Sponsor Packet(2)

Dead Art Form Theater, Inc. A California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation

The Situation Los Angeles is a community that boasts more theaters, theater companies, and professional actors, writers, and directors than any other city in the country, including New York. But, LA Theater has a pretty bad reputation, and, unfortunately, that reputation is well deserved. Why? A Lack of Innovation LA is the center of the film and television industries, and theater has suffered as a result. Most plays in this sphere are simply exercises for screenwriters and screen actors to showcase their talents for film and TV professionals in the hopes of securing representation or “real jobs” in movies or TV series. Therefore, most theatrical productions attempt to imitate the constantly rehashed formulas that are still the basis of the vast majority of film and TV projects. This climate of conventionality results in creative stagnation and makes for uninteresting, redundant theatrical productions. Even when an innovative new work is composed, the chances of that play ever reaching an audience with its intended vision intact are slim to none. Every major theater has an in-residence Dramaturge (AKA: Literary Manager) whose job it is to “help” the play by reshaping its structure, plot, and/or intent so that it might appeal to the largest number of audience members on that theater’s subscriber list. Playwrights are often coerced into making these changes with a simple sentence: “Do it or we cancel.”

This endemic reverence of conformity is not surprising given the realities of the current marketplace for established entertainment entities. The goal of these organizations is simple: Make money. How do they make money? By increasing sales. How do they increase sales? By focusing on projects that appeal to the lowest common denominator. Hence, Spiderman: The Musical. Dead Art Form Theater (DAFT), Inc. is a reaction to the pervasive fear of risk that impedes theatrical innovation. It is a corporation whose agenda is to resurrect a dying art form; to search for truth in storytelling; to present a challenging, innovative paradigm that entertains and warrants debate; to engage in a mutual conversation between audience and artist about truth and perception, reality and faith, and what makes us human; to share its rich experience with students from underserved communities; to nurture the next generation of theater artists; and to take these productions around the world.

The Mission To resurrect a dying art form by producing important works with a special emphasis on staging quality productions of insightful, provocative world-premiere plays that maintain the original intentions of the author; and to foster and mentor new talent in underserved communities.

The Company The Background In August of 2008, Dead Art Form Theater (DAFT), Inc. was incorporated as a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation by theater professionals in an attempt to combat the dearth of innovation in LA’s languishing theater scene. Composed of four MFA graduates of UCLA’s prestigious School of Theater, Film and Television, DAFT, Inc. has already begun development on several new works, begun production on their first world-premiere play (Money Shot opens October 3rd, 2008), and fostered a close relationship with the faculty and students of East Los Angeles College (ELAC) by presenting a series of readings of important new works there. The Future Starting in October of 2008, DAFT, Inc. plans to extend its role in fostering young talent in underserved communities by increasing the frequency of the play readings, increasing the size of the student audiences, and implementing a number of mentoring programs at ELAC, all free-of-charge. DAFT, Inc. also plans to complete an entire rehearsal process of an important new work with an unprecedented “Open Door” policy in an on-campus rehearsal space, which will give ELAC students unique, free access to the professional rehearsal/new play development process.

Commencing on or around January 1st, 2009, DAFT, Inc. is planning on securing a permanent space by either purchasing or leasing a local theater so that it may extend its season to include four-to-six productions of important new works per year, with at least two of those productions working the pioneering Open Door policy, and with the express intention of taking these productions on tours around the world. The Sources of Financial Support Initially, a reasonable admission fee to attend performances (around $15.00 USD) will be charged so that our productions remain accessible to the largest possible number of community members with substantial discounts for students and senior citizens. Given the prohibitive cost of attendance to the majority of theatrical productions ($25.00 - $95.00 USD), DAFT, Inc.’s eventual goal is to bring the price of admission down even further, so that all members of any community may attend. Given the nature of its endeavor, DAFT, Inc. fully expects the majority of its funding to come from personal contributions. This is not to say the corporation intends to fail commercially. Quite the contrary. As DAFT, Inc. continues to mount superior productions of new, landmark works, recognition of its fearless pursuit of ground-breaking expression will certainly grow. It is because DAFT, Inc. intends to charge audience members as little as possible to

attend its performances, and to keep its services in underserved communities free-of-charge that it will not be able to function without significant private financial support.

