Trafficked

Benefiting: GEMS
Created by Members of Project Girl Performance Collective
Directed by Ashley Marinaccio

Show Times:

• Mon 6/4/12 – 4:00pm
• Fri 6/8/12 – 6:00pm
• Sun 6/10/12 – 5:30pm
• Sat 6/16/12 – 4:30pm
• Thu 6/21/12 – 5:00pm
• Sat 6/23/12 – 1:30pm

Answers by   various cast/staff members of TRAFFICKED including

Mildred Jones-Hamm (Performer), Monica Furman (Performer/Creator), Chioneso Bakr (Performer), Ashley Marinaccio (Director)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
How did you come up with the title for your show?

Ashley Marinaccio: Trafficked tells the story of sex slavery and child exploitation through the eyes of fifteen young women. In an ensemble devised performance constructed by interviews, research and media, the cast puts a name and face to the thousands of undocumented girls and boys who are trafficked into the billion dollar sex industry each year. We chose to call our show Trafficked because it summarizes what our show is about.

Diánna Martin’s Question
If you were going to invite 5 people (from the past or present) to see your show – who would you invite … and why?

Somaly Mam – She is an activist who has dedicated her life to ending human trafficking. Her work has motivated this production. We hope that through our show we can help to raise awareness of people like Somaly Mam who are changing lives each day.

Gloria Steinem – As young feminists we deeply admire Gloria and feel that she has blazed the trail to let us be who we are today. It would be an honor for her to join us.

Eve Ensler – Eve has created a movement to end violence against women. She is our biggest influence. We would love for Eve to lead a workshop and talk back with our girls.

Michele Obama – We love the work that our first lady has done to empower women and girls in the United States and around the world. We have had the privilege of performing at The White House once and would love for Mrs. Obama to see
Trafficked.

Oprah – We want Oprah to see our work! She has changed so many lives and inspires us beyond words. We hope that our work will inspire Oprah the way that she has inspired us.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your art and was it worth it?
Mildred Jones-Hamm (Age 21): The biggest sacrifice I made for my art is moving away from suburban Michigan, away from the security of family, my university,  and friends to create a life in New York City. To develop my art in a place which I knew nothing about. Not only have I grown more independent but I also seek the importance of art and the decisions in my life. I’ve learned there is security in nothing so in order to excel I have to be fearless and make bold decisions in my life and ART. Through this experience I have become aware of my self worth as a individual, I truly believe that everything happens for a reason with this I have broaden my horizons as a thinker, artist and achiever it was totally worth it.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and can you share it with us?
 - Monica Furman (Age 16): I’m from Ukraine. I had no idea that Ukraine was a place of such immense sexual exploitation! I had never heard any family members talk about it, so I was very surprised when I came upon the information during my research for my character.
- Chioneso Bakr (Age 17): During production I learned that sex trafficking not only happens outside the US, but right inside my own city. To know that this issue is happening in my backyard, it makes the situation much more frightening.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
- Chioneso Bakr: The show should be the type of experience where audience would want to tell others about it. I would hope they would enjoy it, feel the acting, become emotional, and understand how serious sex trafficking is.

___

Planet Connections runs from May 30 – June 24 at The Bleecker Street Theater located at 45 Bleecker Street, New York, NY.  To purchase tickets to this or any of the shows click here.

Related Posts:

• The Bad Date Project – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The American Play – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The Taint Of Equality, Or I Want Your Sex – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The Count Of Monte Cristo – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• SAFE – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)

