WHAT is a Tut'Zanni? What is our company all about? Well, my friends, we will tell you.
Firstly, our name- where does it come from? What does it mean? It is a bit of a play on words. The first part is simple- it is an abbreviation of "tutti", which in Italian, means "all". The second part becomes a little more complex to explain, but we will do our very best.
Zanni is a commedia dell'arte term which refers to a class of characters. It can also be the name of a specific character, but that character would exist within that same class. This is the servant class, the lower, regular, plain old characters that go about their tasks, serving their masters, and serving their base needs. They can be mischeivous, clever, stupid, stammering, sweet, or any number of things. Each Zanni is unique and special.
In our name, think of Zanni as referring to "the regular people". So, putting the first and second part of the name together, it would mean "all the regular people" which is not only who we are, but everyone who shares in our art with us. Not that we exclude any other classes, more that as we all come together, there is a neutralizing force where we all become one. We become our own special and unique characters, that all need the same things. We all need sex, we all need food, we all need love, companionship, and a driving force in life.
So what does our company do? Tut'Zanni is just starting out, but we have a very clear view of what we intend to achieve.
Tut'Zanni is a traveling theatre troupe. We will start with about 2 or 3 shows a year, in places around the world. We choose somewhere we would like to go, whether it's from a personal attachment, or an opportunity that comes up, or we feel we can do some good there. Occasionally, we will spend time in an intensive rehearsal period to develop the basic structure of our show. Then as our performance date approaches, we will arrive at whatever location we have chosen, to get to know the people there. We will get to know their culture, their current events, as much as time will allow, so that we can complete and finely tune the show to directly to apply to those people there. The beauty of physical theatre is it is developed through doing it, and every performance can be unique and different. Each show should be relevant to its audience. We want them to be able to relate to and feel a part of it.
So what is in store for 2012? Here is what we hope to achieve this year:
Spring:
Tut'Zanni will assemble in Los Angeles for its very first ever intensive rehearsal and development period! We will begin constructing our very first show, and strengthen ourselves as a group. And, at the end of this period, we will be having a preview, work-in-progess showcase and fundraising party! Admission will be free, though donations are welcome, and we will have many fun activities and cool merchandise that will all go to help support our group. We will show what we have worked on so far, and take any feedback our lovely supporters can give. It is sure to be a gay ol' time, so keep an eye out for our announcement of those dates ;)
Summer:
Tut'Zanni is going to go to Arezzo, Italy, to complete and perform their debut show, as well as take part in and teach workshops at the CrisisArt Festival, provided our application is accepted. We are also sending a proposal to the Accademia dell'Arte for their support in a workspace and a professional assistant director, to help us bring our show to the next level before performing at the festival.
Fall:
Tut'Zanni is hoping to take part in the New York International Fringe Festival. The application process is a long and expensive one, but we have our fingers crossed, and are working very hard to get there.
We are so grateful to all of you that love and support us in ALL ways. We are a little company diving into a huge world, but we are determined to succeed. We hope you will come along for the ride, and as we share our hearts with all of you, we hope that you, too, will discover your inner Zanni.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Thursday, December 15, 2011
The Goings On
It has been quite a while since we posted our first little post, so we thought we'd updated you with some of what's going on!
Although there have been many sleepless nights and minor panic attacks trying to get everything put together, most of the work we've been doing, quite frankly, is boring, and not super fun to tell everyone about. BUT we'll bore you just a little. As you may have seen, we did send in our Articles of Incorporation
Yayy!! This makes us an official non-profit company. This is incredibly exciting, and I'm sure we'll be even more excited once the 6-8 weeks we've been having to wait to receive them back has elapsed. After that, it's only a million more forms and such, each taking about 3 months to get back, but we won't go into detail. Except that just one of those forms is officially estimated by the IRS to take about 109 hours to fill out. And it pretty much took about that long. Did I mention a lot of sleepless nights?
We have now begun fundraising. It's a tad slow getting it up and running, as of course it takes money to make money, and we're a bunch of starving actors. However, we are slowly getting some support, and we are so grateful for all of you.
