Peripatetic Players

The Peripatetic Players Are Back!

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Greetings, Friends of Idiot String and The Peripatetic Players,

The Peripatetic Players are back at it again, and we need YOUR help!

In 2019, we created an original work based on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Our goal was to re-mount this production and adapt the other books in the trilogy into two plays.

This year we begin our quest again!

The Peripatetic Players are raising funds to re-start their quest across Middle Earth! This summer, we will be performing A Lord of a Ring in Suitcase: The Two-Part Trilogy (The Extendish Edition) across Bay Area parks and public spaces.

We’ll be at a different park each weekend, offering several performances at each location. So you can see one show, two shows in two days, or both shows in one day! All performances are offered FREE to the public, and your donations help keep this possible.

Even the smallest donations can change the course of this play! Here are some examples of what your contributions can do:

$5 – Gives us Warm Fuzzies

$10 – Ensures our First Aid Kit is well-stocked

$25 – Transports the Players to (approximately) one performance

$50 – Creates a set of mini-costumes for the audience to wear

$100 – Subsidizes the average park permit fees for one performance

$250 – Provides us with printed materials, such as scripts, postcards, and posters

$500 – Buys paint and supplies to make our scenery merry and bright

The lighting of the beacons (aka the start of the fundraiser) will begin on March 13 and concluding on April 3 with a celebratory feast (picnic) at The Golden Hall in Rohan (Cedar Rose Park in Berkeley). Whether you pledge your support with a donation or a social media share, we hope you can join us!

To make a donation, please visit our Go Fund me page!

THANK YOU!

The Peripatetic Players:

Sam Bertken, Joan Howard, Rebecca Longworth, Casey Robbins, Soren Santos, Kenny Scott & Marlene Yarosh

Notice

Idiot String (and thus The Peripatetic Players) is fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media, a 501(c)3 organization. Donations are tax deductible through IAM. Independent Arts & Media (“IAM,” a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code) offers fiscal sponsorship to projects and producers which advance IAM’s charitable purpose: to raise the educational and social levels of the residents of the San Francisco Bay Area and surrounding regional and national communities, through the development of noncommercial, educational and cultural media, news and arts projects for the benefit of the general public.

More information about Independent Arts and Media: IAM is a San Francisco-based fiscal sponsor with a mission to support independent, non-commercial art and media projects and producers for the purpose of building community and civic participation and facilitating cultural engagement and free expression. IAM currently supports over 60 affiliates dedicated to non-commercial work in media and the arts, including publishing, theater, dance, music, visual art, film and video, journalism, history, and public-events production.

Checking In & Notes from the Apartment

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So much has happened since my last blog post in March. We of the Samuel Peaches Peripatetic Players have been busy behind the screens meeting virtually, generating material, and exploring current events to create artistic performance. The most important question, however, is:

How are you? 

Can you believe that we are only halfway through 2020? What are some moments that you’d like to remember or let go of? These seven months have brought a myriad of life experiences to the forefront of our lives, and I invite you to reflect on what has happened in your life as I reflect what’s been happening for us.

The COVID-19 pandemic quickly thrust our theater company into an online forum, something that we chose to embrace whole-heartedly as a creative challenge. Our #POOOC2020 was such a fun experience, and what brought me the most joy was trying to come up with Obstacles for folks to do at home, and find something delightful inside. All of the Obstacles we created were designed to be done at home with common objects. We had “Gear Up to Get Down”, a dancing competition, and a DIY At-Home Obstacle course. We celebrated live on Zoom and Facebook on April 5th with our “Celebration of Obstacles Overcome” and had a great time.

We had been working towards producing our “main-stage marquee” show, a sequel to our last show, A Lord of a Ring In A Suitcase from Summer 2019. On Wednesday nights you would have found us virtually developing a script, making each other laugh, and participating in creative development exercises with our newest ensemble members, Kenny Scott and Leigh Rondon-Davis (check out our ensemble bio page for updates!).

