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Ludlow, 1914 (a dramatic vaudeville)

Erik Brevik in Ludlow, 1914 (a dramatic vaudeville) (2014).

Erik Brevik in Ludlow, 1914 (a dramatic vaudeville) (2014).

 

Ludlow, 1914 (a dramatic vaudeville)
a devised work of The LIDA Project*
presented by THEATREWORKS

It was shocking, momentous and then largely forgotten. Two dozen people were killed, including 2 women and 11 children. The Ludlow Massacre of 1914 was the most violent episode in the Colorado coal wars, which in turn was part of the deadliest strike in the history of the United States.  This post-contemporary production deconstructs the Ludlow Massacre along with contemporary issues of labor and inequality. This wild examination on the centenary of the events, creates the opportunity for audiences to explore social issues through context, both local and global.

Ludlow, 1914 is not a history lesson rather, it is a freeform exploration of the themes, both historical and current, evoked by the event: wealth inequality, worker’s rights, media bias, fossil fuel dependence. – Broadway World

Production History
September 11 – 28, 2014 : THEATREWORKS:: Colorado Springs, CO

Awards
True West Award

Media Coverage
Theatreworks and LIDA Project Explore the Forgotten History of LUDLOW, 1914
Minecraft – Colorado Springs Independent

The Company
Direction: Brian Freeland
Dramaturgy: Murray Ross
Text Design: Jeannene Bragg / Brian Freeland
Stage Management: Tim Muldrew / 
Elise Jenkins
Technical Director: Brantley Haines
Production Design: Steven J. Deidel
Scenic Design: Steven J. Deidel / Alex Polzin
Lighting Design: Steven J. Deidel / Stevie Caldarola
Projection Design: Steven J. Deidel / Ryan Gaddis
Costume Design: Betty Ross
Properties Design: Roy Ballard
Orignal Musical Composition:
Automation Programmer: G. Austin Allen

Ensemble
Rachel Baker, Erik Brevik, Terry Burnsed, Mark Cannon, Bruce Carter, Travis Duncan, Jack English, Sanaa Ford, Jane Fromme, David Hastings, Margaret Kasahara, Tom Paradise, Evan Slavens, Katelyn Sturt, Jeremiah Walter, Galen Westmoreland, & Micah Wilborn

Video

Images

* Development collaborators: Encho Avramov, Jeannene Bragg, Terry Burnsed, Steven J. Deidel, Hart DeRose, Brian Freeland, Marcie Grambeau, Jaime Lujan, Parnell McGee, Tom Paradise, Murray Ross, Tommy Sheridan, Miriam BC Tobin, and Petra Ulrich.

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Watershed (Part II): Soiled

Terry Burnsed, Jaime Lujan, & Miriam BC Tobin in Watershed (Part II: Soiled). Photo: Brian Freeland (2013).

Terry Burnsed, Jaime Lujan, & Miriam BC Tobin in Watershed (Part II: Soiled). Photo: Brian Freeland (2013).

Watershed (Part II: Soiled)
devised work of Jeannene Bragg, Brian Freeland, and The LIDA Project*

The second in a two part play built in collaboration between The LIDA Project and Metro State University. Watershed is 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
August 23 – September 21, 2013: work | space :: Denver, CO

Media Coverage
Metro and the LIDA Project partner on Watershed, an artistic look at global warming – Westword

The Company
Direction: Brian Freeland
Text Design: Jeannene Bragg
Costume Design: Jeannene Bragg
Sound Design: Brian Freeland

Ensemble
Rhea Amos
Terry Burnsed
Jaime Lujan
Anson Nicholson
Kenny Storms
Miriam BC Tobin
Dane Torbenson

*This production was created with the support and collaboration of Metropolitan State University. Development collaborators:  Rhea Amos, Jeannene Bragg, Terry Burnsed, Brian Freeland, Jaime Lujan, & Miriam BC Tobin.

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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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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

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

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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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Eighty-Four

Eighty-Four (1997).

Eighty-Four (1997).

Eighty-Four

This tale of the ultimate “Negative Utopia” paints a grim future filled with Double-speak, Telescreens, Thought Police, and the ever watchful eyes of Big Brother. Written in 1948 this adaptation connects Orwell’s warning of the future to the ever changing face of modern technology and current society.

Production History
October 24 – November 29, 1997 : The LIDA Project Theatre :: Denver, CO
January 9 – 31, 1998 : Studio 44 :: Denver, CO

Awards
Best Experimental Theatre Production (1997) – Westword
Top 10 productions of 1997 – The Rocky Mountain News
Best New Play (Brian Freeland) – Denver Drama Critics Circle Award Nomination
Best Direction of a Play (Brian Freeland) – Denver Drama Critics Circle Award Nomination

The Company
Direction: Brian Freeland
Assistant Direction: Nils Ivan Swanson
Stage Management: Tara M.E. Thompson
Lighting / Projection Design: Brian Freeland
Scenic Design: Brian Freeland
Sound Design / Original Music: Jeremiah Lyman Moore
Properties: Brian Houtz

Ensemble
Winston: Guy Williams
Mother / Prostitute: Debra Shirley
Young Winston: Colin Smith
O’Brien: Gregory Ward
Julia: Catherine E. Worster
Syme: Brian E. Lewis
Charrington: John Shupp
Thought Police / Party Worker: Sean C. Vernon
Thought Police / Bartender: Nils Ivan Swanson
Telescreen Voice: Tara M.E. Thompson
Big Brother: Dan Hiester
Activities Director: Kathryn Gray
Emanuel Goldstein: Terry Burnsed