The first thing you can’t fail to notice upon entering the performance space for Empirical Rogue‘s production of Romeo and Juliet, is the spectacular environment chashama have provided for the company. Formerly a taxi service garage on Jackson Avenue, LIC, the space retains the character of its previous functionalism, but the translation of the environment for its theatrical purpose is all but awe inspiring. This is immersive theatre space at its most captivating. Three very simple arrangements of double rowed seats place the audience right at the edge of the action. Behind them floor to ceiling drapes of canvas enclose the space and focus attention on one corner of the performance area, where a raised office hutch serves as the play’s famous balcony setting. The raw cinder block walls are spectrally painted with fading murals and decorative effects that describe location and contribute atmosphere almost slyly – “Verona” the largest declares boldly, like some pageant-styled vermouth advertisement of the Forties. A raw building scaffold sits easily in the space, spotlights glow in constellation behind canvas walls, and a wide grill metal gate recalls you to the actuality of the location. Before the drama has begun you want to take your hat off to production designer, Dante Olivia Smith, muralist, Adam Fujita, and producer/director, Tim Eliot.  This is one of the most intelligent and graceful set designs I have come across.

Susannah Hoffman and Doug Chapman.

And very happily, all of its cleverness and lightness of touch is nimbly echoed in the performance that follows of Shakespeare’s most famous story of  the tragic, young, star-crossed lovers. Eliot has honed down the play to use just four actors, each necessarily playing several roles. The choreographing of characters to scenes requires rapid-fire role changes, asking both performers and audience to stay alert and keep their wits in order to follow the action. Rudimentary costume changes are effected in seconds behind the scenes, and on this first night of performance all ran effectively as actors disappeared through narrow gaps in the scenery to emerge moments later in alternate character from another partition. Timing is precise and impressive. Having the same actors portray different genders and different generations is engrossing to watch, but also throws into relief contrasts in the story’s culturally imposed roles and restrictions. Jacob Martin takes both the role of the impassioned and reckless Romeo, as well as that of the socially constrained and conservative Lady Capulet, Juliet’s mother. All of the actors can be commended on the stamina which they bring to bear in sustaining the charged atmosphere, and it is a special note of success that I found myself, while watching the four actors in scene together, expectant of the arrival of yet another. The sense that another character was waiting in the wings was proof of the effectiveness of the illusion they were working so hard to create.

This is a physical production and swordplay (Shad Ramsey) is vigorous and convincing. Creating the sense of a factional melee can be understandably difficult with just four, sometimes three, actors at a time. Eliot’s direction is equal to the challenge and he gives us a delightful note of chaotic confrontation at one point, when a van pulls up outside the garage, headlights blazing, the gate rolls noisily upward, and sword-wielding actors rush in. The illusions of a masqued ball and of populated public space are similarly creatively suggested with a minimum of effects and participants.

If there is a villain in the production then it is undoubtedly the acoustics in this raw space. Intimate exchanges between characters can get lost and, as there is much active space in use, the same may be said when actors are turned away from the audience. As Romeo, Martin projects the most effectively, conjuring youthful vitality and a character who is touchingly over-taken by new passions and the will to be an honorable man. There were moments though when I wished he would modulate his delivery more; not everything the young lover says is an exclamation. Susannah Hoffman as Juliet gets it right, marrying the charge to the lines. This is a full throttle performance with great range, taking us from girlish excitement all the way to womanly anguish. Her Mercutio is equally impressive, startling even as she projects a complex braggart and hot head who seems to be masking a woundedness at Romeo’s attentions towards women. Sarah Baskin gets great play out of the Nurse, driven by sympathy to imprudence, she is all attentiveness and want of wisdom. To Doug Chapman fall the less meaty roles of Benvolio and Friar Laurence, well-intentioned voices of temperance, and he dithers and agonizes leanly. As an ensemble these actors come together most effectively and in moments of pitch, the language and acting engender a white hot intensity that melts your sense of time and place, all the poise and cleverness, any need of a suspension of disbelief. It’s powerful.

