This
past spring, I had the rare pleasure of being invited to document the
behind-the-scenes drama that went into building a main-stage play.
Hartford, CT based Theater Company; HartBeat Ensemble extended an
opportunity to me to blog their experiences finally bringing their play, Flipside
to fruition in its entirety. For about 6 months, the creative undertaking
allowed me to be able to tell a "day job" to kick rocks and I got to
see what truly makes actors tick; Their methods, their frustrations, their
elation when they have a nervous breakthrough... It
was like reality television, but with more substance, minus the physical altercations, minimal wig-snatching, and without any dubious, "piecey" editing. Here's the in-depth skinny on Flipside (insert flashback music here)...
Working
in tandem with a local filmmaker and video producer named Helder Mira, we caught
the Flipside actors and director during some of their most vulnerable
moments, as they worked tirelessly to bring their play to bigger main stage, in Hartford,
CT. We also saw them take a donated space in the renovated, LEED certified,
multipurpose commercial space, The Hollander Building, and make it their own; building a stage, painting, and putting their personal touches on it, turning it into an intimate performing space that would later be used to host fundraising shindigs, jazz concerts, and poetry showcases.
Sitting in that performance space during rehearsal proved to be some of the coldest days I ever endured. It was in the middle of one of the most horrific winters of my adult life, here in the northeast. However, it registers as one of
my most memorable collaborations to date and I enjoyed it; Cold, dour, and ugly.
Needless to say, Flipside had a
successful spring-summer run. Audiences appreciated its take on the War on Drugs and its effect on the surrounding communities.
Flipside is based on actual interviews with two real people, and tells the story of a friendship between a Hartford teen named Bo and an
undercover narcotics agent named Nick. The show combines original music and spoken-word poetry throughout the play’s narrative on drug use and
trafficking in neighborhoods. Audiences
agree that Flipside relays a
compelling discourse on the War on Drugs and is interspersed with a little humor and very catchy musical numbers…
Directed by Co-Founding Artistic Director, Greg Tate, Flipside
involved two years worth of painstaking research and subsequent workshops in
partnership with Central Connecticut State University’s Center for Regional and
Municipal Policy, Portland Oregon’s Sojourn Theater and Manchester Community
College; HartBeat has lead open dialogues and over 40 individual interviews on
the subject in order to create the play.
“We found that no matter what a person believes about drug use and selling, they tend to be very passionate about their feelings on the matter.” says Tate, “Of course that makes for great theater. It’s tricky, and very fun stuff.”
(Queue back to the present) ...
Now, back by overwhelming demand, Flipside will be making a limited run this October 13th-29th at The Hollander Building in downtown Hartford at 410 Asylum Street! Show times begin at 7:30 pm and will run every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Tickets are $20 with a discounted price of $15 for all students, seniors, and Let's Go Arts! members. Call 860.548.9144 or visit http://hartbeatensemble.org to purchase tickets.
HartBeat Ensemble recently had a raucously good time celebrating at the Mark Twain House and Museum, in commemoration of their 10 year anniversary. For the past ten years, HartBeat Ensemble has been creating original,
professional theater based on stories from the Hartford community. Through
Main-stage plays, Open-Air performances and Education programs, HartBeat makes
theater accessible beyond the barriers of class, race or gender.
Since it’s founding in 2001,
HartBeat has created six full-length original plays. HartBeat’s flagship
education program, the Youth Play Institute, works in partnership with five
different school districts to bring urban and suburban youth together for
intensive month-long play building residencies in which they create and perform
original one-act plays. HartBeat also conducts bullying prevention programs in
schools called “Startin’ Drama.”
Check out HartBeat Ensemble's behind-the-scenes, Flipside documentary series
Also, read my behind-the-scenes guest blog posts
1 comment
That's fantastic! It was a great show and I'm glad it's got another run.
Cat
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