The Happiest Medium » antonio minino

Scene/Unseen – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)

The Happiest Medium — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 17:43:57 +0000

Scene/Unseen

Benefiting: Brooklyn/NY Public Library
Produced by Antonio Miniño’s Fab Marquee Productions in association with MidNite’s cHild Productions
Written and Performed by Riti Sachdeva
Directed by Antonio Miniño

“Through song, dance, poetry and food, a captive woman known as “Z” explores the connections between addiction and violence as she delves into a state of mental imprisonment and self-abuse. In time the path to freedom is revealed but the consequences might be deadly. A plosive new choreodrama by Riti Sachdeva.”

Show Times:

Friday 6/1/12 – 5:00pm
Sunday 6/3/12 – 6:00pm
Tuesday 6/5/12 – 5:00pm
Saturday 6/9/12 – 1:30pm
Wednesday 6/20/12 – 10:00pm
Saturday 6/23/12 – 8:00pm

Answers by Riti Sachdeva –

(creator/performer)

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

Riti : Without giving away the punch line, the character’s act is a “scene” that we witness on the news occasionally; the piece explores the unseen circumstances and rituals that lead her to the final act.

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?

Riti : Malcom X, Mohandas Gandhi, Cherie Moraga, Oprah, Coco Fusco – because they’re all people who have confronted, in one way or another, addiction and/or violence in their own lives and/or in the larger state. I’d want to hear what they’d contribute to the development of the piece.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your art and was it worth it?
Riti : Fear: of the unknown, of success, of failure, of being loved, of being ignored, of being laughed at (it’s a daily sacrifice.) Definitely 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?
Riti : One can bathe oneself with popcorn and if done properly, it can be quite seductive. Conversely other things can be done with popcorn that are not so seductive…come see for yourself!

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
Riti : A willingness to look at people/ places in their lives where addiction and violence manifest and how addiction and violence don’t exist in a vacuum, they are cultivated, often through shame.

___

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.

The Stranger To Kindness: City Of Strangers (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

Karen Tortora-Lee — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:48:05 +0000

More often than not, when the question of “how do you want to die” comes up the answer is often “in my sleep” or “surrounded by my friends and family”. The hope of most human beings is that, when it’s our turn to check out, we do so peacefully and with someone caring by our side. In David Stallings’ The Stranger To Kindness (directed by Heather Cohn) now playing as part of The 2012 Frigid Festival we see what happens when neither choice is available.

Susan G. Bob (Lena) in The Stranger to Kindness (photo by David Stallings)

Nance won’t come to the door, and this has her long-time friend Lena (Susan G. Bob) in a bit of a panic. In a burst of almost delusional optimism Lena has set up camp outside her friend’s door, choosing to believe that Nance is inside, fine, and just deciding to stay stubbornly silent. Lena proceeds to serve up coffee and deal out a hand of cards which she slips under the door. She incessantly chatters aloud to the empty corridor in the same manner one is urged to do at the bedside of coma victims. ”Keep taking … they can hear every word you say,” we’ve all heard. Lena seems to know that no matter where her friend is – on the other side of that door or somewhere else, she will hear her.

Soon enough Police Officer Greco (Antonio Minino), a beat cop, arrives at the scene. He’s a bit winded, but ready to take charge of the situation. Within moments he’s sized up what’s going on and his presence forces Lena to burst her own optimistic bubble. “When you came we were playing cards” she tells the officer. “But not really …” he remarks hesitantly, not sure what state this woman is in. “Of course not really,” she snaps back. At this moment, we know that everything she’s done up until this moment has been to stave off the inevitable.

Officer Greco goes on to break down the door and confirm what we’ve suspected all along … and while to him this is just another day on the job he has the humanity to understand that, for Lena, this is a sad moment. When Nance’s son, Paul (Mick Hilgers), arrives he’s all but an interloper; conversation alludes to Paul’s inability to live up to be the type of son Nance held out hope for, and his gruff manner and haughty attitude immediately makes him the odd-man-out in this newly formed group. Rather than stay and wait for the coroner and be subjected to further disapproval, Paul hurries off.

