EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR by Lauren Gunderson, University of Texas, October 25 - 27, 2013

 

EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR

by Lauren Gunderson

Friday, Oct. 25 - Sunday Oct. 27, 2013, 8 p.m.
Winship Drama Bldg, WIN 1.108, University of Texas
(University of Texas theatres, Winship Drama Bldg. (WIN), near 23rd St. and San Jacinto, Austin)

ADMISSION:
FREE!
(Reserve your tickets online: http://bit.ly/1hyztQg)
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CAST:
Jessie Helton
Bishop Wash
Hope Carew
Conner Palmore

DIRECTOR:
Addie Arnold

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR:
Christina Vargas
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Nan has decided to teach her abusive husband Kyle a lesson. With the help of her friend Simon (acting as her emotional – and actual – cheerleader) and a stripper named Sweetheart, she tapes Kyle to a chair and forces him to watch as they reenact scenes from their painful past. In the piece de resistance, they plan to cover the room in meat and honey so Kyle will be mauled by a bear. Through this night of emotional trials and ridiculous theatrics, Nan and Kyle are both freed from their past in this smart, dark revenge comedy.
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Visit us online at http://roundaboutplayers.com/

Funding Appeal at Kickstarter: 'The Hands of Its Enemy' and 'Exit, Pursued by Bear,' Broken Alley Theatre Company

(image: LBJ Alley Cat Players)

A new company has raised $1305 of its $2000 Kickstarter goal for August 2013 stagings of The Hands of Its Enemy by Mark Medorff and Exit, Pursued by Bear by Lauren Gunderson. They have until next Wednesday, July 10, to get pledges for the remaining one-third of their goal. You can click on the Kickstarter logo to go to the contributions and information page.

The Broken Alley Theatre Company is a new troupe in Austin, Texas. We are alumni from LBJ High School and its theatre program, the Alley Cat Players. With support from this Kickstarter, we hope to open our inaugural season with two shows: The Hands of Its Enemy, by Mark Medoff; and Exit, Pursued by a Bear, by Lauren Gunderson.

Starting Broken Alley is about keeping a connection with our creative side. As we've entered college, our lives have branched every which way—mostly away from theatre. But the art still calls us. Broken Alley will give us the chance to feed our creative sides, and keep our Alley Cat family alive. For those of us pursuing theatre in college, BATx will also be a skill-builder to help us find our footing in the world of professional theatre. (Summer work with a local theatre company doesn't look half-bad on a résumé, either.)

Many of us performed Hands in 2012 for the UIL One-Act Play competition, advancing to the Area level. The plot revolves around director Howard Bellman—a recovering alcoholic—and Marieta Yerby, a Deaf playwright, as they struggle with their pasts and their art to put on Marieta's original play about domestic violence. The piece, by acclaimed writer Mark Medoff (Children of a Lesser God), explores pain, creativity, & reconciliation.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear is an absurd comedy based on a famous stage direction from Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. It opens on a young woman who has duct-taped her abusive husband to his recliner. She plans on leaving him to be consumed by bears—though not before theatrically working through all of the problems with their relationship, with help from two of her friends. This cathartic work investigates personal identity and growth, but Gunderson carries these heavy themes with a light touch that will have you laughing through the end.

Both shows will be going up during the first few days of August, 2013.

We've got all the talent and time that we need to put on two great productions in the next few months. We still need: royalties payments for both plays; a space to perform in; a set; costumes; publicity and ad spots

We're asking for $2,000. Truth be told, that's a shoestring budget, but we worked for years on public school projects—with that much we're sure we can get two shows up and running. We're also building Broken Alley Theatre as a nonprofit company, so any money we don't use directly on a show will go towards our next summer season.