Saturday, February 22, 2020

WEST SIDE STORY


WEST SIDE STORY 







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For Daily News on all aspects of eXtended Reality: 

QPORIT XR DAILY NEWS

QPORIT XRN

EXTENDED REALITY: TECHNOLOGY, CULTURE, & the WORLD
Quick Previews ORandom Interesting Things in XR News

www.qporit.com


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QPORIT XR DAILY NEWS







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For Daily News on all aspects of eXtended Reality: 

QPORIT XR DAILY NEWS

QPORIT XRN

EXTENDED REALITY: TECHNOLOGY, CULTURE, & the WORLD
Quick Previews ORandom Interesting Things in XR News

www.qporit.com


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PLAZA SUITE


PLAZA SUITE,

  • the classic comedy by Neil Simon
  • comes to New York in a new revival with Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker.
  • Beginning March 13, 2020, for a limited run.
  • Advance word from the pre-Broadway road trip is that it is terrific.
  • https://plazasuitebroadway.com/

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For Daily News on all aspects of eXtended Reality: 

QPORIT XR DAILY NEWS

QPORIT XRN

EXTENDED REALITY: TECHNOLOGY, CULTURE, & the WORLD
Quick Previews ORandom Interesting Things in XR News

www.qporit.com

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COMMERCIAL THEATER INSTITUTE (CTI) Three Day Intensive 2020

COMMERCIAL THEATER INSTITUTE (CTI) 

  • holds its Three Day Intensive from Friday March 6 thru Sunday March 8, 2020.
  • The Three Day Intensive is one of the best introductions to the realities of commercial theater that exists anywhere. 
  • It is not just for producers, it is for anyone interested in understanding current theater.
  • It is also an introduction (and rite of passage!) for anyone thinking about theatrical producing.
  • I've done it twice! and it is terrific!
  • https://www.commercialtheaterinstitute.com/product/three-day-intensive/



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For Daily News on all aspects of eXtended Reality: 

QPORIT XR DAILY NEWS

QPORIT XRN

EXTENDED REALITY: TECHNOLOGY, CULTURE, & the WORLD
Quick Previews ORandom Interesting Things in XR News

www.qporit.com



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Thursday, April 16, 2015

CTI COMMERCIAL THEATER INSTITUTE

CTI COMMERCIAL THEATER INSTITUTE

Three Day Intensive
An Introduction to Commercial Producing 

Friday, April 17th 8:45 AM - 5:45 PM
Saturday, April 18th 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday, April 19th 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM

at The Snapple Theater
210 W 50th St


 Networking receptions will follow the courses both Friday and Saturday

I attended the CTI 3 Day Intensive some years ago. It is the gold standard for understanding the commercial theater, Broadway in particular. The line-up is a fantastic collection of the most savvy producers and theater professionals.

 The networking alone is worth the price of admission.

In the course, you learn the basic economic and creative facts about commercial theater. It prepares you, as well, for the advanced and more specific and detailed additional courses the CTI provides during the year in the basic facets of producing commercial theater.

 If you are interested in producing, or just understanding Broadway and the commercial theater, the CTI 3-Day Intensive is the prerequisite.

 "Here's the door that opens the world of producing to you. This program gives you a comprehensive overview of producing for the commercial theater, with sessions including specific case histories, budgets, sample agreements, and is renowned for its networking opportunities. Come together with Broadway's hit makers and the producers of the future as well as the service professionals that you'll need to make you a success."


With guests
  • David Stone, Wicked 
  • Kevin McCollum, Avenue Q
  •  Barry Weissler, Chicago 
  •  Hal Luftig, Kinky Boots 
  • Tom Kirdahy, The Visit
  • Kristin Caskey, Fun Home 
  • Robert Cole, Once
  • Arielle Tepper Madover, The Elephant Man 
  • Chris Boneau, Boneau/Bryan-Brown
  • Beth Williams, Grove Entertainment 
  •  Elizabeth Furze, AKA
  •  Janette Roush, AKA 
  •  Nina Essman, 321 Theatrical Management 
  •  Bruce Robert Harris, On the Town 
  •  Jack W. Batman, On the Town 
  •  Megan Savage, A Gentleman's Guide... 
  •  Brisa Trinchero, Beautiful 
  •  Mike Isaacson, Fun Home
  •  Ruth Hendel, Fish in the Dark 
  •  Amanda Watkins, Disgraced
  •  Richard Winkler, Disgraced
  •  Barbara Whitman, Hedwig and the Angry Inch 
  •  Michael J. Sinder, Esq., The Law Offices of Michael J. Sinder 
  •  Jonathan Lonner, Grubman Shire & Meiselas, P.C. 
  •  Elliot Fishman, It Shoulda Been You
  •  Justin Weatherby, It Shoulda Been You 
  •  Ashley M. DeSimone, Something Rotten!
  •  Jim Kierstead, Pippin 
  •  John Arthur Pinckard, Doctor Zhivago


