Planet Connections Review - "Velvet Rope"

By Jose Solis

Whenever trying to turn issues into compelling drama, artists usually tend to take the preachy route and forget all notions of nuance. The postcard and synopsis for Velvet Rope practically invite us to that with their mentions of empowerment and exploitation. Fortunately the show goes beyond the limitations of gender studies as academia and proves to be not only quite entertaining but also very effective in conveying its issues.

Joan (Alexis Kelley) is a college student majoring in Women’s Studies who decides to take a more hands-on approach to her university experience by becoming an undercover stripper at a local club. She figures if she can be near real strippers, their bosses and their clients she will be able to satisfy both her curiosity and her academic needs. She pretends to be an experienced dancer and believes that she will get the job the minute she walks in; however, she is highly disappointed when she realizes that there are women who are much better than she is at this.

She ends up begging the manager, Big D (Kimberlee Monroe) to let her work at the club and she finally gets a trial run. On her very first night at the club she ends up making almost a thousand dollars - more than any other girl - and realizing that this might not be as bad as she thought. After this the play becomes slightly more introspective as we often see the action revolving around Joan. She begins to realize that there is more than meets the eye to taking your clothes off for money and by the time the show is over we too leave with a different outlook, or at least one that challenges our preconceptions.

This is owed mostly to Kelley who finds a great balance between comedy and drama. Her Joan is somewhere between Nomi Malone and Joan of Arc; a modern creature who in the post feminist world has been taught that society shouldn’t be allowed to objectify her, even though she sometimes wants to be objectified to fulfill sexual desires. While the play tries a bit too hard to point out how smart it’s being about power dynamics (are the strippers or the audience in control?) its actual success goes beyond the world of sex for entertainment and becomes an allegory for art itself. Who has the power when we’re watching art? Is it the artist whose impersonal power has such a powerful effect on us? Or is it us who humanize the inherent blank slate-ness of every single art piece?

Velvet Rope makes for a clever use of sound, music and costume and of course it ends up also becoming a meta show which intends to dissect and analyze the world of stripping, when it itself is somewhat of a strip show. Playwright Celestine Rae, who also directed and produced the show, obviously had much to say and despite of this the show never feels bloated or self important. Joan tends to be a bit more on the symbolic side, but she is still imbued with enough heart to make us root for her. Rae’s own journey probably began like her heroine’s and in the process she too discovered that you can have fun while discussing serious matters. 


Velvet Rope
Written and directed by Celestine Rae

Featuring: Kimberlee Monroe, Azariah Gunn, Alexis Kelley, Samantha Strelitz, Brynn Alexander, Craig Colasanti

Jeminah Russell (Stage Manager)
Celestine Rae and Jeminah Russell (Set Designers)
Celestine Rae (Choreographer)

Planet Connections Review - "Catch the Spider"

By Jose Solis

In Catch the Spider, playwright Sara Ilyse Jacobson intends to weave a complex relation between memory, unrequited love and Celtic mythology, but the results end up having much more in common with a forgettable Hollywood romantic comedy, than a profound retelling of modern life through myths. On the first scene we meet Callie (Michelle Petterson) and Julian (Ben Otto) two lifelong friends taking part in a game of tag. At first we might think that they’re college students being silly in a post-party, drunken state, but then realize we’re actually seeing a flashback that helps us understand the extent of their friendship.

As we see them in “present time”, we find out what they’ve become; Callie is an uptight writer, trying to finish a novel about the IRA. She’s in a relationship with Aiden (Christopher Travlos) a devout lover who thinks the world of her but fails to notice just how unhappy she really is. Callie’s friend Megan (Alessandra Drapos) is a highly sexual young woman who approaches everything with the intention of providing bedroom advice or showing off her expertise in sex toys. When she sets her eye on the free spirited, but wandering, Julian she sets in motion a strange dramatic arc that confuses neurotic behavior with depth and nuance.

First, Callie becomes jealous and we discover that not only is she madly in love with her best friend, but that she somehow has chosen to punish herself and Aiden over it. Scene after scene we see her become more and more dislikable, which dramatically should be profound instead of grating, and this is partly because her character is both under and overwritten. Parallel to the plot we are told the story of  Étaín, the Irish goddess of the sun, who like Callie finds herself trapped between the love of two men, Midir and Eochaid. The difference of course being than in the “real life” story we’re attending, only one of the men has any romantic interest in the heroine.

Where the comparisons between Callie and Étaín should have been empowering or at least heartbreaking (the goddess’ love story has a downright tragic ending), what we perceive instead is a writer following drama school guidelines and trying to find forced inspiration in canonical sources. The play is often filled with references to Irish pride and history that contribute little to a story that is basically a botched romantic triangle. 

The actors all make a great effort to help the audience find any coherence in what they’re seeing and both Drapos and Otto are true standouts. The former for allowing her character to blossom from comedic sidekick to a real human being (despite her downright ridiculous lines), the latter for finding the essence of someone as lost as Julian. His boyish good looks and careless demeanor make us understand why Callie and Megan both think he can save them, something made devastating by his lost gaze and eerily adorable aimlessness.

Director Jon Raik does a great job in making the most out of what he has to work with but it would’ve been great if he had changed the structure of the play. The mythological factor is quite interesting, but it never clicks with the main plot and for all we know it might only confuse audiences who will go home wondering who the hell is Étaín and how do they spell her name.


Catch the Spider
Written by Sara Ilyse Jacobson
Directed by Jon Raik

Featuring: 
Michelle Petterson (Callie), Ben Otto (Julian), Alessandra Drapos (Morgan), Christopher Travlos (Aiden)

Set Designer: Josh Adrian
Costume Designer: Daria Tavana
Lighting Designer: Taylor Riccio
Sounds Designer: Dan Acampa
Assistant Costumer Designer: Clair Meyer
Assistant Stage Manager: Jane DiBartolo
Board Operator: Madeleine Carr
Production Assistant: Kelly Teaford
Stage Managers: Tyler Winthrop
Production Manager: Steven Kreager
Co-Producers: Daria Tavana and Anni Weisband

Planet Connections Review - "The Procedure"

By Byrne Harrison

Immigration, gay marriage and privacy are  very hot topics right now, with very vocal advocates and critics of each flooding the media with their opinions.  While Marcus Yi settles the issue of gay marriage in his play, The Procedure, (set seven years in the future, it has become the law of the land), he takes on the issue of immigration and the consequences to the immigrants and the people they love.

