Virtual Library and Real World Theatre Company Continue Partnership to Enhance Audience Opportunity

Entrance to "The World of John Steinbeck" from the EXPLORE Welcome Center

The Kitely Grid & Tacoma, WA – On Friday, January 20 the curtain rises on Tacoma Little Theatre's latest production, John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.  That same day the pixels click to life for the newest partnership between Tacoma Little Theatre and Seanchai Library with the opening of Explore: The World of John Steinbeck. This is the third collaboration between the 98 year old theatre company and 8 year old online spoken word library, expanding opportunities for audience members and educators to delve into the thoughts behind the play. .

EXPLORE is an online tool designed to add to the play-going experience of audience members by presenting source material and related information to support the production in an engaging, interactive format. The World of John Steinbeck can be accessed online with the download of a free viewing program 24/7.  Patrons can walk through the world of Steinbeck’s novella, exploring freely, using an avatar. Clickable information links guide visitors to a variety of information ranging from biographical, to historical and cultural.  Live presentations of the source text and Steinbeck's letters provide additional opportunities to gain understanding of the playwright and the world in which the play was created.

"This continues to be an exciting and enlightening process," shared Chris Serface, Tacoma Little Theatre Managing Artistic Director, "Being on the ground level of innovation like this means we are learning something new every time we do a project."  The current EXPLORE project was preceded by Anton Chekov and the Absurd  in 2016, and The Great Gatsby Online in 2015.

ANNOUNCING "The World of John Steinbeck"

We are pleased to announce the next EXPLORE project, coming in January of 2017.

The Explore Estate's "The Great Gatsby Online" and "Anton Chekhov & the Absurd"  will be joined by "The World of John Steinbeck" produced in support of Tacoma Little Theatre's production "Of Mice and Men."

The new Explore will include the scenes pertinent to Steinbeck's story of  George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job opportunities during the Great Depression in the United States.

Live voice presentations will begin in late January 2017 and will include the original 1937 novella, as well as other selections from the author's canon.  Like all Explore projects, this one will include interpretive links on the life and times of John Steinbeck, and the opportunity for hosted tours for classroom teachers, as well as metaverse adventurers. 

We have learned so much from the first two Explores.  We are eager to apply them to this, the first of two Explores currently planned for 2017.  

Heard the name but are not familiar with the man or his work?  You can learn more about this Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winning author at the National Steinbeck Center website.

More details to come.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Washington State Arts Commission.  

WELCOME ALL!

Explore: Anton Chekhov & the Absurd is open in Kitely!
grid.kitely.com:8002:EXPLORESeanchai 

The Dacha - Chekhov's Realm

The new world structure of Kitely also means that last year's  EXPLORE The Great Gatsby will also be available to guests. The Explore Estate will be open to all guests through May 15th.

The two main structures in this new Explore reflect the two influences in the play currently being produced by Tacoma Little Theatre Seanchai Library's real-world partner: Christopher Durang's "Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike"

The Farmhouse - the land of Christopher Durang and Absurdism

On one side of the lake is a Russian Dacha (country house), with information and links on Author and Dramatist Anton Chekhov, whose plays and characters inspired the play by Mr. Durang.  On the other side is a stone farm house, like one might find in Buck's County Pennsylvania, where Durang's play is set. In it are links and information on playwright Christopher Durang, his plays, and upstairs extensive information on Absurdism in both philosophy and literature.

Several reading events are currently scheduled, and Explore is available for tours. 

ANTON'S STORIES

Saturday, April 30th at 11am (Pacific)

 Caledonia shares stories from the vast canon of fiction by Author and playwright Anton Chekhov at Seanchai Library's EXPLORE: ANTON CHEKHOV & THE ABSURD, live in voice.

THE LOVE LETTERS OF ANTON CHEKHOV - Selections

Sunday, May 8th at 11 am (Pacific)

 Seanchai Library Staff share selections from "Dear Writer, Dear Actress: The Love Letters of Anton Chekhov & Olga Knipper" at Seanchai Library's EXPLORE: ANTON CHEKHOV & THE ABSURD, live in voice.

Learn more about Anton Chekhov!

For more information on Explore, contact Caledonia Skytower at caledoniaskytower (at) gmail (dot) com

COMING IN APRIL!

A brand new EXPLORE with our partners at Tacoma Little Theatre (TLT) will open in Kitely April 8th at 5pm:

EXPLORE Anton Chekhov and the Absurd will feature the literary work of Russian author and dramatist Anton Chekhov, as well as the absurdist work of contemporary playwright Christopher Durang in support of TLT's production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.

EXPLORE Anton Chekhov and the Absurd will use a mirror image environment to juxtapose a classic country dacha to house information on the Russian dramatist, against the present day Bucks County, Pennsylvania farm setting of Durang's play.  Seanchai Library will present readings from the Chekhov's short stories as well as host tours and visitors from Tacoma Little Theatre's audience and supporters. EXPLORE will be on a large wall display screen in the lobby during performances, with a computer station, inviting patrons to take a spin through the virtual environment during preshow, intermission, and after the curtain has come down.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play.  In ten public performances, beginning April 8 and closing April 24, 2016, Puget Sound audiences will be invited into the absurdist world of playwright Christopher Durang as he draws inspiration from works of Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, “puts them into a blender,” and re-imagines them in present-day rural Pennsylvania.  Durang presents a "sunny new play about gloomy people" where they discuss their lives, loves, argue, and wrestle with the condition of their existences. Durang finds humor in the struggle of the characters to find meaning in their seemingly meaningless lives, and pokes fun at their individual follies while acknowledging that the pursuit of meaning is part of the human condition.  Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike combines excellence in playwriting through the reinterpretation of classic works, with a modern philosophical twist.

Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) was a Russian playwright and short story writer who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short fiction in history. His career as a playwright produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. Along with Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg, Chekhov is often referred to as one of the three seminal figures in the birth of early modernism in the theater. Chekhov, a medical doctor by profession, wrote over 200 short stories and 14 plays. "Medicine is my lawful wife," he once said, "and literature is my mistress."


The new world structure of Kitely also means that last year's  EXPLORE The Great Gatsby will also be available to guests. Stay tuned for event updates to be announced the week of April 8th.
grid.kitely.com:8002:EXPLORESeanchai 

2015's EXPLORE The Great Gatsby

Moving Ahead With EXPLORE

Our pilot project this winter with Tacoma Little Theatre was a success.  We are pleased to announce that we are moving forward with several interested organizations, and seeking support for more EXPLORE projects.

The focus of EXPLORE is to provide a visual framework around real-time, live activity - readings of source material or related literature, discussion forums, continuing education programs, etc.  EXPLORE creates a virtual environment which anyone can access from an average home computer with internet service.  The environment allows for the self-selected experience by the user: attending/listening/participating in live programs, exploring the environment and clicking on objects linked to online resources related to the featured work or project.  (Click About EXPLORE for more)

Students in the TLT Lobby using EXPLORE

Here's our wrap up of
EXPLORE The Great Gatsby:

"My daughter just came home from the theater and she was raving about this!" 

                 ~ Parent of a Student attending Tacoma Little Theater's opening night performance

"With a wealth of interactive elements throughout, including links to the Tacoma Little Theatre, resources that explore the story of the Great Gatsby in more detail, and the opportunity to really immerse yourself a a piece of truly great American literature, Explore the Great Gatsby is very much worth taking the time to visit – and if you haven’t already done so, I’d urge you to so"

                 ~  Inara Pey, Living In a Modem World -  "Of Mansions and motifs"

Wide shot of "EXPLORE GATSBY" Similation

"(Tacoma Little Theatre has) . . . teamed up with Seanchai to create a learning experience, which is perfect for people of any age. This is certainly not the first literary sim in the metaverse, not even in OpenSim; both OSGrid and Craft have had some lovely didactic builds. . . But while it may not be an original idea - if such a thing even exists- it is an exquisitely executed one. Caledonia Skytower and friends have put together the fabric of the story, the bricks and mortar if you like - in an original and beautiful way."

                   ~ Thirza Ember, pings from the afterlife - "Goodbye to Gatsby"

Audience members gather around the big screen at TLT during intermission

EXPLORE The Great Gatsby  was open from January 16 - March 1, 2015, and included:

• Ten hours of live voice presentations from the novel.
• Three tours to virtual world exploring groups with participants from all over the world
• Exposure to over 1500 TLT patrons and guests through TLT performances - preshow and at intermission
• Over 100 Hypergrid visitors nationally and internationally, including visitors from Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
• A full region, custom built environment inspired by the places and events of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel: The Valley of Ashes; East Egg (The Buchanan mansion); West Egg (Gatsby's mansion and Nick Carraway's rental cottage).
• A custom built interior replica of the the commissioning partner's (Tacoma Little Theater) lobby and theater, including links of relevance to their stage production and the company in general.
• A gallery space linking to the text or information on the entire canon of written works by F. Scott Fitzgerald, in addition to links to a variety of biographical sources on the author
• Curatorial links through out the build to social and economic issues, art deco, early jazz, major events, flappers, prohibition, and other information or significance to the story.
• Additional information on the website as to characters, plot and other supporting information.
• A welcome center and orientation area for those new to virtual worlds.
• "How To" information via the tabs on this project website.

Check out these work sample videos we created to demonstrate the look and interactivity of EXPLORE

Look for announcements about new EXPLORE projects soon!

IT'S TIME FOR "FAREWELL" to "The Great Gatsby" (for now)

This will be the closing weekend at EXPLORESeanchai "The Great Gatsby" - and it has been a marvelous and successful pilot.  Thank you one and all for your support, your feedback and encouragement.  The region will stay accessible to all Kitely Residents and Hypergrid Explorers through Sunday.

In the mean time - we still have a few delights to share . . .

"And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night."

grid.kitely.com:8002:EXPLORESeanchai

Also accessible from the Seanchai Library homeworld in #Kitely - from the main landing zone use the EXPLORE teleport gate. 

#seanchailibrary #tacomalittletheatre

THE SHOW IS NOT OVER YET!

Gatsby's Mansion, linked to Art, Music, and adaptations of the Novel

Yes, we've read the entirety of "The Great Gatsby" out loud and yes, Tacoma Little Theatre's production of the play has closed.  But things at EXPLORE The Great Gatsby are not quite over yet.  

With three scheduled tours between now and the end of the month, and a closing party on the afternoon of February 28th, there is still plenty of opportunity to explore and enjoy!

• February 18th - Hypergrid Safari Visits (between Noon and 3pm ~ Time to be confirmed)
• February 18th to 21st - TBA AACT Board Tour (pending confirmation)
• February 28th - Hypergrid Tours & Closing Party (after 2pm - Time to be confirmed)

All times Pacific.  Stay tuned for more details.  Interested in a tour?  Contact Caledonia Skytower

The All-Night Restaurant in the Valley of Ashes - Flappers & Prohibition

The Buchanan Mansion in East Egg, features Tacoma Little Theatre - our partner 

The Fitzgerald Gallery features the canon of F. Scott Fitzgerald & Bio Info

The Iconic Sign in the Valley of Ashes greets all guest

Wilson's Garage in the Valley of Ashes - linked to social & economic issues