 & 
 Tom Viertel, Executive Director of Commercial Theater Institute 


and topics including

  • Creative Development 
  • Legal Aspects of Producing 
  • A Presentation of New Musicals (in collaboration with NAMT) 
  • Dynamic Ticketing 
  • Early Career Producers 
  • And more! 


 For full details on the topics, speakers, panels, & networking opportunities;

http://www.commercialtheaterinstitute.com/product/three-day-intensive/


Older stories in QPORIT on CTI

2009
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2009/02/cti-commercial-theater-institute-www.html

2006
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2006_04_01_archive.html



Wednesday, March 18, 2015


Jason S. Grossman's
LOVE ME 
Directed by Rachel Klein

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT
APRIL 30 - MAY 16, 2015
AT THE 4TH STREET THEATRE

OPENING NIGHT
SATURDAY, MAY 2 AT 7:30 P.M.

BROWNPAPERTICKETS.COM


See and hear what's going on inside Charlie Styptic's head in LOVE ME, a self-conscious comedy in three acts!

It's the mid-1990s in New York City, and underachieving writer/motivational speaker Charlie Styptic is mired in a lifelong love life slump. Forever lovesick, he's haplessly counseled by a simpleminded sidekick and a womanizer he's just befriended. Will he ever find love? Or will he be eternally controlled by the incessantly critical voice in his head?

Over 15 years in the making, LOVE ME is an extreme comedy about the never-ending search for love and artistic fulfillment in an unforgiving world. It's 44 furiously fast scenes of comedy and acute cognitive dissonance.

The production stars

  • Carlotta Brentan (Six Passionate Women) as Susan/Kate, 
  • Amy-Helene Carlson (Blogologues) as Carol, 
  • Chris Chirdon(Epic History of Everyday Things) as Tom, 
  • Sarah Elizabeth Grace (Law and Order: SVU) as Sara, 
  • Mary Orzano (Food Detectives, Forensic Files) as Wendy, 
  • Zal Owen* (Fiddler on the Roof national tour, opposite Harvey Fierstein) as Charlie, 
  • Michael Perrie (The World Wars) as Charlie's Head, and J. Andrew Young* (30 Rock) as John. 


The production features

  • scenic design by Brian Dudkiewicz, 
  • costume design by Rachel Klein, and 
  • lighting design by Jonathan Hartley. 
  • Jaime McWilliams* is the Production Stage Manager. 
(*Member AEA)
 

LOVE ME plays the following performances:

  • Thursday, April 30, 7:30PM
  • Saturday, May 2, 7:30PM
  • Sunday May 3, 3PM
  • Wednesday May 6, 7:30PM
  • Friday May 8, 7:30PM
  • Saturday May 9, 3PM
  • Sunday May 10, 7:30PM
  • Monday May 11, 7:30PM
  • Tuesday May 12, 7:30PM
  • Wednesday May 13, 7:30PM
  • Saturday May 16, 7:30PM

The 4th Street Theatre
83 East 4th Street
New York, NY

Running Time: 2 hours with intermission

Tickets are $18 and are available online at


or by calling

1-800-838-3006. 

Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the theater ½ hour prior to performance.




Thursday, March 12, 2015

MOONLIGHT AFTER MIDNIGHT FROM FRIGID NEW YORK @ HORSE TRADE


FRIGID NEW YORK @ HORSE TRADE
PRESENTS 

CONCRETE DROPS
PRODUCTION OF

MOONLIGHT AFTER MIDNIGHT

WRITTEN BY MARTIN DOCKERY
DRAMATURGY BY VANESSA QUESNELLE
PERFORMED BY
MARTIN DOCKERY & VANESSA QUESNELLE

NYC PREMIER
APRIL 10 - 30 @ THE KRAINE THEATER


FRIGID New York @ Horse Trade will present Concrete Drops’ production of Moonlight After Midnight written by Martin Dockery and performed by Dockery and Vanessa Quesnelle, April 10-30 at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and Bowery) with performances 
Friday, April 10, 17, & 24 and 
Thursday, April 30 at 8pm. 

