Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Today in Theatre History

By Byrne Harrison

On this day in 1613 the Globe Theatre burned to the ground during a performance of Henry VIII. The blaze was started by a theatrical cannon which misfired during the performance and set fire to the thatching. The Globe was rebuilt the following year.



On this date in 1983, Broadway's Alvin Theatre was renamed the Neil Simon Theatre during the run of Brighton Beach Memoirs. As the Alvin, the theatre saw the Broadway debuts of Ethel Merman, Lucille Ball, and Liza Minnelli.

Births
1901 - Nelson Eddy
1910 - Frank Loesser
1919 - Lloyd Richards
1928 - Ian Bannen
1958 - Jeff Coopwood
1968 - Judith Hoag
1970 - Emily Skinner
1977 - Will Kemp

Deaths
1933 - Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle
1997 - William Hickey
2000 - Vittorio Gassman
2002 - François Périer
2003 - Katharine Hepburn
2006 - Lloyd Richards

Friday, June 25, 2010

Song and Monologue Interpretation Workshop With Betty Buckley

By Byrne Harrison

This is the last weekend to register for Betty Buckley's celebrated “Song and Monologue Interpretation Workshop” on June 29 through July 2, 2010, at “The Jason Bennett Actor's Workshop in New York City.”

Tony-award-winning Buckley will share her unique, practical performance methods with aspiring young artists, educators and professional performers. Ms. Buckley will guide students through psycho-spiritual, contemplative processes, meditations and exercises that facilitate presence and deep audience connection in performance.

Jason Bennett, founder of "The Jason Bennett Actor's Workshop" says, "Our community of working artists is thrilled and honored Ms. Buckley will join us to share her wisdom. Her generosity to students and passion for teaching is in the time-honored tradition of working artists mentoring new generations of performers. She has developed her own approach to the work, as all great performers do. Her work goes beyond performing, it's an approach to living, as with all deep explorations of creative process.”

"Betty Buckley's Song and Monologue Interpretation Workshop" will consist of four sessions beginning Tuesday, June 29th through Friday, July 2nd. Each session begins at 12:00 noon and lasts 4 hours. For further details or to arrange an interview with Jason Bennett, prospective participants should call (212)-777-7603.

The class welcomes auditors, at a reduced rate, who participate in all aspects of the class – including powerful group exercises and work with partners – except the individual singing and monologue coaching by Ms. Buckley.

Location: The Gene Frankel Theater
Time: June 29th - July 2nd, 12 noon - 4 p.m. each day
Cost: $600 fully participating students, $400 auditors
Call 212-777-7603 for a phone interview with Jason Bennett
Payment is required for registration for the class. Once registration is complete, there are no refunds or cancellations.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Special Events Announced for undergroundzero festival

By Byrne Harrison

The 4th Annual undergroundzero festival is coming soon. StageBuzz.com will be interviewing members of several productions over the next two weeks - keep an eye open for that.

In addition to producing some ground-breaking theatre, the festival will feature weekly special events providing opportunities to mix and mingle with the artists. All events are open to the public with a suggested $5 donation and refreshments are provided.

Each Tuesday (July 6, 13, & 20) from 8–10pm in the Upstairs venue at PS122, commonground, a meta-theatrical talk show, will introduce the festival artists and highlight the festival's international guests. During the first hour, the attendees will comprise a live studio audience while special guests interview participating artists and cultural experts. The second hour will be an open gathering for participants, special guests, and audience members to mix and mingle.

Hosts include Festival Artistic Director Paul Bargetto, playwright Saviana Stanescu, the festival’s production team, and amazing artists from here and around the world.

On July 6th, commonground: Australia & Catalonia celebrates the launch of the festival and highlights Australian and Catalonian experimental theatre by featuring Au Ments (based in Catalonia), Tim Watts (Australia), and international theatre agent David Berga with special guests from the Catalan Center at NYU and the Institut Ramon Llull.

On July 13th, commonground: Italy & Romania celebrates the Italian and Romanian experimental theatre communities by featuring Compagnia La Fabbricca (Italy) and Green Hours Theater (Romania) with special guests from the Romanian Cultural Institute of New York and the Italian Consulate.

On July 20th, commonground: Ireland & Germany opens our final week, celebrating the Irish and German experimental theatre communities by featuring axis ballymun (Ireland) and Theater Bielefeld (Germany) with special guests from the Goethe-Institut New York and the Irish Consulate.

Each Friday, the festival presents latenightzero, a downtown dance party that welcomes everyone in the arts community and beyond to shake off the work week by getting down. latenightzero happens every Friday (July 9, 16, & 23) from 11pm – 1am in the Upstairs venue at PS122.

Friday, July 9 latenightzero kicks off the opening week of the festival to welcome our participants.

Friday, July 16 latenightzero hosts the League of Independent Theater, the membership, advocacy and business league for the independent theater community in New York City (www.litny.org).

Friday, July 23 latenightzero invites all movers and shakers from the downtown dance community to celebrate the final weekend.

The 4th Annual undergroundzero festival will run July 6-25 at Performance Space 122 (150 1st Avenue at East 9th Street). Tickets ($20) may be purchased online at www.PS122.org or via phone at (212) 352-3101.

A Little Something for the Fans of Fela!

By Byrne Harrison

While it's not a combination that I would have immediately thought of, DJ Rich Medina has produced an album of Fela Kuti/Michael Jackson mashups which is pretty remarkable. Entitled "The King Meets the President in Africa," the album layers Kuti's Afrobeat rhythms and horns with Jackson's singing to produce an amazing mix. I intended to listen to one song, and ended up listening to all of them in one sitting.

To listen to samples, view the videos, and download the album, click here.

Broadway Bares XX Beats All Previous Records

By Byrne Harrison

Far from its humble beginnings in 1992, when seven dancers stripped at a downtown bar and raised $8,000 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, this year's Broadway Bares XX: Strip-opoly made history by raising $1,015,985 to benefit BC/EFA, marking the first time that the $1 million dollar mark was reached. This goal was set in January by Broadway Bares creator and executive producer, Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell.

This year’s total shatters the previous fundraising record which was set in 2008 when $874,000 was raised. To date, the 20 editions of Broadway Bares have raised more than $7.5 million for BC/EFA.

Jerry Mitchell said in a statement, “Some people thought it couldn’t be done, especially in today’s economy, but we did. . . I couldn’t imagine a more spectacular way to celebrate 20 editions of Broadway Bares for Broadway Cares.”

The evening featured the work of 15 choreographers and 216 of the sexiest male and female dancers from Broadway’s biggest shows baring nearly all to benefit BC/EFA. A $150,000 check from M·A·C Viva Glam was presented to BC/EFA by M·A·C’s Senior Vice President Jennifer Balbier who also saluted the extraordinary skills of 93 M·A·C make-up artists who worked on the show.

Highlights from this year’s Broadway Bares XX: Strip-opoly included:

· Kristin Chenoweth, Euan Morton, and Vanessa Williams performing the side-splitting opening number “The Best Game in Town” by David Nehls (The Great American Trailer Park Musical) which featured Chenoweth and Williams rising on a bright red swing over the adoring crowd.

· Joshua Buscher showed off tremendous assets and an amazing stimulus package as the featured strip in “The Bank.”

· Special guest appearances were made by Lucy Liu on behalf of “the community chest,” while Jackie Hoffman sent Katie Finneran “directly to jail” for stealing scenes, referencing her Tony-winning performances in both Promises, Promises and Noises Off.

