The Happiest Medium » festival

What The F* Is Going On? F*It Club’s Spring Fling!

Karen Tortora-Lee — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 15:44:08 +0000

When you think about it, we’re all part of the F*It Club. Oh yes we are! When was the last time you said to yourself, “Fuck it, I’m not waiting around for this to just happen on its own! I’m going to MAKE IT HAPPEN!” You know, in true Laverne and Shirley “Doin’ it our way!” spirit – that’s when you joined the F*It Club. But, you know, there’s a REAL F*It Club too. And that’s the one I’m going to tell you a little bit more about today.

It started the same way, really – Allyson Morgan was having a lot of conversations with friends of every artistic flavor who were tired of waiting for permission to get on with their careers. F*It! “We wanted to create an incubator for both theater AND film,” says Allyson. “So often in NYC, particularly, they’re seen as mutually exclusive skill sets, and we wanted to create a more accessible Sundance-like/workshop environment for creators working in both mediums on a smaller level.”

So they created a club. Not a stodgey company or a even an exclusive group. But a club where “the hope is that the audiences will find themselves enjoying the work more”. And not one of those red-velvet rope clubs however, where only the rich and attractive can get in. But a place that can serve as a home for artists. ALL artists.

Okay – can you say “fuck it” and not have a plan? “Part of the idea is just being audacious in spite of not quite knowing the exact path”, says Allyson. However, one thing F*It does do is make sure to create a new piece of programming each year. The successful ones become repeat programming, but it’s also okay if something goes away after one try. “That’s just the nature of experimentation in the arts”.

Spring Fling has become one of those repeat programs. It’s the most widely covered event – with the idea being to take the theme of “spring fling” – love and romance – and focus on just one area. This year’s theme is “Crush”.

“Playwrights take that theme and turn it on its head,” says Allyson. “I can’t wait for audiences to see how we’re playing with the theme in 2016!”

Rather than simply six 10-minute plays that are short romantic comedies, there will be everything from drama to comedy to abstract language and timelines. ”Every play is very different – and in between each play this year, instead of just standard boring transitions, we have a seventh *surprise* play running inside of the other six.”

While the playwrights are always curated by Allyson and the company they’ll come to the F*It Club in all sorts of ways. The Club has also started a fall retreat where they bring writers to the Berkshires to work with them, and for the last 3 years have been able to incorporate plays developed at that retreat.

Here’s what this year’s Spring Fling - CRUSH – holds in store for you:

Kevin Artigue – BAGEL MEETS DOOR

Give us some background about the title of your show. How did you come up with Bagel Meets Door? And does the meaning change to the audience as your play progresses?
Kevin: If you’re familiar with dating sites, you probably know “Coffee Meets Bagel”? The play is about two people who meet online and have a date that does not go according to plan. Thus the door.
For Spring Fling you’ve got 10 minutes to wow an audience, make a statement, leave an impression. How does that compare to the work you usually write?
Kevin: With short pieces, it’s hard to say too much. So I just keep it simple and playful.
This year’s Spring Fling theme is “Crush”. Great word with so many meanings! Of course we don’t want you to give away your plot but tell us … Does Bagel Meets Door deliver a crush?
Kevin: Yup. It’s about two people who fall in love, despite absurd wooden obstacles, (insert cliche here).

Stephanie Del Rosso – HE LIGHTS UP MY

Give us some background about the title of your show. How did you come up with He Lights Up My? And does the meaning change to the audience as your play progresses? 
Stephanie: I always avoid titles until the last minute. The pressure to summarize stresses me out, I think. But my general rules are: keep it simple and don’t quote a specific line from the piece. Without giving too much away, yes, the meaning evolves slightly as the play progresses.
If He Lights Up My was a real life scenario, how real would it be?
Stephanie: I’m interested in theater that is intimate and vulnerable but also strange and off-kilter in a way that surprises and invites spectacle. I always set out to tell stories earnestly, but I also always aim to necessitate why a particular story is a play and not, say, a novel. For me, the supposedly too-incredible-to-really-happen theater often ends up feeling the most true.
This year’s Spring Fling Theme is “Crush”. In terms of your writing style, how hard was it to work with this theme?
Stephanie: All of my plays explore disconnect, loneliness, and how relationships fluctuate. So “Crush” felt like a natural continuation of the things that excite and bother me most.