With health restrictions changing so frequently, we decided to change course and started thinking of ways we could present a “To-Go” show to smaller audiences.


And then, in July, our community and our country were shocked into action by the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many other names to count. We reached out to our community, as did many other groups we admire, to provide resources to start discussions about examining racism and systematic violence against Black people, and how we can work to end racism within ourselves, our ensemble, and our society. While the work has been vital for us, the true intent is to build up our capabilities as an ensemble, and as individuals, to defy white supremacist culture, in all its forms; forms that we had unwittingly implemented into our regular way of making art. This kind of behavior, this kind of structure, has been learned and normalized and we are actively trying to unlearn and unnormalize it within our organization. 

What does that all mean?

Personally, I’ve been reading great books, including Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America’s Most Powerful Mobster by Stephen L. Carter, and How To Be An Antiracist Ibram X. Kendi. I’ve also been attending virtual meetings through SURJ Bay Area. 

Administratively, we’ve been examining the “power structures” within the ensemble and learning more (and working towards) consensus-based decision making. We are taking turns being the agenda maker, facilitator, note taker, and time keeper in our meetings and rehearsals. (For a recent agenda I created, I brushed off some old improv games from college – there! Using my degree!)

And yet, still, with all of these things going on, there is one thing most on my mind:

You, dear audience.

How are you? I hope you are safe, and healthy. I hope you are finding ways to thrive in your home and in your community, and raising up those around you.

We can’t wait to see you in person, and until that time, remember –

“In the end it’s only a passing thing, this shadow; even darkness must pass.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

Behind the #POOOC2020 – Gwen Edition

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Hi Everybody!

I hope you all are enjoying our #POOOC2020 Obstacles as much as we are, and if you aren’t sure what I’m talking about, here’s the inside scoop!

The Particularly Obstinate ONLINE Obstacle Course, #POOOC2020, is an entirely at-home, online version of our annual obstacle course FUNdraiser. Now even more people can participate, with adventures designed to help you fill your days at home with creative fun!

Our #POOOC2020 officially kicked off on March 23rd, with much fanfare, and the first obstacle on the list is….

GEAR UP and GET DOWN!

Like past obstacles, I like Princess Gwen’s challenges to include a bit of costuming and crafting fun:

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Can you spot Jay Robinson?

Since we our #POOC has become a #POOOC, I had to pull out my trusty costume box (see above).

And, since the point of GEAR UP and GET DOWN  is to gear up as many costumes as you can, and boogie as hard as you can, I then had to choose the perfect music. This is where Carly Rae Jepsen, the 21st Century’s Queen Of A Million Kingdoms, comes in!

(If you are in desperate need of a jam right now, take a listen, and I guarantee you’ll want to dance!)

 

 

I really hope you all are having a good time engaging with our Obstacles — who doesn’t need a bit of fun right now?

Love, Always,

Marlene
AKA
Princess Gwen!

 

#POOOC2020 Official Obstacles

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Welcome to #POOOC2020 — the Peripatetic Players Particularly Obstinate Online Obstacle Course! 

Seven Obstinate Obstacles await you for stay-at-home fun! They will test your merit, your mettle, your moxie, and even your manners.

Some tips:

  • Read through the Obstacles first so that you can collect everything you need and understand how the challenges work. 
  • All the Obstacles can be done at home with common objects. Some obstacles require a partner, who can be someone in your household or someone you can call or video-chat with. 
  • Each Obstacle can be modified for each participant’s ability, dexterity, and size.
  • Bonus Points are ways to add challenge to any Obstacle!
  • You can tackle one Obstacle at a time, or do all of them in a row! The Official Online Obstacle challenge lasts through April 5. Challenge yourself to complete your Obstacles by then if you like!
  • Be sure to ask permission to use the household items you’ll need for the challenge, and have an adult approve the safety of your course before you begin. (If you are an adult, it’s up to you how much permission and safety is required.)
  • If you wish, you can post photos or videos of your glorious Obstacle attempts with the hashtag #POOOC2020. The Peripatetic Players will be posting theirs, too. You can also tag @PeripateticPlayers on IG or TikTok, and @SamuelPeaches on Twitter!
  • Join us for a Celebration of Obstacles Overcome live-streamed on the Peripatetic Players Facebook Page, April 5 at 2pm!
  • Also optional: If you register as an Official Obstacler, you can donate or collect pledges to help the Peripatetic Players raise money for their summer production, A Lord Of A Ring: The Extend-ish Edition, a two-part trilogy inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous adventure saga. For more information, please visit https://go.rallyup.com/poooc2020