· Felicia Finley and Rachelle Rak turned the heat up on “Connecticut Avenue” as a Stepford wife introduced to the community’s new, rowdy neighbor.

· The crowd went wild over the “Boardwalk” which featured Broadway actors playing the cast of the hit MTV show “Jersey Shore” including Jennifer Cody as ‘Snookie’ and John Carroll as ‘The Situation.’

· Broadway Bares XX poster boy Charlie Williams appeared as an attentive bell hop who ended up in only a wash-cloth when repeatedly answering the call for “more towels, please” from statuesque hotel guests, played by some of La Cage Aux Folles’ Cagelles.

· Kyle DesChamps and a host of hot inmates lost their stripes and turned the tables on their warden, played by Bares favorite Sebastian LaCause in “Go to Jail.”

· Vocal powerhouses Alysha Umphress and Diana DiGarmo grabbed the spotlight from dozens of nearly naked dancers with their dynamic renditions of Journey’s “Lights” and Queen’s “Play the Game,” the event’s grand finale.

· Choreographer Nick Kenkel showcased his racy hip-hop moves on two teams of high-speed dancers in “Pass Go.”

· On “Orient Avenue,” The Living Art of Armando stopped the show with dazzling acrobatics high above the crowd.

· A finale that showcased celebrities and iconic dancers from the previous 19 editions of Broadway Bares that culminated with Jerry Mitchell taking the stage in the tribal head dress and loincloth he wore as ‘The Indian of The Dawn’ from 1992’s The Will Rogers Follies, the performance on a tom-tom that inspired Broadway Bares.

For more information on Broadway Bares and the other marvelous fundraisers for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, please visit the BC/EFA website.

Want to see what you missed?

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Planet Connections Interview - Julia Sandra Rand of Sunrise, Sunset or Breakfast with Julia

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Julia Sandra Rand
Play: Sunrise, Sunset or Breakfast with Julia
Relationship to play: Playwright and Actress

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I have been involved in theatre since I was a kid, singing and dancing; ballet training led to a short career dancing with the Boston Ballet Co; first Equity job acting at 19; and so on, and so on....

Several years later studying with Uta Hagen at the HB Studio, and acting in productions at the Playwrights Foundation directed by Herbert Berghof.

What is your show about and what inspired you to write it?

My play is about my ten-year journey with my mother Eva and Alzheimer's disease. I began writing these duologues while isolated in NJ as a caregiver after my father died. I wrote three before mother died, and picked it up and wrote the rest as I was trying to get back to my former life and career-so she died in July 2004 and I finished the play in 2005. There was no specific inspiration, it was an organic "talking to yourself" like one of Uta's exercises she uses in her book "Respect for Acting." And then I just simply wrote them down. It happened on random months and days, unplanned.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

Planet Connections is "theatre for a cause", and obviously I have a cause and message I want to get out. I talk in the play about our country wasting money on war, etc. Planet is an "eco-friendly" theatre festival-how appropriate!!! They are an inspiring young group of theatre professionals.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

I would like the play to receive a commercial run, a tour, a film production-the whole nine yards. As a actress I want to do other roles, and continue my focus on Shakespeare that I began following mother's death. I am an actress first and coach--as a playwright I only wrote one previous play.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

The only advice I might give myself as a kid if I could go back in time is: always believe in your passion, and do not listen to negative "stuff"--be tenacious.

Sunrise, Sunset or Breakfast with Julia
Written and Performed by Julia Sandra Rand
Directed by Nicole Potter

Running time: 60 minutes, no intermission

Venue: The Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street

Performance dates:
Sat 6/12 @ 1:30pm
Mon 6/21 @ 5:30pm - Following this performance there will be a Talk back/Fundraiser at Planet Connections Lounge at 440 Studios, 440 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor.
Weds 6/23 @ 4pm

Planet Connections Interview - Dorothy Marcic of Married Plus One

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Dorothy Marcic
Play: Married Plus One
Relationship to production: Playwright
Website: www.drdorothy.com

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I first got involved in theater as a child, when I wrote plays from age six and sold tickets to neighborhood kids for five cents.

Who are your biggest influences?

Sam Shepard, Christopher Durang and Marsha Norman.

What inspired you to write Married Plus One?

Knowing some people who are raising a mentally challenged child and seeing the difficulties, especially when the parent is not mature.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

I love the Planet Connections values and think we need more people and organizations who are Green.

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen and why?

My charity is Longchamp Charities, that helps families in Haiti. Since my play is about the struggles of family life, I wanted something related to that.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

I have a musical that is playing in Philadelphia and hopefully will go to South Florida in the winter.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

Don’t let people talk you out of the dream that is in your heart.

Married Plus One
Written by Dorothy Marcic
Directed by Michelle Best

Running time: 75 minutes, no intermission

Venue: The Robert Moss Theater, 440 Lafayette Street, 3rd floor

Performance dates:
Sun 6/13 @ 9pm
Mon 6/14 @ 6:15pm
Sat 6/19 @ 11:30am
Mon 6/21 @ 4:30pm
Fri 6/25 @ 4:30pm
Sat 6/26 @ 9pm

Planet Connections Interview - Peter Dagger of BJ: A Musical Romp

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Peter Dagger
Play: BJ: A Musical Romp
Relationship to production: Book and Lyrics, Producer
Website: BJaMusicalRomp.com

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I was always putting on shows as a kid. I wrote, directed and starred in a film masterpiece called "Super Baby" when I was seven years old.

Who are your biggest influences?

I look up to the classic lyricists like Lorenz Hart and Cole Porter. They are subtly clever, and then blow your mind 10 seconds later when you get the joke.

What is your show about?

The show is about exactly what you'd think, blow jobs. That being said, it is the story of BJ's first day of college told very innocently; nothing pornographic or vulgar. At its heart, BJ is about growing up and facing your fears.

What inspired you to write it?

I was jamming with some friends at the beginning of senior year of college. It had been a dry spell, and I improv-ed the "Blue Ball Blues," which turned out to be a hit. I went home, wrote down all the lyrics I could remember, and then the whole piece grew around that.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

Conservation of energy and resources is important, and absolutely can be achieved in theatre.

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen and why?

BJ is working with the Organic Consumer's Association. I watched the documentary "Food Inc" last summer, and it profoundly affected me, more so than any movie, play or work of art up to this point. I hope to fuel the organic revolution by promoting food free of pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics, and alerting people to the danger of overly processed and genetically modified "food."

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

I'm collaborating on a musical-spoken word-cryptozoological-extravaganza going up in Brooklyn on August 1st.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

I would make my younger self learn how to do back-flips, because they are probably way easier when you're a kid!

BJ: A Musical Romp
Book & Lyrics by Peter Dagger
Music by Eric Jarboe
Directed by Matt Britten

Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission
Venue: The Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street

Performance dates:
Tues 6/15 @ 9pm
Thurs 6/17 @ 5:30pm
Sat 6/19 @ 9pm
Sun 6/20 @ 6:45pm
Mon 6/21 @ 9pm
Fri 6/25 @ 9pm

Planet Connections Interview - Lenny Schwartz of The Six Month Cure

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Lenny Schwartz
Play: The Six Month Cure
Relationship to production: Playwright
Website: www.daydreamtheatrecompany.org

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I used to act in high school and college... my first play I was in was Anything Goes in 1993 in high school in Cranston, RI. I wanted to be an actor...and even graduated with a B.A. in performance! I actually got started. It was in college I wrote my first play. I was bored in a math class and I started to write my first play, Lost In a Daydream in 1995. At the end of the class I had a full script and an A in the class. 15 yearsa later I am still writing and look forward to what the future brings!

