Our New Years Resolutions. By Artistic Director Katherine Harroff

Katherine Harroff Getting Shit Done.

Hello lovely friends of Circle Circle dot dot.  We hope you are enjoying the crazy Holiday happenings that are forcefully (but with good intention) being shoved down all of our perspective throats.  Don’t get me wrong- I love the Holidays.  I love cookies, and Christmas lights, and probably too much of the music.  But it certainly is impossible to get away from- especially if you aren’t a Holiday person.  So my hope is that all of our fans enjoyed some component of the Holidays, even if they can be annoying.  The spreading joy and love thing is nice.  The pushy consumerism and all of the end-of-the-year donation letters can be a lot.  Are a lot.  We know.  It will all be over soon and we can move on to the next thing to obsess over together.  Might I suggest kittens?  I am quite fond of kittens. 

Anyhoo.  Here we are.  Moving into 2013.  We’re still here!  I’m stoked about it!  But we have a LOT of work to do as a company before CCdd is a legitimate business.  So, we’d like to share with you some of our resolutions and perhaps get you in the groove for some of our up-and-comings, and maybe even inspire you with our hopes and dreams.  Here we go: 

  1. We resolve to build our business backbone in 2013. 

We have been getting a lot of amazing press and recognition for our work.  But this doesn’t mean we have deep pockets.  In fact, sweet friends- we do not have deep pockets.  We are still starting.  We are still working on a shoestring budget that we stretch and stretch and some of us still dig into our own pockets to make this project work.  We have figured out the whole “producing show” thing for the most part.  And we’re getting the hang of the marketing stuff- we can squawk.  But we dream of being a self-sustaining business and we simply aren’t that yet.  2013 is going to be an important year for us to get that ball rolling. 

  2. We resolve to make better shows. 

Not that I don’t love the shows we have already produced- I LOVE everything that Circle has ever done.  It gives me more joy that I can ever express to have this platform and this opportunity to create Community-Inspired Art for you all.  But I do know that there is always room for improvement.  I will be the first person to say- I recognize my own flaws as an artist, and I believe our work has gotten better with every production.  Which means to me, that 2013 will produce even more professional productions- but ones that continue to experiment and remain true to our mission and our cause. 

  3. We resolve to give back more to the communities we invest our time in. 

We connect to all of the groups we create pieces about.  But there is more to be done.  There is more to collaborate on and more to give.  I don’t know what that is yet, but it will happen in 2013. 

  4. We promise to not give up. 

This is not the part of the message where I complain, but I will inform you all that this aint easy stuff to do.  I do not come from money.  I have full-time work outside of Circle, as does all of our Company Members.  We look at this time when we’re working 20-hour days, and we see this time as an investment in our potential future.  It’s hard, it’s worth it, but it’s hard.  We are growing up together, and in some cases re-learning what we want out of being artists. 

But I promise you little Cootie-enthusiasts, my passion for this work has never left me.  I am sticking to this project and if there were ever the day-  I would go down with our ship.  But I gotta tell you, if this ship ever goes down it will be set aflame with fireworks and spectacular glory.  But I don’t see it happening.  Because we’ve got guts, and stamina, and passion, and we WANT this.  And we want you to be there with us every step of the way. 

So 2013 is the end of the amatuer, and the beginning of the future.  2013 is the year we rise and continue to make art that changes perspectives, sparks important conversations, and inspires compassion towards our fellow man.  2013 is gonna be our motherfucking year. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Harroff out.  

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Guest Blog from Company Member Shaun Tuazon!

We are still recovering from closing last weekend and catching up with the Holidays, but Shaun Tuazon wanted to share one last post from "Street. Art. Prophets."  Check it:  

Another show has come and gone! I think this set was one of the most beautiful ones ever created for CCdd. It was so sad to see the beautiful art be painted over, ripped, torn, hammered, and unscrewed away. It's incredible to think what took days to create was completely gone in just a few hours. In any case, we got some beautiful pictures of our production and set and we couldn't be happier with how everything turned out.

Along with the set we had to say goodbye to our beautiful displays of art in the lobby. The artists that inspired our show brought in some incredible pieces to share with our audiences. We also allowed our audiences to create their own graffiti art by tagging our fan wall!