At the heart of The Procedure is the relationship between Adrian (Stephen Thornton), a young man from Singapore, and his husband Jacob (Reynaldo Rivera).  They seem to be living the dream.  Both have good jobs, a solid relationship, good friends and family, and Adrian is about to become a citizen thanks to his recent marriage to Jacob.

But there is a hitch, as there always is.  In order to become a US citizen, Adrian will need to have a chip implanted in his eye.  Freedom Link! - it will serve as an internet connection.  Freedom Link! - it can connect you to social media.  Freedom Link! - it can help you shop in the blink of an eye.  Freedom Link! - it can even help you lose weight.

Freedom Link! - it tracks you.

And it will forever.

Faced with the idea of being marked and tracked, Adrian starts having second thoughts.  Can he go through with it?  Or should he convince Jacob to leave his job, family and friends and go back to Singapore. Surely if Jacob loves him, he'll want to stay with him, no matter where.  Won't he?

The play could have turned out didactic, and as a result not very interesting. Yi allows his characters to really look at the pros and cons of the situation, and agonize over the decisions.  Of course, the audience eventually finds out what Adrian's decision is, but Yi lets the deliberations be as weighty as they deserves to be.

While the play successfully deals with some serious issues, there was one issue about the story that bothered me.  The play, through a series of commercials for Freedom Link, makes the point that Freedom Link is something that is readily available to US citizens and only mandatory for new citizens.  Given that average citizens are opting for the chip, it seems less extreme for Adrian than it would be if this was something that was solely for new citizens.  As it is, Freedom Link just sounds like the latest technology that is rolling out as new technology does.  While the idea of having a chip implanted in your eye is cringe-inducing, it doesn't have the same onus as it could have if Adrian were one of the few who were to have the chip implant.

Other than that little issue, the play is interesting and thoughtful, and addresses a lot of difficult issues.

The production itself, however, is a mixed bag.   Most notably, there is a lack of chemistry between Thornton's Adrian and Rivera's Jacob.  In order to really feel that there are painful consequences of their possible separation, there has to be a feeling of a strong connection that would be severed, to the detriment of both, if they decided to split up.  That was lacking.

Both actors gave good performances otherwise, and were technically adept, but without that chemistry and connection, the performance suffered.

The rest of the cast gave mixed performances, though I suspect some of this was due to choices by Yi as playwright and director (along with Sonia Nam).  Interspersed throughout the play were late night type commercials for Freedom Link.  These were pretty much as cheesy as late night commercials are supposed to be.  Most of the other characters (Adrian's friends and family) were played realistically.  But in the middle of this was the implant doctor, played by Richard Glucksberg, who seemed to be in a completely different play.  Wildly flamboyant and painfully incompetent, I wasn't sure what Yi intended this character to be.  Granted, this scene leads into a surreal dream ballet of sorts after Adrian is drugged, and if the doctor had been as wildly over the top for that portion it would have made sense as an extension of Adrian's fears and anxieties.  And perhaps that was what Yi was going for.  However, I found it to be rather confusing.

Fenny Novyane hit all the right notes as Valerie, Adrian's mother, and had some of the most moving and funny scenes in the play.  Rounding out the cast were Shubhra Prakash and Lauren Gralton, both of whom turned in good performances.

Technical aspects of the show were pretty spare as one would expect from a festival production.  That said, scene changes were nimble and quick, which is always a plus.

While the production had issues, The Procedure is a timely and though-provocking piece of theatre and well worth a look.  There is one remaining performance on Thursday, June 20th.  Visit the Planet Connections website for details.


The Procedure
Written by Marcus Yi
Directed by Sonia Nam and Marcus Yi
Stage Manager: Brendan Carmody
Production Assistant: Taras Chopenko

Featuring: Stephen Thornton (Adrian), Reynaldo Rivera (Jacob), Fenny Novyane (Valerie), Shubhra Prakash (Dawn/Woman 1), Lauren Gralton (Ms. Williams/Woman 2/Nadine), Richar Glucksberg (Henry/Man 1/Doctor/Feldman)

Planet Connections Interview - Roi Escudero of "Artaud..mon mômo"

By Byrne Harrison
Photo of Roi Escudero by Valentin Ewan
Production photo by James Ewan

Name: Roi Escudero
Show: Artaud...mon mômo
Relationship to production: Producer/performer/writer/designer/director
Website: http://planetconnections.org/artaud-mon-momo/

Conceptual performance artist Roi Escudero was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her award winning inter-media work, as designer, songwriter, dramatist, and director of documentary-visual theatre and video, is internationally known. She is the creator  of performance-art-cinema™. Her vision paved the way for new media-theatre through her Connected Series BUBULINOS’ DREAMS.  In the USA her work has appeared at The Art Museum Council Gallery, at Los Angeles County Museum (LACMA), Los Angeles International Open Festival, at The Charlie Chaplin Space L.A., The Contemporary Museum, Baltimore, The New York International FRINGE Festival, The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF), The Midtown International Theatre Festival, FRIGID New York, and other cultural and artistic events. Escudero's performance-art productions B=Essence, (2012) The Matra India (2011) and 11 seconds of ecstasy!(2010) presented at Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, won the PCTF 2011 and  PCTF 2010 Awards for Outstanding Performance-art, Multimedia Event, Use of Projections and Special Effects. Escudero's plays received a total of 14 nominations. This includes Outstanding Overall Production of a New Play. 

Quotes Playwright/Critic Mario Fratti hailed Roi Escudero as “a director of the third millennium” Martin Denton of nytheatre.com wrote: “Roi Escudero —"Bubi" to anyone she's ever met and anyone who's ever seen one of her extraordinary shows—doesn't believe in walls. She's against barriers of any kind: artistic ones that would attempt to put any of the multitudinous disciplines that make up her work—music, dance, poetry, mime, mask, puppetry, fashion, architecture, video, and others…” Alfred Weiss of The Italian Voice praised the “Convincing ensemble guided by Ms. Escudero’s masterful direction…”    Producer and Entrepreneur John Chatterton calls Roi the “Ultimate visual-dramatic artist.”   Artist Sue Grillo said: "On the imaginary  canvas of the stage, Roi Escudero paints with light." 

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I was involved in theatre since I was a little girl. I grew up in a creative family. My parents constantly gave  theatrical "tertulias" at home. My aunt, my uncle, and my parents were amateur performers. My father was a extraordinary comedian and my mother a ballerina and designer, as a designer she became well known. My mother made the most amazing costumes and accessories. 

Who are your biggest influences? 

