What is “BLE”? It’s Best Lesbian Erotica of course! Simply Google the title and you’ll find nothing but praise for this anthology of steamy hot stories. This is the fourth year that friend of our site, Kathleen Warnock, is editing the anthology – and she’s looking for submissions for Best Lesbian Erotica 2013to be published by Cleis Press in December, 2012. In addition to the $100 payment and author copies, contributors receive a 50% discount on the book purchased from Cleis.
In 2011 the edition was judged by Lea DeLaria, who contributed a story (The Elevator Man) to the 2012 edition. And those off-Broadway favorites, BETTY, were the guest judges in 2010.
So if you think you have what it takes to write something that will steam up the windows and mirrors … get to writing and get those submissions IN! Details after the jump:
Wendy Herlich is many things, but “awkward” is not one of them. In her new show An Evening of Awkward Romance currently playing at The Tank Ms. Herlich proves that she is not only a gifted writer with the ability to create short sketches which manage to be sweet, funny and (yes) awkward all at once, but she is also a deft comedic actress who can play any number of roles ranging from whimsical to deadpan with equal results: an audience that finds itself erupting in laughter as one scene after the next plays out.
There’s a terrific moment in Eddie Antar’s The Navigator when main character, Dave, is beginning to realize the true capabilities of his GPS system. Not only did the soothing female voice guide him to the proper exit, but she (albeit a bit cryptically) pointed him toward a great stock tip, gave him some advice on how to discipline his daughter, and – if that wasn’t enough – anticipated a huge accident and directed him off the highway in the nick of time. Not quite sure how it’s all working, Dave says “I like having answers but… how do I know what the questions are?”
And that’s really the heart of the this little gem of a play: getting the right answers to some questions? That’s good … great, even. But if you’re going to have the equivalent of a Magic Eight Ball that’s omniscient at your disposal, you need to know which questions to ask … because if you’re not being selective about the questions, you’ll be tempted to ask that voice everything. Soon you’ll find you’ve given up the very thing that make you human: choosing. Failing. Getting back up again. What The Navigator does, and does wonderfully, is show the initial seduction, the subsequent joy, and the ultimate frustration of always knowing the next decision you make is absolutely the right one no matter how crazy it sounds.
If you read THM with any frequency you already know that I am a HUGE fan of Austin McCormick and his amazing Company XIV. What comes out of the 303 Bond Street Theatre is almost impossible to describe – because how can you describe the way your life is changed, over and over again?
The Company is now taking things to the next level with their Workshop (full information after the jump) which will take place March 5-10, 2012. Space is limited so I urge you to take a look at the schedule and see if you can join Austin McCormick, Laura Careless and Sean Gannon who all made this marvelous workshop possible. During the week fantastic instructors will take you through Repertory Classes (know what it feels like to be a Company XIV member), Lucid Body Classes(open to actors as well as dancers) and Gaga Classes (no! NOT Pokerface! This is the movement language developed by Ohad Naharin).
I’m also thrilled that THM will be intimately involved in bringing this Company XIV workshop to you: I’ll be doing an exclusive two-part series on the website and you won’t want to miss it.
I’ll start off a few weeks before the workshop with an in-depth article, then I’ll follow that up with an on-the-scene report. Best of all – I’ll be moderating a panel discussion with Austin McCormick himself (Friday March 9th 1:15 – 3:00). That panel is open to the public and admission is by donation, so give what you can. You won’t want to miss hearing the man himself answering some fantastic questions – I know I can’t wait to hear what he has to say!
So, check out the information below, sign up, mark your calendars … and get ready to have the time of your life with COMPANY XIV!
As part of the Board of Directors of MTWorks I’m really proud to be involved with the National Newborn Festival. Part of my job was to help choose the Excellence in Playwriting Award (see below for the winner!) and this year I’ll be introducing one of the plays — but I won’t tell you which one! You’ll just have to come join me at the festival.
So what is Newborn?
Now on its sixth year, The National NewBorn Festival is MTWorks playwriting competition and flagship program created to find talented emerging playwrights from across the US, introduce their work to the New York community, and open new doors to regional voices.
READINGS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
February 2-4, 2012 The City College of New York (map)
North Academic Center, 160 Convent Avenue New York, NY
First Floor Lecture Hall (1/202)
THE 2012 PLAYS & SCHEDULE
Thursday, February 2nd at 7pm
The Tragedy of Dandelion by Duncan Pflaster, directed by Leah Bonvissuto, produced by Jessica Thornhill.
The Tragedy of Dandelion follows a Princess named Dandelion, who attempts to escape, by dressing as a boy, a forced marriage to Ratliff, a man who raped and impregnated her. She collaborates with Prince Crispin, son of Queen Alice, telling him that the baby is his, to gain a place in that kingdom and while waiting in the Queen’s orchard, meets the Queen’s daughter, Princess Cèlie, and shares a kiss with her. She gains a place in Alice’s kingdom, till Ratliff and her father King Stephano, come to Alice’s palace and point out that Dandelion is a female, and drag her away. A new lesbian verse play by Duncan Pflaster.
We’re always excited to hear that a great show is sticking around for a while. And if you had a chance to read Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s review of Samuel & Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War you know that it was a great show. (If you DIDN’T get a chance to read it, go ahead and click the link above. We’ll be right here when you get back).
