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Review: Their Cool World

May 22, 2019, 9:00 am
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By Michael Block

No matter who you are, there is an artist inside each of us. While we may express our art in various forms, being able to showcase our imagination is a gift in itself. The extraordinary team over at Actionplay, led by Aaron Feinstein, has given a wonderful gift to a group of artists by allowing them to create their own show. Since October, a group of artists on the Autism spectrum came together in the AIMS Improv Musical-Comedy Workshop to create a brand new musical. For an hour and a half for twenty-six Sundays, the company devised what we now know as Welcome to My World. The one act musical, featuring the Inclusive Actionplay Chorus, is nothing short of an artistic celebration.
Welcome to My World is a unique story about a young girl with Autism written and told through the lens of Autism. The story follows Aliza, a young girl on the spectrum with big dreams and a grand imagination. When a friend moves away for the summer, she searches for a new one and ends up finding a connection with a girl from comic book and another galaxy. Claudia is sent to Earth to study the specimen but ends up discovering a stronger bond with her new Earth friend. At the heart of the piece is a celebration of acceptance. No matter what makes you different, it’s ok!
As the driving character of the piece, Natalie Kaiser as Aliza was the pulse of Welcome to My World. The amount of heart she brought on the stage was boundless. Kaiser has tons of fun from start to finish. As her new pal Claudia, Emmalee M. Weinstein had an extraordinary journey as she had fun playing the outsider in our world. One of the highlights of the night was certainly the song “Fix It” featuring Shafer Goodkind as Dr. Dad. Goodkind played up the goofy nature of the song to become a real standout.
Opportunities to create art in a safe and uplifting environment should be celebrated and Actionplay does just that. Whether you’re a friend of the company or just a lover of the arts, this is a group to keep on your radar as they continue to share their work.
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Block Talk- Episode 117: Make Mike Watch Black Swan

May 31, 2019, 8:15 am
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In this edition of Make Mike Watch, prima ballerina Aria Derci joins me to dissect the psychological thriller Black Swan!

To listen to the podcast, download and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, or Stitcher!
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Spotlight On...Bob Clyman

June 3, 2019, 12:02 pm
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Name: Bob Clyman

Hometown: The Bronx

Education: Ph.D. in Psychology

Favorite Credits: Secret Order, The Exceptionals and maybe Tranced.  In no particular order.  After those three, it all depends on which day you ask me. 

Why theater?: I find great dialogue more exciting than any other single element in any art form, not just theatre.

Tell us about To She Who Waits?: It's about a mother-daughter relationship that may or may not have been damaged beyond repair.  When Meg left her husband, Jack, three years ago, she agreed to leave their 13-year-old daughter, Hannah, stay with him briefly, while found a job and a place for them to live.  However, during those three years, Jack and their increasingly extreme religious community have kept her from seeing Hannah.  Now that Jack has died, after making the church Hannah's legal guardian, Meg finally has a good lawyer, who is dedicated to fighting the church's encroachment on parental rights and convinces the judge to order 12 visits for Meg with Hannah.  But to have any shot at getting custody, Meg will have to convince her now 16-year-old, openly hostile daughter, who adamantly believes that Meg abandoned her, to leave the only life she has known, her church family and the place they've been waiting, certain that God will come for them any day, in order to move to a secular world, where the only person she'll know is the mother who left her behind.

What inspired you to write To She Who Waits?: I work with an high-conflict families in the middle of angry divorces.  I've never met people more desperate than parents who are fighting over custody of their children, and no irreconcilable difference raises the stakes more than disagreements over religion.  In addition to all the usual reasons for viewing their exes with unbounded animosity, these parents believe their children's souls are at stake.  But while my deep involvement these families helps to explain why I wrote this, it is only one of the reasons I could have mentioned, and those are just the conscious ones.  The truest explanation almost certainly comes from a murkier place that I couldn't begin to describe.   

