Theater in the Now

Have you ever wondered about the concept of paper money? Like how have we accepted that paper is worth the denominations printed on them? Journey back to the origin of the first banks and you'll get your answer. The history of modern currency is explored in Matt Herzfeld's witty comedic romp The Improbable Fall, Rise, & Fall of John Law. Presented by Dreamscape Theatre at IRT, the Scot with an idea goes on an epic journey to change the face of money and greed as we know it.
To tell John Law's story, Herzfeld takes a dash of history and a pinch of comedy to tell the story of a man who lost everything to fight his way to gain it all back. With a cast of eight portraying nearly three dozen characters, Herzfeld's script wonderfully marries the Restoration period theatrics with a modern tongue. Though there are moments where Herzfeld's story feels more like a live history lesson, he manages to keep the piece entertaining. With an epic adventure and an incredulous cast of characters to encounter along the way, John Law's journey can be likened to Ibsen's Peer Gynt. Both tales follow a confident and slightly cocky man who is well-traveled and talks himself in and out of situations. And the comparisons go much deeper. The Improbable Fall, Rise, & Fall of John Law proves Herzfeld's intelligence but also displays his ability to overwrite. Clocking in almost at whopping three hours, with intermission, the play has material prime for the cutting. The Improbable Fall, Rise, & Fall of John Law is in desperate need of trimming. Virtually any scene in which John Law is not present or the focus of conversation can easily be eliminated. And then internally the scenes can be trimmed. While dramaturgically it makes sense as to why we see John sell his pitch to each individual, it's repetitive for the audience and loses its impact. With theatricality naturally built in, a tighter montage of bank pitches could help keep the momentum strong. Sadly Act II loses steam following the brilliant scene with the new king of France. Once the text gets tightened up, The Improbable Fall, Rise, & Fall of John Law is an entertaining piece.
The production happened to feature a wonderfully diverse and multi-talented cast. Showcasing their ability to create an array of characters, the ensemble worked well as one while finding their moments to dazzle. Taking on the titular role, Greg Carere was an engaging journeyer. With a whacky world surrounding him, Carere maintained a straight-man performance while still being interesting to watch. With so many characters to take on, the ensemble did a phenomenal job creating a cornucopia of personalities. They each had their own gimmick, whether it be through gender-bending, physicality, voice, or notoriety. The cohesiveness of the ensemble was strong but by far the winners within the ensemble were Rosie Sowa and Stephen James Anthony. Sowa’s highlights included a crazy in love woman in Miss Wilson and the hilariously bratty youth Louis XV. Sowa’s ability to transform between an array of types proved her worth as a performer and comedian. Anthony was relegated to some of the smaller roles but his senile Judge Lovell and absurdly villainous Duke of Orleans were some of the finer character portraits of the production. Other strong players included Fernando Gonzalez and Aurea Tomeski, a duo who often found themselves in the most ridiculously zany parts.

photo by Sergio Pasquareiello

Naturally by the length of text and the way the play moves, The Improbable Fall, Rise, & Fall of John Law is an epic comedy. Tackling it and bringing cohesion to the stage is no easy feat but director Brad Raimondo did an exquisite job. Though you could question why exactly there was no consistency when it came to accents, nearly every choice that Raimondo and his team made was strong and supported. To bring this journey play to the stage, scenic designer Joshua Rose turned the IRT Theater into a long alleyway to represent the playing space. It looked tight yet fit this world well. With various scenic elements that were turned into anything and everything, moving from scene to scene required Raimondo to use character-driven active transitions. This assisted to avoid monotony and sighs of yet another scenic shift. The most dynamic element of the set were the two long clothing racks that created barriers. At first glance you would have believed that every single costume would be pulled from these racks. Raimondo seldom utilized them, which is a shame. But when he did, it helped with the theatricality of the piece. Balancing the modern and period worlds, costume designer Caitlin Cisek utilized elements of both in her excellent design. She kept the ensemble in base costumes, often including jeans, while adding Restoration inspired pieces for each character. Like Cisek, Mark Van Hare’s score found a way to bring the two times together. Van Hare’s music allowed the transitions comes to life.
The Improbable Fall, Rise, & Fall isn’t for everyone. If you’re not a fan of history, this may not be the right play for you. Matt Herzfeld has a lot to work to do when it comes to finessing his script. But if you’re looking for a modern romp about money, The Dreamscape Theatre’s production is worth checking out.

We have become a society of talking points. No matter who you are or where you're from, there are hot button topics that have engulfed the conversation. From race to gender to sex, these themes are prevalent and tend to be a good source for an artistic conversation. But what happens if you try to put every single hot topic into one piece in order to answer the question of "who am I?" You get I Am Not An Allegory (these are people i know), an overstuffed examination of today.
Set up like one of those Hollywood flicks with a giant line up of celebrities portraying thin archetypes, Libby Emmons’ I Am Not An Allegory is a series of intertwining snapshots that feature the social media generation attempting to have real conversations. Though not necessarily plot driven, Emmons’ play is socially conscience. While she introduces elements of plot, I Am Not An Allegory is a social commentary that gets sucked up in two different directions. There is so much potential within Emmons’ text but she needs to decide whether to focus on plot or let the snapshots thrive through necessary conversation. As the play develops, we learn that all the characters are somehow connected. And many of their reveals are sadly cheap or forcefully funny. With so many characters to track, Emmons has very little time to capture clean character arcs. We are given snippets that felt forced. The struggle is that in the current state of the script, it's not working as Emmons likely hopes. A massive restructure may be in order. If plot is desired, perhaps offering the piece as four individual stories that borrow the other characters would allow the characters to receive the care they want. If social themes are more important, simply eliminating character connection, and potentially a handful of characters, is the move. Trying to fulfill both options is holding back Emmons’ intent. The other decision that needs to be made is where exactly this play lives. Direct addresses are a natural way to define theatricality but by having the characters pause and reveal their purpose of being characters written by a writer not only breaks the fourth wall, it blasts it down with no hope of repair. And it's extremely jarring. It adds to the commentary of social topics but directly opposes the glimmers of plot. You have to wonder whether the pay off of acknowledging the theatrics and the final questions posed was worth alienating the audience.

photo by Cody Gallagher

Whether is was Emmons’ writing or the combination of writing and acting, there were certainly much stronger characters with interesting ideas than others. There were characters that fit more of the lead role who were more dynamic. Those who served as devices fell flat. As a whole, the ensemble seemed to just move through the motions. It was not a strong, cohesive company. But that may be due to the characters’ lack of story. Wherever the play sits on the spectrum, Emmons trio of male characters were quite despicable human beings. Dan alone will make you cringe. Played by Mateo D’Amato, Dan is a misogynistic monster. There are certainly real people like him but man, on stage, Dan had no redeeming qualities. D'Amato was charming and did all he could to find substance in the character. And then there is Severin, played by Conor Daniel Bartam. Everyone has their sexual deviations but was the one Emmons chose really necessary for this piece? It felt like it served only for shock value reaction rather than for character. It literally could have been anything else and it would have served the same purpose for Sev and Ames story. The women of I Am Not an Allegory, on the other hand, had more hope in garnering sympathy. By far the most interesting character, played by the strongest actress, was baby momma Jess. Portrayed by Lindsay Perry, Jess was a little bit quirky but had a clear objective: to take care of her baby no matter the cost. Perry was able to joke her way through Jess’ vegetable webcam gig and still make you understand why she was doing it. Perry’s impeccable charisma and bright smile gave optimism to Jess. Perry, along with Natalya Krimgold’s Ames, managed to bring something out of the characters. When you have keen performers, those who don’t quite live up to the expectancies can tear down the promise. Sadly, there were some reciters in this cast. Bartram and Masonya Berry, as perhaps the world’s worst dance teacher Danesha, didn’t quite connect with the material or their scene partners.
There are undoubtedly right and wrong decisions when it comes to direction but a strong director will make a choice and stick to it. With Libby Emmons’ script already being all over the map, director Ali Ayala needed to pick a direction to take it and run with it. Ayala offered glimmers of theatricality by exploring the voyeuristic nature of the text. She would occasionally keep certain players on stage to watch the action, knowing that the character couldn’t actually see. It played nicely into the voyeurism in the final beat. That being said, whenever Ayala abandoned this conceit, it hurt her vision. Ayala tried to incorporate swift transitions in between scenes, often using those on stage to propel the action, but her use of the stage could have been stronger. Under St. Marks is a special space. It’s tight, especially for this size cast, but by isolating locations, it forced the actors to feel enclosed. Ayala should be commended though for her brilliant use of the bar area. If it’s there, utilize it! When the cult classic “Smash” invaded our televisions a few years back, there was often commentary on the problematic device of the characters acknowledging the grandeur of a performance that was in fact, not so good. In I Am Not an Allegory, we were granted the opportunity to witness Danesha and her dancing divas. While none of the characters commented on the content, from an audience perspective, seeing what we saw, those characters should ask a refund and demand their money back.
I Am Not an Allegory could be something so good and so necessary but it needs to go back to the drawing board. Libby Emmons has some fascinating things to say but sometimes the execution of how they’re said will give weight to their meaning. Unfortunately, with how this play is presented, it doesn’t come off so well. I Am Not an Allegory is driven by social commentary. It’s meant to make you uncomfortable. Just be thankful that the lights weren’t brought up on the audience in the final scene.

