Category: TBB Interviews

TBB Interviews

Meet Laura Cetti and Marry Me a Little

Name: Laura Cetti

What is your current project?

Steven Sondheim’s Marry Me a Little

Where are you performing it and why is it the right fit for your piece?

The Gallery Players in Brooklyn. Gallery is an amazing space. The large, multi-level playing area really suits this piece as the designers have been able to really replicate a Brooklyn loft apartment. Also the fact that the audience seating begins just a few feet from the stage makes it feel as though they are right there spending our Saturday night with us.

What’s next for you?

Well… back to pounding the pavement! Also, I will be working with some good friends at Asterism Theatre Company on a new piece focusing on life after the election. How our nation has become untied and how we can become united again.

Who is your biggest inspiration right at this moment and why?

Without a doubt it is the amazing “Marry Me” team. The 3 rotating casts, comprised of 3 men and 3 women all rehearse together in a tag team collaboration that has been soooo eye opening. To step out of your own scenes and songs for a moment and see it through someone elses eyes, told by someone else voice and body teaches me so much about myself and my interpretation of the character. The support has been overwhelming. We all depend on eachother and build eachother up. I can’t imagine taking on this difficult, sung through Sondheim without them. Especially Jesse and Paul the two brilliant actors who share the role of “Man” with me.

Want More?

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/laura.cetti.5

Laura Cetti is a singer, actor and mother of two. Recent credits include Imaginary (New York New Works Festival, Semifinalist), We Were Children (Thespis Festival/Hudson Guild Theater), Lady Parts(The AlphaNY) and Pieces(Planet Connections Theater Festivity) for which she was awarded Best Supporting Actress in a Musical 2014.

Show information (venue, dates, ticket info)

The Gallery Players

199 14th St. Brooklyn, NY 11215

January 26th – February 18th

Tickets can be purchased at www.galleryplayers.com

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Meet Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld and Marry Me a Little

Name: Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld

What is your current project?

Marry Me A Little (in rep with You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown)

Where are you performing it and why is it the right fit for your piece?

We are performing at The Gallery Players. The space has the kind of intimacy that the piece requires. It is just two actors and a piano on stage for 70 minutes. That’s it! It wouldn’t work as well in a larger house. In this theatre, we can create the kind of safe space that is necessary for the actors and the audience to really dive in emotionally.

What’s next for you?

I am also a voice actor and my newest cartoon called “Nella the Princess Knight” premieres on Nick Jr. on February 6th. You can also hear me on your TV every Saturday morning on Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Regal Academy.

Who is your biggest inspiration right at this moment and why?

I would have to say my collaborators on this piece are my biggest inspiration right now. Building these characters has truly been a team effort among the three rotating casts, and it has been an incredible experience to see how the exact same given circumstances and blocking can create wildly different characters and moments on stage. Everyone has shown up with extreme generosity, lack of ego, and a readiness to play, and I feel so grateful to be in the room where it’s happening.

Want More?

Website: alysonleighrosenfeld.com

Twitter: @AlysonRosenfeld

Instagram: @alysonleighrosenfeld

Alyson was last seen in Seussical, The Baker’s Wife, Emma (TGP), Fish in a Tree (MMAC), The Last Cyclist (West End Theatre), Opa! The Musical (dir. Dan Knechtges), All The Rats and Rags (Joe’s Pub). Last heard: “Pokémon” (Disney XD), “Yu-Gi-Oh!”, “Regal Academy” (Nickelodeon). BFA: NYU Tisch. Proud member of AEA & SAG-AFTRA.

Show information (venue, dates, ticket info)

The Gallery Players

199 14th St. Brooklyn, NY 11215

January 26th – February 18th

Tickets can be purchased at www.galleryplayers.com

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Meet Cassandra Dupler (Marry Me a Little & You’re a Good Man…)

Name: Cassandra Dupler

What is your current project?

I am currently playing Woman in MARRY ME A LITTLE, as well as the female swing in YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN.

Where are you performing it and why is it the right fit for your piece?

The Gallery Players theatre is a wonderful, intimate setting which allows the actors to connect with the audience in an extraordinary way. This is ideal for the material we’re singing in “Marry Me a Little”. Our show is about the personal lives of two ordinary people, home alone on a Saturday night. Gallery’s theatre gives the audience an opportunity to get a personal, almost one-on-one glimpse into their private moments.

What’s next for you?

