Formerly located in Los Angeles, Schkapf is now freely roaming the world of curiosities. We are indebted to our many Californian colleagues and cohorts that inspired, created and built our colletive home for a decade or more. May we now take that energy into building bridges across the globe.
To learn more about our activites please continue reading below.
About Schkapf
Schkapf incubates and produces curious performances & other experiences. The word “Schkapf” is a nonsense word but it bears a close similarity to the Russian "шкап" which could be translated as a "wardrobe," "armoire," "cupboard," or any variation on this theme.
Schkapf's particular penchant is best described as non-dramatic theatre. We have a real relish for crafted experiences that mix and fuse oft-archaic forms of clown, bouffon, magic, and puppetry into various styles of presentation such as cabaret, farce, vaudeville, carnival, street parade, immersive theatre, a wedding or a wake. Our curiosity is most piqued when a project disrupts or blows apart entirely the conventions of theatre with the use of other human canons: anthropology, architecture, physics, animation, cinema, folk traditions, poetry, etc.
Our mission is to produce experiences to instigate wonder. For audiences to be drawn to hidden treasures onstage and for artists to discover what they have to share. We incubate performances through our School of Embodied Acting, supporting our Artists-in-Residence, maintaining Resident Laboratory Companies, and providing support to local and international artists here in Los Angeles.
Welcome to Schkapf - we're a home for the curious.
Who Is Schkapf?
While making art, running theatre ensembles, facilitating venues, writing PhD's, dreaming up festivals, singing songs, and learning from others while traveling North America and Europe; Olya Petrakova and Bryan Brown (the Co-Artistic Directors) decided to bring all their diverse experiences and share their knowledge and passion for performance culture in Los Angeles.
Olya Petrakova (Co-Artistic Director) is a theatre artist, event director, performer, teacher and producer. Born in the former Soviet Union, she spent her early childhood in Batna, Algeria went to Art and Music school in Chisinau, Moldova, studied Applied Mathematics in St. Petersubrg, Russia. And in 1991, two weeks before the collapse of the Soviet Union, she headed to the USA to study eastern philosophy at Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa. There she received an AA in Science of Creative Intelligence, along with a more pragmatic and always useful MBA. This eclectic education was crowned with ongoing theatre studies that she initiated in 1997. Several years later, Olya organized an American Russian Theatre project in LA, which became known in 2006 as ARTEL. She conceived, devised, directed and performed in critically-acclaimed productions (We Play Devil’s Advocate, Legendary Times of Bulgakov, Kharmful Charms of Daniil Kharms) and Gogol-Mogol TeaRoom Salons. Olya has also produced a number of events, such as the Los Angeles Physical Theatre Arts Festival (LAPTAF), and the first Russian Cultural Festival in West Hollywood. For the last four years she has also worked internationally, most recently organizing and directing the Snow Children Festival at Crecy La Chapelle (France) with the world-renowned clown Slava Polunin in May 2013.
Contact Olya.
Bryan Brown (Co-Artistic Director) is a theatre artist, researcher and teacher. Originally from Maine, he was exposed to the experimental and dance theatre scenes of New York City and the classical theatre training of RADA in London before moving to Los Angeles. Together with Olya Petrakova, he cofounded ARTEL(American Russian Theatre Ensemble Laboratory) and Via Corpora which hosted a variety of local, national and international performance training sessions. He completed his PhD studies at the University of Leeds, where his thesis refined conceptions of the theatre laboratory by tracing the history of the scientific laboratory, the visual artist’s studio, and manifestations of the theatre laboratory in Russia. Artist-in-residence in Hooyang, South Korea, collaborator with Studio Matejka in Poland, and advisor to young artists in the UK and USA, Bryan is committed to the creation of sustainable training and residency programs at Schkapf.
Contact Bryan.