Table of Obstinate Online Obstacles:

1. GEAR UP and GET DOWN
2. GALADRIEL’S MIRROR
3. AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
4. THE TWO TOWERS
5. CONQUER-CLUTTER COMPETITION
6. RIDICULOUS RINGWRAITHS
7. SKARKLINE
PRINT A PDF OF ALL OBSTACLES

1. GEAR UP and GET DOWN!

Gear up for your great quest! Every undertaking requires the proper attire and bomb moves. For obstacles of this obstinacy, the more layers and the more moves the better! Each member of the Fellowship had at least a few layers of cool cloaks and protective gear, even if they didn’t wear shoes. In your awesome attire, with your amazing moves, you will defeat any foe!

Get Ready…

  • Gather some clothes — as many as you can put on at once over whatever you are wearing now.
  • Find a music player.

Get Set…

  • Choose a song to play, and cue it up on your player… or just use the next song that comes on the radio.

Go!

  • Start the music!
  • Put on as many pieces of clothing as you possibly can! Remember, you’re preparing yourself for a great challenge!
  • NOW DANCE! Dance defiantly in the face of adversity! You have til the music stops to continue being amazing!
  • Bonus Points: Be wearing all of the costume pieces at the end of the dance that you started your dance with. More clothes and more vigorous dancing = more bonus points!
Princess Gwen, Some Strange Pink Monster, and Dr. Reindeer dancing in sync during P.O.O.C. 2017. Photo by Tim Guydish.

2. GALADRIEL’S MIRROR of “Things That Have Not Yet Come To Pass”

What are your predictions for things that have not yet come to pass, a.k.a. The Future? The elf queen Galadriel looks into her mirror (which looks an awful lot like Dumbledore’s Pensieve) to see the past, present, and future. Your mirror will help you give a hopeful prediction!

Get Ready…

  • Find a Mirror or other reflective object (like a window) in which to look for your predictions.

Get Set…

  • Sit or stand in front of your mirror.

Go!

  • Wave your hands mystically in front of your mirror while you speak your question aloud: “What is something good that can happen while we shelter in place?” or “How might the world change for the better after this quarantine?”
  • Close your eyes for 10 seconds while you summon all your visionary powers…
  • Now open your eyes, strike your most Powerful Pose…
  • And in your biggest voice, Speak Your Prediction! Try starting with “I hope that…” or “I’m glad that…” or “I predict that…” and fill in the rest. Examples: “I hope that I will be stronger and more resilient than before!”, “I’m glad that I can write messages to my friends!”, “I predict that we will all be happy to see each other again!”
  • Bonus Points: Sing your prediction, and keep singing all about it! Make it up as you go along… aim for 30 seconds and see how long you can keep your song going!
Princess Gwen as Galadriel in A Lord Of A Ring In A Suitcase, summer 2019.

3. AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY: DIY Obstacle Course

When Frodo started on his quest to destroy the One Ring, he had no idea what would happen… and sometimes, the obstacles he faced were challenges he created! Now it’s your turn to show everyone your best talents and qualities. You’re going to make an obstacle course in your own space, using items from the lists provided. 

Get Ready…

  • Create five obstacles, one from each object in List A. Here’s how: Draw one line from each object in List A to match up with one task from List B (you can write in a couple others if you like). Then draw a line from each chosen task in List B to one way from list C. This is your guide to making your obstacle course… feel free to add your own embellishments and get creative! 

