Theater in the Now

The joke set up is simple. A guy walks into a bar. But the punchline, that's where things get interesting and the ingenuity of the writing comes in. In Half Moon Bay by Dan Moyer, a drunken meet-cute between a pair of millennials leads to inebriated truths that fosters an important bond.
Presented by Lesser America as part of Cherry Lane Theatre's inaugural company in residence, Half Moon Bay is a play about nothing yet about everything. Annie and Gabe meet at a bowling alley bar where vicious flirtation leads to another meeting and a nightcap. But when they arrive at Annie's place, the alcohol keeps flowing as their wants and needs are exposed. This is a play about two people who desperately need each other. One embraces the prospect, the other denies it. Half Moon Bay is more than watching a drunken hookup. Moyer has written a play with brilliantly rich characters. They are authentic and real. Their journey is accurate. Moyer has captured young people hookup culture yet found depth in the saga. His writing is snappy and accessible. He has the ability to cut the tension with a joke. But quite possibly the most striking commentary Moyer has raised is the power of substance. Whether intentional or not, you have to wonder would the bond between Gabe and Annie happen had alcohol, and a line of coke, not been introduced. The device of alcohol as a truth serum that serves as a bit of a crutch. But that may be the point. Would these two individuals make this important connection without being wasted out of their minds? It’s hard to say. But regardless, watching their journey provides an impeccable payoff.

photo by Steven Pisano

Two handers are all about chemistry. And there is no denying the duo of Half Moon Bay were magnetic. Gabriel King as Gabe and Keilly McQuail as Annie were a quicky comedic duo with incredible harmony. King gives a defining performance as the guy who gets dejected after his hopes get dashed yet never gives up on his desires. King has a goofy charm that played well in Moyer’s world. He used his physicality to his benefit. McQuail thrives in the idiosyncratic “Zooey Deschanel type”. But McQuail gives a bit more gruffness to Annie. What McQuail did well was not fall into the trap of playing her secret from the start of the play. It easily could have derailed the character’s journey. By allowing her reveal to come in such blindsiding fashion, authenticity comes out where the audience is just as shocked as Gabe. Because nothing of substance really happens in Half Moon Bay, you have to care about these characters. King and McQuail do just that.

photo by Steven Pisano

This production will be celebrated not only for the script and performances but by the ingenious scenic design by Reid Thompson. About thirty minutes into the show, intermission rolls around and you scratch your head thinking “but why?” If you stay in your seat and watch the dance of the scene shift, you’ll understand. Thompson has created two incredibly realistic locations in the intimate studio space at Cherry Lane. Wondrous is an understatement. Beginning with the carpeted dive bar, Thompson’s design evokes desperation. It serves its purpose. Though director Jess Chayes using the various bar space sparingly, you know this bar despite having never visited it before. For Act II, Annie’s mess of an apartment is decently spacious and a divided up well. Thompson avoidance of sharp angles, calling for a more linear look, was smart. This is a play of naturalism and the set needed to match it. When it came to guiding her duo. Jess Chayes found ways to bring out the best and worst of each person. Aside from the set, Chayes didn’t fall back on anything flashy. She allowed the words to speak for themselves. The lighting design by Mike Inwood and sound design by Janie Bullard was effective. The costumes from M. Meriwether Snipes fit the characters perfectly.
Whether you want to admit it or not, you are or know these people. You’ve been in this situation before. Dan Moyer’s Half Moon Bay is one to remember. This will be a play that will be performed all over the place. From colleges to scene study classes to every audition, Half Moon Bay is a special play. Lesser America has another hit on their hands.

Name: Sven Ratzke

Hometown: Berlin and Amsterdam  

Education: Learning by doing, and watching and working with the greats like Nina Hagen, Hanna Schugulla, Joey Arias, The Tiger Lillies and many more. And taking a lot of music lessons! 

Favorite Credits:Hedwig and the Angry Inch in Berlin, Vienna and Amsterdam; five albums

Why theater?: It either runs in your blood or not. Theater is the greatest illusion there is. You can create everything and need almost nothing.  

Tell us about Starman:Starman is a one-man show with the music of David Bowie. It’s a theatrical trip that re-interprets his songs and takes you into my world and Bowie’s at the same time. If you know me as an performer, you know it’s gonna be entertaining, touching and wickedly bizarre.

 What inspired you to create Starman?: Bowie was always there in my life and we have all these similarities. The idea of doing something with Bowie’s music has been there for a long time. After performing Hedwig and becoming more well-known myself, it felt like a good thing for my own artistic development to interpret the works of this genius.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: There is just so much great work out there. I have had so many encounters around the world over the last few years. I'm taking in all kinds of things, making notes all the time. I would say movies are my biggest inspiration. I just watched again Fellini’s 8 ½ and Opening Night with Gena Rowlands. I'm inspired by things that are out of the box and performers that create art while you watch them.

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

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I recommend everyone see every movie with Tilda Swinton. I am in love with her. And for people to see Justin Vivian Bond.

 Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I don’t know about a film about me, but I would love to play the villain in a James Bond movie!

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: Probably Christopher Marlowe’s plays in Old England, or Molière in France. 

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Because I work a lot, I’m often very tired and love to watch cheesy Hollywood comedies.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: I would produce plays. When I really think about it, I don’t think I could exist without theatre, so there really isn’t anything else.

What’s up next?: Starman will tour around the world, including Australia, England, and Europe. In the meantime, I’m working on my new show which will premiere in Autumn 2017, and it will contain my original songs, and even more pop music. I’m very excited!

For more on Starman, visit Joe's Pub!

Name: Nathan Leigh

Hometown: Newton, MA

Education: UConn

Favorite Credits: The Convert (Central Square Theatre, 2016), Mother Hicks (Emerson College, 2015), Sealand The Musical (#Serials@TheFlea, 2011 - 2012)

Why theater?: Theatre, at its best, has the power to tell stories that shift an audience's perceptions, and force them to think and feel in new ways. It can make the intimate feel universal in ways no other medium can truly accomplish. At it's worst, it's one of the few quiet places in New York where you can get a decent nap in.

What is your role on Prospect?: Sound Design and Original Music

Tell us about Prospect: Prospect is a play set in the 80's about worlds and communities colliding over the space of one drug-fueled night. It's about the lengths we go to disconnect from ourselves and each other and our own histories.

What is inspiring your design of Prospect?: 80's underground club music is the big thing I've been listening to. This was the dawn of electronic dance, so there's a joy and a weirdness to that music as producers were figuring out what you could do with synths and drum machines on a shoe-string budget. As a result the music has a lot of personality and idiosyncrasies that are often absent from modern EDM, and serve as a great way to access this story that starts with a night out at the club and gets progressively hazier.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I like a story I haven't heard before. I like stories that aren't afraid to make you a little uncomfortable. But mostly I like stories that have something to say about the society we live in, and push audiences to consider a perspective they might not have before. I do a lot of work as an activist, and the thing that I find hardest in that world is conveying the shades of gray around major social issues. Theatre is better than just about any other medium at articulating those inarticulatable shades of gray.

What makes a design “successful”?: A design is usually most successful if the audience doesn't really notice how complicated it is.

How do you approach your work individually and collaboratively?: I like to think on my toes. Usually I'll spend my time before tech collecting raw material and scraps of ideas that can be quickly assembled, rather than walking into tech with a fully polished completed sound design. This lets my work be more in conversation with the other design elements in real time. Lighting and sound work so closely together, that the more we can be bouncing off of each other during the tech process, usually the stronger both designs end up being in the end. When you walk into a room with a finished and polished piece of music that's exactly 34 seconds long and can't be longer or shorter you're not really collaborating.

What is your favorite part about the collaboration process?: My favorite part of the collaborative process is that moment when you've had an idea you're excited about and someone else presents a totally different idea that you had never thought of and is actually way better than yours.

If you could design any play or musical you’ve yet to design, what would it be?:Revolt of the Beavers would be fun to play around with.

What’s up next?: I'm musical directing a production of Girlfriend at Wellfleet Harbor Actor's Theatre and releasing my next solo album titled Ordinary Eternal Machinery.

