well, 2014 is almost in the books. 
I can't say i'm devastated. 
on a personal level, it wasn't exactly the best year i've ever had. 
so much so that it's been easy to overlook some of the greater things that happened this year. on a professional level, it's actually been pretty exciting. 
my newest theater company, This Is Not A Theatre Company, premiered two new works - Pool Play and A Serious Banquet. We recorded a pod play, Ferry Play, which is in development for release in 2015. And we are currently workshopping our next piece, Readymade Cabaret. Not bad for a single year. 
In the meantime, my Philly-based theater company, Murmuration Theater, is in development for our next piece, Breakdown. We're alls et to premiere a short play at the 2015 Nice N Fresh series. 

so....while on a certain level it is with great joy that I kiss 2014 goodbye, I'm deeply grateful for the professional activities that have proved such a welcome distraction from personal challenges. 

wishing you and yours a happy and HEALTHY 2015. 

love, jessie

two words: beach. balls. 

check out last night's curtain call, below:

why do we make theater? 
ugh, who's we? dumb question. 
why do I make theater? is, i guess, the question i really have any authority to answer. but just as it amazes me to see all of my peers/friends/collaborators fearlessly giving of themselves with the art (theater) they create on a daily basis, so am I, frankly, a bit baffled that it's something I have such a thirst to do. 

at my worst moments, I worry that I do it for the praise. but that can't be true, because frankly, for every piece of praise, there's two to three pieces of criticism to follow. the ratio is not 1:1. For every person who is ready to make themselves vulnerable and share something precious with an audience of strangers or semi-strangers, there are four who are ready to jump in at the last second and tell them what they did wrong, or what wasn't as "interesting" or "accessible" or "fun". 

If i'm doing this for the praise, frankly, if any of us are doing this for the praise, we were woefully misinformed on how much praise to expect. yes, when praise comes, when genuine praise comes, its amazing. but more likely, it's going to hurt like hell. More likely than praise is a "fearless" (and fuck you, that is not fearlessness) reviewer is going to "tell it like it is" (and really, that's not fearlessness) by offering a dismissive "eh" from the sidelines, all respect for us and how much of ourselves we put into this aside. If I wanted praise, I chose the wrong career. I should have been a... hmmm...not sure, actually. I was always pretty good at math in high school. maybe i could have been a mathlete for praise. 

but I don't really do it "for me", either. if i wanted to do things "for me" I would write super bad, self-indulgent poetry in a notebook and never show it to anyone. I would try and draw. it would be bad, but i would keep it to myself and secretly call myself a genius. And there would be no one to contradict that so... art for me. 

But i don't do that kind of art. I chose a kind of art that in its very definition involves exchange. sharing. giving. there is no theater without an audience and so, there is no theater without you. the person i made this (play/scene/musical/one act/10 minute) for. you're why i do it. not me. i want to give something to you; in fact, i get high off of giving something to you. off of handing you a strange, hopefully beautiful maybe upsetting, hopefully interesting and provocative and fun and entertaining and maybe painful but hopefully a good or important kind of painful THING.

here again, is a baffling revelation. i do theater in order to give something desperately precious to someone i maybe don't know. with absolutely no idea about what they'll think. on the one hand: WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME. WHY WOULD I/WE CHOOSE TO DO THAT. that is SUREFIRE grounds to have these things i made destroyed, criticized, rejected. 

but on the other hand... when the risk pays off? it is magic. it is, as i mentioned, a high like i have never before chased. when i give it and you GET it, or are intrigued, thoughtful, curious, interested... when it delights you, or scares you in all the right ways, or makes you think or feel or focus: that is beautiful. that is art. that is the absolute best about what it means to be a human condensed into one perfect moment: connection. that is a second that validates a lifetime of work. that is rightness. 

and so, we do it. we share it. we put thousands of hours into projects and then, trembling, hand them out to you, hoping beyond all measure that you take them from us. and knowing, full while, that there will be some who don't. who ignore, reject, dismiss, cooly decide "i didn't like it" without considering what it was about it that you didn't like, and what that means. because we know, if even one of you gets it, feels it, or bothers to think about and explore what confused or upset you, what delighted or intrigued you, well...then. that's good. and right. and art. and fuck, it's worth it. 

what a fabulous first weekend of Pool Play. We played to full houses both Saturday and Sunday, and it was a genuine pleasure to share this strange, joyful little play with the world. The actors were INCREDIBLE, braving injury and illness to act their damn hearts out, and the audience was receptive to everything we threw at them. a real "this is why I do this" kind of moment. 

