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BONES IN THE BASKET
is going OFF BROADWAY!
And you can be a part
of it, because we can’t do it without you!
BONES IN THE BASKET, first developed at the Yale Cabaret,
has been offered a production at the American Theatre for Actors as part of the
Araca Project! This is our chance to share this remarkable show with a much
wider audience, and we are asking for your support!
OUR SHOW:
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BONES IN THE BASKET is an evening of Russian fairy tales. In this vodka-fueled theatrical event, a penniless
troupe of Russian storytellers invade your theatre to try and earn their
supper. They flirt and tease; they revel
in the gypsy punk stylings of their mysterious one-man band; and all the while
wooing the audience with their renditions of riotously morbid Russian fairy tales
that are not interested in “happily ever after.”
WARNING: these
peformers will flirt with you. They may
offer you a drink. They may invite you
onstage (or backstage). They may try and
kiss you. No matter what, the management
takes NO responsibility for loss of wallets, kidneys (put some ice on it), or
hearts.
Learn more at:
www.bonesinthebasket.com
OUR HISTORY:
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BONES IN THE
BASKET was first developed at the Yale Cabaret in 2009. It was the first production for a group of
young collaborators who would go on to create a number performances together
over the years, both at Yale School of Drama and as professional theatre
artists.
Now, we are
all working theatre professionals, mostly living in New York City, and we
return to this piece because it remains the touchstone production for our
ensemble. It encapsulates our collective
voice, our love of storytelling and theatre, and what art can offer human
beings.
The stories
we are pulling from are dark. These fairy tales were being told at a time of
social and political upheaval in rural Russia, just after the revolution and
the world wars. These stories are not the simple morality tales that one
expects from Hans Christian Andersen or the Grimm Brothers. Instead, they are bloody, morbid, paradoxical
stories where darkness and evil often triumph, and although innocence and
kindness are often praised, cleverness and guile are ultimately rewarded. These are stories about the step from
childhood to maturity—the moment when innocence is lost, and in that loss, how we
learn to survive.
But in that
recognition of loss, BONES IN THE BASKET captures something vital, for although
these fairy tales are dark and morbid, they are not depressing. The very act of
telling these stories becomes a triumph.
Through
storytelling, the troupe learns to survive. It is the choice to greet the
inevitability of loss and death not with defeat, but with a smile.
OUR ENSEMBLE…
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What
makes Bones in the Basket truly
unique is the ensemble of artists from whence it was born. Both onstage and off, this is a remarkable
band of misfits. We all met during our
first year at the Yale School of Drama, and Bones
was the production that let us escape grad school and find in each other an
artistic community. It has been the
touchstone for us all for years now, the reason that even as our careers
develop, we keep returning to this ensemble and in particular to this very
special show.
PRODUCTION STAFF:
Devin Brain, Director / Producer
Lindsey Turteltaub, Producer
Tara Kayton, Producer
Alexandra Henrikson, Creator / Producer
Tanya Dean, Dramaturg
Michael McQuilken, Composer / Performer
Meredith Ries, Scenic Designer
Valérie T. Bart, Costume Designer
Alan Edwards, Lighting Designer
Ken Goodwin, Sound Designer
Brandon Curtis, Production Manager
Kirsten Parker, Stage Manager
ENSEMBLE:
Daniel Binstock, Performer
Stephanie Hayes, Performer
Alexandra Henrikson, Performer
Blake Segal, Performer
Jillian Taylor, Performer
DEVISING ENSEMBLE
Daniel Binstock, Tanya Dean, Dipika Guha, Stephanie Hayes, Alexandra Henrikson, Ben Horner, Irene Sofia Lucio, Blake Segal
To learn more about our ensemble, or perhaps just to take a
look at their beautiful pictures, take a look at: http://www.bonesinthebasket.com/castandcreative.html
AND THEN THERE IS YOU:
Where does this leave you? Well, we are asking for your support for Bones in the Basket because although the Araca Group has
supported this project, we still need to raise a great deal of money to put
this show up again.