List A: OBJECTS

  • A Chair
  • A Doorway
  • A Pillow
  • A Blanket

List B: TASKS

  • Go Under
  • Go Over
  • Go Around
  • Go Through
  • Go Inside
  • Balance On
  • Jump Over
  • Hide From
  • Travel Along
  • [Create Your Own!]

List C: WAYS

  • Stealthily
  • Quickly
  • Softly
  • Loudly
  • Strongly
  • Gracefully
  • Secretly
  • Invisibly
  • Pompously
  • [Create Your Own!]
  • Collect the objects in List A. For Bonus Points, also collect something to toss (like a pair of socks folded into a ball) and something to toss it into (like a bowl, basket, or other container.)
  • Find something to use for a starting line and a finish line. Long pieces of yarn, long scarves, or a piece of removable painter’s tape on the ground work nicely. 
  • You may want some music for this challenge. Choose your soundtrack wisely.

Get Set…

  • Set up your obstacle course, using your objects, tasks and ways to create your own Unexpected Journey! 
  • Bonus Points: Set up a Final Challenge to do when you’ve finished the others: like Frodo tossing the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom, you’ll toss your tossing-thing into your container!
  • Turn on your music.

Go!

  • Complete your Unexpected Obstacles!
Meekins as The Hare, ready to win all the races in Aesop Amuck, summer 2015.

4. THE TWO TOWERS: Messages To Faraway Friends

What happens when you need help, but your friends are far away? You send messages, of course! In this challenge, you represent a whole castle or city. You can be Gondor lighting the beacons to ask for help from Rohan, or (if you’re a villain) Sauron up in Orthanc commanding Saruman in Isengard, or (if you have no idea who or what we’re talking about) you could be San Francisco sending signals to New York City. Your goal is to get a message to your friend across a distance, without using words. 

Get Ready…

  • Find a partner (virtually or online) 
  • Find something to wear that represents your castle, city, or community. (If you are already wearing a costume, this should somehow fit on top!)

Get Set…

  • You and your partner should be in two different places. You could be in different houses (via video chat), different rooms of the same house, or just on opposite sides of one room.
  • Put on your costume! 
  • Decide on a simple task for your partner to do. Each partner should come up with a task, but don’t tell each other what the task is! Examples of simple tasks: Do jumping jacks, Drink a glass of water, Sit down in a chair, Clap your hands. 
  • Decide on a way to communicate. Remember – you must communicate without words, and without leaving your spot. Examples of ways to communicate: hand signals, Morse code, semaphore, gestures, sign language, or invent your own! 
  • Bonus points: Don’t decide on the means of communication in advance, just wing it, and trust your partner to understand!

Go!

  • Communicate, without speaking, what you want your partner to do. 
  • Once the first partner successfully completes their task, switch! 
A small pirate, Meekins and Samuel Peaches with a punny obstacle at the 2018 P.O.O.C.

5. LEGOLAS & GIMLI’S Conquer-Clutter Competition!

Work with a partner to destroy the clutter around your house in a friendly competition, like Legolas and Gimli clearing Orcs out of the Battle of Helm’s Deep!

Get Ready…

  • Find a partner (online or in person)
  • Find a timer, or find a helper to keep an eye on the clock

Get Set…

  • Agree with your partner on how long the challenge will last, anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes.
  • Set your timer (or have your helper say when to “go”)

Go!

  • Pick up pieces of clutter in your house, like toys, socks, pencils, junk mail  — anything that’s out of place — and put them where they belong!
  • Count your conquests: loudly call out a number each time you put something away so that your partner knows how awesome you are at this challenge. 
  • Compete to be the partner with the most items of clutter vanquished when the time is up!
  • Bonus Points: Count your conquests in the voice of your favorite character.
This competition between two Veronese ruffians (played by Princess Gwen and Percival Perkins) in Shakespeare or Space Wars (2017) wasn’t so friendly.