Every now and then you need to see something a little bit weird to remind you that the world of theater is so broad and filled with a plethora of ideas. But then sometimes that weird piece goes a little bit too far that you question just about everything you’re watching. Enter Theater Reconstruction Ensemble’s Rhinbecca, NY. Conceived and directed by John Kurzynowski, the play loosely blends the absurdity of Eugene Ionesco with the thrill of Alfred Hitchcock to offer a tall glass of eccentricity.
Known for dismantling and resembling classic texts and artists, Theater Reconstruction Ensemble’s latest offering may be their craziest yet. While you may ask yourself how exactly Hitchcock and Ionesco can converge at an exultant crossroad, Kurzynowski and his merry band of players manage to back it up. But loose is a very kind word when describing the inspiration. At the core of the play, Rhinbecca, NY goes on the search for self as Don, a stranger, comes to town searching for answers. As he arrives, he learns that the revered mayor has gone missing. Or has he? With a fast-talking ensemble, Rhinbecca, NY is a series of vignettes that come together to create a commentary on the absurdity of self. If you expect to see something in the normal spectrum of theater, you have come to the wrong place. Even on the spectrum of devised theater, Rhinbecca, NY seems to defy the norms. With an extremely thin through line to work off of, the piece can only be examined by each individual beat. With so much going on, some of it worked, a lot of it didn’t. From bits that included a description slinging of the missing mayor (that at times could have been describing Hitchcock himself) to a lip-sync extravaganza of the classic “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” to a fourth wall shattering explanation of the action via program reading time, Rhinbecca, NY trampled through The Brick like a rhino on the loose. There's a natural quirkiness when it comes to devised theater. It's a journey to create and present the final product. It means something to the artists involved. But there needs to be an element of accessibility to the uninformed audience. To the people who are not privy to the creation process and the questions that arise in the rehearsal room. Rhinbecca, NY is an exceptionally interesting work of art. But do you leave pondering the questions the piece poses or do you question just exactly what you witnessed.

photo by Suzi Sadler

The ensemble should be lauded for their ability to work as a unit and never falter. Comprised of Harlan Alford, Sam Corbin, Emily Marro, Anastasia Olowin, Jon Riddleberger, Lauren Swan-Postras, and Nathaniel Basch-Gould as Don, this ensemble was one. Though they were connected, Riddleberger and Corbin garnered just a little extra notice. Naturally, Basch-Gould was the primary focus of the piece and he lived up to expectation.
John Kurzynowski guided his ensemble through this intricate world. No matter how you felt about the product, Kurzynowski brought bold choices to the stage and stood by them. Still, Rhinbecca, NY brought up questions that are bound to have interesting answers. Like the purpose of the pre-show announcement in the state that it was in, especially when the play restarts it’s different, and why did costume designer Joseph Wolfslau have the ensemble in workout attire. The open floor plan that Kurzynowski used for the piece allowed his ensemble use the entirety of the playing space but with such an elongated stage to work with, every seat had its woes. Nevertheless, you were never skimped on action feet away from you. The most incredible element of the production design was the lighting from Marika Kent. Kent offered a unique colorscape for each beat and made haze her best friend. As difficult as it may have been to see at times, the pay off was well worth it.
Simply put, Rhinbecca, NY is for those looking for something out of the ordinary. If you’re wiling to throw away your inhibitions and let the weirdness take you on a journey, Theater Reconstruction Ensemble will gladly guide you. But if you’re someone who is likely to question just the slightest thing, you’ll likely leave asking yourself why to everything.

We all want to do right. Whether it be in love, work, or life, we want to prove our worth by succeeding at whatever is the task at hand. But have you ever stopped to question just exactly the logistics of said task at hand? Morality and ethics are put on blast in Aaron Loeb’s conspicuously dark comedic thriller Ideation. When a group of corporate consultants are brought together to create a mysterious project for a client, they begin to question just what exactly they’re doing and who the project is really for.
Aaron Loeb’s Ideation follows junior associates Brock, Ted, and Sandeep as they return home from Crete to work on a presentation for a project they spent a month researching. When Hannah, their senior, adds herself to the team, the quartet find themselves forced to dream up a plan for mass murder. But is this project for human conservation or complete genocide? That’s the question they begin to ponder. With paranoia filling the room, Ideation is a perverse and voyeuristic attempt to question society’s morality. Loeb’s script starts off incredibly slow with a slew of corporate lingo, as we believe we are watching a drab brainstorming meeting. But as subtle clues and hints begin to surface, the consultants wonder what they’re actually doing. Are they being tested because who in their right mind can morally create a device that will destroy the human race, whether for preservation or extermination? Loeb’s examination of human ethics is a fascinating idea. He sprinkles just enough information to cast a shadow of doubt on each individual and scenario. But in the end, Ideation is like the hit sci-fi tv thriller “Lost.” So many unanswered questions when we reach the blackout. Ambiguity is always welcome but sometimes it’s unsatisfactory. And in this situation, being left to decide the answers felt like a cop out. With a room full of people running around paranoid, trying to figure out who’s aligned with whom and how to get the upper hand, Ideation is like watching reality television like “Big Brother” and “The Mole.” Though those two programs are likely more entertaining. And shockingly, more realistic. Loeb does do a great job bringing themes forward that forces you to ponder. The existential crises that the characters are caught in are varied, each representing a different vantage point. It allows for natural conflict to arise. Despite that, there is a slight evolution of character, though it mostly is a psychological change.

photo by Carol Rosegg

Captivation is essential in bringing Ideation to life. Luckily once the business exposition is done, the ensemble does a fine job keeping things interesting. The standout of the bunch is the raucously ostentatious Mark Anderson Phillips as Brock. Phillips has shades of Ed Helms on “The Office.” He uses his physical comedy to his advantage. His over-the-top nature worked to bring out the comedic elements from the darkness. The other big personality came from glorified assistant with a superiority complex, Scooter. Played with ease by Ben Euphrat, Scooter may have seldom appeared, Euphrat left you wanting more. There was a vivid intrigue in Scooter as you wanted to know just who this corporate brat was and what his true purpose was in this machine aside from being the pesky cog. As the lady with the power who cowered in fear, Carrie Paff brought confidence to the stage. Paff’s presence was notable. She made Hannah a strong woman but sadly when love got in the way, Hannah’s weakness shined through. Michael Ray Wisely as family man Ted played the moral conscience of the group. Ted seemed to be a Southern gent though Wisely went in and out of dialect. And the bigger it got, the more noticeable it became when it dropped. As Sandeep, Jason Kapoor had the most problematic part. His attendance played more like a device. Kapoor played into the drama from his first line to his melodramatic departure.
The thing about Ideation is that Loeb’s script is stylistically varied. It jumps from absurdist to melodrama to farce with a snap of the finger. Bringing it cohesively together is the job of the director. Josh Costello found a through line but it was bit jagged. The stylistic transitions, especially when it came to Sandeep, wanted to be smoothed out. Though Loeb didn’t offer answers to many of the questions he posed, we needed to believe Costello knew the answers but it didn’t seem clear that he did. From a production standpoint, Ideation was very sleek. The set by Bill English was stark yet glitzy. But one giant question that the set raised was why didn’t this conference room have a door. If the project the team was working on was so secret, wouldn’t they be fearful of other employees listening? Even if it were a pocket door, some sort of closure was desperately desired. The costumes from Abra Berman fit the traits of each character. Whether it was slick and tight for Scooter, bold and brassy for Brock, or powerful and sexy for Hannah, the costumes matched the characters well.
Ideation is likely a polarizing play in the sense of satisfaction. You may not be thrilled with the outcome or you may find it perfectly accurate to life. Either way, Aaron Loeb has forced you to feel something. But if you're looking to watch a bunch of overly paranoid people in a room, you might as well watch a reality show. “Big Brother” does offer live feeds every summer.

