As Marcel mentions in his post below, this festival works because so many folks put forth an over-the-top amount of energy. Besides their regular chores of earning
their daily bread, child-rearing, school-going, and sometimes even
producing their own shows, these folks were collecting tickets, keeping accounts, selling advertising, putting up posters, creating websites, setting up chairs and setting up sound systems.

Though I know I cannot include everyone who deserves it in a list of ‘thank-yous’, I wanna throw out the names of some of the people who directly impacted those of us working over at Veni Vidi Vici---and that was just one pin-point part of the Rogue:

Sarah for keeping us stocked up on cold drinks and snacks,
Devon and Christine for making sure that there were volunteers to help with the tickets and accounting,
To all those volunteers who DID those critical jobs,
To the good folks at Veni’s who, in spite of the fact that they had a busy restaurant to run, took time out to do things like find us the power switch, keep the heaters working and make room in their storage shed for the P.A..
Thanks to Eric for setting up the sandwich/posting boards and then running around filling in wherever he was needed.
Thanks to R.P. for supplying and hauling the P.A. system.
Thanks to all the performers and audience members---that was the point of it all, right?
Thanks to John Jordon, R.P., Marcel and Devon for putting up with my occasional panicked phone calls.
And big BIG thanks to my counter-parts in hosting over at Veni’s:
wonderful veteran Todd Severson
and first-timer but immediate pro Bill Trayler.
Remember, we all get about 35 minutes off, and then they’ll probably
start calling organizational meetings for 2008. See you there!
--Blake

Attachments:

Final from Moneypenny!!!

To all performers!!

First, thank you for participating in the 2007 Rogue Performance. I loved meeting those of you that I met, and I'm sorry that I didn't meet those of you I didn't meet.....

Many of you didn't show up at the Starline/Starline Grill on Saturday night for payment. If you are local, and would like to get your payment, I will be at the Starline Grill tonight (Monday) from 5:00 - 6:00. ***PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE email me if you can meet me, so I can ONLY bring your payment.*** I do not like carrying all the payments around.....

If you cannot meet me this evening, or you live out of town, I will be making your payments via Paypal before the weekend, using the email address we have on file. Please note, you do NOT have to have an established Paypal account to receive payment - they will notify you of a payment, and email you instructions.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me at: apj@roguefestival.com

Thanks again for spending some time with the Rogue. We look forward to seeing you again next year.

"Airplane" Jayne
aka Moneypenny

test & available labels

These are the available labels. If you click any one of these at the bottom of the post (Labels) it will take you to all the posts in that catagory starting with the most recent.

Rogue Report -March 9 - Don't thank me...

... thank the current crop of organizers, the volunteers, the performers and artists, the audience and all those who have supported the Rogue in cash or kind. And this is not from any sense of false modesty... but it is YOU who made the Rogue what it is this year.

This will be my last posting here for this festival season and I want to share a few thoughts.

ON RETIRING MY POSITION (which I did last year)
It just has to be if the Rogue is to continue to evolve. If it is truly to be a community event... then it should not be tied to one person or group of individuals. It went from the efforts of those involved in Theatre J'Nerique to it's own entity to where we are now... and you will take it forward.

ON WHERE IT WILL GO
Hopefully with a little restructuring... a better organisation... a vibrant organisation... an annual event that embraces and encourages talent and creativity year round.

ON WHAT I HOPE NEVER CHANGES
It's founding principles... non-curated, non-juried and 100 percent to the performers. The phrase "freedom of expression" is bandied around a lot these days... until it becomes inconvenient. May this NEVER happen to the Rogue.

ON WHAT I HOPE CHANGES
That the amount of talent that is highlighted in the festival inspires:

• More (and affordable) performing venues to open.
• The realization that the ARTS is good for business.
• So much more can happen and be supported year round!

ON WHAT I LIKE THE MOST ABOUT THE ROGUE NOW

1. The ability to hop shows once a year WHERE I LIVE! I would walk the Fringe in SF for years wondering when the day would come when I could do it without paying for a hotel room. Well, that day is here.

2. Watching the evolution in confidance & creativity of local performers bloom.

3. I am most pleased this year with the number and quality of ORIGINAL LOCAL SHOWS in the festival. Nothing wrong with the tried and true (and playing it safe)... but the bold and new is really where it's at. Why shouldn't WE be the first place introduce to the audience what they will want?