Who are your biggest influences?

For me it's a mixture of comic books, theatre, books and film: For comics Alan Moore, Daniel Clowes, Will Eisner. For Theatre: Harry Segall, Arthur Kopit, and Neil Labute. Books: Chad Kultgen and Tom Perotta. Film: Peter Weir, Michel Gondry, Woody Allen... too many to count!

What is your show about?

The play is about Kate, a comic book collecting grandmother, who goes on a road trip during her final months alive to the biggest Comic Book Convention in the world. Along the way she meets Mandy, a lost soul and slowly start to fall in love with each other.

What inspired you to write it?

Why I wanted to write this show is that I feel that there are not enough interesting characters for women to play. There are so many great actresses and most of the time, women are relegated to performing in shows about certain body parts. And those shows are great, but I always felt there are many more dimensions and stories that can be told about women. I also wanted to write a story about love. Not heterosexual or homosexual... just love. A story in which the gender and the sexual orientation become secondary and the emotion involved are at the forefront.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

I am impressed by the eco-friendly ideas brought forth by the festival.
We have learned a lot about how simple things like recycling set pieces, costumes, props etc, really make a difference. It is fun to learn those things in a creative setting.

Plus they donate a portion if the proceeds to charity from every show. My company in RI does the same thing. The idea of the arts being useful to helping those less fortunate is awesome and something I always want to be a part of.

What charity have you chosen and why?

Sloan Kettering Cancer Research. It fits into a lot of the themes of the play and they are a spectacular originization. It is an honor to raise money for them.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

I am writing and directing two shows for the coming year. One is called Black Friday which debuts in Rhode Island in November 2010. It is a twisted holiday show. Then in the spring i am doing a bio play on silent film star Buster Keaton. The play, entitled Buster Keaton: Fade To Black, is a script that I have been working on and off on for the past ten or so years. However it won't be a typical bio and will be in the style more of his films... self-reflexive, inventive, and full of ideas.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

I would say "Keep believing, young Schwartz. Your dreams will come true. Oh and don't go out with that girl on October 2 1994. She's crazy and will try to run you over with that car. Even if she says it was an accident."

The Six Month Cure
Written by Lenny Schwartz
Directed by Norah Turnham

Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission

Venue: The Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street

Performance dates:
Fri 6/18 @ 7pm
Sat 6/19 @ 1:30pm
Sun 6/20 @ 11am
Sun 6/20 @ 8:45pm

Planet Connections Interview - Katya Stanislavskaya of Women on Love

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Katya Stanislavskaya
Play: Women on Love
Relationship to production: Composer, Lyricist, Producer

How did you first get involved in theatre?

My background is in classical piano. when I cam to America as a teenager, I became involved in my high school's music and drama program, and haven't stopped since.

Who are your biggest influences?

My biggest influences include Stephen Sondheim, Jason Robert Brown, and William Finn. The latter was my teacher at NYU, and many of the songs from my show were written under his tutelage.

What is your show about?

My show is a song cycle in which five women sing about their relationships with lovers, husbands, children, their artistic passions, and especially themselves.

What inspired you to create it?

I wanted to explore various aspects of womanhood and love through strong female protagonists.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

At a time when the Earth is constantly in danger from human greed and/or negligence, I am excited to combine artistic endeavors with endeavors that affect humanity.

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen and why?

My charity of choice is "Share: Making a Difference in African Communities." Several members of my family are actively involved in "Share." I feel that their efforts to protect women from rape and sexual abuse in countries plagued by AIDS has a strong resonance to the strong feminine spirit of my show.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

I would like to record a professional demo, and to pitch the show to theaters nationwide. It's an affordable, easy-to-produce show that can (and has been) enjoyed by audiences of both genders and all ages.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

I would have started writing and composing a lot sooner!

Women on Love
A Song Cycle by Katya Stanislavskaya
Directed by Marlo Hunter+
Musical Direction by Mark Evans

Running time: 75 minutes, no intermission

Venue: The Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street

Performance date:

Mon 6/7 @ 9pm

Planet Connections Interview - Jean Goto of Another Place

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Kim-Nora Moses
Photo: Jean Goto as Jenny in The Anthropologists' Give Us Bread


Name: Jean Goto
Play: Another Place
Relationship to production: Actor
Website: www.theanthropologists.org/Another_Place.html


How did you first get involved in theatre?

Getting involved in theatre was a gradual process for me. One big step, the first time I really connected to what acting could be, was when I participated in a Shakespeare Competition. The monologue I chose to do, Constance from King John, was layered and difficult, but I put a lot of energy, focus, and heart into it. I ended up winning my school, then the borough (the Bronx), then the city and then the state! For the National Competition all the participants had a whole weekend together and got to perform at Lincoln Center. Performing at Lincoln Center was awesome. At some point in the monologue I paused in between sentences and you could hear a pin drop. It was an epiphany- the audience was waiting to hear what was going to happen next! More than that, they were really listening to me! It was exhilarating and that feeling has inspired me to this day.

Who are your biggest influences?

John Goodman, Calvin and Hobbes, Anne Bogart, Yeasayers, Steve Jobs, my friend and business partner Kamara James, my mom.

What is Another Place about?

Our show is about the climate crisis and the space between intellectual comprehension and the human capacity for change. We'll be using scientific research, source materials, original writing and rigorous dramaturgy, combined with the company’s signature use of expressive text and stylized movement to explore this issue. We're currently looking at Christopher Columbus and his 'discovery' of the new world, using his story as a lens to examine our relationship with the environment.

What inspired you to perform in it?

The environment (nature) is the closest thing I have to holiness in my life. I wasn't raised in religion, but when I go out into nature I feel in awe of everything. As an artist it was essential that I use my craft to understand a little better where we are and how we got here - to try and get the whole picture of the situation we're in right now.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

Planet Connections is pretty awesome in that it walks the walk and talks the talk. It's really cool that the festival is about being eco-friendly, while attempting to actually be eco-friendly itself (which includes finding a way to get the shows themselves to be eco-friendly too!) That was a huge draw.

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen and why?

We've chosen to support the New York Restoration Project. They clean city parks, plant trees, restore community gardens and green New York City. They're one of the leaders of the MillionTreesNYC Project partnered with the City of New York. We're supporting their project because we think that what they're doing is awesome! Having trees, gardens, and nature in our lives is so important for everyone! Especially in New York City where it feels like we're all running around stressed out all the time!

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

We're still very much in the early phases of creation -- Another Place isn't going to be completed until April 2011! We'll be doing several things to help build the piece from here on out. We're hosting roundtables with experts and community stakeholders who work with the ensemble to vet ideas and provide information. We're also facilitating community workshops - Eco Action Events! - in each borough that unite environmental organizations and communities to use dialogue and theater games to explore issues surrounding climate change. And of course we'll be doing many developmental workshops of the show itself!

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell myself that life is about learning and that all the 'problems' and all things I react to are simply opportunities for becoming a better person. In many ways the 'problems' are the guideposts, showing me new information about myself and where I am... Or, as James Joyce puts it, "a man's errors are his portals of discovery."

Another Place
Written and Directed by Melissa F. Moschitto

STAGED READING

Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission

Venue: The Robert Moss Theater, 440 Lafayette Street, 3rd floor

Thurs 6/24 @ 2pm

Meet the Cast - Promises, Promises and Next Fall

By Byrne Harrison

There are two upcoming opportunities to meet the casts of two top-rated Broadway shows at the Lincoln Triangle Barnes & Noble.