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Antonin Artaud, Jean Genet, The Instituto De Tella, The Living Theatre, Maria Fux, Guliano Vasilico, Prem Rawat, Salo Vasochi, Lucille Ball, Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, Quentin Tarantino and everyday life.

What is your show about?

In the final period of Artaud's life, he is living in an abandoned pavilion in a park convalescence clinic at Ivry-sur-Seine, surrounded by 406 school children's notebooks. The pages are covered with drawings and cutting edge text: "a body without organs". The drawings depict sexuality and terror, screams and gestures, and the paper is scarred with strokes of piercing knife-blade incisions. Artaud 's radio play To Have Done With the Judgment of God has been  banned. It is Mardi Gras, Jacques the poet, masked as "el Diablo", brings chloral to Artaud. The drug transports Artaud into an imaginary transitory zone in his mind that materializes the assorted places of his memories.  Artaud's hallucinations and flashbacks bring him to his mother's womb, his childhood next to the sea, Paris, the  silent cinema, the Surrealist movement, Genica, and The Théâtre Alfred Jarry.  Artaud also flashbacks to his journey with the Tarahumaras peoples and the time of war at the asylum of Rodez, where Artaud suffered beatings, starvation and electroshock therapy.  In the constrained space of his mind  the only contact that Artaud has with the outside world is the memory of a movie by  the Marx Brothers that he loves.  The action is focused on the protagonist’s awareness with the support of his alter ego, the bon vivant God Pan and a nurse with multiple personalities: Mademoiselle Perfection Obsession Phobos La Folie. Artaud sometimes perceives God Pan like the sadistic Dr Ferdière, a psychiatrist that knows from experience that nothing is more terrifying than freedom. The female figures represent the maternal, the erotic and the hysteric. All of the allegorical characters are manifestations of Artaud's raison d'etre and his pain, the pain of the world and its violent indifference. 

What inspired you to write it?

Artaud mon mômo is inspired by the life, work and lucid madness of the actor, director, theoretician, artist, and visionary genius Antonin Marie Joseph Artaud. After years of research and practice with Artaud’s theory and  following Artaud's belief that the creative process of the mise-en-scène needs to be in the hands of the same artist, I conceived Artaud mon mômo.  With my background in French literature, visual arts and theatre I produced an integral work as a performance artist, designer, playwright and director. I mingled documentary and visual theatre with the extemporary nature of performance-art through an artful planning method. The mise-en-scène containing stage design, new-media, and a narrative of moving images, supports the action onstage and connects my extemporary performance-art action with a skillful performance of actors following my stage directions. I created the  plot with real facts, the mystique of the fantastic, a touch of the  absurd and the irreverent awareness of the Theatre of Cruelty. I removed the stage’s imaginary fourth wall to produce a spontaneous response and pull the audience into a "visual-dramatic spectacle."

Who are your collaborators and how long have you been working with them?

I met most of the cast of Artaud...mon mômo by fate!!! The first was Brad Burgess, executive producer of  The Living Theatre, and the main collaborator of the legendary Judith Malina. I went to a LIT Fund meeting at The Living Theatre to bring a piece from a project that I'm doing with kids for the LIT Fund. And there under a red light I saw a living image of Artaud! I murmured Artaud, and Brad Burgess responded, "I love Artaud!" Later he said: "Since The Living Theatre helped bring Artaud to the United States and has championed him as one of the great thinkers in their own work and in world theatre, I could not refuse the opportunity to play one of my own and my mentor's heroes." Brad Burgess said yes, and Voila he is portraying Artaud!  Later on  I went to a benefit for the LIT Fund  by The Living Theatre and Elephant Run District in a retrospective of Chris Harcum and I saw Bryant Carroll perform one of Chris plays and he was fantastic. Now Bryant is part of the cast of Artaud mon mômo, with the gifted twins Ashley and Kimberly Carvalho and the unique Mika Oyaizu. I have been working with Mika since 2009 when she danced tango in my performance art play, Argentina Passionate choreographed by the genial Rubén Celiberti. Since then Mika has collaborated in three of my performance art pieces presented at The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity: B=Essence (2012), The Matra India (2011) and 11 seconds of ecstasy (2010). Mika's work was nominated for Outstanding Choreography for the PCTF awards! Others participating in the production are: Erika  Bracy Mendoza who gives to the piece a priceless touch by singing  acappella a Jacques Prevert poem. The endowed Ryan Metzler as technical director and light designer. The multimedia and research assistant is Valentin Ewan, a recent Honors graduate from New York University with a Major in History and a Minor in Documentary Film, he also serves as stage manager.  Renown artist James Ewan created painted costumes and a virtual background for the Tarahumaras scene. The original songs are by La Banda Argentina and me. A new actor in town, James Stokes, gives an awesome curtain speech and is our house manager. I love the cast and the crew too! Artaud... mon mômo is dedicated to Judith Malina.  

Planet Connections donates a portion of the box office for each show to a charity.  What charity has your production chosen and why?

Artaud...mon mômo is benefiting The LIT Fund. The LIT Fund, is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit designed to financially assist organizations and individual artists creating independent theater in the five boroughs of New York City. The intent of the Fund is to protect, sustain and strengthen this vital segment of American theater--in any economic environment--and to further enhance its positive impact on the cultural landscape of the city. The money for the Fund comes from participating organizations and artists who make donations in the amount of 5¢ per ticket they sell. www.litfund.org

I chose to help the LIT Fund because the indie theatre in New York needs to stay alive! 

What's next for you after Planet Connections?
 
I'm have been invited to present my work at the Urban Eye Studio in L.A. California.  

I'm planning to bring my documentary-performance piece America what  a trip! and Artaud...mon mômo to the west coast.

If you could work with any famous actor, living or dead, who would it be? 

Charlie Chaplin and Johnny Depp!

Planet Connections Interview - Balint Varga of "Dangersparkle and the Lion"

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Balint Varga
Show: Dangersparkle and the Lion
Relationship to production: Music Director/Music Arranger
Website: www.balintvarga.com

Balint Varga is a composer, conductor, music director originally from Budapest, Hungary, His musicals include: Kobolds (produced at Emerson in 2012), Darlings of Broadway, Houdini -The Musical and Why Don't I have a Girlfriend? Previous musical direction credits include: West Side Story, Oliver, Assassins, Kobolds, Berklee Goes Broadway. He's been working over Europe in many production as Oliver!, Jekyll and Hyde, Fiddler on the Roof, Chess (also co-orchestrated), Jesus Christ Superstar, They're playing our song (orchestration) and most recently Roman Polanski's Dance of the Vampires (Budapest/Antwerp/St. Petersbourg).He graduated from Berklee College of Music where he studied composition and conducting.

