FRIGID New York Interview - Brianna Stark of Aurelia and Imago

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Duane Burnett

Name: Brianna Stark
Show: Aurelia and Imago
Website: www.briannastark.com

How did you first get involved in theatre?

Performing has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I first began dancing when I was 5 years old; I went to my neighbor's dance recital and decided to take dance lessons soon after that. Since then, my path and approach as a performer has been ever evolving, and so my experience of theatre has often become new again. A few years ago creating on my own was very unfamiliar and daunting, so was improvisation, and now I feel most comfortable in a theatrical approach which combines both of these aspects.

Who are your biggest influences?

I have had many great teachers over the years, which I am fortunate for from my early days as an aspiring dancer in Winnipeg, Canada at the School of Contemporary Dancers, to studying at the Tamalpa Institute, in California; while influenced by founder American Dance legend Anna Halprin who was revolutionary in connecting healing and the arts; during my years at the Tamalpa Institute, I was especially inspired by my teacher Daria Halprin a pioneer in the field of Movement-based Expressive Arts Therapy, and my experiences working one-on-one with mentor G. Hoffman Soto, who I hosted in my home Vancouver to work on improvisation and the creation of my solo "In Search Of...". I have also been privileged to study the creative process of the past Pina Bausch, which resonated with me as a genuine and intelligent way to creativity. But most of all, my biggest influences continue to be artists who truly speak from the heart through breathtaking performances, and those who rise above their circumstance to push the limit of what people may believe. Those are the kind of talents that are an anchor for me, bringing me back to the reason why performing can be worth the many challenges along the way.

Tell me a little bit about your show.

Aurelia and Imago is a energetic and visual work. The piece incorporates a video projection, which runs throughout the performance and is a stream of striking images. The movements range from raw to structured and are at times captured within the video projections. The piece touches on many themes from the relationship to the unknown, to the search for union, metamorphosis, and the relationship of essence to matter. The costuming is also key to the show; I designed a costume which could be used in many ways. It resembles a cocoon or snake skin and magnetically connects objects, which become props for the piece. For now, I will not say too much more, but it started with an idea of how these particular objects catch light with movement, which evolved into something more symbolic. An idea, which soon became an involved and time-consuming project for someone who does not know how to sew, but I couldnʼt imagine the piece without it.

What inspired you to create Aurelia and Imago?

I wanted to create a piece on myself and spend time simply exploring through improvisation. I began improvising with various combinations of movement tasks and it evolved from there. I also wanted to capture a feeling of excitement. I used to listen to trance techno when I was a teenager. And while I have grown out of this fascination, I still can get this feeling when I hear it that gives me energy, and I wanted to create something that contained that same kind of feeling.

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

This has been mostly a solo production since the beginning. The solo was created over the period of a year. I worked on my own for the majority of that time. When it came close to production time, I began working with a costume designer, Katherine Soucie, who helped me with the design of one of the costumes - a dress, which is constructed from recycled hosiery and painted. I also had a lighting designer and stage manager, Heather Young, help me with the lighting design and technical aspects of bringing the work into the theatre. After I had conceptualized the video projection I hired Paul Verge and Jay Gavin to take on the editing. Jay later filmed the work and together we worked on creating the current video projection which incorporates the original projection and some of the footage from the dance.

What's next for you after FRIGID?

After FRIGID, I will be performing Aurelia and Imago in the Montreal Fringe festival in June. I have also been commissioned to create a solo for a dancer in Winnipeg, which will be a good opportunity to focus on creating, rather than wearing both hats as interpreter and choreographer as I have mostly been doing of late. I will also be writing my real estate exam in the next few months and am not quite sure yet where that will all take me.

And finally, if you could say anything to your potential audience,what would it be?

I do really hope that people will come to see this show. It has received a lot of very positive feedback in performances so far, and I believe it is an interesting and powerful piece that will be enjoyed. Most of all I have worked hard on creating this piece and would just really like to share it. The performances during the FRIGID Festival will be offered free of admission; this is kind of a one time special scenario for this place and time and hope that people will take up the opportunity.

Aurelia and Imago
By Brianna Stark

The Kraine Theater
85 East 4th Street

Thu 2/25 - 9:00 PM
Sun 2/28 - 4:00 PM
Mon 3/01 - 9:00 PM
Wed 3/03 - 7:30 PM
Fri 3/05 - 4:00 PM
Sat 3/06 - 7:00 PM

FRIGID New York Interview - Maggie Nutall of Roll With It

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by George Courtney

Name: Maggie Nuttall
Show: Roll With It
Website: http://www.youtube.com/user/mznuttall
Here's where you can purchase tickets

How did you first get involved in theatre?

Many years ago in a land called Scranton, PA, I jumped in head first playing all the roles that most actors don't fight over, like elderly women, men, and animals. Then I moved on to playing raging alcoholics and severely fractured personalities. In NYC I did improv for a couple of years with Greg Sullivan's KLAATU, took Dunham classes at Alvin Ailey, acting classes with Charlie Katkasakis and saw a lot of Off Off Off Broadway shows. I stopped performing completely in 2000 due to a large ton of bricks that had the unmitigated gall to fall on me. Then in 2006 I started doing stand up comedy throughout Manhattan at places like NY Comedy Club, Broadway Comedy Club, Ochi's Lounge at Comix. Throughout the last 4 years I've been telling true stories at The Moth Story Slams and at various venues throughout the city such as Sidewalk Cafe, Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Under St Marks, and The Bitter End.

Who are your biggest influences?

As a performer it changes 'round the material I'm attacking. Currently it's people like Eric Bogosian, Henry Rollins, George Carlin, and Johnny Rotten, unrelenting slammers all that influence me. These are people I love: Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Bette Midler, Bill Irwin, Steve Martin, Joan Rivers, Eddie Izzard, and Billy Connelly

Tell me a little bit about Roll With It.

Roll With It comprises of a string of true stories of madness and random acts of violence told with wonder and amazement by a wide-eyed child. It is the continuous struggle between reality and fantasy, what we want life to be and how it actually is. It is a deadly hilarious comedy of errors that leads down the darkest path of our fears. Come with me, I'll take you by the hand and lead the way.

What inspired you to write it?

At first I thought I'd just knit a few stories together for an hour's worth of entertainment. Then as the stories started coming together, I found myself in the middle of a series of arguments about fantasy and reality, about stand up comedy versus storytelling, about the art of the story and it's origin, about paradise and hell. Now I have a show called Roll With It.

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

Currently, I work by myself. I've collaborated with a number of theatre groups over the course of 15 years both in Scranton and New York. This particular project I've written and performed by myself as myself. This is my first solo theatrical project.

What's next for you after FRIGID?

I'm up for anything that comes my way.

And finally, if you could say anything to your potential audience,
what would it be?

Aren't you tired of listening to the incessant complaints of your clients, customers, coworkers, and boss? Come on out and escape your troubles for an hour, you're worth it.

Roll With It
By Maggie Nutall

The Red Room
85 East 4th Street

Fri 2/26 - 9:30 PM
Sat 2/27 - 5:00 PM
Tue 3/02 - 8:00 PM
Fri 3/05 - 8:00 PM
Sun 3/07 - 2:00 PM

FRIGID New York Interview - Martin Dockery of The Bike Trip

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Kristen Hanshaw & khphotographics

Name: Martin Dockery
Show: The Bike Trip
Website: martindockery.com

How did you first get involved in theatre?