I’m back to auditioning, searching and hoping to do a piece as meaningful as this one.
Who is your biggest inspiration right at this moment and why?
My great aunt, Carol Sawyer, (the original Fruma-Sarah in the 1964 Broadway production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF) has had an incredible impact on my life. As long as I can remember, we’ve talked about theatre, preparing for auditions and roles, and so much more. She has shared her personal insights about her Broadway and summer stock experiences at Tamiment. I grew up hearing anecdotes about such legends as Jerome Robbins, Zero Mostel, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Leonard Bernstein, Neil Simon, Hal Prince and George Abbott, to name a few. She helped give me a deep foundation and a unique perspective on the world of theatre.

Want More?

Website: www.cassandradupler.com

NYC credits: MARRY ME A LITTLE (Woman), YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN (female swing) at The Gallery Players (upcoming!), FIRST COMMUNION (Barefoot Theatre, starring Anna Chlumsky)

Regional credits: SISTER ACT (Sister Mary Patrick) at The Fireside Theatre, THE NOTEWORTHY LIFE OF HOWARD BARNES (Maggie-lead) in Kooman & Dimond’s musical at the Goodspeed Opera House, GYPSY (Electra) at Connecticut Repertory Theatre, starring Leslie Uggams.

Other favorite roles: THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (Mrs. Meers), ON THE TOWN (Hildy Esterhazy), CAROUSEL (Carrie Pipperidge), LES MISERABLES (Madame Thenardier), SMILE (Maria Gonzales), THE TAMING OF THE SHREW (Katherine), MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Beatrice), TWELFTH NIGHT (Olivia), YOU OUGHT TO BE IN PICTURES (Libby Tucker), THE GINGERBREAD LADY (Polly Meara), THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT (Doris W.), THE TIN WOMAN (Sammy), BERMUDA AVENUE TRIANGLE (Rita), WEST SIDE STORY (Rosalia), WORKING (Rose Hoffman), BOOK OF DAYS (Ruth Hoch), SCAPIN (Zerbinette)

Proud graduate of the Hartt School, BFA in Music Theatre

Show information (venue, dates, ticket info)

The Gallery Players
http://galleryplayers.com/news/marry-me-a-little-youre-a-good-man-charlie-brown/

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Meet Jason Lasky & Last Exit Before You’re Off The Grid

jasonName: Jason Lasky

What is your current project? 

Last Exit Before You’re Off The Grid. This started out as a play about America in the future, but I conceived of it way before this past November. After the 8th, it seemed rather funny I’d had these thoughts, and then I went ahead and made some more specific references.

Where are you performing it and why is it the right fit for your piece?

The Secret Theatre’s Act One: One Act 2017 A Short Play Festival. ST thinks it’s a good fit with the other plays they’re showcasing each night.

What’s next for you?

I am currently in Nairobi, Kenya working as the Head of Drama at an international school and am actively working on several theater projects: my full-length drama 40 Days of Night (supported by a grant from Theatre Communications Group and the Moscow chapter of the International Theatre Institute) for a premiere in Russia; a full-length tragicomedy co-written with my wife that ties Kenya and China together; a one-woman show; a one-man show; a physical theatre, Butoh-inspired piece for the ITI’s 35th World Congress in Spain this coming summer; I am leading drama teacher training for a group of LAMDA teachers in Nairobi; and I am talking with the the national coordinator of the Zimbabwe Centre of the ITI to lead movement workshops for the next generation of theatre artists in the spring- all this while finishing up my dual IB Teacher Certification and Masters of Education, for which I’ve maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout the last four semesters, and raising my son and daughter with the most supportive woman in my world.

Who is your biggest inspiration right at this moment and why?

It’s a toss-up between my wife and me. It’s her because she’s got a million and one complete plays in her head. It’s me because I’m the one figuring out how to bring those to life while also breathing life into mine.

Want More?

Website: www.jasonlasky.com; www.40daysofnight.strikingly.com
Twitter: @j_lasky_writer

Jason Lasky is a playwright, actor, director and teacher. He is an alumnus of the Actors Studio Drama School MFA Playwriting program. He is the co-founder of Shanghai’s 5th Wall Theater and J. Lasky Productions, an international theatre company dedicated. His play Rendezvous: A Tragicomedy, co-authored with his wife Svetlana and presented at Shanghai LGBT’s Pride 6, was the first English-language play addressing transgendered identity in mainland China. His plays have been performed on three continents and translated into Chinese and Russian, and his one act play Mend the Envelope was published in QU Literary Journal in January 2016. His latest collaboration in Murmansk, Russia, 40 Days of Night, has been made possible through Theatre Communication Group’s On the Road grant. He has been publicized internationally, most recently in ITI-info magazine. Jason is currently the Head of Drama at Hillcrest International School in Nairobi, Kenya.

