Download Pretty Theft Proposal

Cover Sheet
Title/Author
Studio Theatre Production Proposal, Fall 2013
Pretty Theft by Adam Szymkowics
Production Type: Laboratory
Director
Lina Lee
Production Staff:
Stage Manager
Hannah Martin
Publisher: Samuel French
Set Designer
Ricky Osborn
Are Rights Available? Yes
Costume Des.
Caitlin Trimble
Lighting Des.
Kelly Rudolph
Props Mgr.
Alex Towers
Royalties: 6 performances at $75
$450
Choreographer
Aimee Lane
Scripts: 14 scripts at $8.95
$125.30
Publicity
Sean Byrne
Sound Des.
Make Up Des.
Dramaturg
Assis. Stage
Manager
Assis Set Des.
Dance Faculty
Advisor
Robert Mathis
Jessica Pullis
Sam Centerbar
Allison Poms
Fees:
Number of
roles available:
Kaitlin Tinsley
Suzanne Miller-Corso
4 female 3 male, 4 dance
ensemble
Mature Audiences Only _X_ yes ___ no
(if yes, on what basis?)
Alcohol, Adult Themes, Strong Language
Estimated Budget:
Publicity:
$40
Costumes:
$70
Lighting:
$50
Props:
$40
TOTAL : (fees + estimated budget)
$775.30
Estimated Ticket Revenue:
Break
even at
36%
(150 seat maximum)
@100%: 90 seats x 6 performances x $4
ticket = $2160
@75%: 67 seats x 6 performances x $4 ticket
= $1608
@50%: 45 seats x 6 performances x $4 ticket
= $1080
Publishable brief synopsis:
Pretty Theft is a dramatic comedy that follows Allegra through her struggle to hold on to her
childhood. When Allegra loses her father to a coma, she turns to her bad-girl best friend Suzy.
Through Suzy’s influence, Allegra begins her work at a mental institution and unexpectedly befriends
an autistic savant, Joe. This new friendship triggers a journey with dangerous twists and unexpected
consequences.
Faculty Advisor: Wolf J. Sherrill
signature indicating agreement to be advisor (required)
signature indicating written proposal has been reviewed
Pretty Theft
By Adam Szymkowics
Director’s Concept
As we grow up, all the “pretty things” of our childhood are in a way stolen away from us. Whether it is
the innocence of a young girl, the care from parents, or puppy love from our 6th grade crush, we long to hold
on to the simplicity and sparkle of childhood. In Pretty Theft, we follow Allegra as she is thrown into
adulthood. At once, all the pretty things in her life are stolen away from her – her relationship with her
mother, her friendship with her best friend, the love of her boyfriend. When she meets Joe, she sees his daily
struggle to hold on to the pretty things in his life, by collecting his treasures and retreating into his happy
place, a world of beautiful ballerinas. Through their relationship and the trials Allegra goes through, we can
see the rediscovery of hope and fight to keep beauty in her life.
Pretty Theft is a play that everyone can relate to – everyone enters adulthood at one point, whether we
choose to or are forced into it. Good things are constantly taken away from us, most of which we can’t control.
In this harsh world, it is so easy to give up and lose faith. The characters in the story find a way to claw their
way out of this dangerous hole and find hope through the most unlikely people and situations. This story
shows that even in the lowest, most desperate state, discovering and holding onto that glimpse of beauty in
life, whatever that may be, can be the saving grace that gives us hope to fight.
One of the major reasons I chose this particular play was to be able to collaborate with the dance
department. Although we are part of the same major, there is still somewhat of a gap between the
concentrations when it comes to collaborating on a project. After the Tim Miller Workshop where we were
able to work alongside each other, I really wanted to do a project that would bridge that gap. I believe that
this production can do so by combining the world of theatre and of dance. Unlike a musical where dance is
done in a more theatrical sense, I want to approach this as a play with dance. Joe sees the ballerinas as if they
are performing a dance piece and I want the audience to see the dancers as Joe does. I fully understand that we
are not guaranteed a specific slot but if possible, the first slot would be ideal so that the dance concentrators
can audition and be involved with the production without conflicting with any of their dance concerts.
