THE RUBBER REPERTORY!?

...to the land of likes.

2011-05-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

We've gone and pulled a switcheroo. There's still plenty to explore here, but for the most up-to-date happenings of Rubber Repertory, please visit our Facebook page.

BIOGRAPHY OF PHYSICAL SENSATION (in pictures)

2010-10-25T06:48:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken by the wonderful Jessica Alpern.

Opening 10/14: BIOGRAPHY OF PHYSICAL SENSATION

2010-10-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

TICKETS here. Thanks to Lisa Laratta for this sneak peak at her set design.

The View from Rehearsal

2010-09-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

Next.

2010-07-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

YOUR SECRETS AREN'T SAFE WITH US

2010-04-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

Calling all self-aware sensualists!
Calling all erudite explorers of their own existence!
Calling all those who submit to solipsism!

Rubber Repertory wants to give you an extraordinary experience: the chance to have an entire show based on YOUR LIFE. On April 23rd-25th, the gentlemen of RR will be conducting dozens of 10-minute interviews to select a subject for a new work that will premiere at Salvage Vanguard Theatre in October. They'll ask you some questions, tell you some secrets, and administer a few simple tests that won't hurt a bit. A handful of finalists will be invited back later in the week for a more rigorous examination, and then one lucky person will be selected to have their pains/pleasures made abstract/immortal.

Please bring:
your oldest article of clothing
a sample from a journal or diary entry
something that smells like you (will not be returned)
a donation to support the development of the show

Appointment times:
April 23: 6pm-10pm
April 24: 11am-7pm
April 25: 11am-7pm

Interviews by appointment: rubberrep@gmail.com

PROUDLY PART OF THE 2010 and 2011 FUSEBOX FESTIVALS.

A PAPER FROM A COLLEGE STUDENT IN OREGON

2010-03-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Alexis.

Alexis Schaetzle

February 23, 2010

Script Analysis

RUBBER REP

“Blurring the boundaries between art and life, high culture and low, the amateurish and the masterful, the shit and the sweet.”

After looking at twenty repertory theatres that boast flashy musicals, classic dramas and compelling pieces of the American soul, I’m surprised, but I have a weird urgency to blindly throw myself into a theatre “company” that mocks and manipulates all of the aforementioned, all that I thought I wanted to be a part. Rubber Rep scares me; I’m pretty adventurous, but Rubber Rep is, without apology, dauntless and radical. I can be honest and say that I would need to dig around my cluttered soul and piece together some kind of haphazard courage to march my ass to Austin and audition. I am, however, fascinated and plan to further stalk what they do, and how they’re threading their voices into American theatre today.

The first thing about them that really gets me excited, is their cult following; the brave audience that comes back every month knowing they’ll need to screw their jaws back in its hinges during the curtain call. These guys Matt Hislope and Josh Meyer have carved themselves a place in the art scene in Austin that works: their art shifts, travels, disgusts, disguises, confuses, offends, and most importantly; exists. They are known for plopping their shows a-top roofs, in living rooms, parking lots and Radio Shack’s. So the “exists” part for me is the most important because in a time when the dumbest thing a young lady could do is whisper to herself, “I’m an artist, I think”, Rubber Rep is screaming it, literally, from rooftops. On their blog, they discuss their devising process where the beginning often derives from manic obsessions, bizarre fascinations, and even morning rituals. These funny ideas tossed around during drinks produce packed houses with barely blinking audience members gawking at half-naked drag queens singing musical numbers about our government at large.

I really love and admire Rubber Rep’s ability to fearlessly push audience members into taking part in their shows; from what I can tell, the audience is another cast member in their productions. They seem to build moral puzzles for each patron to solve, and unlike most companies, they FORCE you to play. I get the sense that any person who buys a ticket for their shows knows that they will not sit idly by judging and intellectualizing the “points” these people are trying to make; they become a part of the journey, they’re strapped in for the ride, whether they like it or not. That kind of theatre is something I’ve always wanted to be a part of, but never shot my own fireworks out into The Pocket or a shopping mall or rooftop, to see myself achieve it. Having a navigation system like Rubber Rep would not give my growing pains a break, I’m sure, but would help me to find a new part of my “artist” that has yet to be explored, exploited or even discovered at all. They say they that it’s “time for theatre that doesn’t feel like theatre”. For my entire little life I thought theatre needed to fit into a certain kind of box, packaged just so, and in the past year or so, I can feel my artistic tastes fleshing out in ways I couldn’t have predicted. Perhaps now’s the time to run away to Austin, when I’m feeling rough and lude and stupid, and with any great luck, maybe I’ll find myself having coffee (and maybe a little whiskey) with this company on Sunday mornings, helping build blueprints for the next great show.

In 2007, playwright Wallace Shawn (I’m a big fan of this dude-from Vanya to “My Dinner with Andre”) gave his US premiere “A Thought in Three Parts” to Rubber Rep. In 1977, audiences created a mild uproar when Shawn produced the play in London. Parliament attacked the play due to pornographic material, and a vice squad later investigated the production. Shawn writes overtly political plays that deal with changing social classes, sex, drugs, and, in his words, “my interior life as a raging beast.” A well-known, controversial figure finding a home with an audacious little theatre company in Austin, Texas is pretty awesome. Rebecca Beegle is another playwright who works closely with Meyer and Hislope, crafting all sorts of gender-bender pieces that, from the production photos and reviews, all have an eerie need to make me want to come closer, but not without hesitation. Rubber Rep is a hip and fearless family that seems to live the motto I try every day to remind myself of: I’m not here for a long time; I’m here for a good time.

I emailed Hislope and Meyer earlier this week, and received a prompt response. I asked how they devise, who they are, and what’s coming up next:

“We are two guys in Austin, originally from Kansas and Michigan, making the kind of shows that we want to see, but not making them nearly quickly enough or in the quantity that we'd like. We blew it all out on THE CASKET OF PASSING FANCY in 2008... which was over 2 years in the making and contained just about everything in the world. I can send you a script if you'd like. It's a monster of a creative challenge that we'd love for people in other cities to take on. [Pocket 2011??] We're starting work on a new show beginning in may that will premiere in October... and then re-premiere in April 2011... it may or may not be based on your life.”

I. Want. In.

R.I.P. Duchess 1920-2009

2009-10-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

The Duchess passed in her sleep on Tuesday night surrounded by her 11 domestics. Up until her last hours, laughter was heard coming from her sickroom, as she greeted all visitors with the merriest of stories and the bawdiest of jokes. She lived an extraordinary life and did everything she wanted to do. We will miss her deeply. Letters of condolence can be emailed to rubbberrep@gmail.com.

Her last words: "I never lose my spirits!"

What's up, Rubber Rep?

2009-09-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

4. We just finished an 8 week experimental workshop that found us getting up bright and early every Sunday to eat donuts and dip our toes into some new ideas. We played around with handwritten signs, morning rituals, 1 second plays, sensual biographies, endurance acts, ventriloquism, and high stakes humor. Most people got naked, and everyone got kissed. BIG thanks to Liz, Thomas, Paul, Jodi, Jennymarie, Jen, and Smaranda for going there with us and being such lively participants and also to SVT for the generous donation of space.

3. A bit of The Casket of Passing Fancy is now gracing YouTube. If you missed the show, here's a taste. If you saw it, you probably didn't see these parts. We've been polishing the script with plans of throwing down the gauntlet and challenging other companies to take on this 500-ring-circus of a show. Holler if you want us to email you a copy.

2. Rubber Rep is now on Twitter. If you're up for a slightly more lively conversation, you should also check out the Twitter accounts of our component parts, where you can learn such golden bits of wisdom as How to Remove a Maggot From Your Skull.

1. Our next show is slated for Fall 2010. A long ways away, but we want to make sure it's something worth laying your eyes on. In the meantime, 100% of us will be in the Rude Mechs' production of Dionysus in 69 (Dec. 3-19ish) and 50% of us will be in Salvage Vanguard's production of A Brief Narrative of an Extraordinary Birth of Rabbits (Feb. 11-Mar. 6). We also might be popping up with a miniature performance here or there, as well as the usual stream of workshops, awkward social encounters, and nervous energy...

0. As always, your inquiries are WELCOME at rubberrep@gmail.com.

Goodbye, Z.

2009-05-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

The 2009 incarnation of MISTER Z LOVES COMPANY has come and gone. Thanks to everyone who packed the house on closing weekend. We sincerely apologize for any Crisco that might have made its way onto your person. Here are some choice pictures of the festivities (CLICK to enlarge), courtesy of Austin gentleman Harrison Witt. Critical responses to the show can be found here, here, and here (and maybe a few other places if you go diggin'). You probably won't hear much from us for a while now, but as always, we welcome your correspondence at rubberrep@gmail.com

The Party's (Almost) Over

2009-04-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

MISTER Z must close April 25th. Barring a surprise transfer to Broadway, this is your last chance to see the show the Chronicle calls a "marriage of depravity and delight, of filth and fantasy, of turds and technical genius." Ticket info here.

2009-04-16T06:52:00.000-07:00

The Chronicle review is up. A QUOTE that will be particularly tough to live up to: "Hislope and Meyer as Mister Z and his doppelganger are instruments of terpsichorean precision... In between (and sometimes while) abusing and/or pleasuring each other via stimulation of various orifices with various implements, the dapper pair performs dances with the sort of audience-thrilling synchronicity exemplified by martial artists Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung in the initial fight sequence from the chop-socky classic Project A – to the same impressive comedic effect. We're suggesting here that Hislope and Meyer, as creators and performers, have reached a level of supreme martial artistry..."

turn to pg. 12

2009-04-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

Mister Z pops up on pg. 12 of this month's American Theatre magazine, as part of a preview of Austin's burgeoning Fusebox Festival. (As a side note, why has this magazine become so hard to find? In all of Austin, the only place that had a copy was a Barnes and Noble on the outskirts of town. I put in a request for BookPeople to start carrying it again, so here's hoping...)

The View from the Audience

2009-04-14T14:39:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Joncory for sending these our way.

"...despoiled Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber."

2009-04-12T20:54:00.000-07:00

Michael Barnes reports on our opening night.

WHAT I FOUND ON MY CAR AFTER OPENING NIGHT

2009-04-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

A foul coincidence or our first review?

The Fury of Tech Week

2009-04-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

Ah, the exquisite fury of tech week! Platforms pieced together like a dozen lost pieces from different puzzles, a naughty maid asleep in the bathtub with a thrown back, the endless ingestion of migas tacos, knuckles cut open on the metal edge of an old trunk, Travis Dean's daredevil carpentry, a bloody tuxedo unintentionally turned hot pink, ropes coming out of the most surprising places, a naughty maid HIT BY A CAR, questionable interpretations of the fire code, and the relief of emptying props out of our cars for the LAST TIME. These are all good signs that Mister Z Loves Company will be ripe and ready to open on Friday at 8pm. Call (512) 478-5282 for tickets.

a perfect fit

2009-03-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

Mister Z and a few of his naughty maids will be dancing at Hey Homo's presentation of Cruising at the Alamo Drafthouse on Tuesday night. Says the Drafthouse, "This is a historically valuable, irrefutable low art masterpiece, with jolting performances and some of the most sordid moments to ever hit the screen...including an onscreen beating from a cop in a jockstrap that you will never, NEVER forget." Sounds like ol' Z will be right at home. Tickets h ere.

Here Comes Trouble.

