It's out of our hands now

Thanks to all who helped edge Stolen Chair's social media proposal into the final round of the Jenzabar Foundation's Social Media Leadership competition. Here's their official announcement:

The Foundation would like to reiterate how impressed we were with all of the submissions from the 15 organizations that nominated their campaigns. The following FIVE organizations received the most votes, and thus, are the finalists for The Jenzabar Foundation Soical Media Leadership Award:

-The Stolen Chair Theatre Company

-Dream Activist

-Texas Friends and Allies Against the Death Penalty

-Forge

-The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

The winner will be selected from this pool of campaigns and will be announced by the Foundation on Wednesday, May 13th.

A social media manifesto (or...how to help Stolen Chair win $3,000 with 5 seconds of your time)

One of the major auxillary components of Stolen Chair's Community Supported Theatre business plan is the comprehensive web of collaborative social networking tools we'll be using (and, in some cases, already use) to enrich communication between our company and our audience. When The Jenzabar Foundation announced a call for such proposals for their $3,000 Social Media Leadership Award, we quickly drafted and submitted a summary of our social media outreach programs.

Good news: Our proposal made it to the semi-finals.

Even gooder news: You can be the vote that brings us to the finals (and the $$$!). The winner is the organization which reels in the most comments on their proposal.

You know how tough times are for artists right now. Help Stolen Chair expand our programs (and our reach) by writing a few encouraging words at the bottom of our proposal (you don't even have to read it!). The race is tight right now and your one vote could be the deciding factor which shapes our entire season. Whether you have seen our work or not (heck: whether you have heard of us or not!), I hope you'll take the time to post a few words here: http://thejenzabarfoundationblog.com/2009/04/09/the-stolen-chair-theatre-company/

(Comments take at least one business day to be moderated before Jenzabar posts them)

THANKS SO MUCH!!! (And please spread this around!)

The New News: March 17, 2008

So after months of blog & website silence, we've updated (check out the new header of our press bling on the homepage!) and e-blasted with lots of exciting news, summarized in ye ol' newsletter:

• We formally announce the new play, The Accidental Patriot: The Lamentable Tragedy of the Pirate Desmond Connelly, Irish by Birth, English by Blood, and American by Inclination, the third installment of Stolen Chair's CineTheatre Tetralogy, an original 1930s-style swashbuckler (as Sophocles might have written it if he’d been under contract to Warner Brothers), set against the tumultuous backdrop of the American Revolution. This mash-up of Greek tragedy and Errol Flynn-era pirate films features both rapier duels and rapier wit as it satirizes heroism, patriotism, altruism, and all of the other flimsy –isms that move us to action.
• We formally announce that tickets are on sale for aforementioned new play.
• We formally announce the beginning of our first 2008 fundraising drive and kindly ask you all to make an online donation. If you could find it in your hearts/wallets to spare a few dollars for our fundraising cause we'd be especially appreciative--we're working with more zeros than we ever have before and it's taking all of our resources to turn that red into black!
• We formally announce the airing of Stolen Chair's profile on WPS1 Art Radio, with Ian W. Hill donning his interviewer hat (and dishy baritone voice!). I talk about how the company was founded, discuss its unique collaborative process, cover all of our productions, previewing through the end of the 6th season, and even reveal the origin of Stolen Chair's name.

Kiran, Aviva, I are in Stolen Chair's Parisian "offices," stuffing ourselves with food and culture (in the next few days, you can read about our experiences with the former on my food blog: Three Little Truffle Pigs) and trying to put the finishing touches on the script for The Accidental Patriot.

The blog, quiet since our fundraising party in early February, will soon see a flurry of activity as I talk about the recently wrapped development process for The Accidental Patriot, preview the upcoming rehearsal process, and interview some of the artists who have been drinking the same Kool Aid we've been guzzling.

Stay tuned! And donate now! Oh, and we just launched a new Stolen Chair opportunities listserve for actors, designers, technicians, interns etc. If you're interested in that or our regular ol' newsletter, just click here.

Voices in print and on the air

Big press day for Stolen Chair and our Pirates of the Aegean party. We're a VOICE CHOICE (with the inset picture taking up almost the entire page!) in this week's Village Voice, and a podcast I moderated about indie theatre fundraising hit the NYtheatrecast website today.

So...hit the new stands, plug in your ipods, and get inundated by Stolen Chair's media-industrial complex :)!

And...um...BUY YOUR TICKETS!!!

The new news: 1/30/08

Last newsletter of the month went out today. The pirate party headlined, accompanied by a reminder that admission is 33% cheaper if you buy online before party time rolls around. So...do it. Buy online. Now.

Only other item was a plug for the K'spiel photos and the announcement that K'spiel DVDs are now for sale. $10 if you want 'em. Just email me.

The busiest weekend of Stolen Chair's life...or one of them

Whoah. I am astonished I've survived to write this. This weekend (by which I only mean Saturday and Sunday) featured 2 marathon rehearsals of the swashbuckler culminating in a semi-staged reading (for which nearly 25 people showed up: surprising, since we were expecting 3), a podcast for nytheatre.com I moderated about indie theatre fundraising (posting later this week), a decorating party for our fundraiser (less than a week away! visit www.partylikepirates.com and buy your tickets now!), and our quarterly board meeting.

Here's what John Clancy over at Scrappy Jack's had to say about last night's reading. (He even manages to plug like mad for our party. Oh, John, how we do love thee!)

