Stahw Pu Htiw Prom?! (What's Up With Morp?)

This Friday is a very big day for Circle Circle dot dot.  All the hard work and planning will come together as we host our first-annual "Morp" Fundraiser.  There has been a lot of excitement and questions about what to expect when you show up to the Space 4 Art on Friday night- and we are using this blog to answer all those questions the best way we know how- entertainingly!  

1. What is a "Morp"?  

A Morp is a backwards Prom.  This means it is happening in the fall, instead of the spring- intentionally.  And the only way to win Morp King & Queen to to dress the opposite of what you would for a prom.  Just to give you an idea- some of the Circle company members already have their attire planned out- Boys are wearing dresses, girls are wearing mustaches, and everyone is trying to out-do each other as much as possible.  The weirder the better!  We created a couple of commercials to help guide you and this one in particular captures the spirit of it:  

Wear what you want- but be creative!  Wave your freak flag high!  

2. What should I expect at the event?  

Besides a lot of crazy art kids ready to have a great time- much more.  

*We are planning a killer drawing that will feature amazing prizes like tickets to local shows, dinners at awesome restaurants, massages, photo packages, and some silly fun with Circle!  

*Speaking of photography, the incredible Rich Soublet will be present to snap you in your fab attire so you can always remember the fun you had at Morp!  Check out Rich's site for a little preview of what he is capable of HERE!.  

*We will have lots of cheap (but good- we ain't feeding you Miller High Life) Beer and Wine and eats for you to take advantage of.  With the price of your ticket- this will still be a cheaper night out than going to any local bar- PLUS you get to enjoy eats from two of the coolest food trucks in San Diego: 

Delicioso Food Truck AND Crazy Wheel

Both will be present- helping to make "Morp" your one-stop-total-fun-kinda-night....hyphen.  

*Finally!  We have not one but TWO local bands AND a DJ to help you boogie down all night!  The bands featured are the "We Forget and "The Parakeets"- lead by the amazing Company Member Soroya Rowley singing some of your favorite cover songs to get down to.  Here is a little peek of Soroya practicing with the band: 

There will be lots to see and enjoy in the beautiful Space 4 Art- inside and out.  We are working our butts off to keep you full, keep you entertained, and to give you your money's worth!  

Inside glimpse at Space 4 Art: 

Outside Stage Where the bands will wail!: 

Map for parking: 

*Why do I want to go to Morp?  

Because!  Not only will you be enjoying yourself to the Max, doing what you normally do on a great night out- drinking, partying, eating, and dancing the night away- but you will be helping Circle Circle dot dot get to do what they love to do- put on exciting experimental Community-Based original Theatre!  We had our very first read-though of our next play "Ragnarok" Monday night, and we know it is going to require a lot of creativity.  We are up to the challenge, and Morp is going to help us make it happen.  

So come!  Bring ALL of your friends!  Have fun, and we'll be there rocking out with you!  

Buy Tickets HERE, or show up at the door!  If you are coming from a show- make sure to ask for our "Working Actor" discount because we want you here too!  

Check out the rest of our commercials to get you in the mood!: 

CCdd's LARPing Adventure!

Thanks to our new LARPing pal Aaron, (and the person who the majority of our next show is based off of), we got to do some in-person research for "Ragnarok!"  We'll let these videos speak for themselves: 

We are so excited for this play.  And for those of you that don't know, our entire purpose behind hosting the "Morp" is to help raise the funds that will make this show really something special.  So get your tickets today and make our dreams of giant puppets, killer costumes, and amazing scenery come true! 

'Circle Abroad': A Company Member's Quest For Higher Education Pt. 2

Here is more from brave Ashley who survived Hurricane Irene with the same gusto that San Diego survived the great black-out of 2011! 

Oh hey CCdd peeps!  I'm still plugging away out here in Boston.

School started this week!  My first 2 classes are Fundraising and Grant Writing for Nonprofits and The Art World.  I can already tell that this program will be incredibly valuable not only for me and my future but the future of CCdd as well.  I'll be learning practical information concerning the theater and non-profit art world.  My major assignment for my grant writing class will be to find and write a real grant application that will eventually be submitted.  I'm hoping that i'll be able to use Circle Circle dot dot as my "pet organization" for this assignment, as well as my internship!