Show information (venue, dates, ticket info)
The Secret Theatre
44-02 23rd Street
Long Island City, NY 11101
E, M, G or 7 train to Courthouse SQ/23rd St.
ONLY ONE SUBWAY STOP FROM MANHATTAN

Thursday 1/ 12 @ 7:30pm
Sunday 1/ 15 @ 5pm
Friday 1/ 20 @ 7:30pm
Sunday 1/ 22 @ 2pm
Tuesday 1/ 24 @ 7:30pm
Finals 1/28 @7:30 pm

TICKETS: http://aooa2017.bpt.me/
AT-DOOR: $18
ADVANCED: $15
Use Promo Code ‘early bird’ by January 7th
ANY (4) PERFORMANCES: $55 (must purchase 4 individual tickets….write to box@secrettheatre.com to select your dates)

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Meet Walk Up Arts & A Play About Drew Carey

apadc-program-draft-2-per-page

What is your current project? A PLAY ABOUT DREW CAREY

Where are you performing it and why is it the right fit for your piece?

We’re performing in Speyer Hall at University Settlement, in the Lower East Side. Having seen and performed in this space before, we was very excited to work there again. We like working in spaces that feel like one big room, which Speyer Hall is, as opposed to formal theatre spaces, which we feel emphasize the separation between audience and performer. A PLAY ABOUT DREW CAREY is all about facilitating connection, and this space allows us to do so on a level that is more approachable than in a theatre where the audience sits many feet away from the stage, lights obscuring them from the performers’ gaze, hidden in plain sight.

What’s next for you?

We’re not sure what’s next after A PLAY ABOUT DREW CAREY, largely because we haven’t even charted the full life of this play yet – just this first production. If the production really works in the way that we’re all anticipating it will, then we’re going to make plans to prolong the life of the show. Because A PLAY ABOUT DREW CAREY is heavily improvised, and uses a lot of audience participation, we believe that it would be possible to continue performing it for a long time without the play stagnating. Hopefully we’ll get to see if that’s true!

Other projects we’re developing include our first musical, workshops for a performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and a two person Orestia. But right now we’re focusing on what calls to us, and reveling in the joy of not needing to plan too far ahead just yet.

Who is your biggest inspiration right at this moment and why?
Philip Santos Schaffer (Playwright) : I’ve been thinking a lot recently about El Gueguense, a play from Nicaragua that is considered to be one of the first forms of street theatre in the Americas. My mother is from Nicaragua, and I’ve been lucky to spend time there recently. Their political situation has gone through many different phases of corruption (from the Spanish occupation to the US occupation, from dictator to dictator), and one of their major modes of response in the arts is through humor. El Gueguense is a play that combines dance and humor with a cutting political core. The play uses laughter as a tool for unification – in which the action of laughing at one’s oppressor creates a sense of community. In our current political climate and heading into the next few years, I think we are going to be looking for many modes of expressing political thought. And, I think it is going to be important to explore every option. El Gueguense is political and humorous without falling into camp or satire, which I think can be rare in American theatre. So, I look forward to continuing to attempt this exploration, which I believe we’ve begun in A PLAY ABOUT DREW CAREY.

Want More?

Website: www.walkuparts.org
Instagram: @walkuparts

Mission Statement
WalkUpArts creates living works. We explore the audience-artist relationship through multi-disciplinary, intimate, and communal experiences. With an intent towards maintaining a social-consciousness, we engage with audiences through new works and original adaptations of classics.

In pursuit of our mission, WalkUpArts is determined to:

Experiment with form and content
Build a theater from questions
Create a space for people to make eye contact
Affect real change in the audience, ourselves, and the world

WalkUpArts: Follow Your What-Ifs

Show information (venue, dates, ticket info)
December 13 and 14 at 8pm at Speyer Hall at University Settlement – 184 Eldridge Street (Corner of Rivington), NY, NY 10002, Tickets at https://www.artful.ly/store/events/10672

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Meet Kim Weston-Moran & The Diary of an Afro Goddess, REMEMBRIN’ ME!

Name:  Kim Weston-Moran

What is your current project?

The Diary of an Afro Goddess, REMEMBERIN’ ME! a healing journey back to self & Day of Absence!

Where are you performing it and why is it the right fit for your piece?