The People Officers Mr. Daniel Keleher, MFA, President [email protected] Mr. Gregory Myhre, MFA, [email protected]

Vice President

Mr. James Jordan, MFA,

Treasurer

Mr. Shawn Colten, MFA,

Secretary

Board Members Mrs. Rebecca Davis, MFA Mr. Kyle Lawson Miss Sherrie Lofton Mr. Chad Myhre, CFA

The Officers Daniel Keleher, MFA, President Daniel is a professional playwright, copywriter, and college-level theater educator in East Los Angeles. His theater career began in northern Michigan as a full-scholarship student under the tutelage of Dr. Rick Plummer at West Shore College. While there, he focused on Performance Technique and acted leading roles in a dozen plays. He was also involved behind the scenes as a set builder, light runner, and stage manager and served as the school’s Student Technical Director for three semesters. Additionally, he appeared in a traveling acting troupe that toured area high schools in underserved communities to present plays which addressed socially relevant issues faced by at-risk teens, and was an acting and writing instructor for children of all ages at West Shore Theater Summer Camps. Daniel continued studying performance technique on a full-scholarship to Northern Arizona University with Dr. Robert Yowell, Dr. Mac Groves, and Joseph Turner-Cantu. While attending NAU, he appeared in leading roles in more than fifteen plays, and won numerous acting awards. While competing in two American College Theater Festivals (ACTF), he won two Irene Ryan Acting Award nominations, competed in the Irene Ryan regional semi-finals, and won the Best Actor, Arizona Award. Two of his early plays, Mastiphicus Meglodon and Some Other Metal than Earth were staged at ACTF to critical and audience acclaim. He graduated with a BS in Theater Performance.

During the summers in Arizona, Daniel worked with the Equal Opportunity Housing Coalition where he taught at-risk teens basic carpentry skills, then supervised them on beautification projects throughout the impoverished and underrepresented Sunnyside neighborhood in Flagstaff. The project was a huge success, and was reported in newspapers throughout Arizona, resulting in two of the teens receiving early scholarships to universities. Daniel then attended UCLA’s prestigious School of Theater, Film and Television on full scholarship and obtained an MFA under Edit Villareal, Hanay Geigomah, and Gary Gardner. While there, he won the Skirball/Kennis Playwrights Award, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Fellowship for Outstanding Comedy Writing, and became the first UCLA TFT graduate playwriting student to act in a mainstage production. His original play Kindred, currently optioned by Senovva Entertainment, has received critical and audience acclaim up and down the West Coast with five productions in Los Angeles, alone. His collaboration with Tony Awardwinning writer/director Mel Shapiro on a musical interpretation of Homer’s Odyssey was successfully staged last spring, and the two plan to collaborate again this year on Daniel’s new original play Hot. His original plays Robosaurus and Mastiphicus Meglodon premiered at the NativeAliens Theater Collective in Manhattan this year, and Robosaurus has won numerous 10 minute play competitions on the East Coast, since.

Daniel is currently teaching Theater courses at East Los Angeles College, and writing and developing original plays while maintaining a successful movie-trailer copywriting business.

“Keleher writes with a startling unique voice. His dialogue explodes like firecrackers onto the stage… and the pyrotechnics don’t stop…” -Metro LA “…energy, smarts and a surprising tenderness… both rough and supple.” -LA Weekly

Gregory Myhre, MFA, Vice President Greg is a professional actor/writer living and working in the Los Angeles area. He began performing forensics in high school where he was awarded multiple state championships for each year he competed. He then accepted a scholarship to The University of Mary in Bismarck, ND, where he met a mentor in Dr. Nita Ritzke. Under her direction, Greg acted in numerous leading roles and was voted Best Male Actor every year for the four years he attended the school. The one year the school entered the national ACTF competition Greg was invited to compete in the Irene Ryan competition and bring a one man show to be showcased in competition against a handful of other full-length plays. His one man show won Best Play and crowd favorite that year. The following summer, he toured a children's show to grade schools on impoverished Native American reservations and performed for the students, some of whom had never before seen live theater. He counts this experience among the most treasured moments of his life. After graduation, Greg auditioned for the national University/Resident Theater Association (URTA) in a search for a graduate school specializing in acting performance. To his delight, he was accepted to every school for which he auditioned, including CalArts, NYU, Harvard, and UCLA.