Tickets ($18) may be purchased in advance at 



The performance runs 60 minutes, with no intermission. 


A mysterious man and a beautiful woman meet in a midnight hotel room to play out scenes from a relationship. Love and loss, memory and intrigue intertwine in the luminal space of a magical hotel room bathed in moonlight.


Moonlight After Midnight debuted at the Ottawa Fringe Festival in 2014, where it received *Best Original Show”, it went on to tour to festivals in Winnipeg, Edmonton, Vancouver, and London. Following its run at The Kraine, it is scheduled to perform at the Orlando and Cincinnati Fringe Festivals in May and June. 

  
Some critical notes:

“This play is everything I’ve ever wanted out of theatre. To say that Martin Dockery and Vanessa Quesnelle’s chemistry is riveting would be an understatement. Don’t miss this play.” Capital Critics Circle, Ottawa, ON

“This mystery about relationships tickled my brain and captivated me from start to finish. The vivid performances by Dockery and Quesnelle, and the chemistry between them, cannot be denied.” Plank Magazine, Vancouver, BC

“The complexity of the story combined with the excellent character work allows this performance to engage both the mind and the soul… These two actors really bring something beautiful to the stage, a natural chemistry.” New Ottawa Critics, ON


MARTIN DOCKERY (Writer/Performer) is a frequent performer in New York’s storytelling scene. Over the past several years, he’s created six monologues, performing them across North America, the UK, and Australia. His four autobiographical, theatrical monologues Wanderlust, The Surprise, (both directed by Jean-Michele Gregory), The Bike Trip, The Holy Land Experience, and his two fictional monologues, Bursting Into Flames and The Dark Fantastic have enjoyed successful runs in New York City, San Francisco, Orlando, London, Toronto, Winnipeg, Fresno, Charleston, Minneapolis, Boulder, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, Victoria, Vancouver, Bellingham, Seattle, New Orleans, Phoenix, & Adelaide (where he won the 2011 Critics Circle Award), and The Melbourne Comedy Festival. He also headlined The London Storytelling Festival. He has an MFA in playwriting from Colombia University.

VANESSA QUESNELLE (Dramaturg/Performer) has toured with Concrete Drops for the last four years. Bringing Oh, That Wily Snake!, The Abyss Burrow, The Pit and Moonlight After Midnight to theatres in Ottawa, Fresno, Orlando, London, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Victoria, Vancouver, Bellingham, and New York City. Some of her ‬ ‪previous acting credits include Amy in Company (Fountainhead Productions), Nurse Wilson in 7 Stories, Pierrette in Les Belles Soeurs, Helena in Midsummer Night’s Dream (Passionfool Theatre), Suzanne in Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Margot Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank (Theatre Woodstock), for which she was awarded Best Supporting Actress at WODL Festival, Bottom in Midsummer Night’s Dream (CAST Theatre Company) and Laura Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie (QP Productions).  

CONCRETE DROPS Martin Dockery and Vanessa Quesnelle founded Concrete Drops Theatre Company in 2011. It is their mission to engage, entertain and challenge audiences with theatrical productions that range from the comically absurd to the dramatic, to take audiences on a journey that is both fanciful and thought provoking. Since it’s inception, Concrete Drops has created, performed and toured four shows across Canada and the US. Three of them being two person plays starring the company’s founders Martin Dockery and Vanessa Quesnelle ( Oh, That Wily Snake!, The Pit, Moonlight After Midnight) and the fourth is a solo show starring Vanessa Quesnelle ( The Abyss Burrow). 


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




BRITS OFF BROADWAY FESTIVAL 2015 AT 59E59


BRITS OFF BROADWAY FESTIVAL 2015
AT 59E59
APRIL 14 - JUNE 28


The critically acclaimed Brits Off Broadway festival, host to the UK's most innovative and provocative theater in New York City, returns for its 10th season of New York premieres of new British theater with shows from Inverness in the far North of Scotland to Plymouth in the Southwest of England, and Manchester in the Northwest to London in the Southeast.

Presented by 59E59 Theaters Brits Off Broadway launches on Tuesday, April 14 and runs through Sunday, June 28.


  • Single ticket prices range from $25 - $70 ($17.50 - $49 for 59E59 Members).
  • Tickets to Brits Off Broadway go on sale on Wednesday, March 11.
  • Tickets are available by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at 





For more information on Brits Off Broadway, visit



A strikingly personal piece for writer/performer Matthew Zajac, THE TAILOR OF INVERNESS chronicles his father's journey from Eastern Europe to Scotland. 

