theILLYRIANplayers

ensemble'classics'artists'women'sex-positivity'power'theatre'subversive'art change

[theillyrianplayers]

"Thou told'st me thou didst hold him in thy hate."

The Illyrian Players present

Othello

opening Halloween Night...

be there...or be safe

[theillyrianplayers]

As we start counting down the days till the curtain rises on our faults, our fears, our influences, our otherness that fails us, we breathe and take hold of how we started:

Safe

Sacred

and always Sexy.

Here's to falling down the rabbit hole of our own minds in 29 days...

Othello 

at the Elephant Theater in hollywood

Come dance in the light of your own demons...Halloween Night

www.illyrianplayers.com

[evilspice]

[nohoartsdistrict]

Yep. 

[theillyrianplayers]

"My best friend was sexually assaulted.

My mother's best friend was sexually assaulted.

One incident was stopped before it became rape.

The other was not. 

I am honored to be a part of a theater company that tells the stories the world needs to hear. It is wonderful to be in the room when love happens and laughter and joy and surprise. It is important to be in the room when anguish is exposed and rage and regret and suffering. "

- Katelyn Myer - Core Ensemble Member

In order to have an impact on how sex and gender are viewed and acted upon in our world, we must first confront what is currently there - especially that which is not sex-positive. We, The Illyrian Players, aim to do this through both the stories we tell on the stage, and through "More Than No": a sex-positive, artistic approach to encourage the discussion of date-rape, sexual assault, prevention, and consent.

To view more work by "More Than No" and see what they are all about click here.

[theillyrianplayers]

CALLING ALL NEW YORKERS!!! (or those traveling to New York during the Fringe Festival :P) 

Our core member Tad Shafer is performing in the Fringe Festival!!!!

AND his show has been picked as one of the top 5 shows to see by the NY Post!! WHAT?!?! I know. We harbor some pretty cool artists. 

There are 4 more performances left and you don't want to miss 'em. Trust us. 

Check it all out here!!! (videos, reviews, and tickets OH MY!!)

Here's some people's thoughts: (in case if you didn't trust us...) 

"Thaddeus Shafer's brilliant metamorphoses from one narcissistic male celebrity to the next does exactly that, keeps you laughing on the edge of your seat, and leaves you wishing for an eighth seduction when it's all over." (HFF14 Audience Review)

"Seven different and obtuse stories about our infatuation with celebrities and their infatuations with themselves. Expertly written and incredibly unique. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!" (HFF14 Audience Review)

"Featuring lines such as "Your fans smell like my fans, like cherry Blow Pops and virginty," Lee [one of the seven female play writes] takes her parody of celebrity culture to the limit." (Fringe NYC charged.fm)

[theillyrianplayers]

A taste of the work we produce here at The Illyrian Players. Want more? https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-illyrian-players-theatre-company-2014-season#home It doesn't take a lot to change the world...

[theillyrianplayers]

Introducing... the incredible Emilio Ortega Aldrich! Emilio has been a part of this The Illyrian Players since the very beginning, back in 2011! Has been the dramaturg and special consultant for every Shakespeare play this company has ever done – Twelfth Night, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, and coming this fall, Othello. Emilio is not only a unique genius in Shakespearean insight and a beautiful human being, but he is also the Illyrian House Manager, a brilliant writer and photographer and film-maker/director. He also directed the company’s first short, ‘Drunk Shakespeare: Macbeth’ released a few months ago: http://vimeo.com/89163737 He is currently writing (among many other things) an original play that will be explored in a two-week workshop at the end of this Illyrian season! Check out what he has to say about The Illyrian Players and their exploration of human sexuality: http://vimeo.com/97305647 If you can help us out in our FINAL DAY AND SOME CHANGE, even just $5 or $10, it would make a huge difference to a whole family of artists, and audiences. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-illyrian-players-theatre-company-2014-season/x/1754596#pledges

[theillyrianplayers]