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Plays in which I can't afford to stop paying attention for even a second, because every word counts.  I've always been drawn to British playwrights.  While they obviously don't have a monopoly on this, so many of them seem undaunted by the challenge of dramatizing complex, layered subjects, whether philosophical or political, which they're able to handle with crisp, pointed economy while still managing to be funny as hell.  Out of those writers, the few who are also highly theatrical and freakishly inventive, like Caryl Churchill, are the ones I usually go back to, when I need someone more inspiring than me to inspire me. 

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Caryl Churchill, if she can spare the time. 

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Most recently?  The Ferryman.  Maybe because I'm living in an era of small cast plays, when anyone who decides to write a play for more than four actors does so at his or her peril, I get very excited by plays like The Ferryman or Ruined or almost anything by Brian Friel, which can actually show a community in action instead of merely refering to one offstage. 

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I think I'll pass on that.

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: That's hard to answer, because any play I love, I can read, which isn't the same but for me a pretty good alternative.   The only reason I would go through the effort of traveling back in time, just to see a play, is if it were the first production of an early play by a writer who created an exciting new voice, so I could hear it fresh – before my experience of hearing it could be shaped by the writer' eventual reputation and all copies with minor variations that followed.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: I'll definitely pass on that.  It's probably becoming clear why I'm not on social media.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: If I were still the me I am now, I would love to be a bioethicist -- as long as I wouldn't have to either go to medical school or learn too much science that's really, really hard, before someone would hire me.  If I were the me with talents I don't begin to possess, I would be part of the Yankees' starting rotation.  Maybe their number two starter, because if let myself wish to be the number one starter, there's a much greater chance of being struck dead. 

What’s up next?: I've started writing a play about Doomsday Preppers.  As with just about everything I write, I'm having fun taking on a subculture that baffles and troubles me, in the hope that I'll be able to understand its members better and write a play that even they would consider fair. 

For more on Bob, visit https://www.bobclyman-playwright.com/
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Spotlight On...Michael Kelly

June 3, 2019, 12:09 pm
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photo by Dorothy Shi
Name: Michael Kelly

Hometown: Massapequa, NY

Education: Undergrad, Eastman School of Music, Grad, The Juilliard School, Post grad, Opernstudio with Zürich Opera

Select Credits: Recent appearances include: As One (Opera Idaho, NY City Opera), Fred in Kiss Me Kate (St. Petersburg Opera), Bernstein’s Mass (Mostly Mozart Festival), Messiah (Seattle Symphony), Sondheim’s Passion (Theatre du Châtelet), The Last Rose by David Del Tredici (Symphony Space), Songs, Drones and Refrains of Death by George Crumb (New World Symphony), recitals in Carnegie Hall, Neue Galerie, Kennedy Center in collaboration with celebrated pianists Kathleen Kelly, Malcolm Martineau, Jonathan Ware, and Brian Zeger. Michael can be heard on recordings for Naxos and eOne by composers Mohammed Fairouz and David Del Tredici, and seen in the documentary Secret Music about the life of Del Tredici. I am the curator of the newly-released baritone volume of art songs for NewMusicShelf’s Anthology of New Music.

Why theater?: The combination of words and music gets me out of bed every day. I love to communicate raw emotion through this medium, under lights, in a costume, or simply in an intimate setting, one on one with the audience. It all has the power to magnify and bring into focus things that mere words cannot express. I am consistently inspired to be the mirror that is held up to humanity. To share the kinds of stories that help us grow and better understand the more intense aspects of our civilization and our human nature.

Tell us about As One: As One is an opera written five years ago by the brilliant composer Laura Kaminsky and her co-librettists Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed. It tells the story of Hannah, a transgender woman searching for her true self. We see her at various points along her journey of discovering her gender path as she comes to terms with who she is. The piece is remarkably intimate with only two singers portraying Hannah before and after her transition, and a simple string quartet as accompaniment. As One manages to break down the barriers of fear and misunderstanding that many people have about the trans community by making Hannah’s story a universal portrayal of a human being brave enough to seek out her true self despite feeling “other”.
 
