In this episode of Can of Worms, we talk about the Theatre Departments new Studio Series! Students can get into any department show for FREE with their UCard! Join us!

INTRO

Cambria: *epic background beatboxing while Max speaks*

Cambria: *finally stops beatboxing*

Max: You're listening to Can of Worms and that incredible cold open was brought to you by– did we? So, folks, this is a very important episode, because it's the first time we've ever block recorded.

Cambria: It’s true. Did we introduce ourselves last episode?

Max: That's what I'm getting to– this is the second episode recording in like a two hour period, and I'm just realizing now that we probably didn't introduce ourselves in that episode.

Cambria: So we should probably do a little intro real quick.

Max: My name is Max.

Cambria: And I'm Cambria.

Max: And next week for our Sundance episode, I will be Max.

Cambria: And I will be Cambria.

Max: Cami, how you doing?

Cambria: I'm good. I'm having a great time.

Max: Yeah. Well, how's your first couple days of spring semester? What our first– this is the second day of spring semester. How's your classes?

Cambria: Good. I only have classes Monday, Wednesday, so I've already experienced all the classes that I will and I have. I'm graduating, so I'm only taking three. I'm not even a full time student. But I'm a full time podcaster for you today.

Max: Baboom, there you go.

Cambria: Vavavoom.

Max: You want to talk about Studio Series?

Cambria: I would love to!

Max: Heck yeah!

Cambria: The University of Utah's theater department has launched, if you couldn't hear over my sick beat boxing Max's introduction, a thing called Studio Series, which is a program? A new thing, a fun event? Season? It's a new thing in the theater department.

[Interview]

Nick: I'm Nick Dunn and I am an assistant professor in the theater department here. Studio Series is a new thing this year in Studio 115 which is one of our performance spaces in the old PAB building by the bookstore. And what we're doing in there this year, because we now have the Meldrum theater as a main stage, is having entirely student produced, sometimes student written, student directed shows in Studio 115 so the Studio 115 series is kind of rapid fire. There's stuff in there almost every single weekend, a different show. And it's a great chance for our students to do more to get a production off the ground and to have input and like what they want to make. And for my involvement this year, I'm a faculty advisor on two of the shows.

[In the studio]

Max: A lot of them are written by students, directed by students, starring students…

Cambria: Starring students, sometimes starring not students. You can cast whoever. But it's just meant to be a brand new opportunity to get people doing the thing that they're studying over the theater department, and even if they're not studying it, if they just like to be part of theater because it's fun and awesome.

Max: Yeah, so many people will talk about how they want to support underground artists and local scenes. This is about as local as you get.

Cambria: Yes, it is.

Max: This is a student run productions of like, long form plays, two acts.

Cambria: It's anywhere from just new plays that are being stage read with scripts on stage just to get an idea of it, all the way to full blown productions in the Studio 115 in the Performing Arts Building, which, if you do not know where that is, it's right next to the campus store. The little yellow building. There's a little black box, kind of thrust theater in there that all of these productions are being put on in.

Max: Correct

Cambria: It's a great little space.

Max: Great and tickets are– vary depending on the performance.

Cambria: It’s a Pay What You Can production. So you can pay $5 to $25 depending on how, how lucky you're feeling with the arts, how much you want to support.

Max: And if you have a UCard, it's free.

Cambria: Yeah! That's true for all theater productions at the U– all of the Studio season. So like, we had, like, Legally Blonde and Robin Hood. Those aren't the same season. Those are, like, the last couple of years and stuff. But you can get into– if you're a student and you have a UCard, you can walk right up and say, Hey, I would like a free ticket please. And they'll say, Heck, yeah, welcome to the show. So go support.

Max: Go support.

Cambria: Go support the arts.

[Interview]

Nick: People on campus and in our community, whether they're theater people or not, should see what students are doing. Cross pollination is part of what makes a university such a great experience for however long you're here.