We invited everyone to throw-up their name, art, or message to the cast. It was awesome watching our wall fill up throughout the run! Here are just some of our favorites! 

We've uploaded the rest of the photos of the tag wall on our Facebook. Many thanks to our S. A. P. taggers! Thanks for all the love and support!

- Shaun Tuazon

Why You Should See "Street. Art. Prophets." Before it Closes.

By Glow

Hi all,  

Our little 5-Short-Play production is closing Saturday night at the 10th Ave. Theatre, and we hope you'll make face to give it the closing audiences it deserves. This is our first show of our 2012 season and we are damn proud of it.  Many people came together (yet again) to put their souls into this production and we believe in it.  The stories are honest, and because of our incredible cast and directors- deeply felt.  

While we know this production isn't a Holiday show (and boy have we learned our lesson on what to produce during this season), we think it captures the hope and humanity that connects to the Holiday spirit.  And honestly, wouldn't you want to celebrate the holidays in a theatre listening to rap and learning all about 6 incredible Street Artists instead of at a Walmart?  We certainly would.  

Finally, we hope you see this production because we need you to.  We need audiences in order to continue.  And while our future continues to be bright, and our work will continue whether in a Theatre or in a living room- we simply wouldn't be able to achieve our mission of bringing community together without the community.  

So choose us this weekend over cuddling in the rain...(we know it's tempting.  we wont mind if you cuddle in our theatre), and choose art.  Help us have a future in San Dieo by telling us you want us to be there.  

We love you San Diego.  We love making art in you.  Thank you for reading, and thank you for your time.  

xoxo, 

Circle Circle dot dot.  

Get your tickets at the little orange button on the top right-hand side of this page!

The Zen of Set construction

Patrick Kelly, Technical Director of Circle Circle dot dot talks about the Technical side of Street. Art. Prophets.

7:30am alarm goes off.  8am finally crawl out of bed and run to my day job.  4:30pm leave said day job and head to a rehearsal or a meeting.  11pm finish rehearsal or meeting and head home to work on the website, marketing materials, or study lines till I eventually crash out and do it all over again 3-4 hours later.  This is generally the way the schedule goes for us at Circle Circle dot dot and for me there is one step leading up to Opening Night that breaks the routine that I enjoy most.  Load in! It adds some physical labor and gets the creative juices flowing like nothing else.  Many people work well with clay or paint- I work well with wood, screws, saws and cursing the gods when something drops on my foot.  The chance to walk into a dark empty theater space and use it as a canvas is something I have relished since I started doing theater 17 years ago and it still excites me every time. Though I may look as though I've lost my mind on the outside I find true inner peace in those sawdust, paint and sweat covered late nights.

When we started planning for Street. Art. Prophets. we knew that there would be difficulties on the technical side. But this being our 4th full-length production and we felt prepared.  We had begun to get an understanding of what we were capable of accomplishing with the little time and funding we had and planning was the smoothest it had ever been. What we did not expect was the tragic accident that befell upon our dear friend and set designer Areta Mackelvie.  While she miraculously survived this accident the last thing we wanted to do was burden her with questions about the project. So, with just 2 weeks before we took over the space I knew that we would be flying blind- but that we could get it done.  It is rare at our level to be given the detailed ground plans, side views, and painting instructions you would get at larger more established companies.  So walking in with little more than a rough ground plan sketch wasn't so scary.  

At the production meetings Areta always talked about these trapezoidal leaning walls that would work as both cityscape and cave, a ramp to add levels with an entrance underneath, a projection screen and "schmada"  (her term for junk and clutter) all over the walls and ground. With these ideas lodged in my mind we were able to get the bare wood structure up and in place in a relatively quick manner.

The skeleton Stands

Then came the fun part: decoration.

Everyone lends a hand

This is where our collaborative side really kicked into high gear.  A bit of metal here, a hub cap there, piecing in bits of art from High Tech High here and there. Then cans of paint popped open and everyone involved in the project, led by company member's Shaun Tuazon and Soroya Rowley, all pitched in to fill the vibrate world that now stands in the 10th Avenue Theater.   Like many great street murals we all worked together using our own individual voices to create images that would fill the space.  If there was an empty spot that didn't feel right someone had an idea for it and the inner street artist within them would spring to life adding another image, word, object or chunk of metal to the walls.  With the addition of Bonnie Breckenridge's wonderful lighting design we achieved the gorgeous set you see below.