What is it like being a part of As One?: This is a role that I felt drawn to play since its inception. When it premiered in Brooklyn no one could have foreseen its immense success. It’s now the most produced contemporary opera in America with NY City Opera’s production being the 27th in just five years. It’s such a timely and needed story through a medium that has the power to open your heart to the trans community and their struggles. It brings me such joy to be able to spread this beautiful message of love and acceptance, and to have the opportunity to give back to my LGBTQ family. The trans experience is a unique one that needs to be shared, and the more exposure to their stories that the world has, the better the world will understand their needs and how to protect them from the many dangers they face. I believe that if every cis gender person had the chance to get to know a trans person, we wouldn’t need to fight for their protections at every level of government. But until that time, we must keep telling their stories.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I find inspiration everywhere. I try to diversify the kinds of art and music that I ingest. You just never know when something will spark an idea for a project or recital program or a cabaret. But I have to say, bold art, theater that takes risks (sometimes even risking to be simple), and music and artist that push boundaries are what really get me going. Glenda Jackson playing King Lear comes to mind immediately.  Opera singers Like Isabel Leonard and Anthony Roth Costanzo, who challenge traditional presentation of the art form inspire me. Musicians like Ani DiFranco and St. Vincent who play with words and style/genre make me hungry. Artists like Matthew Barney and Nick Cave who challenge the lines between art and theater inspire me to create.

What’s your favorite showtune?:“Move On” from Sunday in the Park with George by Sondheim. Gets me every time.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Björk. That is a creative brain that I would love to experience.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: My co-star in As One, Blythe Gaissert says Matthew Goode would play me. I love this choice. He’s gentle and intense all at once.  Two qualities I pride myself on. I have always joked that I would steal the title of the Barbara Gordon novel "Dancing As Fast As I Can" for the title of my movie.  But a more appropriate title might be Loud Noises, "Blinding Lights".

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: The original cast of Sweeney Todd!  Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett... I believe that would have been life-affirming. Are you noticing a Sondheim obsession yet?

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I told everyone I know to go see Dialogues of the Carmelites at The Metropolitan Opera. It was the best thing I’ve seen there in a long time. Theater wise, I highly recommended Bridges of Madison County after I saw it, and I dragged my mother with me to see Angels in America and then couldn’t shut up about it for months afterwards.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: I actually don’t have many vices. I live a pretty simple life and take very good care of myself. But I can’t say no to a delicious gelato.

What’s up next?: After opening night of As One with New York City Opera (on May 30th!) I head to Chicago for a recital with Kathy Kelly and Ariana Strahl. The repertoire is from the song anthology I curated last year. When we close As One I start rehearsals for a residency at The Crested Butte Music Festival. There I will be performing Schubert’s Die Schöne Müllerin with guitarist David Leisner and then performances of Ricky Ian Gordon’s Green Sneakers with the Voxare String Quartet. August brings me to Memphis for another production of As One and then the season begins in September with recitals and performances with my trio, Brooklyn Art Song Society, As One in Columbus, Ohio, symphony appearances and collaborations with composers Victoria Bond, Scott Wheeler, and Tobias Picker.

For tickets, visit nycopera.com. For more on Michael, visit www.michael-kelly.com. For more on As One, visit www.asoneopera.com
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Block Talk- Episode 118: Vanna Deux

June 4, 2019, 1:47 pm
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Are you ready to Do the Deux? It's time to chat with everyone's favorite drunk aunt, Vanna Deux! 

To listen to the podcast, download and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, and Stitcher! 
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Block Talk- Episode 120: Michael Block

June 11, 2019, 12:42 pm
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Oh my lord how the tides have turned! The interviewer becomes the interviewee! But it's gonna take two to fill these shows! Nicole Onoscopi and Seraphim take the mic to interview Mike!

To listen to the episode, download and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, or Stitcher!