[In the studio]

Max: So this episode is four minutes so far.

Cambria: So far. Yeah, well, I was gonna ask Max, have you seen any of those studio productions?

Max: One.

Cambria: You've seen one? How was it?

Max: Well, I wanted to see multiple. I met the director of the same mistakes when I was we– were given the terrific opportunity to– I was– to be on the radio for KU…?

Cambria: KUER?

Max: ER, yes. I was gonna get there, but I wouldn't want to say like, KU. Isn't KUER NPR, or is it not?

Cambria: I think it was KUER, because I was also interviewed with them.

Max: You were.

Cambria: Yeah, that's, that's radio, baby.

Max: So that maybe means we can keep this if we're right.

Cambria: Yeah.

*walkie talkie sound*

Max From the Future: Max from the future, we were wrong. We were not interviewed by KUER. We were interviewed for KRCL's radioactive show. KUER is indeed NPR, and we were not interviewed for them. But even though we forgot the name KRCL, we were very gracious to be a part of your program. Thank you so much.

Max: We were both interviewed for KUER. I was talked I talked about the Saltair, and you talked about…?

Cambria: I was on the Halloween episode, and we talked about our Haunted Salt Lake episode and kind of the haunted houses around and things to do on Halloween. It was very fun.

Max: I met with Ethan…

Cambria: Rauschkolb.

Max: Yes, I was gonna attempt the last name, and it was gonna be really embarrassing.

Cambria: You could say whatever you want, and it would be funny.

Max: Yeah! And he co-wrote the play, and he directed the play I believe.

Cambria: Co-wrote with Joel Thompson.

[Interview]

Nick: But I saw same mistakes, which was a really cool one to go witness, because it was written by two of our students. They started the play when they did the Study Abroad in London, and then it went through the New Play Development Workshop class, and now has been staged in the Studio 115 series. So to me, that was a great one to kind of show what we hope the Studio 115 series can ultimately be, is a pathway from the classroom to production.

[In the studio]

Max: Yeah, and then I didn't see it.

Cambria: You didn't see it?

Max: I wanted to see it, but–

Cambria: That's awesome. I developed–

Max: He seemed like such a wonderful guy.

Cambria: We developed that play, a New Plays Workshop, which is a class in the theater department where anyone can take it. It's truly what it sounds like. It's new work, and new plays that have been written by students are brought in, and you just workshop and develop and try to figure out and write new things until the end of the semester you do a staged reading of it. And that play was one of the plays that we did in New Plays, and then they submitted it for this new, brand new Studio Series, and it was performed. And I saw it because I support the arts, and it was awesome.

Max: I wish I saw it.

Cambria: You should have.

Max: I liked the posters they had.

Cambria: Their posters were really great. Their program was great. They sold little, like mini ice cream in intermission, like they do in London on the London theater program. Like a bunch of U students can go to London and see all a bunch of theatre like I did. And they sell, like, little gelato at intermission, it's awesome.

Max: That is so cool.

Cambria: It's pretty sick.

Max: This is sort of the stuff you can sign up for. If you, if you watch Studio Season Series shows.

Cambria: Go check out the Studio Series. You can see all the things that are listed.

Max: Can see, yes, Lucy Baby, September 18-21st. same mistakes. September 11-14th. And you look at the schedule, and there's just something every single weekend. Cami, Cami, I'm gonna just tell you a couple random titles that I’m looking at.

Cambria: Right, let's hear them. Yeah for sure.

Max: November 6-9th, already premiered, A Meal at Formaggio. Sounds pretty cool. October 24th-November 2nd, R.U.R.. R, the letter R, letter U, letter R, which…?

Cambria: Which my younger brother starred in. And that one– that show and then Corners Grove, which is still coming up, are two that are part of the Studio Series, but are also largely, also kind of tied to the theatre season, in the theatre department.

Max: The Lilium Club, written, directed by Morgan Champine, friend of the pod, past and future guest, maybe just past. February 6-8th. So, so, so many but, I'm just gonna keep reading plays.

