Category: Estrogenius Festival

Manhattan Theatre Source’s EstroGenius Festival, an annual celebration of female voices, is one of New York City’s largest women’s arts festivals.

Horse Trade Theater Group Announces 20TH Anniversary & Final Season

Since 1997 Horse Trade Theater Group has been home to thousands of artists and independent theater companies, becoming “arguably the epicenter of the independent theater world in New York” (Leonard Jacobs, Clyde Fitch Report) and “a mecca for terrific off-off Broadway theater” (Martin Denton, nytheatre.com). We present 8 annual festivals, including Estrogenius, FRIGID, Queerly, Gotham Storytelling Festival, and the Obie-Award winning The Fire This Time Festival. Last year we presented 450 performances including 25 individual monthly productions. We are proud and honored to celebrate our 20th season and to launch the next phase of our continuing mission to support artists and present the very best alternative, diverse and original theater to our loyal and growing audience.

Beginning in the summer of 2018, FRIGID New York, a now established 501c3 corporation, will continue the Horse Trade tradition at The Kraine Theater and UNDER St. Marks.  By transitioning to a non-profit model after 20 years of faithful and proven community service, we will be able to increase our commitment to paying all artists and staff that create the vibrant work on our stages. We will begin the fundraising efforts to ensure the organization’s future in this city’s always shifting and uncertain real estate market.  As we grow our efforts to provide a home for the next generation of independent theater artists, we welcome your support, financially or otherwise, and look forward to partnering with other like-minded organizations to sustain and strengthen the living treasure that is the independent theater community in New York City.

Horse Trade’s 20th and final season will include Death to The Pumpkin Pie Show (the 20th and final installment), the 20th Anniversary of Dysfunctional Theater, new shows from resident theatre companies The Dirty Blondes and Infinite Variety Productions, and the annual Gotham, STEM, Fire This Time, FRIGID, EstroGenius, and Queerly Festivals.

The Constitution
Written by Mickaël de Oliveira, Directed by Jill DeArmon
Presented by Saudade Theatre
August 31-September 10 @ UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place)
Four actors, heroes of a new society, are invited by the government to write a new Constitution. Sequestered from society. Six days. No experience in the matter. A perfect Constitution for an imperfect nation.

Show Up
Written & Performed by Peter Michael Marino, Directed by Michole Biancosino
September 14-30 at UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place)
Directed from a sold out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Peter Michael Marino’s 4-star critically acclaimed Show Up returns to UNDER St. Marks where it all began last year. This one-man, interactive, improvised comedy is all about the good, bad, and ugly experiences of the audience – who also lend a hand in the set, sound and lights…and there’s a party!

Death to The Pumpkin Pie Show
Written by Clay McLeod Chapman
Performed by Clay McLeod Chapman & Hanna Cheek
October 12-28 @ UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place)
After 20 years of bringing macabre tales of madness and murder to the East Village, writer Clay McLeod Chapman is finally driving a stake into the heart of his long-running storytelling staple The Pumpkin Pie Show. Join him and scene-stealer Hanna Cheek for one final foray into the abyss with their favorite literary perversions from the last two decades.

A Night with the Dead
Written & Directed by Martha Lorena Preve
Presented by Something from Abroad
October 26-29 @ The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street)
You don’t talk about death, you don’t mess with it, and you certainly don’t question tradition. In a world where death is considered taboo, Catrina, a Mexican girl, will defy society’s rules to find out where our loved ones go when they die. A Night with the Dead is a story about the origins of the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos.

6th Annual Gotham Festival
November 1-7 @ The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street)
This November, Horse Trade presents the 6th Annual Gotham Storytelling Festival. With storytellers from a variety of ethnic, national and sexual backgrounds, this year’s festival promises to bring you stories that are both intensely individual and strikingly universal. Don’t miss out on a full week of stories that will make you laugh, cry, wonder and want to hear more.  With special guest Christian Cagigal, a storytelling magician from the west.

