Ten Questions. Ten Answers. And one Big Surprise in the audience …

CLENCHED

Struck by a mystery illness, David receives doctor’s orders to relax: something he’s incapable of doing. Desperate to conquer his debilitating tension, David dives into a spiraling monologue, a farce that audiences will find familiar, funny, and delightfully weird.

Show  Info:

• Fri Feb 19, 2016 | 8:50PM
• Sat Feb 20, 2016 | 12:30PM
• Thu Feb 25, 2016 | 8:50PM
• Fri Feb 26, 2016 | 5:30PM
• Sun Feb 28, 2016 | 5:10PM
• Fri Mar 04, 2016 | 7:10PM

UNDER St. Marks New York, NY $12/$15

Answers by David Mogolov
(writer/performer)

1. Forget the PR version. When you’re talking to your friends, how do you explain this show to them?
David: CLENCHED is a goofy, spiraling monologue that developed as I was thinking a lot about big data, and then coincidentally got really sick with a bacterial infection last summer. The script was underway when I got sick, but a weird experience I had while at the doctor’s office became a perfect frame for re-imagining the show. It’s much, much funnier than it would have been if I’d stayed healthy. Now it’s an hour-long comedy about illness, fonts, big data, and my complete inability to relax. They come together in a way that I think will be really fun and surprising.

2. Here’s a scenario: After the show some audience members go have a drink.  What’s the part of the show you hope they’re discussing?
David: Oh, I hope they’ll be discussing the scene that inspired the promo photos for the show, but they could just as easily be talking about the NFL, Comic Sans, or meditation.

3. What drives your show – character, theme or plot?
David: Theme. Definitely theme. As I start to write, I have a whole mess of things I think might fit, and ultimately the only way they stay is if they tie into a couple key themes of the show. If they don’t fit, the only way I’ll keep them is if they’re very funny.

4. In rehearsals, read-thrus, or prior incarnations, what’s the one thing someone said about the show so far that made you (or the team) the most proud?
David: “Oh, I got so tense just then.” – this comment by someone at a reading of an early draft, at a specific moment, provided such a clear opportunity for a great revision.

5. If money and resources (and even reality) were no object what is the most lavish, luxurious, pointless prop, costume, effect – anything – that you would spend money on for this show?
David: This isn’t exactly big-budget (and it risks sounding a little Corky St. Clair), but if I wanted to do something totally pointless, I’d periodically vent the smell of toast into the theater, like an olfactory soundtrack to the show.

6. What’s the one thing you’re looking forward to regarding the FRIGID Festival itself?
David: This is my third FRIGID: I love this festival. The FRIGID team are unambiguously “the good guys.” Somehow they create a culture where everybody is really kind and helpful and open and fun. It’s big enough to see a ton of great, diverse shows, and small enough to meet everybody and have great conversations. I hope everybody comes to a bunch of shows and then donates some money to Horse Trade Theater Group, who put this whole thing on and treat everybody like human beings while taking none of the box office. It really does wonders for my faith in people.

7. Is there a scene, a moment, a gesture … anything at all in the show that you anticipate may get a completely different reaction depending on the audience that night?
David: Yeah, I imagine the show will be received quite differently depending on the professional composition of the room. I’m both delighted and terrified of what would happen if I had a large number of designers. I’d be equally curious about football players, but I don’t expect the NFL to send a contingent.

8. What’s your favorite line from the show?
David: So few of them make sense out of context! I like this one a lot: “Maybe I’m not so precious and different! Maybe I just need a candle and a crystal and a blanket with sleeves!”

9. What’s the last thing you usually do before the beginning of a show?
David: Check my zipper. I wish I hadn’t learned that habit the hard way.

10. You scan the audience and you see a face that stops you dead in your tracks – who is it? And why are you shocked?
David: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Well, I expect he’s elsewhere, eating an endangered animal.

Well, David — okay. I’m not much of a sports person so I just googled Roger Goodell. There are a lot of memes  … enough for me to agree that yes, it’s not beyond the scope to expect he’d be eating something endangered**.  Possibly.

Hey, Mr. Goodell – all in good fun, right?