Name: Mel Nieves

Hometown: New York City

Education: William Esper Studio/LAByrinth Theatre Company/Actors Studio Playwright-Director Unit

Favorite Credits: Producer of Tenn99, a 72 hour marathon reading celebrating the works and 99th birthday of Tennessee Williams for the LAByrinth Theatre Company

Why theater?: Why not?

Tell us about The Cost Of Exposure: The Cost of Exposure is s about two people at the crossroads of their lives who must confront a pass that they've both been running away from and can no longer. I'm sure there are other things to say about what the play is about, but I'll leave that to the audience.

What inspired you to write The Cost of Exposure?: I really don't know. I usually start a play by having two people talking and eventually as the conversation progresses certain issues and differences of opinions tend to pop up that have to be dealt with and hopefully what has to be dealt with is compelling enough to build a play on.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: The type of stories that respond to are the ones that evoke something that I experience in my everyday life, some are universal like love, loss, fear, wants and desires, etc. and some experiences may not be but they connect to you in some way. Various forms of music are quite inspiring, Marlon Brando, Arthur Miller, William Goldman, Aaron Sorkin, John Patrick Shanley, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Paul Cezanne, Roberto Clemente and Tom Seaver among others.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: As an actor Francis Ford Coppola and as a writer Elia Kazan

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Between Riversideand Crazy, Prodigal Son

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: A young Dustin Hoffman and it will be called "The Eternal Apprenticeship"

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: Original production of A Streetcar named Desire

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Star Trek

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: A much less interesting person

What’s up next?: A film I'll be acting in that's shooting at the end of April, a workshop of a new play of mine in May and a screenplay that I'm currently working on for a director/producer that shoots in Florida in September and last but not least teach my 3rd, 4th & 5th graders about storytelling.

No one ever said saying goodbye was easy. Just ask the characters in Eric Gilde’s grief play the goodbye room. Following the death of her mother, a woman finds herself back home picking up the pieces of a shattered family while facing the demons of her past. Presented by Happy Few Theatre Co., the goodbye room explores the world of grief through a healing few rounds of the blame game.
Written and directed by Eric Gilde, the goodbye room brings Bex, the oldest daughter, home to Minnesota where she must help her sister and father prepare for the funeral of her mother. As we learn about the facts surrounding the death, a single tragedy forces reconciliation through memory of the happier times. With a floor full of eggshells, the characters must navigate through the past to forge a hopeful future. Gilde's script is brimming with sentiment. Whether you've experienced loss before, the connections created through his characters ring true. But with a piece where the characters are forced to rehash the past and dig up the forgotten, it causes repetition and an inability to grow and move on. For the most part, remembering was an inactive action for the characters. It rarely fueled their fire. Paring down these moments will allow the piece to continually move forward because when there is present action, it's stunning. While the piece could use some streamlining and compacting the repetitive beats, finding a way to have the characters grow together through the past could be beneficial. We see a glimmer of that through the late night sister bonding session, so Gilde is on the right track. Aside from the family, Gilde introduces a family friend in Sebastian. We learn that Sebastian was a source of crushing for Maggie and there is infinite romantic tension between Sebastian and Bex. Sebastian is a defining character in the course in the story. The will they-won’t they element between Bex and Sebastian is nice to watch, but when Bex finally makes her decision, you end up a little baffled. Is it the right choice? But the most interesting element of the Sebastian story is his big secret he reveals to Edgar. While it’s a severely contrived moment that allows Sebastian and Edgar to be alone but the severity of Sebastian’s not telling Edgar of his late wife’s dizzy spell sadly feels a little minimal in the stakes game. Perhaps beefing up what the secret is or what her accident is will heighten the stakes that do need to be amped up. But these tiny moments could be explored with a separate set of eyes in the directing chair asking the important questions.

photo by Colin Shepherd

The quartet of actors did a nice job avoiding a ninety minute heavy woe-is-me fest. As Bex, Ellen Adair had a heightened aura bout her. She has a whimsical allure that occasionally gets in the way of Gilde’s modern text. As her high-strung sister Maggie, Sarah Killough was flailing about with her intentions. While the event was surely traumatic for Maggie, Killough did play the victim in nearly every situation, which could be a form of grief. We learn that there is a giant wedge between Bex and Maggie. It explains the rigidity in many of the early scenes. But when their inhibitions are down and Bex and Maggie are sisters again, it displayed Adair and Killough’s finest moments on stage. Michael Selkirk played into the lost soul element of Edgar. While he didn’t appear as much as the others, Selkirk made his moments last. The strongest performance though was Craig Wesley Divino as Sebastian. He was simply fantastic. There was a natural ease to his performance that made him alluring.
With the exploration of the blame game being a strong theme in the goodbye room, Eric Gilde did a fine job guiding his company. Despite having a tight space to play with, it never felt cumbersome. Scenic designer Justin Spurtz did a great job curating the space to create a living room stuck in the past. Though the wallpaper wasn’t perfectly applied, it did help transform The Bridge. Sound designer Jacob Subotnick brought sound isolation to the production which allowed the play to live in the proper world.
Moving forward, Gilde really could benefit from a fresh set of eyes to steer the piece to the next level. the goodbye room doesn’t present anything new but it is an accessible story.

Name: Paul-Cosma Cimpoieru

Hometown: Bucharest / Romania / Europe

Education: Off the street

Why theater?: There is no theater, or dance, or non-verbal.... it's just a way to "speak", to show and to share dreams, messages, emotions, etc...

Tell us about Homo Americanus: Homo Americanus is an American experience. It is a total experience. Using music and dance, the Hero fervently explores a Romanian/Artist immigrant’s experiences in the Big Apple. From the subways, bodegas, tourists, Uptown, Downtown, he reveals through this interpretive dance work what it feels like to wake up in the city that never sleeps and strive to be a part of it.

What inspired you to write Homo Americanus?: Homo Americanus is about Life.... and is like writing a book: never know where is the border between real life and fiction, between me and the projections of me... in 2015 I got a fellowship @ Actors Studio as a performer / non-verbal actor (not usual for their policy) and so I came and lived in NYC for about 6 months.... This show is a story about any new comers arrived in New York with their goals, dreams, hopes... it's clash of cultures, civilizations told with a lot of humor and sensibility! There is a lot of empathy with the Hero cause, in a very unusual way, in NYC we are all immigrants!

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I use to call my work in theater as "montage of emotions"! The emotions are the structure of the performance and they will conduct the story.. I am inspired by images, sounds, smells, colors.....

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: hahhaa! Would you introduce me to Robert (Bob) Wilson, Romeo Castellucci, Nederlands Dance Theater, Kim-Ki Duk, Wong Kar-Wai (film)

What show have you recommended to your friends?:Hey, Girl! (Romeo Catesllucci)... and some performances from NY Joyce Theater!

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: the movie - it was done already ;) title: "About the man and the fish"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkBPNMRtXZA There will be a big dilemma for me: casting between Johnny (Depp), Keanu (Reeves) or the fish!!!

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: I would die to see... A Streetcar Named Desire (Marlon Brando) and Looking for Richard (Al Pacino)

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: "Dolce far niente" - dreaming!

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be ______?: Rugby / Soccer Coach (I practiced for years and I have the skills to motivate the team to fight / to faith / to win)!

What’s up next?: DUAF Award !

