Three Little Dumplings Go Bananas!

Threshold is thrilled to announce that its production Three Little Dumplings Go Bananas will debut at The Bay One-Acts Festival on April 22, 2012. Learn more at: www.bayoneacts.org.

In the Threshold This Summer!

Threshold is very excited to announce two new development projects in the works with Ben Fisher and Megan Cohen. Threshold is spending the summer thinking about information technology, governmental transparency, power, Martin McDonough, Pinter, domestic fables, absurdism, Durang, Churchill, female-centered narratives, dumplings and much much more! Look for these fantastic new plays to find their way to the stage in Spring and Summer 2012!

Pure Baltic Avenue Rocks BOA!

Pure Baltic Avenue by Threshold associate artist Bennett Fisher and directed by Core Member Alex Curtis was a huge success at BOA X. A big thank you to cast members Nick Allen, Chris Quintos, Marie O'Donnell, Sam Richie, and Cooper Carlson for their delicious work!

The Huffington Post loved the play. You can read more about what cultural arts writer George Heymont had to say about it HERE


Nick Allen as "Irving," Cooper Carlson as "Breckenridge", and Chris Quintos as "Conway." Photo by Clay Robeson

Sam Richie as "Dewitt", Nick Allen as "Irving" and Cooper Carlson as "Breckenridge." Photo by Clay Robeson


It's all out "cele-fuckin-bration" at the end of the play. All cast members PLUS all of the cast members of BOA X rush the audience!

To see more pictures, please click HERE.
Photo by Clay Robeson.

Threshold at BOA X

We are very excited to announce that Threshold will take part of the Bay One Acts Festival for the third time! We are thrilled to be part of BOA's 10th anniversary year.

Co-founder Alex Curtis will direct Threshold Associate Artist Bennett Fisher's very funny farce PURE BALTIC AVENUE. When mortgage fraud scheme turns into a clockwork frenzy, three suits struggle to get rich and escape unscathed. It's a simple premise, really.

Rehearsals for PURE BALTIC AVENUE start this weekend and we are really looking forward to beginning the process. We have a bang-up cast featuring Nick Allen, Samuel Richie, Marie O'Donnell, Chris Quintos, and Threshold Associate Artist Cooper Carlson.

BOA X opens March 6 at the Boxcar Theatre in San Francisco. Complete program and ticket information can be found at www.bayoneacts.org.

See you at the theater!

TERRORiSTKA burns brightly to the end

It's been a little more than 2 weeks since Terroristka closed and the Thresholders are still feeling the glow. What an incredible process, a beautiful production, and a memorable journey.

Thank you to all who made our first full-length production possible. We could not have done it with out you.

Threshold is so happy to say that we played to capacity houses throughout the run and that we covered all of our costs and paid all of our artists. More than that, we grew our community -- both artists and audience.

The Thresholders are also very excited about the next steps for Threshold. We have a number of announcements about our upcoming projects that we will make shortly.

Until then...still enjoying the afterglow.

Photo by Clay Robeson. Picture above from clockwise from left to right: Addie Ulrey, Alison Ostendorf, Molly Holcomb, Andy Strong, Geof Libby, Kate Jopson, Jessica Holt, Adrienne Krug, Sarah Rose Butler, and Alex Curtis

TERRORiSTKA Production Photos

Threshold is super duper stoked about the new production photos taken by Clay Robseon of TERRORiSTKA which just closed yesterday to a sold-out house, a standing ovation and a shower of rose petals.

To see the full album, click on

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=183691&id=266343120736&ref=mf

The Passion of TERRORiSTKA

Threshold presents the World Premiere of the heartbreaking poetic docudrama TERRORiSTKA by Rebecca Bella, directed by Jessica Holt.

April 30 - May 16, 2010

The Berkeley City Club Theatre

2315 Durant Avenue

Berkeley, CA 94704

For more photos: CLICK HERE

All photos by Clay Robeson.
If you use these photos anywhere, please credit photography.ClayRobeson.net.

No reprinting without written permission.

