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Remember (verb): when there’s this thing that’s not real because it like already happened but you make it real again but only in your mind as a picture.

Here I am in the middle of my first full week back of cracking away at it in 2015. I’m extremely late in whipping up a “wow 2014 what a trip” post (which it seems you need to put out in mid-December to get any traction), but it needed to happen. So this is it.

Last year there were several milestones, professionally and personally, and it took me to places I’d never been before.

The two tentpoles of the year were The Speakeasy and The Explorers: A Shipwrecked Play. Both were interactive and required rethinking what the theatrical experience could be.

The Speakeasy, of course, was a massive accomplishment built on sheer force of will. Watching it all run like a train schedule (albeit a drunken one) night after night was humbling. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity (which I started working on back in March, 2012) and the dedication of so many that constructed and maintained such a seemingly impossible balancing act. There was nothing like watching the seeds of my imagination and hard work sprout into that thick forest of character and idea. It was an unparalleled feeling.

After Speakeasy, I was selected to dive headfirst into a whole different thicket–creating a site-specific, interactive piece…aimed at young audiences 2-10 years old. As Artist-in-Residence at the Bay Area Discovery Museum right on the edge of the San Francisco Bay, I discovered new abilities in myself, and The Explorers: A Shipwrecked Play was a terrifically fun blend of collaboration and ingenuity.

This past year was also the year I came into my own as a reporter.

I also had my first piece published in a magazine, a profile of researcher Dr. Kelly Reddy-Best. The magazine is here, but here is a handy copy of the article alone.

I also became the Silicon Valley Correspondent for the English language version of Anadolu Agency, the Turkish press agency. It was a pretty lucky break, but its a fantastic outlet to work for, and so 2014 is really the year I became a bona-fide journalist.

There were several other triumphs, but I don’t wanna waste too much of 2015 reminiscing.

What’s in store? Well, revivals of both The Speakeasy and The Explorers are in the pipeline, as well as some other real cool shiz–so don’t touch that remote!

Happy New Year!

-Barry Eitel

Thanksgiving always comes at a naturally reflective time. With almost 11 months torn off the calendar, the “what are you thankful for” prompt serves as a spyglass to consider the entire preceding year.

This year, the holiday coincided with the end of my residency at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, where I created an interactive theatrical experience aimed at young audiences.

The “crew” in The Explorers: A Shipwrecked Play crafted binoculars, built a boat and went on an adventure rife with venomous octopi, mysterious island wanderers and enormous redwoods.

It was a terrifically fun time, and–spoiler alert–I’ll probably be bringing the show back in the early months of 2015 again.

The Speakeasy, a two-year process, was the biggest accomplishment of my life (maybe tied with graduating college). After that closed in June, I decided to go straight into another complex challenge by creating an immersive piece with children.

I’ve never worked with children before, so I’m incredibly grateful for all those who helped me.

This Thanksgiving, which I spent with my girlfriend and friends at an Egyptian-themed retreat center complete with talking parrots and live ocelots, I had much to be thankful for.

As always–keep coming back for updates…there will be some soon.

Examples include the obligatory bullet-point examination of the year and stuff to boast about for next year that new Januaries always seem to bring around.

Happy Holidays/think of the children,
Barry Eitel

Ahoy-

My project as Artist-in-Residence at the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito, CA opens bright and early Sunday morning, with plenty of boat-building and telescope-peering guaranteed.

If the waking up for an 8 AM show thing isn’t for you, there are two shows the weekend following Thanksgiving (or look at the invite above for a more rustic take on the same information I just wrote).

And yes, I’ll be at each show, captaining half the audience through treacherous seas.

Avast,

Barry Eitel

Hard at work at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, with a series of Explorer Workshops continuing through October. Find more info here!

Back in August, I learned what the “thing I’m doing over the fall” would be–I am honored to announce that I am the Artist-in-Residence for the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito, CA.

For my residency, I’m creating an interactive, site-specific play for children with the current title of the THE EXPLORERS: A SHIPWRECK PLAY. The piece will be in line with the museum’s mission of inspiring creativity through play, and I’m super excited to be working with them.

There will be plenty more details to follow, but for now, mark you calendars for the last weekend in November.

Keep it real.

-Barry

Hey internet!

Great news today–I found out that the Bay Area Discovery Museum in pretty little Sausalito, CA has selected me to be their Artist-in-Residence for the Fall!

I got something for the fall! I can finally add “artist” to my resume! Look at me now, mom!

As the AIR, I will present an interactive site-specific piece tentatively titled The Explorers: A Shipwreck Play.

The BADM is awesome and their mission of inspiring creative thinking through play is crucial for today’s kids.

So my fall will be filled with children, pirates and stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rest of my summer will be filled with a trip to optometrist, Outside Lands, probably a tanline from sunglasses, you know the drill. Enjoy your August!

 

Be Good to Each Other,

Barry Eitel

 

 

So that’s pretty cool.