2009-02-24T20:33:00.001-08:00

The first of several publicity images we'll soon be pasting around town.

Rejected Mister Z Postcard Image

2009-02-08T21:43:00.000-08:00

I like this image quite a bit, but I think it gives the wrong impression about the show. Maybe we'll save it for when we do a show about suits that come alive at night when the department store is closed, or one about men who float around without any hands or legs. The real deal is forthcoming, and it's far less classy.

Oh, You Beautiful Maids

2009-01-26T17:45:00.000-08:00

The casting couch is closed! With the exception of Ms. Amie Elyn, we have a whole new crew of naughty maids joining us for our upcoming revival of Mister Z Loves Company. Be assured that their faces, however striking, only begin to hint at the feast of personality that will be on display in April. Clockwise from upper left: Anjelica Mcauley, Amie Elyn, Carlos Treviño, Andrea Smith, Mikaela Thomas, and David Yeakle.

In other news: The site for this year's Fusebox Festival is UP (and we are pleased as punch to be included in the festivities).

Austin Chronicle Top 10 Lists

2009-01-05T05:55:00.000-08:00

Ye olde Casket rears its head...

Top 10 Theatrical Treasures and Pleasures of 2008

Top 10 Parts and Wholes Plus One Standout

Top 10 Favorite Arts Events Across the Disciplines

Top 10 Wonderful Things About Austin Theatre in 2008

Top 10 Most Memorable Locally Produced Live Performance Offerings That I Chanced to See in 2008

Top 10 Queer Sh*t

Next Up.

2008-12-20T11:53:00.001-08:00

The RETURN of MISTER Z LOVES COMPANY. April 10-25, 2009.

Offer #453: Who Wants the One and Only Copy of a Map that Leads to a Secret Treasure Buried Somewhere in Texas?

2008-12-19T16:40:00.000-08:00

The treasure hunter has checked in with a full report of her escapade to Far West Texas:

What would it take to send a glam-loving city gal into the West Texas desert? To a town so small it has only one traffic light. A place where the nearest airport is still 3 hours away by car. Why would this wining and dining culture vulture want to venture out where the tumbleweeds (and Chihuahuas) outnumber the cars? How about a map to a buried treasure? Well, that’s all it took for me.

Read the rest here.

Offer #1: Who Wants to Witness a Real Live Birth?

2008-12-15T15:32:00.001-08:00

A few of our offers from The Casket of Passing Fancy were designed to be received at a later date. We're sad to report that the recipient of this offer wasn't able to make it to the site of the home birth in time, but life, as they say, goes on. Carol Melissa Putnam came into this world at 4:47pm today, weighing a healthy 7.1 lbs. Welcome, Carol!

Casket of Passing Fancy: The Untaken, Pt. 2

2008-11-09T19:48:00.000-08:00

Here are the remainder of the pitiable offers that nobody wanted...

Who wants two large bowls of pudding? One for eating, one for sitting.

Who wants to stay after the show and clean up after other people's fun?

Who wants a pregnancy test?

Who wants four courses of global warming?

Who wants to be priest for the day?

Who wants all of the lint and hair removed from their clothing using magnifying glasses and tweezers?

Who wants to take the best piss of their life?

Who wants someone to scream for as long as possible, as loud as possible, until they lose their voice?

Who wants a good shrimping?

Who wants to stick their fingers down someone's throat and see what happens?

Who wants to get figged?

Who wants to escape from the theatre?

Who wants to watch someone suffer?

Who wants someone to shit all over them?

Who wants their clothing dyed a single color?

Who wants to vomit into the mouth of a new friend?

Who wants to be led to a room where the lights are dim, blindfolded, bent over, and then...?

Who wants to be spoon-fed communist propaganda? Literally.

Who wants to try and french kiss an angry possum? (courtesy of an audience member who chose to write an offer that would be prepared for the following night's show)

Who wants to poop their pants?

Who wants to watch someone eat a whole lemon and chase it with a raw onion?

Who wants to make her sweat--by any means you can think of?

Who wants to bet they can drink a gallon of milk?

Who wants to soak their tired balls?

Who wants the blood of a performer to take home with them?

Who wants an enema?

Who wants to have an orifice, any orifice, sterilized with a high-pressure flow of cleansing, natural water?

Who wants to bob for butter?

Who wants to hump my leg like a dog?

Who wants to feel the cunt of my desk?

Who wants the show to end?

Who wants three minutes to convert us to their religion?

Who wants to see their face as another race?

Who wants to watch a man eat his shoe?

Casket of Passing Fancy: The Untaken, Pt. 1

2008-11-08T09:59:00.000-08:00

By popular demand, here's a first installment of the offers that NO ONE wanted. While some of these were passed over for obvious reasons, others weren't really read in opportune moments or may have fallen victim to imperfect phrasing. This is the saddest part of the Casket for me: all of these damn fine offers, meticulously prepared, that will never be experienced. I wish we'd planned some sort of everything-must-go marathon performance at the end of the run.

Who wants to get in a car accident?

Who wants petite guignol?

Who wants to quit smoking, extinguishing their last cigarette on a man's hand?

Who wants all they can eat: one tiny piece at a time?

Who wants to be sprayed with 25 different smells?

Who wants a letter writing campaign to support a cause of their choice?

Who wants whatever it takes to clear their sinuses?

Who wants to look in the mirror and see the horrible creatures that have been following you around for days?

Who wants at least five clothed persons to hold up in front of their chest the size of coin that best describes their nipples?

Who wants to watch a riveting performance of their credit report?

Who wants their clothes hand-pressed with extra starch?

Who wants a second person to get into their clothes with them?

Who wants to swap saliva with themselves?

Who wants to be convinced it's them and not you?

Who wants a pillow and a blanket, a little bed, warm milk, a lullaby, and your favorite nightlight plugged into the wall?

Who wants tan skin and white teeth?

Who wants to find the body in the car trunk?

Who wants to adopt a grandma?

Who wants to play nursing home?

Who wants to take a rest on a luxurious derriere?

Who wants to watch a man sing all the songs he knows by heart?

Who wants to extract a molar from a very unusual location?

Who wants to have their eyebrows shaved as the bell tolls?

Who wants their childhood enemy to be beaten and then eaten?

Who wants to be walled inside a tower of tires?

Who wants a leeching?

Who wants the comfort of critique?

Who wants to receive a little toilet so you can do your business ANYWHERE in the theatre?

Who wants a steam bath of human breath?

Who wants to trade clothes with one of my domestics?

Who wants musical sardines?

Who wants access to hours and hours of rehearsal footage?

Who wants to exchange their wallet's worth of cash for an equal amount in pennies?

Who wants a tour of the dressing room, where you can sniff the actors' panties?

Who wants 10 minutes to turn him queer?

Who wants to dig for truffles like a little piggy?

Who wants to say hello and goodbye to head lice?

Who wants a bigger forehead?

Who wants to have their temperature taken five different ways? The thermometer will be yours to keep.

Who wants to be brined in a tub?

Who wants sniffing powder?

The Offers You Missed: 11/1

2008-11-03T18:05:00.000-08:00

424 offers gone, 76 never to be taken.

The game is over! We began with the March of Ages and ended with a renewal of vows. Here are the final night's offers:

Who wants to break flesh?

Who wants to wear 50 shirts and no pants?

Who wants to throw a little party for themselves?

Who wants a stone's throw of nog?

Who wants to learn exactly what their appendix does?

Who wants to be funny shaped?

Who wants to watch someone have an orgasm?

Who wants to experience 5 classic gags?

Who wants America the Recitation?

Who wants to invest in a tontine?

Who wants to rent a body part to the highest bidder?

Who wants to apply and remove 25 clothespins?

Who wants to hear someone inhale a piece of chamber music?

Who wants a mouth full of sugar and a mouth full of salt?

Who wants holes? Any hole you find in the theatre will be filled with a meaningful substance.

Who wants to break up with their boyfriend or girlfriend or husband or wife?

Who wants to sup on soft, sweet flesh?

Who wants to receive a candid evaluation of their beauty?

Who wants a drink?

Who wants to become a friend of Bill?

Who wants to be fed like a baby bird?

Who wants to ask a bunch a few questions?

Who wants to sit upon the Stool of Repentance?

Who wants their blemishes drained of pus and cleaned with a warm washcloth? What issues forth will be saved and relished.

Who wants swimming lessons in a small pool filled with live fishies?

Who wants to sit in an isolated room and receive typewritten dispatches describing tonight's events as they happen?

Who wants to feel like the sanest person in the room?

Who wants to find out how much they're worth as meat?

Who wants to make it rain blood?

Who wants shoes on their hands, gloves on their feet, a mile to run, then something to eat?

Who wants to renew their vows?

The Offers You Missed: 10/31

2008-11-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

393 offers gone, 107 remain...

Who wants to perform the morning routine on a half-risen sleepyhead from out-of-bed to out-the-door?

Who wants to have their pubic hair shaved and then be fitted with a merkin?

Who wants a rubber mold of their genitals?

Who wants to destroy a grown man's favorite childhood toy?

Who wants to give a man's face two good, really hard, heartfelt slaps, after each of which he will smile and kiss you on the forehead?

Who wants to take a nap in a nest of human hair?

Who wants to have their teeth cleaned by four hands holding four little brushes? Every nook and cranny will be lovingly explored.

Who wants to be the inspiration for a dance?

Who wants to have their pants pumped full of air?

Who wants to choose from five mystery pills, each of which will cause an extremely different outcome?

Who wants to race?

Who wants to feed a predator?

Who wants to try and stay in their seat for the next two minutes? Bet you can't.

Who wants a new twist on phone sex?

Who wants to watch lots and lots of impressions of famous people taking baths or walking their dogs?

Who wants someone to connect your dots?

Who wants to learn how to make bread, Roman style?

Who wants identical paintjobs for their shoes, socks, and feet?

Who wants to watch paint dry?

Who wants someone to make them sick and then get them well?

Who wants to pick out the true devil in the room? He or she shall either be worshipped or run out on a rail.

Who wants to save Sisyphus?

Who wants to choose between a sponge bath, a spit bath, and a blood bath?

Who wants the sum of all mortality?

Who wants to get burned in ways they never expected?

Who wants naughty bits?

Who wants to be thoroughly inoculated against Black Death?

Who wants to lust after my daughter?

Who wants to learn a Dick Van Dance?

Who wants to experience the pure art of finger puppets?

Who wants to get carried away?

The Offers You Missed: 10/30

2008-10-31T07:51:00.000-07:00

362 offers gone, 138 remain...

Who wants a deeper voice?

Who wants to experience the bubbling bliss of yogic flying?

Who wants to eat a box of Twinkies as the origins of every ingredient are relayed in great detail?

Who wants to cover themselves in syrup and roll around in beautiful fall leaves collected from the grounds of a Texas landmark?

Who wants to see a light show from a man's zipper?

Who wants someone to be their childhood pet, reanimated?

Who wants to go to the drive-in and wallow, really wallow, in every terrible little thing?

Who wants to be made into a sandwich, and eaten?

Who wants a one-on-one yoga session in the nude?

Who wants to drink champagne from my slipper?

Who wants to see a reading of Eugene O'Neill's lost masterpiece: ABORTION?

Who wants to be blindfolded and then abandoned in a part of town they've never seen? (UPDATE: Mikaela successfully fled the creepy rural outskirts of East Austin and found her way to a Red Lobster.)

