answers to questions

Hello there, team!

I was reading some of the posts yesterday and I saw that some of you have some questions for the project I am working on in Prague. So here are some answers as best I can supply!

The play is focused on a process invented by my best friend in the whole world, Jenny Jacobs. She has creative people she adores and wants to work with but we are scattered all over the world, which makes it hard to pull together a company to create things. or so we thought. Then Miss Jacobs came up with a stroke of brilliance.

She decided that not only was she going to create her own theatre company, Iris Theatre Co. (iristheatreco.org), but she would bring together all the people she most wanted to work with from wherever they are in the world and put up a play.

The idea she had was to utilise the virtual world to her advantage. She put up a website and got commitments from all the people she wanted to work with. The focus of the project was creating and building art work from every genre based around different challenges and chunks of the e.e. cummings poem “somewhere i never traveled and gladly beyond”.

We have three actresses, one writer, one dancer, two musicians, two visual artists, and a lighting designer.
After 6 month of creating and posting and cross creating and posting (you can check out the process on our blog on the iris website), we met in Prague one week before the opening night and began to write our show.
We spent two full thirteen hour days brain storming and coming up with idea after idea.

It was insane! We would build something up only to throw it all away. Until we decided, ok, we need to make a decision and start to block.

And we did.

And in 5 days, we had a fully formed, choreographed, scored, and designed show. so this has been our process! It has been so terrifying and wonderfully exhilarating! I am so proud of what we have accomplished and we are coming up with so many ideas for next year! There will be video blogs showing and documenting our first 3 days, we have just been a bit overwhelmed getting the show up and running up until now!

So keep watching!

Stay tuned!!!!!

xoxoxo
a

  • Silvia

    Hi Allison…

    …and congratulations to you and your team (Iris Theatre). I knew you’d make it. :-D
    May your show meet with complete success.

    xo
    Silvia

  • Lydia

    Thanks for sharing. It’s just amazing and, I can’t wait to read and see more of the Iris Theatre Company’s work.:-)

  • http://dani-adayinthelifeofacoffeeaddict.blogspot.com/ Danielle

    Sounds fantastic

  • http://ruthieswoods.blogspot.com Ruthie

    I’m so glad you’re all sharing this experience with us. Sounds like you have an awesome group…and such an amazing and innovative idea. Way to go Jenny! I’m excited to see all your creativity continue to unfold and inspire the world :) Bravo!

  • Alyssa

    What an amazing and inspiring concept. I’ve been on the website and read/watched the challenges, it’s so friggin cool that you all were able to create such amazing things, from a poem, and then building upon that. Way to exercise the creative muscles. lol You can tell that this project is filled with love and happiness.

  • Robin

    A fantastic idea “Collaboration” truely realised, and from the blog videos and your comments a unique challange and a lot of fun.

    I look forward to all the future productions from the Iris Theatre Company…

  • Line

    Marica and I got tickets to the very last show and can’t wait to come and see you guys. We are coming up from Vienna, Austria.

  • Patricia

    I think it’s fantastic when creative professionals get together and “cook”. A friend of mine who is a mechanical engineer and artist got together with some art students & an experimental filmmaker to make a film on native art. How cool is that?

    I love it when that happens and your Prague project sounds fantastic. Will this be recorded/filmed and shown virtually on the web? I for one would love to see it.

    best wishes,
    P.

  • Linkyshinks

    Hi Allison :D

    Sounds like a very cool project Alison, one where you get to draw upon all of your creativity. I wish you continued success with it all. I hope your enjoying all the great culture Prague has to offer also, as you will have no doubt realized it is amazing…If you ever get the chance you should work in England for a while, perhaps find a role in a BBC costume drama. I think you would be fantastic in one.

    Enjoy it.

    Linkyshinks

  • nkc

    Thank you for letting us know! You should bring one of your shows to Toronto.I read through the blogs,and i listened to you singing.Your voice is amazing,and angelic.I love hearing you sing.I wish you would share more of that side with us.Dont let that voice go to waist.Again thank you for letting us into your world and actually reading our comments.Your words have helped me on some rough days.
    nicole :)

  • nkc

    P.S
    I loved your “knee pads”,lol!!!!!

  • Susana

    Wow that is so creative Allison, all of you guys are so creative to have gone & done that in 5 days! Wow I think that is just amazing :) . I can’t wait to hear more from this trip & to maybe see some cool clips from your play.

    Take Care,

    Susana

  • John

    Sounds pretty exciting!!! Good luck with the play.