There’s an undeniable elegance about the Irish singer/performer (composer, orchestrator, producer) Julie Feeney who is appearing for a 10 day booking at the Irish Arts Center on 51st Street. The elegance is there in the assemblage of instruments she has corralled on stage, as well as in the controlled voice, smooth flowing toothy lyrics, and sophisticated orchestral arrangements she deploys. But the elegance really comes about when Feeney emerges into the auditorium, using the regular patrons entrance way, singing in hushed tones the introduction to her song Myth. Leaning over from the aisle, she breathily exchanges some of the words with a surprised, somewhat unnerved audience. She’s sparkling in the reflected stage lights, an ornate crystal gemmed collar on her dress and tiny rhinestones in her hairnet twinkle in the shadows. It’s nothing to get really alarmed about, but that towering beehive coiffure is teased up just that little bit high enough to signal caution; who is this? And the song she is singing keeps dropping into abrupt silences. Before picking up once more and conducting you along a melody that achieves its pop bounce from a delicate arrangement of strings, bowed and pizzicato. She attains the stage and relaxes the audience with a complicit, almost coy smile, while working a silken black balloon dress that is at once sumptuous and brief. It’s a wonderfully poised balancing act between refinement and boldness, and it proves the perfect introduction for what is to follow.

She delivers a succession of self penned lyrical gems that play with a chamber orchestral style as comfortably as they address contemporary pop sensibilities. Using a backing group of seven musicians (she makes each musician, including her backing vocalist, play at least 2 instruments) incorporating a classical strings line-up, a touch of trumpet, and a hint of woodwind, Feeney gently moves through feelings that range from delicately vulnerable to reflexively sharp, by way of fluidly philosophical. Her presence and performance hold an element of theatre which is all of a graceful piece with the imaginative vocalizing and rich musicality. As perfectly manicured as her delivery is, there is enough live nerve on show to require attentive listening and to permit the unexpected. She is that rare thing, a striking mix of eccentric genius and comfortable intimacy.

In this show she presents works from her critically lauded, self produced, first two albums – 13 Songs and pages – and what is surely an eagerly awaited third, scheduled for release this Fall. In the hotbed of young musical talent that Ireland is today she is a strong individual presence, radiating assured musical understanding and punctilious execution. She holds three degrees, at least two of which are music focused (the other is in psychology). In Dublin she has performed at the National Concert Hall to rapturous reception (she is currently working on an opera commission from that quarter) but in the comparatively cozy setting of the IAC’s Donaghy Theatre she is very naturally at ease with a smaller audience. Her wide musical reach and meticulous attention to detail – as well as her sartorial distinctiveness – have prompted comparisons with Bjork, but she is very much her own entity, extinguishing likenesses. The wile and wit woven in to her lyrics, as well as evident in her orchestrations, speak eloquently on that point. In Britain The Guardian has offered its praise in the words  ”the world will listen”, to which I can only add, and so it should! Julie noted.

Related Posts:

• BogBoy, By Deirdre Kinahan, At The Irish Arts Center

The Bad Date Project

Benefiting: Food Bank for New York City
Produced/Written by Stephen Stocking & Troy Miller
Directed by Troy Miller
Performed by  Christopher Bonewitz, Rachel Christopher, Stephen Stocking, Bridget Ori, Tara Carrozza, Leigh Dunham, Michael Levi Harris, Matthew Stapleton

“Who hasn’t had a bad date? No one. Not even your grandma. The Bad Date Project takes two lonely singles on a rocky treasure hunt for love…or fun…or just some kind of connection. Created from true stories, it’s a sexy, hilarious and tragic look at dating in the new millennium.”

Show Times:

• Sat 6/2/12 – 6:00pm
• Thu 6/7/12 – 10:00pm
• Sun 6/10/12 – 2:00pm
• Wed 6/13/12 – 8:00pm
• Mon 6/18/12 – 4:00pm
• Wed 6/20/12 – 9:30pm
• Thu 6/21/12 – 8:00pm
• Sat 6/23/12 – 3:00pm

Answers by  Troy Miller

(Co-Creator, Co-Producer, Director)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
How did you come up with the title for your show?
Troy:  As we started talking about writing and developing the play, we didn’t have a name, but the idea was a project of sorts, so as a working title we started calling it THE BAD DATE PROEJCT and it sort of stuck. But it’s also appropriate to what the show is about. It’s a study of dating. It takes work to date and to figure out how to do it well. So the word “project” seemed to have a lot of meaning to us.

