Rogue Artists Ensemble Launches Rogue Lab New Works Incubator

The critically acclaimed and award-winning Rogue Artists Ensemble is proud to launch its inaugural Rogue Lab, a new works incubator for playwrights based in Los Angeles who dream of creating plays that stretch the boundary of what is currently being done onstage, including immersive experiences, interactive design, puppet plays, and genre-bending pieces that fit within the Rogues' Hyper-theater aesthetic.

The Rogue Lab will be a 9-month bi-weekly meeting of 5-6 playwrights, facilitated by ensemble members Lisa Dring and Chelsea Sutton, that will culminate in a public reading series. Each playwright is paired with a designer, composer, or choreographer who will collaborate with the writer to work through theatrical magic and styles and incorporate the knowledge of those elements into the DNA of the new play.

Calls for playwrights and designer collaborators are currently being accepted now through July 15. Information and the application can be found at: https://www.rogueartists.org/rogue-lab

Rogue Artists Ensemble differs from other theater companies in that it's run by a collective of multi-disciplinary artists and designers rather than by actors, writers or directors. By combining ancient storytelling techniques (music, dance, masks, puppetry) with modern technology (digital media, special effects and theatrical illusions), the Rogues cultivate a unique style of live performance unlike any other.

Since 2002, the Rogues have created over a dozen original new works and collaborated with hundreds of artists and community members. In 2018, Rogue Artists Ensemble recently finished a successful remount of their macabre Pinocchio adaptation, Wood Boy Dog Fish, included as the summer show in Inaugural Season of the Garry Marshall Theatre. In October, Rogue will premiere its site-specific, immersive piece, Señor Plummer's Final Fiesta, a project commissioned by the City of West Hollywood to celebrate the namesake of Plummer Park

Past Rogue Artists Ensemble Hyper-theatrical productions include Zen Shorts, adapted from the book by Jon J. Muth, last seen in Tears of Joy Theatre and The Pasadena Playhouse? D is for Dog, produced at South Coast Repertory and designated one of the top-rated productions of 2011 by Bitter Lemons; Gogol Project, adapted by Kitty Felde from three Gogol short stories (Los Angeles Times "Critic's Choice"? Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for adaptation and design? LA Weekly Award for design)? The Tragical Comedy of Mr. Punch, adapted from the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman (recipient of three Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards and received an entire chapter in the book "Prince of Stories: The Many Worlds of Neil Gaiman")? The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone, adapted from the book by Timothy Basil; and, most recently, the acclaimed, immersive site-specific theatrical experience Kaidan Project: Walls Grow Thin, based on Japanese ghost stories and produced in partnership with East West Players. In 2018 the Rogues are launching their first writers' group and development lab and will premiere their next large scale immersive project titled Señor Plummer's Final Fiesta in October, a project commissioned by the City of West Hollywood to celebrate the namesake of Plummer Park .

Call for Artist Details

Call to Writers:

Rogue Artists Ensemble invites local playwrights to apply with ambitious new projects that are "impossible" plays inspired by the Rogue's Hyper-theater esthetic. We hope writers will push themselves to create projects incorporating theatrical magic they are excited to explore. We intend for this residency to be an incubator for new work that stretches the boundary of what is currently being done onstage. Immersive experiences, interactive plays, puppet plays, mask work, and genre-bending pieces are especially encouraged.

This residency will span 9-months and include bi-weekly meeting of 5-6 playwrights that will culminate in a public reading series in early summer 2019. Each playwright will be paired with a Rogue designer and director who will partner to develop and support the creation of the text and will help realize small production elements for the reading series. Each playwright will receive a small honorarium and their project will be considered for future development with Rogue Artists.

To be considered, please send fill out the application form at https://www.rogueartists.org/rogue-lab, including a description of a proposed project and a 10-page writing sample. The project proposal should include a description of the plot and theatrical forms you are exploring in the play you'd like to work on during this one-year residency in Rogue Lab. Please send the writing sample as a PDF.

Please keep in mind that we are looking to help writers develop brand new plays. Plays with previous productions, productions set for a future date, or previous professional readings or development will not be considered.

Rogue Lab is open to all playwrights who currently reside in Los Angeles. When considering applications, we will take into account the fundamental importance of having a balance of diversity of voices in the group in addition to the strength of each applicant's writing sample and project proposal. Playwrights of all races, genders, abilities, and ages are encouraged to apply.

Rogue Lab Writer Meetings will begin in September 2018. Meetings are tentatively scheduled for Wednesday evenings, to be finalized in August.

Call to Designers, Choreographers, and Composers

We invite local theatre designers, choreographers, and composers to apply to be a collaborative part of the development of ambitious new projects that are "impossible" plays inspired by the Rogue Hyper-theater esthetic. Designers will be paired with a brand new play proposal that will be written throughout the year, and the designer will focus on one element in the play they can help develop and realize in an elementary way. The purpose of the collaboration is to both help the writer work through theatrical magic and styles and incorporate the knowledge of those elements into the DNA of the play, while giving the designer the opportunity to work with a piece from the ground up and bring design perspectives into the conversation early in the process.

Each play will culminate in a public reading series in early summer 2019. Each playwright will be paired with a Rogue designer and director who will partner to develop and support the creation of the text and will help realize small production elements for the reading series. Each designer will receive a small honorarium.

In order to apply, please fill out the application form at https://www.rogueartists.org/rogue-lab. Include a link to your online portfolio or a PDF of your portfolio. Rogue Lab Designer Meetings with writers will begin in Fall 2018.

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