Catya McMullen - EPIC LIFE OF SAM WHEELER

Give us some background about the title of your show. How did you come up with Epic Life Of Sam Wheeler? And does the meaning change to the audience as your play progresses?
Catya: This one’s a bit of a personal one (I mean they are all personal, but this comes directly from my own experience and loss). I had a friend who always wanted to do a show about his adventures entitled “The Epic Life of___” (I’m keeping his name out of this interview) that was a mashup of his radical adventures and his lifelong struggle with epilepsy. He passed away unexpectedly a few years ago from epilepsy and I’ve always wanted to write the show. This short is a first attempt at wrapping my head around it and also him as a character. He’s a difficult man to stage-he was larger than life in almost every way. A sensitive, hilarious, ridiculous, loving and impulsive neanderthal who you might die on the side of a mountain with or build an ice couch with etc. He was one of the first people to believe in me as a playwright, as well. He also helped teaching me how to drive by letting me drive his family’s Benz from the NJ Turnpike in Elizabeth to Vermont one night.
And, I think the meaning of the play does transform over the course of the ten minutes-but that’s all I’ll say.
For Spring Fling you’ve got 10 minutes to wow an audience, make a statement, leave an impression. How does that compare to the work you usually write?
Catya: I write a lot of short plays. Writing ten minute plays was the first piece of professional advice I got-and I fell in love with the form. it’s a different animal than a full length-in a lot of ways it’s trickier. Part of my mission as a playwright is to write plays that maintain an equilibrium of being both funny and poignant. I want you to laugh and get punched in the gut or be faced with your own humanity in some way. In recent years as I’ve started to also write sketch comedy and also perform comedic hip hop as my rap alias “MC Chihuahua Fancy,” my short plays have become a lot funnier and almost sketch based. Initially for the prompt of “crush” I wrote a play about rapping, adolescent cockroaches discovering sexuality which ended up being produced at EST/Youngblood. The team at The F*it Club encouraged me to write something less grounded in sketch comedy and more grounded in storytelling which prompted me to revisit a story that ties into the theme of “crush” in a few different ways and is something that moves and challenges me. In many ways it is like my full lengths, it goes back and forth in time, is funny and moving (I hope) and in the blink of ten minutes shows four people grappling with their own grief, sexuality, loneliness and humanity.
This year’s Spring Fling theme is “Crush”. Great word with so many meanings! Of course we don’t want you to give away your plot but tell us … Does Epic Life of Sam Wheeler deliver a crush?
Catya: It’s “crush” a few ways. People get crushed by grief, they get literally crushed, have a cute crush and also grapple with giving up on love-being done with “crushes.”

Seth Moore – A CONVERSATION I NEVER HAD

Give us some background about the title of your show. How did you come up with A Conversation I Never Had? And does the meaning change to the audience as your play progresses?
Seth:The play has a lot to do with memory, how we perceive our own stories and alter them as time marches forward. The conversation that is had in the play is more of a device, in which a character guides another through a story, but is not necessarily real all the time. I think it’s certainly an interpretive title, can be as literal or figurative as you like, but for me has to do with the deceptiveness of memory, and the conversations that we continue – even if the other person isn’t there – because they’re not finished.

If A Conversation I Never Had was a real life scenario, how real would it be? In other words: slice of life, or too-incredible-to-really-happen?
Seth: The play is many slices of life, Sampled, chopped up and rearranged. In a way it’s all real. In a way it’s all filtered through a rambling mind. So … both?

This year’s Spring Fling Theme is “Crush”. In terms of your writing style, how hard was it to work with this theme?
Seth: Not hard at all! I think crushing lends itself well to this kind of piece.

Gregory S. Moss - CRUSH

Give us some background about the title of your show. How did you come up with Crush? And does the meaning change to the audience as your play progresses?