Boundless Theatre Company will present the New York Premiere of Octavio Solis’ PROSPECT, directed by Elena Araoz at Teatro Circulo (64 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and Bowery), May 19-June 5. Tickets ($18) are available online at www.boundlesstheatre.org

For more on Nathan, visit www.nathanleigh.net

Name: Vanessa Shealy

Hometown: Oklahoma City, OK

Education: I got my MFA in Theater Performance from the University of Georgia, and a BA in theater from Oklahoma Baptist University.

Favorite Credits: Earlier this year OnTheRoad Rep did a production of my play, Tea in the Afternoon, on Theater Row with Alice Spivak and Tayler Beth Anderson. Nick Corley directed, and he and the entire team did wonderful work. It’s a play that I wrote about ten years ago, and I self-produced a production of it in the NY Fringe festival back in 2006. It’s a very personal play for me, so it was incredible to see how much they brought to it.

Why theater?: Because I like to play! In the theater it all depends upon the willingness of the audience to play, to believe and imagine, so the possibilities are endless. And plays are so elastic, they are all so different from each other because there’s no one way to tell a story. Or to receive a story – each individual seeing the performance is influenced by the rest of that night’s audience. So the audience, along with the actors, become a community - a big group of kids agreeing to pretend for a few hours together.

Tell us about An American Drum Circle: The play is about a young woman from Oklahoma, Mandy, who is lost because life recently dealt her some blows, and her father really let her down. So when she meets an exciting young man from Nigeria she falls for him, and their lives become entangled in a web of falsehood. As James Bosley, the UP Theater Artistic Director, put it, “God is the lure. Wealth is the bait.” And that’s true. The play is about hope and what it means to lose your faith, and what happens when you find it.

What inspired you to write An American Drum Circle?: I'm originally from Oklahoma, I grew up in church, I’m in an interracial marriage, and the struggles in this play are inspired and based upon my personal struggles. So this story is about the diverse people and experiences of my world coming together. It was very exciting, but also a big responsibility, to write characters from a variety of different backgrounds. For a while I drowned myself in research, but later I came to heavily rely upon the input of the racially diverse actors and other artists, who, over the years, have been gracious and bold enough to share their insight into the world of this play.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Details inspire me. Big-fun-play inspires me. Theater that makes me think, but doesn’t preach, and tricks me into thinking that I came up with a wonderful epiphany all by myself is always satisfying. Above all, a big story - one that really moves.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I thoroughly enjoyed Gideon Production’s Honeycomb Trilogy by Mac Rogers. Such great performances and originality. As I said above, I like it when things happen in a play. And you can’t get more happenin’ than an alien invasion. I was so glad to see that all three plays are now available through Samuel French. Theaters around the country should be getting in line to do those plays.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Kate Beckensale would play the version of me in my mind. And Janeane Garofalo would play me in the present. The movie would be called “Where did I leave my keys?!” and it would be an edgy, independent dramedy feature, with heart.

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: I’d go back and see Anna Deavere Smith perform in any of her documentary solo pieces. I love the solo show form, and she was such a huge influence. I’ve seen sections of Let Me Down Easy on PBS, but I would have loved to see it live, as well as Fires in the Mirror.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Black licorice. If it’s in my presence I eat it until my tongue is numb.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: I’d be teaching, which I did for years and occasionally still do. Teaching is essentially performing, and writing, and directing, and producing, and stage managing...so I guess I’d be doing the same thing I’m doing now.

What’s up next?: In July I’m directing a short play that I wrote called Naked for the Women in Theater Festival with Project Y Theater Company. It’s a short solo piece and the lovely Rebecca De Ornelas is my single cast member. Then in August my husband and I will perform in the NY Fringe Festival doing a storytelling piece we are (currently) calling Inside Information. My husband is black and I’m white, and in this piece we get real about what it’s like to be in a mixed race marriage. And we also come clean about our own inherent racism, which is scary. But I hope important. Oh, and it’s funny. And then during all of that, I’m writing an indie comic book with my co-creator, Leah Lovise, called Couri Vine. We have the first two books in print and we hope to get the third out in time for Thanksgiving. Young people need comic books (and they make great holiday gifts!!)

You've got one night only for Rule of 7x7: A May One Show Stand on May 26th at 9:30pm at The Tank. To get you ready, here is another edition of The Rulers!

The Rulers

Name: Will Arbery

Hometown: Dallas, TX + Lander, WY

Education: BA: Kenyon College // MFA: Northwestern University

What is your rule?:"This exact line of dialogue: I don't believe you."

Why did you pick your rule?: You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I mean it's the craziest story. It would take at least five hours to tell the short version.

Tell us about Landline: It's about that light tight giddy feeling of talking to someone that you like on the phone. I'm also continuing my obsessive exploration of the theatrical vocabulary of phone calls. It's also about trying to tell someone about how weird your family is. Also, it's directed by the wonderful Kate Hopkins and starring the weirdo-geniuses Lilli Stein, Jack Plowe, and Rachel Lin.

What's your favorite thing about Rule of 7x7?: The audience! They're incredibly supportive and responsive.

MAY the ____ be with you: Guilt.

For more on Will, visit willarbery.com

Name: Matt Crowley

Hometown: Beverly, MA

Education: Kenyon College

What is your rule?: A terrible Southern accent.

Why did you pick your rule?: Terrible Southern accents abound, so why not include one that's intentionally bad?

Tell us about The Artists: I've been in LA for the last year and a half and I wanted to reflect on the NYC theater scene and a bit of my experiences with it. I also had a couple of half-formed play ideas kicking around in my brain, and a ten minute play is a great place to utilize them.

What's your favorite thing about Rule of 7x7?: This is my first one, so I'm looking forward to seeing the diversity of pieces springing from the same 7 rules.

MAY the ____ be with you: Borscht?

For more on Matt, visit http://mattcrowley.weebly.com/

Name: Brett Epstein

Hometown: Hamden, CT

Education: Theatre + Writing at Providence College

What is your rule?: After the halfway point of the play, a new character enters... accompanied by his/her own theme song or random sound cue.

Why did you pick your rule?: I wanted to a) see how a new presence would shake up the writers' plays halfway through and b) laugh at all the random sound cues they choose.

Tell us about Voicemail: Dan McCabe and I play writer-roommates. Tyler Gardella is sexy-and-weird. A voicemail has something to do with it, too.

What is your favorite thing about Rule of 7x7?: Literally every moment. Picking playwrights, allllllll the e-mails, the day the plays are due, teching all day, being with everyone all day, writing for it, watching the other plays, seating audience members on the floor, seating audience members on the stage, giving wacky house speeches, hanging out at The Tank after the show, riding the 1-train with Evan Maltby after the after-party. All of it! 7x7 is the NYC accomplishment of which I'm most proud. #RuleOf7x74Life

MAY the ____ be with you: You. May the you be with you. You do you. Is what I'm saying.

For more on Brett, visit www.itsbrett.net

Name: Cary Gitter

Hometown: Leonia, NJ

Education: BFA and MA from NYU

What is your rule?: Spasms

Why did you pick your rule?: Because there aren't enough spasms on the American stage.

Tell us about Donut Hell: Have you ever had a job you hated? A psychopathic boss bent on your destruction? Do you love donuts but hate them too? Have you ever been to New Jersey? Worn an apron in public? Then Donut Hell may just be your Long Day's Journey Into Night.

What's your favorite thing about Rule of 7x7?: The jam-packed, rowdy, inebriated, delightful, laughing audiences. And Brett's preshow speeches.

MAY the ____ be with you: Donut hole

Name: Anderson John Heinz

Hometown: Memphis, TN

Education: NYU BFA dramatic writing

What is your rule?: Celine Dion

Why did you pick your rule?: I’ve always been a fan of Celine Dion. I’ve recently, specifically, found myself listening to “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” more than any functioning human should. Not to get weird, but that video definitely scarred me as a child. I still cower whenever I see a man on a motorcycle. But in a fun way!! Celine’s voice is limitless.

Tell us about Frozen 2: Frozen 2 is a sequel to the highly popular film "Frozen", but as a play and super dirty. It concerns a darling gay couple and their desire to have a child of their very own.