Beyond the Etchings
Presented by Infinite Variety Productions
November 10 & 11 @ The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street)
Through a collaboration with Vietnam Veteran Bob Staranowicz and IVP creators Ashley Adelman and Kelly Teaford, Beyond the Etchings tells the story of men and women whose names are visited on the Vietnam Wall everyday. Beyond the Etchings reminds us that war not only changes the lives of those in the war zone but many others waiting anxiously at home.  Basing the play around oral histories, letters and first hand accounts, Beyond the Etchings reminds us of the power of listening, remembering and connecting.

Dysfunctional Theatre 20th Anniversary Extravaganza!
Presented by Dysfunctional Theatre Company
November 29 @ The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street)
This year Dysfunctional Theatre is 20 years old! To celebrate we’ve designed a special, one-of-a-kind event featuring the best moments of shows spanning our years together. Dysfunctional members new and old will be taking the stage to create an unforgettable evening of entertainment that promises to be purely, totally, absolutely Dysfunctional.

In Their Footsteps
Presented by Infinite Variety Productions
November 30-December 11 @ UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place)
Thousands of women served in Vietnam during the war. Barely any of their stories are known. Join the IVP team as they follow the footsteps of five women from all different walks of life who chose to serve their country. Created from five oral interviews, IVP is honored to be taking the words, tales and lives of these women and sharing them with you. In Their Footsteps is not a tale of women who went to war but the stories of everyday life in a warzone and where the journey leads a person after their reality includes dirt, mud, blood and loss.

10th Annual A Very Yoga Christmas
Hosted by Joe Yoga
December 21 @ UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place)
Celebrating its 10th Anniversary, Joe Yoga’s annual all-star variety Christmas show extravaganza returns to UNDER St. Mark’s with free cupcakes, a Steely Dan dance party, double-blind Secret Santa, and the best music and comedy the East Village has to offer.

Winter Burlesque Blitz
December 27-30 @ The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street)
The burlesque Blitz will be returning this year with a whole new lineup of loveliness. This year’s festival will be bringing not only live burlesque performances by performers from multiple points on the Gender spectrum, but also a lecture and a movie on the theme, to create a well rounded event for the holiday season.

4th Annual STEM Fest
January 3-14, 2018 @ The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street)
Storytellers, comedians, burlesque performers, playwrights musicians and, yes, even scientists will show us just how entertaining the world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math can be. With some returning regulars and some new voices this year’s festival promises to bring us one small step out of the darkness and into the light.

9th Annual The Fire This Time Festival
January 15-28, 2018 @ The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street)
The African American experience is not represented solely by one voice or one style. Horse Trade Theater Group and The Fire This Time Festival provide a platform for talented early-career playwrights of African and African American descent to explore challenging new directions for 21st century theatre.

12th Annual FRIGID Festival
February 14-March 4, 2018
The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street) & UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place)
This very special open and uncensored theatre festival gives artists an opportunity to let their ingenuity thrive in a venue that values freedom of expression and artistic determination. In true support of theatre on the fringe, 100% of box office proceeds go directly to the artists. FRIGID is here to chill out the New York independent theatre scene’s ideas of what a theatre festival can be!

EstroGenius Festival
Presented by Manhattan Theatre Source
March 8-26, 2018 @ The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street)
An annual celebration of female voices featuring 10-minute plays, music, solo shows, teen performances, visual art, and dance. New York City’s largest women’s arts festival committed to providing opportunities to female artists – in a variety of disciplines – ranging from the emerging to the seasoned professional.

4th Annual Queerly Festival
June 20-July 2, 2018 @ The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street)
Queerly, a festival seen through lavender-colored glasses, takes the everyday experiences, jokes and stories of being alive on this planet and views them through the lens of queer identity. A celebration of this diverse, strong, sharing-minded community told through stories, songs, poetry and plays.

