Category: Theater

Experimental Bitch Presents Jack of Cups May 31 – June 8 at the Flea Theater

JOC FINAL 900x900.png
Experimental Bitch Presents The World Premiere of Post-Apocalyptic Play
Jack of Cups
May 31 – June 8 at the Flea Theater
Experimental Bitch Presents (EBP) is pleased to announce their 2019 mainstage production, the post-apocalyptic play Jack of Cups by Gabriel Rodriguez. The World Premiere runs May 31 – June 8 at The Flea Theater, with opening night slated for June 1 at 7:00 pm. Jack of Cups is directed by Rodriguez and Madeline Wall. Original music composed by Lukas Papenfusscline.
Many years from now, long after The Flood That Drowned the World, a stranger, queerer, more loving world has sprouted from the rubble and ruins. Once a year, the many communities of this new world become one, gathering on a barren island for the Remembrance Festival. Amidst the games and food and drink, the sharing of knowledge and the telling of Big Stories, they are visited by a mysterious and legendary wanderer who has arrived to tell the biggest Big Story of all.
Writer Gabriel Rodriguez shares their thoughts on Jack of Cups, “For many years, the narrative has revolved around fixing, fighting, saving the earth. We are where we are because of a poisonous narrative of domination and control, and oftentimes we have been trying to figure out how to dominate and control our way out of it. Jack of Cups is a play about learning to both fully feel our grief and terror about the years to come and to embrace the joyful, hopeful, durable imagination we will need to find our way into what comes after. It is a story about the power of story. And community. And recycling.”  
Producing company EBP is an assembly of femme, queer artists dedicated to building community and creating new and experimental work that disrupts, engages, and redefines the process of art-making. They embrace controversial questioning and seek out artistic forms that innovate the field by producing diverse bodies of work concerning contemporary feminism. EBP encourages audiences and artists to engage in action and conversation.
Starring Gabriel Rodriguez (Water by the Spoonful/Lyric Stage Company) as Jack of Cups, featuring the Remembrance Festival Planning Committee, Lukas Papenfusscline, and Kayla Yee.
The creative team includes scenic design by Jennilee Aromando, lighting design by Elizabeth M. Stewart, costume design by Madeline Wall, stage management by Bleu Zephra Santiago, and technical supervisor Jack Scaletta. Produced by Tatiana Baccari, Wednesday Sue Derrico, associate producer Sophia Valera Heinecke.
Jack of Cups runs May 31 – June 8 at The Flea Theater, 20 Thomas Street (between Broadway & Church Streets), New York, NY 10007. Subways: A/C/E/1/2/3/J/M/Z to Chambers Street, N/Q to Canal Street, and the R/W/4/5/6 to City Hall. Tickets are $25 for students/seniors, $30 for general admission and are available at https://bit.ly/2Zu8XWq.
Performance dates:
Friday, May 31st at 7 pm
Saturday, June 1 at 3 pm & 7 pm (Opening night)
Sunday, June 2 at 3 pm & 7 pm
Tuesday, June 4 at 7 pm
Wednesday, June 5 at 7 pm
Thursday, June 6 at 7 pm
Friday, June 7 at 7 pm
Saturday, June 8 at 3 pm & 7 pm
More info is available www.experimentalbitchpresents.com
BIOGRAPHIES
Gabriel Rodriguez (writer, performer, co-director) is an actor, writer, storyteller, theatermaker, teacher, and witch. They are a creature. Jack of Cups is the fifth solo play they have written and performed. Their previous one was the umbilical point, commissioned by Walking the dog Theater in Hudson, NY (“A brilliant tour de force” —The Berkshire Edge). Gabriel teaches an array of performance techniques based in embodied imagination. Recent workshops include “Living in the Questions” at Michael Chekhov Acting Studio and “Imaginary Body” at Daya Yoga. Gabriel has a BFA in Acting from Emerson College, and participates in Hudson-based theater laboratory The Michael Chekhov School. Gabriel is a proud member of EBP, where they hold the title of Communications Bitch + House Chaplin. www.gabrod.com
Madeline Wall (co-director) is a Seattle-born director and designer. She received her BFA in Film and Television from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Since moving to New York, she has worked for ABC, NBC, Showtime, Netflix, and Columbia University. She has directed work at The Frigid Festival, NYC Fringe Festival, The Fringe Encore Series and Performance Project @ University Settlement. Madeline’s work as a filmmaker has been featured in The Seattle International Film Festival, The Student Academy Awards, as well as winning her multiple awards for production design and editing. She’s a full-time member of EBP.
Lukas Papenfusscline (music director/composer) was raised in Northern California but spent their formative years in Paris, France, before pursuing dual degrees from the New England Conservatory and Tufts University in Contemporary Improvisation and Drama. A practitioner of music and theatre, they constantly integrate the two worlds by combining tradition with experimentation, always through a queer lens. Alongside their band, mammifères, they craft modern tunes based on field recordings, old manuscripts, and stories from years past, updating them with new structural languages of the 21st century. They create their own projects for theatre (Bottom Feeder recently premiered at Dixon Place) and music (Olema released December 2018 on Figure & Ground and Mendacity with Ran Blake is forthcoming). They appear regularly on the West Coast (most recently in Los Angeles with FourLarks), with their friend and mentor Ran Blake.
ABOUT EBP
Founded in 2015, EBP began as a monthly reading series dedicated to sharing plays by female, femme, queer, trans, and non-binary artists. Since that time, EBP has grown into a producing company with credits on over 50 events and shows in New York City at venues including Performance Project @ University Settlement, Joe’s Pub, Connelly Theater, and WOW Cafe. Most recently, EBP served as an associate producer on Diana Oh’s Infinite Love Party at the Bushwick Starr. Led by Brooklyn-based artists, Tatiana Baccari serves as EBP’s Artistic Director in partnership with Founding Executive Director, Wednesday Sue Derrico. Together they usher the company into its first fully original curated season.
In addition to Baccari and Derrico, company members include Hannah Goldman, Sophia Valera Heinecke, Gabriel Rodriguez, and Madeline Wall. Associate company members include Amy Bartlett, Aliyah Hakim, and Alexandra Lenihan.
Gabriel Rodriguez as Jack of Cups. Photo by Nivia Hernandez..jpg
Gabriel Rodriguez as Jack of Cups. Photo by Nivia Hernandez.
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Queer Nightclub Musical OSCAR at The Crown Return