Celebrating the release of the new cast recording of Promises, Promises, Sean Hayes, Kristin Chenoweth, Tony Goldwyn, Katie Finneran and Dick Latessa will be signing copies of the new CD on Thursday June 24, at 5:00 PM.

On Friday June 25, at 5:00 PM, the cast members of Next Fall will be on hand to discuss the creation and themes of this new work exploring love, commitment and religion. Guest moderator will be author Tom Santopietro.

The Lincoln Triangle Barnes & Noble is located at 1972 Broadway, New York, NY.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Planet Connections Interview - Sahil Farooqi of A Brown Monkey Goes to McDonald's

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Sahil Farooqi
Play: A Brown Monkey Goes to McDonald's
Relationship to production: Playwright/actor
Website: Planet Connections

How did you first get involved in theatre?

By doing theatre from childhood.

Who are your biggest influences?

Regie Cabico, M.I.A., and John Leguizamo.

What is your show about?

It is based on my semi-autobiographical journey of an immigrant. A Brown Monkey Goes To McDonald’s reveals the stories and dreams of a boy moving to America and his continuous search for cultural identity and acceptance in western society. But in the post 9/11 world his dreams of America are changed forever.

What inspired you to write it?

I wanted to have my stories be heard, and I believe this solo show reveal things that are yet to talked about.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

Eco-friendly theatre is the future.

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen and why?

I have chosen SALGA-NYC - it is the only South Asian GLBT organization in NYC. It is important to supports groups that have very little presence, this way they can have a stronger voice in the community.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

I am doing a documentary series with the Sundance Channel, which will be airing in October. So shooting for the show. And also trying to do a college/university tour of my solo performance.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

Don't think that you dreams are false. You can make anything happen.

A Brown Monkey Goes to McDonald's
Written and Performed by Sahil Farooqi
Directed by Regie Cabico

Running time: 60 minutes, no intermission

Venue: The Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street

Performance dates:
Fri 6/11 @ 7:30pm
Sat 6/12 @ 6:30pm
Mon 6/14 @ 9:30pm
Sat 6/19 @ 11:30am
Wed 6/23 @ 7:30pm

Planet Connections Interview - Diánna Martin of Good Lonely People

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Diánna Martin
Play: Good Lonely People
Relationship to production: Director
Website: www.mtworks.org

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I was born into it, really. My parents are in the industry. My mother, Ann Wedgeworth, is a Tony-Award-winning actress of stage, film, and TV; my father, acting teacher and director Ernie Martin, was one of Lee Strasberg’s protégées, head of the Ernie Martin Studio Theatre in the 80s (where the Mint is now) and a former Artistic Director for the Actor’s Studio West Coast. I got away from theatre for several years when I lived in St. Louis, but even then I was doing some form of entertainment, i.e. directing and hosting live television (the equivalent to NY1 here in NYC) and as a Disc Jockey for radio. Eventually, in 2000 when I moved back to NYC to be closer to my family, I became involved slowly but surely in what my roots really were all about.

Who are your biggest influences?

Well I am both an actress and a director, so my influences are spread out across representatives of both mediums. There are so many to name; I would honestly have to start with my parents, for they are brilliant, and were my first teachers. In terms of directing theatre, specifically, I would have to include Mike Nichols, whose direction of Hurlyburly in the 80s was amazing – it is one of the plays that has always stuck in my mind; Sam Sheppard (whose directing I was able to see when my Mother was in the original A Lie of the Mind). I also really love Alex Dinelaris - another award-winning playwright who is a wonderful director – who directed me in Hello Out There. Another would be Will Frears, who directed Alex’s Still Life at the Lortel; the staging he did for the show really inspired me visually.

What is your show about?

Good Lonely People is on the surface about a fractured, albeit religious, family coming together on the night of President Obama’s election, all of whom are Democrats in a mostly-Republican area, yet are extremely divided about the issue of Proposition 8 and homosexuality in general. It is, however, also very much about how no matter what your political or religious affiliation, one’s actions speak very much louder than words, how people who love one another deeply also wound others – and how they find the path to middle ground.

What inspired you to direct it?

Besides the fact that it’s a great play and is produced by MTWorks, of which I am a company actor, I was inspired because I have been witness first hand to similar events that take place in the play. I have gay family members and friends who, although they are loved deeply by others in the family, are either not allowed to be themselves completely or have been shunned. I also grew up in New York City, and saw first hand how parents of many children I went to school with would march for every cause on the planet, but often would be emotionally and physically neglectful parents (but with money)…and it always made me think that no matter how many buttons they wore or bumper stickers they had, their actions at home spoke volumes.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

I think it’s a wonderful idea to give back to the community more than just creatively, and this is a great way to do it. I love the idea of providing the Off-Off Broadway community the opportunity to raise awareness for the environment as well as charities and organizations that many audience members may not even know about. It’s a great opportunity to do something positive for others as well as yourself.

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen and why?

We have chosen PFLAG – Parents, Family & Friends of Lesbians and Gays - as our charity (organization) to donate proceeds to for a myriad of reasons. At the top of the list are: 1) It’s completely appropriate for the show – if the characters in the play had the opportunity to benefit from an organization like PFLAG, their lives would be so much easier. 2) It’s an organization whose mission is very important and dear to most everyone involved with the production on various levels. 3) PFLAG needs more exposure than ever, as we can see even in our current political climate; one thing I find interesting is that no matter who is in office, the issue of homosexuality and rights are always in the eye of a storm.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

I will be directing Jim Tierney’s The Banshee of Bainbridge in the Fringe Festival, which is very exciting! I’m also putting together readings of revivals that are very dear to my heart, both as director and actress – using actors that I am familiar with, which is a project that has been in the works for some time (I go into depth about it more at my website MartinActingStudios.com). I also teach acting classes at both Martin Acting Studios (my school) and Hunter College, although this summer is so busy I’m only privately coaching until fall when I start classes up again. I’m looking forward to what the fall brings – some acting possibilities are on the horizon, and it would be nice to go back to that soon. I also write reviews for The Happiest Medium.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

HA! Do you have an hour? I suppose a couple of things I would say are: 1) Don’t take anything for granted: people you love, a sunset, having good health; and in regards to this interview, especially the creative gifts that you have been given – make use of them always. 2) Be proud to be YOU, don’t try to be anyone else, because your unique aspects are to be celebrated and can be used in great ways. 3) The choices you make will effect things later in life, so make ‘em count.

Good Lonely People
Written by Carol Carpenter
Directed by Diánna Martin

Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission

Venue: The Robert Moss Theater, 440 Lafayette Street, 3rd floor

Performance dates:
Thurs 6/3 @ 8:30pm
Fri 6/4 @ 9pm
Sat 6/5 @ 3:30pm
Sun 6/6 @ 11am
Sun 6/13 @ 7pm
Wed 6/16 @ 4:45pm
Sat 6/26 @ 7pm

Planet Connections Interview - Jonathan Wallace of a dream about sunflowers

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Jonathan Wallace
Play: a dream about sunflowers
Relationship to production: Playwright
Website: Our Facebook page

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I took a seminar at Flea with Craig Lucas.

Who are your biggest influences?

Paula Vogel and Tennessee Williams.

What is your show about?

Whether it is necessary to feel compassion for others in order to love someone.

What inspired you to write it?

The idea of a person who could fake compassion so perfectly for years on end that everyone believes he feels it.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

It's an excellent festival run by great people with its heart in the right place.

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen?

