NY Boylesque Festival Performer Profile - Gilbert de moccos

By Byrne Harrison

The New York Boylesque Festival weekend kicks off tonight with a teaser party at the Knitting Factory and is followed by tomorrow's main event at B.B. King's.

Here's your chance to meet some of the performers before they hit the stage.

Name: Gilbert de moccos

Hometown: Tokyo, JAPAN

How many years have you been doing burlesque?

I've performed for seven years (burlesque: as a member of MURASAKIBABYDOLL); five years (boylesque: soloist); two years (LIVE MC: soloist).

How would describe your burlesque style?

My burlesque style has a story. It's overflowing with happiness and impulse.

Have you participated in the New York Boylesque Festival in the past?

I've performed at the New York Boylesque Festival since 2013 as the first performer for a Japanese person.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform this weekend?

All boylesque stars from all over the world.

What would you like to say to your New York fans (and future fans)?

I wanna see, hug, kiss and talk with YOU. Thank you! Glittering LOVE!

NY Boylesque Festival Performer Profile - Rify Royalty

By Byrne Harrison

The New York Boylesque Festival weekend kicks off tonight with a teaser party at the Knitting Factory and is followed by tomorrow's main event at B.B. King's.

Here's your chance to meet some of the performers before they hit the stage.

Name: Rify Royalty

Hometown: Jersey City, NJ

How many years have you been doing burlesque?

About a year and a half

How would describe your burlesque style?

Weird, sexy, conceptual 

Have you participated in the New York Boylesque Festival in the past?

No, this is my first time. Very excited! 

Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform this weekend?

World Famous *Bob* for sure! 

What would you like to say to your New York fans (and future fans)?

Don’t expect anything from me, I like to keep you on your toes, so sit back and enjoy the show. 

NY Boylesque Festival Performer Profile - Johnny Panic

By Byrne Harrison

The New York Boylesque Festival weekend kicks off tonight with a teaser party at the Knitting Factory and is followed by tomorrow's main event at B.B. King's.

Here's your chance to meet some of the performers before they hit the stage.

Name: Johnny Panic

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

How many years have you been doing burlesque?

Three years. I started out with Chris Harder's Boyleque 101 and haven't stopped since!

How would describe your burlesque style?

Gypsy Rose Lee with a beard.

Have you participated in the New York Boylesque Festival in the past?

Yes! I've had the honor of participating every year!

Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform this weekend?

Luminous Pariah, the festival wasn't the same without him last year!

What would you like to say to your New York fans (and future fans)?

I do it all for the sex.

NY Boylesque Festival Performer Profile - Ben Franklin

By Byrne Harrison

The New York Boylesque Festival weekend kicks off tonight with a teaser party at the Knitting Factory and is followed by tomorrow's main event at B.B. King's.

Here's your chance to meet some of the performers before they hit the stage.

Name: Ben Franklin

Hometown: New York, NY

How many years have you been doing burlesque?

Officially, 2-3 years.

How would describe your burlesque style?

Circus and variety act comedy

Have you participated in the New York Boylesque Festival in the past?

Yes. 3 years.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform this weekend?

I’ve never seen Ray Gunn live. 

What would you like to say to your New York fans (and future fans)?

Thank you for coming out and supporting our special brand of entertainment.  We can’t do it without you.

NY Boylesque Festival Performer Profile - El Toro

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Drasko Bogdanovic

The New York Boylesque Festival weekend kicks off tonight with a teaser party at the Knitting Factory and is followed by tomorrow's main event at B.B. King's.

Here's your chance to meet some of the performers before they hit the stage.

Name: El Toro

Hometown: Toronto

How many years have you been doing burlesque?

Four.

How would describe your burlesque style?

High energy, theatrical, acrobatical nonsense with a whole lotta spunk.

Have you participated in the New York Boylesque Festival in the past?

Every year.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform this weekend?

Ray Gunn, I keep just missing him.

What would you like to say to your New York fans (and future fans)?

Te quiero, mi amores ;)

NY Boylesque Festival Performer Profile - Christopher J. Anderson of Rhythm Knights Dance Troupe

By Byrne Harrison

The New York Boylesque Festival weekend kicks off tonight with a teaser party at the Knitting Factory and is followed by tomorrow's main event at B.B. King's.