For many years growing up, my brother and I and some friends would put together a New Years Eve play that we would perform for our parents.

Who are your biggest influences?

Author: Geoff DyerMusic: Sonic Youth, Shpongle, Duran Duran

Tell me a little bit about The Bike Trip.

It was the height of WWII, in the very heart of Europe, when Swiss pharmacologist Albert Hofmann found himself struggling through a most bizarre bicycle ride—one that would unexpectedly introduce the world to LSD and alter the way millions of people perceive the very nature of consciousness. 65 years later, in a quest to understand why acid so enthralls and terrifies, I set out to explore the psychedelic scenes of San Francisco, India, and Switzerland, before tapping into Hofmann's very first acid trip by, amongst other things, renting a bike.

What inspired you to write it?

The public perception of LSD is frozen in a 1960s tie-dyed haze, and yet its use is as prevalent - and as secretive - as ever. The Bike Trip tells a very personal tale as it attempts to look anew at this most powerful of all psychotropic substances.

Do you have any collaborators on this show?

On this particular project I’ve been working alone.

What's next for you after FRIGID?

I will be on the road for 4 and a half months this spring & summer, traveling to festivals in Fresno, Phoenix, Orlando, Charleston, London, Regina, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Victoria, & Vancouver.

And finally, if you could say anything to your potential audience,
what would it be?

Since I don’t work with a script, each night is slightly different. There’s an immediacy in the room, an energy that’s palpable, and which makes for, I hope, a thrilling experience.

The Bike Trip
By Martin Dockery

The Kraine Theater
85 East 4th Street

Thu 2/25 - 10:30 PM
Sat 2/27 - 4:00 PM
Wed 3/03 - 6:00 PM
Fri 3/05 - 7:00 PM
Sun 3/07 - 2:30 PM

FRIGID New York Interview - Catherine Montgomery of Crack'd

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Samantha Madely

Name: Catherine Montgomery
Show: Crack'd
Website: www.crackdshow.com

How did you first get involved in theatre?

A play in grade six.

Who are your biggest influences?

Denise Clarke. Lily Tomlin. Catherine O'Hara

Tell me a little bit about your show.

It is a woman's journey in the letting go of her mom. Playful and raw, dancing on the knife of comedy and tragedy.

What inspired you to write it?

These two characters, Trace and Joy came out of character mask. So they are big in both personality and heart. This piece has been evolving for almost two years.

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

My director and dramaturg is Heather Davies. She is an amazing director, and I recently completed the MFA Acting program with her at York University, Toronto. We have are friends and collaborators.

What's next for you after FRIGID?

Agents/ Future tours/ Grant writing / Babysitting / Bridesmaiding / Waitressing

And finally, if you could say anything to your potential audience,
what would it be?

The material is raw and abrasive - but it is full of heart. It's an absolute emotional ride - highs and lows - and it is a show for anyone who wants that in their theatre.

Crack'd
Written by Catherine Montgomery

The Red Room
85 East 4th Street

Thu 2/25 - 9:30 PM
Sat 2/27 - 12:30 PM
Sun 2/28 - 3:30 PM
Tue 3/02 - 9:30 PM
Thu 3/04 - 6:30 PM
Sat 3/06 - 8:00 PM

Review - My AiDS (At Hand Theatre Company)

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Matthew Murphy

It seems everyone who moves to New York has a story to tell about it. They arrive, wide-eyed and naive, planning to take the city by storm. They usually get their asses handed to them, but in the process learn a lot about "Life" and "Themselves." At least that's what they think.

Every year or two, some fresh-faced, mid-to-late-twenty-something will put together a one-man show (or, God forbid, a cabaret), and pass along five or so years of collected wisdom - having to take a menial job so they can audition, not getting cast in Broadway plays even though they were way more talented than everyone else, hooking up with an endless list of Craiglist tricks, each of whom had a more unusual fetish than the last. At the end of the show, they act as though they've accomplished something amazing and unique by not having given up and moved back home.

Believe me, I've seen a lot of them. And being in my forties, I will admit to just a touch of schadenfreude, knowing what the next decade has in store for most of these kids.

That's why it's refreshing to hear someone a little older, just into his thirties, who actually has something interesting to say about his life in New York, and who is an apt enough writer to create stories that are more than just humorous and entertaining - they actually relate to one another and build a nice dramatic arc.

Dan Horrigan was a fresh-faced young man who moved to New York with the same dreams that many others had. He dealt with apartment snafus, had the requisite insufferable, depressing job, and discovered the anesthetizing comforts of drinking, drugs, and sex. The hook in Dan's story, as the title indicates, is when he finds out about "His AIDS." In fact, what he finds out is that he is HIV+, but he thinks of it and refers to it as a separate entity - his AIDS - an object like a shirt or chair that has a physical presence and influence.

My AiDS really isn't about AIDS, HIV, or living in New York, of course, it's about Horrigan's journey to adulthood. One of the strengths of this play, compared to so many similar ones, is that at the end, Horrigan doesn't claim to have figured everything out or to have learned "The Secret of Life." He's not the man he was. He's not the man he will be. But he's maturing and growing up. And sometimes that's enough.

While Horrigan is a good writer and an amusing and personable storyteller, he is a somewhat limited actor. At his best moments, it's easy to imagine that you're sitting in your friend Dan's living room, having a chat about his life. In these moments, Horrigan is open, relaxed, and fully at ease. The stories flow with a feeling of immediacy. Much of the play, however, Horrigan appears self-conscious and a bit too aware of the reaction he wants or expects from the audience. In fairness, this is Horrigan's first solo show, a difficult endeavor to begin with, and considering that he has spent most of his career as a producer and director, his lack of polish as an actor is forgivable.

One other note about this production of My AiDS, Lighting Designer Zach Blane has done an exemplary job. His lighting design is unobtrusive and nuanced, subtly reinforcing Horrigan's storytelling. Without question Blane is a talented designer worth keeping an eye on.

My AiDS
Written and performed by Dan Horrigan
Directed by Dave Solomon
Producer: Justin Scribner
Associate Producer: Laura A. Wright
Lighting Designer: Zach Blane
Set Designer: Shoko Kambara
Assistant Set Designer: Sam Froeschle
Press Representative: Shane Marshall Brown
Event Coordinator: T.J. Fix
Graphic Designer: Jeff Hardy

Urban Stages
259 West 30th Street

Saturdays at 10:30 PM
Sundays and Mondays at 7:00 PM

Through March 1st

FRIGID New York Interview - Kelly "Killy" Dwyer of Kill The Band

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Craig Schober

Name: Kelly "Killy" Dwyer
Show: Kill The Band
Website: www.KELLYBDWYER.com

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I saw my mom do community theater when I was very young ... I was sitting with my dad in the audience and when I saw my mom take the stage. I recognized her, but she had turned into an old, OLD WOMAN!! I was so freaked out! I started crying and yelling because I just couldn't wrap my 6-year-old brain around the fact that my mom was now older than my grandma. The actors stopped and everyone in the audience watched as my father carried his wailing 6-year-old out of the theater, screaming that "theeeeyyyy turrrrrned Mommmmmmmy into an ollllld ladyyyyyyyy!!". She had to physically come out to calm me at intermisson and show me that the "old" was all done with make-up and wigs and ACTING! It was a revelation for me. People can pretend to be somebody else and a lot of other people will come and watch and be entertained! I was fascinated and HOOKED. My first musical in gradeschool was You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. I've never stopped performing since.