Doctors Without Borders.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

Layla and Harley, Together Again in the Midtown International Theatre
Festival.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

"Don't sweat the small shit"

a dream about sunflowers
Written by Jonathan Wallace
Directed by Amber Gallery

Running time: 70 minutes, no intermission

Venue: The Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street

Performance dates:
Sun 6/13 @ 1:30pm
Fri 6/18 @ 9pm
Sat 6/19 @ 5pm
Sat 6/26 @ 11:30am

Casting Announced for David Parr’s SLAP&TICKLE Directed by David Drake

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Jim Lande


Casting has been announced for David Parr’s Slap&Tickle, directed by Obie winner David Drake. Opening at the Provincetown Theater July 6th, the cast includes J. Stephen Brantley, Todd Flaherty, Joe MacDougall, Christopher MacDow, Joseph Mahan and Aaron Tone.

The play is set in a contemporary bathhouse and in it, six actors portray 20 recurring characters whose lives intersect in surprising, humorous and revealing ways.

The Provincetown production of Slap&Tickle features original music by the DJ Susan Morabito. Lighting design is by Chris Page, with set design by David Drake. Slap&Tickle is proudly sponsored by Manhunt.

Slap&Tickle performs Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. at The Provincetown Theater, 238 Bradford Street, Provincetown, MA from July 6th through August 14th, 2010. All tickets are $33.50; and can be obtained by calling (866) 811-4111; or online www.slapandtickleonline.com; or at the theater box office on performance days, starting at 6 p.m.. The play runs approximately 80 minutes with no intermission.

*WARNING: Slap&Tickle contains strong language and nudity. It is recommended for mature audiences only.

Back: Joseph Mahan, Aaron Tone and J. Stephen Brantley
Front: Todd Flaherty, Christopher MacDow and Joe MacDougall

Want To Be A Neo-Futurist?

The New York Neo-Futurists present their Basic Training Level One Workshop.

In this 15 hour crash-course in Neo-Futurism, you will create short, fast, and compelling theater based on your own view of the world. Learn to employ the Neo-Futurist aesthetic to kick-start your creative process, expand your artistic toolbox, and generate solo and group material that is a fusion of sport, art, and living newspaper. This writing and performance workshop is open to humans with any and all experience levels. That means YOU, soldier. Lace up your boots, bring your chutzpah and a pen.

Taught by Neos Erica Livingston and Jeffrey Cranor.

Sign up now!

July 10th, 17th and 24th. 12-5 PM, $250

Atlantic Theater School
76 Ninth Ave. 5th Floor


Register at: www.nynf.org

Planet Connections Interview - Sean Gill of Laurie Deacon and the Night Caller

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Sean Gill
Play: Laurie Deacon and the Night Caller
Relationship to production: Playwright
Website: http://juntajuleil.blogspot.com

How did you first get involved in theatre?

In my first encounter with the stage, I believe I was assisting one Mr. Paddington Bear in his selection from my delectable array of pies. I was wearing a red bow tie, and this was sometime around 1989.

Who are your biggest influences?

Yukio Mishima, Paul Schrader, Werner Herzog, Clu Gulager, and Michael Ironside.

What is your show about?

One could say that it's about victimhood, bodily imprisonment, or the animal within. I'll say that it's about the union of like minds in an oblivious world.

What inspired you to write it?

In a world that seems to pendulate between the rational and the irrational, between the mundane and the ineffable, we all embark on a sort of search for identity, as hackneyed as that might sound. Laurie Deacon takes a step away from that. It asks us to scrutinize what arcane, abstract narratives might already be etched onto our brain stems and spinal cords- the kinds of primordial mysteries that exist not around us, but within us. I hoped to enter that shadowy, cavernous, yet intimate realm, and emerge with many wonders, both monstrous and divine.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

Well, this one sort of answers itself- so many of us try to make a difference (whether it be sociologically, ecologically, or what-have-you) through our art, and they've actually designed an entire festivity around the idea that art, conservation, and charity can meet head-on and operate in an effective way.

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen and why?

I've chosen Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS because, again, I have a deep-rooted admiration for a willingness to blend art and charity.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

Well, the run of a one-woman show I wrote and directed (Dreams of the Clockmaker, starring my sister, Jillaine Gill) just came to an end, but a remount may certainly be in the works. I've been focusing on film projects as of late, and I hope to unleash upon the world (by the end of this summer?), the apocalyptic "Mustache Party," the madcap "Sci-Fi Black Hole Adventure," the neighborly revenge flick "Slumlord Shitheel Slaughter," and a film based on Rachel Klein's dance piece, "he Tragedy of Maria Macabre."

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

No matter what anyone says, working like a dog for $5.45 an hour throughout the last few free summers of your life is not exactly a fair trade. You'll probably never have a free moment again.

Laurie Deacon and the Night Caller
Written and Directed by Sean Gill

STAGED READING

Running time: 70 minutes, no intermission

Venue: The Robert Moss Theater, 440 Lafayette Street, 3rd floor

Thurs 6/17 @ 2pm

Planet Connections Interview - Brian Rady of The Green Knight

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Brian Rady
Play: The Green Knight
Relationship to production: writer/ adapter
Website: thegreenknight.tumblr.com
AND view our music video (below).

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I played the three of clubs, in Alice and Wonderland at a community theatre in Texas. My costume was basically one of those two-sided wearable roadside posters that say "Eat at Joe's."


Who are your biggest influences?

Mary Kinzie, a poet & one of my favorite professors, Anne Carson, Chuck Mee, and Jeremy Bloom.

What is your show about?

From the legend of the green knight, the figure of the party crasher originates. He comes to Camelot on Christmas Eve and lays down a challenge. The green knight says he'll kneel before anyone and allow them to chop off his head, as long as they agree to recieve the same blow a year later.

What inspired you to write in it?

I was originally drawn to the beautifully confounding verse of the medieval English epic poem, "Sir Gawain & The Green Knight," a fantastical, thrillingly alliterative, and ornate text. And what makes this seductive poem even more sexy is that we know so little about it. The author is anonymous and the story is utterly bizarre. I'm also drawn to the philosophical and political implications the story can have in a contemporary context. The green knight is essentially a hero-humbler, "green as the grass and greener still," possibly sent from the spirits of the bogs and of the earth, a manifestation of nature with which humankind must strike a bargain.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

The people and the passions behind Planet Connections are astoundingly warm and accessible and we were very excited to join in the fun this year.

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen and why?

826 NYC. It's a free tutoring and creative writing center for kids elementary to high-school. They're amazingly creative and enthusiastic over there and they really ignite kids to write. The story we're telling is mythic and bright-colored and in the spirit of curiosity just like the imaginations and talents of the programming, people, and students at 826 NYC.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

I'd love to dramatize "Pearl" another of the poems in the same manuscript as the green knight poem. I'm also currently working on a piece called The Penelope Project which casts Homer's matriarch in a contemporary NYC context and gives her the agency a New York woman would have.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

Have more fun with strangers!

The Green Knight
Written by Brian Rady
Directed by Jeremy Bloom

Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission

Venue: Green Room Theatre, Theatres at 45 Bleecker Street (downstairs), 45 Bleecker Street

Performance dates:
Sun 6/6 @ 8:30pm
Thurs 6/10 @ 4:30pm
Sun 6/13 @ 6:30pm
Sun 6/20 @ 6:30pm
Sat 6/26 @ 3pm
Tues 6/29 @ 8pm


Planet Connections Interview - Erin Jividen of Down the Rabbit Hole

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Erin Jividen
Play: Down The Rabbit Hole: A One Woman Musical
Relationship to production: Author, songwriter, and star
Website: www.downtherabbitholethemusical.com

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I studied in a BFA program with a double major in music and theater and Hunter College.