How did you first get involved in theatre?
 
I began my professional career in the world of musical theater at age 17 when I moved to Paris (I’m originally from Hungary). I worked first for Bastille Opera House in Paris with the musical director Scott Alan Prouty. I was the youngest contracted piano player ever in the history of the Bastille Opera House. I also worked at the French Ballet Institute and in Chatelet.

Who are your biggest influences?

As a composer I’m amazed by Alan Menken’s work. He had a huge influence on me. I also love Leonard Bernstein as a conductor and I admire Jason Robert Brown for his piano arrangements. Furthermore I listen to Puccini, Verdi, John Williams, Hans Zimmer, and Stephen Schwartz among others. 

What is your show about?
 
Dangersparkle and the Lion is the epic, touching, comic, and way-too personal tale of the history of the human race as seen through the eyes of two hapless immortals, fallen from heaven and doomed to reincarnate together until they can figure out just how to get along.

What inspired you to become involved with it?

The process we used to make the show was very creative, collaborative, and improvisational, and it was exciting to be a part of something like this.

Who are your collaborators and how long have you been working with them?

My producers are the extremely creative Harry Einhorn and Lia Tamborra who are also the writers and leads in our show. This is the first time I had a chance to work with them. I had an interview and they asked to be their music director. The amazing Shana Solomon is our director who put so many brilliant ideas in the show, giving it way more colored details. 

Planet Connections donates a portion of the box office for each show to a charity.  What charity has your production chosen and why?

We are raising awareness for Khoryug, a special project of the World Wildlife Fund working with Buddhist monasteries for environmental protection across the Himalayas 

What's next for you after Planet Connections?


I’ll be music directing Willy Wonka, I’m writing two new musicals, I am preparing my own showcase and I’m also working on music directing two projects in China. 

What was your best “theatre moment” - that one moment, either onstage or off, that was so sublime that it stayed with you?

When one of my show (Kobolds the Musical) was produced in Boston last year. Conducting my own show in Boston was one of my best theatre moments. Next, Broadway!

Planet Connections Interview - Mark-Eugene Garcia of "The Holy Cows of Credence, South Dakota"

By Byrne Harrison
Headshot by Ben Strothmann
Production photo by Melissa Segal

Name: Mark-Eugene Garcia (with a little help from Carolyn Lardinois English)
Show: The Holy Cows of Credence, South Dakota
Relationship to production: Bookwriter and producer
Website: http://planetconnections.org/the-holy-cows-of-credence/
 

Mark-Eugene Garcia is a proud member of A.S.C.A.P. and is the director of the Playwrights Forum of the F.A.C.T. Theatre Company. He is a Graduate of City College of New York and studied book and lyric writing with the Academy of New Musical Theatre in Los Angeles. His musicals include STANDBY- THE MUSICAL (New York International Fringe Festival- Encores Selection, New York Musical Theatre Festival, Next Link Selection), FACING EAST: A NEW MUSICAL (Broadwayworld.com Chicago Special Event- Nominee), THE HOLY COWS OF CREDENCE SOUTH DAKOTA, and THE JOURNEY. His plays include (UN)MISSED CONNECTIONS (Jacob Weiser Playwriting Award for a Fully Realized Drama, The Stark Award in Drama in Memory of Ross Alexander- honorable mention), ONE NIGHT AT THE GOLDEN BOOT, INSCRIPTIONS, WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR and KEYS. His works have been presented in The New York International Fringe Festival, The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, The Puzzle: Marble’s Festival of New Works, ANMT’s Festival of New Musicals, Untucked: LBGT One Act festival, LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, Disney’s Hyperion Theatre, and The Colony Theatre Burbank. 

As an actor he has appeared from New York to California, including the shows A STRANGE AND SEPARATE PEOPLE (Jay Berman) (Winner- Seymour Peck Award for Sustained Excellence) THE TAINT OF EQUALITY OR I WANT YOUR SEX (Javier Pena) ,SIX SILENCES IN THREE MOVEMENTS (Sean), THE MOUSETRAP (Paravacini), LEAVES OF GRASS(Nude soloist), NEW YORK ( Duff, Vigil), HAMLET (Horatio), THE BOYS IN THE BAND (Larry), THE JAR (The Man), FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (Fyedka) , CITY OF ANGELS ( Pasco,Eugene, Munoz u/s), TEN PAGES WITH 25 WORDS AND A NUDE SCENE (Jay), and many performances at Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure as well as on the Jenny Craig Website. Mark's film roles include NOCTURNAL FURY (Charlie) and ALEKSANDR'S PRICE (Michael) He can also be seen on the web series THE MESSAGE BOARD (Charlie) and PIONEER ONE (Dr. Richard C. Hadfield)


How did you first get involved in theatre?

Carolyn: Royal Crane and I began our career as stand-up comedians performing in the LA area. On a challenge and the promise of an all you can eat buffet, we began writing a play for three friends who had found it difficult to find parts that fit their unique personalities and extra-large bodies. Night Nurses was a critical success and quickly launched our writing career but ruined the three aforementioned friendships. Writers see things differently. Often mistaken as husband and wife, which creeps us out, we continue to work to write for all mediums but fewer larges. Holy Cows is our second collaboration. 

Who are your biggest influences?

Mark: When it comes to musical theatre, Ahrens and Flaherty will always be my biggest influences. When I was in high school I happened to see the pre Broadway cast of Ragtime and a regional production of  Once on this Island back to back. I was immediately drawn to the storytelling through music in each show. Up until then I felt musicals were just about doing a scene, singing a song about it, then doing another scene. In those two stories so much time and emotion was wrapped into each song. I was addicted   When I realized that the same people wrote these two shows, I instantly went and found their other material. I’ve been hooked ever since. That’s about when I started writing plays and poetry, which led me into musical theatre.

What is your show about? 

Mark: The musical is about a community of women- and one man- who get together every Sunday to watch their, ever losing, church baseball team (The Holy Cows) play. The minister’s wife, Marlys Brooks, uses these Sunday get-togethers to solve the problems of all of her friends. But this Sunday is the anniversary of a tragedy in her life. Because of this, she is losing her faith. But she has no one to tell. Alone, confused, and searching, Marlys puts her faith in an unlikely source.
 
What inspired you to write it? 