What's your favorite thing about Rule of 7x7?: Writing plays with rules is fun because it makes my brain think about things in a different way and different is always fun! That's my favorite thing about it... so far!

MAY the ____ be with you: little fried chicken drumstick emoji

For more, visit www.andersonjohnheinz.com

Name: Charly Evon Simpson

Hometown: Born in Queens, but raised in Bergen County, NJ

Education: MFA (in progress): Hunter College, MSt: Oxford, BA: Brown

What is your rule?: Kiss on page 3

Why did you pick your rule?: Um. Honestly…because I think there should be more kissing in the world. Specifically there should be more people kissing me. Unfortunately I am not acting in any of the plays so this rule isn’t really helping me, but I might be helping someone else.

Tell us about House Rules: It is a little play about bringing a boy home to meet your sisters.

What's your favorite thing about Rule of 7x7?: The enthusiasm for it. I love that actors love to be a part of it, that writers love to be a part of it, and directors, etc.

MAY the ____ be with you: I mean, I’m a Star Wars nerd so it has to be force. Sorry I’m not more creative….

For more, visit www.charlyevonsimpson.com

Name: Sofya Weitz

Hometown: Los Angeles

Education: BA from Loyola Marymount University, MFA from Northwestern University (playwriting & screenwriting)

What is your rule?: the play must end in a physically compromising situation

Why did you pick your rule?: I think one of the keys of comedic short plays is really in the stage directions - something physical your characters can do that inform their dialogue/action - so putting them in a physically compromising situation is entertaining to me and also drives the action. And at the end of the play, it's a place to get to!

Tell us about I'm Alive: gender-based performance art, a harmonica & a cat?

What's your favorite thing about Rule of 7x7?: I love getting restrictions for my writing. It really forces out the creativity. Having the rules for all the shows brings everyone together - you're all in on the same jokes and you're keyed into the consistency during the performance.

MAY the _____ be with you: Free drinks.

For more on Sofya, visit www.sofyaweitz.com

Name: Drew Ledbetter

Hometown: LaFayette, GA (30 miles south of Chattanooga, TN)

Education: UC Berkeley, Brown/Trinity MFA

Select Credits: A lot of Shakespeare. I play Romeo on the iPad educational version of R&J used in high schools.

Why theater?: It's immediate.

Who do you play in A Persistent Memory?: David Huntington.

Tell us about A Persistent Memory: How do we construct our personal histories? What stories do we tell ourselves about our own pasts, and how does time effect our perspective? Do we remember things the way we want- or the way they are? After enduring traumatic experiences, is it necessary to reconstruct our own narratives in order to survive?

What is it like being a part of A Persistent Memory?: Memorable. Memorable. Memorable. Memorable. Memorable. Memorable. Memorable.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: The kind that refuses definition. Irreverence. Marcel DuChamp. Annie Baker. Lesser America. Joe Orton. Nick Jones. Oscar Eustis. Charles Ludlam. Everett Quinton. Olympia Dukakis. Brian Mertes. Michael Stuhlbarg. Fiasco. Faultline. Bedlam. Mark Jackson from the Bay Area. Pop artist Ray Johnson. Cory Michael Smith. Adam Driver. Nick Westrate. Craig Baldwin. Miriam Silverman. Sean Graney. Anne Washburn. Paul Thomas Anderson. Radiohead. Elizabeth Warren. Vivienne Benesch. Stanley Kubrick. Michael Shannon. Martha Lavey. The Arcade Fire. Jeff Buckley. Kareem Fahmy. Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad. Harold Pinter. Martin Mcdonagh. Sam Rockwell. James Baldwin. Dan Rogers. Abraham Lincoln. Ken Burns. Barack Obama and Daniel Day-Lewis. Ben Beckley. Eliza Bent. Phillip Seymour Hoffman. John Cassavetes. Gena Rowlands. Sarah Tolan-Mee. Brad Pitt's Plan B production company. James Palmer. Jessi Hill. The Coen Brothers. Whitney White. And my fellow Prospect Heights Eastern Athletics Gym Member, John Turturro.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: Trent Reznor. Justin Trudeau. In 20 years, Oscar Eustis.

What’s your favorite showtune?: The Talking Head's "Stop Making Sense". That's a show and a tune..

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Everyone I listed three questions ago as long as they are still living.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: My mind just exploded with narcissism from the question. Charlie Kaufman wrote about it. Now I'm playing myself in “Inside Myself Inside Myself Inside Myself”.

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: I would pause time and see all the things that I will miss out on in the present because so much wonderful art is made, and there isn't enough time or money to consume it all.

What show have you recommended to your friends?:The Humans.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Pembroke Welsh Corgis.

What’s up next?: Creating, supporting, and fostering immersive, new theater work that encourages audience members to talk to each other and eat food together and be together. To become friends. To invite each other to dinner parties. To use their cell phones if they want to document their experiences- no sweat off my back. To connect with each other. To create conversations that endure past the night of experience. No dark lights and dark seats with strangers that you will never talk to or see again. No to disconnection. Yes to eye contact and hand shakes and breaking bread and hello I know you and hello I like you would you like a drink? Shall we try to break a tiki piñata together? How about a round of pin the tail on the donkey?

For more on Drew, visit www.drewledbetteronline.com

Name: Danny Sharron

Hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Education: University of Florida (BA Theater; BS Marketing)

Favorite Credits: I thought about this question a lot, and I have to say that it was directing Bradley Cherna's The Forest of Without as part of the Drama League DirectorFest in 2013. It's now been three years since making that play and I can't shake the experience. It's one of those pieces that continue to live and breath inside of you.

Why theater?: I love making art for a live audience, and building a play around the way people are going to interact with the piece (emotionally, psychologically, and spatially). Getting to be in the space with them and experience the play through their eyes is unlike anything else - thrilling and also completely nerve-wrecking at the same time. You know when an audience is feeling it or is disconnected, there's no way around that and I find it to be an incredible challenge to face with each new project.

Tell us about UglyRhino: UglyRhino was created back in 2010 (nearly six years ago!) with a mission to make theater a social event by integrating live music, dance parties, and curated cocktails into the theatrical experience. Moreover, we set out to do that with artistic integrity, high production value, and always at low cost. In addition to producing main stage productions like OKAY, we also produce a monthly event called TinyRhino, which we have dubbed the World's First Theatrical Drinking Game. This event has been performed monthly to sold-out crowds since 2011, and has given over 3000 playwrights, directors, and actors opportunities to throw up work in a social atmosphere.

Tell us about Okay: Okay! This play was a piece that Taylor Mac wrote back in 2003 and performed as a one-man show (because Judy's remarkable like that). It takes place at a prom in 2003, in the girls' bathroom, and tells the story of seven different students who are about to graduate, enter adulthood, and inherit a post-9/11 world that they had no part in creating. Each kid is dealing with their own expectations for their prom night, and for their lives thereafter, and there might also be some alcohol and drugs and sex involved :)

What inspired you to direct Okay?: I got my hands on it a couple years ago when I was spending the summer at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. My initial reaction to it was "Wow, this is incredibly funny and heartfelt and nuanced and complicated," which was quickly followed by "I have no idea how the hell to do this." That's usually the sign for me that it's a project worth tackling. With the blessing of Laura Savia, who was running the Williamstown Professional Training Program at the time, I decided to do a workshop production where we presented it as an ensemble piece with WTF's incredible non-Equity acting company. It was a short but incredibly affecting experience for everyone involved, and as soon as it closed I knew I wanted to re-mount it in New York and actually create the prom - throw the piece in the middle of a found space, amidst decorations and a DJ booth and drinks, in true UglyRhino fashion. The challenge for me was not only how to tackle a complicated text, but also how to make it come alive in space an unexpected way.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: In terms of format and presentation, I am most moved by work that uses space in a compelling and thoughtful way (whether it's a Broadway stage or a black box or a warehouse), and that considers how the audience will experience the piece and builds the evening around the communal nature of seeing a play. In terms of content, I am deeply invested in creating work about the LGBTQ experience. OKAY really checks all of these boxes. I would also say that my biggest goal moving forward is to create more work that falls in line with this idea, and to help provide a platform from which voices of the LGBTQ community can be heard.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: George C. Wolfe, hands down. His work has consistently moved me, inspired me, and changed my life. I've seen the video of his production of Angels in America more times than I'd like to admit, and his revival of The Normal Heart remains a personally monumental and life-changing theater-going experience.

