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Watershed (Part I): The Sea Is Not Full

Watershed (Part I: The Sea Is Not Full) (2013).

Watershed (Part I: The Sea Is Not Full) (2013).

Watershed (Part I: The Sea Is Not Full)
a devised work of The LIDA Project*

The first part of a modern performance fantasy that looks at the character of water in a world of radically changing politics and climate. This meta-media work combines elemental water, high tech projection, and human performance that pushes the boundaries of performance presentation and political theatre.

“The nature of the performing arts tends to shy away from topics of environmental concern and a political nature. Artists have the opportunity to make a point and spark important conversations.”
– Brian Freeland

Production History
July 10 – 13, 2013 : The King Center :: Denver, CO

Media Coverage
Watershed, an artistic look at global warming – Westword
My night at LIDA Project’s Watershed – CultureWest

The Company
Direction: Brian Freeland
Text Design: Jeannene Bragg
Stage Manager: Kristen Littlepage
Costume Design: Jeannene Bragg
Lighting Design: Jacob M. Welch
Master Electrician: Kenrick Fischer
Projection Design: Brian Freeland / Tammy Williams
Scenic Design: David Lafont w/ Alex Polzin
Sound Design: Brian Freeland / Anson Nicholson

Ensemble
Rhea Amos, Terry Burnsed, Alexander Tate Freeland, Michelle Hurtubise, Jaime Lujan, Matthew Schultz, Miriam BC Tobin, Clio Torbenson, Dane Torbenson, Tian Torbenson, Allyxandra Townend & Ryan Wuestewald

Video

Images

This production was created with the support and collaboration of Metropolitan State University.

* Development collaborators:  Rhea Amos, Jeannene Bragg, Terry Burnsed, Brian Freeland, Michelle Hurtubise, Kristen Littlepage, Laura Lounge, Jaime Lujan, Matthew Schultz, Miriam BC Tobin, Allyxandra Townend, & Ryan Wuestewald.

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Red Hot Patriot

Red Hot Patriot (2012)

Red Hot Patriot (2012)

Red Hot Patriot
by Margaret and Allison Engel

Satire is traditionally the weapon of the powerless against the powerful. I only aim at the powerful. When satire is aimed at the powerless, it is not only cruel – it’s vulgar.”
– Molly Ivins

Production History
October 25 – 28, 2012 : work | space :: Denver, CO
November 2 – 10, 2012 : The Aurora Fox :: Aurora, CO
November 15 – 30, 2013 : The Dairy Center :: Boulder, CO

Awards
Best Drama, True West Award Nomination
Best Actress in a Drama (Rhonda Brown), True West Award Nomination
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play (Rhonda Brown), Henry Award Nomination
Best Political Theatre, Best of Westword 2013

The Company
Producers: A. Zeik Saidman & Brian Freeland
Associate Producer: Alana Smart
Direction: Brian Freeland
Stage Management: Tommy Sheridan
Lighting Design: Jacob M. Welch
Scenic Design: David Lafont
Sound Design: Max Peterson
Costume Design: Sharon McClaury
Publicity: Gloria Shanstrom

Ensemble
Rhonda Brown: Molly Ivins
Rhea Amos: The Helper

A very special thank you to our original production sponsors:
Presenting Sponsor: C. Richard and Marianne Reinisch Foundation | Sponsors: ACLU of Colorado, Brett Family Foundation, In memory of Joel Ehrlich, Caroline Lapp and Phil Barber, & John P. Oppenheim, PC, Attorney at Law | Beloveds: Bob Drake, Bruce & Jaren Ducker, Dr. Bob & Marilyn Fried, Paul & Jean Kottke, Elaine Selberg & Dan Recht, Jane & Stan Thalman, & Jan Temple

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HOT + WAX: On Being Too Big To Fail (a piece in 8 bits)

Kenny Storms in HOT + WAX: On Being Too Big To Fail (a piece in 8 bits) (2010)

 

HOT + WAX: On Being Too Big To Fail (a piece in 8 bits)
conceived and directed by Julie Rada as devised with The LIDA Project*

A live performance blend of the Icarus story from Greek mythology, the 2009 economic crisis and 1980’s 8-bit video games. Princess Toadstool figures prominently, as does the boy whose wings melted in the sun. Joe Knossos, the head of the troubled financial products division, dodges the Minotaur as meat falls from the sky. The piece is highly-interactive with opportunities for witnesses to play old-school video games and manipulate the direction of the story.