Queer Nightclub Musical OSCAR at The Crown Returns to 3 Dollar Bill in Brooklyn for An Open-Ended Run
Previews begin May 10th, official opening on May 30th
Sequins, reality television, and the complete works of Oscar Wilde: not much else survives in a secret bunker far in the fascist future.
“A K-Pop/J-Pop/Scissor Sisters-on-speed electronic dance party euphoria” -them.
“Have a four-in-one experience. The draw here is all in the nouns: Immersive, queer, nightclub, musical.” -Backstage
“Pop culture at the end of the world” -Metro New York
WHAT: After a sold out and critically acclaimed January and February run at 3 Dollar Bill, the dystopian queer nightclub musical OSCAR at The Crown returns for an open-ended run, with previews beginning May 10th and an official opening on May 30th. Sequins, reality television, and the complete works of Oscar Wilde: not much else survives in a secret bunker far in the fascist future. OSCAR at The Crown is an immersive nightclub musical detailing the rise and fall of one of history’s most flamboyant characters. AND it’s about the Real Housewives and a minor character from that show The O.C. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ And yes, it’s ALSO about us: staring at our phones, wondering if our latest Instagram is going to flop and if the bombs have started flying yet.
See you on the dance floor! Wear something cool!
WHERE: 3 Dollar Bill – 260 Meserole St. Brooklyn NY 11206
WHEN: Previews begin May 10th on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
Official open-ended run begins on May 30th with performances on Fridays, Saturday and Sundays
HOW: Tickets from $45 – $79 – ticket link. This show is 21+.
THE NEON COVEN
The Neon Coven is a growing collective creating music performances that tell stories of otherness. We like: queer people, theater in non-traditional spaces, and screaming.
MARK MAURIELLO (creator) is a Brooklyn-based performer and theater artist. Since graduating from Harvard University, he has performed at the American Repertory Theater (Taylor Mac’s The Lily’s Revenge, The Donkey Show), in nightclubs from New York to Berlin (Dr. Frank-N-Furter, The Rocky Horror Show), and even the occasional abandoned burger restaurant (Marjorie Newquist, Little Murders). Mark is a co-founder of The Neon Coven, and above all, he believes in negative capability.
ANDREW BARRET COX is a choreographer, composer and producer based in New York City. A graduate of Emerson College, his work is inspired by underground scenes and non-traditional material. His work has been seen at the American Repertory Theater’s immersive second stage OBERON, and his original works Clubland, Hexed, Wilder, Pokémon: The 90s Rock Show, and Seamtowne have been heard on stages and virtual platforms across the country. As a co-founder of The Neon Coven, he strives to create vessels that tell stories of otherness and continue to bridge the gap between mainstream and queer media.
SHIRA MILIKOWSKY is a freelance theater director, specializing in new plays and radical re-imaginings of musicals and classic texts. She is also a co-founder of The Neon Coven. Recent projects include Distant Star (Caborca/Abrons Arts Center) and Little Murders (in an abandoned burger restaurant!) As the Artistic Associate at the American Repertory Theater, Shira directed The Lily’s Revenge by Taylor Mac (named by The Boston Globe as one of the top ten theater events of the year), Bride*Widow*Hag by Kim Rosenstock, and countless other productions, workshops and special projects. A Drama League Fellow, Shira holds an MFA in Directing from Columbia and a BA in Theater Studies from Yale. Associate Lecturer in Theater, Dance & Media, Harvard University.
JENN MALEY is a Tony-nominated producer for Paula Vogel’s Indecent and a director. Currently, Jenn is a co-producer on Be More Chill by Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz, opening on Broadway in 2019. Other select producing credits include Reunion ’69 and ’85 (Byron Theatre) and Associate on The Mad Ones (59e59). Jenn recently was the Assistant Director to Tyne Rafaeli for Usual Girls by Ming Peiffer at Roundabout Theatre Company. For more information visit jennmaley.com.
 
