For an afternoon on Saturday, September 13, behind the Arts and Invention Gallery on Woodland Street in East Nashville during the Proto Pulp Book Show, an 8 foot by 16 foot concrete slab in the parking lot became settings for four different worlds. Four original short plays by Middle Tennessee playwrights came to life four times to engaged and engaging audiences.
See the photos! (Click on Pulp Friction 2014 at the top of the page)
The plays were:
Walking Ms. Betty by Catherine Randall
The elderly Ms. Betty doesn’t remember very well. On their morning walks, neighbor Cathy helps her to remember and discovers each day a little more about how Ms. Betty is changing.
On Some Ledge by Rebecca Botter
Luke, a discouraged writer, is ready to jump when Arnold discovers him on the ledge. Arnold just doesn’t have the proper attitude about the situation. Will he? Won’t he? Wait! Which “he” are we talking about?
The Truth by Hugh Moffatt
Three songwriters in a small Nashville apartment (imagine that!) are trying to write the truth in a song, when Pa, disoriented and rambling, provides more truth than they bargained for.
Here We Go by Hunter Moore
In the early 1950’s a normal (?) American family (Mother, Father, and Daughter), go through a normal (?) American morning having normal (?) American thoughts and a normal (?) American encounter with a normal (?) neighbor boy.
Outdoors under the sky with life going on around just as Shakespeare presented his plays in his time. Nothing but talented actors, words, action, and an audience.
Fantastic afternoon! The Pulp Friction 2014 team were:
Taylor Chew, Actor (The Truth, Walking Ms. Betty, Here We Go)
After touring from California to Connecticut with Missoula Children's Theatre, Taylor decided to lay down her roots in East Nashville. Taylor quickly buckled down with Art Embrace, working as a drama teacher in local schools. This summer, Taylor produced a night of short plays with Unbound Arts, and designed/directed a summer youth theatre camp for Kinston, NC. www.taylorchew.com
Alexandra Huff, Actor (The Truth, Walking Ms. Betty, Here We Go)
Alexandra is a member of the 2014 Nashville Shakespeare Festival Apprentice Company. She is currently performing as Audrey in their production of As You Like It in Centennial Park and is the youngest performer to take the stage for Time of the Month: Funny Female Storytelling. Allie can next be seen as Wendla Bergmann in Spaghetti Theatre's production of Spring Awakening.
Jake Abell, Actor (The Truth, On Some Ledge, Here We Go)
Jake received training in acting from Baylor and George Mason Universities and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York. Recently, he appeared in the independent short film Watch the Skies, and has had leading roles in several Vanderbilt University mainstage productions. Jake was recently awarded Best Actor Award of the Season by Nashville’s Actors Reading Room. He has been a proud student for many years of Broadway-veteran Terry Kiser.
Skylar Sprague, Actor (The Truth, On Some Ledge, Here We Go)
Skylar grew up in the mountains of Colorado, where his love of performance began. After high school, he left for Chicago to train at The Second City and iO Theater in the art of improvisation. From there, the call of Hollywood brought him to sunny LA to continue his entertainment pursuits. He recently relocated to Nashville and is ecstatic to see what types of experiences, on stage, screen or behind the camera, he’ll find here.
Tom Angland, Director and Artistic Director
A past winner of the Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship for acting, Tom has performed in 50 plus professional plays on stages in Nashville and across the Eastern and Southeastern US. He recently spent 3 years in the permanent company at the official state theatre of Virginia, Barter Theatre. He has an MFA in Theatre from the University of South Carolina and is currently the Director of Theatre at Nashville State Community College.
Hugh Moffatt, Playwright (The Truth) and Producer
The list of artists who have recorded Hugh’s songs includes Jerry Lee Lewis, Merle Haggard, and Johnny Cash. As a recording artist, he has released ten CD's and toured extensively around the world. In collaboration with composer Michael Ching, Moffatt wrote the librettos for three operas, each with multiple professional productions. “The Truth” is his first produced 10-minute play.
Catherine Randall, Playwright (Walking Ms. Betty)
Cathy works as a freelance journalist for local newspapers and magazines. She earned her Master of Fine Arts from Spalding University with a concentration in creative non-fiction and her Bachelor of Science from Middle Tennessee State University where she majored in theatre. Cathy volunteers at Correctional Corporation of America prison, where she teaches creative writing to the inmates. Walking Ms. Betty is her first play.
Rebecca Botter, Playwright (On Some Ledge)
Rebecca is a current junior at Trevecca Nazarene University with a double major in Dramatic Arts and Communications and a minor in English. She has had the pleasure in participating in Treveccas’s theatre department, playing roles such as Viola in Twelfth Night and Oliver in Oliver! Rebecca’s work was first read this spring at Hot Ice and Wondrous Strange Snow and she is thrilled to see the Pulp Friction Team bring “On Some Ledge” to life.
Hunter Moore, Playwright (Here We Go)
Here We Go is Hunter's first produced dramatic work. His songs have been recorded by Don Williams, Ricky Skaggs, and Kathy Mattea. Staged readings have been done in Nashville of two of Hunter's full-length plays, Conversations and Missing Katie. He completed a master's degree at Vanderbilt University in 2014. Hunter is married to Bonnie and is the proud father of James and Rebecca.