Fine touches abound. Live music is featured in the form of Becca Bernard, a solo cellist, sitting all-but-not-quite out of sight behind wooden pallets in one corner. The wardrobe (Summer Lee Jack) is a hybrid of contemporary wear and historical costume notes, lithely at play with a notion of dress-up and realism. In a similar vein, features of the scene-setting mural decoration archly confess to their own artificiality, their recently applied theatricality. But there is a lyricism amidst this self-consciousness. In the one instance when the space is plunged into complete darkness, a small, plastic night light that has been glowing unnoticed throughout the action, becomes the sole point of light. Keen-eyed observers might note it is a figure of the Virgin, the mother of all sorrows, herself a complex symbol of themes that underscore the drama. Utterly thoughtful, innovative, bold and tempered, Empirical Rogue and Tim Eliot have produced a memorable version of this much played Shakespearean favorite, itself the mother of all tragic romances. All one can say is Bravo! Bravo!

~~~

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There’s a reason that the second rule of Fight Club is the same as the first rule of Fight Club.  Because Tyler Durden (and by extension, author Chuck Palahniuk) understood that it’s human nature to break rules.  First rule of Fight Club – don’t talk about Fight Club.  Second Rule of Fight Club:  DO NOT talk about Fight Club.  So what did people do?

What does this have to do with August Schulenberg’s new play DEINDE?  Simple.  DEINDE – a sci-fi story of quantum biologists who use a  Dineural Entangled Intelligence Network DEvice [a "clumsy acronym, really, not even a real E at the end"] to “loop in” in order to juice their brains so that they can be smart enough to cure a virus that has been killing the world’s population – begins with four simple rules:

1. When using DEINDE do not think of anything other than work.
2. Do not keep the connection to DEINDE live outside of work.
3. Do not use DEINDE to communicate with each other.
4. Do not use DEINDE to accss the world online.

Sounds so easy to follow, right?  So did “Don’t talk about Fight Club” and we all know how that turned out.

The rest of the play is about how those looped in to DEINDE systematically break the rules as they find themselves becoming addicted to the unnameable and unbelievable power that overtakes them, courtesy of this strange and wonderful and terrifying new level of understanding.

The play itself begins with a chess match – a conventional one –  which then thematically unfolds throughout the entire play, on a much more subtle level.  In the first scene the game is being played on a recognizable board and the notion of checkmate has no hidden meaning or agenda. On one side of the board we have Cooper (David Ian Lee) who plays a very analytic and thoughtful game where he tries to see every available move before he proceeds. However he doesn’t have the intuitive leap to be able to move beyond what is in front of him in order to win the match.  On the other side of the board there is the older, wiser Malcolm (Ken Glickfeld) who is the embodiment of 95 years of trial and error.  This dictates not just how he plays a chess match, but how he moves through life.  While it seems that he is using intimidation and brio to distract his opponent in actuality he doesn’t need this slight of hand – he’s won the game anyway, based on his innate knowledge which comes from something that can’t be taught – something that can only be experienced.  By zeroing in on the fatal flaw of his opponent rather than relying on the limitations of his own body of knowledge, he is able to win the game.

DEINDE featuring Isaiah Tanenbaum, Ken Glickfeld, David Ian Lee, Rachael Hip-Flores, and Nitya Vidyasagar (Photo credit Justin Hoch)

DEINDE works with this theme throughout the play;  constantly pitting two sides against each other with much higher stakes, and a checkmate which implies not just the end of a game but perhaps the end of human progress.  The battle is between information vs. intuition, intelligence vs. maturity, wisdom vs. knowledge.  If you’re paying attention it’s easy to see how the moves will play out – but nonetheless thrilling to watch as they unfold.

There’s a lot of science here – this is, after all, a sci-fi tale, but it’s laid out in a way that is conversational, interactive and engaging.  If some of it goes over your head, well, that’s almost the meta-point.

DEINDE is what would happen if Charly and Sybil had a love child who evolved at the speed of light.  If you remember your high school reading assignments, Flowers For Algernon dealt with Charly (or Charlie), a learning-disabled man who is chosen by a team of scientists to boost his intelligence.  As Charly becomes self aware, and soon hyper-intelligent he becomes disenchanted both with his former self as well as those around him whom he once admired.  Similarly, Jenni and Mac – the young, eager (already brilliant) quantum biologists who undergo the DEINDE process find themselves on this same road – unable to return to the blandness of the existence they had before they looped in.  So they simply don’t.

As they further break the rules they become reliant upon the technology, even as they surpass it.  Those around them,  once considered mentors, colleagues and advisers are now considered troglodytes.  Speaking with them is like ”talking through tar” to Jenni and Mac who are on an accelerated path – always.  Further, as they break rule number 3 they find themselves justifying their own behavior to (and with) each other, as they now are “one person in two bodies” who still speak out loud to each other, but in unison because it “feels grounding, like we’re still human in some meaningful way”.  Further they decide they are there “not … to abolish the law but to fulfill Man’s destiny”.  Yes.  They are THAT GOOD. Or so they think.

But there are consequences for breaking the rules.  Not punishments.  Consequences.

Throughout the play in every way director Heather Cohn balances precision with chaos.  Will Lowry’s set and scenic design is awash in mathematical equations, written in a steady hand and proving the undeniable.  Electronic devices are clear lucite and allow for anything since they are beholden to nothing.  Martha Goode’s sound design brings scenes crackling to life with music that is classical, indicating moments which are very calculated and decisive, straightforward and blunt.  This makes the dischord which begins once the rules are broken all the more salient and pronounced – where things once were clear and ordered they are now explosive and uncontrollable.

Similarly the acting is in perfect balance; a composed and measured Nabanita (Nitya Vidyasagar) is in perfect counterbalance to the (at first) bouncy, youthful, Mac (Isaiah Tanenbaum) and Jenni (Rachael Hip-Flores) who move quickly to manic and frenzied.   Cooper and Malcolm do fantastic work in the middle ground, showing both compassion and tolerance in the face of a technology that is terrifying, wonderful and unquantifiable.

Another strong Flux Theatre Ensemble production which melds science with sentiment and allows the “what if”s to paint a picture of possibility.  Beautiful and meaningful – not to be missed.