Here's your chance to meet some of the performers before they hit the stage.

Names: Rhythm Knights Dance Troupe - Christopher J. Anderson, Sam Benedict, Nick Deyo, Syville Padayo, Bill Siegfried

Hometowns: Detroit, MI, Wilsonville, OR, Houston, TX, Atlanta, GA and Sugar Land, TX

How many years have you been doing burlesque?

Dancing in particular, for over 25 years and burlesque has been intertwined all throughout since starting in Reno in 1992.  I enjoy being able to introduce and give the opportunity to newer members of my troupe.

How would describe your burlesque style?

Sexy Street Jazz Dance with a little bit of underground funk!

Have you participated in the New York Boylesque Festival in the past?

We are virgins!

Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform this weekend?

I am very looking forward to seeing all of the out of town (and out of country) performers and learn what types of things are happening around the world.

What would you like to say to your New York fans (and future fans)? 

A big hello and thanks to our brothers-in-song of the New York City Gay Men's Chorus.

NY Boylesque Festival Performer Profile - Dew Lily

By Byrne Harrison

The New York Boylesque Festival weekend kicks off tonight with a teaser party at the Knitting Factory and is followed by tomorrow's main event at B.B. King's.

Here's your chance to meet some of the performers before they hit the stage.

Name: Dew Lily
Home town: Toronto

How many years have you been doing burlesque?

Seven years

How would describe your burlesque style? 

Slow and sexy, with the heart of a clown

Have you participated in the New York Boylesque Festival in the past? 

It's my 4th year!

Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform this weekend?

Gilbert de Moccos! and always Waxie Moon.

What would you like to say to your New York fans (and future fans)? 

Love yourself first, then spread it around.

NY Boylesque Festival Performer Profile - Mike Monaco

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Bill Wright

The New York Boylesque Festival weekend kicks off tonight with a teaser party at the Knitting Factory and is followed by tomorrow's main event at B.B. King's.

Here's your chance to meet some of the performers before they hit the stage.

Name: Mike Monaco

Home town: Pittsfield, MA

How many years have you been doing burlesque? 

Five years. I’m a member of Gypsy Layne Cabaret & Co. (www.gypsylayne.com)  

How would describe your burlesque style?

Cheeky, mischievous, and fun-loving; I’m a bearded boy with a glamour girl twist.

Have you participated in the New York Boylesque Festival in the past?

I performed last year with my troupe, Gypsy Layne. This year I’m performing solo!  

Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform this weekend?

There are so many incredible performers that it’s hard to it narrow down, but I’m really excited to see Waxie Moon again—I was blown away by him at the 2013 festival, when I was in the audience, that he inspired be to apply for 2014…and here I am again!

What would you like to say to your New York fans (and future fans)? 

Mike Monaco is going to woo you and wow you so hard, you’ll be seeing stars when I’m done.   

NY Boylesque Festival Performer Profile - Waxie Moon

By Byrne Harrison

The New York Boylesque Festival weekend kicks off tonight with a teaser party at the Knitting Factory and is followed by tomorrow's main event at B.B. King's.

Here's your chance to meet some of the performers before they hit the stage.

Name: Waxie Moon
Home town: Seattle, Washington

How many years have you been doing burlesque?

Since the fall of 2006.

How would describe your burlesque style?

Waxie Moon is a gender-blending queer lady boylesque performance-art stripping sensation. That pretty much covers it.

Have you participated in the New York Boylesque Festival in the past?

Yes, 2 years ago. Can't wait for another full weekend of man meat magic!

Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform this weekend?

Manchego always cracks me the fuck up. Brewster makes me weak in the knees. And I live for the gender complexity of  Lou Henry Hoover.

What would you like to say to your New York fans (and future fans)?

Thanks for supporting this exciting and evolving art-form!

NY Boylesque Festival Performer Profile - Geegee Louise

By Byrne Harrison

The New York Boylesque Festival weekend kicks off tonight with a teaser party at the Knitting Factory and is followed by tomorrow's main event at B.B. King's.

Here's your chance to meet some of the performers before they hit the stage.

Name: Geegee Louise
Home town: Bridgeport CT

How many years have you been doing burlesque?

This past month is a mark of 5 years in the industry! I started the moment I turned 18 and I always get that same nervous feeling every time I am about to walk on stage.