Carolyn: On a hot summer day on a dirt road in South Dakota, four young adults, almost home, passed a slow-moving tractor. Their head-on collision with the vehicle on the other side of the road and their deaths is not newsworthy. It happens with regularity on the two lane dirt ways of rural America. But in that event were all of life’s unanswered questions. Why do these things happen? What if they had had one more cup of coffee to drink that day? What if they had had one less cup of coffee? Why do the “good” ones have to die and who gets to decide who the “good” ones are anyway? With the metaphor of a church softball game, a game that everyone understands, we explore the profound questions of life and death and signs in a game that no one understands.

Mark: My mom handed me the play Holy Cows which was written by a friend of hers and mentor of mine, Carolyn English and her writing partner Royal Crane. That was almost ten years ago. It was a bit of time before I was able to sit down and read the play, during the break from another project. Immediately, I heard music singing from the page and knew that I needed to tell this fantastic story through song. I was incredibly nervous approaching someone who I had always thought of as “teacher” and “mentor” and asking if I could try my hand at adapting her work. However after giving me the go ahead, and seeing Carolyn and Royal’s reactions to the first readings, I felt reassured and very excited to move along with this project. 

We have been given some fantastic opportunities, first with LaGuardia College, then later The Puzzle: Marble Collegiate Church’s Festival of New Works, and finally here, with the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. 

These characters mean so much because they are so real. The story means so much because it is so basic, yet so touching. This is a simple show, with an intimate story of six people hoping for something as small as their small town church winning a game. Yet, looking deeper, to  hits heart, we see a woman searching desperately for meaning, a group of people searching for community, and a young girl searching for a connection. It is in these moments that the Holy Cows sing.

Who are your collaborators and how long have you been working with them?

Mark: One of the many things I love about The Holy Cows of Credence, South Dakota is the sense of community between the characters. This is something that continues in the behind scenes element also. We have Carolyn, who always encouraged my writing when I was younger.  Then three years ago, when the musical premiered at LaGuardia College, a fellow student, Viktoria Dana King, was my assistant director. We were so happy to have her back on board in that role this time around. Rodrigo E. Bolaños was our set designer in that run, but in the past few years has become an accomplished director. Having seen every production of Cows, and after his fantastic work on my play (un)missed connections, it seemed only natural to have him take the bull by the horns this time around. David Rigano and I worked on another musical Facing East out in Chicago. He and his brother Paul Rigano write so well together and their song, style and sensibility fit the show so well, that they also seemed the natural fit. Kyle James Johnson, our stage manager, was an actor in (un)missed connections last year. Donald Garverick is a friend, as well as a fantastic choreographer whom we’d all longed to work with for quite a while. I love the storytelling he does with movement. Casting wise, Lisa Dennett who plays Grandma Fette did such a great job in the reading at The Puzzle Festival two years ago that we were so happy to have her back. As for the new members of our herd: Stephanie Kirkland brings such honesty and beauty to Marlys. Alanna Gwynn Shaffer manages to be hilarious and touching at the same time. Jenny Paul is hilarious perfection as Dotty-Lue.  Peter Ackerman is spot on as Skipper and has more energy that I thought was humanly possible. Julia Menn is wonderful, bringing a balance of dark and light to the dramatic role of Liz. 

Planet Connections donates a portion of the box office for each show to a charity.  What charity has your production chosen and why?

Mark: For our charity, we chose WIN (Women in Need). The Holy Cows of Credence, South Dakota is show about women and community. With nearly an all female cast, we really wanted to find charity that focused on women. WIN transforms the lives of New York City homeless women and their children by providing a holistic solution of safe housing, critical services and ground-breaking programs they need to succeed on their own  – so the women can regain their independence and their children can look forward to a brighter future. The linking of women and community was so close to our theme that WIN seemed like the perfect fit.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

Mark: Two days after Holy Cows closes, my other musical Standby begins rehearsals for The New York Musical Theatre Festival. It’s a rock musical about five people waking up in an airport terminal with no recollection of how they got there. It’s a lot darker than Holy Cows but just as character driven. It was really well received at last years NYC Fringe Festival and was chosen for the Fringe Encores series. I co-wrote the book and lyrics with Alfred Solis. The Music is by Amy Baer and Keith Robinson. Carlos Armesto is directing and our cast is amazing. We’re opening July 19th
  
What was your best “theatre moment” - that one moment, either onstage or off, that was so sublime that it stayed with you?

Mark: Okay, it’s going to sound like I’m sucking up here. But, I promise it’s all true. Two years ago I got mentioned my first NYC review. I remember reading it, in my living room, with my heart beating a mile a minute. It was just one sentence, but it was my name and a statement of praise.   It was for Duncan Pflaster’s Six Silences In Three Movements which was a big step for me theatrically as well as one of my favorite theatrical experiences. In the review I got a shout out about my performance. I showed that review to EVERYONE. I Facebook linked it. I emailed it. I printed it and handed it to my friends. In fact, it’s still quoted on my website. That year, I was really taking a tentative step back into performing, but that sentence changed everything. I went at everything full force after that. That night at the show, when I went on, I was so happy- but at the same time thought “don’t mess this up!” It was a mix of pressure and jubilation. I never wanted that to stop. That review was by a certain Byrne Harrison on a certain blog called StageBuzz. So yeah, it might sound like I’m sucking up. But I’m saying that it’s all true. And I am also saying, “thank you.”

Planet Connections Interview - Mia Ellis of "Occupied" part of "Sharon's Shorts"

By Byrne Harrison
Group photo by Sharon Cooper

Name: Mia Ellis     
Show: Sharon’s Shorts (Occupied)

Relationship to production (actor/writer/director, etc.): Actor     
Website:  http://planetconnections.org/sharons-shorts/. You can also go through the playwright’s website: http://sharonecooper.com

Mia Ellis is a graduate of the Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA Acting program and is also a teaching artist and writer.  Her regional work includes - Ophelia, Hamlet; Francine/Lena, Clybourne Park; Ghost of Christmas Past and Sister-in-Law, A Christmas Carol. Her TV and film work includes - Person of Interest, What Would You Do, After the Fall.  Other credits include - Parade, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Three Sisters.

How did you first get involved in theatre?

Wow!  Well, there were a few moments that led to my decision to work in the theatre – probably too many to discuss, but I’d have to say that being cast in Annie Jr. is at the top of my list.  The community theater in my hometown of Madison, MS, was auditioning for all the roles, and I got up the nerve to go in for it; I was thirteen and had never been in a play before, let alone a musical.  I fell in love with the entire process from start to finish.