Antonio Miniño (Greco) and Susan G. Bob (Lena) in The Stranger to Kindness (photo by David Stallings)

As the young officer and the aging woman wait together a strange but sure bond forms; it is the bond formed by strangers who meet briefly and need to pass the time together. It is not unlike the types of relationships one makes with people at jury duty or at the airport when their flight is delayed: polite … at times revealing, but built on the scaffolding of proximity and meant to be quickly dismantled. Lena knows this of course, yet welcomes the opportunity to tell old stories to fresh ears. She is a woman who once enjoyed an active social life filled with dinner engagements but now finds herself staring at a phone book which holds more dark black marks than names; evidence of those who have died and -however unintentionally- abandoned her.

A brief reappearance by Paul takes the story and shakes it upside down like a purse. In an effort to appear less monstrous Paul lets go a tirade of abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother, virtually devolving into a toddler demanding they see him as he sees himself. The very fact that he uses the tragedy of his mother’s death as a platform to defend himself and bash her is monstrous in and of itself, however he is long past the ability to reason that out. Is he justified? Perhaps. I once heard someone on a lowbrow talk-show say “There are three sides to every story: yours, mine, and the truth. And I’m telling the truth!” This unintentionally humorous adage is nonetheless very real, and Paul is a perfect example of this.

“Being abandoned is different than isolating yourself,” Paul insists. From his perspective, his mother was manipulative (she would woo him to her home with false suicide threats) but ultimately wanted to be alone. Several facts do back this up; she didn’t give out her keys and kept people at a distance despite knowing that her health was failing. Lena was frustrated with this aspect of Nance as well, but had learned not to rock the boat. Theirs was a comfortable friendship, one of rituals and repetition, one which relied heavily on knowing the moves by rote. The less variation, the better. Now, with no more rituals to follow, Nance must make the choice herself – move further into isolation and end up like her friend? Or open herself to people and risk being abandoned? By the end of the play there’s a bittersweet question mark hanging in the air.

Director Heather Cohn does a skillful job of preserving Stallings’ inherent ambiguity about the unseen Nance. The scenes between Minino and Bob are both heartbreaking and charming; a sense of innocent wooing is present, the way a young boy will court his teacher. And while Minino’s Greco is obviously the one in charge of the situation it is Nance and her years of life that put her at an advantage, however disillusioning that may be.

The Stranger To Kindness is both a very universal story as well as a deeply personal one; bittersweet and melancholy with threads of hope and promise woven throughout. For so many, living alone is not a choice. However, The Stranger To Kindness shows that being alone does not mean you must live in isolation.

~~~

The Stranger to Kindness

Company: D&A Productions

Directed by: Heather Cohn

Feb 29, 9:00PM

Mar 01, 7:30PM

Mar 03, 4:00PM

$15.00

The Kraine Theater

~~~

The 2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL will run February 22-March 4 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A). Tickets to all shows may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

The Stranger To Kindness: 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

The Happiest Medium — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:45:48 +0000

Five Questions. Five Answers. And One Big Decision: Rock, Paper, Or Scissors?

The Stranger To Kindness

Company: D&A Productions
Directed by: Heather Cohn

Years of routine bind Lena and Nance, two lonely senior women from the Upper West Side. When Nance no longer answers her door, Lena takes it on herself to call the police and her friend’s family. What arrives is a strange dose of animosity and generousness from unlikely places.

Show Times:

Thu 2/23 @ 6:00pm
Sun 2/26 @ 2:30pm
Wed 2/29 @ 9:00pm
Thu 3/1 @ 7:30pm
Sat 3/3 @ 4:00pm

Answers by Antonio Miniño

(Performer)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
That’s some title. How did you come up with it – and what does it mean?
Antonio: The title is a play on words from the famous final lines of A Streetcar Named Desire, “I’ve always depended on the kindness of strangers”. The characters in The Stranger to Kindness are all figuring out what kindness means, how to give it and how to accept it from others, especially strangers.

