Here's our every-once-in-a-while update on what's going with our show...
CAST ... After months of auditions that have taken us from the far reaches of Vermont to Ellenville, New York (where the TV antennae was invented!) we're proud to announce five or our six cast members. We're glad to welcome back actors Dennis McSorley, Colin Cramer who were part of 'The Bus,' and two very talented actresses - Bridget Butler and Teresa Lorenco. Seth Jarvis, who directed 'The Bus,' is also a talented actor and has joined the cast, too. Over the next two months, we'll introduce you to these talented Vermont theatre artists. (ps. we'll also update you on our search for our last remaining actor.)
SETS ... We've started building our sets which includes part of a working injection molding machine. We plugged it in last night - and it works! Normally an injection molding machine is about the size of a Winnebego and weighs tons, but between a set animator at the Shakespeare Theatre in DC (thank you, St. Mike's grad Mark Prey), a plastics factory in Virginia (thank you Valley Industrial Plastics) and a talented student from Cooper Union (thank you Sam Rudy), our machine will be less imposing as we place it behind an open stage door to fit nicely onstage at FlynnSpace.
REHEARSALS ... It's hard to believe it's only 8 weeks to the opening of our play so rehearsing has already become part of our weekly ritual. We've moved to our permanent rehearsal home at The Soda Plant (thank you Steve Conant!).
FUNDRAISING ... By far the toughest part of putting on a play is raising our budget. We're lucky to live in a community where the arts are so generously supported (for instance, I can't imagine producing 'The Bus' in, say, Lubbock, Texas.) ... As an independent production we're not funded by any theatre or organization, so our budget comes completely from corporate and individual sponsorships. So far we've raised about half of our budget, but we've still got a long ways to go. If you'd like to become a sponsor 'American Machine,' shoot us an e-mail and we'll show you how!