What show have you recommended to your friends?:Fun Home! I think it's the best new musical in years. Not only is the writing stellar, but it's impeccably directed by Sam Gold.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Ummmmmm either Patrick Dempsey (duh) or Natalie Portman in drag (I mean, who can really resist that idea). And it would simply be called "Neuroses".

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: Oh my, this is hard. I think I would say the original production of A Chorus Line at The Public Theater (before it moved to Broadway). I don't know that any subsequent cast will ever capture the magic of the original cast, or so I imagine.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Television. I watch (probably) too much of it, but damn there's just so much good storytelling happening on TV these days. It's a hugely educational experience (he tells himself to appease his Jewish guilt).

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: If my mother had her way, I'd be a Jewish doctor with a children's medical practice. In truth, I'd probably be working in LGBTQ advocacy in some capacity.

What’s up next?: This summer I'll be developing a brand new play alongside playwright Jason Kim about the lives of LGBTQ immigrants in the US, as part of the Bill Foeller Fellowship at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

For more on Okay, visit www.OKAYThePlay.com. For more on UglyRhino, visit www.UglyRhino.com. And for more on Danny, visit www.dannysharron.com

by Michael Block

Give a queen a stage, a pianist with a wealth of showtunes in his fingers, and a crowd of boozy patrons the power to request songs and you get Jinkx Sings Everything, an evening of unplanned music and stories. The solo extravaganza from Jinkx Monsoon, RuPaul's Drag Race season 5 winner, allows the comedy queen with a voice like no other guidesthe crowd through Broadway classics on demand. With nothing rehearsed, Jinkx Sings Everything is flat out fun, laughs, and a good time.

Presented at the infamous Laurie Beechman Theatre, Jinkx Monsoon collaborates with "Broadway Sessions" pianist Joshua Stephen Kartas to sing a canon of fan requested showtunes. With an element of anything could happen, Jinkx reminds the crowd just why she is one of the show's strongest performers. While she does get the final say on suggestions, and even suggests numbers from her previous canon of theatrical roles, Jinkx is game for even that early non-showtune request. Rather than nerves and a throat tickle bring her down, Jinkx powers through the evening singing everything from Chicago’s “All That Jazz”, where we learn Renee Zellweger inspired her to do drag, to a medley from Cabaret, and ending the night on a high with “The Origin of Love” from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. With so many fans in attendance, one lucky boy, Desmond the youngest Jinkx fan, got plucked from the crowd to sit and unintentionally upstate as his request, “My Heart Belongs to Daddy.”
Jinkx Sings Everything is bound to make a triumphant return. It’s simple and fun. But a little structure polish could be to the evening’s benefit. While it would eliminate the scream-and-interact portion of the night, having the audience fill out a sheet preshow would allow a smoother night by maintaining the request feel. Either, Jinkx Monsoon can do anything and her fans will be loyally by her side. That’s what happens when you have talent.

Name: Victoria Vance

Hometown: Canton, Ohio

Education: Various Theatre schools outside the U.S. Ohio University School Of Theatre BFA

Select Credits: Unbroken Circle (St. Luke Theatre), Engaging Shaw (The Abingdon Theatre). HBO’s “Veep”HBO, Showtime’s “The Affair”

Why theater?: It's alive...truly alive. There's a wonderful audience, each one looking for something...laughter, a chance to go deeper, to find hope...it's so gratifying for me.

 Who do you play in A Persistent Memory?: Olivia, a Belgian woman living in Uganda, who works for Unicef.

Tell us about A Persistent Memory: It's a deeply moving play about reaching into ones soul...understanding ourselves in a deeper way. Release, and finding a way to move forward. It's painful but the rewards are rich.

 What is it like being a part of A Persistent Memory?: Amazing...brilliant. What a gorgeous cast and crew. The writer, Jackob Hofmann is a dear friend and it is such a joy to be working with him again.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Boy...I just love THEATRE...it ALL speaks to me in one way or another. Again...there are so many. I fear if I name any one in particular I'll want to kick my own fanny for forgetting someone else.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: Vivian in WIT.

What’s your favorite show tune?: Every song from Pippin.

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

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Emma Thompson. "It All Makes Sense Now"

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: M Butterfly with John Lithgow

 What show have you recommended to your friends?:A Persistent Memory, OF COURSE!!

 What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: A wonderful glass...or TWO of good wine!

What’s up next?: Well...something wonderful, I hope!! There's one thing I'm working on but its on the QT.

By Michael Block

Religion is one of those topics that is personally comforting but when discussed out loud in a group, it becomes a hot button topic. No matter the context, someone is going to feel something. And that's ever-present in the New York Neo-Futurists production of Yolanda K. Wilkinson's Bible Study for Heathens. The solo show is a guided meditation of one women's journey through religions and finding something or someone to believe in.
A solo show about faith in the 21st Century, Wilkinson takes the audience on a ride of her life as she instilled her knowledge without preaching. The monologue play follows Wilkinson at a young age to today as she tries out an assortment of Faith's during crucial checkpoints in her life. From Christianity to Born Again to Judaism, Wilkinson discovers at the base there is commonality but no matter what she learns her believes belong to her and solely her. Wilkinson is a spiritually grounded performer. She uses her experiences to bring out the best in her stage persona. She layers in sly cynicism that adds a needed aura of humor into the theme.

But as captivating a performer Wilkinson is, Bible Study for Heathens encountered some roadblocks. Finding the true intent of the piece was a bit blurry for Wilkinson and director Joey Rizzolo. But that may strictly be blamed on the structure of the piece in regards to venue. You could not ask for a more fitting venue for the show. The loft at Judson Memorial Church allowed Wilkinson's voice to echo as the arches of the church were lit. But because there are no true "house lights", the audience was in full glow. And without Establishing a safe space for the audience, there was an overall sense of discomfort in the room. Religion, even in this context, can make someone Uncomfortable and by forcing the audience to partake without an "invitation" can hurt the flow and momentum. It's a general woe of solo shows that just happened to be amplified in Bible Study for Heathens. From a directorial perspective, Rizzolo made the transitions clean and tried his best to utilize the various props into the beat shifts.
Even with the restrictions of space, Rizzolo and his team made some strong artistic choices. The projection design by Cara Francis was a clever mix of fun and evocative. They helped propel the story forward. Sans the house lights lighting from Sarah Livant, did a phenomenal exploring the different looks the space provided. From the black lampshade spots to highlighting the architecture of the space, Livant’s design was purposeful.
Bible Study for Heathens was an interesting story to say the least. Yolanda K. Wilkinson has offered an incredibly interesting theatrical presentation. But Bible Study for Heathens suffered from some avoidable strong choices.

By Kaila M. Stokes

It is always a thrill to see a show that takes history and messes with it. The “what if” question is one of the reasons that theater so addicting. Harry and the Thief, by Sigrid Gilmer produced by the Habitat, at the Robert Moss Theater did just that….What if we sent someone back in time to give Harriet Tubman guns to start a race war? The show is purposely over the top and askew. Director Katie Lindsay has some innovative and clever ideas throughout the piece.
How Harry and the Thief is contrived is that Mimi, played by Shelley Fort, is a troubled kid and her cousin Jeremy, played by Larry Owens, bails her out. In return, she must get in the time machine he built and travel back to give Harriet Tubman guns to start a race war so Jeremy can rule the world and enslave white people. From the beginning, the audience is asked to have a very open mind. History takes us on this journey commenting on an MC mic in elaborate and sexy outfits that one wishes they could wear on the daily. Writer Sigrid Gilmer has some great one-liners and kept the audiences’ laughter sustained throughout. It is a two-hour piece without an intermission, but it does not have to be. The story and hilarity would have been just as successful with some unnecessary moments cut out and, most of all, utilizing History better.
History, played by Mieke D, is extremely quirky, snarky, and witty as she walks us through this imaginary world of “what if.” There were certain times when it seemed History could have been better utilized both with staging and line placement. It would have been more creative if she helped create and evolve the worlds that the characters switch in and out of. Sometimes set pieces would move in order to let the audience know it was a different place. If History had been a part of the movement in these scenes, it would have been clearer to the audience exactly how she was medaling in everyone’s destiny.

