Basic Index

Introduction to IMS Virtual Studio

*

Primary Projects at this time;

The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park

The Gnomes of New Hope

Nunc Licet

Please review the index and the blog archive along the sidebar to the left for other subjects

Shakespearean Update

The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park
are continuing to meet
Mondays 3-5*, Thursdays 3-5, Saturdays 1-3,

and occasionally on Sunday 2-4

Other times by appointment

PRESS RELEASE;

• RE: General Invitation to join in the Southampton Days Parade

• EVENT DATE: JULY 4, 2009

• EMAIL CONTACT: Arthur Greisiger- imagemindag@verizon.org

• The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park, in Southampton, PA, invites all Shakespeare aficionados, actors, Renaissance Folk and community members who would like to join us, in costume & character, walking in the Southampton Days Parade to gather at Jaymor Road and Second Street Pike at 9:00 am on July Fourth as The Earl of Southampton presents Queen Elizabeth with her Entourage. The Queen will be drawn in her horse & carriage along the two mile parade route. The carriage will proceed through the park to the stage, where we will gather to have a barbecue, get to know each other, read lines and sing. Bring any materials, (scripts, music or acoustical instruments) you may like to use or contributions to the barbecue. All are welcomed. For further information and photos of the carriage on line visit www.imagemindag.blogspot.com
  

Most recent Updates on The Southampton Days Parade;

• DEADLINE FOR INCLUSION ON THE FLYER AS A SPONSOR IS WEDNESDAY AT NOON. As of this morning (Monday) there are still four spaces left. You can call me up to Wednesday morning. After 9:30am you will need to come to my office (1325 Industrial Blvd) if you want to be included, as I will not be available unless I gave you my cell phone number (which I will not post here)
  

• 6/30/9- Here is a synopsis of the sequence of events. This was composed for the benefit of the carriage company.
  
  1) My office is located at 1325 Industrial Blvd. My cell number is 215-292-9787.
  
  2) I will be parking my RV at the park for personnel transit back from the park. This may happen the night before or on Saturday morning. We will be shuttling people up the road from my office to the parade start. If you care to place a vehicle at my office, it may be advisable.
  
  3) Carriage needs to be positioned in the parade line-up at 2nd Street Pike and Jaymor Road in Southampton no later than 9:00 am on Saturday the Fourth of July, sooner is probably better. The parade starts at 9:30 am.
  
  4) Truck and Trailer can be parked at the barn in Tamanend Park for pick-up after the parade. This would be best as the roadways are cut-off for the carnival which runs all day after the parade and the fireworks which start at 6:00pm.
  
  5) The parade Route will be closed off early, so the sooner you drop of the horse and carriage the better. The park is closed at 5pm because of the fireworks.
  
  6) The plan is for the horse and carriage to walk the parade route.
  
  7) The parade runs from 9:30 am until 11:30 am with the ceremony at 12:00
  
  8) Depending on the time we arrive at the end of the parade, we will either stay at the ending point for the flag raising and awards ceremony, or proceed to the stage for the barbecue.
  
  9) If the environment near the Lions Grove stage is too busy for the horse, then the carriage can relocate to the front of the park grounds until after the ceremony when the walkers in the parade will join them for the trip back to the Meadow Amphitheatre where the Shakespeareans stage is located.
  
  10) Once the horse & carriage arrives at the stage the contract is ended and you can either stay, rest the horse in the field and enjoy the barbecue or depart.
  
  11) The shuttle back to my office will depart in the afternoon when things wind down and no definitive time is set for that, other than the 5pm closing time. I expect that a few others may leave their cars at the park, so they have their own transportation back.
  
  12) If all goes as planned, then we may have established a pattern that could be repeated in the future for other Shakespearean events.
  

• 6/25/9- For those of you who are considering participating as a contributor: as of this date, we have four lines left on the flyer. The promised quantity of the flyer is 5,000. Last year we ran out at around 4,000. If for some reason we do not hand out all the flyers, we will continue to use them for promotion and we will be including our contributors on the next edition of the smaller hand out.

• Regarding future hand outs: a discussion will ensue in the Shakespearean Index under Promotions.
  

• If you are planning on participating by walking in the parade we would like to know about it. It is not absolutely necessary, but it would make it easier if we had an idea of how many people will be in the Entourage and at the barbecue. Just send an email and, most certianly invite your friends to join in.
  

• We particularly would like to see Roving Musicians who can perform in the parade and at the stage afterward. It would be nice if some people could recite lines from Shakespeare or any other dramatic verbosity along the way. As we have said, Swordsmen are good as well as Lords & Ladies. We have one Jester, which I'm looking forward to seeing. It would be nice if we had a Juggler. If anyone has theatre masks and would like to use them, that would be wonderful.
  

• If you can assist with coordinating or the barbecue please speak up. We also need to make sure we have a shuttle happening from the Park back to the IMS office where some of us will be parked.

• We will be handing out Free Raffle Tickets along the way as well as the flyers. If you are participating in costume, you are welcome to hand out a small flyer for your business also as long as the flyer mentions the Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park. Something like- "Bob's Grill supports The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park" or some variation on that theme.
  

• We are moving ahead well with sponsors to help us with the cost of the parade. If you'd like to take advantage of this opportunity to help and have your name include in the hand out, send and email and I'll visit you.
  

• There have been a number of folks who have spoken of creating characters to present in the parade. I hope we have a good showing. Our Queen has a fabulous costume and my Earl of Southampton costume looks great too.
  

• Conversations have ensued about doing a "Robin Hood" character theme* to add into the mix. I hope that proves to be fruitful, not only because it would be fun and interesting, but because I have an old musical from the thirties titled "Robin Hood" which I have been thinking about producing for some time now. * Well, those conversations have ended in a no. Oh well, someone else may like to pick up that ball and run with it.
  

• It's very important that we have a good showing of men, we need Swashbucklers. The kids in the audience love the Swashbucklers & Knights.
  

• We should have a good balance between men & women, so if you have a group who wants to join in, try to mix it up. But we are also hoping to see some kids join in too, so we're certianly welcoming families.