TERRORiSTKA ignites the stage April 30th - May 16

The clock is ticking. It is just a matter of weeks until Threshold’s World Premiere of the heartbreaking poetic docudrama TERRORiSTKA by Rebecca Bella, directed by Jessica Holt, ignites the stage.

*****

TERRORiSTKA marks Threshold’s inaugural production as a fully self-producing theatre company. After producing seven critically-embraced and audience-adored plays at festivals over the last two years, Threshold is thrilled to make its solo debut at the Berkeley City Cub, April 30^th – May 16^th, 2010.

TERRORiSTKA tells the true story of a young Chechen woman who attempts to flee her war-ravaged country by joining a rebel faction that trains her as a suicide bomber. As the play tracks this woman’s journey from the Caucasus mountains to the crowded streets of Moscow, it contemplates her passage from innocence to menace and finally to an understanding of her own tragedy. On a broader scale, it examines how young people can become entangled in violence and enable the conflicts that destroy their lives. This expressionist drama is an important examination of the psychology of suicide bombers, as well as a serious meditation on women’s involvement in war.

******

TERRORiSTKA began five years ago when Rebecca Bella was on a Fulbright Scholarship in St. Petersburg, Russia. While there, Rebecca discovered the story of 22 year-old Zarema Muzhakhoyeva who was captured by Russian police after she refused to carry out her suicide mission and walked away from a bomb in front of a crowded café. Because the bomb she had abandoned killed an FSB operative assigned to disarm it, Zarema was tried as a criminal in Russian court. And a very rare narrative was revealed: the testimony of a suicide bomber. Rebecca was drawn to Zarema’s story and a play was born.

Three years later, the play found SF-based theatre director Jessica Holt, and her company Threshold. With Jessica at the helm, Threshold welcomed the project of further developing TERRORiSTKA for the stage.

Now, TERRORiSTKA is on the brink of gorgeous theatrical realization! A multidisciplinary theatrical event, combining verse, song, choreography and visual art, this beautifully moving play examines terrorism, globalization, traditional cultures, motherhood and truth.

****

Director Jessica Holt (Artistic Director, Threshold and Artistic Director, Three Wise Monkeys) helms TERRORiSTKA at The Berkeley City Club (2315 Durant Avenue, Berkeley, CA), April 30^th – May 16^th 2010. The production will feature sound design by Gregory Scharpen (Resident Sound Designer, Central Works), costume Design by Tammy Berlin (Resident Costume Designer, Central Works), scenic design by Chad Owens, lighting design by Alison Ostendorf, movement choreography by Marilee Talkington.

****

Founded by Jessica Holt, Alex Curtis and Pamela Davis, Threshold: theatre on the verge is a dynamic new company emerging on the Bay Area scene. Grown out of a UC Berkeley directors’ workshop, Threshold is dedicated to creating bold, beautiful theater. Threshold challenges artists and audiences to imagine the edges of the possible in a process-based environment that embraces risk, growth and change. Our work is surprising and immediate and embraces the poetry of language and physical space.

****

Artistic Director Jessica Holt: “Threshold was founded on the shared belief that theatremaking is alive with risk, alive with language, metaphor, material bodies, and emotional expression. At its best, theatre creates a kind of alchemy of time and space, where imagination is encouraged to take flight. Rebecca Bella’s TERRORiSTKA perfectly complements our vision and mission. We are so proud to be the first company to produce Rebecca’s important play.”

The Look of TERRORiSTKA

TERRORiSTKA: Spotlight on Rebecca Bella

REBECCA BELLA: Playwright

Rebecca Bella is a poet, playwright, and translator. She received her BA from Brown University in 2002, and an MA in Creative Writing from Boston University in 2005. Upon graduation from Brown, with a degree in Comparative Literature, she received both Brown’s Pushkin Prize and the Michael Harper Prize, the latter for the creation of the artists' book Sweet Homeland, based on a reading of Tolstoy's War and Peace. In 2003, she was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to pursue Russian poetry translation in St. Petersburg, a project that would result in the documentary film "Poets Address: St. Petersburg" (2008). She continued her writing at Boston University, where she studied poetry with Robert Pinsky, translation with Rosanna Warren, and playwriting in the Playwrights’ Theatre with Derek Walcott.