Who wants to burn a hundred calories?

Who wants to take the clown college final exam?

Who wants to hear sounds not meant for human ears?

Who wants to learn how it ends?

Who wants tricks and treats inside their mouth?

Who wants me to call your mother for you?

Who wants George and Johnny?

Who wants to hear a detailed description of my personal backstage rituals?

Who wants to be touched with a ten foot pole?

Who wants the heaviest handbag?

Who wants to be part of a dervish?

Who wants to play tennis against the hardest opponent?

Who wants to eat from the four food groups of the apocalypse?

Who wants to be my fourth husband... or my first wife?

Who wants a series of people to present you with their least favorite parts of themselves?

Who wants an estate sale?

Who wants to provide live sound effects as someone reenacts the experience of losing their virginity?

Who wants to shave my legs?

Who wants a glass of the most nutritious beverage in the world?

Who wants to look like they have emotions?

The Offers You Missed: 10/26

2008-10-28T16:41:00.000-07:00

330 offers gone, 170 remain...

Who wants to encase their fists in gelatin?

Who wants a write-in vote in the next presidential election, OR an extra vote for the candidate of their choice?

Who wants black lips and red hands?

Who wants to plant a flower in someone's mouth?

Who wants to spank someone against their will, all in the name of fun?

Who wants to watch a man pee his cellophane pants?

Who wants to see parts of themselves that they've never seen before?

Who wants to be treated like the current weather conditions?

Who wants to feel like they just won the big game?

Who wants everyone to do the hokey pokey?

Who wants to receive a complete list of who accepted each of my offers?

Who wants to see the flickering footage of an old Torah ceremony run by Jewish gangsters?

Who wants to vandalize a human being?

Who wants to have the backs of their knees licked?

Who wants to top our pyramid?

Who wants to play tug-of-war against an unseen opponent?

Who wants it to look like they have a trophy cock?

Who wants all-you-can-eat holy communion?

Who wants minks? Everyone will wear one for you.

Who wants to be squeezed until the juice runs down their leg?

Who wants to hold hands with a man who won't let go?

Who wants me to describe my genitals in great detail? You can compare my observations and thoughts to a photograph.

Who wants to provide the missing piece? Write an offer that will become part of the game.

Who wants to smoke banana peels?

Who wants to learn true wisdom from the ankles up?

Who wants to learn how to separate truth from humbug?

Who wants an unfortunate Easter egg hunt?

Who wants to be a peroxide blonde?

Who wants to hear the last word of Moby Dick, which explains not only the book itself, but what it means to be an American?

Who wants to have their heart stopped?

Who wants the passion of the Christ?

The Offers You Missed: 10/25

2008-10-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

299 offers gone, 201 remain...

Who wants to spend the night in a flophouse?

Who wants to experience the placebo effect?

Who wants to wake the giant sleeping robot?

Who wants to be groped in 3/4 time?

Who wants too much of a good thing?

Who wants a perfume made from their own bodily fluids?

Who wants to feed a sharp-toothed puppet?

Who wants a Yiddish lesson?

Who wants to mouth kiss?

Who wants their hairs plucked?

Who wants to receive a sausage stuffed with holiday treats?

Who wants to throw ripe fruit at me?

Who wants to drop babies?

Who wants to look like they have great tits?

Who wants as many inches as you have oceans? Puppies?

Who wants to choose their offer from the dumpster?

Who wants to steal memories from the photo albums of strangers?

Who wants to be an identity thief?

Who wants to forget they ever saw this?

Who wants to watch a scene from whatever chestnut just closed at Austin Playhouse?

Who wants a tender eyelid massage?

Who wants real tears shed for you?

Who wants to learn what homosexuals really do in the bedroom?

Who wants to participate in the Knight of the Whistle ceremony?

Who wants to be a martyr and give an extra offer to your date?

Who wants to have their crotch sniffed?

Who wants to hear things about other people that will make you feel so much better about yourself?

Who wants to hear the most beautiful words ever written, told with hot breath in your ears?

Who wants to be carried on someone's back until they just can't take it anymore?

Who wants a good home for anything you wish wasn't in your car?

Who wants to dissect a fetal pig with a lab partner?

The Offers You Missed: 10/24

2008-10-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

268 offers gone, 232 remain...

Who wants to learn what it takes to be an American?

Who wants to hide a gumball in their underpants and let someone retrieve it using only their mouth?

Who wants to braid someone's pubic beard?

Who wants to style hair with peanut butter and jelly?

Who wants to be cared for like only a mother can?

Who wants to solemnly swear that they'll never lie again to anyone, EVER?

Who wants to blow some things up?

Who wants a week of room and board in the worst city in America?

Who wants to be numb, but not dumb?

Who wants a 5-star meal served to them from the toilet?

Who wants process over product?

Who wants some time to clear up any misconceptions you think people may have about you?

Who wants to be polished like the finest silver?

Who wants Elmer's glue, on their arms, blown dry, peeled off?

Who wants to learn about a crime that's been committed and decide on a fair punishment?

Who wants a Samuel Beckett experience?

Who wants to preserve the last of their beauty?

Who wants to break a bottle over someone's head?

Who wants to be dressed for dinner?

Who wants 15 things that have fallen from the sky?

Who wants a kiss from a married woman?

Who wants to be taken out back and shown a secret surprise?

Who wants to slow dance with a hirsute?

Who wants their entire face covered in lip balm, and then kissed?

Who wants to have their hair lovingly brushed while they describe all of the houses or apartments they've lived in?

Who wants a 90 second manicure-pedicure with one person on each appendage?

Who wants their pockets filled with something rich?

Who wants to be bedazzled?

Who wants to experience the fifth taste?

Who wants to be gussied up in lady dress, painted, and paraded?

Who wants to be fed a delicious dessert with dainty fingers in mouth and on lips?

The Offers You Missed: 10/23

2008-10-24T07:21:00.000-07:00

237 offers gone, 263 remain...

Who wants to watch my stag film?

Who wants a ride to the border, leaving NOW?

Who wants a chocolate facial?

Who wants to be measured, weighed, and documented in great detail?

Who wants to paint their Ruben?

Who wants nudity?

Who wants a topographic map made from their body?

Who wants to choose between being the pigeon and being the statue?

Who wants a tiny totem you?

Who wants fried eggs upon her shoulders?

Who wants a hand-painted birthday suit?

Who wants a person to thoroughly and completely devote himself to you?

Who wants to rip someone's clothes off?

Who wants audio proof of their historic conversation with Richard Nixon?

Who wants to suck on tits?

Who wants a 5th grade slumber party?

Who wants to visit stuffed animal heaven?

Who wants to play barber with a real head of hair?

Who wants the one and only copy of a map that leads to a secret treasure buried somewhere in Texas?

Who wants a singing telegram delivered to a person of their choice?

Who wants to read by the light of cats?

Who wants to shoot the messenger 13 times?

Who wants a taste of their own medicine?

Who wants to frown upside down?

Who wants a second chance? Pick an offer that was passed over earlier tonight.

Who wants to be bundled up? Be as cozily warm as you'll ever be.

Who wants to earn a merit badge?

Who wants to watch the rest of the show from above it all?

Who wants to burp?

Who wants to pull a man's socks off through his fly?

Who wants to taste the fruits of outer space?

Who wants to be caught in the etiquette net?

The Offers You Missed: 10/19

2008-10-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

206 offers gone, 294 remain...

Who wants to hallucinate?

Who wants to blow bubbles and suck peppermint?

Who wants a smelly secretary to take dictation for them?

Who wants a lullaby in a foreign language?

Who wants to be wrapped up in daisies, wrapped up in plumbs, enveloped in posies, a thousand aching thumbs?

Who wants to be queen for a day?

Who wants to give the air meaning?

Who wants it to be just you and him and a hundred matches in a dark room?

Who wants to have a really good conversation? We'll provide the script.

Who wants a whirlwind romance complete with champagne, hickeys, and your name sung off the rooftops?

Who wants to make a graceful exit?

Who wants to participate in a watermelon eating contest?

Who wants a phone call from a very important person?

Who wants to go to Schlitterbahn?

Who wants to learn how to make pickles?

Who wants to be on the top or the bottom of a dog pile?

Who wants to open their Christmas presents early this year?

Who wants to pack up all your cares and woes and send them to a complete stranger?

Who wants an arousing pony ride?

Who wants to be a silent partner?

Who wants to be wrapped up like a Christmas cracker?

Who wants me to give up one of my vices?

Who wants to be a voyeur?

Who wants the chance to break open a very special pinata?

Who wants to play a private game of "smells?"

Who wants to hear a lady banker tell a secret about each of her 57 boyfriends?

Who wants a custom-made suit of newspaper, tailored to their specifications?

Who wants forgiveness?

The Offers You Missed: 10/18

2008-10-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

178 offers gone, 322 remain...

Who wants to help an alcoholic woman change her baby's diaper?

Who wants to fill the space with the horrible noise of rock-n-roll?

Who wants to wrestle?

Who wants a first-born child named after them? (The child will be christened Curtis Luciani Hislope!)

Who wants a whiteface keepsake?

Who wants to learn a classic routine by Laurel and Hardy?

Who wants a field day?

Who wants squatting rights?

Who wants to have all of their pressure points pressed?

Who wants an intermission?

Who wants a song to be sung on their body?

Who wants to fondle a founding father?

Who wants to paint by tongue?

Who wants hickeys where you least expect them?

Who wants to tattoo an ass with their name?

Who wants to be regaled with stories of Austin's finest whores?

Who wants to spread their seed?

Who wants winter?

Who wants hues of breathtaking distinction?

Who wants to be buried alive?

Who wants the perfect disguise?

Who wants to stop time?

Who wants to be included in my will?

Who wants a living keychain?

Who wants a hymn and a him?

Who wants to find out if the medium is the massage?

Who wants to be formally presented to society?

Who wants to tie someone up and watch them try to escape?

Who wants to have a biography written about them?

The Offers You Missed: 10/17

2008-10-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

149 offers gone, 351 remain...

Who wants to eat the last meal and say the last words of the last person to be executed?

Who wants to help vegetable trump animal?

Who wants a man to strip naked and forfeit his magnifying glass for a period not to exceed three minutes?

Who wants the sweetest stuff to fall out of the sky and onto their face?

Who wants erotic tales whispered into both of their ears at once?

Who wants to ask a series of questions guaranteed to make a sad stutterer stutter?

Who wants to open someone's hope chest?

Who wants their virginity restored?

Who wants a pie in the face for each year of their life?

Who wants to visit the human petting zoo?

Who wants to pick something I can't use for the rest of the night? I'll do the show without a waist, without an arm, without my face...

Who wants to be in the show on a night of their choosing?

Who wants to enact an imaginary murder and then flee the scene of the crime?

Who wants to take their chances with a can of whipped cream?

Who wants to put their head on my shoulder?

Who wants to be looked at, really looked at, deep into your eyes and down into your soul?

Who wants to walk on the moon?

Who wants to see the Emperor's Fashion Show?

Who wants to learn how to pick locks?

Who wants a pet to take home with them?

Who wants three very different dances with three very different partners?

Who wants to hear the touching, real-life tale of a man who traveled over 6,000 miles to lose his virginity?

Who wants to biggest hair in the room?

Who wants to watch someone jump up and down for as long as they can until they drop from exhaustion?

Who wants a detailed evaluation of the first impression they make?

Who wants to erase their regret forever? The formula will be revealed in private.

