Chapter Twenty-One: Opening Night!

It's been a long few months but the time has finally arrived.

You are cordially invited to join us at the Opening Night of HANGMAN SCHOOL FOR GIRLS!!

The Desk has sat in the same classroom in the same school for generations - watching generations of children grow into generations of young ladies. Today, on the first day of school, Hazel Millet makes her way towards him. Will she be just like all the other little girls or will she be different - special - his own beautiful darling?

Thursday, March 11th @8pm

Manhattan Theatre Source
177 MacDougal Street

Post Performance Libations at Affair on Eighth with the cast, crew, and creative team.

Please RSVP to Brian Hashimoto at bhashimoto@fullstopcollective.org to make your reservations.

Also check our listing on PLAYBILL.COM!

And a podcast with the writer and director on Broadway Bullet!

We hope to see you at the show running through March 27th!!

Chapter Twenty: Lend us your ears!

Friends, Romans, Countrymen! Lend us your ears!

Your ardent support of Hangman School for Girls has been has been incredibly instrumental in making this production happen.

The cast and crew of Hangman School for Girls are but one week from opening at the Manhattan Theatre Source, where we will have a three week run.

Everything that has happened over the past four months – from the first production meeting through a wild week of gift-wrapping at Barnes and Noble: Naughty British Schoolgirl Night through the Staged Reading: And the day Set Designer Jacquelyn D. Marolt found a gorgeous and authentic vintage school desk by the side of the road – all of these experiences have taught us that it is the LITTLE THINGS that count.

We now look to you to help us count the little things in this final heave-ho. If you have been waiting to make your mark, NOW IS THE TIME!

$5 pays for two copies of Sugar Magazine Props.
$8 pays for one pair of black shoes.
$10 pays for one vermillion red sweater.
$15 pays for one plank of lumber.

To make a donation, please visit either of our producing companies' sites:
http://www.thevagabondtheatreensemble.com/
OR
http://www.fullstopcollective.org/

Stay tuned for more interviews, press photos, and reviews on this blog including:

PAPERMAG WORD UP! A Stage Notes interview with Lucy Gillespie by Tom Murrin:

"How is this going to be staged?
It's going to be very physical. The director is working with a lot of choreography and movement. We're figuring out now how the desk will move around. Also, with the girls, there's an element of flocking and pantomime. So we're working on that too. A lot of the scenes with the girls are seen through Hazels's eyes, so there is a delineation of the girls as they really are, and how they are seen by Hazel."

And once more, thank you so much for your support. We are looking forward to performing for you!!

Chapter Nineteen: A Night of Comedy!!

This Saturday, February 27th you are invited to take a journey into the depths of awesomeness.

Jeff Ashworth hosts a stellar lineup of talented humorists who will each take the stage and regale you with tales and yarns that will undoubtedly pleasure your funny g-spot.

Comics include:

Dan St. Germain
Beth Mcgregor
Scott Moran
Rob O'Reilly
and Laura Prangley.

Did I mention this show is only $5? That's less than a dollar per comedian.

Come join the Vagabond Theatre Ensemble in association with FullStop Collective for a night of hilarious comedians to help support our upcoming Production of Hangman School for Girls.

Come laugh, and help us raise money for arts and crafts, and theatre.

There will also be a place to buy drinks. It's a bar. It has reasonable prices that you can take advantage of.

Parkside Lounge
317 East Houston @ Ave C
7:00pm-8:30pm
Saturday Feb. 27.

Come. Laugh. Please.

Chapter Eighteen: The Happiest Medium Interview

Karen Tortora-Lee of The Happiest Medium interviewed Lucy recently on the subject of our upcoming production. What is The Happiest Medium? It's a blog that has this to say about itself:

"Whether your passion is theatre, or your guilty pleasure is trashy TV, whether you love to go gallery hopping on a rainy weekend or just curl up with a great book before you go to sleep, whether you’re a professional shutterbug or an amateur iTunes mix master you’ll meet someone here who shares your passion."

Postcard art by Maya Battle

Look for Karen and Lucy's full conversation at The Happiest Medium. Here's a taste:

"The blurb for the show says “The play is Alice in Wonderland meets Lolita with a little Mean Girls thrown in”. So, can we expect a girl falling down a rabbit hole and sitting at a table having punchy Tina Fey type conversations with a man twice her age who’s trying to have sex with her? Or does it all play out a little differently?

LG: (Laughs) Noooo, it’s not at all like that! When I started writing, it all started with the “Desk” character that Hazel retreats to; an imaginary friendship Hazel develops when she fails to get into the “in” crowd. The Desk is the first character I wrote, and I had in mind the character of Humbert Humbert … The Desk hates it when girls grow up because they are no longer cute, dependent, awkward, and they don’t sit on him properly. But as the play developed, the Desk became more of a companion to Hazel; rather than someone who abuses her or victimizes her. It’s a very pure friendship (at least at the beginning). There are qualities he loves about Hazel. As far as the Alice in Wonderland connection … there are lots of games, everyone plays them. A lot of role play, and a lot of hearkening back to Greek Mythology. As far as Mean Girls, I really just tried to capture that period of time when you’re age 11 – 14 and viciousness is tossed around like rainwater … it’s just in the air all the time, with no thought to it at all."