Diánna Martin’s Question
If you were going to invite five people, anyone from past and present, to see your FRIGID show – who would you invite and why?
Antonio:
My parents who have transitioned on, Oscar Wilde, Moisés Kaufman and Tennessee Williams. These are people that both David (the playwright) and I admire and one can only hope they would enjoy the work that we are creating.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve ever made for your Art and was it worth it?
Antonio: I have to disclose that I am answering my own question and this just turned all sorts of weird. Definitely the biggest sacrifice I ever made was when I left my country, family and friends to study theatre in NYC. Well worth it. Would I have ever met the love of my life if I hadn’t? Probably not.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and, if so, can you share it?
Antonio: This is the second installment of The Stranger to Kindness and each rehearsal the character surprises me with something new. We have a new cast member this time and he is bringing out all these new layers to my “Greco”. Also because it is in a different space our amazing director Heather Cohn is restaging a lot of the piece. It’s like we started from square one but with our characters being good old friends instead of new ones. A real titillating experience.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
Antonio: I hope the audience, especially the younger audience, learns to appreciate, respect, love and develop true compassion towards the senior citizens in their lives and their community… and to pick their brains… the stories they can tell!

Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH

THM Bonus Question – We’re serious this year!
In the THM virtual Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH which FRIGID Show do you take on? And what do you throw?

Antonio:I pick Fear Factor: Canine Edition and I throw some mean a## scissors at his cute dog!

DAMN, Antonio! Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of Deaaaaath really brings out your competitive side! Good thing I know for a fact you’re a dog lover — or else I’d be worried!!!

Your three rounds so far are:

Missed Connections who challenged you and threw Scissors. That’s a Tie!

Love in the time of Chlamydia who challenged everyone and threw Rock. That’s a Loss!

Fear Factor: Canine Edition who you challenge … and they throw Paper. That’s a WIN!

Thanks The Stranger To Kindness for participating in The Happiest Medium’s FRIGID New York Festival 2012 Q&A. And for playing our game! You’re officially SCISSORS in any and all challenges. You may win, you may not – who knows! This is how it works in the crazy world of the Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH!

For the rest of you don’t forget to check out The Stranger To Kindness!

~~~

The Stranger to Kindness

Company: D&A Productions

Directed by: Heather Cohn

Feb 23, 6:00PM

Feb 26, 2:30PM

Feb 29, 9:00PM

Mar 01, 7:30PM

Mar 03, 4:00PM

$15.00

The Kraine Theater

~~~

The 2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL will run February 22-March 4 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A). Tickets to all shows may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

A Day In The Life … “The Family Shakespeare” By The Numbers

Karen Tortora-Lee — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 22:44:06 +0000

If you’ve never directed a show you probably don’t have any idea how many things need to be juggled, handled, addressed, discussed, solved, finessed, smoothed out, put in order … it boggles the mind. I asked my beloved friend Antonio Minino to tell me what a random day is like for him as he directs David Stallings’ The Family Shakespeare for MT Works. I need a nap just reading his answers!

The Family Shakespeare is a magical and dark fictional look into the dangers and consequences of caging innocence. It is inspired by the true story of the Bowdler family and delves into the psyche of a family who thinks it has the right to cross out and modify words with the supposed aim to protect youth and purity.

As the director of this ambitious tale Antonio is busy from (early) morning till night (or … would that be even earlier morning?). Here is a breakdown of how he spent his Saturday …

UP AND AT ‘EM

When did you wake up?
Around 8am today.

The amount of times you hit the snooze button
I actually don’t hit the snooze button, I just check my phone (which is my alarm clock) every 2 minutes to see how many minutes I can get away with – I should probably start embracing the snooze.

The cups of coffee you need to wake up
Two cups will do it! Normally I brew it at home but with rehearsals I’ve been buying it at the closest deli or Starbucks to wherever we are rehearsing that day.

The time you REALLY feel awake
Lately around 11am - I’m normally a good morning person, when I hit the gym I like doing it at 6am – last time that routine happened it was 1985… no just kidding, it was a couple of months ago. The show has changed all my routines and added back the 10 pounds I had successfully lost.

