Dear Rat Family:
A big, big thank you for the wonderful attendance and feedback at our Sneak Peek last month. For those of you who weren’t able to attend, we introduced The Last Rat Of Theresienstadt to New York City with performances of selected scenes, information about the Theresienstadt concentration camp, and art created by the incredible artists imprisoned there. To the many supporters, friends, industry leaders, and collaborators who are helping bring this remarkable story to life were able to attend, we thank you for your enthusiasm and feedback that is helping bring this remarkable story to life.
I want to fill you in on some of the specifics of the journey we have mapped out for the Last Rat. Our goal is to run our piece in an Off-Broadway production. To do this we need to build out our production a little. Last Rat has had remarkable success in the US, Europe and Israel designed for festivals and short runs in smaller theatres. Originally created for festivals and intimate theatres, now it’s time to grow the production through a workshop to prepare it for its next chapter in New York City. By the time our next letter reaches you, we plan to announce the director who will be working with us for this next phase, as well as the specific plan to shape and craft the work into its next iteration.
With love and appreciation,
Bob Stachel
Producer, The Last Rat of Theresienstadt
Fun fact: All three of the folks behind our production have strong connections to the world of clown. Coincidentally, they all visited Paris recently.
Hilary Chaplain, Last Rat’s creator and leading actor, writes: I went to Paris, ME to attend a terrific workshop at the Celebration Barn. ‘Shakespeare and Clown’ was taught by Jane Nichols and Dave Demke, former teachers at Shakespeare and Co. My professional training started at the Barn in 1977 and I'm thrilled to be teaching a class there in Physical Comedy this August! In September, I'll be traveling to San Juan, PR to teach and perform my solo show A Life In Her Day at the Clown Cosmos Festival.
Producer Bob Stachel spent two weeks in Paris, France training with The Play Society in clown, voice, and the Open Canvas devising technique. In spite of French cuisine being as magnificent as ever, due to Gallic intransigence on air conditioning in the face of a record heat wave, he unexpectedly returned home five lbs lighter.
Associate Producer Gina Marten attended internationally acclaimed physical comedy troupe Spymonkey's Clown Intensive. Afterwards, she had a croissant at Paris Baguette.
Watch our Highlight Reel and visit our Website to learn more about the production, meet the team, and follow our journey as we move toward our next chapter.
We are creating a space for YOU, our Last Rat community to engage with our team and experience coffee, conversation, brainstorming with Pavel the rat along with exclusive updates on our production plans.
Whether you’re a longtime supporter or newly discovering our story, we’d love to connect with you, hear your ideas, answer questions, and share what’s ahead. In the meantime, stay tuned for upcoming announcements, special events, and readings.