Linda Evangelista is the source of the oft-quoted line “I won’t get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day.” I’ve often paraphrased and said that I won’t get out of bed before six a.m. unless a number like that is mentioned. Yeah, well … how about a number like over 5 million?

Let me explain …

Regular readers of The Happiest Medium know that UNDER St. Marks Theater is one of the theatres that I return to time and time again.  It’s where I first laid eyes on Killy Dwyer and Kill The Band, it’s where Alex Bond did her staged reading of Late Nights With The Boys, it’s where Penny Pollak holds Penny’s Open Mic and where Gigi LaFemme holds Revealed Burlesque. It’s where I saw Heidi Grumelot make a sock puppet into something much more in Donnie and the Monsters.  UNDER St. Marks is home to not only an army of downtown theatre artists but also to countless people who sit in the audience and shower them with love.  People like … me.

Well, this news had hardly hit the grapevine before all of downtown took it as a call to action — and very quickly Save UNDER St. Marks was formed.  Please join the group and throw your support behind this if you value all the precious gifts Horse Trade Theater Group has been able to funnel through this space.

So what does this have to do with getting up early?

Well, on Thursday, April 7 · 6:30am – 8:30am Save UNDER St. Marks is having a televised breakfast Event -

We want to invite you all to come out on Thursday morning at 6:45AM (yes AM) to join us in Showcasing the Horse Trade Talent at UNDER St Marks on NY1. Roger Clark will be there to interview us about UNDER St. Marks.

There will be two segments shot, one at 7am and the other around 8am, between the two segments we will run it open mic style with folks jumping up to do short 5 minute sets, the theme will be OWN IT.

We need a good turn out to show NYC that this is so important that even Artists are willing to get out of bed at 6AM and represent.

So if you can stay up all night and get there early — or if you can get out of bed, get yourself purty and look alive — please come join me at UNDER St. Marks on Thursday, April 7 · 6:30am – 8:30am.

Do it because there are moments when you need to join your voice with others in order to make a difference.  And this is one of those moments.

I’ll see you there.  Right?

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More Info about UNDER St. Marks:

UNDER St. Marks is a downtown performance venue with a rich history. An experimental theatre space since the 1970’s, this 45-seat basement theater is now home to a wide variety of performance artists including The BTK Band, Penny’s Open Mic, Revealed Burlesque, Thank You Robot, Adam Wade, Tanya O’Debra, The Management, Little Lord, the Rising Sun Performance Company, No Tea Productions, Wide Eyed Productions, Animal Parts, Subjective Theatre Company, The Pumpkin Pie Show, and the FRIGID New York Festival.

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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 Heidi G. Grumelot.

Heidi Grumelot is the Artistic Director of Horse Trade Theater Group.  Horse Trade is comprised of three theatres that are like second homes to me: UNDER St. Marks, The Kraine and The Red Room.  I had the pleasure of getting to know her after we sat on a panel together during FRIGID NewYork 2011 discussing Self Producing Artists. Honestly, I”m surpirsed it took me this long to actually meet her considering what a fan I am of Horse Trade and how much of my time is spent there.

Heidi is also a talented director; she was responsible for the extremely enjoyable Donnie and the Monsters which was held over last year.  I’m happy to see someone so cool, so together and so strong being responsible for so much of the NYC downtown theatre scene.  I can’t wait to continue working with her in the years to come.  Now here’s Heidi’s story …

Talk to me about being a woman who does what you do- just overall.

I love what I do. Not only do I work with the nicest bunch of people around, I get to meet amazing artists each day and glean inspiration. I can’t imagine being a man doing this job…mainly because I’m not a man. Male or female, I do think being an ‘open’ person is a valuable quality in this business. I’m not sure if some of the bedlam we allow in our spaces would have found a home without a bit of openness – BTK Band I am talking about you.

Are there days it makes a difference – good or bad?

The combination of looking a bit younger than I am and being a woman often provokes surprise in those I meet. I generally try and take their surprise as a complement because forty is not thaaat far away… But, I’m not afraid to call people on it if they can’t do business with a woman.

Are there barriers you fought against in the past that are now becoming easier? Was it always easy? Is it still hard?