~~~

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The Real Thing featuring Synge Maher & David Nelson

Art imitates life.  Life imitates art.  Often times -for the life of a playwright- the lines are so blurred that it’s almost impossible to distinguish realism from hyper-realism or acting from genuine feeling and emotion.  When fact and fiction can no longer be untangled it isn’t always easy to recognize if the words you’re hearing are being spoken from the heart or simply being recreated from a scene plucked from the past.   Somewhere amid all this, one would hope to find The Real Thing.

Written by Tom Stoppard and first performed in 1982 The Real Thing hardly shows signs of being a 30 year old play; in fact Boomerang Theatre Company’s production directed by Cailin Heffernan now playing at The Secret Theater in Long Island City is vibrant, cunning, engaging and smart.  It brims over with the kind of energy that makes live, independent theatre so absolutely vital and important, and throughout the 2 hour show everything comes together to make what amounts to a gift to the audience.

The play centers around two British couples who are bound by marriage but straining against those binds.   Who exactly is married to whom isn’t directly obvious at first as Stoppard creates a slight of hand by giving us a play within a play as the first scene.   It’s enjoyable and weighty with plummy words and an idiosyncratic male lead, but it does teeter dangerously close to having the ability to turn grating should it go on for too long.  No sooner does the needle veer into the red does the scene end and the next scene reveals (slowly at first, which is the charm of it) that what was just witnessed was a play written by Henry (Aidan Redmond), one which is then poked at by his wife Charlotte (Valerie Stanford) and Max (David Nelson) who only moments before played husband and wife.

Max’s wife Annie (Synge Maher) soon arrives to round out the foursome and as the two couples chatter and regroup it becomes clear that Annie and Henry have been having a searing love affair, one which Annie insists they make public so that they can move on and be together.

What ensues over the next hours is a clever weaving of pure human need at it’s basest.  Love rises and falls, and with it – trust.  Marriages unform and reform, strong, then weak as passion is no longer enough to keep nagging thoughts away.  And, as promised, the first scene is played over and over again in various forms as each character finds themselves imitating the art that was either a foreshadowing or an homage to these lives.

The Real Thing featuring Aidan Redmon & Synge Mager

Through it all, Stoppard finds ways to display wonderful moments of thoughtfulness that come across as neither pedantic nor preachy, simply as the kinds of conversations people have when they are at the crossroads – not once but several times over.

Cailin Heffernan’s direction is marvelous; so many of the defining traits of the main characters are unpleasant, and their motives are selfish, however Heffernan summons a duality in each character so that they are always understandable, always relatable – if not in deed then at least in motive.