Diánna Martin’s Question
If you were going to invite 5 people (from the past or present) to see your show – who would you invite … and why?
Troy: The woman who lives on the Upper East Side, the guy who lives in Brooklyn, the recent college grad from Columbia because our show is about them and their lives. We took their stories (and many others) and created a slice-of-life comedy that speaks about a universal truth, dating sucks!

If we were to invite industry professionals we would invite Moises Kaufman because his creation of THE LARAMIE PROJECT was inspiration to us in how to create our piece and tell our story. Elia Kazan because of his natural take on theater and his ability to balance multiple facets of creating art at once. Currently both of the co-creators are juggling three jobs (Writer/Producer/Director or Actor) and Mr. Kazan was able to do it flawlessly.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your art and was it worth it?
Troy: Any sacrifice you make for your art is always worth it if you are following your heart and dream. The biggest sacrifice we have made for this project was time. Both Stephen Stocking and I have invested a few years of our lives in bringing this play through its stages, with all of the roller coaster events that come with bringing a show to life. And now as we are just at the tip of that big hill, we see all that was behind us and all that is in front of us, and I think it was completely worth it!

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and can you share it with us?
 Troy: I won’t speak for Stephen on this, but I learned a lot about dating; the dos and don’ts and what was acceptable behavior and what wasn’t. However, I think the funniest thing I learned as we developed this piece was how to end a date quickly. If I spoke about the play and how we were getting our bad date stories, without fail the date would be over within 15 minutes after I started talking about it. It would seem none of my dates wanted to risk any more of their likeness making its way into the play!

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
Troy:  I would hope that they walk away feeling like they are not the only one who has suffered from a bad date, that they feel a sense of connection and camaraderie with the cast and the people whose stories went into the script. Overall that they spent 90 minutes feeling good, laughing and thinking, “wow, my dates weren’t THAT bad.”

___

Planet Connections runs from May 30 – June 24 at The Bleecker Street Theater located at 45 Bleecker Street, New York, NY.  To purchase tickets to this or any of the shows click here.

Related Posts:

• TRAFFICKED – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The American Play – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The Taint Of Equality, Or I Want Your Sex – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The Count Of Monte Cristo – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• SAFE – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)

New York City is host to two concurrently running productions of Shakespeare’s Macbeth this Spring: Aquila Theatre‘s presentation at the Gym at Judson (April 18th – May 6th), and Epic Theatre Ensemble‘s interpretation at the 47th Street Theatre (April 20 – May 26th). A stable of many a theatrical company’s portfolio, apart from its matchless, vivid language, Macbeth as drama has much to attract aspiring ensembles, not least the challenge presented in portraying two of Shakespeare’s most unsympathetic lead roles. We watch as Macbeth and his wife are enticed into evil by the lure of power and then, as good stage villains, are punished for their crimes. The trick, however, is in making them into more than stage villains, for in that resides the case for tragedy and its capacity to ennoble human existence. It is a tricky bit of the equation as both of these productions can testify.

Aquila Theatre is devoted to the classics of western theatre, in restating their claim to preeminence as timeless pieces, triumphs of human artistry and culture. As such they tend toward language focused productions that are light on the use of contemporary stagecraft elaborations. For their Macbeth Desiree Sanchez wears both directorial and production designer hats. She is spare in her approach. A minimum of props are deployed in the expansive and lofty space  Judson’s Gym theatre offers. There is an economy and subtlety at work in the way she groups the action about the squared arena. An innovative, momentary introductory prelude scene which highlights a blood-soaked, battle worn Macbeth in one corner, and a bereft Lady Macbeth on bloodied bed sheets following unsuccessful labor in the opposite corner, acts as a startling, punched signature of this director’s suggestion for the fatal couple’s motivations. The Macbeths are traumatized people, destabilized, estranged, in search of a project into which they can pour themselves, erase the past, and reunite. This prelude dispatched in an instant, there is little other tinkering with the body of the play and all unfolds to order.

