For those of you who attended the Happiest Medium’s 1st Anniversary Party (in 3-D) you may have seen these slide shows already. They feature the great performers we had there, and some of their upcoming projects. Here is the main slide show with the normal as well as 3-D-ified images that will jump out at you if you look at them with ChromaDepth 3-D glasses.

And let me thank all our performers and sponsors one last time -

Ahmond, Monica Bauer, Charites, John Fico, Jeff Grow, Paolo Javier, Kampfire PR, Kill the Band, MTWorks, Karen Tortora-Lee, and  Franca Vercelloni,

Now to look at the slides…

Because we loved Kill The Band so much we made a slide-show just for them. It can be enjoyed with or without glasses, but if you went to the party, pull your glasses out now!

Don’t forget to catch their monthly show – Alter Ego.

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Things are really buzzing at The Happiest Medium.  We can hardly believe it, but we’re about to celebrate our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!  Was it only yesterday that we swung wide the virtual doors and hung out our THM shingle?

Our official 1st Post was the end of October 2009, but things really didn’t get swinging until mid November - November 15th (or, so says revisionist history!)  As luck would have it, November 15th is the perfect day to have an amazing party!  So SAVE THE DATE!

Here are some tantalizing little bits to get you excited -

The Happiest Medium is jumping off the computer screen and going 3-D!  Like Avatar without all the Blue People!

We’ve picked some of our favorite artists from our inaugural year and asked them to come perform at a swanky tribeca hotspot!

There will be music!  There will be magic!  There will be monologues! There will be mugging for the camera!  There will be two solid hours of amazing entertainment capped off by an amazing band who will play you off into the night.

So bring your dancing shoes!  Bring your Flip Video Camera!  Bring your friends and come meet us live!

Everyone you know and love will be in one room having a ball – you’ll want to be there too.  If you think The Happiest Medium runs The Happiest Website, wait till you join them for The Happiest Night of Celebrating, Highlighting and Showcasing all that the New York performance scene has to offer!  You’ll be talking about this night for years . . . or at least until our 2nd Anniversary party!

So Mark Your Calendars!  NOVEMBER 15, 2010.

Tickets Go On Sale Soon! (low low low price of 15 dollars – less than an off-off Broadway show!)

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2nd Ave Poetry, vol 3: The Occult

Saturday, September 25
5-7 pm
FREE (or with suggested donation)
The Creek and The Cave
10-93 Jackson Ave, Long Island City
(on the E, G, & 7 train, B61 bus)

featuring readings & multimedia performances by

mitch HIGHFILL   *   toni SIMON  *  hector CANONGE * charles BORKHUIS  *  priscilla STADLER* brenda COULTAS   *  jill MAGI   *  kelly SPIVEY  * douglas a. MARTIN  *  mark LAMOUREAUX

downstairs after-party with live set by dj DESPO

volume 3 also includes work by
kevin KILLIAN * leslie SCALAPINO * dodie BELLAMY* jeremy THOMPSON * rit PREMNATH * caitlin PARKER  * tsering wangmo DHOMPA * thom DONOVAN  * r. zamora LINMARK * thomas FINK * denise DUHAMEL * filip MARINOVICH * ca CONRAD * frank SHERLOCK  * lyn GOERINGER * matt JONES * clayton ESHLEMAN * charles BERNSTEIN * stephanie GRAY * gerrit LANSING  * vincent KATZ * rusty MORRISON * laynie BROWNE * tim PETERSON * john HARKEY * r.m. ENGELHARDT * emmy CATEDRAL * yago CURA * ernest CONCEPCION  * jonny FARROW * alan ramon CLINTON

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In a time when full immersion is the key to any good entertainment experience Mardi-Ellen Hill has managed to create a multi media-universe that allows the participant to be drawn into a world of her creation through any number of doors.  Choose your favorite: book, game, music, and let the hidden mystery that is the MEND™ Universe unfold.

I got a chance to chat with creator Mardi-Ellen Hill who could explain this multi-level, multi media project far better than I ever could . . .

Tell us about your project.

Mardi-Ellen Hill

THE SPELL OF VAUGIRARD is a five book series that unfolds a new idea in books, games and film/television. It is a semi-autobiographical story — a narrative about a dynasty who once reigned with their own personal cache of knowledge and power.

