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Thank you! And see you at the Festival!
The San Francisco Olympians Festival is returning and will need dozens of actors for its 2018 festival which plays October 3 to October 20 at the EXIT Theatre.
No Nude Men Productions, one of San Francisco’s longest running indy theater troupes, will roll out 28 new plays written by 26 local writers and 5 national writers. The plays range from shorts to one-acts to full-lengths, and each one explores a different figure from Roman mythology or history, including an 8 part serial about Cleopatra.
Each of these 28 plays will receive a dramatic reading at the EXIT Theater, and for that we’ll need actors, so if you’re the kind of person who can rock a dramatic reading, we’d love to have you join us in a continuing tradition of creating exciting new work that showcases the diverse talents of some of San Francisco’s best playwrights!
Rehearsals will all be in September and October, and will involve 3-5 MAX for each show.
Auditions are Sunday, August 19, 2 PM to 8:30 PM, and Monday, August 20, 7-9:30 PM, at the EXIT. Please e-mail [email protected] to schedule an audition slot and put “Audition Request” in the subject line.
Auditions will consist of reading aloud passages of text we choose ahead of time. Please bring a headshot and resume. Leave yourself at least half an hour to get through the audition process.
There is a small stipend, determined by attendance each night of the festival (i.e. you get a percentage of the box office).
If scheduling permits (and you’re interested), all actors will be considered for multiple plays.
Actors of all identities encouraged to audition! We have excellent opportunities for a wide variety of performers!
For more information about the festival and the individual plays and authors, check out www.sfolympians.com
Please pass this on to any actors you may know!
Sorry, but we can not use AEA performers for this event.
This year’s writers are: Ai, Carson Beker, Stuart Bousel, John Patrick Bray, Casey Busher, Jessica Chisum, Alan Coyne, Nara Dahlbacka, Bridgette Dutta Portman, Eve Edelson, Barry Eitel, John Elison, Libby Emmons, Elizabeth Flanagan, John Lennon Harrison, Terezi Harrison, Neil Higgins, Nicole Jost, Christine Keating, Lisa Kee-Hamasaki, Jason Mendez, Laylah Muran De Assereto, Allison Page, Patricia Reynoso, Annette Roman, Kirk Shimano, Christian Simonsen, Nic Sommerfeld, Kitty Torres, Veronica Tjioe, Maury Zeff
This year’s directors are: Kieran Beccia, Stuart Bousel, Nara Dahlbacka, Sophia Mia Dipaola, Jerome Josephe Gentes , Cole Ferraiuolo, Sara Judge, Dan Kurtz, Juliana Lustenader, Alessandro McLaughlin, Allison Page, Lily Sorenson, Alejandro Torres, Finn Ware, Dan Wilson
Check out the fun new art by our Art Director Cody Rishell!
Check back soon for more updates about this year’s exciting festival!
ANNOUNCING THE 2017 SAN FRANCISCO OLYMPIANS FESTIVAL!
The SF Olympians Festival VIII: Mediterranean Cruise
October 4 to 21, 2017, W-Th-F-S, at 8 PM
The EXIT Stage Left, 156 Eddy Street, San Francisco
$10.00 at the door, cash only
$12.00 online at Brown Paper Tickets
Come take a cruise around the ancient civilizations that inspired or were inspired by the myths of Ancient Greece!
