Tag: The Flea Theater

Review: Synching Ink

Syncing Ink Flea Theater By NSANGOU NJIKAM Directed by Niegel Smith Cast: McKenzie Frye, Nuri Hazzard, Elisha Lawson, NSangou Njikam, Adesola Osakalumi, DJ Reborn and Kara Young
Syncing Ink Flea Theater By NSANGOU NJIKAM Directed by Niegel Smith Cast: McKenzie Frye, Nuri Hazzard, Elisha Lawson, NSangou Njikam, Adesola Osakalumi, DJ Reborn and Kara Young
Syncing Ink Flea Theater By NSANGOU NJIKAM Directed by Niegel Smith Cast: McKenzie Frye, Nuri Hazzard, Elisha Lawson, NSangou Njikam, Adesola Osakalumi, DJ Reborn and Kara Young

Dancing and Spitting Rhymes to Find Your Voice

By Irene Hernandez

Before entering The Sam Theater, to see the play Synching Ink at The Flea Theater, I, along with the other audience members, had to pay the bouncer (Elisha Lawson) with participation – responding to his calls to clap, stomp and complete his chants with enthusiasm. Once the bouncer was greased, he allowed us inside with a warning: we are about to enter a party. Once I entered the theater, I realized the guy wasn’t kidding: the stage in the round was a club lit dance floor, vibrating from the remixed 90s hip hop/R&B hits expertly spinned by DJ Reborn. As I sat down, I felt like the lame chick sitting out from dancing in a club. If I wasn’t writing notes for this review, I would have been out on that stage, dancing shamelessly.

This world of visceral rhythm was created by director (and Artistic Director of The Flea Theater) Niegel Smith to illuminate the mouthwatering hip hop poetry of Nsangou Njikam’s Synching Ink.

The play opens with old school hip hop dancing from the street clad ensemble of impressive nimble actor/dancers, each representing a color and an earthly element. These talented and versatile artists dance at several important moments in the play to help tell the story of Gordon (Njikam), an insecure young man we first meet in high school, where he first aspires to be a hip hop wordsmith, as good as his classmates and to win the affection of class siren Mona Lisa (McKenzie Frye). As Gordon breaks the 4th wall to tell his story (based on Njikam himself) and confide in the audience, Njikam deftly suggests each stage of his hip hop creative journey as he ages, subtly using his physicality, vast vocal range, wardrobe, and spacial distance from everyone else on stage. Not only is Njikam a strong, original playwright, he is a genuinely talented actor as well.

In Gordon’s world, he is helped by various classmates and teachers along the way, as well as his father, to help him find his artistic voice. The ensemble (Lawson, Frye, Adesola Osakalumi, Kara Young, Nuri Hazzard) is absolutely adept with spoken word dexterity, wonderfully surprising versatility in the various characters they played, fantastic range in their dancing, fluent in every language of rap and worked phenomenally off of one another. Though the entire cast is fantastic in their artistry in their own right, the standout is Adesola Osakalumi, who played an English teacher with elegant physicality, a hilariously dubbed martial artist expert, Gordon’s aging father, a black power college professor, the MC of the final hip hop battle and a hip hop dancer. Having seen him only have moments and a costume piece to switch characters is even more impressive.

Smith’s direction is seamless, from spoken word scenes to dance scenes, while finding the arc of Gordon’s journey to search deep inside himself to find his voice, and doing so with humor, dance and original devices, such as rewinding a brief scene, using sound effects and the talents of his actors. A special mention to the lighting designer, Kevin Rigdon, for finding interesting variety and original choices in telling this story, as well as the choreographer, Gabriel “Kwikstep” Dionisio, for his incredible work in creating different dances to create the story arc and the work he did with the cast, sound designer Justin Ellington for his surprising and fun choices with the production sound and costume designer Claudia Brown for her subtle work in creating the story arch for Gordon and the color choices and pieces for the ensemble.