Who are your biggest influences?

My acting teachers in graduate school at Brown University/Trinity Rep, my mentors from Tougaloo College, and my mom influence me the most.  They are all artists in some way and teach me how to own who I am and what I do.  It is through their insight, advice, and guidance that I remember to remain open to growing, changing, and seeing the world with new eyes.

What is your show about?

Occupied is a short play (one of five short plays in the production), about a young woman who decides to ask for something that anyone else would request under the given circumstances.  Her request exposes her vulnerability and forces her to assert herself in a way that reveals some of the reasons why we make demands and strive to be understood.

What inspired this play?

I asked the playwright, Sharon Cooper, to answer this one and she said the following:

Occupied is inspired by the occupy movement, being pissed off at the bank, and the little gal getting her say. It was written as part of the CRY HAVOC Holiday play series, and I am a Resident Playwright with this awesome company.  Occupied had its world premiere as part of CRY HAVOC’s 15^th year world-wide celebration in November of 2012 on the same night—in Hungary and Germany. I’m really excited about all of the short plays in Sharon’s Shorts and have never had so many of my short plays produced together. 

Who are your collaborators and how long have you been working with them?

The collaborative spirit of the cast and crew has kept us focused and laughing from the first read through, which took place the last week of April.  This is my first time working with the wonderful Joanna Strange (dir), Sharon E. Cooper (pw), Laura Hirschberg (sm), and seven amazing actors: Hend Ayoub, Will Clark, Kerry Flanagan, Jonathan Horvath, James O’ Brien, Will Shaw, Evelyn Spahr.  What I’ve enjoyed the most about working with this group of artists is that I’m always surprised by each choice they make to tell these five stories in a way that is fun but grounded in truth.

Planet Connections donates a portion of the box office for each show to a charity.  What charity has your production chosen and why?

Our production will be donating to New York Cares.

Here’s a note from Joanna about New York Cares: “For almost 10 years, I get up one Sunday per month at 6:30 AM and head downtown to St. Francis Xavier.  There, I, along with about 20 other volunteers, prep food to feed approximately 1000 homeless men, women and children.  This, however, is not the only thing I have done with New York Cares. I have walked dogs at BARC Animal Shelter. I have delivered meals from God’s Love We Deliver for shut in elderly New Yorkers. I have re-painted an inner city school. I love New York Cares because, essentially, it is a catalogue for thousands of volunteer opportunities per month.  There are over 50,000 volunteers like me working for over 1,300 nonprofits, city agencies, and public schools. What makes this so unique is the sheer volume of various opportunities that one can participate in with only one orientation session. We are proud to be supporting them.”

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

I will be working with a colleague and friend, Lauren Lubow, on producing our one woman shows together.

If you could do one thing to change the world, what would it be?

If I could change the world, there would be more kindness and positive compromise.

Planet Connections Interview - The Akadēmeia Theatre Company of "Miss Nowhere Diner"

By Byrne Harrison


Name: Akadēmeia Theatre Company
Show:  Miss Nowhere Diner
Relationship to production:  We are a theatre company; Lydia Fort is the Producing Artistic Director and Kathleen Potts is the Managing Artistic Director.  We are producing this show in conjunction with Planet Connections Theatre Festivity 2013.  
Website: http://planetconnections.org/miss-nowhere-diner/ 

Tell me about your company and how long you've been involved with theatre.

We are a brand new theatre company, Akadēmeia Theatre; however, co-founders Lydia Fort and Kathleen Potts both consider theatre their life-long artistic calling.  

Who are your biggest influences?

Akadēmeia Theatre is named after and draws inspiration from Plato’s famous school of philosophy in ancient Greece.  Our theatre company embraces the concept of a theatrical production as a public forum for discussing – and even debating – important social and cultural issues. 

What is your show about?

Gambling, promises, denial, lies, and a trucker/preacher who thinks of his flock “not as sheep, but as deer in the headlights of life.”  As each character’s outlook is altered, the audience is left to decide what truly constitutes conversion – what truly constitutes change. 

What inspired you to bring it to the stage?

Having spent time last summer with Planet Connections Festivity founder Glory Kadigan at La MaMa Umbria International Symposium for Directors, Lydia Fort was inspired by the vision of directing a production that raises awareness and financial support for worthy social causes in an eco-friendly/socially conscious environment.  Miss Nowhere Diner, by Kathleen Potts, seemed to be the perfect fit for this festival, as it deals with a major societal issue – addiction to gambling. 

Who are your collaborators and how long have you been working with them? 

We have a terrific cast:  Corey Wright *(AEA), Salina Duplessis, Jennifer Roberts, Branden Baskin, Miriam Tabb, and Lex Daemon.  Our design team is incredibly creative and our technical crew is passionately dedicated.  We’re even crazy about our PR person.  They’re an amazing group, who, along with the Planet Connections people, make up a wonderful artistic community.  

Planet Connections donates a portion of the box office for each show to a charity.  What charity has your production chosen and why?

NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness is our charity of choice.  As spokesperson Jennifer Hudson says on their website, “Mental illness affects 1 in 4 or nearly 60 million Americans every year.  It’s time to provide support, educate our peers, and play our part.”  (www.nami.org)  We’re playing our part (literally and figuratively) with this production. 
  
What's next for you after Planet Connections?

We are currently creating the long-term vision for Akadēmeia Theatre Company, which we hope will include new productions, workshops, staged readings, and continued community outreach. 

If you could do one thing to change the world, what would it be?  

Making theatre and experiencing theatre can bring all of us closer to the same goals we have when we choose to get an education: to actively engage with challenging subjects and ideas and, in the process, expand our knowledge of what the world is and our concepts of what it can be.  

Planet Connections Interview - Mark Jason Williams of "Straight Faced Lies"

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Mark Jason Williams
Show: Straight Faced Lies
Relationship to production: Playwright
Website: www.markjasonwilliams.com

How did you first get involved in theatre?

By accident! When I was 18, I knew I wanted to go to school for “writing,” but didn’t exactly know what that meant. I saw that NYU had a “Dramatic Writing” program, and since I lived in Yonkers and the school was close, I applied. I remember that I had sent writing samples, and chose a bunch of poems. I had no idea what the program was about or how hard it was to get into Tisch, I just a kid who wanted to write. Once I got in, and learned that it was a playwriting program (and, equally importantly, that I’d never had to take a math or science class again), I went for it, and was hooked from my first class. It still think it’s pretty cool that I went in having never written a script before, and now…well, it’s all I ever want to do!