The entire cast is amazing. Aidan Redmond’s Henry is absolutely fantastic. Here is a man who struggles with his inward demons, often casts them off onto others, and yet still has the ability to take a moment and guide his daughter through the minefields of early adulthood.  Redmond plays Henry with the kind of sneer that makes you want to leave your phone number tucked into his back pocket – even as you walk away muttering about how conceited he is. Synge Maher as Annie and Valerie Stanford as Charlotte play their parts perfectly – each wed to him and wife to him — differently because they themselves are as different as can be.  Yet each the perfect balance to Redmond and just what he needs at a particular moment of his life.

Special mention goes to Zach Calhoon who plays Billy – he plays the young man vying for Annie’s affections with all the acting back-flips that any actor would use when trying to impress his co-star; and while the part is meant to be showy Calhoon pulls it off without overdoing it.  He is a joy to watch.

With just a few shows left, The Real Thing should not be missed.  Playing at The Secret Theater, don’t let this show be a secret too long.

~~~

Boomerang Theatre Company presents
THE REAL THING
by Tom Stoppard; directed by Cailin Heffernan

The Secret Theatre
4402 23rd Street
Long Island City, NY 11101

Click Here for tickets

________________________________________________________________

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Three Sisters, Olga, Masha and Irina lead a quiet but not content life in a small garrison town of Russia, much longing for Moscow they had left elven years ago. The oldest, Olga, is only twenty-eight, yet she is already considered an old spinster; at some point admits that she would marry “any man, even an old man if he had asked.” Masha, having been wed to a kind-hearted but much older high school teacher Kulygin, is very obviously unhappy with her life. Irina is twenty, beautiful, cheerful and wooed by Baron, an army lieutenant prone to political philosophizing, Solony, an army captain who incessantly tries to put Baron down to make himself look better, and Fedotik, a sub-lieutenant and an amateur photographer. The three sisters have a highly educated and promising brother Andrei, who with his level of education could have been a professor in Moscow, but instead marries a seemingly gentle vulnerable Natalya, who turns into a shrew. The Moscow nostalgia is an ever-present and almost palpable entity like Russian snow in winters – everyone believes that if they could only return to Moscow, life would be so different. They may be right, although we never find out what exactly is holding them up.

The play (By Anton Chekov) takes us through several years of the family’s life and its slow deterioration. Andrei’s wife Natalia takes control over the house and pushes everyone around while exceedingly doting on her children. Masha falls in love and has an affair with Lieutenant-Colonel Vershinin, a complex man whose mentally unstable wife tries to kill herself periodically; yet Masha and he can never be together because they are both married. Baron and Solony challenge each other to a superfluous duel and Andrei mortgages the house to pay for his gambling debts. Even the town suffers, consumed by fire. As it always is with Chekhov’s plays, there are neither clearly defined protagonists nor villains, and while no one is at fault, there are no clear solutions. Many Chekhov classics can be best summarized as “the best laid plans of mice and men”, and Three Sisters is no exception. No one’s dreams seem to be ever taking flight, in fact, those who are unable to dream cope the best.

Three Sisters is not a big budget production, yet a well-staged and emotional work of director Alberto Bonilla and producer Richard Mazda, currently playing at the Secret Theater (Long Island City, Queens). Alberto Bonilla says that what attracted him to the characters was “their fallible natures, the fact that Chekhov has written such vulnerable and hopeful yet flawed people against a background of change.” What is truly amazing is that a story which is over a hundred years old never loses its actuality. A century later we face the analogues problems and challenges, lose similar hopes and mourn the same never-fulfilled aspirations.

The talented Queens Players cast does an excellent job of creating believable characters that pull us into the story. We root for them, often for their mutually exclusive desires, we feel their discontent and desperation, and relate it to our own every day struggles. This old classic makes us re-evaluate our own existence and stays with us long after the curtain is drawn. Which is what a good play is supposed to do.

~~~

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Zaritsas: Russian Women in New York – a life-changing documentary by Elena Beloff will be screened on Oct 24 at the Astoria/LIC Film Festival.

