New Village Arts Theatre

Weekly Update 7.31.09

July 31st, 2009

What a great time at NVA! We had our first preview of TIME FLIES last night, with a huge crowd that LOVED the show, and opened the Art Foundry at New Village Arts with a big crowd for THURSDAYS ON THE COAST. If you haven’t seen the new space yet, I hope you can come to one of the two opening nights this weekend - thanks to donations by Lusardi Construction and all our new artists, the space looks wonderful.

Ensemble Member Rachael VanWormer in SOAP OPERA, one of the short plays that makes up TIME FLIES. Photo by Daren Scott.

So yes, folks, we have not one but TWO opening nights this weekend, and we still have tickets left for both (especially Sunday night). Both evenings are going to be great events, and I hope you can ALL join us there (I know, some people have shows and vacations and such, but still…)

Saturday, August 1 at 8 PM: TIME FLIES opens - with great party after sponsored by Flippin Pizza and Karl Strauss Brewery

Sunday, August 2 at 7:30 PM: SURE THING/PROM NIGHT opens - with a smaller but still fabulous reception - meet the playwright!

Also, on Wednesday, August 5, Playwrights Project is having a reception for PROM NIGHT with a talk back after the show with playwright Emily Reit.

Ensemble Member Wendy Waddell as David Attenborough in TIME FLIES. Photo by Daren Scott.

COMIC CON NORTH

The NVA lobby is now full of super heroes and villains. The current art show is a group exhibit of artists who now work for DC Comics (although we do have some Marvel characters spread around). Come by the theatre anytime during box office hours (1:30 - 5:30 Tu-Fri) or for a show to geek out. It’s quite fun.

NEW PERK FOR SEASON PASS HOLDERS

Starting on Friday, August 7, I am starting a new BROWN BAG LUNCH series at high noon. Basically, the first Friday of every month, I will be having an open lunch hour here at NVA to talk to any season pass holder about the plays that are running, the upcoming shows and anything else the group would like to discuss. I’ll invite special guests to join me each time. I think it will be a good way to keep everyone involved in the many things happening at the theatre and in the Art Foundry. If you’d like to join us, just bring your own lunch and meet at the theatre at Noon.

SECOND NVA SUMMER CAMP GOING STRONG

We have the teenagers in the theatre this time. Camp is Monday - Friday from 1-5 this week and next week. The group ranges in age from 11 to 16 - we are all looking forward to seeing the final show on Friday August 7th.

That’s all for me today - please be sure to make your opening night reservations for Saturday and Sunday - call us at 760-433-3245 or send an email to kelly@newvillagearts.org.

See you soon!

Kristianne

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Weekly Update 7.24.09

July 24th, 2009

Hello everyone! I skipped last week’s update because I was on vacation. My son and I had an amazing time in Sacramento and Lassen National Park.

Rachel Robinson and Tim Parker as two “lowly mayflies” in David Ives’ TIME FLIES. Photo by Daren Scott.

SUMMER COMEDY FESTIVAL starts this Thursday!!

In the next three weeks, there is only one night when we don’t have a performance happening at NVA - it’s going to be a fast, fun time. Here’s the run-down for this coming weekend (made as clear as possible)…

Thursday, July 30 & Friday, July 31 at 8 PM: Pay-what-you-can Previews of TIME FLIES

Saturday, August 1 at 8 PM: Opening Night of TIME FLIES (with party after the show)

Sunday, August 2 at 2 PM: First matinee of TIME FLIES

Sunday, August 2 at 7:30 PM: Opening Night of PROM NIGHT and SURE THING (with party after the show - and the playwright of PROM NIGHT will be in attendance).

PROM NIGHT and SURE THING will continue on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays at 7:30 through August 12.

TIME FLIES will continue on our regular schedule - Thursdays & Fridays at 8 PM, Saturdays at 3 PM & 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM through August 16.

BILLY WATSON AND THE SILVER STRING SUBMARINE BAND will perform on Monday, August 10 at 7:30 PM.

A little about the shows…

TIME FLIES is a series of short plays that are all explorations of time in one way or another. The shows are funny, but they are also very thought provoking and should produce a lot of good intermission discussions. You’ll also get to see a cast of eight actors performing about 30 different characters. Five of those actors are Ensemble members, including the three guys that brought us COMPLETE WORKS last summer (Joshua, Tim & Adam), so it promises to be a blast. There is some adult material in a few of the shows, so I would recommend this for ages 12 and up.

