This came to us from OtB and we’ve already got interest in fielding a team.  Richard Nguyen Sloniker has agreed to be our Captain.  Take a look at the message they sent us below…

On the Boards wants Sandbox Artists Collective for our  Badminton Royale Tournament!

Here are some quick details:

When: Thu, Sep 23, 4-9pm (with staggered starting times as determined by the bracket)

What: A badminton round-robin tournament for teams of 2 players. (a final schedule and tournament rules will be distributed once we have a better sense of the participants)

Why: For 3 years, On the Boards has kicked-off our season with a Tailgate Party in our parking lot. To celebrate we fence in the lot, serve $1 beers, eat hot dogs, sit in the back of pick-up trucks, do cheers and play games. Last year, we thought it would be fun to include all our friends & peers (and, really, what says arts celebration more clearly than badminton…). We’re continuing the new tradition this year!

Where: The On the Boards parking lot at the corner of 1st Ave. W and W. Roy (across the street from our theater)

Sassy cheerleaders are also encouraged

Last year was a blast (Pottery Northwest beat Seattle Rep in the final!) and we’d love to have you guys be part of it this year!

Check out last year’s coverage on our blog for a sense of what it’ll be like:http://www.ontheboards.org/blog/categories/blog-2004-2006/badminton-royale<http://www.ontheboards.org/blog/categories/blog-2004-2006/badminton-royale>

Already on the Sandbox Team, Paul Mullin and  SeanJohn and we have a 1+ sassy cheerleader in Gin Hammond and her little guy. Are you in? Contact Richard at richardnguyen@thesandboxartistscollective.com.

Elise Hunt is hosting the Book Club for September, a reading of Babs the Dodo by Michael Mitnik (very interesting new play).

Place: Annette’s house (2235 1st ave north, 98109)

Time: Sunday, September 5th at 11AM

Elise will be directing the play later in the year and would like a chance for her and her designers to hear it out loud in an informal setting.  She is going to cast the reading ahead of time–so she can hear some specific voices in particular roles, but *everyone* in Sandbox is invited to come, have snacks and listen to a fun new script.

Come for snacks and coffee between 10:30A and 11:00A. Script will be read at 11:00A.

Interested? RSVP to Annette at annette@sandboxartistscollective.com.

The Dog Days of Summer are upon us and it seems best to postpone Ben Gonio’s Viewpoints Gymnasium to the Fall when more folks are in town and thinking about a creative workout.

We will work with Ben to find another date that works and get the word out.

Happy Summer Vacation!

THE SANDBOX STUDIO

A number of members have been talking about the lack of opportunities in town to participate in an on-going training process – a place to go to keep skills sharp even when you are not working on a show.

We realized that the Sandbox is a great place to answer that need so we have created a new program called the Sandbox Studio through which new on-going training opportunities will be offered.  First up,

• A Scene Study Studio – inspired by new member Amy Love and championed by seasoned member Tracy Hyland.

What is it?

We meet every other week to do scene work, or solo material.  It can be anything — something you’ve always wanted to work on, material you’ve written, contemporary or classical, or even if you have a big audition coming up.  Something you’d like to test out in front of your colleagues.  (Anywhere from 10-18 people would be ideal.)

When?

Every other Tuesday at 7pm, hopefully beginning in September.

Where?

Either at Freehold or the Studio at 15 McGraw

Does it cost anything?

$5 in the jar at each session would be greatly appreciated.  All proceeds go directly into The Sandbox bank account for future use.

How do we get started?

For the initial meeting, we’ll draw names out of a hat to determine scene partners, unless you’d like to work on a solo piece.  Also, please come with a scene or two – you might find it’s a good fit for you and your fellow actor.  (Usually you’d stick with a scene for a month, and then move on to something else.)

We would also assign a Host for the month.  (Amy has volunteered to get the ball rolling.) This would be someone willing to facilitate 2 sessions — determining the running order and moderating the feedback from the group.  The Host would also be exempt from tossing any cash into the Jar.  If actors don’t want feedback, there doesn’t need to be any discussion.  The actors who are going up can inform the group if they’re looking for feedback or simply an audience.  This is not an acting class, but a workout session.

How long is the commitment?

Initially a 2 month commitment would be ideal.  That way everyone gets a chance to work on a couple of different scenes.  In the grand scheme of things, actors would come and go, leaving to do shows, etc.  But the group should be a flexible entity that allows artists to enter and exit.  If we can keep it going, then excellent!

Interested?  Contact Amylove@thesandboxartistscollective.com and once we see the interest, we will figure out next steps.

Next up on the programming docket is a Viewpoints Workshop run by Ben Gonio on Saturday, August 21 from 11A to 1P in the Black Box at Freehold. As with all gymnasiums, it’s free but this workshop is limited to 10 participants on a first come first serve basis.  Email ben@thesandboxartistscollective.com to get your name on the list.

Below is a note from Ben on what to expect:

I’ve been blessed and grateful to have collaborated on three projects with Tina Landau including Seattle Rep’s production of Cure At Troy.  It was at this recent collaboration that solidified my respect for this unique, dynamic and impactful physical aesthetic.  (It was the icing on the cake that only added richness to my past studies with the SITI company and with one of its charter members, Kelly Maurer.)  I’m honored to have been invited to guide a Viewpoints session for Sandbox Members so that we can continue to strengthen artistic bonds of The Collective.