Who are your biggest influences?

My Mom and Dad. Lucille Ball. Andy Kaufman. Carol Burnett. Steve Martin. Spinal Tap. My dog.


Tell me a little bit about Kill The Band.

Coinciding with the release of our debut album, I wanted to have a bit of a unique "coming out party" for the band and our music. Kill The Band is THE original, rock and roll anti-cabaret. It is an unpredictable, outrageously funny musical experience of both the band’s breakdowns and breakthrough. It's high concept, comedy rock music experienced in a theatrical way. Kill The Band is all the drama and ego that every band experiences throughout their career, smooshed into an hour of hilarious power!

So it was the upcoming album that inspired you to write the show?

I was inspired to write the show from the music I was making over the last year and a half, and the band I was playing it with for the last 6 months. It's very dramatic working with other people in a creative setting ... and funny. I wanted to write about the experience artistic collaboration. It's a constant rotation of power struggles, fighting, falling in love, riding the highs and hating each other.

Who else is in the show with you?

My band (Mike Milazzo, Joe Yoga and Bamboo Silva) play themselves in this show ... well, themselves sort of. I took a lot of artistic license with their personalities and our creative and personal conflicts to up the stakes and add to the comedic value of the show.

What's next for you after FRIGID?

We have a lot of gigs booked as a "regular band" and we all have solo projects as well. I myself am overbooked until the 20th of March, and then I'm going to Belize with my husband for a week for some seriously needed R&R! I am headlining at Austin's LAFF Festival in May and then I'm taking my solo show "Hysteri-Killy"! A One Freak Show! international with a European Tour in August.

And finally, if you could say anything to your potential audience what would it be?

See Kill The Band now while our egos and ticket prices are still reasonable, because we'll be rocketing into super stardom soon and you can say "I saw them back in the day!!"

Kill The Band

UNDER St. Marks
94 St. Marks Place

Wed. 2/24 - 10:30 PM
Fri. 2/26 - 10:30 PM
Tue. 3/02 - 7:30 PM
Sat. 3/06 - 10:00 PM
Sun. 3/07 - 4:00 PM

FRIGID New York Interview - Christopher Heath and the cast of Four Quarters

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Carl Zetterstrom

Name: Christopher Heath
Show: Four Quarters
Website: www.agonyproductions.com

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I started in theatre in high school, as an anti-war demonstrater in a production of Antigone set in the 1960s. Hooked.

Who are your biggest influences?

My biggest influences as a playwright are Tennessee Williams, Harold Pinter, Terrence McNally, and Donald Margulies.

Tell me a little bit about your show.

I'll let the cast tell you about it:

Margo Brooke Pellmar (Jo): Its a love story about chance and timing and defeat and struggle ... and that's just the love between you and you ... then when somebody new is added ... you get this play.

Solomon Shiv (Joe): Two Partners. Each with their own Civil war. That's four sides trying improbably to win. Trying to control the Perfect Mess. Relating to failure. Discovering what was lacking. Somewhere, Time may have figured into the equation and there were some transformative ramifications.

Tamar Pelzig (Teri): Four Quarters describes the journey of one to themselves through a not so simple love story.

Omer Barnea (Terry): The various parts of myself and ourselves are in constant movement with parts that are harmonious and merge well into the other parts, and parts that are kept private and rigid due to our fears. This play is about the fluctuation of love and all of it's inhibitions and a certain triumph of communication despite all fear.

What inspired you to write Four Quarters?

The initial concept of two actors portraying one character came from a friend of mine, Jim Williams. From that, I started exploring the times in my life when I have been two different versions of myself.

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

This is the second production of Four Quarters, so the development was primarily done back in 2002 when we were at the Fringe. However, I met Margo at an audition for another show of mine in 2008, loved her work, and showed her this play. She brought in Tamar, Solomon, and Omer and the five of us took off on this incredible journey. The four of them have known each other variously for many years--they all studied at Circle in the Square and were friends prior, Solomon and Tamar live together, and Tamar and Omer have known each other since they were teenagers living in Israel. I'm actually the odd-man-out, which is fabulous.

What's next for you after FRIGID?

Hopefully I'll have another show this year at the Midtown International Theatre Festival. I'm working on a series of three companion one-acts with an old friend who is a professor at Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas. The plan is to develop the three pieces as a single show down there and bring the students up to NYC to perform in the festival.

And finally, if you could say anything to your potential audience, what would it be?

Again, I'll let the cast respond:

Margo Brooke Pellmar (Jo): This is a touching show and we take off our clothes ... The play is open to discussion. Its thoughtful. The gender play is seamless.

Solomon Shiv (Joe): I can't think of any higher honor in theatre than to be part of the kind of play that confuses or engages the hearts 'n' heads of its audience.

Because each actor is playing a SIDE of a flawed human being, characters may be more intense within their opinions, seemingly flat or two-dimensional at the outset. As these 'Sides' or 'Quarters' begin to mingle and collide and affect, the identities begin reflecting our own familiar (and quite wonderous) confusion. Sure characters run an 'arc' in all kinds of stories but there aren't many that go at this way. It is unabashedly lost but not necessarily hopeless.

Tamar Pelzig (Teri): It will make you THINK -- Sometimes it's fun to expand your mind, and not just escape it. We all have conversations with ourselves ... and after watching this show, you might learn to speak to yourself in a much more loving way. The idea in the play is 'outside the box'. and too many shows out there are very much 'inside the box' ... besides, it will make an excellent conversation piece!

Omer Barnea (Terry): They should come if they feel like participating in a real process. It is not often, in my experience, that a true, exploring, curious, brave process is found in theatre. This is the real deal right here. Some guts and raw reality are thrown here in front of you -- some real hardcore unknowns. There are at least five individuals who are taking their sweet ass time to delve into a really good piece of writing and doubt every line of dialogue and syllable in it until life naturally occurs in the rehearsal room. Nothing ever gets done twice here, and this is what art (and life) is all about.

Christopher Heath (playwright, director): This cast. This cast. This cast is the most talented, fearless, raw, hilarious, exciting, open, interesting, hot, intelligent, and fun cast I've ever seen, let alone had the fortune to work with. Come to the show to see these amazing four future stars. You won't be sorry.

Four Quarters
Written and directed by Christopher Heath

The Kraine Theater
85 East 4th Street

Wed. 2/24 - 10:30 PM
Fri. 2/26 - 7:00 PM
Tue. 3/02 - 9:00 PM
Thu. 3/04 - 7:30 PM
Sat. 3/06 - 2:30 PM

For tickets or more information, visit FRIGID New York.

FRIGID New York 2010

By Byrne Harrison

Most of the New York theatre community knows the big festivals - FringeNYC, NYMF, MITF, Samuel French.

There are many smaller festivals, however, most of which get larger every year. One of my favorites among these is FRIGID New York. Part of this is because of the time of year - winter. It's one of the only festivals in the city at this time of year, a fact that no doubt helps them stand out. The second reason is that FRIGID New York brings in a diverse and interesting group of plays.