I cannot express enough how impressed I am with Nsangou Njikam’s writing with Synching Ink. Creating each spoken word/hip hop pieces for each character, the overall arc of the play for several characters and the original, interesting and funny characters he created while telling truths about his experience, makes Synching Ink an experience you have to see for yourself. I honestly hope you do.

Irene Hernandez is an actor, playwright/screenwriter, director, producer, singer, song writer, teaching artist, designing artisan, fine artist, art model and the artistic director of Dancing Frog Theater Company.

Where: The Flea complex (20 Thomas Street in Tribeca, between Church and Broadway, three blocks north of Chambers).

When: Performances run through October 29th

Tickets are available at Ovationtix.

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GRAND OPENING OF THE FLEA THEATER

GRAND OPENING OF THE FLEA THEATER
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Opening Performances
Thursday, September 28, 2017

On Thursday, September 28, 2017, The Flea Theater, the 21 year old off-off-Broadway theater known for “raising a joyful hell in a small space”, will joyfully unveil its new home at 20 Thomas Street.  The new performing arts center was designed by ARO, Architectural Research Office and built by Westerman Construction Company, and features three small theaters under one roof, each space with a unique design and multiple uses.

Activities will begin at 10:00 a.m. with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, featuring Flea founders, Sigourney Weaver and Jim Simpson.  Also speaking will be government officials including Comptroller Scott Stringer, Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs Tom Finkelpearl, Majority Leader of the City Council James G. Van Bramer and First District City Council Member Margaret Chin, all of whom were instrumental in getting this tiny off-off-Broadway theater a permanent home.  Also taking part in the official ceremony will be Flea Board Chair Linda Schupack and The Flea’s Artistic and Producing Directors, Niegel Smith and Carol Ostrow.

Says Ostrow, “The Flea has been working diligently for the past seven years to secure and build a permanent home for our company of artists.  Without the support of our city, state and yes even our federal government, as well as the generous contributions of many individuals, this dream would not have been possible.”

The morning ceremony is free of charge and the day’s celebration will continue with tours of the new space and light snacks until noon.

That evening, all three theaters in The Flea’s new home will be in action.  Starting at 5:30 in The Pete, the indoor/outdoor performance space named for the late seminal playwright, A.R. “Pete” Gurney, will be a new performance called Flea Fridays.   This interactive monthly happy hour cabaret series will feature new visions, solo performance and alternative performance artists, all exploring a single question.  For our inaugural Flea Friday, we tackle, “What does HOME mean to you?”

Following at 7:00 p.m. in The Sam, The Flea’s flexible black box theater named for legendary agent Sam Cohn, will be a preview performance of NSangou Njikam’s Syncing Ink, directed by Niegel Smith.  This coming of age hip hop musical explores the roots of hip hop and what it really takes to freestyle. And at 7:30 in The Siggy, The Flea’s basement theater named for Sigourney Weaver, will be the New York Time’s Critic’s Pick Inanimate, a play about a girl, a guy and a Dairy Queen sign.

Tickets to the evening’s portion may be purchased at http://www.theflea.org or by calling Charlie Madison at 212-226-0051, ext. 110.

 

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The Flea Theater Explores Objectophilia with INANIMATE : Opens 8/21

The Flea Theater Explores Objectophilia with
INANIMATE
Previews Begin August 21 at The Siggy

** First full production at new 20 Thomas Street performing arts complex **

The Flea Theater presents the world premiere of INANIMATE, written by Nick Robideau and directed by Flea Associate Artist Courtney Ulrich. INANIMATE marks The Flea’s first production in their new performing arts complex at 20 Thomas Street in Tribeca, just blocks below its original home; it inaugurates The Siggy, their downstairs theater named for Flea founder and continuing inspiration Sigourney Weaver. Previews for INANIMATE begin August 21 with opening night slated for August 30.

