Bill Connington Long Island Film Fest

The short film ZOMBIE will be screened on Monday, August 22 at the New York City International Film Festival. The program of shorts is at 11:35 am – 1 pm at the Abingdon Theater, 312 West 36^th Street, 2^nd floor.  ZOMBIE is the last film on that morning’s program. Tickets are $5.

ZOMBIE tells the story of a mild-mannered “normal-seeming” serial killer, who abducts innocent victims, and attempts to turn them into his “zombie” slaves. The stage play was presented at the New York International Fringe Festival, Off-Broadway at Theater Row for an extended run, and at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater in New York. It was also recently performed in Seattle, and a production is planned for Mexico City.

ZOMBIE is based on the award-winning novella by famous American author Joyce Carol Oates. Bill Connington garnered numerous awards when he adapted the novella into a solo play, and performed it at The New York International Fringe Festival, and twice Off-Broadway. The film recently won “Best Short Film (Horror)” at the Washington DC International Film Festival.

Upcoming film festivals where the film will also be shown include The Williamsburg International Film Festival — date to be announced  – and The Atlanta Horror Film Festival on September 16.

The award-winning ZOMBIE was directed by noted filmmaker Thomas Caruso; the screenplay was penned by Connington, who also stars in the film. The Director of Photography was Trisha Solyn, the producer was Michael Cooper, and the composer was Deirdre Broderick, who also wrote the music for the stage play ZOMBIE.

Related Posts:

• Bill Connington Is Unstoppable With *Zombie* And *The Thornhills Of Park Avenue*
• Let The Nightmare Begin – An Interview With The Creative Minds Behind Princes Of Darkness
• Women’s History Month: Celebrating Women In The Arts – Spotlight On Robin Rice Lichtig
• 4 Cents Review: The Princes Of Darkness – They Just Need Love Too

These women of the arts hail from different disciplines, but they all have an indomitable spirit and a luminescent spark that makes them amazing human beings who are out there every day, doing amazing work.

Today we continue our series with Robin Rice Lichtig.  Robin is no stranger to The Happiest Medium; I’ve had the opportunity to review her work as well as sit on a panel with her last December to discuss the role of women in Off-Off Broadway.  But when you’re as prolific a playwright as Ms. Lichtig a few months makes a world of difference so I’m pleased she’s joining us again to give us an update on her work, as well as share with us her experience of what it’s been like to be a woman in her business.  I’ll let Robin tell you in her own words:

Robin Rice Lichtig

Things are bursting at the seams these days. Playwrights have a rough row to hoe — rougher even if you’re a woman. I can offer as encouragement these facts: I was fortunate last year with world premieres of full length plays in New York and South Africa, a reading in Berlin, and a number of workshops and reading in New York.

So far, 2011 is jam packed with short play productions and my full-length PLAY NICE! opened last night at 59E59 Theatre in New York. (It runs through March 27) I would like to encourage women playwrights to get their short plays into festivals whenever they can. It was through a ten-minute play presented for only two nights at Abingdon Theatre in New York that the producer of PLAY NICE! found me. Ego Actus is also going to produce FRONTIER in the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity in New York in June. At a meeting of the Planet Connections personnel early last Sunday morning, it was exciting to see that about 99 per cent of the people running this large, eco-friendly event are women.

We all know that the percentage of plays written by women is abominably low. Add ageism to that and anyone without fierce drive and focus will quit in a heartbeat. It’s an uphill climb, but it’s not impossible. I suggest joining the International Centre for Woman Playwrights and get on their listserve — a very supportive group.

Last Monday the League of Professional Theatre Women had a benefit to raise money for the organization at New World Stages in New York. Not only the writers, but the producers, backstage workers and technical people were women. Over 200 people were in the audience at $50 a ticket. The atmosphere was charged. It was a fabulous evening celebrating successful women in theater. I was also part of a SWAN Day production in Ontario, Canada, last weekend. SWAN Days are taking place all over the country this month, giving shouts out to women in theater. Loads of encouraging new things happening.

Gotta run. Submissions to make, networking to do. Speaking of which, conferences are an excellent way of getting your name out there. Hope to see some of you at Humana the first weekend in April.

~~~

Thanks so much, Robin – we celebrate you today!

A little more about Ms.Lichtig:

• Robin Rice Lichtig – See www.dramamama.net for details on upcoming gigs, synopses, and other cool stuff.
• March 8-27: PLAY NICE! at 59E59 Theatre, NYC.
• March 20: MOM from LISTEN! THE RIVER. Cornelia Street Cafe, NYC.
• Spring: ALICE IN BLACK AND WHITE. Staten Island, NY.
• June: FRONTIER. Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. NYC.
• June 18: SECRETS ON A CHINESE BED. Marblehead Little Theatre, Marblehead, MA.
• In the works: SUKI LIVINGSTON OPENS LIKE A PARACHUTE.

Related Posts:

• Women’s History Month: Celebrating Women In The Arts – Spotlight On Alex Bond
• Women’s History Month: Celebrating Women In The Arts – Spotlight On Glory Kadigan
• Women Of Off-Off-Broadway: Spotlight On – Robin Rice Lichtig
• It’s A Triple Play For Natalie Menna!
• A Brief History Of Thyme (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)