We want to tell you exactly what we are fundraising for, so you know where your precious dollars and cents are going :). Well, currently, we are fundraising for our 2012 season. This includes:
Currently, the fundraiser we have going on is our Tut'Zanni Calendar Online Fundraiser. We have created a calendar with all original artwork featuring our little Tut'Zanni monsters! I will post the pictures up here, so you can see all the months :). Calendars are $25, and can be purchased at http://www.etsy.com/shop/tutzanni. All proceeds go to the theatre company.
Again, thank you ALL for your love and support, monetary or otherwise. We appreciate all of you. And, with that, let's bring on the arts!
Although there have been many sleepless nights and minor panic attacks trying to get everything put together, most of the work we've been doing, quite frankly, is boring, and not super fun to tell everyone about. BUT we'll bore you just a little. As you may have seen, we did send in our Articles of Incorporation
We have now begun fundraising. It's a tad slow getting it up and running, as of course it takes money to make money, and we're a bunch of starving actors. However, we are slowly getting some support, and we are so grateful for all of you.
We want to tell you exactly what we are fundraising for, so you know where your precious dollars and cents are going :). Well, currently, we are fundraising for our 2012 season. This includes:
- a company mask set of professional commedia masks - this costs about $600
- various props, costumes, and materials for sets, masks, etc. - we only need about $300 for this. Physical Theatre shows (at least ours) don't have too many fancy sets, and costumes tend to be easily purchased at a thrift store. In fact, we prefer it that way.
- our first rehearsal session, to build our show- this will be in the spring for about 2 weeks. We will be developing our show, and holding a preview show/fundraising party at the end of the 2 weeks! Entrance will be free, so if you are going to be in the LA area, come see us! For this whole event, we need to raise about $3000.
- Our debut show! We will be performing at the CrisisArt Festival in Tuscany, Italy. We will be arriving a couple weeks early for intensive rehearsals, and possibly even working with a guest assistant director who can help us bring our show to the next level! For this show we need to raise at least $8000.
- In the fall, we are hoping to get to the New York International Fringe Festival. Again, we will be arriving to the city ahead of time to further develop our show. For this show we need to raise at least $7000.
Currently, the fundraiser we have going on is our Tut'Zanni Calendar Online Fundraiser. We have created a calendar with all original artwork featuring our little Tut'Zanni monsters! I will post the pictures up here, so you can see all the months :). Calendars are $25, and can be purchased at http://www.etsy.com/shop/tutzanni. All proceeds go to the theatre company.
Again, thank you ALL for your love and support, monetary or otherwise. We appreciate all of you. And, with that, let's bring on the arts!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
The Beginning
I wasn't quite sure how to write the very first post on this blog. I looked around for poems about beginnings, or about dreams, wanting to sound dramatic, and moving, and inspiring. But nothing I could find really seemed genuine, or seemed to really capture what a monumental time this is for me.
I have always dreamt of having my own little theatre troupe, to travel the world, and explore every facet of my imagination, work with wonderful people, play music, and run around in an endlessly prolonged sort of childhood. Growing up, we are faced with so many obstacles- money, time, and that crushing sense of self-consciousness that inevitably develops as our bodies awkwardly make their way into adulthood. Though there is a refreshing independence that comes with being an adult, we often have to pay for that freedom with certain sacrifices. We have to get jobs, and pay bills, and do all those sort of grown-up things. Which is fine, that is life, but often times it is easy to get caught up in it, and lose focus on what we really want, and the things that really matter to us.
Now I'm quite the stubborn person, not to mention extremely ADD, and prone to manic episodes. As I would feel boxed in to the everyday grind, I had to find ways to break free in my own sort of personal rebellion. Sometimes small things. I took up painting. I joined small a theatre group, or worked on my film career, or wrote music. Despite these small releases, I could feel the slow build of my inner self screaming to be let out. My desire to create had reached a boiling point, and I broke. I was no longer satisfied with "someday". I wanted NOW. I wanted my life to begin, the one I dreamed of from when I was a little girl, the one that would fulfill me, no matter the cost. I was tired of telling myself that I was "working towards it". I was tired of waiting for things to turn more in my favor, or just waiting for a good opportunity to magically come my way. Why was I spending my life trying to save up, and prepare, and wait for the life I wanted? I should be DOING it.
