What's New? UTC

07.01.08

Thank you to Classic City Consultants and Professor Kelly's UGA Business Ethics Class for raising over $150 toward the Nuci's Story Project at the 1st Annual Business Ethics "Swing at Philanthropy" Golf Scramble at Lane Creek Country Club. Your charity is greatly appreciated.

05.28.08

It's my 28th birthday! It's a celebration! Come to Shokitini in Athens, GA for Karaoke tonight.

Also, Board Director Rachel Bodenstein is getting married this Sunday. Mazal Tov!

We have created a link to make Donations to the Nuci's Story Project directly. Click here or go to the NOW or NEXT pages.

05.21.08

It's almost been 5 years since Letha passed away and I couldn't be more proud of where I've gone since that date. It's hard to look back over the past 5 years and really gauge what I've done or even where I'm going. I just know that whenever I get down, I know Letha is right there. And lately, I've been feeling that way.

There was some minor speculation that the theatre folded due to financial troubles, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

Our next project, currently untitled will make its debut in Athens, GA in February 2009; which is a little over a year from our last main stage production.

We have had a successful run with "One Bad Day", which is about suicide prevention, in Barrow County Schools alongside Barrow County Safety Zone.

We cancelled our last two shows of the season due to several reasons: "Boy Gets Girl" was cancelled because the director was unable to fit it in the schedule and for other reasons. I cancelled "Cartoon" because the director George Contini was going to be out of the country for a month the night it opened. I decided if I were to put on this show I would only want him to direct it and didn't want to steal all of his time before he headed to England.

We are a NEW company have room to make changes as such right now until we get things right!

Check out NEXT to see what we have going on next!

Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past year and look forward to seeing/working with you all in the future.

Also, go to the Education page to get a glimpse at the pictures from the show "One Bad Day" as well as a clip on YouTube.

03.30.08

So if this project is all about the community and utilizing the community as a resource; partnering with other establishments and making the the sum of all of its parts.

I wonder how Rose of Athens Theatre would feel about partnering with us on this one, as a joint project. Meaning, we’ll produce it and then have Lisa Cesnik, the artistic director, direct it. I wonder how they’d feel about that?

I wonder if something like that could fit into their schedule?

I think this would really unite the arts and in specific theatre in Athens. It’s just a thought and that’s what I’m using this tumblr for…. thoughts.

03.12.08

I’ve been having these really weird dreams about death lately; remeeting people who have died or watching people die or experiencing death in general. Most of these deaths have been of someone I loved/love very deeply: my grandmothers and my step mother. And every night when I have them (perhaps 75% of my dreams during the past week) I wake up with this feeling of despair and my eyes glued shut from actually crying so hard.

So, last nights dream was about my Italian grandmother, who died when my dad was 1. We never knew her. She died at the age of like 24, very early in life on September 23, 1957 (it was my grandparents 2^nd anniversary). Anyhow, in the dream I was at my Italian family reunion and it was in the very big house, very similar to my uncle Eddie’s in Beckett, MA. Except it was a lot bigger and had a warm, yet empty feeling.

I didn’t recognize most people but everyone knew who I was. And they kept pointing at me and saying, “That’s Julia’s grandson. Should we tell him?” Finally, my uncle Eddie (some 40 years younger looking) comes up to me and says, “Your grandmother died Brandon. I’m sorry.”

I was in such shock and disbelief. That feeling of losing someone and not ever having them again. To love you, to hold you, to talk with you, to kiss you, to speak to… just emptiness. And it felt so horrible. And I remember everyone feeling pitty on me, sympathy. And that void in my stomach, the same void I felt when Letha died, or my mom’s mom, or my stepmom. Just that vapidness. And then someone said, “we have to tell Billy(my dad) and Dave(my uncle).” I said, “No, not yet. Let me tell them.” And I remember the room spinning and then I woke up.

I woke up and my eyes were sealed from the tears and the pain was still very present.

So I called my dad to tell him this and he referred me to my Step Mother (not the one who died BTW).

She looked up online about the meaning of death in dreams and here are two possible interpretations:

1. I see something in those people who died that does not exist within me, some sort of characteristic or trait that I long for or something I need within my life (unfortunately the really big thing that separates us is TRUE compassion… guess I need that.)