Ahem.  Anyway … the rest of you – don’t forget to check out CLENCHED.   

**No animals were harmed in the writing of this post.

 -*-*-

Horse Trade Theater Group will present the 10th Annual FRIGID New York Festival at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4^th Street between 2^nd Avenue and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1^st Avenue and Avenue A) February 16-March 6. All shows run 60 minutes, or less. Tickets are available for purchase in advance at http://www.horsetrade.info/  

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• Acute…Girl: 10 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2016 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
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Ten Questions. Ten Answers. And One Big Decision: Rock, Paper, Or Scissors?

(photo credit: Kelly Davidson Studios)

Eating My Garbage

Dumbfounded by a call from a political pollster who sounds suspiciously like Laura Linney, David searches himself for a rational reason to believe the nation isn’t utterly doomed. When he can’t quite think of one, he turns to irrational reasons. That’s when his search gets more promising.

Show Times:

• Wed   2/19 @ 10:15 pm
• Mon, 2/24 @ 7:05 pm
• Fri  2/28 @ 5:30 pm
• Thurs  3/6 @ 7:05 pm
• Sat 3/8 @ 2:05 pm

Answers by David Mogolov  (Writer and Performer)

1. Your tag line is out there on postcards and press releases so we know the PR version of what this play is about.  But when you talk to your family and friends, how do you explain the show to them?

DM: I’ve started calling it a comedic refutation of the idea of human rationality. That makes it sound pretty noble, much more noble than the equally true statement that it’s about my totally unreasonable fixation on the Subway sandwich franchise.

2. Here’s a scenario: After the show some audience members go have a drink.  What’s the part of the show you hope they’re discussing?

DM: Oh, boy. I really hope they’re talking about a particular moment about twelve minutes into the show, only because I enjoy performing that part so much. I fear, though, that they’ll be having a conversation about dental hygiene.

3. What drives your show – character, theme or plot?

DM: Definitely theme. My revision process is intensely focused on theme. I cut far more words than I keep, and ultimately for something to remain that isn’t thematically tied in, it has to be really funny. And often, that’s not enough.

4. In rehearsals, read-thrus, or prior incarnations, what’s the one thing someone said about the show so far that made you (or the team) the most proud?

DM:  ”I’m never going to be able to think about Subway the same way again.”

5. Let’s fantasize for a moment. Let’s take the “off-off” off. Imagine this show is on Broadway. Would that change the production itself?

DM: I think it would have to, at least if I were performing. The production would have to be reconsidered from the perspective of “how do you make something intimate and conversational at a massive scale?” Though it’s a monologue, I do everything I can to establish a rapport and understanding with the audience very early in the show, and what I read from the audience does guide me to a great extent.

6. Taking that one step further – after paying everyone what they’re worth of course, what is the most lavish, luxurious, pointless thing you would spend money on if there was no constraints?

DM:  I would build a cross-section replica of my house so that I could more effectively physically demonstrate an absurdity of its construction that comes into play midway through the show. Or, you know, I’d pump in the smell of fast-food subs.

7. Is there a scene, a moment, a gesture … anything at all in the show that you anticipate may get a completely different reaction depending on the audience that night?

DM:  I think there always is! One of my favorite things is when I have a joke that just doesn’t land two nights in a row and I think, “Huh, why isn’t that hitting?” and then the third night it draws the most uproarious laugh of the night. There are so many factors that come into play, especially with joke delivery. I think I have a strong candidate for it this time, but I can’t figure out how to refer to it without spoiling it here!

8. What’s your favorite line from the show?

DM:  ”He’s kept the weight off, but the remainder of his body weight is now composed of nutrients he derived from eating Subway sandwiches, meaning that at the molecular level, he’s emitting Subway smell.”

9. Is the world of this play sustainable outside a theatre? In other words … do you think people live the way the characters do? Would you want a world where they do?

DM:  Well, since it’s a monologue based on my own experiences, I’d say yes and no. Any given show provides a viewpoint, not a panorama. On top of that, I purposefully get hyperbolic in describing that view. It remains an honest view, but an even more incomplete one. And I’m fine with that. An hour is a fabulous amount of time to dig deep in one area. Stitch a few monologues together, and you’re still pretty far from a portrait of a functional person (maybe one a year until 2050′ll do it). Breathing life into the David in “Eating My Garbage” would not produce a solid citizen. 