• The Parade departs from 2nd Street Pike and Jaymor and everyone must be in place by 9:30 am at that location or you will put at the back of the parade. We don't know what our spot will be yet, but since we will have a horse and carriage it should not be too hard to find. Once we are placed with the carriage, you need not worry about being at the back.
  

• Anyone is invited to show up at the parade, or jump in anywhere along the way, for the whole parade or any part of it. If you are jumping in, we ask that you help us to hand out flyers.
  

• Bring water it may be hot. Power Bars are a good idea before you start to keep up your energy.
  

• If you need to park, there seems to plenty of space near the start of the parade, but you can also park in front of my office at 1325 Industrial Highway. If you are not going to join in our group and simply want to jump in on your own, remember to put a car at both ends of the parade, or you will be walking back to your car. We will have a shuttle from my office that will run from 9:00am until 9:30 am.
  

• You can get your costume from wherever you like but we have a costumer who we know has Renaissance costumes- Cargill Theatrical Enterprises, in Pipersville (jhcargill@aol.com).
  

• You will need to check with these costumers about their Renaissance supplies, but there's also Pierre's in Philadelphia , Foster's in Doylestown and another shop down in Frankford, I think it's on Bustelton past Cottman. Also Joann Fabrics in Southampton has a good assortment of plans for costuming if you'd like to make one.
  

• Of course you are welcome at the barbecue. There will be a limited amount of food and drink and once it's gone, well... I wouldn't be unhappy if anyone wanted to contribute to the barbecue by bringing something. No alcohol in the park though.

Archive;

• 6/6/9- I must make mention that if you are a local business or resident of Southampton and the surrounding communities and you would like to join our efforts by being a sponsor for the parade, inclusion in the Parade Flyer is $100 per line of text. We are not doing logos on this flyer. We will be handing out 5,000 plus flyers with a line of credit on the back for our sponsors. There are 15 lines left. Send me an email and I will pay you a visit to show you the flyer we will be handing out.

• 6/4/9- I've been speaking to people in the community about participating in the parade, both as sponsors and walking with us. So far there has been very good response, some people are quite excited by what we are doing, others could care less. However, we have a number of businesses who have committed to helping with the cost of the parade as sponsors. I encourage you to support those business who are helping us to bring theatre to Southampton and Tamanend Park.

• I will be creating a link here to an on-line list of our sponsors to help them get more value for their assistance with this. So if you are, or intend to be a sponsor, you can look forward to my doing that, in addition to having your name on the flyers we will be handing out you will be on this web site for at least a year. If you have a web page, send me the link so I can include that in the list of sponsors.

• 5/29/9 We have received confirmations about the horse & carriage in the parade and so we are a go on that.

• We need more folks to help implement the parade/barbecue effort, so spread the word and invite anyone you know who may enjoy joining us in the parade.

• There have been quite a few folks who have said they would like to walk in the parade, but we need you to check in at the stage on any Saturday or Sunday before the planning gets too critical so we have a better idea of who actually is going to help.
  

• Anyone who would like to help with the work of locating sponsors should come around to the stage ASAP, or send me an email. There is not much time.

• Call Tony Townsend at Cargill Theatrical Enterprises in Pipersville to make your own arrangements for your costume. jhcargill@aol.com
  

• I am working on creating the character of The Earl of Southampton and we are finalizing our Queen Elizabeth, her costume lined up with Tony.

• We will need an entourage of all types & characters.

• The plan: is to walk the parade and then have a barbecue at the stage, where we will read from the plays and generally have a good time. We may also have Carriage Rides thru the park available as a fund raising event for the Shakespeareans.

• The Budget for the Parade: is estimated at approximately two thousand dollars.

Other Shakespearean thoughts;

• The main effort for building the troupe, is to establish stability in these meeting times and encourage participation from the immediate area surrounding Tamanend Park. The decision was made to concentrate of the stage facility and supplies in general rather than to attempt to draw in participants from more distant areas to mount the spring production.

• Much is still to be done with management structure and marketing to solicit community support. There is a substantial amount of moral support from the community in general, but the leg work of the specifics needs to be done by more local participants, and so we are concentrating to these items, in lieu of announcing performances.

• The concentration is on study, looking toward performance, however we still have the established time slots which are designated for performance and continue to work for that. We are in general agreement that we ought to, and we do, invite other Shakespeare performing groups to use the stage at the Meadow Amphitheatre.

• Until The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park has an established troupe of twenty members, who are regular and dependable performers, our programs will always be scenes and music. The material posted here, under the Shakespeareans index, continues to be valid and is a work in progress.
• Membership in the Shakespeareans has not thus far been required, however the current course of study will be offered with membership. Membership will be required for performance. This will include the current script and the associated study materials. Performance is not required for study, but membership is if you want me to work with you on your study and performance techniques.
  
• I recommend that anyone working to assist us in our goals or planning on attending performances take up the study of the current material. Details of the current play will not be provided online, although some discussion will ensue. I encourage people who are studying the material to also come over to the park to discuss their thoughts, whether you are physically helping out or not.
• Anyone who is interested in producing a Shakespearean play of their choosing is welcome to discuss that, no matter what the current play of study is. The same goes for persons wishing to direct. The whole point is to create an opportunity for members of the community to express themselves in this regard, so don't be afraid to broach the subject. Certainly you are encouraged to help us gain membership in the troupe from people of all ages. AG

Notice

Please refer to the specific index headings for information about

Image of the Mind Studios Projects

and if you need a very current update on anything,

do not hesitate to write.

AG

Bryn Athyn Community Theatre

Bryn Athyn Community Theatre's

production of

"The Romancers"

by Edmond Rostand

directed by Kent Cooper

June 2009

"The Romancers" was the basis for the musical "The Fantastics"

Please note: The banner for this show is to the left.
You are welcome to copy it or click here for a link to BACT.org

Synopsis of the Play;

Setting: The gardens of two neighboring estates in France

Characters: Pasquinot & Bergamin. the fathers
Sylvette & Percinet, the lovers
Staforel, the bravado
Blaise, the gardener
Musicians, abductors, and others

The Premise: Pasquinot and Bergamin hatch a plot which involves pretending to hate each other, in order to draw their children into love and marriage. To add some romance to the situation they hire Straforel to "superintend" an abduction in order that Percinet may become a hero to Sylvette by saving her from her abductors,
needless to say, the plot backfires.