Who are your biggest influences?

I’m still very much a fan of Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller, and will probably be channeling these brilliant writers for the rest of my life. Family and friends also rank highly on the list of people who inspire me.

What is your show about?

Straight Faced Lies is a comedic drama that takes place on the scariest day of the year—Thanksgiving. It’s about a family, and some unexpected guests, who gather together and face uncovered secrets that might tear them apart. At the heart of the show are six distinct characters: a devoted (but controlling) wife and mother, a son with a secret that’s more obvious than he realizes, an estranged daughter grabbling with an unexpected pregnancy, the married doctor she’s with whom she’s having an affair, an outspoken woman who likes her liquor a little too much, and a guy in love with a man he can’t have. 

What inspired you to write it?

I’ve always wanted to write a show about a family. I think that the most fascinating conversations, and great life moments, happen at the kitchen table or in the living room.

Who are your collaborators and how long have you been working with them?

I’m working with a great team this year. Melissa Skirboll, an award-winner in last year’s Planet Connections for Outstanding Direction, returns to the festivity this year as the show’s director. The cast includes: Linda Blackstock, Danny Hilt, Hannah Logan Wolfe, Thom Christensen, Ann Farthing and Josh Krebs. Each actor brilliantly combines comedic snap with human drama to create full-bodied, authentic characters.

Planet Connections donates a portion of the box office for each show to a charity.  What charity has your production chosen and why?

We chose Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s Visible Ink program, which provides one-on-one writing mentorship to current, and former, patients. It’s a cause that is close to my heart because I’m a cancer survivor, and a member of Visible Ink, and I think it’s an absolutely necessary and wonderful program.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

My show, Recovery, which premiered at Planet Connections in 2010 heads to the 2013 Capital Fringe Festival in July, while The Other Day, which won the Planet Connections Award for Outstanding Playwriting in 2011, returns to the New York stage as part of the 2013 Fresh Fruit Festival, July 20-21. 

What was your best “theatre moment” - that one moment, either onstage or off, that was so sublime that it stayed with you?

My best theatre moment was in 2010, doing Recovery at Planet Connections at the Gene Frankel. I’d been writing the play for quite some time, and was finally ready to stage a full production, and my Off-Off Broadway debut was met with a sold-out crowd, including my parents and a surprise guest, my childhood hematologist, Dr. Radel. I’ll never forget the look on my parent’s face when they saw Dr. Radel (and vice versa). It was a moment when they realized how powerful theatre can be. And, really, I did, too!

Planet Connections Interview - Tom Slot of "Farewell to Sanity and Other Irrational Constructs"

By Byrne Harrison

Photo by Eric Ford-Holevinski

Name: Tom Slot
Show: Farewell to Sanity and Other Irrational Constructs

Relationship to production: Writer / Director
Website: www.farewelltosanity.com


Tom Slot has been active in New York Theater since 2006 as a playwright, actor, director, and producer. He has written multiple full-length plays, one acts, musicals, and educational theater pieces. His last full-length play Killing Time (Planet Connections 2012 Reading Series, produced Summer 2012 at the Payan Theater, NYC) was a finalist in the 2012 Princess Grace Awards. His one act play Reimaging Oedipus was just published in the Freshwater Goes To School anthology. Tom’s pieces are frequently character driven and deal with the misconnections and insecurities that separate us. Tom currently serves as the artistic director of Original Binding Productions, a New York City based production company, and teaches acting at Queens College and Teachers College at Columbia University. He holds an MFA in Acting from Columbia University and is a member of SAG/ AFTRA and the Dramatists Guild.

How did you first get involved in theatre?
 

I was cast as Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream my sophomore year of high school. It was a wonderful experience and firmly planted the theatre bug in my DNA. Midsummer remains one of my favorite shows to date.

Who are your biggest influences?
 

Neil Labute, William Shakespeare, Adam Duritz.

What is your show about?
 

Burnt-out psychologist Dr. Henley knows crazy, but when he’s confronted by the ghost of a whaling ship captain from 1863, he questions his own sanity. Tasked to balance the cosmic scales, Henley embarks on an insane adventure that could cost him his license to practice, his sanity, and his life.

What inspired you to write it?
 

A few years ago I was at a middle school concert and one of the choral groups performed "Farewell to Tarwathie." It was the first time I had ever heard the song and it immediately brought to mind the life of a whaler and the danger they faced on the open water. The character of Captain Tom Haskins was born on the spot and I went home and started writing his story. The story grew and swelled from there, but it all started with that song.

Who are your collaborators and how long have you been working with them?

I’m blessed with an amazing cast and crew for this show. A lot of the actors are from Original Binding Productions, who I’ve been working with since 2009. Included in the mix is Claire Nusuti (who I can’t seem to write a play without writing a character for her), Tom Edmond Evans (a founding partner in OBP), R. Alex Murray, Sharon Pinney, Matthew Dean Wood, and Maryellen Molfetta. We’ve all done a number of shows together and have built a strong ensemble through the years. This time we’re added a number of talented new actors as well including the wonderful David Stallings (whose physically it a dream to watch), Matt Golden (who brings a wonderful two page monologue to life effortlessly), Rick Apicella, Hannah Dubner, and Larry Phillips. Behind the scenes Victoria Grazioli and London Griffith keep us all sane.

Planet Connections donates a portion of the box office for each show to a charity.  What charity has your production chosen and why?
 

We are working with the ASPCA, a great organization that gives a voice to animals in need. My dogs have always been an important part of my life and we wanted to recognize the work that the ASPCA.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?
 

I’m developing a number of new scripts at the moment and will be taking the summer to work on them. In August Original Binding Productions puts up a weekend of one act plays written by female playwrights and focusing on emotionally revealed characters call Naked Theater 2: The Ladies. It runs August 8-11 at the Access Theater Gallery.

If you could work with any famous actor, living or dead, who would it be?

I’d love to work with Bill Murray. He is a gifted comic and dramatic actor who makes even the most broken characters fun to watch. I am always drawn to the flawed character that gets in his own way in my writing. Seeing Bill Murray play one of those characters would be a dream come true.

Planet Connections Interview - Marcus Yi of "The Procedure"

By Byrne Harrison

Name:  Marcus Yi
Show:  The Procedure
Relationship to production: Writer / Director
Website:  www.marcusyi.com

How did you first get involved in theatre?