The Barringtons were known as the life of every party. At the dawn of the 21st century,we find the characters entrenched in a one-upmanship duel unfolding on the global stage. The dynasty is about to become extinct; outdone by their own hand and inventions. Their human forms survive due to a musical familial connection to the earth; embedded in a hidden map that protagonist, Lily Barrington, discovers in the nick of time. The map shows their origins on earth and the dynasty’s importance to our future of learning and progress.

First, let me say it is very rewarding for my work to be included in such a fine site– especially a live theatre site. My work, THE SPELL OF VAUGIRARD began as live stage-play — a New American Work for the stage, it was funded twice by the NEA in that category. As an American women, I was proud to have contributed to works created in this era. I wanted the work to move forward – to be seen and heard by larger audiences, not be solely accessible to an audience where the work might have a premiere and a few showings! The futurist I am, I took the initial support opportunity to develop a totally new model– a platform connected by the tracks of my original music CD. The CD sets the unfolding clockwork scheme of the play. The stage is the arena for the reveal of a new invention called MEND™- musical encode decode. The floor of the stage itself recreates a hidden map, a gps pattern that brings a city scheme to life.

Six sections comprise the original play. During the development phase of the late 90s,four of the six sections were presented and reviewed. By the new millennium Hollywood came calling. I sent them my original music CD. The music unfolds the force of action driving the narrative and the characters forward and uncovering a hidden matrix– place by place, time period by time period — each place of “origin” is linked to a subset of other places and paths around the world. All of the paths connect directly back to a main story line unfolding on a live stage in NYC. That stage is where the dynasty Matriarch is about to transfer her power and directly aim her targeting message to many involved in a cover up that has haunted the dynasty for eons. One person, the Matriarch’s daughter-in-law, the protagonist has been left out of the family fold. As our guide, Lily Barrington receives the Matriarch’s message via a simulcast– and is forced to take the huge risk to out the family players — I don’t want to give away the whole thing!

The play, an ARCADIA meets DAVINCI CODE meets LOST went through many transformations. In Hollywood it turned into an epic- book bible from which several books and scripts were culled. I then spent a several years developing the web and blog sites – so people could become acquainted with this new idea.

What makes the prequel book THE SKELETON SCORE timely/ accessible is the way we are introduced to the characters and challenged along with Lily Barrington to unlock a prophesy cryptogram that allows readers,players and attendees to take part in the unfolding thriller drama and build their own MEND™ interface.

Besides the book, I use on-line features to bring in audiences on many different levels. The on stage auditorium recreates a playing field of a town’s original genome, where the music theme heard in the 21st century harkens back to a chilling event and a murder in the middle ages. The audience members become witnesses to a murder about to happen again — they become an integral part of the evidence and the scheme– traveling along with the dynasty members who are in a fight over the new invention. The dynasty conflict reveals a centuries old estate fight about to render a gifted and prolific dynasty broke, and stuck in limbo unless the audience can intervene.

How did this incredible idea come to you?

I began writing this story when I was fourteen. The drama of science and how things and human beings worked was always on my mind. Add to that a very dramatic family background, one that a child could only make sense of by using music to plot out and store her family’s memories. The book’s opening Soliloquy, gives a feel for a lost familial voice that re-emerges again and again; my way of presenting the driving nature of the human spirit and how human progress is made.

What are the things that audiences will find most appealing about stepping into this universe?

The work is filled with clues and interactive avenues that are built into the body of the narrative. The reader/user/attendee will have lots of opportunity to build their own personal tool kit and grow the new invention, MEND™– musical encode decode at their own speed and level of comfort. There is a Fashion Arcade, a Village Square, a Museum, a Geodesic radome and host of other mobile spots of learning and entertainment that will be downloadable on any mobile technology.

Who have been your greatest influences in creating this work?

I was greatly influenced by great writers, thinkers, performers, as diverse as Ray Kurzweil to Herman Melville, to Glenn Gould. In my lifetime, the well known soprano Phyllis Curtin has made an enormous impact on me. Her voice, which I first heard at 19 ignited the whole room and every one in it, in one flash of immense power. I walked in one person, and walked out transformed. I have dedicated the role of Rose Barrington to her. And my father, who’s love and knowledge of of opera, civil rights, ip rights, strategy in war, made a lasting impact on my young life.

What are the next steps for you – both with your project as well as with your personal goals?

I have built this model, and with wonderful people. I am in the process of changing my role from company head- creator to becoming consultant. There are many other things I want to do, including writing my own memoir, speaking on the global trail and working on new projects of others!

I hope to find the right launching pad, production studio, partner- home asap! The book series has been requested by an agent. Publication would catapult the story into action.