The show is to be performed at
The Mitchell Performing Arts Centre in Bryn Athyn
June 6th@8pm, 7th @2pm
12th@8pm, 13th@8pm

Go to the BACT web site for more information & tickets.

AG
.

I will be performing the role of Pasqinot. Rehearsals are going well, there are wonderful opportunities for rich characterization and I think this will be a very enjoyable show. It is a period piece and they tell me they rented a most excellent costume for me from Pierre's in Philadelphia, I can't wait to see it. I love doing period pieces because you get to wear costumes that you just can't do in normal day to day living, although I would if I could get away with it without being thrown in the loony bin. I guess that's one reason why I'm working on the Shakespeareans too. AG

The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Bucks County

"Trial By Jury"
May 2009

Archive;
.

Saturday's show was a resounding success. The audience was great and the show came of very well for the debut of this new effort. There were many comments by people who were astounded that it was so professional. So I would say we succeeded. It was a great effort by a lot of people and a real coming together of people with a great deal of experience and others who have never experienced performing. It was a joyous collective endeavor and everyone was elated by the results. The audience members I spoke to seemed genuinely delighted and appreciative. Thanks to all who were a part of this experience. AG
.

We are currently in rehearsals with

The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Bucks County

for the April 25th presentation of

"Trial By Jury"

The program is presented with a 14pc Orchestra, with many members of The Bucks County Symphony. It is being presented at Lenape Middle School on Rt#202 near the 611 bypass in Doylestown. The second half of the evening will be a presentation of popular selections from The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance, Patience and others. The soloists in this portion of the program are highly acclaimed vocalists, alas not I (not yet). If you would like to recieve futher information you can send me an email or use the link to the left for the Bucks County Gilbert & Sullivan Society. It should be a wonderful program (unless we melt down, which is highly unlikely) , but the rehearsals are very exciting. Purchase or reserve your tickets today. I'd appreciate your telling them where you found out about the show. AG
.

Opera in the Park;

Opera in The Park

is directly related to

Shakespeare in The Park

We have begun to develop programs for Opera in the Park.
There are two programs in development;

• "Music from Shakespeare" will be presented in conjunction with Shakespeare in the Park and may become a touring scenario and a television special for PBS.

• We are assembling a "Master Class in Voice conducted by Jennifer Cole" which it is hoped will point the way to Opera in the Park. More details of this class will ensue.

• It is hoped that we can bring some Gilbert & Sullivan to the Park as well.
  

.

The development activities of this effort are parallel to The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park.

.

Those of you who care to assist in developing Opera or Shakespeare
are invited to stop by the Tamanend Park
Monday 3-5pm (sometimes 5-7pm) Thursday 3-5pm,
Saturday 2-4pm, Sunday 2-4pm.
or other times by appointment.

For inclement weather will will meet in either the Farmhouse or the Carriage House.
It is best to communicate via email to confirm attendance.

Nunc Licet, the stage play

Introduction;

6/09- I am currently formatting the play for sale to the General public. Since the play is listed with Amazon.com, I think I better make it available. I expect to be using LULU for publishing on demand. We are also discussing doing a reading of the play, which is the next step in mounting a production.

2/09 - Thankfully, this month New Church Life published a small portion of Nunc Licet. Selections from Act II containing dialogue with Emanuel Swedenborg were presented and admittedly the text was the most direct regarding the Lord and his staus as the Divine Human. For those of you who have seen that, but are unfamiliar with the play, I will be working to refine this portion of the blog to more clearly represent the content of the play as a whole.

Conversations with David Lindrooth have led in the direction of "publishing on demand" and since this play seems to be listed on Amazon.com, I will need to be pusuing that option as soon as possible with a third party vendor. I have plans to sell the play thru the New Church Bookroom, so you may inquire there and/or put in an order with them. The script will be available first on CD and then followed by Hardcopy.

I have had a number of inquiries about putting this play up in a few locations across America, however, it is my position that the play must be mounted in Bryn Athyn before it goes anywhere else. With that in mind, the current objective is to pull together a reading of the play "script-in-hand". I've made mention of this elsewhere (and I apologize for the redundancy in my postings, I am working toward coagulating the material that is presently posted) .

My goal is to build a production team for this show. It has never been my intention to mount the show and be happy with a few performances. I do, however, understand the nature of putting on a show in the suburban environment of The Delaware Valley.

So it is my conclusion that the stage and the film efforts must take place simultaneously. My reasoning for this is thus- it is very difficult to pull together enough people to do this show. Not only because many people are very occupied, but also because this is a very challenging show for the actor. As much as I tried to simplify the action and the dialogue, the volume and complexity of the dialogue is still a concern for me. The other aspect of the show that may be difficult to achieve is the diversity in the age range of the characters in terms of casting. I may be completely wrong about this, but experience tells me that it will not be easy. Because of these factors, when the correct components are in fact pulled together for a successful production on the stage, it is most advisable, indeed critical, to access those people, costumes, and other resources to carry on the effort for the cinema. The goal in that regard would be to use Cairnwood Mansion as the primary shooting location and the surrounding area for other shots. The stage production will be videotaped and I would very much like to find a video producer who would like to take charge of doing a documentay "The Making of Nucn Licet", which would culminate in a theatre on film piece.

With those concerns so stated, my objective is to bring together a number of persons who wish to partner in the effort to mount the stage production, the video documentary, and the cinematic production. I will serve as the Executive Producer, unless someones else steps up to the plate. We will need one or more producers, which include associate producers, line producers, and supervising producers. Obviously the money needs to be raised and that will bepart of the duty of all the producers as it pertains to their respective areas of management. The management will be divided into "managable" chunks and delegated accordingly. I will be serving as the Director (for both the film and the stage versions), unless somebody else can prove to me that they would be better at doing that, but in any event, I will be looking for assistant directors. All levels of personnel need to be fulfilled for this either internally (as in employees) or externally (as in service vendors) , so anyone with the knowledge of production and interest in being involved is invited to speak up.