Each of these programs is highly competitive, and accepts between five and fifteen actors per year. Before leaving his home state of North Dakota, Greg formed Average Joe's Independent Theater Company, a nonprofit organization dedicated to staging live theater for people in small-town North Dakota, many of whom had never been exposed to it. The troupe sold out three touring productions before Greg left for California. He counts it one of the biggest successes of his life. A second was earning an MFA from UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television where he was the only North Dakotan to ever attend. He was also the only actor to play the leading role in a mainstage production all three years of the program, and to head the cast of the class film. He was awarded the Jack Nicholson Award for Acting and the George Burns and Gracia Allen Award for Comedy. During his time at UCLA, Greg taught acting to undergraduate theater majors as well as summer acting classes to non-theater majors. He also made several trips back to his alma mater, The University of Mary, to perform workshops and participate in talk-backs with theater majors. Greg currently performs on television, in film, theater, and in voice-over, and motion capture for video games. He has appeared on such shows as Days of Our Lives for which he was nominated for a Best Guest Star Daytime Emmy Award, the short-lived series Drive, Serenity, Smallville, and acted in numerous independent films, one of which won a film festival judged by Spike Lee.

However, performing theater, the only personal storytelling medium left, in front of those who have not been exposed to it is still his most cherished occupation.

James Jordan, MFA, Treasurer

James is a professional actor of screen and stage, holds an MFA from the UCLA, and is a frequent contributor to local educators on the topics of aesthetics and theory. His training began as a student at Webb City High School in the quant, quiet hamlet of Webb City Missouri. It was there that he collaborated with educators to reestablish a theater program for the community. A slew of successfully welcomed productions, resulted in approval by the school board to construct a 2.5 million dollar performing arts center. The Webb City High School Drama Department is now a thriving center for the performing arts in Southwest Missouri. Graduates regularly attend the most prestigious theater training programs, or work in professional houses around the country in a multitude of capacities. This accomplishment garnered James a theater scholarship to Missouri Southern University under the guidance of Dr. Jay Fields. James delved into the intense training, and soon found himself a designated "Repertory Player" for the University's theater season. James performed in nearly 40 mainstage productions at Southern, sometimes performing twice a day in rep.

James' intensive training as an actor

also required his complete focus on theory and aestheticism, as pertaining to the performing arts. It was in this line of study that he challenged the conventional wisdom pertaining to semiotics, the language of symbols. James presented a 15 minute play "acted" entirely by lights; applied the Aristotlean tragedy of Hamlet to the

American Civil War; designed the medieval play Everyman< /span> as a metaphor for the death penalty; directed a 70paged analysis he wrote; wrote a ten-minute play called The Yes Yes Boat; and presented a paper to the faculty on the nature of "Theatricality." Beyond academics, James became a company member of The Show-Me Celebration Theater Company, a Missouri-based children's theater company that annually records attendance of 40,000-50,000 patrons. James also founded The SPEAKLOUD Theater Labratory, a workshop for artists of other disciplines to explore their works in the medium of Theater. James wrote and staged his original one-acts; The Eyeball Call and Movement. James was a contributor to the BACKSTAGE CLUB, a University Think Tank that challenged conventional theories and practices of Theater. It was during this time that James became a member of Alpha Psi Omega Theater Fraternity, Vice-President of the Young Democrats, member of the National Organization of Women, and worked for Vice President Al Gore as a Field Representative during his bid for the presidency in 2000. James left Southern as Distinguished Arts Graduate of 2002. After being welcomed by graduate acting programs across the county, James accepted a position as a candidate for the Master of Fine Arts in Acting at UCLA.

He began

the innovative, poetic study of Acting under the tutelage of Tony-Award winner Mel Shaprio. In his second year of study, James was awarded the Sir Ian McKellen Award in Acting. He performed in the West Coast premieres of several shows at UCLA, and continues to

