Living in NYC offers many opportunities for the theater artist (i.e., actor, director, playwright, producer, etc.) . And it’s all at your reach. You don’t even need to focus on one area…of the art or the city. This year was a special theater year for me. Not only did I beat my own record for seeing shows in one year but I also managed to see a variety of work. Seeing a show on Broadway and seeing a local show may seem like worlds apart. Though they may be, at the heart of those productions is a passion to tell a story to an audience. Recently, I saw Priscilla, Queen of the Desert with Will Swenson and my friend, Jocelyn Bioh in Radha Blank’s Seed at the National Black Theater in Harlem. Both shows are amazing. Of course there are differences: stage size, budget, story lines. At the heart were actors performing and enjoying themselves. They believed in their work.
That’s what I love about doing theatre in this city. In one month, I had a show going up at the Estrogenius Festival at Manhattan Theater Source in the Village, was in (and still am) in rehearsals for my upcoming production of See How They Run with the Parkside Players in Forest Hills, and am one of the investors in Godspell on Broadway. I don’t feel limited to one type of theatre. I have passion for all of it.
I have learned so much along the way and I will share the experiences with you.