I am also working to develop an Academic Program which may come into play with this, but it will be implemented by the management team and not myself individually. My role in that regard is conceptualization.

Keep a watch out here as I continue to refine this new site for information about Nunc Licet. AG

Archive;

Recently, I've been inclined to work on this play once again. Although I'm quite busy with The Gnomes of New Hope and The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park, I do think that a staged reading of the script would be appropriate at this point and so I am initiating more activity in this direction. My intention is to puruse this web posting and to edit it according to the current circumstances, so it will change as I continue to do this.

Recent Publication News- A special thanks to Erik Sandstrom, editor of New Church Life, for publishing four pages from the script in the February 2009 issue. New Church Life reaches over 1,300 subscribers around the world. He has helped me to kick start my goal of getting this play around the world and to gain some degree of credibility for the play. Quite naturally he selected portions of the script which include Swedenborg in the dialogue, but for me personally, I'm particularly fond of the opening portions of the script that get the characters to that point. Because I needed to prepare the script for his use as a digital file, I am now very close to being able to offer the script on CD Rom and I am attempting to offer that thru the New Church Bookroom. Keep an eye out for that if you are interested.


Other Web Pages;

Nunc Licet: a stage play As you may have noted by now, the AOL web pages are no longer posted on the web. I did copy them and at some point will translate them into documents that I can either post here (or elsewhere) or use as an attachment to an e-mail. In one way this is good, because it forces me to update my thinking on all of that material.

Management Notes;

This BLOG has become the primary web site for IMS and thus this page will be reformulated to provide the most current and direct source for information about all production efforts.

It has always been a primary goal to build an international management effort for " Nunc Licet" and now is as good a time as any to do that.

In the future, IMS will be establishing a secure server for specific management documents & files. But as a means to develop our network, we will use this site to engage in conversations about the developments in our specific regions. I am working to devise a management structure that allows for a full array of exposure to all the possible scenarios by which Nunc Licet may be presented and exploited.

The play still requires further development (a never ending process) but it is also presentable in it's current form. I absolutely want changes made before a full production premieres, but they will only happen in production. No more writing is taking place on this script (or so I say, I've already made changes for the CD Edition)

The CD ROM of the script will be made available as soon as possible, but in the mean while, I will build this site and the other management systems assuming that core groups will manifest on a world wide basis.

What this means is that, with the assistance of this web page, we will be able to collectively implement productions of this show in any location around the world. The design of the show will stem outward from here, both in terms of the management of individual productions and the refinement of the production in creative terms.

Basic Terms;

We will be moving forward to produce this show at this central location, Byrn Athyn Pennsylvania, but also I will be open to traveling to anywhere in the world to assist in other productions which might manifest.

The terms of the Production Contracts relevent to this show are very simple, 20% of all income produced by any means including but not limited to the box office goes to The Alpha & Omega Society. Accounting reports (identifying all sources of income) along with the appropriate renumeration, must be submitted to Image of the Mind Studios either prepaid, or within two weeks of the close of the show. Professional productions require a deposit against income. My travel & living expenses must be paid, in order for me to participate in a production (the per diem and duration is open to discussion). Contracts outlining the specifics of the production must be signed prior to any public offering of the show or the production of any anncillary product (including publications) devised as a result.

Production Assistance;

There are numerous marketplaces where this play can be presented and the method of operation in those marketplaces vary widely. With this in mind, I am working to design a method of supporting the growth of the show, while helping to make it easier to present the show, within those various markets. An example would be the difference between the educational, community, and professional presentation venues.

I expect to prepare a rental package of core materials that can be made available to any group wanting to present the play. This will include sets designs (or possible the sets themselves) costumes, audio materials, playbill layout, video tape support materials, text for resale, etc.

It seems appropriate too that any group producing the show might consider selling their supplies to the next group who may be considering producing the show. So I encourage this consideration.

Although a First Class Production has not gone up, when it does there will be a documentary film produced about the process and this will be availble to consequent produtions as a resource to assist in their efforts.

I am expecting to produce this show as a feature film as well. This film will be shot in Bryn Athyn and other appropriate locations as needed. Personnel need to be gathered for this project, so I invite inquiry.

Hobbyists;

I am striving to produce this show as a professional endeavor and I expect persons who show interest or wish to participate in the project to conduct themselves in a professional manner. I am willing to entertain dialogue with hobbyists, only to the degree that such discussion does not impede the forward momentum of the project. I am adamant that persons who stand up to be counted on this project must be counted on for the full nine yards. If you can't do the job, don't offer yourself for the position, whether you're being paid or not. It is critical that once someone has been delegated a job, they can be counted on to either complete the job at hand or find someone else who can take their place. This is an absolute requirement. The progress of this show has been greatly impaired by hobbyists in the past and I will not allow that to occur again.

I am working to devise a management system that allows for hobbyist and apprenticeship activities which will involve understudies for each of the roles, both in management and performing. This is linked to discussions on an Academic Apprenticeship Program which I have begun to design. I am considering open up a new discussion here for this subject, if I find others who would like to discuss or participate in this program.

Associate Production Companies;

Although IMS is continuing to move toward production of "Nunc Licet", I have no objections to anyone else wanting to take a stronger role in pushing the project forward. If another producer wants to be involved or a production company chooses to push forward faster than IMS, accomodations will be made and implemented in the contracts, most probably in the Joint Venture Contract or possibly in the Front Money & Limited Partnership , or General Production Contracts. In any event, the existing contract and management perameters must be maintained. I don't see any reason for there to be a problem with that, so it's not an issue.

The Developmental Production;

The next stage of operations is the Developmental Production, after which is the Premiere , which I feel must take place in Bryn Athyn. If we conduct the Developmental Production else-where, which leads into a Premiere event, so long as that same show then moves to Bryn Athyn for an opening there, we can have the World Premiere anywhere. It's the only fair way to proceed.

That means that- part of the professional management design includes, where-ever the show goes up, that show must pay for moving the production to the next venue. This is the only way in which the show will continue to gain world-wide momentum and an ongoing professional presentation. If the Developmental Production is unwilling to move the show to Bryn Athyn, then the World Premiere cannot happen there. It's as simple as that. The details of this budgetary element will be discussed later.