So I bought plane tickets, and a week later, I was out of the country, to refocus, and rediscover exactly what that life was, and how to make it happen. Many of you followed my adventures on my travel blog, which showed numerous adventures around Europe. But it wasn't all just fun- ok it was, but some of the fun was at least productive. I was scoping out the theatre world, talking to people, watching shows, and looking at venues. I visited the people who had inspired me, and spent countless hours thinking and looking (and eating), and exploring.
So here we are. This is the birth of Tut'Zanni, my baby, my love, my life. My very own theatre troupe. Alongside me is my wonderful co-founder, Dory, who has been a dear friend and fierce supporter of me and all my craziness. She is invaluable to me, and I am overjoyed that she has agreed to plunge headfirst into this insanity with me.
Tut'Zanni is in it's super-infantile stages, but hopefully with the love and support of everyone, it will grow into a huge, juggernaut of a monster, spewing out theatre in a mass of creative rage.
So, thank you for reading my probably intensely cliched ramblings, and I hope you continue to read this blog as Tut'Zanni takes off and stumbles through its first baby steps.
Lots of love,
ALi
I have always dreamt of having my own little theatre troupe, to travel the world, and explore every facet of my imagination, work with wonderful people, play music, and run around in an endlessly prolonged sort of childhood. Growing up, we are faced with so many obstacles- money, time, and that crushing sense of self-consciousness that inevitably develops as our bodies awkwardly make their way into adulthood. Though there is a refreshing independence that comes with being an adult, we often have to pay for that freedom with certain sacrifices. We have to get jobs, and pay bills, and do all those sort of grown-up things. Which is fine, that is life, but often times it is easy to get caught up in it, and lose focus on what we really want, and the things that really matter to us.
Now I'm quite the stubborn person, not to mention extremely ADD, and prone to manic episodes. As I would feel boxed in to the everyday grind, I had to find ways to break free in my own sort of personal rebellion. Sometimes small things. I took up painting. I joined small a theatre group, or worked on my film career, or wrote music. Despite these small releases, I could feel the slow build of my inner self screaming to be let out. My desire to create had reached a boiling point, and I broke. I was no longer satisfied with "someday". I wanted NOW. I wanted my life to begin, the one I dreamed of from when I was a little girl, the one that would fulfill me, no matter the cost. I was tired of telling myself that I was "working towards it". I was tired of waiting for things to turn more in my favor, or just waiting for a good opportunity to magically come my way. Why was I spending my life trying to save up, and prepare, and wait for the life I wanted? I should be DOING it.
So I bought plane tickets, and a week later, I was out of the country, to refocus, and rediscover exactly what that life was, and how to make it happen. Many of you followed my adventures on my travel blog, which showed numerous adventures around Europe. But it wasn't all just fun- ok it was, but some of the fun was at least productive. I was scoping out the theatre world, talking to people, watching shows, and looking at venues. I visited the people who had inspired me, and spent countless hours thinking and looking (and eating), and exploring.
So here we are. This is the birth of Tut'Zanni, my baby, my love, my life. My very own theatre troupe. Alongside me is my wonderful co-founder, Dory, who has been a dear friend and fierce supporter of me and all my craziness. She is invaluable to me, and I am overjoyed that she has agreed to plunge headfirst into this insanity with me.
Tut'Zanni is in it's super-infantile stages, but hopefully with the love and support of everyone, it will grow into a huge, juggernaut of a monster, spewing out theatre in a mass of creative rage.
So, thank you for reading my probably intensely cliched ramblings, and I hope you continue to read this blog as Tut'Zanni takes off and stumbles through its first baby steps.
Lots of love,
ALi
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