6. The RIDICULOUS RINGWRAITH Drawing/Describing Challenge! 

Those creepy Ringwraiths are always after our hero, Frodo Baggins… but they don’t know who he is, they can only talk in screeches and shrieks, and they can’t see so well under those heavy black cloaks! In this challenge, you’re a Ringwraith trying to find your favorite hero… but you have difficulties. Choose whichever challenge appeals to you: DRAWING or DESCRIBING!

Get Ready…

  • DRAWING: Grab a maker, some paper, and something to cover your eyes with, like a scarf you can tie into a blindfold or a hoodie you can wear backwards.
  • DESCRIBING and DRAWING: Decide who is your favorite hero. It could be yourself in your Obstacle Course costume, one of your Obstacle partners, Aragorn, Gandalf, Princess Leia, Wonder Woman, or any other hero.

Get Set…

  • DRAWING: Cover your eyes. Make sure you have your marker in your drawing hand and your paper on a table in front of you, under your other hand.
  • DESCRIBING: Take a deep breath!

Go!

  • DRAW a picture of your hero! No peeking! When you are done, show off your masterpiece — while still blindfolded.
  • DESCRIBE your hero using only gibberish! Be sure to use gestures or sounds that will help us get a sense of your hero’s awesomeness. Don’t leave out any details!
  • Bonus Points for DRAWING or DESCRIBING: you can only talk in screeches and shrieks!
Meekins, Thumper, and Samuel Peaches as Ringwraiths in A Lord Of A Ring In A Suitcase, summer 2019

7. The Most Obstinate of Obstinate Obstacles: SKARKLINE

Sometimes, you are called upon to Skarkline. What is Skarkline? Only you know.

Get Ready… 

  • Prepare the Skarkline Arena.

Get Set… 

  • Enter the Skarkline Arena.

Go! 

  • Successfully Skarkline!
  • Bonus Points: Skarkline in the character of your favorite hero (like Eowyn), villain (like Saruman), or anti-hero (like Gollum).
We are not sure if anyone is Skarklining in this picture from Aesop Amuck. There do seem to be Players wearing frog feet, and toddlers throwing projectiles.

Have fun!

Please let us know about your Obstacle Attempts by posting them on social media with the hashtag #POOOC2020! You can also tag @PeripateticPlayers on IG or TikTok, and @SamuelPeaches on Twitter!

VISIT THE MAIN #POOOC2020 PAGE
PRINT A PDF OF ALL OBSTACLES

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

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Howdy Friends!

No, I’m not referring to Christmas, I’m referring to the Peripatetic Season!

I’d like to start off this over-due post by talking about how amazing performing in A Lord of A Ring In A Suitcase was. Performing with the Peripatetic Players is always a delight. Being able to create fantastic stories, create meaningful relationships, and create joy FOR YOU is one of the things I’m most proud of.

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Dimond Park, Oakland, 2019

A particular moment in A Lord of a Ring that brought me joy was actually towards the end of the show. [SPOILER ALERT?!] At the end of The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo decides that it is better for him to journey to Mordor alone. His best friend, Samwise Gamgee notices Frodo is leaving alone and follows him:

FRODO picks up an oar and starts rowing. SAMWISE sees him and calls out.
SAMWISE: Mister Frodo, no! Not without me!
FRODO: Sam, you can’t swim! Not across the river of the audience!
SAMWISE: It doesn’t matter — you’re my friend, and that’s all that matters!

savingsam

“Not alone, Mister Frodo!”

The line, “You’re my friend, and that’s all that matters!” always struck me in my heart, and I was constantly reminded how special it was to be performing in this play, with this group of performers, and for the audience that took time out of their day to see this show.

Thank you!

And now, we are getting ready to do it all over again!

We’ve started developing our 2020 summer tour, and while we waiting just a bit longer to make our official announcement, I can tell you that you will have an Extended Amount of Fun (perhaps TWO TIMES?!) this summer!

