“Broken Wings” & the 29 Days Later Film Project

Summer’s already on it’s way out and as per usual, it seems that I’ve been busy!

At the end of June, Deviated Theatre‘s production of “LORE” went up for an evening at Bishop Ireton in Alexandria. The space was enormous and for having as short a marketing period as we did, it worked out well: we pulled in a good crowd and turned in a good amount of donations from our ever-popular baked goods & concessions table.

In July, I found myself as part of Deviated Theatre’s Mash-up project, “Token,” for the Source Festival. The short piece revolved around several characters at a bus stop who come across a special Token that gives them everything they ever wanted… but for each character, it gives them something that perhaps they weren’t bargaining for…

Of course I won’t be spoiling it for you here, as you can come check out “Token” for yourself at UMBC this October along with “LORE”. I’ll be posting more information about it here once we’re closer to opening.

I also had the great pleasure this July of FINALLY being able to make it to several productions in the Capital Fringe Festival! Of the 100+ performances that were going on in the area, I caught “Please Listen: A Musical Chaos” (Open Drawer Theatre Company), “Headscarf and the Angry Bitch” (Zehra Fazal), “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead” (Nu Sass Productions) and “Skywriter” (Angry Young Theatre Company).

Dean Storm, myself, and Sutisa Storm at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson in Baltimore

Towards the end of July, I spent a weekend shooting a short film with Running Storm Productions. Dean Storm, the director, along with Dawn Campbell, are organizers of the inaugural 29 Days Later Film Project, in which filmmakers are given a specific prop and 29 days to write, cast, produce, shoot, and edit their films. This is much like the 48 hour film festival, but with more time, the filmmakers have a longer opportunity to polish their works.

Dean contacted me and formulated a script around my makeup design for “The Birds”. My character became the lead and I was happy to be able to have the opportunity to work on a longer piece of work (the abridged edit is about 22 minutes), but also I was proud to have one of my original makeup designs featured. Dean and DP Regan Garcia did a magnificent job editing and with some camera and post-production effects to make the bird look majorly creepy! Here’s a before/after look at brave model Tina Martello:

“The pretty ones always make the best monsters!” – Tina Martello before (L) and after (R)

Transformative, huh? After a few short hours, I pretty much forgot what she looked like as a normal person! Hopefully before long I can get a clip of some sort up here on the site for you all to check out.

That’s it on the homefront for now; please stay tuned for more updates as they come in!

-Vaness.
www.vanessastrickland.net

LORE: A Mystery Awaits

The World premiere of Deviated Theatre‘s second original work: “LORE: A Mystery Awaits” debuts this weekend at Dance Place in DC (about 2-3 blocks from the Brookland/CUA metro station).

Photography by Enoch Chan, 2009

We’ll be holding another silent auction before each show and yes, there will be refreshments again.

Saturday, 4/25 @ 8pm
Sunday, 4/26 @ 7pm

For directions and parking, please visit:
http://www.danceplace.org/content.aspx?ID=27

Tickets: $22/gen. admission – $17/students/k-12 teachers/seniors – $8/children (2-17 yrs.)

For tickets by phone call: 202-269-1600
For tickets online go to http://www.danceplace.org/Performances.aspx?Sc=184

Tickets will also be available at the door, but be forewarned, at our last debut at Dance Place, we sold out and had to turn people away– family members included!

-Vaness.
www.vanessastrickland.net

Ma Lien and the Magic Paintbrush

Hey, it’s been a while! I’ve been busy rehearsing for my next few upcoming shows, here’s information on one of them:

The Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s Fun Company presents

MA LIEN AND THE MAGIC PAINTBRUSH

Saturdays only at 2pm from Feb 14th – April 4th
Please note there will be NO PERFORMANCE on March 21st!

“Paint from your heart…”

Ma Lien wants a paintbrush more than anything in the world. One night, a fairy appears and grants her wish. But Ma Lien’s paintbrush is magic- everything she paints becomes real!

Adapted by Gene’ Fouche’
Directed by Allison Lepelletier
Featuring Ryan Brown, Karli Cole, Ashley Hall, Michelle Simms, and Vanessa Strickland

Price: $13.50
Ticket prices include a $1.50 handling fee

Order online at:
http://www.marylandensemble.org/malien_tix
Please do not submit online orders less than 2 hours before the performance you plan to attend

OR call the box office at:
301-694-4744

Box Office Hours:
Tuesday-Thursday 10-3
Friday 11-3
Saturday 1-3
Box office reopens one hour before performance time.

All performances take place at the Maryland Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick Street, Frederick, MD

Parking can be found at the S. Court Street garage, less than a block from the theatre.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.marylandensemble.org

-Vaness.
www.vanessastrickland.net

New Year, New Show! “Aspiro” Trailer

“Aspiro” by Deviated Theatre
at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in the Dance Theatre University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742

Friday, January 23rd @ 8:00pm
Saturday, January 24th @ 8:00pm
Sunday, January 25th @ 7:00pm
(runs for one weekend only!)