Choreography by Andrew Barret Cox
 
Set and Props Design by Tekla Monson
 
Lighting Design by Calvin Anderson
 
Costume Concept by Mateus Forte
 
Sound Design by Shannon Slaton
 
Casting by Kate Lumpkin, CSA
 
Original Casting by Ally Kiley / Telsey + Co
 
General Management: Joseph Longthorne and Benjamin Simpson, SL Theatricals
 
Associate Producer: Jenn Maley
 
Production Management: Melanie Guinto, Evan Bernardin Productions
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The Tank In Association With Kairos Italy Theater Presents Butterflies @TheTankNYC @kitheater

THE TANK
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
KAIROS ITALY THEATER
PRESENTS
BUTTERFLIES
 
Playwright Emanuele Aldrovandi
WRITTEN BY EMANUELE ALDROVANDI
TRANSLATED BY CARLOTTA BRENTAN
DIRECTED BY JAY STERN 
UNITED STATES PREMIERE
PRESS PREVIEWS MAY 29 & 30
OPENING MAY 31
MAY 29 – JUNE 8 @ THE TANK
The Tank (Meghan Finn and Rosalind Grush, Artistic Directors) in association with Kairos Italy Theater will present the United States Premiere of Butterflies by Emanuele Aldrovandi in a translation by Carlotta Brentan, directed by Jay Stern at The Tank (312 West 36th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues), May 29-June 8. Performances will be on Wednesday, May 29 at 7pm, Thursday, May 30 at 7pm, Friday, May 31 at 7pm, Saturday, June 1 at 7pm, Wednesday, June 5 at 7pm, Thursday, June 6 at 7pm, Friday, June 7 at 7pm, and Saturday, June 8 at 7pm Tickets ($20) are available for advance purchase at www.thetanknyc.org. The performance will run approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission.
Butterflies is the story of two sisters whose favorite pastime is a dangerous game: whoever holds the butterfly hairpin can ask the other one to do anything she wants. A fantastical and uncompromising tale of personal growth among sisterly love and sisterly rivalry in which self-discovery is not always accompanied by greater understanding of the other person.
Butterflies won the esteemed Mario Fratti Award at the In Scena! Italian Theater Festival NY in 2016.
The cast will include Danielle Sacks (Letters to Sala with The Barrow Group) and Annie Watkins (The Worth of Women at Access Theater) with Lighting Design by Ali Hall (Iceman Cometh, Act IV with Target Margin) and Set Design by Sarah Edkins (The Shooter at TheaterLab).
Emanuele Aldrovandi (Playwright) is a playwright, screenwriter, translator and director. After a bachelor degree in Philosophy and a master degree in Literature, from 2009 to 2012 he studied playwriting at the Paolo Grassi Academy of Dramatic Arts in Milan, Italy. In 2013, with Homicide House, he won the most important Italian playwriting award, the Riccione/Tondelli, and his plays started to be staged in many theatres all over the country and abroad. In Italy he also won the Pirandello National Award with Happiness, the Fersen Award with The General, the Hystrio Award and the Mario Fratti Award with Butterflies. He has written plays, adaptations and translations for some of the most important Italian and European theatres, he has translated into Italian plays such as Trainspotting and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. He has been invited to many international festivals and he has created and developed site-specific theatre projects and multimedia museum exhibitions. He was one of the European playwrights selected by Fabulamundi Playwriting Europe, the main exchange playwriting program in Europe, and his plays have been translated, performed and published in English, German, French, Spanish, Polish, Slovenian and Catalan. In 2018 he started to work also as a screenwriter and movie director, writing and directing his first two short movies.  He’s a playwriting teacher in one of the most important Italian theatre school, the Paolo Grassi Academy of Dramatic Arts, and he’s leading many writing workshops in Italy and abroad.
Carlotta Brentan (Translator) is a theater artist, translator and voiceover artist. The Journey I Never Made by Paolo Bignami (Cherry Lane Theatre, dir. Laura Caparrotti), Clover by Erik Ehn (La MaMa, dir. Glory Kadigan), Lured by Frank J. Avella (also co-directed, Theater for the New City and OnStage! Festival of American Theater in Rome, Italy). Official translator of In Scena! Italian Theater Festival’s Mario Fratti Award for Italian Playwriting since 2014. Carlotta’s translations of full-length plays by Italy’s foremost award-winning playwrights – including Emanuele Aldrovandi, Mario Fratti, Luca de Bei – have been published and produced internationally. Carlotta is a member of KIT – Kairos Italy Theater, and can be heard voicing over a hundred videos, national commercials and audiobooks in English and Italian. www.carlottabrentan.com
Jay Stern (Director) Recent theater work includes the world premieres of The Worth of Women, which he also adapted (Kairos Italy Theater, NYC), 20th Century Photograph, created with director Veronica Wigg (Access Theater, NYC), Alien Attack! created with director Chang Nai Wen (Teatro Due, Rome), Hell is for Real (New York International Fringe Festival) and The Bardy Bunch: the War of the Families Partridge and Brady (New York International Fringe Festival and Theatre at St. Clements in NYC, Mercury Theater in Chicago). Jay has also directed four feature films. His most recent, Say My Name, will open in the US this summer. Jay is a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab and a founder of the World Wide Lab, an international festival of director-driven work developed at the Watermill Center, which had its inaugural presentation in New York City in the summer of 2012. Jay was co-artistic director of the 2015 lab on the island of Syros in Greece.
Kairos Italy Theater (KIT) Founded in 2000 KIT’s mission is to create a cultural exchange program between Italy, the US and the international community, to unveil the artistic and creative sides of each country, with special focus on Italy and the US. In the United States, Kairos Italy Theater is primarily dedicated to spreading Italian Culture and to creating a Cultural Network in order to support and further increase the knowledge of Italian and International culture, and to support and encourage collaboration between artists world-wide. KIT specializes in bringing premieres to the US stage. Thanks to Kairos Italy Theater never-before-translated works by Ennio Flaiano, Franca Valeri, Eduardo De Filippo, and Pier Paolo Pasolini have been presented to US audiences. In May of 2003, KIT inaugurated the Double Theatre Experience: a one-act play performed first in English and then in Italian. In 2013, KIT launched In Scena! Italian Theater Festival NY, the first Italian theater festival to take place in all five boroughs. www.kitheater.com

The Tank is a non-profit arts presenter and producer. Our mission is to remove economic barriers from the creation of new work for artists launching their careers and experimenting within their art form, and to do so in an environment that is inclusive and accessible. We serve over 2,000 artists every year in over 800 performances, and work across all disciplines, including theater, comedy, dance, film, music, puppetry, and storytelling. The heart of our services is providing free performance space in our two-stage theater complex Manhattan, and we also offer a suite of other services such as free rehearsal space, promotional support, artist fees, and much more. We support work at all phases of development, from readings and residencies to fully-produced world premieres. We keep ticket prices affordable and view our work as democratic, opening up both the creation and attendance of the arts to all.