Horse Trade Theater Group is a theater development group with a focus on new work that produces a massive quantity of stimulating downtown theater every season. Horse Trade’s Resident Artist Program offers a home to a select group of Independent theater artists, pooling together a great deal of talent and energy. Horse Trade also produces the annual FRIGID Festival, the first and only festival of its kind in New York City to offer artists 100% of their box office proceeds. http://www.horseTRADE.inf

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TBB: The Pawnbroker, I Am Me, EstroGenius Festival,King of the Hobos

As a contributing writer to The Write Teacher(s), I have been writing about literally about theatre beyond Broadway. I started local and began moving outside of the five boroughs. The stories about performing in other locations has now piqued an interest in me. I am wildly curious about visiting these places. As a New Yorker, I’ll be the first to admit being elitist about theatre. After all, I grew up going to both shows on Broadway as well as shows in a church basement. I thought I experienced it all which isn’t true. There’s so much to experience. So, readers, I would love to know where you have performed outside New York City and what that experience was like for you. You can either comment below or send me an email at theatrebeyondbway@gmail.com.

And I’ll see you at the show!

by Categories: Beyond Broadway, Estrogenius Festival, TBB Mondays, TheaterTags: , 4 Comments

Guest Blogger: Alice Shapiro on mini Broadway bites

MiniBroadwayBites Large (1)I have never met Alice Shapiro. She and I struck up a relationship via email as we are both women artists and she working on bringing her show, mini Broadway bites, to New York City. I assumed she was based here in New York but alas I was wrong. Alice creates her art in the countryside of Georgia. We had a lovely telephone conversation about her small town that is now starting to have a theatre scene. Imagine that. They are so lucky to have her and she is lucky to be in a place where art is being discovered. Today she tells us about how this all transpired.

I’m writing this story from a gazebo in the midst of tranquil woodlands outside the Dog River Library on Highway 5. Being an abstract person by nature, it is easier for me to write a play than tell you what it is about. When I’m literal others talk in parables; when I make up stories others are literal. Welcome to my world!

In 2011, I received an email from the Estrogenius Festival in NYC seeking volunteers. At the time, I was living in Georgia but helped remotely to gain rehearsal space for their productions. Fast forward to 2013 when another email from The International Women Artists Salon (IWAS) announced that an Estrogenius Festival-affiliated member had formed a new group where women artists from around the world could meet in person and via Skype to share their activities. At the first meeting, Heidi Russell, the IWAS founder, graciously invited me to exhibit the set design paintings from my mini BROADWAY bites musicals at their Off Off Broadway partner venue, The Producers’ Club. Heidi also helped connect me with the venue to mount a showcase of two of the mini musicals. I was suddenly an Off Off Broadway producer/playwright catapulted into a new world of magical possibility. After that amazing sold-out performance experience I was captivated by the bright lights and encouraged to reach out again. Miraculously, we are now presenting the mini BROADWAY bites exclusively at Planet Hollywood Times Square in their Off Broadway Screening Room on Broadway and 45th Street, merely one block away from where we started…. in less than 6 months time!

Originally the scripts were written first as an outline based on scripture from the Bible. This became the structure for all ten plays in the series so that each play has its own theme with a beginning middle and ending while at the same time keeping continuity throughout all ten plays as one linear story.  The songs are from sheet music found in the University of West Georgia Special Collections Library and are popular public domain pieces from the turn-of-the-century.  Making the musical theatre performances into a film with Pridek Studios was an exciting adventure in creativity. We wanted to build something different than a static filming of an on-stage performance so it had to be more movie-like. We hope we captured the essence of both mediums in an exciting new way in our first Musical Film Short, Fountain of Youth.