Who wants a life mask of their face?

Who wants an artist to draw their organs on the outside of their body?

Who wants to be deprived of their senses for twelve minutes?

Who wants to audition a triple threat?

Who wants to fill a little person with the stuff of life?

Who wants to challenge me to a staring contest?

The Offers You Missed: 10/16

2008-10-17T07:18:00.000-07:00

117 offers gone, 383 remain...

Who wants to watch an array of ladies and gentlemen pee in unison?

Who wants to be a young composer's muse?

Who wants to supercharge their self-esteem?

Who wants to learn exactly what I've consumed since October the 4th?

Who wants to feed someone soup made from your socks?

Who wants uh uh uh uhhhhh?

Who wants the touch of 40 different textures?

Who wants to have their way with a beard?

Who wants a relaxing massage utilizing the feet-face method?

Who wants their name sewn on their underpants?

Who wants to purify a man with duct tape?

Who wants to be fed gold and silver?

Who wants to enjoy a meal in the primary color of their choice?

Who wants to deface the walls of my parlour?

Who wants to make everyone breathe easier?

Who wants to be frosted like a cupcake?

Who wants to invade someone's personal space? Conquer it, and receive the title of ownership.

Who wants to read a great book in only 20 minutes?

Who wants bacon in their ice cream?

Who wants to play the gentlemen's game of Cottabus?

Who wants to experience magical thinking?

Who wants their purse or wallet turned into a place of interest?

Who wants to send a Black Valentine?

Who wants a five minute nudist colony?

Who wants a dance break?

Who wants to be the life of the party?

Who wants to be continued? Receive a surprise performance at a later date.

Who wants the price of their ticket in groceries?

Who wants to watch someone sit in a bowl of tomato soup and then paint your name with their bare buttocks?

Who wants an old-fashioned silhouette modeled after their mother's face?

The Offers You Missed: 10/12

2008-10-13T13:46:00.000-07:00

86 offers gone, 414 remain...

Who wants to hear a choicest, plumpest piece of gossip?

Who wants to burn a bible and an American flag?

Who wants to can-can on grapes with the ladies?

Who wants to receive a congratulatory degree?

Who wants to raid my medicine cabinet?

Who wants quadruple penetration?

Who wants to walk the high wire?

Who wants to conduct a car horn symphony?

Who wants to see a beautiful hand ballet?

Who wants to have that man washed right out of their hair?

Who wants to have a spell cast on them?

Who wants to be made sticky in 7 different ways?

Who wants the history of lobotomy relayed in limerick form?

Who wants strange impressions left on their skin?

Who wants to dress me in whatever you like from the costume box?

Who wants to help a lonely stranger sew his torn-up stuffed animal back together?

Who wants to let someone else pick an offer for you?

Who wants an adventure in the palm of their hand?

Who wants to play the Hansel and Gretel game?

Who wants to dress up as a nurse and administer shock treatment?

Who wants opera in a can?

Who wants to cook s'mores on an indoor campfire?

Who wants to read a short story that's written entirely on a human body?

Who wants to do 3 shots of whiskey to the pre-recorded sounds of hot, nasty sex?

Who wants to know how I like it, why I like it, when I like it, and where I like it?

Who wants a date?

Who wants to dance without a hint of self-consciousness? You will finally be free.

The Offers You Missed: Oct 11th

2008-10-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

59 offers gone, 441 remain...

Who wants to listen to an unreleased musical masterpeice?

Who wants to taxidermy an animal that was picked up off the road just today?

Who wants their feet to be coddled like newborn babies?

Who wants to shave a head?

Who wants to play the human piano?

Who wants to try and catch a series of increasingly unwieldy objects?

Who wants to witness a daring display of love and vulnerability?

Who wants to dig up grandpa's corpse?

Who wants to listen to 10 different versions of the greatest song ever written?

Who wants to be above the law? Choose to commit one of three different crimes. We'll never tell.

Who wants to watch 5 people receive their offers?

Who wants to sit and spin?

Who wants a ticket to the second act of a different show?

Who wants to leave here tonight convinced that they are pretty?

Who wants to be the funniest person in the room?

Who wants a 15-minute hug?

Who wants indoor fireworks?

Who wants to be born again?

Who wants to be gently supported as you learn to stand on your head?

Who wants a portrait of themselves at 80?

Who wants to guess who's wearing a fat suit? Get it right, and they'll strip it off before your eyes.

Who wants a pillow fight with a clean ending?

Who wants to be kissed in 15 different cultures?

Who wants to hear Joseph sing?

Who wants to use Grandfather's pogo stick?

Who wants to watch an identical concert played on three different types of accordians?

Who wants ghost stories beneath sheets?

Who wants their entire body to be covered in Post-It notes that say "I love you?"

Who wants to watch a real live birth?

Who wants to be fitted for stilts and paraded about as our new tall friend?

The Offers You Missed: October 10th

2008-10-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

29 offers gone, 471 remain...

Who wants the march of ages?

Who wants to be mired in the filth of modernity and then rinsed clean with the tears of an angel?

Who want their shoes to be tap shoes?

Who wants to examine an uncut one?

Who wants a flip book of themselves?

Who wants to save a crustacean?

Who wants the massage of 1000 hands?

Who wants a bare ass canvas on which to paint their masterpiece?

Who wants to watch two home-schooled sisters perform a Lincoln-Douglass debate?

Who wants a lifetime supply of something?

Who wants to receive fan mail for a week?

Who wants to see a magic trick that isn't very magical but just might shed some light on your condition?

Who wants to candle their ears or pot their netty?

Who wants to build something that you know will last?

Who wants to meet the green faerie?

Who wants to watch someone eat a plateful of fire--one fat, flaming bite at a time?

Who wants to spoon and be spooned, all at once?

Who wants miniature matchbox cars to massage their scalp?

Who wants to attend the world's tiniest church service?

Who wants to see me at my most angry?

Who wants to dream a little dream?

Who wants to hear the music of my ancestors?

Who wants me to phone them exactly one year from tonight? We'll chat like old friends.

Who wants a very special wake-up call tomorrow morning?

Who wants to partake in the rest of the show as an inanimate object?

Who wants Babe Ruth air conditioning?

Who wants a lesson in the birth and death of stars?

Who wants an aphrodisiac for each of the five senses?

Who wants to discover a new way of achieving euphoria?

The Duchess Hits the Streets

2008-10-09T06:07:00.000-07:00

The Chronicle once again humbles us by paying attention to what we're doing. Here's Wayne Alan Brenner's lively explanation of our new show (as well as some background on Rubber Rep that we can vouch for as 99.5% accurate).

the fury of the load-in, pt. 1

2008-10-06T08:16:00.000-07:00

seemingly YEARS in the making, the casket will finally open this friday.

Rehearsing the Choir

2008-08-29T08:50:00.001-07:00

Ev'rybody's Happy When The Sun Shines

W.R. Williams, 1908

Fate is always downing

Ev'ry one who's frowning

Don't you know that

all the clouds will soon roll by

What we hand you, take it

life is what you make it

Don't forget that when we die

we are a long time dead.

Even though some things go wrong,

Life to us is one grand song,

We'd like to live forever and a day.

For you know Ev'rybody's

happy when the sun shines,

Happy the whole day long.

Though we get a little weary sometimes,

Let's "jolly" each other along.

Ev'rybody wears a smile of welcome,

Happy with grand good times.

Ev'ryone's in clover hearts are bubbling over,

Ev'rybody's happy when the sun shines.

The Duchess SPEAKS III

2008-08-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

HER WEALTH

The weight of the duchesses wealth in gold (13 tons, 7 cwt. 3 qrs. 12 lbs.) would require 107 men to carry it, supposing that each of them carried 289 lbs.

HER TASTE IN LITERATURE

In her summer rural excursions through different parts of the kingdom the first demand of the duchess at the country inns was whether they had any old magazines, and she would be rendered happy for the rest of the day by the production of “Ladies Magazines,” “Fashionable Miscellanies,” “Polite Remembrancers,” and such like forgotten veterans of the last century.

HER APPROACH TOWARDS CRITICS

The duchess took in all the Sunday papers which attacked her, and had them placed in her library, for the benefit of those gentlemen guests who might wish to evince their independence of character by repeating ridicule respecting the individual whom they had adulated at dinner.

HER PREFERRED ATTIRE

A dress of green velvet, with a black hat and feathers, and a superb diamond hawk suspended from the girdle.

HER LEGENDARY GENEROSITY

Nobody made a present with more delicacy and grace than the duchess—a tact which, even if it had not been natural, she could hardly fail to have acquired by long and constant practice. ‘My dear,” she said to a fair damsel whose sarcenet scarf had been slightly marked by the wheel of the carriage, ‘you cannot possibly wear it to-night, for we are going to be very gay. I wish you would change with me. I may wear what I like in my own house, you know, and I never fancied what I have now on, it is too young for me. Come now, be a good girl, and do it to oblige me.’ So saying, she withdrew the sarcenet, and threw over the shoulders of its late wearer a valuable scarf of white blonde lace.

HER TASTE IN ENTERTAINMENT

Her grace took great delight in disguises, comic recitations and songs, jests, imitations, jugglers, and ventriloquists; tastes which had probably been imbibed early in life.

HER SENSE OF HUMOR

Few persons enjoyed a facetious anecdote, a jest, or a bon mot, with more gusto than the duchess. It was, perhaps, the only pleasure of her youth that she retained unimpaired; she formed a capital audience, as it is technically termed; her laugh was prompt and hearty, and she loved to run about communicating to others the good thing which had just given delight to herself, and which she seldom repeated without improving it in the mode of narration. Without laying claim to be a wit herself, she knew well how to elicit it from others, while she displayed at times a quiet drollery that amounted to humour.

rubberrep.org is born anew

2008-08-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

We have a sparkling new website courtesy of Timothy Bray, an enterprising fellow found through the wonders of Craigslist. Timothy had us laying out our props on our living room floor and taking him on special trips to purchase gummy clowns, feathers, and circus peanuts. His eventual goal with his Organic Web Designs company is to fully integrate hand-made crafts such as needlepoint, macrame, clay sculpture, dioramas, and collage into his work. SIGN US UP.

Also: A hearty thanks to Henna Chou for her years of toil on rubberrep.org version 1.0.

Another Rehearsal Shot

2008-07-31T07:21:00.001-07:00

At Home With Casket

2008-07-17T06:13:00.000-07:00

To accompany that random list of props from a few weeks ago, here are a few rehearsal pics (from our apartment, natch) that continue the trend of revealing everything and nothing about The Casket of Passing Fancy. This show may be the perfect vessel for whim and novelty; I'd say it contains a solid 80% of anything we've ever wanted to see or do onstage.

HUBRIS

2008-07-16T09:38:00.001-07:00

IF you sensed a little humiliation in the downtown air this morning, it was because Rubber Repertory had its first ever City of Austin Cultural Contract panel review. Basically, to apply for city funding, you submit an elaborate narrative description of your company's work, itemized budgets, and support materials, and then you're reviewed by a panel of arts professionals. I showed up early (with shirt tucked in) and got a good seat in the city hall board room where the reviews are held.