How would describe your burlesque style?

I used to study with Alvin Ailey dance company, so I incorporate a lot of ballet and African inspired movement. I like to pull from Caribbean and African movements and combine that with American jazz. It's an interesting combination! But it keeps me on my toes.

Have you participated in the New York Boylesque Festival in the past?

This is going to be my first boylesque festival. I am excited! I don't usually describe my pieces as boylesque. Being a female impersonator, I don't like to lie to my audience, so my character is almost gender neutral. I let the audience develop my gender as the piece goes on. 

Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform this weekend?

Ray Gunn and Bazuka Joe!! My family, by that I mean my sisters, mother, sister in law, grandmother, were drooling over Ray when we danced together in the New York Burlesque Festival in 2011. Since then it's been a tradition to catch them when we can.

What would you like to say to your New York fans (and future fans)?

Honestly. Thank you. This journey hasn't been easy and the support that I have been given is incredible. Thank you for helping me do what I love!!!

NY Boylesque Festival Performer Profile - Jack n' Thacox

By Byrne Harrison

The New York Boylesque Festival weekend kicks off tonight with a teaser party at the Knitting Factory and is followed by tomorrow's main event at B.B. King's.

Here's your chance to meet some of the performers before they hit the stage.

Name: Jack n' Thacox
Home town: Savannah, GA

How many years have you been doing burlesque?

Two and a half years now and I'm just getting the hang of it.

How would describe your burlesque style?

A high-school theater production gone horribly awry

Have you participated in the New York Boylesque Festival in the past?

This is my first time ever performing in the big city! I am exhilarated.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform this weekend?

I can't wait to see all the boys backstage!

What would you like to say to your New York fans (and future fans)?

If you're my boyfriend once, you're my boyfriend forever ;]

NY Boylesque Festival Performer Profile - Bobby Barnaby

By Byrne Harrison

The New York Boylesque Festival weekend kicks off tonight with a teaser party at the Knitting Factory and is followed by tomorrow's main event at B.B. King's.

Here's your chance to meet some of the performers before they hit the stage.

Name: Bobby Barnaby
Home town: San Francisco

How many years have you been doing burlesque?

Seven years.

How would describe your burlesque style?

Classic Americana Striptease meets Vaudeville.

Have you participated in the New York Boylesque Festival in the past?

In 2013, I performed my award winning fan dance.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform this weekend?

Who am I not looking forward to seeing! But seriously, Brewster McCall.

What would you like to say to your New York fans (and future fans)?

See more live theater, on every scale and medium!

NY Boylesque Festival Performer Profile - The Luminous Pariah

By Byrne Harrison

The New York Boylesque Festival weekend kicks off tonight with a teaser party at the Knitting Factory and is followed by tomorrow's main event at B.B. King's.

Here's your chance to meet some of the performers before they hit the stage.

Name: The Luminous Pariah
Home town: Originally from Juneau, Alaska; currently based in Seattle, WA

How many years have you been doing burlesque?

Six and a half years.

How would describe your burlesque style?

I'd describe my style as an interdisciplinary blend of performance art, theatre, and dance  - leaning heavily on the gender-bending side. 

Have you participated in the New York Boylesque Festival in the past?

I participated in the very first NY Boylesque Festival and had a blast. I performed in the second, but am just now returning to the most distracting dressing room in the world.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform this weekend?

I'm looking forward to seeing my friends perform, obviously. However, I'm super excited to see some boys who I've not seen before! I love this festival because it's the one place in the US that male identified performers and personas can come together to inspire one another. 

What would you like to say to your New York fans (and future fans)?

If I had a chance to speak to my New York viewers and fans en mass; I'd want them to know that I'd like to meet them! Also, that I appreciate the support. They're welcome to interact with me on any of the many social media outlets: @LuminousPariah

NY Boylesque Festival Performer Profile - Serge Violland

By Byrne Harrison

The New York Boylesque Festival weekend kicks off tonight with a teaser party at the Knitting Factory and is followed by tomorrow's main event at B.B. King's.

Here's your chance to meet some of the performers before they hit the stage.

Name:  Serge Violland

Home town:  Anneçy, France

How many years have you been doing burlesque?

Twelve years in cabaret, one year in burlesque.

How would describe your burlesque style?

Cabaret New Burlesque.