Producing The Diary of an Afro Goddess and REMEMBERIN’ ME! and performing in NEC’s 50th Anniversary performance of Day of Absence. Afro Goddess is presented at the World Famous Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe and the space is ideal because through out it’s history, the Nuyorican has presented on edge spoken word and avant-garde theatre. REMEMBERIN’ ME! is premiering in our new event, RA Pop-Up Family Theatre & Dinner at The Paul Robeson Freedom School, housed at St Luke’s and St. Matthews Church in Brooklyn. An ideal location for RM because our goal is to reach the community. Day of Abscence is being presented at Theatre 80 St. Marks, an historical space that was around when the Negro Ensemble Co. was founded down the block, 50 years ago.

What’s next for you?

After the above 3 projects, which end Dec 15th, RHYTHMCOLOR Associates will be presenting POTPOURRI! Part II – Work In Process, featuring a Backer’s Staged Reading of new play by Maryam Myika Day and directed by Elain Graham on January 10, 2017 at the National Black Theatre in Harlem, NY and directly after, RA will present our 2nd Annual Evening of Appreciation of Trailblazing Women & Institutions, January 29, 2017 at ART-NY South Oxford Space. For more information on all these projects:

Who is your biggest inspiration right at this moment and why?

My parents, always. The are both artists and taught me so many important cultural history and the importance of family.

Want More?

Website: www.rhythmcolorassociates.com
Twitter: @RHYTHMCOLOR21 and @KimWestonMoran1

KIM WESTON-MORAN (Actress/Producer/Director/Teacher). Kim is CEO of RA/RHYTHMCOLOR Associates and Founder/Producing Artistic Director of POTPOURRI! World Works Series, in it’s 8th year. She was Associate Prod. for the National Black Touring Circuit for 7 yrs. A veteran award-winning actress known for her character work. Kim has shared the stage with phenomenal artists, including: Minnie Gentry, Bill Gunn, Roxie Roker, Phyllcia Rashad, Gylan Kain, Patricia O’Connell, Anthony Chisholm, Ellen Dolan, S. Epatha Merkinson, Charles Weldon, Barbara Montgomery, Reggie Montgomery, Marjorie Johnson, Count Stovall, Bill Cobbs, Dominique Morisseau and Darnell Williams. Kim has been nominated for four AUDELCO Awards and won for Lead Actress in Don’t Explain with Ron Cephas Jones; directed by Rome Neal. Her most recent acting credits include: Negro Ensemble Company’s Workshop Production of SWING at La MaMa Theatre, and Crossroads Theatre Company’s’ premiere of AUTUMN by Richard Wesley. Kim also, directs, coaches, is an Acting Teacher with a focus on Basics for new and returning actors, writes; and her new passion is dramaturgy. Over the years, between acting gigs, teaching and activism; she presented several projects and supported several playwrights, including PJ Gibson, Sabura Rashid and OWA, PhD. Projects include: The Second Black Theatre In America Conference (Medgar Evers College); Eclectic Tuesday Nites (Perk’s Supper Club), for which she Hosted and presented over 200 comedians, singers, actors, Jazz and R&B groups; WE IN HARLEM, BABY! a performance and visual arts salon; ANOTHER SIDE OF A KING – Films and Literature of Woodie King, Jr. (received ART-NY Award). Film & Television credits include title role in Ayoka Chenzira’s Feature, Alma’s Rainbow and CBS’s Divorce Court. Ms. Weston-Moran is currently working with The Paul Robeson Freedom School Afterschool Program as an Arts Consultant.. kimwestonmeoran@gmail.com

Show information (venue, dates, ticket info)

The Diary of an Afro Goddess/www.nuyorican.org & $18 at door.

REMEMBERIN’ ME! a healing journey back to self

@The Paul Robeson Freedom School

520 Clinton Ave in Bklyn.

December 2, 2016 11am & 6pm.

Tickets $10.

The Day of Absence by Douglas Turner Ward; 50th Anniversary of the Negro Ensemble Co. December 4-15, 2016 http://www.necinc.org

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Meet Christopher Gillard & No Man’s Land

Name: Christopher Gillard

What is your current project?

No Man’s Land

What’s next for you?

I’m scoring and sound designing a webseries

Who is your biggest inspiration right at this moment and why?

Hans Zimmer, because his body of work is just incredible

Want More?

Website: www.sound-haus.com
Twitter: @SoundHausAudio
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soundhausaudio/

Show information (venue, dates, ticket info)

NO MAN’S LAND
November 17 – December 11
Thu – Sat at 7:30 pm | Sun at 5pm
No performances November 24 & 25
Tickets: $15 in advance online HERE, $20 at the door
Opening Night Benefit for The People’ Institute for Survival and Beyond.
November 18th – $35.
Click HERE for tickets.
Preview: November 17th – Pay What You Can

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Meet Michael Ables & No Man’s Land

Name: Michael Ables

What is your current project?

