Created and

performed by

Rude Mechs

Rude Mechs is the Resident Theatre Company

for The University of Texas at Austin

Department of Theatre and Dance.

September 10-14, 2014 | Oscar G. Brockett Theatre

The University of Texas at Austin

Department of Theatre and Dancepresents

production team

the cast (in alphabetical order)

THOMAS GRAVES as Carl Reyholt as Pablo / Paper Boy / Tamale Vendor / DoctorHANNAH KENAH as Connie Torrey as Colored Woman / Mexican Woman

LANA LESLEY as Koko Bond as Negro Woman / NurseE. JASON LIEBRECHT as Robert “Hops” Gilbert as Steve

SHAWN SIDES as Elizabeth Johns as Eunice

The performance is approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission.

PlaywrightDirectorProduction Manager/Technical DirectorLighting DesignerScenic DesignerCostume DesignerSound Designer/ComposerStage ManagerProjection DesignDramaturg

Kirk LynnShawn SidesMadge DarlingtonBrian H ScottLeilah StewartKatey GilliganGraham ReynoldsLowell BartholomeeLowell Bartholomee/ Michael MergenAdrien-Alice Hansel

The University of Texas at Austin

Department of Theatre and Dancepresents

Presented in the 2010 Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville.

Created and performed by Rude Mechs

September 10, 11, 12, 13 at 7:30 p.m.September 13, 14 at 2:00 p.m.

Oscar G. Brockett Theatre | F. Loren Winship Buildingutexas.edu/finearts/tad co

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about rude meChs

Since 1995, Rude Mechs has created a mercurial slate of original theatrical productions that rep-resents a genre-defying cocktail of big ideas, cheap laughs, and dizzying spectacle. What these works hold in common is the use of play to make performance, the use of theaters as meeting places for audiences and artists, and the use of humor as tool for intellectual investigation. We tour these performances nationally and abroad; manage The Off Center, a performance venue in Austin for arts groups of every discipline; present nationally recognized artists; and run Grrl Action, an arts mentoring program for teenage girls. You can find us at rudemechs.com.

The Method Gun is a project of Creative Capital, and has received creation support from the Multi-Arts Production (MAP) Fund,

The Orchard Project Theatre Residency Program orchardproject.com, the National Endowment for the Arts, The University of

Texas Humanities Institute, The Harry Ransom Center, and The Long Center for the Performing Arts (2008 Premiere). Rude Mechs

is supported by the Texas Commission on the Arts and the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division.

Rude Mechs Exclusive Worldwide Tour Representation:

ArKtype | Thomas O. Kriegsmann, President

t. (917) 386-5468 | f. (212) 749-7696 | e. tommy@arktype.org | arktype.org

a visual representation of the collaborative creation of the original play.

Using found text from the journals and per-formance reports of Stella Burden’s company, The Method Gun explores the life and tech-niques of Stella Burden, actor-training guru of the 60s and 70s, whose sudden emigration to South America still haunts her most fervent followers. Ms. Burden’s training technique, The Approach (often referred to as “the most dangerous acting technique in the world”), fused Western acting methods with risk-based rituals in order to infuse even the smallest role with sex, death and violence.

When Stella Burden left the United States in 1972, her company continued her nine-year rehearsal process, using training techniques from Burden’s Approach, as well as oth-ers adapted from text books, other gurus, and—at one point—a high-school film strip entitled What Makes an Actor, all of which have been incorporated into the contem-porary understanding of The Approach. The text reproduced here includes some of the research Rude Mechs unearthed in their inves-tigation into the company’s training.

Kissing practicefrom Theatre: Art in Action © glencoe/mcgraw hill

Romantic scenes require careful rehearsal. They should be rehearsed privately with the director before they are attempted in rehears-als with the entire cast.

There are four key parts to a successful stage kiss: (1) proper foot position; (2) correct body position; (3) exact time count; and (4) a smooth break. The script or the director will tell you what kind of kiss is needed in the scene—a motherly peck or a romantic embrace. The first part is getting into the embrace. The woman usually faces the audience with your feet about six inches apart. The man then steps toward the woman on the foot closet to her, puts that foot between her feet and swings around so that they end up facing each other.

Body position is the second part of a stage kiss. For most romantic kisses little or no light should be seen between the couple. The woman should be facing the audience, and the man should be facing her, his back squarely toward the audience. The couple should decide ahead of time which way they will tilt their heads—to the right or to the left. The couple does not have to make any actual physical contact at all; many professional actors do not. Correct foot and body position give the illusion of a real kiss.

The third and most important part of the kiss is the count. A sweet romantic kiss lasts one second; a reasonably romantic kiss lasts two seconds; and a very romantic kiss lasts from three to five seconds. Anything over five seconds will usually cause the wrong audience response.