PROM NIGHT was originally produced by San Diego’s Playwrights Project. I saw the production last year (it was one of their award winners) and thought it would be great to produce again here at NVA. The show takes the frightening concept of your parents behavior on your high school prom night to extremes. It’s an excellent cast, featuring Ruff Yeager, Karson St John, Kristie Kahlweiss and Tanner Weston and a great way to support our local, young writers. Playwright Emily Reit will be in attendance at the opening show - she is a student at Bishop’s School in La Jolla and shows great promise.

SURE THING is another one act by David Ives (the same playwright as TIME FLIES). It’s a very fun and clever short play in which two young people try desperately to get a first date “right”. It’s one of those shows that really stays with you because it is so well written. Two of the cast members from PROM NIGHT, Tanner and Kristie, will bring this show to life.

Just a reminder that the SUMMER COMEDY FESTIVAL is outside of your regular season passes, so you’ll want to purchase these tickets separately. TIME FLIES tickets are only $20 and PROM NIGHT/SURE THING and BILLY WATSON are $15. You can purchase your tickets now on the website: www.NewVillageArts.org.

New Board Members

I’m very pleased to announce that at the last Board meeting, NVA’s Board of Directors voted two new people onto the Board. Patrick Farley and Charlie Wyatt will be joining us to help in the growth of the company.

Patrick Farley

Mr. Farley has over 15 years experience in Sales, Marketing, and Restaurant Operations. Prior to founding Knockout Pizzeria & FLIPPIN PIZZA, Mr. Farley owned a local direct mail marketing company where he interacted with many local North County businesses helping them to grow their business. Mr. Farley also served as the President of the Carlsbad Wave Soccer Club for 3 years where he aided the financially struggling community soccer club and helped build reserves in excess of $50,000 through community fundraisers and local sponsorships. Prior to Mr. Farley being a local entrepreneur he served as the Director of Business Development/Corporate Sales for j2 Global Communications, the largest Unified Messaging Company in the world. He launched j2’s Corporate Sales Force and was instrumental in j2 Global Communications growth from a 20 million dollar Company to over a billion dollar company. He received his degree in Business from Loyola Marymount University.

Charlie Wyatt

Mr. Wyatt has been a supporter and patron of New Village Arts from the beginning of the company. He originally hails from Pittsburgh PA, but has made Southern CA his home since 1993. He and his wife Wendy and kids Hannah and Connor reside in south Oceanside. Mr. Wyatt’s professional life is centered on the crossroads between the natural and built environment with an emphasis on mitigating man’s impact. As a California registered civil engineer, he works with clients throughout the state on groundwater, soil and air pollution projects as part of Kleinfelder, a consulting firm based in San Diego. Mr. Wyatt also serves as a gubernatorial-appointed board member for the State Mining and Geology Board and he is actively involved in Engineers Without Borders.

ART FOUNDRY at NEW VILLAGE ARTS opening soon!

Construction is well under way for the ART FOUNDRY at NVA. We expect to have artists in their studios and able to work by August 1. Special thanks to Alex Scollon, Mike Schumacher, Laura Kurner and Lusardi Construction for helping to get things done quickly and smoothly. We have nine fabulous artists lined up to start working, with two studio spaces and two locker rentals still available. The space will be open for people to walk thru during the Summer Comedy Festival and we will have our big Open House on Saturday, August 22nd from 1-5 PM.

ART IN THE LOBBY FOR SUMMER COMEDY FESTIVAL

We are pleased to be hosting a group show by some comic book artists who work with DC Comics in our main lobby during the Summer Comedy Festival. I guess we could call it “Comic-Con North”. We should have the art in place by next Thursday (some of it available for purchase), so be sure to come by and check it out.

THURSDAYS ON THE COAST

This Thursday, the Carlsbad Village Association is starting their THURSDAYS ON THE COAST program. It features the art, music and fun of Carlsbad Village. There will be walking tours (including a stop at NVA, with the music of Bill Bradbury and friends) with events going on around the Village. The hours are 5-9.

NEW CORPORATE SPONSOR

I am pleased to let you know that Toyota/Lexus Carlsbad has become one of our corporate sponsors. We are thrilled to partner with them to help bring the arts to North County.

We also have in-kind sponsorship from Five Alarm Security Systems, Flippin Pizza and Karl Strauss Breweries.

I look forward to seeing you all at the Summer Comedy Festival!

All the best-

Kristianne

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Weekly Update 7.10.09

July 14th, 2009

It was quite a busy Friday, so you get the Weekly Update today…lots of good things going on.

BIRTHDAYS ALL AROUND…

Hap with guests at the Season 9 Soiree - photo by Daren Scott.

We had a fabulous birthday celebration for my Gram’s 100th. Great music by Kathy Herbruck’s group The Fabulous Earrings and some opera from my sister Susanna. Jonah, Pat Hansen and June Gottleib all wrote poems for the occasion. It was a lot of fun and Gram loved it all.