Introducing... the dashing and talented, Gerard Marzilli! Gerard joined Illyria a couple years ago when he played Harry Bagley/Martin in Caryl Churhill's 'Cloud 9'. You may have also seen him killing it on the Illyrian stage playing an incredible range of roles from from Charlotte in 'Lord Blackberry's Apocalypse', The Drum Major in 'Woyzeck', and Baptista Minola (aka Daddy Minola) in 'The Taming of the Shrew' -- not to mention playing Macbeth in our Drunk Shakespeare Macbeth! He is a joy to collaborate with, watch perform, and a beautiful human being. Listen to him talk about how playing a woman (Charlotte in Lord Blackberry) gave this already badass feminist man a new level of empathy for the female experience. The world needs more men who can think and feel and talk this way!!! The incredible love of his life, Elizabeth McCoy chimes in, "Because of the Illyrian Players, we had such a safe place to grow and blossom as partners and lovers. The beliefs and thought IP opened him to give him a better understanding of me, and allows me to be open in ways I never thought possible, and his work ethic is one echoed by every lovely soul in the company. Thank you for being a home for us." This is a company that strives to claim theater as a subversive art form in which to change the world. Do you want to be a part of opening hearts and minds? This is a company for you. Please consider donating to our company's season fundraiser! Only hours left! It doesn't have to be a lot to make a difference... https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-illyrian-players-theatre-company-2014-season/x/7159997#home

[theillyrianplayers]

Our fearless leader the unbelievable powerhouse woman herself Miss Carly Weckstein!!! It is her strength, her creativity, her determination that has brought the company to its feet and kept it running ever since. With less than 34 hours to go check out her campaign and if it speaks to you (which it sings, chants, and shouts to us) please donate and pass along the call!! So much love, so much gratitude, The Illyrian Players https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-illyrian-players-theatre-company-2014-season#home

[theillyrianplayers]

A little interview that I had with the Illyrian Players about why it's important to look at sex and gender roles in theater. Donate to our campaign!!! (Please?) Help us continue our goal of creating awesome ensemble-based sex positive theater in LA! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-illyrian-players-theatre-company-2014-season Love, Zack

[theillyrianplayers]

This company has transformed me as a human and as an artist. So grateful to explore work through a Sex Positive lens, under the guidance of the incredible Carly D. Weckstein. We have just less than 33 hours to achieve our goal to fund our second official season. If you like the work we do, and want to be a part of the magic, please donate!!!!! We are so close! Every little bit helps. This company survives and produces work out of pure love for story telling. The only way we can keep ticket prices low is with this fundraising campaign. #theaterforeveryone #loveisreal Love, Kaitlin

[theillyrianplayers]

I got to play GRUMIO in the 2013 The Illyrian Players Theatre Co.'s Taming of the Shrew. Carly gave me the confidence to own my own again on stage after a 3 year break from the stage. Illyria creates a safe place for artists to work through any creative block and become their truest self...please donate and help keep this company alive to create safe places to artists to play. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-illyrian-players-theatre-company-2014-season#home

[theillyrianplayers]

This is a call to our fundraising campaign. We have 34 HOURS left with $2,900 to go. Read on and hopefully I can convey a smidgen of how important this is. I am only an actress ;) You have your family. Then there's your "family". Then there's your "faaaamily". In 2011 I found my "faaaaaaaaaamily" that has shown me there are no rules, no boundaries, no boxes, no limits. I have never felt sexier, dirtier, younger, lovelier, hornier, older, more desperate, more lonely, more charged, and more loved. In a single season they took me from lost to found, inside to outside, so scared to so hungry for more. We're still here and I am so grateful/nervous: because realistically every show is a triumph and every show is a struggle. To quote from an amazing/essential "faaaaaaaamily" member Kaitlin Huwe: "watch this video and if our mission resonates with you, or you've seen a show that you loved, or if you love me...please support this young budding company" https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-illyrian-players-theatre-company-2014-season/x/7159997#home If it speaks to you or any part of you that WAS a theater person or any part of you that WILL BE a theater person or any part of you that is secretly DESPERATE to be in the actual presence of people in love / despair / rage / triumph / confusion / hope please donate. Please donate so you can laugh with 50+ other people, cry with 50 other people, gasp, guffaw, and stare wide eyed into a living breathing face that just might stare straight back in the desperate attempt to connect. My mother is always racing against time to catch a performance before it leaves existence forever. THAT is something so incredibly special about theater. These people, these characters, situations, moments, emotions, expressions have a time limit and it is the present. They are here and they are gone but the impact of their existence resonates long after their passing. I can still remember the first time I cried in an audience, so touched by Emilia's desperate cries at the death of Desdemona, knowing she has lost her best friend and feeling so guilty she couldn't do more. These moments won't happen unless they are supported into fruition, and we need help. If you can help us in any way, no matter how big or small, hit the link below to donate. If you can’t donate but you might know someone who can please share this with them. It would mean so much to me personally, and to everyone involved with this ensemble. And no matter what: My deepest, sincerest, jazzed out of my mind invitation to come and see a show and share this wonderful world with me because THAT is what it is all about. Thank you for taking time to read this and check out our campaign. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-illyrian-players-theatre-company-2014-season/x/7159997#home Sincerely, Your Quirky Katelyn Myer "Make me a willow cabin at your gate, And call upon my wallet within my jeans; Write loyal cantons of contemned love And sing them loud even in the dead of night; Halloo your name to the reverberate hills And make the babbling gossip of the air Cry out 'ILLYRIA!' O, You should not rest Between the elements of air and earth, But you should totally donate to us!" - Definitely William Shakespeare -