Elena Beloff, a graduate of the New School University where she had studied film production, wanted to make movies since she was a little girl in her hometown in Tatarstan, Russia. When she was in high school she came to the USA as an exchange student and returned later to pursue her dreams. While living in New York Elena came across the infamous phenomena of the Russian women stereotype as materialistic gold-diggers and mail-order brides so she decided to make a film to explore the alleged stereotypes. As she was composing her student version of Zaritsas, she worked as an extra on the set of Law & Order where she met Vincent D’Onofrio who also starred in Men in Black and produced The Whole Wide World, and who became interested in her work and sponsored her film.

Elena’s documentary tells the stories of five Russian women in New York. Sasha, an exchange student loved the city and decided to stay. Katya’s dream is to quit her prestigious job at La Perla and become a photographer. The rapper Elena Ouri lives and breathes her songs and music – many about her vision of God. Tatiana rebuilt herself from rape and loss of her husband. Irina, an exotic dancer, takes refuge at a spiritual retreat to rebuild herself, and finds a job in the New York Jewelry district – with the emotional support of all the other women in the film.

The film is named Zaritsas, (The Queens) because of a Russian song about women locked in a cage of societal judgment much like the medieval Queens were trapped in their castles. Full of personal dilemmas and intense emotions, the film was an interesting cultural insight, and Elena Beloff was excited to answer the questions it raised.

What prompted you to make this movie? Did you feel bogged down by the stereotypes? Were you yourself tired of being placed in a stereotype bucket after telling people you are Russian?

EB: When I first came to the US, I began hearing stories about Russian mail-order brides and how easy it was to get a Russian wife if one wanted to. Then, in New York in 2000 I often heard about the article “From Russia with Sex” by Michael Gross which depicted Russian women as cold hearted gold-diggers. Also, while living in Brooklyn for a few years I became aware of strippers’ phenomenon – so many Russian girls were doing it that it seemed like a norm. I became curious about the stereotypes and how and why they developed. Over the years I met Russian women who married or went out with older rich men to better their lives without being really in love. My heart was aching when I saw women in such situations.

You followed several Russian women in New York to tell their life stories and journeys. That took a lot of time and effort. How long did it take you to make the film, how did you manage your life while making it?

It took me two years to make this film. It was certainly a lot of work, but it was worth it. I was working on my film full time and also supported myself doing hypnosis sessions. I am also trained hypnotist.

You mentioned that the film was produced by Vincent D’Onofrio. How did you find him and convince him to be your producer – or was it his idea?

I met D’Onofrio on the set of Law & Order, I was an extra there. I was still studying the New School University at the time and just finished a student version of my film about Russian women. He saw a trailer and believed in my film. His production company sponsored it.

A few personal tidbits: where were you born, why and how did you come to New York and what made you choose film-making as your career?

I was born in Russia in Tatarstan. I came to the US originally as an exchange student and went to high school in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Later, I came back again to pursue my dreams in NYC. Filmmaking is my passion. I chose it because I can communicate my vision, beliefs and love for art through film.

Will you be joining us at the festival?

Yes, I will join the festival. The ladies [from the documentary] will come as well. I will bring friends and they will vote for me.

What are your aspirations and what’s the next big project?

My aspirations are to make more films, documentary and feature films. Right now we are in production of my documentary film about Hypnosis.

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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 Poligamy – a Hungarian indie feature film to be screened at the Astoria/LIC International Film Festival Oct 22-24, 2010 Dénes Orosz, a Hungarian director and producer,explores the ever-controversial subject of polygamy from the surprising angle of what would happen if someone’s coveted wish was miraculously fulfilled.

A young Hungarian couple, Andrash and Lilla, have been in a loving relationship long enough for a commitment. As a typical woman, Lilla wants marriage and children. As a stereotypical man, Andrash doesn’t know what he wants, but he feels he hadn’t played around enough and he wishes he would’ve. Then Lilla breaks the news of being pregnant and strange things start happening.

Andrash’s unspoken philandering aspirations are magically granted. Every morning he wakes up next to a new Lilla, who looks, walks, dresses, and acts differently from the previous one. Interestingly enough, they always get pregnant and he is always the father. Although quite bewildered, Andrash’s embraces his newfound freedom, but soon realizes leapfrogging through relationships can be taxing. Every Lilla’s tastes and lifestyles differ and he never knows what to expect. For all her faults, the original Lilla was truly his, but now women hop in and out of his life like locusts, leaving him worn out, empty and confused. As the time for the baby’s birth approaches, he starts to search for the real Lilla to bring her back. But can he find her – or is he doomed to be forever stuck in his dystopian reality that is thought to be every man’s dream?