Perhaps the most difficult part of the stage embrace is the parting or separation of the couple. First, it must be done with the same emotional value as the kiss established, usually a smooth slow release. Second, it is important for the couple to maintain physical contact with the hands until the “break”-- the actual separation. To do this, the couple slowly pulls apart while sliding their hands down each other’s arms. The break may occur at the fore-arms, or the couple may continue until they are holding hands. Then they may step away from each other, gently releasing their hands.

rasaboXes ™ www.actorsmovementstudio.com/rasaboxes

This actor-training technique was adapted from a theory of emotion detailed in an ancient Sanskrit manual on performance (circa sixth century BCE to second century CE) called the Natyasastra. Rasa, from the Sanskrit language, literally means flavor, essence, or “juice.” It also refers to specific “emotional flavors” or states that are shared between performers and audience. There are eight primary rasa states: sringara (love), adbhuta (joy, wonder),

about the method gun

hasya (humor, cheekiness), karuna (pity, grief), vira (courage, energy, also translated as ‘like a stallion’), bhayanaka (shame, regret), raudra (anger), smaronmada (insanity), and bib- hatsa (disgust, also translated as “disdain”). The RasaBoxes method also incorporates modern ideas such as those of French playwright, actor, and director Antonin Artaud, who demanded that actors be “athletes of the emotions,” capa-ble of hopping in and out of a scene’s needed sensibilities with the same dexterity that an athlete uses when moving between the bench and live action. The Natyasastra gives very specific instructions on the portrayal of each emotion; RasaBoxes uses an improvisational approach that allows for each actor’s indi-vidual expression. In the RasaBoxes exercises, participants move through nine boxes of equal size drawn on the floor. Each represents a rasa

state. Participants spend time allowing the rasa state to possess them, rather than attempting to portray the state.

resident theatre company

Rude Mechs is proud to serve as the Resident Theatre Company for The University of Texas Department of Theatre and Dance.

From now through the 2014/15 scholastic year, Rude Mechs will serve as the Resident Theatre Company. Through this innovative partnership of a renowned Tier 1 research university and Rude Mechs, a generation of new undergradu-ate and graduate students will gain a unique perspective on collectively creating new plays and managing a mid-size theatre.

The Department of Theatre and Dance is a world-class educational environment that serves as the ultimate creative incubator for the next generation of artists, thinkers and leaders in theatre and performance.

about the method gun

about texas theatre and danCe

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LOweLL BArThOLOmee (Stage Manager, Pro-jection Design) has been a Rude company member for nine years. He’s an award-winning director, actor, video designer, and producer. He’s also a playwright and screenwriter for which he’s won no awards. He’s appeared in the Rude Mechs productions of Get Your War On, Decameron: Day 7: Revenge, I’ve Never Been So Happy, and Fixing King John.

mADGe DArLinGTOn (Production Manager/Technical Director) is a founder and Co-Producing Artistic Director of Rude Mechs. A producer and director with a M.F.A. in Theatre Technology from The University of Texas at Austin, Madge was most recently Produc-tion Supervisor for RM’s run of Stop Hitting Yourself at LCT3/Lincoln Center Theater. In 2013 she directed the world premiere of Kirk Lynn’s Fixing King John. With Shawn Sides, she co-directed RM’s reenactment of the Perfor-mance Group’s Dionysus in 69 (Bessie Award nomination 2013).

ThOmAS GrAveS (Ensemble) is a Co-Producing Artistic Director for Rude Mechs. As such he has developed and performed in Stop Hitting Yourself, The Method Gun, I’ve Never Been So Happy, Now Now Oh Now, Decameron Day 7: Revenge, Cherrywood and the Rudes’ re-enactment of Dionysus in 69. Other Austin acting credits include Agnes and Alfred by Physical Plant Theater and Casket of Passing Fancy by Rubber Rep. Thomas holds a M.F.A. in Performance as Public Practice from The University of Texas at Austin.

hAnnAh KenAh (Ensemble) is a member of the Rude Mechs and has been developing work and performing with the company since 2008, including Stop Hitting Yourself, The Method Gun, I’ve Never Been So Happy, and Dionysus in 69. Additionally she served as the writer and a performer for Now Now Oh Now, which will go on tour this com-ing fall. In February of 2015, Physical Plant Theater will premiere Hannah’s new play, Everything is Established.

LAnA LeSLey (Ensemble) is a founder and Co-Producing Artistic Director of Rude Mechs, and has served as a co-creator, performer, and/or producer on nearly every Rude production since the company’s inception. Lana has also served as playwright/adaptor of one produc-tion and director of three productions. This year, Lana will go with the Rudes’ Now Now Oh Now on a five-city tour, direct develop-ment readings of Fixing Timon of Athens, and co-create our next production, Field Guide (coming April 2015).

e. JASOn LieBrechT (Ensemble) has been developing work and performing nationally and internationally with Rude Mechs since 1999; most recently in Stop Hitting Yourself (Lincoln Center/LCT3), Fixing King John, and Now Now Oh Now. Off-Broadway credits include: Lipstick Traces (Rude Mechs/Foundry), Steve Earle’s Karla (Culture Project) and The Method Gun (Rude Mechs/NYLA). Film/TV credits include: David Byrne’s “True Stories,” Richard Linklater’s “Waking Life,” NBC’s “Revo-lution,” and John Ridley’s “American Crime.”

