True Nerd Trivia: February 17th

February 8th, 2010

nogginCan it be true? Another True Nerd Trivia already?

Will the Sinister Six grab back their title? Will a new victor emerge? What kind of pie will be the prize? What will be this month’s special theme category? Will anyone be able to answer the insane asshole question from Marvel Age? Has anyone (other than Keren) memorized the Silmarillion yet?

Warm up those brain cells and take a crack at the #1 spot at our usual haunt: The Royal Oak Lounge.

When: Wednesday February 17th at 8pm
Where: The Royal Oak lounge – 594 Union Ave., Brooklyn
Suggested Donation $10*

The answers to these questions and many more can be found Wednesday,  February 17th at The Royal Oak Lounge!

For those who have yet to experience our brand of Trivia, leave your knowledge of state capitals at home! Forget everything you learned in high school – we won’t be asking you any of that stuff! Instead, our questions are all about the important things in life, such as:

  • Fantasy Geography: What planet does Paul Atreides hail from?
  • Fantasy Science and Technology: What device will allow a Delorean to travel back in time?
  • Parazoology: How long would it take for you to be digested in the belly of the Sarlaac?
  • Superheroes: What do the letters of Captain Marvel’s SHAZAM stand for?
  • And much much more!!!

Join us for GLORIOUS Prizes including free drink tickets and the highly sought after home-baked pie! Win the coveted “Asshole” buttons! And most importantly-those bragging rights!

Team size should not exceed 6 persons, but can be as small as 1 person!

* Any and all proceeds will fund upcoming nerdy productions from Figment Theatre.

We Need a Hero! Send us your Superhero scripts!

December 8th, 2009

First there were Robots, then there were Monsters, and now…

we need a hero!…a Superhero!

We’re looking for short one-act plays to be produced as part of Figment Theatre’s 3rd Annual Uprising! festival coming Fall 2010. Submitted plays will also be considered for readings or other types of informal staging earlier in the year.

We are looking for:

  • Scripts around 20 minutes long (10-30 minute range is acceptable)
  • Scripts that feature at least 1 male and 1 female character, no more than 10 characters please.
  • The script must somehow incorporate a Superhero (already known or of your own creation) be it a character, a set piece, a line of dialogue, etc
  • simple set requirements preferred

That said, you just write the best Superhero one-act you can and don’t get caught up on our preferences!

Please send your scripts to figmenttheatre@gmail.com with the subject line “Superhero”. We will accept submissions now through January 20th, 2010. Playwrights may submit as many Superhero-themed scripts as they’d like.

Also, please join us for True Nerd Trivia- Holiday Edition!

When: Wednesday December 16th at 8pm
Where: The Royal Oak Lounge – 594 Union Ave. @ N 11th St, Brooklyn
Suggested Donation $10

Glorious Prizes await you! Take a peek at our past True Nerd Trivia events here.

Good Midnight to You…

November 4th, 2009

Quick reminder: This is the last week of our run, so don’t miss out on what audience members are calling “the most enjoyable live theater thing I can ever remember seeing” and “a great show. Amazing talent and attention to detail”. Tickets are still available here.

As you’ve probably guessed from my earlier posts, this production has been blessed with all kinds of creative contributions, not the least of which has been the original old-school horror/dubstep pre-show music that my husband, Jim, created. You can download it here:
Good Midnight.mp3
Prince of the Undead.mp3
Hospitality.mp3
Tonight.mp3

Or better yet bounce to ‘em in your seats one night this week while waiting for the show to start!

Monster Uprising – The Trailer

October 27th, 2009

Godzilla, Nosferatu, screaming women and a cackling witch. If this awesome video doesn’t convince you to come see Monster Uprising then you may as well douse yourself with holy water.

Imagine

October 16th, 2009
Dr. Elizabeth Frankenstein wins the Nobel Prize

Dr. Elizabeth Frankenstein wins the Nobel Prize

When I was younger, my brother and I would play scuba diver. We’d sit in an old cardboard box in the middle of our living room carpet, empty soda bottles strapped to our backs with elastic belts and, with soda caps in our mouths as breathing apparatuses, we’d jump overboard into the shaggy ocean. (kids today please don’t do this– we were children of the 70’s and therefore impervious to horrifyingly dumb injuries waiting to happen.)

I still remember my 6th grade Social Studies project where I built a castle– with drawbridge!–out of oaktag and painstakingly carved a clay overlay of  stones with a toothpick.