When it was RR's turn to be reviewed, I sat down at a little table in front of the panel and tried to look comfortable. The primary reader gave the rest of the group a GLOWING review of RR's work, commending us on innovative programming, a strong administrative record, our commitment to pay artists, the Rockefeller grant, etc. It may have been the best review of the day, and several of the other panelists echoed the sentiments. I was sitting proud, proud of our company, proud of dear Austin for recognizing our precious worth, all too PROUD--when one of the panelists commented that while she agreed with what had been said, she was a little unclear on how we reach out to culturally diverse and underserved audiences. And then she phrased it as a question. Gulp. And then I more or less choked. Gulp. Gulp. I stammered something about how we try to reach out to performers who aren't often seen on Austin stages, I asked for clarification about what kind of documentation they look for, I made a series of increasingly clueless expressions, I was coached from the side by the Cultural Arts program manager, I left the question more or less entirely unaddressed. It was a textbook display of how NOT to articulate yourself as an artist.

Had I gotten out of the headlights, I may have addressed our strong success with word-of-mouth publicity and shown how our desire to cast performers from diverse communities sometimes extends to audiences. Or said something about sliding scale ticketing or free street performances or working with college classes. Or simply admitted that this is an area in which we can improve. But I didn't. And all that's left to say is: Shame on you, Rubber Rep Co-Artistic Director! SHAME ON YOU!

UPDATE: We did just fine in the end, receiving 97% of possible funding.

The Duchess SPEAKS II

2008-07-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

Ah, those were pleasant days! those were pleasant days! Few persons have seen so much of the various aspects—I may say of the two extremes of life—as myself; and few persons, therefore, can be better judges of the difference between great poverty and great wealth; but after all, this does not, by any means, constitute the chief and most important distinction between the high and low states. No, the signal, the striking contrast is not in the external circumstances, but in the totally opposite minds of the two classes as to their respective enjoyment of existence.

The society in which I formally moved was all cheerfulness—all high spirits—all fun, frolic, and vivacity; they cared for nothing thought of nothing, beyond the pleasures of the present hour, and to those they gave themselves up with the keenest relish. Look at the circles in which I now move; can anything be more “weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable,” than their whole course of life? Why, one might as well be in the treadmill, as toiling in the stupid, monotonous round of what they call pleasure, but which is, in fact, very cheerless and heavy work. Pleasure indeed! There can be no cordiality when there is so much exclusiveness and primness,--no, all is coldness, reserve, and universal ennui, even where this starchness of manner is unaccompanied by any very strict rigour in matters of conduct.

I look out for cheerful people when I can find them—I do everything in my power to make them happy—and yet, were it not for the merry and frequent laugh of dear old General Phipps, could you not swear that my dinner parties were funeral feasts? Look, now, at those quadrille-dancers in the other room; they have been supping—they have been drinking as much of my champagne as they liked—the band is capital—the men are young, and the girls are pretty;--and yet did you ever see such crawling movements—such solemn looks—as if they were all dragging themselves through the most irksome task in the world! Oh, what a different thing was a country dance in my younger days!

!PROP HADES!

2008-06-28T00:14:00.001-07:00

We've worked our way through less than half of the content in The Casket of Passing Fancy and already have a props list that's risen WELL ABOVE 800 items. By the time all is said and done, I predict there will be at least 2000 different props used in the show. We're trying to keep on top of things--every week a trip to 3 or 4 thrift shops, the Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby, Home Depot, Target, not to mention a whole slew of online merchants--but I can't help but feel like the props are winning. The list grows longer, our cars get messier, the pile in our kitchen reaches ever higher. Today alone, we received 160 lbs. of plastic boxes in the mail. Completely F-ing nuts.

Here's a random list of a few of the props we're in the process of collecting. It should tell you everything and nothing about the show:

mouthwash

yoga mat

stamps

sparklers

dragon's blood

baby wipes

miniature treasure chest

merkin

cup O soup

moustache wax

edible hat

saltwater

velcro

pigeon shit

goblets

gumball

ten foot pole

The Duchess SPEAKS!

2008-06-17T22:21:00.000-07:00

The main character in our next show is a fascinating woman known only as "The Duchess." As we approach the show's opening in October, we'll be sharing some carefully selected excerpts from her 6,000+ page biography/memoir. We begin with this description of one of her first exposures to the theatre:

When I was a child of seven or eight years of age, I was staying in Lancashire with my mother and father, the latter having an engagement to perform in the orchestra. It was there that the line of heroines was filled by rather an antique belle; the tragic hero was too stiff to fall; and there was not a dancer; so they performed very steady comedies; or very quiet tragedies, with dances and deaths omitted by particular desire. But, fortunately for the exchequer, a remarkably pretty young actress, trying her strength during a provincial tour, arrived, and was engaged to perform for a few nights. She could scream, dance, faint, scream, fall, or stab herself, to perfection: better still, in mad scenes she could let loose a profusion of long golden hair which nearly reached the ground, and carried away all hearts within its sunny meshes. She had the pink and white complexion of early girlhood; bright blue eyes, and a fine commanding figure. Indeed, the beauty and grace of this young actress quite turned my head. I attended every rehearsal, and at length came the grand evening, when I was allowed a place in the pit. How I was awed by this stranger in tragedy and black velvet, and enchanted by her gaiety in comedy and white muslin. It was my first serious notion of what could be done in the profession.

it was a good mail day

2008-06-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

(the hot-off-the-press new edition of Wallace Shawn's OUR LATE NIGHT and A THOUGHT IN THREE PARTS)

Z Unearthed

2008-06-04T06:23:00.000-07:00

It always frustrated us that we didn't have any still photographs of Mister Z Loves Company--more or less our first full-length original show. So it's with great relish that I can report that after 5 years, we've finally gotten around to transferring the video footage to DVD and pulling some stills for the archives. Here's a taste of our "X-rated Self-Help Odyssey." Although a bit misleading, I like the one where it looks like we're levitating.

Rolling Out the Casket

2008-05-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

We're starting Phase 1 of our hefty rehearsal period on Sunday. Phase 1 consists of a week of intensive work with each of our 10 enactors. Phase 2 will begin in mid-August and will take on a more recognizable "let's put on a show" sort of structure. This is a weird time. All of the cards are in place and all of the tricks are up our sleeves, but there's still so much process left. Part of me wants to begin hyping the hell out of this show and part of me wants to shut up and keep secrets. In the end, I'm happy to let word spread through those who say it best.

(And have I mentioned how jumping-out-of-our-pants thrilled we are to have assembled this cast of audacious and extraordinary human beings? Most are actors, yes, but they're also all so much more. The aforementioned Wayne Alan Brenner? Heather Barfield? Silky Shoemaker? Paul Soileau? Kris Olson? Rebecca Beegle? Michelle Flanagan? Taylor Flanagan? Thomas Graves? Jennie Underwood? I mean, C'MON!)

From the Dumpster #3: The Glory Holes of Laurel and Hardy

2008-05-06T08:06:00.001-07:00

Way back in 2002, when we were planning for the show that would become Mister Z Loves Company, we only knew that we wanted to create a two-person mask show for ourselves. After countless hours on eBay, we found what we thought would provide the great catalyst for our rubber work: The freakiest Laurel and Hardy masks anyone has ever seen. Seriously. Laurel looked like a Holocaust victim by way of Egon Schiele, and Hardy looked like a scowling, pasty-faced Nazi butcher. Needless to say, we won the auction and eagerly awaited our horrifying shipment from Japan.

We're still waiting.

The masks were tragically lost in the international post, and although the search still continues from time to time, we've never been able to find anything like them.

LAP DISSOLVE.

It's 2004, and while working with Physical Plant on Not Clown and The Fever, we started playing with the parallels between our own friendship and that of The Boys, and the idea of using their routines as an armature on which to hang all sorts of spectacle and strangeness. Here are a couple choice selections from our rather grotty thirteen-page document.

***THE OPENING***

Lights up.
Silence.
The stage is mostly bare. 2 chairs. A table. On/around it are items of clothing, makeup, trash, pillows, neckties, padding, phone books. A tall, thin man followed by a short, slightly muscular man enter, dressed in stained white union suits. Deadpan. They stop. They face front. They face each other. They hug.

Matt dutifully retreats to a corner. His union suit bottom is especially stained. Racing stripe. Josh is repulsed.

Long Pause. Josh flosses his teeth with a loose string from his union suit. Matt shifts uneasily in the corner. Finally:

Josh: Well, shall we get to it?

Matt: (Turning head) Hm?

Josh: Tit for tat! (Matt nods in understanding.) Shakespeare!

Matt: Longfellow!

Josh: Needles!

Matt: Pins!

The boys link pinkies. Music! The Laurel and Hardy theme song, played over and over again, ad nauseum. During this sequence, Matt and Josh gather together all the items strewn around the table and make themselves up as makeshift versions of Laurel and Hardy. Josh stuffs his clothing with padding and paints on a moustache—Hardy. Matt straps phonebooks to his feet to make him taller—Laurel. They assist each other in the transformation. It ends with the both of them donning bowler hats to complete their outfits.

The boys then perform a dance inspired by the first musical sequence in The Flying Deuces and the principles of Deborah Hay.

End.

Silence.

* * *GUESSING GAME* * *

Laurel sits deadpan, gnawing a thumbnail. Hardy enters excitedly.

Hardy: Guess what!

Laurel: Oh no. . .what?

Hardy: Well, I was on my way to buy some noodles, when suddenly I saw the cutest little kitty—you know the kind that I like—with the paws and the ears and the teeth—and when I stopped for a moment, you know, to take in this fabulous little kitty, it cocked its head, opened its wet little jaws, and then it meowed at me. You know? But, this was no ordinary meow. Oh, No no no. This little kitty meowed a word at me! One word! At me! Guess what that word was!

Laurel: I don’t know.

Hardy: I know you don’t know, that’s why it’s a guessing game!

Laurel: I hate guessing games. Just tell me.

Hardy: I’m not telling you. It’s a GAME. You have to guess.

Laurel: Forget it, I’m not playing.

Hardy: Come on. Guess. It’s fun. Games are fun.

(Pause)

Laurel: And it’s not “meow?”

Hardy: No, its not “meow.” It’s a word. An actual word. Guess.

(Pause)

Laurel: Dumpling.

Hardy: No.

Laurel: I don’t want to play.

Hardy: Please? Guess what the little kitty meowed at me!

Laurel: One word?

Hardy: One word.

Laurel: Girth.

(Hardy performs the following “no’s” in the style of the Doctor in Splendor in the Grass.)

Hardy: No.

Laurel: Fontanel.

Hardy: No!

Laurel: Exonerate.

Hardy: No.

Laurel: Ahh!

Hardy: This is good! Keep guessing!

Laurel: I don’t know. . . .

Hardy: Well, you should know. It’s one of your favorite words.

Laurel: Oh, great.

Hardy: Keep guessing!

Laurel: Pitchfork

Hardy: mmm—mmm (grunt)

Laurel: Crowbar.

Hardy: mmm---mmm (grunt)

Laurel: Hot Dog.

Hardy: No. No. No. One word! Just one word!

Laurel: And its one of my favorites?

Hardy: One of your very favorites. You’ve been using it all week.

Laurel: Cravat!

Hardy: No.

Laurel: Bulbous!

Hardy: NO! Come on, think! What word would a little kitty meow at me?

Laurel: (After a thought) Bulbous!

Hardy: No!

Laurel: (Getting angry) I’m done guessing. Just tell me.

Hardy: You’ve almost got it. You’re so close. Don’t quit now. . . .

Laurel’s anger and frustration escalate during the following:

Laurel: Baggie?

Hardy: No.

