In the Works...

Now that the academic year has come to a close, Elixir is excited to announce two new cross-disciplinary projects!

#1 - To Be Loved: The Graphic Novel

Following the success of its FringeNYC 2007 run, Elixir Resident Playwright Alex DeFazio has teamed up with Louis Manna, veteran artist and former DC-Comics illustrator, to adapt To Be Loved into a graphic novel!

A finish date and publication info are TBD, as both Alex and Louis are taking their time and balancing the project with other commitments. It could be awhile, but check back for updates!


#2 - Celia Version 4: A Podcast Production

New play development usually consists of live readings, seated or staged, seen only by a theatre company's artistic staff, friends and colleagues, and other invited audience. This is done to create a nurturing environment as playwrights hear their work aloud, often for the first time in front of an audience, and listen for false notes and other problems to tackle during revision.

This summer, Elixir will tweak the familiar model by presenting a rehearsed reading of a new play to an intimate, live audience and then remixing a recording of the reading into a "sonically-staged" podcast production available to anyone with an internet connection. Think of it as a demo for a new song and an old-fashioned radio play in one. Thanks to podcasting, you too can be part of the process of developing our next project!

The play, Celia Version 4, is a fantasy about human possibility and limitations. It may seem "ripped from the headlines," but the play has been in development for the past year and, in fact, is not inspired by true events.

Nick and Howard Taylor are a gay couple who inexplicably become biologically pregnant. Their story sparks a firestorm of debate as a pregnant Nick responds to public criticism and Howard struggles to safeguard them both against death threats and hoards of reporters gathering at their door. For support Howard turns to Alice, his best friend and a computer scientist whose only other companion is an artificial intelligence program named Celia. Celia may hold the answer to a transformative new vision of human potential. But as Nick's delivery date draws nearer and the Taylors buckle under siege, Howard must strive for answers of his own - to changing relationships, self-doubt, and an uncertain but limitless future.

The podcast should be live by July. As always, more updates to follow!