  • http://www.daybow.com David Hayes

    I made the mistake of including a link to the interview with you in a comment on the last blog entry. I wanted the link there as an explanation of the comment … but that link forced the comment into limbo — awaiting moderation. Now it’s a little outdated but I thought I’d repost it anyway (without the link).

    ======

    Thanks to the interview with Allison, I have learned that there is a good reason for Always being on your knees.

  • Carissa

    Ensamble pieces are always a great experience, being able to share your creativity and benifit from other artists definitely makes you a stronger artist yourself, I’m glad you’re enjoying your time in this project :)

    On a side note, I just had the freakiest experience — i was at the pool doing my recert for NLS and I swear I saw your look-a-like. LOL I didn’t really believe everyone had a double until now. You don’t have any relatives becoming lifeguards in Belleville, ON do you? jk

  • Ornella Santilli

    THAT’S REALLY GREAT!!! KEEP WORKING AND ENJOYING!!!!

    I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO WATCHING SMALLVILLE 9TH SEASON!!!!!

    I LOVE U A LOT!!!!!!!!

    LOL!!!!!

    ORNE FROM ARGENTINA.

  • Aziza

    wow, this sounds amazing. It’s great that friends are connecting and reconnecting through the theatre.

    Kudos to everyone involved.

  • Coco

    Excellent!!

    Impatient to see that!!
    Take care
    Xo

  • http://Allisonmack.com Smallvillekent

    Nice job Allison! You have some amazing friends. Looking foward to hearing more about this.

  • Eduardo

    its realy nice that all of you give you the chance to help a friend an to act its realy nice and i agree with the argentina guy im dying to see whats going to happend in smalvilles 9th season

    bye.
    Eddie Wulf xoxo

  • Keri

    All i can say is wow! Good luck and best wished to you all.

  • Lorraine

    The process of how everyone got together was just astounding and I think that would be one unique collaborative experience to cherish. :) Best of luck to all!

  • http://www.chloesullivansite.com/ BOUROUX

    Hi Allison.
    You looks great in the interview.
    Your answers are very interesting. It’s a great and inspiring exterience for you. You will have new abilities for your future projects. It’s a back to the futur with Jenny and you do the games with the same fun. It’s fabulous.
    Have a good week.
    Claude.

  • william

    I had wondered what the play and everything was all about, thanks allison. Sounds like a great team you have! wonder what u guys do next?
    later,
    william

  • Amanda N.

    Really awesome idea!I love the concept of bringing together a group of people and brainstorming ideas and putting together the show a week before opening night.That is a challenge.It seems like from the Crossed Wires Blog Day 6 video that you really have enjoyed this experiance with all these creative people thus far.And it gave you a chance to work with your best friend,so that’s pretty cool.Allison this collaborative project your involved in is really awesome.I love how you always choose to do smaller outside projects apart from the show,I applaud your creativity and sense of adventure with your acting.Thanks so much for telling us a little more about the play.

  • Irene

    I’m sure you get this allot, but let me just say- you are a fascinating person. I find you intriguing as a person.

    By the way, I decided to shut up and listen. I like this position/stance. I’m learning allot from you. I’m taking everything you said and taking mental notes.

    Thanks for the information. Very useful.

  • Kathy

    I find your theater group to be very inspiring–best of luck with all of your performances!

  • Jade Ruby

    Innovation in the process of creativity. It’s great to see that distance hasn’t put a damper on the collaborative efforts of such a wonderful group of artists. Kudos to one and all.

  • Beth

    I continue to be so completely amazed by the fact that you are able to share your projects and experiences with us via the internet. Thank god I was raised in the twenty-first century at a time when thanks to technology we are able connect and share like we are. I think it is just totally awesome that we are all able to come on this journey with you through written blog and video blog. Crossed Wires looks and sounds really good and I can’t wait to see it. Hopefully I will actually get to. Fingers crossed!

    You continue to amaze me Allison.
    Good luck with everything.

    xoxoxo
    Beth

  • olivia

    wow sounds really exciting and enjoyable!
    jealous :)
    wish i could be in prague to see it!

  • razzz

    i’m waiting with excitement, to see the video blogs when they come!

  • http://www.daybow.com David Hayes

    “Your Wear Always On Your Knees”

    Based upon “Always on My Mind” (words & music by Wayne Thompson, Mark James, & Johnny Christopher)

    Maybe I didn’t stay on topic
    Quite as good as I should have.
    Maybe I didn’t comment
    Quite as often as I could have.
    Little edits I should have thought to make
    I just never took the time.