The San Francisco Olympians Festival is a new works reading festival that has been gaining momentum since its first year, with sixteen plays that were commissioned by the festival having gone on to full productions: 2010’s Hermes (No Nude Men Productions, Dramaworks, Bread and Water Theatre), Juno En Victoria (Wily West Productions), and Salty Towers (Thunderbird Theater Company); 2011’s Cassiopeia (Eat Street Players), Chronus (Bread and Water Theatre), You’re Going To Bleed (DIVAFest), Io (Off The Cliff Theatre), and Pleiades (No Nude Men Productions); 2012’s Caeneus and Poseidon (Dragon Theatre) and Twins (PianoFight Productions); 2013’s Take Me Home: a One-woman Odyssey (Salon San Carlos, Lucy Tafler Presents, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival); 2014’s Satyr Night Fever (San Francisco Theater Pub), Centaur or The Horse’s Ass (Repurposed Theatre), and The Dryad of Suburbia (PianoFight); 2015’s Cymopoleia or Wave Walker (Pear Avenue Theatre), and Brizo (EXIT Theatre). Many have also received additional readings on local and national stages, or other development or workshop opportunities, including: 2010’s Juno En Victoria (Pacific Play Company); 2011’s Joe Ryan (Impact Theatre), Pleiades (Atlantic Stage), Io (Chameleon Theatre Circle), and Selene, or Someone Like The Moon (EXIT Theatre); 2012’s Caeneus and Poseidon (Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco, City Lights Theater), and Twins (San Francisco State, Custom Made Theatre Company); 2013’s Under The Gods’ Golden Cleats (Dramatist Guild); 2014’s Beauty Secrets (Cutting Ball Theatre Company); 2015’s You’ll Not Feel The Drowning and Oceanus (Custom Made Theatre Company) and Ino Leucothea (Red Bull Theatre); 2016’s Ceres En Victoria (The Swedish American Hall), Lethe (Artists at Albatross Reach), Drumming With Anubis (Left Edge Theater Company), and Erinyes/Eumenides (Custom Made Theatre Company). Additionally, 2015’s You’ll Not Feel The Drowning was the recipient of the Custom Made Theatre Company’s New Development Program Workshop in 2017. 2013’s Walls Of Troy was a finalist for the Stanley Drama Award and the entire festival won “Playwriting Series Most Likely to Win a Gold Medal” from the SF Bay Guardian in 2013. Additionally, EXIT Press has released a collection of five plays from Year One of the festival, Songs of Hestia, and ten plays from Year Two, Heavenly Bodies, both available for purchase on Amazon.com and at bookstores across the country. Find out more at https://sfolympiansfestival.com/
Since 2010 the festival has featured the work of 97 Writers, 74 Directors, 388 Actors, and 39 Fine Artists!
This year we are excited to debut 36 new plays by 30 local writers, 13 of whom will be contributing written work to the festival for the first time! The plays range from shorts to one-acts to full-lengths, and each one explores a different legend or god from Egyptian, Mesopotamian, or Latin mythology.
The 2017 festival will play 12 nights, October 4-21, Wednesday through Saturday, at the EXIT Stage Left Theatre in San Francisco (156 Eddy Street). Tickets are $10.00 at the door, and can be purchased starting at 7:30 the night of the show, or for $12 in advance at Brown Paper Tickets. All shows begin at 8 PM. Audience members who attend more than four nights get the fifth free.
This year’s fine artists include:
Nathan Anderson, Christopher Bauman, Molly Benson, Liz Conley, Marisa Darabi, Brett Grunig, Kathi Lathi, Reginal Rusty Jackson, Christine Keating, Emily C. Martin, Helen Park, Cody A. Rishell, Brian Yee
The art will be on display at the EXIT Theatre the entire month of October!
This year’s lineup, all shows beginning at 8 PM:
SF OLYMPIANS VIII: MEDITERANEAN CRUISE (10/4-10/21)
Week One: EGYPT (10/4-10/7)
Wednesday, October 4: Divine Prince
HORUS written by Jason Mendez, directed by Sara Judge
You can be a grad student and find out you’re a god, but you still have to pass your exam.
Thursday, October 5: Courtiers
THOTH, written and directed by Michelle Elaine Ianiro
I always thought my life should be a sitcom. Seriously, you just can’t make this sh*t up!
BASTET, written by Alan Coyne, directed by Alejandro Torres
Exactly one hundred years ago, the Dutch dancer / performance artist Mata Hari was executed by the French army for espionage. She went down in legend as the world’s most famous spy, but as BASTET shows, the facts are more complicated than the fiction.
Friday, October 6: River Protectors/Desert Dwellers
HEKET written by Vanessa Flores, directed by Nikki Meñez
The goddess of rebirth has been reincarnated as an awkward, frog-headed teen and she’s gone missing. Her recent internet search history leads her worried parents to believe she’s on a quest for true love—in the depths of an ancient Egyptian tomb.
HATMEHIT written by Patsy Fergusson, directed by Nikki Meñez
That beggar in the BART station could be more than she seems.
SOBEK written by Nicole Jost, directed by Nikki Meñez
On the banks of the River Nile, you might meet a beautiful stranger with a winning smile… A play about appetites.
TAWAWERT written by Erin Marie Panttaja, directed by Nikki Meñez
Some days it’s enough to have the hippopotamus midwife on your side. But isn’t going to be one.
WADJET written by Dan Kurtz, directed by Nikki Meñez
Just because she’s successful, she’s expected to just roll over while some kook (who used to be her husband) turns her into an unwilling symbol for his kooky ideas? Heck no.