The performances are vigorous, emotive, well spoken and, most importantly, psychologically grounded. If you have an ear for Shakespeare this is a wonderful production to hear his words delivered eloquently and with conviction. Rebecca Reaney as Lady Mabeth is nuanced and bold, spectacularly benefiting from Peter Meineck‘s well-judged lighting, which is at once lavishly theatrical and self-disciplined. Guy Oliver-Watts, working to uncover an aspect of post traumatic stress disorder in the role of Macbeth, has a more complex part. He is thoroughly convincing, but in so doing projects a weakened, dependent quality in the man who would be king and, strangely, this deflates the character somewhat, puncturing the fullness of the play’s tragic reach. He is doing well what he has been directed to do but herein lies the rub, and a very fine rub it is for the measure of what might be deemed tragic theatre. The rest of the cast are for the most part assured in their roles, with Peter F. Gardiner, (Banquo), James Lavender (Macduff), and Rachel Barrington (Lady Macduff) especially commendable.

Coincidentally the notion that the Macbeths, and especially Lady Macbeth, are grieving former parents, is made central in Epic Theatre’s version of the play. This idea is evident in the presence on stage of a small shrine with a framed photograph of a toddler, to which Lady Macbeth touchingly returns for some of her scenes. Also, it is manifest in the large projected photo image of the Macbeths, tenderly converging about a drowsy infant, which is thrown up on the broken surface of the rear wall. This projection is relentless, hanging like a grey cloud above the proceedings, at once lugubrious and sentimental. Interpretation, with a capital I, is the strategy of this production. Set in a more contemporary world, we are treated to off-stage electronic voices in ear pieces, and a video screen displaying action elsewhere. The Weird Sisters are a heterogeneous mix of sexes and ethnicities, and hang about the stage throughout the action on overhead ladders and walkways, like jaded demi-gods, stonily unmoved by the unfolding drama below. Innovation appears one of director Ron Russell‘s chief concerns with his production. In the banquet scene where a guilty Macbeth is plagued with visions of the murdered Banquo, the bloodied apparition is suddenly encountered in a dance embrace by the newly crowned king. This shift works dramatically, as do some of the other re-imaginings. Richard Easton as Duncan, hailing from the video monitor, is a treat as a telegenic royal talking head, at once hammy and calculating. However, a growing awareness dawns as it becomes plain that Russell as director, engaged with innovation it seems for innovation’s sake, completely loses the plot in the finest sense. This might have been more immediately evident if I had read the production’s publicity notes which describe the play as “a brutal and darkly funny exploration of the banality of evil.” Really? Macbeth? Funny? If the line had been offered by Mel Brooks I might have taken closer note, but otherwise it seems merely, but utterly, wrong-headed. And how wrong-headed becomes dismayingly clear in due course as Russell stokes up moments of sour humor (one of the witches sings her lines in a borrowed tutu as a karaoke turn) and rubbishes any solemnity. It’s as if the idea of theatrical tragedy is unknown to him. The most damaging turn occurs amidst some rapid fire scene shifts toward the conclusion which require one actor to change swiftly between two characters. This is done on stage by the actor (James Wallert) taping and un-taping a fringe of hair to his brow to distinguish between roles. In the duration a cry is heard off stage. Jumping from left to right, Wallert, fringed one moment, un-fringed the next, delivers the news of Lady Macbeth’s death. It is, richly, a Mel Brooks moment, and there was more than one chuckle in the audience.

Can Russell actually hear the language Shakespeare is putting in his characters’ mouths? The evidence is scarce and the actors suffer from the inability to sound as if they mean their words. Who is to blame them if the director has no feeling for the real emotion of the play? Apart from Easton in the role of Duncan, and Julian Rozzell, Jr. (with presence to burn) as one of the witches, everyone seems merely focused on unburdening themselves as rapidly and succinctly as possible of their Shakespearean metre. Russell is not the director who can marry them to their lines. As Macbeth, Ty Jones actually commences the soliloquy – “Is this a dagger I see before me?” – with his back to the audience. No chance here for an actor to convey facially the extremity of the moment. Russell, it seems, is not interested in psychological subtleties (witness the never-changing backdrop projection) merely the chance of creating something different. Well sad to say, something different definitely this way comes, but you’ll be lucky if the pricking you feel is confined to your thumbs.