And finally – where can our readers go to continue to follow your progress?

To follow our progress, please go to: www.menduniversebuzz.wordpress.com.  To contact me directly, reach me at mardiellenh@aol.com.

___

Thank you so much, Ms. Hill, for bringing us into your universe.  I encourage THM readers to check out the MEND™ Universe and get lost in the wonderful creative labyrinths that await you!

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The Happiest Medium would like to wish all the Moms, all the children of moms, and all the fans of TV Moms a happy day today.

Feeling Nostalgic for Carol Brady, or even Peg Bundy?  Then check this out:

June Cleaver, Claire Huxtable, Peg Bundy and Carol Brady

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Do you want to share your craft and work one-to-one with an aspiring teen writer?
Apply to be a Volunteer Writing Mentor today!

Press Release from Girls Write Now:

Girls Write Now is a community of professional women writers—educators, editors, poets, novelists, playwrights, journalists, literary agents, publishers, and more—on a mission. Since 1998 we’ve provided guidance, support, and opportunities for New York City’s underserved or at-risk high school girls, enabling them to develop their creative, independent voices, explore careers in professional writing, and learn how to make healthy school, career, and life choices.

Now entering our thirteenth season of programming, Girls Write Now is seeking passionate writers, teachers, and leaders.

The mentor application for the 2010-2011 program year is NOW AVAILABLE! Deadline to apply is May 1, 2010.
Please find the application on our website: www.girlswritenow.org/gwn/join/mentors
Questions? Contact Heather Smith, Enrollment Chair, at enrollment@girlswritenow.org.

Girls Write Now is seeking passionate writers, teachers, and leaders who are…

• Armed with at least two years of professional writing experience.
• Dedicated to guiding the artistic, academic, and professional aspirations of young women.
• Willing to work collectively with Girls Write Now and to recognize the importance of a supportive community in
  creative expression.
• Prepared to make clear, frequent, and tenacious communication with our leadership, volunteers, and mentees.
• Able to make a serious commitment from September 2010-June 2011 to weekly one-to-one mentoring sessions, monthly group workshops and special events, and participation on one event committee.

How to Apply:

Download and fill out the Girls Write Now Mentor Application from our website, www.girlswritenow.org (click the “Join” tab on the left), and email your Mentor Application, resume, and two writing samples to enrollment@girlswritenow.org by May 1, 2010.

Questions? Email enrollment@girlswritenow.org or call 212.336.9330.

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Press Release from New York Center for Independent Publishing:

New York served as the model for Gotham City, inspired Will Eisner as he created the noirish adventures of The Spirit, and became a recurring character during the 1960s resurgence of Marvel in comics such as Spider-Man and Iron Man. Comics expert Peter Gutiérrez will moderate a high-energy round-table on the relationship between superheroes and their favorite hometown, followed by a wine and cheese reception provided by GraphicNovelReporter.com!

Join us and learn how comics culture has promoted potent and memorable images of New York to readers worldwide.

When:  Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 6:30-8:30 pm
Where: 20 W. 44th Street, New York, NY 10036

Tickets $15 for general admission, $10 for CIP Members, and $5 for students – and they’re tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Please email contact@nycip.org or call 212-764-7021 to reserve!

Speaker Bios:

Danny Fingeroth was the longtime group editor of Marvel’s Spider-Man line and the writer of many comics featuring Spider-Man, Iron Man, The X-Men and other iconic characters. He is the author of Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us About Ourselves and Our Society; Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics and the Creation of the Superhero, and the Rough Guide to Graphic Novels.

Peter Gutiérrez is an Eisner-nominated comics creator and a born-and-bred New Yorker who hopes that people don’t learn that he now lives in New Jersey.  Peter has written about pop culture for Graphic Novel Reporter, the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Montclair Times, Screen Education, School Library Journal, Rue Morgue, the ALAN Review, and ForeWord Reviews, where he is the graphic novels columnist.

Gene Kannenberg, Jr. is the author of 500 Essential Graphic Novels: The Ultimate Guide(Collins Design, 2008) as well as articles about comics for the Comics Journal, Hogan’s Alley, The Chronicle of Higher Education, the International Journal of Comic Art, and several academic essay collections, some of which come from his 2002 Ph.D. dissertation on comics.  His new publishing house specializing in books on comic art will debut later this year.  Currently he writes graphic novel reviews for the “Ulysses ‘Seen’” website and is the director of ComicsResearch.org.