Recent Tank-produced work includes Drama Desk-nominated productions Ada/Ava (2016), youarenowhere (2016), The Paper Hat Game (2017), the ephemera trilogy (2017), and The Hunger Artist (2018), as well as New York Times Critics’ Picks The Offending Gesture by Mac Wellman, directed by Meghan Finn (2016) and Red Emma & The Mad Monk by Alexis Roblan, directed by Katie Lindsay (2018). www.thetanknyc.org

This production is supported in part by the Italian Cultural Institute in New York.
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Bucolic by Lauren Maul

CREATED AND COMPOSED BY LAUREN MAUL
A darkly comedic musical based on bizarre, true tales of murder in a small Nebraska town. Running May 4th through 24th.
Tired of big city living?
Want to return to simpler times?
Rather get murdered by a loved one than a stranger?
We’re waiting for you.
WHAT: Created and composed by Lauren Maul, ‘Bucolic’ is a darkly comedic musical based on bizarre true crime stories from her hometown in Nebraska.
‘Bucolic’ features disturbing yarns and feel-good music with all of your local Nebraskan favorites, including coach/priest Father John, Pam Dowd – the #1 Realtor in the Murder-Suicide House Market, Laura Smalls – a surviving member of the 4th grade class, and many more! Audience members are invited to get their church directory portrait taken after the show. Orange drink and animal crackers will be provided.
Starring Lauren Maul, Michael Harren, Lady Kate Weber, Kiirstin Marilyn, Tim Girrbach, Tahlia Robinson, and Jenn Wehrung.
WHEN: 
Saturday, May 4, 8:30pm
Saturday, May 11, 8:30pm
Saturday, May 18, 7:30pm
Friday, May 24, 7:30pm
WHERE: The Assembly Room at Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square S, New York, NY 10012 (entrance at 239 Thompson Street)
HOW: Tickets are $20 and only available at the door on the night of the performance. Doors open 30 minutes before showtime and seating is limited.
More about Lauren Maul: 
Lauren Maul was raised in Nebraska, studied theater at the University of San Diego, trained as an improviser in Chicago, and currently performs in New York.  A “bit-maker” by trade, Lauren creates music, films, puppets, stand-up routines and other things that usually involve glitter. In 2014, Lauren created the viral Tumblr “You’re Gonna Die Here”, which features photos of terrifying AirBnB rentals. In 2016, Amazon Reviews: The Musical! (the musical web series she created)  was named one of the best web series of the year by IndieWire and Lauren was named one of the “50 Funniest People in Brooklyn” by Brooklyn Magazine. In 2017, Lauren created the critically acclaimed “Apologies from Men” and the live concert was recommended by the NY Times. Her writing has appeared in places like BUST magazine, The Frisky, Splitsider, Merry Jane, and Reductress. You can catch her producing/hosting “Bitchcraft!” and “Gathering the Coven” about town- plus a monthly sing along for senior citizens through New York Cares. She’s also a teacher at The Peoples Improv Theater and her character Marilyn Summers is known to frequent the popular gameshow “The Cabaret Showdown.”

http://bucolicmusical.com

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THE FRANCA RAME PROJECT

THE FRANCA RAME PROJECT

Five charismatic women and non-binary actors present an exhilarating, irreverent and poignant take on women’s lives. In English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew and Chinese.

Texts by Franca Rame & Dario Fo | Translated by Gillian Hanna
Conceived by Zishan Ugurlu & Laura Lassy Townsend
Direction & Design by Zishan Ugurlu

With M. Bazeed, Cynthia LaCruz, Laura Lassy Townsend*, Niki Morrissette & Yu Ling Wu
May 2, 3, 4 @ 7 pm
May 1, 4 @ 3 pm
25$ General Admission | 18$ Students & Groups
*appears courtesy of Actor’s Equity.

Tickets Available
The Franca Rame Project is presented by Irondale Theater, L’Atelier Theatre Productions & Actors Without Borders as part of Irondale’s On Women Festival.

The Franca Rame Project is made possible by public funds from the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and from the Decentralization Program of the New York State Council on the Arts, both administered in Kings County by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
*appears courtesy of Actors’ Equity.

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ADULT SEX ED WITH DANI FAITH LEONARD – SATURDAY MARCH 2

ADULT SEX ED WITH DANI FAITH LEONARD – SATURDAY MARCH 2nd AT CAVEAT
America’s failure to provide accurate sex education in schools is comedy’s gain.
 
THEME: “AS SEEN ON TV”
 
 
WHO: Host Dani Faith Leonard (Big Vision Empty Wallet, Lez Bomb)
Mike Doyle (The Romanoffs)
Ayanna Dookie (Gotham Comedy, 50 Central)
Anita Flores (Awkward Sex & The City, Gross Girls)
Mat Levy (…as seen on tv)
And more guests to be announced
 
 
WHAT: Hosted by Dani Faith Leonard, ADULT SEX ED combines personal storytelling from a diverse roster of guests, scripted sketches, and exploratory deep dives on sexual topics in a hilarious, spicy, and inclusive setting.
 