Saw the first reading of the first part of Stolen Chair's latest last night, working title The Tragic Swashbuckler. Going to be great. Part three of their Cinetheatre Tetralogy, this time it's Errol Flynn meets Sophocles. So fucking funny and smart. Everyone needs to go to their big Pirate Party this weekend, Saturday the 2nd at the Underwater Lounge out in Dumbo. Nancy and I will be out on Long Island, partying like respectable people, but the rest of you can party like pirates. Live swordfighting, a Delphic oracle, DJs, all like that. Info and tickets at www.partylikepirates.com.

So, yeah, the reading went pretty well (I will post a pic as soon as we get them downloaded); we never know what to expect with these things. It was great to hear people laughing at the reading. Sure, we camped up some material that might be a little more earnest in production, but I think a lot of laughs showed that people were on board with this crazy concept. Still working out the kinks with the tragic chorus but I feel like that's a pretty universal struggle for all playwrights and directors dealing with that trope.

Mission for the next few days is to turn our working title into a title that works...

Raping and Plundering and Photoshopping!

Here are my faves from our ever-so-much-fun photoshoot with the brilliant Carrie Leonard, shot on location at our party venue, the Underwater Lounge (one swanky space, if I might add!).

Enjoy!

The new news: Party like pirates!!!

January newsletter #1 of 2 just went out to our subscribers. Read it here and sign up here to have the next one delivered straight to your email.

Here's the headlining news:
Stolen Chair presents Pirates of the Aegean (2/2)
A swashbuckling pirate dance party with an Ancient Greek twist.

Dust off your eye-patch and finish sewing your tunic, because on February 2nd, Stolen Chair will be swashbuckling our way into the Underwater Lounge for our Pirates of the Aegean fundraising party. DJ's, live swordfights, a Delphic oracle, and more.

Buy your tickets now at www.partylikepirates.com.

• Enter an underground pirate ship and maraud the coasts of ancient Greece!
• Witness live swordfights fought with naked steel on the dance floor!
• Discover what the fates have in store for your future at our Delphic Oracle!
• Savor a glass ’er two o’ Captain’s Blood!
• Dance as our sails are filled by music from three rockin DJ’s:
  -Been Jammin makes you shake your booty with Soulful Funky House Beats o
  -Friar Tuck’s hip-shakin' mix of funky house, breakbeat, and electro-techno will get you on the dancefloor and put a smile on your face
  -Shane Digital brings you thumpin mashup and some Baltimore club

…with clairvoyant performances by Lulu Miller and Jonathan Harford, spectacular swordplay by fight master Barbara Seifert, and décor by Laura Sheedy and David Bengali.

Doors open at 9pm and the party runs until 3am.

Tickets are $14 at the door (or $9 in costume) and $9 advance tickets are available at www.partylikepirates.com

@ The Underwater Lounge
located in the Water Street Restaurant
66 Water Street, Brooklyn
-Click here for map-

Winter cheer from the Chairs

Stolen Chair would like to wish you and yours our fully non-denominational winter cheer and the best wishes for the coming year!

August 30, 2007 marked Stolen Chair's 5th anniversary, and it's hard to believe how far we've come since we presented Portrait of Dora as a Young Man on a $50 budget in 2002. This year we presented three critically-acclaimed productions, were chosen as New York Press' "Best of Manhattan," and secured public funding from both the city and the state. And we could not have done any of this without your invaluable support!

2008 will bring even bigger projects for the company. This spring, we'll present the world premiere of the third installment of our CineTheatre Tetralogy: The Tragic Swashbuckler (working title), a 1930's swashbuckler as Sophocles might have written it. This comic mash-up of Greek Tragedy and Errol Flynn-era pirate films will feature rapier duels and rapier wit as it satirizes humanity's dependence on moral codes, however flimsy they might be.

There are just a few days left to earn deductions for this tax year, and we hope you'll help us get a head start on next year's fundraising goals by making a charitable contribution to Stolen Chair. Please visit http://donate.stolenchair.org to find our more or click the button below make an online donation.

Wishing you the very best,

The Chairs

The new news

December newsletter 1 of 2 has just been sent to our eblast subscribers (sign up here!) featuring the official announcement of The Tragic Swashbuckler, details about the upcoming playdate, links to the two November print features on Stolen Chair, and a plea for all our supporters to make their holiday purchases with Giveline.

A ditty on development

Sung to the tune of "Band on the Run":

Well, we've been busting our butts, for 5 long years, trying to get some dough.
And, though the orgs all said our applications were strong, it was always no after no.
Grant number 1, we just got grant number 1
Grant number 1, oh yeah, we just got grant number 1
And the DCA we'll thank everyday for giving us their funds.
[They gave us] Grant number 1, oh yeah we just got grant number 1

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

...you'll be seeing that logo and reading that credit line all through June 2008 so get used to it! :)

The new news (June 5th, 2007)

The latest newsletter just went out today. Read it here.

And for Jon's sake (why should Pete get all the love?), please sign up on our e-blast list.

And, um, HAVE YOU DONATED YET?

No? Well then, er...HAVE YOU BOUGHT TIX FOR COMMEDIA DELL'ARTEMISIA YET?

Putting the "fun" back into annual fundraising drive...

It begins: that time of year when Stolen Chair ever-so-subtly asks you to dig deep into your pockets to support one of NYC's most ambitious indie theatre companies (that's us!).

We'll be sending out our fancy-pants trifold brochures and solicitation letters next week, but if you're ready to contribute now, you can save a few saplings and donate now.

For those who want to maximize their gift and minimize the impact this gift has on their wallets, we've introduced recurring monthly donations.

Visit donate.stolenchair.org this instant and we'll try to make this whole fundraiser thing as quick and painless as possible.