There was an added theatricality and utilization of song and uniformed movement that was an exceptional surprise. Harriet Tubman, played by Ngozi Anyanwu, signaled to other slaves through a song when they were ready to escape. They, on the adventure of the escape, performed a solider-like march to show travel and undertaking. The most innovative staging was the standing lamps without shades. Each actor had one when they moved through the night on their escape. They used them as trees, bushes, and other forestry objects to hide. It was such a beautiful use of light and movement. The lighting (Designed by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew) for the show helped tremendously when the worlds changed. There was also a green strip light that surrounded the stage and signified the changing of worlds. The glow created a beautiful hue on stage that lit the audience and actors perfectly. The set (Designed by Lawrence E. Moten III) was minimal and the back of the stage was designed with huge bookshelves that had an array of items on them. It was exciting to see this in the beginning because it seemed like the possibilities were endless, but it was never used in the show. What a missed opportunity.
There were a lot of genres of theater jammed into one show. Harry and the Thief is a drama, comedy, musical, farce, and an avant garde piece. A staging choice that was extremely resented was the fact that some things were mimed and some things were not. This was frustrating to watch and perhaps one huge flaw in the entire show. Some choices were set in concrete reality while others were so far removed from anything to do with the show. There were a couple of times when the actors broke out of character as part of the show – these moments were unnecessary and did not move along the plot in any shape or form. In fact, it took away from the overall message of the show.
Harry and the Thief is quite enjoyable and a funny commentary reminding us that, although slavery and white power seems to have gone away, it may not be as far you think. It was a good way to laugh at such a serious and present issue. With some edits and better utilization of set and certain characters, Harry and the Thief, has the potential to be a phenomenal drama, comedy, musical, farce, and an avant garde piece.

By Michael Block

How do you put on a show if you continually stop the show with number after number? Ask Sutton Lee Seymour. Making her triumphant debut at the Laurie Beechman Theater, Sutton Lee Seymour: The Way Off Broad is a ninety minute festival of song and dance from a broad who loves the stage and screen.

Sutton Lee Seymour: The Way Off Broad unites Broadway, Hollywood, and Disney with fan favorite songs, impressions, and a five minute musical extravaganza. Sutton Lee Seymour is a grounded performer who not only has the talent but knows her persona well. And through that she offers comedy gold. Between her Liza on HSN to the Chicago in five minutes, which includes a spot-on mockery of Renee Zellweger, Sutton Lee Seymour knows how to bring the laughs. With a strong voice, she’s able to transform vocally through song. And that’s ever-present when she has the burnt out booze bags, including Bea Arthur, Joan Rivers, and Bernadette Peters, sing “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from “The Little Mermaid”. And even when she sings as Sutton Lee Seymour, she provides a stunning vocal. What sets The Way Off Broad apart from other shows of this type is just how polished it is. Every beat has its purpose. Every song perfectly selected. Even her costumes are thorough bringing strong continuity. By being deliberate, you can tell how much thought and time was put into building this show.
It’s hard to pick the best number of the night because it truly is an evening of showstopper after showstopper. If you didn’t know Sutton Lee Seymour before you sure will now.

Name: Antonio Minino.

Hometown: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Education: Universidad Pedro Henriquez Urena, Universidad APEC, Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes, Michael Howard Studios, Larry Singer Studios.

Select Credits:The Colonel’s Wife, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Garcias Trilogy, Triptych, Dark Water, Adrift, Parts of Parts & Stitches, Arpeggio.

Why theater?: The older I get the more I ask myself that same question. I’ve decided it's the best way I have of communicating and inspiring change, thought, breath, and stillness. Even if it's only for those 60 to 120 minutes I get with an audience.

Who do you play in Suddenly, A Knock at the Door?: I play “Survey Taker” among other magically delicious characters.

Tell us about Suddenly, A Knock at the Door: Playwright Robin Goldfin has adapted and woven together some of Israeli author Etgar Keret’s stories into a kaleidoscopic play that celebrates creativity, wishes, family and love; that commemorates nations, loss and yearning. The heartbeat of the words and characters are enhanced by the live music composed by Oren Neiman, and the astute direction of David L. Carson.

What is it like being a part of Suddenly, A Knock at the Door?: Rehearsals are always my favorite part of the journey. Director David L. Carson has created a trusting and safe atmosphere that is allowing us to take risks in the room. Having playwright Robin Goldfin, and musicians Oren Neiman and Gilad Ben-Zvi there is also a treat. Nothing compares to being part of a work still in development and sharing it with some fantastic cast mates.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I’m a sucker for magical realism, bold staging, and dark material. I love larger than life actors that make positive choices when portraying flawed and complex characters. These are the plays and artists that inspire me.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: So many roles I’d love to play, but I’m really dying to get back to work developing my solo show Moon Child. I performed an excerpt as part of APAP-NYC at The 14th Street Y last January. I’m itching (yet very scared) to dedicate more time to it. I’m also dying to play a role that pays my bills.

What’s your favorite showtune?: My favorite things are always in constant flux, from color to food to showtunes… so I would have to say right now my favorite is “Take a Break” from Hamilton. Just don’t tell that to “Last Midnight” from Into the Woods.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Pedro Almodovar, David Cromer, Marin Ireland, Nilo Cruz, Ayad Akhtar, Trevor Nunn, Naomi Wallace, list goes on.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself, and what would it be called?: We don’t look alike, but I think Gael García Bernal would kill it as me. The movie would be called Vicious Peace.

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: I would travel back in time and see a performance of Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding) and make sure Federico García Lorca was in the audience. Then we would go back to his place, and I'd have him read to me his Sonnets of Dark Love.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: The peril of Off-Off Broadway is shows close so quickly, so most of the things I’ve recommended have lived their three week run by now. I will say, I did a reading of Flux Theatre Ensemble’s RIZING earlier this year, and I cannot wait to see the production. I would recommend a Broadway show but they don’t need the “payola,” besides theater is alive, well and affordable Off-Off Broadway.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Pizza, ice cream and Tito’s dirty martini.

What’s up next?: As I rehearse Suddenly A Knock at the Door, I’m also in rehearsals for Other(s), written and directed by Glory Kadigan, having a one-night presentation on June 15th at Dixon Place; Also in rehearsals for Men In Towels, written and directed by Michelangelo Alasa, and playing June 21-25 at the Duo Theater. Later in the fall, I’m directing David Stallings’ Anaïs Nin Goes to Hell, which goes up October 14-29 at The Theater at the 14th Street Y.

For more on Suddenly, A Knock at the Door, visit http://theaterforthenewcity.net/suddenlyaknockatthedoor.html