Or playing Stacey Knight, Private Eye, if only as an excuse to make myself a badge using Dad’s laminating machine and walk around in the dark to kick open all our bedroom doors.

There’s something about imagination, about grand ideas brought to a small scale, about polished concepts lovingly presented in a jumble of construction paper and glue, that makes my heart swell.

These past 2 weeks of rehearsal have been a mixture of pride and fear, but mostly a marvelling at the power of imagination. I’m hoping that the silent film intro for Jason Ellis’ Transylvania is for Lovers finds its way to the web soon, but in the meantime I wanted to share a test shot or two from James DiGiovanna’s Frankenstein vs Frankenstein vs Godzilla.

Go Go Godzilla

Go Go Godzilla

In FvFvG, Dr. Elizabeth Frankenstein has a rich imagination, often used to describe how she and her husband, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, will meet their death at the stomping feet and swingy arms of Godzilla. I’ve decided that the audience should get a glimpse into this imaginary world, and so now my living room is a cornucopia of clippings, skecthes, mini Doctors, and sets courtesy of my hubber Jim.

Jim's creations

Jim's creations

I can’t wait to share the finished product, and I especially can’t wait to share the monstrous imaginings of our talented playwrights, directors, performers and crew. Be a part of the Monster Uprising! Jim just shoved a large Godzilla foot in my face, so I’ll take that as my cue to flee.

synthesizers, snackbreaks and the 4th dimension

October 11th, 2009

After gushing to writer/director Jason Schuler about how his latest production, The Garden of Forked Tongues, was one of the best theater-going experiences I’ve ever had, he promptly assured me that it was just the hypnosis speaking. Though he had a valid point, as the play begins and concludes with hypnosis, I’d like to think my delight was pure and of my own accord. Afterall, you’d be hard-pressed to find any nerd like myself who wouldn’t enjoy a play that includes (among other treats) an average Joe, or in this case Charlie, who escapes his mundane existence, 70’s sci-fi synth music, characters worthy of a Dr. Who episode, unitards, and discussions of time, space and parallel universes.

I’m not going to go into plot points, or even discuss the characters, as I feel that these are things that should be revealed at viewing. What I will say is that the whole production, from its innovative set to its solid cast (I’m looking at you, Anna Wilson!) was incredibly engaging. Throughout the show I was sitting forward in my seat, smiling, hopping, clapping, gasping. At one point my good pal, Terry,  let out a “Huhhhhhh!” worthy of the wonder a six year old might feel upon seeing Elmo riding a Unicorn to hand-deliver a birthday cake. There were no Elmos or Unicorns to be found, but the show was indeed a garden of delights. Go see it while you can! http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/77574

And while you’re at it, buy tickets to our production Monster Uprising! http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/84348  If you use the promo code GARDEN you’ll get 20% off tickets for all show dates Oct 29th-Nov 8th.

True Nerd Trivia II – The Results!

October 5th, 2009

Last night we had our second ever True Nerd Trivia event at the Royal Oak Lounge. Current champions, the Sinister Six, arrived early to scope out the competition. Joining the battle were Foghat, Megapowers, The Observers, and late to the game but certainly not without skills, Spoiler Alert.

We breezed into action with delightful little queries such as “What device will allow a DeLorean to travel back in time?*” (answers at bottom of post) After the first round, there was a three-way tie between Sinister Six, Foghat and The Observers, with Sinister Six being the only team to win a coveted “asshole” button for the question “What was the first sci-fi program ever broadcast on TV?*”

The Sinister Six accepting their fate

The Sinister Six accepting their fate

During round two, the questions got a little harder, such as “What anatomical feature distinguishes male from female Gelflings?*” By halftime, Foghat emerged victorious and scored themselves a free round of drinks.

The third round brought no mercy from Triviamaster Jason “What instrument did Spock play in the jam band on the original Enterprise*?” Still, Foghat maintained a three point lead over Sinister Six, followed by The Observers, mightily lead by John G, perhaps the only one to answer “What do the letters of Captain Marvel’s SHAZAM! stand for?*”

triviamaster jason

Triviamaster Jason

The last round was truly brutal with such doozies as “Name the final character that Steve Ditko created before he died,* “What creature from the planet Myrkr have the unique capability of repelling the force in their general vicinity*?” “Who invented the Super Soldier formula used on Captain America*?” and “According to Slartibartfast, why was the Earth created*?” But soon a clear victor emerged— Foghat!