Gregory: The secret title (“THE NOT-CREEPY DATING EVENT FOR SIGNLES THAT WANT TO FALL IN LOVE.”) comes from a real life event a friend of mine attended in Seattle. I added the misspelling. I like the implicit hopefulness of the title – tonight might be the night! – and also the implicit desperation. The multiple meanings of crush – “a short-lived intense infatuation,” “to pulverize,” or (my favorite) “to force inwards by compressing forcefully” – all apply to the wonky cracked romanticism of the characters that attend the event in my play.

For Spring Fling you’ve got 10 minutes to wow an audience, make a statement, leave an impression. How does that compare to the work you usually write?
Gregory: A 10 minute play is the perfect form for a crush! The life of a crush is like that of a mosquito – you can fall in love, have an entire relationship, and part ways all in complete silence, while waiting in line at Starbucks.I tend to write A LOT and then winnow down – that’s how I get to know my characters. So the compression involved in the ten minute play is rough … but I find the challenges of the short form – brevity, compression, simplicity – are also quite liberating. There’s permission to try something different structurally, to zoom in on a single simple moment – or to try to complicate the brevity, to make the ten minutes feel intense and full.
This year’s Spring Fling theme is “Crush”. Great word with so many meanings! Of course we don’t want you to give away your plot but tell us … Does Crush deliver a crush?
Gregory: There’s a couple of crushes, of a couple different kinds. I’m hoping the audience feels included – crushed on and crushing – in the course of the play, too.