By Michael Block

Through a blurry neon haze of the 80s comes a gritty drama that has taken over a decade to make its New York debut. Written by Octavio Solis and presented by Boundless Theatre Company, a designer driven company, Prospect takes some drug and alcohol induced people, stirs in some problems, and pours out a mix of drama with little intrigue.
Presented at the confusingly multi-named venue currently billed as Teatro Circulo, Prospect follows a quartet of personas whose problems and insecurities intertwine in forced fashion to examine regret. The play begins with a chance meeting between crimped queen Liza and nerdy and wasted Scout. As the drinks flow, Liza's lover Vince finally arrives and convinces Scout to come home with he and Liza. Upon arrival they meet Elena, Vince's cancer ridden, couch bound wife. As poor blunts of medicinal marijuana are rolled and insults are slung, the evening takes a turn as truths are unveiled.
Since the text has been kicking around for years, there's little need to comment on the desire and ambition to be a Sam Shepard play masqueraded as an edgy neon-soaked catastrophe. Instead, it's more important to tackle how director Elena Araoz and the designers approached the production. To start, this is not a character driven play. It's all about story. Araoz tried to infuse some depth but rather than focus on character, we watched as drinks and pot were consumed to mask the problems. These are severely broken and damaged individuals but with the tone and style set forth, it's hard to care about their needs. This is a production that prides the wonders of design but when you're left pondering the text and characters, a beautiful design will fall in the wayside. Boundless Theatre Company should be proud of the beauty that they created. But did it serve the text best? The set from resident scenic designer Jorge Dieppa served the purpose of allowing two locations in one by simply eliminating props and some of the neon and fantastic table light by resident lighting designer Maria Cristina Fuste. Dieppa's design was jagged and called attention to unsettling angles. But those angles and the bits of blank space next to the tile floor hurt Araoz's staging. With the three-quarter thrust seating alignment, those sitting on the house left risers likely missed essential moments as the company's backs were to them. Though straight on isn't as interesting, it would have allowed less bad seats than this current arrangement. That aside, the moments when the action bled onto the black space felt like mistakes. Araoz had little room to have her company go and by stepping off of the tiles, it hurt the vision. One interesting choice Dieppa made was painting the back wall a deep blue. While it did blend in well, you have to wonder why not just keep it black? When it came to the lights, Fuste destroyed reality. The images and colors were striking. And the use of neon was perfect. Because the space of a thousand names doesn't really have strong entrance and exit places, Araoz utilized the back hall door. If you can get past the noise of the door, the pink hall light Fuste added was a brilliant touch. When it came to costumes, they were strong in era while not feeling too bold and comical. Resident costume designer Sarita Fellows paid great attention to pattern and color giving each their own to live in. Sound designer Nathan Leigh explored the atmospheric approach, especially in the club scenes. It blended into the scene without ever feeling overbearing.

photo by Sarita Fellows

The play focused on a quartet of personalities. As single contact ridden computer programmer Scout, Oscar Cabrera brought out the paranoid geeky personality. He stuck out yet faded royally in comparison to the over-the-top characters aside him. As the woman stuck in regret, Keira Keeley shined as Liza. She managed to craft a character that is bold yet believable. The character of Vince is a bit shady until the truths are revealed. It’s a tale of two personalities. Wild and crazy with Liza. Whipped and submissive with Elena. Unfortunately, Cliff Rivera had incredible trouble balancing the two cohesively. Rivera’s Vince was cartoonish and a bit of a distraction. Elena is by far the most fascinating character Octavio Solis has written in Prospect. She’s a fiery volcano of a woman. Monica Steuer brought the ferocity. Once she appeared, she dominated the stage. Whether it was storytelling or baffling performance, the presence of Winter and Red never felt fully realized. Yes, they were a source of conflict but Terrell Donnell Sledge and Danielle Skraastad as Winter and Red respectively literally felt like party crashers.
No matter how you slice it, Boundless Theatre Company’s Prospect felt like a secret scene from a live action Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Prospect featured designers proficient in their craft but the selection and subsequent vision of the production was lost in translation.

Name: Emily Hartford

Hometown: Middleborough, MA

Education: BFA Theatre Arts Performance, Hofstra University

Favorite Credits: Directing: Mother of Exiles in Flux Theatre Ensemble’s Breathe Free event; Assistant Director on Flux’s Salvage and Jane the Plain. Acting: Disappearing Act by Edward Elefterion, Faust by August Schulenburg, As We Like It, devised and adapted by Messenger Theatre Company, The Tale of Frankenstein’s Daughter and The Night of Nosferatu by Stanton Wood.

Why theater?: I love that theatre depends on its observer, in order to exist. My favorite theatre is work that requires imaginative leaps from the audience, that becomes a collaboration between the creators and the audience. That kind of artistic creation—that can only happen once, in this space, with these people, at this time—is a special kind of magic.

Tell us about Rizing: Rizing is set years after a disease-spurred zombie apocalypse. In this rebuilt society, those in power have erected severe structures (and literal walls) to keep the Z-negative populace safe from the infected. Z-positive citizens take part in strict drug regimens to keep them “lucid.” Scientists battle against the disease’s growing adaptability to drugs, as infected “Zealots” seek to liberate their brethren from Neg oppression. The production has a mind-blowingly stellar cast, gorgeous design, bone crunching fights, and a bit of blood and gore.

What inspired you to direct Rizing?: I am incredibly lucky, in that Flux Theatre Ensemble found themselves in need of a director for Rizing, and gave me the shot to make it my directing premiere. What I love about this play is the way it grounds heady themes like disease, fear, power, and sacrifice in truthful and beautiful human relationships. With Rizing, Jason Tseng creates both a rich new world and incredibly relevant contemporary social commentary.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I love work that is robustly physical and inventive, technically precise and emotionally rich. Some of the most wonderful theatre I’ve seen over the past few years: Geoff Sobelle’s The Object Lesson, Gideon Production’s Honeycomb Trilogy, Kneehigh’s Tristan & Yseult, Pig Iron Theatre Company’s Twelfth Night, National Theatre’s Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Rattlestick Playwright Theatre’s Ironbound, Blessed Unrest’s Body (I missed the latest iteration, but loved the version I saw in 2015).

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Oooh, I would pick anyone from that list above: Geoff Sobelle or the other Pig Iron folks. Everyone at Gideon. Yeah, just everyone above: call me. I work really hard.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I keep answering these a few questions too early. Tristan & Yseult (my fiancé and I saw it one weekend at St. Ann’s Warehouse, and then grabbed six more tickets to see it about a week later when family was in town). The Object Lesson, which I was lucky enough to see four times in various stages of development and in two cities, and would watch again and again and again and again.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Ohhhh man, I dunno. How about it’s set in the future, stars Helen Mirren and is called "Lady Who Made Lots of Art She Was Proud of and Now She Keeps Bees and Goats and Still Makes Weird Shit Out of Cardboard".

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: Peter Brook’s Midsummer Night’s Dream or The Mahabharata

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: TV. All the TV.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: If I could go back and make a second life, I think I’d be a sculptor.

What’s up next?: I’m very excited to collaborate with my fiancé, Ned Massey—we’ll be co-directing a production of his original musical, The Battles, this coming winter. (We’re also due to work on some wedding planning collaboration!) More immediately, this month I’ll jump into Messenger Theatre Company’s research and development process for Emily Davis’s surreal and wonderful new play, The Door Was Open, as an actor and a designer.

For more on Emily, visit www.emilyhartford.com. For more on Flux Theatre Ensemble, visit http://www.fluxtheatre.org/rizing/

by Michael Block

In the high heat of the spring at the Access Theater's Black Box comes something that sounds really cool. It's Flux Theatre Ensemble's production of Jason Tseng's Rizing. It's a zombie sci-fi drama about finding a cure and making a sacrifice. But what happens when that cool idea melts away in execution? You get a two and a half hour overstuffed attempt at something meaningful.
Written by Jason Tseng comes the latest addition to the sci-fi theater trend. Rizer follows the Z+ inhabitants of a post apocalyptic metropolis where the infected and negs are virtually segregated. This place is home to Mica, a zombie, and her neg doctor lover Brynne Quillis. It's home to a zombie anonymous meeting director Tulle and his lover Alto. And home to a group of zealots hard pressed on making a statement. Rizer is a statement piece. And it's evident in the program note. Playwright Jason Tseng states that the blaring parallels to the AIDS crisis are the backbone of the piece thusly making Rizer what it is. Blend The Normal Heart, "Dallas Buyers Club", Nazi Germany, terrorism commentary and Zombies and you get Rizer. If it sounds like a lot it's because it is. Tseng's idea is clever. Using zombies as a metaphor for the AIDS crisis is fascinating. But it would have been more fun to discover the parallels on our own. Regardless, the text is not as strong as you'd hope it to be. With some questionably poor dialogue that you could see the company fight to get out of their mouth, Tseng's text tries to do too much at once. Like The Normal Heart, it appears that we'll watch one prime player with a cast of supporting characters. Only this isn't quite the case. Mica's story is often brushed aside for the subplots, many of which are hefty in time. While they do include crucial information, parlaying it in a different manner could have been of great benefit. Once Hex and his zealot army are introduced, the plot seems to take a drastically different approach, one that strays from the original intent. There is a way to marry the two but as it stands now, neither receives a clean resolution. Act II is rushed. Continuing with the Hex plotline, it’s clear that the intent was to shift from the “AIDS allegory” to something more in the lines of terrorism. With the Z positive people already paralleled to the gay community, it unintentionally turns the what would be gay radicals into villains, which is an unfortunate commentary.

