahead of time to assure yourself a seat.

For more information about Madness the fall semester, check out our Madness page.

More about Trip:

Trip Venturella is a graduate of Colby College with a degree in Religious Studies. He has worked with Colby College’s Theater and Dance Department, the human rights group ANHAD: Kashmir, Delhi University in New Delhi, Floating Space Theatre Company in Sri Lanka, and many, many groups in the Boston area. He has done field work on Chams Dance in Sikkim and studied Chhau Dance in Delhi. He currently serves as the Development and Outreach Director of Apollinaire Theatre Company in Chelsea, Massachusetts, where he has overseen the conception of, fundraising for, and buildout of the Riseman Family Theatre and the Chelsea Blackbox Theatre, as well as the production of three years of Apollinaire in the Park: a free, outdoor, bilingual summer theatre production. His original musical “Killer Maples: The Musical!,” a collaboration with the composer Andres Ramos, was produced by Yelling Man Theatre in June of 2016.

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“Passport” Madness coming this Friday!

October 3, 2016
by catherineforever666
· Madness · News

The next madness of the school year will be produced by first playwright, Inna Tsyrlin! Her prompt is “Passport” Madness!

Here is an excerpt from her prompt:

“What is a passport? Is it simply an access pass to other countries? Technically, it is the only document that is internationally recognized as identifying who you are and your citizenship status. That may not seem important if you never travel abroad, but when you do, a passport is crucial … more important than bringing an extra pair of socks and underwear in your carry-on. A passport is also a living document, with an expiration date, of where you have been, where you are, and where you’re going.

I chose this prompt because I enjoy theatre than can focus on global ideas/concerns, plays about different cultures and backgrounds, and use language (English or other) as a way to bridge communication gaps. I think a passport on a conceptual level represents access to diversity, to adventure, and insight into other cultures.”

The show is Friday, October 7th, 11pm, in the Hahne Black Box theater. Admission is free. We recommend you get there 45 to 60 minutes ahead of time to assure yourself a seat.

For more information about Madness the fall semester, check out our Madness page.

More about Inna:

Inna Tsyrlin is currently pursuing her MFA in Playwriting at Ohio University after taking classes at HB Studio (New York City) and at Primary Stage (ESPA, New York City). Inna’s one act plays performed in New York City, include: I (heart) Subway (2014) and Happy Anniversary (2014) (Emerging Artists Theater: New Works Series); My Wife (HB Playwrights Foundation shorts series); Principal’s Office (semi-finalist of Manhattan Repertory Spring 2014 One Act Competition); Fat (Mount Carmel Theater Winter 2014 New Works program). Her one acts, Coffee and Murakami (2014) and Bentley (2013) have had staged readings as part of the Jack & Julie Project at HB Studio; while she has also had readings (2015) for Lama Theatre Company, and a reading of her full-length Animals (2015) in New York City. Apart from plays, Inna has written and produced shot films, reviewed Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway play sfor stagebuddy.com, and contributed to Australian lifestyle publications. Her work tends to focus on exploring darker and unusual aspects of relationships and how these reflect in our current social and political environment, with particular attention to freedom and identity.

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“The Days are Getting Shorter” Madness!

September 19, 2016
by catherineforever666
· Madness

The next madness of the school year will be produced by second year playwright, Philana Omorotionmwan! Her prompt is “The Days are Getting Shorter” Madness! For her madness, she has asked the playwrights to explore fall and what changing of the seasons mean in terms of the nights getting longer and the days getting shorter.

The show is Friday, September 23rd, 11pm, in the Hahne Black Box theater. Admission is free. We recommend you get there 45 to 60 minutes ahead of time to assure yourself a seat.

For more information about Madness the fall semester, check out our Madness page.

More about Philana:

Philana Omorotionmwan was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She uses writing to create images that explore the the intersections of race, gender, class, and sexuality. Her short plays have been produced at Ensemble Studio Theater, Manhattan Theatre Source, and Berkeley Rep. Her poems have been published in New Delta Review and African American Review. Philana earned her BA from Stanford University and is excited to be pursing an MFA here at OU. You can find out more about her work at philanaplays.weebly.com.

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“Strangers” Madness coming Friday!

September 12, 2016
by catherineforever666
· Madness · News

The next madness of the school year will be produced by second year playwright, Cristina Luzarraga! Her prompt is “Strangers” Madness! For her madness, she has asked the playwrights to explore characters who are strangers onstage.

Here is an excerpt from the prompt:

“Can any two strangers forge a bond? Or do some people, like oil and water, just not mix? What prejudices might facilitate or hinder these would be friendships. The dictionary defines a strangers as someone who you have not met before or do not know. However, I will allow you to interpret the definition a little more broadly. That is, you may write about people who mistake each other for strangers; or alternately, people who think they know eachother but turn out to be strangers.