Name: Nelson Diaz-Marcano

Hometown: Gurabo, PR

Education: BFA in Cinema and Cultural Studies from Stony Brook University

Favorite Credits: Prison Song (DUTF 13, Midwinter Madness Festival), Revolucion: A Love Story (The Secret Theater), Sweating Bullets (Thespis Theater Festival, Ophelia Theater Workshop Series)

Why theater?: That has a simple answer: Some stories are better told on stage. The funny part is theater was not ever on my radar till I decided to take an acting class out of nowhere. I took the class when I was 19 because I was thinking of becoming a film director and thought I needed to know how to act. Valeri Lantz-Gefroh was my professor and she changed the course of my life. From my involvement in theater I started to write regularly, grew as an artist, and got experience in the power of many art forms. This helped me realize how they are just all tools to ultimately achieve the same goal, which is to tell these stories. I know who I am because of theater.

Tell us about Radical:Radical is a dark play, probably my darkest, because it is about the loss of hope. It is about the crumbling of a society made by its own people, created by the fact that the upper classes did not want to include anyone else. The only thing the poor have over the rich is hope for something better; on September 11, 1973, they took that away from the lower classes in Chile. Having said that, it is definitely the most intense and fast paced play I have ever written. It’s not a snorefest, the darkness is there, but you won’t be able to acknowledge it since you will be too busy catching your breath.

What inspired you to write Radical?: I wrote a play before this one, Revolucion: A Love Story, that dealt with the Cuban revolution and how families were destroyed. From my research on that play I became fascinated by communism, socialism, Operation Condor, but more importantly, Salvador Allende. I wanted to tell this story because I thought it was amazing how little Americans know about him, about 9/11/73, the United States’ involvement, and what that country went through after. But I think more importantly here is what inspired me to submit it to this festival, and that was how incredibly poignant it is now. I didn’t set to write something this relevant, but it is, and that scares the hell out of me. The class division, the gun debate, the rise of the military, an insane person with power… I mean Trump could easily become another Pinochet.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Innovation. Importance. As artists we have a responsibility, it’s not all lights and curtains. It’s about using what you have and educating when you can. We have a weapon, our talent, and we get to use it as we want in this country. Everyone nowadays is pointing fingers and accusing, screaming, assuming… we have the power to entertain them while letting them know that all of that is pointless. Through our stories we can reach whole communities. Yes not everything has to be that serious, but who says telling the truth has to be dramatic. So that kind of theater, innovative and bold theater that uses stage magic to wow us and at the same time makes us pick up a book after. I like to be rattled. And those who follow this; Spike Lee, Edward Albee, Paul Thomas Anderson, Alejandro G. Iñarritu, Neil Gaiman… they inspire me to always think outside the box but inside society.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: In an ideal world Paul Thomas Anderson would ask me to write a movie for him or I would get to have Ian McKellen do a show of mine. I would co-write with Neil Gaiman or let Ennio Morricone do the music to my show. But in a more realistic way, I would love to work with this actor who used to go to college at the same time as me, his name is Andy Lucien. He’s taking NYC by storm.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: From the festival? or in general? If it’s from the festival there are many plays I want to see, and I have different friends willing to come! I have a broken foot at the moment so we’ll see to how many I can go to in the end. If it’s around now, anything by Mind The Arts Entertainment. Also there’s two shows coming this month that peaked my interest Locust Have No Kings by J. Julian Christopher and When We Wake Up Dead by Dennis A. Allen II. These are very good writers, and if you are not following them you are missing out.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Adam Driver, hands down. Look at the picture. Tell me you don’t agree. It will be called “Those Big Old Ears and What was Between Them”

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: The original production of The Pillowman definitely. So many, but I always regret missing that one.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: B-movies, b-anything. I love the unaltered, craziness that comes from it, and the freedom of expression. Even if they are terrible!

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: A filmmaker, journalist, or editor.

What’s up next?: Who knows, the world? Ha! I have a webseries in development at the moment with the fantastic Xavier Rodney, and a couple of projects being discussed in film. But my biggest drive right now, and it happened because of working on this play again, is to finish the Latin American trilogy of Revolucion and Radical with a play called Revolt. It will be my most personal work, since it has to do with Puerto Rico and its identity after the United States took us over. To say I’m both excited and scared is an understatement.

Spoiler. This play ends in death too. But if you know what happens in Romeo and Juliet, this should come of no surprise. Playwright Laura Hirschberg takes the characters of The Bard's romance about star-crossed lovers and gives one of the supporting characters the spotlight in a reimagined prequel of sorts. Verona Walls, presented by The Workshop Theater, explores the love life of Romeo's bestie Mercutio in a place and time bending universe where anything is allowed, and apparently accepted.

photo by Gerry Goodstein

Romeo and Juliet is a classic and completely over-produced so finding a means to explore these characters in a new form is enticing. But deciding how to adapt this world and characters is integral. In Verona Walls, Hirschberg uses the oft fan favorite prequel device, only the style she incorporates is a conglomeration of periods, references, and dialogue that don't really compliment one another. Hirschberg sets the scene as Shakespeare's Verona but honestly, what is Shakespeare's Verona? According to this production it's modern but not entirely. It’s a Verona where The Beatles music drives the action and the boys, Romeo, Mercutio, and Ben(volio), find themselves lost in love. Since Romeo has his own play, focusing on the origin story of Mercutio is certainly exciting. What makes Mab’s man the person we know? The play begins before the beloved prologue and finds itself parallel to the action of the source material all the way up until Mercutio’s demise. This allows fans of the Bard to experience references and characters in an unfamiliar way. And believe me, everything in Verona Walls is unfamiliar. But the pool of characters Hirschberg can pull from is a limited. We get to see the odd juvenile foreplay between Romeo and the previously unseen Rosaline. But who pulls at Mercutio’s heartstrings? Rosaline’s cousin Alyssa. Alyssa? While it certainly lacks the Shakespearean name flare, in this world, Alyssa plays a Yoko Ohno type role, though it’s not entirely defined whether that’s influenced by the plethora of The Beatles music and references. After instant connection, the bad boy of love finds himself smitten with Alyssa, suddenly having a new outlook on life and love. The text is a blend of Shakespearean zingers and modern references to create a textual concoction that's hard to swallow. Interesting idea aside, the trouble with Verona Walls is the world in which it lives. When it appears confused, it becomes confusing to those watching. Abandoning time is a strong choice but it most be explored fully. Drawing back to period hurts the intent. It can be likened to “Bates Motel”. The TV series is a prequel reimagining of “Pyscho” but rather than living in the time, the series is updated to present day. And it lives there fully. Hirschberg doesn’t quite do that. Simply by having moments of Shakespearean text and period-inspired costumes causes alarm.
The other big woe of the show is the integration of music. Director DeLisa M. White utilizes a “chorus” to sing at various points of the production, predominantly during transitions. It’s a strong choice that assists in covering up the monotony of constantly changing scenes with a sound cue. But it also causes a plethora of problems. From a staging perspective, White keeps the trio, one of which is strongly called “The Bard”, present on stage during the bar scenes, forcing them to engage in awkward stage whispers. With a tight space to work in, it pulls focus. Yes, the trio are strong singers and lighten up the mood but you have to wonder if it’s worth it. Can you sacrifice the live music so we’re not forced to watch uncomfortable silent acting that feels like community theater? And since we’re defying space and time anyway, maybe it would have been better to have a jukebox. It would have literally had the same effect. When it comes to song selection, consistency was not present. The Beatles soundtrack, which may only have been utilized to pander to a certain audience, was the main source of evocative music but Hirschberg then randomly sprinkled in songs that ranged from Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” and Puddle of Mudd’s “She Hates Me”. And it was completely jarring. Surly there are enough songs from the Lennon-McCartney songbook that could have sufficed. Regardless, the way Hirschberg and White incorporated the music in took away from the heart of the piece, distracting the audience from the real problems. And with the play running a little over two hours, cutting the musical moments that don’t truly further the plot will be of great assistance. Though going in a completely different directions and turning Verona Walls into a jukebox musical could be another option. There was magic on stage when Alyssa broke out into Madonna.
Lifting Verona Walls from page to stage requires a vision. With a multitude of styles and periods existing, how DeLisa M. White presented the production ultimately led to the success of the piece. Verona Walls experienced some severe pacing problems. The script reads like a Hollywood romcom but seemed to play like an indie flick. The moments with boisterous physical comedy were exactly what the play needed. Yet when things got intimate, it took a severe turn that was a little less interesting. Balancing the comedy through the romance was important. White gave herself a very tight stage in which to have her actors move. The scenic design by Connor Munion was visually pleasing, and smartly intricate, but with so many actors with nowhere to go, it caused interactions to feel unnatural. Additionally, the consistency of White’s staging was a bit problematic. Mistress Quickly’s bar at first was established in a “V” formation with a table on the stage right side. Later on when there was a split scene, that very same table was moved to stage left only for the next scene to move it back to stage right. It’s a little in the grand scheme of things but you had to wonder why. The costumes by Kimberley Jean Windbiel was a mixed bag of styles. Between Romeo’s perfectly preppy aesthetic to the chorus trio looking like they just finished their shift at the local Ren Faire, Windbiel brought exactly what Hirschberg’s script asked for. And sadly, she fell victim to the trap.