Laurel: Pomade?

Hardy: Nope.

Laurel: Dirtbike?

Hardy: No.

Laurel: Constituency.

Hardy: (Laughing) No!

Laurel does a classic “Laurel crying spastically” face. Then it switches from caricature to reality as Laurel pinches up his face, biting his lip. Hard. Blood comes. Lots of it.

Hardy: Give up?

Laurel nods a bloody, defeated “Yes.”

Hardy: (Says the word of his choice, with an exclamation point at the end.)

Laurel bleeds and softly repeats the word, hissing it through his bloody spittle. Fueled by uncharacteristic rage, Laurel winds up and kicks Hardy’s bottom. Hardy, suddenly furious at Laurel’s overreaction, returns the favor. Both grow increasingly angry. Reciprocal bottom kicking. It’s not funny. Ouch. When things are getting really mean, 5 or more dancers enter to join Laurel and Hardy in a shin kicking ballet that undercuts the real anger. The destruction is liberating and full of vitality.

The Casket Opens October 10th.

2008-04-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

Rubber Repertory Theatre proudly presents...

THE CASKET OF PASSING FANCY

Created by Josh Meyer, Matt Hislope, Rebecca Beegle, and the ensemble.
Directed by Josh Meyer and Matt Hislope.
Lighting design by Jason Amato.

Costume design by Laura Cannon.

Set design by Ann Marie Gordon.

When: Oct. 10th-Nov. 1st, 2008. Thursdays-Sundays at 8pm.
Where: The BLUE Theater, 916 Springdale Rd. Austin, TX 78702

Tickets: Order online here, or call 1-800-838-3006.
YOU PICK YOUR PRICE: $15-$25.

Only 30 seats per night! Advance purchase recommended.

At last! The Duchess is ready to make her offers, and a lifetime of regret is on the line. In this dizzyingly intricate new production, Rubber Repertory sets out to do nothing less than fulfill every audience member's deepest desire. The rules of the game are simple. Those who dare to sit in the Duchess's parlour will be given the chance to claim one of 500 strange experiences. Pick one, pick wisely, come early, play often: Once an offer has been accepted, it will be eliminated from the show forever.

Over a year in the making, The Casket of Passing Fancy combines elements of Victorian parlour games, performance art, and live auctions to create a show that will be different for everyone who attends. You may find yourself exploring an unconscionable taboo or reveling in the beauty of the mundane. Your experience may last 5 minutes or 50 years. Your choice may bring pain or pleasure, sickness or health, sweetness or sour. All that's certain is that some will win and some will lose, but no one will emerge unchanged.

Featuring Carlos Treviño, Kris Olson, Thomas Graves, Joe Hartman, Silky Shoemaker, Matt Hislope, Paul Soileau, Rebecca Beegle, Michelle Flanagan, Taylor Flanagan, Heather Barfield Cole, and Jennifer Underwood as "The Duchess."

This show is made possible through generous support from the Rockefeller Foundation MAP Fund.

Extra! Extra!

2008-03-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

We're lucky enough to be mentioned in a new interview with Wallace Shawn that appears in American Theatre magazine. If you're able to shell out $5.95 for the print edition, there are also some full-color photos from our production of A Thought in Three Parts and a splendid essay by Mr. Shawn about why he's drawn to write about sex.

From the Dumpster #2: Nicholson Baker's VOX

2008-03-07T13:36:00.000-08:00

Nicholson Baker's novel VOX is the transcript of a single phone conversation between two strangers who meet on an adult chat line. The man and the woman swap stories, fantasize outlandishly, and explore all kinds of thoughts and feelings about sex. It may sound a little mundane, but the author has a way of perceiving life's tiniest details in odd and inventive ways. Some people find it unbearable; Stephen King compared the book to a "meaningless little fingernail paring." I like to think of Baker's writing as the type of thing Jerry Seinfeld might come up with if he was twice as smart, completely OCD, and didn't care about being funny.

Here's an excerpt: "I mean, just look at the drop in arousingness between Playboy magazine and the exact same women when they're moving from pose to pose on the Playboy channel. It's true that I don't actually get the Playboy channel, so I see everything on it through those houndstooth and herringbone cycles of the scrambling circuit, and I keep flipping back and forth between it and the two channels on either side of it because sometimes for an instant the picture is startled into visibility just after you switch the channel, and you'll catch this bright yellow torso and one full fran with a fire-engine-red nipple, and then it teeters, it falters, and collapses--and I've noticed that the scrambling works least well and you can see things when nothing is moving in the TV image, i.e., when it's a TV image of a magazine image, sort of as if the scrambling cicuitry is overcome in the same way I am sometimes overcome by the power of fixed pictures. I once stayed up until two-thirty in the morning doing this, flipping."

While I don't think VOX is Nicholson Baker's best work (probably Fermata or U and I), it's by far the easiest to adapt for the stage. Around 2004, we played around with the idea of staging it in two different houses in the same neighborhood. Half the audience would go to the man's house, and half to the woman's. At intermission, either the actors or the audience would swap houses. Like the characters they're watching, the audience begins the show blind to the other character's identity. I imagine they'd listen to the voice (on speakerphone) and make all kinds of assumptions that would come crashing down once the "switch" occurs. There's still a chance we'll do this someday, but it would require the right actors, the right houses, and some fairly pristine audio technology all falling into our reach at once.

we're entitled

2008-03-07T08:26:00.000-08:00

What was once called The Filter will heretoafter be referred to as The Casket of Passing Fancy. The wonderful actress Jennifer Underwood has been cast in the role of THE DUCHESS. 4+ months of rehearsals are set to begin in June.

From the Dumpster #1: Scream! Eat! Bleed! Cry!

2008-02-17T18:22:00.000-08:00

FROM THE DUMPSTER is a recurring series that will let you in on ideas we've had that never made it to the stage. While it's possible that a few of these will be salvaged at some point, most of them--quite simply--STINK. Feel free to heckle, steal anything you like, or offer a word or two of encouragement.

The spark for this idea came from reading about a performance by Dick Higgins called Danger Music no. 17. The score for the piece reads "Scream! Scream! Scream! Scream! Scream! Scream!," and anytime it's been performed, people have done just that--screaming as LOUDLY as possible for as LONG as possible. For a while, we were tempted to produce a week-long cycle of performances that use Danger Music no. 17 as a model. Each would be a performance of endurance based around a single action. There would be Bleed! Bleed! Bleed! Bleed! Bleed! Bleed!--in which a person drips one drop of blood at a time on the floor and walls of an all white room. Cry! Cry! Cry! Cry! Cry! Cry! would be a night of emotional breakdowns. Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat! would be a forcefeeding to the point of regurgitation. Matt came up with a way of performing Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! that had the hypnotic appeal of limbs jiggling and feet rhythmically patting the ground. What else? Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! was considered. Maybe something involving haircuts. That's all I remember. Each night's show would end when either the performers had exhausted themselves to the point of collapse OR the entire audience had gone home. And as an extra special bonus, the entire cycle of shows would be hosted by one or two people who stay awake all week long. Don't Sleep! Don't Sleep! Don't Sleep! Don't Sleep! Don't Sleep! Don't Sleep!

a question for you, dear reader

2008-02-10T18:46:00.000-08:00

So we're spending about a year working on our next show. A couple reasons for this...

We received a little bit of money, so there's a little bit of pressure to make it extra special.

The show is a feat of astonishing organizational complexity. We've given ourselves the task of writing and rehearsing 500 different experiences, each of which will be performed no more than once during the course of the run.

If all goes according to our very tentative plan, THE FILTER will premiere at the Blue Theatre this coming October. Now I know a year isn't that long in the grand scheme of things, but I can't help but feel somewhat antsy. I like the process of making shows quite a lot, but in the end, the great bulk of my enjoyment comes from sticking things in an audience's face and seeing what happens. Which leads me to get all sentimental and think about this question: Which, if any, Rubber Repertory show would you most like to see revived in the year ahead?* Your choices are...

Mister Z Loves Company (a show that quite a few people still mention to us, but that not many people actually saw during its late-night, 6 performance run)

Inside Austin Actors: An Evening of Surgery and Childbirth videos (a show that NO ONE saw except Jason Neulander, Shannon McCormick, and a girl who used to work at Book People)

RED CANS

At Home With Dick, Pt 1.

*Why I ask: It's unlikely we'd revive something before THE FILTER opens, but it might be tempting to follow such a long journey with a slightly shorter one. And even though the show would be technically a revivival, I'm sure that the resulting production would evolve quite a bit from the source material. All the months of thinking about "what we should have done differently" may lead in some curious directions.

Best Show of the Year?

2008-01-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

We're clearly biased, but at least one person agrees. From Barry Pineo's Best of 2007 list in this week's Austin Chronicle:

A Thought in Three Parts (Rubber Repertory) This unashamedly obscene, relatively old Wallace Shawn script was considered by many to be unstageable, until Austin's Rubber Rep took it on. Challenging? You betcha. Risky? Cornered the market. Best show of the year? Without question. Directed by Carlos Treviño, Matt Hislope, and Josh Meyer.

Wayne Alan Brenner also weighed in with...

A Thought in Three Parts (Rubber Repertory) Rubber Rep brought Wallace Shawn's previously "untouchable" play from the Seventies – featuring a middle section with more extreme sexual hijinks than a "Ron Jeremy Live at Fuckfest '82" highlights reel – to the stage fully realized, treating all parts of the triptych with unerring accuracy. Funniest goddamn thing I've seen in years, and it reportedly brought playwright Shawn (in town to attend the opening) to tears with its excellence.

Behold the Evacuations

2007-12-16T08:01:00.000-08:00

Here are some snapshots from our recent workshop of Daily Evacuations by Dan Basila. Dan flew in from NY, and we all had quite a time taking over the immoderately decorated "club room" of a local apartment complex turned senior center. Pictured: Anne Putnam, Travis Dean, Lana Dieterich. Not pictured: a full-scale nativity scene, a Christmas tree, and an animatronic Claus family.

It Looks Like Detroit is Coming Back.

2007-11-05T20:54:00.000-08:00

I went through a period when I was obsessed with certain types of SPAM email. The type that I actually looked forward to seeing in my inbox were those that combined words and sentences from a countless number of newspaper articles or literary works to form dada new creations. Their existence was often entirely incomprehensible... no links, no ads, nothing but oddball composition.

SO...

JUST IMAGINE my delight in discovering one of these very missives in which Rubber Repertory is mentioned. Forget awards and grants... I feel like this is the recognition we've been waiting for our whole lives. Enjoy.

His friends will be there and will have already been told. Have been feeling extremely lonely and sad. Some women seem to spray their ejaculate. You empty your bladder so that you don. There are not many people to discuss with. Remember that I was becoming a young adult around the ages of thirteen and fourteen or so.

The skin is in desperate need of more intensive care. Grind them and mix with wheat flour and milk. Said public awareness on cancers in Ghana was low and urged the public to be more conscious about their health. The Phase III trials using Clonicel for ADHD are expected to. Sciele Pharma will host a conference call on Wednesday. We may not attain expected revenues and earnings. To gather opposition to the idea that sexuality can be enhanced through medicine and drugs. Have to choose between hot sex and commitment. How do I go about spreading a new sex position. News college ranking puts Carleton near top.