BREAKFAST

What did you eat?
Coffee

The number of emails you answer before you take your first bite
I try and check all my emails before I walk out the door, probably an average of 20 emails.

The number of emails you ignore / put off for later
Lately I’ve been putting off for later more than ever. Normally I’m very good at replying, I feel like the person that emails me is waiting on the other side, desperately seeking for an answer.

The number of emails you write that have the words “Shakespeare” in them
Probably all of them … Well if my signature counts which says “buy your tickets to The Family Shakespeare” then definitely all of them.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

The songs on your iPod that you listen to the most
I’m obsessed with Jamie Cullum, if you don’t know him look him up. Lately I’ve been listening to Jessie Montgomery’s compositions for the show. They are just beautiful and get me in the mood for rehearsal. I also like the Black Swan soundtrack.

CALL ME!

The number of calls you take
Not many, maybe 5 a day tops.

The number of calls you send right to voice mail
Probably 4 of the 5 :)

The number of calls you make
I’m more of an email, facebook and text person. So maybe 1 call a day keeps the doctor away.

The number of people who meet with you about the production
Including the designers, cast, marketers, press rep, company staff … around 26

The number of people who come to rehearsal 13

The number of people who say “what do you think about …” 26

DON’T QUOTE ME

The number of times you yelled
Do the number of times I’ve wanted to yell count? if they do around 5 times.

THE BEST MEDICINE

The number of times you laughed
Every rehearsal I laugh, so maybe 5 times a rehearsal? not bad for a drama.

GIVE ME STRENGTH!

The person who gets me through the day is …
If it wasn’t for the playwright of The Family Shakespeare, David Stallings, the stage manager Carolynn Richer and the producer Martha Goode I’d be lost every day of this process. Totally lost at sea with no lifeboat or water or sexy trunks.

ORDER UP!

What did you have for lunch?
A grilled chicken salad … well no that’s what I should have had for lunch … a ham and brie sandwich.

LET’S TAKE IT FROM THE TOP

The number of notes you take at a rehearsal
An average of around 7 pages. I have big hand writing though and only give the actors around 1 page of my 7. A lot of notes I take are things that I know will resolve themselves on their own.

The number of changes you made today
Today we fixed a couple of blocking issues that were making me lose sleep and a “floating” moment. We cut a couple of lines that are now acted and need not be said with the words.

The number of times you said “that was amazing”
I can’t remember the last time I said that was amazing and not for lack of amazement. Wait that’s not true, 4 times today when I was talking about Jessie Montgomery and her Quartet.

The number of times you thought “I want to quit!!!”

Only twice and at the beginning of the process. You see I was a replacement and accepting the gig completely changed my routine and it meant directing actors I did not cast, so it took me a couple of days to feel them out and understand how they work and how our styles would merge. Also walking into the first production meeting with the designers when they already had some ideas as to what the show would be and basically changing their concepts on them was also difficult for me, thankfully they liked what I had to bring to the table.

MIRACLE WORKER

What miracle happened today?
We ran the show at 10am in the morning. We’ve been running the show since last Tuesday which is a miracle of its own in the off-off circuit. We’ve been running the complete show two weeks before opening! On a not show related miracle I napped from 4pm to 9pm.

CANDLE LIGHT SUPPER

What time was dinner?
It’s 10:41pm and I haven’t had dinner yet. I guess I should sign into seamlessweb and figure that one out.

What did you have?

Haven’t decided. Something decadent. I’m dreadful to my body temple during a show. Something I definitely need to work on.

Who was your last email of the day to? What was it about?
It was sending these answers to you! No really it was about bar options as to where to celebrate our opening night party.

What was your last thought of the day before hitting the pillow?
I know it will be “Is rehearsal really at 10am again tomorrow? on a Sunday! I miss Unity of New York” that will be my last thought for sure.