Sneaking his birthday in a bit more quietly was Board President Hap L’Heureux, who turned 65 this weekend. We are so fortunate to have Hap at the helm - he has done wonderful work for NVA.

Coming up this week is Ensemble member Dana Case’s birthday (on July 17). Dana will be directing PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE and acting in SUMMER AND SMOKE for NVA this season.

Dana in Curse of the Starving Class (co-production of NVA and Cygnet), photo by Randy Rovang.

BRANCHING OUT…

I was just cast in the next show at Moxie Theatre - who are in residence this season at the La Jolla Playhouse. The show is called DRINK ME, OR THE STRANGE CASE OF ALICE TIMES THREE by Mary Fengar Gail. I’m playing the role of the therapist and am very excited about it. It’s an interesting script and I’ll have a great opportunity to sponge up everything that Moxie is learning from working with the LJ Playhouse. The show will run August 20 - September 27. You can visit www.moxietheatre.com for more details. Since I will be doing that, Mark Stephan has taken over directing SURE THING as part of our SUMMER COMEDY FESTIVAL. Mark directed NVA’s first ever full production, BRILLIANT TRACES then moved away and had adventures in NY and LA. He’s back in town, assistant directing TIME FLIES and now directing SURE THING for NVA. It looks to be a great show!

TRAVELS WITH JACK AND EXCITING SPONSORSHIP NEWS

Jack and Judi Missett with Jake Broder (Louis Prima) and Vanessa Claire Smith (Keely Smith) of the L.A. hit musical “Louis and Keely Live at the Sahara” at the Geffen Theatre, directed by Taylor Hackford.

Jack helped out financially with the premiere production of “Louis and Keely” at Sacred Fools Theatre in L.A., in addition to donating money to help repair the air conditioning. Jake and Vanessa, in addition to performing in the title roles, also wrote the original show. ”Louis and Keely” has been honored by multiple Los Angeles theatre awards, including Best Production, Musical of the Year, Best Performances by Jake and Vanessa, and for Playwriting by Jake and Vanessa.

We are thrilled to announce that Jazzercise has just agreed to be the Chair of our Corporate Council. In addition to a $10,000 donation, Jazzercise will be helping NVA build its corporate sponsorship programs and continue growing in this difficult economic time. We are so fortunate to have Jazzercise continue to support us!

JAZZ IN THE PARKS

We had a great Friday night at Jazz in the Parks. It was packed - and not even one of their biggest concerts!! Special thanks to Hap L’Heureux for organizing the event and donating drinks and goodies and to Flippin Pizza for the outstanding pizzas! We hope to have more of these social events in the future.

JAZZ AND BLUES AT NVA

Susanna Kurner and Nathan James had the place jumping on Saturday night for NVA’s Music Event. The audience wasn’t as big as we would have liked, but it was our first Saturday night attempt, so we are hopeful that it will grow as we bring more performers to NVA. We have some exciting possibilities in store for this series…

MARK THOSE CALENDARS

Time Flies opens August 1 at 8 PM

Prom Night and Sure Thing open August 2 at 7:30 PM

Billy Watson plays on August 10 at 7:30 PM

The Season Kick-off Party and Open House will be at NVA on Saturday, August 22nd from 1-4 PM

That’s all for me - I’m off to climb that volcano. Have a great week!

All the best-

Kristianne

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Weekly Update 7.3.09

July 6th, 2009

Happy Fourth of July weekend! Hope you have something fun planned.

NVA SUMMER THEATRE CAMP!

Makena, Connor, Evan and Jonah in NVA’s first Summer Theatre Camp. Photo by Daren Scott.

Our first session has been a great success! The kids perform their work today at 4 PM at the theatre - stop by if you can - it should be a really fun show. They are singing a song, performing a stomp dance, doing the last scene from Shakespeare’s TWELFTH NIGHT and more. The next session will start on July 27th - many of these kids will be in that one as well.

SUMMER COMEDY FESTIVAL

We had our first read of TIME FLIES on Tuesday night and it is going to be hysterical! It’s such a great cast: Ensemble members Adam Brick, Joshua Everett Johnson, Tim Parker, Rachael VanWormer and Wendy Waddell are joined by Rachel Robinson (one of our cheerleaders from BE AGGRESSIVE) and Sam Floto and Michael Thomas (who were the amazing crew team on FOUR DOGS). The show consists of 8 short plays by David Ives that all have something to do with the theme of time - some more loosely than others. The characters include two mayflies on their first (and only) date, a woman in a washing machine and a television that comes to life - yes, it’s that wacky.

