Workshop 1
May 15th-18th, 2015
The workshop began at a rehearsal space provided in part by Breather at 511 West 23rd. After spending two days brainstorming and discussing all things food and the experience of eating, the writers went off to begin drafting their plays and Carla, the first draft of her menu. Then we moved into a townhouse on East 10th Street, provided by TCP friend and supporter, Kathy Cerick. On May 18th, Carla Hall and her Sous Chefs, Tim Ousey and Elle Simone, prepared an exquisite meal so our creative team could taste Carla’s first draft. After the meal we adjourned away from the table to hear very early pages of the playwrights’ work.
We left with a keen understanding of how extraordinary this collaboration was, clear direction how to approach the dramatic structure of the evening, and inspiration generated by the depth and Carla’s meal. We couldn’t wait to get to work putting the pieces together for our next workshop!
An ensemble of actors joined us on May 18th to cold read these early pages. Actors included: Hale Appleman (Smash), David Alan Basche (The Exes), Natalie Venetia Belcon (Avenue Q), Sasha Eden (Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby), Austin Lysy (The Good Wife), Alysia Reiner (Orange is the New Black), and Myra Lucretia Taylor (Girls).
Workshop 2
July 28th-August 7th, 2015
An intensive two-week summer workshop process began on July 28th with a residency at SPACE on Ryder Farm, a non-profit arts organization in Brewster, NY. SPACE provides a retreat outside of the city, for artists to live and develop new work. The Theatrical Culinary Project was awarded a five-day residency at SPACE, where Marlo, Sasha, our writers, and dramaturg, Anne Davison, focused exclusively on script development. Following Ryder Farm we returned to New York City to integrate Carla's menu and food service into the structure of the plays, worked with an ensemble cast, continued script development, rehearsed with our entire team, prepped for a four course meal and reading, and closed with an intimate presentation for a handful of audience members, to assess the impact the immersive experience has on the piece.
Actors that participated in a reading of early pages at The Kitchen Table included: Shyko Amos (An Octoroon), Cassie Beck (The Humans), Sasha Eden (Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby), Edward Furs (Lombardi), Maulik Pancholy (30 Rock), Hubert Point-du-Jour (Happyish), Jenson Smith (The Affair)
Casting by Jack Doulin