KirK Lynn (Playwright) writes plays, gener-ally with the Rude Mechs theatre collective, where he’s one of five Co-Producing Artistic Directors. Kirk is the Head of the Playwrit-ing and Directing Area in the Department of Theatre and Dance at The University of Texas at Austin. Kirk was a fellow at the Michener Center for Writers. Kirk also writes plays alone like Your Mother’s Copy of the Kama Sutra, or a new one he’s working on called The Cold Record.

GrAhAm reynOLDS (Sound Designer/Com-poser) creates, performs, and records music for film, theatre, dance, rock clubs and concert halls with collaborators ranging from Richard Linklater and Jack Black to DJ Spooky and the Rude Mechs. Called “the quintessential mod-ern composer” by the London Independent, his music is heard throughout the world on BBC, NPR and HBO, from the Cannes Film Festival to the Kennedy Center. He recently scored

who’s who

Before Midnight with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, which was called “nearly perfect” by The New York Times.

BriAn h ScOTT (Lighting Designer) is a member of SITI Company and Rude Mechs. For Rude Mechs, he has designed numerous productions including, Stop Hitting Yourself at Lincoln Center, Now Now Oh Now, The Meth-od Gun, I’ve Never Been So Happy, Lipstick Traces, Requiem for Tesla, and Match-Play. Recently he designed Oktophonie, Ann Hamil-ton’s The Event Of A Thread, Laurie Anderson and Kronos Quartet’s Landfall, and Steel Ham-mer with Bang on a Can All Stars.

ShAwn SiDeS (Director, Ensemble) is a found-er and Co-Producing Artistic Director of Rude Mechs with whom she has co-conceived, -cre-

ated, and/or directed a new work every year, give or take, since 1996. With Rudes, she’s toured her work throughout the US, Europe and Australia. She’s currently working on their new devised piece Field Guide and touring their interactive, semi-immersive, nerd prom-enade piece Now Now Oh Now.

LeiLAh STewArT (Scenic Designer) is a free-lance scenic designer and performance artist. She is currently designing Love and Informa-tion at St. Edward’s University where she also works as a student mentor and scenic artist. She collaborated with Daniel Alexander Jones on this summer’s production of Bright Now Beyond at Salvage Vanguard Theater. She is a company member of Rude Mechs. She earned an M.F.A. in Scenic Design at The University of Texas at Austin.

who’s who

department of theatre and danCe Crew

assistant stage managerJOE HEIKE

dramaturgsPATRICIA BENNETTCOLTON PERRY

production assistantsSHANNON BARRYTAYLOR DAVISKAIWEN FAMATTHEW HILLSARAH PENDERGRAFTKEVIN TRANAARON VALDEzABIGAIL VELA

faculty dramaturg advisorANDREW CARLSON

academic production managerDAVID STEWART

graphic designerMORGAN BATHE

the cohen new worKs festivalpresented by broadway banKApril 13–17, 2015Presenting over 30 new works to more than 7,000 attendees in five days

For more information about the 2014-2015 season, including additional events, visit JoinTheDrama.org

Titles and dates are subject to change

esperanza risingstory by pam muñoz ryanadaptation by lynne alvarezOctober 3–12, 2014Forced to flee from Mexico to California during the Great Depression, a young girl must overcome adversity and find unex-pected inner strength.

a streetcar named desireby tennessee williamsOctober 10–19, 2014In the sultry streets of New Orleans, pas-sions flair and cultures collide as Blanche DuBois, a fading relic of the Old South, comes to the end of her line.

fame the musicalconceived and developed by david de silvabook by Jose fernandezlyrics by Jacques levymusic by steve margoshesNovember 21–December 6, 2014Based on the Academy Award-winning film and hit television series, Fame The Musical is the unforgettable journey of a group of dedicated students with stars in their eyes.

the blue angelan original idea developed by the moving companyFebruary 12–15, 2015Inspired by The Blue Angel, this new work follows the rise of cabaret singer Lola-Lola, played by icon Marlene Dietrich in the original film. Consumed by desire for Lola-Lola, an esteemed professor descends into madness as the singer’s star ascends.

dance repertory theatre presents

move !March 6–14, 2015The award-winning ensemble Dance Repertory Theatre performs innovative dance works by nationally renowned chore-ographers, including New York-based artists Kate Watson-Wallace and Sidra Bell.

coming to the stage

introducing the 2014/2015 subscription series