HEDETET written by Bridgette Dutta Portman, directed by Nikki Meñez
Scorpions and babies generally don’t mix, unless you’re Hedetet. And sometimes not even then.
BABI written by Lori Chapman, directed by Nikki Meñez
That awkward moment when you die, and you find out that your god is kind of a dick.
WEPWAWET, written by Patricia Morin, directed by Nikki Meñez
A small-time talent scout hits it big. How can he keep the big-time scouts from stealing his hopefuls?
Saturday, October 7: Dual Divinity
HATHOR written by Laylah Muran de Assereto, directed by ShawnJ West
It’s hard to let go of the dead, if they won’t stay dead.
SEKHMET written by Daphne Dorman, directed by Monique Pomales
Victories are claimed, defeats are blamed, but checkmates are forever.
Week Two: MESOPOTAMIA (10/11-10/14)
Wednesday, October 11: Earth
ERESHKIGAL, written and directed by Cynthia Hussey
Two sisters torn by grief, united by a horrible secret.
MUMMU, written and directed by Kirk Shimano
The story of how a stick, a bird, and a pile of cow intestines tried to save the world and failed.
Thursday, October 12: Water
ABZU written by Megan Cohen, directed by Megan Cohen
When a woman dying of thirst discovers an entire family living in her bucket of water, she must choose who will be sacrificed and what yearnings will be quenched. In this comic parable, solo performer Megan Cohen (Edinburgh Fringe, Theater Bay Area “Eye On” Emerging Artist Honoree) investigates desire, privilege, and transformation.
TIAMAT, written by Stuart Bousel, directed by Genevieve Perdue
Five heads are not always better than one. Or two. Or three. Or four.
Friday, October 13: Fire
ISHTAR, written by Barry Eitel, directed by Sara Razavi
A bloody civil war in ancient Mesopotamia metastasizes into an international quagmire, and war goddess Ishtar must navigate the hallways of hell as she faces the deadly drawbacks of intervention.
Saturday, October 14: Air
SHAMASH, written by Jake Rosenberg, directed by Jeremy Cole
In ancient Babylon, Shemash the Sun, brought light and the law. Now, in the evening of Man, where has he gone to?
HADAD, written by Jeanie Ngo, directed by Christine Keating
A modern Vietnamese fairy tale takes on a life of its own through the lens of magical realism.
ENLIL, written by Nic Sommerfeld, directed by Christine Keating
Have care of the wind you choose, she can take you anywhere.
NANNA-SIN, written by Barbara Jwanouskos, directed by Christine Keating
A young woman gifted in connecting to the spiritual realm journeys to meet the priestess of Nanna-Sin, in order to learn how to join him. When others discover her power, however, she must weave her way through corruption in order to keep from being exploited as a means to reshape the government.
Week Three: LATIUM (10/18-10/21)
Wednesday, October 18: The Secret Keeper
JANUS, written by Sam Bertken, directed by Casey Robbins
Lemony Snicket meets Narnia in this comedic and tragic tale. A mysterious door appears in the lives of three seemingly disconnected people- and what lies beyond it will change their lives forever.
Thursday, October 19: Attendants of Grove And Field
FLORA, written by Meg Trowbridge, directed by Allison Page
Soft petals, delicious aromas, beautiful to gaze upon. Geogria O’Keefe wasn’t the only person to think of sex when she saw a flower…
FERONIA, written by Meg Trowbridge, directed by Allison Page
When modern-day Feronia worshippers accidentally conjure the goddess into their Berkeley kitchen, Feronia gets a glimpse of today’s modern conveniences and is ready to throw the wilderness to the wolves.
PORTUNES, written by Tonya Narvaez, directed by Allison Page
A lighthouse beam has been dark for several days as a storm rages on. What’s going on out there?
PALES, written by Christian Simonsen, directed by Allison Page
Can a minor god in the Roman Empire hang on to his career - and his dignity - by taking a gig as the opening act for the Child of Bethlehem?
VOLTURNUS, written by Tonya Narvaez, directed by Allison Page
A ring lost long ago resurfaces, ending up in the hands of someone quite unlikely.
POMANA, written by Stacey Matthews-Winn, directed by Allison Page
Train up a child in the way he should go? So says the proverb, but all that binding and pruning can have unintended consequences.
VERTUMNUS, written by Stacey Matthews-Winn, directed by Allison Page
Should becoming Mr. Right be an iterative process?
