Upstart 16: Festival of Innovative Theatre

UpStart 2016

Shows

boy hugging mother

The Rocket Man - Adapted from Ray Bradbury's short story of the same title, The Rocket Man delivered a view on family life in a world where space travel is common and homes automatically clean themselves. The family of a “rocket man” anxiously awaits his arrival from the latest dangerous, glamorous mission, knowing that when he does return nothing will ever be the same. Kelly Hornung’s stage adaptation brought the dazzling, romantic world of Bradbury's imagination to life, along with his vivid characters and the terrible lessons they must learn.

three people cheering inside box

Out of the Box - Imagination can take us on far-off adventures through time and space, or hold us captive with painful memories. Out of the Box was the story of children’s author Avery Corwin, the writer's block he suffers as he tries to complete his best-selling book series, and questions of what happens to the imagination when we are forced to grow up.

man at public phone

Phone Book - A young man feels his life is far too predictable, so he decides the only logical course of action is to call ten strangers from a payphone in the hope that he might break from his script. Phone Book was a one-man show that explores the repetitive nature of our day-to-day lives.  

Winter 2016 Production

View on YouTube
Father kisses Mother's cheek

The Rocket Man - Father kisses Mother's cheek

Boy and Father talking, the dad is sitting in a chair, the boy is on the floor

The Rocket Man - Boy and Father Talking

Mother tells Boy not to become an Rocket Man. Both are sitting on the ground

The Rocket Man - Mother and Boy

A bed is on stage and stars are projected behind

The Rocket Man - The Stars and Bed

Mother and Father are sitting together on the stage

The Rocket Man - Mother and Father

The boy packs a suitcase

The Rocket Man - Boy

Avery goes into Olivia's Box

Out of the Box - Avery goes into Olivia's Box

A man looking at a stack of boxes

Out of the Box - Justin and Avery

Out of the Box - Olivia writes in her journal

Olivia

Justin and Olivia play with the boxes on stage

Out of the Box - Justin and Olivia

Olivia tells Avery to not blame himself

Out of the Box - Olivia and Avery

Justin and Avery sit on the stage

Out of the Box - Justin and Avery

The actors play in the boxes

Out of the Box - A new adventure

Simon makes a call

Phone Book - Simon makes a call

Simon looks through a phone book

Phone Book - Simon looks through a phone book

Simon makes a call

Phone Book: Has a tough time

Simon stands on stage beside a pay phone

Phone Book - Simon has a realization

Simon stands on stage in front of a payphone

Phone book - Simon

Father kisses Mother's cheek
1 / 18
The Rocket Man - Father kisses Mother's cheek
Boy and Father talking, the dad is sitting in a chair, the boy is on the floor
2 / 18
The Rocket Man - Boy and Father Talking
Mother tells Boy not to become an Rocket Man. Both are sitting on the ground
3 / 18
The Rocket Man - Mother and Boy
A bed is on stage and stars are projected behind
4 / 18
The Rocket Man - The Stars and Bed
Mother and Father are sitting together on the stage
5 / 18
The Rocket Man - Mother and Father
The boy packs a suitcase
6 / 18
The Rocket Man - Boy
Avery goes into Olivia's Box
7 / 18
Out of the Box - Avery goes into Olivia's Box
A man looking at a stack of boxes
8 / 18
Out of the Box - Justin and Avery
Out of the Box - Olivia writes in her journal
9 / 18
Olivia
Justin and Olivia play with the boxes on stage
10 / 18
Out of the Box - Justin and Olivia
Olivia tells Avery to not blame himself
11 / 18
Out of the Box - Olivia and Avery
Justin and Avery sit on the stage
12 / 18
Out of the Box - Justin and Avery
The actors play in the boxes
13 / 18
Out of the Box - A new adventure
Simon makes a call
14 / 18
Phone Book - Simon makes a call
Simon looks through a phone book
15 / 18
Phone Book - Simon looks through a phone book
Simon makes a call
16 / 18
Phone Book: Has a tough time
Simon stands on stage beside a pay phone
17 / 18
Phone Book - Simon has a realization
Simon stands on stage in front of a payphone
18 / 18
Phone book - Simon

Directors: Meghan Landers, Mollie Garrett, and Sam Beuerle

Performances: March 16 - 19th, 2016

Venue: Theatre of the Arts, Modern Languages Building

The 2016 UpStart Festival was the University of Waterloo’s bi-annual one-act play festival, and featured three new scripts written, developed, directed and designed by Theatre and Performance students working under faculty supervision.

Festival Production Team

Production Manager – Janelle Rainville

Technical Director/ Sound Designer – Gill Lesperance

Staff Head of Wardrobe – Sharon Secord

Head of Wardrobe – Jaimie Bain

Head of Publicity – Jessica Blondin

Props Builder – Shaw Forgeron

Instructors – William Chesney, Toby Malone, Jennifer Roberts-Smith, Janet Sellery

Crew – Jenn Addesso, Celena Alcock, Brooke Barnes, Alexandra Carruthers, Annaijah Dacres, Sebastian Evans, Darius Hahn, Tausha Hanna, Erik Van Dijk

Cast Creative Teams

The Rocket Man

Boy - Anya Forestell

Father - Douglas Piper

Mother - Alexandra Porter

Based on the short story by Ray Bradbury

Adapted by – Kelly Horning

Directed by – Meghan Landers

Stage Manager – Stefan Radic

Dramaturg – Carly Derderian

Costume Designer – Sandy Thi

Scenographer – Cameron Jolliffe

Video Designer – Alice Wang

Out of the Box

Olivia - Alyssa Almeida

Avery - Cameron Smith

Justin - Erik Van Dijk

Written by – Jenn Addesso

Directed by – Mollie Garrett

Stage Manager - Teresa Marie Allen

Dramaturg – Clare Flood

Costume Designer – Sandy Thi

Scenographer – Chelsea Vanoverbeke

Phonebook

Simon Gimmi - Darius Hahn

Phone Call Voices – Sam Beuerle, Emma Man

Written and Directed by – Sam Beuerle and Emma Mann

Stage Manager – Kelly Conlan

Dramaturg – Adam Winchester

Costume Designer – Sandy Thi

Scenographer – Cameron Jolliffe

Special Thanks

Duncan Appleton (Theatre Glendon)

Jeff Johnson Collins (Drayton Entertainment)

Mark Haasnoot

William Innes

REAP: Research Enterpreneurs Accelerating Prosperity

Christopher “The Fishman” Tari

Corrinne Vanoverbeke