Chapter Seventeen: Visible Soul Interview with the Playwright

Lucy was recently interviewed by Zack Calhoon, a New York actor/playwright graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. The full interview can be found on his blog, Visible Soul.

Here's a preview ((c) Zack Calhoon 2010):

"Tell me about Hangman School for Girls. What’s it like to be going into production on your first full length play?

It is exhilerating. Oh my god. Everyone involved is so damn smart and curious. And I think I'm finally kicking that niggling English modesty habit I have; getting excited to talk about the play, invite people to the play, raise money for the play. And it's even more exciting because other people - smart people - are excited, and involved! Oh my god.

I see you are also acting in the play. Do you find it hard to do “double duty” on this production?

Of course... I read about how Pinter would get cast in his own plays, and he would lose himself absolutely in text-work, character research, director's notes - rebuilding his entire understanding of the play from the character's perspective. Keeping this in mind during rehearsals I have so far discovered many elements of Hazel (my character in Hangman) that I had no idea existed during the writing process. I love rehearsals - I find them incredibly relaxing - like playdates. And after problem-solving and trouble-shooting this play for a year and a half, it's so much fun to get to mess around with it on my feet with other people and their interpretations."

Chapter Sixteen: Spotlight on Brian Tovar

Meet Brian Tovar. He is our Lighting Designer. Brian’s award winning work has been seen in theatres across New York City and the east coast. His work has been featured at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, Medicine Show Theatre, Access Theatre, Gene Frankel Theatre, and American Theatre of Actors, among others. Brian’s extensive festival work includes productions in the NYC International Fringe Festival, New York Musical Theatre Festival and Midtown International Theatre Festival. Recent NYC credits include the new musicals, Factory Girls (Ars Nova, Joes Pub), Street Lights (American Theatre of Actors), Vote! (Minetta Lane), and Perez Hilton Saves The Universe (Bleecker Street Theatre and Barrow Street Theatre). Regionally, his designs have been seen at ReVision Theatre (The Full Monty, Funny Girl), and Irvington Town Hall (Swing). Upcoming projects include: Hangman School for Girls (Manhattan Theatre Source), The Who’s Tommy, The Rocky Horror Show, and the world premier of the new musical The Bikinis (ReVision). On Broadway, Brian has served as assistant to Kevin Adams on both Passing Strange and HAIR. Brian is the recipient of The 2008 Midtown International Theatre Festival Outstanding Lighting Design award for his work on The Wendy Complex. His work can be viewed at www.BrianTovarDesign.com

1. What is your favorite word? Atascosa - google it.
2. What is your least favorite word? Projections
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Music and Color
4. What turns you off? Reality.
5. What is your favorite curse word? Fuck
6. What sound or noise do you love? Rain and Thunder
7. What sound or noise do you hate? Jackhammers at 3am.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? If I was a Doctor..
9. What profession would you not like to do? If I was an actor...
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Welcome home.

Chapter Fifteen: Spotlight on Leta Tremblay

My name is Leta Tremblay and I will play the part of director on this wild ride. I am a director and stage manager currently residing in New York City. In my directing work, I specialize in stylized movement with bold, simple visual and auditory elements. Recent NY directing credits include: Fore-Shadow-Play (also written by Lucy Gillespie!) as part of FOREPLAYS (Galapagos Art Space, Brooklyn), The City That Cried Wolf (59E59 Theaters), 365 Days/365 Plays (FullStop Collective), and 10 Plates (ExPgirl, AD). I also staged a full production of Machinal by Sophie Treadwell while attending Smith College. As a stage manager, I work with many NYC theaters and companies including HERE Arts Center, Cherry Lane Theatre, The Chocolate Factory, NAATCO, and ExPgirl (company member). I am a founding member and Director of Production of FullStop Collective, a New York based theater company devoted to developing and presenting the innovative work of its members. I have trained at the Eugene O’Neill National Theatre Institute, with the Wooster Group, and with the SITI Company. I am so excited to be working with such an amazing group of people and I can’t wait for you to see what we create. Stay tuned! Rehearsals start in less than a week!!

In an interview with myself I responded:

What is your favorite word? Ardent
What is your least favorite word? Nigger
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? People and Love
What turns you off? Cruelty to children
What is your favorite curse word? Fuck
What sound or noise do you love? Laughter
What sound or noise do you hate? Gunshots
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Drummer in a Rock Band
What profession would you not like to do? President of the United States
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? “Welcome, would you like to stay or care to give it another go?”