KC photo TCLF IMG_4175 (1)Alice Shapiro is an award-winning playwright and author of four books with a fifth forthcoming in 2014. A native New Yorker, Alice now lives in a small town in Georgia. You can reach her at www.minibroadwaybites.com

 

by Categories: Beyond Broadway, Estrogenius Festival, Guest Blogger, New York City, NYC Theatre, Openings, TBB Wednesdays Leave a comment

TBB: I Am Me, The Pawnbroker, Fountain of Youth, EstroGenius Festival

labor_day-rosieI am not sure how Labor Day just crept up on us but here it is. As summer slips into Indian Summer, I look back at the last 8 months in wonderment. How in the world did so much happen? Life in all its splendid glory truly blessed me with both great highs and deep lows. However, through all of it, I had you amazing people emailing me about your shows, emailing me about other people shows, following me on Twitter and liking the TBB FB page. I have worked on some great shows this year. No doubt. I have definitely seen some great work. Fantastic. I also have happened to work on female centric pieces this year. I did a recap of my year and each one of my clients have either been a one woman show or a production where there was a strong female lead(s). This means the world to me as I continue to work with The Pawnbroker in Fringe Encores, begin work with Nicole Kontolefa on her one woman site unspecific piece, I Am Me and return with EstroGenius for the their 15th year! It doesn’t get better than that.

As these women continue to rock our artistic worlds, the partnerships I have created with Cheryl King, Alice Shapiro, Heidi Russell and Qurrat Kadwani continue to be my manna.

I highly suggest that if you are interested in connecting with any of these women, let me know. All of them are fierce, inspiring and strong.

Have an amazing Labor Day and see you at the show!

by Categories: Estrogenius Festival, Fringe NYC, NYC Theatre, Openings, TBB Mondays, TheaterTags: , Leave a comment

Rest, Relaxation and Questions

b13c064dbf28a0a9246a78640dce9bdc-bpfullAs I battle the end of this flu on this lovely vacation, I would be lying if I said that I have been care-free and fancy-free with thoughts of life back in New York. If anything, this flu (the first in over a decade) has totally laid me out. The fever, the chills, the extreme exhaustion and constant coughing has me thinking about how did I let myself be susceptible. Granted everyone has been sick this winter. Flu season affects most but I know that I was a contributing factor to getting this sick.

After the EstroGenius Festival 2012  closed in December, I took a month off to enjoy some down time and the holidays. However, once 2013 rang in, I started to schedule my projects, speaking engagements, rehearsals, meetings, conferences, vacations. I knew that I was coming to Trinidad this week, so I made sure that I had everything set before I left New York. In doing that I really didn’t leave much time for rest. I also didn’t take into consideration that my newest project was going to require extensive homework and brain power. I also didn’t think that one of my projects was not going to be rewarding. That’s okay though. Live and learn.

As  I try to let my thoughts run free in this amazing mellow environment, I find myself observing how no one seems to be under pressure. I put myself under pressure. The two thoughts that have played in my mind are:

  1. Where do I see myself in 5 years?
  2. Why do I get involved in projects where I say, “I have x amount of time before this is over .

Question 2 has answered itself. My major projects of 2013 have me filled with excitement: EstroGenius 2013 and Imaginary. My other projects are awaiting their turn in the limelight.

As for Question 1…that used to be the easiest for me to answer in the past. I honestly can’t answer that question right at this minute. My default answer is sitting on a beach writing poetry. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do that today because it is raining.

Hopefully, I’ll have a semblance of an answer by the time I get back to New York City. And hopefully, I’ll remember to schedule time to take care of myself.

 

 

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One Year Anniversary of Malinism

And in that year I have learned so much as an artist and as me.   Many thanks for your comments and thoughts. They are great!

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EstroGenius Festival opens next month. If you are in the NYC area, check us out. Info is below:

Who Says 13 Isn’t Lucky?
EstroGenius, the month-long celebration of female voices,
celebrates its 13th year with fresh faces and a new home

The New York Times raved that EstroGenius “lives up to its billing as a celebration of women’s work”

Manhattan Theatre Source presents EstroGenius, a multi-week event including short plays, solo shows, music, visual art, dance, teen performances, and stand-up comedy. The entirely volunteer-run festival is created by a team of committed producers, great scripts, inspired directors, talented actors, magical designers, competent stage managers, and passionate supporters.

What debuted in 2000 as a two-week festival with a program of ten short plays and music has grown into the largest festival of its kind in New York City. The festival’s mission is to support the development of new works and emerging artists in a variety of disciplines. EstroGenius accepts short play submissions from across the country and around the world, from male and female, gay, straight, transgender, white, black, Latino and Asian artists ranging in age from twelve to eighty years old.