Who are your biggest influences?

Love Eve Ensler - she took women playwrights to whole a new level.

What is your show about?

It's a modern day look at ten of our favorite fairy tale heroines, who are now surviving in the real world. It asks the question, "Does Happily Ever After" really exist? Each character deals with an issue or topic that are relevant in women's lives today.

What inspired you to write in it?

I wanted to release myself from some of my own demons and just finally say the truth about my life... that and, I couldn't afford to pay for therapy! So instead I just wrote.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

Doing anything for the world and a green cause, let alone charities is always important. We all have to do our part, and it's great to get to perform your art and know it benefits a good cause.

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen and why?

I am working with NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association). One of my characters in the play (Goldilocks) addresses the topic of eating disorders, the seriousness of the disease and the negative impact that Hollywood, and society in general has on the need to be "thin".

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

I am performing the show on July 13 for a charity called: WIN (Women in Need). All proceeds will go to the charity.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

Fight for what you believe, always say please and thank you... and definitely, follow your own star!

Down the Rabbit Hole
Written and Performed by Erin Jividen
Directed by Angela Astle

Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission

Venue: The Robert Moss Theater, 440 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor

Performance dates:
Thurs 6/3 @ 4:30pm
Sat 6/5 @ 9:15pm
Sun 6/6 @ 5:30pm
Tues 6/8 @ 8:30pm
Mon 6/14 @ 4:15pm

Planet Connections Interview - Glory Bown of The Picture of Dorian Gray

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Glory Bowen
Play: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Relationship to production: Director and Adaptation

How did you first get involved in theatre?

My mom was an actress and I used to go around on tour with her as a child.

Who are your biggest influences?

That can change from month to month but right now....Oscar Wilde (of course), Tim Burton, Chopin, Satie, Bjork, Fiona Apple and Hillary Clinton.

What is your show about?

Love - and all of its beauty and tragic delusions. But, it's also about the value society places on youth and appearance.

What inspired you to create it?

Well - many people really, but its rather personal and they probably wouldn't appreciate me going into it publicly.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

Because Planet Connections is the best theater festival EVER! But I might be a little biased.

All kidding aside - the environment and how we as artists can become more aware of our contribution to the betterment of our planet - is a cause that all of us should strive to be more aware of.

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen and why?

Glory Bowen, author of a new adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray, endorses the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation: Oscar Wilde, who wrote the novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray," was arrested, tried, and convicted for his sexual preference; he was a homosexual. Besides being one of history’s great playwrights, he was also one of the first activists who made achievements for the homosexual community – even though those achievements took a toll on his personal life and on his art. In his honor, we have selected an organization that continues the fight that Mr. Wilde began.

At his trial, under cross examination Wilde was at first hesitant, then spoke eloquently:

Charles Gill (prosecuting): What is “the love that dare not speak its name?”

Wilde: “The love that dare not speak its name” in this century is such a great affection of an elder for a younger man as there was between David and Jonathan, such as Plato made the very basis of his philosophy, and such as you find in the sonnets of Michelangelo and Shakespeare. It is that deep spiritual affection that is as pure as it is perfect. It dictates and pervades great works of art, like those of Shakespeare and Michelangelo, and those two letters of mine, such as they are. It is in this century misunderstood, so much misunderstood that it may be described as “the love that dare not speak its name,” and on that account of it I am placed where I am now. It is beautiful, it is fine, it is the noblest form of affection. There is nothing unnatural about it. It is intellectual, and it repeatedly exists between an older and a younger man, when the older man has intellect, and the younger man has all the joy, hope, and glamour of life before him. That it should be so, the world does not understand. The world mocks at it, and sometimes puts one in the pillory for it.”

We hope you will join us for the LGBT night of Planet Connections Theatre Festivity which will be held at the Bleecker Street Theater in honor of Oscar Wilde, benefiting GLAAD.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

Ibsen's Ghosts - maybe. We'll see.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

It's never to late to have a happy childhood.

The Picture of Dorian Gray
Written by Oscar Wilde
Adapted for the Stage and Directed by Glory Bowen

Running time: 2 hours, no intermission

Venue: The Robert Moss Theater, 440 Lafayette Street, 3rd floor

Performance dates:
Sat 6/5 @ 11am
Sun 6/6 @ 3pm
Tues 6/8 @ 6pm
Thurs 6/10 @ 6:30pm
Sat 6/ 12 @ 8:30pm
Tues 6/15 @ 8:30pm
Fri 6/18 @ 6:30pm
Mon 6/21 @ 6:30pm

Monday, June 21, 2010

Planet Connections Interview - Mark William Butler of Cat Gets Credit Card!

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Mark William Butler
Play: Cat Gets Credit Card!
Relationship to production: Book, Music & Lyrics.

How did you first get involved in theatre?

In fifth grade I played a ham actor who falls asleep on a couch and gets his sandwich stolen - How now, brown cow!. Later on, I went to film school with the idea of becoming the New Jersey Irish-American version of Woody Allen. But then I enrolled in a playwriting workshop, started producing my own stuff, and fell in love with the stage.

Who are your biggest influences?

Screwball comedies, The Beatles, Stephen Sondheim, Frank Capra, Candide, Kander & Ebb, The Marx Brothers, Louis Jordan, Leiber & Stoller, early SNL, SCTV, and of course Woody.

What is your show about?

It's about a cat who gets a credit card, magically transforms into a "person", gets a reality show, and becomes a pop superstar.

What inspired you to write/direct/perform in it (depending on who is answering the question)? A true story I saw on the web.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

The festival is a great idea, and the people who run it are sincere, passionate, and a whole lot of fun!

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen and why?

CityMeals On Wheels. I like the idea of helping out seniors who want to continue to live idependently, in their own apartments, calling their own shots. This program helps them to do that.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

I'll try to make "Cat" a worldwide sensation! Then hopefully write a brand new musical about working in an office, and maybe a Christmas show.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

It's all right to be insecure. Just find that person within and don't let him out of your sight!

Cat Gets Credit Card!
Book, Music & Lyrics by Mark William Butler
Directed by Richard P. Butler

STAGED READING
Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission

Mon 6/21 @ 2pm
Venue: The Robert Moss Theater, 440 Lafayette Street, 3rd floor

Wed 6/23 @ 7pm
Venue: The White Box Theater, 440 Lafayette Street, 3rd floor

Fri 6/25 @ 7pm
Venue: The White Box Theater, 440 Lafayette Street, 3rd floor

Planet Connections Interview - Kevin Davies of The Untitled Project

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Kevin Davies
Play: The Untitled Project
Relationship to production: Production Manager
Website: www.callavidet.com (the director's)
www.kevinjdavies.com (coming soon!)

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I loved to sing when I was in middle school, so I auditioned for the school musical that year. My acting was so bad that I spent a lot of time backstage, and by senior year I got the hint and took on the role of the stage manager. I was happier running the lights than I had ever been when they were shining on me.

Who are your biggest influences?

At the end of the day theater depends upon the relationships that form between the members of the company. Friendships form this way, and knowledge is passed down this route. So my biggest influences will always be the technicians from whom I learned when I've been working; they've talked me through the hardest times, and have inspired me by showing me what can result when you persevere. Not people you've heard of, probably: the technical director of the Loeb Drama Center, the Production Coordinator of the New College Theater; though the world may not have felt their impact, I certainly have.

What is your show about?

