nytheatrecast

Episode #232 - FringeNYC 2008 Preview #1

prodmdd — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:01:15 +0000

Welcome to the first of two FringeNYC 2008 preview podcasts — part of our Indie Theater Now! series. We have gathered nine interesting and different shows from the huge number of participants in this year’s festival to give you a taste of what FringeNYC will be like. Listen, enjoy, and then reserve your tickets.

Host and moderator, Trav S.D. introduces each of the shows, delves deeply into what the shows are about, jokes a bit, and puts his finger on just what is most unique and interesting about each of the nine selections. Here is the list of participants:

KNB-The Musical: Author/director Chirstopher Carter Sanderson talks a bit about his new romantic musical comedy set in Kuwait Naval Base. He introduces four members of the cast (Glenn Seven Allen, Brett Hunter Levenson, Evan Siegel, and Roger Grunwald) who sing a jaunty tune about the joys of being a Boatswain’s Mate. Christopher supplies a bit of whistling during the interludes.

The Fabulous Kane Sisters in Box Office Poison: Marc Geller, author, director, and performer gives a quick resume of the show. He talks about having a 14 member cast, the plot revolving around sort-of has-been performers, and that there’s been several murders in the theatre. But most important — this is a laugh out loud, funny show.

Hidden Fees*: Two very short excerpts from this U.S. premiere translation (by the company) of a Russian piece surround an interview with director Raphael Schklowsky. The group is Studio Six, graduates of the Moscow Art Theatre.

Krapp, 39: Michael Laurence who wrote and performs in this piece and director, George Demas, talk with Trav S.D. about the reasons for creating Krapp, 39. It is inspired by Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape — inspired because Michael’s 39th birthday will be during the festival showing; also because Michael is intrigued by the possibility of recreating by and for himself what Beckett talked of in his piece.

We Three: A New York premiere that will showcase the work of the new theatre company known as No. 11. An excerpt from the play is performed by Mitch Conway and Julie Congress. During the discussion about the show and about why these recent Skidmore College grads formed this new company, Mitch and Julie are joined by fellow company member Ryan Emmons and director Erin Daley.

The Dershowitz Protocol: Director Anthony Frisina explains the origins of this play which is derived from ideas promulgated by Alan Dershowitz in his post 9/11 book, Why Terrorism Works. Anthony explains how these controversial thoughts are staged so as to not take sides, but to present the thesis. A short pre-recorded excerpt is also included.

XY(T): Kestryl Lowrey performs an excerpt from this show which he wrote and also performs. He talks with Trav S.D. to explain how much of this play is autobiographical and why he has been performing it in various venues, telling audiences about his transformation from female to male.

Big Thick Rod: Trav S.D. questions author, Stanton Wood and director, Edward Elefterion about their play which deals greatly with how people exploit each other. The discussion also covers how these two collaborators met and work together.

Good Pictures: A new play about several hours in the lives of two prisoners is discussed by author, Ashlin Halfnight and director, Dominic D’Andrea. Ashlin describes it as being a more naturalistic rendition but insists if he tells too much about it, the experience will be spoiled.

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Episode #231 - Shakespeare Shaken Up: Dark Lady Players & Woodshed Collective

prodmdd — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:11:30 +0000

Martin Denton gets together with members of two theatre companies, Dark Lady Players and Woodshed Collective, to discuss two quite unique productions derived from familiar Shakespeare plays. First Martin talks to John Hudson and Stephen Wisker, dramaturg and director, respectively, of Dark Lady Players’ production of As You Like It: The Big Flush. John and Stephen talk a bit of the background and theory behind their play; i.e., that the deep allegorical levels found in As You Like It demonstrates that it contains Jewish religious satires and was written by England’s Jewish poet, a woman by name of Amelia Bassano. Led by questions from Martin they describe how they have gone about making this approach to the play as an allegory accessible to the audience.

Martin then speaks with producer Stephen Squibb and director Teddy Bergman of Woodshed Collective as they describe the play they are presenting, Twelve Ophelias by Caridad Svich. This play posits the occurences after Ophelia comes up out of the pool and attempts to change the course of events that happened. The familiar cast of characters includes Hamlet, Gertrude, and others as you’ve never seen them before.

All four guest return with Martin to discuss the reasons for and problems that might exist in producing a Shakespearean play with an extreme twist. Most interesting comments are heard from all.