LIGHTS OUT

Time you went to sleep?
I’m predicting 2am. I just can’t seem to make my brain slow down and I’ve tried meditating every night, using nature soothing sounds … 2am seems to be the norm.

~~~

Now that you know what’s going into this amazing production you know you want to see it. Click Here to purchase tickets for this wonderful play. I’ll see you there.

The Wo(Man) In The Window

Antonio Miniño — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:45:54 +0000

Bergdorf Goodman ©Antonio Minino

Name: Carolina Davis
Occupation: Choreographer
Age: 34
Zodiac: Scorpio
Favorite Restaurant: Shake Shack, Upper West Side, NYC
Longs for: comfortable stilettos.
Fears: foot injury.
Beliefs: fashionable women are smarter than you think.
Where is she going: shopping ahead for Lady Gaga‘s concert at Radio City Musical Hall.

Dress and gloves available at Bergdorf Goodman.

The Wo(Man) In The Window is a fictional non-factional profile.
Any resemblance to real people is completely coincidental.
In the event of a coincidence then you are fabulous.
We should meet for cocktails.

The Wo(Man) In The Window

Antonio Miniño — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:56:10 +0000

Name: Adam Oliver
Occupation: Lawyer
Age: 46
Zodiac: Leo
Favorite Restaurant: Blue Hill at Stone Barns Center for Agriculture, NYC
Longs for: the day his in-laws move back to Connecticut.
Fears: Poverty.
Beliefs: Jewish.
Where is he going: board meeting of the non-profit his wife forces him to be a part of.

Suit from Brooks Brothers

Entrevista: Heather Cunningham Of Retro Productions

Antonio Miniño — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:51:17 +0000

If I said to you I was an old time fan of Heather and Retro Productions I would be lying … and why start off with a lie? Who would I be! Despicable me … so lets start with the truth and nothing but! I first became acquainted with their work about a year ago as a matter of … chance. I reviewed their production of Mill Fire for The Fab Marquee and was taken in by their attention to detail, something that made me think they had been around for – oh, I don’t know – 10 years. To my surprise they are only a couple of years old, but seasoned in talent and determined to bring back quality pieces – and as I learned after interviewing their Artistic Director Heather Cunningham – new works as well.

Heather Cunningham Artistic Director Retro Productions

Their mission is to present works of “retro theatre”, and they so wisely include the American Heritage Dictionary definition of Retro (since everyone has different ideas of what that is), as “involving, relating to, or reminiscent of things past“; in their case with extra emphasis on the 20th Century.

They were nominated for 6 New York Innovative Theatre Awards last year (2 leading actress, costume, lighting, set and sound nominations for Mill Fire), meaning they left a lasting impression on more than this theatergoer.

Premiering this Friday, November 6th at The Spoon Theater, is their production of Holy Days, a play set in the Great Depression written by Sally Nemeth and directed by Peter Zinn.

I did say this was an interview right? enough blabbing about, lets ask Heather some questions…

AM: How did Retro come about? do you consider yourself a retro girl – stuck in the fashion and art trends of the 50′s and 60′s?
HC: I’ve been told I’m “retro”, certainly I have my share of vintage inspired fashions, but I’m really a jeans and sneakers kind of girl. Musically I’m a big fan of the swing and big band sounds of the 30′s through the 60′s, my favorite artist is Bobby Darin! I don’t claim to know much about contemporary music. I also happen to love old things, from 30′s kitchen gadgets to 50′s children books, to 70′s advertising.

As to contemporary theater, I like quite a bit of it, both as an actress and as an audience member. I started producing out of frustration as an actress for the quality of work I was getting, and part of that had to do with the fact that everything was either new works that were simply not ready for production or Shakespeare. There was no happy medium! And I love the plays of the middle of the 20th century! They are the plays I grew up with.

AM: In your quest to bring back these plays … do you ever produce (or will you ever produce) new work?

HC: I would love to produce new work if it was “Retro”. The plays we’ve done have not always been written in the time period they take place in, for example, Holy Days was written in the late 1980′s but it takes place in 1936. A play doesn’t have to be old to be retro, it just needs to take place in another time period.

AM: You come from a theatrical family – your parents (Jack and Rebecca Cunningham) are a dynamic set design duo. What’s it like working with them? And do you always see eye to eye when those sketches are presented?