IN MY FATHER'S WORDS is a celebration of language, with a man whose dementia allows him to remember his forgotten Gaelic language.

Dystopian author Anthony Burgess' lesser-known novel ONE HAND CLAPPING arrives in a daring stage adaptation.

CUDDLES, a story of two sisters, one of whom is a vampire, will make you question who the real monsters are.

BRITANNIA WAVES THE RULES is a heart-wrenching play about the brutal effects of war on a young man from the North.

Finally, two titans of the British stage grace our own: Simon Callow stars in TUESDAYS AT TESCO'S' and Edward Petherbridge in MY PERFECT MIND; both shows anchoring this year's festival in Theater A.



The full 2015 Brits Off Broadway lineup:



Tuesday, April 14 - Sunday, May 3

THE TAILOR OF INVERNESS

  • Written by Matthew Zajac
  • Directed by Ben Harrison
  • With Matthew Zajac and Aidan O'Rourke (musician)
  • Produced by Dogstar Theatre

Tickets $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members)

This internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning play is a story of a son’s search for his father, a story of 20th century Europe, of how a boy who grew up on a farm in Galicia (Eastern Poland, now Western Ukraine) came to be a tailor in northern Scotland.  A story of deception, identity and survival, The Tailor of Inverness has moved thousands across the world. This remarkable true story, lovingly recounted by his son, the acclaimed actor Matthew Zajac, and directed by Grid Iron's Ben Harrison, is "a resonant meditation on what can become of families when countries shift beneath their feet." (The Guardian)


Tuesday, April 28 - Sunday, May 31

BRITANNIA WAVES THE RULES 

  • Written by Gareth Farr
  • Directed by Nick Bagnall
  • With Roger Evans, Dan Parr, Michael Peavoy and Francesca Zoutewelle

Tickets: $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members)

Carl Jackson doesn’t fit in at home. When he joins the army, he sees it as a chance to escape the grim reality of life. But it doesn’t matter where he runs to, or how hard or how fast – there are too many battles for him to win them all. And when Carl comes home, it’s not as a hero but a changed man. Fast, furious and filled with rage, this play is a scream of protest at the state of the world.


Tuesday, May 5 - Sunday, May 31

Anthony Burgess' ONE HAND CLAPPING

  • Adapted and directed by Lucia Cox
  • With Eve Burley, Oliver Devoti and Adam Urey
  • Produced by House of Orphans

Tickets: $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members)

Adapted from Anthony Burgess’s 1961 novel, this is the darkly comic story of Howard and Janet Shirley, who have a humdrum life in a Northern town in England. But Howard has a talent: a photographic memory, which he uses to win a TV quiz show. With his winnings, he and Janet travel the world. But upon their return, a morose Howard takes a decidedly sinister turn. What's On Stage called ONE HAND CLAPPING "daringly surreal and innovatively executed!"


Thursday, May 14 - Sunday, June 7

TUESDAYS AT TESCO'S

  • Written by Emmanuel Darley
  • Adapted and translated by Matthew Hurt and Sarah Vermande
  • Directed by Simon Stokes
  • With Simon Callow and Connor Mitchell
  • Produced by Richard Darbourne Ltd in association with Assembly & Riverside Studios


Tickets: $70 ($49 for 59E59 Members)

One of Britain’s greatest actors, Simon Callow stars (in a performance Variety called "authoritative, humane and brave") as Pauline: Loving daughter, caregiver, cross-dresser.



Wednesday, June 3 - Sunday, June 28

CUDDLES

  • Written by Joseph Wilde
  • Directed by Rebecca Atkinson-Lord              
  • With Carla Langley and Rendah Heywood
  • Produced by Oval House

Tickets: $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members)

Eve is a 13-year-old vampire. She has never left her room and everything she knows about the world comes from her sister Tabby and her storybook characters. Eve does everything a good little vampire girl should, including drinking her (human) sister’s blood. But one day, Tabby tires of opening her veins and, in a breath, Eve's whole world changes. "A smart and gruesome gothic tale!" Time Out London.


