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Collaborative cross-pollination is in the air of West Florida and dramatists play a fecund role. But first, a few highlights from West Florida members.

The Tampa Repertory Theatre and Creative Loafing have teamed up to present Conversation Starters, a series of stage readings and discussions that brings works from the New Play Exchange to Tampa. The conversations started at the CL Space in April with The Gun Show by E.M. Lewis. Steve Yockey’s Blackberry Winter was in May and June 13 is Dana Lynn Formby’s Johnny 10 Beers’ Daughter. Meanwhile in Sarasota, Starlite Players is now well into their second season including shorts by DG members Larry Parr, Jack Gilhooley, Marvin Albert, Heather Jones, Jo Morello, Richard J. Budin, Stephen Cooper, Tom Sivak, and James McLindon.

Both Matt Cowley and Sheila Cowley, who presented on radio theatre at the National Conference, were commissioned last year by March Forth Productions in New York to write dark, ten-minute plays about Krampusnacht that had to involve live foley.

Sheila Cowley was also commissioned for Keep St Pete Lit’s Fantastic Ekphrastic where a gallery hangs art to inspire written works that actors performed for four sold-out shows. She says she was “inspired by the painting by Lance Rodgers and the years my parents spent living in the Marshall Islands, eating canned Australian cheese and watching living seashells scoot between their toes.” The combined work of Bikini Atoll Bombshell was awarded the People’s Choice award for Best Creative Collaboration with actor Becca McCoy and visual artist Lance Rodgers. “It’s really interesting and I am pleased that two commissions I’ve had recently are both involving other art forms. One had to be involving manual sound effects. And Fantastic Ekphrastic—actually I thought they made this word up, but it’s a real word, ekphrastic and it means writing about visual art—Fantastic Ekphrastic is where Soft Water Studios in St. Pete hangs an exhibit of paintings and sculptures by local artists, and writers get to pick one for inspiration.”

Sheila Cowley was also inspired to create her own collaborative art event called Synesthesia with the help of Bob Devin Jones at the Studio@620. Cowley says she got the idea from Athena Theatre who got it from Electric Pear Prodctions. “Not being completely sure that it would work around here, I talked to Bob and we thought we would do it just one day as an experiment. And it actually worked amazingly well. It was a surprise to everyone how well and beautifully it worked.”

The process started with a short story by ten-year-old Lily McDole who wrote with no adult intervention. “Her mom runs Keep St. Pete Lit, so I figured if you’re going to ask any ten-year old to do it—this was the one to ask,” said Cowley. The “very exciting” story, about a girl who buys a belt that lets her fly over a volcano, was given to actor Becca McCoy who did a dramatic reading for dancers Helen Hansen French and Paula Kramer and sound designer Matt Cowley. An hour later that trio had crafted a performance piece where they playfully crafted a volcano by covering the performance space with bolts of cloth. They then danced for sculptor James Oleson who worked while songwriter Jonathan Cho watched a sculpture of a woman with a flowing skirt take form. Cho then composed a song which he sang for four actors (Jim Wicker, Elizabeth Brincklow, Lisa Powers Tricomi and Jim Rayfield) to devise a very short play that involved wrapping a woman in the cloth left behind by the dancers. Zulu Painter recreated that same image which inspired Maureen McDole to write a poem to inspire Carrie Jadus to make yet another painting. Silent Clown Banks Helfrich appeared and to cap the program Bob Devin Jones wrote a call and response poem that involved the entire audience. At the end of the day a performance followed a picnic style meet and greet for the artists.

“It was a really beautiful collaboration with all kinds of artists. It worked better than we ever imagined,” said Cowley. Look for more Synesthesia when it returns in the fall.

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ddavis-thompson@dramatistsguild.com

Becca McCoy final pose in Bikini Atom Bombshell