HC: I could not do what I do without my parents’ support, first and foremost. Sometimes they think I’m nuts (Dad might still be in denial that we are doing The Desk Set in May!), and sometimes when I say “let’s do this bare bones” I get this incredible set! I usually make my requests before the design is conceived, but on those rare occasions when I ask for something afterwards, they are great about incorporating my requests. But above all, I am a huge fan of their work. I think it is stunning.

AM: Six IT Award nominations for the same production is a great accomplishment! What has it meant for the company? Have you sensed any “drama” with colleagues because of it?
HC: It was absolutely thrilling. I didn’t sense any jealousy at all. In fact there seem to be a greater number of people from the Off Off Broadway community interested in Retro Productions now than before our nominations.

AM: What has been your most challenging work as an actress in or outside of Retro?
HC: There is no question… Still Life was the most challenging thing I have ever done as an actress. The memorization alone was mind numbing. I don’t think I have ever done a play before or since where the adrenaline of going on stage was as high from just fear of going up. And the subject matter was not easy either … it was a play about a Vietnam vet and it was quite graphic and included pictures. And my character, the vet’s wife, was someone who was actually really far away from who I am, so playing her simply was an added challenge.

AM: What can we expect from your upcoming production of Holy Days?
HC: Holy Days is a beautiful play, and on surface quite simple. But like some of Pinter’s best writing, people aren’t always saying what they are thinking. These are stoic people and they don’t (or can’t) always express their feelings. It makes for a lot of palpable tension between the characters.

The play takes place during the Great Depression in the Dust Bowl. Our characters are farmers and their wives and they are struggling with the devastation around them. There is dirt and dust piled up, there is loss everywhere they look; out in the fields, in their homes, in each other.

AM: It seems the Great Depression is a recurring theme in these recession times, a true testament that artists need to express what is going on in their surroundings. What connects you to your fellow cast members?

HC: Sure, we can all relate to the fear of losing our jobs, our homes, our livelihoods. That it is reflective of the times we are in just makes it closer to the surface and therefore easier to tap in to.

AM: Is this your first time working with director Peter Zinn?
Peter and I go way back … more years than either of us probably wants to admit! But seriously, we went to undergrad together (at Denison University) and I was in the first play he ever directed there. The play was Betrayal by Harold Pinter and it was quite honestly one of the highlights of my University theater experience. I hold that project close to my heart to this day. Pete and I lost touch, but were reunited last year. I told him how I felt about Betrayal and he admitted to me he felt the same way. It’s been a joy to work with him again. Not just because it has been wonderful to reconnect with my old friend, but also because he is such a passionate director and so perceptive.

AM: I enjoy the Spoon Theater, but if you could take over any existent theater space in New York City, which one would that be and why?
HC: Oh, I couldn’t possibly answer that! There are so many wonderful spaces in New York … I will admit to playing a game whenever I’m in a theater, it’s called the “if this was my theater” game! But I don’t see that happening any time soon, unless I start playing the lottery and actually manage to win!

—

You can catch Heather Cunningham in Holy Days from November 6-21 at The Spoon Theater. Be on the look out for our lovely managing director Karen Tortora-Lee‘s review of this production.

Ticket are only $18, available at www.retroproductions.org.

The Wo(Man) In The Window

Antonio Miniño — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:15:16 +0000

Ever walk by a store, look at their window display and wonder … who would wear that?

If you don’t, you are missing out on much needed imagination aerobics. And if your excuse is lack of time, this is the perfect distraction to smell the non-existent 5th Avenue flowers. I’m uniting my love for photography and fashion in “The Wo(Man) In The Window”, a fictional non-factional profile.

Name: Kristen Carpenter
Occupation: News Writer for NBC
Age: Don’t ask don’t tell
Zodiac: Capricorn
Favorite Restaurant: Chocolate Maven in Santa Fe, NM
Longs for: A good night’s sleep