4. Also, this year more local performers are considering taking their shows out of Fresno to other festivals. That is so cool!

5. The sense of community that it's building.

6. Not being in charge and being able to watch ENTIRE shows in the festival for the first time in 6 years!

7. The out of town acts who come to share and hopefully spread the gospel of the Rogue in their continuing adventures!

So, there you have it. LA, Joel, Jen, Jodi, Paul, Jag, Blake, Terri, Cindy... our baby is on it's feet now... those trips to the SF Fringe were sure fun... but this is a lot closer and is something to be proud of. To the wave of Core that came next... you guys ROGUE! So, Rogue On... it is in capable loving hands now. may it flourish.

Cheers!
marcel

WHAT A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

Moneypenny here. First off, a big thanks to Dana, Rachel, Katie, Eric, and Devon) who collected envelopes for me. I don't think I could have collected them alone -- especially if I wanted to get the data entered...

Data!?!?!? What data!?!?!?!?!

I don't know if it's the weather, the press, the fantastic acts, or what -- but we seem to be off to a great run: preliminary numbers (as always, subject to change) show that we had over 3400 patrons to our mainstage, cafe and film shows. ***AND THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE BYOV SITES!!!!!!

Looking forward to seeing you all this coming weekend.

APj

My impressions...

... of the first weekend? Hmmm... this is gonna be an interesting one to write. Do I write this as an ex-producer of the Rogue... as a current independent producer & performer... or just an audience member? Decisions, decisions....

It's probably going to be all over the place... so, bear with me on this one.

First... the picture to your right is the actual line waiting for a 4 PM performance on a Sunday! I heard the line for our opening performance was triple that and chairs were added and that over 30 people had to be turned away. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around that.

Opening night was fraught with technical glitches... but the cast pulled through. The Sunday show was good. Audience members walked away walked away with what we wanted them to walk away with. You can read some of the responses HERE.

I have decided that the show that I'm actually performing in, Suicide Lounge, is going to do me in. Each of us average 3 drinks a piece during a 45 minute set... for me it is scotch rocks! But we do have fun... and I think the audience does too. It's sick and wrong with some great songs but they love it.

As an audience member... the festival is going well. It really is. people are teeming and buzzing and walking (in a hurried pace) from venue to venue. This year... there is an extra spark of newness that is spreading like a virus... be it from Rogue regulars to the new Rogue audience members. Our numbers are up... but these are all concerns that I don't have to deal with this year.

You can read about this from them HERE, HERE & HERE. Oh, there is more... but I thought these would give you a taste. Plus a couple of local papers in town have gone out full bore with reviews on their blog.

Am I proud? Yes. Nuff said.

Once again... my blogging may be spotty... but I will try to get it all in.

ROGUE REPORT March 3a

by XPR Goddess

AFFINITY: kinship:resemblance:attractiveness:attraction:chemical attraction:consanguinity:attractive force:blood kinship

These are all of the words that have come up in conversations over and over again.

Thursdays Full Circle Brewery felt like a family reunion. Even the new faces felt like family.

Da Rogue asked if I would be interested in being a reporter sharing my "has been" experience with y'all. I think he's keeping me busy so I don't end up behind a table volunteering. It's difficult to let go. The Rogue Performance Festival is like a child that keeps growing and evolving. Holy Cow! 200 Acts! This child keeps growing.

Many artists may not admit it but they thrive in a community. We (artists) need deadlines to show our work. Otherwise, it would never be finished, there is always something to tweek to make "it" even better. I like to call these artists communities and my friends my tribe.

When the spark of affinity ignites...magic is created and it's viral. You want this virus.

Waiting in line chatting with some old friends I found myself recognizing some volunteers from a couple of years ago. Three years and the volunteers keep coming back with the same excitement and enthusiasm. I remember when this husband and wife team volunteered at their first venue. They were nervous, they had just discovered their place a tribe that they liked. It was nice to see that they still like it as I do.

I love to sit in the back of the theatre so that I can get the complete show experience. The audience reaction. Stagehands and tech crew running like crazy to fix a cranky light.

There's more....but, I gotta catch a show....

Review Functions

There are 2 ways you can post and read reviews on this site.

Method 1
If you click the individual acts... you will see a "post a comment" link (in red) under the act listing. If you have a blogger account already you know what to do. If you don't (this function does not allow anonymous comments)... read on to the second and prefered method.

