Story Confrence

["Todd Gemmell"]

Welp,

looks like it might not be too late to join. If you are serious about
Interactive Storytelling this is......well going to Mecca! Start begging
your way in now. Chris really is a softey


>Dear Interactive Storytelling Conference attendee:
>
>The conference has filled; here is the current attendee list:
>
>Greg Roach
>Halle Eavelyn
>Gordon Walton
>Licia Rester
>Kevin Gliner
>Doug Sharp
>Chris Hecker
>Laura Roden
>Andrew Stern
>Jim Bizzocchi
>Tim Emmerich
>Thom Gillespie
>Laura Mixon
>William Liverseidge
>Peter Weyerauch
>Walt Frietag
>Benjamin Fallenstein
>Matt?
>Teramis
>Michael St. Hippolyte
>Ron Gilbert
>Casey Muratori
>Ed Carmien
>Jean Lamb
>Michele Em
>Bruce Bethke
>Korak?
>Rob Swigart
>Todd Gemmell
>Chris Crawford
>
>I have already turned away several people, but I expect to get a few
>cancellations, so if there's somebody whom you think should be there but
>isn't on this list, please get your recommendation to me ASAP. I'm such a
>soft touch, I'll likely be bending the rules, but there will certainly be
>more people wanting to come than I can comfortably handle. As always, I
>have failed to honor the maxim, "Always be prepared to succeed beyond
>your wildest expectations."
>
>Some of you have made good suggestions regarding editorial content.
>Inasmuch as there will be no snazzy computers, videoscreens, multimedia
>systems, slide projectors, mimeograph machines, or other such fie-worthy
>technological impediments at this conference, we have plenty of
>flexibility in arranging the editorial content. The single
>self-indulgence I shall arrogate lies in defining the overall thrust of
>the conference, which I declare to be, roughly, as follows:
>
>"Interactive storytelling (or whatever term you prefer) is leaking out of
>the labs and will blossom into an industry in a few years. How can we
>assemble an industry out of the components (technological, talent, and
>financial) that already exist? What new components will we need? What
>are the central artistic challenges we face? What technological problems
>remain to be solved? How can we define and build a market for such
>products? What industry-level synergies can we establish? How can we
>cooperate as members of an industrial community without compromising our
>businesses?"
>
>The pursuit of this program requires knowledgeable contributors;
>fortunately, almost everyone in attendance has something to contribute.
>I will organize a schedule with speakers, but I'd like to keep the
>formal presentations to a minimum. Greg Roach has volunteered to talk
>about his work, which I think is important for all of us. Peter
>Weyerauch has offered to talk about OZ stuff -- no conference on this
>subject would be complete without a description of this ground-breaking
>technology. Teramis has proposed to speak on issues of plot design in
>the interactive environment. And of course, you can't expect me to
>refrain from blathering about my much-touted (well, by me) technology,
>the Erasmatron. There are several other speakers whom I am hounding, but
>I have no other successes to report as yet. If anybody else has something
>to offer the group, by all means come forward now.
>
>Now for some details you'll need to know. I'll be sending more stuff in
>April.