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Episode #230 - Ice Factory Preview

prodmdd — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:10:45 +0000

Fifteen years young, the annual Ice Factory festival returns to the Ohio Theater. To get a feel for this perennial favorite, nytheatrecast spoke with three of the participating companies and Robert Lyons, artistic director of Ice Factory.

Martin Denton opens the podcast with a short conversation with Robert about the history of the festival, why he and others of Soho Think Tank felt there was a need for this, and the current year’s lineup. Then it’s on to the participants!

Lenora Champagne is up first talking about her show, TRACES/fades. Lenora gives a vivid description of this play and her reasons for writing it — which tend toward the personal. Martin, being familiar with Lenora’s work, talked with her a bit about her style and some of what to expect when seeing the show.

Next up is Gabriella Barnstone, creator and choreographer of Heistman which is a dance/movement piece with text. Gabriella talks a bit about how best to describe this piece and gives a bit of background about herself as a dancer/choreographer/creator. She introduces Steven Rattazzi who is in Heistman and he reads a short selection of the text that is part of the show. His reading gives a real feel for what the show will be like.

The podcast ends with three members of Sponsored by Nobody, creators of W.M.D. (Just the Low Points) — director, Kevin Doyle and company members Jessa Wildemeersch and Scott Miller. Led by Kevin, with Martin asking pertinent questions, they discuss the origins of this piece and how it has undergone various changes in its different incarnations. Most excitingly they tell us about a tour of Belgium set for early 2009.

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Episode #229 - Shakespeare Al Fresco

prodmdd — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 04:10:36 +0000

Summer theatre in NYC always includes lots of free outdoor productions, usually of the plays of Shakespeare. Since this season is no different, nytheatrecast invited four companies who have varied productions of the works of the Bard in different locales. What they have in common is that they are free, they are in the park (or in one case, the park(ing) lot) and all are sure to be professionally done.

Present for this roundtable discussion with Martin Denton are: David Fuller who will be directing Pericles for Hudson Warehouse at the North Patio of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument in Riverside Park; Rohana Elias-Reyes, director of PLG Arts’ production Daydream (Midsummer Night’s Dream adapted specifically for children) which can be found at Prospect Park’s Imagination Playground in Brooklyn; the Drilling Company’s Tom Demenkoff talking about their productions of Twelfth Night and Henry V at the Park(ing) Lot on the Lower East Side; and Matt Johnston, director of As You Like It for Boomerang’s production in Central Park.

Martin began by asking each to give a short introduction to their production, its location, and other pertinent details. This was followed by a lively discussion of such topics as “what’s different about directing outdoor Shakespeare”, “why Shakespeare and not some other classic play?”, “what’s the difference between producing during the day vs. nighttime”? Listeners will also hear about the audience and its impact on outdoor theatre and there’s even an exchange of ‘horror tales’ that have occured with outdoor producing.

This is an informative and fun episode. The main thing to learn is that this is possibly the most accessible theatre for everyone, as satisfying for novice theatre goers as it is for those well versed in classic theatre. And it is FREE and probably happening somewhere this summer at a park close to home.

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Episode #228 - Bouffon Glass Menajoree

prodmdd — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:21:53 +0000

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.

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Episode # 227 - 2nd Indie Theater Convocation

prodmdd — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:59:18 +0000

This episode is an invitation to folks in the indie theater community to attend the 2nd Indie Theater Convocation. The pertinent details for the Convocation are:

WHEN: Saturday, July 12, 2008 at 2:00PM
WHERE: Barrow Street Theatre, 27 Barrow Street

Martin Denton, founder/host of the Convocation, leads the discussion on this podcast. He’s joined by John Clancy and Paul Bargetto, both of whom were at the 1st Ever Indie Theater Convocation two years ago, and both of whom are driving the creation of the League of Independent Theater.

All three talk about the history leading up to the Convocation, from the origin of the term “Indie Theater” to the 1st Ever Indie Theater Convocation, which was held on April 9, 2006, and which led directly to the expansion of the indietheater.org website, the development of two nytheatrecast series (Indie Theater Now and Indie Theater Life), and the founding of the League of Independent Theater.

John recalls one of the pivotal moments in the development of the League, which occurred at the Convocation. (”It happened when I said ‘No’,” Martin recalls.)

The remainder of the podcast is devoted to talking about what’s planned for the Convocation.