Founded by Horse Trade Theater Group in association with San Francisco's EXIT Theatre in 2007, FRIGID New York takes place in three venues (two of which are housed in the same building - the Kraine Theater and the Red Room - with the third, UNDER St. Marks, being a short walk away. The venues are rather small, and the audience has grown by 20% each year since its inception, so it pays to get tickets early.

Drawing on the Canadian Association of Fringe Festival's principle “to provide all artists, emerging and established, with the opportunity to produce their play no matter the content, form or style and to make the event as affordable and accessible as possible for the members of the community,” FRIGID New York is a mix of styles from traditional theatre to dance to improv to readings. While the phrase "something for everyone" gets bandied about a little too much, it is safe to say that the downtown theatre crowd will find plenty to see at this festival.

Here are a few of the shows that sound intriguing (descriptions provided by FRIGID New York). To see a full list, visit the FRIGID New York website.

The shows with the best titles:

Bonne Nuit Poo Poo - Max, Maxi and the Operator fight for their survival in this action-packed comic-erotic end times fantasy featuring live video stream, text, dance and spectacle. Created by Theatre Reverb with script, video and sound by Kristin Arnesen and Radoslaw Konopka.

Ramblings of a Gentleman Scumbag - Lucky Chengs Balloon man, delusional comic, and man of no God tries to justify 34 years of poor life choices and degeneracy. Profiled in Playgirl, FHM Magazine, Time-Out NY Magazine, John Murdock is not your Father’s balloon man. A straight man in a gay world, a feminist in the sex industry, a ridiculous man in a ridiculous world.

Interesting concepts:

Uncorseted - Destinies of a European countess and a humble American chambermaid collide at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Swords of steel penetrate gender norms, true identities are freely explored, and one man discovers it is better to receive than to give.

Green Man - Gavin, a wounded and delirious soldier is taken in by a mysterious stranger. Nursed by the three women of the household–mother, wife and daughter–Gavin becomes entangled in ancient and deadly game of seduction, transgression and vengeance.

Onomatopoeia! - Onomatopoeia! presents clowning and juggling in a brand new light. Three characters present a collection of short scenes, which explore a single idea through physical theater and object manipulation. As the title suggests the only spoken words in the piece will be onomatopoeias!

One-performer shows:

Fishbowl - Mark Shyzer’s Fishbowl slyly reveals the connections between five outrageously hilarious characters: a nerdy schoolgirl obsessed with physics, a nihilistic teenage hipster, a gin-soaked divorcee, a perky aerobics instructor and an octogenarian with an odd sense of humour… all played by Shyzer.

It or Her - Somewhere between "Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure" and "The Tell-Tale Heart," this provocative dark comedy explores the basement of a suburban home where Andrew has devoted himself unconditionally to his incredible collection of figurines. Suffering the loss of The Red One, he seeks to uncover The Ultimate Arrangement before his hideout is invaded, and his dark secret is revealed.

No Traveler - In a narcissistic attempt to win her family’s attention, Abigail decides to perform the greatest stunt of all- attempted suicide. When her childish venture turns into unexpected reality, Abigail finds herself trapped in purgatory – a warped version of her apartment with two exits. Heaven or Hell. As a result of her foolish mistake, there is atonement and penance to be paid… and time is running out.

Mixed media:

Kill the Band - Kill the Band is the original, comedy rock and roll, anti-cabaret! Coinciding with the release of their first concept album, Kill the Band takes you on a cleverly comedic, musically theatrical trip through the band’s breakdowns and breakthrough.

Medea - Medea, suddenly abandoned by her husband Jason, plots her bloody revenge. A beautiful and heartbreaking staging of Euripides’ 2,400-year-old play about love, broken expectations, passion, violence and what happens when we want too much. An original score and puppetry add an artistic twist to this vibrant translation.

Aurelia and Imago - Bombarded by striking images of outer-space, floating petals, racing cars, and many more; Stark takes us on a journey of birth, life and beyond through her signature movement language combining the genuine with the forced. High energy music sets the tone.

Artists we already like:

LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS: confessions of a leather bar chanteuse - With delightful and poignant tales of a Southern Songstress and her gay family, Alex Bond and David Carson read selections from Ms. Bond’s novel and transport you to Dallas 1977, a magical time before HIV/AIDS, but not before ignorance and prejudice. Read the StageBuzz.com interview with Alex Bond here.

tenderpits - tenderpits tells the part-autobiographical, part-fictionalized story of a young man’s immigration from Canada to New York City- and of his realization that he is, in fact, a wizard. From the creators of ART’S HEART (Winner, Outstanding Solo Show FringeNYC 2009) comes a sick new show about identity, magic and armpits.

And don't forget to check out the latenight Canuck Cabaret hosted by Paul Hutcheson. With a tagline like "Canadians Are Warm, Canadians Are Great Guests, Canadians Are F*%#ing Entertaining," how can it not be good?

Theatre Shorts

By Byrne Harrison

The Writers Guild of America presented Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee with the Evelyn F. Burkey Award in Manhattan Feb. 20.

Wednesday, February 24th is Arts Day in Albany. Find out how to get involved here.

Tommy Femia will star in Norma Doesmen, a parody of Sunset Boulevard.

Queens Theatre in the Park and Bristol Riverside Theatre, in association with Neil Berg and Adam Friedson, will present a new production of the award-winning musical revue Closer Than Ever directed by Richard Malty. Jr. and starring original cast members Sally Mayes and Lynne Wintersteller from April 16-25.

Philadelphia Theatre Company announces that two-time Tony Award-nominee and film actress Kathleen Turner will star in the world premiere of Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins by Margaret Engel and Allison Engel.

To celebrate the extension of Yisrael Campbell's Circumsize Me, Ben's Deli on W. 38th Street unveiled The Circumsize Me BRIS-ket Sandwich, sliced brisket and cole-slaw on rye bread with a pickle (with the ends cut off, naturally) and chopped liver on the side.

Willard Morgan's Saint Hollywood extends through March 20th.

The Gerald Lynch Theater at John Jay College presents Zombie, an unflinching look into the disturbed mind of a serial killer, written and performed by Bill Connington, adapted from the novella of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates. The show was a big hit at the 2008 FringeNYC Festival.

Karen Finley extends her Kennedy/Obama inspired new work, The Jackie Look, through March 27 at the Laurie Beechman Theater.

The No Name Theater Company has a new website.

Scott Mason, a Dame Edna look-a-like from Delaware, was named the Dame’s Honorary Understudy in All About Me by judges Michael Riedel of the NYPost, NY1’s Frank DiLella and The Village Voice’s Michael Musto. Also on hand were guest judges Michael Feinstein and Dame Edna’s manager Barry Humphries. Judge for yourself.



The Gingold Theatrical Group's Project Shaw St. Patrick's Day Gala is March 17th. Featuring an all-star cast playing all the WRONG roles: KATE BALDWIN · MICHAEL CERVERIS · GEORGE S. IRVING · CHARLOTTE MOORE · KATE MULGREW · JANE POWELL · MICHAEL RIEDEL DIANE STILWELL WEINBERG · TOM VIOLA with irish musicians, songs, dances and larks.