>
>AIR TRAVEL
>
>The Medford International Airport is just 30 minutes away from my house;
>two airlines service the airport: United and Alaska. United flies to San
>Francisco and Portland; Alaska handles Portland only. Here are the United
>flights that I could find:
>
>Friday: SFO to Medford (all 737s)
>
>UA 2468 11:00 AM - 12:14 PM
>UA 2470 2:00 PM - 3:13 PM
>UA 2472 7:30 PM - 8:45 PM
>
>
>Friday: Portland to Medford (wind-up rubber-band aircraft)
>
>UA 6827 8:25 AM - 9:26 AM
>UA 6829 11:25 AM - 12:26 PM
>UA 6831 2:01 PM - 3:02 PM
>UA 6833 4:20 PM - 5:21 PM
>UA 6966 6:40 PM - 7:41 PM
>UA 6835 10:20 PM - 11:21 PM
>
>Monday: Medford to SFO (all 737s)
>
>UA 2465 7:10 AM - 8:20 AM
>UA 2469 12:35 PM - 1:45 PM
>UA 2471 3:40 PM - 4:53 PM
>
>Monday: Medford to Portland (get intimate with your fellow passengers)
>
>UA 6826 6:09 AM - 7:10 AM
>UA 6828 9:45 AM - 10:46 AM
>UA 6830 12:44 PM - 1:45 PM
>UA 6832 3:17 PM - 4:18 PM
>UA 6834 5:36 PM - 6:37 PM
>
>
>B&Bs
>
>Jacksonville has something like 30 B&B rooms total, and they're somewhat
>pricey, but they certainly have charm. Ashland, 35 minutes away, has
>plenty of B&B's. Here's the list of Jacksonville B&Bs:
>
>Jacksonville Inn: 1 800 321-9344
>McCully House:    541 899-1942
>Old Stage Inn:    541 899-1776
>Orth House:       541 899-8665
>Touvelle House:   541 899-8938
>
>HOTELS
>
>There is only one motel in Jacksonville: the Stage Lodge, 1 800 253-8254.
>
>If you can't get into Jacksonville, there's always Medford, boasting lots
>of hotel rooms. I recommend two hotels:
>
>For those on a tight budget, there's the Motel 6, with rates around $40,
>I believe. Remember, though, that this is the price before room taxes.
> 541 779-0550.
>
>And for those less constrained, there's the Rogue Regency Inn, 800
>535-5805, with typical business rates of $75 for a single room and $84
>for a couple. Weekend rates might be a bit higher. They have a website at
>www.rogueregency.com.
>
>I recommend these two hotels because they are adjacent to each other -- a
>nice feature for arranging carpooling to my place. Moreover, they're
>about five minutes from the airport and the Rogue Regency has a shuttle
>to the airport.
>
>
>TRANSPORTATION
>
>There are plenty of car rental agencies at the Medford Airport, but be
>sure to reserve your car before arriving. There's also a good set of taxi
>companies, mostly mom-and-pop operations. I will also act as a focal
>point for arranging carpooling. Indeed, I can offer a simple plan that
>should work quite well for most cases: everybody who's coming to the
>conference, whether equipped with a car or not, should tie a loop of
>string through the central hole of a CD and then wear this badge on the
>chest, shiny side out. This conspicuosly marks you as an attendee of the
>conference. People from the two Medford hotels needing rides should gather
>in the lobby of the Rogue Regency, and those with cars should drop by the
>lobby to see if there's anybody to pick up before leaving. People in
>Jacksonville needing a ride should stand on main street in Jacksonville,
>facing oncoming traffic. If somebody stops for you and is wearing their
>distinctive CD, you know that they're just as crazy as you are and
>therefore safe to drive with.
>
>
>CHILD CARE
>
>One of our attendees must needs bring her young child along; if anybody
>else is similarly burdened, please advise me NOW so that I can determine
>the best way to handle child care.
>
>
>SPECIAL EVENTS
>
>If you want to take in some of the cultural life of the Rogue valley
>(don't laugh), there are two good choices: the Britt Music Festival in
>Jacksonville and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. The Britt
>Festival has Ottmar Liebert playing flamenco on Friday night, and John
>Prine on Saturday night. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has "Much Ado
>About Nothing" and "Othello" on Friday, and "Henry IV Part
>Two" and  on Saturday. They have a good website at
>www.orshakes.org, where you can even reserve seats and look at a seating
>map.
>
>The remainder of this email is just extracts from their website:
>
>June, 18
>
>        Feast of Will Park 6:00-6:45
>
>         Good Person (Bmr) 2 p.m.
>
>       OUTDOOR SEASON OPENS!
>
>      Exhibit Center 10:00 a.m.-4:00
>
>        Rosmersholm (Swan) 2 p.m.