Thursday, June 4 - Saturday, June 27

IN MY FATHER'S WORDS

  • Written by Justin Young
  • With Gaelic by Iain Finlay MacLeod
  • Directed by Philip Howard
  • With Angus Peter Campbell, Garry Collins, and Muireann Kelly
  • Produced by Dundee Rep

Tickets: $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members)

In an old wooden house by the shore of Lake Ontario in Canada, Louis battles with his elderly father, Don, whose decline into dementia is gradually robbing him of the ability to speak.  Into their lives comes Flora, the caregiver that Louis employs to look after Don. Flora, who is of Scottish heritage, understands that the ‘nonsense’ that Don speaks is fragmented Gaelic, opening up an ocean of revelations and buried family history spanning the Atlantic. IN MY FATHER’S WORDS is a beautiful play about identity – national and personal – and language, and the utter indivisibility between the two.


Wednesday, June 10 - Sunday, June 28

MY PERFECT MIND 

Created by Told By An Idiot
Written by Kathryn Hunter, Paul Hunter and Edward Petherbridge
Directed by Kathryn Hunter
With Paul Hunter and Edward Petherbridge
Produced by Told By An Idiot, Young Vic, and Theatre Royal Plymouth

Tickets: $70 ($49 for 59E59 Members)

Olivier Award-winning actor Edward Petherbridge was cast as King Lear, when on the second day of rehearsals he suffered a stroke that left him barely able to move. As he struggled to recover Edward made a discovery: the entire role of Lear still existed word for word in his mind. From being on the brink of playing one of Shakespeare’s most revered roles, to lying in a hospital bed surrounded by doctors, Edward never imagined what tragedies and comedies lay in store for him. MY PERFECT MIND celebrates the resilience of the human spirit through the prism of Shakespeare’s great tragedy. MY PERFECT MIND is, however, anything but a tragedy. Called "an exquisite piece of tomfoolery" by The Guardian, the play, "gurgles with merriment."


Tuesday, March 10, 2015

FRIGID NEW YORK @ HORSE TRADE - APRIL EVENTS 2015


APRIL EVENTS PRESENTED BY
FRIGID NEW YORK @ HORSE TRADE

COMEDY


Sketch Block
Wednesday, April 8 @ 9pm $10
UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place)
Sketch Block is a comedy showcase that gives sketch troupes an opportunity to perform without the pressure of bringing in an audience. Also, Sketch Block does not force their audience to pay for drinks. We believe that it's your choice to drink or not. It's about the comedy. Sketch Comedy meets Block Party. This monthly show features a guest host comedian, three guest sketch troupes and drinking. Come meet, mingle, and perform!

The Adam Wade Show
Featuring Moth StorySLAM Champion, Adam Wade
Monday, April 13 @ 7pm $10
UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place)
Moth storytelling favorite, Adam Wade, has put together many of his winning heartfelt and humorous stories for a special show. He’ll also sing a few songs, and play video shorts. No two shows will be the same. A different featured guest will start the evening off.

Thank You, Robot
Friday, April 17 @ 10:30pm $5
UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place)
A showcase for independent and established improv teams. For each show, two teams join Thank You, Robot to perform sets of unscripted comedy, never seen before and never to be seen again.

A Brief History of Beer
Sunday, April 26 @ 6:30pm $18
UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place)
A Brief History of Beer is a one hour drinkeractive comedy where the audience travels through time with William Glenn and Trish Parry, all the way back to Ancient Sumeria, through to today, on a mission to save beer from a mysterious nefarious person!


BURLESQUE

Stand Up and Take Your Clothes Off
Sunday, April 5 @ 8pm $10
The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street)
Stand Up and Take Your Clothes Off! features NYC's funniest female comics and sassiest burlesque acts. Past performers have been featured in films, seen on TV, and perform at venues all over the world. This is a fast paced sexy show, exploding with talent.

The Wasabassco Hellfire Club
Wednesday, April 8 @ 9pm $40
The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street)
It is with pleasure that we serve up to you our naughtiest and most revealing show: The Wasabassco Hellfire Club. It’s Wasabassco’s wildest, wickedest and most adult evening, curated to cater to the most sophisticated and lustful desires of a select group of curious and enlightened guests.

Naked Girls Reading
Wednesday, April 15 @ 9pm $25 (2 for $40)
UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place)
Naked Girls Reading NYC is the perfect intimate live event: a monthly nude literary salon featuring in the buff readings by local burlesque luminaries, professional librarians, authors and other Naked Girls.