Erica, shy and more than a little socially awkward, is in love with Dee. The problem is that her family, her only and equally awkward new friend, and the nosy residents of their small town in Massachusetts don’t understand at all, because Dee… well, Dee is a letter in the Dairy Queen sign. This world premiere production is the first play of its kind to explore objectum sexuality, a love for inanimate objects. With heart and quirk, INANIMATE tackles feeling like an outsider, listening to your heart and finally finding your tribe.

INANIMATE features The Bats, the resident acting company at The Flea, including Lacy Allen, Maki Borden, Philip Feldman, Artem Kreimer, Tressa Preston, Michael Oloyede, Nancy Tatiana Quintana, with understudies Marcus Antonio Jones and Alexandra Slater. The creative team includes Yu-Hsuan Chen (Scenic Design), Sarah Lawrence (Costume Design), Becky Heisler (Lighting Design), Megan Culley (Sound Design) and Claire Edmonds (Assistant Director).

Nick Robideau is a Brooklyn-based playwright, originally from Massachusetts. Some of his plays include The Sampo (Title:Point), Prophet in Pink (FringeNYC), Robot Heaven (Pipeline Theatre Company), and Everything (HB Studio). Nick recently received his MFA in playwriting from Hunter College, where he studied under John Baker, Tina Howe, Sam Hunter, and Arthur Kopit.

Courtney Ulrich is a New York based director. Directing credits include, The Feast by Cory Finley (The Flea) and Time Out Critic’s Pick White Hot by Tommy Smith (The Flea), Sousepaw: A Baseball Story (Shelby Company, FringeNYC 2015 Award for Overall Excellence in Directing), The Mysteries (The Flea, Assoc. Director). She has directed and developed work at New Dramatists, Ensemble Studio Theater, Ma-Yi, Samuel French Festival (Finalist), Pipeline Theater, Shelby Company, The Tank, 24 Hour Plays, Old Vic New Voices. Courtney is a recipient of the 2015 SDC Observership Fellowship and is an Associate Artist at The Flea Theater.

The Bats are the resident acting company members of The Flea Theater. Each season, over a thousand actors audition for a place in this unique company. The Bats perform in extended runs of challenging classics, as well world premieres of new plays. They are the lifeblood of The Flea.

The Flea Theater, under new Artistic Director Niegel Smith and Producing Director Carol Ostrow, is one of New York’s leading Off-Off-Broadway companies. Winner of several Obie Awards, a Special Drama Desk Award for outstanding achievement and an Otto Award for political theater, The Flea has presented over 100 theatrical, musical and dance performances since its inception in 1996. Past productions include premieres by Steven Banks, Thomas Bradshaw, Erin Courtney, Bathsheba Doran, Will Eno, Karen Finley, Amy Freed, Sarah Gancher, Sean Graney, A.R. Gurney, Jennifer Haley, Hamish Linklater, Enrique Gutiérrez Ortiz Monasterio, Itamar Moses, Anne Nelson, Qui Nguyen, Adam Rapp, Jonathan Reynolds, Kate Robbins, Roger Rosenblatt, Elizabeth Swados, and Mac Wellman.  Successes include Drama Desk nominated She Kills Monsters, These Seven Sicknesses, Restoration Comedy, The Mysteries and ten World Premiere productions by A.R. Gurney, including the WSJ Best New Play of 2013, Family Furniture.

INANIMATE runs August 21 – September 24, Thursday–Monday at 7pm, with Sunday matinees at 3pm.  (Note: no performances Aug. 31 – Sept. 6 for the Labor Day holiday weekend). Tickets start at $15 with the lowest priced tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Flea Theater is located at 20 Thomas Street between Church and Broadway, three blocks north of Chambers, close to the A/C/E, N/Q/R/W, 4/5/6, J/M/Z and 1/2/3 subway lines. Purchase tickets by calling 212-352-3101 or online at www.theflea.org.

