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Author Archives: The Desultory Theatre Club
Get Your Dancing Shoes On – Black Light Dance Party Is Tomorrow Night!
Tomorrow night you’ll get a taste of NYC right here in Torrington when The Desultory Theatre Club joins forces with JHM Entertainment for the Black Light Dance Party!!! Dance the night away while DJ zErp, Ant LaRock, and Jeff Who? spin hip-hop, electro, house, and dance music for you–don’t forget to wear your whitest and brightest! Tickets are only $10 at the door.
December 5, 2014 – 9 PM – 21+ only
Bachi’s Upstairs Club
46 East Main Street – Torrington, CT
Black Light Dance Party
The Northwest corner is about to get a little taste of NYC’s hottest dance clubs…
…as The Desultory Theatre Club joins forces with JHM Entertainment to bring you the Black Light Dance Party!!! DJ zErp, Ant LaRock, and Jeff Who? will bring you a wicked night of hip-hop, electro, house, and dance music! Tickets are only $10 and can be ordered now from http://www.jasonhartentertainment.com/ – PLUS the first 25 online pre-orders receive a beer token redeemable for one free domestic beer ($5 value)!!!
December 5, 2014 – 9 PM – 21+ only
Bachi’s Upstairs Club
46 East Main Street – Torrington, CT
Der Vorführeffekt Theatre Returns on November 3rd with Three Kinds of Wilderness!
We are thrilled to announce the return of the Der Vorführeffekt Theatre company on Monday, November 3rd!
Last seen here in Torrington almost 2 years ago when they performed The 7 Person Chair Pyramid High-Wire Act, the Der Vorführeffekt Theatre troupe returns with a brand new piece of entertainment…
Three Kinds of Wildness
A play by Donna Oblongata
Directed by Sarah Lowry
Music by Travis Sehorn and Chenda Cope
Designed, Created, and Performed by: Donna Oblongata, Patrick Costello, Cricket Arrison, Chenda Cope, and Travis Sehorn
In the maze of tunnels that make up the deepest gold mine in the world, there exists an underground city—home to an ice baron, a telegraph inventor, and a doctor who’s dubious about the inherent value of the human heartbeat. The inventor’s daughter hears so much that it’s as if she can’t hear anything. The ice baron returns from debtor’s prison and becomes mayor. The mayor has a secretary who once gave birth to a pile of rabbit parts. The doctor seems certain that all of her patients are miners, though no one can remember the last time anyone saw a miner. The inventor hires a specialist, who arrives just in time for the Great Civic Parade, to which, of course, you’re all invited. Perhaps you might want to wear red?
Three Kinds of Wildness is the newest play from Der Vorführeffekt Theatre, a company under the artistic direction of Donna Oblongata. Featuring an all-star company of multi-disciplinary artists hailing from Philadelphia, New Orleans, Baltimore, and Charlottesville, VA; this production is the company’s first to be completely built and rehearsed in our new home at the Sherwood Oak in West Philadelphia. The play is 100% handmade and homemade, with exquisitely crafted puppets, intricately layered soundscapes, and unconventional theatrical lighting made from salvaged and repurposed materials gathered from around the neighborhood. The play enjoyed a two-week tour of the Northeastern US in May, and will go as far west as Minneapolis and as far south as New Orleans in November.
Der Vorführeffekt Theatre is a Philadelphia-based theatre company that operates under the direction of Donna Oblongata. Housed in the 150-year old Sherwood Oak building in West Philadelphia, Der Vorführeffekt works to create radically beautiful live performance. At the core of the company’s work is a celebration of creativity, imagination, resourcefulness, and liveness. These four qualities are certainly not the only things needed to create the kind world we want to live in, but as artists dedicated to social and environmental justice, we believe they’re a good place to work from.
