| Saturday, October
4, 2003
Due to our unexpectedly busy schedules this
fall, we will not be producing a 2003 edition of "Shocktoberfest!!."
We are currently working on several new Grand Guignol translations,
however, and look forward to performing them in San Francisco (and
beyond?) in the near future.
We
do have several October projects to announce:
The first is the creation of our new website, GrandGuignol.com.
Officially launched on October 15th, GrandGuignol.com is the largest
collection of Grand Guignol information on the Web.
Secondly,
to celebrate the new website, we will be presenting "Magic
and Mayhem: Stage Effects of the Grand Guignol" at the S.F.
Performing Arts Library on Wednesday, October 29 at 7:00pm. The
evening will include a lecture and slide show by theatre historian
Mel Gordon, an exhibition of original Grand Guignol posters and
programs, and a special effects demonstration by Thrillpeddlers!
This event is sure to sell out, so make your reservations early
by calling 415-255-4800. More
info.
And
lastly, mel Gordon will present a different lecture and slide presentation
titled "Theatre of Blood: Around the World with the Grand
Guignol." The talk, presented on Tuesday, November 11th
from noon to 1:00 pm at City College of San Francisco, will trace
the history of Grand Guignol theatres worldwide. At the Diego
Rivera Theatre, City College of San Francisco's Ocean Campus, 50
Phelan Avenue in San Francisco. Admission is free for CCSF students
and the general public.
We
hope you have a safe and happy Halloween season.
Monday,
March 10, 2003
Russell
Blackwood has a new play opening at San Francisco's Theatre Rhinoceros.
"Strangers in Paradox," written by Kate Bornstein and
directed by Blackwood, opens March 13th and runs through April 12th.
Several of Thrillpeddlers' regular actors and designers are involved
with this show.
From
the San Francisco Chronice:
"Lesbian
serial killers Casey and the Kidd take off on a spree, faithfully
recorded by
America's top-rated murder-reality TV show.
Or so we're told. So what's with the woman making wallets in
occupational therapy at the Arkham Asylum for the Criminally
Insane? She claims
she was the true perpetrator and victim of each of their crimes.
Gender outlaw Kate Bornstein is at it again with "Strangers
in Paradox: The True Story of Casey and the Kidd," the
latest in Theatre Rhinoceros' full season of world premieres,
a play the
author describes as "a complexly tragic comedy loosely
based on my own life." Russell Blackwood ("Women
Behind Bars")
directs the new work by leading transsexual performance artist
Bornstein -- born a man, surgically transformed into a woman
and now rejecting either sexual identity. STRANGERS IN PARADOX:
THE
TRUE STORY OF CASEY AND THE KIDD. Previews begin Thursday.
Opens Saturday. Through April 12. Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926
16th St.,
San Francisco. Tickets: $15-$25. (415) 861-5079, http://www.therhino.org.
Wednesday, January 15,
2003
Thrillpeddlers' director
Russell Blackwood is in the news. His 'grand-guignol-esque' production
of "Medea" for Shotgun Players was recently included
in the Best
of Bay Area Theatre list for 2002 by the Oakland Tribune. They rave
about Blackwood's production being "as grandly melodramatic as a
flickering silent film."
Wednesday, December
4, 2002
We're back from the Thanksgiving holiday well
rested, well fed, and ready to get back to the bloody business of Grand
Guignol. We've received our copies of the new English-language book GRAND
GUIGNOL: The French Theatre of Horror from Amazon. (Special thanks to
everyone who has ordered the book through links from our site!) We really
like this book. It's a good academic analysis of the history and
performance techniques of the Grand Guignol. It may be a bit dry and dramaturgical
for those with a casual interest in the theatre, but for true enthusiasts
and artists looking to dabble in the Grand Guignol, it's an essential
reference. Thrillpeddlers panel
discussion with Mel Gordon and Agnes Pierron gets quoted in the
book.
Monday,
November 11, 2002
Our 4th annual Shocktoberfest!! was a huge
success. We played to over 1,200 people this year (nearly double last
year's attendance) and had a great time at the Odeon. Thanks to
everyone who came out to see the show, and to the Odeon staff for making
our run so enjoyable.
Thursday, November
7, 2002
The
final weekend of Shocktoberfest!! is here, and Amir Shadi has forwarded an
advance copy of his review for the TheatreWorld Magazine website.
Here's an excerpt:
|
"There
are times, we admit, when, weary of the virtuous boredom of the
serious theater, and oppressed by the shrillness of new voices on
the fringe – which, like all newly born voices, seem capable only
of screaming – we want to see a play that is hilarious without
apology, and appeals to our other, more animal instincts. In such
cases, nothing could be better than the two short plays in
Thrillpeddler’s Shocktoberfest."
To read the
full review, click
here.
|
|
Monday,
November 4, 2002
After several delays, the new book GRAND
GUIGNOL: The French Theatre of Horror is now available through
Amazon.com (click the link above for more info). Several copies have been
shipped to people who ordered it through our site, though we're still
waiting for ours to arrive. We'll post a review as soon as we get it.
|