Rebecca’s poetry has appeared in 236, Poets 11 an anthology of San Francisco poets selected by city laureate Jack Hirschman, Left Curve and various small publications. Her translations have been published in various journals including, A Public Space and The Saint Petersburg Review, and in As It Turned Out, a book of poetry by Dmitri Golynko, Ugly Duckling Presse, 2008. She also participated in the San Francisco International Poetry Festival of 2009 as a Russian translator. An early version of her play TERRORiSTKA was published in The Oregon Literary Review in 2007, and she is currently working on a new play and a book of poems. Rebecca teaches Writing Composition and World Literature at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

TERRORiSTKA BEGINS WITH A BANG

First Rehearsal of TERRORiSTKA

by playwright/poet extraordinaire Rebecca Bella began with a bang last night.

Our stellar cast -- Kate Jopson, Sarose Butler, Alex Curtis, Geof Libby, Molly Holcomb, Adrienne Krug, and Andy Strong attacked the first read-through with dynamic energy and play.

It was a strong, fun, surprisingly funny first read that revealed the heart of this moving, true-life story of a young Chechen woman who, in an attempt to flee her war-ravaged country, joins a rebel faction that trains her as a suicide bomber.

We pondered the face of Zarema Muzhihoyeva (above) and the image that started Rebecca on her playmaking journey. We recognized that under different life circumstances, we could be her.

This is a play about mistakes. What mistakes do we make that we can't take back? How do we unmake our mistakes? How do we take back the past and remake the future?

Rebecca was on hand to give us a deeper glimpse into the world. A Russian scholar and translator, she is an invaluable resource for us as we begin to construct this haunting world.

We listened to the Chechen separatist anthem which begins the play, the Russian lullaby that breathes within it, and the Russian pop song that pervades it:

http://www.chechenpress.org/nohchicho/gimn/gimn.mp3

http://www.mamalisa.com/mp3/cossack_lullaby_lalitree.mp3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HL-N9oOjcs

The play barrels down the tracks like a freight train, picking up speed as it hurtles itself to the pressure point. On the other side, we realize that a story that at first seemed foreign now seems familiar and very much our own.

Looking forward to Day Two.

Rave Reviews for BOA offerings from Threshold and Playpen!

We couldn't be more excited about the positive reception for the two short plays Threshold and our sister company Playpen have contributed to the 9th Annual Bay One Acts Festival (BOA).

Audiences and critics have been unanimous in their praise and affection for the The Catcher in the Rye, Cancelled by Jon Brooks and Three Little Words by Tim Bauer, directed by Artistic Director Jessica Holt and Core Member Alex Curtis, respectively.

The SF Bay Times calls Catcher a "well-staged riotous parody" and the eight-member acting ensemble" don't miss a beat. Three Little Words is "truly hilarious and not to be missed."

Check out Linda Ayres-Frederick's comprehensive SF Bay Times review for a full recap:

http://www.sfbaytimes.com/?sec=article&article_id=12507

Congratulations all!

Photos: Clay Robeson

Threshold is Newly Fiscally Sponsored by CounterPulse!

Threshold is thrilled to announce that it has been accepted into the CounterPULSE Fiscal Sponsoship Program! We are so excited to be part of the CounterPulse family.

To learn more about CounterPulse, click here: http://www.counterpulse.org/

Look for more information about what this all means for us and our upcoming production of TERRORiSTKA soon!

Threshold Announces Cast Line-Up for Terroristka

Threshold is so pleased to announce our cast for Terroristka by Rebecca Bella, to play at Berkeley City Club May 3-16, 2010.

Zarema Sarah Rose Butler

Jailbird Kate Jopson
Mohamed Geof Libby
Rustan Alex Curtis*
Fatima Adrienne Krug
Lena Molly Holcomb
Official Shadow Andy Strong**

* Threshold Core Member
** Currently playing in the Threshold piece Catcher in the Rye adapted by Jon Brooks to open at BOA 9 at Boxcar Theatre, SF Feb 18 - Mar 13, 2010

This is an incredible group of people! Threshold is honored to work with them, many of whom are new to Threshold. The one thing that unites us all is a passionate commitment to this rich material.