Related Posts:

• The Terrible Manpain Of Umberto MacDougal: The Total Package Of Manpain (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Menders: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors – Good Menders Make Great Theatre
• The Knocking Within: 4 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (Times Square International Theater Festival 2012)
• The Bardy Bunch: The War Of The Families Partridge And Brady (Fringe Festival 2011)
• Macbeth – Behind Every Good Man . . .

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 Seduction Of The 60s Lives On In “The Lesser Seductions Of History”
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The American Play

Benefiting: Sanctuary for Families
Produced by The Dirty Blondes
Written by Ashley J. Jacobson

“A sinister tale of a burgeoning friendship in an increasingly sociopathic society hell-bent on making monsters of its men and objects of its women.  What would Partick Bateman do?”

Show Times:

• Mon 6/4/12 – 6:00pm
• Thur 6/7/12 – 10:30pm
• Thur 6/14/12 – 4:00pm
• Wed 6/20/12 – 8:30pm
• Fri 6/22/12 – 6:00pm
• Sat 6/23/12 – 6:30pm

Answers by Alexandra Siladi (Director),

Ashley Jacobson (Playwright),

Elizabeth Sarkady (Manager)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
How did you come up with the title for your show?
Alexandra Siladi: Our show was inspired by American Psycho – playwright Ashley Jacobson decided on this specific title because we also realized this story was a capsule of modern American life. It is about white men, a demographic who not only who founded the country we live in, but continue to decide on the laws & regulations that govern its citizens. We see this play as a comment on American society and how in 20 years since American Psycho was written, not only has the story of Patrick Bateman been embraced by a large majority of those who know it, but it has become an iconic vision of the American male’s greatest concerns: image, sex, power, and money.

Diánna Martin’s Question
If you were going to invite 5 people (from the past or present) to see your show – who would you invite … and why?
AS: Bret Easton Ellis, because he wrote the book that is our inspiration in addition to being one of the most prolific writers of our generation, Christian Bale because he’s the inspiration for the film and our play’s image, Marilyn French the author of The War Against Women written years before the hashtag was part of our lexicon, Donald Trump Jr. because he would make a great Bateman and might be inspired to support the arts, and…

Ashley Jacobson: Quentin Tarantino, because I think he’d really like it.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your art and was it worth it?
AS: The biggest sacrifice I’ve made for my art was my life – I’ve given myself up not only for this play, but for theater. It’s great exploring the mysteries of the human condition through the performing arts, I don’t see any other way.

AJ: As a writer, the artistic process is solitary, confining, alienating. You can’t do it with friends, of for me, a crowded room. I sit alone and stare at a computer screen and let the voices in my head guide me. Especially with this play, I think the sacrifice has been a bit of a social life, and a lot of my sanity. I dream about these people and hear their voices. It’s rewarding to hand it over to the production team and let them inhabit that world for a while.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and can you share it with us?
AS: In the beginning, my goal was to bring American Psycho to life as essentially a one-person play told by multiple actors. From this seed, it has become a play about two fully formed characters that are able to exist as a comment on the same darkness that exists in the book. Also, we’ve discovered that live actresses make a better chorus than mannequins.

Elizabeth Sarkady: The original idea of the play came about before our company, The Dirty Blondes. After our company formed and we came back to this project, we noticed that the fact that this was a script about men penned and developed by women gave it a subversive feminist agenda.

AJ: After the first round of auditions, the entire production team was really depressed and freaked out by the show. It was a turning point in the writing process because we realized that we had created such a dark world, but we weren’t offering an alternative. We were just painting a picture of a cartoonish cruel world as if it was exact and inescapable. We had a little bit of an email therapy session, and I went back to the drawing board. From there, we added scenes and words that became the heart of the play; that made it more human; more touching and much more powerful.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
AS: We hope the audience experiences not only the Brechtian ideal of “alienation” (which we’re going for with breaking down the fourth wall) but that they are moved to look at how their behavior in even the most subtle forms of expression or language can impact the series of events that leads to violence. Violence begets violence, and we hope that the audience might not just turn their head to this fact, but try to stop it and show some kindness, which is not an easy feat.

