Animal Factory Farm – Ritual Art Troupe

Donate to Theatre Makers Revolutionary Theatre for the “20/20” Library Tour!

Update: On December 29, 2019, we reached our initial fundraising goal to cover basic expenses for the production! All donations from this point on are for stage manager and actor stipends.

Dear Friend,

Please support community-based revolutionary theatre and include Ritual Art Troupe and the Theatre Makers project in your giving this season!

Summary: Donate to our “20/20 Play Library Tour” crowdfundraiser before January 1, 2020! (GoFundMe is offering the lowest transaction fees ever (1.99% + $0.99) for every donation until end of 2019.)

Ritual Art Troupe has accomplished a lot recently– you may have experienced some of our shows!

You Too: a play about the #metoo movement with 3 performances in Fremont and Oakland in partnership with local domestic violence prevention nonprofits Narika and SAVE (November 2019)
2 0/20: a play speculating about the re-election of the President where the audience chooses from eight scenarios to complete the action with 4 performances (with a Sold-Out Opening Night award) at the San Francisco Fringe Festival (September 2019)
Animal Factory Farm and Ecopocalypse: plays addressing climate change in 4 performances as part of the global Rise for Climate in San Francisco (September 2018)
Regular Playwrights Circle meetings where playwrights share new work and receive constructive criticism (SF Bay Area)
Theatre Makers Mixers where everyone who co-creates theatre is welcome to come socialize (SF Bay Area)
Orchestra of the Moon and Rag on a Stick Puppet Theatre performances (Portland, OR)

Ritual Art Troupe has beautiful plans for the upcoming year:

“20/20 Play Library Tour” offering the 20/20 play to new audiences for free at local public library branches… please contribute to make this possible at https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/2020-play-free-library-tour
Where We Love play chronicling the stories of LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers in English and also as Donde Amamos in Spanish (recipient of a CA$H Performs grant with performances slated for Queer Freedom month in June 2020 and community partner Rainbow Street)
“SPEEC Play Reading Series” for casual readings of historic plays with social, political, economic, and environmental change (SPEEC) themes (SF Bay Area throughout 2020)
Regular Playwrights Circle meetings and Theatre Makers Mixers (SF Bay Area throughout 2020)
Other projects — including an opera! — TBA

The Theatre Makers Project provides common ground for diverse communities to collaborate on, incubate, and stage both newly created and historically relevant audience-participatory plays based on social, political, economic, and environmental change (SPEEC) themes. Theatre Makers is a project of the nonprofit Ritual Art Troupe, fostering and developing inclusive, participatory, and community-based arts.

Please donate to our “20/20 Play Library Tour” crowdfundraiser !

Or if you prefer, you can donate with a check or to other projects of the Ritual Art Troupe.

In solidarity,

Stardust Doherty
Theatre Makers Co-Founder
Ritual Art Troupe

Past Projects

People’s Pop-Up Climate Justice Theatre for San Francisco Climate March

The People’s Pop-Up Climate Justice Theatre was created by Theatre Makers for the purpose of participating in the activities surrounding the Global Rise for Climate March in San Francisco on September 8, 2018.

The project involved presenting four performances each of two plays:

Ecopocalypse: a dystopian play in which corporations and the wealthy continue the pursuit of profit at the expense of the environment
Animal Factory Farm: a play portraying a fable about animals treated poorly by humans who band together and learn that humans are risking not only animal lives, but everything about our way of life on earth

Theatre Makers is a project of the Ritual Art Troupe, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Ecopocalypse by Theatre Makers

Ecopocalypse is a dystopian play in which corporations and the wealthy continue the pursuit of profit at the expense of the environment.

A Theatre Makers project called the People’s Pop-Up Climate Justice Theatre premiered Ecopocalypse and another play called Animal Factory Farm with several San Francisco performances as part of the global Rise for Climate events during September 2018.

The first four performances of Ecopocalypse had the following cast:

Julia(n) Butterfly Abbey….Ben Perlman
Rajendra Shiva….David-Henry Bennett
Barron Pruitt….Nadeem Anjum
Ivanka Koch….Khadijah “Katie” Ford Garvin
Bodyguard….Matt
Air Vendor….Iryna Lymar
Protestors….Matt, Alexander Milbert, Stardust
Counter-Protestors….The Audience!