FONTUS, written by Christian Simonsen, directed by Allison Page
While Fontus, the god of wells and springs, tries desperately to stop authorities in Ancient Rome from poisoning their own people with lead filled water, he finds himself transported to another city in a dying empire: Flint, Michigan.
Friday, October 20: Queens of Temple And Hall
FORTUNA I, written by Neil Higgins, directed by Megan Briggs
What does the theological philosopher Saint Augustine do when he is met by the very goddess he has renounced in one of his treatises? Debate her existence, of course.
CARMENTA written by Marissa Skudlarek, directed by Megan Briggs
Carmen’s music helped Evie through adolescence. Her wisdom will help Evie through childbirth.
FORTUNA II, written by Bridgette Dutta Portman, directed by Megan Briggs
Join Fortuna, host of the Ancient Roman world’s favorite game of chance! She’s omniscient! She’s clairvoyant! And she’s bored as hell.
SALUS, written by Elizabeth Flannagan, directed by Megan Briggs
When the end of the world isn’t enough.
Saturday, October 21: The Proto-Savior
ADONIS, written by Stuart Bousel, directed by Juliana Lustenader
A man returns from the dead- or does he? As his family and loved ones try to solve the puzzle, he finds himself faced with the greatest puzzle of all: the reason we exist.
This year’s acting company includes:
Simone Alexander, Nikki Arias, Erika Bakse, Stacey Beckley, Eric Berglund, David Boyll, Teresita Brown, Alsa Bruno, Richard Bunker, Brianna Cala, Andrew Calabrese, Ron Chapman, Amy Cook, Julia Collins, Michael Curry, Adrian Deane, Sophia DiPaola, Pam Drummer Williams, Ellen Dunphy, Alisha Ehrlich, Vince Faso, Elaine Gavin, Ittai Geiger, Ashley Gennerelli, Jan Gilbert, Robyn Grahn, Matt Gunnison, Shannon Alane Harger, Debra Y. Harvey, Mariah Heath, Sam Heft-Luthy, Rebecca Hodges, Christine Hong, Derek Jones, Jeremy Jones, Kate Jones, Ann Kendrick, Siddharta Kusuma, Morgan LeClaire, Brian Levi, Carl Lucania, Alissa Magrill, Max Maliga, Kate McGraff, Beverly McGriff, Jennifer McNeal, Kyle Merryman, Deborah Murphy, Kyle McReddie, Kai Morrison, Sasha Motalygo, Ana Nelson, Dylan O’Connor, Nicole Odell, Lora Oliver, Ben Ortega, Mike Ottum, Sunil Patel, Fred Pitts, Kaeli Quick, Kelly Rinehart, Chris Robledo, Belgica Rodriguez, Cassie Rosenbrock, Amitis Rossoukh, Janice Rumschlag, Gabe Sanchez, Karl Schackne, Ayelet Schrek, Dillon Siedentopf, David James Silpa, Brittany Sims, Daniela Sirkin, Terrance Smith, Lisa Tateosian, Kitty Torres, Kaz Valtchev, Edgar Vega, Ivan Velazquez, Vicki Victoria, Finn Ware, Michael Weiland, Alison Whismore, Russ Whismore, Karl Wieser, Jasmine Williams
DONORS TO THE 2017 SF OLYMPIANS FESTIVAL!
Our deepest thanks to…
Anonymous
Paul Anderson
Nancy Au
William Baker
Carson Beker
Mary Ann Bell & Joseph Skudlarek
Tim Bishop
Megan Briggs
Louise Castaldi
Burton Cohen
Jeremy Cole
Darkemoone
Jacquie Duckworth
Bridgette Dutta Portman
Robert Estes
Michelle Elaine Ianiro
Barbara Jwanouskos
Pamela Jwanouskos
Rachel Kessinger
Brian Katz
Christine Keating
AD Kruninsh
Dan Kurtz
Richard Livingston
Carl Lucania
Catherine Luedtke
Patricia L. Morin
Laylah Muran de Assereto
Jason O’Connor
Allison Page
Lana Palmer
Genevieve Perdue
Evelyn Jean Pine
Diana Rishell
Kirk Shimano
Elizabeth Spreen
Melissa Stamberger
David Templeton
Kathe Traynor
Jeffrey Trescott
Jessica Wallen
Teri Whipple
Stacey Winn
Wolfgang Weber
…we couldn’t do it without you!