photo by Gerry Goodstein

Despite the woes of the text, Verona Walls featured a capable company that was nothing short of entertaining. Ryan McCurdy took on the role of the man with rough exterior but a heart of gold in Mercutio. McCurdy’s ability to switch from tough guy to charmer on a dime proved his keen eye to character. While Mercutio’s goal was to woe the girl, McCurdy’s strongest scenes were with Jacob Owen’s Romeo. Mercutio and Romeo were the epitome of bromance. In this case it w as truly bros before hoes. Owen brought the beauty and lure we all know and love from Romeo but he also gave him a dimness. And it was quite funny. Owen captured the fool in love. Rounding out the boys, Mick Bleyer was the level-headed on of the bunch. But there was something odd when it came to the relationship between Ben and Mistress Quickly. It was a tad cougarish and lacked believability in this specific world. To no fault of her own, Alyssa was a tad boring of a character. Rachel Flynn tried to find any sparks she could within Alyssa. There were moments of strength, but in the end the focus remained on Mercutio.
There are some things you can forgive for the sake of art but the amount of questions Verona Walls causes makes you question the validity of the concept. Yes, it is entertaining and the company is efficient in bringing fun, but Verona Walls is problematic. You almost have to wonder if it's been worked into oblivion. Sometimes too much work can have the opposite affect.

Have you ever gotten so inside your head that rather than finding solace, insanity just circles back to insanity? Enter YOUARENOWHERE. Don't let the title scare you. Yes, this is theatrical performance art, but there is a rich message deep within.
Created by Andrew Schneider with a little help from his friends, YOUARENOWHERE is a sensory overload that not only works, it is emotionally cumbersome. As you sit in the space at 3-Legged Dog, the haze pervades the air as your only visual is a frame with a giant white backdrop. But then the lights drop, plummeting you into the mystery of the unknown. You soon feel a sensation you've likely never felt inside a theater: the extreme rumbling of reverberation. Literally, the room shakes. And this sensation is just a precursor of what's to come. Don't be afraid if your mind plays tricks on you. Beware when your eyes deceive you. YOUARENOWHERE is not only magical, it's mystifying. To discuss what happens in Schneider's piece would be a complete disservice to any future audience. It would do nothing but spoil your experience. But what can be analyzed is Schneider's ability to craft something provocative. At the core of his spectacle is one man's journey of self discovery in a trying time. But he does it in a manner that is universal enough that it will leave you with your own existential crisis. He layers the piece with specific ambiguity that is so vague that it manages to hit you where you are most vulnerable. And believe me, it will. As a curator of the evening, Schneider is encapsulating. He steers the trippy ship keeping his passengers eager for the next wave of sensual sensation. Schneider engages in a marathon performance, thrashing about on stage, in a vigorous yet tightly choreographed fashion. The beads of sweat that roll off his body prove just how intense YOUARENOWHERE truly is.

photo by Maria Baranova

It takes a village to bring YOUARENOWHERE to life. Schneider may be the face of the piece but the production was created alongside Karl Franklin Allen, Alessandra Calabi, Daniel Jackson, Bobby McElver, Peter Musante, and Christine Shallenberg. To describe YOUARENOWHERE in a single word is kinetic. The production design is intricate and technical magnificence. Between the magical LED frame to the colorscape of lights to the complexities of voice, every beat was expertly crafted to work cohesively. One missed cue and YOUARENOWHERE is a sinking ship.
They say lightning doesn’t strike twice. Andrew Schneider and company will need to create something out of this world if they plan to top YOUARENOWHERE. Simply put, YOUARENOWHERE defies the impossible. This is not a show for the faint of heart. If you don't leave 3LD feeling a sense of overwhelming, you didn't allow your mind to succumb to YOUARENOWHERE's mystic spell.

Name: My name is Clyve Lagerquist

Hometown: From Onekama, MI

Education: B.A. in English, Writing from Michigan State University

Favorite Credits: Excited to have my first show produced (as in, prior credits N/A)

Why theater?: Theater intrigues me as the most immediate and relatable living art form.

Tell us about In the Library:In the Library is a brief but charged meditation on the nature of suspicions and the roles adopted by the skeptical, the grieving the outraged and so forth in the immediate aftermath of that most specific and unfortunately common of mass killings, the school shooting.

What inspired you to write In the Library?: Apart from just the news, it was a fascination with the way we as a culture perceive the victim of any given situation, and our often biased judgments in that regard, and whether these predilections require a more accurate analysis.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Theater that can speak to a moment on the surface while reiteration lasting truths always hits me hardest. I am inspired by classics of course, Moliere to Beckett, and currently really enjoy the reflection of how jaded culture has become in the dark comedy of Martin McDonagh, a favorite of mine.

Who would you like to work with that you’ve yet to work with?: Difficult question. I've worked with no one but a few friends thus far, so any new contacts and any way to make my art better would be phenomenal.

What shows have you recommended to your friends?: I was very excited when I saw Spring Awakening was doing a revival, I mention that pretty frequently.

If there were a movie made about your life who would play you and what would it be called?: If there were a movie about me it would probably be called "Insomnia: The Wikipedia Trap", because of how much sleep I don't get from being sucked into reading or watching random things on the internet. And I have been mistaken for Paul Dano in public several times, so I suppose he could play me.

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: If I could see any opening night of any show, I would have to see the 1957 London premier of Beckett's Endgame.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Drinking in the morning, I guess?

If you weren’t doing theater you would be _____?: I actually write in other avenues as well. I can't stop writing, it's ingrained in me. But I have done a lot of bartending to pay the bills.

What’s up next?: I am currently working on a full length play that I'd love to get into another theater festival or DUTF next season, or into a theater company's hands. I'm also working on the pilot of a TV comedy and several film scripts.

How would you spend your final moments on this earth if you knew you were about to depart this life? In Carl Holder's An Intimate Evening with Typhoid Mary, a dying man offers a fever dream cabaret with parallels to the titular woman in question. Presented by Glass Bandits Theater Company, An Intimate Evening with Typhoid Mary is a tangentially chaotic exploration of isolation.
Virtually a solo show with an ensemble of help, Carl Holder’s An Intimate Evening with Typhoid Mary follows Martin Allen, a man confined to hospital bed in solitary, as he presents one final act before his imminent demise. Filled with a plethora of non-sequiturs, Holder’s piece is polarizing to say the least. The focus of the piece is a man named Martin Allen, which is certainly a play upon the real identity of Typhoid Mary Mallon. The content of text that Holder provides for Martin Allen is essentially a series of tangents that have morals and themes hidden deep within. Excavating them is the real challenge. With a series of appearances from the nurse, doctor, and orderly, Martin is brought back to reality as he comes face to face with a failing body. If you’re looking for something that is plot drive, or even containing a strong character arc, this may not be the right piece for you. But what you can appreciate is the performance from Carl Holder. What Holder does is not easy. Holder’s performance is emotionally and physically taxing. And for that you have to reward him. But grasping just exactly what Holder has Martin Allen spewing is the real challenge.

photo by Knud Adams

The real triumph of An Intimate Evening with Typhoid Mary was the production design. Director Knud Adams organized a strong team to lift the script onto the stage. There was a present concept that was fully-realized. The set from James Ortiz not only brought the reality of the isolated hospital ward but it was practical in the sense that Oona Curley was able to transform it with her lights. The precision in which the lighting vocabulary was executed was tantalizing. Curley defined realities through the sickening colors of Martin’s fever cabaret and the sterile lights when the hospital staff was present. Adding to the meticulousness of timing, the sound design by Peter Mills Weiss was strong. The selections that Weiss made fit the world in which Holder crafted.
The idea that this is Martin Allen’s world and the hospital staff were merely just there was evident in Adams’ staging. The Doctor, Nurse, and Orderly, played by Justin Kuritzkes, Molly McAdoo, and Ephraim Birney respectively, were always present whether on the outskirts of Martin’s confinement or inside with him. They were a supporting staff that didn’t really get to do much but when they were in the moment, they sold reality. And this was never truer than when Martin finally perspires. The sterile reactions were terrifying. The fact they lacked attachment to Martin’s death may have been the most powerful, yet grounding, moment of the entire piece.
An Intimate Evening with Typhoid Mary has so much content that it may be hard to grasp at first. There is a lot going on. This play is not for everyone. But you have to appreciate the visual aesthetic An Intimate Evening with Typhoid Mary provides. It makes the play endurable.