AJ: Alex puts this perfectly. I just hope people are touched. The play points to so many elements of our daily lives – sexism, bullying, capitalism, etc. The takeaway message, though, is that it is all about how we treat each other, the damage we do to each other for the sake of “survival.” Kindness, and live-and-let-live can be a form of survival as well.

___

Planet Connections runs from May 30 – June 24 at The Bleecker Street Theater located at 45 Bleecker Street, New York, NY.  To purchase tickets to this or any of the shows click here.

Related Posts:

• TRAFFICKED – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The Bad Date Project – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The Taint Of Equality, Or I Want Your Sex – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The Count Of Monte Cristo – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• SAFE – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)

Actress and Comedian Livia Scott hosts this monthly variety show, where dead celebrities are brought back to life and stellar guest performances contribute to the experience of Livia’s Castle of Enchantment at the UCB Theater East.

I attended Livia’s Castle of Enchantment on Tuesday, April 24, and was pleasantly taken on a whirlwind as Livia morphed into the dead celebrity of the evening: Mike Wallace. Livia’s portrayal as Mike Wallace was as respectful as it was funny and had the crowd laughing throughout the show, highlighting her skills in stand-up, improv, and impersonation.

Livia (ahem … Mike Wallace) was joined by three special guests: Mike Milazzo, Bamboo Silva, and Seaton Smith. These acts were woven throughout the show, giving each performer a space in which to shine, while being incorporated into the total experience of the evening’s enchantment.

Seaton Smith did a riotous comedy set, enthralling the audience with his edgy humor, thoughts, and observations.  Mike Milazzo and Bamboo Silva rocked the theater with solo acts, and then collaborated in an improvisational jam that had the audience shouting with excitement and electric applause. As Livia said, “the ferociously heartbreaking guitarist + Bronx beatboxer beyond Thunderdome = together they’re unlike anything you’ve ever seen.”

Overall, Livia’s Castle of Enchantment is a fun, organic variety show. Each month brings a new dead celebrity host via Livia and amazing guest acts to round out the experience. The show starts by 7:30 and lasts about an hour. At only $5, you won’t want to miss this kind of enchantment.

More about Livia Scott:

Livia is an actress, comedian and character powerhouse who’s appeared on Law & Order, Late Night With Conan O’Brien, the Comedy Central series Honesty, the upcoming feature film Snatched as Andrew McCarthy’s nurse and she pulls a Peter Sellers by playing about 7 different roles in National Lampoon’s Dirty Movie directed by Christopher Meloni.

She’s an ensemble player in The Shushan Channel by writers from The Daily Show With Jon Stewart with guest appearances by Will Forte, Scott Adsit, Rachel Dratch, John Oliver and Joel McHale, and MEAT, the critically acclaimed all-female sketch phenomenon hailed as “One of the nation’s best groups” by THE ONION.

Livia also writes for MIRTH Magazine, hosts the celebrated variety experience Livia’s Castle Of Enchantment at UCB and is a double ECNY Award nominee for Best Emerging Comic of the Year and Best Solo Show for Goodnight, OJ, her adaptation of real letters written to OJ Simpson which ran for a year at UCB and was directed by Baron Vaughn.

She’s been featured in The New York Times, Backstage, The New York Post, The NY Daily News and The Apiary.

Livia won the 2011 Channy Award for Best Villain in a Web Series & the 2010 Channy Award for Best Actress.  She was recently named “One Of Our Favorite 53 Female Comedians” along with Tina Fey, Amy Poehler & Sarah Silverman by THE HUFFINGTON POST.

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The Taint of Equality, ~or~ I Want Your Sex

Benefiting: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
Produced by Cross-Eyed Bear Productions
Written/Directed by Duncan Pflaster

“Adrian and Javier are a gay couple who don’t believe in marriage- but everyone assumes they’re married. When they realize they’ve never actually opened up their “open relationship”, they decide to each go out and get laid, with hilarious and erotic results. Featuring an all-male cast of 13 in an epic satire of modern gay society. Warning: Nudity.”

