SF Olympians

Join us for the official release party of the first collection of plays from the San Francisco Olympians Festival! The party will happen at the Exit Theater, home of the festival, in San Francisco, and starts at 9 PM on Thursday, June 7th!

“Songs of Hestia” edited by Stuart Bousel and Marissa Skudlarek, will feature an introduction by Skudlarek and five fantastic plays from year one of the festival: “Juno En Victoria” by Stuart Bousel, “Hermes” by Bennett Fisher, “Aphrodite” by Nirmala Nataraj, “Hephaestus and the Golden Robots” by Evelyn Jean Pine, “Demeter’s Daughter” by Claire Rice.

We’ll have some complimentary treats at the party, and the bar will be available for purchasing beverages to toast our fantastic publishers, Exit Press, and our authors, who will be in attendance to sign copies (which will be available for purchase) and perform a selection or two from their work.

Don’t miss this chance to be part of a major milestone in the continuing rise of the Olympians Festival!

Can’t make the event but want a copy of the book? It’s already available on Amazon.com!

http://www.amazon.com/Songs-Hestia-Francisco-Olympians-Festival/dp/0977468453/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337637619&sr=8-1

Get your copy today!

No Nude Men Productions Presents

SAN FRANCISCO OLYMPIANS FESTIVAL III: TITANS VS. OLYMPIANS

A 12 night collection of 24 new plays exploring the tension between the Titan and Olympian families of ancient Greek mythology.

www.sfolympians.com

tickets are $10.00 at the door

Exit Theater, San Francisco (156 Eddy Street)

December 5 @ 8 PM
HESTIA by James Kierstead
DIONYSUS by Lily Janiak

December 6 @ 8 PM
MNEMOSYNE AND THEMIS by Susan Sobeloff & Larissa Archer
ATHENA by Roberta D’Alois & Marilyn Harris Kriegel

December 7 @ 8 PM
PHOEBE AND THEIA by Amy Clare Tasker
APHRODITE by Marissa Skudlarek

December 8 @ 2 PM
IAPETUS by Neil Higgins
HERMES by Kirk Shimano

December 8 @ 8 PM
PROMETHEUS by Jeremy Cole
HEPHAESTUS by Colin Johnson

December 12 @ 8 PM
COEUS AND CRIOS by Evelyn Jean Pine
HADES by Robert Cooper & Benji Cooper

December 13 @ 8 PM
TETHYS by Meg O’Connor
DEMETER by Patricia Milton

December 14 @ 8 PM
OCEANUS by Evan Winchester
POSEIDON by Bridgette Portman

December 15 @ 2 PM
ATLAS by Charles Lewis III
ARES AND ERIS by Claire Rice

December 15 @ 8 PM
HYPERION by Seanan Palmero and Clint Winder
ARTEMIS AND APOLLO by Stuart Eugene Bousel

December 19 @ 8 PM
RHEA by Maria Leigh
HERA by Barbara Jwanouskos

December 20 @ 8 PM
CRONUS by Christian Simonsen
ZEUS by Megan Cohen

OLYMPIANS III: Call for Directors

The Olympians Festival is accepting letters of interest from directors between January 15 and February 15, 2012. Please note that as a reading festival, Olympians III is focused on the playwright’s creation process and the development of new work.

Directors will be selected and contacted by the individual participating playwrights, not assigned by the Festival.

To be considered by the 2012 Olympians III playwrights, please email the following information with the subject line “Olympians III director – YOUR NAME” to amy@amyclaretasker.com by midnight on February 15, 2012. Letters of interest will only be accepted by email.

Letter of Interest Guidelines:
1. Please provide your name, phone number, and email address.
2. What does new play development mean to you as a director?
3. Are there any myths in this year’s line-up that are
particularly exciting to you? OR Why is Greek mythology exciting to you?
4. Have you ever participated in the Olympians Festival before? If yes, please list your involvement.
5. Your resume (optional)

Please do not exceed one page with elements 1-4, and please send all your information as one document (.doc or .pdf). Thank you!
In your email to Amy, please include the line: “I understand that directing a reading in the festival is a volunteer project.”

The readings will take place on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights between December 5 and 22, 2012. Exact details of each play’s rehearsal schedule will be worked out between individual playwrights and directors.