Directing and Acting
The direction I am taking with this production of Pretty Theft is selective realism. The story revolves
so strongly around the relationship between Allegra and the other characters that I want to focus the most
attention on developing the relationships. I will be using an action-based method in order for the actors to
create these connections. The scenes are short but intense, a lot of action happening in a small amount of time.
Because of this, showing the clear evolution of these relationships will be an important component of the
direction. I want to simplify all other design aspects in order to really focus the audience in on the
development of these characters and relationships. The only exception to this would be the ballerinas. Joe’s
happy place, his beauty in life, is these ballerinas that he constantly surrounds himself by. I want to bring the
audience into Joe’s world, but in a surreal way so that they know that it is a fantasy world that Joe has
created. This will be done solely through the lighting design done by Kelly Rudolph. The ballerinas take the
characters straight into each scene bringing the audience out of the surreal and back into reality, just as Joe
brings his happy place into reality.
Choreography
Although Pretty Theft is a straight play, I want to emphasize the importance of dance in this
production. The ballerinas are Joe’s perfect world. They are the beauty that Joe clings onto so dearly until the
ugly world rips it out of his hands. In the world of the play, the ballerinas are only seen by Joe even though
they guide Allegra throughout the scenes. Although Allegra doesn’t see the beauty of the ballerinas, they are
always there, until the end where she sees the ballerina in herself. The choreography will have to be
extremely precise especially since the ballerinas are what bring the characters out of one scene and into the
next, as if they are guiding them through life. Although the story has contemporary themes, I want to keep
the dancers classical, all en pointe and in traditional ballet wear. Because this takes a tremendous amount of
technique and training, all the dancers will be in flat during rehearsals until the choreography is approved by
the Dance Faculty Advisor, Suzanne Miller-Corso. After she verifies the safety of the choreography and
environmental factors, then the dancers will start rehearsing en pointe. We will make sure that during the
audition process that each dancer who is considered for the dance ensemble is trained in pointe for the safety
of the dancers. The choreography will be done by Aimee Lane who has had extensive training in dance for
over 10 years, worked as a performance intern at the Broadway Dance Center in New York, and worked as a
teaching assistant at the Rockette Summer Intensive.
Lighting Design
I want to focus on the lighting design to create the visual world of the play. Because there are such
quick scene changes and the ballerinas walking the characters into each scene, an elaborate set would be
difficult to have. Rather, I want to focus on a simple set with the lighting creating each space. Kelly Rudolph
will be designing the lighting in a way to show a world that is constantly on the brink of tipping either fully
into darkness or light. There is a sharp juxtaposition between the hospital and what transpires in Joe’s mind,
and this contrast is echoed in the rest of the play. Rudolph will show the contrast between the “pretty” that
each character has by playing with intensity and shadow more so than an excess of color. While “pretty” will
be articulated by softness, hints of vibrant color, and soft lines, the harshness of the world will have a
distinctly sharper, more shadowed presentation.
Scenic Design
The setting is present day in various places including Allegra’s living room, an area of a mental
institution, a section of a café, a hotel room, a movie theatre, an aisle of a convenience store, etc. Because this
is a laboratory production, the set will be very limited. Rather than building an entire elaborate set showing
the many different places the play takes us through, I want to use acting blocks to define the space while the
lighting and sound designs will really create the world. Ricky Osborn will be working as the set designer and
will collaborate with both Rudolph and Mathis to design each space for the production. The stage
configuration will be a quarter thrust (see image below) so that the dancers can utilize the aisles created by
the seating arrangement.
Stage Area
Dramaturgy
Sam Centerbar will be working on the production as the dramaturg. Her previous production
experiences include assistant stage manager for subUrbia and costumes for Spring Awakening. The focus of her
research will be revolving around mental health institutions and extensive research on autism to really dive
into Joe’s world. Her range of research will also include from current social trends on teenage behavior to
classical ballet. She will also work along with publicist Sean Byrne on the lobby display.
Sound Design
Robert Mathis will be designing the sound on this production. Mathis has extensive experience in
music along with experience from the sound design class and working as the assistant sound designer on
Romeo and Juliet. The most important aspect of sound design will be the music to go along with the ballerinas.