THIS MONTH’S TOPIC: AS SEEN ON TV: Through hosted segments and stand-up comedy, you’ll learn about sex ed current events, weird TV censorship, and the sex products you may have seen hilariously advertised on TV.  A line up of storytellers will talk about lessons from their sex ed history that they cleared up (or not) by their experiences watching (or being on) television.
 
WHEN: Thursday, May 2nd at 9:00pm
 
WHERE: Caveat – 21A Clinton St. New York NY 10002
 
$15 in advance, $20 at the door – 21+
 
 
 
On Thursday, May 2nd, Dani Faith Leonard brings ADULT SEX ED back to to Caveat, combining personal storytelling from a diverse roster of guests with scripted sketches and exploratory deep dives on sexual topics in a hilarious, spicy, and inclusive setting. Dani welcomes special guests Mike Doyle, Ayanna Dookie, Anita Flores, Mat Levy, and more to be announced. This month’s theme is AS SEEN ON TV. Through hosted segments ans stand-up comedy, you’ll learn about sex ed current events, weird TV censorship, and the sex products you may have seen hilariously advertised on TV.  A line up of storytellers will talk about lessons from their sex ed history that they cleared up (or not) by their experiences watching (or being on) television.
 
 This show is 21+. Tickets are $15 in advance $20 at the door – available at www.caveat.nyc
 
Dani Faith Leonard is a NY-based comedian, writer, and producer. Dani created and hosts the live show ADULT SEX ED where she plugs the holes of your education when it comes to sexual health and history (through comedy). As a writer, her stories often focus on women on the bravest day of their lives.
 
Dani is also the co-founder of inclusion-focused incubator Big Vision Empty Wallet and production company Big Vision Creative. Along with Bobby Farrelly, Dani Executive Produced Jenna Laurenzo’s debut feature film LEZ BOMB starring Bruce Dern, Cloris Leachman, Kevin Pollack and Steve Guttenberg, which was released theatrically by Gravitas in Fall 2018 and is available on Netflix and iTunes. She also served as an EP on feature film THE LIGHT OF THE MOON, which won the Audience award at SXSW 2017 and garnered a 22 city theatrical release and a digital release on Amazon, iTunes, Vudu and Google Play.  Other recent films include COAST (Producer, post-production), POWER OF PEARL (Producer, RED WHITE & WASTED (Co-Producer, Tribeca 2019 Premiere).
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New York Premiere of Friendly’s Fire by John Patrick Bray

friendly-s-fire-image.jpg
Rising Sun Performance Company in association with the 14th Street Y, Present the New York Premiere of
Friendly’s Fire
May 3 – 19 at the Theater at the 14th Street Y
Friendly’s Fire shows us to what lengths one man will go to preserve the sanity of his friend – a veteran who lost his brother in service to our country.
 
“A marvelously creative production.” – The Herald Courier, Abingdon, Virginia Production
 