2. The end of something and a new beginning in either a relationship or career.

AH HA! Ding ding ding! The price is right, tell them what they’ve won Bob… err… Drew!? And it hit me. I am about to start something beautiful. It is a rebirth.

I feel like a Ray of Light. And it’s so mind boggling.

I do want to do film. I do want to produce. I do want to do what I want, but I need to do it on my own terms.

So Joanne, my stepmom, goes on… “As a person with Virgo in their Saturn Return, you need to focus on serving others. Perhaps you should stick with waiting tables for the next two years because it is very flexible and you can make a lot of money while still focusing on your film/theatre career. You really do need to get out of your head though, virgos are known for being over analytical. Start reading more.”

Funny enough I am reading more.

So, dearies here is my plan stan.

1. Stick with Uzupis and Nuçi’s Story. Produce it.

2. Stick with Last Resort. Hours are flexible and pay is great. It’s a little much at times, but I don’t have to invest more than just the shift. I don’t carry my work home with me, which is good.

3. Start an IRA, or something to contribute to retirement. Since I don’t have a retirement plan might as well start now, right?

4. Make connections with “real” production companies and set up a shadowing. LA seems realistic and they have so much going on all the time. This will give me the opportunity to get practical experience in Film while still pursuing my dream.

Nothing gets compromised. I think it sounds like a plan. My dad agrees, Joanne agrees, my mom is hesitant because I’m not thinking about my retirement (but read #3 MOM!), and Lawson agrees so that’s important.

So now it’s time to learn more about The New Earth and really dive into Awakening My Life’s Purpose.

We are the creators of our destiny and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If I can’t make it to the movies in LA, then I’m bringing the movies to me.

03.08.08

So I’ve hit a crisis and from this point on in the whole documentary/stage process I will be blogging (tumbling) about everything I think, see … feel. I guess this is my little venting space.

Bounce ideas off of me for now. Hit me back if you will.

01.02.08

Well, we finally did it! Our first show under our belt. Thank you to everyone who made "Nickel and Dimed" a success. I would like to however take this time to mention a few names: Amy Roeder, Amy Whisenhunt, Amy Grant (kidding), Marty Winkler, Patsy Benson, Hilton Garrett, Michael Stille, Erina Francesconi, Erwin Greene, Jeff Morris, Emily Dunlap, Kida Davis, Terrell Austin, Lawson Grice, and our Board of Directors. Without you all this could not have been possible.

Now on to the second show: "Boy Gets Girl". This show is being directed by Peach Pittenger. I am thrilled and honored to be working alongside this woman. She brings to the table so much experience with women's theatre, I couldn't have been given a better director to orchestrate this piece. Our cast is stunning and I can not wait until this goes up at the end of February. Please keep your eyes peeled for this one.

It has been a rough experience so far, and I can't say it has been easy. We are still very short on funding so if you know of anyone who likes to give away money, by all means send it our way. It goes to a great cause.

We also raised $239 for OneAthens, Partners for a Prosperous Athens. The check will be presented to them this week. To continue donating to them visit their website at www.prosperousathens.org.

We also begin our Educational Tour with Barrow County Safety Zone. Our first show is in March 2008.

Please send me your feedback. I always like to know how best to serve our community.

Thanks for everything and see you all at the next show! Be on the lookout for our next SoundOFF! Tell us what you think is the most significant issue in Athens, GA. It just may be the basis of our next season!

08.18.07

Yes! We are finally a 501(c)3 Non Profit Organization as of July 11, 2007!!! We are so excited about this. That is the first order of business.

1. DONATE - Please keep the donations coming in. We are grateful for all the wonderful support we have had so far.

2. Our Season has been picked and will be announced by the end of the month. I am very excited about this.

3. Remind me to Blog about Barrow County Safety Zone and the wonderful work they are doing with the children in Barrow County. I will get to that when I post our season.

4. Remind me again to Blog about the University of Georgia - School of Public Administration, Partners for a Prosperous Athens, Project Safe, and a wonderful person named Sarah who is all about Social Change.

5. We have the best board directors ever! I just wanted to point that out. Please, everyone, eat at Last Resort Grill in Athens, GA.

6. Check out Athens Magazine. Uzupis Theatre Company will be featured in the Sept/Oct issue. So excited.

That's just a brief update. So much to talk about, so little time. Until then, take care.