At their March 26th benefit, the Astoria Performing Arts Center will be honoring Assembly Member Michael Gianaris and Jack Rainey, Vice President, Government and Community Banking, TD Bank, for their contributions to the arts and the Astoria community.

The Play Company will bring together some of NYC's top chefs and theater artists for its seventh annual gala CABARET GOURMET 2010 -- a unique evening hosted by Bryan Batt, the beloved Broadway performer and star of the hit television series MAD MEN, with featured performance by Tony-nominee Barbara Walsh and savory and sweet dishes prepared by chefs from several of the city's most celebrated restaurants.

Ma-Yi Theater Company - the Off-Broadway, Obie Award-winning company dedicated to producing new works about the Asian-American experience - will present the world-premiere of Michi Barall's play RESCUE ME (A Post-modern classic with snacks) , an adaptation of Euripides Iphigenia in Taurus. The cast of eight includes the Obie Award-winning actor and playwright David Greenspan (Myopia, She Stoops to Comedy, Boys in the Band), Jennifer Ikeda (Top Girls, Seascape), Julian Barnett, Leon Ingulsrud, Postell Pringle, Paco Tolson, Oni Monifa Reneee Brown and Katherine Partington.

Casting continues for the upcoming Broadway production of Lucy Prebble’s Enron, directed by Rupert Goold. Noah Weisberg, Rightor Doyle, Ian Kahn, Mary Stewart Sullivan, Madisyn Shipman and January Lavoy join the already announced Norbert Leo Butz and Stephen Kunken.

Aaron Louis (Producing Director, 3LD Art & Technology Center) in association with New Georges and The Essentials, will present the world premiere of The Diary of a Teenage Girl, written by Marielle Heller, adapted from the hit graphic novel of the same name by Phoebe Gloeckner, and directed by Sarah Cameron Sunde and Rachel Eckerling in a multi-media production. The cast includes Marielle Heller, Jon Krupp, Michael Laurence, Mariann Mayberry, and Nell Mooney.

Sin, a mystical comedy, based on Isaac Bashevis Singer’s short story “The Unseen,” adapted by Mark Altman, will have it’s world premiere at the Baruch Performing Arts Center’s Rose Nagelberg Theatre.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is opening at The Gallery Players in Park Slope very soon.

The New York Neo-Futurists' The Soup Show opens on March 4th.

The Amoralists, the company behind The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side, have announced their new season. On tap are the world premiere of Happy In The Poorhouse, written and directed by Derek Ahonen, the Off-Broadway premiere of Amerissiah, written and directed by Derek Ahonen, and the New York premiere of Ghosts in the Cottonwoods, written and directed by Obie Award-winner Adam Rapp.

What if Shakespeare wrote The Big Lebowski? Well, The Two Gentlemen of Lebowski has sold out it's entire run, so unless you have a ticket, you may never know.

Tony Award winner Betty Buckley has joined the cast of the new Off-Broadway comedy White's Lies, which begins previews at New World Stages March 22. She joins a cast that includes the previously reported Scott Patterson, Peter Scolari, Christy Carlson Romano, Rena Strober and Jimmy Ray Bennett. Producers of the Ben Andron play, which officially opens April 12, are Aaron Grant, Jana Robbins, Jeremy Handelman; Bob Cline directs.

The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization has announced the Christmas 2010 release of "The Sound of Music" on Blu-ray, which will include bonus and interactive material.

Review - For the Love of Broadway!, Betty Buckley at Feinstein's

By Byrne Harrison

I have a confession to make.

I've been a fan of Betty Buckley for years. "Eight is Enough"? Loved her. "Carrie"? Great. "Oz"? Terrific. "The Happening"? Best thing in the movie.

So you're saying, that's not really much of a confession.

Well, here it is. I'd never really heard her sing. I missed her Broadway shows, and I don't have any of the cast albums. I've never made it to one of her cabarets. So Betty Buckley the actress? Love her. Betty Buckley the Broadway diva? Can't really say.

That's why I was excited to see her new cabaret act For the Love of Broadway! at Feinstein's at Loews Regency. In this show, the title of which was chosen by a fan submission contest on Twitter, Ms. Buckley responds to fan requests that she perform more Broadway material and a little less jazz.

What she comes up with is a wonderful mix of classic and modern Broadway, from Rodgers & Hammerstein to Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx of Avenue Q. And she nails these songs. She brings her amazing intensity to pieces like Jacques Brel and Rod McKuen's "If You Go Away" and "Come to Me, Bend to Me/This Nearly Was Mine," combining the Lerner & Loewe and Rodgers & Hammerstein classics. But she's equally at ease showing her puckish side with "You've Got Possibilities" from Charles Strouse and Lee Adams' It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman (which involved audience participation), and with the marvelously amusing "When I Belt," written by John McDaniel and Eric Kornfeld specifically for this show.

As expected, Ms. Buckley is a brilliant and nuanced singer. What amazes me most, however, is just how well she connects with her audience. While I know it wasn't the case, I felt as if she were singing the entire show directly to me. I imagine most of the audience felt the same way. It's not just because Feinstein's is an intimate space; Ms. Buckley is just that aware of the house.

The next generation of cabaret performers should get tickets immediately; it will be like a master class on performance. Everyone else should go just because it's a great evening with a very talented performer, featuring songs you know and love.

For the Love of Broadway
Performed by Betty Buckley
Music director/arranger: Kenny Werner
Musicians: Tony Marino (bass), Billy Drewes (reeds and percussion)

Feinstein's at Loews Regency
540 Park Avenue

Tuesdays through Thursdays - 8:30PM
Fridays and Saturdays - 8 PM and 10:30 PM

Through February 27th

What to Do: February 22nd - 28th

By Byrne Harrison

Lots of shows opening this week, thanks to FRIGID New York. Also a number of "one night only" events. Take your pick. There's no reason to spend another night in front of the TV.

Monday, Feb. 22
Broadway Backwards 5 - Never underestimate the power of a pronoun! With women singing men’s songs and men singing women’s – and the original pronouns intact – a song can mean something entirely new. Featuring host Florence Henderson, Nick Adams (A Chorus Line), Martine Allard (The Tap Dance Kid, Tony Award nom.), Dan Butler (NBC’s "Frasier", The Only Thing Worse…), Gary Beach (The Producers, Tony Award), Tituss Burgess (Guys and Dolls), Mario Cantone ("Sex and the City", Laugh Whore), Len Cariou (Sweeney Todd, Tony Award), Robert Cuccioli (Jeckyll & Hyde, Tony Award nom.), Raul Esparza (Company, 4-time Tony Award nom.), Tony Goldwyn ("Ghost", Promises, Promises), Ann Harada (Avenue Q, 9 to 5), Hunter Ryan Herdlicka (A Little Night Music), Aaron Lazar (A Little Night Music, The Light in the Piazza), Michele Lee (Seesaw, How to Succeed…, 2-time Tony Award nom.), Julia Murney (The Wild Party, Wicked), Becki Newton (ABC’s "Ugly Betty", Girl Crazy at Encores!), Tonya Pinkins (Caroline or Change, Jelly’s Last Jam, Tony Award), Lee Roy Reams (42nd Street, Tony Award nom.), Seth Rudetsky (The Ritz, Sirius Radio, Broadway Chatterbox), Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon, Tony Award), Douglas Sills (The Scarlet Pimpernel, Tony Award nom.), Bruce Vilanch (Hairspray), and over 50 Broadway singers & dancers.