HOT+WAX = flying too close to the sun.
HOT+WAX = getting all the coins.
HOT+WAX = finance porno.
HOT+WAX = 8 bits vs. naughty bits.

Production History
September 24 – October 23, 2010: BINDERY | space :: Denver, CO

Media Coverage
Icarus climbs corporate ladder in LIDA’s video game allegory – The Denver Post

The Company
Direction: Julie Rada
Scenic Design: Erin Ramsey
Lighting Design: Jacob M. Welch
Sound / Video Design: Ryan McRyhew
Music Composition: Ryan McRyhew / Neil Ewing
Costume Design: Annette Westerby
Properties Design: Annette Westerby
Choreography: Kelleen Shadow

Ensemble
Ploughman: Terry Burnsed
Mr. Joseph C. Knossos: Todd Webster
Daedalus: Leroy Leonard
Uncle Sam: Mike Marlow
Cellist: Eizabeth A. Nodich
Pasiphae / Your Mom: Elizabeth Parks
Icarus: Lorenzo Sariñana
Princess: Kelleen Shadow
Bull / Minotaur: Kenny Storms

Video

Images

* Development collaborators: Leroy Leonard, Elizabeth Parks, Julie Rada, Lorenzo Sariñana, Matthew Schultz, Kelleen Shadow, Kenny Storms, & Annette Westerby

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Pussy + 6

Pussy + 6 (2006)

Pussy + 6 (2006)

Pussy + 6
Week 4 of Suzan-Lori Parks’ work 365 Days / 365 Plays

Week four in Suzan Lori-Parks’ 365 Plays/365 Days  series. Each play received full production and was performed on the evening corresponding to its date. With no fixed seating, these short plays were treated not just as performances but also as mediations and installations. Though in some cases, dialogue lasted no more than one or two minutes, audiences stayed in the space for as long as 60 minutes, engaging with the scenographic environment in and around the downtown warehouse space in which pussy +6 was performed.

The eye of God opens and the eye of God closes, and that entire play world happens on that day. The next day, an entirely new play world is born. – Bonnie Metzgar

Production History
December 4 – December 10, 2006: BINDERY | space :: Denver, CO

Media Coverage
365 Days… 365 Plays – The Denver Post

Company
Direction: Julie Rada
Scenic Design: Julie Rada
Lighting Design: Jacob M. Welch
Sound Design: Paul Cure
Costume Design: Julie Rada
Properties Design: Julie Rada
Puppet/Mask Design: Sophie Nimmannit
Projection Design: Brian Freeland

Ensemble
Isaiah Arney
Jena Davis
Ashley Howard
Matthew Schultz
Karen Slack

The Works
Pussy (12/4)
House of Jones (12/5)
Blackbird (12/6)
The Carpet Cleaner on Pearl Harbor Day (12/7)
The View from Here (12/8)
The Presentation of the Grundig Majestic (12/9)
The History Lesson (12/10)

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Iphigenia Crash Land Falls on the Neon Shell That Was Once Her Heart

Iphigenia Crash Land Falls on the Neon Shell That Was Once Her Heart (2004)

Iphigenia Crash Land Falls on the Neon Shell That Was Once Her Heart (2004)

Iphigenia Crash Land Falls on the Neon Shell That Was Once Her Heart
by Caridad Svich

Blending sex, death, fame, drugs and love into a theatrical paste, playwright Caridad Svich’s work imagines a post-modern world that has changed little from the cold calculations and moral machinations of Greek society. Blending original text with modernist twists and stories of murder and mayhem south of the border, Svich creates mesmeric motion, pummeling every sense with dance-beat and drug-tinged escapism.