I have my orientation to the program this weekend.  It seems like the department is growing quickly and everyone in it is very close knit.  They even have monthly "pub nights" where everyone grabs a beer together after class.  I'm looking forward to meeting a lot of great people and making some interesting connections.  There is a large art community in Boston, although I miss San Diego terribly I know that being here will be important for me to grow and develop.  Although I do look forward to visiting in the winter to get away from the snow!

I'm still searching for a job, so everyone send me your good thoughts to find one soon!!

 Other than that I'm managing to learn my way around the city.  I've also settled in to my new house.  The neighborhood is somewhat less than desirable since it is mostly undergrad students, but we've managed to make our home adorable nonetheless.  I'm ready for visitors anytime!!!

xoxo

Ashley

Morp poster evolution.

We at Circle have so many things to be stoked about.  Our Trolley Dances installation project is coming along nicely.  Through it we have been able to work with new artists and explore new ideas.  The LARPer play has been named (to be revealed)- and the script is evolving nicely with the help of our Collaborative Director- the very talented Steve Schmitz.  Both of these projects are keeping us busy and in a constant creative mindset.  We are lucky. 

We are also pretty stoked on our Morp event.  We are getting together some really great prizes, musical guests, decorations- and of course our very own Backwards Prom attire.  But sometimes it's really challenging to capture the spirit of an event in poster art.  How do you tell your audiences that "this event is going to be funky, fun, kooky, and unlike anything else in San Diego"?  Sometimes the right advertising image is what makes or breaks an event- and we definetly went through an evolution of designs before we came to a place where we felt comfortable....maybe.  Maybe next week we'll change our minds.  Check out the three designs that were explored: 

Take 1:

  

This idea was simple.  Polar bears fighting turned into Polar Bears dancing.  And also crowned King and Queen of Morp.  Poppy colors....and weird.  Like the event?  Yeah... it didn't make any sense, or really define what the event was- so now it's trashed.  But aren't they cute?

Take 2:

 

This one probably makes more sense.  Two classic kids getting ready for prom- manipulated with heads to suggest to those interested in coming that they can come as whatever they want.  But.  It didn't quite come out the way we wanted it to.  It's too messy- there is too much going on.  And on a site like facebook- where we are listing the event, it looks like nothing.  Basically, this took a long time and turned out like crap.  Hurray for trial and error.

And finally: 

 

So, ok- who is the ultimate representation of the anti-prom?  That's right ladies and gentlemen- Carrie.  And she is now the star of our Morp Poster.  This is a fun and funky pop-culture reference- (for those of you who don't understand what "dirty pillows" are- take a stroll over to youtube and look it up- it's worth it).  The colors will NOT BE IGNORED! (Another evil woman classic movie reference- anyone?)  If you were walking down the street and saw this in the window of a record store...well, you might stop to look twice.  You might call up your friends and say "Hey!  We have GOT to go to this weird thing!"  And then you'd find yourself at Space 4 Art on September 30th having the time of your life. 

That's what we're hoping for. 

Hope you enjoyed that little stoll into the evolution of the Morp Poster.  Stay tuned for more info on musical acts and costume/raffle prizes.  And get your tickets!  This event is going to rule.  Carrie and her Dirty Pillows guarantees it. 

Music Requests!

We have a little over a month to plan for our sure-to-be epic "Morp" event, and we need your help!  We need to know what some of the most kickin'-est tunes are out there, and what YOU want to hear when you go to an adult-costume-dance-party-extravaganza! 

So, on either our facebook page or in the comments of our blog please give us the low-down on what the hippity-hippest music you young whippersnappers are listening to right now, or what nostalgic tunes really get you in the mood for fun by answering two simple questions: 

1. What is a song that you can't help getting down to- even if you are alone?

2. What is a song that makes your heart happy?- This can be a slow song!

That's all!  Help us out in making our event rock the night away!