Method 2
Click by VENUE or DATE. Scroll down to find an act you want to review. At the bottom of each act's listing (next to the timestamp) you will see the "review" link. Click it and post your review.

ROGUE REPORT March 3

Opening Night was Great! Thanks, Fresno!
by Jaguar Bennett

The crowds looked great on the first night of regular Rogue shows, with several shows nearly selling out. It was an amazing opening night -- which is a testimony to the way that the community is rallying around the Rogue.

In the first few years we did the Rogue, opening night was fraught with anxiety. Will anyone show up? Are the crowds too small? We developed some Rogue conventional wisdom: opening night is always light, you have to wait for word of mouth and momentum to build, the 2nd weekend is always stronger, etc.

This year is different. After 6 years, Fresno really does "get" the Rogue. On Day 1, crowds of people were lined up, Rogue Maps in their hands, buying Rogue Ready Passes and Rogue T-shirts.

One part of the Rogue conventional wisdom is still true: as momentum builds, the crowds get bigger. If we opening this strong, this weekend and the next are going to be insane. The Rogue audience deserves a big hand -- they've built our little festival into a great event for the whole community.

Two short takes on my Rogue night: First, I performed in 'Dentity Crisis by Christopher Durang. The interplay between the ever-vivacious Lori Gambero, the slightly sinister Ashley Hyatt and the promethean Adam Schroeder make this comedy extra-hilarious. See it!

Next, I saw "This Lily Was (Fontana)" by Mia Paschal. This is my first pick for a MUST-SEE show at the 2007 Rogue. Paschal tells a haunting story of despair and hope, expressing a complex range of emotions with economy and grace. Paschal makes rapid transformations between moods and characters, while staying totally in control of all the energy she brings to the stage. You must see it.

ROGUE REPORT March 2a

The Rogue is Magic
by Jaguar Bennett

My 2007 Rogue experience began with ... MAGIC! The Magic of Bryan Patrick, that is. Bryan, who modestly bills himself as "The Magician So Amazing He Amazes Himself" was performing up-close magic tricks for the crowd at Salon 637 last night, as we kicked off the 2007 Rogue with sampler shows for ArtHop.

I'm always impressed with magicians, because I can never figure out how they do it. But up-close magic is the most impressive of all. Bryan did tricks while standing just a few feet from the audience. He switched cards and transformed objects that were tightly grasped in the hands of audience volunteers.

Best trick of the night--Bryan showed a young woman two ordinary washers, then asked her to hold one tightly between her hands, her hands held horizontally. Then Bryan casually removed the hole from the washer he held and passed it through the woman's hands and into the washer she held. She opened her hands to reveal ... a washer with two holes. How did he do that?

The moral of the story: see Bryan Patrick.

It's time!!!! It's Rogue Time!!!!!

Okay.....I think I'm ready: I've made my folders, built my database to keep track of the money, got my assistants (thanks Rachel and Dana), got my bodyguards (don't get me started....), and ready to hit it!

Volunteers - remember:
1. you can call us anytime you are running low. Don't wait until you are out of money!
2. Exchange "big bills" ($20's, etc.) out of cash box for little bills ($1, $5, $10) out of the Rogue Donation/begging bucket.


Moneypenny

ROGUE REPORT March 2

My Impressions - by marcel nunis

Ever walk into a hair salon and find the media lights of a TV crew outside while a magician does his tricks inside? Or walk into an art gallery and find everyones heads bopping to the sounds of live hot jazz? That's what it was like at last nights ArtHop. It's a sure indication that the Rogue has arrived.

Acts were doing samplers of their shows at several locations between 5 and 8 PM. Over at Full Circle Brewing folks were starting to trickle in around 7 PM.

When I got there Jose DeLoza was singing the promo for his how on the stage. Smiling people were milling about. Performers were streaming in to check when their sample slots were happening on stage. Blake Jones, the host of the evening was mingling and making everyone feel at ease.

One by one the acts pitched their shows. Some stood and pitched while others did excerpts of their shows. It felt very much like a family reunion... with the addition of new extended family members. There were returning acts from far and near. There were new acts from far and near. Mostly there were friends getting reacquainted and new friends being made.

Show flyers were being swapped like it was a trading card convention. Buzz was floating about the anticipation of hot shows. Connections were being made. Handshakes and hugs exchanged... pats on the back... general goofing around... tasty beer being poured and drunk. A good start to this edition of the Rogue.

Yes, the Rogue has arrived. Tonight the marathon begins.

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