No Man’s Land

Where are you performing it and why is it the right fit for your piece?

TheaterLab is large and bright and seems quite versatile. The design team bring excitement and diversity to this creation.

What’s next for you?

I’m always working on original music and club performances with Shock Yaw, Magnolia Blossum and Hank Williamsburg.

Who is your biggest inspiration right at this moment and why?

Justin Timberlake. He’s a Multi-million dollar triple threat from Tennessee. Big shoes to fill.

Want More?

YouTube: Michael Ables
Facebook & Instagram: mdables

Michael Ables (Tony) toured the former Soviet Union as Jack in “Jack and the Northwest Wind” and received scholarship to Saratoga International Theatre Institute 1997. After Skidmore, Michael moved to NYC to appear Off-Broadway in “Reefer Madness” and “The Godfaddah Workout” among other work. Favorite roles include Zero in “The Adding Machine,” Johnny Bogle in the world premiere of “What Sprang Off A Gypsy Rooster”and Bob Cratchit in Narrows Community Theatre’s production of Christmas Carol (Menken). Ables works in collaboration with Shock Yaw, Magnolia Blossum, Andy Fried, Hank Williamsburg, Nik Winstone and other artists throughout the world to create ☆Magnolia Roadshow☆Celebrate Diversity! Thanks to Cas, Malini and Melissa for this amazing opportunity.

Show information (venue, dates, ticket info)

NO MAN’S LAND
November 17 – December 11
Thu – Sat at 7:30 pm | Sun at 5pm
No performances November 24 & 25
Tickets: $15 in advance online HERE, $20 at the door
Opening Night Benefit for The People’ Institute for Survival and Beyond.
November 18th – $35.
Click HERE for tickets.
Preview: November 17th – Pay What You Can

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Meet Lynde Rosario & No Man’s Land

Name: Lynde Rosario

What is your current project?

NO MAN’S LAND with The Anthropologists

Where are you performing it and why is it the right fit for your piece?
Theatre Lab

What’s next for you?

As Dramaturg I will be working with Letter of Marque Theater Company on their upcoming 3-phase project. Also as Dramaturg working on a new devised piece with The Humanist Project titled “Pirates with Lady Parts.” As script/continuity supervisor working on a sci-fi comedy short film titled “Futureboy” directed by Ryan Blackwell. As Co-Producer and Literary Manager working on Lady Plays Podcast, dramatizing new plays by women on a bi-monthly basis.

Want More? 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LiteraryLynde
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/literarylynde/

Lynde Rosario is a Dramaturg and Literary Associate with national and international theatre experience working with a range of production companies, from up-and-coming troupes to established theatre organizations. She is currently working as Dramaturg with The Anthropologists, Letter of Marque Theater Company, and The Humanist Project. She is also the Co-producer and Literary Manager of Lady Plays Podcast; a bi-monthly podcast that dramatizes new plays by women.

Show information (venue, dates, ticket info)

NO MAN’S LAND
November 17 – December 11
Thu – Sat at 7:30 pm | Sun at 5pm
No performances November 24 & 25
Tickets: $15 in advance online HERE, $20 at the door
Opening Night Benefit for The People’ Institute for Survival and Beyond.
November 18th – $35.
Click HERE for tickets.
Preview: November 17th – Pay What You Can

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Meet Jean Goto & No Man’s Land

Name: Jean Goto

What is your current project?

No Man’s Land

Where are you performing it and why is it the right fit for your piece?

I’m performing it because it expresses so many things that I’m thinking about it my daily life. I also think this piece poses questions about our culture and society that are worth asking.

What’s next for you?

I’m shooting the first episode of a web series I wrote! Log-line: Amelia and Clark- optometrists by day, environmental crime fighters by night!

Who is your biggest inspiration right at this moment and why?

Cheryl Strayed. She is so wise and speaks from the heart.

Want More?

Website: www. jeangoto.com
Twitter: @JeanGoto

I’m a native New Yorker, hapa, actress. I graduated from NYU’s Tisch school of the Arts and The Maggie Flanigan Studio. I became a founding member of The Anthropologists way back in 2008. Currently I’m acting in whatever I can get my hands on and am writing/producing/directing up a storm! I am also a passionate environmentalist.

Show information (venue, dates, ticket info)

NO MAN’S LAND
November 17 – December 11
Thu – Sat at 7:30 pm | Sun at 5pm
No performances November 24 & 25
Tickets: $15 in advance online HERE, $20 at the door
Opening Night Benefit for The People’ Institute for Survival and Beyond.
November 18th – $35.
Click HERE for tickets.
Preview: November 17th – Pay What You Can

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