Surfing Medea Part 2

Here is the second installment of photos from our film shoot for the Medea trailer!


The wind whips at Medea as she says goodbye to the perfect life that has just been stolen from her.


Two of our actress keep warm between takes, with long scarves and big smiles.


Our cameraman sneaks off for some establishing shots.


The dramatic sky steals the scene in this awesome shot.

Surfing Medea

We just got these pictures loaded onto our computer and cannot wait until our trailer for Medea airs to share how beautiful and awesome the beach was.

Here are a few pictures from the beach to whet your appetite:



The film crew frames the shot for an ethereal looking Chorus from the trailer for Medea No.11 just shot on Long Beach Island.



You might not be able to tell, but these girls are cold wearing an array of fabric, bed sheets and a lot of safety pins in late November on the beach!



A windy scene between Medea and Jason that will blow you away when you see the trailer.



The movie crew and director pack up for the night...never fear though, more pics to come and the release date for the trailer is slated for Dec. 18th.

On Location

This weekend, I felt like a professional director. I always aim for professionalism, but I often cannot help but feel like a young theatre artist who is playing “theatre company” with his most talented friends. This weekend, shooting the trailer for Medea down on Long Beach Island, my friends became professionals, and I was inspired.

Perhaps it was because we were on location, with perfect weather and knew that the cameras were rolling. Perhaps it is because many of us had worked together before, and we are getting a few steps closer towards an ensemble of actors that is happy to work with us on whatever kooky project we propose next. Or maybe we are simply growing into ourselves as people and artists and there’s a certain maturity that comes with age…although I would like to stay young and idealistic for another year at least.

When we came back from the beach one of the actors said, “It was an incredible experience, seeing artists creating the kind of art that you yourself want to be creating, and then also getting to be a part of it.” It was funny to hear this, because I felt the same way…I thought “yes, this is the quality of work we should be creating all the time”. Now, I have not seen any of the edited footage, and who is to say what the final product will look like, but even the clips we saw from each day (those are called dailies from what I’ve heard), I found myself taken aback. Much of the professionalism and tone of the weekend came from our unbelievably talented and professional film crew, which consisted of Danny Caporaletti and Dylan Frayser. These two film makers are not only talented artists, but some of the best collaborators I have ever worked with. The actors were all phenomenal and the beach was a star performer. I honestly could not have had a better introduction into film directing, I’ve caught the bug and you should keep your eyes peeled for even more. We will post some pictures of our shoot soon, as to whet your appetite for the finished trailer, which is slated to be released before the holidays take over!

-Ryan Emmons

Manning the Ship

For the past few weeks I have been meeting with and inviting various artists, designers and actors to work on our upcoming production of Medea. No.11 Productions is just over a year old (officially) and no one who works for us has, up to this point, been financially compensated. Medea will be no different. The advantage to this (to be the forever optimist I try to be), is that you have a group of dedicated artists creating “art for art’s sake”. Actors, designers, musicians etc., are creating solely for the sake of putting something out into the cosmos that might open up the opportunity for different people to broaden their various perspectives of the world we live in. I know, that sounds a bit utopian and it’s a poorly structured and wordy sentence, but that is at least how I see it. I can tell you for a fact that this is not how all 20-something-year-old artists see it, no matter how fledging they may be. Some young artists expect to be paid, and I hope they are…but we cannot afford them.

When I approach different artists to engage in a project, I am asking them to commit time, talent and energy to somebody else’s vision, in this case mine. There is an instant pull between “that sounds awesome” and “I should be focusing on my own art.” My theory (and I would dare to say No.11’s) is that theatre is a meeting place for all of the arts, and that an artist that works in the theatre is stretching their own art/talent in directions that no one artist would think of on their own…collaboration leads to higher art. I’m sure Mr. Van Gogh would disagree, but he never worked in the theatre. So my leverage to engage artists becomes, work on a project with No.11 Productions, and you will come out of it a stronger artist. I never push someone to collaborate with me because without money or a contract, it is passion and friendship that hold a particular production ensemble together, and even these qualities are not fool proof. When a “better” (read: paid) opportunity rolls along, most actors and designers cannot resist…and I have never held this against them. Have I kicked and screamed and cried? Sure, but only for a moment before I start making phone calls.

There have been people who have worked with us consistently and beautifully and who we continuously turn to for their talent, guidance and support. Young companies and artists should find other young companies and artists they enjoy working with and believe in and invest their efforts. No one I know (in my age bracket) can invest several thousand dollars into No.11 Productions, but my peers and friends invest time and effort because they believe that our small theatre company has the potential to be one of the greatest non-profit theatre organizations of our generation (or at least self sufficient). They believe that the theatre we create and the vision we hold is worth what they have to offer. I find this idea tremendous and inspirational. In a year, we have grown much faster than I ever had expected, and with no intention of slowing down, I feel confident in our path. I have too much respect for the artists we have worked with, and will work with, to allow them to come to a dead end when a production is over. No.11 Productions is an ensemble company, and although we are still many artists away from being a true ensemble, we get closer with each production.

My goal is to have a full cast and list of designers before the New Year, a collective of passionate, growing and invested artists who have the desire to make our production of Medea unforgettable. I will keep you posted.

-Ryan Emmons

Puppet Progress

Jen's turn. The others are hopefully going to wean themselves back into blogging via short Twitter updates (follow us - just search No11productions!). Until then, I'm taking things into my own hands here on the interweb. I'll have fewer insights about directing and acting, but more pictures of STUFF. So.

No.11 has an ambitious and exciting production of Medea coming up in February as part of FRIGID New York. (You may remember No.11 from such past FRIGID productions as Jet of Blood or the Ball of Glass).



The character Medea has two young boys. This will be one of them.



The cat is a real cat. He's mean to me, but he likes to help.





Our boy is starting to get some meat on his bones. This picture was taken right after a field trip to Starbucks, so he's happy and relaxed (he's made out of recycled Starbucks cardboard; he feels at home there). My co-workers were sufficiently creeped out, which means I'm on the right track.

In related news, No.11 is filming its first theatrical trailer next weekend at the beach! Get excited.

-Jen