Show Times:

• Fri 6/8/12 – 6:30pm
• Wed 6/13/12 – 10:00pm
• Sat 6/16/12 – 10:00pm
• Mon 6/18/12 – 7:30pm
• Thu 6/21/12 – 10:00pm
• Sat 6/23/12 – 6:30pm

Answers by Duncan Pflaster
(Writer, Director)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
How did you come up with the title for your show?
Duncan: It actually took a long time and I went through several titles- It began life called Fidelity, was called Sex and Sensibilities for a while, then went through a number of options that weren’t quite right: One Touch of Penis, The Salad of the Bad Young Men, I Am Into Champagne, Wang the Drum Slowly, and then I tentatively settled on the somewhat bland Equality for the first draft and private reading with my playwright group… but then I read an interview with Paul Rudd in US Weekly where he mentioned the awkwardness of doing nude scenes and pitied the poor soundman who had to look at his hairy taint- and BAM, “The Taint of Equality” it was. The pun sounds vaguely dirty and makes people giggle, but the other meaning resonates with the Gay Marriage themes of the play. And the subtitle of course is from the 80s George Michael song- since he’s struggled in his personal life with some of the same fidelity/monogamy issues as my characters (and is mentioned in the play), that just seemed to be appropriate.

Diánna Martin’s Question
If you were going to invite 5 people (from the past or present) to see your show – who would you invite … and why?
Duncan: (Singer) George Michael, (Playwright) Noel Coward, (Composer) Stephen Sondheim, (Columnist) Dan Savage, and (Gay-for-Pay Porn Star) Paul Carrigan- each of them inspired parts of the play, and I think they’d get a kick out of it.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your art and was it worth it?
Duncan: Oh man, it seems like I’m always sacrificing something to make my shows happen. I’ve been averaging two full-length shows per year the last few years, and it’s been more and more of a difficult battle. Frankly, though I’m extremely proud of all the plays I’ve done and have been very lucky to work with such great people through the years, it’s been feeling less and less worth it as I go on. I’m considering giving up producing my own work and just doing something else for a while.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and can you share it with us?
Duncan: Well, I wrote the first draft of this play in 2 months, which is the shortest amount of time in which I’ve ever written a full-length play (I usually average about a year), so that was unexpected; I didn’t know I could write so quickly. I’m still working on more drafts of Nothing Human, the other (more dramatic) play which I took a hiatus from to write Taint.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
Duncan: I hope they are entertained, but also leave thinking about the issues; they’re presented in a hilarious way, but deep down it’s a serious show that presents philosophical questions about relationships and what they could look like.

___

Planet Connections runs from May 30 – June 24 at The Bleecker Street Theater located at 45 Bleecker Street, New York, NY.  To purchase tickets to this or any of the shows click here.

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• The Count Of Monte Cristo – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• SAFE – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)

The Count of Monte Cristo

Benefiting: UJA of New York
Produced by Provident Productions
Book, Music & Lyrics by James Behr
Composed & Arranged & Musically Directed by James Behr

“The Count of Monte Cristo, a musical based upon the famed Alexandre Dumas novel, now comes to the Broadway stage! Come see the beloved and thrilling story of love, revenge and redemption in this prize-winning and critically acclaimed new musical.”

Show Times:

• Tue 6/12/12 – 6:30pm
• Sat 6/16/12 – 8:30pm
• Sun 6/17/12 – 4:00pm
• Mon 6/18/12 – 7:00pm
• Thu 6/21/12 – 9:00pm
• Sat 6/23/12 – 3:30pm

Answers by James Behr

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
How did you come up with the title for your show?
James: The title is based upon the book, “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas, which the musical is adapted from.

Diánna Martin’s Question
If you were going to invite 5 people (from the past or present) to see your show – who would you invite … and why?
James: Richard Rodgers – because I admire his music so much

Franklin Delano Roosevelt – Because I admire what he accomplished as President

Winston Churchill – because I admire his determination and contributions to history.

Moses – Because he is such huge factor in religion and morality.