Have you participated in the New York Boylesque Festival in the past?

Never.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform this weekend?

They seems all very interesting, and I am curious by nature!

What would you like to say to your New York fans (and future fans)?

Forget everything you've seen so far.

NY Boylesque Festival Performer Profile - Lou Henry Hoover

By Byrne Harrison

The New York Boylesque Festival weekend kicks off tonight with a teaser party at the Knitting Factory and is followed by tomorrow's main event at B.B. King's.

Here's your chance to meet some of the performers before they hit the stage.

Name:  Lou Henry Hoover
Home town:  NYC/Seattle

How many years have you been doing burlesque?

It must be seven years now!

How would describe your burlesque style?

I'm a boylesqueing drag king.  I came into burlesque out of a professional dance career, so I approach burlesque with a choreographer's perspective combined with a deep love of camp theater and a tendency to play the clown.

Have you participated in the New York Boylesque Festival in the past?

This is my second year.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform this weekend?

There's so many great performers at the festival!  I am particularly excited to see Waxie Moon this year - he had a big hand in getting me started both as a drag king and in boylesque, and he and I have worked together in a lot of different capacities over the years.  He's a brilliant weirdo and seeing him onstage is always a treat.  This June we will both be competing for King of Burlesque at The Burlesque Hall of Fame so I'm hoping to get a sneak peak at his act!  I'm honored to be the first drag king to compete in this category.  Of course I'm also excited to see the reigning King of Burlesque and fellow Atomic Bombshell, Mr. Gorgeous!

What would you like to say to your New York fans (and future fans)?

Get ready for a full weekend of tit…er…cockillation!

FRIGID New York Interview - Noah Casey of "Playing for Advantage"

By Byrne Harrison

Show:  Playing For Advantage
Website: Playing For Advantage NYC
Photo credit: Jon Taggart, Headshot - Katie Trudeau

Noah Casey’s training began with Barb Barker in Vancouver, and continued with Kate Bligh (National Theatre School) and Phillippe Libert (Royal Shakespeare Theatre Company) Montreal. After a successful national tour in the Fringe with Black Sheep Theatre’s The Root of All Squares, he decided he should “really” learn to act, and began training privately with Matthew Harrison (Actor’s Foundry). He was admitted to an MFA program at the University of Northern Illinois where he trained with Kathryn Gately. After all of that training, he tried to quit acting, then relapsed, and has wound up back on stage.

Tell me a little about your show.

The show is a relationship play set to a tennis match, beginning at seeding and moving through love, competing to be better partners, and then finally devolving into a power struggle where each party is playing for advantage. The idea of “winning” changes at each stage of the relationship dependent on the participants and their viewpoint. 

What inspired you to create it?

I wrote the show because I’d seen two plays that I really loved, but no plays that spoke to me in an honest fashion about modern relationships. The two plays were “Toothpaste and Cigars” (now a major motion picture with Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan -- The F Word released in some countries as What If) and Never Swim Alone. Toothpaste is about a near miss relationship, and Never is about a competition between two men and it is refereed by a lifeguard, hence the ball girl in our show…except their lifeguard is a dead girl and our ball girl’s very much alive.

Who else is helping you bring the show to FRIGID?

Kirsten Kilburn (playing Beth), and Safia Karasick Southey (playing the Ball Girl)

Who would be your dream audience for this show?

Couples aged 21-85. It’s a show that easily relatable. If you’ve been in a relationship, you’ll get it, and you’ll probably recommend your friends and family see it. 

As a theatre artist, who are your biggest influences?

MacIvor, Pinter, O’Neill

What shows are you planning to see at FRIGID?

Shirley Gnome, Sam S. Mullins

What is next for you in 2015?

New show called Scapegoats about a the breakup of two male friends as their intimate relationships become more and more important.