The show is Friday, September 16th, 11pm, in the Hahne Black Box theater. Admission is free. We recommend you get there 45 to 60 minutes ahead of time to assure yourself a seat.

For more information about Madness the fall semester, check out our Madness page.

More about Cristina:

Cristina Luzarraga was born and raised in Short Hills, New Jersey, save for a few teenage years spent in London, England. She graduated in 2011 from Princeton University with B.A. in Comparative Literature. Subsequently, she moved to Chicago where she studied sketch writing and improvisation at iO Theatre and The Second City Conservatory and performed stand-up comedy at Zanies and elsewhere. Her full-length play Due Unto Others was produced by Princeton’s Lewis Center for the Arts. Her short plays Hippo Woman and Baker’s Three were produced at Greenhouse Theater in Chicago.

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“Privilege” Madness coming this Friday!

September 6, 2016
by catherineforever666
· Madness · News

The next madness of the school year will be produced by third year playwright, Rachel Bykowski! Her prompt is “Privilege” Madness! For her madness, she has asked the playwrights to explore important political issues going on in society today that matter to them.

Here is an excerpt from the prompt:

“In case you guy didn’t know, it is the 21st century! Same-sex marriage is now legal in the U.S, a man of color has been our president for 8 years, and now, come November, we might be calling a woman President of the United States. Racism, sexism, and homophobia are obviously a thing of the past…”

The show is Friday, September 9th, 11pm, in the Hahne Black Box theater. Admission is free. We recommend you get there 45 to 60 minutes ahead of time to assure yourself a seat.

For more information about Madness the fall semester, check out our Madness page.

More about Rachel:

Rachel Bykowski, a Chicago native, writes plays to raise awareness about social issues. Specifically, much of her writing features women and analyzes gender roles, rape culture, and male privilege. Rachel’s full-length play TIGHT END was selected by the National New Play Network to be workshopped at the Kennedy Center for the MFA Playwrights’ Festival. TIGHT END will be receiving its world premiere production with 20% Theatre Company Chicago in May of 2017. Rachel was one of six graduate students at Ohio University to be awarded a Named Fellowship, The Trisolini. The Trisolini will allow Rachel to work with Ohio University’s Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department to research violence against women perpetrated by male privilege for the 2016-2017 academic year. This research will be showcased in her thesis play VOODOO DOLL during the 2017 Seabury Quinn Playwrights’ Festival at Ohio University. Other playwriting credits include her full lengths: ORIGINAL RECIPE workshop production (DePaul University,) GOT TO KILL BITCH staged reading (Cock and Bull Theatre,) GLORY VS. THE WOLVES staged reading (20% Theatre Company and Women and Children First Bookstore,) and A GIRL NAMED CHARLIE staged reading (Ohio University). Rachel’s ten minute plays have been produced with various companies around Chicago and the Midwest including 20% Theatre Company, Fury Theatre, Commedia Beauregard, and Actors’ Theatre of Louisville Apprentice Company. Rachel received her BFA in playwriting from the Theatre School of DePaul University and is currently attending Ohio University for her MFA in Playwriting. Rachel is a proud company member and Literary Manager for 20% Theatre Chicago. For more information, check out her website www.rachelbykowski.com

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“Mask”Madness!

August 29, 2016
by catherineforever666
· Madness · News

The next madness of the school year will be produced by second year playwright, Natasha Smith! Her prompt is “Mask” Madness!

Show is Friday, September 2nd, 11pm, in the Hahne Black Box theater. Admission is free. We recommend you get there 45 to 60 minutes ahead of time to assure yourself a seat.

For more information about Madness the fall semester, check out our Madness page.

More about Natasha:

Natasha Smith’s play Catapult was a semi-finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival and received a staged reading with Arizona Theatre Company in 2014, where she served as the Artistic Intern for two years. She has also worked with Horizon Theatre and the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. Natasha’s play In Her Place was produced at Amherst College, where she studied Theater/Dance and English, and won the Denis Johnston Playwriting Award from Smith College. She has taught creative writing in the US and in Kenya, and is a three-time recipient of the Roland Wood Fellowship from Amherst College. www.natashawrites.com

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“DGAF” Madness coming this Friday!

April 4, 2016
by catherineforever666
· Madness · News

The final madness of the semester will be produced by third year playwright, Tyler Whidden! His prompt is “DGAF” Madness(meaning Don’t Give a F***)

Show is April 8th , 11pm, in the Hahne Black Box theater. Admission is free. We recommend you get there 45 to 60 minutes ahead of time to assure yourself a seat.

For more information about Madness the fall semester, check out our Madness page.