If metaphors are your thing, Adam Rapp’s latest gritty drama is right up your alley. Presented by The Flea Theater, Wolf in the River follows a cannibalistic tribe of youngsters in a poverty-stricken sector of America where a girl with a glimmer of optimism dreams of getting out. Filled with lyrical grime and primal carnage, Wolf in the River is a twisted fairy tale like you’ve never seen before.
Engulfed in a world of pure trauma, Wolf in the River is an ambitious and bombastic study of humanity through the lens of a shape-shifting metaphor of a beast who shares the story of Tana, a 16-year-old girl who lives in an impoverished part of the country where tribe leader Monty reigns supreme, literally controlling the minds and blood that flows from her arranged clan. Also within the clan are Tana’s discharged army brother Dothan, who happens to be Monty’s beau, Aiken, the alpha girl of the group, and Pin, Tana’s dim savior. Told through a series of jarring and shuddering scenes and songs, Wolf in the River has shock value on point. Rapp’s text is distorted poetry. There is an attention to detail in his words. And if you truly listen, his story is unsettling. And that is the point. But if you’re looking for a clear character journey, Rapp seems to focus on Tana while leaving the others to drown in the river. That being said, what Rapp explored with Tana was nothing short of stunning. The character he, and actress Kate Thulin, was not only courageous but remarkable. While it was a bit of a juxtaposing moment of the piece, Rapp’s shining moment was the meet-cute between Tana and her dream boy Debo. Perhaps that was due to the fact that it lacked fear, though love is terrifying in its own right. Rapp’s offering including tantalizing monologues, a harrowing siren chorus, and what can only be described as a random Miley Cyrus music video, but when Rapp allowed the audience to tempt fate, something seemed to change. It felt like a cop out. The play begins with The Man describing the clothing remains of who we’ll later learn is Tana. But when Tana’s fate is about to be revealed in the narrative, the black and white rocks from “Survivor” make a cameo allowing one lucky audience member to choose which path Tana takes. Until this point, Rapp was describing a world in which the people have no path to choose and suddenly, we get an option. It was a bit strange to suddenly move in this direction.

photo by Hunter Canning

Wolf in the River requires a group of actors eager to rise to the occasion and tap into fear. And this was a ferocious company. As Tana, Kate Thulin gave a star-defining performance. Thulin’s transformation into the young girl was enchanted. Thulin was engrossed in an emotional journey. She eased into the world of fear through her characterization. Thulin’s susceptibility on stage was phenomenal. To play the Southern-fried storyteller, Jack Ellis bared all. Like Thulin, Ellis’ characterization was impeccable. He offered a tenacious allure to The Man. At first glance, Xanthe Paige doesn’t appear as a natural ruler but her persistency and supremacy defied facade. While we don’t quite know the etymology of Monty’s obsession with Miley Cyrus, Paige’s show-stopping dance-n-twerk routine was unforgettable. And Paige certainly was able to rock the crocodile pimp cane. Maki Borden as Debo served as much needed comic lightheartedness. He played well off of Thulin’s Tana. While they didn’t get as much acclaim as the other characters, William Apps, Karen Eilbacher, and Mike Swift as Dothan, Aikin, and Pin respectively brought variety to Rapp’s piece. While they did play occasionally important parts in the narrative, the six set Lost Choir thrived at spooking the audience vocally and popping out when you’re least expecting it.
Adam Rapp succeeded in the sense that he was easily able to create a room full of fear within The Flea. From the start, there is an instant element of discomfort. There is tension as the ensemble meanders about on stage as you sit in the mismatched chairs that surround the toy graveyard that is the pile of dirt in the middle of the stage. With a theater in the round set up designed hauntingly by Arnulfo Maldonado, Rapp used the mound as he primary playing space. With tight rows of audience forming the circle, there was opportunity to have some action occur behind the audience. The problem with this conceit is that every seat has its own series of pros and cons. If you’re sitting right next to the refrigerator where the door opens, chances are you can’t see within. Was it essential to see inside? Who knows but if that person misses the action there, others across the room will miss other key moments like The Man in the recliner or Pin assembling the raft. Oh and be aware, the lights are tight but you will be seen by the rest of your neighbors. Your reactions will be clocked in by someone who can see you. Staging aside, Rapp was able to contrive a theatrical event where it left you eager to see what comes next because it was beyond your wildest dreams. With theatricality on her side, Masha Tsimring proved a striking display of lights. The tattered costumes from Michael Hili and Hallie Elizabeth Newton looked stunning but had a dystopian feel that placed them outside the world of the play.
Wolf in the River is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It will catch your breath and keep you on edge. What’s unfortunate is that the environment in which Rapp placed his audience elevated the experience, potentially distracting from the content presented. There were troublesome components to the text but when you’re thrust in a space such as this, the elements will get the better of you and sway the experience into something extraordinary. It’s when you have more time to think about the play that you’ll really start to question Wolf in the River. For good and for bad.

Name: Afrika Brown

Hometown: Hillside, NJ

Education: Kean University

Favorite Credits: I’m a playwright and screenwriter so I’m not quite sure how to answer this. I guess Strange Fruit Redux because it was the first time I took on the task of directing.

Why theater?: Theater gives the audience an intimate experience that brims with energy and emotion. Each time it’s different because the audience is different. I find it utterly amazing to share my work in a live environment. Anything can happen and that knowledge creates its own type of magic.

Tell us about Strange Fruit Redux: Nathan Strange is a 25-year-old visual artist out of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn who is on the verge of becoming the latest sensation in the NYC art scene. While working on his final painting, Nathan expresses his views about black culture and what it means to be black in the new millennium moments before a confrontation with NYPD. Strange Fruit Redux is a series of poem monologues mixed with music and sio-political, pop culture sound bites geared to show the fears and frustrations of the modern day black man.

What inspired you to write Strange Fruit Redux?: Wow…that is such a complex answer. The title began as an art exhibit I wanted to curate, which I still may do very soon. The show itself was inspired by what almost seems to be an epidemic of black men and women dying by the hands of police or in police custody. Eric Gardner’s death enraged me, but Freddie Gray’s death struck something deep inside of me. I knew I had to do more than just march in the streets. I knew I had to use my voice as an artist to create a work that could be thought-provoking and could inspire dialog and hopefully change.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I am drawn to the kind of theatre that stirs the soul or creates a one-of-a kind experience. I love the kind of theater provides a memory that you can carry with you for the rest of your life like a great meal at a five star restaurant. I have been inspired by lots of people, but my first and most indelible inspiration is my father. I was born later in my dad’s life, when he was middle aged. He was born in the depression era; people of that era were far more practical than we are. People from that era grew up doing what they had to do instead of what they wanted to do. My father was a great creator that never got to live out his true purpose in this life. It is my vow to him and myself to live in my truth and do what I believe is my life purpose. I owe him that, I am an artist because of him.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Spike Lee. He is my idol.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Fuerza Bruta: Look Up. I thought it was an exciting, unique theater experience.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: It would either be Mary J. Blige or Angela Bassett and the movie would be called "Shenanigans" because that would be the title of my autobiography.

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: The original West Side Story, it’s my favorite musical bar none. However, right behind that would be A Raisin In the Sun with the original cast.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Toll House chocolate chip cookies.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: A lifetime patient in an insane asylum.

What’s up next?: I would like to take Strange Fruit Redux on a national college tour. I have received great feedback from college students, and I think it is the best venue for the show. Also, I’m working on a new show titled Slow Bullet, My Three Loves that will make its debut in Manhattan in May, along with shopping/pitching my movie scripts. Maybe one day I’ll get to sleep.