[theillyrianplayers]

And there's also this. The Illyrian Players Theatre Co. is LA's sex positive theatre company. They're the best. And they need your support. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-illyrian-players-theatre-company-2014-season#home Support The Illyrian Players Theatre Co. Love, Tad

[theillyrianplayers]

Today in rehearsal, we were on a ten minute break and a woman who was performing at the Cupcake Theater was talking to us and we told her the name of our theater company, and she goes, "You guys are Illyrian Players?!" and we were like, "Yeah" and she lit up and was so excited because she has heard such great things about us. And it's all true-- So far this year we have put on Paula Vogel's #HowILearnedtoDrive staring Tad Shafer Elitia Daniels Jonny Taylor Cassandra Gonzales and Anna Walters-- Then there was the beautiful piece of art directed by Caitlin Hart showcasing the brilliance of Richard Abraham Zack Hamra and the transformer herself, Katelyn Myer along with so many new and amaaaazing actors from The Vagrancy's core ensemble --BOOM! AND this woman heard about us specifically through the ever supportive and blossoming ruby of a female, Miss Elizabeth McCoy. And Now it's my turn--with the Founder at the stead of the ship we call #Odessa, Carly D. Weckstein is changing the course of history-- never before has Tyler McClain's work been put up-- and Thanks to the open arms of Bruce Lemon Jr. and Bethany Esfandiari and our effervescent costume designer Alana Marie, lights by sir Corwin Evans, Robyn G holding down the fort as the Honey Love of all Stage Managers--- --basically what I'm saying is-- this is an amazing company. of people. Artists. Collaborators. Friends. Who all for whatever reason are compelled to put their heart and soul into telling stories in a real way- at a professional level. I remember when Kaitlin Huwe was in Cloud 9, she said to me, "I think The Illyrian Players Theatre Co. is going be in LA for a while: She was right. And if you are an actor, designer, writer, director, artist, or just a plain ol' person who doesn't know what or who they are but you're looking to be a part of something real-- Come meet us, get involved, spread the word, donate if you can. You're money is going towards opening hearts and minds through art. Yeay live Theater ! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-illyrian-players-theatre-company-2014-season#home Love, Joanna

[hitrecord]

[hitrecordjoe]

COMMUNITY CHECKS

I’m super-stoked that we’re sending out over 1,000 Checks totaling more than $700,000 to 2013’s Contributing Artists who reside in 57 different countries all over the world. I am so proud of all the work we did last year - it was an honor to make it all with you.

I know I say this every time we send out checks, but I think it’s worth saying each time. The purpose of hitRECord is not to make money. The purpose of hitRECord is to create meaningful works of art together.

That said, nothing makes me happier than to pay our Contributing Artists for all of the hard work you put into making 2013 our best year yet. I’m excited to collaborate with you again in 2014 and beyond.

Thanks again

J

[theillyrianplayers]

We totally agree and can't wait till we can say the same!! Check this out and if you are inspired to get involved and be the catalyst for paid artists go to our indiegogo + give + shout for joy that you are a a part of making the world a zanier, tastier, far more entertaining place! WOOHOO!!! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-illyrian-players-theatre-company-2014-season#home

[theillyrianplayers]

MEET TERRANCE!!

Our #mancrushmonday!!

He likes to leave ink stains on your panties...

www.illyrianplayers.com

FROM: Nottingham, England

FIRST KISS: Short and ever so sweet

BIGGEST TURN ON: Making the white dirty

IF YOU COULD BE AN ANIMAL WHILE DOIN IT: Spider

MOST EROTIC FOOD: Vanilla pudding

FINAL WORDS: So long Mum, feel better soon

'99 Ways To Fuck A Swan' now playing in Los Angeles!

Tickets at www.illyrianplayers.com

What's your dark desire?