I expect to continue to work toward the Developmental Production and Premiere taking place in Bryn Athyn.

Touring;

The cost of mounting AND touring the show must be written into the Premiere Event. The objective is not to mount the show and say YIPPIE... it is to move the show around. So at the very least, the show must be amortized over a specific number of performances. It is unlikely that there will be a performance space available for a period of time that is long enough to recoup, so touring is the only option in that regard. That means that set-up costs will represent a fixed percentage of the box office and that touring costs will likewise represent a fixed percentage. These elements have to be analysed in the budget to determine the number of performances verses the ticket price and the other means of support available. Once the show moves into a touring scenario, we are looking at Union rules & costs, so whoever the Touring Production Manager is will need to have a grip on these aspects of the production. It's possible that the General Manager will over see the touring companies, in which event the Production Manager will answer to him or her. This will be determined when we locate a General Manager (which has not been done yet).

Summary of IMS Long Term Goals

The Theatrical Development Centre- is a concept that has been developing for a number of years. It is a primary goal of Image of the Mind Studios and The Alpha & Omega Society. Basically, the TDC is a Studio Compound, yet to be constructed, where the facilities & equipment are in place for servicing the development and production of new works in theatre. All of the know crafts which are utilized in the theatre are to be included in this compound. The overall concept is much like a camp, where the producers can bring their crew to work on the new piece. The point is that the TDC is remote from the city and far enough away from the distractions of daily city life that the crew has nothing else to do but to work on the piece, finish it and then move it to the city.

IMS Materials Recycling Facility- for use in supplying the theatrical requirements of member production companies. Having had a recycling facility in the past, it was clear that this is the best way to assure the supplies will be available for use in the theatre. Many industries dispose of very usable supplies or have the need for removal services. Very often, productions cannot store the supplies they have used and must dispose of very usable supplies. The Recycling Facility, as part of the TDC, will be able to provide this service to member producing groups and have standard sets available for rental, as well as additional materials that can be so applied to their productions.

The Creative Archive- is a facility that is attached to the TDC and is intended to serve the artist by providing a secure storage space for his or her creative portfolio. The Creative Archive is essentially a climate controlled storage unit, which is purchased by the artist. This unit is attached to a gallery where the work can be exhibited and where the work of the artist can be managed by the Archive staff, both now and in the future. The intention is to preserve the artist's life work, so the artist can be secure in knowing that his/her work will be available to future generations. Often an the bulk of the artists work is unrealized because of complexities in today's society and the distractions that can come into play. With the Creative Archive, the work can be stored safely, with instructions given by the artist about the work and what he/she intended. The Archive Staff will then have this information and be able to apply this to the future use of the work, whether it be exhibition in the Archive Gallery or other galleries or exhibition opportunities around the world. The details of the management of this facility will be discussed elsewhere.

Gnomes of New Hope, Production Approach Summary

Production Approach Summary

for the production & management of;

The Gnomes of New Hope

an

Image of the Mind Studios

theatrical/cinemic project

created by

Arthur Greisiger

words & music by

Arthur Greisiger & Shawn Rose

Current Status;

a link to the most

Recent Activity and Archive postings

History;

"The Gnomes of New Hope" originated from the simple fact that the name sounded good. Back in 1981, I had been working for a troupe called Middle Earth Marionettes on a project titles "Journey to Middle Earth" and had Hobbits in my mind when I began thinking about mythical creatures.

In 1990, I had just returned from California and, having resolved myself to remain in Pennsylvania, I determined that I would work out of New Hope. I became employed by The New Hope Arts Commission as their Tech Director. One day, while thinking about developing a new project, the title "TheGnomes of New Hope" came to me. I imagined hiring little people to roam around the streets of New Hope, disappearing and reappearing, to promotethe project. I had no idea what the project was going to be at that point.

It was not long before I determined that "The Gnomes of New Hope" would be a classic marionette show in the form of a street fair. This idea blended well with the roaming little people. I can say with certianty that I wasinfluenced by the marionette show in "The Sound of Music" and by my friend Leon Rhodes being the director of the television series "Diver Dan".

A Marionette Show

I began sketching out the storyline and the characters. At this point, I had spent many years writing a number of film & theatre scripts, s o I was well versed in the process. I determined that, since I did not want to get too involved in another "Magnum Opus", I concluded that the story should be limited to the marionette show and designed for a street fair. I thought this would be good publicity for Image of the Mind Studios now working out of New Hope.

The New Hope Arts Commission was interested in the play, but I was too busy being their Tech Director for other shows. Thus, The Gnomes was on the back burner. So I continued to refine the characters and expand the story.

Around this time, I located a company in Germany that makes superb marionettes. I was very interested in having them construct the "actors"(at @$750). However, having worked with Middle Earth Marionettes, I paid them a visit to discuss their constuction of the marionettes. They have anexcellent shop, in Stoney Run PA, and Carl Odhner is open to building the marionettes. So with that supplier in mind, I moved forward to discuss making the character prototypes with a number of sculptors.

I determined that I would produce the marionette show at The Gerenser Theatre in New Hope, so I laid out the Production Approach Summary, Budget and negotiated for the theatre. After preparing numerous aspects of the production, close analysis of the up-front outlay, operating expenses, the risk & income potential, I concluded that further advancement on the marionette show was inadvisable under the circumstances. The margin was too narrow. So I did not proceed with the marionette show.

NOTE: I am certian that the full marionette show can succeed given the rightcircumstances. Part of that involves amortization of the set-up costs withthe Ancillary Markets (those directly related to the marionette aspect ofthe project) and shared publicity. Integration of the marionettes into thefilm and television aspects of the project will allow the live show toproceed and defer a significant portion of the set-up costs. Themarionette show could justifiably be viewed as publicity for the film/DVD.

Children's Theatre

In 2004, I continued to associate with the Arts Commission and I began to work with The Make Believe Players & Arthur Gerald on his original musicals for children's theatre which he and his wife had created. This got me thinking that I should add music to The Gnomes, possibly modify the script for children's theatre and use live actors (little people?). I began to expand the script, write lyrics and record some sample music tracks with my flute.