Name: Matthew Widman

Hometown: Portland, Oregon

Education: Williams College, BA in Religion, Columbia University Writing Program, HB Studio Playwriting Workshop

Favorite Credits: The intense audience talkbacks after my play In the Garden (memorycareplays.org), about a family struggling with Alzheimer’s disease. The play seems to resonate and bring out very strong passions and emotional responses from so many people who are dealing with loved ones battling dementia – a disease that ravaged my father and a number of members of my family. These are heartbreaking and incredibly moving evenings.

Why theater?: There’s something unique and primal when humans congregate and share a common experience. When actors and words connect with an audience, I’ve found live theater, at least for me, to be one of the most powerful storytelling experiences. In a few incredibly lucky instances, I think it can be transformational.

Tell us about Stop and Frisk: Stop and Frisk is a social drama about a stop and frisk encounter in an urban park between two plainclothes police officers and two young men heading to work. It’s a fictional event – a composite based on media accounts, posted footage, personal experience and the experiences of friends and acquaintances. The play is about the abuse of power that has made Stop and Frisk such a controversial policing policy. It’s a study of one account of what happens when human nature meets public policy and the potential dangers of these intense human interactions. I’m very fortunate to be part of DUAF and to be collaborating with an exceptional director, Gwynn MacDonald, and four terrific and talented actors, Paul Eisemann, Lenny Thomas, Pharaoh King Champion and Misha Braun.

What inspired you to write Stop and Frisk?: I came across some footage recently on the web of some stop and frisk incidents that really incensed me. It made me realize that this story - of what’s going on with the hundreds of thousands of these kinds of police stops all over the country – is a story that just can’t be told enough. In the particular, every individual stop can be dangerous and risky – men, guns, authority, respect, dominance, power - like putting together matches and gasoline. As the many recent tragic events have shown, implementation of public policy really comes down to how people interact on the streets, to the decisions that are made, often in the spur of the moment and to all the personal factors that inform the actions - and reactions - of the (mostly) men involved. Universally, this policing policy begs a broader question of what happens to the bond of trust between citizens and those who we hire to protect us. We’re a society built on laws that are designed to safeguard our democracy. Ultimately, it’s about trust – we need to trust our public servants – and our law enforcement officers need to be able to do their jobs. But bad government policy and/or bad enforcement techniques and attitudes can have tragic consequences and can corrode the very respect for authority and the law that’s so crucial to protecting all of us.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Theater that’s honest. By that I mean that it aspires, successfully or not, to push the conversation. This could be in a way that’s emotional or social or experimental or just entertaining, as long as it’s not derivative or cynical but is fresh and original and attempts to either say something new, or say something in a different way. When I go see a play I want to be taken on a bit of a journey, I want to leave the theater with something more to think about, or laugh about, or cry about than I had when I came in.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: So many. The great part about the project-oriented nature of theater, film, music and much of the arts, is that it allows you to meet and interact with new artists all the time – which means learning new things, new processes, different perspectives. It’s a process of constant learning and, hopefully, continuing growth.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Shaun Leonardo’s I can’t Breathe, an extremely powerful art/performance art participatory piece of theater that viscerally conveys the sense of fear, anger and violation that’s unleashed in physical confrontation. Shaun is an important new American artistic voice whose work takes on issues of masculinity, the body, violence, and violation and puts them into the political and social context of our time.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: It would be called "My Life as a Human"– I’d be played by Wilbur, our dachshund, and the entire movie would have Swedish subtitles. This would be a slice of life film, a dog’s-eye view of human behavior. Besides lying around in the sun all day, I’d observe (as the dog) how human behavior pretty much too revolves around food, sex, sleeping and the occasional treat.

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: My theatrical fantasy would be to see all ten of August Wilson’s plays - with original cast and direction - in chronological order, ten days in a row.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Kettle corn.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Probably teaching humanities in middle school, a high-energy environment where there’s both preponderance of drama and of truly iconoclastic and creative thinking. The question of “why?” comes up a lot – a question which we, as adults, often stop asking…

What’s up next?: Two full length plays, a comedy, Kill the Dog, about parenting, self-absorption and community with director Gwynn MacDonald and a dark comic drama examining the current state of anger that seems to be so pervasive American politics and society. A couple of screenplays are in the works as well.

With a backdrop of the Bronx fires of the 70’s comes a tale of hope and escape with a sick beat. Written by Donaldo Prescod, The 1's and 2's is a period piece that still rings true. Following the infamous “Bronx is Burning” era, Prescod's story watches the youthful denizens of the borough as they pass their time with music, love, and a little bit of danger.
Presented at The Tank, The 1's and 2's watches the rise of Trevor, a young but troubled Caucasian man, who yearns for a life of music, despite the abundance of obstacles standing in his way. Riddled with temptation and a colorful cast of personalities, Trevor leads a new life when opportunity manifests. With decade references dropped and on display, Prescod harkens back to a time still familiar. Prescod has taken the time to craft a clear character-driven play. The personalities he has imagined are interesting to watch. But where character thrives, the plot is a bit muddled. What began as an episodic theatrical series at #serials@theflea, The 1's and 2's may be maximized in musical beats but lacking in plot beats. Prescod's play is filled with lots of character and content jammed into ninety minutes that feels as if there are missing moments that confuse some character journeys. There are aspects that get rushed, causing question of how we got from point a to point b. With so many characters introduced that play a significant part in the overall story, Prescod tries to give them their time to shine but in turn he sacrifices moments where Trevor's story needs to be. And it's a bummer because The 1's and 2's has strong potential. Perhaps Prescod needs to consider exploring the episodic format, this time on screen. No matter where it goes, pinpointing and eliminating the trite dialogue could be beneficial.

Energetic is the only word that captures the intensity on stage. This company was living. As Trevor, Craig MacArthur Dolezel was dynamic and spirited. Dolezel’s strong comedic skills played a big part in the character of Trevor. With with a Stifler-like laugh and a bit of a bad boy streak, Dolezel was a hero you wanted to watch succeed. Where Trevor had an edge to him, his perfect opposite cousin Kelly was endearing and an instant fan favorite character. And that’s likely do to the perfect performance from Brandon Flynn. Flynn was simply adorable as Kelly. While the love triangle felt a tad contrived, Terralon Walker as Wendy was at her best with Flynn’s Kelly. Walker gave Wendy a soft and sweet side that paired well in the romantic moments with Kelly. Falling into the trap of forced storylines, Nathalie Carvalho and David Pegram as Gladys and Carlos respectively did a fine job as friends and foes.
Director David Monteagudo allowed simplicity be the driving force of The 1’s and 2’s. He didn’t need anything else aside from crates, boom box, and colorful accessories to evoke location and time. He kept the energy high and the action exciting leaving you wanting more. The lighting by Patrick Mahaney was simple too but at times offering a general wash left you desiring a tad more theatricality and tightness. Monteagudo kept his staging fairly contained so when the stage was bright, the intensity of the piece faltered.
The 1’s and 2’s is a story that still rings true despite the specific time. Donaldo Prescod has shaped a world where the characters are the strongest aspect. Fleshing out the plot is the next step to bring The 1’s and 2’s to its full potential.

Name: Dean Preston

Hometown: Millburn, NJ

Education: New School

Favorite Credits: Nicholas III: In Search of a Comet (LaMAMA 2012), The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol (StrangeDog Theatre Co. Reading Series)

Why theater?: I love live storytelling, and theatre is an incredibly flexible medium with an immense range of capabilities.

Tell us about Canned Laughter: Canned Laughter is a modern American play about why we choose to believe in the things we do, the reasons we value them, and how those things and beliefs come to shape who we are.

What inspired you to write Canned Laughter?: I initially wrote the play in class as a writing exercise to try out an alternative narrative style and to flip the cliche formula of 'people at a table talking about edgy issues' on its head. But over the years, the play grew and developed from there and I feel it has become something unique in it's own right.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: The kind of theatre that speaks to me is theatre with a smart, modern perspective and memorable characters. I love a unique comedic tone. I'm very much inspired by those artists who don't take themselves too seriously but take their craft and vision with the utmost seriousness.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Probably Spike Jonze or Kermit The Frog

What show have you recommended to your friends?:Hand To God by Robert Askins

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Goddammit Michael... I don't know. Probably Jason Schwartzman in a remake of "Chocolat" but just about a guy who loves chocolate. Or Ryan Gosling.