Runtime: 1 hr. 45 min. with a 15 min. intermission

“A quick look around the rehearsal room and it’s clear that Deviated Theatre is not your typical troupe: One performer rolls away a unicycle while a couple of actors munch on carrots, an aerialist unrigs her crimson silks from the ceiling grid and a stagehand gathers assorted costumes and a basket brimming with maybe a hundred party masks.”
— Lisa Traiger, The Washington Post, 7/2008

“The opus was inspired by a 1998 painting by [Enoch] Chan of the Three Mythological Fates who spin, weave and cut the lifelines of human souls. Their sinewy bodies were reproduced on hand-painted unitards, and the painting’s panels of red became red aerial fabric onstage. An enormous warping wheel through which dancers and actors enter aids the Fates in measuring each lifeline. Other characters of the underworld are imaginary: a girl with a white umbrella, a haggish keeper of the masks, and two hobo-like grim reapers. A flavor of circus and sideshow washes over the many souls of the underworld who hobble around with the burden of their histories and await reincarnation.”
— Kimmie Dobbs and Enoch Chan, “Aspiro” press release, 11/2008

“Aspiro consists of two acts and 15 scenes of modern dance and minor acrobatics set to a twisted story line reminiscent of Edward Gorey’s children’s books… What was most inspiring about this spot-on performance was not only the level of professionalism but also the sense of purpose in each dancer and in the show as a whole.”
— Ruth Reader, Baltimore City Paper, 10/2008

Please note that buying tickets in advance is strongly recommended.

Tickets:
$35 for adults
$30 for students/seniors/groups
(a group = 10 or more people)

You can purchase tickets here:
http://claricesmithcenter.umd.edu/2009/c/performances/performance?rowid=8461

Or call the box office at the CSPAC:
301-405-ARTS (2767)

For directions to the Clarice Smith Center, please visit:
http://claricesmithcenter.umd.edu/2009/c/about/directions

For production photos and further information, please visit:
http://www.deviatedtheatre.org

-Vaness.
www.vanessastrickland.net

November rolls in…

Greetings, all!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween and productive election day. During Halloween day I spent some time doing some makeup work for Roger Riggle of Roger Riggle Makeup, LLC. When I got home, however, I dove headfirst into my makeup for the night. I spent the week prior working on my costume: “Viscera Lace” (as seen below):

My initial idea was to create a full-head mask to conceal all of my facial features, my ears, and hair, just like with the Silent Hill nurse I did last year. Time constraints, experimentation and overall ease-of-application caused me to resort to constructing hair pieces and painting my face instead. Perhaps another time you’ll see me with a latex heart for a head. 🙂 You expect to see this original idea in my concept drawings that are in the makeup section of the site.

Photo by Enoch Chan, 2008

I was recently cast in Deviated Theatre‘s production of “Aspiro,” which is going up at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at University of Maryland, College Park in January, and then at the American Dance Institute in Rockville in March. I was fortunate enough to catch the show when it premiered at Dance Place in DC back in July and was blown away. I feel lucky to be joining such a great ensemble of dancers, some of which are old friends of mine from college. I’ll be sure to give more information closer to opening, but whatever you do, you do not want to miss this show. It is a truly beautiful original creation by an up-and-coming, edgy professional company.

-Vaness.
www.vanessastrickland.net

The Witching Hour

Remember that MonkeySee.com video I filmed last Tuesday? It’s already up and running at the website!

I’m proud of this video as I’ve gotten more on-camera experience in the past year and I feel it more fully captures my abilities. Also, the makeup is truly transformative, especially when accompanied with the costumes. I had fun with this one, as you can probably tell just by watching.

This video series can also be seen on YouTube: Witch Makeup.

Also this weekend I saw Lucy Rose… Here’s the Thing About Me at the Maryland Ensemble Theatre in Frederick. Prior to leaving, one of the Associate Artistic Directors, Gené Fouché, approached me about being involved in their February children’s production and I accepted the offer! So in a few months, keep a look out here for information about Ma Lien and the Magic Paintbrush.

-Vaness.
www.vanessastrickland.net

The Truth About Bunny

Come check out “The Truth About Bunny,” this Saturday, July 26th at the American Market at the National Harbor. Showtimes are on the hour at 10am, 11am, 12pm, and 1pm. Show runs approximately 20 minutes. Free admission!

Photography by Jillian Finkle, 2008

Here’s a little synopsis of the show from the National Harbor events page:
“This original children’s theater performance asks the question, ‘Who really won the race between the tortoise and the hare?’ It depends on who tells the story.”

Performances take place at:
137 National Plaza, Suite 300
National Harbor, MD 20745

-Vaness.
www.vanessastrickland.net

National Children’s Museum & TiPS

I begin rehearsals this week for the National Children’s Museum’s preliminary “Museum Without Walls” programming. I’ll be puppeteering in a short skit titled: “The Truth About Bunny,” which teaches kids about news sources and media bias using the story of the Tortoise and the Hare.

It’ll be a mighty quick rehearsal process, as the show goes up on July 26th, but after this month’s show, we’ll be beginning work on another performance for September and October. Check back for information on how you can come check out “The Truth About Bunny,” which will be performed at the National Harbor during the American Market.

I was also recently cast in a TiPS industrial video, set to shoot in mid-August, filmed by CAS Video Productions. Further updates on that will appear here in the next month.

-Vaness.
www.vanessastrickland.net