Aaron Trotter's Broadcast Premiere...

It's nice having your playwright also be a prominent Bay Area Radio personality who can utilize the might of his PR machine to whip the mobs into a frenzy and go see a show... or one would hope.

This Friday morning, several cast members (Mary Bishop-Faust, Sara Breindel, Rob Hermann, Z'ev Jenerik & Chris P. Kelly), crew (Maria Jenerik and Holly Metz) and singer-songwriter Megan Slankard joined Peter Finch and his morning crew to broadcast a pre-recorded snippet of the play as well as an in-studio performance of our show's theme song complete with back up vocals and reverb! Oh reverb... dost thou know thy power?


This was my first journey to KFOG having slept in when 2007's "Ahhh! Rosebud" radio appearance with Peter, Z'ev Jenerik, Matt Gunnison, Jason Harding and special appearance by much missed Bay Area radio fixture Dave Morey. The studio is lined with a drool worthy amount of memorabilia and history. However, Peter being Peter, he only drew my attention to his desk which has become a bit of a Thunderbird tribute.

Posters featured from L to R: Ahhh! Rosebud, The Las Vega-Nauts, and Lusty Booty

However, I have the sneaking suspicion that he only put those posters up right before I got there. For all I know, that could normally occupy even more broadcast awards he's received (notice those big honking plaques) or mayhaps the 2009 Pin Up Calendar for the Hottest Dickens-Faire wenches.

I listen to Peter fairly often in the mornings on the way to work but I never had an image of where he edits his terrific fogfiles and his weekend morning news program. So it was nice to get a permanent accurate mental snapshot of where the "magic happens" (my words not Peter's). I shouldn't be suprised that everything was digital and modern but I was a bit disappointed to not see much in the way of analog equipment. The sole hint of the radio broadcast tools of yester-year was one of those large audio reel players tucked in a corner looking as it was collecting dust.

The cast and crew gathered about 30 min before our air-time so we spent that time warming up but mostly listening to Peter talk about what to expect for the novices among us (excluding Megan Slankard who was clearly a pro at this). Another revelation to me was that Z'ev's mother Maria Jenerik worked with Peter at KFOG and Z'ev as a young child would walk around the building. This of course elicited "awww" from several attendees much to the easily embarrassed Z'ev.

We were finally called in around 8:30AM to begin our segment which was in total a little less than 5 minutes but it was a blast simply being in the room with so many Thunderbirds and in a show I listen and enjoy almost every morning. Focus of the banter was between Peter and his colleagues who asked him questions as if he was any guest being interviewed as opposed to the person they've sat with for 5 hours every morning for years. So, I found it particularly hysterical when Peter ended his segment telling his co-workers how much he loved listening to their show straight from the KFOG Guest boilerplate.

After we were done, we said our byes and thanks to Webster, Greg and Renee who were absolutely a wonderful group of people and by far the best looking morning crew I've seen at 8AM in the morning... and I've seen a lot. Kissed a lot of frogs as they say.

And on that note, I've got a few hours to take a nap before I head off to opening night. Dress rehearsal last night was great and I will post pics and video soon.

All for now. More later.
Sang

San Francisco Guardian's Theater Pick

AARON TROTTER AND THE INCIDENT AT BIKINI BEACH
JULY 31 TO AUG 15 2009
THE EXIT THEATER
156 EDDY ST
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
TICKETS: $18-$22
www.thunderbirdtheatre.com
www.brownpapertickets.com
www.sffringe.org
415 289 6766

Seriousness that fails...

Four days til we open our 2009 summer show and people familiar with Thunderbird tech week probably know a little of what we're going through. But more on that later...

Something occurred to me as I set up this bit of promotional web media for the theatre... on the profile section under Birthday, I typed in the first show Thunderbird Theatre ever did back in August 7 1998. However, as soon as I did that, the Blogger protocols kicked me off the site because "no one under the age of thirteen can register a blog with the website". Ludicrous yes for many reasons least of which is that I simply left that field blank thus cleverly bypassing the Mexican Fence level of security Blogger has set up.

However, it did make me realize that this company has only been around for eleven years... young for a human... old for a dog but we're by all accounts still as young, manic, unfocused and immature as the day a bunch of social misanthropic pioneers from Chico State University debuted in a small soon to be condemned theater (Hopefully it's just a coincidence, but we do have a tendency to herald the end of many a theater space in the Bay Area). Flash forward eleven years and we're doing another comedic show that in no reasonable way can be called serious theater... we're in the great spirit of comedy best defined as earnest and serious yet a seriousness that utterly fails.

Still after eleven years... it's amazing how each year is a first for us. If we're fortunate, it's a first time in a good way like picking a finished play months in advance as opposed to weeks in advance. A play where the first draft was written a year ago as opposed to 1 week before the final draft. How about confirming a director who actually sought out the position as opposed to being blackmailed into it? How about a first time where the electricity works. AND MULTIPLE BATHROOMS...THAT WORK?! Oh yes... quite a feathers in our cap this year. And yet, there's even more. But for now, I thought I'd post some pictures of the last few weeks and see how this sausage got made... haha... double entendre...

Director Jeremy Cole and company. Photo by Dana Constance.

Included in this pic are stage manager Holly Metz (whose look of bafflement is a reassuring constant during rehearsals), actors Maria Leigh, Megan Slankard, Dan Kurtz and the top of David Simmons head. Also among us Sara Breindel's son Zach who at some point is going to have long therapy sessions about what he saw. Thanks to Claire Rice for getting us Teatro Esperanza as our rehearsal space when our original space was shut down by the Department of Health. No. Not a exaggeration. The city of Berkeley gave us a Mayor's Proclamation and declared one day in Berkeley, Thunderbird Theatre day back in 2007. The city of San Francisco is constantly trying to get rid of us by condemning places we work, shutting off the power or sic'ing Department of Health officials on us. Also, you wouldn't know it by the fun we're having but 24 hours earlier, the owner of the theater almost died falling through the ceiling.

Annie Kim, Z'ev Jenerik and Peter Finch. Photo by Danielle LF.

The aforementioned rehearsal space BETA version that was closed by the Department of Health. Note that the loose wiring and fire hazard hardly deters from the enthusiasm of the rehearsal process. Another example of our theater's hallucinogenic and emotionally anesthetizing qualities.

Christoper P. Kelly on loan from the Getty. LtoR: Mary Bishop-Faust, Some Guy with a Blue Shirt, Dana Goldberg, Annie Kim and Shay Casey. Photo by Danielle LF.

I honestly couldn't tell you why Chris looks like he's in a Lamase class. Interesting story about that guy in the Blue Shirt but again, that's for another day.

Kai Morrison and Tavis Kammet. Photo by Danielle LF.

Among many talents of Kai Morrison - fight choreographer or mayhem artist as I like to call him, is his ability to break the space time continuum. Seriously. Man beats down on space time like it owes him money.

Shay Casey and Maria Leigh. Photo by Danielle LF.

Shay getting into character and Maria happily obliging him.

Peter Finch. Photo by Danielle LF.

You know what... make your own jokes about the photo in the comment section. I'll announce the winner on the next post.

All for now. More later.
Sang

AARON TROTTER AND THE INCIDENT AT BIKINI BEACH
JULY 31 TO AUG 15 2009
THE EXIT THEATER
156 EDDY ST
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
TICKETS: $18-$22
www.thunderbirdtheatre.com
www.brownpapertickets.com
www.sffringe.org
415 289 6766

Inaugural Post...

Check back soon... musings and updates galore are coming soon.