Open Rehearsal Series
Open Rehearsal Series 2013
About the Open Rehearsal Series: Curated by Associate Artistic Director Dano Madden, invites audience members to participate in the theatre-making process in the most unique of ways: to observe a work-in-progress in the mid-process and to participate in a guided response to the current draft of the script.
Installment #1:
SISTERS OF THE ETERNAL KNOT
by David A. Miller
Thursday, June 20 at 7:00 pm, A.R.T./NY Midtown
Synopsis: Sister Ida and Sister Odelina, living in the lowlands of medieval France, have been at odds since their youth. As the leaders of abbeys Ciel Bleu and Rouge, their life-long antagonism with one another grows dangerous: the choices they make may result the life or death of the nuns they serve. Will secrets about their past relationship bring them to peace?
Read an interview with David A. Miller about Sisters of the Eternal Knot.
Installment#2:
GOOD SHEPHERD
by Breanna Foister
Sunday, September 8 at 2:00pm, A.R.T./NY Midtown
Synopsis: When mover-and-shaker 7th grader Carla decides to secretly hire School of the Good Shepherd’s first art teacher, 22 year old Jim is happy to move home and take the job. But as the two of them become friends, they find themselves wondering: how close is too close? Carla and Jim spend the school year growing up, aided by a sultry school nurse and Mrs. Lula’s free tubs of ice cream.
Installment #3:
BAD HUSBAND
by Dano Madden
Sunday, November 17 at 3:00pm
Synopsis: During her graveyard shift at the hospital, Annie finds herself falling fast for a mysterious stranger named Cowboy. Where did this man come from? Why is he wandering the halls of the hospital? By the end of the night, both Cowboy and Annie will have to face the truth about his past.
Read an interview with Dano Madden about Bad Husband.
About the Open Rehearsal Series
The Open Rehearsal Series, curated by Associate Artistic Director Dano Madden, invites audience members to participate in the theatre making process in the most unique of ways: to observe a work-in-progress in the mid-process and to participate in a guided response to the current draft of the script. Throughout the year there will be several opportunities for audience members to observe these theatre artists in their natural habitat: the rehearsal room. The goal for the Open Rehearsal Series is not to provide the audience with a polished product, but instead to give the audience access to the inner-workings of the play-making experience. During the Series audiences may see one or more of the following steps in the creation of a new play:
- 1) Table reading and table work with the director. See the initial reading and eavesdrop on the conversation. Listen to the dramaturg and director ask questions about the play. What is the playwright going to focus on? How does a play go from being an early draft to something that is production worthy? Etc.
2) Playwright/ Director/ Dramaturg meeting. Listen in as the creative team tries to address key questions about the play. What will be the focus of revision for the playwright? What challenges can be addressed during the staging phase of rehearsal? 3) Blocking. How does a script move from the table to the stage? Witness the director working with the actors to block the play. 4) Staged reading. Come see a “lightly staged” reading of the new work, still early in its development. Join in the director/ dramaturg led response session and help in the development of this exciting new work.
Open Rehearsal Series 2012
Installment #1 OAKWOODS By Dano Madden “George Marvin has attracted national attention to tiny Oakwoods with his award winning science project. This new found notoriety, along with the construction of a housing development and resort, has the fading mountain town standing on the verge of being reborn. Will a dark discovery derail this new found hope? Oakwoods is a story about accomplishments beyond our wildest dreams and the unexpected places they can lead us.” Open Rehearsal Time: September 9, 2012 2:30pm-5pm ART/NY S. Oxford Space (138 S. Oxford Street, Between Atlantic Avenue and Fulton Street, Fort Greene, Brooklyn) MAP Trains: B, C, D, G, N, R, Q, 2, 3, 4, 5
Installment #2 SCOTTISH PLAY by Monica Flory “Bridget has one last chance to pass English class by staging an all-female version of Macbeth, Act I. But what starts out as a simple project turns out to be more toil—and far more trouble—than she ever expected. Her actresses fall prey to superstition, including a nagging suspicion that one of their own is a real witch. As rehearsal time wanes and personalities collide, the biggest curse may be a group of girls with murderous intent toward each other. How many times can they break the curse before the play just falls apart?” Open Rehearsal Time: Saturday, October 20 at 1:30pm-3pm Spoke the Hub (295 Douglas Street, Brooklyn) MAP Train: R to Union St
Installment #3 MYSTIC IN THE SAVAGE STATE By David A. Miller “In the late 1890s Professor Mary Indigo Calkins, teaching at Wellesley College, is one of the first teachers of psychology and the first woman in her field. She is on a quest to legitimize synesthesia, or color hearing, in the eyes of her peers and in the minds of neuroscientists (the more legitimate of the sciences). Over the course of the play, prism scenes transport audience members into the perspective of the synesthete, illuminating Professor Calkins’ case studies which include a visit with young Vladamir Nabakov, Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique and her own students.” Open Rehearsal Time: Sunday, Nov. 18 at 1:00pm-4:00pm ART/NY South Oxford Space (138 S. Oxford Street, Between Atlantic Avenue and Fulton Street, Fort Greene, Brooklyn) MAP Trains: B, C, D, G, N, R, Q, 2, 3, 4, 5 Contribute to the theatre-making process right now by taking an online survey about color.
Open Rehearsal Series 2011 
Installment #1: Foothills Park by Dano Madden (May)
Installment #2: Peter and Alice by Monica Flory (July)
Installment #3: Journeyman of Breuckelen by David A. Miller (August) Photo: ORS 2011, Peter and Alice by Monica Flory.
The Artful Conspirators 