DANCE

Shall We Dance
Tuesday, April 7 @ 7pm & 9pm $40
The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street)
Aithan Harrari has a unique Israeli profession; he organizes group dancing of Israeli folk dances. He is eager to gain recognition and uses the opportunity he gets when asked to replace a well known dance instructor one evening to create an innovative folk dance and thus upgrade his standing in the world of popular dancing. During the evening Aithan exposes the sources of his inspiration – experiences he went through as a young man during his service in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces). The dancing gets in to full swing and Aithan begins to sniff the sweet smell of success…


VARIETY & OPEN MIC


The Open Mic Downstairs
Hosted by Dan Ricker, Mike Milazzo, & Kaitlyn O’Connor
Every Tuesday @ 9pm $4 at the door
UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place)
At The Open Mic Downstairs the focus is the stage! Sign-ups get seven minutes to try anything in one of the most supportive rooms in New York. Whether it’s a performance art piece, comedy, music, storytelling, dance, or something entirely off the top of your head, you'll find a home in the attentive welcoming community at UNDER St. Marks.

Ten-Foot Rat Cabaret
Thursday, April 9 @ 10:30pm $10
UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place)
Ten-Foot Rat Cabaret is Gotham’s Premiere Variety Show: Comedy, Music, Burlesque, Vaudeville, and More! Hosted by Canadian import Jillian Thomas; featuring Bill Chambers and Gregory Levine - and a rotating cast of the entertainment cream of NYC, America and Canada. Created and Produced by Rob Dub and Gregory Levine.

Cabaret Showdown: Winners Showcase
Sunday, April 12 @ 5:30pm $10
UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place)
Join last month’s winner of the Cabaret Showdown as they star in their own show!

The Cabaret Showdown
Hosted by Mark McDaniels
Sunday, April 12 @ 7pm  $12 (includes a free drink)
UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place)
Do you have what it takes to be a cabaret champion? Contestants compete for the chance to star in their own show or cabaret. Come out and join the fun! Whether you are a contestant or in the audience you are guaranteed to have a blast.

Thus Spoke the Spectacle
Sunday, April 26 @ 8pm $15
The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street)
Thus Spoke the Spectacle deconstructs and reconfigures the massive onslaught of news, advertising, politics and entertainment into an edgy and highly entertaining transmedia rock experience. Original music, spoken word vocals, video and lights combine to tell the story of “the spectacle”: a worldview come to life as a veil over reality, as the lens through which most people view and interpret the world.



Tuesday, November 25, 2014

MARLOWE'S TAMBURLAINE AT THEATER FOR A NEW AUDIENCE


THEATER FOR A NEW AUDIENCE (TFANA)
PRESENTS
CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE'S
TAMBURLAINE PARTS I AND II
with JOHN DOUGLAS THOMPSON
NOVEMBER 1, 2014 - DECEMBER 21, 2014

John Douglas Thompson's performance in Marlowe's exciting Tamburlaine is a magnificent tour de force.

John Douglas Thompson as Tamburlaine
TAMBURLAINE PARTS I AND II
TFANA
Credit Gerry Goodstein

Christopher Marlowe was born in 1564 a few months before Shakespeare. His first play, Tamburlaine the Great was first performed in 1587. It was based on the career of Timur the Lame, written in blank verse, and was a major success. (Shakespeare's first play was likely Henry VI from about 1590.) 
Tamburlaine the Great Part II was a sequel. 

Timur was a vicious warrior. According to references cited by Wikipedia, he may have been responsible for the deaths of as many as 17 million people -- about 5% of the world's population in his time, the mid 1300s.

Marlowe's Tamburlaine is charismatic, cruel, and a brilliant warrior. His tactics are to gain allies with his charisma, terrorize his foes with his cruelty, and win battles with his military acumen. A peasant and a thief, he is constantly being underestimated by the leaders of the great powers of his day. His victories in Persia, Iraq, Syria, and Egypt give this story an unmistakable modern currency.

As a play, Tamburlaine Part I is also a love story, as Tamburlaine woos his captive princess, Zenocrate of Egypt.

As a playwright, Marlowe writes elegant blank verse. But, unlike Shakespeare, there are few if any truly memorable lines. Also, the play is almost all plot; there is very little subtlety of characterization; only Tamburlaine, and hardly anyone else, gets any dimensionality. The plotting is relatively simplistic. Tamburlaine and his adversary of the moment face off with bravado and insults, each predicting victory, after which the adversary either yields to Tamburlaine and switches sides, or Tamberlaine's armies prevail, and the enemy is killed, or enslaved and humiliated.