We hope that indie theater artists will listen to this podcast and attend the Convocation, which is all about energizing and empowering this community to spread the word about the excellent quality of indie theater in New York City. The Convocation will feature updates and announcements from Martin Denton, nytheatrecast host Trav S.D., and an invitation to become a charter member of the League of Independent Theater.

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Episode #226 - The Leonard Jacobs Show with Tim Errickson

prodmdd — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:01:49 +0000

Leonard Jacobs returns with a new segment of this interview series. His guest is Tim Errickson, head of The Dish (a community of indie theatre companies) and artistic director of Boomerang Theatre Company which is celebrating its tenth year.

There’s great comraderie between Leonard and Tim so the conversation flows easily. Tim talks first about the history of The Dish which was formed in 2001 by Zack Mannheimer. He tells us of Zack’s vision for the group and how this has evolved over the years, especially since he took the helm.

Leonard questions Tim about Boomerang’s 10th anniversary season and why and how they produce in repertory during their fall season. There’s lots of interesting ideas and thoughts here.

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Episode #225 - Indie Theatre Life Special: Being a Parent and a Theatre Artist

prodmdd — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:09:07 +0000

The popular segment “Indie Theatre Life” returns with an extra special episode. Three prominent Indie artistic directors, Jessica Davis-Irons of AndHow!, Robert Lyons of SoHo Think Tank, and Susan Bernfield of New Georges, gather together for a roundtable discussion of the challenges of being both a parent and a theatre artist. This is an insightful and often humorous episode.

Jessica originated and put together this interesting group and tells us early on how she was directing a play written by Robert while she was pregnant and needing and getting advice from Susan about how to carry on her career as motherhood became imminent.

The three recount anecdotes about their experiences having their small children around as they try to rehearse, tech, and put on a show. We hear tales of Jessica’s 2 year old’s tech adventures with a screw driver and saw; Susan’s two pre-teen boys offering advice about a possible show she should produce; and Robert’s 13 year old’s becoming part of the production.

The discussion offers much advice that will be valuable to anyone in the indie theater world who is also coping with the challenges of parenthood.

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Episode #224 - soloNOVA Arts Festival Preview

prodmdd — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 02:13:50 +0000

This is the fifth year of the soloNOVA Arts Festival, a festival made up of the best of the best solo performers according to Jennifer Conley Darling, producing artistic director. On this podcast you will listen to excerpts from four of the performers and hopefully you will agree with Jennifer.

Martin Denton begins by introducing Jennifer and they talk quickly about the history of the festival and Jennifer gives a very short synopsis of the four performances not being excerpted on this episode. Then with the dulcet tones of the autoharp begins an excerpt from Julia May Jonas’ Take Heart, the recounting of a child liar both humorous and touching.

Next up is Sally: M.I.A, written and performed by Krista DeNio. Martin remarks about her unique headgear and Krista replies that listeners will have to see it to understand it. Krista does a short excerpt from her surreal techno-tragedy and the sound effects are all done by her.

Last Laugh is Eric Lockley’s rendition of two black performers who begin to confuse performance and reality. Listening you really get the feel that two very distinct performers are at the mike but it’s all Eric.

We close with Moana Niumeitolu, writer, performer, and painter of Tongue-in Paint. You can’t see the paintings that are part of the show (you’ll have to attend for that) but you will hear her performing one of the 13 assorted characters she portrays.

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Episode #223 - The Reckoning of Kit & Boots and Hope’s Arbor

prodmdd — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 04:00:40 +0000

The episode opens with an excerpt from The Reckoning of Kit & Little Boots performed by Nat Cassidy (playwright and actor) and David Ian Lee (actor). We are given a real feel for this play in this short scene between the Roman Emperor Caligula and Marlowe, the writer.

Martin Denton moderates a discussion with Neal Freeman and Anna Moore, co-producers of The Reckoning… and Hope’s Arbor. Most interesting is why and how these two plays are being done in repertory and, even more unusual, the fact that this three week run will have its first two weeks at The Gallery Players in Brooklyn and its third week at Manhattan Theatre Source in Manhattan.

Martin leads a discussion of what each play is about and how the choice of doing them represents a sort of ‘mashup’ that really seems to work. Actress Lauren Marcus gives a taste of Hope’s Arbor as she renders one of the short monologues in this play.

Stay tuned for the end of the podcast when Neal offers listeners a “cast, friends, and family” discount if you offer the appropriate code when ordering tickets.

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