photo by Isaiah Tenenbaum

Rizing is an absolute beast of a play to realize on stage. Director Emily Hartford had her work cut out for her. Between the allegory that Tseng has infused into his story and the sci-fi elements, balancing the clarity of the two was integral. When Hartford found the realistic components of the story, she was in her prime. But when it came to the sci-fi, she seemed to falter. The storytelling got muddled and the intelligibility went down the drain. Hartford’s transitions could have been cleaner by simplifying the amount of scenic elements. There were just too many and it hurt the momentum of the story. Building a world that is clearly better suited for the screen, scenic designer Will Lowry had to work his magic. The futuristic set resembled marbled and it was appealing to the eye. The grey stage floor was a lovely touch but for those who noticed the hand prints on the edge breaking up the grey and black were rewarded. Avoiding the stereotypical warm colors of a post-apocalyptic world was a brilliant decision. Even the stark cool colors from lighting designer Kia Rogers was smart. Rogers offered some dazzling lighting looks. Even the sound scape from Janie Bullard added the perfect ambiance that Rizing needed. The costumes from DW kept in tune with the cool color scheme. They were a nice blend of futuristic using modern pieces. The only disappointment was the sad looking Z arm bands. Stephanie Willing served as fight choreographer. The execution seemed to be her greatest downfall. Between the staging and the disregard for costume, many of the fight elements looked cheap. And many of the naps were hurt by certain fabrics.
The ensemble was largely made up of sci-fi theater veterans, many of whom were a part of the recent Honeycomb Trilogy from Gideon Productions. Having experience in the genre certainly helped move Rizing to the top. As a whole, the ensemble was filled with performers who could find the equilibrium between sci-fi and reality. Leading the cast was the exceptional Alisha Spielmann. The believability that came out of Spielmann was unmatched. There are moments in the script where characters have to revert back to their zombie state. This had potential to be hokey yet Spielmann sold it. The other strong showing came from Jessica Angleskhan as Dr. Kestrel Khan. Angleskhan has great depth. It’s a shame that her character isn’t really a presence until Act II. Debargo Sanyal as Tulle brought the comic relief, though unwarranted at some moments. Gavin-Keith Umeh as Hex was perfectly terrifying. His character was more of a device but his authority was exactly what was needed. Arthur Aulisi seemed the let the genre get the best of him. As General Venture Quillis, the authenticity was not quite there.
Rizing was an ambitious undertaking. Flux Theatre Ensemble has a piece that has great potential, it just needed a little more guidance and reworking. Jason Tseng has offered a truly remarkable commentary that is a step away from greatness.

Name: David L. Carson

Hometown: Kokomo, IN

Education: Masters - Michigan State Univ.

Favorite Credits: As Director: Mother/Son By Jeffrey Solomon (Original Production); The Ethics Of Rav Hymie Goldfarb By Robin Goldfin; The Telltale Heart By Danny Ashkenasi. As Actor: King Lear (American Bard); Nixon's Nixon (Virginia Premier Theatre); Barrier Island (Mtworks); Over 20 Shows With Metropolitan Playhouse Including: American Clock, The Return Of Peter Grimm, The Easiest Way, Salem, And The Streets Of New York

Why theater?: I fell in love with it in junior high school and never looked back. I like a lot of the performing arts: music, film, TV, etc., but theatre, to me, is the most immediate rush.

Tell us about Suddenly, A Knock at the Door: Robin Goldfin's adaptation of stories by the great Etgar Keret - coupled with Oren Neiman's soundscape score - is our attempt to bring the brilliant story-telling of Keret's imagination to a wider audience through theatre. There are many ways to create theatre: from plot, spectacle, character.... I've always been attracted to story. This piece gives me/us the chance to put stories on stage in an (hopefully) entertaining manner while giving gifted performers the chance to strut their stuff and have a great time doing it.

What inspired you to direct Suddenly, A Knock at the Door?: I had enjoyed working with Robin before, so when he and Oren came to me with the idea of putting one of the stories on its feet in a short-play festival at AND I said "Yes" -- an easy no-brainer. Then as the project expanded to 8 stories I just kept saying "Yes" - and eventually a whole lot more! We've been working on this for four years. I can't wait for an audience to tell us if we've done it right.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: All kinds: Musicals, Classics, High Drama and Low Comedy. If the artists involved have something to say, I'll listen. Unless it bores me. The worst thing that can happen in the theatre is for the audience to get bored. That's unforgivable. I admit I don't understand some experimental stuff. If I have no idea why I'm supposed to be watching after 10 minutes, I totally tune out. I'm a sucker for emotional honesty - unless it becomes masturbatory. There are a great many actors whose work I really admire, both contemporary and no longer living. If you want names off the top of my head: Zachary Quinto, Peter Sellars, Alec Guiness, Kevin Spacey, both Bridges brothers, Danny Burstein, Dan Radcliffe (!), Kathleen Chalfont, Ms. Streep, Alison Janney, Kevin Bacon, Sean Penn, Jeff Daniels, John Dossett -- I could go on for pages. There are some companies and directors I'll go to no matter what they're working on. I love a love story. And companies the National Theatre of Scotland (BLACK WATCH DOWN) and the original Circle Rep with Lanford Wilson and Marshall Mason.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: See any of the living actors in the previous answer. And I'd like to be directed by Joe Mantello, Rebecca Taylor, Diane Paulus. I'd like to work with Tina Howe, David Hare, Charles Busch....

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Currently on B'way: the revivals of The Color Purple and Fiddler. Beautiful, Aladdin, Something Rotten, Tuck Everlasting, Fun Home. Anything by MCC. Fully Committed.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Kevin Spacey, in a lighter mood. "b.s at the b.o."

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: The originals: The Glass Menagerie, The Lion In Winter, A Funny Thing Happened At The Way To The Forum...

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Jamocha almond fudge ice cream

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Unhappy? Looking my age? Fat and in the Midwest? Retired.

What’s up next?: Rest. Then a little travel - nowhere specific - just getting away. Then auditioning. I need to act in something again before I direct again.

For more on Suddenly, A Knock at the Door, visit http://theaterforthenewcity.net/suddenlyaknockatthedoor.html

Name: Robin Goldfin

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA.

Education: BA/English: Temple University. MFA/Dramatic Writing: New York University

Favorite Credits: I danced for 5 years with Laurie DeVito’s She-Bops and Scats, a concert Jazz dance company and taught dance as well.

Why theater?: To the Greeks, orchestra meant “dancing place.” The theater, to me, is physical and alive.

Tell us about Suddenly, A Knock at the Door: This is a play based on stories by celebrated Israeli author and filmmaker Etgar Keret. I have translated and adapted 8 of Etgar’s stories and put them in a story of their own, one that features a writer and highlights the act of storytelling itself.

What inspired you to write Suddenly, A Knock at the Door?: I love Etgar Keret’s stories—the clarity, the imagination, the humor and the rhythm. When I read the first story in his latest collection, I thought “This would make a great 10-minute play.” It turns out that a group of them make a great full-length play, too.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: The theatre, like the best art, is an act of imagination. It can be simple on the surface (real simplicity is not easy to achieve) but has great depth underneath. Practice inspires me—artists in any discipline who show dedication, perseverance and commitment.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Bette Midler. Or it would be enough to have her come see my play.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Fiasco Company’s Cymbeline. I saw it three times and took friends. It was beautiful: the music, the simplicity, the clarity, the humor—we really heard the play.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Dick Van Dyke, and he would dance (like in the chimney sweep scene in Mary Poppins). Maybe I’d call it “Writer with a Dancing Problem.”

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: I’d like to be at the opening of My Fair Lady. My parents were there and it would be nice to sit next to them again.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Tea and cookies. What would an afternoon be without them?

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Teaching. But I do that anyway. And dancing again.