Needless to say, the film begged a gamut of questions, that Dénes Orosz was happy to answer – and in a rather quaint way, too.

What inspired the idea of the story?

Dénes Orosz: I was living in a long relationship with a girl and while I loved her very much I felt troubled by the realization that I won’t have a chance to womanize anymore! My fear of being engaged brought the idea of the film.

Men are traditionally thought of as polygamous creatures who would be happy to have multiple women in their lives. Your story proves otherwise. Was that the point you wanted to get across — be careful what you wish for, you may get it?

I think a time comes when one has to decide about what he/she really wants. My protagonist first thinks he wants to be free, but then step by step he matures for his fatherhood.

Why did you decide to send Androsh on his 9-months polygamous journey while his wife was expecting? Did it have anything to do with the fact that a guy’s sex life often suffers when his wife or girlfriend gets pregnant?

There is truth to that, but the fact that the birth of the baby is approaching gives tension and weight to the story. What’s more, the announcement of the pregnancy is a good reason to make a major change on Andrash’s life.

Did you give your main character your own traits? Your film synopsis describes your movie as “men want to sleep with every woman they find attractive. What would happen if this came true?” What would you do — if this came true for you? And what do you think would happen at the end in your case?

Yes, András has my traits as well, however I exaggerated his characteristics to dramatize the story. If could sleep with any woman I find attractive, I’d feel the same way he did: a quick, empty relationship can be fun, but then there comes profound sadness as you both realize how superficial that relationship is. All of us desire to love and be loved, so ultimately I would be looking for the right woman I can live my life with.

What did your main actor think of his role? How long did it take you to find him?

Quite long, a few months. At first I didn’t want a star, but when Sándor Csányi came to the casting it has become clear in a minute that he will be the best for the role. He was enthusiastic from the beginning, and not only because he would be shooting together with a team of beautiful women. He has a son and perfectly understands the problem the film is about.

What did your female actors think about the idea of the film?

DO: They felt sympathy fully with the protagonist’s emotional crisis and they agreed that Andrash’s fear of commitment was very real and typical for a man.

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1001 Nights

Sometimes you just need a break from all the Fringe going on all around you.  Alternately, maybe you’re just looking for some good guacamole and chips with a side of laughs.  Or you just want to hang out with your friends at the bar downing some beers with the cozy feeling of a room full of happy people laughing their butts off in the next room at something you can’t quite hear.  Whatever you’re into, I suggest you find the answer at The Creek and The Cave – a surprising find (for me, at least) in the shadow of the Pulaski Bridge in Long Island City, Queens.

“Every month at The Creek host Eugene Ashton-Gonzalez brings together the wittiest writers, comedians, and actors from around New York to tell shocking, hilarious, and intimate tales of their lives at 1001 Nights.” While I can’t vouch for EVERY MONTH I can say that I went last month and was immediately won over – by the friendly set up of this bi-level bar/restaurant/lounge . . . by the casual atmosphere, and the feeling that the place was hip and cool (but not *too* hip or cool) and by the overall feeling that I would be welcomed back whenever I decided to come again – even though I’m far from a neighborhood gal.   But the true gem of the evening was the show I’d come to see.

First of all – the price is right.  It’s free.  And that’s no cover, no 2 drink minimum . . . as far as I could tell you could wander in off the street, pull up a chair, enjoy the show, and leave again.  But Don’t DO THAT! 1) It’s not very nice and 2) Laughing makes you thirsty.  And trust me, if last month’s show was any indication, you’ll be laughing a lot so you’ll need a drink.  Second of all, the four stories I heard were chock full of personality, history, embarrassing moments, and humor.  Each storyteller was so good all I wanted was more, more, more.

The good news is, if you’ve never hear of The Creek and The Cave you can let 1001 Nights act as your initiation.  You’ll want to go back for more nights of comedy.  Luckily, there are many other themed evening to choose from, you just have to look at the calendar.