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Cookin’ stuff up for our #summertour !

On Sunday, April 5th we will be hosting our annual Particularly Obstinate Obstacle Course FUNdraiser! Last year was tons of fun — please check out the link above and stay tuned for more details!

Sending you all lots of love,

Marlene
AKA
Princess Gwen
and also, AKA
Frodo Baggins, Arwen, and Galadriel

Building Middle Earth

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The Peripatetic Players have been hard at work creating the props, costumes, and special effects that will bring Middle Earth to life at a park near you!

Thumper, the Peripatetic Players Head Whirlygig-Maker, has a brilliant idea: Since the members of the famous Fellowship had to travel by foot, the Players will, too — they’re packing all of the whirlygigs, wigs, and whatnot into suitcases and trunks rather than into FluxWagon, their folding mobile stage. All of Middle Earth will come out of the suitcases, and the Players will bravely perform sans stage for the first time!

It’s quite an audacious experiment, and we’re reasonably confident that Samuel (Peaches, the Peripatetic Players’ leading man and impressario) will think it is a *genius* idea.

Behold, some designs-in-progress! Including Princess Gwen in a princess wig, paper claws painstakingly crafted by Percival Perkins, and statuesque illustrations by Meekins!

A Lord Of A Ring In A Suitcase opens in Santa Clara on Saturday, August 17, sponsored by the Santa Clara City Library!

Tour Schedule
Joan (Thumper) looks like she's yelling while wearing a plastic Viking-style helmet with the horns upside-down
Illustration of two faces, each wearing a armor: one serious and bearded, the other clean-shaven with a half-smile and wink
Marlene (Princess Gwen) becomes an elf queen warrior with her long blonde wig, gauzy white robe, and striking a fierce pose with a foam sword in each hand.
Joan (Thumper) pretends to claw at Soren (Percival)'s face with paper claws affixed to her fingers
Seven vests in a variety of fabrics, from plain to plaid to floral brocade

Get Ready to Roam Middle Earth… Peripatetically!

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The Peripatetic Players are back this Summer for six performances only with a new adaptation, A Lord Of A Ring In A Suitcase, August 17-25, 2019.

But this isn’t the first time the Players have tackled Tolkien’s epic tale! In early 2018, Samuel tried his hand as an artiste in a new medium, the silver screen… and the Players bravely filmed several scenes of The Fellowship Of The Ring starring Princess Gwen as Frodo, Guy Hank as Gandalf, Madame Directrix as both Merry and Pippin, Mr. Peaches as Samwise Gamgee, and Thumper and Meekins as two terrifying Ringwraiths. Percival Perkins made a detailed shotlist and kept the shoot running on schedule.

Have a look at some of the film stills here, and join the Players in Santa Clara, Oakland, Alameda, or Port Costa this summer!

Read More about the 2019 tour of A Lord Of A Ring
Samuel Peaches is nearly as brilliant a film director as he is a stage director, as evidenced here by his groundbreaking use of perspective to make the Hobbits appear smaller than the Ringwraiths.
Thumper also played Bilbo, pictured here on his eleventy-first birthday as Gandalf (Guy Hank) gives a thumbs-up.
The dianoga from Shakespeare or Space Wars had a guest appearance as the Eye of Sauron.
In this dramatic scene, Gandalf fails to notice the similarities between the names “Sauron” and “Saruman.”
Read More about the 2019 tour of A Lord Of A Ring

Physical Comedy with the Peripatetic Players – June 16

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Learn to slip, trip, fall and bounce back on June 16!

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Thumper‘s very good friend, Joan Howard, will lead this Physical Comedy workshop. This workshop was postponed from its original date of March 17.

You’ll learn the basics of physical comedy and knockabout clowning, from solo slapstick to group melees and building comedic bits. You’ll build essential skills like tripping, tumbling, falling, and running into walls. We’ll also cover comic slaps, hair pulls, foot stomps, and head bonks. Finally, we’ll explore comic structure, and you’ll string your skills together to create a short slapstick performance with other workshop participants that will serve to develop character and tell a story.

