As a developmental theatre organization, Voice & Vision is always thrilled to hear success stories of the plays we’ve helped along the way. In celebration of the artists who have attended out Envision Retreats for the past five years we wanted to share with our larger community the achievements they have made…

Where Are They Now

Members of Circus Amok teach a circus arts workshop for the Retreat
community at the 2005 Retreat. Photo Amanda Cooper.

Works Developed in the Year 2000:

Alva Rogers: Belly: Three Shorts

Belly: Three Shorts takes three vignettes and charts the inner lives of women, examining intersections of family, birth, violence, motherhood, and more “belly” oriented themes.

Presented by New Georges at Here Arts Center, Alva saw her play Belly: Three Shorts produced in September of 2003.

Deborah Saivetz and Maria Morett: Women in Confinement

Deborah translated Mexican playwright Maria Morett’s Mujeres en el Encierro and developed the play at our 2000 Retreat. In May of 2002 Six Figures Theatre Company produced Women in Confinement in a series entitled “Artists of Tomorrow” at New York’s West End Theatre. Also in her acclaim, the journal TheatreForum published the translation in their June 2003 issue.

Kristin Page Stuart: Songs for Citizens and Soldiers

The constructive work she poured into Songs for Citizens and Soldiers at the 2000 Retreat paid off but not in the form of a musical production. Kristin has re-arranged many of these songs for the band “Sleepwalker’s Parade” which has had a busy year performing at top New York clubs such as The Cutting Room and Makor. Even more exciting, one of her songs entitled “Sleepwalker” made it onto Australia’s top ten Ison Live Radio charts for nine weeks, eventually reaching #3! We look forward to its appearance on a compellation disc produced by Gothem Records in the UK later this year.

Works Developed in the Year 2001:

Caridad Svich: The Booth Variations

The Booth Variations follows the career of American actor Edwin Booth, brother to the infamous presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth. Caridad and her co-writer Todd Cerveris took a slice of the nineteenth century and added a surreal flare of theatricality in order to examine our present day cult of celebrity. After the 2001 Envision retreat, Svich continued to workshop The Booth Variations at Denison University in Ohio. This multi-media collaboration saw its first full stage production on August 5-22, 2004 at 59 East 59 th Street Theatre, New York City.

Works Developed in the Year 2002:

Maureen Brennan: Alma

Inspired by Tennessee William’s humorous short story The Yellow Bird, Alma raises themes of independence and freedom as it follows a young girl into womanhood. From the 2002 Envision Retreat, Maureen took Alma to the Brooklyn Arts Exchange where it was performed for full houses throughout January of 2003. What’s next for Alma? Maureen has further developed the script to include three women to represent stages of Alma’s life and hopes to see it produced within the new few years in New Orleans, where the play is set.

Clove Galilee and Jenny Rogers: Trick Saddle

Trick Saddle, directed/designed by Jenny Rogers and choreographed by Clove Galilee, was a part of our 2002 Envision Retreat. This wild west ballet takes a posse of feminist cowgirls and tosses the traditional cowboy myth out the window. Through the whirlwind of video, music, song, dance, and dialogue, Trick Saddle thrilled audiences at PS122 in January of 2003.

Tish Benson: Hairstory

While the performance end of Hairstory is still in process, Tish adapted the work into a short story. Fly By Night Press published Hairstory, among a collection of other short stories by Tish, in a book entitled Wild Like Good Stuff Smellin’ Strong. This can be purchased at www.tribbees.org or at the St. Marks Street Bookstore.

Shelly Wyant: Romeo/Juliet

Romeo/Juliet, adapted by Nina Shengold and directed by Shelley Wyant, retells Shakespeare’s classic story of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo/Juliet was workshopped at the 2002 Retreat (then entitled R &J), and since then Romeo/Juliet has enjoyed phenomenal success. It was produced at both Redhook High School (with Bard College students) and Rondout High School (with a company of professional actors). Most impressively, Broadway Play Publishing Inc. has recently published Romeo/Juliet!

Works Developed in the Year 2003:

Karen Hartman: Anatomy 1968

After her intensive workshop experience at the Envision Retreat 2003, Anatomy 1968 has also enjoyed several readings at the Vineyard, the Women’s Projects and Productions, and New Dramatists. Most worthy of note was its inclusion in Arielle Tepper’s 2004 Summer Play Festival under the direction of Lisa Rothe.

Theodora Skipitares: Odyssey: The Homecoming

Theodora originally attended last years Retreat with her project entitled Iphigenia, but since then it’s title has changed to Odyssey: The Homecoming. This multi-media show brings the art of puppetry into the spotlight. Known for her provacative miniaturist work,

Theodora’s creativity in Odyssey: The Homecoming enchanted audiences at La Mama throughout the month of February 2004.

Yeardley Smith: MORE

Known for her quirky voice as Lisa Simpson, Yeardley Smith brought her autobiographical one-woman show to the 2003 Envision retreat. MORE traces her own journey as an actress on the turbulent track to fame. After the retreat Yeardley took her show to the Off-Broadway downtown venue, Union Square Theatre where it was produced in March of 2004. New York Times theatre critic Margo Jefferson remarked of Yeardley, “It’s fun to watch a skilled actress use her craft to the full…she really does link her needs to ours” (The New York Times, 3/26/04).

Rachel Dickstein: Innocents

This dance theater adaptation of Edith Wharton’s House of Mirth was produced by Dickstein’s company Ripe Time, Inc. at the Ohio Theater in New York City in 2005. It ran for a month and was critically acclaimed.

Kristin Marting and Stephanie Fleischmann: Orpheus

This modern slant on the Greek tragedy will saw its full production at the HERE Arts Center Club in the fall of 2004.