TIME FLIES will be running on our regular schedule - Thursdays & Fridays at 8 PM; Saturdays at 3 PM & 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM. Tickets are only $20. The show has some adult language, so is probably appropriate for ages 12 and up.

On Off-Nights, we will be running two other short plays, Emily Reit’s PROM NIGHT and David Ives’ SURE THING. Also, on August 10 will be a performance by Billy Watson and his Silver String Submarine Band - a musical performance you will never forget.

SPEAKING OF MUSIC…

It’s a full day at NVA on Saturday, July 11. First off is my grandmother’s 100th birthday party from 11:30 - 1:30 at the theatre. You are all invited to help us celebrate this incredible milestone. Then, on Saturday night, NVA is bringing back one of our most successful musical events - my sister, Susanna Kurner and Nathan James. Tickets for this are $10 and the show starts at 8 PM. Nathan just returned from a European tour and his latest album won two major Blues awards and is being played frequently on Sirius radio. Susanna has been finishing her degree in Virginia and it only in town for the weekend. Check it out!

SPIFFING UP THE SPACE

Thanks to Laura and Dave Kurner and volunteers Jason, Marsha, Pat, Izzy and Devora for repainting the lobby floor - it looks so great when you walk in!

OFFICE SUPPLIES, ANYONE????

We do so much exciting work here that our computers are about to explode. NVA could really use some new computers, phones and office chairs. If anyone has any connections for some possibilities, that would be great. Used is fine, as long as they are in good condition (especially for phones and chairs).

That’s it for me - have a safe and happy fourth!

All the best-

Kristianne

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Weekly Update 6.26.09

June 26th, 2009

The Foundry is officially open!

Instructor Anna Valendez with members of NVA’s first Summer Camp: Evan, Makena, Jack, Hannah, Sean, Connor, Hutson, Jonah and Tristan!

We have named the new part of New Village Arts The Foundry, and two kids classes started there this week. In the mornings, we had the five year olds creating the fairies from THE TEMPEST and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM with Aletha Barthell’s KIDS ACT and in the afternoons the rogues gallery you see above working on improv, Shakespeare and even some killer yoga warm-ups with Anna Valendez.

There is a great energy in the building and we are so glad to see the education program starting up. I think this will be a wonderful addition to NVA as we grow the programs - to after school programs and different types of outreach. Ensemble Member Daren Scott is coming in today to take some photos of the kids which we can use to help keep the programs growing.

Next week, the Drama Camp run by Joan Missett Gambil comes in as well as the Carlsbad Community Theatre. You can check the website for all the opportunities.

We are also signing up artists to take over the studio spaces in the front portion of the building. We expect to have the artists moving in by July 15 and have the space open to the public on August 1. The front portion will include an art gallery, 6 working studio artists and an open area for 6 additional artists to do their work.

The plan is to have a big Open House/Season Kick Off party on August 22 - hope you all can join us!

FOUR DOGS: FINAL WEEKEND!

Only four performances of FOUR DOGS remain - tonight at 8, Saturday at 3 and 8 and Sunday at 2. Last night’s show was fabulous - with a great audience that makes the show so much fun to perform. We knew this was the riskiest show in Season 8 - and I’m proud to say that we haven’t had any walk-outs and only two pieces of unhappy mail (usually when we do a show with a lot of coarse language, I get at least 3-4 emails in complaint). It’s been a good ending to a great season - and I’m so excited to get started with Season 9!

Strike for the show is on Sunday at 3:30 - anyone who can stop by to help is most welcome.

THE FIRST ANNUAL SUMMER COMEDY FESTIVAL

The Summer Comedy Festival starts rehearsals on Tuesday. The mainstage show is called TIME FLIES by David Ives and it is a series of hilarious short plays that have a common theme of “time”. The first play deals with two romantically inclined may flies who have only 24 hours to live - it’s a lot of fun. The show will preview July 30 & 31 and open on August 1.

Also as part of the Comedy Festival, we will have another David Ives’ short play, SURE THING, matched up with one of the winners from this year’s Playwright’s Project Festival of Plays by Young Writers, PROM NIGHT. Written by Bishop’s student Emily Reit, PROM NIGHT takes every young woman’s big fear - her parent’s on her prom night - to the extreme. It’s a great cast and a funny, clever story that I hope you all can experience. And if you have kids aged 11 and up, they will probably love the show as well. That one runs August 2 -12 on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30 PM.

GOOD PRESS

We’ve had some good articles in the press lately about the new space - here’s a link to the North County Times write-up about The Foundry:

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2009/06/24/news/coastal/carlsbad/z9c83f15c78a9b68b882575df006d0c80.txt

YOU’RE INVITED

If you’d like to see the work of the kids in our Summer Camp program, they will do their final performance next Friday, July 3rd at 4:00 PM in the Foundry. It would be fun for them to have a nice audience, so please come by to see the work they have done!