We will explore together the following physical vocabulary and unleash our instinctive power and further the grace and presence we already own through:

• Space
• Shape
• Time
• Emotion
• Movement
• Story

Don’t miss out, email Ben (ben@thesandboxartistscollective.com) now.  And don’t forget the Book Club reading of Lisa Halpern’s screenplay of Broken for You this Sunday at 11A at 15 McGraw.

There are a lot of great upcoming events and news coming soon including:

• An August Gymnasium facilitated by Ben Gonio on August 21
• The Sandbox Studio – a new program of the Sandbox to give members opportunities to participate in ongoing training initiatives.
• A Shakespeare Workshop Production opportunity with Neil Freeman

More to come on these but for now, don’t forget our AUGUST BOOK CLUB – A reading of  a new screenplay by Lisa Halpern.

Sunday, August 15 at 11AM at The Studio at 15 McGraw

This month is a reading of Sandboxer Lisa Halpern’s film script adaptation of local writer Stevie Kallos’ novel, BROKEN FOR YOU.  Some of the roles will be precast but Lisa needs more readers and would love to have as many members there as possible to listen.  She’s preparing for rewrites in anticipation of a public reading in the fall at ACT!

Interested?  Contact lisa@thesandboxartistscollective.com

Don’t miss the July Book Club on Sunday, July 11 at 10:30AM hosted by Annette Toutonghi and Makaela Pollack.

For new members, Book Clubs are a chance for the membership to get together and read a play out loud.

Where: Annette’s house at 2235 1st Ave N (top of Queen Anne)
When: Come early at 10:00AM for bagels and coffee, reading begins at 10:30AM
(done by 12:30PM)
What: Hello Failure by Kristin Kosmas.  Big cast, lots of roles for women, couple roles for men and guys can play women too so come one and all!

Please RSVP to Annette at Annette@thesandboxartistscollective.com.  If you want to see the script ahead of time, contact Makaela@thesandboxartistscollective.com.

Hope to see you there.

We are very excited to announce that the amazing Kevin Kent (currently performing with Teatro Zinzanni) has agreed to do an improv master class for Sandbox Members on Saturday, April 17, from 10:00A to 1:00P at the Studio at 15 McGraw.

The cost is $20 and space is limited to 12 participants so email me at lizajo@earthlink.net soon if you would like a spot.  For anyone who would like to participate but the fee is a challenge, we do have limited partial and full scholarships available on a first come first serve basis so please let me know if that would be helpful to you.

Below is a bio for Kevin if you are not familiar with his work.

Quirky, charismatic comedian Kevin Kent is an improvisational performer, humorist and physical comedian, has created the characters Cookie, Mable, Manchester, and most recently Cliffton Caswell, in Beaumount & Caswell.  Kevin has been a performer, producer and director in the Seattle area for a number of years.  He developed and performed with Kings’ Elephant Theatre, a company specializing in improvisational full-length plays.  Kevin has performed in many Seattle venues from The Rebar with Dan Savage’s Greek Active, and his own Sister Windy; My Life as Art, and The Temptations of Sister Windy at the Seattle Repertory Theatre.  He has developed and directed works with many notable Seattle Artists including:  Scot Augustson (Sgt. Rigsby), Jennifer Jasper (Maggie, Pulp Vixens), Troy Mink (Carlotta in The Haint), Sara Rudinof (Tales from A Broad), Kevin Joyce (A Pale and Lovely Place), K. Brian Neel  (The Maids) as well as Holiday shows at On The Boards with the infamous Dina Martina.  In his off time, Kevin lives in the mountains of New Mexico.

Don’t miss the opportunity to see Penguins, Episode 2 at Annex (running NOW through Feb. 19, Friday and Saturday Nights at 11PM) in advance of our sneak Sandbox preview of Episode 3 on Feb. 15 at the Assembly meeting.

Happy New Year fellow Sandboxers! Just a few updates from your fearless leadership committee:

Shift to Quarterly Meetings…

With much of the administrative business under our belts, we feel that it is time to switch to quarterly vs monthly meetings and spend more time working on projects, master classes, and other more creative endeavors. Each quarter the meetings will now involve Sandbox business that needs to be approved, commented on, or somehow require full membership involvement.

We will hold the Winter quarter meeting on Monday, February 15 at 7:30PM, so mark your calendars – we hope to see as many of you there as possible!

What can you get involved in now you ask?

January Book Club (play reading series)…

Annette Toutonghi and Tim Hyland are hosting a Book Club reading of a new South African play entitled Groundswell by Ian Bruce on Sunday, January 24th at 10:30AM at 15 McGraw. Everyone is invited.  R.S.V.P. to annette@thesandboxartistscollective.com or tim@thesandboxartistscollective.com.  Come and read or come and listen, whatever you prefer.  There will be bagels and snacks provided.

What’s coming up….

February Book Club reading of Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession hosted by Leslie Law on Sunday, February 21st. More details to follow.

A Master Class with Kevin Kent, details available soon.

A Mask Workshop by our own Mik Kulman in the spring when she returns from Palestine (a gig she learned about through the Sandbox).

Let us help you!

Don’t forget if you need space or you have a project you need some help with or just want to get the word out about we are here for you!  Just email Annette (annette@thesandboxartistscollective.com) with your space questions or Leslie (leslie@thesandboxartistscollective.com) if you want to spread the word about a project.

And if you have not yet done so, please send Leslie your headshot and bio information for the sandbox website…it only takes a moment!

Here’s to the new decade!

Yours Truly,

The Leadership Committee