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Block Talk- Episode 121: Jacklynn Hyde

June 18, 2019, 12:56 pm
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Block Talk- Episode 22: Sherry Poppins

June 21, 2019, 1:00 pm
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Block Talk- Episode 123: Pride Edition- Coming Out Stories

June 25, 2019, 11:56 am
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It's my honor and pleasure to share a very special edition of Block Talk. I've asked eight amazing nightlife personalities to share their coming out stories in honor of Stonewall 50. I hope you enjoy this episode and please, if something impacted you in this episode, please reach out to us. Thank you to Aria Derci (@ariadercibaby), Emi Grate (@emigrate_drag), Haireola Grande (@haireolagrande), Heidi Haux (@heidithehaux), Kiki Ball-Change (@kikiballchange), Lindsey Kay (@lindseykaynyc), Patsy InDecline (@miss_patsy69) and Pussy Willow (@willowthatpuss).

To listen to the episode, download and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, or Stitcher!
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Block Talk- Episode 124: Kari Kerning

July 9, 2019, 11:36 am
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Block Talk- Episode 125: Make Mike Watch Meet the Robinsons

July 16, 2019, 11:49 am
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It's time to make me watch another movie! This time, Jacklynn Hyde and Seraphim made me watch a modern Disney marvel, Meet the Robinsons!

To listen to the podcast, visit Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, or Stitcher!
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Block Talk- Episode 126: Emi Grate

July 19, 2019, 2:15 pm
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Block Talk- Episode 127: Mike Sullivan

July 23, 2019, 8:41 am
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Drag artist and photographer Mike Sullivan joins me on Block Talk to talk about his amazing photo book, Spine & Clover!

To listen to the podcast, download and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, and Stitcher!
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Block Talk- Episode 128: Dragula Season 3 Preview

July 26, 2019, 5:05 pm
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I've got some real monsters to help me break down the brand new season of the Boulet Brother's Dragula! Seraphim and Zalika Parsons join me as my new cohosts for season 3!

To listen to the podcast, download and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, and Stitcher!
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Block Talk- Episode 131: Make Mike Watch Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

August 13, 2019, 12:42 pm
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It's happened! I finally watched Harry Potter! Well, the first one! In this series of Make Mike Watch, I'll be sitting down with some incredible panels to watch the entire Harry Potter series! And this one is a doozy! I'm joined by Aria Derci, Heidi Haux, and Haireola Grande to discuss the start of the series!

To listen to the podcast, visit Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, and Stitcher!
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Block Talk- Episode 132: Dragula Season 3 DragCap Episode 1

August 31, 2019, 5:04 pm
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Dragula is back with a brand new season and we're here to break it all down for you! Taking flight with me to discuss all things episode 1 is my favorite super villain, Seraphim!

To listen to the podcast, visit Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, or Stitcher! And leave a 5 star review while you're there!
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DragCon NYC 2019: The Looks from the Pink Carpet

September 10, 2019, 10:16 am
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DragCon NYC 2019 has concluded but the looks from the Pink Carpet will live on forever! We spent three days from opening to close with all of the incredible artists who graced the Javits Center! Did you miss all the fun this year? Better snag those tickets to DragCon UK, DragCon LA, or DragCon NYC when they go live at rupaulsdragcon.com! Or just listen to your favorite podcast, Block Talk! We will have a special DragCon NYC episode of Block Talk dropping soon. Download and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, or Stitcher to be the first to know when it airs! Here is just a sampling of the photos from the three day extravaganza! 

All photos courtesy of Leala Grindstaff

Novaczar

Divina de Campo (Drag Race UK)

Scardy Kat (Drag Race UK)

Gothy Kendoll (Drag Race UK)

Blu Hydrangea (Drag Race UK)

Vinegar Strokes (Drag Race UK)

Sum Ting Wong (Drag Race UK)

Baga Chipz (Drag Race UK)

The Vivienne (Drag Race UK)

Crystal (Drag Race UK)

Cheryl Hole (Drag Race UK)

Sitara

Heidi Haux, Lindsey Kay, Michael Block, Audrey Phoenix

Coco Taylor

Scott Curley

Ritzy Bitz

Bombalicious Eklaver

Art Simone

Tiffany Anne Coke and Lolita Golightly

Erika Klash (Dragula)