Rehearsals begin in March!

More soon....

Three Little Words.

Threshold is thrilled to announce it's second contribution to this year's Bay One Acts Festival,

Three Little Words;

OR,
Romeo and Juliet,
the Entire Play,
with Four Actors,
in Three-Word Sentences,
Which Can't Be Done.

by Tim Bauer
Directed by Alex Curtis

Produced by Threshold's new sister company Playpen (Theater), founded by core member Alex Curtis, Three Little Words is a production of the Bard's classic tale with a few changes. Three Little Words is a witty, theatrical send up of star-crossed lovers and the actors who play them.

With a full cast of talented, funny actors, Playpen is proud to welcome its new cast:

Nick Dickson,
Jasen Talise,
Megan Briggs,
and Dave Dyson

With two Threshold directors taking stage, casts including Threshold actors Cooper Carlson (Exchange), Brittany Berg (Within the Wall of Sand), and Brant Rhotnem (Ayravana Flies), and even two plays by Threshold talents Sam Leichter (actor: Exchange, Footprints in the Applesauce) and Ben Fisher (playwright: Exchange, Footprints in the Applesauce), BOA 2010 will be a Thresh-Stravaganza not to be missed!

See you there!!!

February 18-March 14, 2010
Boxcar Theatre, San Francisco
www.threewisemonkeys.org

Threshold Audition Notice: Terroristka!

Audition Notice

TERRORiSTKA
by Rebecca Bella
Directed by Jessica Holt

Berkeley City Club, Berkeley
Previews: April 30 - May 2, 2010
Opens: May 3 - May 16, 2010

Auditions:
December 16th, 2009
6 pm to 10 pm
Off-Market Theatre, 2nd Floor Rehearsal Room, 965 Mission St. San Francisco

Roles: 3 F (20s), 2M (20s), 1 M (40s), 1F (40s-50s)
Small Stipend.

For more information and audition appointment, please email: thresholders@gmail.com
Please attach your headshot and resume in the email.
Please prepare a 1-minute dramatic monologue. Sides will be provided in advance.

Rebecca Bella's searing poem-play contemplates a young woman's passage from youthful innocence to volatile patriotism. The story unravels from both ends; as it does we see how young people become entangled in violence, and how they enable the conflicts that destroy their own lives.

A deeply felt play, TERRORiSTKA is both a lament for the lost, and a lullaby for the future.

Catcher in the Rye (Cancelled)

Threshold is thrilled to announce its next project:

The Catcher in the Rye (Cancelled)
By Jon Brooks
Directed by Jessica Holt



Produced in association with Three Wise Monkeys at
The 9th Annual Bay One Acts Festival (BOA)
February - March 2010
Boxcar Theatre, San Francisco

A hilarious parody of the perils of copyright infringement, fair use and dramatic license. It has the Threshold team tickled.

We were first introduced to the quirky world-view of playwright Jon Brooks last year when BOA and Bindlestiff produced his riotous "Afterlife," which re-examined some of our most deepy cherished beliefs about what the afterlife might look like. In Brook's imagined afterlife, men give birth to men, a Birdman squawks intermittently, and little orange balls randomly pelt those newly birthed men. A piece of pure anarchy, Threshold couldn't stop laughing.

With "Catcher in the Rye" those big, jaw-dropping laughs continue, as a motley crew of copyrighted, trademarked and patented characters goads the playwright as he attempts to apologize to his audience for a show they will never see.

Join us for a raucous, ribald rumination on the price of intellectual property and the cost of artistic freedom.

See you at BOA at Boxcar in February 2010.

Threshold's New Logo!

Hello Theatre Fans!

Threshold is pleased to unveil it's BRAND spankin' new logo. Props to Thresholder Alex Curtis for his artistry here. We love our new symbol and hope you do!