(We HAVE to do this again!)
See the photos! (Click on Pulp Friction 2014 at the top of the page)
The plays were:
Walking Ms. Betty by Catherine Randall
The elderly Ms. Betty doesn’t remember very well. On their morning walks, neighbor Cathy helps her to remember and discovers each day a little more about how Ms. Betty is changing.
On Some Ledge by Rebecca Botter
Luke, a discouraged writer, is ready to jump when Arnold discovers him on the ledge. Arnold just doesn’t have the proper attitude about the situation. Will he? Won’t he? Wait! Which “he” are we talking about?
The Truth by Hugh Moffatt
Three songwriters in a small Nashville apartment (imagine that!) are trying to write the truth in a song, when Pa, disoriented and rambling, provides more truth than they bargained for.
Here We Go by Hunter Moore
In the early 1950’s a normal (?) American family (Mother, Father, and Daughter), go through a normal (?) American morning having normal (?) American thoughts and a normal (?) American encounter with a normal (?) neighbor boy.
Outdoors under the sky with life going on around just as Shakespeare presented his plays in his time. Nothing but talented actors, words, action, and an audience.
Fantastic afternoon! The Pulp Friction 2014 team were:
Taylor Chew, Actor (The Truth, Walking Ms. Betty, Here We Go)
After touring from California to Connecticut with Missoula Children's Theatre, Taylor decided to lay down her roots in East Nashville. Taylor quickly buckled down with Art Embrace, working as a drama teacher in local schools. This summer, Taylor produced a night of short plays with Unbound Arts, and designed/directed a summer youth theatre camp for Kinston, NC. www.taylorchew.com
Alexandra Huff, Actor (The Truth, Walking Ms. Betty, Here We Go)
Alexandra is a member of the 2014 Nashville Shakespeare Festival Apprentice Company. She is currently performing as Audrey in their production of As You Like It in Centennial Park and is the youngest performer to take the stage for Time of the Month: Funny Female Storytelling. Allie can next be seen as Wendla Bergmann in Spaghetti Theatre's production of Spring Awakening.
Jake Abell, Actor (The Truth, On Some Ledge, Here We Go)
Jake received training in acting from Baylor and George Mason Universities and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York. Recently, he appeared in the independent short film Watch the Skies, and has had leading roles in several Vanderbilt University mainstage productions. Jake was recently awarded Best Actor Award of the Season by Nashville’s Actors Reading Room. He has been a proud student for many years of Broadway-veteran Terry Kiser.
Skylar Sprague, Actor (The Truth, On Some Ledge, Here We Go)
Skylar grew up in the mountains of Colorado, where his love of performance began. After high school, he left for Chicago to train at The Second City and iO Theater in the art of improvisation. From there, the call of Hollywood brought him to sunny LA to continue his entertainment pursuits. He recently relocated to Nashville and is ecstatic to see what types of experiences, on stage, screen or behind the camera, he’ll find here.
Tom Angland, Director and Artistic Director
A past winner of the Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship for acting, Tom has performed in 50 plus professional plays on stages in Nashville and across the Eastern and Southeastern US. He recently spent 3 years in the permanent company at the official state theatre of Virginia, Barter Theatre. He has an MFA in Theatre from the University of South Carolina and is currently the Director of Theatre at Nashville State Community College.
Hugh Moffatt, Playwright (The Truth) and Producer
The list of artists who have recorded Hugh’s songs includes Jerry Lee Lewis, Merle Haggard, and Johnny Cash. As a recording artist, he has released ten CD's and toured extensively around the world. In collaboration with composer Michael Ching, Moffatt wrote the librettos for three operas, each with multiple professional productions. “The Truth” is his first produced 10-minute play.
Catherine Randall, Playwright (Walking Ms. Betty)
Cathy works as a freelance journalist for local newspapers and magazines. She earned her Master of Fine Arts from Spalding University with a concentration in creative non-fiction and her Bachelor of Science from Middle Tennessee State University where she majored in theatre. Cathy volunteers at Correctional Corporation of America prison, where she teaches creative writing to the inmates. Walking Ms. Betty is her first play.
Rebecca Botter, Playwright (On Some Ledge)
Rebecca is a current junior at Trevecca Nazarene University with a double major in Dramatic Arts and Communications and a minor in English. She has had the pleasure in participating in Treveccas’s theatre department, playing roles such as Viola in Twelfth Night and Oliver in Oliver! Rebecca’s work was first read this spring at Hot Ice and Wondrous Strange Snow and she is thrilled to see the Pulp Friction Team bring “On Some Ledge” to life.
Hunter Moore, Playwright (Here We Go)
Here We Go is Hunter's first produced dramatic work. His songs have been recorded by Don Williams, Ricky Skaggs, and Kathy Mattea. Staged readings have been done in Nashville of two of Hunter's full-length plays, Conversations and Missing Katie. He completed a master's degree at Vanderbilt University in 2014. Hunter is married to Bonnie and is the proud father of James and Rebecca.
(We HAVE to do this again!)