American Bear by Larry Mitchell, Theatre en Bloc at the Hideout Theatre, November 25 - December 17

Larry Mitchell's American Bear has an undeclared kinship with the 'kitchen sink' school of drama of 1950s Britain, grim depictions of working class life pioneered by John Osborne's Look Back in Anger (curiously enough, also playing in Austin this week and next). Sam Shepard has explored similar terrain and Tracy Letts followed him there with sardonic tales you might call the Grand Guignols of Trailer Park Trash.

American Bear offers a world that is more credible than those. Mitchell's characters are from America's white underclass -- a waitress, a truck driver, and an unemployed layabout whose world is starkly delimited by the one-room set littered with beer cans and positioned between the parentheses of a senseless, ever-running television and a telephone that's the emblem of the lack of communication. The set by Derek Kolluri is eloquently claustrophobic.

Eddie's a regular at a Memphis truck stop. We meet this inarticulate man at the lunch counter where waitress Lonnie is wrapping the flatware in paper napkins. The communication between them is not conversation -- it's more like random semaphore signals. These two have seen one another again and again. This time, however, Eddie asks her to come home to Kansas with him. His parents have died in an automobile accident. Without thinking about it too much, and with little to anchor her at the truck stop, Lonnie agrees. In Kansas, Eddie's brother Jules is cocooned away on the sofa, huddled under a rumpled blanket.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Kickstarter Appeal: American Bear by Theatre en Bloc, Austin

Notice received directly:

appeal by

American Bear

by Larry Mitchell

to be produced November 25 - December 17

Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 5 p.m.

at the Hideout Theatre, 617 Congress Avenue (click for map)

Tickets are $15. Reserve via the Theatre en Bloc website or by leaving a message at (512) 522-4083

American Bear: A play about home, is the first production of Austin's latest artistic development Theatre en Bloc. This production also marks the world premiere of the fully realized script by Theatre en Bloc's resident playwright Larry Mitchell.

This project will be funded only if at least $1,500 is pledged by Friday Nov 18, 6:00pm EST.
As of October 24:

0 Backers 0$ pledged of $1,500 goal 25 days to go

American Bear is a play about how we define home and family, especially during times of family crisis. Is family forever? How far can the bonds of family be stretched before they snap? Why is it that families tear themselves apart. When isn't blood thicker than water?

American Bear is the journey of two brothers, Eddie and Jules, struggling to find themselves in the wake of their parents’ untimely death. Eddie, who has been gone for many years, returns to the boys' childhood home for the funeral with his new fiancée, Lonnie, in tow. As the three work through the history of family strife, it is more than sibling rivalry that comes between the two brothers.

American Bear is a provocative play that finds a subtle and refreshing balance between humor and drama. Mitchell is a craftsman. While there are tones of great playwrights like O'Neill or Sheppard in the piece, Mitchell's perspective, voice, humor and love for his characters ring true. Theatre en Bloc is excited to bring this play to Austin and is working to publish Mitchell's script to be distributed to other theatres looking to produce new American plays.

Click for additional information at AustinLiveTheatre.com

Click HERE or on the image to go to Kickstarter for the video slideshow or to pledge

Upcoming: Seller Door by Larry Mitchell, Sustainable Theatre at East End Flats, June 3 -

Found on-line:

presents

Seller Door

by Larry Mitchell

June 3 - June 19

Fridays & Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 5 p.m. Monday, June 13 is Industry Night.

East End Flats, 2931 E 12th Street (click for map)
Tickets: $10 - $20 per person
Info Phone: 512-534-0692

Seller Door is a play about a barker, and the people he gets to go through a door and what happens to those people once they go through. A careful and crafted blend of sharp, concise movement with a strong focus on the precision of the words. Approached through the lens of the silent comedy masters, Chaplin and Keaton for the specificity of movement. Seller Door carries a quick wit and much of the humor comes from a specific focus on pace and rhythm.

Auditions for Seller Door, Sustainable Theatre Project, March 31 - April 1

Received directly from

:

STP is holding auditions this week - weekend for Seller Door by Larry Mitchell.

It is a comedy about a barker, the people he gets to go through a door and what happens to those people after they go through the door.
We're seeking 7 actors, male and female, of all ages and types.
Auditions will be held:
6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 31st - April 2nd.
Appointment only. Email sustainable.theatre.project@gmail.com to reserve a time. We will contact you with confirmation and info on where the auditions are being held!

Upcoming: Sustainable Theatre Project's fundraiser for Seller Door by Larry Mitchell (ongoing)

via @travisbedard on Twitter:

The Sustainable Theatre Project is documenting the life-cycle of a new play Seller Door.

What does “life-cycle” mean? It means we’re going to film every aspect from planning to production of a live performance. Everything from auditions and production meetings to artist interviews and a live performance will be filmed, edited and produced in a one-of-a-kind documentary/recorded live performance DVD set. The project includes three specific areas of focus: The Play, Sustainability and the Video Series.

It’s like funding three projects in one! A live performance, conceived and executed sustainably and a professionally produced film!

ABOUT THE PLAY

Seller Door is a play about consequences. It’s about a Barker, the people he gets to go through a door and what happens to those people once they go through the door. For the live production, STP will use an empty space, a non-traditional theatre space, perhaps a store front or vacant warehouse. Without giving too much away… there will be a Barker, a thief, 25 lbs. of pretzels and a room that fills with… well, that would be giving too much away. The execution of the play will be an experiment attempting to blend the “fourth-wall”, observer based, story-telling theatre of tradition with the contemporary shift toward audience participation, experiential theatre that has become popular as of late. With Seller Door, STP strives to create an event that is equal parts story/observation and experience/participation that will uphold the ritual of theatre and embrace the newest trends in theatre.

Campaign goal: $3500. Open until January 24.

Click on image or click here to go to page with video and funding appeal. . . .

Upcoming: Six Plays by Larry Mitchell, Sustainable Theatre Project at Hyde Park Theatre, December 14

Post card picked up December 2 at an Austin theatre venue. Hyde Park Theatre calendar lists this event for Monday, December 14, 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. with no further detail.

Travis Bedard provides the following:

Join Sustainable Theatre Project for readings of 5 short plays and an excerpt from an upcoming full-length show to be produced in the fall by Sustainable Theatre Project. All plays penned by Sustainable Theatre Project Resident Playwright, Larry Mitchell. Come join us and be introduced to the company and our playwright. ONE NIGHT ONLY!

Featuring STP Company Members...Molly Fonseca, Derek Kolluri, Larry Mitchell, Ryan Hamilton

and we're pleased to be working with...Mason Stewart and Kelli Bland!

This event is an introduction to the company members and a fundraiser for upcoming productions of Sustainable Theatre Project.

We look forward to your attendance and thank you in advance for your support.

We are pleased to announce that this event has been sponsored by two great Austin restaurants: The Clay Pit and Saba Blue Water Cafe. Our thanks to Bali Singh of Clay Pit and Joe Reynolds of Saba. Look forward to Saba eats on the 14th while enjoying some delicious wine provided at cost by Christian Robinson at Twin Liquors at 16th and Guadalupe.