“Funny, sad, bizarre, thought-provoking, exciting theater.” – Arts Magazine, Abingdon Virginia Production
Award-winning Rising Sun Performance Company (RSPC), under the direction of Founding Artistic Director Akia Squitieri, presents the New York Premiere John Patrick Bray’s critically acclaimed new play, Friendly’s Fire. The limited run plays May 3 – 19 at the Theater at the 14th Street Y. Associate Artistic Director Anna Hogan directs.
In a cabin in Alaska, Guy Friendly, a Gulf War veteran and bee-herder, has just had a tooth stolen during casual sex. His best friend Todd, a pawn-shop owner dressed as an astronaut, finds Friendly in a fevered state. Trapped by the snow, Todd has little choice but enter Friendly’s fevered dream, to unravel the events of the night before – and the events of the Gulf War that led Friendly to becoming a shut-in. An homage to Western movies, He-Man action figures, and the playwright’s belief as a child that the Sesame Street Muppet Guy Smiley was in fact God, Friendly’s Fire shows us to what lengths one man will go to preserve the sanity of his friend – a veteran who lost his brother in service to our country.
Friendly’s Fire had its World Premiere at Barter Theatre’s Barter II in 2017 and was directed by Producing Artistic Director Richard Rose. The play has been nominated and won numerous awards including the 2015 Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights (Barter Theatre), Semifinalist for nuVoices (The Actors Theatre of Charlotte), Semifinalist for Generations (Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company), Semifinalist for the Princess Grace Foundation Playwriting Award, and a Finalist for the Kernodle Playwriting Award at the University of Arkansas. A monologue from the play is published in The Best Men’s Stage Monologues 2018 with Smith and Kraus (ed. Lawrence Harbison).
Rising Sun Performance Company has produced a number of John Patrick Bray’s works over the past fifteen year, starting with a night of his one acts at the 78th St. Theatre Lab in 2004. Bray’s play Goodnight Lovin’ Trail has been produced numerous times with RSPC, including productions with FRIGID NY, Fringe Wilmington, 2005 Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Festival, among others. Additional plays with RSPC include Donkey (2014 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity), and Erik: A Play About a Puppet (2015 FRIGID NY).
The cast features Adeyinka Adebola (Our Father/Secret Theater’s Unfringed Festival), Johnny Blaze Leavitt (Love Is A Bad Neighborhood/Theater 54), Ita Korenzecher (Éléphant/Planet Connections), Desiree Pinol (Wolf at the Door/New Jersey Rep), Kyle Porter (Crested Butte/NYC Winterfest), William Serri (Èlèphant/Planet Connections Best Actor Nominee), Hannah Taylor (Playwright’s Horizon), and Matthew Weitz (88 Cents/Independent Short).
The creative team includes scenic design Daniel Hogan, costume design Janet Mervin, sound design by Janet Bentley, projection design by Taylor Edelle Stuart, lighting design & technical director Zac Goin, stage management by Callie Stribling, dialect coach & fight director Monica Blaze Leavitt. Assistant director & associate producer Chris Goodrich, production Interns Xiaoyu Meng and Sarah Manzo.
Performances take place at The Theater at the 14th Street Y, 344 East 14th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues), New York, NY 10003. Subway: L train to 1st Avenue. Tickets are $15 (students/seniors/veterans/active military), general admission $25 (online in advance), $30 (at door) and are available at www.14StreetY.org/friendlysfire. Running time: 95 minutes.
Performance dates:
Friday, May 3 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, May 4 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, May 5 at 5:00 pm
Monday, May 6 at 7:00 pm
Wednesday, May 8 at 3:00 pm
Wednesday, May 8 at 8:00 pm
Thursday, May 9 at 8:00 pm
Friday, May 10 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, May 11 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, May 12 at 5:00 pm
Monday, May 13 at 7:00 pm
Wednesday, May 15 at 3:00 pm & 8:00 pm
Thursday, May 16 at 8:00 pm
Friday, May 17 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, May 18 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, May 19 at 5:00 pm
Rising Sun Performance Company
Founded in September of 2001, Rising Sun Performance Company is dedicated to producing ensemble-based work. It is run by artists for artists to allow them to create their own opportunities. RSP is the full-time artistic home for a wide range of theatrical artists including performers, designers, directors, playwrights and arts administrators.
Since its inception, RSPC has produced over 200 productions, readings & theatrical events including their mainstage productions, the development of countless new full length & one act plays- from both NYC & Nationally based playwrights, a musical cabaret series, variety shows, free outdoor performances, theatre for young audiences program, and immersive themed theatrical experiences.
RSPC is well known for their sold-out critically acclaimed productions of The Glory of Living, Goodnight Lovin’ Trail, The Shape of Things, An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein, Hellcab The Last Supper, Fool for Love, Bug, Brilliant Traces, and last year’s production of ÉLÉPHANT. RSP has been Artist in Residence at Horse TRADE Theater Group, The Field’s Far Space, Hosteling International and Space on White. The company has received 7 New York Innovative Theatre Award Nominations, 30 PCTF nominations, 9 awards from Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, and is a 5-time FRIGID NY Festival award winner.
Additional info can be found at www.risingsunnyc.com
About the Theater at the 14th Street Y
The Theater at the 14th Street Y focuses on social awareness and change through big picture narrative. Inspired by works that welcome artists of all backgrounds, we place artists at the heart of our community and seek to create an inclusive and open cultural experience for all. Art is incubated here. www.14streety.org
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Review: The Battles of Richmond Hill

Photos by Emily Hewitt Photography​

I know Richmond Hill well. An enclave of Queens, New York, it is built on bedrock, remnants of a glacier, and a Revolutionary War battle. The battles for land,  freedom and ourselves. The Battles of Richmond Hill invites us to a sliver of that at a local watering hole called the Dublin Rose (based on the Little Brown Jug).   Set avenue-style (with the audience on the sidelines), director Kathy Gail MacGowan and scenic designer David Goldstein offer us an experience: to enjoy a libation while we eavesdrop on the drama unfolding.

On today’s episode, the story of the O’Connor family is told by their matriarch, Sheila O’Connor,  captivatingly portrayed by Nora Chester. Her intimate world is fueled by Alzheimer’s, alcoholism and addiction. Her companions of late are her suitor, Alexi Negretsky (played passionately by Alan Safier), a former professor, as well as Sean Maguire (engagingly played by Mac Brydon), a soon-to-be professor who is the barkeep of the bar. As Christmas approaches and the snow falls outside the bar, the evening shifts from a playful and hopeful start of the holidays to a vodka-fueled explosion of memories and deep wounds.

Penny Jackson has told a universal story in 90 minutes in which anyone can identify. It’s moves swiftly, brings out the emotional, makes you laugh, and makes you love. The brilliantly talented cast is rounded out by Kevin Gilmartin as the loving and spirited patriarch, Frank O’Connor; Jordan Ahnquist as the loyal and protective grandson, Brian; and Lindsay Ryan as her daughter, Mary who skillfully shows how the joy and innocence one brings to themselves and others can fade away by a dark choice.