I began to consider producing a version of the show that would serve two theatrical environments- an enclosed venue and a street fair. It was atthis time that Arthur Gerald & I had partnered to set-up a scene shop on a ten acre farm in Solebury. It occurred to me that constructing a mobile stage to serve both presentation environments would be a good idea. So, I set about designing the technical aspects for this version of the show.

Claymation Film

Earlier in this process, I spent some time with Selma Burke in her sculpting studio (she told me I was officially an apprentice) and I believe that sparked my interest in Claymation. I had spoken to another sculptor, MargeRose, about this project a few times and I met with her again to discussbuilding the heads & hands for the marionettes, but it was about this time that work on the music became a priority. I decided to spend some time experimenting with sculpting on my own with good results.

I was cast as Paravanchinni in "The Mousetrap" at Phillip's Mill in Solebury and found myself imagining a production the marionette show there. As often happens with creative types, we all got talking, and being a filmmaker, I began to think in terms of a Claymation film. The director of the show was also in the injection molding business and offered to help make the articulating dolls I would need for a film. So I proceeded to construct the frame that would be needed for the dolls with injection molding in mind.

With the advancements that were occurring, I was inspired to spend a good deal more time writing and the show expanded beyond a marionette show.

A Television Show

As a result of this, I began to think about producing the show as either a television series or a special. I was working on a few other shows during this time and made a number of contacts which stirred my thinking in this regard. I began conceptualizing the animation, and entered into discussions with an artist specializing in computer animation. He was studying at NYU and was going to construct the first scene in the script in Computer Generated Animation. He got a job elsewhere before that happened, but it got me thinking about what kind of animation I would really like to see done.

Being concerned about how someone else might design the look of the Gnomes, I started to look for an illustrator and began to think in terms of illustrating the script as a children's book.

A Feature Film

My primary interest has always been to make a show of quality that has thepotential to become a classic.

NOTES;

1. Therefore, if a CG Animation were to be done, it would need to be done byan organization capable of the highest quality. I prefer the three dimensional and crafted feeling that is achieved with Claymation or Marionettes. But one does not preclude the other.
2. To do a the real marionette show on film has an appeal to it that I would like to pursue, but I also feel very inclined to present the animation in clay... both of which are difficult and complex. Ray Harryhausen... classic stuff! But The Gnomes are perfect for that... and since I have sufficient equipment to do something of this nature, that is our goal.

Toy Figurenes

As mentioned, my conversations with the director, and his willingness to help me get the prototypes built, led me to construct an articulating skeleton for the prototype Claymation Gnome (the Gnomation film?). This process of building prototypes, also encouraged thinking along the lines ofconstructing dolls for resale as toys.

NOTE: At this time we are involved in the construction of prototype materialsfor Gnome dolls, figurenes, and a playset of Gnomeville. A few other ideasare on-the-boards.

New Hope/Solebury Production Activity

Having worked for the New Hope/Solebury School District (running their stage) and at Solebury School with the Arts Commission for a number of years, it was suggested that we should conduct a workshop in association with the library & the elementary school in Lambertville , to show kids how to build and operate marionettes. It was also suggested that this workshop might make a good program for PBS. All those suggestions are very good andremain possibilities.

Around this time, consideration of illustrating the script as a children'sbook came about. I think this was prompted by the fact that I was involved with a number of children's musical theatre groups including The MakeBelieve Players, and worked with kids in more than one school system.

I came to believe that it would be advisable to convert the marionette script into a full staged live performance, after having seen how kids reacted to the show.

In 2004 I tenatively booked the August block at The Steven Buck Theatre forthe 2005 Performing Arts Festival. By the time January 2005 rolled around I was moving ahead very well with the script revisions, but I was still not thinking in terms of a full musical. I was thinking of musical interludes added to a drama.

Where's The Muse?

By March of 2005 I ran into a wall, non-theatre issues had begun to interfere with my writing and I lost my muse. By spring it was clear that the show would not be ready to go up in August and I had other producers offering me work for the season, which would not allow me to work on my own show. So I abandoned the effort.

By the fall of 2005 I had begun making some notes on the script again andover the winter I made some real strides forward. The script started totake on a new dimension and I began to think of it in terms of a fullmusical production.

A Revitalized Inspiration...

I started to write lyrics and sing them as I went along. I started to gather samples of what I thought the music might sound like, by recording ideaswith my flute.

By the spring of 2006, I began discussing the project with Shawn Rose, a composer/musician friend. A year before, we started to collaborate on the music for another show called "I am Alpha & Omega" (which went into stasis because of my distress over the muse and because I lived in Upper Bucks County, too far away from Shawn).

With the advancements of The Gnomes of New Hope I suggested we work on that show instead of Alpha & Omega. I figured that the viability of The Gnomes warranted focusing on that project, since the other one is more...difficult. He agreed. So we set about establishing a working relationshipwith the objective of fully setting The Gnomes of New Hope to music.

Creating the Music

It took us quite some time to get accustomed to each others sensitivities and to develop a good working relationship & schedule, but now we're both totally committed to the process and into a very productive groove.

I set myself on a path to build the studio's audio capabilities and to upgrade the equipment. As improvements were being made to the studio, our knowledge and abilities have greatly improved as well. Shawn has joined the effort to the upgrade the resources availble to us, so that now we have a very extensive array of tools available to us for music production. Our advancement with creating the music has developed a solid commitment to completely orchestrate the show. We are currently meeting regularly withvery positive results.

Words & Music by Arthur Greisiger & Shawn Rose

People understand the relationship between writing partners as a Lyricist and a Composer, where one person writes the words and the other writes the music. Although that may exist in many circumstances, that is not how we work.

To clarify our methodology, it is thus: I have written the story, developed the characters, write the lyrics, sketch out the designs, and direct the action. When it comes to writing the music, I give Shawn an idea of what I think the music might be like, either from singing or playing the flute, from that: we collectively extract something of a sketch and build it piece by piece in total agreement of every note, beat, instrument, and inflection. On some pieces, Shawn has an idea of what he hears in his head and lays that down, sometimes I lay down some tracks and they all get blended and adjusted to service the script. At any given time either one of us may improvise movements on different instuments, depending on how we feel at the moment or how the direction of the piece is going.