Additional dates to be aware of are as follows:
Wednesday, June 6 at 7 PM- DIRECTORS MEETING
Sunday, October 14 at 6- WRITERS & DIRECTORS MEETING
Sunday, November 4 AUDITIONS
Monday, November 5 AUDITIONS
Saturday, December 1, OPENING PARTY

We hope to see you soon on Olympus!

We are happy to announce that next year’s roster of writers has been chosen and we’re looking forward to seeing what they come up with as Titans take on Olympians in San Francisco Olympians Festival III: Titans vs. Olympians!

The run down is (in alphabetical order):

APHRODITE by Marissa Skudlarek
ATLAS by Charles Lewis III
ARES AND ERIS by Claire Rice
ARTEMIS AND APOLLO by Stuart Eugene Bousel
ATHENA by Roberta D’Alois & Marilyn Harris Kriegel
COEUS AND CRIOS by Evelyn Jean Pine
CRONUS by Christian Simonsen
DEMETER by Patricia Milton
DIONYSUS by Lily Janiak
HADES by Robert Cooper & Benji Cooper
HEPHAESTUS by Colin Johnson
HERA by Barbara Jwanouskos
HERMES by Kirk Shimano
HESTIA by James Kierstead
HYPERION by Seanan Palmero and Clint Winder
IAPETUS by Neil Higgins
MNEMOSYNE AND THEMIS by Susan Sobeloff & Larissa Archer
OCEANUS by Evan Winchester
PHOEBE AND THEIA by Amy Clare Tasker
POSEIDON by Bridgette Portman
PROMETHEUS by Jeremy Cole
RHEA by Maria Leigh
TETHYS by Meg O’Connor
ZEUS by Megan Cohen

Congratulations to all our writers, and many thanks to the 51 writers who submitted 111 proposals to the festival this year- a record high for us!

We are now accepting submissions for the 2012 San Francisco Olympians Festival, a multi-discipline, nationally recognized new works theater festival based at the Exit Theater in San Francisco!

Proposals due by midnight on November 30th, with the line-up for next year’s festival to be announced 12/12/2011. Our first meeting will be in January of 2012.

The festival will take place in December of 2012, from December 5-December 22, Wedesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday …nights.

Each night of the festival will consist of the staged reading of two plays, an “Olympians Play” and a “Titan play”, both one acts (60 minutes or less), by different writers (or groups of writers). Audiences will vote on their favorite play each night, declaring either an Olympian or a Titan a winner. All participating writers will receive a portion of their box office, with the winner of each night of the festival receiving an additional prize and possible publication.

There are no submission fees. The Olympians Festival is non-exclusive and does not retain ownership of any play created for it, beyond the initial staged reading. Participating writers should be local and will be expected to help promote the festival and contribute a raffle prize of their choosing to be raffled off on the night their play is read.

Writers are encouraged to submit as many proposals as they like, and can work in pairs or teams of three or more. Proposals should be 500 words or less and answer three questions:

1) Why you?
2) Why this god/titan?
3) What your idea is.

All proposals should be submitted electronically to Stuart at sfolympians@gmail.com.

2012′s subjects are as follows. Only one is currently claimed and submissions are currently welcome for all:

WEEK 1: The War Begins At Home

HESTIA: goddess of fire, the hearth, cooking, home, peace, gave up her throne to Dionysus.
DIONYSUS: god of wine, vineyards, revelry, theater, madness, took the throne of Hestia.

ATHENA: virgin goddess of wisdom, strategy, craftsmanship, artists.
MNEMOSYNE & THEMIS: titanesses; goddess of the memory, mother of the Muses; goddess of law, reason and good council.

APHRODITE: goddess of beauty, love, sex, wife of Hephaestus, lover of Ares, mother of Eros.
PHOEBE & THEIA: the twin titanesses of light, illumination, beauty; they crafted the chariots of the Sun and the Moon.

PROMETHEUS: god of foresight, creator of mankind, bringer of fire, god of humanism. (CLAIMED)
HEPHAESTUS: lame god of smiths, tools, mechanics, work, husband of Aphrodite.

WEEK 2: The Turning of the Tide

HERMES: god of commerce, trickery, travelers, math, money, thieves, communication.
IAPETUS: titans, god of intelligence, invention; father of Atlas and Prometheus.

