The Z Space Studio
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Z Space Studio has been developing Bay Area theater since 1993. From its home in San Francisco’s Civic Center, new plays in a wide range of forms and from diverse cultural perspectives emerge onto stages around the country. Whether its the latest acclaimed production from the popular Word for Word company, a new monologue or film from Josh Kornbluth, or a new ensemble play like The People’s Temple, the Z Space supports an eclectic, electric range of new works and new voices for the American theater.
The Play
The People’s Temple was commissioned, with the support of The Creative Work Fund, as a collaboration between the artists, the Z Space, and California Historical Society, where processing of the Peoples Temple Collection was underway. During the course of the research for the play, Leigh and her collaborators have interviewed over fifty people in eight states, generating more than 3000 pages of transcripts. At the first meeting with a small group of Jonestown survivors in January of 2002, Z artistic director David Dower spoke of a goal to “tell the full story of Peoples Temple”. One former member in attendance set the tone for the entire journey in response: “You cannot tell the story of Peoples Temple. It is not one story, it is thousands of stories. If you can only do one thing-- let people into the fact that there are many different stories to Peoples Temple and not just the one they’ve heard-- you will have done something worth the effort.” This ‘effort’ has included three years of interviews, thousands of hours of processing the archive, workshops in San Francisco, New York, Washington DC, and Hartford, and half a dozen writers’ retreats.
The Studio
The Z Space Studio fuels the emergence of new works, new voices, and new opportunities for Bay Area theater around the country. In three programs--Z Plays, Word for Word, and the Youth Outreach program-- Z Space commisisons and develops a diverse range of new plays, mentors a host of small companies, produces and tours a full season of world premieres for adults, reaches 20,000 young people in schools and libraries, and promotes opportunities for these works and artists with theaters nationwide. In 2004, Z plays were found all over California, in New York, DC, Seattle, and five cities in France. They earned Critics Circle awards for Best Production, Direction, and Ensemble-- all for Word for Word’s Immortal Heart by Amy Tan, Best Original Script for Anne Galjour’s Okra, and Best Solo Performance for Kornbluth’s Ben Franklin: Unplugged. Perhaps you heard the Z Space production of Brian Thorstenson’s radio play, adapted from the Sinclair Lewis novel It Can’t Happen Here, broadcast nationwide during the 2004 election season. Or saw the film of Kornbluth’s Red Diaper Baby, co-produced with the Sundance Channel, making the rounds of festivals and premiering on Sundance May 1st, 2005.
There are 36 new plays developing or touring through Z Space in 2005. Over three hundred theater artists will show up to work at Z Space throughout the year, creating many memorable evenings for Z audiences. You can be part of any of this by simply joining the Zmail list. Once a week we’ll tell you where in the world to find Z plays, Word for Word performances, and other Z events. Sign up on line when you get home. And then we’ll see you at the theater!
“The Z Space is a virtual bastion of creativity, a bubbling cauldron of new work, and a safe haven for unfettered creative expression.”
- Tony Taccone, Artistic Director of Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
http://www.zspace.org |