If any part of the script, lyrics, designs, or direction needs enhancementor alterations, we discuss it and if Shawn has a contibution, that we bothagree on, it is integrated into the script. In this way the Words and Music are by both of us, because we are both vested completely in the success of this project.

If you are reading this it is because Shawn agrees with what I have written.

The Synopsis of the Story will not be provided over the internet until the show is out of pre-production.

More later...

Introduction to Shakespeare in the Park

Welcome to the site for

The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park

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Brief History: In the spring of 2008 the proposition was placed before the director of Tamanend Park that we could do Shakespeare in the Park. It was well received and with the help of the Southampton Public Works Department a stage belonging to Image of the Mind Studios was moved to the park. Over the following summer a workshop was conducted on "Much Ado About Nothing". Numerous people attended and a few others joined in the effort to bring more people to be involved. A small troupe of people walked in the Southampton Day Parade handing out flyers & raffle tickets. Work began on setting up the stage and constructing some of the necessary supplies (and is still continuing with great improvements) Other events in Northampton and Newtown were attended to promote the effort and we have the promise of support from a number of agencies and organizations.. At the end of the summer auditions were held with mild attendance, which led to further rehearsal activity looking toward a September/October performance schedule, consisting of scenes and music, with a troupe of ten. The Village Renaissance Faire in Wrightstown was attended by a small troupe where we performed scenes and music and generally promoted the effort. Scenes & Music from "Much Ado About Nothing", "The Taming of the Shrew" and "All's Well That Ends Well" were presented during the second week in October with an attendance of about sixty people over two days. There was a hiatus over November and December and work began again in January on further improvements on the stage and it is continuing as we move into a spring time frame. Development of the management parameters continues on this web site.

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The overall concept: is to develop an annual program which consists of Summer & Winter Workshops, each leading to Spring and Fall performances. Having the stage now set-up and available in Tamanend Park, we are now looking toward setting up another location at Lake Nockamixon, thus giving us the ability to present the material both in lower and upper Bucks County. It is hoped that The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park can grow into an established troupe of performers who can be fairly compensated for their work and continue to present the works of William Shakespeare in repertory.

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The goal: is to bring the cultural enhancement to the community and to make the opportunity for this activity a part of life in Southampton and the surrounding areas. It is important that this be an effort of the residents of Southampton and of Bucks County in general and most certianly the surrounding communities as well. The presentation of this material must be free to the public with a passing of the hat for free will contributions. In order for this to happen, the local businesses and community members will need to participate in a Sponsorship program, and so The Journal of The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park will be published and distributed to the partners in this project.

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It is time to begin planning for

the spring production of

Shakespeare in the Park...

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It's cool when you realize that

William Shakespeare's

primary sponsor was

The Earl of Southampton !

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NOTE: The information on this blog is being updated for the springtime activities.

In general, the information from the fall schedule is relevant

and remains here for your review.

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* The Spring Schedule is now posted under scheduling*

Shakespeare in The Park Index

A brief overview of the current status;

RE: AUDITIONS: Every Saturday 1-3 pm as an ongoing process of building the troupe. The concentration now is to build a consistent organization and the supplies required for the shows. The two primary performance time slots are Spring and Fall. The schedules are posted for those time slots, those schedules are general time frames and need to be adjusted somewhat. That will occur, as necessary, when more people become actively involved.

Work is continuing on Mondays from 3-5pm at the stage and 5-7pm in the farmhouse. We are also working on the stage from 1-3pm on Saturday. Thursday afternoon* & evenings are beginning to happen but not official until more people express a desire to work on that night.

* Thursdays 3-5pm is now in effect

*It is important that anyone who may like to participate in the 4th of July

* Southampton Day Parade *

begin to gather their costumes and attend a meeting to discuss this.

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The Current Focus of Attention...

... is to build all the supplies necessary for the troupe, properties, set pieces and costumes. Rather than pursue an agressive effort to draw participants in to the program, I've decided that the best approach (for my time) is to concentrate on supplies. This is an area that needs to be addressed and it is best to have those issues out of the way before we move into an active rehearsal process. I am encouraging performers to gather together their own costumes, but we will be trying to put together a basic ensemble that will either be made available for purchase or inventoried. Anyone interested in constructing Properties please come around. In particular we are going to begin constructing masks (as in facial masks) and paint some drops. These activites constitute a theatre workshop so anyone is welcome to participate.

My position, as the Artistic Director of this project, is that the people who become involved need to be doing so because they have a passion to do so and see the opportunity that has been created for them. I will not be prodding people to be involved, so don't expect that from me. If this effort proves to be fruitless in Tamanend Park, then I will move on. I say this only to point out that we need more than just lip service. It is wonderful and encouraging that so many people are so enthused about this happening, but that enthusiasm needs to be translated into active participation by serious, dependable people.

The basic stage in Tamanend Park is almost finished. Painting needs to be done when the weather breaks. Benches need to be made for the backstage area. Repairs to stage platforms need to be made. We will be picking up some additional set pieces and they will need to be cut down and painted to match the stage. A portable sound system for prelude/postlude music and an announcer will be constucted and integrated into the stage.

Our attention will be shifting to constructing another stage for Lake Nockamixon. The second stage will likely be a mobile one which can be used in other locations as needed. There are other locations (in Bucks & Lehigh Counties) which may be part of this effort, as we have been invited to perform a number of times and locations. However, this will not happen without a stable troupe of regular performers who are well versed in the material. So I invite your involvement.

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Archive;

"Much Ado About Nothing" was the subject of last summer's workshop and the presentation in the fall was "Scenes and Music from Much Ado" . We had a group of guest performers who presented "Scenes from Taming of the Shrew" and we were all pleased with the way it turned out. All told, about sixty people attended and were involved.

"Much Ado..." was extended into the springtime effort, so we will be continuing with this production. After the spring performance slot we will be moving to begin study of and production work on "Loves Labor Lost" , wether or not we managed a full production of "Much Ado" .

