This funding is crucial to the re-imagining and re-building of THE WORD for touring in a TENT. I am collaborating with director Whit MacLaughlin (http://www.newparadiselaboratories.org/home.asp) to compact and streamline the narrative and theatrical conceit to fit into a TENT. With this funding in place, I will be able to answer invitations to perform THE WORD in New York, DC, Chicago, Minneapolis , Pittsburgh, Ausitn and LA.
THE WORD is a solo tragicomic musical loosly based on the life of child-preacher and B-movie actor Marjoe Gortner. It lives somewhere in between an Andy Kaufman and Eric Bogosian aesthetic—athletic and visceral but charmingly spiraling out of control for an intoxicating and hilarious rendering of character.
This highly entertaining work was originally conceived and directed by the uber-talented Suli Holum and presented by The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival (2007). The piece is now making its way to an October run in Philadelphia that will launch touring dates through 2012.
Project location: Philadelphia, PA
An electronic package including photos, updates on the project, an invitation opening night party in Fall 2010, and will be listed as a supporter on the THE ELASTIC THEATER website and in the program fro the show.
All of the above + a DVD and audio CD of music from the show + The Word hand-screened t-shirts
All of the above + invitations to open rehearsals and ONE COMP to opening night.
All of the above + TWO COMPS to opening night + a dinner for two of home-made wood-fired pizza at at your home (must have grill) ($250-$500)
All of the above + producer credit
A live performance of the show at your residence (must live in the Philadelphia area or be willing to pay my transportation)
Philadelphia, PA
Brian Osborne is a collaborative physical theater artist who builds athletic, character-driven theater based on real people. He is the Artistic Director of The Elastic Theater for which he has written and performed THE WORD (’07 Live Arts, Suli Holum, dir.), a solo tragic-comedy based on the life of child-preacher turned B-movie actor Marjoe Gortner, BITCH ON WHEELS (Lee Etzold, Co-Director, ‘06 Philly Fringe), an aerial dance-comedy about the death of 1970’s Roller Derby, DELICIOUS VAUDEVILLE, a musical circus-fantasy produced Off-Broadway by David Binder and SONS OF KATHERINE, a comic duet about dementia. Other recent collaborations include co-director of Kate Watson Wallace’s STORE (’09 Live Arts), Subcircle’s new dance theater work, TRUE/FALSE, WIND-UP, with Dan Rothenberg, David Brick and Mimi Lien at Princeton’s Atelier, Emmanuelle Delpech-Ramey’s OEDIPUS AT FDR, Thaddeus Phillips/Lucidity Suitcase’s WHALE OPTICS and THE LINCOLN PROJECT with Pig Iron Theater Co. Off-Broadway he was seen in the aerial smash hit DE LA GUARDA. Film and Television credits include the forthcoming feature comedy Sophomore with Patrick Warburton, Law & Order: SVU, Drivers Wanted, Threadbare, Sure Shot, and an original film adaptation of Harold Pinter's Applicant. He has a Bachelor’s in Theater from Marquette University, has trained with Alfred Molina, Ada Brown Mather (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts), at Second City, and studied playwriting with Alvin Eng.
Up next he will direct "Or Maybe My Mother was an American Chameleon?" by
Jaamil Olawale Kosoko (KOSOKO PERFORMANCE GROUP) at the 2010 Live Arts Festival