I think the biggest obstacle of being a woman in this job is facing the under-estimation of others. But any artist who takes chances faces this type of challenge….all the more reason to prove them wrong.

The men that you come across / work with / interact with – do they treat you as an equal?

I am treated very well by all the gents I work with right now. I really appreciate them because they totally have my back. They also work really hard, are generous, and just plain smart.

I have had situations in the past in other places where a man has tried to bully me on the job, so I suppose it has gotten better for me. Actually, I think it has gotten better because I am much better at standing up for myself now. Not to say I think bullying is gender specific, I have had similar situations with female bullies too.

Are there some resources you’d like to share that you find particularly helpful as a woman?

I think everyone should become friends with the Wreckio Ensemble - those ladies know what’s up. Oh, and take a trip to the Russian/Turkish bath house with the ladies on your staff after you finish the FRIGID Festival, I highly recommend that. Definitely take advantage of the happy hour offerings on your block with your favorite NJ playwright. Do whiskey shots with your crazy Israeli bookkeeper if you stay at work late. And do order stew fries with all the ladies in the office at lunch time….

You’re adorable, Heidi.  Plain and simple.  What’s up next for you?

I would love for more folks to meet The Drafts Ensemble at our Drafts Fest May 5th-15th. This year’s theme: ‘Accidental Discharge Impossible.’ We are very excited to be hosting a South African Theater Festival July 24th-August 2nd. And I am directing a play called Lines written by Terence Hughes in association with the UK Company Ice & Fire August 11th-27th. And before that we have so much more going on with our Horse Trade Residents – check out our website at  www.horsetrade.info. And apply for a Residency at Horse Trade, over ¾ of all the playwrights, directors, and producers we worked with this season were women!

Now that’s what I like to hear!  Thanks so much, Heidi, for sharing your stories with us … can’t wait to see you at the next show!

~~~

More about Heidi Grumelot

Heidi Grumelot is co-creator and producer of the monthly storytelling show TOLD. She is the founding director of The Drafts, an acting ensemble responsible for development of over forty original plays to date as part of a monthly reading series. She is the Resident Coordinator for Horse Trade’s six resident companies.

New York directing credits include punkrock/lovesong at The Brick Theater, Dido and Aeneas with The New York Collective of Performing Arts at The West End Theater and The Boston Early Music Festival, Donnie and the Monsters at UNDER St Marks Theater, and Accidents Do Happen, Tom’s Things, and Turning the Glass Around in The Red Room. New York staged reading credits include The Flower Thief in The Red Room , A River Pure for Healing, and An Absolutely Perfect Life at UNDER St Marks Theater. Assistant director credits include Antony and Cleopatra, Love’s Labour’s Lost, and A Christmas Carol for the American Shakespeare Center. She has directed productions in Michigan, Virginia, and Mexico.

Prior to working at Horse Trade, Heidi worked for Laura Stanzyck Casting and The Public Theater’s Casting Department. Casting Assistant credits include Impressionism on Broadway, The Cripple of Inishman at Atlantic Theater Company, The Shawshank Redemption at The Gaiety Theater in Dublin, Holiday Garland at The Westport Country Playhouse, and Hamlet and Hair at Shakespeare in the Park.

Related Posts:

• Early Risers / Night Owls … Come With Me – Help Save UNDER St. Marks
• FRIGID Hangovers – I’ll Have Another Round! (FRIGID New York 2011)
• The Flower Thief – A Bittersweet Bloom
• Starting Tonight! Frigid Hangovers Begin At The Kraine Theater
• Yippie! – Revolution On Demand (FRIGID New York 2011)

Due to an overwhelming audience response, sold-out performances, and critical acclaim Donnie And The Monsters (written by Robert J. Gibbs and directed by Heidi G.Grumelot) has been extended for two ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCES!

• Sat October 2 at 8pm
• Sun October 3 at 7pm

Read my review and then go check out the show!!!

~~~

. . .