“Caridad’s impressive language is full of poetry with a grounded concrete quality that reminds me of the wonderful rootedness of William Carlos Williams. In the dramatic rules of the Svich universe everything is possible.”
– Matthew Maguire,
TheatreForum


Production History

October 22 – December 3, 2004: BINDERY | space :: Denver, CO

Awards
Best Sound Design (Brian Freeland) – Denver Post Ovation Award Nomination
Best Costume Design (Michelle Baldwin) – Denver Post Ovation Award Nomination

Company
Direction: Brian Freeland
Assistant Direction: Jessica Posner
Technical Director: Wolf Butler
Stage Manager: Sarah Hoover
Scenic Design: Wolf Butler
Costume Design: Michelle Baldwin
Lighting Design: Jacob M. Welch
Sound Design: Brian Freeland
Projection Design: Brian Freeland
Properties Design: Steven Gibson
Live Projection Mix: Robin Davies / Brian Freeland
Live Camera: Marcus Loftin

Ensemble
Nissa Almquist: Iphigenia
Jacob Morehead: Achilles
Terry Burnsed: General Adolfo/ Fresa Girl / Virtual MC / Soldier X / General’s Ass
Lisa Mumpton: Camila/ Hermaphrodite Prince
Hart DeRose: Violeta Imperial
Matthew Korda: Newscaster / Fresa Girl / Orestes/ Virgin Puta
Matthew Schultz: Fresa Girl

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Fucking A

Fucking A (2004)

Fucking A (2004)

Fucking A
by Suzan-Lori Parks

A darkly comic Brechtian riff on The Scarlet Letter in a modern world where Hester is an abortionist and freedom is for sale, Fucking A is equal parts social commentary, vulgarity and honesty. This modern fairy tale explores the nature of love and the depths of revenge

“Ms. Parks’ vision and voice is one of the most powerful and progressively active in the American theatre today.”
– Brian Freeland

Production History
January 16 – February 21, 2004 : BINDERY | space :: Denver, CO

Awards
Best Productions of 2004 –  The Rocky Mountain News
Best Introduction of a Major Contemporary Playwright – Westword

The Company
Direction: Brian Freeland
Technical Director: Wolf Butler
Scenic Design: Brian Freeland
Lighting Design: Jacob M. Welch
Musical Director: Anne Angyal
Costume Design: Brian Freeland
Video Design: Brian Freeland

Ensemble
Lisa Mumpton: Hester Smith
GerRee Hinshaw: Canary Mary
Mathew Korda: The Mayor
Petra Ulrych: The First Lady / Hester Smith Understudy
Robin Freeman: Freedom Fund / Waiting Woman 1
Josh Robinson: Monster
Dane Torbenson: Butcher
Anne Angyal: Scribe
Daniel Langhoff: First Hunter / Jailbait
Tom Salyers: Second Hunter / Guard
Brian E. Lewis: Third Hunter
Susan Perry: Waiting Woman 2
Irish Augustine: Understudy (The First Lady)
Jacob T. Morehead: Understudy (The Mayor)

The Skriker

Mare Trevathan as The Skriker (2002). Photo by Brian Freeland

Mare Trevathan as The Skriker (2002). Photo by Brian Freeland.


The Skriker

by Caryl Churchill

Production History
August 30 – September 28, 2002: BINDERY | space :: Denver, CO

Awards
Best Experimental Theatre Production Out Front
Best Actor in an Experimental Role (Mare Trevathan) – Out Front
Ovation Award Nomination – Best Actress (Mare Trevathan) – The Denver Post
Best Actress in a Drama (Mare Trevathan) – Westword

The Company
Direction: Ian Tresselt
Stage Mangement: Anna Makman
Dramaturg: Jennifer French
Movement / Choreography: Robin Davies
Scenic Design: David Castellano
Costume Design: David Castellano
Mask Design: Kay Casperson / Robin Davies
Lighting Design: Jacob M. Welch
Sound Design:  Brian Freeland / Ian Tresselt
Producer: Brian Freeland

Ensemble (alphabetical order)
Green Lady / Jennie Greenteeth: Tamara Bradley
Woman with Kelpie / Hag / Grand Daughter: Kay Casperson
Josie: Emily Paton Davies
Nellie Longarms / Springgan: Robin Davies
Rawheadandbloodybones / Dark Fairy / Bogle: Valter Foschini
Girl with Telescope / Lost Girl / Great Great Grand Daughter: Anita Harkess
Black Annis / Dead Child: Misha Johnson
Lily: Megan Meek
Kelpie / Fair Fairy: Joseph A. Norton
Skriker: Mare Trevathan
Johnny Squarefoot / Brownie: Kevin Schreiber
Understudy for Lily: Kelley Wade
Man with Cloth and Bucket: Ken Witt