The Untitled Project follows the experiences of a theater company as its members devise a work. We witness the difficulties they encounter in the process, and along the way gain insights into this traumatic and chaotic creative process.

What inspired you to bring it to the stage?

We were interested in asking the question: What makes theater different? Different than film? Different than television? How do we push and explore and probe the form of this medium? A lot of our work for The Untitled Project is an investigation of the unique power of words and space and stories. Too often these days we are accosted by excess stimuli and we wanted to get down to basics in a sense--create something powerful with bodies and words and ideas. Think Peter Brook's Rough Theatre.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

It's really important to us that our work reaches beyond the walls of a performance space and a performance community. We want to make sure we are sharing a dialogue with other fields and organizations. Theater is a venue for exploration of stories, ideas, and issues and something like the Planet Connections Festivity is doing a very unique thing by bringing that dialogue to the work and also the events surrounding the work.

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen and why?

We have chosen inMotion, a charity that benefits low-income women by providing them with free legal services in family, immigration, and marriage law. One of the subjects we explore in the show is silence; we are interested in how meaning is created in the space between words and scenes, and how communication and resistance can take forms both loud/vocal and quiet/visual.

InMotion's great work was a match for us because we strongly believe in the necessity of such financial interventions for the people whose stories the legal system might otherwise never hear. Collaborating with inMotion has enabled us to make our cast, staff, and audience complicit in giving these victims a voice in the legal system: we hope that by calling attention to their experiences, we are able to assist them materially by raising funds and structurally by empowering them to, both figuratively and literally, emerge from the gloom.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

After Untitled, we are:
- Performing on June 17th from 1:30-4:00 PM at the United Nations as part of a conference on Sex Trafficking in collaboration with Culture Project.
- Developing An Arm and A Leg, a devised piece of theater exploring themes of loss/suffering and synthesizing traditional dance, modern movement, and drama. The piece will premiere in late August and run through early September.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

Don't start smoking cigarettes because you will waste reams of money, it might be better to earn money than to break even, and don't be afraid, because it'll all work out in the end.

The Untitled Project
Conceived by Calla Videt, Devised by the Company

Running time: 60 minutes, no intermission

Venue: The Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street

Performance dates:
Fri 6/4 @ 7:30pm
Sat 6/5 @ 3:30pm
Sun 6/6 @ 5pm
Fri 6/11 @ 4pm
Sat 6/12 @ 8pm
Sun 6/13 @ 3:30pm

Planet Connections Interview - Mark Jason Williams of Recovery

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Mark Jason Williams
Play: Recovery
Relationship to production: Playwright
Website: www.markjasonwilliams.com

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I went to college for playwriting at NYU. I had never written a play before, and had no idea what I was getting into. But I loved it, especially the community aspect theatre brings, so I decided to keep going.

Who are your biggest influences?

Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Paula Vogel, Tony Kushner, Robert Anderson, Margaret Edson.

What is your show about?

Recovery explores the human capacity for love and survival under the most challenging circumstances. It's about forced encounter between a man and a woman with leukemia, who unexpectedly turn to one another for companionship, adventure and redemption during what could be the last days of their lives.

What inspired you to write in it?

I had leukemia as a child, and the experience has always dwelled in my subtext. I wanted to write a show about people with leukemia that is upbeat and positive, while dealing with a heavy subject matter. I was also inspired by one of my favorite college professors, who sadly died of leukemia a few years ago.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

Planet Connections embodies the notion of a community. The way the festivity encourages artists to share resources, support one another and be good to the environment defines the term "artist collective" for me. I'm thrilled to be part of a festivity that is truly theatre for a cause.

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen and why?

I have chosen the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. As a leukemia survivor, it's a cause that I am deeply committed to, and like LLS, I want to do all that I can to help children and adults with leukemia get the same chances I had.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

To keep writing! I've recently put the finishing touches on my first novel, and am shopping that around. But my main focus is theatre, so I'd love to develop more productions of my work.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

"One day, Mark, these experiences are going to teach and inspire others. Remember them well, and write everything down! Oh, and stop being so bitter about being different, it's going to make you a better person when you're older."

Recovery
Written by Mark J. Williams
Directed by Alex Mallory

Running time: 60 minutes, no intermission

Venue: The Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street

Performance dates:
Thurs 6/17 @ 7:30pm
Mon 6/21 @ 4pm
Wed 6/23 @ 9pm
Thurs 6/24 @ 7pm
Sat 6/26 @ 5:30pm

Planet Connections Interview - Jason S. Grossman of Love Me

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Jason S. Grossman
Play: Love Me
Relationship to production: Playwright
Website: www.lovemetheplay.com, www.funnysheesh.com

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I started writing standup and sketch comedy and doing live action serials.

Who are your biggest influences?

Monty Python, Second City, Woody Allen, Mark Twain, Billy Wilder, Rod Serling, The Beatles...

What is your show about?

It's about our never-ending internal struggle between how we think and what we actually do especially when it comes to relationships. We are all our own biggest obstacle when it comes to finding the right person for us. This play is all about me. It's all about you.

What inspired you to write it?

My life. I started writing this play about the never-ending search for love over a decade ago based and then it sat in my drawer in the form of a 4 hour tome. Last year, a dozen years older and just slightly more seasoned, I rewrote it and came up with the ending.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

Planet Connections is the best possible marriage of presenting innovative live theatre and protecting/respecting/loving our planet. All these productions are learning from each other. I couldn't think of a more glorious creative entity.

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen and why?

We chose Big Brothers Big Sister of NYC, because it fits ridiculously well with the play's content. After that, we humbly realized that it is an organization with a fantastic cause.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

Producing our film pilot/series "Al-Getcha!" about the media's obsession with terrorism and our full length extreme comedy The Guy of 2Z.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

Don't worry so much. Just play. And play.

Love Me
Written by Jason S. Grossman
Directed by Daryl Boling

Running time: 2 hours, with one intermission

Venue: The Robert Moss Theater, 440 Lafayette Street, 3rd floor

Performance dates:
Thurs 6/10 @ 4pm
Sat 6/12 @ 6pm
Wed 6/16 @ 8:30pm
Tues 6/22 @ 8:30pm
Thurs 6/24 @ 4pm
Fri 6/25 @ 8:30pm

Planet Connections Interview - Leah Bonvissuto of Cake

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Leah Bonvissuto
Play: Cake
Relationship to production: Director
Website: www.themarketcomplex.org

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I'm the daughter of a musician and a mime. I started performing at a young age and then transitioned into directing.

Who are your biggest influences?

Brecht, Bill Irwin, Five Lesbian Brothers, Dario Fo.

What is your show about?

Cake is about the abduction of a right-wing economist (think Ann Coulter with bangs) in 1999 by a band of far left would-be revolutionaries. Their weapons of choice include a crossbow and chloroformed shoulder pad. Fun and madness, ideology and passion: our characters can never seem to get enough of them, and neither will the audience.

What inspired you to direct it?

Felipe Ossa (playwright) and I collaborated last year on the sold-out and award winning run of Monetizing Emma, the first play about the securitization of teenagers. What attracts me to his work is his fierce commitment to character and theatricality while both dealing with massive sized issues and having a sense of humor.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

In addition to being green because you should be, putting decisions through that filter allows for more creative choices (unconventional lighting, limited props, web activity). This festival also fosters relationships and support among shows which has led to sharing resources and future collaborations.

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen and why?