I am so so excited to have 4 more weekends to share Pool Play with everyone! If you missed us opening weekend, I do hope you'll join us for one of our 8 additional performances!! 

Check out that awesome audience shot from opening night - don't they look thrilled?? 

Buy tickets now!!!

NBD, just in Time Out....

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/pool-play

So excited to share the following preview for Pool Play by Jonathan Mandell at New York Theatre. Erin gave a great interview with Jonathan, and not just because she said such dang nice things about me!!

http://newyorktheater.me/2014/01/28/pool-play-q-and-a-erin-mee-on-immersive-theater-art-vs-academia-her-famous-father/

Hope to see you in February!!

Friends, I am SO EXCITED to announce that tickets are now on sale for Pool Play, a brand new play (in a pool!) Check out our nifty blerb below: 

This is Not a Theatre Company Presents... 
POOL PLAY 
Conceived and Directed by Erin Mee 
Original Text by Jessie Bear 
with original contributions by Charles Mee and Jeanine T. Abraham

Featuring: 
Jeanine T. Abraham, Shawn Chua, Ashley Wren Collins, Erika Marit Iverson, Michael Lorz, Lily Narbonne, Alex Pagels, Ali Kennedy Scott

Join us at the edge of the pool with your feet in the water (yes! in the water!) and enjoy: synchronized swimming, an existential boatman, songs, a snarky fish, and an exploration of America's long, joyful and complicated relationship with the swimming pool.

We have tickets on sale right now!!!

This piece stems from a collaboration that's created a BRAND SPANKIN' NEW THEATER COMPANY! Check us out at thisisnotatheatrecompany.com 

We are fully cast for our Pool Play by Charles Mee and me, Jessie Bear!
Here is a photo of our gorgeous "set". 
Come check us out on February 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 and March 1, 7, 8 at Waterside Plaza. 
Featuring:
Ali Kennedy Scott, Lily Narbonne, Alex Pagels, Jeanine T. Abraham, Shawn Chua Ming Ren, Michael Lorz, Ashley Wren Collins, and Erika Marit Iverson. 

i had one of those moments today where you look around and realize that, despite all your worries, all the suck, all the crap you slog through for days and days, your life is actually happening. 
and it's awesome. 
we had a fantastic day working on a preliminary recording for the pod play. to be honest, it raised about a million more questions than i ever knew needed to be asked for a project like this (because, let's face it - who's worked on a play for an iPod meant to be listened to in a site specific location before?), but it felt amazing to finally be in the room and getting things moving. and what a pool of talent we had to work with!!
speaking of POOLS.... (see what i did there? WRITING folks...) tomorrow are the auditions for the pool play. i am VERY excited for this - apparently we have a ton of people coming, and I must admit, i am ever-so-slightly nervous about this. thank god I am not a director - because casting decisions are wholly intimidating to me. but thankfully, that is not my purview! instead, I get to show up and help to get this party started. 
simply put, i feel very grateful and psyched. and those are totally wonderful feelings. 

i am especially excited to share the following call for auditions for a Play in a Pool(!)  that I am developing with Erin Mee. It will feature text by myself and Charles Mee (!!) (still feels unbelievable to type that out…) 
If you are an actor, or know someone who's an actor, for whom a project like this might be exciting, please help spread the word!

AUDITIONS FOR POOL PLAY: A play set in the indoor pool at Waterside Plaza, NYC.
Text by Charles Mee and Jessie Bear. Directed by Erin Mee

We are looking for 5 actors who can deliver text while throwing a beach ball, playing in a pool with a noodle and/or rowing a plastic canoe around an indoor pool. Actors must be able to swim. Actors of all ages, shapes, and colors are encouraged to audition. We are specifically looking for one actor/actress over the age of 60, and one actor who can sing. NOTE: Actors will be “costumed” in their bathing suits. We are NOT looking for thin leggy models: we are looking for people with real bodies (cellulite and all). But you need to be comfortable wandering around a pool in your bathing suit. Preference will be given to performers who have some experience devising theatre and working in a collaborative environment.

Performers will receive $50 per performance ($500 total). This particular indoor pool does not smell like chlorine, and it has a skylight, so it is a pleasant place to rehearse and perform. There are changing rooms you can use to change in and out of street clothes, and they are equipped with clean showers and a sauna.

Auditions will be held on Monday, December 16 from 6-9pm at 244 Greene Street, which is two blocks West of Broadway and just below Waverly.

Rehearsals will be held on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings from 6-11pm  on January 15 and going through until opening.

Performances will be in the evenings on February 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, and 28 and March 1, 7, and 8