The episode begins with an excerpt from The Glass Menagerie as you’ve never heard it before.  That’s because it is from a version known as Bouffon Glass Menajoree. Moderator Trav S.D. attempts to regain control as he talks with the cast members, Lynn Berg, Audrey Crabtree, and Aimee Leigh German. Director Eric Davis supplies background about Bouffon — what it is, how it differs from clown, etc.

Trav S.D. has seen this show a few times and he poses some questions from the prespective of an audience member.  The responses tell a great deal about what the evening will be like. The group is quick to answer especially about the audience participation that is part of the show.  Gentlemen, beware! A Gentleman Caller is chosen at each show.  It sounds like this lucky fella will have the most fun of all.

Episode Links:

• Bouffon Glass Menajoree on nytheatre.com
• Bouffon Glass Menajoree website

Download the podcast

Write a play with dogs, about torture, about interrogation methods, about choice overload — said Dan Safer, director/choreographer of Witness Relocation.  Loving a challenge and the chance to work with an ensemble, playwright Saviana Stanescu immediately went to work.  The finished product is Vicious Dogs On Premises.

On this podcast you will learn more about each of these fascinating theatre artists, how they got together and you will gain insight into the creative process that went into the making of this new production.  Dan speaks of an ongoing process, that the piece is never really finished.  Saviana eagerly awaits opening night when she will see the result for the first time.

Martin Denton is moderator.

Episode links:

• Vicious Dogs on Premises on nytheatre.com
• Witness Relocation website
• Saviana Stanescu’s website
• Saviana Stanescu’s blog

Download the podcast

nytheatre.com is adding a new listings category — Physical Theatre.  You can find it on the left hand sidebar of every page under “Now Playing”. To introduce and explain, Martin Denton sat down with Mark Lonergan of Parallel Exit for a talk.

Mark founded the NYC Physical Theatre Network which has been the spearhead behind giving Physical Theatre its rightful place among the many genres we see in theatre today and has worked hard to see that people understand just what it is and why people should recognize its uniqueness (and in many ways, its sameness) to other types of theatre.

In response to a question by Martin, Mark concisely defined what should be included when one speaks of Physical Theatre.  It is typically story telling that primarily uses physical means.  It includes dance theatre, circus, vaudeville, mime, and even puppetry. 

Noting this definition is not enough to explain it, Mark continues with examples:  Movin’ Out and Contact, Jump; many works by companies such as Parallel Exit, bluemouth, etc. He talks at length about how difficult it is to put too firm a definition on this type of theatre, and explains how plays he really enjoys that are, perhaps, more traditional but are only involved with telling a story such as August: Osage County, would never be considered Physical Theatre.

Mark and Martin would be most interested in hearing your comments about this podcast and about nytheatre.com’s new feature that will help you find theatre that suits you best.  Please comment!

Episode Links:

• Physical Theatre on nytheatre.com
• NYC Physical Theatre network
• Parallel Exit website

Download the podcast

Brian Dykstra is back with a brand new solo show just in time for this exciting election season. Brian calls this show The Jesus Factor and he explains while talking to Martin Denton why he felt it was time to debunk the religious fervor of the fundamentalists. 

Brian is a relaxed conversationalist and talks easily about the show and about some of his past experiences doing a solo show (don’t miss how he handles a heckler).  Additionally, he speaks a bit about his family and background and, most interestingly, talks about why he thinks he needed to be and work as a trained actor in order to be a good playwright.  Brian shares with Martin and the listening audience how and why he has to change small parts of the show to keep up with the “news of the day”.

A highlight of the podcast is his performance of a short piece from The Jesus Factor.

Episode Links:

• Info about The Jesus Factor on nytheatre.com
• Brian Dykstra’s website
• Barrow Street Theatre website

Download the podcast

In this episode, Martin Denton chats with theatre practitioners Julia Lee Barclay and Bill Aitchison, both of whom work primarily in London. Julia is an American playwright and director; Bill is an English performance artist.

During this conversation, they discuss their own work as well as the current state of cutting-edge and experimental London theatre. There’s also some interesting discussion about some of the differences between theatre in London and New York.

Julia is known for her collage/cut-up theatre pieces, which include Word To Your Mama (her first full-length play, published in NYTE’s Plays and Playwrights 2001) . She recently presented a reading of her newest work, Besides, you lose your soul, or the History of Western Civilization at the Brick Theater.

Bill is currently working on a new performance piece about 2012 which touches on the apocalypse and the London Olympics, among other subjects; he talks a bit about how he has been reading Saddam Hussein’s novel as research for this work.