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New Home of the FLEA THEATER to OPEN THIS FALL

CaptureNEW HOME OF THE FLEA THEATER TO OPEN THIS FALL
Features 3 Theaters – Named After A.R. Gurney, Sigourney Weaver & Sam Cohn
1st Production begins August 21
Official Grand Opening of full complex on Thursday, September 28

The Flea Theater proudly announces the long-awaited opening of their performing arts complex at 20 Thomas Street in TriBeCa and their 2017 season of productions.  The new theater marks the first theater complex to open in downtown Manhattan in 11 years.

The new Flea features three distinctive and singularly named theaters: The Sam, a large black box named for legendary deal maker Sam Cohn; The Pete, an intimate one-of-a-kind indoor/outdoor performance space named for seminal and late playwright A.R. Gurney; and The Siggy, a below-ground theater that uses arches dating back to the building’s origins in the 1700’s, named for Flea founder and continuing inspiration Sigourney Weaver.

The Flea was designed by Architecture Research Office (ARO), the New York City firm led by Stephen Cassell, Kim Yao, and Adam Yarinsky. Founded in 1993, Architecture Research Office has earned a reputation for earnest exploration and engagement that yields architecture that is original, innovative and imaginative. Architecture Research Office is as much a laboratory as a design practice and fit perfectly into The Flea’s aesthetic.  The theater was built by Westerman Construction, Lloyd G. Westerman, Principal and Dan Wrzesinski, Sr. Project Manager.  Westerman is known for specializing in the management of complex construction and focuses on many of New York City’s most treasured designated landmarks, including The Public Theater.

Under Artistic Director Niegel Smith and Producing Director, Carol Ostrow, The Flea is delighted to announce the slate for the theater’s inaugural season in its new home.  The fall season features a world premiere, a New York premiere, the return of its late-night series, SERIALS and the launch of two new programs, CEREALS, plays for younger audiences and FLEA FRIDAYS, an alternative community based happy hour.

The first production in the new space will begin performances on August 21 in The Siggy. All three theaters will be open and operational in time for an official Grand Opening on Thursday, September 28.

August 21 – September 24
INANIMATE by Nick Robideau
Directed by Courtney Ulrich in The Siggy Theater.
Erica, shy and more than a little socially awkward, is in love with Dee. The problem is that her family, her only and equally awkward new friend, and the nosy residents of their small town in Massachusetts don’t understand at all, because Dee… well, Dee is a letter in the Dairy Queen sign. Inanimate is a play that explores objectum sexuality, feeling like an outsider, listening to your heart and finally, finding your tribe. This world premiere production will be directed by Flea Associate Artist Courtney Ulrich and will feature The Bats, the resident acting company at The Flea. Performances are Thursday–Monday at 7pm, with weekend matinees at 3pm. Tickets start at $15 with the lowest priced tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis. Opening night is slated for August 30.

September 7 – December 9
SERIALS @ THE FLEA
Produced by Rachel Lin and Matt Stango in The Siggy Theater.
Late night at The Flea continues with Serials @ The Flea. Monthly cycles kick off for the year on September 7. Now counting 39 sold-out cycles, this raucous late night play competition featuring The Bats and some of NYC’s hottest young playwrights runs through December 9. Two members of The Flea’s resident acting company, Rachel Lin and Matt Stango, will produce.  Serials @ The Flea plays 10PM Thursday-Saturday. Cycle 40 plays September 7-16, Cycle 41 plays October 19-28, and Cycle 42 plays November 30 – December 9. Tickets are $12.

September 25 – October 29
SYNCING INK by NSangou Njikam
Directed by Niegel Smith in The Sam Theater.
NSangou Njikam’s Syncing Ink is a semi-autobiographical coming of age story. High school student Gordon pursues freestyle rap as a way to garner clout but soon discovers a deeper artistic passion. Through honing his craft, Gordon finds his voice as well as a community rich with history. The play is told largely in freestyle, working off of prompts rather than scripted text, which means that each evening will be slightly different, based on the audience’s suggestions and interactions. The New York Premiere of Syncing Ink will be directed by Flea Artistic Director Niegel Smith and features a cast of six Equity actors, including Njikam in the leading role. Performances are Wednesday–Monday at 7pm, with weekend matinees at 2pm. Tickets start at $15 with the lowest priced tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis. Opening night is slated for October 8.