John Douglas Thompson as Tamburlaine
And in cage, Chukwudi Iwuji as defeated and enslaved Bajazeth
TAMBURLAINE PARTS I AND II
TFANA
Credit Gerry Goodstein

The action is rather brutal; however, in this production, the director stages murders stylistically, by simply splashing a bucket of red, bloody liquid over the actor.

Tamburlaine Part II, as mentioned before, is conspicuously a sequel, and seems to tread on much of the same ideas as Part I. The brutality escalates, including the drowning of all the men, women, and children from a city that resists.

One new idea in Tamburlaine Part II is Tamburlaine's attempts to turn over his legacy to his sons. Predating King Lear, two of Tamburlaine's three sons profess loyalty to their father's militarism, and one son embraces a peaceful life. Calling this third son effeminate and a traitor, Tamburlaine kills him.

Though it was obvious after Part I that this play could be about current events, the director includes some unnecessary anachronisms in Part II, perhaps to underscore the connections with the present time. This includes using photographs for paintings, using guns, and dressing one character in a modern suit. (By modern, here, though, the director seems to be using the 1900s as his stylistic model.) 

Also, perhaps to suggest some kind of universality, the director made the strange choice to cast the same actor as both Tamburlaine's love (and later, after her death, her statue) and -- in between her death and her reappearance as her statue -- as the adult son of Bajazeth, one of Tamburlaine's first victims.

Among the many reasons to see this production are John Douglas Thompson's great performance, a chance to experience Marlowe's rarely seen Tamburlaine, and to realize that this exciting play, written roughly 500 years or half a millennium ago, could have been written today about today's news.

Theater For A New Audience (TFANA), which is now in its second season in its new home, the comfortable and elegant Polonsky Shakespeare Center in Brooklyn, is not difficult to reach from Manhattan, either by car over the Brooklyn Bridge, or by subway. Nearby, one also finds restaurants, parking, and BAM, the Brooklyn Academy of Music. 

Inside, TFANA houses a well-stocked classic book stall, drinks and refreshments.

TFANA'S CURRENT SEASON

TAMBURLAINE PARTS I AND II
NOVEMBER 1, 2014 - DECEMBER 21, 2014

SOHO REP'S AN OCTOROON
FEBRUARY 14, 2015 - MARCH 8, 2015

TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA
APRIL 24, 2015 - MAY 24, 2015

LINKS

THEATER FOR A NEW AUDIENCE
www.TFANA.org

TAMBURLAINE ON WIKIPEDIA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamburlaine_(play)

TAMBURLAINE ON AMAZON

JOHN DOUGLAS THOMPSON ON WIKIPEDIA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Douglas_Thompson

CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE ON WIKIPEDIA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Marlowe

CHRISTOPHER MARL0WE ON AMAZON


SHAKESPEARE ON AMAZON


TIMUR THE LAME ON WIKIPEDIA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timur


Tuesday, May 13, 2014

PLAYING WITH REALITY - MAY 17 & MAY 24



After three years away from Manhattan, Playing With Reality is doing a show in Manhattan this month!

Playing with Reality's
DIRECTOR SHOWCASE

The premiere of 5 pieces developed by five visionaries from the Playing with Reality Directors Program. 

This evening of eclectic interactive pieces has been conceived, written, and developed by directors Trevor Buteau, BJ Burbidge, Jennifer Kent, Michele Vazquez, and Zoë Watkins.

Playing With Reality is unique for bringing an audience member into the show as the main character.


SATURDAY, MAY 17, 10:30PM 

SECRET THEATRE 

$12 Tickets --
$10 Tickets with the code SECRETPWR, (expires at 11:59 on Friday, the 16th)

Secret Theatre 44-02 23rd Street Long Island City, NY 11101
Only 1 stop outside Manhattan!
E/M to Court Square-23rd St N/Q to Queensboro Plaza R to Queens Plaza


SATURDAY, MAY 24, 8:15PM 

THIS THEATER  154 West 29th Street MANHATTAN!

$20 Tickets--
$15 Tickets with the code THISPWR, (expires at 11:59 on Friday, the 23rd)



PLAYING WITH REALITY - HOME 

THIS THEATER - HOME
http://www.thistheater.com 

THE PLAYING WITH REALITY TEAM
BACKSTAGE IN 3D
http://youtu.be/AEO6syNqQKo 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Preview: WHEN JANUARY FEELS LIKE SUMMER (From Page 73 at EST)

Ensemble Studio Theatre and Page 73 Productions
New York Premiere
WHEN JANUARY FEELS LIKE SUMMER
by Cori Thomas
Directed by Daniella Topol
Previews begin May 28; Opens June 5

Cori Thomas's warm-hearted and funny play about the many flavors of desire, When January Feels Like Summer, will receive its New York premiere in a co-production of Ensemble Studio Theatre and Page 73 Productions directed by Daniella Topol.