The EstroGenius Festival – November 8th to December 1st, 2012

12 short-plays presented in three unique programs kick off the festival on November 8th.

The women of Sola Voce, a series of solo performances, take the stage from November 9th to November 26th.

Women in Motion (WiM) presents two premieres on November 14th and 17th: Permission to Fail by 2013 NYLA Studio Series Artist Laurie Berg, with collaborator Bessie McDonough-Thayer and I Would by 2012 Field Fund awardee, Rachel Cohen. Selected by WiM producers, Melissa Riker, Amber Sloan, Esther Palmer and Anne Zuerner for their unique interests in rhythm, theatricality, props, and absurdity, these refreshing dance artists have shown they are not afraid to tackle the unknown.

Stand-up for Estro is back for its second season featuring  performances by Marga Gomez on November 9th, 10th, 16th, 17th, and 30th.

GirlPower, a presentation of the spoken word written and performed by girls ages 8 to 21, runs November 10th, 11th, 15th, 16th, and 26th.

Venue

TBG Theatre, 312 West 36th Street, New York

Tickets

Audiences can purchase individual general admission tickets ($18) or packages (from $36 for all three theatre programs to $75 for the entire EstroGenius festival, including music and comedy programs) here: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/dept/895

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Rant III: There’s No Need for Condescension

I wrote the rant, thought I saved it but alas, I did not.

The gist of the post was that it is so unnecessary to be condescending. The tone of your voice doesn’t sound nice. You come off very arrogant. You sound mean and a bit elitist.  I have been the recipient of this over the last month. Though your truly has been guilty of this in the past, I have really tried to make a concerted effort to restrain from saying what doesn’t need to be said or what shouldn’t be said. I also know myself very well, so if I have been condescending, I probably said I was being condescending. Anyhow, the worst part of condescension is the holier than thou attitude and lack of compassion.

So, instead of responding with patronization, I take a moment and think about another way of responding that isn’t biting or dehumanizing. I take the assertive approach rather than the aggressive. There’s a time and place for everything. I just pause and play out the situation.

****************************************************************************

Check out my other project with the EstroGenius Festival. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays of October,  the staff of the festival answer the Estro 5. I am really proud of how this came together!

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Join the EstroGenius Evolution!

A year ago, I had the opportunity to work with an amazing theater company, Manhattan Theatre Source. I directed Elizabeth Irwin’s Origin with Joane Cajuste and Nick Radu for their Estrogenius Festival. I had passed their home on 177 MacDougal for about a decade not knowing that they were there. Everything happens for a reason because clearly, I wasn’t supposed to walk into their doors or they weren’t supposed to welcome me with open arms until last year. Fast forward to now. I am not directing this time but am their Marketing Director for their 13th Year!!! One of my early posts was about them losing their home on MacDougall. Instead of giving up, these Estrobabes pushed harder and worked diligently to make sure that the female artist is heard and seen. We hear so much about the Fringe and other festivals here in NYC but EstroGenius is a special kind of festival. All volunteers. All doing this for the passion of theater… Below is the information regarding our current campaign. We have 6 weeks to raise $65o0! Please join us in the evolution 🙂

EstroGenius is a month-long celebration of female voices. What debuted in 2000 as a two-week festival with a program of ten short plays and music has grown into a multi-week event including short plays, solo shows, music, visual art, dance, teen performances, and stand-up comedy. It’s the largest, most inclusive festival of its kind in New York City and we’re excited to be in our 13th year! 

The festival’s mission is to support the development of new works and emerging artists in a variety of disciplines. We accept short play submissions from across the country and around the world, from male and female, gay, straight, transgender, white, black, Latino and Asian artists ranging in age from twelve to eighty years old. Production decisions are tempered by the knowledge that diverse contributions strengthen our artistic integrity. Similarly, directors, designers, actors and others are pulled from all walks of life and the subject matters addressed span sexual and cultural boundaries.

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