Lightning round

Favorite theatre professional? Denis O’Hare

Current show you would love to be involved with? Iceman Cometh with Nathan Lane and Brian Dennehy

Your dream show to be involved with? Glass Menagerie 

Who would you most like to have a chance to work with? Mike Leigh

Your best theatre experience? A show called The Garden 

Your worst theatre experience? A show called Big In Germany

Person you’d most like to thank for getting you where you are today? Barb Barker

FRIGID New York Interview - Gillian English of "Get Around Me"

By Byrne Harrison

Show: Get Around Me
Website: www.thetheatreelusive.com
Photo credit: Dahlia Katz

Gillian English is the Artistic Producer and founder of The Theatre Elusive. Originally from Nova Scotia, Gillian trained in theatre at Dalhousie University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). A Toronto based performer; Gillian has headlined the London Big Comedy Go-To, and The Spring Fever Festival. In the past, Gillian has been featured by the CBC, CTV, The National Post, and NOW! Magazine and many other media outlets for her work in the theatre and comedy. Gillian is one half of the comedy duo “Exit, Pursued by a Bear”, and is also the curator of the hilarious online-dating message blog: www.ewwkcupid.tumblr.com

Recent credits include: Paranormal Witness (TV, SyFy Network),Carmilla (Webseries), Faraway Friend (Film Short), Drag Queen Stole My Dress(The Theatre Elusive)  Love in the Time of Time Machines (The Theatre Elusive), A Woman of No Importance(Alumnae Theatre Company), Antony and Cleopatra (The Theatre Elusive), I Don’t Like You (The Theatre Elusive), Matt and Ben (The Theatre Elusive), and The Wormwood Prince (Next Stage Theatre).

Tell me a little about your show.

Four years ago, some charismatic Australians talked me into playing Aussie Rules Football. By August 2014, I was playing for the Midnight Suns in the AFL World Championship. Now I have to leave Aussie Rules behind, and I’m really not happy about it. This is a show about sports, but it’s mostly about how sports can change your life. They teach you to be tough and never apologize for playing the game.

What inspired you to create it?

I had decided over a year ago to write about my experiences in Aussie Rules. Then I went to Australia to play in the International Cup, and what happened there changed everything for me. I thought about it for a long time; whether or not I really wanted to do this show. I knew it wouldn’t be what I had intended, and I knew that it wouldn’t be easy. But Halloween day, I couldn’t stand the idea of not being in the Frigid lottery draw. That made the decision for me.

Who else is helping you bring the show to FRIGID?


I’m flying more solo than normal this year, but I’ve had help and support from Dahlia Katz, Brie Watson, Lauren Messervey and my mother. Getting this show ready was mostly about having people listen to me as I sorted out the stories, and had mini panic attacks.

Who would be your dream audience for this show?

My dream audience would be women athletes, any women really. Anyone who can relate directly, and be able to walk away from my show with a bit of fire in their belly.

I’d love to see the New York Magpies come out, I have a discount for footy players!!

As a theatre artist, who are your biggest influences?


In terms of the solo work I’m doing now, it has to be Chris Gibbs and Jon Bennett. These two guys have been so supportive and encouraging to me over the past couple of years. Plus watching either of them perform is an amazing experience. Those two are pros who know exactly what they’re doing. I love watching them work.

What shows are you planning to see at FRIGID?

Shirley Gnome: Real Mature - Shirley Gnome
The Untitled Sam Mullins Project - Sam Mullins
Dog Show- Animal Engine
Cootie Catcher - Lucas Brooks
Hey '90s Kid, You’re Old - Hole Punch Prod.

And I’m especially excited to see my dear friend Antonia Lassar’s new show “Post Traumatic Super Delightful”.

What is next for you in 2015?

I have two screenplays that I’d like to turn into actual films.  I’ll keep touring “Get Around Me” around Canada, which I’m excited about. I’m hoping to return to the Atlantic Fringe Festival this September with my improv duo “Exit Pursued by a Bear”. Other than that, I’m taking up softball this summer!

Lightning round

Favorite theatre professional? I love watching Antonia Lassar work. I still think “The God Box” was one of the best pieces of theatre I’ve ever seen.

Current show you would love to be involved with? If I could only sing and dance maybe I could be in “Cannibal: The Musical”

Your dream show to be involved with? I have a decade or so to learn to sing so I can play Diana in “Next to Normal”

Who would you most like to have a chance to work with? I’d love to work with Kat Sandler. She’s an amazing Canadian playwright who is making some of the best theatre around right now.

Your best theatre experience? My final performance as Enobarbus in my LAMDA grad show production of Antony and Cleopatra. That was the first REALLY big audience I’d ever had, and I goddamn loved every second of it.

Your worst theatre experience? The police were crawling around in the ceiling during one of my shows in Montreal this past year. It was so loud, I had to start late. Pretty much a disaster.

