Rorschach Theatre Presents KLECKSOGRAPHY: COLLECTIVE INK

Rorschach Theatre launches KLECKSOGRAPHY: COLLECTIVE INK, an event that brings together six theatre companies and more than 30 artists to make something unimaginable for one night only on June 2, 2018.

Drawing from the inkblot test for which Rorschach Theatre was named, all participating artists will be shown a single, distinctive piece of visual art. Under the aesthetic mentorship of different theatre companies, each team of director, playwright and actors will have just one week to create, develop and stage a performance based on that work of art.

On Saturday, June 2nd this single image explodes into six wildly different visions that showcase the aesthetics of six of DC's best small theatres.

Rorschach Theatre's inaugural collaborators for this project are Hissing Black Cat Theater, Pinky Swear Productions, Pointless Theatre Co., Theater Alliance and Young Playwrights Theater.

KLECKSOGRAPHY: COLLECTIVE INK

KLECKSOGRAPHY: COLLECTIVE INK will be a collaboration between Rorschach Theatre and five other theatre companies - Hissing Black Cat Theater, Pinky Swear Productions, Pointless Theatre Co., Theater Alliance and Young Playwrights' Theater - to create six new short plays. The project focuses on networking and opportunity by pairing theatre leadership with artists new to their companies. Additionally, the project embraces the metaphor of the inkblot test by having all six plays inspired by just one visual prompt. How will each company's aesthetic influence the storytelling? Play-creation teams, each mentored by an artistic leader of a different theatre company, will be assembled via an open call for actors, playwrights and directors from May 17-19.

This reenvisioning of Rorschach's Klecksography project was based on the results of a DC theatre survey undertaken by the company in the fall of 2017. More than 40 local artistic directors and producers responded in addition to dozens of freelance artists. Based on those results, Rorschach invited other companies into the process and rebuilt the program to focus on networking and connection. By providing producers with a high-impact, low-investment way to vet new artists, Rorschach hopes to close the gap many artists experience in trying to connect with new companies

This event is sponsored in part by Pat Murphy Sheehy.

ABOUT PARTICIPATING THEATRES

Hissing Black Cat Theater

The BlakGold Theater Ensemble (formally known as HBC Playback) is comprised of performers who believe in the transformational power of theatre. The ensemble uses devising, improvisation, drama, comedy, music and movement to create immersive and interactive theatrical experiences for intimate audiences. The Mission of HBC is to create safe spaces that promote community engagement, creative entrepreneurship, self-efficacy and art for positive social change. This is realized through performances, workshops and other community centered initiatives. https://www.thehbctheater.com/

Pinky Swear Productions

In 2008, two friends - hungry for opportunities to do the type of theatre they wanted to do - decided there was no good reason not to start a theatre company. They made a promise to do just that and the result was Pinky Swear Productions. PSP is a feminist theatre company that celebrates the diversity of women's experiences by telling inclusive and subversive stories. Their goals are to: Build a company in which local theatre artists can make a living in our community; raise the profile of women's voices in theatre by hiring women artists and technicians whenever possible; and enable artists to experiment with new avenues of expression. http://pinkyswear-productions.com/about/our-story/

Pointless Theatre Co.

Pointless Theatre is dedicated to creating bold, visceral, and affordable spectacles that gleefully smash the traditional boundaries between puppetry, theatre, dance, music and the visual arts. Their work excites a passion for adventurous art in the nation's capital and nurtures a diverse, active, and inspired audience.

Their process is collaborative and ensemble driven. Their artists are multi-disciplined. Their shows are imaginative, highly visual and compact.

Rorschach Theatre (see below)

Theater Alliance

A catalyst for innovation and diversity, Theater Alliance is among DC's pre-eminent theater companies, one that consistently produces thought-provoking and socially pertinent work, successfully uniting audiences of all backgrounds through the power of creative presentation and participation. Theater Alliance began with the distinct goal of producing work that would illuminate the experiences, philosophies, and interests of DC's diverse populations. In 2012, under the new leadership of Producing Artistic Director Colin Hovde, Theater Alliance began a new chapter with a refocused mission: to develop, produce, and present socially conscious, thought-provoking work that fully engages our community in active dialogue. https://theateralliance.com/about-us/

Young Playwrights' Theater

Young Playwrights' Theater inspires young people to realize the power of their own voices. By teaching students to express themselves through the art of playwriting, YPT develops students' language skills, and empowers them with the creativity, confidence and critical thinking skills they need to succeed in school and beyond. YPT honors its students by involving them in a high-quality artistic process where they feel simultaneously respected and challenged and by engaging professional theater artists in producing student plays for the community. http://youngplaywrightstheater.org

THE SPACE

A landmark of the newly revitalized H Street, NE neighborhood, the Atlas stood vacant for years until it was re-opened as the Atlas Performing Arts Center in November, 2006 following an extensive four-year renovation. Its 60,000 square foot complex includes four theatres, three dance studios, administrative offices, dressing rooms, lobbies, a café and production and rehearsal spaces. The center is home to a diverse group of locally renowned theatre and dance companies, symphony orchestras, choral groups and arts education programs. Its mission includes serving the greater metropolitan DC area as well as being the artistic heart of its immediate community.

In the past Rorschach Theatre has performed in a greenhouse, a back-alley art gallery, the lobby of 16th Street JCC, the former sanctuary of a Methodist Church in Columbia Heights, Georgetown University's Performing Arts Center and in the basement of a Lutheran Church in Georgetown

ABOUT RORSCHACH THEATRE

Through uncommon uses of environment and intimate passionate performances, Rorschach Theatre seeks to lure its audiences beyond the limits of ordinary theatrical experience so that they may discover new elements of their own humanity.

Rorschach Theatre tells stories that allow for innovative design and visceral performances. The company treats productions as "installations" that surround the audience with the world of a play. Our work centers on the intersection of magic or impossible moments and relatable human experience. Without proselytizing, it provides a complex, intellectual catalyst for self-exploration of challenging subjects. Rorschach is also a vital launching pad for emerging artists. By trusting early-career actors, directors, playwrights and designers with substantive artistic responsibilities, and surrounding them with established professionals and ample resources, the company has become an essential showcase for new talent.

Rorschach has produced more than fifty plays seen by tens of thousands of people in the Washington area. The company has been nominated for over a dozen Helen Hayes Awards; won a Mary Goldwater Award; been a finalist for the Mayor's Arts Award; and have been the recipients of multiple grants and awards from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. The company's work has garnered the attention of The New York Times, The Washington Post, American Theatre magazine and National Public Radio, as well as countless local publications.