Gospel According to First Squad explores themes of religion, culture war, bonds forged and broken in battle, and the power of story.
What is Gospel According to First Squad?
Gospel According to First Squad is the third play in an ongoing and unfinished cycle of plays called The War Cycle. Derived from extensive interviews with soldiers and Marines who served and saw combat in Afghanistan, Gospel tells the story of a group of soldiers who have been deployed in hostile territory for over a year and the final dramatic obstacles they must overcome before they can go home. As you can probably guess, it's a drama, but it's also surprisingly funny, and full of contagious energy. People who saw the workshop called it the "Summer action blockbuster" of theatre.
Gospel According to First Squad explores themes of religion, culture war, bonds forged and broken in battle, and the power of story.
What is The War Cycle?
The War Cycle is the flagship project of the Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble. It began on November 11th, 2004 when research for the first play in the Cycle (Wounded) commenced. For as long as the wars in the Middle East continue, the Ensemble will continue to commission and produce new plays in the cycle. These plays are not overtly political. They are not liberal anti-war screeds or conservative "support the troops" pieces. The War Cycle simply tells honest stories of those who fight the wars and their families. We leave the politics in the audience.
Steven Leigh Morris summed it up for us when he presented the Ensemble with a 2011 LA Weekly Award. This is how he described it:
"[The War Cycle] plays were not only beautifully conceived, directed and acted, in combination they displayed a breadth of vision that combined intellectual precocity and passion that comes from the bones. For these reasons, we're presenting the Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble with a special citation for excellence, for its technical accomplishments and its breadth of vision."
LA Weekly also featured The War Cycle on the COVER of their late August 2010 issue. Here's a link to that awesome article.
And esteemed Los Angeles theatre critic and writer Don Shirley wrote a kickass feature for LA Stage Times. Check it out here.
There's also a ton of other press links and info you can find on the Ensemble's website: www.latensemble.com
Why Kickstarter?
There's a couple reasons. First, we want our community to be involved in this project beyond simply showing up to watch the show (although we DO appreciate that!). The War Cycle is an ethical action designed to keep us engaged with the fact that we are a country at war. This may seem an obvious thing, but with an all-volunteer military and a very distracting and distractable media, it is not only easy, it is almost inevitable that we are tuning out the war. We are all suffering from "war fatigue," and just want to turn the channel. That's the ethical problem we're trying to address with these plays and when you back us (even with just 1 dollar) you're acknowledging the problem - and you're participating in the solution.
And then there's the other reason:
This show is great bare-bones. We proved that last Summer at our workshop performance. But we believe if we can add in a few key technical upgrades, it's going to pay-off big time by making the experience more immersive. Those patrons who came to the workshop and come back for the premiere will not only notice some upgrades in the script, but they'll really dig some of the upgrades to the FX and general aesthetics of the show. We don't want to say too much for fear we might spoil the surprises, but Kickstarter funds will go to a few key (and expensive) props, some lighting upgrades, and a number of very specific costume upgrades and extra dry-cleaning for the costumes (hopefully that doesn't give away too much…).
FAQ
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134
Backers
$3,860
pledged of $3,333 goal
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Funding period
May 30, 2011 -
Jul 5, 2011
- First created · 5 backed
- Tom Burmester 692 friends
- Website: latensemble.com
Pledge $1 or more
13 backers
Give us a buck and we'll save you FIVE! When you become a 1 dollar backer, we'll send you a promotion code for five dollars off your tickets to Gospel.
Pledge $7 or more
18 backers
Give us seven and we'll save you TWENTY! As a 7 dollar backer, you get a promotion code for two-for-one tickets to Gospel. Also, we'll shoot a video of the guys of First Squad doing a push-up for every dollar you donate and send it to you with our thanks. MAKE US WORK!
Pledge $15 or more
26 backers
For 15 bucks,we'll send you a set of First Squad dog tags, and you'll get a promotion code for two-for-one tickets to Gospel. Also, we'll shoot a video of the guys of First Squad doing a PUSH-UP FOR EVERY DOLLAR you donate and send it to you with our thanks.
Pledge $25 or more
28 backers
Check out the First Squad logo that bookends our video - the one with the winged sword. Donate at this level and we'll send you a mug with that logo along with a set of dog tags. Also, the men of First Squad will send you a personalized "Thank You!" video, doing a PUSH-UP FOR EVERY DOLLAR you donate. And to top it off, you'll get a promotion code for two-for-one tickets to Gospel.
Pledge $50 or more
6 backers
Check out the picture of the First Squad logo on the left side of the screen. Donate at this level and we'll send you shirt with that logo along with a set of dog-tags. We'll have sizes available for men and for women. Also, the guys of First Squad will send you a personalized "Thank You!" video, doing a PUSH-UP FOR EVERY DOLLAR you donate. And to top it off, you'll get a promotion code for two-for-one tickets to Gospel.
Pledge $100 or more
4 backers
Let the men of First Squad BBQ up a feast for you! First Squad makes a legendary carne asada, and PFC Gehrman has promised to brew up a special custom ale just for the occasion. We'll make sure you get a set of dog-tags and your choice of a First Squad logo shirt or mug (see picture), AND two tickets to a preview of Gospel According to First Squad. Oh, and of course WE'LL DO A PUSH-UP FOR EVERY DOLLAR YOU DONATE (see above)!
Pledge $150 or more
3 backers
Take a look at what you get at the $100 level. At the $150 level, you get all that except your two free tickets are for Opening Night. We're pulling out the stops this Opening, so plan on massive amounts of food, drink, and revelry after the show. Oh, and of course WE'LL DO A PUSH-UP FOR EVERY DOLLAR YOU DONATE (see above)!
Pledge $250 or more
1 backer
It definitely takes a certain kind of awesome to support live theatre at this level. Thank you! Were' going to make sure you get an invite to the BBQ (see 100 dollar level), and that you have a t-shirt, a mug, and our First Squad dog tags. You'll get a pair of tickets to Opening Night (see $150 level), and we'll be in touch with you to make sure you get the best possible seats available. Also on Opening Night we'd love to invite you into our rugby scrum warm-up tradition that we do before each performance (it's a lot less painful than it sounds). At this level the PUSH-UP deal (see above) might actually cause First Squad to break a sweat. Thanks for the workout!
Pledge $500 or more
1 backer
500 push-ups is a challenge - even for First Squad. But we'll make sure to get it on video for proof and send it to you along with our thanks. You'll also get an invite to the BBQ and two tickets to Opening Night with the best seats possible, the option to join us in the scrum, and a set of dog tags, a mug and a t-shirt (see above for details on all that). On top of all that, we'll custom frame a show poster of Gospel with signatures from the cast and crew and give it to you on Opening Night with our sincere gratitude.
Pledge $2,500 or more
0 backers
You get to be credited as Executive Producer. You'll have the option to meet with the Artistic Director of the company and writer of Gospel According to First Squad to discuss the origins and future of The War Cycle. You'll also have the option to attend several rehearsals and speak with the actors as they develop their roles. Of course, you'll get tickets to Opening (enough for you and your entourage), and we'd love to have you at the BBQ. We'll also hook you up with ample swag, and a bunch of complementary tickets to Gospel that you can give to your friends. AND YES...2500 PUSH-UPS!