Cambria: Just no particular reason.

Max: State Line, Taskmaster, A Song For Buck Mountain. Onyx Rest.

Cambria: Oh! Whoa! Onyx Rest? That one sounds really, really cool.

Max: What do you mean?

Cambria: Well, I don't know if you know this, Max. I wrote that play.

Max: What? I wrote Onyx Rest. I have written a play, ladies and gentlemen of the pod. I know you thought I was only a podcaster, but actually I'm also a playwright.

Max: There's this bit in, what's it called, Serpico. When Serpico, the cop meet– goes to this fancy party where all these people are like, I'm a writer, but I work at the diner, or I'm an artist, but I work at the construction site, and Serpico goes, I'm a cop and I work at the police department. You're like this, you're a writer, but you work at the podcast booth.

Cambria: And you're a cop and you work at the police department.

Max: I am a cop.

Cambria: I'm a cop. You have to legally, you have to tell us if you're a cop.

Max: Yeah, it’s true.

Cambria: Yes, but I did write a show. I wrote a show called Onyx Rest, which is a fun little sea shanty play all about this mystical siren who gets dropped on this island called Onyx Rest, and has to figure out what it means to be part of a community and what it means to have relationships and power lost. And it's fun. It's not a musical, but there are sea shanties in it. It's very fun.

Max: What kind of sea shanties?

Cambria: Well, all sorts of sea shanties. There is some public domain sea shanties, and then I have also written some for the show. Originally, it was written with sea shanties that pre-existed, because when I was writing, my teacher said, Write it first and ask for permission later. Because you won’t be the one who has to produce it. And let me tell you: Tim Slover, if you're out there, you were wrong! It became immediately my problem, and I reached out to the people and asked if I could use their music, and they did not respond. And so I said, Oh no, I have to write music.

Max: Oh no.

Cambria: But it's okay. We have some public domain stuff, like, Here's a Health to the Company. We have Hog Eye Man. We have Johnny Come Down to Hilo. If you're familiar with those epic sea shanties, they're awesome. And then we have some original works by yours truly, which have been really, really fun. It's great. It's a great time. If you have a chance to come down, please come down. We'd love to see you.

Max: So you wrote it. What did you direct it? What's the…?

Cambria: I am not directing it. I am producing it. Because if you submit a work to the Studio Series, you are the producer. You're the one who's choosing to produce the play, and I'm the writer. And so I change the script as needed, but I asked my wonderful and fabulous and very talented friend, Maggie Goble to direct, and so she's directing and doing a fantastic job. We're in like the last couple weeks of rehearsal before it premieres on January 16, 17, and 18 is the show. So, come on down.

Max: Wait a second. I'm looking at my watch right now. It's– today is the 16th.

Cambria: Today is the 16th!

Max: Are you telling me that your play premieres tonight?

Cambria: Tonight at 7pm or 7:30– hold. January 16th at 7:30pm in the Studio 115 the Performing Arts Building is the premiere of my show, Onyx Rest. We would love to see you. Please come down if you're listening to this early in the morning, when it releases at 9. Come check it out.

Max: If you're seeing this later in the day–

Cambria: It's also– we have a matinee on the 17th at 2, and then another night show on at 7:30 on the 17th, and then our final show will be a matinee at 2 on the 18th, on Sunday.

Max: This is gonna be so exciting. [through a yawn] Guys, Cami is such a wonderful writer.

Cambria: [fake yawning, as to mock] Cami is such a wonderful writer, so hard to talk–

Max: Wonderful. I've been excited to see this show in its final form for a while now, and I'm finally gonna get the chance. And I'm very excited.

Cambria: Thank you. I'm also very excited. I think it'll be really, really fun. We've had nothing, but the crew has been incredible. Our cast is incredible. Everyone I've worked with is just trying to get it on the road, and so it's been great. It's awesome.