Future Artists-in-Residence and Resident Laboratories
Schkapf cultivates, presents, and produces artists whose work disrupts or dismantles the conventions of theatre and performance. By offering an artist-in-residence program and hosting resident laboratories in Los Angeles, we provided assistance to performers so that they could grow, experiment, and thrive. We aim to continue this work wherever we are in the world.
We understand that every artist and company has invidual needs and match our programs accordingly. Our services range from hands-on mentorship (directing, producing, designing, dramaturgy) to simple feedback and publicity assistance.
If you are interested, please send an email here and include a resume with a short synopsis of your idea or how Schkapf might assist you.
Past Artists-in-Residence and Resident Laboratories
 ARTELARTEL is a theatre group which focuses their lens on embodied practices and scenographic experimentation, while keeping their feet firmly planted in today’s reality. ARTEL revamped their production of 'Kharmful Charms of Daniil Kharms' for the 2014 Hollywood Fringe Festival which received rave reviews and a nomination for Fringe Freaks' Best Cabaret and Variety Award. |  Mikhall "Micha" UsovMikhail "Micha" Usov is most known for performing in Cirque du Soleil's Totem. While at Schkapf, Micha created and presented his new work-in-process titled: Recipe for Happiness also known as Inside. The needs which Schkapf helped Mikhail with was providing rehearsal space, production assistance and networking assistance. |  Source MaterialSource Material is a collective of artists dedicated to generating work that liberates the collaboration between the body and its senses. Source Material revived and revised their production Into the Fog for the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2014 and received Fringe Freaks' Best in Dance & Physical Theatre Award and the DUENE Distinction. |
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 Grand GuignolersFrom 2007 to 2010 Grand Guignolers developed three shows at Schkapf, when it was "Artworks." The three productions were: A Very Grand Guignol Christmas (2007 & 2008), A Grand Guignol Children's Show *(*Not For Children) (2008), and Absinthe Opium and Magic: 1920s Shanghai. Schkapf's main contribution was providing Grand Guignolers a place to work and explore. |  Catherine WallerCatherine Waller is a performance artist from New Zealand, who spent four months at Schkapf rediscovering and delving deeper into four bouffon characters she created in 2011. Whilst using the space she received mentoring from Schkapf's members- from directing and dramaturgy to assisting in producing her project: The Creeps. At the 2014 Hollywood Fringe Festival Catherine won the THIRTY9ONE Golden Elephant Performer award. |  Phil Burgers and Stuart BowdenAbsurd, weird and wonderful, this surreal visual comedy with live musical narration has kids storming the stage to help the hapless doctor. Join Dr. Brown and his friend the Singing Tiger on an absurd adventure from breakfast to bedtime. |
 Naomi BennettHold Me Tight is an original devised theatre-dance production and the thesis project of Naomi Bennett, MFA candidate in Television, Film and Theatre at California State University, Los Angeles. It is inspired by the true-crime story of Christine and Lea Papin, sisters, maids, and supposed lovers. On the evening of February 2nd, 1933, the two brutally massacred their employer, Madame Lancelin, and her daughter, Genevieve, to an unrecognizable pulp. |  Bike Odyssey LAA performance art community bike ride where the streets of Los Angeles are transformed into Homer’s The Odyssey as the audience cycles through. While at Schkapf, Bike Odyssey L.A. received mentoring, held public work-in-progress shows, and created a non-bike pedestrial version for the 2014 Hollywood Fringe Festival. Bike Odyssey L.A. went on to perform in different areas of the Los Angeles county. |  Heretick Theatre LabComprised of four thematically linked, interactive theatre pieces, The Noir Series was performed in front of a live audience, filmed in HD, and streamed over the web in real time. Heretick assembled an impressive collective of film and theatre professionals to present their unique interpretations of the theme "Noir." The performance lasted 90 minutes with no intermission, and in the tradition of a live television taping, an Emcee warmed-up and guided the audience through their experience. |
Contact Us
We can be reached at (323) 871-1912.
Or E-mail us at: Folks@Schkapf.com
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