Fears: That her fiancee will find out she is a workaholic
Beliefs: Her faith is structure
Where is she going: Her second wedding

Dress from Vera Wang.

Theatre Review- Embraceable Me

Antonio Miniño — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:26:27 +0000

Victor L. Cahn’s new play Embraceable Me at Theatre Row’s Kirk Theatre is attempting to be a tennis match of the sexes where Allison (Keira Naughton) is your egocentric, focused, determined woman, whilst Edward (Scott Barrow) is shy, mousy, and amazing at what he does, which Allison uses to further herself during college and ever after. You wouldn’t think these two would develop a romance together, but they do. And what could have been a flavorful “who would have thought” love story, never catches our fancy due to the underdevelopment of these characters. There is no indication as to why these two belong together.

The play is a retelling, starting with Allison’s visit to Edward’s rural home to make the announcement that she is engaged. Or – as we learn later and easily predict – rather she is there to give him another chance and give herself one more excuse to call off the engagement and rekindle the possibility of being back together with “the one.” The audience is addressed constantly, a device Cahn utilizes to move the story along which only creates distortion, losing our interest when moments are about to happen.

The most Embraceable aspect of this production is Scott Barrow’s thoughtful performance; he gives Edward a fantastic balance of wit, naïveté and maturity as we watch him evolve from a college kid to a grown man who learns to embrace his copy editing abilities and enjoys a tranquil life by himself (albeit one he would toss out the window for a moment with Allison).

Keira Naughton proves to be a seasoned actress, but her calculated, put-together (but only on the surface: the character has a disorganized home and unbalanced checkbook), cold portrayal of Allison does not exceed the character’s potential complexities, but rather simply suffices the written word.

Director Eric Parness does a good job at creating some sense of place and tension in his staging, which is unfortunately obstructed by the direct address in the text. Parness also helms a talented design team, with set by Sarah B. Brown, costumes by Sidney Shannon, lighting by Carolyn Wong and sound by Nick Moore.

Although in this tennis game the players are mostly serving at the audience, when they are involved with each other, the seasoned cast and Cahn’s wit make for an entertaining match.

———
Rachel Reiner Productions LLC present
Victor L. Cahn’s
Embraceable Me
Oct 23-Nov 14, 2009
The Kirk Theatre at Theatre Row

Tickets are $35.00 and are available by calling 212-279-4200, or visiting www.ticketcentral.com.

The Kirk Theatre at Theatre Row | 410 W 42nd Street | Manhattan

Third Time’s A Charm: Monologues And Madness On November 2nd

Antonio Miniño — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:13:44 +0000

If you’ve been on the other side of the table in an audition room, you know what it is like to see actors use the same monologues over and over and over, and dare I say over again … therefore I encourage any actor to search for new material, and not be afraid of using unpublished work. Not only will you grab our attention, but you will help showcase an unknown playwright. It’s much better to have a casting director say “Where is that from? What a great piece!?”, than “Thanks for your time . . . we’ll let you know“.

Your host, Tulis McCall

Now on its third season, Tulis McCall hosts Monologues and Madness, where actors and playwrights get to try out new material; “an evening of original monologues. No slamming, no judges, just great material, excellent actors, and you.” Performers (or should I say readers, since these monologues are not memorized) include Tricia Alexandra, Raphael Badagliacca, Leah Bachar, Kate Daly, Margret Echeverria, Kyla Garcia, Holli Harms, Taffy Jaffe, Ana Maria Jomolca, Carl Kissin, Tulis McCall, Robert Meksin, Francesca Rizzo, Lulu Roche, Flash Rosenberg and Michael Zettler.

The event will take place Monday, November 2nd at 6 pm at The Cornelia St. Cafe, a historical landmark which used to be The Caffe Cino – birthplace of indie theatre and Off-Off Broadway (The air in the Cafe is dense with creative spores).

There is a $7 cover that includes a glass of house wine, and I’ve hear the food is pretty great.

The Cornelia St Cafe is located at 29 Cornelia Street, between Bleecker and W. 4th (West Village), 212-989-9319.

By the way, did you know there is a Caffe Cino Award? it is given out by The New York Innovative Theatre Awards, what I like to call The Tonys of Off-Off.

The Happiest Medium » antonio minino

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