Max: Very cool.

Cambria: So what's the show after that one?

Max: What? Let me check. On February 1st is the 24-Hour Playwriting Festival.

Cambria: Okay, but what about like before that?

Max: Oh, sorry. Oh, there is something between Onyx Rest and the 24-Hour Playwriting Festival.

Cambria: Yeah, let's see, yeah, that right there.

Max: Something. It's called What the Heck Happened to Joseph Smith? from January 23-25th.

Cambria: What the Heck Happened to Joseph Smith? I've heard of that before.

Cambria: Wow. You're so knowledgeable about that particular question.

Max: It's true. It's because I did a lot of research for Joseph Smith when writing my new play. What the Heck Happened to Joseph Smith?

Cambria: Oh! Max, you wrote the play!

Max & Cambria: Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Cambria: Are you telling me that this episode is just a shameless plug for our productions to promote the Studio Series?

[Interview]

Nick: Well, of course, because I'm faculty advisor for two of them. So Cambria is doing Onyx Rest, which I've read and I'm very excited about, and I have you Max in a playwriting class right now, and you've been working on your play, and I'll be an advisor to you when yours goes up.

Max: They say we're supposed to interview people who are at least one degree of separation away from us. This podcast. We break those boundaries.

[In the studio]

Max: We can do whatever we want.

Cambria: That's true. We're about to graduate. We can't get fired now.

Max: No, we can't. They have no choice.

Cambria: No choice.

Max: And we're the best podcast ever?

Cambria: We're the best podcast that's ever been done.

Max: I think so.

Cambria: I think that's what we've been told by everyone.

Max: Number one on the charts.

Cambria: Every single person in the world said you’re the best podcast I've ever heard.

Max: January 23rd. January 23rd is the premiere of my show. What the Heck Happened to Joseph Smith? at 7:30. The next day, the 24th we have a matinee at 2. Performance at 7:30 and then the 25th we have our performance at 2!

Max: Next week, you're gonna hear us talk about Sundance. You're gonna hear me talk about why– how mad I am that I'm gonna miss the new Gregg Araki movie. That is because the new Gregg Araki movie premieres at 2 on the 25th.

Cambria: Oh!

Max: That's why.

Cambria: That's why.

Max: That's besides the point. Because I'm so excited about this play that I wrote and am directing.

Cambria: Yes! Which is very incredible.

Max: Yeah, I have a lovely seven person cast, not including me. I'm the eighth. I'm technically in the show.

Cambria: Okay, sure.

Max: We're, we're, we're a high strung bunch of rascals and do gooders double casted running around. It's a comedy. It's a religious comedy of sorts, detailing the inaccurate history of the church. It's pretty inaccurate, but hopefully it's a somewhat accurate depiction of faith. We'll see.

Cambria: Yeah, I've been very excited about it. It's been really fun.

Max: It's coming out. A week after Onyx Rest. So if you go see Onyx Rest and you're like, Ah, that was so good. I want to see more of this. Come back next week.

Cambria: And you'll see the sequel of Onyx Rest, What the Heck Happened to Joseph Smith?

Max: It is– when does your play take place? What year?

Cambria: It is a nondescript, sort of mystical pirate-ish age.

Cambria: Yeah.

Max: So the– my play could be a sequel.

Cambria: It's true. That's actually definitely true.

Max: That's wonderful.

Cambria: Yeah. And guys, if you are a U student and you have a UCard, you can have access to both of these shows for free!

Max: Correct! And now, both of these shows, I believe, were helped put on by the tremendous OpenDoor group.