Philip J. Smith, Chairman, Co-CEO, The Shubert Organization – because I would like to have my musical produced.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your art and was it worth it?
James: I gave up a very lucrative profession to do what I am doing, and have put thousands of hours of my time and talent into what I’m trying to accomplish as an artist. What it worth it? I like creating, but I am still awaiting the opportunity to be taken seriously and given a fair chance to be seen.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and can you share it with us?
James: Well, I knew it was going to be very difficult to get the attention of the entertainment industry, but even so, I did not expect it to be as challenging as it has been to get producers to communicate and be open-minded to a new work based upon such a famous story.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
James: A sense that there are new musical, like The Count of Monte Cristo that respect the great traditions of Broadway and deserve to get attention and help from those in the industry capable of making things happen. There is a sad tendency now to support the rich and famous and ignore new talent simply because they are unknown.

___

Planet Connections runs from May 30 – June 24 at The Bleecker Street Theater located at 45 Bleecker Street, New York, NY.  To purchase tickets to this or any of the shows click here.

Related Posts:

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• The Bad Date Project – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The American Play – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The Taint Of Equality, Or I Want Your Sex – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• SAFE – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)

Safe

Benefiting: National Eating Disorders Association
Produced by Ego Actus
Written by Penny Jackson
Directed by Joan Kane

“SAFE is a drama set in Manhattan about two unhappy teenagers, one anorexic and the other overweight, who find themselves in danger when they encounter charming Phillip, an older teacher with a dangerous secret.”

Show Times:

• Fri 6/1/12 – 7:00pm
• Sat 6/2/12 – 3:00pm
• Mon 6/4/12 – 10:00pm
• Wed 6/6/12 – 4:00pm
• Sat 6/9/12 – 8:00pm
• Thu 6/14/12 – 6:00pm

Answers by Penny Jackson
(Playwright)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
How did you come up with the title for your show?
Penny: As a teacher and parent, I would always hear the term “safe” when discussing children and adolescents. I decided to write about two teenage girls who, although they may be protected by money, find themselves in real danger by their parents’ selfishness and the pressure of today’s world for women to be physically perfect.

Diánna Martin’s Question
If you were going to invite 5 people (from the past or present) to see your show – who would you invite … and why?
Penny: I would invite Sylvia Plath because she understood the pressures of being a too smart woman and of course because she wrote “The Bell Jar”, which is a book that one of my main characters, Liz, reads in the treatment center for her anorexia. I would invite Queen Elizabeth I because she was not only one of the most powerful women in history, but also supported playwrights. I would invite Virginia Woolf, who convinced me, as well as so many other female writers, to find a room of my own. In the present I would invite Sarah Ruhl, a playwright I so admire, and Toni Morrison, the Novel prize winning novelist, whose “Bluest Eye” is such a lovely and powerful book about identity.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your art and was it worth it?
Penny: Sleep. When I’m writing, I can’t sleep because my mind is still composing dialogue and scenes. I’m also a real nervous wreck every time I see my work performed. But even tired and jittery, it’s still worth it.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and can you share it with us?
Penny: As a novelist who spends way too much time alone in front of my computer, I really appreciate the collaborative effort it takes to create a play. I have learned so much from my director, my producer, my actors, and all the other wonderfully talented people involved in my production team. My play , like a child, truly needs a village to mature. What started as an observation about bullying in a high school class is now a fully realized dramatic work.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
Penny: I hope that my adults in my audience will remember that when you are an adolescent, you cannot see the future, and that every day to a young person can feel like the last day. I hope that my young members of the audience will be able to see beyond their present and that the future is indeed within their grasp. I also hope that my play shows that if we believe that advertising and the media dictates the way we must look and behave, then we are not safe.

___

Planet Connections runs from May 30 – June 24 at The Bleecker Street Theater located at 45 Bleecker Street, New York, NY.  To purchase tickets to this or any of the shows click here.

Related Posts:

• TRAFFICKED – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The Bad Date Project – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The American Play – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The Taint Of Equality, Or I Want Your Sex – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The Count Of Monte Cristo – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)