The San Francisco Olympians Festival is returning and will need dozens of actors for its 2017 festival which plays October 4 to October 21.
No Nude Men Productions, one of San Francisco’s longest running indy theater troupes, will roll out 36 new plays written by 30 local writers. The plays range from shorts to one-acts to full-lengths, and each one explores a different legend or god from Egyptian, Mesopotamian, or Latin mythology.
Each of these 36 plays will receive a dramatic reading at the EXIT Theater, and for that we’ll need actors, so if you’re the kind of person who can rock a dramatic reading, we’d love to have you join us in a continuing tradition of creating exciting new work that showcases the diverse talents of some of San Francisco’s best playwrights!
Rehearsals will all be in September and October, and will involve 3-5 MAX for each show.
Auditions are Sunday, August 27, 2 PM to 8:30 PM, and Monday, August 28, 7-9:30 PM, at the EXIT. Please e-mail [email protected] to schedule an audition slot.
Auditions will consist of reading aloud passages of text we choose ahead of time. Please bring a headshot and resume. Leave yourself at least half an hour to get through the audition process.
There is a small stipend, determined by attendance each night of the festival (i.e. you get a percentage of the box office).
If scheduling permits (and you’re interested), all actors will be considered for multiple plays.
Actors of all identities encouraged to audition! We have excellent opportunities for a wide variety of performers!
For more information about the festival and the individual plays and authors, check out www.sfolympians.com
Please pass this on to any actors you may know!
Sorry, but we can not use AEA performers for this event.
This year’s writers are: Sam Bertken, Stuart Bousel, Lori Chapman, Megan Cohen, Alan Coyne, Daphne Dorman, Bridgette Dutta Portman, Barry Eitel, Patsy Fergusson, Elizabeth Flannagan, Vanessa Flores, Neil Higgins, Cynthia Hussey, Michelle Elaine Ianiro, Nicole Jost, Barbara Jwanouskos, Dan Kurtz, Stacey Matthews-Winn, Jason Mendez, Patricia Morin, Laylah Muran de Assereto, Tonya Narvaez, Jeanie Ngo, Erin Marie Panttaja, Jake Rosenberg, Kirk Shimano, Christian Simonsen, Marissa Skudlarek, Nic Sommerfeld, Meg Trowbridge
This year’s directors are: Megan Briggs, Megan Cohen, Jeremy Cole, Cynthia Hussey, Michelle Elaine Ianiro, Sara Judge, Christine Keating, Juliana Lustenader, Nicole Meñez, Allison Page, Genevieve Perdue, Sara Razavi, Casey Robbins, Kirk Shimano, Monique Thomas, Alejandro Torres, ShawnJ West
SF OLYMPIANS VIV: ROMAN HOLIDAY (10/3-10/20)
All dates in 2018!
Week One: IMPERIAL WORLD (10/3-10/6)
Wednesday, October 3: The Way In
Full Length: Janus- Ai Ebashi*
Thursday, October 4: The Venerable Father
Full Length: Saturn- John Elison*
Friday, October 5: Capitoline Triad
Full Length: Jupiter/Juno/Minerva- Laylah Muran De Assereto
Saturday, October 6: The Prodigal Son
Full Length: Mars- John Lennon Harrison
Curtain Warmer: Cupid- Jason Mendez
Curtain Warmer: Psyche- Terezi Harrison*
Week Two: DIVINE DESCENT (10/10-10/13)
Wednesday, October 10: The Legacy
Full Length: Aeanus- Stuart Bousel
Thursday, October 11: The Founders
One-Act: Romulus- John Patrick Bray*
One-Act: Remus- Jessica Chisum*
Friday, October 12: The Inheretors
One-Act: Julius Cesar- Allison Page
One-Act: Octavian Augustus- Nic Sommerfeld
Saturday, October 13: The Origin
Full-Length: Venus- Christine Keating
Curtain Warmer: Bellona- Bridgette Dutta Portman
Curtain Warmer: Victoria- Annette Roman
Week Three: HEARTH & TOWN & COUNTRY & TOMB (10/17-10/20)
Wednesday, October 17: The Secret Keeper
Full Length: Vesta- Veronica Tjioe
Thursday, October 18: Gods! Gods! Gods!