CORPORATE CONNECTIONS???

Alex and I are starting to go out and meet more local corporations and business people to keep spreading the good news about NVA and building support for the theatre. Please let us know if you have a good connection with someone we could meet and let them know all about NVA.

ENSEMBLE/STAFF NEWS

Congrats to Ensemble Member Amanda Morrow for being cast in Culture Shock Dance Theatre’s AFTASHOCK dance troupe. We look forward to seeing her pop, lock and drop it on stage.

Other Ensemble shows: Wendy Waddell in BUTCHER OF BARABOO with Moxie Theatre (at Diversionary), Tom Zohar in TWIST at Diversionary, Amanda Sitton in DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER at North Coast Rep, and Adam Brick, Tim Parker, Rachael VanWormer and Joshua in TIME FLIES here at NVA!

Also, Box Office Manager Kelly Iversen was just cast in WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF at Compass Theatre and Tech Director Becky Pierce has a sweet summer gig at La Jolla Playhouse!

That’s it for me this week - I hope you all have a wonderful, safe week!

Kristianne

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Weekly Update 6.19.09

June 19th, 2009

Greetings NVAers! Another eventful, busy week here at the theatre.

FOUR DOGS AND A BONE

Pictured: Joshua Everett Johnson and Amanda Sitton. Photo by Daren Scott.

Performances have been going well - we had good houses for the entire second weekend, and this weekend is looking good. We still have seats left for Father’s Day - and this play is so quick and funny it would probably work as a good Dad’s Day gift! Here are some review bits:

“Woof. Growl. Grrrr. Who let the dogs out? Or, who let ‘em in? They’ve made their mangy way into New Village Arts Theatre, nipping at the heels of “The Little Dog Laughed,” which recently ran at Diversionary Theatre. This Shanley play is yet another comic skewering of Hollywood denizens, perfectly funny, light summer fare. And NVA gives it a delectable going-over.” - Pat Launer, www.sdnn.com

“Johnson directs with brisk pace and an eye toward amusing detail, and both he and the other actors follow that lead, with Poppick delivering an agile and rich comic performance —- both verbally and physically —- and Kurner and Sitton delivering lines with funny twists and a fierce intelligence. The quick-moving performance ends as it reaches its peak, leaving us in the mood for more —- especially if we are willing gluttons for punishment this funny.” - Dan Bennett, www.nctimes.com

AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE (Alex wants me to put it on the wall above my desk)…

“Kristianne Kurner…is a mongrel bitch driven towards insanity by the hellhounds of fame…” - Welton Jones, www.sandiego.com

No further comments needed, I think…

NVA FOUNDRY

We are officially calling the new space THE FOUNDRY, and it will be open this Monday! Alex and some volunteers (Jason Medina!!!) have been busy putting up walls and doors to get the space ready for our first round of Acting camps. The gallery and working artists portion of the space will be completely open as of August 1. I hope you have all had the chance to come by and see it - it is a great addition to NVA. Alex could still use help this weekend getting the space in order - please let him know if you are available!

ENSEMBLE NEWS

Ensemble Member Jack Missett is currently enjoying New York City, where he was able to take in a performance of GOD OF CARNAGE (which he said was amazingly funny). Tony winning actress Marcia Gay Harden was nice enough to stop after the performance to help “Support NVA”. Nice!

Be sure to check out Ensemble member Wendy Waddell in The Butcher of Baraboo at Moxie Theatre (thru June 28) and Tom Zohar in TWIST at Diversionary Theatre (running thru July). www.moxietheatre.com and www.diversionary.org.

BIRTHDAYS!!!

Sunday, June 21: Ensemble Member Ron Choularton celebrates 60 years!

Tuesday, June 23: Laura Kurner’s Birthday!

Friday, July 10: Gram’s 100th Birthday (my grandmother, Laura’s mom)

Quick update on Jonah: His baseball team (the Oceanside American Little League Red Sox) goes into the finals for the regional championship on Saturday, and he made the All Star team which plays July 1-15! He also cut off all his hair in honor of the wins - it looks really good!

PICTURING MY SISTER

Our world premiere reading of Renee Moreno’s play went wonderfully - we had a great house and are very excited to keep working on the play to get it ready for a full production in the near future.

GENERAL AUDITIONS

NVA’s general auditions will be held this Monday, June 22nd from 6-10 PM. We are already full up to 9 PM, so we should see a lot of new people!

A NOTE TO OUR DADS…

Thank you to all the Dad’s out there who have helped NVA so much. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have a Dad who I admire so much - he is so generous with his time, love and talents and he has more integrity and honor than any man I know. We have a great group of Dad’s here - have a beer or a pepsi on NVA on Sunday and know that you are greatly appreciated.