So I’m sure Paddy would be the first in line to celebrate the announcement tha the New Ohio Theatre is extending the Manhattan Premiere of The Mad Ones’ critically acclaimed Samuel & Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War for two additional weeks.
The extension runs from February 9 – 18.
Samuel & Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War is a sci-fi surrealist War of the Worlds meets A Prairie Home Companion examination of American nostalgia that combines 1950s radio drama, vintage country music and Soviet science.
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Samuel & Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War
Produced by The Mad Ones
Text by Marc Bovino & Joe Curnutte
Co-Conceived & Directed by Lila Neugebauer
Co-Created by the Ensemble
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New Ohio Theatre
154 Christopher Street
NYC
Click Here for tickets
Flux Theatre Ensemble’s production of Menders (written by Erin Browne and directed by Heather Cohn) currently playing at The Gym at Judson will catch you by surprise – but not all at once. It will do so in subtle ways, often, and always differently than it did moments before.
First you will be drawn in by the simple aesthetics of the piece, which unfolds with a wisp of mystery but a promise of payoff in the end because, of course, that’s the way all good stories wrap up. Not necessarily with a good ending, or a bad ending, but a powerful ending which simply means one interlude has come to its natural conclusion. Director Heather Cohn understands how to build the perfect scaffolding around this story, which is a story of stories — each story within it also coming to not a good ending, or a bad ending … simply a powerful one.
Next you will be moved by the poem Mending Wall by Robert Frost which is recited in part by each character in kind as they move about the stage and gather items, disappearing and reappearing from behind several substantial walls that dominate the set (beautifully and cleanly designed by Cory Rodriguez). You’ll know what they’re reciting if you’ve read your program cover ahead of time — if not, it will come up soon enough and the elegance with which the symbolism is used is exquisite; each time lines from the verse are repeated they catch your ear differently, each iteration vibrating with a deeper meaning of what it means to keep people out, or in, or know precisely which it is that is being done. I’m sure those who have already seen the show were quick (as I was) to sit with the poem and see it through fresh eyes.
These days, when taking a road trip of any kind — even if it’s just over the state line to New Jersey — it’s almost impossible to think about arriving safely at your destination without the use of a GPS. The technology is so ubiquitous it’s now even an easily downloadable app for your phone. Days of trying to stretch a huge AAA TripTik across your steering wheel as you drive and hoping it doesn’t fly out the window are over. Unless you like getting pulled over for driving erratically, GPS is the way to go.
But what if your GPS could tell you more than which road to take, which exit is best, or which alternate route to use when you (despite its best advice) still managed to miss the turn? What if your GPS started telling you the answers to everything? Especially during a time when you don’t seem to have the answers to anything? This is the premise of Eddie Antar’s The Navigator – a show which originally was presented by The WorkShop Theater in 2010 as a Play in Process. It was so successful that it was nominated for multiple IT awards, won 2 (for Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Lighting Design) and is now being remounted February 9-March 3 as a full production. Continue Reading…
I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the new short film by Antonia Bogdanovich — MY LEFT HAND MAN — starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Nanny McPhee, Love Actually), Andrew Howard (Limitless, upcoming “Hatfields and McCoys”), Kevin Bigley (“The Chicago Code,” “CSI: Miami”) and Erich Wildpret, who is a Latin American star. The 18-minute dramatic short screens as part of the NJ Film Fest at Rutgers on January 28th. Although the film clocks in at under half an hour I was captivated by the beautiful mosaic of emotions Bogdanovich was able to create both as writer and director in this film. The story is told in a straightforward, simple manner however the situation is anything but conventional.
The Emersons are a theatrical family, of sorts – one son is a street performer who recites Shakespeare while his older brother picks pockets in the crowd. Their father, a has-been thespian, spends the take on booze and ponies. But Samuel wants to make like his comic book hero The Cardinal Comet and split; and a visit from a loan shark gives Samuel a chance at freedom.
Ms. Bogdanovich graciously allowed me to pepper her with questions, both about this amazing film and the process of making it, as well as how her impressive lineage played a part in making her who she is today. Read on as she tells me about the challenges of creating a short film, how her own rebellious youth helped her created the character of Samuel, and exactly what a “left hand man” means to her …
Antonia Bogdanovich
Antonia! I just saw your short film, MY LEFT HAND MAN, and found it incredibly compelling. In 18 minutes you manage to tell a story which provides so much back-story yet takes place in a very short span of time.
You not only directed MY LEFT HAND MAN, but wrote it as well. Where did this idea of the story come from?
Antonia Bogdanovich: The idea came from a few places. I love Shakespeare – as an actor, I studied it a bit at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London (summer program). And I have seen quite a few very good productions on stage, as well as some of or most of the films. I really relate to his work, it has such depth yet it is so accessible. The crime elements are from my own experiences….ahem… I was a bit of a juvenile delinquent – rebelling pretty hard against my upbringing. So I basically hung out with kids that stole cause they had to (their parents didn’t have enough to finance their extracurricular activities) or because they just liked the thrill of getting away with it or both.
It isn’t easy to tell an entire story without one word of spoken dialogue, let alone give proper attention to two concurrent plots that run simultaneously but never intertwine, except emotionally. Yet SEASONS does just that, and with such deep resonance that sold-out houses were sobbing as they watched the four central characters of Elaine Pechacek and Katie Hammond’s original musical live through one very specific year that, for them, was filled with love, joy, regret, confusion, despair, birth, and death. Continue Reading…