Love N' Courage - 7th Annual Benefit for Theater for the New City's Emerging Playwrights Program. Hosted by Charles Busch and Julie Halston, honoring Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson and Martha Coigney's service to the arts.

Featuring Performances by F. Murray Abraham, Chuck Cooper and other stars from Finian's Rainbow, Tammy Grimes (accompanied by David Lewis), Phoebe Legere, Romulus Linney, Marian Seldes, Elaine Stritch, Betsy von Furstenberg, Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson, and Tango Dancers Anna Amadei and Daniel Fetecua-Soto.

As part of their Matt Crowley reading series, The Transport Group (currently producing Crowley's The Boys in the Band) presents Remote Asylum. One night only.

Broadway by the Year kicks off its 10th anniversary season with Broadway Musicals of 1927 starring Marc Kudisch, Kate Baldwin, Christine Noll, Christopher Fitzgerald, Chad Kimball, Noah Racey, Jeffry Denman, and Alexander Gemignani.

If you find yourself in Glendale, CA, drop by the Alex Theatre to see a one-night-only production of High Spirits, Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray's rarely produced musical version of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit.

Tuesday, Feb. 23
GraceNotes presents Prescription Strength Theater featuring The Benefits of Elsewhere by Patrick Link and Susan's Medical Blog by Sharyn Rothstein (3Graces Theater Co. - The Milagro Theater at CSV)

As part of their Matt Crowley reading series, The Transport Group presents A Breeze From the Gulf. One night only.

Wednesday, Feb. 24
Aristophanes’ The Bohemians by Gabe Miner (Second Best Bed Productions and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

Four Quarters by Christopher Heath (Agony Productions and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

Medea by Euripides (No.11 Productions and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

price by David Fierro (Secret Weapon Theatre and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

Kill The Band by Kelly Dwyer (Killer Killy Productions and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS: confessions of a leather bar chanteuse by Alex Bond (The Lopsided Company, Inc. and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

Ramblings of a Gentleman Scumbag by John Murdock ((a) muse Collective and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

tenderpits by Anthony Johnston (sh+sh=gold and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

Fishbowl by Mark Shyzer (Mark Shyzer and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

IT OR HER by Alena Smith (Alena Smith and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

Mechanically Separated Meat by Jeff Belanger and Amanda Sage Comerford (International BTC and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

Nobody’s Token by Nobody’s Token (Nobody’s Token and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

YANK! A World War II Love Story, opens at the York Theatre. Music by Joseph Zellnik, Book and Lyrics by David Zellnik. Featuring Nancy Anderson (Wonderful Town), Jeffry Denman (White Christmas), Ivan Hernandez (Romantic Poetry), Bobby Steggert (Ragtime), and Andrew Durand (Spring Awakening), Zak Edwards (No No Nanette at Encores!), Todd Faulkner (PBS' "Wordscape"), Denis Lambert (A Chorus Line), Joseph Medeiros (Guys and Dolls), David Perlman (Calvin Berger), Christopher Ruth (Happy Days: The Musical), and Tally Sessions (South Pacific).

Thursday, Feb. 25
SIGNS OF LIFE: A Tale of Terezin, book by Peter Ullian, lyrics by Len Schiff, and music by Joel Derfner (Amas Musical Theatre in association with Snap-Two Productions)

Aurelia and Imago by Brianna Stark (Brianna Stark and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

Let That Sh*t Go by Live Blaggard (Live Blaggard and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

Onomatopoeia by Phillip Gerba (Onomatopoiea productions and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

The Bike Trip by Martin Dockery (Martin Dockery and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

1/4 Life Crisis by Alison Lynne Ward (8 Monkeys Production and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

Floundering About (in an age of terror) by David Lawson (David Lawson and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

No Traveler by Penny Pollak ((a)muse collective and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

Vodka Shoes by Leslie Goshko (Leslie Goshko and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

Crack’d by Catherine Montgomery (the performance tube and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

GREEN MAN by Don Nigro (Pageant Wagon and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

My Life of Crime by Stephanie Stephenson ((ral-u-pop) Theatre and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

T-O-T-A-L-L-Y! by Kimleigh Smith (KIMLEIGH and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

Drag theatre company Shim Mamsir Productions presents it's inaugural outing - She'll Be Dying at the Bowery Poetry Club. This is the first in a series of wholly unauthorized staged readings of plays, films,TV movies, sitcoms and after school specials -- all presented with a drag twist. The reading stars high-voltage drag talents Sweetie, Mimi Imfurst, Bianca DelRio, Bianca Leigh, Lavinia Co-op and Dallas Dubois.

Cooper Union commemorates the 150th Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's "Right Makes Might" speech in the same room and from the same lectern he used in 1860. Noted Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer (author of Lincoln at Cooper Union) will narrate the evening. Selections of the speech will be read by Governor Mario Cuomo, and actors Tony-nominee and Obie-winner Kathleen Chalfant (Angels in America, Wit,) Tony, Obie, and Drama-Desk honoree André DeShields (The Wiz, The Full Monty,) Oscar-winner Richard Dreyfuss and Broadway and film actor Stephen Lang. The event is the concluding program in the Great Evenings in The Great Hall series that began in April 2009 as a celebration of The Cooper Union's 150th anniversary.

Friday, Feb. 26
2-Man No-Show by Ken Hall, Isaac Kessler and Mark Andrada (ZeekTech Productions and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

Uncorseted by Patrick di Battista with Anne Laffoon (LaGoDi Productions and the Shark Tank Players and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

Bonne Nuit Poo Poo by Theatre Reverb (Theatre Reverb and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

Legs and All by Summer Shapiro and Peter Musante (Summer Shapiro & Peter Musante and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

Roll With It by Maggie Nuttall (Nuttall Productions and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

Saturday, Feb. 27
pornStar by Chris Craddock (Fancy Molasses and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

THE SAME SEX-TACULAR! featuring John Flynn, Michael Hartney, Marcus Bishop-Wright, Tim Dunn, Shayna Ferm, Jeff Hiller, Corey Johnson, Kate McKinnon, Megan Neuringer at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre

Sunday, Feb. 28
As part of their Matt Crowley reading series, The Transport Group presents The Men from the Boys (Crowley's follow up to The Boys in the Band). One night only.

The Off Broadway Alliance will hold the first in a series of planned seminars focusing on the culture, business and history of Off Broadway theater. The seminar, titled "The Bad Boys of Off Broadway", will feature playwrights Adam Rapp (Red Light Winter, Stone Cold Dead Serious, Essential Self-Defense) and Christopher Shinn (Dying City, Now Or Later, What Didn't Happen) and participants to be named. David Cote, theatre editor and chief drama critic for Time Out New York, will serve as moderator.

From the Blogosphere

Legendary New York playwright Doric Wilson has been guest blogging at the New York Innovative Theatre Awards Foundation blog.

Adam Rothenberg interviews Mary Testa and Derrick Trumbly.