And a shout out to this lady as well, who celebrates her birthday on Tuesday. Boy, are we glad she was born - NVA quite honestly wouldn’t be here without her. Happy Birthday, Mom! (Not to mention that she’s an amazing mom to me and Susanna - and grandmother to Jonah).

That’s it from me this week. Have a great weekend - send a “go Red Sox” thought to Jonah’s team on Saturday and have a fun, relaxing Father’s Day!

All the best-

Kristianne

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Weekly Update 6.5.09

June 5th, 2009

FOUR DOGS

Eric Poppick and I in the first scene of FOUR DOGS. Photo by Adam Brick.

Best First Preview audience EVER!!! We were basically sold out last night, which is a definite “first” for NVA (for the Thursday night preview). And what a great audience it was! They laughed like crazy and gave an enthusiastic curtain call. All of us actors know there are still some kinks to work out, but it was a very successful night. One more preview performance tonight, then the big opening.

For those of you who aren’t as familiar with theatre, we use preview performances to try the show out in front of an audience - before any theatre critics can come and judge the work. It lets the actors feel how the show works with the audience, the design team work out any last minute fixes and the director watch the overall arch of the piece. Saturday night will be the first round of critics - they are a bit spread out for this show because there are three other openings around town on Saturday night.

Here’s one early audience review I received via email this morning: “Just wanted to let you guys know again how much myself and my friends enjoyed the show. We laughed our asses off! Shanley’s script is so wonderfully caustic and you and the rest of the cast really run with it. I know a first preview can be stressful (all the last minute details & doubts that come to the surface behind the scenes) but for me it was all laughter and joy. Having just left Hollywood, there were even extra giggles for me.”

Hope we see many of you on Saturday or Sunday!

NEW SPACE

We have been prepping the new space to look pretty for opening weekend. Our excellent set designer, Tim Wallace, brought in a number of his paintings to grace the walls in the gallery portion of the space, and we put up past NVA show banners on the theatre side. It’s exciting to think of all the possibilities there.

GALLERY OPENING TONIGHT!!!

We will open Brendan Sheppard Missett’s art show, MAPQUEST: VALHALLA tonight with a reception from 5:30 - 7 PM. The reception is free and a great chance to meet Brendan, check out the work and hear his thought’s on it. All of us working on FOUR DOGS have enjoyed watching it build through the weeks - and have had many good discussions about what we think it means - which is one of the great purposes of art - to make you think and respond.

FLAVORS OF THE VILLAGE: TASTY

The Flavors of the Village came through NVA on Sunday. We had a good number of people come by the theatre for dessert and to check out the lobby - again, many new people who weren’t aware of us that plan to come back to the show. I heard that the whole event was very well run - I was in tech so not able to take part - but people enjoyed good food and great company.

SEASON PASSES

Passes for Season 9 are moving quickly. If you purchase a pass before the end of June, you get a limited edition bottle of NVA wine - in your choice of merlot, cab or chardonnay. We did test the wines to make sure they were decent - a nice chilean 2007 vintage with NVA label. Even better than that, you get great theatre.

GIVE 15

I’m printing the programs for FOUR DOGS this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Please consider joining the GIVE 15 club now - then we can include your name in the program to show everyone else how much you support NVA - Alex and I are both members and would love to have more of you join us. It’s only $15 per month - you know you can do it. Seriously, though - we really appreciate your consideration. It means a lot to NVA.

SOMEBODY’S GOT A BIRTHDAY

Sending good bday wishes to Managing Director Alex Scollon, who celebrates the big day on Tuesday, June 9. The photo above was taken by Daren Scott at our Season 9 Soiree.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Tonight, 5:30 - 7 PM: Gallery Opening and Second Preview of FOUR DOGS (at

Saturday, June 6 at 8 PM: Opening of FOUR DOGS, party starts at 9:15

Sunday, June 7 at 2 PM: Matinee opening of FOUR DOGS, reception starts at 3:15

Tuesday, June 9: Alex’s Birthday

Monday, June 15: PICTURING MY SISTER at 7:30 - world premiere playreading.

Thursday, June 18: Board Meeting

Monday, June 22: General Auditions for Season 9 at NVA; also first session of SUMMER CAMP begins

Have a great week! See you at the theatre…

Kristianne Kurner

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Weekly Update 5.29.09

May 29th, 2009

Happy end of May! We start the last show of Season 8 next week!

FOUR DOGS

Amanda Sitton and I fighting over a script - and having an awfully good time. Photo by Daren Scott.