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: So many... Annapurna by Sharr White with Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, 2000's True West by Sam Shepard with Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly, 1988's Waiting for Godot with Steve Martin and Robin Williams, and the original 1937 performance of The Cradle Will Rock by Marc Blitzstein and/or the first staging of the Oresteia.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Chocolate.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: A screenwriter

What’s up next?: I'm hoping to find a professional home to stage a run of Canned Laughter, but I am currently working on two features in pre-production and pitching number of projects for TV.

To celebrate and appreciate the present, one must look back at the past. For over sixty years now, New York City has been blessed with free theater in Central Park through Shakespeare in the Park. In the greatly ambitious The Battle of Central Park from Current Harbor, the public battle between city planner Robert Moses and theater artist Joseph Papp is explored through a narrative bio-dance piece with text by Andrew Massey and choreography from Annalisa Ledson.
Using a plethora of texts as source material, The Battle of Central Park takes the audience back to the early days of the beloved Shakespeare in the Park when Papp hoped to continue to perform his work for no admission while Moses demanded he charge the audience a fee to help with the “upkeep” of the park. This showdown lead to an epic court battle where accusations of communism, the backlash of the public, and the ultimate creation of an iconic amphitheater reigned. The Battle of Central Park is a piece that is certainly educational in content but thin in execution. Playwright Andrew Massey does a wonderful job curating the information, leading to a fascinating exploration into two dominating forces but simply lifting quotes in narration form was passive. Adding in Annalisa Ledson’s movement and dance boosted the piece physically but it came at the expense of fine-tuned storytelling. The Battle of Central Park is not for the easily distracted. But for those who can capture it all, there is an interesting story deep within. The Battle of Central Park is all about progression. With movement driving the story, director Jamie Watkins relied heavily on stage pictures to display artistry. And there often were some striking images. There were times when it was a bit slow moving from vignette to vignette but when the beats moved fluidly into one another, that’s when The Battle of Central Park was at its best.

photo by Steven Pisano

Though there was an ensemble present to portray an array of characters, Watkins guided the two named personalities well. Jon Huggins as Robert Moses and Nick Trotta as Joseph Papp did an impeccable job at characterization. It’s evident that they did their homework. Huggins and Trotta went big with Moses and Papp highlighting diction, physicalization, and most importantly, personality. Because of the nature of the truth, it’s a shame we never saw Huggins and Trotta truly go toe to toe. The Battle of Central Park is a text and dance extravaganza. With that, this ensemble was filled with dancers and movers with not the strongest acting skills. The way the piece was broken up, each performer was granted moments of playing storyteller. It was clear who was truly up for the acting challenge, including Christine Pardos and Julia Schonberg. And with Shakespearean text dropped in, those who seemed more dance oriented suffered.
From a production standpoint, Current Harbor did a phenomenal job transporting The Tank from black box space to the world of The Battle of Central Park. There was a clear color conceit from the show. With beiges and fall colors seeming to dominate the scenic elements and period-inspired costumes from Michael Minahan and Preesa Adeline Bullington, there was a clear vision. Using the backdrop alone would have been sufficient but the addition of the projection from Watkins and Minahan was a bit troublesome. The busy backdrop literally killed the images. If the images were important for story, it took some deciphering to make out specificities. And if your focus was on the projections it meant you weren’t seeing or hearing the story.
It sounds contradictory to say but The Battle of Central Park longs for something active in order to get to the next level. The passive storytelling and busy movement didn’t quite service Moses and Papp’s story as best it could. The generalities are sweet but Moses and Papp are the meat.

Name: Dr. John Shévin Foster

Hometown: Norfolk, VA

Education: BA in Theatre & Education, MA in Ed Theatre, Phd in Theatre. And I am an August Wilson scholar.

Favorite Credits: Seeing my play Plenty of Time on 42nd Street. Producing at BAM/Brooklyn Academy of Music for 9 years.

Why theater?: It’s the only medium I ever wanted to do. I love the energy shared between artists and the audience - there's something truthful about it.

Tell us about Flip-in: Well here’s the description: “What happens when down south, back woods, magic hits a young NYC couple? In this urban Hip-Hop comedy lovers caught in a spell must take on the themes of love, sex, and, “what it is like for a woman to live in a world designed specifically for men.”” Anything else I want to save for the audience. Smile.

What inspired you to write Flip-in?: I wanted to write a short, light, fun play and I’d had the initial idea, the impetus of the play, for a while. I didn’t expect the characters to take me where they did but sometimes they let you know they have something more, something important, to say.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Theatre that comes from my community, which is Black theatre. I’m inspired to create works for artists of color that allow them to stretch beyond the typical roles and subject they/we are afforded --everything from creating pure art to speaking to human, social issues. I focus on accurate portrayals of contemporary African-American life.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Phylicia Rashad

What show have you recommended to your friends?: In this festival? Mine! Otherwise Dominique Morriseau's Skeleton Crew at the Atlantic Theatre.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I had to ask my friends this and they said, Terrence Howard, Jessee Williams or Brian Stokes-Mitchell. What would it be called? “Searching for Soul.”

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: LOL! Hamilton at The Public, Raisin, the musical of A Raisin in the Sun.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: "Hot Now" Krispy Kreme glazed donuts made in-house at a Krispy Kreme down south, like in Virginia or North Carolina!

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____.?: a composer/musical director.

What’s up next?: Well now that Flip-in is on its feet for DUTF I plan to submit it for the National Black Theatre Festival. My play Plenty of Time is going up at the Ensemble Studio in Houston in May. I'll be running the BTN/Black Theatre Network National Conference this summer in Chicago - I serve as the VP, and also become National President in August, somewhere in between I've got a short book to finish, and I think I now have the inspiration for my next play. I think that's enough.

Name: Anghus Houvouras

Hometown: Wilmington, NC

Education: Marshall University (Studied Theater and Broadcasting)

Favorite Credits: Screenwriter: Dead Heist (Released 2007 through First Look Entertainment)

Why theater?: I got my first taste of creativity on the stage and have always been drawn to live performances. My earliest and fondest memories of performance was watching live comedy like Monty Python, SCTV, and of course SNL. I loved the electricity of live performance and it sent me looking to recreate that experience on stage.

What inspired you to write Dine & Dash?: I was traveling with my wife in Budapest and we visited this restaurant called Museum. I was marveling at the waiter who could speak five different languages and worked the room like the most talented performer. His stage was every table he spoke with, and he worked the audiences like a seasoned pro. The waiter was, by far, the most talented man in the room. I kept thinking about the inherent comedy between an educated, refined waiter at a great restaurant and an oafish lout dining there, which in reality probably more accurately describes me. The idea for the story kept circulating in my head all the way home and as soon as i got off the plane I hammered out the first draft. While writing it i had an idea that turned it from straight comedy to a dark comedy which revolves around a twist ending.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I'm a comedy man. The cadences, the rhythms, and the language all speak to me. The fun of a well written line. The laughter than can be produced by a well timed silence. There's so many things that go into a perfect piece of comedy. I find myself lately inspired by Louis CK who has evolved as a traditional comedian and writer to more of a chronicler of the surreal and I don't think anyone right now is doing a better job of capturing the melancholy of everyday life which can be both heartbreaking and hilarious.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: I have a ridiculous obsession with Stephen Colbert who seems to be the kind of showman that doesn't exist much anymore. Stage, screen, live comedy... razor sharp wit.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: The last show I remember recommending was a performance of David Sedaris'Santaland Diaries.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Zach Galifankis and the title would be My Career Suicide Note.

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: The vaudeville era. Seeing performers like Laurel and Hardy or the Three Stooges. I'm such a fan of that era of performance. I would love to spend a day going from nickel theater to nickel theater watching variety shows.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Video Games. I can't even tell you how many quality hours of my life have been lost to video games. If i saw the actual number, i might have an aneurysm.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Tap-dancing for nickels on a street corner or curled up in a fetal position waiting to die.

What’s up next?: Working on a new play called Beard which looks at the life of an aging gay actor trying to control his rapidly disintegrating career.

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Review: Bronx Beats and New Sneaks

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Review: Epic Shakespeare Battle

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