Frank Tieri is an award-winning writer and creator who has worked on some of the biggest franchises in comics including Wolverine, X-Men, Hulk, Iron Man and Batman. His current work includes: Wolverine/ Wendigo, Wolverine/Mr. X, Web of Spider-Man, and Deadpool Team-Up.

Billy Tucci is an award-winning illustrator, writer and filmmaker best known for his modern-day samurai fable Shi. Shi has been featured on every major American TV network while also garnering praise in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today. The character has also crossed over with many comic book icons including Daredevil, Witchblade and Wolverine. He recently completed illustrating Jonah Hex, as well as a new Shi series and several other creator-owned projects.

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Admission is free!

March 6th & 7th from 10:00 – 5:00

Saturday, March 6th:

11:30 – 12:00 PM
Maria Filice of  Food & Fate Publishing will presents Breaking Bread in L’Aquila
Reviewed in Library Journal as a “wonderful book…will appeal to foodies and cooks looking for effortless Italian cooking.”

12:00-1:00 PM
“It’s Easier Than You Think: Raising A Passionate Reader” with Nancy Newman
In this informal workshop, Nancy Newman will share simple but effective parenting “secrets” that help all children – pre-readers, precocious readers and dyslexics – become skilled avid readers.

1:00-2:00 PM
“Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent’s Eye”
New York literary agent Katharine Sands takes participants step-by-step through the success checklist for getting-published.

2:00 – 4:00 PM
Strangers Gate Books presents Uyghur Poet Aisha Kashgari

Three Rooms Press presents Peter Carlaftes, with “A Year on Facebook,” and poets George Wallace (“Poppin’ Johnny”) and Jane Ormerod (“Recreational Vehicles on Fire”)

Brown Paper Publishing presents Goodloe Byron

Colin Broderick (praised by Colum McCann as “one of those younger writers who make sense of where we are right now”) reads from his memoir Orangutan.

4:00 PM
“Presses in Transition”
Lawrence Soehnel of People’s Pages/Coral Press will facilitate a discussion of the realities of technological change for independent publishing. Audience participation is encouraged.

Sunday, March 7th:

12:00 – 12:30
Fractious Press presents Buzz Poole
Greenpoint Press will present Mark Goldblatt, reading from his novel Sloth.

12:30 – 1:00
GNYIPA presents:
Norm Beim
Kay Williams
Francine L. Trevens, TnT Classic Books, speaks on art/aches of doing an anthology.

1:00 – 2:00
Golden Heritage presentation on Margaret Fuller
Intima Press presents on the typesetting of the Declaration of Independence, which was originally printed by Mary Katharine Goddard.

2:00-3:00 PM
David Mathison, author of Be the Media, will discuss how authors and media creators can use social media to promote their work.

3:00-4:00 PM
William Powers (www.williampowersbooks.com) will talk about his environmental and aid work that led to the books Whispering in the Giant’s Ear, an account of his life and activism in Bolivia, and the forthcoming Twelve by Twelve: A One Room Cabin Off the Grid & Beyond the American Dream, about an American physician’s efforts at creating a sustainable life.

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Christina LaFortune and Vince Gatton

Henry James’ novella The Turn of the Screw is one of my favorite works committed to paper, being a wonderful macabre pastime that my Grandmother and I used to share together, acting out the roles as we read along. I feel it is truly one of the most important staples of Gothic Literature. With every read or artistic version (such as the film The Innocents) a new strata of possibility can be found in the characters, who are as fascinating now as ever. Two Turns Theatre Company’s amazing adaptation of this piece has put their finger on the pulse of these characters, and found an innovative way to share a classic tale.

The story centers around a young Governess (a riveting Christina LaFortune) who is hired to care for two young children by their wealthy uncle (a brilliant Vince Gatton, in one of his several roles of the evening) who lives in London. While captivating the young woman with his charms (“There. I’ve seduced you!” he exclaims when she agrees), he makes it clear that he does not want to be disturbed or informed about anything to do with the children, and the young governess is sent off to Essex where the niece, Flora, is being cared for by the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose. Flora’s brother Miles, arrives home soon thereafter, apparently from being kicked out of school. Soon, the governess begins to see a mysterious man and woman on the grounds of the estate and in the windows, staring at the children – and begins to believe that the ghosts of the former governess and her lover have come back to steal the children away from her.