But I suggest you start with Friday the 20th so that you can get back to Fringing your way around the city for the rest of the weekend.

~~~

Phone: 718-706-8783718-706-8783

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A professor once told me –”If you want to be cast in the kind of plays that you really believe in, if you want to do work that is meaningful to you, with actors  trained in the same way as you, and have the same aesthetic… create your own theatre company together, the most important thing in this business is networking, and that starts NOW, in this classroom”– great advice from a very wise man. Seems to be that Rachel McPhee and Jackie LaVanway, cofounders of On The Square Productions, received the same words of wisdom.

Their company strives in non-traditional casting, and community outreach, which might give us a clue as to why their production of William Shakespeare’s A MidSummer Night’s Dream takes place in a garden in Astoria.

Here’s a Q&A with both ladies regarding their upcoming venture.

How did you guys meet?

Rachel McPhee

RM: Jackie and I met while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison where we were actively involved in the undergraduate theater program together and also worked at a campus catering center (hilarious!). I graduated in 2005 and went to study in London at the Drama Studio London for a year. When Jackie graduated in 2006 she was moving to New York to attend Michael Howard Studios and I was moving to NYC as well. Jackie needed a roommate and I slipped right on in. We have been roommates and BFF’s for the past 4 years! People interchange us for one another, ask us if we are sisters, and since I am getting married next year have even assumed that Jackie and I will continue living together with my soon to be husband! HA!

JL: That would be a little too bohemian- even for us!

How did On The Square Productions come about?

Jackie LaVanway

JL: On the Square Productions was birthed over the stuffy kitchen table of our old apartment on 78th and York. One night, Rachel and I were hashing out our day (a common occurrence at Chez McPhee-LaVanway) and decided that we wanted to provide opportunities for our talented friends/colleagues and chose material that we felt inspiring or thought provoking.  We wanted to play by our own rules.  Coming from a professional theatrical environment at UW, it was really important to us maintain that structure in every project we do.  Rachel and I really strive to treat our cast and crew with respect, and let them know that we couldn’t do it without their help!  We are BIG believers in the collaborative process.

Why MidSummer?

JL: It’s true, there are multiple productions of this piece planned for this summer, and there will continue to be for infinite summers to follow.  Why MidSummer?  Well, I think the nature of the piece (as for many of Shakespeare’s work) lends itself to the collaborative environment that Rachel and I love.  We have a 25 person production and everyone has helped us in “getting this show on the road,” so to speak. The light, jovial nature of MidSummer celebrates the magic of theatre.  A lot of our previous productions and readings have been on the darker side, so it’s nice to do something less heavy.  Everyone loves a happy ending right?

Did you choose your garden because that is how you envisioned it, or did cost come into factor when making that decision?

RM: That’s a great question! Let me tell you a little bit more about the venue first. Jackie and  I are fortunate enough to live in a beautiful Astoria apartment that also features a gorgeous backyard garden complete with a fig tree, peach tree, pear tree, and apple tree. We love entertaining and all our entertainment biz friends who have ever been back there always comment on how the space would be perfect for a show because it has a very special, “outside NY,” almost magical feel to it.  Like other indie theatre companies, OTSP has definitely struggled since/during the recession and the thought of a FREE venue and rehearsal space (weather permitting!) was music to our ears and we thought also an exciting way to bring theatre to Astoria and create an outdoor celebration of Shakespeare and Art. Since it’s such a community based production, we have also been lucky in getting local businesses to sponsor us. Once we got the go-ahead from our landlord, neighbors, and Actors’ Equity, it was full steam ahead!

What makes your MidSummer different (aside from the garden)?

JL: That Astoria is our co star!  This response we’ve had from our neighborhood has been overwhelming as Rachel previously mentioned.  The independent business owners and restauranteurs have really thrown their support behind us, and that’s a wonderful feeling. We are also sponsored by some of the local bars in the area, who we will be patronizing after some of our performances.  We want this particular production to be a celebration of theatre, friendship, and all things Astoria!  We are in love with our neighborhood, and we want our audience to fall in love as well.

You’re both producers on the show, you’re both in the show, and you both have day jobs. Give us a glimpse into your busy days leading up to the show.