Previews begin at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, 549 West 52nd Street, Wednesday, May 28, at 7:00pm for an opening Thursday, June 5, at 7:00pm (for a run currently scheduled through June 22).

When January Feels Like Summer follows five diverse Central Harlem residents as they collide during one strangely warm winter, when a feeling of change hums in the air. Through everyday encounters on the subway and in corner bodegas a pair of teenagers becomes unexpected heroes, an immigrant accountant embraces transformation, and two lonely souls begin to stumble toward each other.

The cast includes Debargo Sanyal, Dion Graham, Mahira Kakkar, Maurice Williams and J. Mallory McCree.

Cori Thomas is a playwright and actress who lives in New York City. Her plays include:
  • When January Feels Like Summer (World Premiere City Theatre Co., Pittsburgh); 
  • Pa’s Hat (Pillsbury House Theatre, MN); 
  • My Secret Language of Wishes (Various theaters and University productions including Mixed Blood, MN); 
  • The Princess, The Breast, and, The Lizard; 
  • The Unusual Love Life of Bedbugs and Other Creatures; 
  • Waking Up; 
  • His Daddy; 
  • our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. 
Ms. Thomas'’s plays have been developed and produced at Sundance Theatre Lab, Goodman Theatre, City Theatre Company (Pittsburgh), Page 73, Playwrights Horizons, Lark Play Development Center, The Ensemble Studio Theatre, Going To The River, Pillsbury House Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, Penumbra Theatre, Passage Theatre, The Playwrights Realm, New Federal Theatre, New Georges, The Black Rep (St. Louis), The New Black Fest, and Queens Theatre in the Park. She has been commissioned by South Coast Rep Theatre, EST/Sloan Foundation, NYSCA/Page 73, NYSCA/EST and Pillsbury House Theatre.

Sets are by Jason Simms, lights by Austin R. Smith, costumes by Sydney Maresca and sound by Shane Rettig. Eileen Lalley is production stage manager.

Box Office 
When January Feels Like Summer performs Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 7:00pm and Mondays at 7:00pm. Matinees are Saturdays at 2:00pm and Sundays at 5:00pm. The final performance is currently scheduled for June 22.

Reserved seats are $40, general admission seats are $30 ($20 student/seniors) and Saturday and Sunday matinees are $10. Advance general admission tickets bought before the first preview (May 28) are $15. To order tickets call 866.811.4111 or click

www.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/134

 

When January Feels Like Summer is the third production this season on the Ensemble Studio Theatre mainstage, following the extended run of Year of the Rooster by Eric Dufault for which Bobby Moreno received a Drama Desk nomination, and Fast Company by Carla Ching.

Page 73 Productions, under the leadership of Executive Directors Liz Jones and Asher Richelli, Producing Director Michael Walkup, and Associate Director Rachel Karpf, produces and develops the work of early-career playwrights who have yet to receive a professional New York production. Page 73's writers have gone on to win the Pulitzer Prize, the Drama Desk Award, the OBIE Award, the Lucille Lortel Award, and many more. Page 73's world and New York premiere productions include...

  • the recent New York premiere of Grounded by George Brant; Elliot, 
  • A Soldier’s Fugue by Quiara Alegría Hudes (2007 Pulitzer finalist); 
  • 1001 by Jason Grote; 
  • Sixty Miles to Silver Lake by Dan LeFranc (2010 New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award); 
  • Creature by Heidi Schreck; 
  • Jack’s Precious Moment by Samuel D. Hunter; 
  • Edgewise by Eliza Clark;
  •  Lidless by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig; and 
  • Sleeping Rough by Kara Manning. 
Page 73's slate of development programs includes the prestigious P73 Playwriting Fellowship, offering a $10,000 grant and a yearlong artistic home to one early-career writer, as well as the Interstate 73 writers group and an annual Summer Residency. Plays developed in these programs include the recent acclaimed world premieres of Meghan Kennedy's Too Much, Too Much, Too Many at Roundabout Underground and Dorothy Fortenberry's Partners at the 2014 Humana Festival of New American Plays.

When January Feels Like Summer is Page 73's second production this season, following Grounded by George Brant for which Hannah Cabell just received a Drama Desk nomination.