Any production we began work on is one that we will continue to work on if there are interested participants. If we expect to do these works in repertory, we will need to remain familiar with them. So, just because we move our attention to the next show, that does not mean we will not work on a previous one. But we will not introduce a new show for study until the following time slot allows for it.

If someone wishes to produce a particular show, we will support that effort, so long as the production effort fits into the schedule we are now developing which is- two workshops: Summer & Winter and two performance slots: Spring & Fall. We will expect participation in the promotional events that are available to us by all persons who become involved.

We will need 20 regular performers in the troupe, along with numerous other person to fulfill logistical roles, such as management, marketing, and technical aspects such as costuming and properties. Until we reach a full complement of participants our program will always be Scenes and Music.

Another aspect of the program is to encourage persons to do the scenes of their choice. If we do not have a full complement for the current show, we will be striving to invite guest artists to use the stage (for Shakespeare) during the performance slots that have been set aside.

We also invite other Shakespearean Troupes/musicians to use the stage and ask that you attend a work session to discuss that.

The stage is available at other times for events, preferably of a classical nature, children's theatre, folk or bluegrass not requiring extensive sound or PA support (in other words: no rock & roll). The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park and Opera in the Park will have scheduling preferences.

A good part of this blog is serving the Shakespeare project in Tamanend Park. There are numerous headings which are intended to answer your questions and introduce you to the effort. I invite you to scan the headings to locate the subject of your interest. I also advise you to peruse the Blog Archive for the subject headings which may not yet be linked.

You are welcome stop by on any Monday or Thursday evening at the Farmhouse (or Carriage House) in Tamanend Park if you care to be involved. I work hard to remain consistent in being at the park when stated and you can know I am there if you see the banners of the Bard posted. AG

Refer to the category Logistical Management for a summary of the personnel required for this effort.

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General Information ;


* Monday nights (3-7pm) will be assigned for study and running lines if we have enough people to do that, otherwise we will be doing tech workshops. We are just finishing up the construction of curtains for the stage and we will be moving into construction and painting of drops. We will shortly begin constructing theatre masks and will need to address costuming & properties issues.

* Thursday nights (3-5pm). We have begun meeting on Thursdays and continue to need logistical participants. Thursday evening will be the time for wotk on this. Of course, we can work on any of this when needed, but this night will be the launch pad for these activities.

*Saturday afternoon (1-3pm) often til 5pm This day has been set aside for auditions. If you would like to perform Shakespeare, are familiar with his material, or have a specific role in mind, this is the day to show what you can do and get to experience the performance environment

* The Sponsorship Program is published and available for review as a prototype document. A copy of it may be reviewed by attending one of the meetings on Monday, Thursday, or Saturday. A Bi-Annual Journal for the Sponsorship program "The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park" will be published using this format. A specific PlayBill will be produced for the Spring and Fall time slots pertaining to the show currently being produced.

* We need persons willing to work on establishing the Sponsorship program, both in locating sponsors and with hands on publishing duties. This program is necessary in order to make this material available, free of charge, to the public in Southampton.


Here's my e-mail address: imagemindag@verizon.net

Return to Index

Introduction

Welcome to the new site for the

IMS Virtual Studio

Please refer to the Index of Subjects and the Blog Archive file folders for the subject of your interest. They are located in the column to the left. If you click on the title Image of the Mind it will take you to the front page which contains the most recent postings or the subject of primary interest.

Various pages, including this one, are updated periodically, but are not posted according to the date and will need to be located by way of either a link in my email signature, the Subject index or the blog archive files. I believe the search function will also assist in locating a particular subject or posting.

Some time ago, good portion of the IMS web pages were on AOL Hometown, which has been shut down. This site is now serving as the new hub for the IMS Virtual Studio. I will be adding new material, restructuring this site and including better links within the blog on a regular basis.

You will note that I am working to build indexes for various projects or operations discussed here. Gradually the subjects will be addressed and the links will be installed. If an area has not been discussed and you would like to do so, please send me an email.

As the primary posting location on the web, I have chosen to use this blog essentially as a newsletter. I've chosen not to invite comments on this blog, because I am using it as a forum to provide information and not discussion. If you need to discuss an item I am happy to do so in a private conversation, which may in fact spur a posting herein if it is appropriate.

You will find that some of the dialogue is rather lengthy and tiresome to read in one sitting. I tend to be rather verbose, but this is unavoidable, since the information provided is two-fold. These postings are intended to clarify & refine production development and implementation, while providing a comprehensive overview of the essential facts in both a general sense and, in some instances, a quite specific way for both the projects and the operation of IMS.

It is my intention to review and edit the material as production moves forward, but also to create an archive of a projects progression. So even though the material will change over time, I hope to also maintain an archive as a log book. My objective is to educate the people who may someday associate themselves with one or more of the IMS Projects that are here presented.

For those of you who are in a position to review the proposals and make decisions regarding involvement at the various levels, I provide this information for the purpose of supporting the projects we are discussing. By being specific of the facts I am striving to provide you with an overview of Image of the Mind Studios, my background and other projects that are part of the IMS repertoire.

I will include links for partners in our projects only on request or if it is appropriately relative to what we are doing.

I do invite your comments & discussion, but I ask that you do so via e-mail, so that we can have private conversations. Please be specific in your Subject heading or the email may be discarded without being read.

I do attempt to keep this site somewhat up to date, but as you can see from the volume of postings and the inferences within that this is no small task . I do have to sleep and eat, occasionally.

So I hope you enjoy reading the information I have posted here and, even more, I hope you may like to become involved in one or more of our projects. Because after all, as you will see, everything seems to be a humongous task requiring a lot of people and significant resources to succeed.

And in case you wonder about the magnitude & practicality of some of the projects posted here, remember that I am a Conceptual Artist and my medium is the canvas of the Mind. AG

Management Index

Development Notes, a general overview;

1) intended for exposition of the Modus Operandi
2) principly for associations that involve, or will lead to, internal operations
3) with subjects relative to external operations in general
4) and specific items which will relate to external operations and the associated methodology

Index

A Brief History of IMS

Modus Operandi

Development Activities

Long Term Goals

Management

Finance

Status