| Riot Act, Inc. |
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| PO Box 6735, Jackson, WY 83002 |
| Dec. 2002 A Manifesto By Eve Bernfeld I sat around a table in a meeting room of the Teton County Libary and , with four other bright, ambitious artists, created a theatre company. We selected our first play and director, we chose a name, we studied the paperwork for our very own 501-C3, we split the list of practical tasks that needed immediate attention, we spoke about our purposes and our hopes for this new company. When we got kicked out at closing time, we were flushed and excited by our accomplishment, this new entity we had midwifed, the possiblities now at hand. I've been telling everyone I know about our grandiose scheme, our fledgling company. Some of the reactions I've gotten have startled me: "Why?" "Aren't there enough theatre groups in town?" "Are you trying to start a war here?" It is to answer such questions that I write this manifesto. As humans we tell stories to learn about ourselves, to make sense of our world. This is the life of the theatre. Stoking the fire on a bleak morning in Wilson, WY, I don't have access to the smorgasbord of theatrical options available in a city, but the need for stories--entertaining, thought-provoking, edgy, hilarious or tragic, is no less pressing. If these stories, and thus the theatre, are necessary to civilization, culture, society, to life, then is it not equally important to have a thriving, vital theatre community in Wyoming as it is in, say, New York City? We hope to create a space for artists in this community; a community for artists in this space. We realize that at the outset, we will be competing for limited funds, limited space, limited audience, limited actors. But we don't want to win any competitions, we hope to create more of these resources for everyone. We envision living in a community where the performing arts are abuzz on the lips of the locals. Where people will read the paper hungrily each Wednesday in order to plan what shows to check out that weekend. We want theatre to be more than just a novelty. One of the most important lessons I've learned about theatre and about continuing my career in theatre is "If you want to work, create work." This is a given in most cities, where artists are creating new companies and collectives daily. Some persevere, others are a brief flash, quickly swallowed by the bright lights surrounding it. As young theatre professionals, we feel entitled to create our own work. We've seen and participated in plenty of excity work in this community, but, as artists for whom the theatre is more than a hobby, we have been unable to find an artistic home for ourselves. And as we have each individually come to the conclusion that one shouldn't have to sacrifice quality of life for quality of art, we've decided to set up shop for ourselves. We hope to be a theatre of community consciousness and artistic accountablity. We are a fluid collective of artists who have much to share and much to learn. We want to tell stories: classical and contemporary, traditional and avant-garde. We want to support new work and the work of new artists. We seek to provide a place for artists to explore collaboratively, to make their own artisitic decisions, take risks, start a riot. |
| UPCOMING PRODUCTIONS/EVENTS Aug. 2009 - Collaboration with CDW dancers to create a new dance theatre piece. October 2009 - The Rocky Horror Show. !Check back often for updates on upcoming events! |
| PAST PRODUCTIONS Nov. 13-15 & 20-22, 2008 - Star-Spangled Girl by Niel Simon. This is a romantic comedy set in San Francisco. May 16-18, 2008 - Annual Series of Shorts - Feeding the Moonfish by Barbara Wiechmann, Patter for a Floating Lady by Steve Martin, and Sganarelle by Moliere. Feb. 28-Mar 1 & - A Number by Caryl Churchill. This is play deals with the contraversal issues of cloning and nature vs. & Mar 6-8, 2008 nurture. Oct. 19-Nov. 4 2007 Telling Tales by Migdalia Cruz, on tour through WY and also some local Jackson performances. May 22-25 2007 Shorts - a series of one act and short plays. This is a wonderful way for new directors and actors to taste the theatre world. Jan. 2007: The Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams. This is a wonderful play by a beloved American playwright. Supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Arts Council, through funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wyoming State Legislature. Feb. 2006: Shorts Eve & Adam by Rich Orloff directed by Marisa Sullivan & Jordan Williams, Throwing Your Voice by Craig Lucas directed by Macey Mott, Andre's Mother by Terance McNalley directed by Jennifer Durn, The Winged Man by Jose Rivera directed by Cynthia Huyffer, and Bacon written & directed by Amy Brummit. May -June 2005: Locking Doors by Rachel Hsieh. This is a play about 4 friends and the one they lost. The topics of grief, fear, and moving-on surface as each of the 4 women try to redefine their lives after the random murder of their close friend. Rachel Hsieh is a graduate of the University of Utah Theatre department. She will be consulting and attending rehearsals. Hopefully she will also be able to offer a playwright question period before or after performances. Performances will be in Studio 4 of Dancer's Workshop in the new Center for the Arts building. Evening performances at 8pm and 3pm Sat. matinees. Dec. 9-11, 2004: Shorts Sure Thing by David Ives, directed by Macey Alexis Mott; Bobby Gould in Hell by David Mamet, directed by Stephanie Capps; Night by Harold Pinter directed by Tom Haigh; Claira's Husbands by Laura Williams directed by Marisa Sullivan October 29 & 30 2004: The 1st Annual Riot Act, Inc. Haunted House! Thank you to everyone for making this a huge success! June 17-19 & 23-26, 2004: Antigone: As played & danced by the 3 Fates on their way to becoming the 3 Graces by Mac Wellman, directed by Eve Bernfeld A modern twist on the classic Greek story of love, betrayal, and treason. April 23-25, 29, May 1-2, 2004: Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manual Puig, directed by Todd Hjelt Set in a South American prison, the play delves into the dark minds and attitudes of two very different people sharing a cell. March 5-7 & 11-14, 2004: The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Brecht, directed by Macey Mott. The play follows the rise of Arturo Ui, a gangster, in 1930's Chicago, as a metaphor for Hitler's rise to power. The play was performed in a traditional Brechtian style. September 2003: Sexual Perversity In Chicago by David Mamet, directed by Todd Hjelt, assistant directed by Macey Mott. Summer 2003: A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking by John Ford Noonan, directed by Barry Brown. February 2003: To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday by Michael Brady, directed by Macey Alexis Mott. |