PRODUCING IN NYC:
New York City is one of the most vibrant theatrical cities
in the world; it is also one of the most expensive cities in the world, and
producing theatre here is both difficult and costly. Your donations go directly to support the
artists making this production. Our hope
is that this presentation of Bones will
be a stepping-stone; a chance to finish the show’s development and then share it
with an audience who are capable of helping it find further life. And you can be a vital part of that.
Over the next two months we will be striving to raise
$20,000 for this production. That is a
lot, but all of it is carefully considered to make this the best possible
production.
WHAT YOUR DONATION PAYS FOR:
Paying
the Artists Involved:
our first
priority is to pay the artists. We are primarily investing the funds of the
production not in objects but in people, because the theatre is an art that can
celebrate humanity. And the first step of that is celebrating the talent and
skill of the theatremakers.
- $50 pays for an electrician to hang our lights
- $250 pays for an actor to work for a week
- $1,000 pays for our composer
Materials for the Design: after the people comes the stuff. Theatre is a tangible art form, and although
our show is designed to be carried through Russia in a trunk, there are still a
lot of costumes, lights, and birch trees to buy.
- $50 pays for one base costume
- $100 pays for an array of fantastic masks
- $500 pays for the rental of the sound equipment
we need
Rehearsal
Space: anyone that has tried to find an
apartment in New York City knows that space is at a premium here, and space to
rehearse a play is no different. This is
a significant expense, and depending on location and size of the room rehearsal
space can easily be $25 / hr.
-
$50 pays
for 2 hours of rehearsal space
-
$100 pays
for half a day of rehearsal space
-
$500 pays
for about a week of rehearsal space
Misc.
(insurance, photocopies, trucks, etc): getting those
actors onto a stage is a strangely complicated process with hours of labour and
admin happening offstage. Producing a show is filled with additional expenses
like insurance, truck rental to move sets and lights, and paper(which must be
like white gold because man, is photocopying a script expensive!).
- $50 covers printing scripts for the cast and
crew
- $100 pays for transporting set and lights to the
space
- $500 pays for insurance for the rehearsal period
WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU:
Our heartfelt thanks, and the chance to see a unique piece
of theatre. Yes, but what else? Each level of perk to the right offers its own unique
package of rewards, but in general:
- All Donations are Tax-Deductible!
- All donations receive recognition in our
program, on our website, and on social media
At various levels of donation you can also get:
- Invitations to Rehearsals and Private Events
- Signed Pictures of the Cast
- Recordings of the songs in the show
- Tickets and Reserved seating at the performances
- Pesonalized updates from the Director and Cast
-
Dinner with the Creative Team
And of course, with all of these perks we are trying, in
some small way at least, to express our gratitude in your support of this
piece, and our work, because we appreciate it more than we can probably ever say.
RISKS AND CHALLENGES:
Producing theatre in NYC is a risk, there’s no denying
that. People have broken their bank
accounts, their hearts, and their bodies making theatre in this city, and they
will continue to do so.
That risk is part of the drive to do it. Risk is the price
of beauty.
But, our team is working hard to minimize our risks. We have gathered together a remarkable group
of artists, each of whom is a seasoned theatrical professional with years of
experience. We have artists who have
worked in every level of the theatre both nationally and internationally, and
we have a show that is born of their voices and their hearts. That combination of skill, talent, and
passion is our shield against the risk, and we are confident that in October Bones in the Basket is going to be a
remarkable show.
OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP:
First and foremost:
come and see the show! All of
this is moot if you don’t get a chance to see this piece, because this is live
theatre and it is all about the evanescent connection in the moment. So, come and join us October 8 – 12 at the
American Theatre for Actors (tickets on sale soon).
Tell your friends about the show and this campaign:
And the last way you can help: share your thoughts with us. You can email us, Facebook message us,
comment on us, find us after a show…we would love to hear what you think about
the campaign, the site, and Bones in the
Basket.
We can’t wait for October, and we hope to see you all at the show!