Running through May 11th at HERE Arts Center

145 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10013

The Battles of Richmond Hill

 

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Meet Liz Amadio & The Voir Dire Project 4.0 @comicorchid

VDP 4.0_square_words_small.jpgName:  Liz Amadio
Tell us about you. 
Liz has achieved a rich history in the Theatre with credits spanning NY, regionally and abroad. She has produced/directed staged readings/workshop productions of over 50 works showcasing over 200 artists. Liz moderated DAPLab for ten years (2008 -2018), producing Annual Spring Readings and Phase II, their full-length staged reading season; which included her one-act play, The Bench and full-length plays, Evolution: Among Statues, Skeletons and Millennium Mom, which premiered at Theater for the New City’s 2016 Dream Up Festival. Liz played Militant Mom. Other mom roles include Tattoo Mother/Merri Biechler’s Occupation, Veteran Mother/Maria Micheles’ PhotoPlay, Mamo-O/Jorshi Taleon-Sonza’s Haiyan, and Evelyn Swain/Killian Beldy’s The Surge. Liz is the Artistic Director of Cosmic Orchid, a producer of Integrative Theatre, which curates a synergy of performing and visual arts in contemporary culture. Their launch production, The Hoodie Play, was included in the anthology, The Best American Short Plays of 2015-2016, and is being produced this season at Santa Clara University (CA), Wittenberg University (OH) and University of West Florida. The Voire Dire Project, their signature production which features 20 artists/4 one-act plays/4 works of art, had its inaugural cycle Spring 2016, featuring work inspired by paintings. The 2018 Conscious Glass Residency was inspired by blown-glass art, with performances in the Art Glass Studio. The 2019 cycle is The Photography Cycle – a recipient of a Puffin Foundation Grant. Directing credits include a Best Director nomination for GC Grant’s PUSH at the 2011 Strawberry Festival; her play Deeply and Roommate Simulation by Maria Micheles at Manhattan Rep Theatre, and Jorshi Taleon-Sonza’s Haiyan at the 2015 Potpourri World Women Works. With an extensive teaching background, Liz helmed iPower Theatre Collective – NYC high school students exploring social justice themes – a recipient of a Citizens Committee grant, with performances Spring 2018. She attends Lincoln Center Education’s Summer Intensives to expand upon her Teaching Artistry. Liz is also a Photographer, which informs her vision of Integrative Theatre. MFA: The Actors Studio Drama School (New School); Member: The Dramatists Guild; The League of Professional Theatre Women; The National League of American Pen Women. http://www.cosmicorchid.com
Tell us about your current project?

Uncle John and The Men’s Room by Maxine Kern#

Directed by Lynn Marie Macy

With Jane Rubinsky & Susan Skosko

Inspired by Hoboken Station by Philip Seltzer

Josie Divine by Coni Ciongoli Koepfinger#

Directed by Glenora Blackshire
With Beth Griffith

Inspired by Energy Shadows by Liz Amadio#

The One & Only Amanda Palmer by Kat Mustatea#

Directed by Katherine Elliot#
With Kendra Augustin, Cheryl Bear & Katherine Elliot#
Inspired by Victim Impact Statement by Melanie Barksdale

An AEA Showcase production of:

Guardian of the Field by Liz Amadio#

Directed by Shellen Lubin#
With Amy Fulgham* & Lori Sinclair Minor*
Inspired by Birds by Carol Martinez

*Members:  Actors Equity Association

#League of Professional Theatre Women members

Cindi Cericola – Art Curation Advisor

Joe Izen – Composer

Jak Prince – Lighting Designer

Where are you performing your show and why is it a good fit for your production? 
It took us quite a while to find the optimal site for this cycle. We needed a venue large enough to curate the art work (4 artists/4 photographs each); small enough to reflect an intimate, theatrical experience; available to us for the entire run; and relatively affordable. The Medicine Show is perfect in all regards!
What’s next for you? 
Hopefully, another performance for iPower late Spring, an inspiration refuel at Lincoln Center’s Summer Intensive and some down time to concentrate on writing and travel.
What is the name of the last show you saw? 
Ain’t Too Proud – a smokin’ performance! The music/singing/dancing/acting – extraordinarily exquisite. A touching tribute to the genius artistry of the #Temps in a tumultuous era of explosive transcendence. Cried my eyes out all night long – and danced in my seat! #DeeplyInspiring

Any advice for your peers?

Let the creative process be chaotic enough to allow the magic to unfold but keep the producing aspects structured enough to stave off chaos.

When: Art Opening – Thursday 5/09/19 @ 6PM
8 Performances: Thursday, 5/09 – Saturday, 5/11 @ 8PM Sunday, 5/12 @ 3PM Thursday, 5/16 – Saturday, 5/18 @ 8PM Sunday, 5/19 @ 3PM
Where: Medicine Show Theatre 545 West 52nd St, 3rd Floor
Tickets:
https://www.artful.ly/cosmicorchid-vdp4-0 http://www.cosmicorchid.com https://www.facebook.com/cosmicorchid/
https://twitter.com/CosmicOrchid
https://www.instagram.com/_cosmicorchid/
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Project Y Theatre Company Presents The 4th Annual Women In Theatre Festival