HADES: king of the underworld, god of riches, minerals, hidden things, invisibility, doorways.
CREOS & COEUS: titan twins, virtually forgotten, banished to Tartarus after the war of the Titans.

DEMETER: goddess of farming, orchards, harvests, food. Sister of Hera and Hestia.
TETHYS: wife of Oceanus, goddess of the deep ocean, lost ships, secrets, cold.

POSEIDON: brother of Zeus, god of the sea, horses, storms, earthquakes.
OCEANUS: a titan, god of the open ocean, continuity, inevitability, cycles.

Week 3: The Great Battle

ARES & ERIS: gods of war, son and daughter of Zeus and Hera.
ATLAS: strongest of the titans, leader during the war of the Titans, holds the sky on his back.

ARTEMIS & APOLLO: The twins; goddess of hunting, wild animals, maidenhood; god of masculine excellence, archery, music, prophecy.
HYPERION: titan leader, second only to Chronus; god of brilliance, father of the Sun, Moon and Dawn.

HERA: queen of the gods, goddess of marriage, womanhood, family, domestic animals.
RHEA: her mother, wife of Chronus, goddess of resurrection, healing, mercy.

ZEUS: king of the gods, god of thunder, lightning, rain, fertility, justice, power.
CHRONUS: his father, king of the titans, god of time, retribution, legacy and numbers.

OCTOBER 1: OPENING PARTY at CAFE ROYALE at 8 PM!

THE FESTIVAL BEGINS OCTOBER 6 at THE EXIT THEATER at 8 PM!

All tickets are $10.00 in cash at the door, and are sold the night of the show. You do not need a reservation for these readings, but we encourage getting there early to ensure a good seat. Doors open at 7:30 the night of each reading.

WEEK ONE (Thursday, Friday, Saturday): STAR-SPANGLED HEROES

October 6: HERACLES AND THE THINGS HE’S KILLED by Team Thunderbird (Bryce Allemann, Dana Constance, Kathy Hicks, Sang Kim, Kai Morrison), directed by Kai Morrison
The story of Heracles receives a few much-needed corrections from the only man who would know: his twin brother. You knew he had one, right?

October 7: HUNTER AND HUNTED

Orion by Meg Cohen, directed by Claire Rice
Joe “Orion” Ryan is a neo-noir cop drama set in the landscape of gritty
1970s cinema classics, where the men wear moustaches and the women wear
guns.

Canis Major by Claire Rice, directed by Claire Rice
It’s the dog days of summer ,and man’s best friend is a beat poet.

Scorpio by Seanan Palmero, directed by Claire Rice
Good old fashioned revenge and new age technology clash as Scorpio, an embittered short order cook, and Antares, his smart phone, track Orion through the desert.

October 8: PERSEID SHOWER

Perseus by Bryce Duzan, directed by Bryce Duzan
A warrior and a prince fight against royalty, society, and the gods themselves to defend their love for each other.

Andromeda Bound by Helen Noakes, directed by Stuart Bousel
When a hero meets a damsel in distress, bondage takes on a whole new meaning.

Pegasus by Daniel Heath, directed by Stuart Bousel
Pegasus and Bellerophon must defeat the Chimera, but can a legend really die?

Cetus by Kirk Shimano, directed by Stuart Bousel
It’s just your average, ordinary high school reunion for mythical whales.

Cassiopeia by Christian Simonsen, directed by Stuart Bousel
It’s not easy being a beautiful queen and a loving mother… so Cassiopeia chose one out of two.

WEEK TWO (Thursday, Friday, Saturday): LORDS OF LIGHT

October 13: Uranus by Evelyn Jean Pine, directed by Rik Lopes
1956. Rock and roll is tearing apart The First Family of Country Music. Mama kinda likes it, but Daddy’s agin it, and the boys are ready to rip everything apart.

October 14: Chronus by Bennett Fisher, directed by Jessica Holt
A play about how we make gods and monsters out of our politicians.

October 15: A DAY IN THE LIGHT OF…

Hyperion to a Saytr by Stuart Bousel, directed by Stuart Bousel
A romantic comedy meditation on status, glamour and identity in post-modern San Francisco where status has become the ultimate goal and lifestyle has very little to do with what’s important in life.

Eos by Kendra Arimoto, directed by Stuart Bousel
True love? Check. Immortality? Check. Eternal Youth? F*@$k.