We go into tech this weekend! Thanks to Patrick Farley and Flippin Pizza for donating dinner for us on Saturday - he’s also donating pizza for opening night, which should be tasty. Any ideas for dinner on Sunday for the cast and crew? It’s one of the perks of working for NVA - we like to feed our people during tech.

The show continues to grow. I’m very hopeful that it is going to be a fast, fun evening of theatre - I know I’m having a blast with the costumes, characters and crazy situations. Pay-what-you-can previews are June 4 & 5 at 8 and then Opening Night is Saturday the 6th at 8 PM. We’ll also have a smaller reception after the show on Sunday at 2 PM - if you can join us for opening weekend, that would be great! We’ll be showing off the plans for the new space - and screening the two films made about the NVA Ensemble and Give 15 program.

On a bummer note, stage manager Sam Sherman’s car was broken into during rehearsal on Wednesday night - and he was parked right behind the theatre! They stole all his camera equipment (over $600 worth of stuff), his ipod, various CDs and such - but at least they left his alternate prosthetic leg in the backseat (showed a touch of humanity). We’ve never had anything like that happen here before, so we are pretty upset about it. We’re looking at adding some security cameras back there. Interestingly, the police officer came by - and they no longer dust for fingerprints - it’s all DNA samples now. Crazy.

AROUND TOWN

Congrats to company members Kelly Iversen and Tom Zohar - I went to see both of their shows last weekend and was so proud that they are associated with NVA! Great work.

FAB NEW PLAY

We had the first read thru of Renee Moreno’s new play, PICTURING MY SISTER, which is our next Off-Night offering - on Monday, June 15 at 7:30. I’m very excited about the play - it’s still in the beginning stages, but I think it’s a play that could have a long future. It’s very funny and deals with a timely, important issue (civil rights) in an inviting and moving manner. We have a great cast assembled to explore one young woman’s experience as she helps her sister prepare for her wedding - a ceremony that she herself, as a lesbian, could not take part in. It’s interspersed with scenes of her grandfather, who as a Latino entering WWII was refused service at a restaurant because of the color of his skin. All of us involved in the project can’t wait to share it with you.

FLAVORS OF THE VILLAGE

This Sunday from 3-6 PM the Carlsbad Village Association will be presenting a chance to taste many of the great restaurants in the Village. NVA will be a stop on the journey for desserts and a sneak peek at our new gallery exhibit by Brendan Sheppard Missett. You can get info at www.shopcarlsbadvillage.com.

IN THE GALLERY

The opening reception of our next gallery show, Mapquest: Valhalla, by Brendan Sheppard Missett is happening on Friday, June 5 from 5:30 - 7. Yes, Brendan is the son of Jack & Judi Missett, and he’s also a highly accomplished young artist. A graduate of the Chicago Art Institute, Brendan has had his work exhibited in New York and LA and has created a new, exciting installation for NVA. It’s definitely unlike anything we have had in before - which makes me happy.

Hope to see many of you in the coming weeks! We’re going to stay very busy opening the new show, selling subscriptions for Season 9 (do you have yours yet??) and beginning construction in the new space. Here’s to an exciting, adventurous June!

All the best-

Kristianne

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Weekly Update 5.22.09

May 22nd, 2009

Hope you have all had a great week! Here’s the latest…

FOUR DOGS

Rehearsals are going well. We have just finished making our way through the entire play - now we will start running the show and getting involved in the details. I love this part of rehearsal - the actors are “off book” (they have their lines memorized) and we can really delve into the actions of the play. To me, it is the time when actors and the director can be the most creative. We start tech (when we add in all the lights and sound elements) one week from today, so we should be in very good shape! It’s a lot of fun to be onstage with Eric, Amanda and Josh.

OPENING NIGHT

Saturday, June 6th is Opening Night for 4 Dogs. Even if you can’t make the show, we’d like to invite you to come to the party. We will have the new space open to show off (with a martini bar there!), and some fun food and good beer. Plan on arriving around 9:30 PM to join in the festivities and celebrate the expansion of NVA!! Of course, also feel free to bring anyone you think might be interested in helping the new space come together - either with work or wealth.

GALLERY OPENING

We are pleased to present the work of Brendan Sheppard Missett in the gallery during 4 Dogs. Brendan will be creating an installation piece tailored to the play. It will be an exciting, new exhibit for NVA - his work is very environmental and experiential. He will also have photographs from some of the other installations he has done in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. I have a number of his older paintings at my house - he used to baby-sit Jonah when Jonah was about 3 years old - so I like to call those paintings the “Jonah Period”. Not that I think my son is the center of the universe or anything…

The official opening will be on Friday, June 5th from 5:30 - 7 - please make plans to join us. Brendan will be at opening night as well.