collaborate with Brian Kite, an award-winning director. James also taught acting for non-majors, and was awarded a scholarship to perform original short comedic sketches for terminally ill children at UCLA's Medical Center. James wrote, produced, directed, and acted in Buzz or The Wounded, a ten-minute play that tells the story of author, activist, and Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic whose story was brought to the screen in Oliver Stone's biopic Born on the Fourth of July. James worked closely with Mr. Kovic, and the play was the closing show in a run of originally conceived pieces about political activism in America. As graduation approached, James starred in the world premiere of Daniel Keleher's inaugural LA play; Kindred, and helped found the now-thriving Los Angeles Theater Ensemble with Kindred as its flagship production. James made his debut in the world of television by Costarring in an episode of Steven Bochco's short-lived Iraq drama for the FX network, Overthere. James has also gueststarred on CSI, CSI Miami, Cold Case, Close to Home, Without a Trace, and Just Legal, and played two different recurring characters for CW Network's critically acclaimed teen noir drama Veronica Mars. On the big screen, he played a pivotal role in the western period thriller Seraphim Falls starring Pierce Brosnan, Liam Neeson, and Angelica Huston, and in the award-winning short film Dust by Adam Cozad.

Most recently, James has collaborated with the

likes of Rob Thomas, Paul Rudd, Jane Lynch, and Adam Scott on an original television comedy entitled Party Down.

Shawn Colten, MFA, Secretary Shawn is an accomplished college-level athlete, acrobat, gymnast, skateboarder, an MFA graduate in Acting from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television, and a professional actor living in Los Angeles. A prelude to his pursuit of acting, Shawn’s extremely physical background started at a very early age with a love of skateboarding. While living on the island of Okinawa, Japan (his father was a Major in the Marine Corps and was stationed there for three years), Shawn, a military brat of just thirteen years of age, was involved with the planning and building of four skate parks, one on each of the four major military bases on the island. Upon his return to southern California, he continued skateboarding while learning to juggle and ride unicycles. At the age of eighteen, he started training as a gymnast. Before long, he was coaching gymnastics at three different gyms and four different elementary schools while continuing his own training in the evenings. Shawn decided to attend college at the ripe old age of twenty-two, and since he had been homeschooled up to this point, college was his first classroom experience. While taking a class in springboard diving, he realized he would make a better diver than a gymnast, and so began training in earnest. In his first year of competing for MESA Community College, in San Diego, California, he went undefeated in the season and was named an All-American Diver by the NCAA.

Shawn was awarded Most Valuable Player four times in his two years at MESA. Finishing his two year degree, Shawn moved to Houston, Texas, in order to perform in a water-stunt show at Six Flags, AstroWorld. Some of the stunts involved high diving from 80 feet into a pool that was only 8 feet deep, and doing a synchronized bungee cord routine with a trapeze swing. After two years in Houston, he moved to Clarion, Pennsylvania, in order to finish his undergraduate degree at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. At Clarion, Shawn studied theater with Rob Bullington while training on the diving team with his coach Dave Hrovat. His day started with 5:30am practices, then classes at 9:00am, and practice again at 2:00pm. Then Shawn would begin his job working as a bartender from 6:00pm until 1:00am, then up again at 5:30am for practice the next day. However, this superhuman effort paid off in great dividends: Shawn was a four-time NCAA National Champion; two-time Clarion University Athlete of the Year; two-time Clarion University Scholar Athlete of the Year; Disney’s Wide World of Sports Regional Scholar Athlete of the Year; and was honored by the Senate of Pennsylvania and senator Mary Jo White for his outstanding achievements. Along with these accomplishments, Shawn still somehow managed to win his school’s 2002 Breakthrough Award for Acting, Best Comedic Performance Award, and the Best Actor in a Play Award, and compete in the Semi-Finals of the Irene Ryan Acting Competition at the American College Theater Festival. Finished with his undergraduate degree, Shawn was accepted into the MFA program for acting at UCLA where he

studied under Mel Shapiro and Gil Cates. The intense program gave him the chance to perform in nine mainstage plays while taking countless classes, teaching undergraduate acting, and having the chance to work with Tim Robbins, Annette Benning, Frances Ford Coppola, and Larry Moss. Since completing his masters at UCLA, Shawn has appeared in over 20 television shows including Californication, CSI New York, Close To Home, Scrubs, Crossing Jordan, Jericho, and many others.

The Projects Kindred Kindred is a play of extraordinary sensitivity. Written with compassion and insight, it tracks, in realtime, the emotions of two prison inmates, one of whom is scheduled for execution the following morning. In the course of their ninety minute colloquy, both undergo significant reversals of outlook and understanding, and both find deep reconciliation with their fates and their lives. Kindred is a play of beautiful recognitions.

