Left Coast Team / East Coast Press

While those of us in Portland relax for a few final days before rehearsals for Everyone Who Looks Like You kick into high gear, out NYC crack team has been hitting the boards and blowing minds at the Ontological-Hysteric Incubator with Faith's solo show Undine performed in a double bill with our dear friends from the north, Helsinki Syndrome.

I couldn't be prouder of the work Faith (incredible performer/creator), Jonathan (fearless director), Liam (even more fearless SM), Chis (very fearless lighting designer) and the whole team of musicians, set makers and costumers have done on this piece.

I had the pleasure of taking the traveling crew (Faith, Jonathan & Liam) to the airport last Saturday morning and watching as they justified not bringing a 65 lb wooden trunk (yes it is the main set piece, but won't buying one on Craig's List work?), 45 lbs of threaded rod (home depot is just around the corner!) and half a dozen work lights (see threaded rod reasoning).  The heavy items were amazing, but my favorite moment was Faith shoving her wedding dress costume into a paper Trader Joe's bag and imagining her justifying this third carry on to the TSA clerk: "...but I'm getting married!"

Off they flew, and now the press starts to roll in:

From NY Theatre.com: "two exceptional young shows..."

Meanwhile back at the ranch, we are prepping to begin rehearsals for Everyone Who Looks Like You on September 9. I'm really looking forward to continuing the work we began this Spring and taking it to the next level. We open the show in just over two months (November 6 at Theater! Theatre! in Portland) and have our work cut out for us. Creating some new material, cutting some of the old, and tightening, refining and re-working.

We are bringing on some new designers and old collaborators for the show and I couldn't be happier. From Eugene comes Set Designer Brad Steinmetz and from Portland costumer Kyoko Nelson. Hand2Mouth works so closely with designers in building shows from the ground up that having the right fit is incredibly important. I love the energy and ideas that have started to flow; rehearsals are only going to make it better. Joining us again are choreographers Mike Barber and Philip Cuomo who lent their prodigious talents to Repeat After Me and From a Dream to a Dream, respectively.

Six more performances of Undine and nine more days before rehearsals start. And did I mention TBA starts on Thursday? It's going to be a good week.

Just testing out our blog's video capabilities

Here's a sneak peak at Everyone Who Looks Like You if you didn't see the WIPShowing in the spring.


Everyone Who Looks Like You - Highlight Video - 10 minutes from Hand2Mouth Theatre on Vimeo.

More videos on our vimeo site.

Hand2Mouth Big Ol' Family BBQ

Today we starting planning our BBQ bash on Oct 3 at Erin's Chill Palace. We're on the hunt for donated kegs, meats, veggies, and sweets. Our brainstorm session turned up a big list of Portland business that we love, so hopefully we'll have an impressive spread!

Sending us off to New York in style

On Monday night, H2M threw a little party to send ourselves off to New York in style. Held it in the lobby of Portland Center Stage's Gerding Bldg, which is a gorgeous place to have to yourself on a Monday to drink beer and play music and watch a beautiful piece of dance come dancing down the curving staircase. Happy to have friends (and hopefully future artistic collaborators) perform for the crowd, circling around the performance area set up with a few mics and pedals.

Al James (of the band Dolorean) started it out with some great heart-twisting ballads some from his soon to be released album. It's rare to see Al play solo, I've seen him with the band plenty of great nights, but Al is going on tour to Europe this fall solo, and it's a great energy he brings solo-style to the strained, slow clear power of his voice, pure and unrushed. H2M is working with Al this fall to create a series of new ensemble-created songs for the premiere of 'Everyone Who Looks Like You' in November.

After he did his thing, Holcombe Waller took the mic and grabbed everyone's attention and wouldn't let go until he'd bounced his deceptively gentle voice off the bricks a few times (his singing can soar to gorgeous powerful heights in a split second, after lulling you into a elegant trance). He covered Paul Simon, Buffy St. Marie and then a number of his own, including an older song I’d never heard, that he's reworking for his new album. He passed on the compliment to H2M that our company 'is down in the grind, working hard' to stay active and create our work. That’s a great damn compliment coming from someone who works so hard himself to create beautiful, disciplined work and show it around the country.

Wow, a blog!!

Now that we have a blog ...