Nyx by David Duman, directed by Stuart Bousel
Before there was Earth, there was Night. She hasn’t left since.

WEEK THREE (Thursday, Friday, Saturday): FAMILY AFFAIRS

October 20: Gemini by Tom Darter, directed by Karen Hogan
An overly ambitious trope on Plautus and The Comedy of Errors: It has three sets of twins! That’s right: three! Plus: Zeus (King of the Gods) and Hera (Queen of the Gods)! More fun than humanly possible!

October 21: FALLING STARS

Icarus by Jeremy Cole, directed by Jeremy Cole
In this tale of two Icaruses – one mythical, one actual – the sky is (quite literally) the limit.

Phaethon by Ashley Cowan, directed by Ashley Cowan
Tortured by talent, the reality of time passing, and the need to be forever remembered, steer this story of Phaeton; a one act about a boy trying to find his place among the stars.

Eosphosphorus by Sean Kelly, directed by Claire Rice
Things get explosive when the Night demands Eosphosphorus either stop his tilting at windmills or start looking for a new place to live.

Hard Pack by Lise Catherine Miller, directed by Lise Catherine Miller
The rivalry between partners of a snowplow dealership in the snowy Northeast reaches epic proportions.

Zephyrus by Neil Higgins, directed by Claire Rice
A love triangle and sibling rivalry lurk the halls of a British university with dangerous results.

Hesperus by Claire Rice, directed by Claire Rice
An uneasy peace comes to a breaking point on the boundary between heaven and hell.

October 22: Pleiades by Marissa Skudlarek, directed by Liz Anderson
It’s 1971 and the seven daughters of an industry titan are caught between the patriarchal past and the feminist future.

WEEK FOUR (Thursday, Friday, Saturday): LADIES OF THE NIGHT

October 27: Someone Like The Moon by Nirmala Nataraj, directed by Amy Clare Tasker
Memories, dreams, premonitions, gods and mortals intersect in a Northern California facility for Alzheimer’s patients.

October 28: ORBITING JUPITER
Metis by Maria Leigh, directed by Emlyn Guiney
How does a relationship alter the identity of the individual? How does a cycle get broken and at what cost? Can anything good come from swallowing your wife?”

Io by Christian Simonsen, directed by Emlyn Guiney
What happens to a mortal woman when she reaches an age where legends no longer have a use for her?

Europa by Claire Rice, directed by Neil Higgins
She’s been carried away by the man of her dreams, but who is he by the light of day?

Leda by Kirk Shimano, directed by Neil Higgins
Who knew bestiality could be so educational?

Callisto by Seanan Palmero, directed by Neil Higgins
Artemis and Zeus are treed by an angry bear.

Ganymede by Neil Higgins, directed by Neil Higgins
A Republican Senator and his new aide discover controversial feelings for each other and the senator must choose between his longings and his political ambitions.

Elara and Himalia by Alison Luterman, directed by Emlyn Guiney
When you’re a wife of Zeus your duty isn’t just to him, but his new wife too.

October 29: You’re Going To Bleed by M.R. Fall, directed by Julia Heitner
Question: What do Hecate, Copland’s Hoe-Down, a bunch of horse references, and your period have in common? Answer: This play.

The phenomenal acting company includes:

Teresa Attridge, Maggie Ballard, Timothy Beagley, Jerry Blair, Tonyanna Borkovi, Sara Briendel, Megan Briggs, Xanadu Bruggers, Nick Brunner, Kirsten Broadbear, Kat Bushnell, Sarah Rose Butler, Brianna Calabrese, Tony Cirimele, Megan Cohen, Benji Cooper, Robert Cooper, Kevin Copps, Lisa Darter, Tom Darter, Elijah Diamond, Nicholas Dickson, Siobhan Doherty, Julianna Egley, Alisha Ehrlich, Maria Fe Picar, Rachel Ferensowicz, Jeff Fisher, Myron Freedman, Jan Gilbert, Kelley B. Greer, Maro Guevera, Matt Gunnison, Anne Hallinan, Maura Halloran, Eric Hannan, John Lennon Harrison, Neil Higgins, Dashiell Hillman, Travis Howse, Michelle Jasso, Colin Johnson, Dan Kurtz, Stewart Kramar, Charles Lewis III, Carl Lucania, Jennifer Lucas, Jan Marsh, Brian Martin, Gabrielle Motarjemi, Kai Morrison, Tonya Narvaez, Meg O’Connor, Karen Offereins, Allison Page, Sunil Patel, Allison Payne, Jason Pienkowski, Keshuv Prasad, Chris Quintos, Shane Rhodes, Brant Rotnem, Cynthia Roberts, Stacy Sanders, Sarah Savage, Leigh Shaw, Lauren Spencer, Analisa Svehaug, Brian Thomen, Leota Tisdel Rhodes, Nicholas Trengove, Vahishta Vafadari, Richard Wenzel, Lily Yang