The final product Photo by: Rich Soublet

I think that in the end we were able to find the balance needed to let our asymmetrical artist wonderland, cave, club house, back alley, construction zone of a set truly come to life.  We couldn't be prouder of the work we did in those two weeks and hope you enjoy the final product.

I would like to give a special thank you to Heather Tiegs who came into help us paint, Bret Young at Diversionary Theatre for the loan of the projection screen, Cygnet Theatre for loaning the projector, Rogeilo for his help constructing the wall frames, and the wonderful high tech high class whose literary themed street art gave us a great base for the walls.  

We have two more weeks of the show and then it all comes down, but I look forward to the next nerve racking load in and another work of art.

Get your tickets to Street. Art. Prophets. Today before they run out!  

An Opening Night Letter of Appreciation from Artistic Director Katherine Harroff

Hi everyone!

In case you didn't know, tonight is Opening Night of our 5-Short-Play Collection "Street. Art. Prophets."  Chances are if you're reading this blog you are connected to our Facebook page, our twitter page, or are friends with someone that is- which means you probably were aware.  Thank you for taking the extra step and wanting to know more about our little company- it means a lot to us.  

Tonight we are *technically* embarking on our second season of show-making!  I don't think I can accurately express how much this means to me, or to our company.  I'm honestly getting emotional just thinking about trying to.  But that might be the lack of sleep talking.  

This piece is something new, well every piece is something new, but this one is different from the other new ones.  We were so incredibly fortunate to have the help of 3 additional Playwrights other than myself writing for this show.  Melissa Coleman-Reed, Delia Knight, and Wind Dell Woods are incredibly talented.  I'm so happy that we have this platform for these artists to work, because they deserve it.  

We also have had the help of some amazing directors and choreographers that worked on each individual piece- Adam Parker, Shaun Tuazon, Blythe Barton, Michael Mizerany, Sam Ginn, and Melissa Coleman-Reed.  This is an unstoppable group of art-makers that have put their hearts into this project without hesitation.  From an outside perspective I was absolutely blown away.  

Our actors- Patrick Kelly, Justin Warren Martin, Brian Burke, Sophia Ethridge, and Soroya Rowley are superhero rock stars that have been sent to our show from heaven.  I love them and if they would let me I would marry them all in some weird hippie-commune set-up where we lived on a farm and had too many cats.  But I’m not sure if they would be into it.  

Our designers and crew- Areta Mackelvie (the death-defying girl-wonder), Evan Kendig, Bonnie Breckenridge, Crystal Brandon, Jon Huckaby, and Mike Brown are some of the most talented and passionate people I have had the chance to work with ever.  I don't know what I did to be so lucky, but if it had provided me the chance to work with all of these incredible people, I had better keep it up.  

But this show would simply not be here if it wasn't for the artists that inspired us to create.  Saratoga Sake, Gloria Muriel, Mark Waylan, Stella Cole, Michael Mahaffey, and one artist that wishes to remain anonymous- you are an inspiration to me deeply.  To me, being a Street Artist means being an artist by any means necessary.  It means that your art will happen, and be seen.  Period.  It means that the convention of climbing the hypothetical art ladder into a gallery is lost on you.  Or maybe it isn't- but it's limited.  Whereas- when you look at the world like as a canvas, it belongs to you.  And hot damn I am inspired by that.  

Last night I got sick with fear and doubt.  This is pretty normal for me when a show is about to open.  There is a good chance I will get sick today and there is a good chance I will watch the show tonight with white knuckles and a stiff back.  I couldn't get to sleep last night until I thought about the artists that inspired our pieces.  They don't need much to make art.  A wall, some paint, an idea.  They don't wait for the critics to shred it, and they don't care if it gets taken down.  They make it, they feel the inspiration and they put it on that wall- and then they walk away knowing that their soul is out there feeding whoever is lucky enough to find its nourishment.  

What an inspiring and beautiful thought.  

I am going to try to take it with me tonight, and throughout the rest of this run.  And I hope that our piece sheds light on that incredible spirit so you can be inspired as well.  

I hope you come to our show friends.  

With love,  

Katherine Harroff

Artistic Director of Circle Circle dot dot

Photo by Rich Soublet