Person you’d most like to thank for getting you where you are today? Mindy Kaling.

FRIGID New York Interview: Molly Craven of "Whiskey Pants: The Mayor of Williamsburg"

By Byrne Harrison

Show: Whiskey Pants: The Mayor of Williamsburg
Website: http://www.mindtheartentertainment.com/
Photo credit: Ze’ Castle Photography

Originally from Austin, TX, Mollie Craven just graduated from Oklahoma City University with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Acting. Some of her favorite regional credits include Fiona in Shrek, Harper in Angels in America, Gloria in Damn Yankees, Brenda in Hairspray, and Queen Isobel in Richard II. 

Tell me a little about your show.

Where to begin?! Here’s what I tell people who don’t know anything about theatre: “Whiskey Pants is set in a post-apocalyptic Williamsburg where everyone drinks all the time. Then this new guy comes in and says ‘Hey! You should stop drinking and live your dreams!’ And we say ‘No! Bye!’” …... Very eloquent, you’re welcome. But seriously, underneath the surface of this show about a town of alcoholics, this show hits a lot of relevant issues, especially in the young artist community. The people of this community all had big dreams – to be an actor or a doctor, to have a family, to be SOMETHING important. Somewhere along the way, their lives became “a dream deferred,” and now they have all settled into this perpetual hangover to avoid the pain of their unachieved dreams. It provides a very powerful, honest commentary on this society crippled by fear and regret, and gives them the chance to become something. But will they?? 

How did you become involved with it?

I saw the audition posting on Backstage and applied on a whim for the 17-20 year old Mayor’s daughter role (because even at 5’9”, I’m still trying to work my baby cheeks as long as I can). They emailed me back and told me to “prepare a ballad and a comedic song. One as if you are drunk and one as if you are sober.” At my audition, I stumbled my way (literally, into the wall) through my drunk song, somehow got a callback, stumbled some more, and then got the part! I guess those COUNTLESS crazy nights (three) in college paid off.

Who else is helping you bring the show to FRIGID?

Our fearless team at Mind the Art Productions is taking this show to the top! Our amazing (and sleepless) producers/writers/creative team Christian De Gre, Patrick Alberty, Serrana Gay, Mariel Lowe, Aaron Butler, Joe Reese, Kate Marley, Ashley Soliman, and the rest of the cast and orchestra (and the other people that I’ve surely forgotten, I’M SORRY!) are all essential in bringing this show to FRIGID. They’re all pretty incredible artists. I’m a lucky girl to get to work with them.

Who would be your dream audience for this show?

You! BUY TICKETS!! Anyone who wants to laugh, hear really electrifying music, and maybe also shed one single, majestic tear like in the movies should be an audience member for this show. Young artists should DEFINITELY come to this show. It’s for and about us.

As a theatre artist, who are your biggest influences?

I grew up with the classics – “Oklahoma,” “Sound of Music,” “Singin’ In The Rain.” All those timeless movie/musical actors like Shirley Jones, Julie Andrews, Debbie Reynolds, and more in those timeless shows are truly the pinnacles of performing and inspiration for me. 

What shows are you planning to see at FRIGID?

As many as my eyes can handle! I know I’m going to see “Whiskey Pants” five times.

What is next for you in 2015?

Hopefully booking a summer stock job and creating some comedy work to become a YouTube sensation, or if not, draining my bank account to feed my Seamless and Breaking Bad obsession and dying where I lived – on the couch we found on the street.

Lightning round

Favorite theatre professional? I’m a Kelli O’Haraholic. She also went to OCU, she’s breathtakingly beautiful and elegant as a person and a performer, and her voice is okay too.

Current show you would love to be involved with? I know the Off-Broadway “Into the Woods” is an intentionally condensed cast, but maybe they have room for one more Sondheim geek?

Your dream show to be involved with? A show were I get to play Bernadette Peter’s granddaughter, who is also best friends with Emma Stone, and Jeremy Jordan’s love interest. Someone should write that show.

Who would you most like to have a chance to work with? My favorite girls Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett. Now would be great, or if I could turn back time, we coulda been a comedy trio!

Your best theatre experience? This summer, I got to do a regional theater production of “Shrek” where I played Fiona opposite my boyfriend as Shrek. I know, we’re gross, but it was the most fun I’ve EVER had on stage.