Brandon

07.07.07

This is going to be my first REAL attempt at blogging. Kind of an informative way of letting everyone know about the process of Starting a new Nonprofit as well as opening a theatre.

As most of you know we were originally slated to open in September 2007. But, our application for 501(c)(3) Tax-Exemption is taking a little longer than anticipated. We were hoping to hear back within 60 day (from March). That didn't happen the way we anticipated. In fact, no where close. It is now the beginning of July and it looks like we may get some more news by the end of the month making it a grand total of 4 months. So, needless to say, our season has been pushed back 2 months.

We received word at the beginning of the week that they (the IRS) are finally working on our case and we should know their final decision within 3-4 weeks. HOWEVER, for some odd reason, I may not receive my determination letter until October. Let's see.... according to my calendar October falls somewhere at the end of the next 12 weeks. That is not 3-4. Slow postal system? Not quite sure how that works but I'll be keeping an eye out on the mail everyday. Keep your fingers crossed that we receive it sooner.

In the meantime, we have decided to apply for an Umbrella Sponsorship from the Athens Area Arts Council. This would allow us to apply for grants under their Tax-Exemption until we are able to do so ourselves. No quite sure how that works but I'm accepting it for what it is worth. We should know the results of that on July 19, their next board meeting.

Until that time also, we are now searching for Grants. It is a very tedious but rewarding process. So much to look through, so much from which to look. It is amazing how much is out there. Noticing how many grants are really out there I'm starting to feel like that Riddler Guy from TV, the one with the Crazy Question Mark Suit. YOU CAN FIND $500,000 IN GRANT MONEY! Every time I find a great grant I start jumping up and down and realize how lucky I am that our office isn't located in some corporate building where numerous people walk by daily. Just located on the corner of a street, in a neighborhood. It's nice and quiet, and I can get away with embarrassing myself.

So we've found several grants and if anyone knows anyone that can write grants and is willing to donate their time to helping write these grants... BY ALL MEANS EMAIL ME! info@uzupistheatre.com

The SoundOFF was amazing! Granted we didn't have as many people show up but we did receive a lot of really great feedback. So I applaud all of you for showing up and letting us know how you feel about our theatre and its involvement in the community as well as what you would like to see us do over the next year. (BTW- Whoever wrote the comment about the prison thing - you and I are so in sync. That is actually a part of our adult education program we intend on creating within the next 3 years. So kudos to you!)

Speaking of which, we have selected our Season! And our Season is.... PENDING RIGHTS! So once we have been given the rights to the shows I will definitely post them.

And finally the Roll of Shame. Guess who won and who lost? TECHNICALLY, Kyle lost by $20, but he ended up matching that $20. And then something odd happened... THERE ARE NO ROLLER SKATES FOR SIZE 10.5! So if you know anyone that has between a 10 and 11 size Roller Skates, let me know. We'll borrow them to take pictures of Kyle and I (yes, since we did kind of tie) Roller Skating through Atlanta. How much fun? Those should be posted by Mid August. I'm also thinking of doing it in Athens as a great marketing/advertising tool when the kids get back to school. Any suggestions?

I believe this is it. A lot to catch you up on. I will let you all know as soon as possible what the result is from the IRS. CAN'T WAIT!

Til then.... Create the Revolution!

Brandon

PS - Also, keep those Donations rolling in! Go to http://www.uzupistheatre.com/donations.htm and make a donation. It is tax deductible. Every cent counts. Tell your friends and family and random people on the street who look like they have a lot of money.

Also if you know anyone interested in Sponsorship, now would be the time to let us know! Take care!

PPS - And if I don't get to it on July 18, it is my other sister's birthday. Just so no one feels neglected.

06.14.07

Today is my sister Lindsay’s Birthday! I just wanted to wish her a Happy Birthday! Also this is the first day of our BLOG! I am really excited about this.

The purpose of this BLOG! is to do the following:

1. Inform the public about upcoming events.

2. Keep a live journal about the process of starting a Theatre Company.

3. Let everyone know what we have to say.

Also, if you would like to post something on our BLOG! please do so by clicking the above link. Please allow a business day to post!

We are always open for discussion so please let us know what you think.

Brandon