10. You scan the audience and you see a face that stops you dead in your tracks – who is it? And why are you shocked?

DM: The first girl I ever kissed. Because, well, the show might be awkward for both of us.

Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH

In the THM virtual Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH which FRIGID Show do you take on? And what do you throw?

CHALLENGES: Charlotte the Destroyer.

THROWS: Scissors.

Thanks EATING MY GARBAGE for participating in The Happiest Medium’s FRIGID New York Festival 2014 Q&A. And for playing our game! You’re officially SCISSORS in any and all challenges.  You may win, you may lose – 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  EATING MY GARBAGE   ~~~ 

  ~~~

Horse Trade Theater Group will present the 8th Annual FRIGID New York Festival at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4^th Street between 2^nd Avenue and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1^st Avenue and Avenue A) February 19-March 9. Tickets are available for purchase in advance at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling 212-868-4444. 

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• Basic Help: 10 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2014 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
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There Is No Good News featuring David Mogolov (Photo by Daniel Van Ackere)

From the moment you hear David Mogolov utter the words: “When I was seven years old my parents bought me a bullwhip,” the ice is broken, the walls immediately come down, and you are brought into a world of a hilarious, yet serious, one-man show that is There Is No Good News. I found myself laughing – no, guffawing, loudly – many, many times as we were presented with a glorious diatribe on everything from maniacal boys gone wild to Katrina victims; meth addicts with a purpose to job interviewers that have odd ways of selecting their candidates. But it’s not just a comedic piece; it’s razor sharp in its wit and cynicism in a manner reminiscent of David Sedaris, Dennis Miller, Brian Unger, and Bill Mahr.

Mogolov enters the stage with a script, coffee, and water. He sits at a small table and chair, and I half expected him to begin a news broadcast, a la Saturday Night Live or The Daily Show. Instead, this idealist “Liberal NPR Subscriber” who felt that he could make a difference in the world despite his addiction to consumerism like any other American, weaves a tapestry of how he ended up where he is now: a new father who is questioning everything he ever thought and did because now what he’s doing really does make a difference.

The only issues I had with the show were that at times Mogolov talks so quickly that I couldn’t understand him – and I was sitting in the front row. I actually have to look to director Steve Kleinedler for this (although he’s done an overall fine job with the show) because I wondered if he used said bullwhip on Mogolov to talk as quickly as possible.

For the most part I was fully engrossed with the production and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m so glad I got to see this show; it was a ray of light in a dark tunnel. But, owing to the title and nature of the piece, one of the things that makes it so enjoyable is that the ray of light is actually an oncoming train – with Mogolov as the conductor.

~~~
THIS SHOW HAS NOW CLOSED

FRIGID New York Festival 2011 will run February 23-March 6 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 ($10-$16) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. All shows will run 60 minutes long or less.

Related Posts:

• FRIGID New York Festival 2011 – Five Questions For: There Is No Good News
• Women’s History Month: Celebrating Women In The Arts – Spotlight On Heidi Grumelot
• FRIGID Hangovers – I’ll Have Another Round! (FRIGID New York 2011)
• The Shorebound Swim With A One Click Kick – It’s A Tough Swim, But Worth It (FRIGID New York 2011)
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Welcome back to another installment of FRIGID New York Festival 2011 Q&A!  We’ll be running these throughout February until the Festival starts, so be sure to check back to read all about the great shows that will be taking part in the festival.  Also – don’t miss the winner-take-all game of Rock Paper Scissors! Today’s Q&A is with David Mogolov who is the Writer/Performer of There Is No Good News.

Bringing together bullwhip-armed children, bomb scares, and runaway fryalators, There Is No Good News is Mogolov’s hilarious search for something—anything—he can teach his daughter. Somewhere between Spalding Gray doing slapstick and Mike Birbiglia analyzing McLuhan, Mogolov’s style is relaxed, congenial, and witty, sneaking insights in between near-constant laughs.