Audrey Phoenix

Gigi Deetz

Megami (Winner of DragCon's Cosplay for Your Life)

India Ferrah (Drag Race)

Fifi DuBois

Kahanna Montrese (Drag Race)

Avant Garbage

Bombalicious Eklaver

Nicole Onoscopi

Selma Nilla

Chelsea Piers

Pussy Willow and Jesse Kramer

Ritzy Bitz

Jasmine Rice LaBeija

Tina Twirler

Blair Bitch

Glamda the Fabulous

Boyish Charm

Lady Camden

Elektra Lite

Vinegar Strokes (Drag Race UK)

Maddelynn Hatter (Dragula)

Castrata

Kiki Ball-Change

Lagoona Bloo


Twinky Boots

Sigma

Scout Sonner

Jax

Sleigher

T Rex

Wigs by Conor, BFlare, Roshoshana Bean

Desiree Dik

Logan Stone

Jasmine Rice LaBeija

Strawberry Fields

Mrs. Kasha Davis (Drag Race)

Virginia Thicc

Blue

Zavaleta

Jacklynn Hyde

Angela Mansberry

Sleigher and Tony Boca Slater

Cissy Walken

Audrey Phoenix and Heidi Haux

Selma Nilla

Bombalicious Eklaver

Adriana Trenta

Tiffany Anne Coke and Nicole Onoscopi

Violencia Exclamation Point (Dragula) and St. Lucia (Dragula)


Bella Noche

Lolita Golightly


Christina Taylor

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Block Talk- Episode 133: Make Mike Watch Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

September 10, 2019, 2:15 pm
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It's time to Make Mike Watch another Harry Potter film and this time it's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets! I'm joined by Aria Derci, Nicole Onoscopi, and Pussy Willow to talk about all things HP2!

To listen to the podcast, download and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, and Stitcher! And leave a 5 star review while you're there!
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Block Talk- Episode 135: Dragula Dracap Episode 3

September 13, 2019, 1:59 pm
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It's time to recap another episode of Dragula season 3! Seraphim is back to rock and roll all night and tattoo everyday!

To listen to the podcast, download and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, and Stitcher!
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Block Talk- Episode 136: DragCon NYC 2019 Special

September 18, 2019, 10:40 am
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Another DragCon NYC is in the books! I was lucky to get to roam the DragCon floor again and have some incredible interviews with the stars of Drag Race, Dragula, Camp Wannakiki and right here in NYC!

You'll hear interviews with


- Honey Davenport (Drag Race Season 11) and The Vixen (Drag Race Season 10)
- Yuhua Hamasaki (Drag Race Season 10)
- Cynthia Lee Fontaine (Drag Race Season 8 and 9)
- Kennedy Davenport (Drag Race Season 7 and All Stars 3)
- Dusty Ray Bottoms (Drag Race Season 10)
- Iconic Team
- Kahanna Montrese (Drag Race Season 11)
- Akeria C. Davenport (Drag Race Season 11)
- Maddelynn Hatter (Dragula Season 3)
- Coco Taylor
- T. Rex (The Tea podcast)
- Darrienne Lake (Drag Race Season 6)
- Alexis Michelle (Drag Race Season 9)
- Chiffon Dior and Strawberry Fields (Werrrk.com)
- Monique Heart (Drag Race Season 10 and All Stars 4)
- Ongina (Drag Race Season 1)
- Abhora (Dragula Season 2)
- Disasterina (Dragula Season 2)
- St. Lucia and Violencia ExclamationPoint (Dragula Season 3)
- Jaidynn Diore Fierce (Drag Race Season 7)
- Sugarbaker Twins (Camp Wannakiki)
- Mrs. Kasha Davis (Drag Race Season 7)
- Tammie Brown (Drag Race Season 1 and All Stars 1)

To listen to the podcast, download and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, or Stitcher! 



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