The People’s Pop-Up Climate Justice Theatre was created by Theatre Makers. Theatre Makers is a project of the Ritual Art Troupe, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Our Thanks to…

Playwrights: Iryna Lymar and Stardust (thanks to Playwrights Circle critiques)
Sets: Spiraleena, Julie Neva, Meg Duff, Matt, Lisa R. Prochello, Joaquín Sandoval, Stardust
Props and Costumes: Khadijah “Katie” Ford Garvin, Ben Perlman, Larry Ackerman, Michelle Tang, Cayenne, Rickster, Keith Hennessy, Mrs. Clear Plastic, Iryna Lymar, Stardust
Sound: Stardust, Andrew Chin
Logistics: Julien Jourdan
Videography/Editing: Peter Menchini
Funding: Audience Donations, Brad, Stardust
In-Kind Donations: Arizmendi Bakery, Stardust

“Exposé” excerpt music for titles Copyright ©2018 by Stardust Doherty and Bernhard Ruchti.
“Quartet No. 1 for FOCH” excerpt music for end credits Copyright ©2018 by Stardust Doherty.
“Ecopocalypse” Play Copyright ©2018 by Iryna Lymar and Stardust Doherty.

Animal Factory Farm by Theatre Makers

Animal Factory Farm is a play portraying a fable about animals treated poorly by humans who band together and learn that humans are risking not only animal lives, but everything about our way of life on earth.

A Theatre Makers project called the People’s Pop-Up Climate Justice Theatre premiered Animal Factory Farm and another play called Ecopocalypse with several San Francisco performances as part of the global Rise for Climate events during September 2018.

The first four performances of Animal Factory Farm had the following cast:

Chicken Little….Khadijah “Katie” Ford Garvin
Mad Cow….David-Henry Bennett
Sassy Salmon….Alexander Milbert, Ben Perlman
Guerrilla Gorilla….Nadeem Anjum
Human….Matt, Iryna Lymar
Human Race….The Audience!

The People’s Pop-Up Climate Justice Theatre was created by Theatre Makers. Theatre Makers is a project of the Ritual Art Troupe, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Our Thanks to…

Playwrights: Iryna Lymar and Stardust (thanks to Playwrights Circle critiques)
Sets: Spiraleena, Meg Duff, Matt, Lisa R. Prochello, Joaquín Sandoval, Stardust
Props and Costumes: Khadijah “Katie” Ford Garvin, Ben Perlman, Larry Ackerman, Michelle Tang, Iryna Lymar, Stardust
Sound: Stardust, Andrew Chin
Logistics: Julien Jourdan
Videography/Editing: Peter Menchini
Funding: Audience Donations, Brad, Stardust
In-Kind Donations: Arizmendi Bakery, Stardust
Performance of Music for Titles and Credits: Friction Quartet

Climate Summit Schedule of Rehearsals and Performances

Here is the schedule of rehearsals and performances for the plays we Theatre Makers are presenting at the alternative climate summit in San Francisco in September (other meetings shown below):

[done] Sunday, August 19: Rehearsal – 6pm start, 9pm end
[done] Tuesday, August 21: Rehearsal – 7pm start, 10pm end
[done] Saturday, August 25: Rehearsal – 2pm start, 5pm end (Anna excused)
[done] Sunday, August 26: Rehearsal – 3pm start, 6pm end (Anna excused)
[done] Tuesday, August 28: Rehearsal – 7pm start, 10pm end (Nadeem excused)
[done] Saturday, September 1: Rehearsal in Pop-Up Theatre – 3pm start, 6pm end (Anna and Nadeem excused)
[done] Sunday, September 2: Rehearsal in Pop-Up Theatre – 3pm start, 6pm end (Anna and Nadeem excused)
[done] Tuesday, September 4: Rehearsal – 7pm start, 10pm end (Nadeem excused)
[done] Wednesday, September 5: Dress Rehearsal – 4pm start, 7pm end
[done] Friday, September 7: Final Dress Rehearsal – 7pm start, 10pm end
[done] Saturday, September 8: Performances – 8am call, 10am start, 11am end, 1pm start (and loop and move until event ends as late as 6pm)
[done] Sunday, September 9: Performance – 6pm call, 7pm start
[done] Tuesday, September 11: Fundraiser Performance, 7pm call, 8pm start

San Francisco locations announced after you RSVP with your phone number and/or email address. Vegan food will be provided for the performers and crew at all rehearsals and performances. Please do not bring meat or pets to rehearsals and be prepared to remove your shoes on entry.