The Resource Foundation - For more than 20 years, the Resource Foundation has done a tremendous job supporting development projects throughout Latin America and Caribbean. It does this by providing technical assistance, grants and other resources to thoroughly vetted organizations in 27 countries. The Foundation has a philosophy of empowering individuals to improve their own lives and puts this into practice in aid that ranges from disaster relief to sustainable agriculture. In particular we are interested in helping the Foundation rebuild and repair the structure that houses Fundacion Origen, a Chilean affiliate severely affected by the massive earthquake that struck in late February. Origen operates in an impoverished zone of the country, where roughly 80% of homes were significantly damaged by the quake.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

I'm directing Cabaret Savignon, an evening of music by Robert Shapiro at Playwrights Horizons on June 14. Then, Felipe and I are remounting Monetizing Emma in this year's FringeNYC.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

To take a line from Cake - "I'll show you my ideology if you show me yours."

CAKE
Written by Felipe Ossa
Directed by Leah Bonvissuto

Running time: 1 hour 35 minutes, no intermission.

Venue: Green Room Theatre, Theatres at 45 Bleecker Street (downstairs), 45 Bleecker Street

Performance dates:
Sat 6/5 @ 3pm
Sun 6/13 @ 8:30pm
Thurs 6/17 @ 4pm
Sat 6/19 @ 3pm
Tues 6/22 @ 8pm
Sun 6/27 @ 8:30pm

Planet Connections Interview - Sal Atlantis Phoenix of Prostate Dreams

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Sal Atlantis Phoenix
Play: Prostate Dreams a comedy of medical errors
Relationship to production: Playwright
Website: www.planetconnectionsfestivity.com

How did you first get involved in theatre?

After medical surgery.

Who are your biggest influences?

Life's experience.

What is your show about?

Political and socio/economic problems.

What inspired you to write/direct/perform in it?

Personal experience.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

Sustainable eco system.

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen and why?

Coalition for the Homeless. It is a life of destitute.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

Future is unpredictable.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

STAY AS A KID!!! DON'T GROW UP!!!!!!!!!

PROSTATE DREAMS A comedy of medical errors by Sal Phoenix Atlantis
STAGED READING
Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission

Venue: The Robert Moss Theater, 440 Lafayette Street, 3rd floor

Wed 6/16 @ 2pm

Planet Connections Interview - Sergei Burbank of War Crimes

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Sergei Burbank
Play: War Crimes
Relationship to production: Playwright
Website: http://coitc.org/war_crimes.html

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I was drafted into acting by my late, great high school director and collaborator, Marlene Clary -- but never took it seriously as a vocation. When I left high school, I claimed to be done with acting forever...and auditioned for the first show I saw in college. By the time I left college and came home to New York, I had resigned myself to the fact that I'm pretty much stuck trying to do this.

Who are your biggest influences?

Charles Bowden, Jonathan Coe, and Leah Bonvissuto

What is your show about?

War Crimes imagines a time about a decade in our future where terrorism returns to our shores; in reaction, Americans erect detainment camps for Muslims where atrocities are inevitably committed. The play begins as the former American President is about to go on trial for those deaths at the Hague, and a former camp guard risks everything to testify against him. Add some filmed scenes and the ghost of a 17th Century Dutch merchant, and that's pretty much it.

What inspired you to write it?

I wrote the first draft of this play in 2006, when I was flat-out exhausted with being angry at our then-government's actions all the time. Instead of demonizing those I disagreed with, I tried to analyze them like I would dramatic characters -- what were their motives? I envisioned the future they thought they were protecting the country from, and then set out an argument why I thought they were wrong. This is the end result.

What made you want to perform in an eco-friendly theatre festival like Planet Connections?

The central tenet of this script makes it particularly well suited for this festival, as we argue that the lives we lead are not sustainable. Having produced independent theater for a bit, I'm struck by how wasteful and short-sighted it can be -- and the constant stress of budget and schedule constraints make it seem necessarily so. I'm so grateful to the Planet Connections Festivity organizers for showing indie theater producers another way: we can produce good work and do it sustainably.

Planet Connections is fairly unique in that a portion of the box office for each show is donated to a charity. What charity have you chosen and why?

We've chosen to support the advocacy efforts of Amnesty International. Much of the play's action revolves around the International Criminal Court at The Hague; in Amnesty's efforts to promote human rights and the rule of law, a permanent international forum for justice has huge importance.

Currently, the ICC is a forum from which a large number of Americans instinctively recoil. Hopefully our script does its part to cast it in a less villainous light -- either through our message of the importance of accountability and justice, or because we show that the people inside the ICC can be petty, back-biting jerks like the rest of us.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

We'll be recording live episodes of our bi-weekly podcast [conflicttheater.podOmatic.com] over four nights as part of the BoCoCa Arts Festival from June 23-26 at the Archip Gallery Theater [498 Court Street, Brooklyn]. Tickets are available here.

And finally, if you could go back in time and meet yourself as a kid, what advice would you give your younger self?

Hey, Younger Self: calm the hell down.

War Crimes
Written by Sergei Burbank
Directed by Sara Wolkowitz

Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission
Venue: The Robert Moss Theater, 440 Lafayette Street, 3rd floor

Performance dates:

Fri 6/4 @ 7pm
Sun 6/6 @ 9pm
Thurs 6/10 @ 9pm
Sat 6/12 @ 4pm
Tues 6/15 @ 6:30pm
Thurs 6/17 @ 6:15pm
Sat 6/19 @ 9pm
Sun 6/20 @ 6:30pm

Too Soon Festival Interview - Ian W. Hill of The Wedding of Berit Johnson & Ian W. Hill

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Ian W. Hill
Play: The Wedding of Berit Johnson & Ian W. Hill: A Theatre Study by Ian W. Hill & Berit Johnson
Relationship to production: Playwright, director, co-designer, performer, groom.
Websites: For the show; for the company and the company blog.

How long have you been involved in theatre?

Well, professionally? I mean, I've been doing theatre-type performing stuff as long as I can remember, in school or with friends. My first "professional" indie theatre show out in the real world in front of a paying audience would have been in 1990, so 20 years now. Whoa.

What play had the biggest influence on your life?

Probably the 1984 restaging of Robert Wilson & Philip Glass's Einstein on the Beach at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Or Richard Foreman's production of his Samuel's Major Problems at the Ontological.

What is your show about?

It's the actual wedding of my partner in life and work, Berit Johnson, and myself, done as a theatre piece examining our relationship, past, present, and future, placing it in the context of our lives and work, and searching for an honest way to publicly affirm our love in a way that means something to us.

What led you to write it?

Feeling we would have to do a public wedding, whether we wanted to or not (and in Berit's case, NOT), and as any wedding would mean less to us (if done traditionally) than one of our own theatre productions, I decided to MAKE it one of our theatre productions so it would at least have that much meaning to us.

What inspired you to apply for the Too Soon Festival?

Once we knew we wanted to do our wedding as part of this year's Summer Festival at The Brick, it was up to us as co-technical directors of The Brick to try and influence the staff to pick a theme that would work for our wedding. We think we, and they, succeeded.

What's next for you after Too Soon?

Our regular August repertory season, this year including Devils by John Whiting (provisionally, provided we get the rights) and an original play by myself, Spacemen From Space, a pastiche on B-movie serials of the 1930s and 40s. One dark nasty play, and one silly, light, fun play. A good rep season.

The Wedding of Berit Johnson & Ian W. Hill: A Theatre Study by Ian W. Hill & Berit Johnson
Written, directed and designed by Ian W. Hill
75 minutes

Sat 6/19, 4:45pm
Sun 6/20, 3pm
Tue 6/22, 8:45pm
Sat 6/26, 4:30pm