Blissfield develops and produces smart, surprising stories for theater and film through a sharply comedic lens. A lean and committed crew, we nurture our singular projects with an informal ensemble of accomplished actors. We co-produce with organizations that share our love of funny/sad stories rooted in truth and played seriously, with high stakes and visceral immediacy. Our casting and hiring is inclusive, and our aesthetic is adventurous: we love to laugh hard and to play with the boundaries between the audience and the storytellers. Based in New York City. Founder: Ellen Maguire.
The Formula, by Kathryn Chetkovich, Blissfield's inaugural project, is a reimagining of A Midsummer Night's Dream that slyly subverts its genre to ask: Is it even possible to choose the right person to marry? In this funny and moving new play, full of existential uncertainty, an anxious young researcher experimenting with the science of attraction struggles to maintain control when the untested formula she's been working on gets loose at her own wedding. Modern language. Seven actors: three women, four men. Time: any day now. Setting: a lab, the countryside, the deep woods.
The world premiere of The Formula, directed by Ellen Maguire and supported by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, opened July 15th, 2022 at Santa Cruz Shakespeare, in Santa Cruz, CA, and closed August 28th, 2022.
We greatly appreciate donations of any size. Your kindness and generosity allow us to pay actors, rent rehearsal space, hire designers, stage managers and production assistants — and keep making art.
If you'd like to earmark your donation for a specific purpose, possibilities include contributing to the budget for subsequent productions of The Formula, supporting a week of development for one of our new projects, or making a donation to honor an arts-loving friend or family member. Please contact Ellen Maguire at maguirenyc [at] gmail (dot) com to discuss the options.
