What is "CasablancaBox?"
What is this epic theater piece with the weird title?
WHO WE ARE: Sara Farrington & Reid Farrington are a wife and husband team collaborating together for the first time. Sara is a playwright, Reid is a director and new media artist. Working together on CasablancaBox, Sara and Reid have created a perfect fusion of "old media" and "new media."
WHAT IT IS: CasablancaBox is a contemporary theater piece, an elegant dance of light, shadow, story and cinema. The movie serves as the spine from which a myriad of stories branch off. Employing simple wooden canvas flats and a large cast, CasablancaBox is a full film set onstage. Inspired by a roving camera style, the piece captures everyone's story, from the most famous players to the hundreds of real-life European refugees who peopled the “atmosphere” of Rick’s Café Americain.
HOW WE DO IT: With new media technology, gorgeous manipulation of the film itself, 17 actors and a killer script. CasablancaBox dives into things like the psychology of Peter Lorre's inescapable morphine addiction, of Bogart's violent 3rd wife Mayo Methot, the real life German actors who escaped death at the hands of the Nazis only to be typecast as a Nazi in Hollywood, of stagehands with disturbing pasts, of Bergman's love affair with Roberto Rossellini, of Paul Henreid's outrageous contractual demands and his own escape from Austria, of the team of screenwriters' struggles to write that ending. Simmering just beneath the surface of CasablancaBox is the question on everyone's mind: How will this war (and movie) end? The narratives are endless, funny and moving, always returning to the Casablanca. Whether you love the Casablanca, haven't seen it in years or haven't seen it ever, CasablancaBox is for you. You'll get it.
WHY SHOULD I DONATE?: This is a huge moment for Sara and Reid and this project deserves to be fully realized. They are thrilled to be bringing this project to life, one they have worked on for many years, and with such an incredible team of performers and collaborators. It is particularly at this moment in history, when the arts can help us to move forward, rather than backward.
Your tax-deductible donation helps our artistic team tell this story.
The impact your donation makes...
Reid, Sara and HERE Arts Center firmly believe that actors deserve a living wage. The impact this has on an ensemble is infinite: talent improves, morale is lifted, the theater community as a whole begins to demand higher standards and, most importantly, the team feels valued.
We are producing CasablancaBox on an Equity Transition Code. This means that not only are the actors getting a weekly paycheck, a percentage will go toward their health insurance. This is why we are raising this $10,000. If we raise this amount, these amazing performers can work fewer hours at their “survival jobs.” When an artist is no longer painfully split between art and survival, the art is the thing and CasablancaBox will become transcendent.
So this is where YOU come in.
What you are saying when you donate $20, $50, $100, $1000 is “I value the artist.” And in extraordinary, chaotic and uncertain times like these, the world needs that message more than ever.
In return, we will relay your message of support out into the internet with a social media shout out, a personal thank you, a rehearsal visit where you will get a sneak peek into our exciting process and, best of all, you will get a chance to "sponsor" a movie star. Check out our perks section for details and donation levels!
For images, video, press and publications for Reid: www.reidfarrington.com and for Sara www.ladyfarrington.com