ALL SHOWS BEGIN AT 8 PM at THE EXIT THEATER (156 Eddy Street, San Francisco)

The San Francisco Olympians Festival kicks off this year’s theater and art awesomeness with our first official, open to the world, we have food and everything, OLYMPIANS FESTIVAL OPENING PARTY!

Saturday, October 1, 8 PM at the Cafe Royale (800 Post Street, San Francisco)

Dress to impress (or in a toga) and come join us at the Cafe Royale, favored stomping ground of the San Francisco Theater Pub, for free food by Mezes (www.mezessf.com) and a pay-for-it-yourself bar, a sneak peak at this year’s incredible a…rray of new work from San Francisco’s best and brightest playwrights, and the unveiling of the astounding new art work that has been generated for this year’s festival! It’s a fine art/performance art/literary/intelligentsi​a extravaganza made up entirely of local glitterati and you don’t want to miss it! There may even be a prize or two!

The party is free, though donations to the festival will be happily accepted if you want to make one (we’ll have an urn or something). Much more important- please come and celebrate the work of all the people who spent a year bringing this together!

The artwork will remain on display at the Cafe Royale for the month of October and includes pieces by Christopher Bauman, Molly Benson, Liz Conley, Emily C. Martin, Brett Grunig, Chelsea Harper, Kelly McClellen, Adam Miller, Cody Rishell, Celeste Shulte, Gintah Tran.

The sneak peak will be a smashing twelve minute mega-preview of this year’s plays by Bryce Allemann, Kendra Arimoto, Stuart Bousel, Megan Cohen, Jeremy Cole, Dana Constance, Ashley Cowan, Tom Darter, David Duman, Bryce Duzan, M.R. Fall, Bennett Fisher, Daniel Heath, Kathy Hicks, Neil Higgins, Sean Kelly, Sang Kim, Maria Leigh, Alison Luterman, Lise Catherine Miller, Kai Morrison, Nirmala Nataraj, Helen Noakes, Seanan Palmero, Evelyn Jean Pine, Claire Rice, Kirk Shimano, Christian Simonsen, Marissa Skudlarek.

The festival itself begins performances October 6th, playing Thursday, Friday and Saturday for the next month. All performances are at 8 PM, at the Exit Theater, and cost a mere $10.00 (attend four, see the fifth one for free!). Reservations not necessary but more information of press requests can be sent to sfolympians@gmail.com.

We’re proud to say that a second Olympians 2010 show has made it to the stage! Wily West Productions will open “Juno En Victoria”, the new title of last year’s Hera play. The cast features the same director and four out of six returning cast members from the workshop production.

Wily West Productions
Laylah Muran, Executive Producer
Morgan Ludlow, Producing Director

Presents

JUNO EN VICTORIA

STAGE WERX
533 Sutter Street
San Francisco

written by Stuart Eugene Bousel
directed by Claire Rice

– Featuring -

KAT BUSHNELL, BRYCE DUZAN, TRAVIS HOWS, MICHELLE JASSO, CELESTE RUSSI, KALINDA WANG

An English country estate in the high Victorian era, the Goddesses Hera and Hestia are a pair of wealthy sisters semi-retired to pastoral bliss and boredom. The story revolves around the imminent marriage of Hebe, daughter of Zeus and Hera, to Heracles. Taking its cue from the novels of Austen, Forster, Waugh and Thackery, JUNO EN VICTORIA is a new tragicomedy about the secret lives of Victorian women. Funny, sad, and ultimately haunting this period piece pays homage to the parlor dramas of a bygone era.

Tickets $24
TIX BOOTH UNION SQUARE

More info here: www.wilywestproductions.com