“…vibrant script erupts with lyrical poetic imagery. In less than a heartbeat, his writing swerves from being easily pithy to dynamically explosive.” -Backstage West “…real talent… a fresh voice and wicked smart dialogue.” -LA City Beat “Those fortunate enough to see it here may be able to tell their grandchildren someday that they saw this play before anyone else ever heard of it or its author.” -The Davis Enterprise “This production should not be overlooked! Highly recommended.” -Accessibly Live Off-Line “…spellbinding and surprisingly funny… distinctly American…” -The Los Angeles Times

Money Shot In the San Fernando Valley, a group of twentysomething Internet entrepreneurs play video games while waiting for their hero- a well established adult film director- to show up for the biggest video shoot of their lives. By the time the shoot is done, it's progressed from sexual display to carnality of the utmost extreme. The play confronts one of the deadliest conditions of human sensibility, i.e. its casual accommodation to the absolute of inhumanity. It is written in a language that is complex, visionary, and surreal, and with both its language and its action, it exploits the terror and the poetry and the banality of this casual accommodation. Developed with Tony Award-winning writer/director Mel Shapiro, the play, step by step, with the force and the logic of set rituals reaches, at its conclusion, an explosive impact.

“The raunchiest, most brilliant, most beautiful American play in many years. A major work.” -Dr. Leon Katz, Emeritus Professor, Yale School of Drama; Roger Fry Distinguished Professor of Dramatic Arts

Hot A riotous story of love, sacrifice, and slavery, Hot is a romantic farce set in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles. With ninety-five percent of the earth’s population either dead or in deep comas, one man tries to find love among the wreckage. Confronting deep themes of lust, civil responsibility, and morality, Hot provides a unique, hilarious perspective on loss, loneliness, and what it means to be human. Hot is slated for production in 2009, with Tony Awardwinning director Mel Shapiro taking the helm.

“Hot is one of those plays that seems to have a destiny all its own… it sets a new, joyfully politically incorrect bar for which other dark comedies should strive…” -Sid Higgins, Artistic Director, The National Youth Theater of Britain

The Renaissance As its name implies, Dead Art Form Theater, Inc. is about resurrection, and believes some of the old models for developing successful art deserve attention. It is widely known that generous patronage kicked off the Renaissance, and the family name Medici will forever be chronicled alongside such illustrious names as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael Sanzio, and Michelangelo Buonarroti, whose works continue to enthrall millions of people around the world. The patronage model continued to flourish throughout the Renaissance, and generated some of the greatest theatrical works by luminaries like Moliere, William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Ben Jonson. DAFT, Inc. hopes to renew this legacy by operating from a budget that consists primarily of generous personal donations, corporate sponsorships, and partnerships on productions, promotional materials, tours, and student workshops. This structure will allow the organization unprecedented freedom of expression so that it may continue to cultivate new voices, present important, innovative works to the largest number of community members at the lowest possible price, and continue its free-of-charge workshops and play readings in underserved communities.

The Benefits Along with credit in most promotional materials for the organization and its productions, as well as recognition on tasteful displays upon the purchase of a permanent home by the corporation, the contributors, patrons, and partners of DAFT, Inc. will be rewarded with the knowledge that their generous contributions are: •

Allowing important, innovative works to be seen by the largest possible audience.

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Encouraging public discourse.

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Restoring vivacity to our decaying theatrical heritage.

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Directly impacting the lives of young people in underserved communities.

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Touching the lives of audiences around the world.

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Having a real, measurable effect on the corporation, the community, and art in general. Beyond recognition in promotional materials and

permanent displays, DAFT, Inc. will also work closely with contributors, patrons, and partners to make sure that contributions of a certain level are acknowledged in a manner which pleases them; up to and including the naming of DAFT, Inc.’s future permanent home. Some examples include: •

The naming of seats in the permanent future home of DAFT, Inc. after the patron

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Credit as “Producer” or “Producing Partner” on promotional materials for sponsored productions

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Credit as a “Promotion Partner” on promotional materials for sponsored promotions of productions

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Any other way, within reason, in which the patron, contributor, or partner wishes his/her name to be acknowledged -or-

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Of course, if the patron wishes to remain anonymous, his/her wishes shall be granted.

For more information, or to make a contribution, please contact: [email protected].