And the State Fair is where you go to try to get over that. Immune system to target and kill cancerous prostate cells. Jon Stewart ought to be good tonight. The drug started life as a therapy for panic disorders. More likely to happen after the menopause. Artistic director Josh Meyer of the Rubber Repertory in Austin. Before rehearsals began for a revival of James Edwin Parker. All the actors were clothed and the action was blocked as if it were pantomime. Find out all you need to know about cash and equity Isas. Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh were the first states to turn down the idea to impart sex education in schools as part of anti. Habitual nuisance earns first ever expulsion from Tokyo public housing.

One can only guess at how many times he will thus express himself throughout the minutes of The Simpsons Movie. And that this is more than just a possibility. The Bitter Pill Award could to go to CNN for granting the most airtime to industry. Treatment analyzed studies that had been sponsored by drug companies on Prozac. Anderson Cooper talked to Jay Leno about the YouTube debates. She suddenly screams and lets out a gush of fluid. Many doctors said that this must be urine. Opening the fridge and sitting with the knees just in front of it for around minutes to get the legs real cool.

My advice to you is to try and lose about pounds before you try to conceive. Which is in fact the safest form of sex. Retains herbal ingredients including ginseng and nano. Keep in mind that you should make a small amount as natural ingredient packs should not be used more than once. The base or root chakra is related to instinct. With a bittersweet timbre in his voice that I interpret as simple awe. Researched particulars about Chinese scrolls and the history of celluloid peep shows. Miss rodeo america.

Artistic director Josh Meyer of the Rubber Repertory in Austin. It takes a certain kind of actor to want to do that. And if parents get hit with a question they find really hard to give a good answer to. Thailand travel? Do you play sexual games with your partner. The extras leave a little to be desired. It seems to promise lots of fun with. That nobody seems concerned enough to raise serious issues about it. The story is a Faustian one concerning a man who sells. And he made their parents sign a permission slip first. This function loads the more stories page via AJAX if SSI fails. It Looks Like Detroit Is Coming Back. Acres of reclaimed coal fields in southeast Ohio. Hard lives for wives of men wrongly imprisoned.

DAILY EVACUATIONS

2007-10-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

We're seeking performers over the age of 55 for a workshop of a new play by Dan Basila. If you're not familiar with the great Basila, this review will give you a pretty good idea of the strange world that his writing inhabits. As an added bonus, anyone chosen to participate will probably get to say (or sing?) a few of the following words: anodyne. hermitage. disacquaint. guttural. stench. buckets. drain. jowls. No prior performance experience is necessary, but participants must be available December 2nd through 8th and comfortable speaking crude language. Email us if you'd like to learn more.

Guerillas in the City

2007-09-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

What's this? The NY Times reports on a project very similar to the guerilla musical theatre project undertaken by Rubber Rep in 2001. We're not suggesting foul play here, but it's nice to be ahead of the curve.

Two thoughts:

Based on the video of the NY project, I think we did it better. A single person singing on the streets of Manhattan seems pretty everyday. My first response is to assume they're either a panhandler, a little crazy, or on their way to rehearsal. While our performances started small--usually with two or three people humming or tapping a computer keyboard or shuffling their feet--by the end they would always evolve into large scale extravaganzas: choreographed car horns, kick lines, and fists pumping in the air. We took great care to integrate the performers into the environments and to give the illusion that everything was occurring spontaneously. It didn't always work, but when it did...

Of course, the quality of the prose in the New York Times article makes the newer project sound infinitely more sophisticated. We tried to pitch it to the Times, but could only summon a few less-than-illuminating stories in the Lawrence Journal-World and the University Daily Kansan. It didn't help that we encouraged our cast to uphold the illusion even after the performances were over. Reporters (and police officers) don't enjoy hearing things like: "Why, I've never experienced anything like that before... I just suddenly felt the need to sing and dance."

The Recognitions

2007-09-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to get 9 B. Iden Payne Award nominations this year. The Austin Circle of Theaters-sponsored ceremony will be held on October 21st at St. Edward's University.

Here's a list:

Outstanding Production of a Comedy: A Thought in Three Parts
Outstanding Director of a Comedy: Carlos Treviño, Matt Hislope & Josh Meyer (A Thought in Three Parts)
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Comedy: Adriene Mishler (Sarah, A Thought in Three Parts)
Outstanding Ensemble Performance: Kelli Bland, Rosaruby Glaberman, Matt Hislope & Josh Meyer (the hostelers, A Thought in Three Parts)
Outstanding Production of Music Theatre: At Home With Dick 2: A Progressive Degenerative Cabaret
Outstanding Director of Music Theatre: Matt Hislope and Josh Meyer (At Home With Dick 2)
Outstanding Lead Actor in Music Theatre: Dick Price (everyone, At Home With Dick 2)
Outstanding Original Script: Dick Price (At Home With Dick 2)
Outstanding Original Score: Dick Price (At Home With Dick 2)

In the Parlour. . .

2007-09-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

Partially as research for our next project (but mostly for fun), we hosted a parlour game party in a dimly-lit club room not far from the county jail. About twenty games were played over the course of Saturday evening--archaic games of Victorian origin that in all likelihood haven't been played in a very long time... games like "The Stool of Repentance," "Poor Pussy," and "Knight of the Whistle." Punch was quaffed, forfeits were paid, piggies squeaked loudly, and raisins were set ablaze.

Fun Fun Funded.

2007-09-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

Much to our shock, we've received a $15,000 MAP Fund grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to develop a new show with writer/genius Rebecca Beegle. Since this was the first grant we've ever applied for AND since it's often awarded to groups we read about in college, our chances seemed slim. Wooster Group, Bread and Puppet, Richard Foreman, Mabou Mines... talk about some elite company.

We've been calling our project THE FILTER, but this will probably change.

The production is slated for Fall/Winter 2008, contingent upon us finding the perfect dilapidated mansion or crackhouse to use as a theatre. [Wait! Never mind the crackhouse; we've had a better idea...]

Here's a taste of what we're planning. Normally, we'd be hesitant to give away any secrets, but if you promise not to read too closely, we'll try our best to change everything by the time we open...

THE FILTER will be sung and danced by two performers in elaborate period dress. This duo barters desirable experiences to those willing to forfeit their right to watch the rest of the show. As the performance progresses, the duo's ulterior motive slowly comes into focus: to filter out morally objectionable audience members by their acceptance of certain offers. Throughout, THE FILTER will not lose the feel of a parlour game, with a different outcome each night depending on the actions of that evening's participants. Disappointment, titillation, excitement, regret: some will win, and some will lose, but few will last to see the THE FILTER carried out to its raw but necessary conclusion.

Big thanks go to Kirk Lynn and the Rude Mechs for encouraging us to apply for this grant and giving us some priceless application pointers. (FYI: They received a grant of their very own. Like we said: elite company.)

5 Days in Marfa.

2007-08-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

SOME RARE FACTS AND VIVID MEMORIES FROM OUR 5 DAYS IN MARFA

2 performances, 240 audience members...

at the Goode Crowley Theater. We'd forgotten how exciting it is to work in a space that gets really, really DARK. Why isn't this ever possible in Austin? Fire codes? I love it when the lights go down during a show, and you have no idea what you'll see when they come back up.

A sampling of friends and notables in attendance: Wallace Shawn, Deborah Eisenberg, Robert Irwin, Dinaw Mengestu, Kathy Sova, Larry Randolph, Lyova Rosanoff, Rebecca Beegle, Brian Poyser, Kyle Henry, Spenser Parsons, and Margaret Halpin.

Served at the opening night party: spicy grilled shrimp, steak, quail, salads with beets and sweet potatoes, and deceptively subtle mixed drinks.

At some point during the party, Wally described Matt and myself as "the two wildest men" of our generation. We weren't sure how to respond, so we left the party and went straight to bed...

...at Robert Bellamy's House on the Hill.

Animals we saw while we walked the town: jackrabbits, roadrunners, wild horses, antelope, goats, and Marfa's most submissive dog. The dog is pictured below. We've never encountered anything quite like this poor creature. As it approached us, it folded its front legs in two and lowered its head towards the ground, sniffing and careening about with a drunken step. Utterly freaky and unsettling.

Three sources of inspiration during the trip:

1. Dirty Danny, the World's Filthiest Homosexual. We read about Dirty D in Carlos's favorite magazine. Dirty D hasn't washed himself since 1977. He has seldom met an equal in filth. He hates cleanies. Even though we continued to shower on a daily basis, D's commitment to his extreme life practice gave us the motivation to put on the best show possible.

2. YELLOW BURRITOS from the Town & Country convenience stores. A better 4th meal than Taco Bell could ever hope to provide, these deep-fried beauties put us to bed each night dreaming of elementary school cafeterias.

3. The amazing hospitality of our Marfa hosts. Let it be known that the Rubber Repertory has never been treated so well in our five+ years of existence. We were provided with fruit from local orchards, muffins every morning, local craftsmen to help build our set, and a steady stream of good advice. It's no wonder that Carlos seemed a bit choked-up when he declared: "This must be how artists are treated in Europe!" Oui, en effet. Oui, en effet.

Shots from Marfa

2007-08-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic time 400+ miles west of Austin. Thanks to Steve, Mark, and Michelle for some of these pictures. More details and anecdotes coming soon.

Our Deep and Delicate Craft

2007-08-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

The Backstage column on the craft of playing sex scenes is online now. Did I mention we're also available for workshops on the subject? (Ahem!)

You're Invited...

2007-07-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

The Mister Z Dancers are Alive.

2007-07-16T12:31:00.001-07:00

Many months later, footage from Rubber Rep's passage on the Xingolati Groove Cruise has surfaced on YouTube. Here's you'll see Mr. Z and Co. outside the windows of the ship's restaurant dancing with their favorite rubber props. Thanks to California for providing the scenic backdrop.

Four Small News

2007-07-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

1. We're finally allowed to spill the news: A THOUGHT IN THREE PARTS is being revived in beautiful Marfa, TX on July 27 and 28. Several hundred invitations have been sent out to interesting people all over the country. Friends of RR are invited, so let us know if you're up for taking a road trip to the land of mutant rabbits and mystery lights.

2. Josh was interviewed for the July 26th edition of Backstage magazine. Look for his contribution in the CRAFT column titled, "Acting in Sex Scenes." The columnist seemed a bit surprised by his answers, so it'll be interesting to see what makes the cut.

3. Here's a thoughtful response to T3P, courtesy of Heather Barfield and vividstage.com.

4. We have something new that we're not allowed to mention. Your only clue is that it involves this guy.

"So what are you guys working on now?"

2007-06-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

This is the question we've been hearing a lot of in the last few weeks, but I don't feel like I've had a good answer for anyone. Summer's kind of our incubation period. We hit the free public swimming pools and see what floats to the surface. There are a few possibilities: We're waiting to hear on a grant proposal and a festival submission. Dan Basila has promised us a new play any day now. I'm toying with the idea of starting a choir. Oh, and this is confirmed: We're reviving A THOUGHT IN THREE PARTS for two secret performances in late July. They're not really open to the public, but if you're willing to drive seven hours outside of Austin, let us know, and we'll try to get you an invitation.

A Thought in 3 Parts: READ ALL ABOUT IT.

2007-05-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Premiere of A THOUGHT IN 3 PARTS ran May 4-26, 2007 at the Vortex theatre in Austin, TX. We're told that it was the best attended production in the theatre's HISTORY. Here are the collected articles, interviews, reviews, and other assorted media about the show.

