Hi Everyone who reads this blog! I learned last week that there are quite a lot of you. Mostly friends and family- but thank you for reading. Thank you for your interest in our work! I'm sorry I've been greatly delayed in getting back to it.
As I mentioned in my crappy last blog- I went to San Diego for a week to check out the beautiful "San Diego, I Love You 2.0". Did you get a chance to see it? What I loved the most about it was how delicate each moment was. I really felt like I was invading someone's private moment. It was fabulous and romantic, and what a beautiful weekend in San Diego. Boy I do miss home.
However, I am rocking it out in Arizona! As soon as we got back last Thursday Soroya and I had to lock ourselves in our perspective writing locations and get some work done on the script. We needed a good jumping off point. We've been working with outlines, and scene breakdowns to help the designers visualize the work they have ahead of them, but now I'm proud to say that 2/3rds of the script is in its' first draft mode and we're moving forward on some of the awesome designs that the students assigned to our piece have developed for us. Check out one of Grad Designer Anastasia's beautiful costume renderings:
It will be a little longer until the script is entirely complete. I have to go back and forth a couple of times with my dramaturgs (who just so happen to be Astrophysicists), and we will be hosting a reading out here at the beginning of March so I can get some final notes and comments on the piece before Spring Break.
BUT, as promised, I wanted to give you a little sneak-peak on what exactly we're developing out here. So, sweet blog readers, here is the first act breakdown outline of Circle Circle dot dot's next production: "Red Planet Respite (Working title)" This outline is very rough, and the final show will likely be very different, but this is our starting off point. So enjoy!:
Red Planet Respite
Developed by Circle Circle dot dot in collaboration with Arizona State University’s School of Theatre and Film and the School of Earth and Space Sciences. (Subject to changes).
Cast of Characters:
Dr. Grace Rosario: First Space Engineer. Captain of the ship, head engineer of the Marsimerica Pod Planet Resort. Widow.
Dr. Noah Sellers: Second Space Engineer. 2nd in Command. Specializes in guest experiences in relationship to the Pod Planet Resort.
Dr. Lucian Adams: Billionaire plastic surgeon playboy. Specialized in bionics, sold his business. Considered a “hero” publically. Has some skeletons in his closet.
Theodore (Teddy) Kinney: CEO of GlobalCom Venture Capitals. Texas teddy bear drunk. Great in a crowd, great in public. Man’s-man. Good in business, not with life. Throws money at problems.
Addison (Addy) Lee: 2044 Olympic Silver Medalist in Women’s Marathon Swimming. From Kansas. Girlfriend to Lucian. Likes a good party and being treated like a princess. Not what you expect. Always has a pad with her for notes on her travel blog.
Dr. Jennifer Castron: Agro-Geologist hired to maintain AgroPod. Has been stuck in the pod for a year without much contact when the crew arrives. Foster child.
Part 1: Exiting Earth:
The piece opens at a press conference in 2044 where the audience meets the crew of 6 that will be taking a maiden voyage to the “Mars Lava Land Space Resort”, a project developed by a future corporate conglomeration (think google+Disney+Virgin) that combined their financial powers to develop a tourist attraction for the wealthy in the underground Lava Tube Canals where engineers have managed to carve out a small(ish) inhabitable destination.
This Press conference will introduce audiences to each of the travelers- investor to scientist. We’ll see where each of these characters falls in social importance on earth, and play with the futuristic way our population obtains their news.
Part 2: Boarding the Ship/First day in space.
This scene will open up on a video presentation that will introduce us to the attraction’s computer flight attendant “Deimos”- a perky interactive presence that will be played with throughout the script (CCdd Company Member Soroya will provide the recording for this scripted character). She will introduce the travelers in the standard intro to the voyage, and give audiences a chance to hear how the mission/project developed over history. This information will be flushed out with collaborative scientists.
After the presentation the ship starts a week-long voyage (thanks to new nuclear rocket transportation)! We see how the different personalities will interact.
Part 3: End of Flight onto Pod 1
This scene will begin at the end of the voyage and will display restless and eager voyagers that will likely be sick of each other in the tight quarters of the ship. They land & we see their excitement as they enter into the first pod- the entrance of the attraction. Here they will make contact back home and give statements to the press conference happening back to earth. Celebrating, etc. until a big outage- we will be cut out from contact to earth. The engineers work on reaching back out while the rest look around, interact, discuss the issue but seem unafraid, assuming a glitch.
Part 4: The Pods
While the engineers work, the additional group members open up the “pods” that have been planted to build the attraction community.
We’re imagining that there are 6-10 pods that can be represented with projections in one environment.
They can include:
- · Main entrance pod (with large communication screen. Here you can access Earth, telescope monitors, and communicate with Deimos).
- · Café/Agro Lab. This is where our geologist will monitor crops and “space fair food” is sold.
- · Sleep pod: Sleep cabinets that induce perfect rest are held here.
- · VR Quarters: Virtual Reality Gaming quarters.
- · Medical Pod
- · Bar pod.
- · Supply Pod
We will likely see short scenes broken down with the individual characters interacting in the various pods. We will make a note that the Supply Pod cannot be opened without a security code. Eventually the 4 non-engineers end up in the Virtual Reality Pod. They play with locations until they make the choice to visit the Grand Canyon. They enjoy the view and are excited about their expedition until they are interrupted by one of the Engineers calling them back to the main pod.
The first Engineer tells them to look at Earth in the telescope monitor and the group views out in horror at an image of a planet in distress.
End of Act 1
More to come! And now that we're starting workshop rehearsals we'll have even more to share!
Thanks for reading friends.