In a world where technology is so ubiquitous as to become invisible, we treasure the lo-fi, the analog, and the painstakingly handmade. In a culture that creates such an abundance of waste, when natural resources are finite, we dedicate ourselves to using salvaged and recycled materials for all of our sets, props, and costumes. And in a society where the loss of personal connection is constantly lamented, where multitasking is a given and our relationships are mediated by technological devices, we offer the opportunity to take a breath, to be together, and to participate in an evening of warm, ridiculous, unpredictable theatre that is unabashed in its humanity; even before the curtain goes up, the space buzzes with all of our collective liveness.
We believe that experiences like those we create for our audiences and for ourselves as artists should be accessible to all. As such, we tour our work to geographic locations and venues underserved by the regional theatre system and by other touring models. Admission is always at or below the price of a ticket to the cinema, with no one turned away for lack of ability to pay. We offer donation-based performance classes during the year, as well as artist residencies to support to work of other performing artists living in West Philadelphia.
VENUE: The Arts Desire, 97 Main Street, Torrington
Pay what you can at the door (suggested: $5-$15).
Doors open at 7:30 PM; show starts at 8:00 PM.
Find more details on the Facebook event page.
Don’t Forget! Pocket Vinyl This Friday!
It’s only a few days away now! Friday, October 24th, The Desultory Theatre Club and The Arts Desire proudly present the awesomeness that is POCKET VINYL! Never seen them before? This is the perfect chance for you to check out this dynamic duo!
It’s simple: Eric plays the piano while Elizabeth paints on stage. At the end of the show, the painting will be sold to the highest bidder. Come see these full-time musicians working on a DIY level–you don’t want to miss this!
Tickets are $13.00 at the door. You can find out more information on the Facebook event page.
Come early to meet the wonderful owners of The Art’s Desire and learn about the other great happenings there!
Play On: Two Festivals at The Warner Theatre This Weekend
It’s a busy weekend for The Desultory Theatre Club’s own, Keith Paul!
First is the International Playwright Festival, a celebration of new work from playwrights around the world. From over 200 entries, 12 winning one-act plays were selected to be showcased Thursday through Saturday, October 16-18. Tickets are just $15 a night, or $30 for the entire festival, and can be ordered online from the Warner Theatre or purchased at the Box Office. Saturday night features a play directed by our very own Keith Paul–you don’t want to miss it!
On Sunday, October 19th, the drama continues with the Connecticut Artists & Playwrights Festival, a unique event combining visual art from the University of Connecticut and Five Points Gallery with ten-minute plays inspired by these works. Keith Paul dons his director’s cap once more for a trio of tales spawned by the painting, Omens Organum Triplum, by Pam Bramble. Tickets are also only $15 and available for purchase online.
With 4 days in a row of performances–a total of 22 plays!!–there’s no cause for complaint. There’s plenty to do this weekend!
Do It for The Puppets!
You might remember Elmwood Productions from ANIMAL BEHAVIOR last December. Not only do these crazy kids put on live puppet performances for your wonder and amazement, it turns out that they’re also pretty skilled at making movies. The Desultory Theatre Club’s own Keith Paul has partnered with them on a hell of a project that you won’t want to miss!
HEAD **Horror Film Starring Puppets!** is exactly what it sounds like–a 70’s-style B-horror film populated entirely by puppets…who are playing it straight as humans. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before!
What could be better than a weekend camping retreat with your friends? What could be worse than finding out the woods where you’re setting up camp was the site of a brutal mass murder from the decade before? Four young men and women are about to find out more than they ever bargained for in HEAD.
This is where you come in… There’s less than a week to go on the HEAD Kickstarter and they’re short of their goal. If they don’t reach their minimum funding, they will get nothing, nada, zip, ZILCH! All that money raised so far goes away! Even $1 can make the difference between a dream and a reality. Do it for the little company out of Plainville, Connecticut with a panache for puppetry. Do it for Keith Paul’s debut with Elmwood Productions. Do it for the puppets!
Catch Jumper This Weekend at The Warner Theatre!