Sarah Roberts sent a friend on an adventure - seeing Kate Baldwin and Matt Cavenaugh's recent performance at the Kennedy Center.

Broadway Bullet has a new podcast up featuring two of my favorite companies - the New York Neo-Futurists and At Hand Theatre Company.

Leonard Jacobs at The Clyde Fitch Report has a great article about Christopher Carter Sanderson, the founding artistic and producing director of Gorilla Repertory Theatre of Gorilla Repertory Theatre, who is auctioning his arm (just to be tattooed, that is) for $5,000,000 on eBay. The money will go toward producing all of Shakespeare's acknowledged plays in 2012. You can bid here, if you have several million lying around. Leonard also has an interview with Najla Said.

Chris Caggiano finally makes it to the Winter Garden Theater. But does he like what he finds there?

Patrick Lee of Just Shows to Go You has an interview with Bobby Steggart who is gearing up for YANK!

Ken Davenport talks about what producers should study while they're in school.

Jesse North introduces Stage Rush TV!

Kevin Daly waxes sentimental about The King and I.

Zach Calhoun introduces us to J. Holtham.

Interview - Playwright Gabrielle Fox

By Byrne Harrison

Award-winning playwright Gabrielle Fox has had her plays produced throughout New York City, and in Westchester, Putnam, and Orange Counties. Theatres include the American Theatre of Actors, Baruch Performing Arts Center, Where Eagles Dare Studios and the Axial Theatre. One of her plays was recently made into a film and is currently in post-production. She has recently taken up directing as well. Gaby is a member of Polaris North and the Dramatists Guild.

What was your first theatrical experience and how was it?

My mother is an actress and I grew up running lines with her and sitting in on rehearsals and fell in love with the process and the rhythms of the dialogue, the importance of the words. Sitting in the bleachers of the Jones Beach Theatre during rehearsals of The Music Man felt like my own private performance and I loved being part of that world. I tried acting here and there, (most recently a zombie extra in a failed TV pilot - I make a mean zombie!), but I’ve always been more comfortable behind the scenes creating the world for the characters rather than living in those worlds. Growing up in Westchester in a school that brought us to the theatre almost every year was also wonderful. The music of A Chorus Line still gives me chills!

What is your theatrical background?

My training in the theatre has been mostly hands on. I’ve studied with Tony Howarth at the Axial Theatre in Westchester for years. He’s taught me the importance of how to both give and receive criticism. How to recognize the feedback that rings true to the vision of the story and characters and what doesn’t. I’ve also taken acting classes so that I can understand a character from the actors’ perspective and to understand what they might be looking for from the playwright. Nothing beats learning on the job. Working with directors and actors and watching the play grow through collaboration is magical (most times!). There are many times when the director and actors have added so much to the play that I forget that it was once mine. For me, it’s been really important to see theatre, read plays and learn and be inspired by them. There is nothing, absolutely nothing like live theatre.

Tell me a little bit about your plays. Where do you get your inspiration as a writer?

I don’t really look for inspiration, usually I’ll hear a bit of dialogue or come across a setting that I think would be interesting on the stage or an interesting situation for characters to live in. It usually starts with a very simple idea or action and then the characters take over; they dictate the play and its direction. If they don’t, it’s not working, and I’ll move on to the next idea. When I start writing a play, it is rarely from the beginning. The play always seems to start in the middle and I have to work my way to the beginning and the end. I don’t try to focus on themes, or style but I’ve been told that my plays are character driven, usually touch on the themes of loneliness and involve the struggle to connect. The most important plays that I’ve seen or read have impacted me on a gut level and that’s what I strive for in my work.

What are the best and worst things about working in theatre in New York?

I love, love, love New York. There is so much theatre everywhere and the energy is contagious. There is such an enormous number of talented people to work with and learn from that it is never boring. The worst part is that it’s so easy to get lost in the shuffle and trying to get produced can be a roller coaster but it’s the best roller coaster ride there is!

If you could send some advice back in time to yourself in high school or college, what would it be?

What are you waiting for! Do it now! Oh and my favorite quote “Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.”

I understand you'll have a show in this year's Planet Connections Theater Festivity. Tell me a little something about the play.

Yes! I was accepted into the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. I’ll be presenting Fox Tales: An Evening of One Act Plays. It will include my one acts THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT, WINFLUENCE, and GOOD FRIDAY. This is something I’ve wanted to do for awhile and I’ll be working with a wonderful cast and director. The festival will begin in June and Fox Tales will have 6 performances (dates TBD) I can’t wait for these characters to be together all in one place. Each play has 2 characters each and they come from very different worlds and find they have more than they realized in common. The settings for each play couldn’t be more different - a graveyard, an office, and a Christian theme park. Should be fun!

What's else is on tap for you in 2010?

I started off the year with DARCY & DUKE in the Short Play Lab at Where Eagles Dare Studios. This March, my play SISTERS FOR LIFE will be presented at Westchester Community College as part of Women’s History Month and will kick off a panel discussion with presenters and students. And hopefully lots more. I’m putting the finishing touches on a full length version of THE TALK and THE BROWNSTONE and hope to have staged readings of them both in the near future.

Want to find out more about Gaby Fox? Send her an e-mail to join her mailing list. She'll keep you up-to-date on her theatrical adventures.

Interview - Alex Bond of LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS

By Byrne Harrison
Photos provided by Kampfire Films PR
Leather bar chanteuse photo by John Walker

Alex Bond is an actress, writer, and comedienne whose favorite roles include - Off-Broadway: Clara, Chi Chi & Marie in Flamingo Court (Off-Broadway); Regional: Betty in The Foreigner (a role originated by her aunt, Sudie Bond), Kate in Sylvia, and Amanda in Private Lives. She adds that national commercials have been a nice source of income from time to time.

Cabaret work in Dallas, TX in the late 70’s was the inspiration for her novel “LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS: confessions of a leather bar chanteuse." The book honors those days and the marvelous men who became her “Dallas family of friends.”

Ms. Bond had her essay about surviving two skull fractures published in the Nov/Dec 2006 issue of the "Hastings Center Report." It is entitled "Where No One Can Lead You." Ms. Bond is proud to be a TBI survivor.

Ms. Bond is a member of AEA, SAG, AFTRA, IATSE 764 and the Dramatists Guild.

She resides in New Jersey with her husband.

You have a fascinating resume, including stand-up, cabaret, film, TV and theatre. When did you first get involved in the performing arts and what was your first love?

The good thing about pushing sixty is that you have been around long enough, and perhaps lucky enough, to try out most areas of Show Biz. My journey began in Louisville, KY when I was three years old. I would sit in front of the TV set (a fairly new invention) and watch a pas-de-deux on the Bell Telephone Hour and say “I’m gonna be a ballerina” with my decidedly Southern accent. Music always has inspired me to move or sing or write. So dance was my first love. I was fortunate to have a mother who treated me to piano lessons and ballet class. When I was twelve years old I worked on losing that accent, and I did my first school play. I played Howay in Mrs. McThing, a Mary Chase play. I was the male lead (I went to an all-girls school). As I exited after my first scene, I got exit applause. I was shocked and thrilled, and I got teary-eyed as I grabbed onto the newel post at the top of the stairs to the back stage area. The prompter asked if I was okay, and I replied, “I’ve never been better!” and I walked back out on stage for my next scene. The acting bug bit me at that very moment, and its venom has been coursing through my veins ever since. As I have aged, and some areas of the biz have become less penetrable, I have found other fascinating areas in which I can create. I have been blessed with a loving husband (coming up on our 25th anniversary) who has encouraged me to try “everything”: writing, singing, acting, stand-up. I’m one lucky Ole Broad!