----------------------------------------------

NEW! Vivid Stage review

Austin Chronicle story on Wallace Shawn's visit

Austinist review

Loaded Gun Theory blog review

Austin Chronicle review

Rick Harmon blog review

Austin Chick blog review

Austin Chronicle cover

Austin Chronicle interview with Wallace Shawn

Austin Chronicle feature about the show

Austin American Statesman review

KUT Arts Eclectic segment

Austin American Statesman's interview with Wallace Shawn

That Other Paper's interview with Carlos Treviño

The BIG Climax.

2007-05-25T06:59:00.000-07:00

If you've seen A THOUGHT IN THREE PARTS, you probably remember the moment when the Bob character sprays a terrible amount of semen (a sticky concoction of pineapple-coconut-soy juice) all over the actors AND one or two lucky souls in the front row. During a particularly memorable performance last weekend, the man who got sprayed leapt from his seat in horror and ran almost all the way up the aisle of the theatre, grabbing a newspaper somewhere along the way to use as a shield. It seemed like something off of Candid Camera or TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes. In the lobby after the show, the man was overheard saying, "I'm never gonna do that to a woman again!"

Yet another fine public service brought to you by Rubber Repertory.

Our Dinner With Wally.

2007-05-21T07:35:00.000-07:00

The great playwright came to the show twice this weekend, hung out with everyone quite a bit, and even treated the cast and crew to dinner after the Sunday show. We feel a little overwhelmed here at RR headquarters, but be sure to ask us for a story or two the next time we see you.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Frivolous.

2007-05-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

"I'm awakened by a late night telephone call..."

Lights Up on May 4th.

2007-04-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

Bob Loves Judy.

2007-04-04T06:18:00.000-07:00

"It's not enough, Judy. I expected more."

Wallace Shawn's A THOUGHT IN 3 PARTS opens May 4 at the Vortex.

Helen Loves Dick.

2007-03-30T14:40:00.000-07:00

"You really make me sick, Helen. You really do. I really hate you."

Wallace Shawn's A THOUGHT IN 3 PARTS opens May 4 at the Vortex.

Dispatch from Apartment#111

2007-03-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from the somewhat secret show in our apartment last night. Thanks to Jonathan Ames, Little Stolen Moments, and Wayne Alan Brenner for entertaining so throroughly. Although Mr. Ames landed in Austin a bit sleep-deprived (after spending the previous 48 hrs. hanging out with Marilyn Manson), he was every bit as funny and engaging as we've come to expect. He mourned the decline of pubic hair on women and told stories about wearing a corset as a child, attending New Jersey's worst rehab facility, almost making love to a vagrant dwarf, and receiving psychic messages from Joyce Carol Oates. There was a lot more, of course, but that should give you a pretty good idea of the evening's scope.

those dirty, dirty, alumni...

2007-03-14T11:51:00.000-07:00

YESTERDAY, we sent in an alumni update to our alma mater. TODAY, they posted it on the website. Something about the combination of the headline they chose and the portrait of children sledding makes us smile until our lips crack at the seams. We love sweet Kansas.

CAST.

2007-02-11T21:13:00.000-08:00

The U.S. premiere of Wallace Shawn's A Thought in Three Parts is CAST. Thanks to everyone who turned out this weekend. We had headaches both days from trying to decide between so many bold and graceful performers. We won't name names just yet, but this should give you a hint of who'll be taking it to the stage in May.

Casting Call: A Thought in Three Parts

2007-01-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

Brace yourselves. We’re having open auditions for Wallace Shawn’s A Thought in Three Parts on February 10th, with callbacks to follow on February 11th.

While this is the most traditional play we’ve ever done (characters, dialogue, a SET, etc.), it’s also the most outrageous play you’ll ever read. How outrageous? So much so that it’s never been produced in the United States. The New York Shakespeare Festival had a workshop in 1976, but since then nothing, nada, zilch. “The play has not been revived and stands as a permanent challenge to anyone who has the attitude that anything can be revived... the play can now almost not be read." says W.D. King.

As this is probably our one and only chance to premiere a play by this playwright we love so deeply, we’re pulling out all the stops. The Vortex (always a champion of controversial work) is co-producing. The amazing Carlos Treviño is co-directing. Matt and I are even stepping into two of the naughtier roles that we weren’t sure we’d be able to cast.

We’re looking for 2 male and 2 female actors, aged 18-35. Roles available: David, Sarah, Helen , Tom. Please note: The role of “Helen” involves nudity and a ridiculous amount of sexual content. Rehearsals begin April 1, with performances in May. Auditions will consist of readings from the script and will be held at the Vortex, 2307 Manor. To schedule an appointment, call (512) 825-3071 or email rubberrep@gmail.com.

The Austin Chronicle LISTS Red Cans:

2007-01-04T05:57:00.000-08:00

#3 on Robert Faires' Top 10 Theatrical Treasures and Pleasures of 2006

#8 on Patti Hadad's Top 10 Stage Excitements of 2006

and even Ramona the dog gets a shout-out...

#4 on Elizabeth Cobbe's Top 10 Pratfalls of 2006, Plus Some Shining Examples of Physical Comedy

First Night...

2007-01-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

was fun, but things got a little out of hand. By the time it was over, I was worried that the sidewalk might be littered with the hair and teeth of children.

Later in the day, two women in their sixties were overheard saying:

I saw some people dressed up as candy.

What kind of candy?

Red candy.

RED CANS at First Night?

2006-12-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

It could be a rumor. They're not part of the official program. All we know is that a friend of ours spotted one of the nasties around 8th and Congress this week. She was coming home from a bar and saw it crouched in the shadows hoarding two pairs of black pumps and a slice of pizza. Abandoned by the pack or scouting out new terrain? It's hard to say, but knowing how these not-so-beloved creatures have left many a wrecked festival in their path, you may want to lace up those sneakers extra snug before heading downtown. Just a thought.

A Orgie of the Multiple Orgasmen.

2006-12-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

As you may know, our next show is (keep your "rights pending" fingers crossed) Wallace Shawn's scandalous A Thought in Three Parts. This is a play that was written in the early 70's but has never had a proper U.S. production. The London premiere was raided by a vice-squad and almost shut down by the government. When Rubber Rep met up with Mr. Shawn in New York and asked about staging the play in Austin, he gleefully responded, "If you want to do A Thought in Three Parts, you'd be a pioneer my good man!"

Just for fun, we took a synopsis of the play that was written in German and used one of those cheap web programs to translate it into English. Here's a muddled Freudian taste of what to expect:

Obszoen in a youth hostel birds Helen, Judy, Tom, Bob and thick indiscriminately around, however, too secondly, too third, a Orgie of the multiple Orgasmen, hectically and witthout obligation, glaringly and. Before David and Sarah, in the first scene, had two Americans in a foreign hotel room only punish and codes talked without doing it, and in the conclusion mono log then Mr. Frivolous at the domestic fruehstueckstisch a erotisches solo one experiences. Two-relations, Gruppensex and Masturbation - Shawn is here more successfully than those subversive, unverklemmte taboo injury: In the core three cheerful melancholische Etueden hide themselves over the love in its text.

Orgasmen indeed.

*************
A Thought in Three Parts
by Wallace Shawn
May 4-26, 2007
The Vortex, 2307 Manor Rd.
Dir. by Carlos Treviño, Matt Hislope, and Josh Meyer

***************

Dick Pics

2006-11-20T06:14:00.000-08:00

Courtesy Daniel Carter.

Mr. Barnes, Meet Mr. Price.

2006-11-11T00:33:00.000-08:00

The Statesman's Michael Barnes writes about his experience with Dick's show here. We were quite interested to read his response, as he had the unfortunate luck of attending a show alongside some VERY DRUNK and HIGHLY DISRUPTIVE audience members. During the second half of the show, they violated every possible rule of theatre etiquette, stopping just short of hiking up their skirts and pissing on Dick's bedroom floor. It was as if Dick was performing the show at one of those horrible daiquiri bars on 6th street.

RED CANS at the B. Iden Payne Awards.

2006-11-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

They're a little blurry, but it was that kind of night...

Rubber Rep Crashes a Party, and Feels a Little Weird About It.

2006-11-09T08:26:00.000-08:00

There's a truly bizarre plug for At Home With Dick 2 in this week's Chronicle review of The Night Hank Williams Died. Make sure you read to the end. My my. We hope this doesn't put the kibosh on our secret dream to direct Sondheim's Company for Austin Playhouse. "I assure you we had nothing to do with it, Mr. Toner, nothing at all!"

Greetings from the Land of Rubber!

2006-10-30T13:56:00.000-08:00

Before we're completely overtaken by the rigors of egg nog season, we thought we'd give you an update of all that is happening here at Rubber Rep HQ.

1) GRANTS AND GREENBACKS. For years, Rubber Rep has funded shows with loose change and a smile. While there's something liberating about being completely self-sufficient, it's stopped us from following some of our more elaborate fantasies (like having sets!). All of this may change soon. Maybe. We hope. You never know. We met with a distinguished representative from the Rockefeller Foundation yesterday. Over orange sodas at Spider House, she told us about their grant programs, we told her about Rubber Rep, and she responded with lots of energy and encouragement. So consider us ENCOURAGED to stand up on our tiptoes and start looking for free monies to pay people what they deserve, work fewer day jobs, and make shows more rubbery than you can possibly imagine. It won't be easy. We need to find a not-for-profit to fiscally sponsor us in this endeavor. And, of course, everyone says that grant applications are NO FUN. If you'd like to help, even if its just through words of wisdom and experience, please email rubberrep@gmail.com.

2) A THOUGHT IN THREE PARTS. Preparations are well underway for the Rubber Rep treatment (and U.S. premiere!) of Wallace Shawn's A Thought in Three Parts. This scandalous little play will be at the Vortex in May. Matt and Josh are directing, hopefully joined by their old friend Mr. Carlos Trevino. According to one critic, A Thought in Three Parts "stands as a permanent challenge to anyone who has the attitude that anything can be revived... the play can now almost not be read." Let us know if you'd like to audition. We've also heard a rumor that Wally himself will be visiting Marfa, TX in March to attend some sort of festival/retrospective being held in his honor. Road trip? Say yes.

3) RED CANS RESURFACE. There have been several red can rumblings in the last week. First, we were flattered to hear that a teaching assistant at the University of Texas devoted ALMOST AN ENTIRE LECTURE PERIOD to describing the show to his class of 350. And even better, we hear it was a GOOD lecture and that the students were actually engaged. Secondly, our cylindrical troublemakers put on some bow ties and caused quite a stir at last night's B. Iden Payne Awards. The show received a special award for outstanding theatrical innovation, and of course those wily cans insisted on receiving it themselves (as well as knocking over a chair or two, disrupting the podium, stealing the shoe of one Buzz Moran, and terrorizing the young hostesses). Pictures soon.

Extended!

2006-10-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

Through November 18th!

Cats out of Bags

2006-10-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

The Dirigo Group talks about their experience with At Home With Dick 2 here.

No use hiding it any longer: Some people are finding the show to be a bit of an emotional experience. Still plenty of loopy fun, but you never know where an evening spent at home with Dick may lead.

Four Steps to Improving your Vision!

2006-10-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

1. Read every word of the Austinist's review of At Home With Dick 2.
2. Follow it up with the Statesman's short review on the same subject.
3. Make an appointment for the show immediately by calling (512) 470-1735 or emailing rubberrep@gmail.com.
4. Check this space weekly for new breakthroughs.