The skinny

Matchbox Readings (that's hot!)
Come make the fire crowded as we gather around some great new voices in the American Theater.

Liz Duffy Adams of One Big Lie fame returns with her newest offering, The Listener, directed by Fireside Chat superstar, Kent Nicholson.

Ms. Rebecca Novick continues her relationship with 'maid author, Erik Ehn, by workshopping a brand new piece so hot, it doesn't even need a title (yet).

And where is it hotter than Florida? Local Legend, Octavio Solis, will be directing a mournful love story set in Key Biscayne by Stephanie Fleischmann.

And lastly, help us welcome a young fresh face, Lizz Edele, who's fierce new play, About the Dogs, will have it's full draft reading debut with the help of Jessica Heidt's direction.

But perhaps the hottest tidbit is the fact that many of Crowded Fire's talented ensemble will cause the stage to sizzle in this series. Don't miss all your favorites, Juliet Tanner, Jason Wong, Paul Lancour, Cassie Beck, Erin Gilley, Michele Leavy, and Lawrence Radecker, plus many special guest appearances by other local thespians.

Show your face at the Bonfire at Ocean Beach on Saturday night, and we'll stuff a S'more in it!

We really like our name. And Vacant Fire Theater Company doesn't have the same ring.
Come out so we can stay Crowded!

SHOW BLURBS and INFO

A vow to be better...

Ok we admit it, we lost the momentum with this here blog, but we are doing some internal strategerizing and will hopefully be up and running with posts on a regular basis soon. We've just got to find that rhythm and some eager bloggers within the ensemble.

Support the Artists!

Special Pay What You Can performance of ANNA BELLA EEMA on Monday, July 9 at 8pm.
Ashby Stage
1901 Ashby St., Berkeley

All proceeds support the artists who bring ANNA BELLA EEMA to life every Thurs -Sunday!

And if you haven't figured it out already, we're running in Berkeley now, July 5-15th. Come on out and see us!

In case you missed it...

We hosted a sneak peek and informal interview with playwright Lisa D'Amour when she was in town during Anna Bella Eema rehearsals.

In case you missed it, you can now catch video of the interview here.

fireside chats

We've been hosting informal chats with audience members following each performance of ANNA BELLA EEMA. In an effort to get away from the stuffy talk back, we're breaking out the bottles of wine, asking questions of the audience as much (if not more) than answering questions from them, and the result has been some really fascinating and engaging discussions.

This production is a great example of the kind of theater that is at the heart of Crowded Fire. We love that everyone is walking away from the show with a slightly different take on it. We love that people are so stimulated by the show, that they are eager to deconstruct the text, often debating one another and asking more and more questions.

And folks are continuing the conversation when they go home. We've got people yelping about it, emailing us directly, and linking to their blogs. Don't get me wrong, we've basked in the critical praise that ANNA BELLA EEMA has received thus far, but hearing from you directly has been the real pleasure. This is what theatre is all about to us.

We call our talk backs "fireside chats." How appropriate, then, to hear John S. in his review say "theater and religious ritual both started in the same place - as stories told around a campfire somewhere. Now we think of them as being two different experiences, but in plays like Anna Bella Eema it is possible to return to the primal campfire and experience them together again."