>
>          Othello (Bmr) 8:30 p.m.
>
>        Much Ado (o) (Eliz) 8:30 p.m.
>
>           Lecture Carp 12:00
>
>     Backstage Tour (Swan) 10:00 a.m.
>
>
>
>
>
>                June, 19
>
>         Park Talk Garden 12:00
>
>         Seven Guitars (Bmr) 2 p.m.
>
>         Henry IV (o) (Eliz) 8:30 p.m.
>
>          Chicago (Bmr) 8:30 p.m.
>
>        Rosmersholm (Swan) 2 p.m.
>
>      Exhibit Center 10:00 a.m.-4:00
>
>     Backstage Tour (Swan) 10:00 a.m.
>
>
>
>
>
>                June, 20
>
>       Musketeers (o) (Eliz) 8:30 p.m.
>
>       Good Person (Bmr) 8:30 p.m.
>
>         Park Talk Garden 12:00
>
>        El Paso Blue (Swan) 2 p.m.
>
>      Exhibit Center 10:00 a.m.-4:00
>
>     Backstage Tour (Swan) 10:00 a.m.
>
>            Othello (Bmr) 2 p.m.
>
>
>
>
>
> and here are the play descriptions:
>
> The Good Person of Szechuan
>
> Bertolt Brecht
>
>Comedy, music and flamboyant theatrics add spice to the provocative moral
>in this sly fairy tale about the high cost of being good. The gods
>reward Shen Te, the only truly virtuous person they can find. Besieged
>by moochers and romanced by a handsome ne'er-do-well eager to exploit
>her, Shen Te saves herself with a scheme so outrageous it astonishes
>even the gods.
>
>
>Rosmersholm
>
>Henrik Ibsen
>
>Can John Rosmer's political career survive allegations of improper sex?
>Rebecca West, once the companion of his late wife, now lives with him in
>the brooding mansion Rosmerholm. Deeply in love, they dream of changing
>society, but ghosts of the past clutch at their happiness while their
>conservative neighbors create from her presence a scandal to destroy
>him.
>
>
>Othello
>
>William Shakespeare
>
>In Shakespeare's poetic tragedy Othello, passionate desire unravels into
>all-consuming madness. The celebrated Moorish general Othello cherishes
>the high-born Venetian lady Desdemona with a love so great that it
>should transcend cultural and social differences, but instead it leaves
>them defenseless before the deadly intrigues of the vengeful Iago.
>
>
>Seven Guitars
>
>August Wilson
>
>The sounds of Pittsburgh's Hill District in 1948 create a folk symphony:
>a rooster crows, cards slap in a friendly game of whist, people frankly
>give voice to their desires, screen doors slam and everywhere, the
>haunting strains of the blues. But violent death has come "like a thief
>in the night" to a young man full of dreams and promise. How did he die,
>and why? What does his death mean to the people who feared him and the
>people who loved him?
>
>
>Henry IV Part Two
>
>William Shakespeare
>
>Life, death and England's crown are at stake in this magnificent
>historical drama. Both land and King are sick in spirit. And the royal
>heir, Prince Hal, prefers the witty rascal Falstaff to his princely
>duty. When the time comes for Hal to take King Henry's place, will he
>plunge his wounded realm into greater chaos or restore its grandeur?
>This production features an all-male cast, inspired by Shakespeare's own
>company.
>
>
>Chicago
>
>Maurine Watkins
>
>Hello, suckers, this ain't no musical. It's the original Chicago, and
>here's the skinny: It's 1926, and foxy Roxie Hart is the prettiest woman
>ever charged with murder in Cook County. Her trial is a three-ring
>circus, with sob sisters, news hounds, legal eagles and jail birds
>furiously jockeying for a place in the limelight. Anything goes in the
>red-hot grandmama of all tough-talkin', wise-crackin' courtroom
>comedies.
>
>Much Ado About Nothing
>
>William Shakespeare
>
>[no information, but who needs it?]
>
>
>