News
Bombs, Babes and Bingo:
Science Fair Photos courtesy of Aradhana Tiwari
Production photos courtesy of Alan Schwanke
Rehearsal Photos Courtesy of Ellen Gregory
A Summer Lab and Workshop Production
A man with a clear head looks at life directly, realizes that everything is problematic, and feels himself lost. And this is the simple truth, that to be alive is to feel oneself lost. And he who accepts this has already begun to find himself, to be on solid ground. --Ortega y Gasset
The Artist’s Laboratory Theatre provides a space and time to be lost. In the world of art and theatre, there can be an anxiety of pleasing, of doing things right- ticket sales, subscriptions, scrutiny from peers and critics- all loom ahead of us while we are working, and creep into our minds acting as editors and censors.
There are two components of our summer show, Bombs, Babes, and Bingo. There is the lab portion of the show and then there is there is the show. The lab is designed to work as a physical dramaturgy.
In the lab, we explored the play through exercises and experiments. We made time and space for seeing the main elements of the play, to dig deeper. But our research went further than collecting information. In the world of Bombs, Babes and Bingo, memory is a key element of drama on the stage. Before we started rehearsing the script of BBB, the lab explored intellectually and creatively and physically, the idea of memory. What is the cognitive function of memory? What would memory look like if it as a series of movements in space? What is the expressive definition of memory, what is the literal? What is the physical architecture of memory? We asked the science questions and explore them through art. And we asked the art questions and explore them with science.
It is my intention to create a model of working for our future projects. Each story we approach will have its own needs and questions, so how we experiment will be determined by the project. Part of the success of this process will lie in our ability to let go of the anxiety of how and why? So far, we have been thrilled (and relieved) to see the value and relevance of the current experiments. But sometimes we may not. And perhaps it in those moments of feeling lost, that we might truly discover our work and ourselves.
Erika Wilhite
Co-Artistic Director
The Artist's Laboratory Theatre
View more information and photos about Bombs, Babes and Bingo.
We Did It!
Hello friends!
The Artist's Laboratory Theatre produced our first show, a workshop production of "Bombs, Babes and Bingo," a new play by Merri Biechler. We are so proud of our work and so grateful for your support. Without your help, we couldn't have done so well.
In the next couple of weeks, we will be sending out the rewards. For those of you that opted for a gift, please make sure we have your updated address! Those rewards vary from programs and posters to an original video. For those of you who opted OUT, we know who you are and we thank you. Thank you thank you thank you thank you.
Please follow our current work, future projects and big ideas at www.artlabtheatre.com and on our blog- http://theartistslaboratorytheatre.blogspot.com/
Love,
Erika Wilhite
Co-Artistic Director
The Artist's Laboratory Theatre
The Arkansas Artist’s Laboratory Theatre Announces Its Premiere Production
Fayetteville, AR - July 6th, 2010 – The Arkansas Artist’s Laboratory Theatre presents its premiere production: "Bombs, Babes and Bingo," an original play by Merri Biechler. Performances will be held August 5th thru August 8th at 2183 #1 N. College (just behind Foghorn’s). Tickets will be $10 at the door.
8/5/2010 Thursday: Doors open at 7:30pm, Performance begins at 8:00pm.
8/6/2010 Friday: Doors open at 7:30pm, Performance begins at 8:00pm.
8/7/2010 Saturday: Doors open at 7:30pm, Performance begins at 8:00pm.
8/8/2010 Sunday: Doors open at 7:30pm, Performance begins at 8:00pm.
A brand new addition to the NWA arts community! The Arkansas Artist’s Laboratory Theatre is a collaborative ensemble company dedicated to the storytelling process through the use of experimentation. The alt proposes that the scientific and artistic principles of exploration ask the same fundamental questions. The alt tests the premise and ideas of each project in a "Performance Lab" environment. Members of the alt company and Lab Artists from the surrounding community collaborate and experiment together to answer the questions asked by the playwright and their text.
For its first project alt is employing this scientific method in its approach to the script of "Bombs, Babes & Bingo," a new play that explores the inner workings of the human memory. The questions of this play lay in its structure. For each performance, the scenes of the play are presented in a random order that is determined by the drawing of Bingo Balls. As a result, each performance is sure to be completely unique. But the big question is: will the story stay the same? Does the order of the events in our lives affect who we are and the decisions we make?
In addition to the production of "Bombs, Babes & Bingo" in August, the alt will also be showcasing its very first Science Fair: an evening of performances, by the Lab Artists, that are exclusively developed from the work done and the conclusions derived in the Performance Lab. A chance for the Lab Artists to "present their findings" to the community. The Science Fair begins at 8:00 PM on 7/23 at 2183 N. College #1. Doors will open at 7:00 PM for the gallery viewing. The show will be a chance to meet the artists and peek into their unique process. Suggested donation is $5 at the door.
Follow the "lab work" and rehearsal journals at: www.artlabtheatre.com and theartistslaboratorytheatre.blogspot.com.
Contact:
Erika Wilhite
Artistic Director
erika@artlabtheatre.com
(405) 535-6652
Hello, Friends!
We have successfully been funded.
Thanks to your pledges, we are moving forward with The Lab. Our first artist arrives tonight, we move into a space this week, and then it is "Game On!" Joseph Fletcher is flying in from New York and acting as Lead Lab Facilitator. He is the director of the weekly experimental lab work. Shortly after that, co-founder and associate artist, Alan Edward Schwanke, arrives. Aradhana Tiwari, director of "Bombs, Babes and Bingo" follows him. Playwright Merri Biechler will be the last arrive for the last week of rehearsal and then we open "BBB" August 5th!
We will continue to update you on our progress! Our website is almost ready and we plan on posting our creative updates there. Depending on the type of reward you are due, you may receive it during or after the show development. If you are due tickets for a performance of BBB, we will contact you directly to set up a reservation.
Thanks so much for believing in us. Thank you for helping us chase this dream.
The Artist's Laboratory Theatre is seeking artists for our Summer 2010 Project.
What we are. What we want to become.
The Laboratory portion of alt will be part artist ensemble and part scientific research team. We often think of science and art as being two separate, even conflicting things. Art in itself is subjective, creating expressions of the ineffable and throwing a mirror to the human experience. Science is objective, taking in quantifiable facts and observations to describe the world around us. Yet, at it’s heart we both seek the same thing- understanding of the world around us.
The Artist Laboratory Theatre is a collaborative ensemble theatre company dedicated to the process of experimentation. We are asking questions, creating a hypothesis and theory, then experimenting and testing, after drawing a conclusion through analyzing data so that we discover practical techniques, stories, and concepts to apply to the theater.
In addition to the laboratory experience, alt is producing Bombs, Babes and Bingo by Merri Biechler and will be casting the roles from the lab performers. We are in need of 1 male and 2 females. We will look at casting after the lab is cast. That means in order to be in the show, you must be a lab performer.
The production does not take precedence over the lab. It is an extension of it, an appendage of it. Part of the lab will be committed to exploring the play’s themes and structural challenges.
But this is just a theory. Who wants to help us test it this summer?
Please contact Erika Wilhite at 405-535-6652 or erika@artlabtheatre.com