Episode Links:

• Apochryphal Theatre website
• Bill Aitchison’s website
• Information about the Apochryphal mini-festival
• Martin Denton’s blog entry about Besides You Lose Your Soul…
• Information about Plays and Playwrights 2001

Download the podcast

On this episode, Martin Denton announces the 15 theatre artists and companies that have been named nytheatre.com’s People of the Year for 2007.

This podcast features excerpts from interviews and performances recorded during the past year, spotlighting each of our 15 honorees.

The People of the Year for 2007 are:

• The Chocolate Factory
• Tim Cusack & Jason Jacobs (Theatre Askew)
• Kevin Doyle
• Electric Pear Productions
• FRIGID Festival
• Mia Katigbak
• Cyndy A. Marion
• Metropolitan Playhouse
• Edith O’Hara 
• Mac Rogers
• T. Schreiber Studio
• The Storm Theatre
• Trav S.D.
• Ken Urban
• Jose Zayas

Episode Links:

Read all about the People of the Year and find links to much more information about them on nytheatre.com

Download the podcast

In this episode, Trav S.D. moderates a roundtable about contemporary burlesque. (Trav S.D. says the table is not only round but curvaceous.)

Our guests are three of NYC’s burlesque scene’s biggest stars: Bonnie Dunn, Julie Atlas Muz, and Nasty Canasta. Each of these ladies shares insights about her own career and her views of how burlesque has evolved into a sophisticated live entertainment form.

Episode Links:

• Le Scandal (at the Cutting Room; Bonnie Dunn’s show)
• Julie Atlas Muz’s website
• Nasty Canasta’s website

Download the podcast

On our latest episode, Michael Criscuolo talks with the masterminds behind the upcoming Wonder Women Week Festival, a week-long celebration of female performers and performance, produced by Groove MaMa Ink. This is the festival’s second annual installment and will feature the work of more than a hundred artists - more than double the amount of its inaugural run last fall.

Groove MaMa artistic director Kara M. Tyler and associate producer Bricken Sparacino talk about the origins of the festival, and offer some previews of this year’s shows. Both women will also be performing - Kara, on the festival’s “Super Sized Variety” night; and Bricken, with her sketch comedy group, Comedy Period - and they talk a bit about what they’ll be doing.

Kara and Bricken are also joined by two of this year’s festival participants: writer/performer Samantha Jones, who gives listeners a taste of her multi-character solo show, Butterfly Suicide; and songstress Jessica DelFino, who will be hosting one of the festival’s late night programs, “Vaginapalooza.” She gives listeners a sample of her musical wares with a very funny (and somewhat racy) song. Not for the faint of heart.

Episode Links:

• Groove MaMa Ink’s official website
• Groove MaMa Ink’s MySpace page
• Dora Mae Productions (Samantha Jones’s production company)
• Comedy Period
• Jessica DelFino’s blog

Download the podcast

Martin Denton hosts this roundtable discussion about aspects of performance on the Internet. The participants are Robin Reed, Chance Muehleck, and Matthew Freeman, all of whom have created and partaken in Internet-based performance projects.

The discussion is pretty wide-ranging. Robin talks about The Crush Project, which is a podcast series featuring actors performing postings from Craigslist. Chance talks about The Attendants, a recent multimedia performance installation that his company Live Theater presented at chashama; it included a component whereby audience members could send messages to the actors, who responded to them in real time. Matt talks about the recent live blogging event at the Brick Theater’s Pretentious Festival, in which he was a participant.

There’s also some discussion about the implications of new technology as a tool for creating/augmenting theatrical performance…and perhaps even as a replacement for live theatre.

Episode Links:

• The Crush Project’s website
• Robin Reed’s blog
• Live Theater website
• The Attendants on YouTube
• Matthew Freeman’s blog

Download the podcast

nytheatrecast welcomes writer/performance artist Jeffrey Essmann, in an interview with Martin Denton. Jeffrey is bringing a brand new show, The Usual Freak Show, to La MaMa in November. Some of our listeners/readers may recall that Jeffrey was a frequent performer at La MaMa and other venues in the 1980s and 1990s, with one-man performances and shows such as Artificial Reality.

Jeffrey talks extensively about The Usual Freak Show, which features music and live accompaniment by composer Michael John LaChiusa. He introduces us to many of the different characters who are featured in the show, including a French existentialist slam poet and an over-the-hill Barbie doll. Best of all, Jeffrey performs an excerpt from the show, portraying another of his inspired creations, a fashion editor named Vivienne.

This episode also features some background about Jeffrey’s career, including his training at HB Studios under Uta Hagen.

Episode Links:

• Info about The Usual Freak Show on nytheatre.com
• La MaMa website

Download the podcast