Freshwater Theatre does D&D, Fringe venues new and old, and advice on rejection

This weekend, the director and cast members from Freshwater Theatre's The Gifted Program came to my home to record a podcast. This isn't anything out of the ordinary--I often have people over and we often record podcasts. But this was special, because after recording they played Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, the period appropriate edition for The Gifted Program's 1986 Racine, Wisconsin setting, where the casts' characters play in a Dungeons & Dragons group. I'm sure many reading this are more interested in Freshwater's chili cook-off (winners here), but for the uninitiated, Dungeons & Dragons is a sword and sorcery fantasy role-playing game. One player, the dungeon master, guides the story for the other players, who act out roles in the story. Distilled, it is tabletop theatre. Also not unlike theatre, there is a certain stigma, perhaps even hatred, directed to those who play it. The point of this exercise was to expose the director and actors to not only the joys of the game, but also its frustrations; a player may play a barbarian that can break down doors with his bare hands, but that barbarian may also become hopelessly lost exploring the dungeon of an undead lich bent on his destruction. The dungeon master is a guide, but he also throws obstacles (monsters, traps, and dangerous situations) at players that they may have difficulty overcoming. The session lasted for approximately six hours--almost as if they attended an all-day viewpoints workshop. But from the impressions I received after the session concluded, it was not only enjoyable as a game, but as research that will be drawn upon in performance. So a big hat tip to the dungeon master, Philip Henry, for putting together the game for Freshwater Theatre and acting as their Dungeons & Dragons coach. To news and notes! This Week In Fringe The Minnesota Fringe Festival has announced the 2013 venue line-up, divided into sections of Minneapolis. Uptown: HUGE Improv Theater, Intermedia Arts, Minneapolis Theatre Garage Downtown: New Century Theater, Illusion Theater, The James Sewell Ballet TEK BOX at the Cowles Center, Music Box Theatre, Red Eye Theatre, The Woman's Club of Minneapolis Theatre West Bank: University of Minnesota Rarig Center (3 stages), Mixed Blood Theatre, Southern Theater, Theatre in the Round Players, The Playwrights' Center My first year fringing was 2009, so this festival has a much different feel than my previous experiences. The Gremlin is out as a venue, which means the festival becomes completely Minneapolis-based. The Rarig is also lacking a stage (the Arena is being renovated), and the downtown area has places where I've never attended, let alone fringed. Altogether it has a centralized feel, but I am going to miss the Gremlin and the Bryant Lake Bowl as venues. Losing out on the lone St. Paul space may make the festival more geographically compact, but it also makes the festival seem a little smaller. Keeping the Flame SPUNK is doing well critically and I plan to see it in the next couple weeks, but for those curious about the financial status of Penumbra Theatre, read Sarah Bellamy's rundown at HowlRound, Keeping the Flame. My hope is they have righted the ship and they'll be carried well to 2020 with their current financial plan. The Five Best Talks For Theatre Practitioners I suggest sitting down for the hour it will take to view these talks from Ken Robinson, Elizabeth Gilbert, Patsy Rodenburg, Ben Cameron, and David Binder. Ken Robinson's talk in particular speaks strongly for not only the value of art, but creativity as a way to make us better functioning people. The world is only going to get more strange and complicated, and seeking out ways to provide for our young people's creative development will help them react to future situations we haven't even begun to fathom. "If your script is truly awesome, it will eventually find a home." Here are 4 reasons why your play was rejected. I've never submitted a play, so I don't know that specific cutting edge of rejection, but the advice herein is straightforward. If I ever choose to write and solicit a play, I'll take this article to bed at night and read it in hushed tones to comfort myself as the rejection letters came in. I would like to submit a 5th, inspired by this article by David Cameron, who took a story published in The New Yorker and submitted it to other literary magazines (including The New Yorker) and was summarily rejected by each: name does matter, even when what you write is great. Speaking of Steeling Yourself Against Rejection Callam Rodya (possibly the coolest name I've ever run across) posted these 32 career lessons for actors that you don't learn during academic training. My favorite? "The stage manager always works much harder than you. And technically, you work for him/her, not the other way around." Do you have any favorites or additions that you wish you'd been told before setting forth on your acting journey? Submitted Without Comment Find The Things You're Most Passionate About, Then Do It On Nights And Weekends For The Rest Of Your Life. --- That's it for this week! If you have feedback or comments on any of the articles above, or suggestions for future blog and news items, please leave them in the comments or e-mail me at [email protected].