Short: Neptune- Elizabeth Flanagan
Short: Mercury- Nicole Jost
Short: Apollo- Kirk Shimano
Short: Vulcan- Casey Busher*
Short: Sol- Christian Simonsen and Lisa Kee-Hamasaki*
Short: Quirinus- Eve Edelson*
Short: Dis- Maury Zeff*
Short: Faunus- Meghan Trowbrdige O’Connor
Friday, October 19: Aventine Triad
Full Length: Ceres/Liber/Libera- Barry Eitel
Saturday, October 20: The Triple Goddess
Full Length: Diana- Libby Emmons*
Curtain Warmer: Luna- Neil Higgins
Curtain Warmer: Trivia- Alan Coyne
AND FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER:
A SERIAL: Cleopatra- Carson Beker and Nara Dahlbacka*
* First time writing for the festival.
Happy IDES OF MARCH!
Announcing SAN FRANCISCO OLYMPIANS FESTIVAL IX: ROMAN HOLIDAY
Want to write for the Olympians Festival?
Well, now is your chance!
We are now accepting submissions for the 2018 San Francisco Olympians Festival, a multi-discipline, nationally and internationally recognized new works theater festival based at the EXIT Theatre in San Francisco!
Proposals due by midnight on May 15th, with the line-up for next year’s festival to be announced 7/1/2017. Our first meeting will be on December 12 of 2017.
The festival will take place in October of 2018, from October 3-October 20, Wedesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8 PM, at the EXIT Theatre in San Francisco.
Each night of the festival will consist of the staged reading of either a full-length play or a series of shorts, inspired by the mythical gods and heroes of Ancient Greece, and those cultures which influenced it or were influenced by it. The subjects, and the lengths of the plays we’re looking for, are specified below.
There are no submission fees. The Olympians Festival is non-exclusive and does not retain ownership of any play created for it, beyond the initial staged reading. Participating writers receive a portion of their box office the night of the reading, and will be expected to help promote the festival and contribute a raffle prize of their choice to be raffled off to the audience on the night their play is read. Local writers or their designated representatives are also expected to attend 4-6 meetings over the course of the year, and our auditions, which happen in August.
Writers are encouraged to submit as many proposals as they want for as many topics as they like. Applications for a topic can be submitted by individuals or writers can work in pairs, or teams of three or more. Writers may be picked for more than one project, and should note that they’d like to be considered for more than one (or not). Each proposal should be 500 words or less and answer three questions:
1) Why you?
2) Why this figure?
3) What is your idea?
All proposals should be submitted electronically to Stuart at [email protected].
We are an equal opportunity festival and all Bay Area writers are encouraged to apply. Additionally for this year, in the Roman spirit of inclusion and amalgamation of outside cultures and traditions, we will accept proposals from up to SIX NATIONAL WRITERS. So if you’re a US playwright and want to be a part of the festival, now is your chance. These guest slots are not pre-determined, so apply to whatever strikes your fancy, and specify you are a playwright from outside of the Bay Area.
2018′s subjects are as follows. Only one is currently claimed and submissions are encouraged for all of the rest:
SF OLYMPIANS VIV: ROMAN HOLIDAY (10/3-10/20)
Week One: IMPERIAL WORLD (10/3-10/6)
Wednesday, October 3: The Way In
Full Length: Janus, two-faced god of beginnings, endings, keys, doors, luck, the past and the future. A very Roman God if ever there was one.
Thursday, October 4: The Venerable Father
Full Length: Saturn, the father of Jupiter, but unlike his Greek counterpart Chronus, Saturn became the ruler of the blessed realms, eternally golden, a kind of benevolent grandfather figure.
Friday, October 5: Capitoline Triad
Full Length: Jupiter/Juno/Minerva, were a trio of gods acting in tandem who symbolized the ideal Romans- a strong and just patriarch, a kind and gracious matriarch, and a clever but dutiful daughter.
Saturday, October 6: The Prodigal Son
Full Length: Mars, the center of Roman society was the warrior, the Centurion who conquered the world for Rome, and Mars was the god of war and warriors, Roman power, and the Roman way of life.
Curtain Warmer: Bellona, attendant of Mars, she was an ancient Etruscan goddess of war who was given a subordinate position in Roman Society.
Curtain Warmer: Victoria, another attendant of Mars, she was the winged goddess of Victory!
Week Two: DIVINE DESCENT (10/10-10/13)
Wednesday, October 10: The Legacy
Full Length: Aeanus, the refuge Trojan prince from whom the people of Rome were said to be descended. (TAKEN)
Thursday, October 11: The Founders
One-Act: Romulus, the great hero for whom Rome was named, founder of the city, raised by wolves.