September 16 – November 19
CEREALS
Produced by Isabelle Pierre and Ben Schrager in The Pete Theater.
The Flea brings our signature serialized theater madness to young audiences ages 5-9 with a new series, Cereals @ The Flea. Flea Resident Directors, working with a cadre of up and coming writers, created ethnically and culturally specific interpretations of folk tales written in 10 minute installments, including The Lorikeet, Fatima and Her Pigeon, Not My Monster, The Girl With No Hands and Cosmicomics. Two members of The Flea’s resident acting company, Ben Schrager and Isabelle Pierre, will produce the inaugural cycles. Cereals @ The Flea plays at 11AM and 1PM Saturday-Sunday; Cycle 1 plays September 16-24, Cycle 2 plays November 11-19. Tickets are $20 for both a parent and child ($10 for each additional child) and include a free mini-box of cereal.

Throughout The Fall:
FLEA FRIDAYS
Curated by Lilleth Glimcher in The Pete Theater.
Also new @ The Flea is Flea Fridays, a series of happy hours featuring lobby performances before our 7pm curtain on select Fridays throughout the fall.  Look for musicians and solo performers, alternative theater and more as you sip a drink at our lobby bar. Tickets are $15.

The award-winning Flea was created in 1996 by three downtown artists – Founding Artistic Director Jim Simpson, writer Mac Wellman and designer Kyle Chepulis.  Their mission was simple yet bold: “to raise a joyful hell in a small space” by representing the best and brightest of what Off-Off-Broadway can be. True to this day, The Flea produces over 250 cutting-edge performances each year, giving voice and opportunity to diverse and innovative writers, directors, actors and designers who have something urgent to say about our world.  Current Artistic Director Niegel Smith says regarding the season, “2017 is asking a lot of us as artists. I’m proud that our new home at 20 Thomas Street will open with projects that bring stories that are not in the dominant culture to the forefront. From a young man mastering his inner voice, a young Syrian girl escaping war, a bird caged in communist China, a monster stuck in an inhospitable swamp, a dinosaur trying to decide how to evolve, to a young woman in love with a Dairy Queen sign, our fall season examines how we define ourselves in a world that attempts to oppress and limit us.”  Adds Ostrow, “It’s The Flea’s 21st season.  We have come of age and for the first season in our new home we have a lot to say.”

With three performance spaces, music and dance will be back at The Flea and even more theater will be a part of the season.  This fall, The Flea welcomes New Georges, the theatrically adventurous company dedicated to female artists, LAVA, the feminist acrobatic dance collective and The Bang Group, the dance company devoted to craftsmanship, creative liberty and aesthetic diversity, into the fold and into the mix.

BIOGRAPHIES:

NSangou Njikam is an actor and playwright originally from Baltimore, MD. He is the author of Syncing Ink, Re:Definition, I.D., When We Left, Search For The Crystal Stairs, and one of the authors of Hands Up: 6 Plays, 6 Testimonials. His work has been developed by The Public Theater, Penn State University, The Flea Theater, Hip Hop Theatre Festival, UNIVERSES theatre company, New Black Fest, and the Alley Theatre. Mr. Njikam’s play I.D. recently made its world premiere at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa before coming to the U.S. at Penn State Centre Stage. His playwriting residencies and fellowships include 2015 Emerging Writers Group at the Public Theater, 2013 New Black Fest fellow, and Penn State University commissioned playwright. As an arts educator, Mr. Njikam has worked for Brooklyn Academy of Music, CUNY Creative Arts Team, Harlem School of the Arts, and is cofounder of The Continuum Project, Inc., an organization using African Ancestry DNA testing and the Arts to promote healing and empowerment for communities. Mr. Njikam’s work focuses mainly on Identity stories and the empowerment of the human spirit by recognizing and embracing one’s personal gifts, utilizing Hip Hop theatre, poetry, and West African performance aesthetics. He also aims to develop new, diverse and younger audiences by creating “theatre of the now and for tomorrow.” He received his BFA in acting from Howard University. After tracing his roots to the Tikar people in Cameroon, West Africa, he was named NSangou by Sultan Ibrahim MBombo Njoya, 19th king of the Bamoun kingdom in Cameroon. He currently resides in New York.