RM: Jackie and I both don’t typically take roles in our productions, but this summer the opportunity was too hard to pass up! Like most actors living in NYC, I’m a self-proclaimed “hustler” and have basically worked every “for money only job” under the sun! A typical day for me would be up at 6 to work at my restaurant where I waitress, composing email submissions for my acting career and also communicating with designers and other team members and fulfilling other OTSP duties during stolen 5 minute breaks, then hitting auditions by 3ish, rehearsal starts at 6 or 7 and if I’m not at rehearsal I can most likely be found at the theatre, following up with sponsors, attending networking events, promoting our shows/special events, talking to people at Actors’ Equity, reading scripts, line learning,  or planning for future projects. I truly feel like I’m living the dream and am so proud of the work we create at On the Square.

JL: A day in the life of Jackie can be whirlwind:  Get up around 8am to be at work by 10am at New World Stages.  Work til 6pm, or longer (if I can’t get it all done).  I am the Executive Assistant at New World and Stage Entertainment USA.  In addition to managing a staff of 13, I am an administrative catch all.  If I’m not at rehearsal that evening, I’m can be found at my computer coordinating things for OTSP, including blogging, facebooking, tweeting, designing the ad space for our programs, raising funds, drafting press releases, communicating with various personnel, meeting new talent, and trying to get the word out about our fabulous company!  Non OTSP activities include, doing my work-study at S Factor and seeing shows around the town. Go to bed around 1am and try NOT to think about what craziness will enfold tomorrow.  There are many 12-14 hour days during productions, but it’s all worth it in the end.  It feels good to say we have our own company, and that we are active on the scene!

Talk to us a little about the director and cast members.

Part of the cast in rehearsal

RM: We are so lucky to have a phenomenal group of people working so hard to create this piece. The cast and production team are a mixture of old standbys, new finds via auditions, and some friends of friends we have had our eye on. Michael Swartz (In Fields Where they Lay), I met on one of my first shows here in NYC. He is a talented actor and director and is doing a great job doing double duty both directing and playing the role of Puck! Michael also resides in Astoria.  Through him, we have been friends and admirers of his DeSales classmate, Marnie Schulenburg (Daytime Emmy nominee for her work on As The World Turns)  who plays a delightfully innocent and hilarious Hermia.  Every single person in the cast is an utter joy to work with, not to mention the talents and skill  of our production team!

JL: Everyone in the show has a diverse body of work. Kane Prestenback, who plays Flute, just completed the TS Eliot Exchange Program at the Old Vic in London.  Colleen Harris (Peter Quince) received raved reviews for her recent cabaret show debut, This Time, at Don’t Tell Mama.  We could go on and on- seriously, everyone is wonderful and worth gushing over.

Lets say I’m new to hanging out in Astoria, want dinner before the show, and drinks after… what are your favorite nearby spots?

RM: Jackie and I are obsessed with Diwine Bar which is located on 31st ave between 43rd and 44th streets (also a hop, skip, and jump away for our venue!) .Winegasm and Brick Café are also fabulous favorites of ours and also close to our performance space.

JL: Great pub food can be found at Sweet Afton (try the fried pickles!) and Bareburger has the MOST AMAZING burgers and everything on the menu is organic. Vitality and Health Natural Market is a great local organic market that you’ll see right when you get off  the R at the 46th street stop. Grab some coconut water before heading to the show!

___

On The Square‘s production of William Shakespeare’s A MidSummer Night’s Dream will play from July 8th through the 18th. For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.OnTheSquareProductions.com.

If you are interested in donating to On The Square Productions, there is an easy and secure way to do it online, by visiting Fractured Atlas.

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The other day I was walking by myself, minding my own business down Riverside Park, trying to have some me time with . . . well . . . me, and I noticed these pianos just lying there unattended. So I snapped a shot and did some snooping around, and found out about a fantastic non-profit  called Sing for Hope, and their Play Me I’m Yours arts project.

Play that thang! ©Antonio Minino

Play Me, I’m Yours, has a total of 60 pianos at different parks and public spaces all around New York City.  From June 21 to July 5, the pianos are placed throughout the city’s five boroughs to be played by all who pass by — students, tourists, children, nannies, doctors, merchants, artists — in a festival of music open to all New Yorkers.

I’m definitely heading on down there to see if I catch someone actually playing the damn thang.

Maybe it’ll be you?

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