One-Act: Remus, his twin brother.
Friday, October 12: The Inheretors
One-Act: Julius Cesar, the famous Roman emperor murdered on the Ides of March, who was also the first historical Roman to be deified after his death.
One-Act: Octavian Augustus, Cesar’s heir, he was considered the greatest Emperor to ever live, by some, and a tyrant by others. He became the second historical Roman to achieve god status after death.
Saturday, October 13: The Origin
Full-Length: Venus, goddess of love and beauty, the consort of Mars, she was said to be the mother of Aeneas and thus the rulers of Rome traced their lineage back to her and claimed divine right as a result.
Curtain Warmer: Cupid, winged god of love, son of Venus and Mars.
Curtain Warmer: Psyche, the embodiment of the soul and wife of Cupid, her story is Greek (like her name) but it was immportalized by the Roman poet Apuleius.
Week Three: HEARTH & TOWN & COUNTRY & TOMB (10/17-10/20)
Wednesday, October 17: The Secret Keeper
Full Length: Vesta, goddess of the hearth and fire, she represented the average Roman and the aristocrat, the slave and the Centurion alike, for she was the embodiment of the Roman Home.
Thursday, October 18: Gods! Gods! Gods!
Short: Neptune, god of the sea and ships.
Short: Mercury, god of commerce and the messenger of the gods.
Short: Apollo, god of music, poetry, healing, and the “gentle arts”.
Short: Vulcan, god of blacksmiths and craftsmen.
Short: Sol, god of the Sun and the watchman of Truth.
Short: Quirinus, protector of the Roman state and god of lawyers.
Short: Dis, the king of the dead.
Short: Faunus, the god of the countryside, and a faun!
Friday, October 19: Aventine Triad
Full Length: Ceres/Liber/Libera, were a trio of gods who acted in tandem in concern with all things agricultural and growing, from grain to wine, to plants and animal husbandry.
Saturday, October 20: The Triple Goddess
Full Length: Diana, the virgin goddess of hunting and the wild, sister of Apollo, a mysterious entity said to have three forms. On the earth, she was Diana.
Curtain Warmer: Luna, was said to be Diana in the sky, and was goddess of the moon.
Curtain Warmer: Trivia, was said to be Diana in the underworld, and was the goddess of witches, magic, crossroads, and secrets.
AND FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER:
A SERIAL: Cleopatra, the original goddess/priestess/queen/witch/warrior/lover/spy/whore archetype, she transcends pretty much everything, including history, and she was a major thorn in the side of the Roman Empire, at a key moment in the transition from Republic to Imperial State. She declared herself the goddess of the sky, during her lifetime, and named her twins by Mark Anthony, Selene and Helios as a not-to-subtle reminder that she was more than human. This year we offer an exceptional challenge for this exceptional woman: proposals must be for a serial, written either by one author, or a group of writers. 8 ten minute episodes, one to be performed at the start of the night on October 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17 and 19.
Length Guidelines:
Curtain Warmer: 5-8 minutes long
Short: 10-15 minutes long
One-Act (night of 2): 45-70 minutes long
Full-Length: 55+ minutes
Serial: 8, 10 minutes or less parts
Find out more about the festival at www.sfolympiansfestival.com or visit us on Facebook and Twitter.
Hello, and welcome to the San Francisco Olympians Festival website! We’ll be updating and adding to this website over the next few days and weeks! Stay tuned!
Meanwhile, here is this year’s line-up! Please join us at the EXIT Theatre this October for SF Olympians VIII!