More info on Tyler:

Tyler Whidden was born and raised in Cleveland, OH where he grew up the least-talented son of a hockey-first family. After earning his BFA in Playwriting at Ohio University, he began a tragic career as a stand-up comic based out of Seattle, WA. After years of toiling on the road, he moved to Chicago where he returned to theater, studying and working with Victory Gardens and the Neo-Futurists theaters among many others. He received his MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College and worked as Director of Education with the great Ensemble Theater of Cleveland. His play Dancing With N.E.D. was produced in 2012 in Cleveland and his family-friendly farce, The Unofficial Almost True Campfire Tales of Put-in-Bay was commissioned by the Put-in-Bay Arts Council as part of their Bicentennial Celebration of the Battle of Lake Erie in the Summer of 2013. He’s excited to be back where it all started and he lives with his beautiful wife, Angie — way out of his league — and their beautiful boy, Booker — his intellectual equal.

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“The Room Where it Happens” Madness coming this Friday!

March 28, 2016
by catherineforever666
· Madness · News

Third year MFA playwright, Ryan Patrick Dolan, shall be producing “The Room Where it Happens” Madness this week! That line is a quote from the hit musical “Hamilton” and Ryan wants us to explore issues of power, ambition and/or negotiation that take place both in and or/outside “The room where it happens”!

The Madness show is April 1st, 11pm, in the Hahne Black Box theater. Admission is free. We recommend you get there 45 to 60 minutes ahead of time to assure yourself a seat.

For more information about Madness this spring semester, check out our Madness page.

More about Ryan Patrick Dolan

Ryan Patrick Dolan writes dark, comedic plays that explore love and loss, passion and destruction. Stylistically influenced by his years of improvisation, acting, and the Chicago Storefront aesthetic, he challenges the American stereotypes of gender, race, and sexuality. He has a B.A. in playwriting from Columbia College Chicago, and is a graduate of the School at Steppenwolf acting conservatory. Dolan produced 10-4: THE TRUCK STOP PLAYS at CIC Theater in Chicago, which consisted of his one-act play, BURGER KING, and three other one-acts written by his fellow Ohio playwrights. He assisted director Tina Landau for Steppenwolf Theater’s production of Tarrell Alvin McCraney’s “The Brother/Sister Plays.” Ryan was the dramaturg at RedTwist theater for Kimberly Senior’s production of “The Pillowman,” and Keira Fromm’s production of “The Lobby Hero.” Both were nominated for Jeff Awards for “Best Play” and “Best Director.” Ryan is also a 11-year veteran of the Chicago improv scene. He has primarily performed at iO and Annoyance Theaters, but also has performed and taught workshops at numerous festivals and universities around the country with his groups Revolver and Pudding-Thank-You. Ryan also taught, and co-wrote and performed four Mainstage shows at Boston’s Improv Asylum. ryanpatrickdolan.com

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“Partner” Madness coming Friday!

March 14, 2016
by catherineforever666
· Madness · News

Third Year MFA playwright, Aaron Johnson, shall be producing “Partner” Madness this week!!!! He has assigned each playwright a partner and for them to also write about partners. The partners are Aaron and Rachel; Philana and Catherine; Cristina and Tyler; and Natasha and Ryan.

The Madness show is March 18th, 11pm, in the Hahne Black Box theater. Admission is free. We recommend you get there 45 to 60 minutes ahead of time to assure yourself a seat.

For more information about Madness this spring semester, check out our Madness page.

More about Aaron

Aaron Johnson hails from the land of cheese in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He received his Bachelor of the Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he majored in English with an Emphasis in Creative Writing and in Theatre and Drama. While not officially specializing in playwriting in his undergrad, Aaron took the only playwriting course offered twice and completed his creative writing thesis as a play instead of fiction or poetry writing which the school usually requires. During his time at UW-Madison, Aaron completed three full length plays, multiple One-Acts, and numerous short plays which were all workshopped and some eventually produced at the university in staged readings. In his Theatre and Drama major he specialized in props and was props master for a number of university shows including Ti-Jean and his Brothers and Eurydice. Working his summers during college as a technical writer, Aaron decided to take a year off from school and work full time but the call of academia was too much for him to resist though as he is currently pursuing his MFA in Playwriting from Ohio University. Aaron’s writing tends to take the complex and unnoticed topics of today’s culture and bring them to light by using them to create dramatic conflict and then ultimate understanding. Using these undiscovered topics and coupling them with a realistic style will grow people’s curiosity and actively induce them to gain knowledge about today’s world. Aaron feels immensely privileged and grateful to be working towards his MFA in Playwriting at OU with such great and inspiring mentors, colleagues, and friends.

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“Farce:an evening of improbable situations” Madness coming this Friday!

February 8, 2016
by catherineforever666
· Madness · News

First year MFA playwright, Natasha Smith, shall be producing “Farce: an evening of improbable situations” Madness this week!!!! She has assigned each playwright to write a short farce.

The Madness show is February 12th, 11pm, in the Hahne Black Box theater. Admission is free. We recommend you get there 45 to 60 minutes ahead of time to assure yourself a seat.

For more information about Madness this spring semester, check out our Madness page.

More about Natasha

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