PROJECT Y THEATRE COMPANY
PRESENTS THE
4TH ANNUAL WOMEN IN THEATRE FESTIVAL
Playwright Gina Femia Photo credit: Jody Christopherson
JUNE 5-30 @ A.R.T./NEW YORK THEATRES
Project Y Theatre Company will present the fourth annual Women in Theatre Festival, a festival of new work written and created by women, June 5-30 at the Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at the A.R.T./New York Theatres (502 West 53rd Street New York, NY 10019). Tickets ($15-$27) are available for advance purchase at https://witfestival.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 1-800-838-3006.
The Women in Theatre Festival seeks to broaden the opportunities for women in the entertainment industry by producing new work by women with more than 50% female representation of all artists involved. The 4th Annual Women in Theatre Festival will feature 10 separate productions including two fully staged World Premieres, commissioned specifically for the festival.
Three Musketeers: 1941
A commissioned World Premiere by Megan Monaghan Rivas
Co-Directed by Michole Biancosino & Andrew W. Smith
June 5-29 
Inspired by characters from Alexandre Dumas’ classic adventure novel, this new play is set in the occupied Paris of World War II. The Third Reich has hung every balcony in the City of Light with swastika banners and filled the streets with the tramp of goose-stepping boots. While the French police pander to Nazi occupiers, in a secret room five brave women struggle to keep hope alive for themselves and their fellow citizens. The arrival of two strangers sets off a chain of events that might just turn the tide in this thriller about what happens when a group of women take up the chant, “All for one, and one for all!”
Sleeping Beauty
A commissioned World Premiere by Amina Henry
June 22-30, Saturdays & Sundays @ 12pm & 3pm (only 1 show on Sunday, June 30 at 12pm)
You know the old story: A beautiful princess (what’s her name?) is pricked by a spindle and cursed to sleep until awakened by the kiss of a prince (of course). This new take on a classic fairytale features a prince who prefers baking to waking sleeping beauties and a princess who likes fighting with swords rather than sitting pretty. Prince Rocky and his sister, Princess Jewel, set out on a quest to save the sleeping Princess Rosamond together. Along the way they battle fire birds, trick a troll and meet other famous fairytale siblings. In Amina Henry’s feminist remaking of Sleeping Beauty, the power of love is tested and the bonds of friendship prove stronger than magic. With music, dancing, and singing. For all ages – but especially for 6-13-year old’s and their families.
Argument Sessions
Written & Directed by Ilana Becker
Friday, June 7, Tuesday, June 11 & Wednesday, June 19 @ 7:30pm
Argument Sessions, weaves a verbatim US Supreme Court argument transcript with variety theatre, stripping away the austerity of the court room and evoking a party where bare-bones spectacle, individual incitement, and nonpartisan empathy can meet and mingle.
The Hrosthwitha Project
Adaptations of Calimachus
Written by Eliza Bent, Susan Bradbeer, Antu Yacob, Laura Pittenger, Kaaron Briscoe Minefee & Kelley Nicole Girod
Sunday, June 16 & Saturday, June 22 @ 7:30pm
Aimed at reclaiming and celebrating the history of women in theatre, these plays are commissioned adaptations of a play by the first woman playwright, 10th century abbess, Hrosthwitha of Gandersham. This is part of a 5-year project to adapt all 6 of these historical plays and bring more awareness to this unknown female writer who deserves a place in theatre history.
Fall Risk
Written by Dana Jacks, Directed by Michael Padden
Wednesday, June 12 @ 7:30pm
Imagine waking up to start your day, but instead finding yourself in Intensive Care, monitors beeping, body broken and mind desperate for answers. Sounds like the prelude to a nightmare – until you learn it’s real. Fall Risk is about the risks we take every day of our lives and the people who show up for us when we need them the most. Dana will follow the show with an excerpt from her newest work in progress!
Rise/Fall
Written and Directed by Sheila Bandyopadhyay
Wednesday, June 26 @ 7:30pm
Set in the near distant future on an environmentally ravaged earth, Rise/Fall reinvents the classic tale of “Leda and the Swan” as a living meditation on art, celebrity culture and the universal human need for connection. Rise/Fall is a dystopian art rock fantasy combining movement, music, text and media. www.sheilabnyc.com/risefall
The Violet Sisters
A reading of the play by Gina Femia
Sunday, June 23 @ 7:30pm
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Pam comes home to Brooklyn to attend her father’s funeral. When she arrives, she is greeted by an angry sister, a dilapidated house and a past that she can’t escape. Despite all of her best intentions, the conversation quickly turns tense and the two sisters are forced to deal with all that they have let slip away, all the words that have been left unsaid for years. The Violet Sisters is a play about forgiving when you cannot bring yourself to forget.
Founded in 1999, Project Y Theatre Company has been called the “smartest of the city’s theatre troupes,” by N.P.R. Project Y has had an unwavering presence in the New York Off-Off Broadway community and has been nominated for nine Innovative Theater Awards. Project Y has been the recipient of grants from NYSCA, ART/NY, The Nancy Quinn Fund, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and the humanitarian Puffin Foundation. They have produced work which includes Trump Lear, Gary Busey’s One-Man Hamlet…, A User’s Guide to Hell featuring Bernard Madoff, Connected, Fubar and Great Again, at venues including 59E59, A.R.T./New York Theatres, HERE, Theatre Row Theaters and Edinburgh Fringe. They have produced and/or developed work by playwrights including Karl Gadjusek, Charles Mee, Lee Blessing, Sean Christopher Lewis, Antu Yacob, Johnna Adams, Tori Keenan-Zelt, Amina Henry, EM Lewis, Crystal Skillman, Lia Romeo, Chiori Miyagawa, Nimisha Ladva, and Erin Mallon. www.projectytheatre.org
The A.R.T./New York Theatres are a project of the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York (A.R.T./New York), which provide state-of-the-art, accessible venues at subsidized rental rates, plus free access to top-line technical equipment, so that the city’s small and emerging theatre companies can continue to experiment, grow, and produce new works. Founded in 1972, A.R.T./New York is the leading service and advocacy organization for New York City’s 400+ nonprofit theatres, with a mission to assist member theatres in managing their companies effectively so that they may realize their rich artistic visions and serve their diverse audiences well. We accomplish this through a comprehensive roster of real estate, financial, educational, and community-building programs, as well as research, advocacy, and field-wide initiatives that seek to improve the long-term health and sustainability of the industry. Over the years, A.R.T./New York has received numerous honors, including an Obie Award, an Innovative Theatre Award, a New York City Mayor’s Award for Arts & Culture, and a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre. For more information, please visit www.art-newyork.org.
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