SF OLYMPIANS VIII: MEDITERANEAN CRUISE (10/4-10/21)
Week One: EGYPT (10/4-10/7)
Wednesday, October 4: Divine Prince
Full Length: Horus- Jason Mendez
Thursday, October 5: Courtiers
One-Act: Thoth- Michelle Elaine Ianiro *
One-Act: Bastet- Alan Coyne
Friday, October 6: River Protectors/Desert Dwellers
Short: Heket- Vanessa Flores *
Short: Hatmehit- Patsy Fergusson
Short: Sobek- Nicole Jost *
Short: Tawawert- Erin Marie Panttaja *
Short: Wadjet- Dan Kurtz *
Short: Hedetet- Bridgette Dutta Portman
Short: Babi- Lori Chapman *
Short: Wepwawet- Patricia Morin *
Saturday, October 7: Dual Divinity
One-Act: Hathor- Laylah Muran de Assereto
One-Act: Sekhmet- Daphne Dorman *
Week Two: MESOPOTAMIA (10/11-10/14)
Wednesday, October 11: Earth
One-Act: Ereshkigal- Cynthia Hussey *
One-Act: Mummu- Kirk Shimano
Thursday, October 12: Water
One-Act: Abzu- Megan Cohen
One-Act: Tiamat- Kendra Arimoto-Maselli
Friday, October 13: Fire
Full-Length: Ishtar- Barry Eitel *
Saturday, October 14: Air
One-Act: Shamash- Jake Rosenberg *
One-Act: Enlil- Nic Sommerfeld *
One-Act: Hadad- Jeanie Ngo
One-Act: Nanna-Sin- Barbara Jwanouskos
Week Three: LATIUM (10/18-10/21)
Wednesday, October 18: The Secret Keeper
Full Length: Janus- Sam Bertken
Thursday, October 19: Attendants of Grove And Field
Short: Flora- Meg Trowbridge
Short: Feronia- Meg Trowbridge
Short: Portunes- Tonya Narvaez
Short: Pales- Christian Simonsen
Short: Volturnus- Tonya Narvaez
Short: Pomona- Stacey Matthews-Winn *
Short: Vortumnus- Stacey Matthews-Winn *
Short: Fontus- Christian Simonsen
Friday, October 20: Queens of Temple And Hall
One-Act: Fortuna I- Neil Higgins
One-Act: Carmenta- Marissa Skudlarek
One-Act: Fortuna II- Bridgette Dutta Portman
One-Act: Salus- Elizabeth Flannagan
Saturday, October 21: The Proto-Savior
Full Length: Adonis- Stuart Bousel
* First time writing for the festival.
What Is The SF Olympians Festival?
The San Francisco Olympians Festival has been gaining momentum since its first year, with sixteen plays that were commissioned by the festival having gone on to full productions: 2010’s Hermes (No Nude Men Productions, Dramaworks, Bread and Water Theatre), Juno En Victoria (Wily West Productions), and Salty Towers (Thunderbird Theater Company); 2011’s Cassiopeia (Eat Street Players), Chronus (Bread and Water Theatre), You’re Going To Bleed (DIVAFest), Io (Off The Cliff Productions), and Pleiades (No Nude Men Productions); 2012’s Caeneus and Poseidon (Dragon Theatre) and Twins (PianoFight Productions); 2013’s Take Me Home: a One-woman Odyssey (Salon San Carlos, Lucy Tafler Presents, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival); 2014’s Satyr Night Fever (San Francisco Theater Pub), Centaur or The Horse’s Ass (Repurposed Theatre), and The Dryad of Suburbia (PianoFight); 2015’s Cymopoleia or Wave Walker (Pear Avenue Theatre), and Brizo (EXIT Theatre). Many have also received additional readings on local and national stages, or other development or workshop opportunities, including: 2010’s Juno En Victoria (Pacific Play Company); 2011’s Joe Ryan (Impact Theatre), Pleiades (Atlantic Stage), Io (Eat Street Players), and Selene, or Someone Like The Moon (EXIT Theatre); 2012’s Caeneus and Poseidon (Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco, City Lights Theater), and Twins (San Francisco State, Custom Made Theatre Company); 2013’s Under The Gods’ Golden Cleats (Dramatist Guild); 2014’s Beauty Secrets (Cutting Ball Theatre Company); 2015’s You’ll Not Feel The Drowning and Oceanus (Custom Made Theatre Company) and Ino Leucothea (Red Bull Theatre); 2016’s Ceres En Victoria (The Swedish American Hall), Lethe (Artists at Albatross Reach), Drumming With Anubis (Left Edge Theater Company), and Erinyes/Eumenides (Custom Made Theatre Company). Additionally, 2015’s You’ll Not Feel The Drowning was the recipient of the Custom Made Theatre Company’s New Development Program Workshop in 2017. 2013’s Walls Of Troy was a finalist for the Stanley Drama Award and the entire festival won “Playwriting Series Most Likely to Win a Gold Medal” from the SF Bay Guardian in 2013. Additionally, EXIT Press has released a collection of five plays from Year One of the festival, Songs of Hestia, and ten plays from Year Two, Heavenly Bodies, both available for purchase on Amazon.com and at bookstores across the country. Find out more at https://sfolympiansfestival.com/
Since 2010 the festival has featured the work of 97 Writers, 74 Directors, 388 Actors, and 39 Fine Artists!