We have some big things brewing for Threshold that will all be revealed in the near, near future. BIG things. Very cool.

In the meantime, we have a LOGO! yay!

FOOTPRINTS IN THE APPLESAUCE: A World Premiere

a threshold project

the world premiere of
FOOTPRINTS IN THE APPLESAUCE
(a play about an elephant)
by Ben Fisher
directed by Pamela Davis

Tabitha is a bearded lady studying to be a criminal psychologist.
Rollo is a clown who just wants to be taken seriously. And Dudley...

Well, Dudley's dead.

Please join us this Sunday morning, July 26th at the San Francisco Theater Festival for this short comedy about love, death, the circus, and how to properly dispose of an elephant corpse in these trying economic times. Starring Sam Leichter and Maggie McCally.

11:50 am, July 26, 2009
Action Theater
2nd Floor, Metreon
101 4th Street, SF

Admission is so, so, SO free.

http://thethresholdproject.blogspot.com/

Find more festival information, including directions and parking info, here.

--- BONUS ---
Make a day of it at the The San Francisco Theater Festival!

THRESHOLD RECOMMENDS...

After Footprints in the Applesauce, head over to the Forum at 3:25pm for a Three Wise Monkeys comedy double feature, directed by our very own Jessica Holt. Maybe Tov, penned by Thresholder (and Footprints director) Pamela Davis, features our buddies Cooper Carlson (Exchange) and Joe Scheppers. Crish Barth's hilarious Save The Date shuffles the cards around again, as Pamela joins Cooper and Joe in the cast.

(For more information: http://3wmtheatre.blogspot.com/)

Or check out playwright Ben Fisher and see more of Footprints star Sam Leichter in Aristophanes' classic Greek comedy The Frogs, presented by AtmosTheatre at the Waterfall Stage.

Footprints: "A play about a dead elephant."

Recently, Threshold Company Member Jessica Holt had an electronic conversation with Ben Fisher, playwright of Threshold's next show, Footprints in the Applesause. We thought we would reproduce that conversation, unabridged:

Jessica: Hey Ben! I am looking for a little blurb on Footprints -- you got anything like that? What's a one-liner? Do you have anything else you would like to share with the Threshold blog about why you wrote this play?

Ben: "A play about a dead elephant."? Little uninspired, but factual. I think the title itself is figurative so the description should be a little more literal.

Jessica: That works.

Ben: As for why I wrote the play: I do not generally like to comment on the meaning of my plays – not because I want to be mysterious or self-important, but because I believe that the meaning of any piece of art is determined by the listener. I worry that, by commenting too much, I risk undermining that individualized connection.

I also don’t like to comment on my writing because I can never decipher why I write something until after it’s finished. You (Jessica) asked me to write a play about an elephant – so there’s an elephant in this one – but I also did what I always do, which is to write about what I am afraid of. I’m afraid of being so overcome by the weight of the past and the uncertainty of the future that I am paralyzed. I am also afraid that this paralysis will be hysterical to someone watching.

The play is about the comedy of that paralysis. Dudley, a majestic elephant, is dead before the play starts. Rollo and Tabitha, forced (literally) to pick up the pieces, use his memory and the circumstances of his death as cudgels to batter one another. But the play is not about the past. The wondrousness of Dudley and the circus is gone, or may have never existed. The relative dread or optimism about future is subjective. The characters – a man in clown makeup, a woman with a beard - look back and look forward simply because it’s easier than looking at the present. We find it tragic and funny (I hope), because we have all been made to look ridiculous at such a crossroad.

Jessica: This is awesome. Well-said!

Er, do you have a picture of yourself being, um, er, writerly? I am going to post this to the blog tomorrow. I will make it a "conversation" between you and me...

Ben: That's the closest I get to looking writery:


Ben Fisher being "writerly," .....or is it "writery?"

Jessica: I freakin' love it.

We hope you do too.

Come see Footprints in the Applesause Sunday July 26th at the Yerba Buena Gardens Action Theater at 11:50 am.

It will be tragically funny.