Niegel Smith is a theater director and performance artist who sculpts social spaces into unique communal environments where we make new rituals, excavate our pasts and imagine future narratives. Directing credits include Hir (Magic Theatre, 2014; Mixed Blood, 2015; Playwrights Horizons, 2015), A 24 Decade History of Popular Music… (New York Live Arts, et al., 2015), The Perils of Obedience (Abrons Arts Center, 2013–ongoing), and Neighbors (The Public Theater, 2010). His participatory performances have been produced by American Realness, Dartmouth College, The New Museum, Prelude Festival, PS 122, and the Van Alen Institute, among others. . In addition to being the Artistic Director of The Flea Theater, he is also Associate Artistic Director of Elastic City, and ringleader of Willing Participant, an artistic activist organization. http://www.niegelsmith.com

Nick Robideau is a Brooklyn-based playwright, originally from Massachusetts. Some of his plays include The Sampo (Title:Point), Prophet in Pink (FringeNYC), Robot Heaven (Pipeline Theatre Company), and Everything (HB Studio). Nick recently received his MFA in playwriting from Hunter College, where he studied under John Baker, Tina Howe, Sam Hunter, and Arthur Kopit.

Courtney Ulrich is a New York based director. Directing credits include, The Feast by Cory Finley (The Flea) and Time Out Critic’s Pick White Hot by Tommy Smith (The Flea), Sousepaw: A Baseball Story (Shelby Company, FringeNYC 2015 Award for Overall Excellence in Directing), The Mysteries (The Flea, Assoc. Director). She has directed and developed work at New Dramatists, Ensemble Studio Theater, Ma-Yi, Samuel French Festival (Finalist), Pipeline Theater, Shelby Company, The Tank, 24 Hour Plays, Old Vic New Voices. Courtney is a recipient of the 2015 SDC Observership Fellowship and is an Associate Artist at The Flea Theater.

The Bats are the resident acting company members of The Flea Theater. Each season, over a thousand actors audition for a place in this unique company. The Bats perform in extended runs of challenging classics, as well world premieres of new plays. They are the lifeblood of The Flea.

The Flea Theater, under Artistic Director Niegel Smith and Producing Director Carol Ostrow, is one of New York’s leading Off-Off-Broadway companies. Winner of several Obie Awards, a Special Drama Desk Award for outstanding achievement and an Otto Award for political theater, The Flea has presented over 100 theatrical, musical and dance performances since its inception in 1996. Past productions include premieres by Steven Banks, Thomas Bradshaw, Erin Courtney, Bathsheba Doran, Will Eno, Karen Finley, Amy Freed, Sarah Gancher, Sean Graney, A.R. Gurney, Jennifer Haley, Hamish Linklater, Enrique Gutiérrez Ortiz Monasterio, Itamar Moses, Anne Nelson, Qui Nguyen, Adam Rapp, Jonathan Reynolds, Kate Robbins, Roger Rosenblatt, Elizabeth Swados, and Mac Wellman.  Successes include Drama Desk nominated She Kills Monsters, These Seven Sicknesses, Restoration Comedy, The Mysteries and ten World Premiere productions by A.R. Gurney, including the WSJ Best New Play of 2013, Family Furniture.

The Flea Theater is located at 20 Thomas Street between Church and Broadway, three blocks north of Chambers, close to the A/C/E, N/Q/R/W, 4/5/6, J/M/Z and 1/2/3 subway lines. Purchase tickets by calling 212-352-3101 or online at http://www.theflea.org.

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