Cambria: Yes, OpenDoor Productions, who is a theatre group who puts on, of course, their own productions, and have kind of helped us shoe-in to the Studio Series we've been in a production in the past. Corralis. Shout out once again to Morgan Champine, a friend of the pod. Yeah, it's great. And all of the– if you choose to not get in for free, although you absolutely should, with a UCard, all of the funding and the ticket sales for this season of Studio Series goes to the next season of Studio Series to give them a budget. So all the things that we're doing have no budget. We're just making it up because it's a brand new thing. And so if you want to go support the arts so that more arts can happen forever and always, amen. Please go do that. We love the Studio Series. If you have ideas, if you have plays and you want to produce things, please submit like look out for that submission portal.

Max: I think they're currently asking for submissions right now.

Cambria: Yes, for the next season.

Max: Go check it out.

Max: I highly recommend everybody do that.

Cambria: Yes.

Max: I did not have a script when I submitted my project. I had a logline, and an idea. I did not have a script.

Cambria: Don't be intimidated by the Google Forms, you don't have– if you this is something that you want to happen, submit anyway. I was not certain that– and then a lot of people were like, No, you should just try it out. I was like, Okay, sure. Why not? And then it was chosen. Then suddenly you have to lock into performance mode. But there is all manner of resources. You'll have a faculty advisor who's helping you out, all of the theatre people over there, down in PTAB, are there to help you put on an epic production, all the stage managers, all the directors, the writers, producers, they're awesome.

Max: What advice would you give to any person who's wanting to submit and has chosen to produce their play?

Cambria: My first advice would be, do it. If you're doubting if you should submit or not, might as well. The worst that they can say is no. And my second piece of advice is get a creative team. If you want to direct, direct, absolutely. Be producer, be director, be writer, be all the things. But it's always helpful to have a team to share the load. That's what I did. The very first step is I asked some wonderful friends and people who had been familiar with my writing, and said, Please, please, please, please, please, please help me with this. And they said, Okay, fine. And now they are and this production is coming along, and it's awesome.

Max: That's exactly my advice to delegate.

Cambria: Yes.

Max: That’s when things get slightly…

Cambria: Submit it, try it. If they say yes, awesome, then reach out and have auditions like put up posters, let people know, people– all the theatre department and beyond, because we have more than just the theatre department students in our shows, both of us. They want to be part of shows. They want to support the arts. They want to have fun, epic times together. So go ahead and do it.

Max: Correctamundo.

[Interview]

Nick: But a big part of what we do as artists is generating our own work, developing our own ideas. And so to me, in the past, that was a gap in our students' learning. It was a chance to

work from the ground up to kind of work with people of your own choosing, and build teams that you want to work with and and make things so much of the work that I've had in my own life, I can draw directly a line between those opportunities and the times I just worked with people I wanted to work with, and we made something simply for the sake of making it. So I think it's a big career building move to do that kind of thing and to understand producing and collaborating. And of course, our department is increased– looking for increased opportunities for writers and directors.

[In the studio]

Max: Cami, I'm so excited for these shows.

Cambria: Me too.

Max: I'm so excited not only for my show. I'm probably more excited to see your show than I am to do my show.

Cambria: Yes, of course, of course.

Max: I'm so excited to see Onyx Rest.

Cambria: I'm so excited to see What the Heck Happened to Joseph Smith?

Max: Ah, isn't it great that one of us isn't excited to see the other’s show?

Cambria: It's beautiful. It's wonderful. Community, [bad Vin Diesel impression] family.

Max: Sorry. What was that?

Cambria: [Vin again] Family.

Max: What is that?

Cambria: Did I sound like Vin Diesel?

Max: No.

Cambria: Ah.

Max: This weekend, go see Onyx Rest. Next weekend, go see What the Heck Happened to Joseph Smith? Also next weekend, listen to our episode about the Sundance International Film Festival, co-starring Charlie XCX.

Cambria: [bad accent] Charlie XCX.

Max: Sure.

Cambria: Go check out all the Studio Series! Help your community! Support the arts! Go see movies for next week. Go see plays and productions for this week, for tonight on the 16th, the premiere of my show, the world premiere of Onyx Rest. Very exciting.

Max & Cambria: [scatting the outro]

END