Ariel Stess – YOU WERE CRUSHED

Give us some background about the title of your show. How did you come up with You Were Crushed? And does the meaning change to the audience as your play progresses?
Ariel: The title of the play came from a piece of dialogue. Funny you ask that because the meaning of You Were Crushed changes within a single monologue. The play is about a patient who is struggling with a dream she had. The therapist reminds her the reason she is in therapy, which involves being “crushed” by a series of events, events both in the physical and the emotional world.
If You Were Crushed was a real life scenario, how real would it be?
Ariel: I think my play is a mix of both. The setting and the crises are slice of life, but the way the crises manifest in the space are kind of “too incredible to really happen”.
This year’s Spring Fling Theme is “Crush”. In terms of your writing style, how hard was it to work with this theme?
Ariel: Often my writing is associative. So, starting with the idea of “being crushed” helped me to generate material.

~~~

F*IT CLUB
SPRING FLING
“CRUSH”

PERFORMANCES
Thurs Apr 28th – Sun May 8th
Wednesdays – Saturdays @ 8pm / Sundays @ 2pm

IRT THEATER
154 Christopher Street
3rd Floor

Tickets are $18 and are available HERE and at the door.

For more information, CLICK HERE.

Ye Elizabeths: Living Vicariously Because … (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)

Stephen Tortora-Lee — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 02:29:36 +0000

Ever been in a dead end job and it seemed like you were going nowhere? Everyday the same routine? Well the title characters of the play Ye Elizabeths have been doing just that for the last several years – and they couldn’t be happier. They work as reenactors for the Old Salem Township Living History Museum, and are very content (at least in a superficial way) with the set routines and repetitive but amusing dialogue they have as historical figures. They also find comfort in the predictable ways their friendship plays out. But what happens when the perfect job (dead-end or not) goes away? Who will they be then?

As the lights dim and then the spot lights come up again, we are launched suddenly into the world of Ye Elizabeths with a fun musical number outlining the premise of the story. The two heroines (both named Elizabeth) introduce themselves and their world with expert piano accompaniment by Evan Gregory.

We’re reenacting history
From the 17th century
Through our characters we live vicariously
Because we don’t have lives of our own …

They have adventures (like the time when blood from the chicken slaughterers got in their eye and didn’t go away for a month), and gossip about the newbies. They endure the curse of Wilawamat, and drool over (or disparage) the popular “Pilgrim Plantation” (a reality show about reenactors of the Pilgrim era which we get to see snippets of via a multimedia component of the show expertly and entertainingly done by Jeremy Mather). They also have numerous competitive verbal jousting matches about who is more desperate in one way or another. Oh and there’s running. “Running’s our favorite”.

Mockucomedramady should be a term made especially for this show. It quite successfully walks the fine line between slapstick and broad humor, highlighting the special tension between the two Elizabeths played by Erin Leigh Schmoyer and Alicia Barnatchez. One such moment is captured perfectly in the song Break-up which they perform in the climactic scene of the show. With belting power ballad performed by Alicia interlaced with the beating drum of Erin eviscerating her with rapid staccato in between her notes, we all hold our breath waiting to see how long the spell of their banishment from each other will take to weave. This is a really fun piece showcasing the talent of all three performers – Schmoyer, Barnatchez and Gregory.

There are at least 3 strong threads weaving through this play. There is the musical, which in and of itself is very catchy. Then there is the mockumentary aspect which follows the same vein as Christopher Guest films. The final and most thoughtful thread is the actual theme: What does it mean to have “a life”? If you are feeling trapped, maybe you are. It’s good to be good at what you do and be comfortable, but sometimes you just need to try something else if you’re going to get anywhere.

Alicia Barnatchez and Erin Leigh Schmoyer (Photo by Mike Gregoreksm)

One of the duo is dubbed “Elizasmith” for her aptitude for historical re-enactment of copper smithing and other tinkering, and the other is called “Elizabox” since she is an oxen interpreter who stands upon a wood box for the tourists who come through the stations each day. She relays what the oxen are trying to communicate (“They don’t speak English”).

Elizasmith (Schmoyer) was born into the job being a “duo” with her mom since she was a baby. In a way, Elizasmith is the more bitter of the two, but also sharper in many ways usually winning the verbal jousting matches the Elizabeths have with each other. However, she is definitely much less worldly.

Elizabox (Barnatchez) is passionate for her work, and just wants to be the best at it what she is doing. She wants to stay happy and stable with her friend who seems even more lost than she is.

One humorous meta-comic joke that recurs is simply the style of acting. Even though the characters are in love with the idea of living in the times of the Pilgrims, in many ways they would fit more in the times of Vaudeville, what with their slapstick antics. It is almost a neo-Vaudvillian style taking the best of slapstick and inserting other more modern improv techniques. Director Leah Bonvissuto’s hand is well played as she seamlessly moves from one form of story telling or multimedia expression to another while never missing a beat.

In terms of multi-media, the film clips range in style from that of reality show to classic silent movie which illustrates the duo transitioning from the world of Old Salem Township to the more alien outside world of imaginary motel rooms. The two co-musical directors, Sarah Gregory and Evan Gregory incorporate a diverse score – one that includes everything from the classic show tune to a smoky jazz song sung by the piano player during a scene change to a power ballad or two.

Erin Leigh Schmoyer and Alicia Barnatchez (Photo by Mike Gregorek)

Though there were a few rough edges in the production Barnatchez and Schmoyer do a great job showcasing the fun of this show, and Evan and Sarah Gregory have written some charming and amusing songs.

The ending might have been a little too pat, but for Ye Elisabeths it actually worked. It drove home the message that maybe we can’t expect a perfect happily-ever-after for ourselves like we see in Ye Elizabeths, but we can sure try.

If you’re feeling down, this show is just the thing to perk you up. It’s definitely funny and energizing, and it’s a little like hiding spinach in brownies: you get something good for you in what you though was just something basic and sweet.

~~~

Ye Elizabeths
Benefiting: Girls, Inc.
Produced by Easter Punny Productions
Written & Performed by Alicia Barnatchez and Erin Leigh Schmoyer
Directed by Leah Bonvissuto

$18 General Admission
$9.00 for Film/Music Participants
FREE for Theatre Festivity Participants

Saturday 6/2/12 – 5:00pm = Performance #1
Thursday 6/7/12 – 7:00pm = Performance #2
Friday 6/15/12 – 8:30pm = Performance #3
Saturday 6/16/12 – 3:00pm = Performance #4
Tuesday 6/19/12 – 8pm = Performance #5

50 minutes

At Bleecker Street Theatre (Upstairs)
45 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012
Conveniently located near:
Bleecker St (4 & 6)
Broadway – Lafayette St (B, D, F, M)
Prince St (N, R)
click here to purchase tickets

THM – Proud Sponsors Of Planet Connections Festivity 2012!

Karen Tortora-Lee — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:03:33 +0000

In 2010 The Happiest Medium was thrilled to be able to be one of the media sponsors for the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity – “a place that shelters new and experienced artists who want to use their art to make a difference”.