    But you wear Always on your knees –
    You wear Always on your knees!

    Tell me, tell me that your sweet Blog hasn’t died.
    Give me, give me one more chance
    To let you know my brain is fried, brain is fried.

    Maybe I didn’t contradict you
    On all the blog entries on your site.
    And I guess I never told you
    I’m so happy you’re not a mime.
    If I make you feel second best
    Girl, Im sorry I’m nearly blind.

    But you wear Always on your knees –
    You wear Always on your knees!

    Tell me, tell me that your sweet Blog hasn’t died.
    Give me, give me one more chance
    To let you know my brain is fried, brain is fried.

    Little edits I should have thought to make
    I just never took the time.
    But you wear Always on your knees –
    You wear Always on your knees!
    You wear Always on your knees!

  • http://www.daybow.com David Hayes

    Always for men! If you plan to propose, wear Always maxi-pads on your knees. It will keep your knocking knees from making so much noise and cushion you when you kneel.

    For you men whose wives send you to the store to pick up their personal supplies, tell the store clerk you use the Always maxi-pads for knee pads like AM does and the tampons to clean out your large dog’s ears. I’m sure they will believe you.

  • Jenny

    I watched the video blog of you getting ready for opening night. So funny how you used Always pads as knee pads. I cracked up. I’ll have to remember they make great knee pads. You looked beautiful with your hair the way you had it. Can’t wait to see more blog postings.

    Take Care Allison <3

  • Brittany

    Awesome! I’m so proud of you Allison! This project sounds like tons of fun! It must be an incredible adventure with these wonderful, talented people and the whole process must be exhilarating, like you said. Take care!
    Brittany XOXOXOXOXO

  • Netra

    I am so thrilled for you that everything is coming together so nicely!!!! I wonder though…what ideas were flying around….we have heard about the process of this creation, but what IS this creation about? I love the blogs, and being able to watch you guys do your thing….but I am still a bit confussed as to what the play is about???

  • nathan

    what is suppresion(sorry i am an idiot from scotland)

  • http://raqueemanuele.zip.net/ Raquel Emanuele

    The warriors of light often wonder what they are doing here. Often feel that their life has no meaning. So are warriors of light. Because mistakes. Why ask. Why continue to seek direction. And end encontrando.Todo warrior of light needs to gain knowledge, wisdom, be patient, listening when the silence of your heart, know the right moment to attack or retreat. Life is not made only for victories, often the warrior of light needs to pass the losses to learn any lesson and fortaceler without leave was down by defeat. A warrior of light knows that no one is foolish, and life lessons to all, even if this requires time. He always gives the best of you, if mirrors the best of others. Moreover, attempts to show the whole world, with generosity, of how each is able. Some companions commented, people are ungrateful. The warrior was not upset at this. And still stimulating your next, proque is a way to stimulate simesmo. Every warrior of light has been afraid to enter combat. Every warrior of light has betrayed and lied in the past. Every warrior of light rail has a path that was not his. Every warrior of light, has suffered by unimportant things. Every warrior of light has felt that it was warrior of light. Every warrior of light has failed in his spiritual obligations. Every warrior of light has said yes when I say no. Every warrior of light has hurt someone you loved. So it is a warrior of light, because it went through all that and not lost the hope to be better than it was. A warrior of light is no coward. Hence the one thousand intelligent fool, and he does not want to but your, on the Arabic proverb. When the warrior of light begins to plant your garden, look to the neighbor is there, spying. He likes to make guesses about how to sow the actions, the thoughts fertilize, water the achievements. If you give attention to what he is saying, doing finish work that is not yours, the garden of that idea will now take care of neighbors. But a true warrior of light knows that every garden has its ministries, which only the patient hand of the gardener is able to decipher. Therefore, prefer to focus on the sun, the rain, the seasons. You know that is silly guesses on the garden outside, not caring for your plants.

    by Paulo Coelho

  • http://raqueemanuele.zip.net/ Raquel Emanuele

    The Universe does not judge; it conspires in favour of what we want. That is why the warrior has the courage to look into the dark places of his soul in order to ensure that he is not asking for the wrong things.
    (Manual of the Warrior of Light – Paulo Coelho … http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2009/05/29/quote-of-the-day-363/)

    kisses

  • http://moniqthebest.blogspot.com Monique Brasil

    u r the best
    brazil love u
    XO
    XO