Kathe Koja

Making fun on the folly: The Tower Project

Kathe — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:06:10 +0000

The folly in the green, lovers on the tower …

Pleased and excited to be producing Michael Lluberes’ “Tower Project”, a one-time-only performance in Ann Arbor on this very singular stage. Last year, I produced and directed “Bottom’s Folly,” and between the masks, the Sprites, the music, and Bottom descending from the tree, fun was definitely had.

This time, Michael is working with the myth of the tower, the maiden, young love, and something tangible in the air … More details later. But fun has already arrived.

Telling the story

Kathe — Sun, 19 May 2013 23:50:58 +0000

Sometimes it’s the words on a page, paper or digital; sometimes it’s a story offered with gestures, laughter, silence, to an audience. Either way, always, it’s the story that matters. [Photo courtesy Rick Lieder.]

The brothel and the books

Kathe — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:22:34 +0000

As I write this, the Under the Poppy Brothel has just completed its sold-out run in Detroit, an intense and immersive collaboration between our amazing cast, our adventurous patrons, and the story of Rupert, Istvan, and Decca.

And, of course, the floozies!

We’ve had much too much fun opening the brothel doors to close them just yet. So stay tuned for the next incarnation of the Poppy. Perhaps in a city where you live . . .

On the page, THE MERCURY WALTZ, the second book in the Under the Poppy trilogy, will come out this year from Roadswell Editions; the third, THE BASTARDS’ PARADISE, is just finished. And SKIN is just about to become an ebook, leading the way for BAD BRAINS and STRANGE ANGELS to follow.

Between the brothel and the books, this is a very busy time! Let’s meet somewhere, the page, the stage, and have some extraordinary fun.

[Photos courtesy Rick Lieder from the Under the Poppy Brothel production April 2013: Vanessa Ellen Hentschel and Joe Dimuzio; Diane Cheklich and Kathe Koja; Steve Xander Carson; Laura Heikkinen. SKIN book cover by Rick Lieder.]

At the Poppy

Kathe — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 15:42:56 +0000

This is the year of the Poppy: the intense, and intensely joyful, experience of bringing the process and power of the Under the Poppy story to full flower as an immersive Victorian brothel experience, in a historic house in Detroit.

Each earlier event took us step by step along the road, until these performances, these evenings, these moments of silk and whiskey scent and bodies so close to your own that you feel their heat as you pass….Our patrons were more than pleased (except for the few who chose to walk out, unnerved or offended by the passionate nature of our tale). Perhaps our highest compliment was this: “There were times where I forgot I was watching a show. Brava!!! It was one of the best evenings I’ve ever experienced.”

I could say so much more, but what matters most are the names of the creative ensemble whose work and play made the brothel what it is:

Steve Xander Carson
Jonathan West
Laura Bailey
Laura Heikkinen
Vanessa Ellen Hentschel
Joe Dimuzio
Marisa Dluge
Alan Madlane
Steve Deasy
Joe Stacey
Diane Cheklich
Rick Lieder
Aaron Mustamaa

See for yourself.

Under the Poppy Farewell performance from Under the Poppy on Vimeo.

Under the Poppy: Come to the brothel!

Kathe — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 15:37:56 +0000

Let the images tell the story . . . Under the Poppy’s immersive brothel will open in April, in a Victorian house in Brush Park, Detroit. Tickets may purchased here.

Under the Poppy: Farewell Performance from Under the Poppy on Vimeo.