This workshop is for actors, improvisers, clowns, comedians, and anyone who is excited to develop their physical funny. Open to all skill levels and ages 15 and up. Sign Up Here!

The basics:

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What: Physical Comedy with the Peripatetic Players
When: June 16, 2019, 12pm – 3pm
Where: Port Costa, California

How To Sign Up: Register at this link!

More details:

Cost is just $50, which supports both Idiot String and the Port Costa Conservation Society. Residents of Port Costa, Crockett, or Tormey pay just $10 thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Crockett Community Foundation.

After the workshop, explore the wonderful and tiny town of Port Costa, where you can hike the hills, relax with a book, or discover whimsical artwork and fabulous antiques — making the whole day an invigorating experience.

We are excited to play with you!

What to bring:
  • Snacks and/or a bag lunch
  • Water bottle
  • Notebook or journal and pen(cil)
  • Closed-toe shoes and clothes you can move in
How to sign up:
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Joan Howard is a physical theatre performer and clown. She plays Thumper of the Samuel Peaches Peripatetic Players, and is one-half of the acrobatic clown duo Max & Antoinette, who have appeared at San Francisco Theater Pub and the foolsFURY Factory Parts Festival. Joan teaches the next generation of professional clowns at San Francisco Circus Center’s Clown Conservatory, where she is co-director of a new social clowning program called ClownCorps. Joan also feels particularly fortunate to visit hospitals with the Medical Clown Project. She has performed with We Players and foolsFURY, and has presented original performances at Physical Theatre Salon at Main Street, LEVYSalon, Barbary Coast Amusements, Literary Clown Foolery, The Clown Cabaret, and Ei8ht. In 2010, she co-founded Main Street Theatre in San Francisco’s Excelsior district, an alternative performance venue dedicated to physical theatre and the variety arts. Joan studied clowning and pedagogy with Giovanni Fusetti of Helikos, is a graduate of Flying Actor Studio’s Physical Theatre Conservatory, and holds a BFA in Sculpture/Performance Art from California College of Arts & Crafts. She is co-creator of Idiot String.

Ensemble Character Creation – Peripatetic Style!

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Come play with us on January 27!

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Mdme Directrix’s very good friend, Rebecca Longworth, will lead a workshop on January 27 called Ensemble Character Creation with the Peripatetic Players.

This workshop is open to all! In it, you’ll create your very own character, and play together with other workshop participants to perform an original adaptation of a short fairy tale… just like the Peripatetic Players do it! Read on for more info, then Sign Up Here!

The basics:

portcostamap

What: Ensemble Character Creation with the Peripatetic Players
When: Sunday, January 27, 10am – 2pm
Where: Port Costa, California

How To Sign Up: Register at this link!

Cost is just $40, which supports both Idiot String and the Port Costa Conservation Society. Residents of Port Costa, Crockett, or Tormey pay just $10 thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Crockett Community Foundation.

The details:
Stretch your theatrical muscles, develop your own eccentric character, and hone your ensemble-creation skills!

In this workshop, Idiot String’s Artistic Director, Rebecca Longworth, will guide you through the Peripatetic Players’ signature style of character-building and collaborative creation, rooted in delight and play. You’ll come away with a new character ready to hit the stage in a variety of settings, new insight and confidence as a performer, and new collaborators dedicated to accessible ensemble theatremaking. You’ll also laugh a lot!

Using methods developed by the Peripatetic Players use to create their actor-characters, you’ll cultivate delight, vulnerability, and authentic presence on stage. You’ll gain insight into your habits as a performer, using those as strengths to build from. Then, through improvisation, eccentric exploration, and play, you’ll develop a brand-new character that’s unique to you! Your character will find their voice and form relationships, then build an ensemble with other delightful weirdos to adapt a short fairytale together.