Vince Gatton

When I was informed that the play was only two actors (one of whom would be playing at least four roles) and only 70 minutes, I was curious how they were going to pull it off, mostly in relation to the time frame. This whole novella, as a play, in so little time? I didn’t have worries about the multiple roles. Vince Gatton, one of my favorite actors, is very familiar with playing multiple roles in a show (having played 35 separate characters on stage in two different plays before). His ability to use physicality is remarkable.  In this production he plays male and female roles, including Mrs. Grose and Miles.

Let me just go on the record and state that this production WORKS, and all in just over an hour. Two Turns and director Ken Cerniglia totally sell this – and playwright Jeffrey Hatcher’s one-act adaptation is thrilling to watch and experience. LaFortune ‘s  slow descent that blurs the line between her sanity (or lack thereof) and the supernatural is a joy to watch. Critics of the original novella were always divided on whether the governess was mad or the ghosts were real; I very much enjoyed Hatcher’s version, which gave the character a new dimension and asked even stronger questions about the bizarre relationship between the children and their previous caretakers. Gatton’s portrayal of the 10-year-old Miles was profoundly eerie, and the show overall was very suspenseful, even after having been very familiar with the original story.

Instead of a theatre, the play is performed in the Merchant House Museum on East 4th Street, a 178-year-old home that is a preserved landmark that maintains its 19th century integrity inside and out. Proceeds from the production go to help generate income for the non-profit Victorian home. From the moment you enter the building, you are greeted by the quiet hush that comes from incredibly old homes. The fact that the historic dwelling is rumored to be haunted only adds to the luscious ambiance. Upon being seated in an upstairs parlor surrounded by the ornate furniture, drapes, gorgeous mirrors and gaslights, one realizes that the home is also an actor in the piece – it’s more than just a set. When you think about it, if this story was being told back in the 19th century, people would have acted out the roles by candle light or oil lamps, in much the same manner. The way the show is deftly staged in the space by Cerniglia, allowing the actors use of both ends of a narrow playing area so that all the audience can see them and effectively tell the story, was a learning experience for me.

Ah, They've Seduced Us.

The fact that the company has made it its mission to give back to the community by donating the majority of the proceeds from their productions to non-profits such as the Merchant House (while showing off the home in such a delightful fashion) is wonderful. The idea is becoming more prevalent nowadays, thankfully: create theatre in ways that can help the community while maintaining artistic integrity. I only hope that Turn of the Screw, which only ran for six performances, returns soon for a longer run.

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Tea, Anyone? (Photo courtesy of Screenrant.com)

I’m very excited about Tim Burton’s new take on Alice In Wonderland. I honestly can’t think of anyone else who could bring the tale to the screen and give it that surreal (read: trippy) quality that it properly deserves. The cast is amazing and includes Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Mia Wasikowska, Stephen Fry, Crispin Glover, Anne Hathaway,  Christopher Lee, Matt Lucas, Alan Rickman, and Michael Sheen. I’m about as excited to see Rickman as the Caterpillar as I am Depp as The Mad Hatter! (“Whoooo Are Yooooou?” lol)

What is also delightful is that with the interest in the film, people are descending upon bookstores to pick up the works of Lewis Carroll and familiarize themselves with the lovely stories of Alice and her Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (since the movie seems to be not a remake of Alice in Wonderland, but a mix of both tales?). This crossover interest in literature happens with most films; I work for a bookseller, and we always tie in big films/events with the books available (and sometimes create new titles) to go with them.  Of course, it doesn’t always work; I spoke to a book Buyer who said “It’s really hit or miss. I find these things are a blip on the screen unless the book is already established on its own.”

The new Alice in Wonderland leatherbound book published by Barnes & Noble

Well, Lewis Carroll’s works are well-established; I have a leatherbound volume given to me by my sister about twenty-five years ago. And now, Barnes & Noble has updated its leatherbound edition of Carroll’s works in the title: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Other Stories (9781435122949) that is a re-packaging of Lewis Carroll’s complete works, but has lovely engraving in pink, gold, and black, with the classic illustrations on the inside. The book is published by Barnes & Noble’s Merchandising department – so you won’t find it at Amazon, unless someone bought one at B&N and then sold it there.

Looks lovely for any collection.

That said, some of you who are used to the standard maroon/gold leatherbound that has been sold for years by B&N may want to hit the stores to scoop up the remaining copies; this new version is hitting warehouses and is now the new (read: only) leatherbound version available on the website.

What are your thoughts on the new leatherbound Alice? I’d like to know what people think about it as well as book/movie tie-ins in general. Does one effect your other when it comes to reading?

The movie Alice In Wonderland directed by Tim Burton comes out March 5th.

(Thanks to Screenrant.com for movie info.)

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