Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays for the rest of July, the gods will come to life in San Francisco! The San Francisco Olympians Festival, featuring staged readings of 12 new original plays that each focus on one of the major gods of the Greek pantheon, is going on all month at the Exit Stage Left (156 Eddy Street).
A little more about the plays, authors, and schedule (copied from the Facebook event page):
DIONYSUS by Nathan Tucker, July 8
An esoteric mystery cult in San Francisco invokes the godhead of an ancient deity, manifesting his presence and unleashing the Wrath of Dionysus.
APOLLO by Garret Groenveld, July 9
Apollo's Gift - that of foresight - was given to Cassandra out of love and proves the undoing of their chances.
POSEIDON by Bryce Allemann, Dana Constance and Kathy Hicks, July 10
Fish speak because they have something to say; Gods because they have to say something.
HERMES by Bennett Fisher, July 15
Four derivative traders seeking to benefit from the Greek financial meltdown create a fraudulent company to mask the debt as an asset. This act of deceit brings unforeseeable consequences and an unexpected visitor.
ARTEMIS by M.R. Fall, July 16
By escaping to the beach, Artemis thought she would outrun the clouds of dread building inside her; little did she know a storm was waiting for her along the shore…
ZEUS by Helen Noakes, July 17
If Zeus is your daddy does it make you a delightful delusional, a delicious demigod, or just plain fabulous? Zeus Story tells all!
DEMETER by Claire Ann Rice, July 22
Anyone who knew the rituals have paid the ferryman for passage elsewhere and all that is left are Goddesses without believers, prayers without answers, and mothers without children.
APHRODITE by Nirmala Nataraj, July 23
In this dark comedy about the lengths women will go to for love and acceptance, a washed-out infomercial star confronts her demons through dating mishaps, plastic surgery, and mysterious visitations from the paragon of feminine allure—Aphrodite herself.
ARES by Sean Kelly, July 24
Bill is due to ship out on a Third-World peace-keeping mission when he accidentally makes a sacrifice to Ares, God of Bloodlust. Together they turn a basic military action into a violent quest for revenge.
ATHENA by Ashley Cowan, July 29
While trying to balance her rational intelligence and notions of romance, Athena finds herself in a personal exploration fueled by the timeless question: can only fools fall in love or can it also exist among reason and logic?
HERA by Stuart Bousel, July 30
A Victorian-Era parlor drama about the perfect wife and mother, and the secrets which threaten to destroy her extensively engineered domestic bliss.
HEPHAESTUS by Evelyn Jean Pine, July 31
The world of Hephaestus, god of fire and volcanoes, erupts when his creations -- three gorgeous, golden robots -- revolt.
12 different gods. 12 different aspects of what it means to be human. I'll be working the box office for the festival every night... so stop by, say hello, buy a ticket ($10), and see some great new plays. Go to 4 readings, and get the 5th free!
All readings begin at 8 PM; box office opens around 7:30 (we do not take reservations). Before the show, you can check out our lobby exhibition of original artwork inspired by the 12 Olympians... and after the show, hang out with the writers and actors at a local bar!
Lots more information available at sfolympians.com.
Sounds very promising. In Spain we have during July a Festival of Greco-Roman plays at Mérida Roman Theatre, and another in Almagro with XVII century plays in the so called "Corral" of comedies. The temperatures on both venues will be something like 39C (104 F).
ReplyDeleteAs you probably know there are three original Roman Theaters in Spain, the one in Mérida (wesr, near the Portuguese border, Emerita Augusta in latin), Tarragona (Tarraco, northeast coast) and my hometown Cartagena (Cartago Nova, southeast coast)