Best. News. EVAH.

When we founded this company back in fall of 2010, we knew we wanted to apply for nonprofit status early on. After months (and months and months) of filling out complicated tax-style paperwork, writing three-digit checks to Uncle Sam, and waiting (and waiting and waiting, and more waiting) for an answer, we finally received an official response from the Internal Revenue Service: WE ARE NOW A 501(c)(3)! TAX EXEMPT! NONPROFIT, Y'ALL!

This is Michelle here, but I think I can safely speak for the rest of the company when I say: we are thrilled. We are collectively dancing a jig at this very moment. Getting this letter in the mail was like having an ice cream cone fall from the sky directly into our hands. It's like twenty Christmases and Hanukkahs combined.

And we have YOU PEOPLE to thank for it. Thank you for attending our shows and events, thank you for "liking" us on Facebook, thank you for "following" us on "Twitter," thank you for "reading" "this" "blog entry" we're "typing up" right "now." (Sorry. Just carried away from all the excitement.) Thank you for being so supportive of our little company in its first year and a half of existence. You guys constantly reminded us of why we love making theatre - which, let me assure you, is important to remember when you're up to your eyeballs in excruciating government paperwork. So, thank you for this.

Welp, I'm gonna go do a cartwheel, and then maybe a couple shots of bourbon. Possibly not in that order.

Reefer Madness! The Musical is becoming something of a tradition for The Brown Paper Box Co. After last year's thrillingly successful 4/20 remount at Studio BE, the exec staff decided to take this subversive holiday and make this show an annual event. The second annual production will be a late-night staged reading at the newly renovated Stage 773 following Street Tempo's production of Little Shop of Horrors. See both and make it an evening of cult classics.

But Reefer's not the main purpose of today's entry ... though tickets can be purchased here lickity split. Snag 'em while you can: there are only 150 seats!

The Brown Paper Box Co. is proud to announce Patrick J. Butterfield and Charlie Sheets as new Artistic Associates to our ever-growing troupe. Charlie first designed the show poster for To Tree's world premiere this past winter and recently designed this year's Reefer Madness! poster. His skills and talent is a warm addition to help unify our company's 'look.' Patrick was the Production Assistant for And Then They Came for Me in 2010, in our ensemble for all Reefer Madness! incarnations, and helped in the casting process of To Tree. A jack of all trades if there ever was one.

The executive staff is thrilled to have these two passionate, talented, and giving gentleman join Katie and Ian as Artistic Associates.

Up next ... photos and thoughts from Reefer's first rehearsal. Stay tuned! 

One of our backers with his awesome Brown Paper Box gear! 
 
Thanks for the picture and the support, Lee!

Get YOUR fashion on at our Zazzle store

Only 2 weeks left to catch this amazing and unique piece of theatre.

"I've never worked so small in my life!" is what I keep telling people when asked how production for TO TREE is going. I'm so used to working on musicals, what with their bevvy of choruses, lanky-armed musical directors, ever-inventive choreographers, and throngs of people working backstage. I'm used to sharing rehearsal time with other collaborators dolling out their insight on dance breaks, duets, quick-changes, and the logistics of homemade vs. store bought stage blood.

That is not the case with TO TREE, no sir and ma'am.

Rehearsals have been intimate in a way I've never experienced before. Chris, Lance, and I have read and reread the script together a good, safe to say, 15+ times. Straight through at times, but also stopping here and there to poke at a word, flesh out an idea, and play at angles at which to attack moods, feelings, or intentions. Just three of us working together discussing trees and redemption, guilt and roots, apple pies and Cheese Whiz.

As 2011 ends, the first month of 2012 will consist of final rehearsals, building, focusing, and polishing - all ending in a three-week world premiere run. The Brown Paper Box Co. is starting the year off busy and right.

Up next ... designing our tree with Ian James Anthony.
-M. William Panek, Director of To Tree

Michelle, Anna, Zev, and Will enjoy a glass of wine and some trenchant bon mots in front of a roaring fire!

Thanks to everyone who donated and helped us surpass our fundraising goal!  We have been overwhelmed by the response to our new two man show TO TREE.  We consider ourselves to be your "local neighborhood theatre company" and that means making our shows accessible to as many people as possible.  With the money we raised, we are able to keep our ticket prices low and offer deep discounts for members of our theatre community. 

If you missed the kickstarter campaign, you can always donate directly to our company through our paypal account.

Thank you again,
Anna

A 2-man play. A world premiere. An unknown (relatively speaking) author. The odds seemed stacked against us ... and yet I couldn't believe the out-pour of interest when TO TREE's auditions notice was released. As a newish theatre company, having over 30 men audition for 2 roles for a fresh-off-the-presses play was incredibly humbling.

Anna Schutz, BPBCo.'s managing director, Adam Amidei, our secretary, Patrick Butterfield, friend o' the company last seen in Reefer Madness!, and myself served as the audition panel and facilitators (think American Idol with Starbucks holiday blends instead of Coke cans). With only two characters, it was an extremely difficult job finding the perfect pair of Julian and Peter for Aaron's play.

Much to the assumed annoyance of our actors (sorry, guys), I purposefully gave little information on the show and characters. I wanted our auditioners showcasing their strengths based on very little preliminary knowledge of the piece and who these men are. In our casting notice, I used Aaron's light character descriptions from the script as the springboard of who these guys are:

Julian Fisher: 25.  Black.  Short.  He has given up.

Peter Claypool: 24.  White.  Good-looking.  He is still going.

For callbacks, I included this brief memo to the gentlemen:

"We're going to treat this very relaxed. Come casual. Have fun with the material. No need to have it down cold. The biggest thing I'm looking for is natural, honest, one-on-one conversations between Peter and Julian."

BoHo's space is terribly intimate, so natural un-pushed performances won us over. In the end, we cast the phenomenal Christopher Hart and Lance Newton as our featured performers. I am thrilled to begin the rehearsal process and cannot thank all the auditioners enough for coming out to our call.
-M. William Panek, Director of To Tree