Your worst theatre experience? My 8^th grade production of “Copacabana.” Yes, it’s a musical. Yes, it’s your worst nightmare.

Person you’d most like to thank for getting you where you are today? The Big Man upstairs. No, not my Russian landlord Ernst.

For more information about Whiskey Pants: The Mayor of Williamsburg, visit the FRIGID New York website.

FRIGID New York Interview - Dipti Bramhandkar of "The Accident"

By Byrne Harrison

Show:  The Accident
Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Accident-A-Play/602028526570518
Photo credit: Nelson Salis

Dipti Bramhandkar started writing at age 9 in a purple diary with a lock. As an Indian born, upstate New York-raised child she had plenty of material. She hasn’t stopped since. She studied English literature at Cornell University for her bachelor’s and received her Masters in English Literature from Cambridge in the UK.   In recent years, her prose writing has leapt from the page into readings and short performances. After participating in the 2014 Labyrinth Theater Company Intensive Ensemble, she began to write for the stage. Her short plays have been performed at the Bank Street Theater and the New York Theater Workshop.

She is thrilled to debut her new play, The Accident, at the Frigid Festival this year in collaboration with fellow Labyrinth Intensive members. By day she runs an advertising strategy practice called DB Quill.  

Tell me a little about your show.

A man suffers horrific injuries from a fall while trying to rescue other climbers. The press gets wind of his story and makes him a famous face overnight. Wealth and power soon follow. He uses his numerous platforms to raise money for other people who are in the process of rehabilitation. But things start to unravel when a journalist linked to his past doubts his story and we search for the truth through the eyes of the people closest to him, including his immigrant father, his physical therapist, a star struck fan and of course, the journalist himself.

In this docu-play, the past collides with the present as we discover what it means to be a hero in the media-obsessed 21st century.

What inspired you to create it?

"I knew I was falling,” a friend said to me when recounting a fall off of a mountain that left him with a plethora of life-altering injuries. His description of the physical trauma and dramatic rehabilitation stayed me for months after. I knew I wanted to write about it. The story of his fall unexpectedly collided with another type of fall – a fall from grace.  Every day we are confronted with revelations about famous people we once admired – Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods, James Frey, and countless others. As the media firestorm builds around their stories, everything is put into question and the the public finds itself in a proverbial jury box. This play began to take shape through interviews with a physical therapist and psychologist and obsessively reading every ‘fall from grace’ autobiography.
The format of the play is inspired by documentary style filmmaking which allows us to hear multiple perspectives on the same person or situation.  

Who else is helping you bring the show to FRIGID?

The producers, Cara Yeates and Nicol Moeller, as well as several of the cast members and I met at the Labyrinth Theater Company’s Intensive Ensemble last year.   They have been partners in every sense of the word in bringing my play to Frigid. Our generous director, Courtney Wetzel, has brought her many years of experience to the show. 

Who would be your dream audience for this show?

I want to reach out to people who visit the theater infrequently. I want them to feel involved and included so that they will come out to support emerging theater artists much more often.

As a theatre artist, who are your biggest influences?

I admire playwrights like Margaret Edson and Lynn Nottage who have created complex, multi-layered work and artists around the world who make art under difficult circumstances like government censorship.  

What shows are you planning to see at FRIGID?

I Was a 6^th Grade Bigfoot, Post Traumatic Super Delightful, and as many others as I can!

What is next for you in 2015?

I’m curating an evening of new short plays for Record Store Day, April 18^th, 2015. 

Lightning round

Favorite theatre professional? Mark Rylance

Current show you would love to be involved with? The Audience

Your dream show to be involved with? Bringing a classic Marathi play to an English audience.

Who would you most like to have a chance to work with? Mira Nair

Your best theatre experience? Wit with Judith Light. 

Your worst theatre experience? Haven't had it yet…

Person you’d most like to thank for getting you where you are today? My mom, Alka.


If you'd like to find out more about "The Accident," visit the FRIGID New York website.