Mathis will work along with choreographer Aimee Lane to choose pieces of music in the public domain that
will enhance the choreography. Since the set is simplistic, the sound will be a critical piece in creating the
world of the play. Environmental noise will allow the audience to know exactly where they are.
Make-Up and Costume Design
The make-up design will be done by Jessica Pullis. We have decided to keep the make-up very simple
since the show is in present day and most of the characters are younger. Pullis and I have talked about the
possibility of doing age make-up for the older characters but since the same actor will be playing multiple
characters, we will have to play around with easily putting on or taking off the age make-up mid-show. As for
the ballerinas, they will have traditional stage make-up for a classical ballet. Costume wise, designed by
Caitlin Trimble, all the clothes will be contemporary. Allegra will be in more modest clothing in the
beginning of the play, still showing off some sense of innocence. As the play progresses and she faces more
“grown-up situations,” her clothing will become less and less innocent, becoming almost risqué but not quite.
Suzy, on the other hand, will be the opposite going from completely wild to more timid clothing. The
ballerinas will be in traditional classical ballet wear. As the audience enters the theatre, the dancers will be
already onstage stretching and warming up as if they were getting ready for a dance performance. Because
they are still in a “rehearsal,” they will be wearing matching leotards and wrap skirts (no tutus). They will be
in the same costume throughout the entirety of the show.
Publicity
Sean Byrne will be working as the publicist for the production. He will be designing the poster and the
program as well as work on publicizing the production through social media networks. Byrne will also be
working with dramaturg Sam Centerbar on a display for the lobby.
Rights
The availability for the rights of Pretty Theft has been verified by Jonathan Stewart.
Character Breakdown





Allegra (18) – young and naïve, extremely self-conscious
Suzy (18) – Allegra’s best friend, has a “bad-girl” image
Joe (20s-30s) – an autistic savant who befriends Allegra, likes ballerinas and pretty things
Marco/Allegra’s Father (30s-40s) – mysterious man who claims to be a thief that cannot be caught
(Allegra’s father is in a coma and is not a speaking part)
Allegra’s mother (also plays supervisor, patient and customers 2&4) 30s-50s – extremely judgmental,
harsh, and cold towards Allegra


Waitress (also plays psychiatrist, patient and customers 1&3) 30s-40s – easily annoyed, intrigued by
Marco
Bobby (also plays intern and Joe’s father) 20s – arrogant, very inattentive boyfriend, very abrasive
towards Allegra
Lina Lee
Relevant Productions
Romeo & Juliet
Assistant Director
Spring 2013
Dramaturg
Director – Ingrid
Desanctis
Director’s Fest Spring
2013
Director – Wolf J. Sherrill
Emperor’s New Clothes
Choreographer
Director – Mark Rogers
Spring 2011
The Beauty and the
Beast
The Music Man
Choreographer
Director – Michelle Portch Spring 2010
James Madison
University
James Madison
University
James Madison
University
Freedom Players
Children’s Theatre
Freedom Players
Pillow Talk
Director
subUrbia
Assistant
Choreographer
Director – Michelle Portch Spring 2009
Freedom Players
Spring 2013
Fall 2012
Relevant Coursework
Acting I: Basic Acting
Performance Analysis
Performance Production
Elementary Modern
Physics of Dance
The European Theatre Tradition to
1800
Intermediate Ballet
Acting II: Intermediate Acting
Management Practicum
Group Voice
Visual Aspects
Intermediate Jazz
Group Voice
Intermediate Ballet
Musical Theatre Performance
Directing for Theatre
Lesley Larsen Nesbit
Dennis Beck
Richard Finkelstein, Erin West, Jonathan Stewart,
Emily Becher-McKeever
Kate Trammell
Chris Hughes, Cynthia Thompson
Dennis Beck
Fall 2011
Spring 2012
Spring 2012
Alexi Sherrill
Wolf J. Sherrill
Jonathan Stewart
Scott Zane Smith
Bill Buck
Suzanne Miller-Corso
Scott Zane Smith
Alexi Sherrill
Kate Arecchi
Kate Arecchi
Fall 2012
Fall 2012
Fall 2012
Fall 2012
Fall 2012
Spring 2013
Spring 2013
Spring 2013
Spring 2013
Spring 2013
Spring 2012
Spring 2012
Fall 2012