GO SUPPORT YOUR PEEPS!

Please try to see the shows that our staff/ensemble are in - they have received fabulous reviews!

Box Office Manager Kelly Iversen is in THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED at Diversionary Theatre (through May 31st). She has received what I think might just be the best personal review of all time in San Diego’s City Beat newspaper. Here’s a taste…

“When he wrote The Little Dog Laughed four years ago, Douglas Carter Beane was going for glib. In the case of one role, he got perfection instead. Kelly Iversen’s turn as Ellen in the current Diversionary Theatre entry is the best local performance of 2009 to date, a fluke in the convergence of the real and the ideal. Iversen’s histrionics and physical stature could not be more compatible—as for Beane, he wrote this role for her, and he didn’t even know it. Absolutely. Sen-sational. Stuff.”

Wow. Way to go Kelly. www.diversionary.org

And Ensemble member Tom Zohar is getting rave reviews for his performance in OLD WICKED SONGS at North Coast Rep (also through May 31st) - where he gets to utilize his gorgeous voice and piano playing skills. Here’s a bit from Jeff Smith’s review in the Reader:

“Zohar (who performs a tour de force medley of snippets from Bach to Beethoven on the piano), moves Stephen from a rigid, by-the-numbers imitator to a passionate being, in art and life.” www.northcoastrep.org

Coming up you can see Ensemble Member Wendy Waddell in Moxie Theatre’s new play, THE BUTCHER OF BARABOO, running June 6 - 28 at Diversionary Theatre. www.moxietheatre.com

AND THE BOARD MEETS

Had a good Board meeting yesterday - we have such a great group of people working with NVA right now! Exciting times, indeed.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Wednesday, May 27: Happy Birthday Wendy Schroeter!

Sunday, May 31: Flavors of the Village 3-6 PM (NVA serving desserts)

Friday, June 5: Gallery Opening 5:30 - 7

Saturday, June 6: Opening Night of FOUR DOGS AND A BONE - party afterwards!

Tuesday, June 9: Alex Scollon’s Birthday!!

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

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Weekly Update 5/15/09

May 19th, 2009

Is it just me or does it seem like these weeks are flying by?? It’s been a super busy and exciting one at NVA…

SEASON 9 SOIREE

What a fabulous evening! Julie & Peder Norby’s home was magical, we had a great group of people there, tasted good wines and even made some money. Actually, we exceeded our goal for the event! Thanks to everyone who helped to put the event together, especially Laura Kurner, Kathy Herbruck, and the Event Committee, the Norby’s, Tim Parker & Ron Choularton for running the auction and all the volunteers, Board members and Ensemble who helped run the event. Here are a few photos from the evening…

Patrons gathering around the fire pit in the backyard (photo by Janell Cannon).

Ensemble Members Sandra Ellis-Troy, Daren Scott, Ron Choularton & Dana Case reading a scene from THE MAN WHO (photo by Janell Cannon).

Peder Norby in the vineyard with the excellent Heron’s Flight Wine (photo by Janell Cannon).

Julie Norby and I enjoying some wine in the vineyard. Photo by Daren Scott.

BIGGER DIGS FOR NVA!

The Carlsabad City Council voted last week to allow NVA to take over the rest of our current building! The plan is to use the State Street space for rehearsals, education programs, gallery and artist space. We haven’t signed the lease yet, but we are in process of moving forward. Once we do, we’ll need to volunteer help to transform the space. If any of you know of any contractors who might be willing to donate some time and/or materials, please let us know! We will specifically be looking for lumber, drywall, windows and doors.

We’ll have the space open during FOUR DOGS AND A BONE, so be sure to get here a little early so you can walk through it. If anyone would like an earlier “walk-thru” please contact me or Alex and we’ll be happy to show the space off.

FOUR DOGS AND A BONE

It’s fast. It’s funny. Did I mention fast? Rehearsals have started for NVA’s next show - John Patrick Shanley’s FOUR DOGS AND A BONE. It’s a satirical look at Hollywood, with the “four dogs” played by Amanda Sitton, Eric Poppick, Joshua Everett Johnson and me. The “bone” is the movie we are all trying to make. It will be a great summer theatre event - lots of fun, a little dirty, and a quick evening in the theatre. Bring your friends that like to laugh (and aren’t offended by bad words). It’s going to be a blast.

Pay-what-you-can previews are June 4 & 5 and opening night is June 6.

LIKE TO BUILD THINGS???

We’ll be doing the set build for FOUR DOGS this Saturday and Sunday from 5-10 PM. Please join us if you have the time and energy!

That’s all folks. Have a great week!

Kristianne

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New Village Arts Theatre

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