FRIGID New York Interview - Matt Panesh of "300 to 1"

By Byrne Harrison

Show: 300 to 1
Photo credit: Susie Cavill

As Monkey Poet, Matt Panesh is a regular on the fringe circuit, writing and performing solo theatre plays (Welcome to Afghanistan, Murder Mystery, LOVEhurtsACTUALLY and 300 to 1) and stand up poetry (Monkey poet, Welcome to the UK, Shit-flinging!) and has won 8 awards including an Editors' Award at the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe. Mixing solo-theatre with poetry he presents double-bill shows which regularly tour the UK and North America. He's published two collections and a retrospective of his work “Tribe: Collective Monkey 2007-14” is to be published this year with Burning Eye Books.

He has directed several shows including Around the World in 8 Mistakes written and performed by Sophia Walker (BBC Slam Champion 2013) which won the Best UK Spoken Word show (Sabateur Awards).

He is currently Artistic Director of Spoken Word for PBH FreeFringe at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 

Tell me a little about your show. 

A schoolboy re-enacts the blood & biceps epic film “300” to the ghosts of Wilfred Owen & Siegfried Sassoon, homosexual First World War poets. Audiences have backed me up by agreeing it's way funnier than it sounds, honest!  

What inspired you to create it?

First off, I got mistaken for Gerard Butler at the Edinburgh Fringe...seriously, and no, I couldn't believe it either. I've been wanting to look at how we treat veterans, and the UK and the US are very similar in the fact that we treat them like shit, if you die, you get all these services and stuff, but if you survive, you get cast aside and ignored. More veterans of the our Falklands War have committed suicide than died on the battlefield. 20% of all serving men and women will develop mental health problems. Up to 30% of the homeless in the UK are ex-servicemen and women.  The Centenary of WW1 was coming up, and I saw that as an opportunity to make this point, and I can't stress this enough, it is a comedy, it is funny, I want to entertain not beat the audience around the head with a big moral stick. Finally, I wanted to look both at the homoerotic undercurrent in action films and how we sell war and violence to kids. 

Who else is helping you bring the show to FRIGID?

On my lonesome buddy! But you're never on your own at a fringe! Dandy Darkly is here from Edinburgh Fringe, Artem Yatsunov I met last year is a lovely guy, and I'm looking forward to both their shows, so there's beers, laughs, plenty of entertainment, even professional development, and wonderful people...you know, a fringe!

Who would be your dream audience for this show?

Any one over the age of 14. Really. I've performed for veterans, I've performed for comedy fans, I've performed for fans of the war poetry of Wilfred Owen, fans of the film 300, this is the most diversely crowd pleasing show I've ever done (and here I have to thank the Director, Gareth Armstrong, as the fact this is the best show I've done had an awful lot to do with his amazing input, and Andy McQuade, the dramaturg, who over the years we've worked together has been a constant source of inspiration and education.)

As a theatre artist, who are your biggest influences?

Dario Fo, Brecht and Stephen Berkoff.

What shows are you planning to see at FRIGID?

AS MANY AS I CAN! Last year I think I saw 29. I know I missed a couple because they were starting after I'd left, and a couple clashed, aside from that I got everything else in.  The thing with Fringe is that it's time to gorge yourself. None of this, “well I think that looks like I'll enjoy it...like I'll agree with everything the artist says...like it'll pamper me into a coma,”. You want the Theatre to rock your world, slap your sensibilities, shit in your bath. And that's what fringe is for. In my opinion of course.

What is next for you in 2015?

A 3-week London run of the show followed by a 2 month UK tour. Then I start work on my two new solo projects for Edinburgh, and directing 3 shows for Edinburgh. I pretty much don't have a day off till September.

Lightning round

Favorite theatre professional? Gerard Logan (actor Rape of Lucrece, the best Shakespeare I've seen...ever) 

Current show you would love to be involved with? This one. Wouldn't change a thing at the mo.

Your dream show to be involved with? Fo's Accidental Death of an Anarchist.

Who would you most like to have a chance to work with? Dario Fo

Your best theatre experience? See above, Rape of Lucrece.

Your worst theatre experience? Seeing a show that was soooooooo pisspoor I couldn't even commend the lighting. Names are irrelevant. If you're doing Theatre right, everyone should have this experience. And more than once!

Person you’d most like to thank for getting you where you are today? Mark Makin of makin projects. He mentored me for two years in tour booking and artistic sustainability (...getting cash from your art).


If you'd like to find out more about "300 to 1," visit the FRIGID New York website.