Other related meetings:

[done] Sunday, August 12: Painting Party – 9am start, 4pm end
[done] Thursday, August 23: Painting Party – 1pm start, 5pm end
[done] Friday, August 24: Social Event – 5:30pm start, 7:30pm end
[done] Wednesday, August 29: Painting Party – 11am start, 4:30pm end
[done] Friday, August 31: Painting Party – 12pm start, 6pm end
[done] Saturday, September 1: Props & Costume Party – 10am start, 1pm end
[done] Monday, September 3: Props & Costume Party – 10am start, 4pm end
[done] Wednesday, September 5: Painting Party – 10am start, 4:00pm end

Activist Artist Volunteer Opportunity

The Theatre Makers collective is seeking an artist (or artists) who want(s) to create a few theatre backdrops for the production of a short play called “Animal Factory Farm”. We are presenting the play as part of the alternative climate summit in San Francisco from September 8 to 14.

The backdrops involve a factory farm, an underwater scene, and a tropical forest.

(Another artist named Sam may need assistance designing backdrops for our “Ecopocalype” play and we need another artist for a play tentatively named “The New Normal” about desertification/drought/wildfires and sea-level rise/flooding/storms.)

We have the paint for tracing and painting the backdrops on muslin.

We are seeking an artist (or artists) who are comfortable with creating images, then helping to trace the images onto the large backdrops and paint them. We have other volunteers to help with the tracing and painting process.

The backdrops must be drafted quite soon (the next few days!) and completed in time for the painting party on Sunday, August 12.

It would be great if the artist (or artists) could join the painting party for all or most of that day.

Please email us if you are interested.

Theatre Makers Hits 100 Participants

Today, the Theatre Makers project hit a milestone of 100 participants!

We are very excited about the developments around the plays we are presenting for the alternative climate summit in San Francisco from September 8-15.

Theatre Maker participants Iryna and Stardust have co-written two plays:

Ecopocalype: dystopian farce about how class continues to affect the impacts of environmental change
Animal Factory Farm: fable chronicling how animals feel about the human impact on them and the climate

And we are working on co-creating another play:

not yet titled: concerning desertification / drought and sea-level rise / flooding

Artists Sam and Antonio are working on set designs and we have a Painting Party scheduled for August 12 to paint the set backdrops.

We have already received a portable black theatre tent and the fabric for a red velvet curtain is on the way, so we will have a sewing party to finish the curtain soon.

We still need to complete some of the costumes and props too, although we have been gathering lots of clear plastic for Ecopocalype already have a cow and a gorilla for Animal Factory Farm!

Finally, we still need volunteers and donations for all kinds of theatre-related positions and tasks, such as painting sets, sound equipment, lighting equipment, venues, audience management (encouraging participation, handing out programs, etc.) at the shows, making props, making costumes, stage managing, and healthy vegan food, so please email us to volunteer or donate stuff. Donating funds would also be very helpful!

Seeking Actors for Climate Justice Plays in SF in September 2018

The Theatre Makers collective is seeking experienced or newbie actors eager to act in three new short plays which will premiere at the alternative climate summit in San Francisco on September 8, 2018.

The plays are “Ecopocalype” (a dystopian climate future punctuated by conflicts between the 1% and the 99%), “Animal Factory Farm” (a fable that explores the true-life impacts of animal consumption), and an as-yet-untitled play about desertification / drought and sea-level rise / flooding.

We will present the plays using our new pop-up portable theatre.

Main actors will need to be available for rehearsals through the end of August and the first week of September. Supporting actors, who will help with audience participation, gags, etc., will be able to participate with only a one or two rehearsal and performance commitment.

Please email us if you are interested.