And now for something completely different.
Etcetera, the late-night arm of Live Theatre Workshop, has had a major overhaul.
For one, all shows won't necessarily be late-night.
And then there's this: Rather than Etcetera's frequently risqué, edgy productions, there will be original pieces that kids can often enjoy along with adults. A whole new theatrical experience is in store as the members of Theatre3 take hold of the Etcetera banner.
The company's first show at Etcetera, "MixTape," is slated to preview today and open Friday.
It is a series of vignettes that give a sampling of the kind of works the company produces.
Theatre3 is headed by Angela Horchem and Matt Walley (who was co-founder of Etcetera in 2004; he left Tucson to further his education and returned about a year ago). Their work is original, eccentric, funny, and an old form of theater that hasn't been staged much in the Old Pueblo.
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"Our premise is to create new, all-original works," says Horchem, Theatre3's artistic director.
"We like to take joy and the human experience to create imaginative works."
Walley and Horchem are graduates of Dell'Arte International, a California-based school that teaches the European tradition of physical theater.
It combines mime, masks, clowning, music and dance with traditional story telling. You can tell what the character is thinking, feeling, doing by how the body reacts.
"Our tradition comes out of a long tradition of mime," explains Horchem.
"By diminishing the explicitly of the face, the rest of the body must become just as expressive. … We fill the entire character with the whole body."
Two years ago, Walley and Horchem staged "Wonderheads" at Etcetera. Each character wore an oversize, full-head mask so that you could not see the actors' faces. But it was easy to understand the story, and to read the joy, the pain, the contemplation, the confusion of characters by how their bodies moved and reacted. Within minutes, you could have sworn that those masks were malleable faces. The story gained a kind of profundity and the piece was funny, sad and exciting.
The creation of the works for Theatre3, written by Walley and Horchem, is just as physical.
"It's rare that we sit down and write," says Horchem.
"We finds things physically and improvise. We'll find the character or story and improvise to find the dialogue and logic of the piece. Then we infuse them into the writing."
The earlier hour of this production - Etcetera has traditionally had 10:30 p.m. shows - means it's one you can take the kids to. Though not created for young people, Horchem has found children are fascinated, and often quickly buy into, the physical theater style.
"MixTape" consists of about 12 pieces, some a few minutes long, some perhaps 10.
"They are all about transition," says Horchem. "It's a bit vaudevillian, a bit modern. It's a mix tape."
If you go
• What: Etcetera's production of "MixTape."
• Created by: Theatre3.
• When: Previews at 7:30 p.m. today. Regular performances are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 7.
• Where: Live Theatre Workshop, 5317 E. Speedway .
• Tickets: $10 at the door.
• Information: 327-4242.
• Running time: 75 minutes, with no intermission.
• Cast: Matt Walley, Angela Horchem.