What’s up next?: I want to restage The Ethics of Rav Hymie Goldfarb, the solo play that David L. Carson helped me develop and directed for The Midtown International Theater Festival in summer 2005. I wrote it for myself, but now there are other actors I’d like to see in the role.

Name: Jason Tseng

Hometown: Potomac, MD

Education: University of Richmond

Favorite Credits: This is my first produced play, so I guess... this one?

Why theater?: Theater asks us to be present and engaged in a way that many other art forms do not. I also love how much power our collective imagination can create. Especially since I write a lot in the sci-fi/fantasy genre, I am constantly amazed how an actor's gesture, or a subtle sound cue can achieve the same effect on stage that would cost $10,000 of a Hollywood film special effects budget.

Tell us about Rizing:Rizing is an AIDS-allegory-cum-zombie thriller, set after the zombiepocalypse, the last city in the world, new drugs allow management of the zombie disease, but the surviving society is deeply splintered across both sides of the disease. The Z-negative government places strict draconian controls on the Z-positive former zombies, who struggle to make a life of their own with few resources. The play's characters find themselves at opposing sides of this divide and are forced to struggle to find a way to live with or destroy each other.

What inspired you to write Rizing?: I was inspired to write the play after a close friend described how the 1980s AIDS Crisis was still impacting his love life. His partner survived the crisis (they are a mixed-status couple) and the way in which the disease impacts their intimacy was profound, tragic, and deeply moving. The play actually started out as a play about HIV/AIDS, but I wanted to tell a Queer story with the themes of the AIDS crisis without constantly trapping queer characters within our current society's limitations of homophobia and racism. So, when I shifted the narrative to work in a zombie genre, it really allowed me to talk about a lot of other oppressed communities and how they brush up against hegemonic power.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I tend to dislike naturalistic, slice-of-life plays. I'm a huge fan of magical realism and theatre that is allowed to lean on the audience's imagination. I'm also a huge fan of physical or movement based theatre. Matthew Bourne is actually a big inspiration for me (despite his commercial appeal). Funnily enough, I actually don't see a lot of theatre, given that I am a playwright.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Oh gosh, I've been such a big fan of Third Rail Projects and their productions (Then She Fell and The Grand Paradise). I'm deeply interested in exploring immersive and interactive performance and I think they do it in such a smart and interesting way. That, and I'm friends with one of the originators of their Alice in Then She Fell, Tara O'Con, so it doesn't feel entirely impossible or out of reach... :)

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Most of the theatre I watch doesn't run long enough for me to recommend to many people, but I am such a huge and utterly big fan of Mac Roger's Honeycomb Trilogy. All the folks at Gideon Productions are swell and I love everything they put out. I'm also a huge and rabid fan of Montserrat Mendez's work, particularly Thoroughly Stupid Things, his unofficial sequel to The Importance of Being Earnest. I grew up on BBC dress up dramas and seeing Wilde's flair for satire brought to the next level was everything. I also can't say enough nice things about Taylor Mac. I find him magnetic as a performer, but I was mesmerized by his production The Lily's Revenge. It was 5 hours of pure surreal bliss.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: It'd be called "Fem, Fat, and Asian" and if I cast it myself, I'd probably be played by Alec Mapa. But if Hollywood was casting, they'd probably cast Tilda Swinton.

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: Our American Cousin at the Ford Theatre in 1865. I'd go back in time with a tazer and prevent Lincoln's assassination, and thereby altering the timestream... because my life goal is to become either the Doctor or Kang the Conqueror... basically, I want as confusing a character continuity as possible.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Drop Dead Diva. I watch it all the time when I'm working on comics. You don't even have to look at the screen to follow what's going on! Plus Margaret Cho's on it.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Making comics... which I do already, but probably more successfully.

What’s up next?: I'm working on a queer Asian rom com inspired by my partner's coming out to his family. It's called AirBnB and it's about a Gay Asian couple who stage an AirBnB apartment as one of their own when a parent makes an impromptu visit. It's melodramatic and unrealistic, just like me! I'm also in the beginning stages of a period drama set in turn of the 20th century colonial Hong Kong. It'd basically Downton Abbey in Hong Kong and with a biracial lead. Hoorah!

For more on Rizing, visit www.fluxtheatre.org/rizing. For more on Jason, visit jasontseng.com and tsengsational.tumblr.com

Did you know that elephants have exceptional memory and never forget a face? It’s true. So how does this fact serve as an overarching metaphor in Jackob G. Hofmann’s A Persistent Memory? Thinly, of course. Elephants and grief are all the focus in Hofmann’s slow-moving drama about memories.
Staged at the Beckett Theater at Theatre Row, A Persistent Memory follows David Huntington, a rich kid finds himself in Uganda to research elephants only he doesn’t know why. Told nonlinearly, A Persistent Memory pieces together moments to offer a muddled message. After the suicide of his brother a year earlier, David begins to forget. His triggered memory loss sends him on a journey where it was still hard to piece together the key moments of each beat. When the main character can't figure out why he's doing what he's doing, it’s hard for the audience to figure it out as well. At its core, Hofmann’s drama is about grief and memory. But the overwhelming influence of elephant facts doesn’t aid the moral. Instead, you’re left trying to figure out is it only present for the similarities. Beyond that, the trouble is Hofmann doesn’t do a strong enough job crafting characters. Despite a loveable performer, David is not a loveable character. It’s hard to care about his journey, especially when other characters steal the limelight. We learn more about elephants than some characters. And others are so inconsequential to David’s story, you almost wonder if they’re necessary. Those characters are Elijah, David’s friend and source for his elephant tour, and Carly, Elijah’s violin-playing lady friend. A little before the midway point, the duo has an entire scene with little payoff for the overall arc. The overall arc being David’s story. The only bit of important information is the phone call that Elijah makes to David at the end of the scene. This later comes into play when we learn that Elijah made a pass at David. This inconsequential beat could easily be eliminated to give more focus on a story arc that only exists through conversation: David and his father. We see David and his father’s new wife Marie discuss his father but without his presence it lacks emphasis. And while we’re at it, they say that every story needs a little romance but the intimacy between David and Olivia, his Uganda interviewee, comes out of left field and forces a few face-palms from the audience.

photo by Russ Rowland

Even with the bones that she’s given, director Jessi D. Hill makes the most of the text. While the pacing is inexcusably slow, Hill does try to track David’s journey clearly. Her transitions were lyrical and emphatic until it seemed there wasn’t enough time to stage them and they became messy. Before the start of the show, the stage image was simply amazing. The set from Parris Bradley with lighting designer Greg Solomon highlighting what evoked an elephant graveyard was stunning to look at. And then once the show began and more lights appeared, the bracing of the bones were revealed and the pretty illusion went away. But the proscenium cutout was pretty darn beautiful. Regardless, how Bradley and Solomon worked off of one another was breathtaking. This was a collaboration that was greatly rewarded. The only major woe was that the final moment literally was lost in the darkness. When the audience doesn’t applaud, you know it didn’t work as the button for the show. The costume design by Valerie Joyce was strong for the most part. She paid attention to patterns and palette well. Though there was a moment in the first scene where Joyce seemed to disregard the text. David blatantly states that it’s hot and he’s wearing a long sleeved shirt, a cargo vest, and khakis. While the shirt and pants were part of the base costume, at least have him roll up his sleeves if he’s going to mention the temperature! Miles Polaski’s sound design was quite good. The transitional underscore blended a classical touch with tribal elements that Hill worked into her shifts. Even the internal cues were purposeful.
This story was all about David and his journey. Despite the character, Drew Ledbetter offered a solid performance. Ledbetter has a soothing melodic tone in his voice that grounded David. Though Marie was introduced quite late in the show, Lisa Bostnar pulled out the intrigue of the plot. As the new mom at odds with her stepson, Bostnar was sweet. Bostnar and Ledbetter had the strongest chemistry of any duo on stage. Even though his character should have had a show of his own, Richard Prioleau did fine work as Elijah. His flirtatious nature was stimulating.
A Persistent Memory is one of those shows that you can see the team put the effort into constructing a strong production but the text was just not up to par, yet. Jackob G. Hoffmann’s play needs a little more work before it’s really ready for the big time.

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