Related Posts:

• Donnie And The Monsters . . . You Know, The One With The Puppets
• Early Risers / Night Owls … Come With Me – Help Save UNDER St. Marks
• Women’s History Month: Celebrating Women In The Arts – Spotlight On Heidi Grumelot
• The Dirty Blondes Talk About SEX
• Outskirts of Eden: 10 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2016 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

Donnie’s got it tough.  He’s not good at gym . . . the resident cool kid picks on him . . . his babysitter sees snakes in the furniture . . . his only friend at school is a gal even nerdier than he is . . . and his only friend at home is a sarcastic sock puppet who only appears long enough to snatch whatever self esteem Donnie managed to drag back home before disappearing back into the wall.  Oh, and the monster under the bed wants to eat him.  Yup,  things don’t look good for Donnie.

Donnie And The Monsters (written by Robert J. Gibbs and directed by Heidi G.Grumelot) may play like a kid’s story but it’s anything but.  For while – in Donnie’s world – there are monsters at every turn, often times it’s the ones of flesh and blood who can be the scariest: not a talking sock, or a wandering pirate, or a woebegone toilet or a green eyed monster – but rather a mean kid, or a forceful teacher, or a distracted mom.  Donnie’s biggest enemies don’t exist in his imagination, but right along side him.  The story of how Donnie copes and conquers his monsters is  presented in an allegory.   Using humor to breach some of life’s harder lessons, there’s no doubt that at the heart of this story is a coming of age tale – not just for Donnie but for some of his monsters as well.

Finely directed by Heidi Grumelot, Gibb’s wonderfully written play moves along swiftly and never fails to entertain. Simple yet effective puppet and prop design (by Elaine Jones) as well as other devices are used which play cleverly in the cozy space of UNDER St. Marks taking this story to a multidimensional level.  Sound design by Hanna Weddle is some of the best I’ve heard in a long time – transformative and transportive.

The cast of Donnie is unparalleled in doing the job of hundreds (alright – almost a dozen).  Richard Altmanshofer (as Donnie) does the perfect job of playing an earnest kid who just wants to make the world – his world at least – a little easier.  Altmanshofer’s entire performance so embodies that inner child in us all that there are times you just want to give him a hug and tell him that by the time he turns 25 kids like him will be running the world in some Internet castle.

While Altmanshofer does most of the heavy lifting as Donnie high praise must be given to J.B. Rote who pulls double duty throughout the show as both nerdy school mate Ellen as well as pulled-together corporate Mom – not to mention the snake-seeing Mrs. Spizacky who comes across as Norma Desmond by way of Mrs. Roper.  Her ability to pull off this quick change routine is outstanding – she never drops the ball and convincingly portrays each character from the inside out.

Paul Herbig as Tommy and Richard Altmanshofer as Donnie (Photo Credit Nicole Gehring)

Paul Herbig as schoolyard bully Tommy also dons the Sock Puppet and between these two characters he’s the bane of Donnie’s existence.  As Tommy, Herbig channels that antagonizer we’ve all faced at some point in our lives – the one who never leaves you alone but is acting out to hid some fears of his own.  Matthew Wise as the Monster Under The Bed and Mr. TeeVee is most entertaining – his Monster is a fantastic mix of humor interlaced with kindness – unexpected from a monster, yet perfectly played by Wise.  If you have to have a monster under the bed, this would be the one.  As Mr. TeeVee Wise’s versatility really shines  as he literally channel surfs through his own conversations.  Yury Altmanshofer rounds out the cast as crazy gym coach Mr. Alfulsen  (who is always pulling Donnie aside and giving him pointers on how to be cool) and Blackbeard who get mixed up in all of this because he’s on a quest of his own.

If you’re looking for a Sock Puppet play – obviously this one fits the bill.  It does, after all, feature a sock puppet.  However, I suggest you see Donnie And The Monsters simply because it happens to be a night of good theatre.

And then, just to be safe, make sure you put your socks in the hamper when you get home.   You never know what a sock may whisper in your ear in the middle of the night . . .

~~~

Related Posts:

• Monsters Redux!
• Early Risers / Night Owls … Come With Me – Help Save UNDER St. Marks
• Women’s History Month: Celebrating Women In The Arts – Spotlight On Heidi Grumelot
• The Dirty Blondes Talk About SEX
• Outskirts of Eden: 10 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2016 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)