When I was 19, I wrote a horrible musical called Who Wants to Kill a Millionaire? It was a murder-mystery musical set in Singapore played by high schools students…not the highest form of art, but I realized I loved to write and direct, and have been doing it ever since.

Who are your biggest influences?

Christopher Durang, Jane Martin, Prince Gomolvilas, Young Jean Lee, Bob Fosse, Bach, Mozart, Chopin and Richard Wagner.

What is your show about?

Love. Adrian, a man in his mid-thirties, is living the dream. He is a lawyer, married to a loving husband, Jacob, and is about to become a citizen of the United States. Everything seems rosy until the immigration interview, where he learns that the path to citizenship requires a microchip implant. In his eye. In the end, Adrian has to choose between the staying with the people he loves, and standing up for what is right.

What inspired you to write it?

Ingénue Theater invited me to be a part of their writing circle in the Fall of 2012, to create plays about the theme, “Home” I had been thinking a lot about immigration reform and how immigrants feel about their adopted home so decided that immigration would be a central theme. I also had never written anything with Singaporean characters so decided to add that flavor as well and The Procedure was born.

Who are your collaborators and how long have you been working with them?

My biggest collaborator in this project is my co-director Sonia Nam. I directed her in my play Will Hurt in 2010 and we have been friends ever since. She is an amazing performer, director and has the best sense of humor in the world. I always feel she has my back in the rehearsal room.

My actors are also wonderful people to work with. Stephen Thornton, Lauren Gralton, Richard Glucksberg and Fenny Novyane have been working on the play since January and always a joy to work with. The new additions Reynaldo Rivera and Shubhra Prakash bring new life to the piece.

Planet Connections donates a portion of the box office for each show to a charity.  What charity has your production chosen and why?
 
Amnesty International. They help immigrants. Seems fitting for a show about immigration.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?


My next play 29x/y an experimental collage play will be opening at the Fresh Fruit Festival on July 11, 12 and 13.

If you could do one thing to change the world, what would it be?

Free Twinkies for everyone!

Planet Connections Interview - Celestine Rae of "Velvet Rope"

By Byrne Harrison
Headshot by Chris Sorensen
Production photo by Jeminah Russell
Postcard photo by Gillian Alexy

Name: Celestine Rae
Show:  Velvet Rope 
Relationship to production: Writer/ Director 
Website:  www.velvetropetheplay.com

Celestine Rae  is an actress, contemporary dancer, and emerging writer. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Celestine graduated from Temple University with a degree in English. Two weeks after graduation, she moved to New York City to pursue her acting career full time. Celestine studied at the William Esper Studio under Terry Knickerbocker and has appeared in several off Broadway productions as well as independent Film & TV, including a recurring role on the hit HBO series, Boardwalk Empire. ​Her passion for telling stories with complex female characters lends itself to Velvet Rope, a provocative play about a young college women's studies major whose curiosity about the world of stripping leads her to pose as an "experienced" stripper at the local club. 

​

As a budding writer and director, Celestine seeks to challenge the perceptions of women and the underrepresented in the media. Her exploration of the world of stripping in Velvet Rope spawns from her desire to investigate beyond the social stereotypes of marginalized groups and bring forth the humanity that exits within them, but is often dismissed. www.celestinerae.com

​

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I began my life in the theatre as a dancer. I was terribly shy as a child and it wasn't until my first dance recital at the age of 4, when the curtains opened and the music began, that I came out of my shell. Being on stage made me feel at home. I grew up performing on stage in concert dance recitals and with dance companies in the Philadelphia area where I grew up. Dance was an enormous part of my life since I was 4 years old. It allowed me to express myself in ways that I could not as the shy child I was off stage. I knew that being in a theatre and performing was my calling. When I found acting, it completed a piece of the puzzle artistically and allowed me to go even deeper through another means of expression. The move towards acting sparked an interest in creating my own work and I began to write plays. Now I am directing a play that I wrote. The theatre and performing are my callings in life. Sometimes I feel that the theatre chose me, rather than the other way around. I find myself always returning to it in some capacity. No matter how many films I work on, there is nothing like stepping on a stage or directing for the stage. Simply nothing like it.
  
Who are your biggest influences?

I have so many. I’m still inspired by the old school theatre and dance artists – Alvin Ailey, Carmen De Lavallade, Jeffery Holder. They understood story telling through movement. I think of Ailey’s “Revalations” and the masterpiece of a story that it was without any words. As an actor and director I work from a place of understanding in the body first. I am also inspired by artists who were considered “before their time” and helped to create a new genre or way of approaching art- The names Sidney Portier, Marlon Brando, Eartha Kitt, Dorothy Dandridge, Anna Deavere Smith, Johnny Depp, Denzel Washington, & Phillip Seymour Hoffman come to mind. And I am incredibly fond of the writers- John Patrick Shanley, Lynn Nottage, and Stephen Adly Guirgis.
  
What is your show about?

Joan, a college sophomore, sets out to explore the topic of women’s sexuality for a thesis paper in her women’s studies class by going undercover at the local strip club and stepping into the world of a stripper. 

Brynn Alexander as "Suzanne"
and Craig Colasanti as "Henry"

What inspired you to write it?

I was inspired to write this play 2 years ago when there were what seemed to be recurring instances of government officials being caught in sex scandals. Every time I watched the reports on the news and saw the way the women involved were being slandered, I cringed. I wondered what were the real stories of these women, separate from the judgement that was being placed on them by the media and the public. And then, the idea about women’s sexuality and the enormous disparity between the way women are perceived when it comes to sex as opposed to that of men, kept coming up for me. So I wanted to write about it.
  
Who are your collaborators and how long have you been working with them?

I am honored to be working with and directing an amazingly talented cast: Azariah Gunn, Alexis Kelley, Kimberlee Monroe, Craig Colasanti, Brynn Alexander, and Samantha Strelitz. I am also working with two very dedicated co- producers, a long time friend and fellow dancer, Jeminah Russell, and a very good friend, talented actress, and producer, Gillian Alexy, founder of Girl in Red Productions. 

Planet Connections donates a portion of the box office for each show to a charity.  What charity has your production chosen and why?

Velvet Rope is benefitting Women for Women International. Because our play is about women I felt that this charity, that assists in the rehabilitation of women and their families who are survivors of war, was something I connected with and wanted to contribute to.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

I hope Velvet Rope will continue on and have the chance to have a full New York City run. 

Finally, if you could work with any famous actor, living or dead, who would it be?

Phillip Seymour Hoffman.