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lifttheater Unlocking LiFT

Unlocking LiFT 5: Podcasting

Podcasts have been around for a few years, but have really become vogue. Some say the “Golden Age” of radio has come again. The sheer amount of content available, the ease of access, and the immense variety is astounding. So we thought we’d toss our hat in the ring with The Brass Lantern, because it is right up our alley.

And it’s a heck of a lot of fun.

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Teaching the next generation of podcasters.

One of our favorite things to do is create new work, reach new audiences, and allow as many people as possible to experience the wonder of the our art form: theater. And the possibilities with radio theater are too good to pass up. With its zero cost, accessibility, and specialized interests, this openness is optimal for our audience.

Every month we crank out a new script, record, re-record sometimes, make a trailer, edit the audio, music, create and add sound effects, and more. It’s an immense amount of work, time, coordination, attention to detail, and creative marketing, but it’s worth it. We are developing new work, which means developing ourselves, bettering ourselves to make better entertainment for all of you.

We choose audio drama, because we like it, but the possibilities are endless. In fact, we are having so much fun with this, we are considering more shows and perhaps a whole podcasting arm to LiFT. It’s a new and exciting time for us. We hope you enjoy what we have planned.

Let us know what you think!

Talk soon.

Matt Powers

lifttheater A.G. Devitt, Brass Lantern

It’s Here!

Finally!  “The Devil’s Diner,” episode one of The Brass Lantern is available for your listening pleasure! Written by A.G. Devitt, directed by Matt Powers, music by Oscar Stivala, and a cast of local talent, including Chris Avis, Laura Powers, Blake Pitcher, and Alix Stolzer, The Brass Lantern promises heart-pounding action, witty jokes, and loquacious villains.

The first season will have a six episode story arc that is full of thrills, twists, and memorable characters. We are working as quickly as possible to get the rest of the season out in a timely fashion, but we will release other related content, teasers, and behind-the-scenes material to keep you hooked.

You can find the trailer and all the episodes in the following places:Brass Lantern with text vintage

Give it a listen and enjoy! If you are so moved to like or favorite or subscribe, that would be greatly appreciated. And if you enjoy the show, please comment and let us know!

lifttheater Brass Lantern

Coming Very Soon!!

We are very proud to announce that our serial podcast, The Brass Lantern, will be released on January 31st! You can find “The Devil’s Diner,” by A.G. Devitt, on our website, Spreaker, iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, and Soundcloud. For free!

We are busy working on the rest of the season, and hope to release episodes as soon as we can. Stay tuned!

lifttheater A.G. Devitt, Brass Lantern

Rough Cut is Done!

We have exciting news LiFTers! The rough cut of “The Devil’s Diner,” the pilot episode of our original radio drama The Brass Lantern, is finished! You can expect the podcast to kick off early in 2018. It may be soon to make predictions, but 2018 is going to be the year of the Lantern!

To celebrate, we have more things to share, like our cool new art by Mikey Wood. Check it out below! And we also have another portion of the pilot to share! Check that out below too. Thanks everyone for your support and enthusiasm. Happy new year!

 

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Below is a clip from the pilot. Our hero, Matthew Arnold, puts on his mask to become the Brass Lantern!

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Programming for a Vision

By Matt Powers

Here at LiFT we don’t always have a plan. We have few foundation shows that recur every year, like our Mac Blac series for the Little Falls Cheese Festival, and our Shakespeare in the Park style shows in the summer. The rest of the year we do sporadic projects, or are asked to perform at various venues. It is unpredictable, good fun. Though we do not have a formal “season” yet, we still create shows and theatrical experiences around a collective vision.

Loosely speaking, we create quality, grass-roots theater. We are transients, and have no official theater to call home. We utilize our community resources to create unique experiences and use unconventional spaces. More specifically, our focus is two-fold, and we produce original work and non-copyrighted plays. Actually, the bulk of what we do is original work. Our community has many talents. We like to draw them out.

So we have Immersive Murder Mystery, theatrical teas, dress in costume for events, be characters for fundraisers, and all other manner of niche opportunities. We have been places we thought we’d never be, met people we thought we’d never meet, and have found new avenues and need for theater.

Though, we could always do better, and David Dower has a wonderful essay titled “How a Season Comes Together,” that is worth a read. Also, here is an article about five new Artistic Directors grappling with a similar, interesting challenge. For all you theater practitioners out there, knowing the big picture, and how a large vision shapes a season, can be incredibly useful for creating unique, powerful, and thematic years.