Do you remember Jumper, The Desultory Theatre Club’s first production? If you missed it, or if you’re just nostalgic to relive the past, you can catch Matthew Doyle’s play about the story of a man who has lost everything and one day debates jumping off a building this Saturday, September 27th at the Warner Theatre at the CT Community Theatre Assoc. Festival. The Festival starts at 1PM and The Desultory Theatre Club’s own Keith Paul will go on with Rodney K. and Jamie Weisberg at 3PM. Winners are judged on the spot and then possibly JUMP to the finals held in Grand Rapids, MI next summer to compete against all of New England! Tickets are just $10 and can be purchased from the Warner Theatre’s Box Office.
photo by Katherine Ray Photography
Pocket Vinyl Returns!
The Desultory Theatre Club and The Arts Desire proudly present the awesomeness that is POCKET VINYL!
We are very excited about our friends in Pocket Vinyl returning to the Northwest Corner!
Not familiar with them yet?
Here’s the quick version: Eric plays the piano while Elizabeth paints on stage. The paintings are then sold at every concert to the highest bidder. They’re married. They’re from New London, CT. They’ve released 3 albums, the most recent of which was “Death Anxiety” in 2013. They invented the world’s first “MP” (short for “mini play”). They’re full time musicians working on a DIY level.
They’re trying very hard to be your favorite band.
You can see more at: http://www.pocketvinyl.com/
Tickets $13.00 at the door.
Come early to meet the wonderful owners of The Art’s Desire and find out about the other great happenings there!
Mission 0 and Forget, Forget
The Desultory Theatre Club and Snapper Magee’s present…
Our favorite sexy rockers MISSION ZERO (New Haven) and the really cool music of FORGET, FORGET (Portland, ME)!!
MISSION ZERO plays smart, sexy trip-hop indie-pop.
Growing up playing a range of musical instruments together, siblings Chenot and David crafted and honed their ability to communicate telepathically as performers. After touring the world separately and together in various bands, they decided to join forces as Mission Zero. Intentionally forgoing traditional pop instrumentation, the duo focuses on their strong suits – powerful, sultry vocals and blistering, dynamic percussion – supported live by a unique body of synthesized sounds (lovingly referred to by the band as The Robots).
Their live show runs the musical gamut, including explosive stomping synth-pop that provokes an irresistible need to dance.
A commitment to an eco-chic lifestyle has led to an album and several singles recorded in a studio powered by solar energy, as well as a compressed stage set-up, designed and built (by drummer David) using recycled and reclaimed steel.
Mission Zero’s latest single, “12345678!” (“A perfect pop song” says Groove Magazine) was released alongside an animated video and interactive video game.
FORGET, FORGET‘s debut album, “We Are All,” is driven by songwriter Tyler DeVos’s work with adults living with mental illness. The lyrical content is a collage of quotes and excerpts uttered by people with psychosis who live in several of the group homes where he works. “DeVos puts those words – cloaked in metaphor and wild imagery, and yet strangely universal – to a sweeping soundtrack that heightens the otherworldly nature of the words,” writes Emily Burnham of the Bangor Daily News.
Their sound is lush, expansive, and multi-layered, yet it is crafted to be fundamentally accessible. It has been labeled as indie-rock and chamber-pop among other things. Guitar, synth, and string parts are layered atop a foundation of tight, driving drums and bass. Three- and four-part vocal harmonies fill out the arrangements lushly and beautifully. DeVos is the primary lead vocalist, with multi-instrumentalist Patia Maule contributing lead vocals on several songs.
Seeing Forget, Forget perform live is an unforgettable experience. The music is delivered compellingly and passionately. Forget, Forget has won over crowds at numerous venues in Northern New England, including Port City Music Hall in Portland, ME, The Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, MA, Rockwood Music Hall in New York City, and the Penobscot Theater in Bangor, ME.
“We Are All” is dedicated to people who live with mental illness.
Party starts at 9pm – Show begins at 10pm!
21 and Over only.
The Desultory Theatre Club 