(Beautiful postcard by the SF Olympians’ Arts Director Cody Rishell)
To donate go here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/san-francisco-olympians-festival-v-monsters-ball/x/620044#home
Hello everybody! BIG news, we only have FIVE days left for the San Francisco Olympians Festival fundraising campaign and we still just under $5,000!
This is such a great festival, and it completely deserves your support. But don’t take my word for it, I asked the other artists involved what makes the SF Olympians Festival so special, here’s what they said:
Megan Cohen, writing for CENTAUR, says:
“Of all the festivals I’m involved in, this one might have the highest turnover rate of artists, which is such a good thing. Every year, there are strangers and new faces, welcomed into an ever-changing fold, and trusted to make new work that expands our ideas of what the festival can contain and support. In American arts culture right now, there’s a lot of pressure for institutions like festivals to freeze in place as soon as they find a working formula, but every year SF Olympians is risking, inventing, and discovering.”
Peter Townley, actor from the 2012 and 2013 festival, says:
“That so many people participate. ”
Jeremy Cole, production manager and writer in past festivals, says:
“Unlike any other festival, Olympians stretches its playwrights – asking them to write an adaptation of a myth rather than a story they invent from scratch. Seeing how the writers tackle this challenge is a fascinating process to watch each and every year.”
Vince Faso, writing for POLYPHEMUS, says:
“A writer-focused festival with a cult-like following; enough said.”
Leah Halper, writing for NEPHELE, says:
“The high quality of the work and the interesting group it assembles.”
Ariel Craft, director, says:
“As a director, I don’t often get the chance to meet other directors in the workspace. I see their shows, sure, but it is rare to work side-by-side on a single project. For me, Olympians is a wonderful opportunity to meet others that do what I do and to enjoy their work, process and product.”
Allison Page, writing for CERBERUS, says:
“The sheer number of humans involved in the Olympians festival every year is astounding. Theater is often smaller nowadays – casts of 5, as few people involved as possible – the Olympians festival is its own mythological beast with over a hundred heads, all of them with their own story.”
Peter Hsieh, writing for ARGUS, says:
“The SF Olympians festival is very special to me because not only does it promote new works by local artists it is a totally welcoming, adventurous, and inclusive festival that sticks to its guns. I feel that a lot of theater companies are more inclined to produce works from “their own”, you shake a bunch of hands, volunteer, smile at the right people and eventually they might do a reading or workshop of your play, and though it is new works, it is new works from the same people over and over. Not trying to throw shade, I understand that’s kinda how the wind blows but with SF Olympians they really do take a chance on new works from new artists, while still producing works by returning artists, and you are always guaranteed to see fresh new work from new voices. I am super grateful they took a chance on me last year and allowed me the opportunity to share my works with new audiences and I am glad to back this year.”
Carol Lashoff, writing for OCEANIDS, says:
“It inspires the creation of new work and it brings together dozens of artists with widely different backgrounds and diverse talents.”
Scott Baker, director, says:
“This is a great project that brings together a ton of theatre artists from all over the Bay Area, and actively encourages playwrights to play and stretch their creative muscles by reinterpreting classic Greek myths. And it’s monsters this year! Monsters! C’mon, people, we were all raised on Horror films and these are like the original beasties in the closet, well before we had closets.”
To hear MORE from the artists, check out the SF Olympians facebook page, where we’ll be posting interviews all week: https://www.facebook.com/pages/San-Francisco-Olympians-Festival/282661841972
And check back tomorrow to hear more reasons why YOU should support our festival. Thank you and here’s that donation link one more time…
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/san-francisco-olympians-festival-v-monsters-ball/x/620044#home