What is your professional background?

From the time I graduated college I considered acting to be my profession. There are so many wonderful teachers, mentors, colleagues, friends who have added to my professional and personal life. I studied acting with Michael Howard, to whom I am extremely grateful. I am still finding “aha” moments from his tutelage. He taught me to observe, to be still and watch and listen. It is still a favorite exercise.

Tell me something about your play "LOPSIDED," about 8 breast cancer survivors. What inspired you to write it?

I wrote “LOPSIDED” in 2001, shortly after 9-11. As all of us were, I was shaken by the event and moved by the strength New Yorkers showed in its wake. It was also a time when breast cancer awareness was more in national focus. I was inspired by the power of support groups which give us strength when life seems so dark. A friend asked me to create a fund-raiser event for Hackensack University Medical Center Breast Cancer Awareness, and I wrote a series of monologues for various characters. I placed those characters in a former firehouse basement in NYC and “LOPSIDED” emerged. I collaborated with Steven Yuhasz, the marvelous director, and produced the play at ATA on 54th Street. The play is dedicated to my Aunt Sudie who was a breast cancer survivor.

David Carson and you will be doing readings from your book, "LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS: confessions of a leather bar chanteuse," at this year's FRIGID New York Festival. Tell me a little something about the book and the show.

Imagine Armistead Maupin and Fannie Flagg swapping stories ala Gurney’s Love Letters with a bit of Spalding Gray thrown in.

But to be clear, we are not a show. We are a book reading. And I might add, that can be an art form in and of itself. David brings his wonderful presence to my tales of Dallas, 1977 as we transport our listeners to a wild and magical time before AIDS, but not before ignorance and prejudice.

LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS was a Selection at the 2009 Fresh Fruit Festival, Winner 2008 Best Literary Staging Award (San Francisco Fringe Festival), and Winner 2007 Producer’s Pick Award (DFW Fringe Festival).

Do you have any words of advice for students who are planning a career in theatre?

Honor your friendships; think balance; work hard; take care of your instrument; be generous on stage and off.

Be respectful of everyone on a show: actors, writers, directors, producers, designers, stagehands, wardrobe, ushers, musicians, doormen/women, box office, custodial staff, vendors; they are all part of the team that makes theatre magic. (I know this because I have worn most of those hats during my life in the theatre.)

What else do you have planned for 2010?

After the book readings for the FRIGID I will be portraying the role of Susie in the world premiere of a new play by David Stallings entitled BARRIER ISLAND from April 30-May 22, 2010 at Center Stage on 21st Street. The play will be directed by Cristina Alicea and produced by MTWorks. And as a bonus for me, David Carson will be playing my husband, the character of Nate, in that production. After May 2010, only the theatre gods know!

To find out more about Alex and LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS: confessions of a leather bar chanteuse, visit her website or the LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS site.

Interview - Playwright Duncan Pflaster

By Byrne Harrison
Photo provided by Duncan Pflaster

Duncan Pflaster is a multi-award-winning playwright who has been doing theatre in NYC for 11 years, most famously his Big Epic Naked Shakespearean Fairy Tale Play Prince Trevor Amongst the Elephants. He also writes music, plays ukulele, and (occasionally, if his arm is twisted) acts.

When did you first get involved in theatre?
I grew up in South Florida; my mother Grace was a local actress and was instrumental in my first involvement in theatre. The first real play I did was at age 6, a production with Royal Palm Children’s Theatre of Winnie-the-Pooh, in which I played Christopher Robin. I was the youngest member of the cast—all the actors playing my stuffed animals were college-age or older.

What is your theatrical background?
For a long time I thought I would be a professional actor. I studied acting at New World School of the Arts in Miami, with Carol Cadby and David Kwiat as my main teachers (and took my only playwriting class, taught by Eric Bedenbaugh); I was kicked out after a year—they told me I’d never be an actor if I stayed at the school. I went on to Florida Atlantic University, where I had the opportunity of a wonderful class taught by Visiting Eminent Scholar Zoe Caldwell, whom I can’t credit enough with my understanding of text and how actors relate to it. I wrote my first full-length play as a joke—in the mid-90s, I was acting pretty consistently at Florida Playwrights' Theatre in Hollywood, FL, and one night, while drinking after a show, a friend said, "Wouldn't it be funny to do a drag queen Alice in Wonderland?" and a year later I finished Wilder and Wilder and it went onstage almost immediately at FPT (with me as The Queen of Hearts), first as a late-nite show, then when there were problems with the mainstage show which had to close, my play ran at 8pm for a couple of weekends. I try not to act much these days (I very rarely consider auditioning- I'm tempted by Sondheim musicals, clown roles in Shakespeare, and sometimes my friends’ plays) since it’s so hard to work 9-5, rehearse in the evenings, and still find time to do the writing that I consider my true vocation. I really don’t have much training in writing plays (aside from simply writing and producing them), so it’s ironic that it’s become my main focus.

What is your best theatrical memory?
I’d have to go with the production of Prince Trevor Amongst the Elephants that I wrote and directed in the Midtown International Theatre Festival in 2008. A spectacular cast of 12 who were all good and nice people on top of it. Show was great, we got some great reviews (as well some of the worst reviews of my life), and were nominated for nine MITF awards, eventually winning three: Outstanding Production, Outstanding Comedy Script, and Outstanding Lead Actor (Carlos Rafael Fernandez, who played Prince Trevor). Such a joy.

What are the best and worst things about working in theatre in New York?
Best: The amount of amazing talent there is available to work with; I keep meeting wonderful performers I want to cast in my plays. Worst: The number of competing productions makes it very easy for a play to get lost in the crowd.

Do you have any advice for students who are planning a career in theatre?
To be cynical for a moment: find a school that has a “mafia” in New York. So much of NYC theatre is not a meritocracy; it’s based on luck and who you know. Often people will give a leg up to folks who went to the same school, so it’s a good idea to make one’s own luck and stack the deck in your favor. Non-cynical answer: Learn as much as you can about all aspects of theatre, not just the element that’s your focus. If you can essentially put up a play on your own, you're in a great position to work; you never know what you might be called upon to do (and maybe get paid for!).

What's next for you in 2010?
I'll be doing my 10-minute play (they kiss) in the February 26-27 Short Play Lab at Where Eagles Dare, curated by Jonathan Wallace (The Play Plays- all plays about the experience of doing theatre), and then in March I'll be doing a few short plays at the Digable Arts Festival in Jersey City. After that, a few things are tentatively scheduled, pending official confirmation- I’ll be adapting and directing a production of Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens for Howling Moon Cab Company, starring Clara Barton Green in the titular role, this Spring. I hope to have new plays in both Planet Connections Theatre Festivity (The Thyme of the Season, my sequel to A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and the Midtown International Theatre Festival (The Starship Astrov: Chekhov in Outer Space!) this Summer.

To find out more about Duncan, visit his website or his theatre blog.