We’re excited to be able to sponsor the festivity once again this year! Planet Connections runs from May 30 – June 24 at The Bleecker Street Theater located at45 Bleecker Street, New York, NY.

The Planet Connections Festivity is New York’s premiere eco-friendly/socially-conscious arts festival. Fostering a diverse cross-section of performances, the Festivity seeks to inspire artists and audiences both creatively and fundamentally, in a festive atmosphere. At the heart of the Festivity are like-minded individuals striving to create professional, meaningful theatre, film, music and art while supporting organizations, which give back to the community at large.

In the month leading up to the festivity we’ll be bringing you our fun feature “5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go” – a chance for every one of the shows to give you a taste of what they have in store for you! We’ll also be reviewing a selection of the offerings so check back daily to see what we thought!

Just follow this link to get to the Planet Connections site. There you’ll be able to see all the great things that are being offered … the free staged readings, the full scale productions, the special events … and don’t forget to check out what’s going on in the Festivity Lounge where there will be free entertainment such as singers, comedians, readings and art exhibits benefiting local charities. You can also buy some refreshments! And if you join on FOURSQUARE you may win a prize!

So come be a part of the great work that’s being done by the amazing team at Planet Connections!

We’ll see you there!

Submissions For The Samuel French Festival Now Open!

Antonio Miniño — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:36:22 +0000

That’s right it is festival season. And today I bring you the news of a short festival… short plays that is, The 35th Annual Samuel French Inc. Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival. Submissions are now being accepted! Playwrights should visit www.samuelfrench.com/oobfestival for application and submission details. Applications must be postmarked on or before March 12, 2010 to be considered for this year’s festival.

The Samuel French Inc. Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival will take place on July 13th – 18th at the Lion Theatre in Theatre Row (410 W. 42nd Street). The festival will feature a selection of 40 short plays, chosen from hundreds of submissions by playwriting workshops, university theatre programs, and professional companies both in the U.S. and abroad. Out of these plays, six finalists will be chosen by the Samuel French, Inc. Editorial Staff to receive publication and licensing contracts.

This week-long festival features a full program of the selected plays performed for audiences and a panel of judges comprised of established playwrights, literary agents and artistic directors who nominate one or more of each evening’s plays as finalists.

The Off Off Broadway Festival started in 1975 and is Manhattan’s oldest continuous short play festival. Hundreds of theatre companies and schools have participated in the Festival’s first thirty-four years, including companies from coast to coast as well as abroad from Canada and England. This festival has served as a doorway to future success for many aspiring writers. Since its inception, 181 plays from the Festival have been published, and many of the participants have become established, award-winning playwrights including Theresa Rebeck, Shirely Lauro, Bekah Brunstetter, Steve Yockey, David Johnston and Sheila Callaghan.

Emerging playwrights have produced work in the festival with the support of such theatres as The Public Theater, The Royal Court, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Flea Theatre, The Living Theatre and Naked Angels, and with the backing of prestigious university playwriting programs such as The New School for Drama, Columbia University, University of Iowa, and Tisch School of the Arts’ Dramatic Writing Program. By requiring authors to collaborate with a producing organization and present their work in performance, Samuel French seeks to encourage the collaborative and creative process of playwriting.

Samuel French Inc. was founded in 1830, making it the oldest and largest publisher and licensor of plays in the world. It currently maintains offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto and London, and retail bookstores in Hollywood and Studio City, CA. For more info visit www.samuelfrench.com.

The Happiest Medium » festival

What The F* Is Going On? F*It Club’s Spring Fling!

Kevin Artigue – BAGEL MEETS DOOR

Stephanie Del Rosso – HE LIGHTS UP MY

Catya McMullen - EPIC LIFE OF SAM WHEELER

Seth Moore – A CONVERSATION I NEVER HAD

Gregory S. Moss - CRUSH

Ariel Stess – YOU WERE CRUSHED

Related Posts:

Ye Elizabeths: Living Vicariously Because … (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)

Related Posts:

THM – Proud Sponsors Of Planet Connections Festivity 2012!

Related Posts:

Submissions For The Samuel French Festival Now Open!

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