It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

March 12, 2020marlenefrances Leave a comment

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.

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!

“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!

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

Get Ready to Roam Middle Earth… Peripatetically!

July 28, 2019July 28, 2019directorebeccer Leave a comment

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!

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.”

Hear ye, hear ye! The venerable institutions 510Families, East Bay Express, and now Theatre Bay Area have all recommended Shakespeare or Space Wars!

And we’ve got some fun pictures to show you!

Percival Perkins, Meekins & Thumper in brawl on the streets of Verona

Mr Meekins, Percival Perkins, Samuel Peaches, Thumper, and Princess Gwen in a scene set in space

Romeo & Juliet… in space!

Juliet refuses the flower of Paris as Friar Lawrence looks on

Samuel Peaches and Princess Gwen as the Nurse and Juliet

Aliens dancing during the Capulet Ball… at the Most Smiley Cantina!

Weeping and Blubbering with Friar Lawrence

Percival Perkins as Perk Piewalker dives fearlessly into a smelly spot identified by Princess Gwen/Gweia

Character Profile: Lion

August 1, 2015March 23, 2020directorebeccer 1 Comment

He’s a noble beast, but he’s got a lot to learn…

The Lion & The Mouse -- illustration by Sam Bertken — The Lion & The Mouse — illustration by Sam Bertken

When we first meet the Lion, we know he’s impressive as the King of the Forest… but even he can learn from his mistakes. To play the lion. an actor must have a strong presence and and even stronger ROAR… He’ll be hunting, but he might also become the hunted!

There are plenty of stories about animals trying to imitate the lordly lion, but we’ve selected just a couple stories in which the lion gets to show the more complicated sides of his character. Any actor would be eager to sink teeth into this meaty role… making it the perfect fit for our own leader and impressario, Samuel Peaches.

See for yourself this weekend, when Aesop Amuck opens at DeFremery Park in Oakland on Saturday and the Noe Valley Town Square on Sunday. And help support the whole tour on Kickstarter!

Help take Aesop Amuck around the Bay Area this summer!

Thumper Gets Interviewed!

July 13, 2015July 26, 2015marlenefrances Leave a comment

Good Morning All! Here is our third installment of our “behind-the-scenes/meet our players” special: THUMPER!

Samuel Peaches managed to tear Thumper away from making the trapdoor on Flux Wagon to give this interview:

HI! MY NAME IS THUMPER. I WONDER WHAT YOUR NAME IS.

I DIDN’T HAVE TO JOIN SAMUEL PEACHES PERIPATETIC PLAYERS BECAUSE I’M SAMUEL’S SISTER, AND I STOWED AWAY IN HIS TRUNK.

SAMUEL, I HAVE A QUESTION…SAMUEL…SAMUEL…

PERIPATETIC MEANS WANDERING.

HI! MY NAME’S THUMPER. MAYBE YOU’LL TELL ME YOUR NAME AT THE SHOW!

MY FAVORITE FABLE IS CALLED THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE…

MY FAVORITE FABLE IS THE ONE WITH A LION, A WITCH AND A WARDROBE…

MY FAVORITE FABLE IS THE ONE WHERE A LION, A WITCH AND A WARDROBE…

WHAT, SAMUEL?

OK, SAMUEL.

SAMUEL JUST TOLD ME THERE IS NO FABLE WITH A LION, A WITCH AND A WARDROBE IN IT. I THINK THAT WOULD MAKE A GOOD STORY THOUGH.

HI! MY NAME IS THUMPER! YOU ALSO HAVE A NAME!

MY FAVORITE PERSON TO PLAY WITH IS THE TRAP DOOR, WHICH IS NOT ACTUALLY A PERSON, BUT A TRAP DOOR. IF I HAD TO CHOOSE SOMETHING THAT IS A PERSON, I WOULD CHOOSE PRINCESS GWEN AS PRINCESS GWEN, GUY AS GUY, SAMUEL AS MY BROTHER AND MEEKINS AS A FROG. I ALSO LOVE THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. NONE OF WHICH ARE PEOPLE. WELL, MAYBE THE WITCH. BUT SHE WOULD BE A MAGICAL PERSON, WHICH ISN’T ACTUALLY A REAL PERSON. AND THE WARDROBE IS DEFINITELY NOT A PERSON, LIKE THE TRAP DOOR.

WHAT, SAMUEL?

OK, SAMUEL.

SAMUEL WOULD LIKE ME TO MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THERE IS NO FABLE CALLED OR ABOUT OR STARRING A LION, A WITCH AND A WARDROBE IN THIS PLAY.

HI! MY NAME IS THUMPER! MAYBE YOUR NAME IS ASLAN?

I WOULD LIKE SAMUEL PEACHES PERIPATETIC PLAYERS TO PERFORM THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE.

WHAT, SAMUEL?

I KNOW WE’RE DOING AESOP AMUCK.

I AM JUST SAYING THAT THERE IS A LION IN MANY OF AESOP’S FABLES, AND I ACTUALLY THINK HE WOULD NEED A WARDROBE TO GET DRESSED IN THE MORNING. AND, A WITCH TO MAKE THE WARDROBE MAGICAL. LIKE MY TRUNK. I DO NOT HAVE A MAGICAL WARDROBE, BUT I DO HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK. I KNOW IT IS MAGICAL BECAUSE WHEN I WENT IN IT TO STOW AWAY, AND THEN I GOT BACK OUT, I WAS IN A WHOLE NEW WORLD.

I LOVE YOU TOO, SAMUEL.

I KNEW I MADE IT IN SAMUEL’S TROUPE WHEN I GOT TO WEAR THE PITH HELMET AND TELL THE STORY OF HOW THE RHINOCEROS GOT ITS SKIN IN OUR FIRST SHOW, O BEST BELOVED.

THE PLURAL OF RHINOCEROS IS RHINOCEROS.

Thumper with the Rhinoceros Diorama in last year’s production of O Best Beloved.

Character Profile: Mouse Council

ImageJuly 2, 2015March 23, 2020directorebeccer 2 Comments

With a ton of fables featuring Mice, you can be sure that Mice will have a starring role in the Peripatetic Players’s Aesop Amuck!

The Mice in Aesop’s Fables always seem to be having councils. They have a lot of important decisions to make, like how to get away from the Cat, or to better organize their mouse armies. And of course there’s songs to be sung… But we’ll let that be a surprise.

Stay tuned for more character profiles, and more fabulous drawings from Mr Bertken (a.k.a. Meekins)!