After the workshop, explore the wonderful and tiny town of Port Costa, where you can hike the hills, relax with a book, or discover whimsical artwork and fabulous antiques — making the whole day an invigorating experience.

We are excited to play with you!

Who is this workshop for?

We’re looking for participants from a variety of backgrounds with a range of performing experience…

  • Actors who want to incorporate more physicality, playfulness, or vulnerability into their character work
  • Physical performers ready to deepen ensemble skills, mindfulness, vulnerability and play
  • Performers of all stripes seeking to gain insight into their habits, incorporate a sense of delight and play into their practice, or explore new ways of collaborating in ensemble
  • Anyone seeking more relaxation, confidence and delight on stage and working in groups
  • Those interested in devised theatre-making, collaboration creation, or the Bay Area ensemble theater community
  • Non-actors with an openness to learning new techniques, accessing vulnerability, and building ensemble
What to bring:
  • Snacks and/or a bag lunch
  • Water bottle
  • Notebook or journal and pen(cil).
  • Closed-toe shoes and clothes you can move in, preferably solid, neutral colors.
What’s provided:
  • Some costumes and accessories to try on — we encourage you *not* to bring your own, but instead to surprise yourself with something new!
  • A creative environment rooted in connection, support, and delight.
How to sign up / cost:
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Your investment of $40 supports Idiot String, our workshop leaders, and the Port Costa School as a community space. Residents of Port Costa, Tormey, and Crockett pay just $10, thanks to generous sponsorship from the Crockett Community Foundation.

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A swashbuckling summer…

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Our summer tour of Shiver We Timbers! closed on August 12. It was a swashbuckling adventure to be sure, full of pleasures and perils. With your help, we found the lost treasure of Penelope Pandulce Potrero (the Pirate Princess of Pangea), and we made lots of new friends and reconnected with old ones — over 1000 of you came to see us this summer!

Lincoln - Audience and Good Ship - by RL

Every adventure was a bit different — because you picked it! On our voyages, we explored uncharted isles, encountered “graceful” mermaids and dancing undersea creatures, were cursed by sea magic, escaped scrapes in the mythical pirate port of Puerto Peruguano, met our doom aboard a scurvy ship, were dragged to the depths by the Kraken, collided with an iceberg, were rammed by an enemy ship, and even came under attack from small pirates wielding paper cannon balls. But never once were we struck by lightning! What luck.

A sea storm hits the Good Ship Peripatetic! Photo by Soren Santos.
Meekins (Sam Bertken), Madame D. (Rebecca Longworth), Thumper (Joan Howard), Guy Hank (Paul Collins) and Princess Gwen (Marlene Yarosh) consult a treasure map. Photo by Soren Santos.
Evil Pirates aboard their evil pirate ship: Guy Hank (Paul Collins) as Captain Long Johns Danpier, Samuel Peaches (Casey Robbins) as Lord Trelawney, Meekins (Sam Bertken) as Bloody Lancaster and Princess Gwen (Marlene Yarosh) as Lady Blackhat. Photo by Soren Santos
Thumper and Samuel Peaches take a turn as singing Mermaids. (Joan Howard and Casey Robbins.) Photo by Soren Santos.
Lord Trelawney (Casey Robbins as Samuel Peaches) attacked by The Kraken (Joan Howard as Thumper). Photo by Soren Santos

As always, the best part — and, it turns out, the treasure itself — is connecting with you, our audiences. We were especially thrilled to see you dressed up in your most piratical costumes! You came out to your local parks with your littlest family members and your wisest, and even some furry friends as well, and we hope you were delighted by our show. THANK YOU!

A small pirate looks toward the Good Ship Peripatetic during “Shiver We Timbers” at Lincoln Park, Alameda, 2018.
Samuel Peaches (Casey Robbins) as Captain of the Good Ship Peripatetic with new recruits to his pirate crew.

We look forward to seeing you again soon! Between now and our next summer tour, keep an eye out for special events, one-off performances, and workshops!

(Hint: our first workshop is coming up on November 3, 2018!)