Foghat Victory!

Foghat Victory!

The Sinister Six were gracious.  They were unseated as champions, but remained the only team of the night to achieve an “asshole” button.

All of the teams joined Foghat in the consumption of their grand prize– a huge bag of smartees and dumdums and a home-made apple pie baked by Triviamaster Keren. Non-edible prizes included a cheescake fantasy pinup poster courtesy of Triviamaster Erica, and two tickets to the time-travel extravaganza “The Garden of Forked Tongues”.

Part of the Prize Pack

Part of the Prize Pack

Check back to see more teams in action, the winners, prizes and our best wrong answers. Special thanks to Alex at the
Royal Oak for being our fave bartender and keeping the “Tina Feys” flowing. Thanks again to everyone for making the night a success!

We’ll keep you posted on upcoming events. Coming up next:

Join us on October 10th for a fun night of time travel as we journey to see Operating Theater’s The Garden of Forked Tongues. Use the promo code “figment” and you’ll receive 20% off tickets for shows now through Oct 13th.

Reminder: tickets for Monster Uprising are now on sale. Get yours today!

Answers:
1. a flux capacitor
2. Captain Video and his Video Rangers
3. Wings
4. Vulcan Lute or harp/lyre
5. Solomon Hercules Atlas Zeus Achilles Mercury
6. Squirrel Girl
7. Ysalamiri
8. Dr. Reinstein
9.  To calculate the question to the answer of Life, the Universe, and Everything

Monster Uprising!

October 3rd, 2009
monstersIt’s coming….
Figment Theatre presents:
Monster Uprising!
a night of three original one-acts featuring classic movie monsters

Featured plays:
Frankenstein vs Frankenstein vs Godzilla by James DiGiovanna
Raymond Carver’s Dracula by Epidiah Ravichol
Transylvania is for Lovers by Jason Ellis

Buy your tickets today at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/84348

Location:
Access Theater
380 Broadway, 4th Floor NYC
Tickets $20 in advance, $25 at door
Buy online

Show dates & times:
October 29,30,31 8PM
Nov 1 2PM
Nov 4,5,6,7 8PM
Nov 8 2PM

also our famous vegan-friendly bake sale will be in full effect

Join us on Halloween!  Any audience member wearing a costume gets a free treat!

Directions: easy access from the A,C,E,N,Q,R,W,1,6, and J,M,Z subway lines
Email figmenttheatre@gmail.com for more info
also
Please join us for True Nerd Trivia– This Sunday Oct 4th at the Royal Oak Lounge 594 Union Ave
Brooklyn (@ N 11th st) $10 suggested donation. All proceeds go towards help with production costs of Monster Uprising!

True Nerd Trivia – The Coveted Asshole Button

September 28th, 2009

Our first True Nerd Trivia was full of fun and prizes galore. The dreaded “Sinister Six” took home the grand prize, drink tickets were given at half-time and a few proud others won coveted, exclusive prizes. I am of course speaking of the “Asshole Button”

What’s an Asshole Button?

Each round we ask a question that is so ridiculous and arcane, that not only are we assholes for asking it, if you can answer it, you are probably an asshole. We love you for it and reward a correct answer with nifty pin.

Asshole-Promo

Please join us for the next round and take your best shot at the Sinister Six, who are indeed returning to defend their title! The second True Nerd Trivia competition will take place on Sunday October 4th 6:30pm at the Royal Oak Lounge.  No cover charge but $10 suggested donation. All proceeds will go Figment Theatre’s next production.

True Nerd Trivia Part II – Total Mind Suck

September 25th, 2009

tnShowcase your nerd knowledge and help out Figment Theatre* at our second trivia event!!

Bring your extensive expertise of all nerd-dom including such subjects as:

  • Fantasy Geography
  • Intergalactic Tech
  • Parazoology
  • Superheroes
  • And much much more!!!

When: Sunday Oct. 4th at 6:30 pm
Where: The Royal Oak Lounge – 594 Union Ave., Brooklyn
Suggested Donation $10

Join us for GLORIOUS Prizes! Win the coveted “Asshole” buttons, bragging rights AND a chance to defeat the Sinister Six!

Team size should not exceed 6 persons, but can be as small as 1 person

* All proceeds go towards Figment Theatre’s upcoming production of Monster Uprising coming soon to a theater near you. Opening Night is October 29, 2009. Questions? Figmenttheatre@gmail.com

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