There Is No Good News featuring David Mogolov (Photo by Daniel Van Ackere)

answers by David Mogolov, Writer/Performer

Antonio Asks: What makes FRIGID such a warm and welcoming experience for your production?

When I got notified of my acceptance, I was a bit concerned about logistics, and I emailed a former FRIGID participant whose work I admire, and he sent me back an email singing the praises of the festival staff and the community around it. He was completely right. Even though I’m coming from out of town on my own, the festival staff and volunteers have made the whole process remarkably easy. Everybody involved with the festival has been really helpful and friendly. It says something about the festival that even my stupiestd FRIGID questions get fast, funny, useful responses from people I’ve never met. They’re really committed to getting this right.

Diánna Asks: What about this play do you feel most drawn to personally, and because of that, what message do you hope the audience walks away with?

Well, the show is written from my own experience, but I try very consciously to approach it with a self-critical (some might say self-lacerating) eye. What draws me back to the stories isn’t self-glorification or nostalgia, but the surprise at discovering over and over again that I missed something obvious, that a story isn’t about what I thought it was, that no matter how much I might have learned or grown, I still haven’t figured out the basics. I think unveiling this sort of critical process onstage really catches audiences personally. The facts are mostly mine, but the blunders and the failings are universal.

Karen Asks: That’s some title.  How did you come up with it – and what does it mean?

So many possible answers! It does actually appear in the text of the show, but almost by accident. The title was settled long before that line appeared in a revision, and then it just fit the moment. Partly, the title is a reaction to the time I was writing. The headlines were just a string of catastrophes. Even the silver linings seemed carcinogenic, and I’m sitting there trying to write a comedy. At the most basic level, though, “There Is No Good News” sort of sums up the central problem of the show: what can I tell my daughter about almost any of these big problems we’re facing? And what are her odds of making it when her father has a solid track record of idiotic behavior? Is this kid doomed?

Stephen Asks: You must have a favorite part of your show.  What makes it your favorite?

There is one joke in the show that I love more than all the others. It’s super, super nerdy, and it gets a very different type of laugh than any other in the show. Every time I get through it, I have to pause and give it a little moment. Just when I think it’s failed, I start to hear a laugh from a portion of the audience, and usually one or two people end up laughing very loudly. At that moment I know where the philosophy majors are sitting in the audience. It’s a pretty narrow joke, but I can’t give it up. I guess it’s my vice.

Lina Asks: How much of your show was inspired by true events?

Every bit of it. Those events went through the standard bends, folds, consolidations and simplifications that go into turning fact into comedy, but I’m confident that if it’s not all factual anymore, it’s still nonetheless true.

THM Bonus Question: If you could play a virtual game of Rock, Paper, Scissors with another FRIGID Show which show would you take on?  And what would you throw?

“Wonder Woman: A How To Guide for Little Jewish Girls”. I’d throw paper. Throwing rocks and scissors is pretty rude.

Thanks There Is No Good News – for participating in The Happiest Medium’s FRIGID New York Festival 2011 Q&A.  And for playing our game!  You’re officially PAPER. If you read her Q&A you know that Wonder Woman: A How To Guide For Little Jewish Girls threw out a POLYGRAPH MACHINE. While clever, it also doesn’t beat anything. And PAPER can cover anything, so by definition – you WIN!!! CONGRATULATIONS!   See, David – there IS good news!  This is how it works in the crazy world of the VIRTUAL ROCK PAPER SCISSORS TOURNAMENT!

Meanwhile, for the rest of you – don’t forget to check out There is No Good News!

FRIGID New York Festival 2011 will run February 23-March 6 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 1sr Ave and Ave A). Tickets ($10-$16) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. All shows will run 60 minutes long or less.

Related Posts:

• There is No Good News – Laughing Until Your Sides Hurt (FRIGID New York 2011)
• Women’s History Month: Celebrating Women In The Arts – Spotlight On Heidi Grumelot
• FRIGID Hangovers – I’ll Have Another Round! (FRIGID New York 2011)
• The Shorebound Swim With A One Click Kick – It’s A Tough Swim, But Worth It (FRIGID New York 2011)
• Goodnight Lovin’ Trail – What We’ll Leave Behind When We Go (FRIGID New York 2011)